Weekend Wrap-Up: The Lazy Days

Happy Monday! Hold on, wait a second, it's Tuesday! (hot diggity damn!). Don't you just love 3-day weekends? I'm proud to say that I spent the larger part of this weekend relaxing and doing all the things that I enjoy... running in the park, reading a good book, catching up on TV shows, enjoying a hot cup of tea at the corner cafe with Adam and catching up on my sleep.

Boy do I feel refreshed.

Since I was so busy relaxing, I didn't have much time for blog writing. But you don't mind a few pictures, do you?

Hope everyone has a lovely week! I have some great stuff headed your way, including a guest post from Witty + Pretty's Ashley Hesseltine on Friday, so stay tuned!

Started off date night at the Standard Biergarten in the Meatpacking District. The 'garden' is enclosed and full of
toasty heat lamps, in case you were wondering how that concept plays out in the winter.

... followed by Fig + Olive for NYC Restaurant Week. 

I had the Paella del Mar. Hello, mussels! It's been awhile!

Somebody bought a new TV on Saturday. Hint: It wasn't me, but I did help lug it out of Best Buy
because I'm sweet like that.

Some early morning baking... a new granola variation - pecans, almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds,
currants and goji berries. Delicious.

...And Sunday - waking with the sun for a run with my friend Sarah.

Walter was pretty upset the Falcons lost. I appreciate his team spirit. 

Another great haircut by Simeon Kline, who so kindly came to me! If you need a cut in NYC, you can
reach him at simeonkline@gmail.com. 

What's a vacation day without a Mexican fiesta and a movie? We kept it semi-healthy... chips with chia seeds,
organic cheese and no sour cream. Oh... and the love of my life, Cholula. 

No matter how hard I try Walter still wins the relaxation award. Look at that technique!

Mid-Week Wrap Up: The Best Is Yet To Come!

Confession: I have been so wrapped up in the Olympics that I didn't get around to sharing last weekend's festivities! And that's just a damn shame because they were, in fact, super festive.

Friday night, Adam and I had date night at a cozy little restaurant in Nolita called Socarrat, serving traditional Spanish fare. Usually in NYC, Spanish fare = tapas. Tapas are great (don't get me wrong), but sometimes it's nice to have an entire entree all to yourself so you are not mentally dividing the food into pieces divisible by the amount of people at the table. You know the drill. There's a time and a place for tapas.

Much to my utter bliss, Socarrat had a whole menu of paellas. I still had to share (as the paellas come in a huge skillet for two), but I survived. 

 

We started with a few appetizers...

First up were the stuffed dates with Valdeon cheese and Marcona almonds, wrapped in bacon (this was clearly a Friday Splurge, which doesn't sound as nice as a Saturday Splurge...I know, I know). 

Image courtesy of itinerantfoodies.com

Next up were the grilled shrimps, sizzling in garlic, olive oil and guindilla hot pepper.

Image courtesy of flickr.com

Now, for the 'big daddy dish for two'... the Paella Valenciana, a succulent mixture of rice, pork rib, rabbit, snails, scallions, sugar snow peas and asparagus. It was L-O-V-E. 

Image courtesy of nysun.com

Afterwards, we wandered down Houston St. to our favorite music venue, Rockwood Music Hall (www.rockwoodmusichall.com). We stumbled upon my new favorite band. Julia Haltigan brought the soul and her backup band brought the harmonica, the trumpet and a very soulful guitar solo. I've never seen a bad show at Rockwood and this was no exception.

Saturday, I spent the morning at the Aveda Carsten Institute in Union Square getting my hair done - cut, color and style. I was placed in the artful and innovative hands of Simeon Kline who worked wonders on my hair. Thanks, Simeon! (www.simeonkline.com)

Next up was lunch and the Union Square Farmer's Market with my beautiful friend Marissa Roy and her foster dog, Charlie (who I fondly call by his given name, Charles). We enjoyed some Thai at Republic in Union Square while Charlie looked onward with jealousy (Hey, we're not THAT mean! He got a doggie icecream from Petco!)

The rest of the weekend was spent watching the Olympics, running in Prospect Park and enjoying a lovely brunch at one of my favorite Park Slope spots, Rosewater (the next Saturday Splurge is coming right up!).

Enough about the past! It's time to look forward! This week I am taping a TV show for Veria Living TV (www.veria.com/tv), which airs on DISH and Verizon FiOS. I'm going to be the guest on a show with 'The Plant-Based Dietitian' Julieanna Hever, who was recently featured on Doctor OZ and was a consultant for the documentary 'Forks Over Knives'. I'll be learning how to throw a healthy party... food, drinks and even earth-friendly decorations! Here's to hoping I don't make a fool of myself on TV!

And the fun doesn't stop there! This weekend, Adam and I are renting a car and driving up to explore Hudson, NY and Bear Mountain. A weekend of eating, drinking, shopping ... and some hardcore hiking and winery-visiting! Pictures to follow!

Hope everyone is having a week worth remembering...