Peanut butter, Banana, and Cinnamon Sandwich

This sandwich is the sandwich that I ate everyday in the dining hall for lunch senior year of college. This past week I ate it every day for lunch. Some things never change. For the sake of sandwiches everywhere, please try this delicious combination.

2 slices of bread (whole wheat preferably)
As much peanut butter as you want
1 banana sliced into disks
Sprinkle of cinnamon

I usually toast the bread first, then apply peanut butter to both sides, lay down banana slices and then sprinkle cinnamon on top. Best served with a cold, crisp glass of 2% milk.

Brie, Pear, and Fig Spread Panini

I just had the most delicious dinner.

Gather ingredients:
1 wedge of brie cheese
1 pear
1 loaf of panini bread (got a pack of 4 of them from Whole Foods)
2 Tbsp of fig spread
2 pats of butter (Pat is my by far my favorite food measurement. How can you not smile when one is asked for a 'pat' of butter?)
Sprinkle of ground cinnamon

Cut bread in half. Spread fig spread on both sides of bread. Slice pear and cover one half of bread with slices. Cut brie into thin strips and lay on top of pear. Place other slice of bread on top and spread butter on top. Drop other pat of butter into a hot pan. Place sandwich on pan, non-buttered side down. Take a heavy pan covered with aluminum foil and place on top to achieve grilling of sandwich. After about 2-3 min. check for light brown coloring and flip replacing heavy pan on top. Remove when lightly browned and sprinkle cinnamon. Cut diagonally and enjoy!

Using a cast iron pan to press down on my sandwich creating an impromptu panini press.

Morimoto

Morimoto was the restaurant of choice this month for S and I as we attempt to conquer all of the delicious locations in NYC.

We arrived early when the restaurant was empty. This is wonderful because we were able to fully appreciate the interesting architecture that housed this restaurant. Smooth lines and calm colors occupy the base blending into a ripple affect made by white curtains that covered the ceiling. The overall ambiance was a chic, calm, cool feel.

I drank a gin, soda, shiso, and mint cocktail. It was strong. Definitely worth the price. Our menu went like this (and no, we did not indulge in sushi because we wanted to experience other dishes):
Cold Appetizer - Toro Tartare (Osetra caviar, cereme fraiche, wasabi, dashi-soy) Pictured Left
Hot Appetizer - House Smoked Salmon Ravioli (Japanese sweet yams, salmon roe, yuzu gelee)
- The sweet yams were in the form of foam encompassing the ravioli which I thought was an interesting approach to another form of a sauce. My partner found it nauseating so I was forced to eat her portion too. 
Noodles - Udon (three chilled noodles, fresh grated ginger, sesame, shiso)
- The most difficult dish to eat. Every utensil on the table was used in an attempt to get the noodles on the fork, dipped in the sauce, and into my mouth. Fail.
Main - Roasted Ocean Trout (turnip, miso, truffle, crispy prosciutto)
- We were warned by our waiter that the Ocean Trout resembles salmon (or sarmon). A little on the dry side, but delicious all the same.
Market Vegetable Side - Brussel Sprouts
- Probably our favorite food of the meal.

We shared all 5 dishes and unfortunately did not feel satisfied or full at the conclusion of the meal. Because of this we walked over to Chelsea Market and indulged in a piece of cake and a cookie from Amy's Bread. S and I concluded that we would not return for another meal but perhaps to sit at the long bar in the basement and sip on another strong cocktail. The noise level was not too loud, as the restaurant filled we did not have to yell to hear each other.

We would also return for the bathroom. Each stall has a beautiful backdrop from floor to ceiling of a mirrored piece of art that seems to extend to an unknown point. Ladies, the toilets are, well...traditional Japanese toilets leaving you feeling more refreshed then when you entered.

Poached Eggs

Just poached my first egg following these instructions. I was inspired by this recipe I found today - Seared Scallions with Poached Eggs. It was a little tasteless eating the egg alone but I look forward to adding poached eggs to my toast and salads.

Baby Bo's and Bare Burger

Baby Bo's
627 2nd Ave, New York NY 10016
Three suizza enchiladas with rice and beans with a frozen strawberry margarita.
  
Bare Burger
33-21  31st Ave, Astoria, NY 11106
Pesto Red Pepper Burger: smoked mozzarella, roasted red peppers, baby spinach and bareburger pesto mayo with a peanut butter milkshake.

Roasted Chicken, Eggplant and Sweet Potato

Tonight I attempted to spend a little more then 15 minutes on dinner. Here's the menu - all purchased at Trader Joe's.
Chicken Breast with Red Pepper Strips, Red Onion and Egg Plant Slices. All roasted in the oven with salt, pepper, and rosemary at 350 for 40 minutes and topped with torn Basil. On the side I microwaved a little Sweet Potato for 8 minutes and put butter and sour cream inside.
Yum.
Again, I believe we get our best ideas from friends who have tried these recipes and can attest to their deliciousness levels and time spent cooking/preparing. Hopefully you can take part of this and change up your dinner routine a little bit.

Salad Lunch

In an attempt to avoid falling asleep at my desk or inducing the chocolate excuse I am attempting a new way of lunching this week. Wait for it. Salads. Usually I cringe at the thought of salads. They are a side dish, the prep for the main course at a restaurant, they are treated with so little respect, why should they deserve mine? Julia Child, Auguste Escoffier and Anthony Bourdain are not known for creating or finding amazing salads but rather grand feasts of meat, pasta, and fish. And butter. We can't forget butter.

For lunch yesterday I ventured to Pret A Manger because there was no time this past weekend to grocery shop. There, I picked up the 'Super Health & Hummus Salad' which made me feel super healthy. As that dreaded 3 o'clock time rolled around I did not feel the impending doom of drowsiness I usually experience. Rather I sat upright typing away and being my cheerful self.

Today I attempted to replicate those sentiments. I made my own salad. This one did lack the variety of flavors and excitement but it was a salad and I was being healthy. Composed of field greens, chopped walnuts, chopped red pepper and heirloom tomatoes, it looked very pretty. Instead of salad dressing I purchased pineapple cottage cheese and plopped a spoonful of that in the center of the salad. When I did weight watchers last year (and lost 10 lb) I learned that more often then not a salad's nutritious army of soldiers is crushed by the sugary, fatty dressings we dump all over the beautiful lettuce. So fat free cottage cheese provided some dairy, more texture, contrasting colors, and a touch of a fruity taste. I snuck my carb in with a whole wheat tortilla with hummus spread on it.

Salads have earned a new level of respect in my life. I will finish off the bag of lettuce this week and probably earn a promotion because I am so efficient at work. I'll be back to carbo loading next week, knowing me.

Dim Sum.

I have just returned from my first successful dim sum experience. I say successful because the first time I went many years ago I had no idea what to do and had no guide to help. This time I still didn't know what to do but my co-worker was there to help. A group of us met at Jing Fong Restaurant on Elizabeth St. When you enter the lobby of the first floor you are greeted by what I can only described as an auction for a seat. After receiving a number and it is finally called out from a man with a microphone you ascend the very long escalator. The scene is chaotic and welcoming. A sea of people sits chowing down food, ladies with carts brush by as you attempt to figure out what is being served, and it's hot. We are lead to a table before I can set my jacket down we are already attacked by women with carts of food. The vast hall lends to the pressure of picking out food then and there because you are afraid you will never find this dish again once they disappear. With four people who are taking Cantonese classes with us and five people who are confused we successfully managed to try a whole range of items.
I enjoyed the lack of structure to the meal. I had my 'dessert' sprinkled throughout the sitting. I cannot remember names nor attempt to pronounce them so I will merely describe what was placed before me. I had a cup of tea that was filled by anyone who saw it empty. There were beef crepes, a bit slippery and doughy. An item that looked like a carrot but was in fact dough with a peanut sauce inside, very good. Cut up ribs, satchels with vegetables and shrimp inside, a plate of vegetables retrieved from a vegetable table. The items on the carts are very carb and meat heavy so one must get up and go to a table in the center of the dining room to get something healthy. My most adventurous item was chicken feet. Dangerous because of the amount of bones but chewy and tasted like...well you know.
At the conclusion we added up our stamped sheet that was marked every time something was placed on the table and went to the China town Ice Cream shop. The usual flavors on the menu were coconut, green tea, red bean and zen butter (which I had and had sesame seeds in it). The 'exotic' flavors included chocolate, vanilla, and cookies and cream.
Now I'm stuffed and taking a nap.