Taste of Chinatown!

Scott came up a fun date for Friday night. He put together a food tour of Chinatown for us to do. He planned 4 different places where we would go and try a little of something to eat at each place.

The first place was not in Chinatown but on the outskirts. Scott's been wanting to go to Donut Plant, and I've been there once before so we decided to make that our first stop. They close as soon as they are out of donuts, so we went there quick after I got off of work. We got a strawberry cake donut and a crème brûlée donut. We ate the strawberry donut on the way to the next place, and saved the crème brûlée for later when we got home. Picture further down on this post.

The next place we went to was a dumpling place. Dumplings are the same as potstickers, gyoza, etc. As we were walking toward the little store there was a line out the door, so we knew we were at a great place - Prosperity Dumpling! They sell their dumplings 5 for a dollar, what a deal! We took the dumplings to a little park to eat, and they did not disappoint!After dumplings we went to a Chinese restaurant, Big Wing Wong! They had the meat roasting so you could see it walking in. Scott loves the meat you can get with crispy skin. This was our main course stop so Scott got pork and rice, and I got a pork lo mein. It was really good, and way too much food! Each entree was very cheap but we could have gotten away with getting just one meal. Here's a picture of the hanging meat:

When we got home we ate our crème brûlée donut. It was really good! It was a small donut because it's very rich, mmmm...

It was a really fun night! We'll have to have a taste of every neighborhood in New York before we leave. Food is a great way to experience each unique part of the city:)

Our last stop was for ice cream at Chinatown Ice Cream Factory. They had interesting flavors like Black Sesame Seed, Taro Root, Lychee, etc. Scott tried some of the unique ones but we played it safe with Scott getting Mango, and me getting Coconut. I loved the coconut! It was so creamy with chunks of coconut throughout. Here are some pictures of the store and us with our ice cream:

Happy Earth Day!

What do you do on Earth Day? We were discussing this at work. One attorney pulled out his reusable water bottle and he said, "today I will use this!" Share with me what you are doing for Earth Day:)

Daily reminders we live in NYC

Sometimes when I'm in our apartment I forget that we live in NYC. I know that it might seem weird, but our apartment is Utah to me. It's full of familiar things, pictures of family, etc. Each day when I walk out the door I am reminded of where we live. Sometimes this is a good thing, sometimes a bad thing. Here are some of those moments that remind me (sorry this is long):

1. Walking to the subway stop, avoiding presents dogs left behind, so gross!
2. Rushing down the subway stairs, afraid to miss the train
3. Getting annoyed when people don't know how to swipe their card
4. Contemplating, A train or C train....
5. Getting perfect "placement" along the platform waiting for the train to come. ie: I like to be at the back of the train, perfect placement for my transfer. It's also good to be on the front row of people, to ensure to get on the train.
6. Looking on the tracks and seeing an unwelcome rat or two. I used to make a game of counting, but once I got to 20 I stopped, too gross to think about.
7. Fighting for a seat on the subway (not literally fighting, just hurrying to a seat when you see it). Sometimes I get a seat, sometimes I don't. There is a funny Seinfeld episode involving Kramer trying to get a seat on the subway. If you aren't fast enough, you'll lose out.
8. Not having to drive, and reading on my commute
9. Seeing some of the crazies on the subway
10. Running at my transfer stop, to get onto my next train
11. Same thing again with "placement"
12. Getting on my final train and breathing with a sigh of relief, now I can relax
13. Getting to your stop and some lady keeps saying excuse me to get past you, when she knows and you know that basically everyone is going to get off that same stop.
14. Seeing the beauty of the East Side after coming above ground
15. Marveling at the huge buildings, though you see them everyday
16. Scanning your building pass and feeling like a VIP because you work such a nice building
17. Riding the elevator up 37 floors, and having your ears pop
18. Looking out the window of an attorneys office and looking out across the city. It's breathtaking! I should take a picture when my attorney is gone one day.
19. Getting ready to go home and know that you have a 45 minute commute, but you won't have to drive in traffic:)
20. Getting home and stopping off at a local produce stand on the sidewalk, picking up milk from rite-aid (I know buying milk at a pharmacy is weird, but it's cheaper than the grocery store)
21. Carrying the groceries you bought home... milk is heavy
22. Going on a run, and seeing the GWB (George Washington Bridge)
23. Getting back to your apartment amazed you survived another day, and realize you are exhausted
24. Looking out the window over the river, and seeing all the lights.
25. Going to sleep hearing the "sounds of New York" ie: sirens, cars, motorcycles, etc.

Each day even though I'm exhausted, I realize we live in a pretty cool place. There are times when it is frustrating and very inconvenient to live here, but it's our home for right now, and I know we'll miss it when we are gone:)

The reason I love Tuesdays...

American Idol Girl's Nights!

Almost every Tuesday night while some of our hubby's are at the homeless clinic in Harlem, the girls get together at Abbie's for American Idol. When SYTYCD was on, we watched that, now it's American Idol. We like to critique and comment on the performances and I love to hear everyone's opinions. We snack, and talk between performances, and sometimes during if the performance is boring. It's just an all around good time with the girls.

Tonight the top 7 will perform and I am very excited about that.

I'm going to make this official, my top 3 prediction for American Idol. I may be wrong, but it's fun to guess.

1. Lee
2. Crystal
3. Casey

I think that Lee Dewyze will/should win the entire competition. He is my favorite and he is very talented. There could be a shocker week like when Chris Daughtry got kicked off early, but if the votes go the way they should then Lee will win. If you watch American Idol let me know your predictions.

Requests for New Recipes!

What's for Dinner?

One of the things I was most excited about when getting married was having someone to cook for. I love to cook and thought it would be so fun to plan and make meals. I had this vision of Scott coming home and me having dinner all made for him. My dream didn't include the fact that both of us would both be busy with work and school. Anyways...I need some help! I feel like I am in a cooking rut and need some recipes to help me out. Does anyone else have this problem? If you have any recipes that you would like to share with me I would greatly appreciate it! I will post any recipes that I receive. I will also post any other recipes that I make to hopefully help others out that may have this problem.

Reminiscing

I was looking at some pictures of our wedding this morning, and wanted to post one of my favorites. That's all.... good times! I love wedding pictures! I know when I show my kids someday they'll think my wedding dress was ugly and old fashioned, but I love it:)

Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

Picture stolen from Abbie's blog. Isn't she an amazing photographer?

Here's the recipe: These cupcakes are really good and semi-homemade which are the kind of recipes I love! This recipe is from this book:

Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes:
1 package white cake mix

2 eggs

1 cup whipping cream

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. salt

2 cups diced strawberries

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 recipe whipped cream

Add sugar to strawberries in a medium bowl. Stir and set aside. Mix together cake mix, eggs, whipping cream, vanilla, and salt and beat until light and fluffy. Pour 1-2 tablespoons batter into paper liners. Add 2 tablespoons strawberry mixture on top. Cover strawberries with more batter and fill 3/4 full. Save extra strawberries for garnish. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Allow cake to cool slightly before serving with whipped cream and strawberries.

Frost with Whipped Cream:
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4-1/2 cup powdered sugar (depending on your preference)

Pour cream into large mixing bowl and start mixing at low speed. Gradually increase speed until cream thickens and soft peaks form. Turn off mixer and add sugar. Start slowly again--to avoid a mess. Beat until stiff peaks form.

*The stiffer the cream, the easier it is to frost the cupcakes. Keep refrigerated.