f*^%$ing vaccinate your kids

Kids

everywhere

are

getting

sick.

CDC Recommended Immunization Schedule, 0-6 years

...and for the idiots, vaccines don't cause autism.

don't wake me

What I'm currently dreaming about....

(photo cred: Jando, posted on Yelp)

(photo cred: Dave H, posted on Yelp)

... the wuntuns are like clouds. Photos are both of Noodle Town bowls. Oh how I miss thee. (Did I mention I was recently awarded a Bronze Noodle Expert Badge? Prrreettyyy cool.)

FREE PANCAKE DAY

(photo cred: Assoc Press, off of LATimes.com)

It's National Pancake Day!! Go out and get your free shortstack at your local IHOP (sans fancy toppings and fillings), but make a donation - it's a fundraiser! (Only today, until 10pm)

super tea maker

This isn't a plug for this dreamy device, but rather a post of yet another wishlist item. Meet the Cuisinart PerfecTemp Programmable Tea Steeper and Kettle, currently sold out on GILT.  Although... I didn't know brewing tea was so complicated that it warrants such a sophisticated appliance. It almost takes the romance and calm out of the experience of brewing a pot or cup of tea, which, if you're like me, is just as enjoyable as sipping the tea.

• Removable stainless steel tea infuser raises and lowers to steep loose or bagged tea
• 1500 watts for fast heat-up
• Programmable controls with blue LED indicators
• 6 preset tea temperatures
• Adjustable countdown steeping timer
• 30 minute keep warm option
• 2 minute life-off memory feature
• Cordless glass kettle holds 1 1/10 quarts for tea steeping and 1 1/5 quarts as a water kettle
• Perfect for homemade iced tea
• Removable spout filter
• Overheat and boil dry protection
• Measures 7½ inches in diameter by 12 inches in height
• Dishwasher safe

(Pic and specs cred: GILT)

full on jazz

There are certain weekends that you look forward to for weeks, and that make you wonder how you will feel after it's over. This past weekend was one of those, and I must say, I feel a little crappy this Monday... suffering from weekend withdrawal, I suppose. This weekend was filled with eating fish fillet three ways (both homemade and pre-prepared, unprocessed and processed), museum exhibits, trying out meatBALLS, and, the headlining highlight - live world class jazz.

(photo cred: here)

We went to the Kennedy Center to hear/watch Wynton Marsalis (WM) and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and it was amahzing. Despite having weird single-file seats next to a rail (you get what you pay for), I was super excited to see him in real life with this characteristic brushed-brass horn with the cool smooth mouthpiece (is the mouthpiece unique to Monette trumpets? Or are the different types of mouthpieces specific to certain kind of horn or sound? See below for a comparison of mouthpieces. Perhaps I should do more research on trumpets.)

(pic cred: Amazon)

(photo cred: WM's Facebook page)

Anyway, the set they played was great, diverse and fun...  I'm so bad. I can't remember all the pieces they played, but the set included the Basque Song and the Big Train (both written by WM).  The  three movements of the Big Train that were played - Bullet Train, Sleeper Car, and Caboose - were excellent and witty. My favorite was WM's rendition of Itsy Bitsy Spider, which was playful and varied.

Perhaps the man on the stage with the most groove in him was Joe Temperley, the baritone and soprano sax and bass clarinet player. He must be in his 70s. You could see how much he was feeling the music, yelping, singing, grooving... and his sound was so smooth.

I was amused by the casual demeanor of the orchestra. It was almost like you were watching them in an informal jam session and were truly amongst friends. It wasn't my first live jazz performance, but I was impressed that a group that's best in the business was so casz cool.  I was also amused by WM being amused by his bandmates. He was truly surprised and impressed by their improvisation...speaking of which...a trombonist was in the middle of a solo when he couldn't find his plunger. He then continued his excellent solo while looking for it, then used his hand as a mute, then eventually found an actual mute and used it. Amahzing!

I also loved all the stomping, clapping and singing by the orchestra.

I wrote years ago about how music is food, and am grateful that this weekend, I again found myself in this area, at a completely affordable live musical performance, completely satiated.

what's it going to take

Funny that one day after posting this, this happens.
Let's take a look at Ohio's gun laws.

According to the 2011 Brady State Scorecard for Ohio, the state scored:
                              7 out of 100 points

"Ohio has weak gun laws that help feed the illegal gun market and allow the sale of guns without background checks." According to the Legal Community Against Violence site, although the state requires a firearm owner to report the loss or theft of any firearm in the person's possession or under the person's control, the state does NOT:

• Require a background check prior to the transfer of a firearm between private parties;
  
• Prohibit the transfer or possession of assault weapons, 50 caliber rifles, or large capacity ammunition magazines;
  
• Require firearms dealers to obtain a state license;
  
• Limit the number of firearms that may be purchased at one time;
  
• Impose a waiting period on firearm purchases;
  
• Regulate ammunition sales;
  
• Allow local governments to regulate firearms; or
  
• Provide local governments with the discretion to deny concealed weapons permits.

In 2009, 991 people died from firearm-related injuries in Ohio. In addition, based on data published by Mayors Against Illegal Guns, in every year from 2006 to 2009, Ohio was one of the top seven interstate suppliers of crime guns. In 2009, Ohio was also the top interstate supplier of crime guns to both West Virginia and Michigan.

(Source: Legal Community Against Violence)

brady campaign

Go here to see how strict or lax your state's gun laws are (they'll most likely be way too lax):

Brady State Gun Law Scorecard

(figure cred: Brady Campaign)

nice shoes

I can't think of any occasion coming up to which I would wear these, but they sure are nice to look at.

 

(photo cred: Zara)

friday lunch log

Today's lunch:

• tomato roasted pepper soup, topped with parmesan, ground black pepper and red pepper flakes
• garlic naan
• milk oolong tea

...all Trader Joe's (except for the tea).

sweet kicks

My brother brought my attention to these 'sweet kicks' (his words) after spotting them on FreshnessMag early last month before all the NYFW hype they created.

 

(photo cred: here)

They are the LunarGrand, a product of the long-standing collaboration between Nike and Cole Haan, and (as of last week) are currently exclusively sold in the Soho Cole Haan store. They indeed are sweet...sweet enough for a girl to wear.

marni for h&m

Last week, the entire Marni for H&M collection was unveiled online (yeah, late news), and below are my favorite looks. I like the half sleeves, the print and colors of the dress. No need for more than simple accessories and basic black tights because this dress does a whole lot of talking! I also like the leather top below for its mix in texture and colors. For the rest of the collection and pricing, check out here and here. Collection drops 8 March!

 

(photo cred: here)

 (photo cred: here)

picture it...

I've paired the below items...  

(pic/photo creds: here, Nordstrom)

...with a red pencil skirt and black-n-grey striped cardigan. Pencil skirt? Cardigan? Totally office appropriate, but given the looks I've received, I'm thinking perhaps a federal office just isn't ready for this kind of bad-ass style.

shack attack

I've mentioned Shack Shack quite a few times on the Train, so it's no secret I love it. Hence, it blows my mind that I didn't see this yesterday:

(photo cred: Evan Sung, NYTimes)

The Times' Pete Wells did a burger review, with Shake Shack as the standard. Never mind that Wells didn't rate Shake Shack as the highest. The photo above is an unadorned ShackBurger but it still makes me yearn for one, because though unadorned with the usual lettuce, tomato and Shack sauce, the most important components of meat and bread are the burger's most scrumptious features. Check out a slideshow of Shake Shack here.

mmm...chemistry

I had another share-worthy ACS webinar last week. As you recall, I shared some of what I learned from another webinar in a Thanksgiving post and this one is just as fun -  chemistry tips for the kitchen!  Given by Dr. Guy Crosby, a professor of nutrition and science advisor to America's Test Kitchen, the webinar was pretty informative for the home cook. Since I missed a List Wednesday, I will present these tips in a numbered List. Happy cooking! (Bonus point to whoever can name the famous chef who signs off saying that!)

1. Preserving salad greens: If you blow into the bag of greens, it preserves the freshness of the greens twofold. Blowing into the bag increases the CO2 in the bag. 
2. Baking soda makes potatoes crispy: I had a call during the webinar but caught something about coating potatoes in baking soda to make them crispy when using them to make home fries (?). It wasn't so clear -  I think this may help explain this tip further (or just watch/listen to the webinar below).
3. Quicker way to make broth/stock: Add gelatin directly to sauces, beef stew, and/or broths and stocks. This gives your sauce or stock the mouthfeel that is provided by cooking bones for a long time. That's because the collagen in bones, when cooked for long period of time, breaks down into gelatin. Well to skip this time-consuming step, you can just add gelatin. I'm going to guess that for most, though, this sidesteps the whole point of making your stock in the first place, so I would just try this in stew or sauces.
4. How to stale bread: Some recipes, such as bread pudding or panzanella, require stale bread. Well apparently it matters how the bread was staled, because if it just got stale sitting on your kitchen counter, there is still some moisture retained in the bread (somewhere) and this can make your pudding or bread salad soggy/mushy. But if you stale the bread by drying it out in the oven, all the moisture is removed from the bread, giving you a better end product.
5. How to make chewy brownies: It all depends on the fat crystal structures of your batter - there are alpha crystals, beta crystals and beta-prime crystals (the ones responsible for chewiness). To accomplish the perfect chewiness, you need to have the right proportion of saturated and unsaturated fats in your batter. Crosby recommended a 3:1 ratio - 3 parts unsaturated oil (vegetable oil) to one part sat fats (butter or cream cheese).  This can also be applied to sugar cookies and chocolate truffles.
6. Just some facts regarding the Maillard reaction (aka browning): It happens when you have sugars and proteins. It's different from caramelization, which only involves sugars. The actual reaction is one of breaking down sugars with amino acids (such as pyrazines). The human nose is very sensitive to the aromas released, hence, explaining why we perk up dog-to-squirrel style when we smell the browning of meat, food being pan-seared or bread baking. To accomplish perfect browning, the surface of the food should be at least 300 degrees, very dry and the pH should be neutral (5-7).

(Tips above were taken down as notes from Guy Crosby's presentation; any inaccuracies in what's above are due to my crappy notetaking.)

ooey gooey yummy

Big eating day today! It's Mardi Gras, which is also Fat Tuesday, but it's also National Sticky Bun Day.

(photo cred: here)

Above are sticky buns from Ann Sather of Chicago fame. I've always wanted to go there for their famous cinnamon rolls, but these sticky buns look decadently delicious too, even if I'm not that big a fan of sticky buns. Just for fun, here's a picture of their cinnamon rolls:

(photo cred: by Brett D, posted on Yelp)

BAM! You just got food-porned.

...and with that, may you have a reflective, penitential and sorrowful Lenten season.

back to the grind

As I am still trying to get myself out of the wonderful fog of a nice long weekend, here's a fun video to welcome all of us back to the grind.

le sigh...

 

(photo cred: taken by her, for this site)

This here is a dream outfit of mine. Just spotted on Atlantic-Pacific, it has all the right play on proportions (big, fluffy faux fur pullover with skinny bottoms), textures (tangible and visual - fur, leather, fluffy, sharp angles of the heels and purse (supercute mini Celine tote)) and colors (chocolate, black, and red). I'm just loving everything about it and love each individual piece. How great is that pullover!...which, by the way, is Kate Spade (and super expen$ive).

Speaking of Kate Spade, take a gander at this:

  (print image cred: Garance Dore)

That is Garance Dore's print for Kate Spade (!), which sounds like will appear on clothing. I can't wait to see it on a skirt! As a fan of all of her illustrations (not to mention her style), I am really liking this.

friday lunch log

Lunch from last Friday, working from home -

• a homemade sandwich of spiced turkey + swiss + mesclun + spicy mustard sandwich on a demi baguette
• jalapeno kettle chips

Today's lunch, working from home (sorry no pictures, I just ate it all!) -

• frozen TJ's gordita topped with shredded cheese, avocado salsa verde and fresh sliced avocado
• falafel chips (also with avocado salsa verde)

diane kruger

(photo cred: pulled from Instyle, by Picture Perfect/Rex USA)

Is she wearing a skirt over a dress? Love it. She always looks fabulous.

nuh-uh

 (photo cred: Joice Preira, submitted to NYTimes)

Seriously? The Geordi visor is considered fashionable now? This is an example of when fashion becomes ridiculous.

happy valentine's day

It's Tube Meat Week!

(photo cred: pulled from DCist, by Amber Wilkie)

I knew I should have used spicy Italian sausage in my pasta sauce last night instead of ground turkey...what was I thinking?

Also today (perhaps a bit more fitting) is National Creme-Filled Chocolates Day. I don't know about you, but if my valentine gave me a plate of grilled tube meat instead of a box of chocolates, I'd be floored and even more in love.

watching the grammy's...

• RIP Whitney. I wish I could make a video or audio montage of all of my favorite Whitney songs. I remember imitating her as a kid by singing into a fake microphone and tapping it in trademark Whitney fashion. (Skinny Jennifer Hudson did an excellent job covering the song I like the least of Whitney's.)
• I love the Grammy's! It's the best concert ever! Greatest hits of everyone!
• This is the best Maroon 5 has ever sounded (covering the Beach Boys).
• The Beach Boys! Old as the hills.
• Every performance has been excellent thus far (my favorite being Alicia Keys + Bonnie Raitt - love these otherwise unlikely collaborations).
• I'm so glad Foo Fighters won Best Rock Performance, especially after hearing how they recorded their album. Plus, they're as good as ever.
• Grammy commercials! - who knew!? It's like watching the Super Bowl all over again!
• Can LL host every award show?
• El Debarge??? R Kelly?? What year is this?! Love it!! I can't believe the award went to Chris Brown. And was that Ledisi? I remember seeing her at Blues Alley on a date years ago. Who knew?
• Oh man, Adele.
• Oh no. The day has come. I don't know any of the nominees for "Best New Artist." Wonderful. This coincides well with my finding a white hair this morning.

.... and with that, time for bed... (thank goodness for DVR)

• Oh wait. Nate Dogg is DEAD?! When did that happen? I don't know what's harder to believe - that he's dead or G not knowing who he is.

low brow, high brow

(photo cred: H&M)

Low brow: Here's a versatile striped sweater from H&M that's perfect in most temperatures - a nice outer layer in mild temps, a good layer under a coat for sufficient warmth in lower temps. It's less than $30.

(photo cred: GILT)

High brow: And here's a striped sweater by Theysken's Theory, currently available on GILT for $179, original price $395. (I actually prefer the look of the H&M version.)

(photo cred: BudgetBabe)

On another note, you all may be aware that the Jason Wu collection hit Target stores on Super Bowl Sunday (if you read this blog regularly, you should know that). Having my priorities straight, I did not raid my local Target, but instead went on a run and to Wegman's, H-Mart and BonChon to pick up groceries and food for our Super Bowl spread. A couple days later, we went to Target to get toilet paper and the Jason Wu racks resembled those in the above picture.

mmm...processed...

Oops I forgot to post this yesterday. Happy Thursday!

As much as we'd all like to (or maybe not...), we can't avoid consuming processed foods. Whole foods schmole foods. We make sure to adjust the rest of our diet and physical activity to compensate for our taste for processed foods, so it's all good (we do, however, need to work on our sodium intake).

On this List Wednesday, I present to you another list of food items: a few processed yummies we bought this past weekend.

1. Eat Your Vegetables Chips in Jalapeno Ranch flavor

(photo cred: here)

These are delicious. Spotted for the first time a few weeks ago on a Wegman's endcap, the texture of these crispy delights is akin to that of fried wuntun (or as non-Chinese say, wonton) skins. They're made of dried potatoes, beans and rice flour. The jalapeno ranch flavor is exactly what I love about processed flavors (your stereotypical jalapeno and ranch notes), with the jalapeno surprisingly spicy enough to actually feel on your tongue. I think it's funny but a little disconcerting that you can get these on the Babies 'r Us site.

2. Green Tea Soymilk (Vegemil)

 

(photo cred: here)

A grad school favorite of mine, this soy milk has found another fan in G in recent years as well. We used to get a whole flat of these, but H-Mart has only been selling them individually lately, so we've just been getting handfuls at a time. This image comes from their website, which I was glad to find because now we can order our bulk packs again online! It's by far my favorite soy milk variety, over even the black soy milks, and maybe even over Vitasoy (the nerve of me to betray the brand of my childhood! Gasp! Is that coconut flavor new?).

3. Annie's Organic Pizza Snack Mix

 

(photo cred: here)

Once bought to silence and appease a certain hungry now-5-year-old on a car ride to Pittsburgh, this cracker and pretzel snack mix is a favorite in our household (the 5-year-old liked it a lot too). We previously were only able to find it at Target, but on our last visit to Wegman's, G vigilantly spotted it. A baby-food container full is the perfect snack (among 4 others) for my workday.

4. Betty Crocker's FUN da-middles Cupcake Mix

 (photo cred: here)

Look at it! Enough said. Seriously considering making a batch to bring as our "snack to share" for our upcoming engagement retreat.

5. Uegaki Beika Wasabi Flavored Rice Crackers/Kaki No Tani

(photo cred: here)

We used to just call these chili crackers growing up and they would just come in spicy chili flavor, but ever since discovering these wasabi flavored ones a few years ago, I've never gone back to just spicy chili. These are potent! Occasionally, you'll get a clump of them stuck together and if you pop the whole clump into your mouth, you'll feel the sensation of eating a clump of wasabi. Phenomenal.

6. Tabasco, Buffalo-style

 

(photo cred: here)

Upon watching the commercial for this, we knew we had to try it. Having a love for everything Tabasco, I went nuts on a brief trip to New Orleans, buying some of the Tabasco products that don't make it to our local store shelves...so I was delighted to learn that a new flavor is available everywhere! We haven't tried it yet, but expect nothing less than delicious.

...and here's an ode to bringing classic processed snacks to a party (although I prefer Coke):

(Recorded from this original Youtube video)

more wishin' for spring

(photo cred: Soludos)

I'm loving this mild February we're having but it's still not warm enough for me to wear my favorite spring duds, or these sensible Soludos I've been eyeing for years. So many colors! ...but I think these would be my first choice.

linsanity

Hooray, Jeremy Lin!

Eddie Huang wrote a great post on Jeremy - check it out here.
And r.e.s.p.e.c.t. - Jeremy was put up on PTI's background wall of notable faces.

Good one, Warriors. Good one.

still watching...

- SAFETY!
- re: Eli's first TD pass: absolutely no margin for error.
- CCRRRRUUUZZZZ
- So far, commercials have been enjoyable!  Best Buy, M&Ms...!

...so a word about why I'm even watching what I earlier dubbed the Stuper Bowl...I just don't want Brady  (I have my opinions about peninsula kids) to join the elite group of quarterbacks to win 4 Super Bowls, currently only comprised of Montana and Bradshaw...of my two beloved teams (and yes, you can have 2 teams). I'm writing this thought during the snoozer Coke-polar-bear commercial. So... I guess go Blue.

initial super bowl thoughts

- what's with all the bedazzled microphones?
- excellent job, kelly clarkson! best nat'l anthem i've heard at a sporting event in a long time. loved the kid choir and drums in the background too
- the dictator! yes!
- nice olympics plug, NBC.

Today's spread includes (but is not limited to):
- Bonchon combo combo
- coors light
- Irish car bombs
- plenty of chips, plenty of varieties
- spicybacks
- in case I need it, Bailey's+coffee
thank goodness for my run earlier today.

see below

To all my lovely readers who read my "terribly overdue list" post from a couple of days ago, I added an update because I forgot something. Please check it out for more mouth-watering reading.

Despite my growing collection of ankle boots, I can't stop ogling (in a non-lecherous way) these Asos boots:

(photo cred: Asos)

told you so

You all deserve it.

yes, more Tebow but...

...it's another spoof! By none other than my other love, John (we on a first name basis).

my honeymoon choice is to...

...the DC Lamb Jamb
21 May 2012
Eastern Market

Sounds baaaaantastic!

terribly overdue list

UPDATE: I can't believe I left of Primanti-style sandwiches at Giordano Bros! We went there to watch the Steelers-Rams game and what an enjoyable time it was. Ginuwine memorabilia from the 'burgh decks the walls; stuff that only Yinzers would understand, like a Kennywood sign and photos of old-time players unknown to anyone less than a lifetime fan. As for the sandwiches - completely legit. We ordered the classic cap n' cheese (although at Giordano's it's just hot cap), with an egg, of course. The cap was spicier than G and I remember from actual Primanti sandwiches; a definite feather in Giordano's hat. The bread was thick and soft Italian white - just really really good dense bread (they source it from Italian French Bakery). The slaw, however, is less tangy than Primanti's. We also shared an order of wings, which were not as memorable as the sandwich. Everything was washed down with a pitcher of Stella and a pitcher of some beer that was local to western PA, but it was too hoppy or something for our tastes (we actually can't remember what we didn't like about it, but usually hoppiness is my complaint...that or a beer being too citrusy.) Lastly, despite being a bar, Giordano's is lovely and family- and parent-friendly when watching an early game on Sunday morning. On nice days, the windows are wide open onto the sidewalk and plenty of natural light floods the intimate space.
~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:
I think I've yet to write a List Wednesday post in 2012. My apologies. In an effort to catch up, and to pay homage to the items in this list and per the suggestion of my Ba, here we go again with a list of food-related items: what I ate during my trip home for the Christmas holiday! (I wish I had pictures, but alas, I do not. Use your imagination.)

•  Christmas goose! My mom is always cooking up new things deliciously. For the first time ever, she roasted a real Christmas goose; one of the many courses of our annual Christmas Eve dinner. I say real because I've always thought of a 'Christmas goose' as something of yore - something I only either read about in Charles Dickens'-period pieces or in Christmas carol lyrics. The bird was much leaner than a duck and the meat was rich in flavor. Indeed, a successful, valid and scrumptious first effort by Ma.

• Coconut and Thai basil sorbet from Scream! This was hella good. I paired it with a scoop of saffron almond, which was incredibly creamy and toothsome despite being dairy-free. But back to the coconut/basil: it was damn refreshing and contrasted well with the almond. Both the coconut and basil flavors came through. I couldn't help but imagine it to be excellent in an alcoholic, blended libation. Tasted like summer! An excellent Temescal suggestion from Ba.

• Cheese from Sacred Wheel Cheese Shop! You could smell the appetizing aromas of soup and hot cheese sandwiches from the curb outside the corner shop. We got 2 kinds of cheese; I can't remember them, but one had a honey-flavored rind, and hence had subtle honey notes. (Clever! So you don't have to dip the cheese in honey!) Yeah, this shop was totally a nod to gentrification (like anywhere else that sells McClure's pickles), but I look forward to trying their sandwiches and soups someday. Another tasty Temescal suggestion, Ba.

• Falafel and samoosas from Oasis Market! My family has been making regular stops into Oasis for some years now since its opening primarily for their meat (lamb, merquez sausage), but also for their hot prepared food. I've, however, never had their falafel or their samoosas (not a typo, that's what their signs say in the store; according to Wiki, it's also an acceptable alternative name for samosas). They were excellent: hot, flavorful, crispy in all the right places. I look forward to my visits to Oasis every time I go home.

• Torta in Concord! If I recall correctly, it was at Los Rancheros. I had a steak torta and it was huge! Complete with avocado, lettuce, tomato, queso blanco, and probably other stuff, it was satiating - I was only able to eat half and you know how I love me some steak-n-avocado sandwich!

• Burmese at Mandalay in the Inner Richmond! This place was craycray the night we went for our Sibling Dinner. Many guessed it was probably because the other good Burmese restaurant (SuperStar?) was closed so Mandalay got the flowover clientele. Besides standard fare like tea-leaf salad, we got their Rainbow Salad (I appreciate how the waitress explained all 20 ingredients to us before tossing it), and other stuff I can't remember now. But I do remember I enjoyed the meal, despite having to wait way too long even though we made reservations online (not suggested if making them after 530pm).

• Kouign amanns from Modern Coffee and Pizzaiolo! Thanks to Tasting Table SF, I found that there were a few places in my neck of the woods that sold these flaky, rich, sweet pastries that were impossible to find in my Northeast Corridor stomping grounds until Dominique Ansel opened up his bakery last year. My search-since-2008 was finally coming to an end! Anyway, so Modern Coffee and Pizzaiolo were listed as places that I could get my hands on some kouign amanns, so my parents and I went. Modern Coffee only had one or two, so we cleaned them out then headed to Pizzaiolo to see what they had. They also had just a couple (at most), so we bought the rest of theirs too. Hot damn was Pizzaiolo a hipster-fest. It was like Portlandia+W-burg+Brooklyn Flea+wherever else threw a big moody-but-at-times-flowery party. To their credit, though, my parents were quite pleased with their to-go cups of coffee; Pizzaiolo brews Blue Bottle. (Another note: Pizzaiolo is a pizzeria but is open in the morning, offering coffeehouse stuff, including slices of bread served with various spreads.) BUT I digress... the kouign amanns were a bit cold by the time we got home so we heated them up in the toaster oven. They came out warm and still flaky, so so buttery and rich and perfectly sweet. They were quite an indulgent and densely satisfying treat. Thank you, Bretons!

...and there you have it! What a round-up. I had this post in draft pieces for a while so I'm glad to finally get it out. Also in the draft post were the following links of excellent new year lists from the Times:

74 Things New Yorkers Talked About in 2011
45 Places To Go in 2012

rest in...

...love, peace and SOUUULLLLLLL, Don.

 

(photo cred: pulled from here, but originally from VH1)