The Highline

Yesterday after work/daycare, Audrey and I walked over to the Highline and walked around for a bit. It was too nice out to go straight home, and I hadn't been up there in a while. Some pictures ...

Gorgeous graffiti on a building by the Highline

 

Tree branch tunnel

 
 

Playing on some steps

 

"Honey, I twisted through more damn traffic today"

Cotton Candy Munchkin

I love Audrey's outfit today. She's been at the age where she wants to pick her own clothes for a while now. She loves dresses. Her next choice is skirts. She'll do shorts and leggings. She HATES jeans. Even the colored or patterned ones. She will only wear them if there's literally nothing else clean. This aversion to denim developed after I had already purchased her Fall/Winter clothes last year, so unfortunately for her, she was stuck wearing them more than she'd like, cause there was no way I was doing laundry multiple times a week just so she could wear dresses or leggings every day. My mom told me I was the same way. I refused to wear jeans for years, starting at about the same age as Audrey. Funny, because as a teenager it was basically all I wore - I never really wore dresses or skirts.

I learned my lesson while buying her new clothes for the Fall/Winter this year. No jeans at all. She still had a couple pairs from last year that fit her, but her new clothes are all tights to go with her dresses or leggings.

Anyway, she picked out the skirt this morning. I suggested the matching shirt, but she picked the sweater and the shoes entirely on her own. I love the pastels so I had to take a picture this morning.

And of course, a silly one:

 

 

Excuse the dog pee spot on the sidewalk in the background. Oh, New York. 

Fall Shopping List

I feel like I always "need" new clothes. Probably because in my 3.5 years in an office job, my weight has fluctuated too much. Starting at my job coincided with trying the birth control shot for the first time, and the combination of those crazy hormones and adjusting to a job where I was sitting all day caused my weight to increase too much in a short period of time. I've (slowly) lost most of what I gained, but during the in between stages I bought cheap clothes. I refused to invest in quality clothes in a size I didn't want to be for the long haul. But that means a lot of my clothes last a season or two at most. I have a few staples I purchased before I started here that now fit me again from Express, but otherwise, too much of my wardrobe has been low quality.
 
I've put together a list of a few things I want to buy for the fall that are inexpensive but decent quality. H&M, Express, Target, Uniqlo, Ann Taylor Loft - most of these are either inexpensive or moderately priced, and/or offer sales frequently enough that if you hold out for one, you can get your shopping cart at a marked down price.
 

 
1. Blazer, Express. $128 *This is one of those expensive sticker prices but Express is constantly running sales. Right now if you spend $250 or more, you get $125 off. So basically I could get this jacket in two different colors for $128, bringing the cost down.
 
2. Blazer, H&M. $39.95
 
3. Jacket, H&M. $49.95

4. Top, Express. $39.90 *Buy one, get one half off

5. Top, Express. $39.90 *also Buy one, get one half off

6. Top, H&M. $29.95

7. Sweater, Ann Taylor Loft. $59.50

8. Dress, H&M. $49.95

9. Blazer, Target. $34.99

Most of this would be for work, obviously. The sweater from Ann Taylor is a little iffy because it's basically a fancy sweatshirt, but I could probably get away with it on a Friday. There's a clear trend here though - I need more color in my wardrobe. I'm obviously drawn to black/white/dark colors. Bright and floral just doesn't fit my Wednesday Adams personality ...

Tomato Sauce and Reminiscings of Learning to Cook

Tomato Sauce is one of the first things I remember learning to make truly from scratch. I'd made pasta countless times, with jarred sauce and some sauteed chicken. I'd made tons of boxed crap - Ramen noodles, macaroni and cheese, etc. But it didn't feel like truly cooking, but rather like throwing stuff together according to the directions on the back of the box.

I lived with my grandparents for the second half of high school. Upon his retirement, my grandfather grew bored and taught himself to cook watching cooking shows on TV. His spaghetti sauce was something I loved. His included sausage and meatballs and he left it chunky, but he'd strain it for me and I'd devour a huge plate of pasta. When I left for college, my grandparents moved down south so I didn't see them as much, but whenever I visited, my grandfather made his sauce.

For my first couple of years "on my own," I lived in dorms or with (awful) roommates. But my Senior year, I moved into my own apartment, and slowly began stocking up my kitchen. This tomato sauce was always a work in progress. I took the basics from my memories of my grandfather's sauce, and added different things with each new attempt. I puree my sauce with an immersion blender, and I have a different recipe for meatballs, but I love my sauce as much as I love my grandfather's. 

My love of cooking and baking eventually grew and I learned to make a lot more than sauce. I cooked a lot when Audrey's father and I were dating. Cooking for someone else is rewarding, when its appreciated. Even if it's not your best cooking, the constructive criticism is helpful. The more I cooked & the better I got at it, the more I liked it.

Cooking and baking are my biggest hobbies, so I plan to share many more recipes - my own or ones from elsewhere that I enjoy. But I thought starting with the basics, and one of my first successes, is fitting.

Tomato Sauce

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Cans Whole San Marzano Tomatoes*
1 Can Tomato Paste
1 Large Yellow Onion
1 Bell Pepper (I usually use red**)
4-5 cloves of garlic
Crushed red pepper to taste, start with about 1/4 tsp.
3-4 bay leaves
1-2 T Oregano
1-2 T Basil, or a large handful of fresh torn basil leaves
1/4-1/2 Dry Red Wine
2 T Butter
1/4 Cup Grated Parm or Romano
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 T Sugar

Clearly there's a trend here - this recipe isn't an exact science, and it's very customizable. Omit the butter and cheese if you don't eat dairy. Add in more veggies - carrots, mushrooms, etc. Leave out the wine if you don't have it.

1. Dice all the veggies. Coat the bottom of the pot with olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the onions and peppers. Cook till softened. Add the garlic and the crushed red pepper and cook for another minute or two.

2. Add the canned tomatoes and the paste. With a potato masher, break up the whole tomatoes a bit.*** Add the oregano, basil, red wine, butter, cheese, salt, and sugar. Stir and add the bay leaves.

3. Allow to simmer for at least 30 minutes. I usually let mine simmer for more like an hour or two. Taste and adjust as necessary.

4. Once you're satisfied with how your sauce tastes, remove the bay leaves and blend, either in a blender (with a towel covering the hole up top to let the heat escape but keep in the mess) or with an immersion blender. Serve immediately, or let cool and then store in jars to refrigerate or freeze.

*You can also use your own canned tomatoes - something I plan on doing later this summer. Or, you can roast fresh tomatoes by washing, halving, seeding, coating in EVOO & S+P and putting skin up on a baking tray in the oven. Obviously, fresh is best but as long as you're using quality canned tomatoes, it isn't a huge enough difference to be worth the extra time/expense, in my opinion.
**Red peppers are just fully ripened green peppers. They are the sweetest, with green being a bit bitter and orange and yellow peppers in between in sweetness.
***Why use whole tomatoes if you're just going to break them up anyway? Whole tomatoes are usually the best tomatoes from a crop. The bruised ones are what is used for diced tomatoes.

I learned a lot about cooking and making it up as I go with this recipe. Such as the tidbit about whole vs. diced tomatoes, the difference between green and red peppers, and why a little sugar is necessary (it cuts the acidity of the tomatoes). There's a science to cooking and baking, and it's been fun learning along the way.

Bits of Our Weekend: New Parks, New Food, Build-A-Bear

This little guy was just chillin at the park.

We spent this weekend in the city. We didn't have much planned, the only thing scheduled was a vet appointment for Maddie Saturday morning. She needed her third distemper shot and first rabies. I didn't realize puppies need SO MANY vaccinations. She needs to go back in 3-4 weeks for her last distemper and rabies, and the vet also suggested the lyme vaccination, which is a series of 2 shots, since we plan to take her with us to the Poconos occasionally. I guess it's better to do all of this now though, rather than have a huge vet bill if she gets sick.

After the vet, we headed over the Madison Square Park. One of the things I wanted to do this summer was check out some new places. The park was cute, it had a couple jungle gym/climbing structures with slides, the tunnel, etc., as well as sprinklers and swings.

We took a break for lunch and went to Hill Country Chicken, just a block away. It wasn't anything amazing, but it wasn't bad, and it had been on my To Try list. The basement has seating as well as the Foosball table. Audrey didn't quite grasp the concept, but she tried. :) After lunch, we went back to the park for a while, and on the way home checked out another new place for gelato: Amorino.

Amorino's Flower Shaped Cones

 

Audrey was supposed to spend Sunday with her father, but he texted me Saturday evening to cancel, so we hung out instead. I had planned on going to H&M to get her some fall/winter things, so I just brought her along with me. She had fun because she got to pick her own stuff, which resulted in me spending a little more money than I would have had I gone alone but, that's ok. She was excited about her new stuff. Afterwards, we went to Build a Bear. We had been in a Build a Bear before, but she was younger and not very into it. This time, she was excited. She picked a pink Minnie Mouse bear, helped the girl at the stuffing station stuff the bear, and then picked out clothes for her bear and made a "birth certificate." The bear's name is Ballerina Princess. Ha.





We walked through Bryant Park on the way home, so we went for a ride on Le Carrousel. Getting home was a bit of a trek because we stumbled upon the Dominican Day Parade, so a few of the subway entrances were closed. When we finally got home from our excursion, we were both tired. I cleaned up a little while Audrey played dress up with her new clothes and introduced Ballerina Princess to her other stuffed animals. When we looked at the bear's birth certificate and Audrey found out today was the bear's "birthday," she decided to have a birthday party with Ballerina Princess and her other favorite animals. It was very cute.

 

 

Audrey's preschool closes for two weeks every August for classroom maintenance, teacher training, etc. Wednesday of last week was her last day. So far, she's spent a couple days at daycare, so one day after work/daycare, we went to a park near my job, one she hadn't been to before. There was a big pirate ship climbing structure, sprinklers, slides, a big sandbox, etc. She had a lot of fun. I'm glad we've been able to check out new places this summer. Without our own backyard, we kind of have to make NYC our play space, so variety keeps things fun.

 

 

She also likes my boss's office - he has a sweet view of the Statue of Liberty and some nice binoculars. He wasn't here the other day and I brought her up to say hi to some coworkers, and she asked if she could look out his window - shhh don't tell :)

 



 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

On Learning New Things

Last summer, I learned how to drive a manual car. My brother was staying with me last summer, and he had a car he offered to bring to the city and share, but it was manual, and I didn't know how to drive it.

My mother had tried to teach me when I was 14 or so (just driving around the neighborhood). I think I made it a few hundred feet before I gave up. My stepfather tried again five or so years later. Again, didn't make it very far. This time around, my boyfriend was the one to teach me. I wanted to give up, to be honest, but I really wanted use of a car for the summer, so I stuck it out, and after a couple hours, had grasped the basics. My second lesson was with my brother, in the city, in the car I would be driving.

My brother's car is um ... interesting? It's a 1994 Accord. My boyfriend's was a 1995 (Turbo Charged? Super Charged? I don't know these things) BMW M3. Not the easiest things to learn on. After that second lesson, I was on my own. Thankfully, the car was well maintained and runs well, so I didn't have any problems with the car itself but learning was definitely an experience. I obviously drove on my own, without Audrey in the car, for a while till I felt I had the hang on it. My first time driving after those two lessons was from NYC to Pennsylvania. Yea. No quick little trips around the neighborhood or town.  I just went for it.

Since I was only driving on weekends, it took some time to get used to it. After the first weekend, I felt comfortable enough driving with Audrey in the car (I had been driving for ten years by that point, so it's not like I was a new driver all together). I still stalled sometimes though, so when I got to the point where I wasn't stalling when I went from sitting still to first gear, Audrey would clap and cheer me on from the back seat. Seriously, the first time I was able to start driving without a hitch Audrey's reaction was clapping and "Yay, great job Mommy!" Thanks, kid.

Last summer, Audrey got a new bike and a helmet. For the first couple weeks she wore the helmet all the time. I sent this picture to my family and everyone's response was that she was wearing it to protect herself from my driving in the manual car ... funny.

I didn't drive much in the fall and winter months because my brother had to bring the car back to our parents' house when school started again, but this summer, I'm totally comfortable driving stick. I think I still prefer automatic, but I'm really glad I learned how to drive manual. It definitely teaches you a little more about how a car works, and is a useful skill to have. I wish I had learned a decade ago.

Learning this new skill made me want to learn more new stuff. A weird fact about me: I never learned to ride a bike as a kid. Seriously. Like my early lessons at driving stick, I gave up too quickly because it didn't seem like a necessity. Most of my friends either lived close enough to walk or too far even for a bike ride. There wasn't much of an in between, and as I got older it just got more embarassing to do lessons outside, so I never looked back. Now I think I'd like to learn, especially as Audrey gets older and will soon be riding more than tricycles. Plus, it'd be great exercise.

There are other hobbies I'd like to take up as well. I'd love to learn to knit. I'd like to get better with computer related stuff - coding, website design, etc. I took 5 semesters of Italian in college and got pretty good at speaking it, but lost most of it in the years since, so I'd like to start studying that again. Maybe I should make one of the 101 in 1001 lists ...

WHAT-ever

 

Apparently my daughter is channeling Cher Horowitz, because her new phrase is "WHAT-ever." I don't know where she got this. She started saying it a week or so ago, not often, just in response to little things she didn't want to do but had to anyway.

"Audrey, come here so I can brush your hair."
"WHAT-ever."
*Comes and stands in front of me*

"Audrey, please put away your toys, it's almost bedtime."
"WHAT-ever."
*Puts away toys*

She still does what I tell her so I let it slide the first few times but I guess I should nip this in the bud before she thinks this is an appropriate response.

She's also big on apologizing lately, which seems great right? Except she will apologize for something she did wrong but then expect an apology for being corrected.

"Mama, I'm sorry for slamming my door last night."
"Thank you for apologizing Audrey."
"Now you apologize to me for getting mad at me."
"No Audrey, I won't apologize for correcting you, but I'm not mad any more."
"Mommy, I need you to apologize. I'm going to count to 5." *counts to 5*
Sigh.