My Dad and Cousin from Japan

The lack of updates is due to my being busy with school and a special visit from my dad and my cousin from JAPAN!

We had a super fun weekend! The night they arrived, we had a nice Indian meal at Royal Palace in Greenburgh, NY.

On Saturday, we decided it would be smart to have an indoor day because of the massive rainstorm, so we spent the day at the Palisades! I swear I could spend a whole day there... actually, I could spend a whole day at Target alone!
We started off with lunch at Johnny Rockets!

The whole fam, ready to go! (From the front left corner clockwise: My cousin Naoki, me, my brother's girlfriend Amanda, my brother Kyuta, and my dad!)

Me loving the Johnny Rockets hat!

And my dad enjoying his Smokehouse Burger!---> He doesn't smile... but I swear he was enjoying it!

A group shot of the post-Johnny Rockets cigarette! (Note: The only smokers are me, Ed, and Kyuta)

On Sunday, we spent the day in the city! Thank god it was a gorgeous day!

The guys at the meeting spot before getting on the bus... look at my cousin; Asians always have the craziest poses!

First Stop: Empire State Building (we didn't go to the top though... we just looked up haha)

We then took the 6 Train to Union Square and walked to Astor Place... the Cube!

Lunch at Pomme Frites! I hadn't eaten here in approximately 6 years!

They weren't as crispy as I like... but the sauces made up for it!

Everyone was silent while we ate because we were all busy trying different sauces! We tried like 11 different sauces!

Then... walking around, we came across 16 Handles! What a coincidence since the first time I heard about this new Fro-Yo place was at my school orientation last Tuesday! They have 16 different flavors every day, it's self-serve, and the topping bar is self-serve also... so be careful because they charge by the ounce!

For me, I got the Mango Tango, Strawberry Kiwi, Banana, and Original flavors. For toppings, I added blueberries, pineapple, and papaya (I was careful with the fruit though because I was advised by the girl that introduced me to this place that the fruit toppings weigh the most!) My favorite was the original flavor... I just LOVE tangy Fro-Yo... the only flavor that really wasn't doin' it for me was banana, but it's probably because I'm so specific about banana-flavored things (I can't stand that artificial banana flavor! EW!)

We continued to walk around the East Village, Nolita, and Soho where I was able to do some awesome shopping YAY!


Johnny Rockets
621 Palisades Center Dr.
West Nyack, NY 10994
Phone: 845-348-9343

Pommes Frites
123 2nd Ave.
New York, NY 10003
Phone: 212-674-1234

16 Handles
153 2nd Ave
New York, NY 10003

The End of Summer

So here it is... the end of summer :-(
It really makes me sad because summer is so fun!
BUT... guess what started today?

My first day as a graduate student at FERKAUF GRADUATE SCHOOL OF PSYCHOLOGY at Yeshiva University!!!
Actually today was only orientation and tomorrow is the first day of classes... I am in the School-Clinical Child Psychology Psy. D. Prgram. 5 more years of school.... good thing I actually like school! (Yes, I know I am a nerd...)

So of course, every year, Labor Day marks the end of summer and what did I do?

Dinner at Mom's!!!---> The most delicious restaurant on earth in my opinion <3

The menu was brand spankin' new stuff that she had never made before... YAY MOM!!!

1. Mushrooms and Mizuna Marinated in Fish Stock


2. Vegetable Sticks Marinated in Yogurt and Miso


3. Pork and Chicken Meatballs with Mizuna and Mushrooms in a Chinese Style Sauce


4. Mashed Potato Casserole with Ground Beef and Hard Boiled Egg topped with Mozzarella


5. Salmon Katsu


6. Tonkatsu with Shiso Leaf


7. Eel Rice with Shiso, Scallions, Ginger, and Myoga



My FAV was definitely the Eel Rice... it was so simple. It's really just an Una-Don (Unagi over rice) but my mom jazzed it up by cooking the rice with the eel sauce, and then once the rice is cooked, she tops it with nori (dried seaweed), eel, chopped shiso leaves, fresh ginger, chopped scallions, and myoga.

And here is the gorgeous chef!


The night ended with a super competitive game of Nintendo Wii Tennis and Golf!! But that will be in another post!

Margaret Lewis Norrie State Park

CAMPING 2008!!!!!!
I can't really remember the last time I went camping... like the whole sha-bang--->tent, BBQ, hiking, fishing, campfire. I've done each of them separately, but just the whole "CAMPING" package (which I probably haven't done since my dad lived with me) is so freakin awesome!

Me, Ed, and Ed's little brother Doug drove up together...

Ed drove

Doug was crammed in the back with all our gear

And of course, Ed got a gorgeous picture of me passed out with my mouth open hahaha

We got to Margaret Lewis Norrie State Park in Staatsburg, NY around 5:30 and set up


Then Colin showed up....

What a badass!!! His signature "over-the-shoulder" pose... don't worry you'll see it again!

And after everyone showed up, I cooked some dogs and 'burgs on the mini grill!


And of course, after dinner, we chilled around the campfire and made... S'MORES! but get this... we used Reese's Peanut Butter Cups instead of regular old milk chocolate!

On Saturday, after breakfast, we went on a hike on the White Trail which runs right along the Hudson River!! It was gorgeous!


And then we decided to be super silly, and we took "as-good-as-album-cover" shots in the woods...
Example:

And even better... this is potential N' Sync album material:


At night, we did the same thing... BBQ dinner and S'Mores Pop Tart around the campfire. But this night, we had Jeff and Doug playing the acoustic guitar and we also told a rediculously awesome story HAHAHA!

On the last day, which was actually today (Sunday), we had to check out by 11 AM, so me, Ed, and Jeff got up early to go fishing first thing in the morning. When we got back, I prepared breakfast while the boys packed up the camping stuff.

After we left the actual campgrounds, we stayed in the park and found an open field. We set up the volleyball net and

Need I say more?

Our trip ended with the most delicious treat on EARTH!

More specifically...

Banana Cream Pie Blizzard... its heaven in a cup!

Why don't we have any Dairy Queens in Westchester County??

Margaret Lewis Norrie State Park
Old Post Road, P.O. Box 893
Staatsburg, NY 12580
Phone: 845-889-4646

Dairy Queen
4164 Albany Post Rd
Hyde Park, NY 12538-1761
Phone: 845-229-7170

Wednesday Reversal!

So guess who cooked dinner tonight?!

Yes! And the dinner was AMAZING!

The menu was:

Salad... he knows me too well :-)


Brown Rice with Corn

And... for the main entrée ::drum roll::

TONKATSU!


The tonkatsu was absolutely delish! He even used PANKO! I was so impressed... He makes me so hayuppy!

All' Antica Part 2

Yes... there is a part 2 to my new favorite pizza place, All' Antica in Scarsdale, NY!

Me and Ed ate here on Saturday night. Here is a note to start off my second adventure to All' Antica- I RARELY REQUEST TO EAT PIZZA... I know for a lot of people, they eat it for convenience or to save money. For me, most of the foods I eat are to make me and my belly happy!

So here's how the conversation went between me and Ed on Saturday:
ME: Hey, Babe?
ED: Yeah?
ME: Can we have dinner tonight at that pizza place in front of the Scarsdale train station?
ED: [With a face of surprise and skepticism] Yeah sure!

This time, we tried many new things!

#1- Contadini Slice- Thinly sliced potatoes and proscuitto

OH.MY.GOODNESS... Here is what I wrote on Chowhound about this slice...

I am not the biggest fan of potatoes... I tend to skip on french fries, baked potatoes, and mashed potatoes unless im REALLY craving it. But the way the potatoes were used in this slice was delish! The thin potato slices were also cooked perfectly... It was not mush, it actually had a nice bite to it. I also thought it was gonna be bland.... i was so wrong. The slice was so flavorful! The herbs and the proscuitto really spiced up the slice! It was just so creative!

Look at those herbs!

#2- Plain Pie straight from the oven!

This was absolutely incredible. It was done right. I got to enjoy the already delicious slice HOT and BUBBLING! Wow. I mean, it was really just so perfect. The crust was crispy, the sauce was flavorful, and there was the right amount of cheese!

Cheese on bottom, sauce on top!

EVIDENCE OF NO FLOPPAGE!

#3- Baked Orzo Primavera- Orzo baked in a creamy sauce with vegetables, topped with mozzarella cheese!

We got to sample this side dish after all our pizza-munching! This was so delicious too... unfortunately, we were already SO full from the pizza that we both only took a few bites. The concept of this dish is very similar to a baked ziti or a baked macaroni and cheese... Their version involves orzo, peas, carrots, and mushrooms in a light creamy sauce and then topped with mozzarella. Like the guy at All' Antica promised, this dish is surprisingly not heavy despite the cream sauce.

I really am starting to LOVE where I live. I got amazing baked goods from Lulu's and amazing pizza from All' Antica!

P.S.- I got to talk with the guys of All' Antica for a bit and I just love the LOVE that they put into the food that they make. They are passionate about their food and it really shows!

My Week of Smiles, Sugar, and Sunshine!

This week was just FILLED with smiles, sugar, and sunshine... the basic, necessary, ingredients of life!

On Thursday, me, Lucy, and Steven went to Orchard Beach in the Boogie Down BRONX!

I've heard in the past that Orchard Beach was pretty ghetto so I avoided going there, but I heard recently, that they made some changes and it was actually REALLY nice!

On Saturday, me and Ed went to Harriman State Park to go hiking. We only had a few hours because we had special plans for after, but it was absolutely heavenly... I really do love to hike. It feels like you are away from the world, just isolated in your own world without any worries <3

Our "special plans" were to go to Woodbury Commons in Monroe, NY for my babe to take me on a shopping spree! My favorite designer, Betsey Johnson, is usually my main attraction here but unfortunately, I did not get anything :-( I did get a REALLY cute white vest and a hot pink belt from PUMA!

I really am spoiled by my baby... he takes such good care of me <3 I LOVE YOU!

He takes care of me physically too... he's my hot bodyguard!

Then today, my friend Steven had a pool party at his aunt's house... Can I just say that I felt like I was on MTV Cribs? The house was huge and absolutely gorgeous. The backyard was HUGE and so well groomed!

The pool was beautiful... they even had a jacuzzi for the cold haters (A.K.A. me)

Ugh... so beautiful, it's disgusting!

My friends, and my silly boyfriend (who is looking DAMN good!)

Such a great weekend! I better enjoy it now because I start school September 3rd!

Lulu's...

...the love of my life! (Sorry, babe!)
But Ed knows how much I LOVE Lulu's in Scarsdale, NY. I am so grateful that this little bakery is located right on my street...a 7 minute walk!

What I Love About Lulu's:
1. Everything is delicious... everything is either so classic or so unique that I am mesmerized. When something is "classic" it's done right, no, PERFECT. The yellow cake is so moist and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. Their chocolate chip is so very classic. But it is the best tasting chocolate chip cookie i've ever had. The consistency of the cookie is also the best i've ever had. A chewey-ness that I personally have never been able to achieve in my own journey of baking the perfect chocolate chip cookie! Now when i say "unique" i am talking about their specialty cakes. Right now I am eating a Peanut Butter-Banana-Chocolate cake... Brilliant? I think so. Such a cliche combination but who's ever made it a reality (and this good!?)? Also, their "Maui Wowie" cake is my absolute favorite! A yellow cake with passionfruit curd!!! Perfect combination of tart and sweet! Or how about the Rum Raisin Bar? Never even heard of it, but when my tongue flirted with the flavors, it tasted so right. An oatmeal cookie like base with rum curd, studded with plenty of regular and golden raisins and topped with a crumb topping.
2. Their stuff reminds me of childhood innocence... Yodels, Devil Dogs, enourmous 1/2 pound Cupcakes with pastel Buttercream frosting....
3. Without the friendly faces working at Lulu's, I would be less inclined to go the 3 times a week that i do <3

I have a sampler of Lulu's desserts most nights of the week... I'm a Lulu's addict. It's hard to resist when in every bite, you can taste the quality of all the ingredients that they use.
Here are some pictures that will make you drool...


The dried fruit cookie... crunchy, buttery, crumbly, and every bite has dried fruit!


The infamous chocolate chip cookie... I get excited for the melty, chocolate chunks!


A sliced Yodel... mmm... Cream, cake, and chocolate!


In the front is the Rum Raisin Bar and in the background is the cheesecake brownie... Just look, its beautiful!


Look at this monstrosity...

And the beauty... this was delicious! You have to really concentrate on each flavor; the banana cake, the not-too-overwhelming peanut butter frosting, and the chocolate chips. Its really great!

If you are in Westchester, NY... do yourself a favor and go to Scarsdale and go to LULU'S!!

Lulu
40 Garth Road,
Scarsdale, NY 10583
Phone: 914-722-8300