New York City Continued..

It's getting so cold! For a second there it felt like it was still Fall but it's not. It is definitely winter and I am anything but thrilled!

My cousin and I took a trip down to Canal Street today because I wanted to get a (cheap) purse. You can really tell that the economy is suffering when the store owners INITIATE the whole bargaining process. They don't stop there either, they literally bargain with themselves. I'll explain. 

I walk into one of the run-down, scary looking, bathroom size stores covered with purses ceiling to floor and proceed to observe their merchandise. I stand there for 3 minutes and a salesperson anxiously approaches me trying to convince me that the purse I was eyeing, or any purse for that matter, is the BEST purse; "Oh, so good. So nice. Good leather. I'll put a Michael Kors label on it just for you". Really?! No thank you. At this point, since I'm indecisive and still haven't physically picked out a bag, she took it upon herself to do so on my behalf. Aren't you a sweetheart. Once again, no thank you.

I finally pick out a purse (on my own) and ask for the price. It's $35 dollars (you quickly learn that every purse is $35). Here is the part that shocked me. After not responding enthusiastically to her price, she lowers it HERSELF; "ok, I give it to you for $33. But you buy right now. Just you buy now and go." Still no reaction. Not because I don't want the purse but because I can not make a decision within 5 seconds. This doesn't work for her; "Ok, you take it for $30" she says to me. Alright, now I need to take a few minutes to evaluate the new deal. Then she proceeds to do keep lowering the price; " Ok, I give it to you for 28. Just, take it for $25." Deal. I swear to you, I did not say a word to this woman and the next thing I knew we were at 25 dollars. Works for me. 

I purchased the bag and we were off to Little Italy to purchase the BEST cannolis from La Bella Ferrara, a little crowded bakery on the corner of Canal street and Mulberry street.

The bakery has been around for 41 years. I know this because the owner stopped to ask us if ALL 12 cannolis were for us...to which I shamefully replied yes. Our fat tushes ordered a dozen assorted cannolis; chocolate mousse, ricotta with chocolate chips, and peppermint chocolate. It's safe to say that the chocolate mousse ones are by far the most delicious. I can't even say that I regret stuffing my face. It was SO good. I will never come to NYC and not go to La Bella Ferrara.

Next, we jumped on the trained and arrived at 34th Street and Harold Square, where the massive Macy's department store is located, to meet my aunt for dinner. She took us to a Korean BBQ restaurant for some beef short ribs. Aside from that, I also order a Spicy Crab soup with vegetables. Super spicy! But bearable and definitely worth it. 

After dinner, we wanted to do some shopping but unfortunately everything was closed for Christmas Eve (silly us). So we just hopped on the train and headed back home where we finished the night off with some tea and what else? Cannolis. 

Now it's time for bed. 

Ciao for now! 

The trip of (way too much) food!

If you want to maintain a diet, DO NOT take a trip to New York.

With everyday that goes by I can literally feel myself my stomach expand. It's really quite annoying.

Last night, my amazing auntie surprised us by coming home from Honk Kong one day early. When  I say surprised, what I actually mean is that she never bothered to check her ticket for the correct date of return. Anyways, not important. What is important is that when she arrived home at 10 pm she ordered the largest New York style pizza I have EVER seen. I tried eating healthy that say, so when i made it home in the evening I was fairly proud of myself for not stuffing my fat fass with carbs and junk but it is safe to say that i failed. I scarfed down a massive slice and we took our little get together to the couch where we didn't move until bedtime. 


I have one question. Why is that Americans feel the need to supersize EVERYTHING?! It's like a sick disease. No one, and i mean NO ONE, needs to order a regular cheese pizza for 12 dollars that can feed 5 families. I am not exaggerating. The first bus stop we made when we crossed the boarder into the States you see supersize coffee mugs, supersize chocolate bars, supersize chips, supersize drinks. Don't get me wrong, we have supersize goods in Canada but, they are definitely still smaller than over here. I mean, do whatever makes you happy but do not introduce healthy eating lunch plans within school and sell mega large chocolate bars next door. It is as if logic was on vacation during that discussion.

I digress. 

At the moment, my auntie is making a delicious Tom Yum soup with seafood and I am craving soup. My body is craving soup. I have been stuffing myself with carbs like a fat chunk and I feel as though some liquid can do me good. Plus, it smells unbelievable. Later tonight, we're taking a trip to a Middle Eastern restaurant for their famous rack of lamb. I'll be sure to take photos. My family raves about this places on a daily basis  hourly basis. I think I'll just wear a pair of sweatpants, my nicest ones of course.

By the way, the first night in New York we ordered in sushi...at 11pm. At $3.50 a roll it's hard to say no.

In conclusion, I have NO control.

When I'm on the beach in Punta Cana first week of January, I will resemble a sushi roll myself... as I proceed to stuff my face with the all-inclusive food and drinks. YAY.

I am BACK!

The semester is finally complete and I am back to life! 
 It is simply the best feeling in the world.


 I am currently residing in New York with my family, specifically Brooklyn. I love this city! 
Everything about it. I was running an errand with my cousin in the city yesterday which gave me some time to do some "people watching" while he was doing whatever it was that he needed to get done. I found the nearest Starbucks (more like sniffed it out), took a little stroll down the street before finally plopping down on a bench outside of Baruch College. I will admit that I did feel bad for the students who were frantically flipping through their textbooks looking anxious before their exams, but at the same time it was pretty interesting to observe. A whole big mixture of students, tourists and New Yorkers, going about their own lives, completely oblivious to the weird stranger me observing them. There was also that amazing aroma in the air coming from those food carts cooking up chicken and kebob that make you feel hungry even though you know that you are 120% NOT hungry... delicious.


 As soon as I finished my cappuccino I got down to reading the new book I just ordered to my handy Kindle. Honestly, these devices are the best things for travellers! I am constantly pleasantly pleased with how convenient they are. Anyways, the book I am completely absorbed in at the moment is Jon Ronson's The Psychopath Test. One of the coolest reads I have encountered in a while. Actually, that's not totally fair to say because I have read some really fascinating novels lately but never one on this subject. Jon Ronson is a journalist. He's also the author of the best seller novel The Men That Stare at Goats. This book however, is more or less a collection of stories that flow into one another revolving around him interviewing infamous serial killers, criminals, political and business figures to determine whether or not they show signs of phsycopathy. I love books based on real events . They have that added benefit of teaching you something while telling the story. I highly doubt I'll be doing much cooking or baking out here but, I will be sure to keep you posted on the places I visit and the things I do (given that they are worth sharing). Hope everything is going great with you guys on the other side....of the screen... you know what I mean (hopefully). 


 Anyways, time to celebrate Hanukkah!! 
 Happy Holidays Everyone!
Lots of LOVE


Ps. Look at these amazing photos I dug up from Tumblr of Toronto. Can't complain!!

Studying stands for...

Student + dying? 

Just kidding.

(not really)

No cake. No muffins. No cupcakes. No fun.

(How's that for melodramatic?)

I'm taking a temporary break and I'm not happy about it. 

Aside from all that is important in life (aka anything that is sweet or savoury) there is this little thing called school and it's taking over my life at the moment.

But I will be back very soon so that we can finally make some crunchy peppermint bark! 

PS. I made an amazing carrot cake (I'll post later) with traces of pineapple topped with a buttermilk glaze and I'll be honest...I ate half of it. So maybe this break is a blessing in disguise for my waistline. Just maybe...

PSS. You guys need to check out Food Network's Iron Chef: Super Chefs Mondays @ 10:00pm. It's completely insane!

Happy latkes and eggnog everyone!

Welcoming Winter...

With a Farewell to Fall.

Fall is such a stunning season. I'll admit it does get a little too windy for my liking but on the days when the sun is out and the air is crisp and clean, I have nothing to complain about. As everyone is aware I tend to have the Food Network on throughout the day and I got inspired to cook something seasonal this weekend. So since I have  paper on Human Resource Management due tomorrow and couldn't possibly tear myself away from my lack of work, I sent my brother to the supermarket to pick up a Squash... for my Butternut Squash soup (I'm sure no one saw that one coming!).  I got the recipe off the Food Network website and it proved to be all 5 of the little red stars that I was promised. With a hint of nutmeg and a dollop of butter, it was so perfectly sweet and rich. I just sprinkled a little bit of fresh herbs on top and all three of us (brother, sister and I) devoured a bowl as soon as it was ready. Check out the recipe below!

I also had some brussel sprouts that I spontaneously bought at the supermarket roughly a week ago with absolutely no idea how I was going to prepare them. So away they sat in my fridge getting pushed further back day by day. So, naturally, as soon as I get a bunch of work thrown at me the first thing I do is go straight to the fridge to waste time cook something. For this reason, we had yummy brussel sprouts glazed with pomegranate balsamic vinegar that was reduced with a touch of honey. So delicious! 

It's safe to say that today was a successful culinary day! I'm so happy with this comforting Fall-like soup. Only if every risk I take in the kitchen was this successful! 

One day...(maybe)

Enjoy the last days of fall!

Butternut Squash Soup Recipe:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/butternut-squash-soup-recipe/index.html

Sloppy Chocolate Cookie Sundaes

.Sugar Overdose Wednesdays. 

I have been swamped with work this past week. Fine, I won't lie. I was swamped with the overwhelming feeling of guilt I get when I avoid my homework (but, I do it successfully and that's all that matters). As a result, I have been unable to decide on a new desert for this Wednesday. For those of you who do not know, every Wednesday is Modern Family night so I have some people come over to watch the show. The idea is to bake something delicious and preferably new every week. 

This week, as I was browsing through FoodGawker, I realized that if I wanted to do something fancy I woud have to go grocery shopping which I never made time for which led me to come up with a creative spin on the chocolate cookies everyone loves. Technically, you can I say that I cheated (my own system). BUT, there's no need to get technical because it's still dessert and it's still delicious. So I think I'm in the clear. Plus, don't blame me, blame the art of procrastination.

Cookie Recipe:

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
2. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.
4. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/best-big-fat-chewy-chocolate-chip-cookie/detail.aspx

Grano

This past weekend I attended a birthday dinner at Grano Restorante, an Italian restaurant, located midtown Toronto. The second I walked in I knew this was my kind of place. The decor was incredible. Every last detail was thought out. There were vintage-style art pieces throughout and beautiful oil paintings that graced the bare walls. Even the wooden dinner tables, made to look rustic, were painted by a local artist who owns an art shop a few blocks down the street. Little accents here and there gave the place a sense of old-school Europe (in a modern kind of way). Needless to say, I was very happy to be there.  

The paintings that covered the walls of the three-room restaurant were all mostly done by the Owner Chef. Unfortunately, she doesn't have a website that I can share with you. Shame.

Anyways, I snapped a few photos to show you how rich in art and culture this restaurant really was. It is no wonder they are celebrating their 25th anniversary.

Antipasto: Italia Mia e Tera Nuovo

From Italy & Ontario: Italian prosciutto, pingue salumi, bufala mozzarella, giardiniera

Secondo: Involtini Di Pollo

Scaloppine of chicken breast with mozzarella, wrapped with sage & pancetta, peperonata.

I think it's safe to say that my Jewish ancestors are rolling in their graves, but it was so succulent and delicious!

Dolci: Tiramisu (Heavenly!) 

House made genoise, espresso, liqueurs, mascarpone & shaved chocolate

Grano

2035 Yonge Street

416.440.1986

Lights

Aside from putting up my little fake tree today, my sister and I took a trip down to William Ashley today and I purchased a bunch of things for baking. I cleaned out one of my mom's cupboards and transformed it into my own baking station. Sorry ma, I'm not giving it back.

xox

You Sneaking Mom!

These kids are hilarious! 

Basically, Jimmy Kimmel asked parents to tell their kids they ate all of their Halloween Candy while they were asleep and video tape their reaction. The outcome is priceless! Many kids reacted with piercing screams, tears and tantrums These two boys, on the other hand,  handled it with maturity and logic. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMuorX2mgrw

Check out the video below if you want to see the reactions of some other very displeased kids.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YQpbzQ6gzs

Feeling Good

I haven't had the chance to blog for a little while. Instinctually I want to blame it on school, but the sad truth is that my life has been lacking newsworthy events. At the moment I am situated in my favourite spot at the Starbucks (shocker!) which is located on the top floor of the downtown Indigo Bookstore (double shocker!!)

Winter is quickly approaching and I can literally count on my fingers the reasons that make this season bearable for me. Ready?

Finger Number One: Starbucks Holiday Lovin'. Most of you are fully aware of my blown-out infatuation with this place. But it gets even better! (or worse, depending on your stance on the subject in which case your opinion is irrelevant). The red cups have made their comeback! As well as the worth-getting-fat-for specialty drinks. Two words; Peppermint Mocha. Love to spend time at any Starbucks, it really uplifts my mood. I just want to point out that my homework gets done around here...that's magical. And if you are lucky enough to not have to study, or you are just good at pretending so, you can grab a hot drink, a book, or play some Frank Sinatra and you're golden.


Finger Number Two: Chanukah Bush Goes up! Okay, technically it's a fake Christmas tree that I purchased on sale from Canadian Tire last year a couple days before Christmas but, it has lights on it! You just twist on three "tree trunks", plug in the lights and Ta-da! You've got Holiday happiness. I bought little silver and blue star of davids to turn it into a Chanukah bush. So to sum it up, I put up a nice big mess of a fake tree in my living room and call it a day. I'll be putting it up in the next few days, so I'll be sure to post a picture. 


Finger Number Three: One year older, one year wiser. I will be turning the big 2-0 this year on December 6th. As a child, I used to start my birthday countdown about 50 days prior. This year, however, I have an exam on December the 5th AND December the 6th! Yes, to answer your question, I do want to kill myself. So, needless to say I willNOT be counting down the days. Counting down to my birthday will essentially be the same thing as counting down to my exams and the last time I checked I was not insane, thankyouverymuch. To make things worse, my parents as well as my sister will be out of the city. That leaves me with my brother, my dog, some sort of baked good, and my exam! Party!


Finger Number Four: Island in the Sun, City in the Snow! This year our vacation promises to be about a 100 times more special than any other before it because... drum roll please....it is my cousins destination wedding! The whole familia will be flying down to the beautiful Caribbean for some sun, food, sun, food, sun and food. I mean what can possibly go wrong when you put 20+ loud Russians on an island with and unlimited supply of alcohol to celebrate a wedding? I can only imagine. Since this trip will be taking place in the new year, I have decided to spend 2 weeks in one of my favourite  cities right up until the 31st. The holiday season is a vision in New York City. Everything is covered with plush white snow, or dirty slush, and lights, lights, and more lights! Plus, I get to spend time with my favourite auntie, grandparents and cousins. Just the thought of it makes me happy.

FOUR FINGERS GUYS! Didn't even make it to five.
Let's hope these reasons will outweigh the brutality of a Canadian winter. I've got my Uggs, my Goose, some mittens and a nice fur hat. 
In the words of Drake; I'm ready for ya.

PS. I must bake tonight since I did no do so on Wednesday but I still haven't decided on what! Possibly cookie dough pretzel lollipops dipped in white chocolate? We'll see.

Toronto's Public Transportation; A Mere Illusion

Just want to make a note of this.

Coming home from school today at 5:19pm I had to let ELEVEN trains pass me by because it was THAT busy. On the 12th train, I was finally able to squeeze my way through the pissed off riders and get myself comfy for the next 40 minutes (the ideal outcome in this ridiculously shitty situation). HOWEVER, 20 minutes or so later we arrive at Lawrence station at which point the operator announces that this train is no longer in service. Let me rephrase. During rush hour in a metropolitan city, the unionized, incompetent service that is the TTC decides to take a train packed with people and take it off the tracks. Am I the only one who thinks that this is a SICK JOKE!! Wait, it gets better. As we exit the train, the operator doesn't even wait for everyone to get out before closing the sliding doors on people. WE GET IT TTC, YOU HATE HUMANITY. Let me remind you that you are getting paid 70 000+ a year for this job. Start doing it like it's supposed to be done.  

Anyhow, the platform begins to resemble Boxing Day weekend, if you know what I mean. No word of a lie, I wait for another FOUR trains to come to a halt, open its doors, close its doors, and drive off. So that would make it a total of 15 trains that I was unable to get on. Um, NO. This should not be happening. It's unacceptable. I'm not even going to bust out the facts but just so you know Toronto has the longest commute time. 

So my usual 40 minute commute turned into an hour and 30 minutes. OH! On top of all that, I do not have a kindle at the moment and there was absolutely no room to bust out my fat book so I spent the whole ride watching a woman play Solitaire on her iPad. Plus, my phone doesn't work. Okay, I'm going to stop here. I'm getting mad again. 

The city is growing, figure it out Toronto!

The Sweet Life

Yesterday marked the final day of midterm exams for me and what a truly lovely day it was! 

Mind you I have a bunch of assignments with due dates quickly approaching. Oh, and have I mentioned its Halloween this weekend? Halloween weekend, to be more accurate. I mean between the ridiculous costumes, the parties and the assignments, you can easily see how I have my hands tied up. Absolutely no time to goof around! No one said it was going to be easy. Sigh. It's a hard knock life for us. 

Anyways, I am here to announce that I am back to living the sweet life! 

In other words, say hello to my Oreo Cheesecake Cupcakes.

Yes. That's right. Cookies and cream. Absolute deliciousness in a little paper cup with a whole Oreo cookie at the base of each and every cupcake for a super big crunch in every bite.

It's Modern Family night tomorrow and as per every week my sister's boyfriend will be joining me for some comedic relief. And what is a TV night without a 3000 calorie snack? Unheard of! Thats what.

“The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the 
steak to cook.”-  Julia Child

Martha Stewart's Cookies and Cream Cheesecakes Recipe
Makes 30 (I halved the recipe and it was plenty)

Ingredients:
42 cream-filled sandwich cookies, such as Oreos, 30 left whole, and 12 coarsely chopped
2 pounds cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
1 cup sour cream
Pinch of salt


1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Place 1 whole cookie in the bottom of each lined cup.

2. With an electric mixer on medium high speed, beat cream cheese until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Gradually add sugar, and beat until combined. Beat in vanilla.

3. Drizzle in eggs, a bit at a time, beating to combine and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in sour cream and salt. Stir in chopped cookies by hand.

4. Divide batter evenly among cookie-lined cups, filling each almost to the top. Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until filling is set, about 22 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Refrigerate at least 4 hours (or up to overnight). Remove from tins just before serving.

Soooooo, No Democracy For You?

Tunisia is responsible for the first of many uprisings that swept through the Middle East this year, rebelling against dictatorship and fighting for democracy. In theory, I was somewhat excited to see how these protests would change the political structure of some of the most corrupt countries in world. However, given the reputation and history of this completely messed up region, is it wise to be optimistic? Or is it just flat out foolish?

On October 23^rd, which is today, Tunisia is due to elect 217 members of an assembly that will write a new constitution and pave the way for legislative and probably also presidential elections next year.

NAHDA, an Islamist party, is said to take 20% of those votes! Shoot me. Many have said that they have yet to decide. Yet to decide what? If they want to live in an oppressive and demoralizing country again or if they want to actually gain some rights? Yes, I can see how that can be a tough decision. Those who have to yet to decide may very well have made up their minds. The only factor stopping them from announcing it publicly is that NAHDA was a main target of repression under Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali until he was overthrown in January.

“Rachid Ghannouchi, the president of NAHDA, has reiterated that his party seeks to be merely one political force in a multi-party democracy. It has gone further than its rivals in proposing to water down the powers of the presidency, advocating a constitution that it says would follow the German or British systems in giving most executive powers to a prime minister.”

Yes, and I just want a Unicorn. But they don’t exist. Nor does the combination of an Islamist party and a democracy.

On the other side of the spectrum, the party representing democracy “believes that a constituent assembly and subsequently a parliament in which Islamists held a controlling bloc would be disastrous.” Really!? You don’t say!

If you are going to have an uprising, do it properly. If the future of Tunisia sees an extremist party gain power I’d have to say that democracy, my friends, is just not for you (so unfortunate!). Due to the complex web that is the Middle East, having more than just one country that stands for democracy would be somewhat refreshing. Even more so, hope that the rest of the countries that fought an uprising get their shit together now solely belongs to the optimists of the world. (not me)

Frustrated!!

That's Amore

I spent half of the day at The Delicious Food Show hosted by The Food Network and I was in heaven! Food is just such a big part of who we are, or at least who I am. It's something that we encounter every single day in so many different varieties and fusions. It can bring people together and create memories for a lifetime. It goes straight through the heart to your stomach. Starting to sound like sentimental granny, so moving on...

It was so refreshing to see so many knowledgable individuals sharing their passion and talent with others with no drama free and no flakiness (unlike almost everything else in this world). 

We tried cupcakes, sausages, wine, oysters, cuisine from all over the world and so much more! It was a buffet of delicious little samples and a surprise for your palette every time. I love the fact that Toronto is growing culturally and that new culinary minds are landing on our doorstep every year. We should be taking advantage instead of sitting in gloomy bars and fist pumping our way through clubs every weekend. We need some sort of balance, right? Right.

One thing that does upset me is this whole idea of "organic fresh foods". If we didn't go and tamper with the fresh foods our parents and grandparents grew right in their backyards we would not have to be GOING BACK to fresh foods. We would have them grown locally like generations before us did, plain and simple. But now, since everything is chemically induced and full of harmful bullshit, we have to go out of our way and pay more, mind you, for the freshest and simplest ingredients. Like helllooooooo , how does that make any sense?! 
I'm sorry, but as a society, we are so completely and utterly foolish!
 Just a piece of advice, make your own ground beef, chicken or turkey. It takes two minutes with a processor, plus you can add so many herbs and flavours that no grocery store can offer. Just keep in mind, if it looks like chicken and it smells like chicken, doesn't mean it's actually chicken (or maybe it is, bones and skin included).

However, in light of this amazing day and at the risk of pooping all over it, I'm going to set my complaining and bitterness aside.

Just remember, when the world seems to shine like you've had too much wine, that's amore.