Kitchen Essentials

I’ve always wanted to write more to help me remember this time of my life but I’ve become too much of a consumer of information to start writing, which should change.

Since I’ve moved here, I’ve become so much more domesticated. Back in Manila, I was already cleaning the apartment that I lived in during the weekdays, doing my own laundry once in a while, but I would still go home during the weekends. I didn’t really buy my own groceries or kitchen appliances.

I’m happy that I can cook for myself and teach my roommate a thing or two about feeding himself.

This is my list of Kitchen Essentials for the twenty something grad student who likes cooking:

  1. small saucepan
  2. nonstick saute pan
  3. big saucepan with steamer insert
  4. baking sheet
  5. can opener
  6. bottle opener
  7. rubber spatula
  8. paring knife
  9. chef’s knife
  10. mixing bowls
  11. strainer
  12. toaster oven- better than using the microwave for reheating food!
  13. blender- for making smoothies and hummus, grinding coffee beans
  14. measuring cups and spoons
  15. tongs
  16. microphone and normal grater
  17. slotted spatula-turner
  18. slotted spoon
  19. normal cooking spoon

Pantry Essentials:

  1. sea salt
  2. whole peppercorns
  3. cayenne pepper
  4. curry powder
  5. cinnamon
  6. garlic powder
  7. cumin
  8. olive oil
  9. apple cider vinegar
  10. rice wine vinegar
  11. balsamic vinegar
  12. maple syrup
  13. soy sauce
  14. worcestershire sauce
  15. turmeric
  16. paprika
  17. sundried tomato
  18. canned tuna
  19. garbanzos
  20. tea
  21. hot chocolate
  22. coffee
  23. honey
  24. nutella
  25. peanut butter
  26. cookie butter
  27. almond butter
  28. nori
  29. popcorn
  30. almonds
  31. cashews
  32. dried mango
  33. think thin crunch bars
  34. chocolate

Refrigerator/ Freezer staples:

  1. Almond Milk
  2. Yogurt
  3. Kimchi
  4. Eggs
  5. Cheese
  6. Lemons
  7. Spinach
  8. Cremini Mushrooms
  9. Cucumbers
  10. Carrots
  11. Salad Mix
  12. Celery
  13. Garlic
  14. Onions
  15. Ginger
  16. sweet potato
  17. avocado
  18. pineapple
  19. broccoli
  20. brussels sprouts
  21. kale
  22. oranges
  23. sriracha
  24. mustard
  25. ketchup

I’m a huge fan of Trader Joe’s and I love shopping there despite the long lines. I usually get a cart and get my fruits and veggies while waiting.

The Heiress: Only because we missed Matthew Crawley

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Go back to Downton, Dan Stevens!!! Please????

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I got hooked on Downton Abbey late in 2012, and finished all the episodes before I went back to New York in January.

If you’re not a DA fan, try watching 2 episodes and just appreciate the production values of this series! Maggie Smith is awesome in it, plus they always seem to be eating, which is always a good thing.

Anyway, alongside Restaurant Week, there’s Broadway Week, where certain plays sell 2 tickets for the price of 1. Since Martie and I are huge DA and Matthew Crawley fans, we decided to take advantage of the promo and watch The Heiress.

Playing the Heiress is Jessica Chastain, and since I haven’t seen “The Help” or “Zero Dark Thirty” yet , I can’t say I’m a fan. David Strathairn from the Bourne films played Jessica Chastain’s dad.

I didn’t really like Jessica Chastain in this role, and Dan Stevens (Matthew Crawley) is much better in Downton Abbey. I can’t believe he’s giving that up. I’m expecting a lot from his next projects.

Restaurant Week: Boulud Sud

 

Twice a year, New York promotes its restaurants by having special three course prix fixe menus for a almost two weeks.

Lunch is $25++ and dinner is $38++. It’s a great way for people to try the pricier restaurants with a clear picture of how much the meal is going to cost.

Martie and I ordered the exact same set at Boulud Sud:

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Harissa lamb burger @kixmartie

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Spicy Sweet Potato Soup
Honey, Ginger, Yoghurt

Harissa Spiced Lamb Burger
Tzatziki, Spiced Potato Chip

Macaronade
Spiced Chocolate Cremeux, Caramelized Hazelnuts, Coffee Gelato.

Service and ambience at Boulud Sud was great. I’d go back for restaurant week in the summer.

I liked the dessert the best, but the soup and the burger met my high expectations as well.

Portion size was appropriate, but since I usually don’t eat out, I was struggling to finish dessert even if I left out the bottom bun from my burger.

12 things I learned in 2012.

2012 was a year of transition for me. I stopped working to concentrate on getting into grad school, spent a good 24 hours answering standardized admissions tests, (GMAT, UP and Ateneo Law School entrance tests, LSAT) and finally moved to NYC to start my MBA.

Here’s my top of mind list of (non-academic) things I learned last year.

  1. I do not enjoy riding in NYC cabs. The cab drivers drive like crazy, I usually get carsick especially if I’ve had a drink or three. My most recent trip from JFK to my apartment was awful. The driver kept swerving and cursing at other drivers, plus he looked like he was falling asleep during stoplights.

I’m used to driving myself around Manila, or riding with people whose driving styles I like, so I usually end up dizzy in taxis here.

2.    It’s important to keep a week’s worth of food in your apartment. During Hurricane Sandy, I’m glad that I didn’t have to deal with the long lines at the supermarkets for food before stores closed.

3. Hide Chan’s pork buns and ramen are the best I’ve had in this city. There’s black garlic ramen plus the lines aren’t as long as Ippudo or Totto. Good thing it’s on the east side, or I’d go there once a week.

4. Delta airlines flights are ALWAYS delayed.

5. Pizza is my favorite junk food meal. It’s the quickest way to get fat.

6. I don’t like running in cold weather. I actually bought new running shoes so I could run around the Central Park reservoir, but I’ve only gone out to run twice in four months.

7. The Master Cleanse is a great test of willpower and it makes you antisocial. I tried it before classes started. No solid food for 10 days wasn’t too hard to do, which makes me wonder why it’s so hard for me to stay way from pizza nowadays.

8. Ikea makes moving into a tiny shoebox NYC apartment fun. I have a bunk bed with a  desk underneath, a dresser, and another storage unit in my bedroom. I

9. Bed Bath and Beyond coupons make shopping for home goods fun. I got $60 off a 12 pc set of pots and pans! Yay! Now to start extreme coupling. Not.

10. Bowery restaurant supply store is best for other kitchen staples- measuring cups, mixing bowls, knives. It’s a lot of fun to look through all the other kitchen stuff there too!

11. You really need to wake up early and choose the right store to be able to get your most desired item at a H&M collaboration launch. I got to the new Time Warner Center store  too late, and they didn’t have what I wanted.

12. Doing your own laundry takes half a day. My least favorite part of the process is folding the clean laundry after.

Bertha’s sense of snow and my notes on Cafe Lalo

I woke up today with my left knee aching. Then I remembered that the nor’easter* is here and is causing all this snow. All the precipitation is causing my recent ACL knee to hurt. Oddly enough, it didn’t hurt when hurricane Sandy hit.

*Because I’m new to this part of the world, I had to look the term up on Wikipedia. I learned something new today.

The sun set by 5 pm today, and since I wake up at noon, I hardly see the sun. I really have to make an effort to wake up earlier to catch more sunlight.

I like snow, but it’s annoying to have to wear so many layers just to make sure I don’t freeze outside. Whenever I’m all bundled up, I feel like I’m wearing 10 lbs of clothes. The snow tonight seemed to come from all directions and hurt when it hit my eyes and face, so as I was walking to dinner, I wish that I had a snow helmet that covered my entire face.

If you’ve ever seen “You’ve Got Mail” starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks, you might remember that she was waiting for her mystery internet friend at a cafe. That was Cafe Lalo, and like Serendipity 3, is one of those restaurants you just have to try because it was in a movie that you really like.

I tried Cafe Lalo for the first time today and I liked the Sardine salad, but didn’t find their crepe cake fantastic. Two Insomnia Cookies would’ve made me a lot happier. Now i’m on a hunt for really good crepe cake. The hot cocoa with Sambuca (even if it was kind of thin) was perfect for this snowy night, but I’m still craving for L’ancienne hot cocoa, but I haven’t been able to head to Dean and Deluca to buy it. When I’m at home, my mom usually prepares a cup of L’ancienne hot cocoa for us.

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Cafe lalo dessert with @kixmartie! #food

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Would I go back to Cafe Lalo? Yes, but mostly for their salads. The rest of the cakes look tempting, but after the crepe cake letdown, I’m worried that their other desserts won’t be so great as well.

Manila weather in NYC

Being from Manila, I’m no stranger to typhoons. Hurricane Sandy doesn’t surprise me. I’ve prepared my emergency bag and it just sits in the hall closet, ready for anything that might happen. There’s nonperishable food in my pantry to last for about a week.

What I’m really impressed with is how well NYC is dealing with the situation. The MTA suspended subway service yesterday- Sunday 10/28/12 starting 7pm, forcing everyone to get home and prepare for the storm.

I got the announcement that classes were suspended for Monday and Tuesday as well. This just means that my midterm exams in Economics and Statistics are moved and now I have more time to study for it.

Before I left home, there was a week that it rained everyday.

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☁☔⚡

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It’s not raining buckets here, but since I’m only on the 4th floor and our apartment windows don’t face the street, I can’t really tell how strong the wind is outside.

I just hope the subways will be operational by Thursday. I can’t have classes extend past December 17, or else my Christmas break will be terribly short.

My Favorite Hummus Recipe

1 cup cooked garbanzo beans
1/4 cup garbanzo cooking liquid
6 garlic cloves
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tbs tahini
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes
big handful of fresh basil

Blend until smooth. Enjoy with carrots, celery, pita bread. I’ve put it in the Halal Guys’ Chicken rice and it makes it even more awesome.

Rainy day cooking anyone?

Seriously?

It’s January 30, 2012. I had ACL surgery last May 2, 2011.

I’m almost 9 months post op and I’ve actually taken a break off working to just focus on getting better. 

I’ve found it difficult to focus on recovery and going to the office, so my boss decided that it was time to for me to get better once and for all. 

I don’t know what has made this harder the second time around, but I’m getting really impatient. 

I go to the gym thrice a week, and I know I’m getting better, but a part of me just wishes that I could wake up one day and have injury free knees.

Sometimes my better knee starts hurting after going to the gym too.  I feel like a lola with arthritis, and I’m only in my 20s. 

I can run, but I’m advised to stick to the treadmill. This time last year I was psyching myself up to running 16k at the Condura Race.  

I have a million and one things to be grateful for and this injury is so petty, but it is my biggest frustration today.  It becomes the thing that I blame for all the things that have gone wrong this year.  

I remember how crappy I felt the first time I was injured, and that was really from a lack of endorphins because I had zero exercise. It does leave you feeling bleh. 

 

Other knee related news. I’ve always felt that my more recent ACL knee was warmer than the older one, and I proved that it was!

My friend Ed has an infrared thermometer and I used it to measure the surface temperature of both my knees!  New ACL was at least a degree warmer!

I bet the primitive humans never tore their ACLs.

 

love,

Bertha