5

While I could probably post the promised clever solution to leftover breading stations, instead I am gussying up and off to see the final "Harry Potter" movie in IMAX, followed by a delicious dinner at Boulud Sud that may or may not send me into a delightful food coma.

Which is to say, it is the hubs' and my Fifth Wedding Anniversary, and every year we like to combine a little bit of nerd with some very tasty food.

For the past four years Gordon Ramsey's underlings have fed us at his restaurant Maze at The London hotel in midtown NYC (conveniently down the block from the Ziegfeld Theater), but as the service there is quite so cold, even if the food is good, we have opted to go elsewhere this year.

It's also incredibly convenient that the new Daniel Boulud restaurant is only 2 blocks from the IMAX theater by Lincoln Center.

Proximity and tastiness!

5 years ago today!

Pinkies up!

(I really love that dress... damn!)

We Are Not Weekend "Warriors"

More like Weekend Snugglers.

This past weekend the hubs and I escaped from the city to relax at my family's house down the shore. The water had been turned back on after a frigid winter, but there was still no phone, no internet, and no cable. It was just us and the sound of the waves, some books... and maybe a DVD or two that we brought along for good measure.

All photos taken via iPhone

One of the biggest requirements for our weekend was to build a fire in a fireplace that has been dormant for roughly the last decade. The flue was largely rusted, but open, so our fire drew nicely, and it set the scene for a snuggly evening.

As the house has been empty since September, there was no food that we did not bring in ourselves. (Not even a Maggie Cube in the pantry.) Thank goodness for Joe Leone's amazing selections. We were "roughing it" with things like homemade pasta, mozzarella, ciabatta, and seafood salad.

That is my kind of "roughing" it.

After a rainy Friday, we woke up to this on Saturday morning.

Glorious.

I think 55º and sunny may be my new favorite beach weather.

After a few hours spent with my extended family at a lovely baby shower for my cousin (the real impetus for our weekend journey) we took a bundled-up walk on the beach, and I have decided this year is the year of the snail shell.

Every year seems to have one particular shell or item that washes up more than anything else. Some years it's periwinkles, others lady slippers. I'm putting it out that that this year will be snail shells.

And, apparently, dead Christmas trees.

There was one other magical element to our weekend, and that is that I found a very special pasta while at the aforementioned Joe Leone's, which Mike and I had in Florence while on our honeymoon.

Four cheese & pear fiocchi - little drawstring purses of deliciousness.

Find it.

Poor iPhone photography

Served in a simple sage brown butter sauce, it was sublime.

It would have been equally delicious simply dressed in a good infused olive oil.

I went the more decadent route because it's what we had on hand.

Oh darn!

This meal, in front of a roaring fireplace, and watching "Clue" (which we watched together on our first date) made for a wonderful stolen weekend.

I suggest making time for one of your own in the near future.

We're totally going back for Spring Break.

All Abooooooooard!!!!!

I'm not exactly sure what the Rally for Sanity/Rally for Fear was supposed to accomplish, tho John Stewart's parting words were spot-on and made me a bit weepy and wistful. 

(Seriously, why are reasonability, sanity, compassion and kindness so difficult to practice?)

But if nothing else, the rally made for one truly wonderful moment.

I tried to crop Ozzy's gut out of this screen capture...

I have sung Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train" many times.

Growing up, I listened to a lot of Cat Stevens/Yusuf, including "Peace Train".

Seeing them "battle" on stage and leave arm in arm was, in a word, FANTASTIC!

And yes, following that with "Love Train" basically had me dancing in my living room.

Good messages.

Good feelings.

Hope.

End Selfishness.

Nothin' Says "I Love You" Like Stuffed French Toast

At least that's the case if your hubs is a die-hard breakfast man as mine is.

The setup. 

(Note: I should have used 3 eggs for the two large pieces of french toast I made.)

The store was out of challah when I got there, except for one loaf that had raisins in it, and since I know the hubs is not a fan, I went with brioche instead. Annoyingly, the brioche also had a HOLE in the middle  due to air bubbles, which I did not know until I started making breakfast the next morning. That made stuffing the french toast much more difficult. Oh well. I persevered.

The pocket.

In order to make stuffed french toast you could simply make regular french toast and put a tasty filling between two slices. Instead I chose the harder way.

I sliced the bread extra thick, and then cut a pocket about 3/4 of the way into the bread in which to spoon the filling of choice. This time around for the filling I simply combined roughly equal parts good strawberry preserves and room temperature cream cheese, because the fresh strawberries that would garnish looked and smelled divine. Simple but super tasty is the way to go.

While the brioche was sucking up scrambled eggs, a splash of cream, a TSP of cinnamon, and a waft of nutmeg (I don't know how else to describe it... about 6 passes over the fine microplane) I got started on the... appetizer? Amuse bouche? Whatever. The tasty first round, also known as BACON.

Ammendment: Nothing says "I love you" like stuffed french toast and BACON.

Note: the longer you let the bread sit in the egg mixture, the more flavorful and decadent your french toast will be. I'm not talking days, but twenty minutes can make a big difference.

The rest was pretty straight forward. I poured the fat from the bacon out of the pan, added about a TBSP of butter, and cooked the egg-laden toast until crispy on both sides. (In the same pan for "essence of bacon" in the toast :)

 Fresh strawberries, extra filling on the side, a dusting of powdered sugar, and the extra piece of bacon the hubs kindly saved for me while I was still cooking. (I totally ate one piece before serving him because I wasn't sure I'd get out of the kitchen in time to eat any myself!) and breakfast was done.

And really, really good.

Try it out some morning when your S.O. is especially deserving.

Electric Six Boat Cruise

No, I have no pictures of the band as we stayed up on the deck the entire time. That way we had the view, the breeze, and the speakers playing the music for us. We = Smart.

We were joined on our 3 Hour Tour by my big bro, friends Jim & Cathy, Candy & Joel (newly engaged!), and a few surprise appearances by newer acquaintances and even a fellow Wesleyan alum.

It was a good group.

Have you ever tried to take pictures, at night, with a mildly banged-up point and shoot that is almost 5 years old, on a boat that is bobbing up and down and moving forwards?

Yeah, the pictures don't quite come out in focus...

But at least you can (probably) tell that that's the Brooklyn Bridge.

That is the view of the southern tip of Manhattan at night.

(It was a bit dèjá vu after our trip to Governor's Island.)

So many bridges.

Some of the crew havin' a grand ol' time.

And a grand ol' time it was.

Friends, booze, live music, and a boat with balmy (once you were actually out on the water) weather.

Definitely an anniversary well spent.

Addendum:

He may be tough to cook for, and he may not have a villa in Italy for us to retire to. He may not clean up/prepare for house guests (always somehow his friend or family) as well as I'd like him to, and he may turn on a new video game to play even when I tell him dinner will be ready in 15 minutes... but he's also a really good guy.