Saturday, February 23, 2008

Yogurt on My Back, Yogurt in My Tummy, Yogurt on My Face!

Whenever we got sunburnt under the Aegean sun, my grandmother would run to the fridge and bring out the yogurt- she'd smear the white goodness all over the burnt spots, which was usually cheeks, shoulders and back in my case. I'd feel like a goddess under the cool touch of the yogurt, and often pretend, I was a character from Dallas and Lucy was my best friend, summering with me...

My grandmother made the yogurt herself- from the fresh milk delivered to us by a short, stocky woman in flowery shalwars and brown slippers. She'd first boil the milk- her way of pasteurizing it- and then separate the creamy goodness (mixed in with honey and pecans/walnuts/almonds, the buttermilk would taste divine!), and then put aside some to be converted into her thick, creamy yogurts. Her yogurt was always the center of our meals- complementing the fried eggplant, or as a sauce on our manti, or in form of refreshing cacik or cold ayran, or mixed in with homemade sour cherry jam as breakfast or dessert...

Today, I am delighted to be able to find yogurt of similar consistency at my local A&P. My favorites are the thick and gooey Fage Total 0% or the Oikos brand's creamy version. Whenever I end up at Trader Joe's (and I seem to do so often!), I reach out for their own brand- it is equally de-lish. For a quick pick-me-up, I drizzle a little honey and sprinkle toasted pecan maple syrup granola, also from Trader Joe's. It's an all-time fave.

I have been reading a lot about yogurt and its earthly goodness, so I decided to mimic what my grandmother used to do- put it on my face! About a couple of months ago, I did some research on available products out in the market, and decided to try out the Korres brand. For my combination sensitive skin (oily t-zone, dry cheeks, hormonally-imbalanced chin), I had picked up their yoghurt velvety moisturising cream and yoghurt mask- both for normal and combination skin. The moment I spread the luscious goodness on my face, it took me back to our summer house with our olive tree whooshing against the salty breeze, the almost fluorescent pink and purple bougainvilleas draped against its white walls and my grandmother humming to a fasil on the AM radio...

The whole product line at Korres reminds me of the homemade remedies that I saw my grandparents use- my grandfather used to boil a similar concoction to Korres's cough syrup made with honey, fennel, aniseed and thyme. I am also enamoured with their White Tea fluid gel- a light cleanser that does not leave the face dry or with film. Usually very finicky, my skin is loving all of these products. Recently, I tried to switch to my previous face regimen- just because-, my skin cried out in red blotches and asked for the yogurt back!

Oh, I noticed that they have a yoghurt cooling gel for sun ailments- I think I might pick it up for this summer...

Friday, February 22, 2008

Girls Who Love to Treat, Lunch and Dine

It's complete Winter Wonderland outside! For some reason, I did not get enough sleep last night, but unexpectedly, and to my surprise, woke up with such gusto, just in time to drop hubby off at the 7:30 train.

Driving on all four-wheels, we passed by sleepy passengers waiting for various BeeLine buses along the main road. I have to tell you, there is something in the air, I could not stop smiling all the way to and from the train station. In honor of my mood, hubby got a luxurious drop-off spot, to everyone's envy, without getting a single flake in his hair. He was smiling, too!

Having the entire week off to myself, I called my girlfriends with whom I had not really had the chance to spend one-on-one time lately, and put lunch dates on our calendars. In preparation to my pampered week, I headed over to my favorite hair salon in Westchester, Salon Topaz in Dobbs Ferry, and submitted my hair to Lisa's creative shears. This was my second visit to this lovely place, and I left triumphant once again!

My first lunch spot was the New Leaf Cafe in Fort Tyron Park, in what's now called "Hudson Heights," (previously known as "Washington Heights" to those of us locals who knew the area before the real estate brokers capitalized on its gorgeous views of the Hudson River) a gentrifying neighborhood of professional moms and dads who work in nearby colleges and hospitals. The cafe is by the 190th Street stop on the A-train as you enter the park. It's a spacious cafe- with clean lines and tasteful minimal decoration.

My friend started with French Onion soup- looked less cheesier than its counterparts- while I sipped my Côtes du Rhône wine by the glass. My entrée arrived promptly- Mediterranean Salad with lemon-parsley grilled chicken and goat cheese. The dish was composed of simple and distinct flavors that blended in nicely with the rest of the plate. I am always afraid of the overpowering prowess of the goat cheese- but not here, not in this salad. (I think I might be able to replicate the grill chicken's flavor using a marinade like Emeril's Lemon Rosemary Gaaahlic at home) My girlfriend got the Crabcake Sandwich which was accompanied by architecturally designed potato chips and red cabbage cole slaw. She loved it and we both licked our plates clean!

The portions were not too big or small- just the right size that allowed us to venture into the land of desserts. And I'm glad we did! I usually have a weakness for warm tarts and tartelets filled with pecans and walnuts, and that's what the daily special was! Bingo for the tummy! My warm walnut tartelet arrived with a scoop of dulce de leche ice cream craftfully placed in a tulle of pastry. I was in heaven! My friend ordered the three-flavor ice cream and happily indulged in it. I was equally happy with our waiter who noticed that this was an occasion for two girls having lunch & talk, so he left us respectfully alone, only coming in to fill our glasses with ice water.

The same day, I met with another girlfriend for mani and pedis in Union Square. We went to my local fave spot, Jeniette, that I've been frequenting since about 1999 when I worked in the neighborhood. Jenny was not there; nonetheless, we had great service and lovely time getting pampered. And at a decent Manhattan price! From there, we headed over to Filene's Basement where I bought myself a pair of cashmere-lined dark brown leather gloves at a bargain price. The day was getting better!

Starved at this point, we went to the nearby unassuming but always crowded Spice and indulged in delicious Thai food. My girlfriend got my absolutely fave Drunk Man Noodles- spicy broad rice noodles, eggs, sweet basil, chili with chicken, shrimp & squid, and I got the Japanese Eggplant with Sweet Basil- sauteed eggplant with garlic, basil & chili sauce with chicken. We also indulged in Mango Martinis and Malbecs. Tummies absolutely full, we headed over to the Coffee Shop for caipirinhas and facetime. We got our end of the bargain AND a nice viewing of the total lunar eclipse. What a treat and a half!

My next lunch spot was a stone throw's away from home, at the Red Hat in Irvington. I had not been to it since it moved from its Main Street location to the waterfront in a converted warehouse. Oh- I have to mention, I went into the nearby One, thinking that it was the Red Hat, and found myself swiftly out the door when I did not see Red Hat's trademark lady in the red hat logo! By the way, my very food-savvy friend swears by One, and recommends it highly for those special occasion dinners. I also noticed that they have my fave appetizer: Caramelized Vidalia Onion and Goat Cheese Tart with peppered walnuts, roasted figs, acacia dressed baby lettuces on their lunch & dinner menu- perhaps, the next destination?

In any case, going back to Red Hat, the ladies welcomed us at the front door. There was a tad bit of confusion as to which one would take our coats, but alas, the coats off our arms, we headed upstairs to the dining room. What commanding views of the Hudson! We took our seats at a corner red banquette and started off with mini sourdough breads and glasses of iced water. The lunch menu looked simply divine- I could've had everything on it!

Upon my friend's recommendation (she'd been here a number of times), I ordered the Classic Salad Nicoise with seared yellowfin tuna, fingerlings, haricots verts, tomato, hard cooked egg, and lemon vinaigrette. I am often disappointed in the heaviness of such an intently light dish, and Red Hat did not disappoint me. The tuna was perfectly quickly seared, the lettuce lightly flavored with the lemon vinaigrette, and the haricot verts crisp to the bite. Again, I was in food heaven. My girlfriend was craving for something "egg-y" so she ordered the Warm Wild Mushroom Salad with toasted pine nuts, fried farm egg, shoestrings, and pinenut vinaigrette. De-lish! Both my girlfriend and I got lost in our food and conversation, we did not even notice that we spent about 2.5 hours- and not a single waiter bothered us! Now, that's a complete treat!

So, today's plan was to head over to Columbus Bakery in UWS with another girlfriend and indulge in their infamous tuna salad- a mix of tuna fish, green apples, cranberries in what they insist is yogurt, but I'd like to differ & think that it's more mayo-based. We used to have it at least once a week when I worked in the WFC 2. And I was thinking of, afterwards, heading over to Levain Bakery for their to-die-for chocolate chip walnut cookie...

Alas, mother nature is asking me to take a culinary break. So, as I am sipping my Mastro Lorenzo Crema that my Tassimo so diligently produces, I cannot help but think about what I will be having for lunch... I wonder if the roads to the Whole Foods will be cleaned by lunchtime to get fresh sushi... Hmmm...

Mini Ski Trip

What a glorious week this has been! One of the best perks of being a teacher is getting a week off here and there without having to put in a request for vacation. Since hubby was in the midst of business reviews and preparing for his business trip next week, we decided to take a mini ski trip and stay locally during the week.

Having lived in New York for such a long time, I was wondering why I have never been to Hunter Mountain. I have some wild theories- limited snow, limited trails, driving the extra hour to hit Vermont slopes,... In any case, I had such an amazing time, now I cannot wait to go back (perhaps- next year?) for a two/three-day excursion!

We left our home in lower-Westchester and reached Hunter in a matter of two hours. The drive was painless- although, I was a just a happy passenger on the front seat, munching on my sinfully delicious toasted whole wheat bagel with butter & honey and sipping my skinny latte. I cannot ignore to mention: Starbucks did it again- what marketing geniuses! The skinny latte tastes similar to my usual tall skim latte but has a nutty flavor. I just found out that I could've gotten it in many flavors, including my all-time faves vanilla and hazelnut, but also cinnamon dolce and mocha. Yumm!

After a nice windy drive over the Kaatskills, debating how "Plattekill" should be pronounced in a phonetically correct way, hubby and I reached the town of Tannersville at a reasonable morning hour, and headed straight over to a rental shop to get my equipment. I've been a renter for a long time- have ski equipment commitment issues- and I was quite surprised to rent boots, skis and poles under $30! What a bargain! While I was trying to squeeze my feet into the boots (the most comfortable ones I've rented by FAR), hubby went right across the street over to the Forester Lodge, where we decided to stay, to get our discount passes for the day.

We hit the slopes before lunchtime and decided to go our own ways on the trails- no double-diamonds for me, thank you. I skied on the "Hunter One" side of the mountain, and I was pleasantly surprised how well-groomed the trails were. With that said, I don't know if I can say the same about the fellow skiers- no, I don't mean they were not well-groomed or anything, but a little more reckless than I had anticipated. I had some funny moments and some scary ones- I think the man who decided to take his skis off while waiting for the lift topped my list! Who really does that, I don't know, but I was among the unhappy skiers behind him. Quite frankly, the lines are already long enough, you really don't want to wait the extra time for something as silly as this one!

I think the best part of Hunter came after the slopes closed: The Happy Hour. When we reached the main lodge by 4:30 PM, there were many happy skiers who looked like they spent a happy hour or two already! I felt that we were late (such novices)- and not quite fashionably, either. With our hat-hair and red noses, we joined in the crowd singing along to the band du-jour and stomping in our ski boots. The Heineken Girls were among us pouring drinks left and right- and usually very mindful of beer calories, I did not mind the calories from my Amstel Light the least bit. After all, I earned them!

After the band's final set, we left for our room at the Forester Lodge to get ready for the evening. Nothing too fancy (or, anything related to fancy, for that matter), our room had a very utilitarian setting, but AMAZING views of the mountain! We toasted to the fireworks from our very front-row seats by our porch. Glorious!

Scouring the local papers, we located O'Neill's Public House as our evening destination. Being responsible adults, we took a cab (driven by a very bitter driver) and reached the restaurant/bar. The food was really nothing to write home- or here- about but what's worth mentioning is the after-dinner entertainment. We secured pretty decent spots at the bar and waited for that evening's band- the Amish Outlaws. And what a wild surprise! I don't know when it's the last time I heard a band cover Bell Biv DeVoe's "That Girl is Poison" and Johnny Cash's "Walk The Line"!!! What a treat! I hear they're going to be at Rambling House in Woodlawn a day before St. Patrick's, on March 16th- I cannot wait to see them there!

We wrapped up our evening by early Sunday morning, headed back to our humble room at Forester in the same exact cab with the same exact cab driver who seemed happier this time. Needless to say, we did not hit the slopes until mid-morning after a hearty (and free!) breakfast of eggs and toast...

Now I realize why Hunter is so popular- it's a quick ride from points around New York City and has a pretty decent apres-ski activities. I would do it all over again, but maybe this time, a little less novice in my ways...