“A man’s capacity is the same as his breadth of vision”

In my last post I asked you all what foods tested your patience. It seems that pistachios, roasting, and pomegranates are at the top of the list! Such little buggers. Patience in a bigger picture, to me, is something that teaches a person that the universe is not at our beck and call. That sometimes we have to wait to get what we want, and sometimes it never comes at all. It’s an exercise for the ego.

Backtracking to when my parents visited in December, I thought I’d share some snapshots of my neighborhood.

Taking the pups out for a windy walk along the Hudson River
The other little buggers.

My parents came to visit during the end of the holiday season, and on Christmas Eve (it’s been awhile) I wanted to make something heartwarming. I had saved a recipe for “Fennel, Pepper, and Saffron Stew with Garlic Toast” awhile ago, and it seemed like the right occasion.

The fennel added this underlying sweetness to the soup.
It had me at Manchego cheese.

Manchego could be the name over a lover, don’t you think? Francisco Manchego De La Cruz.

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Celebrating in New York Part 1

Thank you all for sharing your insight on hormones, and how some of you are also becoming more attuned to them. It’s funny how in the Western world many just pay attention to the symptoms rather than the root–the foundation. In the end, I believe that everything is connected anyhow, so it’s important to be good to yourself overall. For instance, when I was in New York there were some nights I was falling asleep as the sun was rising. I usually wake up at a certain time no matter how late I fall asleep. That was the case some nights and I’d get a couple hours of sleep. Then one day I slept till noon, which is very rare for me. About as rare as finding a wedding band over by the shopping carts at a grocery store (happened to me once when I was little). Anyway, I’ve been trying to get the rest my body needs. Surprisingly, if you’re body is functioning efficiently it won’t need that many hours of rest. Maybe rest isn’t a good word because our minds are very active while we sleep. How else can we come up with those crazy dreams?!

Dreaming of Green Tea Kit Kats

These were so delicious! I normally don’t like Kit Kat bars, but my friend brought these back from Japan and offered a pack for me to try. These were creamy and reminded me of white chocolate.

She also brought back red bean rice cakes, which were also very tasty.

The next day I went out for a run and got to know Brooklyn a little better. One thing that I love about running is that I discover a lot of neat spots, and helps me orient myself when I’m traveling. My sense of direction no matter where I go is something I am thankful for. The Katharina-model comes with a GPS built inside!

For dinner I went to Blossom with two mystery guests…
Guess who I got to have dinner with!

Maya decided to take an impromptu whirlwind trip to New York City, and luckily we were both in town at the same time! I also got to meet her good friend Max! I was definitely in great company that night.

I ordered the Porcini Cigars.

These were “hand-rolled phyllo filled with porcini mushrooms, almonds, and ground tempeh, served over a cashew pesto, finished with pomegranate seeds.” I don’t think I saw pomegranate seeds, but they did have sliced almonds. Maybe they were out of the seeds? The filling for the phyllo rolls reminded me of sausages, but I thought the dish was a tad too salty for my taste. Although I did enjoy biting into the flaky phyllo crust and spooning on as much of the cashew pesto as I could into one bite.

I took a picture with flash just to capture how awesomely green the cashew pesto was!
I also ordered the Field Greens salad

This was a salad of “greens tossed with candied walnuts, tofu croutons, and grilled pears in a shallot  vinaigrette.” I did like how the salad was dressed and the tofu croutons were a nice addition. I don’t know where the candied walnuts were though. Maya ordered the same salad and she also noted something about the missing candied walnuts.

After dinner we walked Maya to the bus station after dinner.
The first day already filled with excitement!

Later on I went bar hopping and ended up at a place where they do karaoke. The list was full by the time we got there. Alas, I couldn’t relive my last karaoke moment all the way back in high school. For the record I sang “Fat Bottomed Girls”.

While I was in New York I was able to use a kitchen and whip up tasty salads to help beat the summer heat.

There was always a supply of kabocha at the nearby market, which is open 24-hours! Actually, my first night in New York I went grocery shopping at 4 am.

I’ve also warmed up to tofu recently.

It is possible to make it tasty, and there’s no denying its convenience.

Spotted a crazy bike lock that looked like a giant clock mechanism.
Ricotta cheese for breakfast

Remember the ricotta cream pillows I’d top my oatmeal with? That morning I just toasted some bread and topped each slice with ricotta cheese, almonds, cinnamon, and honey.

Something else I spotted at the nearby market.

Reunited with a childhood favorite (these were on sale for 99 cents!)!

Fourth of July was spent on a rooftop overlooking the west side.
Fireworks!
They were so beautiful.

Everyone looked like ghosts.

I love seeing how each city in America has their own way of celebrating the Fourth of July. I’ve seen fireworks over beaches, parks, fields, lakes, and now skylines.

Eventually we made our way to a bar… specifically for their tacos!

That night was also when I met fellow food blogger, Mike! It was so awesome talking to him and hearing his thoughts on things. It’s not often that you can talk about things you think about with blogging with someone in real life that actually knows what you’re talking about. You guys should check out his blog! He had so many food adventures in New York. Not to mention he’s a blader. How awesome is that?

They ordered different kinds of tacos.
On another day we headed to Rockaway Beach, and stopped by their famous taco hut.
It was such a nice day!
With all these taco trucks and huts around I decided to make some of my own.

Let’s take a breather, shall we? I could keep going, but I’ll give your eyes a rest. So stay tuned for the next recap of my stay in New York!

Do you think dreams have a deeper meaning?

Welcome to Canada!

Good day to everyone and greetings from Canada! I arrived in Toronto on Wednesday night, and I’ll be staying here till Canada Day. Then my next stop is New York.

First, I needed to motivate myself to pack for an 18-day trip.

A pot of mint tea to help me relax.
Thankfully I had someone cute to help me pack… or atleast keep me company.
Whilst I had a super skin-tightening clay mask that always makes my eyes bulge out.
Progress!
Packed a bagel for the trip.
Sprouted Wheat Onion Poppyseed Bagels with cream cheese, marinated portobello mushrooms, avocado, and some cucumber slices.

Alvarado Street Bakery makes great bread along with other things like bagels, rolls, and pizza bread! My old roommate would always get these bagels and they smelled so awesome when she’d toast them.

Fig Almond cake for snacking–check.

When we got to the airport there was a flight delay. It worked in our favor since we weren’t sure if we’d make it in time for check-in since it was an international flight, plus we had Matilda.

Oh, and that bagel sandwich? It was so good!

 We finally made it, and the cutest Canadian ever granted us permission to enter the country. My mom and I should’ve taken him up on his offer as tour-guide… even if he was just kidding!

Checking out her new surroundings.
First morning I decided to go downstairs with my mom to have breakfast.

They get their scrumptious bread from a local bakery, and the fried potatoes reminded me of Bratkartofeln. Alongside with a bowl of cottage cheese topped with fruits, muesli, and nuts.

My mom looked lovely before she headed into work.
Around lunchtime my mom and a few of her co-workers swooped me off to a Vietnamese restaurant.

I ordered the stir-fried vegetables with tofu. It was a simple meal, but I’m not sure what was in the sauce… or what it was but my stomach was swimming for the rest of the day.

Also tried a funky looking lychee drink.
Later on we went on a real food adventure–a Canadian grocery store!

My goodness! The produce section was HUGE! Foods from all over the world. Lots from Asia and South America. My mom even found granadia, also known as passion fruit. I also found a ton of kabochas, but there’s no way of preparing them here… unless the hotel lets me use their kitchen.

I was amazed by all of the cheeses and breads that were at the store–these are some Canadian specialties.

They had a shelf just of German breads, and different kinds of pretzels to choose from. There was also a freezer-full of gluten-free options as well!

And lookie here what I was reunited with!

They stopped carrying these in America because people may choke on the small toys inside -cough-stupid lawsuits-cough-.

Milk chocolate goodness!!!
Beware you could choke on these, bahaha!
I was curious about these… they reminded me of a less saltier version of Bugles–tasty.
Got some of the best hummus ever (you can smell the caramelized onions!), and I wish the US had lentil salads like this on the regular.

I would gladly buy pre-packaged food like this!

Enjoyed over a bed of lettuce and various sprouts.
We also got a loaf of Swiss fruit and muesli bread.
Ze cheeeese
Cheese monster
Such a creamy and oily texture under the rind.
Pantry full–check.
Fridge full–check.
My mom spotted fresh gooseberries at the store as well.
We also got this interesting tea to try–this is what it looks like when a tea bag is holding on for dear life.
I also found some chamomile flowers when I was on a walk with Matilda.

This is just the beginning of my trip so there will be many more recaps! So far I really think it’s neat that everything here is in French and English. I’ve been reading everything in French with my best accent, and just having fun with it. I wanted to go on a run and explore some more. Alas it started raining heavily so that will have to wait.

In other news, Meg has started a new tradition on her blog called “Feature Friday”, and she asked me to be on her blog! Meg is one of those girls that has a good (and incredibly beautiful) head on her shoulders. She’s got a great outlook and such an awesome sense of humor. So check out her blog if you don’t know her already, and you can also check out my post right over here!

I hope you all have a great weekend ahead of you.

How do you guys like to get to know the places you visit?

Anyone have any recommendations for while I’m here?