Met Opera - 125th Anniversary Gala

John and I were very fortunate to be invited to the 125th Anniversary Gala at the Metropolitan Opera Sunday night. It was amazing!
We watched performances from 23 different operas which was incredible. It was basically a review of all the greatest operas ever written. At the end of the evening, three angels "floated" above the stage and sprinkled silver confetti on the performers as they took their final bow. It was so magical!
Here we are at the dinner afterwards. Woody Allen was sitting at the table just behind us!
The decorations at the dinner were inspired by vintage Met Opera play bills.
The centerpiece at each table was a cluster of luminaries wrapped in vintage play bills surrounded by red roses and candles. Our menu was an upscaled version of comfort food classics: wedge salad with chipotle dressing, Kobe beef meatloaf, and mac-n-cheese with truffle oil. We had such a memorable night! Happy Birthday Met Opera!

Peppermint and Licorice Plarn Purse

I call this the Peppermint and Licorice purse because of the colors. Why do so many things remind me of candy and food?

This is the purse as of Saturday night, but I wasn't happy with how it looked.
Tuesday night I decided to experiment with weaving plarn through the crocheted portions which turned out to be the perfect solution. The four woven stripes continue all the way around the surface of the purse.

I finished it off with a tiny bow which I think is adorable!

Latest Plarn Purse

Here is my latest plarn purse which I finished Monday night. I LOVE this purse even more than the first plarn purse. I added a little bling by sewing a faceted crystal to the center of the flower.

My Twist on a Cuban Sandwich

The Cubana Cafe is one of our favorite places to eat in New York, but John and I have not dined there in a long time...not since Missy and Stephen came to visit the city last summer. Our favorite item on the menu is the Cuban sandwich...roast pork, sliced ham, swiss cheese, pickles, and chipotle mayonnaise grilled inside a crusty roll...perfection!

I felt inspired to try my own version of the Cuban sandwich the other day after having made a pork roast in my crock pot. My version included shredded roast pork, pickles, tomatoes, cheddar cheese, and dijon mustard. I used a sandwich roll (not sure what kind exactly) that I bought at the deli across the street and pressed the sandwich on a hot frying pan with my tea kettle which was filled with water to add weight.

Now, nothing beats eating the real deal along with an icy mojito, surrounded by the tropical cafe decor, but this was pretty tasty!

Hooked on Spring

Part of my daily routine for the last several months has been to peel away my hat, scarf, coat, and gloves, hang them on the coat hooks in our hallway, and then hang my bag on this daffodil hook. I love this little hook. It once belonged to my grandmother, Mimi. She must have loved it too because it hung for years in her blue bathroom. Now it graces our peach hallway and is a daily reminder that Spring will soon be here, that the trees will soon be covered in tiny green buds and fresh little flowers will open in the sunlight.

What a Sweet Smile

Is this the sweetest smile or what? John took this picture of himself early Monday morning in the snow and sent it to my cell phone.




I immediately thought of this oldie but goodie...I love this cute little sweetheart!

Pot Roast Pinwheels - not sushi!

Last week I made a beef pot roast in my crock pot for the first time which was DELICIOUS. I had enough roast to feed the two of us for an entire week, but I also wanted to avoid serving the same plate of meat and potatoes every night. Using what I already had in the fridge, I came up with this:

John thinks they look like sushi. Even though they are made basically the same way as sushi, the name "pot roast sushi" doesn't really work for me since I am a non-seafood eater. I instead choose to call them Pot Roast Pinwheels, even though the name is a little silly.
I started by spreading a thin layer of cream cheese and dijon mustard over two flour tortillas. Then added finely shredded or chopped pot roast, chopped green onions, arugula, and black pepper.

Then I rolled up the tortillas, sliced them into bite-size segments and voila!

These could be served right away, but they hold their shape better if wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerated a few hours before slicing.

My World is a White Frosted Cupcake

Early this morning a snow storm covered New York with white, fluffy frosting.





The fire escape steps outside my window are like chocolate dipped lady fingers with sugar icing.












The Empire State Building stands like a giant popsicle in the distance.
Candy-coated cars sit in a frozen row.

And a sweet-toothed hound wants to gobble up every frosty morsel.

How to Make Plarn

I had some requests to post the instructions on how to turn a plastic grocery sack into "plarn." I discovered this technique on one of my favorite blogs, Gooseflesh. Here are the instructions. My plarn creations do not even compare to those of this amazing artist. She is definately an inspiration to me! She crochets sea creatures and coral reefs from plarn (and traditional yarn) that are definately worth a peek.

Plarn Clutch Purse

Here is my latest crochet creation...a small clutch purse made from plarn (plastic grocery sack yarn). Now I don't like to brag, but I LOVE this purse! I plan on making many more like it, but I need more grocery sacks. These brown Kroger sacks were generously mailed to me from my friend Tracy in Houston. If any other friends or family members would like to support my creative habit by mailing saved grocery sacks to me, I will gladly take them! A big THANK YOU in advance!