Melon Grape and Lime Salad

This is my own creation and it happens to be delicious! In my opinion, lime zest, lime juice, and honey can turn any fruit combination into fruit salad heaven!
Melon Grape and Lime Salad
3 cups canteloupe, cubed
2 cups watermelon, cubed and seeded
1 cup green grapes, halved
zest and juice from 1 lime
1 tbsp honey

Combine all ingredients. Chill for a few hours before serving.

Date Night with John

John and I had a fun date on Broadway tonight. We went to see The Lion King which was amazing!

This is a picture I took from the cab looking down 45th Street as we approached the theater.















This is the view from the 3rd floor lobby of the theater...Times Square!
After the show, I tried to take a picture of us in front of the marquee, but it didn't quite work.












Luckily someone passing offered to take the picture for us!

First Pair of Golashes

I got my first pair of golashes a few weeks ago. They're really a neccesity for living in the city with no car when it rains...especially when it's raining during Georgie's walk time! I've had several opportunities to wear them in the last few weeks including today. With my black golashes and tan rain coat, I'm color coordinated with Georgie's fur!

Guggenheim with Bijon and Alexis

Today we went to the Guggenheim Museum to see the Kandinsky exhibit. It was amazing! We met one of John's friends from high school, Bijon, who was visiting the city with his girlfriend, Alexis. Afterwards, we had the most delicious Cuban dinner together. This is all of us in the museum cafe.

John and Bijon

This is one of the Kandinsky paintings we saw today. It's always been one of my favorites!

Dinner with John

Tonight John and I had a dinner date at Cafe Loup, a Parisian-style cafe in the West Village. The entire meal was delicious, but the best part had to be the pomme frites that we shared before dinner (and the company)!

My Walk to the Grocery Store

Sirloin and Blue Cheese Salad

This is another delicious recipe from the September issue of Cooking Light...delicious!

Sirloin and Blue Cheese Salad
2 tsp chili powder
3/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt, divided
1/4 tsp black pepper, divided
1 lb lean sirloin steak
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp olive oil
6 cups torn Bibb lettuce (I used red leaf and arugula)
3/4 cups sliced, peeled cucumber
1 cup red bell pepper strips
1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots
1/2 cup blue cheese, crumbled
*I also added 1 cubed avocado and 2 Roma tomatoes, chopped and seeded

Combine chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/8 tsp black pepper; rub evenly over both sides of steak.

Heat grill pan over medium high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add steak to pan; cook 7 minutes. Turn steak over; cook 5 minutes. Place steak on cutting board; let stand 5 minutes. Cut across grain into thin slices.

Combine vinegar, mustard, 1/4 tsp salt, and remaining 1/8 tsp black pepper in a small bowl. Stir with a whisk and gradually add oiil while constantly whisking. Combine lettuce, cucumber, bell pepper, and shallots in a large bowl. Drizzle vinaigrette over salad; toss gently to coat. Top salad with steak and cheese.


This is my wonderful grill pan!

Roasted Corn and Potato Chowder

This soup was delicious! I found the recipe in the current issue of Cooking Light. Next time I make this, I'm going to add chicken broth and puree more of the corn. The actual recipe calls for the corn and potatoes to be cooked on an outdoor grill. I don't have one of those, but I do have an amazing grill pan that is a nice substitute. It's seasoned enough that it gave the corn and potatoes a nice smoky flavor.

Grilled Corn and Potato Chowder
1 lb small potatoes (quartered)
salt
4 tbsp butter, divided
4 ears corn, shucked
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
3 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
1/2 cup half-n-half
2 thyme sprigs
3 tbsp finely chopped chives
1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Heat grill pan over medium high heat.

Place potatoes in large soup pot, cover with water and add salt. Bring to a boil; cook 5 minutes. Drain potatoes, return to pot and coat with olive oil. Put potatoes on grill pan and cook until lightly browned, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Remove potatoes from heat and set aside.

Spread small pats of softened butter to ears of corn (about 1/2 tablespoon each). Put corn on grill at medium high heat and cook until lightly browned on all sides, rotating occasionally (about 15 minutes). Remove from heat and let cool. Slice corn away from cob. Puree one cup of the corn kernals in a food processor.

Reheat soup pot and melt 2 tablespoons butter. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and a dash of cayenne pepper. Add potatoes, corn kernals and puree, milk, half-n-half, and thyme sprigs; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat; simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Discard thyme sprigs. Stir in chives and remaining ingredients.

Don't Cry Hello Kitty!

John and I walked by the Tom Sachs Hello Kitty installation in front of the Lever House Saturday night on our way to dinner. If you look closely in the picture, you can see the water fountains trickling from each eye so it looks like the statues are crying. It was a really sweet installation.

Opening Night at the Opera

John and I were invited to opening night at the Met Opera tonight! Here are some of the pictures from our night...
John and me at the cocktail reception before the opera.













Me and Helianthe, Richard's date, outside of Lincoln Center.

John, Helianthe, and Richard at the cocktail reception.

Inside the tent where the dinner was held.

Our beautifully set table just before we sat down for dinner.

2nd Homemade Tablecloth

Here is the second tablecloth that my mom made for me while I was down in Texas in July. I love this one just as much as the blue one. They are so different, yet they both look really good in our peach kitchen. Thanks Mom!

Latest Shoe Cravings

I've been searching for the perfect flat to wear everyday and maybe occasionally out. Here are some of the shoes I found tonight from Nine West and Nordstrom...

I love these Betsey Johnson's but I'm not sure about the purple color...

I like that these are casual and dressy. Studs are supposed to be in this season.

I LOVE these Micheal Kors loafers!

These are really classic and cute. I think I would prefer them without the quilting, though.

I love the color in these...they would go with just about everything in my wardrobe.

I love the peep toe style of these...I like the colors too.

I also love the peep toe on these...

These are definately not flats, but I came across them while I was looking. I'm usually not one to wear high heels, but these are HOT! I can totally see myself wearing these!

Yellow Gristedes Plastic

I recently tried a different grocery store in the neighborhood, Gristedes. It's much older and smaller than the Morton Williams grocery store I usually go to, but it's also much less crowded and quieter and the staff is very friendly. It's a longer walk to get there, but it's worth it.









Another reason I really like Gristedes - they use the prettiest yellow and turquoise grocery bags! This is a preview of my next purse using the yellow Gristedes plastic...

Dinner in Peekskill

John and I went to a panel discussion and dinner at the Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art in Peekskill tonight for an all Dutch artist exhibit titled, "Double Dutch". This was my favorite piece - a gas station constructed entirely of the artist's art book collection. It was pretty amazing.







Here's my sweetie at the dinner afterwards.

Georgie's Latest Pictures

Here are some of Georgie's latest pictures...



My regal beagle!

















John was eating something on the bed and of course, Georgie wanted a taste!

Georgie looks sort of strange in this one, but I like it.

What a cutie!

Just about to fall asleep, but still keeping her eye on me!

Sunday Brunch

John and I had brunch this past Sunday with our dear friend Jenn who was visiting from Houston. We went to one of our favorite restaurants, Balthazar, where we shared sour cream and berry waffles, amoung other breakfast delights. Afterwards, we took a long walk around SoHo, stumbled upon a street fair in Little Italy, and took a stroll around ABC Carpet (a fabulous and huge store with all kinds of furnishings and items for the home). We can't wait to see Jenn and all our other friends and family in Texas in 39 days!

White Bag with Pastel Ruffles

This is my latest crocheted bag. I made this one solid white, but added three ruffles around the opening in pink, blue, and green. The pastel plastic came from the newspaper bags for the Baytown Sun which my mom saves for me. I get the prettiest shades of pink, blue, and green from that newspaper!