Italy Vacation 2012

I realize its been so insensitive of me to not post some pictures of my Italy trip mentioned here. I've been posting so much about delicious yummy food, I neglected the travel portion of my Truffle and Travel blog!  There's so many pictures I'm still sorting through but here's a highlight reel. I'll be posting more in detail about each city very soon and more on my Facebook... xoxo

[VATICAN CITY] Outside St. Peter's Basilica

 [ROME] Cafe outside the Colliseum

[FLORENCE] View of the city from Piazza Michelangelo

[SIENA] The gorgeous Siena Cathedral

[PISA] Enjoying a gelato outside the leaning tower

[VENICE] St. Marks Basilica

[VENICE] Gondolas

[MURANO] Island of Colored Houses

Moroccan Meatballs

Morocco is up there on my list of places to visit. I have a good Moroccan friend who always tells me all about its splendors, and after watching Sex and The City 2, I was hooked. The movie portrays that they're in Abu Dhabi in the Arab Emirates as "The New Dubai," but really they're in Morocco! Parts of the film were shot in various locations and hotels around Marrakech. There are many rumors about which hotel they actually stayed in and trust me I've researched this long and hard, and the rumored places are: Amanjena Hotel in Marrakech, La Mamounia Hotel, and Royal Mansour. And you HAVE to click on these 3 hotel links to be blown away! You may not be able to be physically swept into Arabian Nights at the moment, but you can at least eat as if you are...

INGREDIENTS

Fresh Chopped Parsley

Fresh Chopped Cilantro

Package of Pita

1 10-ounce package plain couscous

Meatballs

1 1/3 pounds lean ground beef (20% fat) 

1 large onion, minced (about 2/3 cup) 

3 tablespoons water 

4 teaspoons olive oil 

1 teaspoon ground black pepper 

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

1 teaspoon ground cumin 

1 teaspoon ground coriander 

1 teaspoon tumeric 

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 

1/8 cup breadcrumbs 

1 egg

Salad

Cucumber

Tomato

Chick Peas

Tzatziki Sauce

8 oz Greek Yogurt

2 Cucumbers peeled and shredded

1/2 lemon, juiced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

INSTRUCTIONS

Start by making the tzatziki sauce. Combine yogurt, cucumber, lemon juice, either by hand or in a good processor or blender. Process until well-combined. Transfer to a separate dish, cover and refrigerate for at least one hour for best flavor.

Meatball time. Sautee the onion in pan until cooked. When the onions are cooled, mix the onions with the ground beef and all the spices in a medium bowl. Roll the meat into a mini meatball shape. You can use an ice-cream scooper or a teaspoon to create uniform sized meatballs. Put the meatballs on a baking rack over a baking tray in the oven. Cook 400 degrees until brown and crispy on the outside and cooked on the inside, approximately 8-10 minutes.

While the meatballs are in the oven, prepare the coucous according to package instructions. While the meatballs and coucous are cooking, make the salad. Chop up cucumbers, tomatoes, and combine with chick peas. Toast the pita bread. By now, everything should be almost cooked. Add parsley and cilantro to the dishes for garnish.

Let's go to Brasil!

Go to the Macy's Flower Show in Herald Square to teleport to Brasil. The theme this year is the Gardens of Paradise. The Flower Show, which has traditionally been held inside the store, has moved to an outdoor tent in the intersection of Broadway Plaza. It is an over-sized greenhouse. The show this year is exotic, energetic, and bursting with color.  You walk through the native plants and flowers of the Amazon forest, cross a bridge, and end up in front of a hidden waterfall. But I enjoyed most was how the setup looked like someone's colorful house and garden in Brasil.  (I love the flower chandelier!) Come here and you'll feel like you're in Rio! And if you have time, go to the windows on the 34th street side and you'll see a Carnival celebration complete with sounds of the jungle.  This is on display now until April 7th, during store hours.  The lines aren't too long around noon and the price is free.  A free event in New York - such a rare find!

Chicken & Chilli Tacos

Bienvenidos a Mexico! Tonight was an easy night - made chili over grilled chicken. Had some hard-shelled tacos to keep with the theme and steamed some broccoli. This is an easy dinner idea for a Mexican theme night. You can serve with some guacamole and tequila! 

Fringe

My new favorite fashion obsession this season is fringe! I think I almost love it as much as I love crochet. But I do know one thing for sure... I suddenly want to buy everything that's fringey! There is something hypnotizing about watching clothes that move entirely to its own rhythm.  Its wild, care-free, and sexy. I have always associated fringe with cold weather and winter because I like my fringe in rich fabrics like leather, suede, and chunky knits but fringe is coming full force this warm season with bikinis, cut-out dresses, and bohemian tops.  Even though I already own 95 bikinis, a fringe one is on the top of my wishlist this summer. Obsessed!

 

From top left to bottom right : 

1. Fringe Bikinis from L*space

2. Tie-Dye Hippy Shirt DIY

3. DIY Fringe Scarf from an old T-Shit

4. Fringe Wild-Child Shorts

5. Modern Fringe Flapper Dress

6. Jil Sander Flapper Cut-Out Fringe Dress

7. JJ Winters Suede Fringe Bag

8. Jagger Edge Suede Fringe iPad Case/Clutch

NCAA Tournament in Boston

Hope everyone had a good weekend! I took a little road trip to Boston to watch the NCAA tournament. The match-up was Syracuse v. Ohio State @ TD Garden. Sadly, Syracuse lost, but the trip was still a great time. The energy was more intense than any live NBA game I've been to and I found some pretty good bar food in Boston. I've been to this city more times than I can count, but every time I come here, I uncover a different part of Boston. Overall, I like this city and I'm always ready for a road-trip! 

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Pre-game at Red Hat. This place has amazing wings! And on Sunday, the wings are only 10 cents! Didn't know anything 10 cents existed any more! So yes, it is something to be very excited about.

Fours Grille. Wanted to come here but the restaurant was packed! The online reviews said this venue has the best bar food in the TD Garden area. If you have a chance, try it and let me know!

Crazy 'Cuse fans! The energy was wild.

After the game, we went to the Miracle of Science Bar, which had amazing food! This place is reviewed to be packed with MIT students since the school is down the block. There are no menus because it is written in a periodic table on the chalk-wall. Really a geek-chic place.

After the bar, there was loud crazy music coming from All Asia Bar across the street, we had to go in. They were playing the best music - we walked in on Uhuru Afrika, an exploration into Afro-rooted dance floor rhythms by DJ Adam Gibbons and Max Pela. There was drums, and crazy beats, mixed with electronic music - it was one of the best vibes in a club I've been to. Check it out and see if they're playing in a venue near you. It's nothing you've experienced. Good night! 

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Hit the road! And there's no "road restaurant" that I love more than Cracker Barrel.  I apologize in advance for being cheesy about this one, but I seriously love it. I think its because I am such a city girl, and this place takes me to the country. There's rocking chairs that line the deck, an over sized checkerboard, and country cooking served out the kitchen. If you see road signs for this place, give it a try. It takes you out of your element for an hour. And on Sunday, they have home style fried chicken!

World Water Day 2012

Hi guys! Sorry its been awhile since I've wrote but I've been so busy! I wanted to write a post yesterday on World Water Day on March 22, but didn't have a minute until today. But its still not to late to bring awareness to the cause. 

Water has always been and will always be a precious resource. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations coordinates world Water Day 2012 on March 22 and every year, a specific aspect of freshwater is highlighted according to the UN-Water website. This year the theme is Water and Food Security: The World is Thirsty Because We are Hungry. The theme this year focuses on the impact industrial-scale agriculture has on the world’s fresh water supplies. It take a lot of water to produce food, and FOOD WASTED = WATER WASTED.

Here is the manifesto:

There are 7 billion people to feed on the planet today and another 2 billion are expected to join by 2050. Statistics say that each of us drinks from 2 to 4 litres of water every day, however most of the water we ‘drink’ is embedded in the food we eat: producing 1 kilo of beef for example consumes 15,000 litres of water while 1 kilo of wheat ’drinks up’ 1,500 litres.

1. What can we do?

I am not here to tell you to not eat beef, and become a vegan. But I am saying there's certain things that we all can do more to help the cause. these are things I personally do, and you can do easily also. Just getting into the mindset of conserving water is a start. Here are some things we can do around the house that will go a long way. 

• Follow a healthier, sustainable diet
• Reduce food wastage! 30% of the food produced worldwide is never eaten and the water used to produce it is definitively lost! 
• If you have own a dishwasher or washing machine, only run them for full loads.
• Turn the water off while you wash dishes or vegetables. Soak/wash the vegetables in a pot.
• Use a re-fillable BPA-free plastic or glass bottle. Invest in a Brita filter and not buy water bottles! They drive me crazy.
• Take shorter showers. An American taking a five-minute shower uses more water than a typical person in a developing country slum uses in a whole day. 
• On that note, don't leave the shower running before you jump in it.
• Turn the tap off while you brush your teeth or shave.
• Check pipes for leaks regularly.
• Avoid the garburator by using a compost bucket, especially if you own a house.
• Use common sense! Any time you are running water to wash or water something water is being wasted. Fill a bucket, fill a sink, fill a bottle and use only what you need.

2. Donate

A few years ago, I met someone who worked for a company called Charity: Water. When they spoke of their company, they seemed so passionate about it and I'll never forget that intensity. Charity:Water is a non-profit organization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations. 100% of public donations directly fund water projects. A donation as little as $20 gives one person clean water for 20 years. Theyre such a transparant company, you can see every project they've done on google maps and their offices are always open to visitors.  Learn more or donate.

3. Volunteer

I've signed up to be a Charity Water volunteer and you can too. If you live in NYC, you can come to the monthly volunteer night to help out in our office and hang with other charity: water supporters. Sign up here.

4. Spread the Word

Don't have an extra buck? Just pass the message along. Spreading awareness is one way we can help combat the water crisis. This is what World Water Day is all about, awareness. 

Websites:

I think we as a society sometimes forgets how fortunate we are that we don't have to hike 20 miles for clean water, and I think if we could just conserve a little more, I think it will make a difference. Check out Water.org for facts and Charity: water to read up and learn about ways to get involved. 

A boy drinks water from a public tap in Agartala on Wednesday on the eve of the World Water Day. PTI 

Villagers carry pitchers filled with drinking water after visiting a well at Meni village, Gujarat. Reuters 

People gather to get water from a huge well in the village of Natwarghad, Gujarat. Reuters 

A starving Somali child is given water in Baidoa, Somalia. Reuters 

See more thirsty Photos here: 

Statler Grill, New York City

Statler Grill is located minutes away from Pennslyvania Station and Madison Square Garden. It is a steakhouse but I was simply interested in seafood that day so I got a lobster Club Sandwich. The menu says they use a whole 1 1/4 Lb Lobster, Mayonnaise, Lettuce, Bacon, Onion, Avocado on a Brioche Bun, With Shoestring Potatoes. I personally like whole lobsters used in my sandwiches so the description got me. I thought it was very good, except for the bread. Personally, it was too much bread for me. If this came on a bun, it would be perfect. However, the service was good and it wasn't too packed compared to most restaurants in the area if you're looking for a quick lunch spot. My only other criticism is that its a little expensive for what you get. For the same price point, there are comparable or better restaurants. But its not bad. I will return here, and when I do... I'll try the steak! 

Update: A friend said to try the Lamb Shanks... Thanks Benny! 

Lobster Club Sandwich