Life as a Dill

Gone Campin'

Visited good old Round Pond with friends and progeny this past weekend.  Munched on lots of tasty grub, took in lots of fresh air, and relished in a slower-paced existence for a couple of days.  Can I go back please?

Loved how these backlit photos of our busy little ones turned out on our second and last night.  More photos can be found here :)

Fall Family Photos

Thanks so much to Mikki and Joe (and Quinn!) for participating in a photo shoot swap with us!  So happy to have some nice photos with all three of us!

Camping: autumn style

We enjoyed Columbus Day weekend at good ole' Round Pond with friends and babies.  The weather was fantastic-- cool and crisp, which encouraged lots of time fireside with good food and conversation.  Can't wait to go back next year.

 

Roughin' it

We spent much of the past week camping out at Round Pond with friends.  Lots of fresh air, yummy food, and good times.  Can't wait to go back!

Yummy food!

Since our little herb garden is getting a little out of control, I decided to utilize it in our dinner plans last night. First on the menu was homemade salsa, which I will definitely be making again in the near future. Used a bunch of cilantro from our herb garden to flavor this tasty concoction. Next (on a whim after we decided to invite company over) came simple tomato, mozzarella, and basil salad using our own basil. After a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar and a sprinkling of salt and fresh cracked pepper, this was also a winner! Denver then threw a pitcher of mojitos together using the mint from our garden. We also snacked on sesame encrusted bread dipped in olive oil, along with a margherita pizza that our friends Dave and Kelly brought over. Everything was easy and fabulous for a nice, cool summer evening! I’m really thrilled that we were able to use ingredients grown on our small little 3rd floor deck. Next year we’ll probably have a larger garden :)

The Culinary Institute of America

It is great that we live so close to this place. On Thursday, our friends Bryan and Diana treated us to dinner with a gift certificate that they had been holding on to. We ended up dining at Ristorante Caterina de' Medici, the Italian restaurant on campus. All four of us had dined there together (2 years ago), and the 4-hour dinner then was magnificent! I think this time was even better than last time-- the food is just to die for. Here's what I chose: 

Antipasti (Appetizers) Sfogliatine di Melanzane e Scamorza con Fonduta di Pomodori Gialli Napoleon of eggplant and smoked mozzarella with a light yellow tomato sauce Primi Piatti (First Plate) Raviolini di Caprino con Pass Ata di Zucchine e Menta Fresh goat cheese ravioli served over a zucchini and mint sauce Secondi Piatti (Second Plate) Branzino Arrostito con Patate al Prezzemolo e Crudo di Pomodoro Roasted sea bass on the bone with parsley potato and fresh tomato relish Dolci (Dessert) Crostata di Pesche con Gelato alla Vaniglia Peach tart with vanilla ice cream

Getting extremely hungry again…the appetizer was simple and absolutely amazing and wish I could replicate it at home. By the end of the meal we were completely stuffed, since we washed everything down with a bottle of wine and some tea, and filled up on the great bread dipped in olive oil in between courses. We already can’t wait to go again. Perhaps in the fall? :)

NYC Summer Restaurant Week 2008

I looooooove restaurant week. Twice a year for a two-week period each time, over 200 restaurants in NYC offer specially-priced meals with special menus. This time, Denver and I took the opportunity to dine at Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill with our friends Dave and Kelly. It was our third time there, and Dave & Kelly's first. We got to the city at 6:45 for a 7:00 reservation, and lo and behold, there was a parking spot RIGHT IN FRONT of Mesa Grill on Fifth Avenue. And even more crazy, parking was FREE! I don't think we'll ever strike "parking gold" like that ever again. Denver ended up getting Green Pea + Green Chile Soup, while I got Spicy Salmon Tartare to start. His main course was a yummy Chile Relleno, while I got the Blue Corn-Crusted Red Snapper pictured above. It was fabulous! For dessert, Denver ended up getting Warm Cornbread Pudding with Cherry Ice Cream, while I couldn't pass up the Warm Chocolate Coconut Cake with Pineapple Ice Cream. We left with full and happy bellies. This weekend is full of fun-- we're off to see The Dark Knight (in IMAX) tonight. Can't wait since everyone says that it exceeds your expectations. More on that later... :)

A night in the city

Yesterday Denver and I went to the city with our friends Bryan and Diana. The night ended up being one of sensory overload-- we indulged in many good eats, which included a stop at Mariebelle in Soho (dessert before dinner!), then we enjoyed a delicious (and confusing) dinner which consisted of several cuts of beef, baby octopus, butternut squash, and fresh mozzarella. But we weren't done there, oh no. To finish off the night we dined on comfort food at Cosi, getting smores for four.

The night was a blast and Denver and I thank Bryan and Diana for the great time!

New York, New York

It was a beautiful day to be in the city yesterday. We stopped by Lincoln Center to see David Blaine (our friends Dave & Kelly are with him in the 4th picture below!), then took the subway to Soho. We stopped in at Mariebelle, a gem of a chocolate shop with little chocolates that look like works of art. I picked out a few flavors including saffron, cardamom, & spice, & also a container of the Aztec hot chocolate. It is the thickest, richest hot chocolate on the planet, almost like drinking a melted chocolate bar. Mmmmmmm! I would highly recommend stopping in there if you are ever in Manhattan.

Afterwards we had thai for dinner and took in a comedy show at Comedy Village in Greenwich Village. It was a new experience, having never been to a standup club. Thank goodness I didn't get picked on!

Here are some select pics of our visit:


View from the Time Warner Center in Columbus circle, new home of Jazz at Lincoln Center


David Blaine in his fishbowl at Lincoln Center


David Blaine


David Blaine, also Dave (wearing sunglasses) & Kelly (in blue)


Who is that hot guy with me?