Oreo Cakesters-(I Know This Isn't Gourmet)

I have been horrible. Not just in terms of my lack of posting, but in the junk food I have been eating.

There are unlimited snacks at my new job. If I wanted, I could just snack and snack all day on all sorts of things. They have cookies, chips, crackers, and pretty much any snack food you could think of. There has been one snack that I have been dying to try and finally did this evening (I took it home with me). Oreo Cakesters. Yes you read right, Oreo Cakesters. I love oreos, they are a childhood favorite. My mom would hardly ever buy them because they were considered junk food, but my grandma got them for me every time I visited. There is nothing like a couple of oreos and a class of milk. So, I have been very intrigued by these cakesters. Can they possibly live up to an oreo's reputation? Well let me tell you, they are delicious. It is the best of two worlds, cake and cookie. Don't get me wrong, it is very synthetic tasting, but it still brings that wonderful oreo taste to a new level.

ps-pictures to come soon!

Show Stealer: Lindeman's bin99 Pinot Noir 2007

Go out and buy this wine! Don't keep reading, go out and buy this wine and then return to read the remainder of this post.

I have been looking forward to the free Vampire Weekend concert in Central Park for about a month now. I decided it would be nice to pack a picnic, eat and drink while waiting to get in, and then see an amazing show. Well, I ate and drank; but, I didn't get to see the show. I always forget that I DON'T like free events. There are always mobs and mobs of people and a very very long wait. I decided that leaving two hours early for the show would be plenty of time...WRONG! There was a huge line when I arrived, and by huge, I mean I would be standing there for two hours before even getting into the venue. This what not a line that was moving; in fact, it was not a line. It was a mass of people that seemed very chaotic. After about 20 minutes of standing in line Zach and I realized that we weren't going to get to picnic or drink our wine if we stood in this line. There was no space to really eat/drink, at least not in a civilized manner. So, we made the decision to get out of line and setup our towel as close to the stage as possible. As soon as we cracked Lindeman's bin99 Pinot Noir 2007 open, we knew we had made the right decision. I had never had a pinot noir, not even after watching Sideways, and I am now a big fan. It is a red wine with great depth and flavor. The wine had lots of fruit flavors, that lasted throughout. I then pulled out the cous cous I had made earlier (a new one!). It had beets, corn, goat cheese, diced mixed greens, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper, and hot sauce. As we settled into the picnic, it started to rain. Right as the concert began, there was a crack of thunder and a flash of lightning. We decided to pack up, skip the concert, and got drenched in the process of walking back.



We continued to drink the wine after drying off. We drank the remainder of the bottle with a sweet potato bisque and a brie and havarti grilled cheese. The wine certainly stole the show. I think it would go well with anything. To me, the pinot noir was a perfectly balanced wine. I am no wine expert and certainly haven't had many bottles over 15 dollars, but this was certainly one of my favorite reds and it was only 7.99!

I'm Still Alive

I have not died, fled the country, or lost my laptop. I have had gourmet at least once a day, despite my 11-12 hour work days. But, I had no time to post this week after starting a new job. I promise next week will be different! I will give a quick recap of my gourmet experiences this week before highlighting one particular meal. Monday, I had a delicious portabello gardenburger. Tuesday, I will talk about later. Wednesday, I had a grilled cheese (with brie and havarti) and tomato soup. This was delicious, quick, and easy. Thursday, I had an asian stir fry with a spicy peanut sauce over red rice. Pretty much every night for dessert I had a lime popsicle...yum!

Last night I went to Poke, my boyfriend treated me for a nice sushi meal after my first week at Bloomberg. I recommend this place, but I don't know how soon we will be going back. It was packed and the atmosphere was not as bad as we had expected, after reading lots of negative atmosphere reviews. The sushi was delicious! It was extremely fresh and very flavorful. We got the spicy scallop roll (my favorite), the truffle roll (Zach's favorite), the ninja roll, and a tuna and avocado roll. The truffle roll was a delicious salmon roll with tempura flakes on the outside and spicy salmon truffle sauce and salmon on the inside. The ninja roll was spicy tuna on the outside and eel and avocado on the inside. As I said all were delicious and I highly recommend trying them! However, I felt that it was a little pricey and I thought the rolls were small and not all that well made. It was about $55 (with tip) for all of those rolls, and like I said they were small (usually six pieces). But, every bite was a joyful explosion in my mouth. The other upside to poke is that you can leave your name and walk around, they call you on your cell phone when your table is ready. Oh and it is BYOB. So, we drank a bottle of King Shag along with our sushi.



I want to mention my favorite meal during the week (Tuesday) because it is so simple and delicious. I can't take credit for this creation, it was Zachary's idea. We got a bag of mixed greens and added some cherry tomatoes, avocado, olives, brie cheese, and baby shrimp. The shrimp were cooked in a little olive oil, garlic, and lemon juice. Mix it all together and add a dressing of your choice (we had goddess)! It was one of the best salads I have had in a long time. I would make it again in a heart beat. Also, we used frozen pre-cooked shrimp. I recommend trying to keep a bag of those in your freezer. It just adds a quick protein to a meal.

The Nutter Butter of My Dreams

If you offered my a peanut butter cookie from Bouchon Bakery I would be thrilled. If you offered two of them to me I would be ecstatic. But, give me two of them with a peanut butter cream filling in between and I am in heaven. Yes, at Bouchon Bakery they have a treat called a Nutter Butter, which puts the packaged nutter butter cookies I used to have as a kid to shame. The peanut butter cookies would be delicious on their own. They have little chunks of peanuts and are not too soft and not too hard (aka just right). I do have to admit that they are a little oily, so get a napkin! But, the best part is the filler. It is light and rich. It taste like a combination of frosting and creamy peanut butter. I have decided that every time I go to Bouchon Bakery I will get a macaron, as well as, a nutter butter!

Simple Salad

I often find it hard to adjust to my own cooking, after having many meals at home. This certainly isn't helped when you come home to an empty refrigerator. After learning this the hard way, I now try to keep a few things on hand at all times. Always have a couple of different cheeses in you refrigerator. Cheese will often last for a long time, but check for mold. I usually keep swiss, goat, and feta cheese in mine. I also have learned to keep some canned goods on hand. I know that canned goods are usually no substitution for fresh vegetables; but, when you are exhausted from traveling all day, you are not going to feel like washing and cutting a bunch of veggies! I usually keep pre-sliced beets, corn, roasted red peppers, and artichoke hearts on hand. You can easily make a hearty vegetable and cheese salad. I happened to have some romaine lettuce on hand, so I used that, a can of beets, goat cheese, tomatoes, and sprinkled a little goddess dressing on top. You could substitute your favorite dressing. If you want more protein, keep chickpeas, canned tuna, canned salmon, sardines, or some sort of beans on hand.

There is No Place Like Home-Part II

I have had so much to eat, I don't know where to begin! I guess I will begin with non-food experiences.

I got sunburned, really really sunburned. I advise anyone just sitting outside on a bench, table, beach, etc. to wear sunblock! I caught up with an old friend, which was what led to my sunburn. I went shopping with my mom for new work clothes, have I ever mentioned that I hate hate hate clothes shopping. It makes me want to take a nap, a long coma type nap. But, I was rewarded afterword with seeing the Sex and the City movie!

I have been eating cinnamon toast crunch for breakfast, which isn't gourmet; but, a childhood favorite. I also tried Starbuck's double shot on ice, it gave me a necessary boost. My mom ordered one of my favorites for dinner on Friday night, Martin's Crab cakes. They are fresh, with a bread crumb covering. We bake them, but I am sure you could fry them. On the inside are pieces of crab, in fact its pretty much all Crab, with some green onion thrown in. But, the best part in the homemade chipotle sauce (a mayo type sauce) that Martin provides with the crab cakes. We had them with a salad and homemade french fries. Tonight we are having them again but in sandwich form. My mom usually uses a Portuguese muffin instead of a bun, it adds a little sweetness to the salty and spicy crab cakes. Last night we took in food from one of my all-time favorite Thai restaurants, Siam Square. Everything I have had from this place is delicious. But, my favorite is paradise shrimp. It is a sweet yellow curry with shrimp, onions, and pineapple.



We have also been having nice cocktails before dinner. After seeing Sex and the City, my mom and I couldn't wait to get home and make ourselves a nice fancy drink. We didn't have the ingredients for cosmos, so we made a pomegranate martini instead.



This afternoon I spent sometime with my brother and got Awful Awful's. If you are not from Rhode Island, you won't know what an Awful Awful is. Awful Awfuls remind me of my childhood. An Awful Awful is a delicious milkshake that you can get at The Newport Creamery. It stands for Awful big Awful good. Its a huge milkshake that is easy to consume when you are sitting with good company (although my brother and I were not able to finish ours). My favorite flavors are strawberry and coffee, my brother opts for oreo. The Newport Creamery is kind of like an upscale diner, and the place where in middle school and high school we would always meet to grab a meal or ice cream. It hasn't changed much since I've left the town, which is comforting. Even the prices are ridiculously low, I had breakfast with my brother and dad there the other morning and I got: two eggs, toast, home fries, and coffee for $3 and change! In NYC that would easily be $7-8.

I may have gained five pounds on this visit home!