First Radish Harvest

May 16, 2022

The Inadequacies of 311

February 10, 2017

311 complaints – the city’s knight-in-shining-armor answer to the endless and often illegal problems suffered by the tenants of NYC at the hands of their landlords.  How effective is a 311 complaint?  In my experience  – not at all. You can call or go online to make a non-emergency complaint to 311 for a number of […]


Jules Bistro – French Cuisine, Live Jazz, Cozy Atmosphere

November 1, 2016

It’s rare to have such a perfect dining experience, where everything fits into place – the ambiance, the music, the service, the wine, and the food.  It happened last night.  It happened at Jules Bistro. Last night, as the village erupted with ghosts and goblins, we found a excellent refuge at Jules Bistro.  Not that […]


Roasted Whole Branzino with Lemon and Thyme

July 21, 2016

This is a super simple and delicious (and healthy) meal with maximum presentation appeal (unless you find the sight of whole fish totally UNappealing, of course). This was my first attempt at cooking any sort of whole fish, and I must say I’m rather impressed with myself.  These beauties were on sale from Fresh Direct, […]


The Harvest Begins…The Veranda 2016

July 19, 2016

Today, I had my first ripe tomato!  Very exciting.  Here’s a look at how things are moving along on The Veranda. Something is eating this basil plant.  All the other basil plants are fine, so it’s a bit bizarre.    


What’s Growing on the Veranda in 2016

June 2, 2016

Life was a little too busy this year for me to get my crops for The Veranda started from seed.  Instead I purchased my plants from  The Brooklyn Botanic Garden  May plant sale,  Evolutionary Organics  at the  Grand Army Plaza Farmers’ Market, Pet-al Plants, and  Oak Grove Plantation  at the  Union Square Farmers’ Market.  Additionally, […]


Caramelized Onions and Swiss on a Bagel

February 9, 2016

Just a little ooey gooey yumminess over the weekend… I followed these  guidelines  when caramelizing the onions.


Urban Jungle

August 5, 2015

Things are proceeding well on The Veranda.  Tomatoes are growing on every plant and there are herbs abound, but some have bolted (just how does one keep up with pruning oregano flowers).  And while the squirrels are still a nuisance, I no longer live in fear of the imminent destruction of all my hard work.  One thing […]


The Veranda: 2015

June 15, 2015

Sooo, I’ve gone a little nuts on The Veranda this season.  I’ve implemented some anti-squirrel tactics (read chicken-wire fortress), which is still in the works, but I’m feeling very hopeful that I WILL WIN this year.  My mother was even kind enough to send me a bag of dog hair in the mail to place around the […]


Lemon Pasta with Roasted Shrimp

October 27, 2014

As promised, I made my favorite  Barefoot Contessa  go-to recipe in honor of  Ina Garten’s  upcoming appearance at  Barnes and Noble tomorrow night –  Lemon Pasta with Roasted Shrimp. This recipe is super quick and easy, and tastes excellent as leftovers too! For this version, I halved the  original recipe, and used fresh pasta and Wild […]


Best Roast Beef Sandwich…Ever

October 16, 2014

My apologies for the gratuitous photo here, but LOOK AT THAT DELICIOUSNESS!   I finally decided to try the (relatively) new joint,  Stocked  at 635 Vanderbilt Avenue in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn.  They have a selection of sandwiches, salads, prepared foods, rotisserie chicken, among other things.  From what I can tell, this place is extremely kid-friendly, […]


Baby Grand Karaoke Bar

October 10, 2014

Remember that time when your bartender asked if he could floss his teeth?  Sadly, I do.  It was the only tainted drop in a bucket full of fun at  Baby Grand Karaoke Bar  the other night. That’s right – the otherwise charming and burly bartender proceeded to floss his teeth right there behind the bar. […]


Casellula

October 9, 2014

Casellula  ranks as my favorite cheese and wine bar, by a landslide. Located on the corner of 52nd Street and 9th Avenue, I often come here for a quick bite and glass of wine before seeing a show.  They serve a menu of small, medium, and large plates, and have an exceptional Fromager.  I adore the […]


Better Luck Next Year!

October 8, 2014

A little bit about my lost battle with the demon squirrels of Brooklyn. First, here are some photos of the tomato devastation: There were MANY other half-eaten tomatoes just lying around here and there too, however, they were never left and forgotten.  The squirrel ALWAYS came back and finished them. In this photo, you can see […]


Blistered Shishito Peppers

August 15, 2014

The most successful vegetable plants from my garden on The Veranda were the shishito pepper plants.  I always tried to pick them before they turned red and spicy, but even when I missed a few, they were not particularly hot or tough. To make this delicious and healthy snack, I just preheated a cast-iron skillet on medium-high heat, […]


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