Scoops of Summer

Since we had some leftover buttermilk from making fried chicken I found a recipe for Strawberry Buttermilk Ice on epicurious and decided to give it a go. The recipe is pretty easy and is a refreshing summer treat. Since it is an "ice" the end result is similar to a sorbet and from the reading the other reviews it sounds like you can use this recipe with a variety of fruits.

Ingredients:

-2 12-ounce baskets of strawberries, hulled and halved

- 1/2 cup of sugar

- 1 cup of low-fat buttermilk

Directions:

Puree the strawberries and sugar in a processor. Add the buttermilk and process until smooth. Pour into a 8x8x2 inch glass dish and place in the freezer. Freeze the mixture until firm, about 3 hours.

Transfer the mixture to the processor and process until smooth. Spoon mixture into a plastic container, cover tightly, and freeze until firm, about 3 hours.

Here is the link for the original recipe: Strawberry Buttermilk Ice

So Much For South Beach

I've been meaning to get back onto the South Beach Diet for a couple of weeks but MH and I got into a cooking at home kick and of course cooking at home isn't as much fun when you're trying to be healthy.

Thursday Dinner Menu

-Buffalo Sirloin

-Mashed Potatoes

-Garlic Green Beans

Friday Dinner Menu

-Hawaiian Style Pork Ribs (Aloha Seasoning & Pineapple Juice Marinade)

-Iceberg Salad

-Baked Beans

-Corn Bread

-Fruit Salad

Saturday Breakfast Menu

-Buttermilk Belgium Waffles with Berries & Ice Cream

Saturday Dinner Menu

-Fried Chicken

-Corn

-Mashed Potatoes

-Corn Bread

Going on a diet always seems like a better idea next week anyways. After all, you only live once.

Labor Day Weekend in NYC

I had to work in NJ the week after Labor Day, so MH and I decided to do a weekend trip to NYC. Luckily, we had fabulous weather and it was a beautiful day for sightseeing.

We did a bunch of touristy stuff the first day we were there and visited the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and the Empire State Building. To conclude our day we went to Peter Lugar's to try New York's #1 rated steak house for the past 24 years in a row.

MH and I must admit, that the quality of the meat is top notch, but since they just salt and sear the steak we thought we have had better tasting steaks at home. I think my personal favorite is still Mastro's.

Our second day in the city was a complete eat-a-thon. We started at Katz's Deli for their signature pastrami sandwich...

stopped into Bisous Ciao for some macarons, Balthazar Bakery, Lombardi's for their margherita pizza...

the Big Gay Ice Cream shop for some soft serve, and finished our day at the Momofuku Noodle Bar!

Momofuku Ramen

Of all of the restaurants, MH and I were most impressed with the Momufuku Noodle Bar and thought it was the only restaurant that fully lived up to all of its hype. I had the most delicious lychee slushie and all of the dishes we had were terrific.

The next day, we stopped into Eataly for lunch, headed off to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, enjoyed an afternoon cookie snack at Levain Bakery, and then had Shake Shack for dinner.

Shake Shack Soda, Rocky Road Shake, Cheeseburger & Shack Burger

(From Left to Right)

Originally we had thought we could go to the Shake Shack for lunch but when we got to the Madison Square Park location the line was out of control and we decided that it would be much easier to grab something from Eataly. After we went to Levain Bakery, we were conveniently close to the Shake Shack on Columbus and 77th and we decided that the 15 minute line there was manageable. MH had the cheeseburger and I had the shack burger (without tomatoes, of course) and while both burgers were delicious, we were surprised by how small they were considering the price. The potato bread bun was a nice touch, but we both still prefer In-N-Out.

On our last day, we visited the Museum of Modern Art, enjoyed a frozen treat from Laboratorio del Gelato, had a late lunch at Republic, and then headed off to the airport so MH could catch his flight home and I could pick up my rental car for the week.

Times Square

NYC was another great trip to add to our memory book. Shout out to JR for all of his hospitality! You were a fabulous host and hope you also enjoyed our city adventuring.