H0B0baby!

It has been a long time since I updated my blog... not one for excuses but I have been quite busy since last summer.  H0B0wife is expecting a H0B0baby by the end of Februrary!  Mr.K and I have also decided to move into a new house so between planning for the baby's arrival, selling our apartment and buying / building a new house I dont have much time to play with my blog. Hopefully once I am on my maternity leave I will have a little extra time (but guess that depends on how H0B0baby sleeps, plays, etc).

I did have time to go on a few vacations recently... Palm Beach and St. Thomas & St. John back in September and a one night trip to Atlatic City before christmas.  On top of that Mr.K's family visited us near the holidays so we had a lot of entertaining to do!

It is currently trying to snow but most likely a flurry will be the most snow action we get today.  So here are a few pics of the warm caribbean!

Wow!

A few months ago Mr. K and I went to Boston and stayed at the W Hotel.. we ended up having a few issues and were given a free night in a Wow Suite. A few weeks later we drove back to Boston for our Wow Suite adventure and all I can say is "WOW". I have stayed in a lot of 5-star hotels over the past few years but never in a suite like this one.  Our suite was a corner room on the 11th floor and had floor to ceiling windows in the lounge, bedroom and one of the bathrooms (yes there were two)!  This was truly a room meant for a party.. the lounge was very large with tons of modern seating (still not sure how one would sit on a few of the 'sofas').  There was a free standing wet bar accompanied by mixers, glasses and stirrers.  A low profile dining table was in the far corner with 4 ottoman chairs.. not super comfortable for a real dinner but so fun for a party.  Unfortunately we did not have a party so we just took turns sitting on different sofas and ottomans.  The room was full of cool accessories.. like a wobble chess board which you can actually buy on the W Hotel Store website.  The main bathroom / bedroom was separated from the lounge by sliding pocket doors (I love pocket doors).  The bedroom itself was quite similar to a normal Wonderful room at the hotel but had a large sofa along the windows which our previous room did not have.  The main bathroom was massive and included a walk in shower and large soaking bath. The 'wall' between the bathroom and the bedroom was once again a screen printed wall which meant you can see in / out. 

Our upstairs neighbors were having a party that lasted until early am but I could not blame them.. I just wish we did the same!

I hope you get a chance to stay in or least party in a room like this someday!

Boston Restaurants

Over a month ago Mr.K and I went back to Boston for our free night at the W Boston Hotel and while we were there we had a few wonderful meals.

For those who don't know I went to Boston University for my freshman year of college and had the unfortunate luck of having a final on the last day of finals (one day after my 18th birthday)!  So my 18th birthday was a blur of studying and packing (all of my friends had already left for Christmas break so I was on my own).  The next day my mom came to pick me up and took me to a wonderful lunch at Stephanie's on Newbury.  Up to that point I did not really get excited about nice restaurants but I remember being there soaking up the atmosphere and realizing that I loved enjoying a wonderful meal at a upscale restaurant.  Stephanie's is a nice restaurant but I have since had the opportunity to eat at many true upscale restaurants.

Anyways, a piece of my heart is still attracted to Stephanie's so Mr.K and I have been there several times for brunch during our Boston excursions.  Mr.K loves Eggs Benedict and up to a few years ago I also enjoyed them (swapping the ham for smoked salmon) but that all changed when visiting Stephanie's.  This one incident made me avoid Stephanie's for years but I have come back around and realized it was a one off event and that can not make me stay away forever.  Long story short I don't like runny egg yolks so I would always ask for poached eggs to be be cooked well done which allows me to simply remove the egg yolk.  On this occasion I ordered as normal only to find myself sitting in the restaurant  a few minutes later covered in exploded egg yolk.  The eggs were cooked so long that when I pierced the yolk the pressure built up inside created an actual explosion sending dried egg yolk bits everywhere (I continued to find yolk pieces through out the day.. in my ear, in my bra.. it was not fun).  I have still not ordered Eggs Benedict anywhere as I am terrified of exploding eggs.  So on this trip I decided to try the breakfast quesadilla (griddled flour tortilla folded with scrambled eggs, monterey jack cheese, salsa, jalapeño,fresh cilantro, black beans, and caramelized onions served with guacamole, sour cream and pico de gallo) and Mr.K followed his heart (eggs are one of his true loves) Eggs Benedict (with glazed ham and poached eggs on homemade brioche topped with lemon hollandaise).

We also had a wonderful dinner at the Beacon Hill Bistro ... we love Beacon Hill so we always try out different restaurants in this part of Boston.  On this occasion we were very satisfied with our choice.  The restaurant reminded me of a Parisian cafe (black and white tiled floors and marble top bistro tables).

Appetizers:

• Roasted Beet Salad – Thyme, Farmer’s Cheese, and Shallot Vinaigrette
• Pâté du Chef – House-Made Charcuterie with Classic Accompaniments

Entrees:

• Steak Frites – Wolfe’s Neck Farm Strip Steak with Herb and Butter Sauce
• Nightly Special – Toasted Gnocchi, Wild Mushrooms, Wilted Greens and Parmesan Cheese

  

Reasons of not posting in close to a month:
1. Mr.K has been away for close to two weeks over the past month so I have been seeing friends that I have not seen for a while.
2. Work has been very busy so by the time I am home I do not even want to look at my laptop
3. The weekends have been busy doing who knows what
4. The universe is speeding up and suddenly a month passed without even realizing

So starting today I will try my best to be a better blogger!

Chihuly

A few weeks ago Mr.K and I went to Boston for a quick getaway and while we were walking around I noticed signs all over Boston advertising an exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston.  Now I am not a normally a fan of museums... I am simply not interested in old paintings, sculptures of busts and statues.  However, I have a fascination with flowers and modern structures.  So this exhibit was quite interesting to me... glass flowers and other shapes displayed in various modern cool ways.  Mr.K and I went to find the Museum and no thanks to our handy iPhones we finally found it (thanks to the Duck Tour Operators).

The exhibition is called 'Chihuly - Through The Looking Glass' and within a few minutes of entering the museum we were meandering through a large crowd to get a glimpse and some pics of the glass artwork. 

Have you ever been to the Bellagio in Las Vegas?  The ceiling of the lobby is covered in glass flowers and it is beautiful! There is a small room in the exhibition with a ceiling full of glass plants and sea life.. it is like being under the sea and it reminded me of the Bellagio ceiling (Vegas was Mr.K and H0B0wife's first real vacation.. which was year's ago now).

I loved the use of black mirrors, chandelier style displays and pin spot lights... the pieces really came alive.  I keep trying to think how I can incorporate one piece of art like this into my apartment!

If you happen to live in Boston or are travelling there before August 7th, I recommend visiting the museum as this is a very interesting display.

Ghost Chairs

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Before you ask this is not just a plastic chair!  This is a beautiful piece of furniture that I have wanted to own for years.  I think the simplicity and modern design would be a great addition to my living room or future (larger) bedroom.  Philippe Starck's Louis Ghost Chairs are not cheap and therefore my purchase will have to wait a bit but I can still dream right?!  There are plenty of knock off versions available... even Target has a knock off version.  While the knock offs may look great I am not a knock off person... if I want something I want the real version.  No fake handbags for H0B0wife. 

My first and only niece will be turning one quite soon and since she lives in London we have to buy all of her presents online.  I searched for days trying to think of something she might like (and go with my sister in laws very cool modern apartment).  I came across the Lou lou Ghost chair (child size) in lilac and knew this was the perfect gift.  Her room is painted purple so this would be perfect in her room or in the lounge (living room). 

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Armless ghost chairs can be spotted at Pinkberry and since I love Pinkberry frozen yogurt (plain with strawberries and almonds is my fav combo) this has just added to my desire to own one (if not two).

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When Mr.K and I were planning our wedding (our anniversary is coming up quite soon), I had wanted to rent Ghost Chairs for our wedding reception. Since our reception was at a Loft in Manhattan I thought they would be a perfect match but then I found out how much they were to rent and decided that I would rather use the money on other elements (like Flowers)!  However, whenever I see wedding pics involving ghost chairs I feel a smile come across my face.  So here are a few pics that I came across...



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Wagamama

Years ago during my first trip to Manchester England, I came across Wagamama at the PrintWorks.  I was drawn to menu for the resemblance to another restaurant in NYC called Republic.  (Love the red star in their logo.)  Wagamama's menu was full of delicious sounding Asian dishes ranging from big bowls of ramen to pan fried udon noodles to sauteed rice dishes.  For reasons beyond me now we did not eat at Wagamama while in England but I never forgot about it.  We recently went to Boston and came across a Wagamama in the Prudential Center and decided to try it out for lunch.  The seating is communal but we were there early so we had our own benches along the windows which provided interesting people watching views in the Prudential Center .  In true Mr.K & H0B0wife fashion we ordered more food than necessary (hey at least it was cheap this time) so we ended up ordering 2 appetizers, 2 entree dishes and a side of Japanese pickles (loved pickled daikon).  The food all lived up to the 'hype' (my own brain imagining how good it was going to be) so it is My Weekly Fav Restaurant.  The food was all served quickly but that is the restaurants style so it was not an issue.  Each dish was artfully plated (which is always a bonus but especially when the dishes are under $14).

Appetizers:

chili calamari - Crispy squid seasoned with sea salt and shichimi. served with a sweet chili, garlic and cilantro sauce 

chicken lettuce wraps - Grilled chicken with a rich and tangy sauce, served with crisp lettuce to wrap

Entrees:

chili ramen - Spicy broth and ramen noodles topped with grilled steak or chicken breast, fresh chilies, red onion, bean sprouts, cilantro, scallion and a wedge of lime

ginger chicken udon - Teppan-fried udon noodles with chicken marinated in ginger, garlic and lemongrass. served with snow peas, red onion, bean sprouts, chili, egg and scallion. garnished with pickled red ginger and cilantro

If you happen to live in or near Boston (hi to all of my friends in Salem, MA) or are planning a trip to Boston consider Wagamama for a quick, cheap and tasty meal!

Cake Cones

Several months ago I came across http://www.bakerella.com/ and I decided to try making my very own cake pops.  I made my first cake pops shortly after and while they were tasty they were not the most creative / beautiful things I have ever made so I took a few months off and made different treats trying to use up the cake melts I bought.  Fast forward to Easter weekend and I decided to make cake pops again using Funfetti cake and funfetti pink frosting.  After forgetting to packs the lollipop sticks I decided to just make cake balls until my mother mentioned the mini ice cream cones she had in her pantry. 

Instantly I knew that I wanted to make cake cones.  Bakerella has a version of cake cones in her book (which I do own) so it was not a completely unique idea but I was still excited to try out making them.  I quickly baked my funfetti cake and after almost cooling it all of the way (I could not wait to get to the next step) I crumbled it all up. 

I mixed in the pink frosting (white cake +  pink frosting = salmon color deliciousness) and rolled out 40 cake balls.  This took longer than expected as there were several breaks to explain what I was doing and giving out samples.  I decided to take a break for the night and enjoy dinner with my family (which happened to be my Weekly Fav Restaurant but that post will have to wait until tomorrow). 

The following morning I was awake early so I decided to take advantage of the 'quiet time' and work on my Easter treats.  One by one I attached the chilled cake balls to the mini cones and dipped them into white candy melts and sprinkled on the funfetti sprinkles.  I even cut up a pink jelly bean to make 'cherries' for a few of the cake cones.  The first few were not perfect but I slowly figured out a few tricks and suddenly I had 20 or so great looking cake cones.  My family was so impressed by mom said I should open a bakery!

Finally a cake cone with a bite taken out...

Cucharamama

A few years ago I tried Peruvian corn for the first time at Sushi Samba in NYC and I loved the texture and playfulness of the oversized corn kernels.  Ever since whenever I find a restaurant that features Peruvian corn on their menu I am instantly intrigued.  Hoboken has several South American -esque restaurants and today we went to Cucharamama for an authentic South American dinner... my Weekly Fav Restaurant. 

The restaurant cooks a lot of their specialties in a wood burning oven which offers a very appealing crispness to the plates.  We shared two apps and each ordered an entree.  All of dishes were delicious and unique (perfect for a Wednesday night).  Both the shrimp skewer appetizer and the chicken entree are served with peruvian corn!

Jalea de Calamares con Ají de Rocoto - Crunchy Peruvian-Style Calamari, Rocoto and Tamarillo Sauce
Anticucho de Camarones con Sarza - Peruvian-Style Skewered Marinated Shrimp, Arequipa’s Corn and Queso Blanco Relish

Pechuga de Pollo Asado al Horno de Leña en Salsa de Calabaza y Mango con Boronía - Boneless Chicken Breast in Peruvian Adobo Roasted in our Wood-Burning Oven, Pumpkin and Mango Sauce, Ripe Plantain and Eggplant Puree
Churrasco (entraña) con Chimichurri - Argentinean-Style Skirt Steak, Chimichurri Sauce, Potatoes with Tomatoes and Cheese Sauce

 

South American paintings and sculptures are featured throughout the restaurant which makes the entire experience feel authentic.  There is also a long bar in the front area with large vases featuring sticks, flowers and elephant leaves (love elephant leaves).  For those who attended my wedding or seen any pics you know that I love stick / flower centerpieces so I love this type of decor.  The front entrance sets the mood for an enticing dinner with the rustic column and distressed blue paint surrounding the door.

Paris...

Earlier this year Mr.K and I visited his family in England and decided to visit Paris for a few days before flying back home.  I went to Paris in 2003 but Mr.K had never been (although he went to France multiple times as a child).  We took the Euro Star train from London to Paris and in a little over two hours after leaving London we arrived in Paris.  We checked into the Renaissance Arc de Triomphe Hotel and admired our room (dark brown wood furniture with hot pink accents and a very modern clean bathroom) & our view (nothing famous but oh so Paris).

We set out to explore the City of Lights ... our first stop was the Arc de Triomphe (the Arc was closed when I went to Paris in '03 so I was excited to actually see the view from the top).  After walking up several flights of spiral staircase we arrived at the top and even though it was not a sunny clear day we could still see quite a distance.

 

Realizing we had not eaten in a while we stopped at a little cafe on our way to the Eiffel tower and were pleasantly surprised by our waitress.. she translated the entire menu for us.  Once we had our fill of pommes frites and other french cafe goodies we were off to the Eiffel tower.  It was a very cold day in January so as we approached the Seine river the winds were quite strong but we continued on (no time to waste).  Unfortunately the top of the tower was closed but we still had the chance to visit the middle of the tower.  I wanted to stay until the sun set and the tower was lit and twinkling but it was simply too cold.  We descended the tower and as we were walking away the tower was lit up.  I love sparkly things so an entire sparkling tower was simply beautiful.

The next morning we went to breakfast at Ladurée (something I had been thinking about for a while) but Mr.K was officially ill and as soon as breakfast was over he went straight back to the hotel.  I was pretty much on my own for the day in Paris. 

I walked from the Ladurée on the Champs-Élysées all the way to the Louvre (meandering around small back streets browsing little shops and admiring the architecture).  I tried to take pics of everything to show Mr.K later on as he would not be able to see any more Parisian sites.

I hope you get a chance to visit Paris with the love of your life!

Peeps...

For those who don't know me I <3 sugar!  I have this fascination with giving up things for extended periods of time (I have not drank any beverages with caffeine in over 2 years).  Recently, I decided to give up sugar just until Easter... well I made it only a few days! 

My mom still makes each of her children an Easter basket.  Mr.K and I split mine as there is enough candy for an army.  One of my favorite Easter candies is marshmallow peeps.  My mom buys us special peeps that are hand dipped in milk chocolate at a local chocolate shop.  For those not familiar with marshmallow peeps they are soft marshmallow treats covered in bright sugar (yellow is the most common but I have seen lots of colors).

Today as I walking home through midtown Manhattan I spotted this:

I ran across the street to get a better view (and of course picture) of the largest peep / only peep car I have ever seen.



Hope you all get a chance to enjoy this seasonal treat!