the nose knows

Stella has started doing the cutest thing: when you give her something to eat, or when she's around and you've gotten some food for yourself, she sniffs. Loudly. Sometimes she'll lean over her plate to test the aroma, even scrunching up her face in an exaggerated way.

She is definitely our foodie--her palate is much more adventurous than her brother's, and her appetite knows no time frame--she regularly demands pasta for breakfast, and this morning, I awoke to find her in the living room, chewing on something--"Chicken!" she declared. In the kitchen was an open container with the remains of a roasted chicken I'd gotten for yesterday's dinner, with some suspicious traces of ketchup on the lid.

She's also gone through a bit of a growth spurt and is quite a "solid" kid. Now is the time, I realize, for us to encourage her to eat healthy foods in healthy portions, and to exercise regularly. Fortunately, she's always up for an impromptu dancing session with Mom--or to her favorite Wiggles DVD!

saganaki

This video taught me how to make one of my favorite Greek delicacies. Fried cheese? What's not to like? It really works. I should know, I live in a Greek neighborhood. (I recommend dipping it in flour again after the second dip in water.) Serve with ouzo over a little crushed ice, and your favorite bread.

supper

For some reason I had a hankering for good old-fashioned tuna noodle casserole. Here's what I came up with, courtesy of Epicurious.com: Tuna Noodle Casserole with Fresh Herbs. I used farfalle pasta instead of noodles, added a splash of vermouth to the mushrooms, and the herbs were dried. On the side? Baby bok choy sauteed with garlic and scallions. Perfect.

Eleventh Heaven

Today is our 11th wedding anniversary, and tonight we celebrated by going out after I taught my first evening class (Creative Writing for Illustrators).
At my insistence, we went to Death & Co., a quaint hideaway in the East Village--I'd read something about their cocktails, which use vintage ingredients like various types of bitters.
I printed out the Plath poem and read it aloud to Bob on the way over. Some pretty intense stuff, not especially celebratory of marriage or anything!
Anyway, the bar was a little hard to find, mainly because of its coffinesque facade (and it is apparently inspired by speakeasies, after all). Inside, it was cute if dark and a just a tad "theme-y." The bartenders wear vests and ties, the menus are covered in black crepe, and the fishouse punch is served in actual punch bowls, with punch cups. We got a corner table and, after a bit of a delay in service, were able to enjoy some drinks and bar food in adorable little portions. I had a Black Market Manhattan (wheat whiskey, black tea-infused sweet vermouth, Angostura bitters), and believe me, one was enough.
Afterwards we grabbed some slices at Two Boots. I think we will have some of the Belgian truffles I got for Bob now...
Good night?