Almost Halfway!

I can hardly believe it's been almost 500 days since I started this list! And sad that I haven't been the best at updating my blog (hello! that's number 54!!!), but happy to say that even though I haven't been writing about it, I sure have been doing it!

So let's recap my progress, shall we?

#2: Read 1 new book every 2 months

One of the biggest changes in my life since I've started this list had been getting back into reading. Even though so far it's mostly been chick lit and fantasy that Justin has given me to read, I feel confident now that I will continue to make good use of the library branch down the street and always have a book to read before bed! My last few books were: Something Blue and Love the One You're With by Emily Giffin, Little Lady, Big Apple and The Little Lady Agency and the Prince by Hester Brown, and Ship of Magic and Mad Ship by Robin Hobb.

#7: Go to at least 3 Mets games each summer

This summer I've only made it to 2 Mets games (tho I went to a whopping 4 last year, so I'm still on track!) - one winner (yay!) in DC at Nationals Park and another disaster for my Dad's birthday in July. Across the two games, I think there were 3 David Wright home runs (yay!) but that wasn't enough to pull out the win in game #2. 

#8: Go to 10 concert

Back in July we had a big concert weekend - Weezer on Friday night at Williamsburg Waterfront in Brooklyn and DMB at Citi Field on Saturday! Both were amazing...the best Weezer concert I've ever been to no doubt and possibly the best DMB set. Still have a couple more concerts left this year too.

#11: Try a new restaurant every month

#12: Go to a restaurant for Restaurant Week once per year

#14: Go to brunch once every 2 months (not just at the diner)

Will write about all three of these together since they're related! J and I have spent the summer trying new brunch places (I'll add our reviews in another post) and we went to two new restaurants for RW this summer, One if by Land, Two if by Sea and Mesa Grill - both were fab! What did I eat? Why, of course I'll tell you!
At One if by Land, I had:

App: Haricot Vert Salad: grape heirloom tomatoes, goat cheese, slithered almonds, basil, sherry vinaigrette (AMAAZZZZZING)
Entree: Grilled Bavette Steak: roasted radishes, fingerling potatoes, braised red cabbage, beef jus
Dessert: Gianduja Mousse: caramel bananas, banana bread ice cream

At Mesa Grill, I had:

App: Roasted Corn Soup (INSANELY DELICIOUS)
Entree: Cornmeal Crusted Chile Relleno filled with Roasted Eggplant, Manchego Cheese with Sweet Red Pepper Sauce + Balsamic Vinegar (UMM I CAN'T WAIT TO GO BACK)
Dessert: Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake with Chocolate Chip Marscapone Whipped Cream

#23 Visit Lawrence in DC

Another fun travel 101thing down!! We finally visited our friend Lawrence in DC and the timing couldn't have been better, we went on July 4th weekend! We had amazing food (Zaytinya, Co Co. Sala), we were pro tourers and got to see a lot of monuments and some museums (and got to play with my new awesome camera), we went to a Mets-Nationals game (and the Mets won!), we watched amazing fireworks over the Washington Monuments, AND I even got a little bit of a tan! Totally awesome trip!

#41: Try a new recipe at least twice a month 

Sadly, I'm also very behind on my recipe blog...I'll do better, promise!

#63: Get a Massage once a year 

I see that I didn't mention our Valentine's Day couples massage for some reason! I got a second massage to celebrate the next 101thing I achieved.......

#64: Get a raise

I got a new job! Yup, I accomplished one of my best 101things - getting a raise - almost exactly on the 1 year anniversary of creating this list too! :)

Shakespeare in the Park

#79: Go to Shakespeare in the Park at least once per summer

My first Shakespeare in the Park play in a couple of summers - The Winter's Tale!

The play was great! The first half is quite dramatic, but the humor picks up in the second half. Jesse Tyler Ferguson was a personal fave.

Hopefully, before the summer ends, we'll get to see the second play of the summer, Merchant of Venice.

Book Update

#2. Read 1 new book every 2 months

Something else I haven't been updating - my book list! It's another long list of chick-lit, but that is my fave! I would honestly recommend each and every one of these - they're such fun reads.

Here's what I've read over the past couple months:

Sammy's Hill by Kristin Gore (Al's daughter!)

This was a really fun and smart book following Samantha Joyce, a 26-year-old health-care policy advisor to a senator from her home state of Ohio. Sammy is a fun character to read because she doesn't have it all together - she's a klutz and a neurotic - and she's trying her hardest to balance out her long work hours and her personal life.

Sammy's House

I loved the first book so much, that I also read the follow-up! I don't want to give anything away, but it's another interesting and smart book mixing politics and stress in Sammy's personal life.

Nanny Returns by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus

The followup to The Nanny Diaries takes place 10 years after the original story. Nan is now married to her Harvard Hottie (Ryan) and after living overseas for many years, has moved to Brooklyn and is renovating a run down house. Her former charge Grayer (now 16) turns up on her doorstep and she gets sucked back into the lives of the X family. In my opinion, while it was enjoyable read, the book just doesn't live up to the original, which I loved.

Holly's Inbox by Holly Denham

I love a book that tells stories in different and interesting ways. Holly's Inbox is told completely through emails! You get to peek inside Holly's life as she writes back and forth with her coworkers, her best friend, her mother, and her would-be paramour. It's a funny quick read and a really cute book.

Whose Wedding Is It Anyway? by Melissa Senate

A designer at Wow Weddings magazine, Eloise Manfred is getting married and having her wedding paid for by Wow Weddings along with her coworker Philippa. They soon realize that getting a free $100,000 wedding isn't all it's cracked up to be when every detail is controlled by her conniving boss Astrid. Another fun read!

Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin

One of my favorite Chick Lit books in a long time - Something Borrowed follows Rachel, an attorney at a New York law firm, who has been best friends since elementary school with Darcy, an outgoing publicist who has always outshined Rachel. After Rachel's 30th birthday party, she winds up in bed with Dex - her friend from law school and Darcy's fiancé! The writing is really well done and the great twist about the book is that your sympathy lies with the cheaters! I just started reading the follow up book, Something Blue, which switches narrators

Fifteen Minutes of Shame by Lisa Daily

Darby Vaughn, 31, is the nation's most popular romance expert, with bestselling books, TV appearances and even her own perfume. But her world turns upside down when her cheating husband, also her publicist, humiliates her and ruins all of her credibility. After a few days of intense girlfriend therapy, Darby starts to rebuild her life with a publicity makeover and the best divorce lawyer in town. Darby is a really great character and it's a different heroine than I'm used to reading about.

The Little Lady Agency by Hestor Browne

Melissa, after losing her job as a London estate agent, starts the Little Lady Agency, where she (in the disguise a blonde wig and calling herself Honey) helps single men shop for themselves, buy holiday presents, fix up their appearance, and goes with them to social engagements. When she takes on Jonathan (the new boss of her old company) as a client, she starts to fall for him and feels the line between Melissa and Honey blur. A really cute read that dragged at times but overall was quite enjoyable! There are two followup books that I also plan to read.

Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella

I'm a big Sophie Kinsella fan from her Shopaholic series as well as her other books. Twenties Girl is really fun, different, and heartwarming. The story follows Lara as she goes to her great aunt's funeral - a woman she'd never met, until the 23 year old ghost of her great aunt Sadie appears and Lara is the only one who can see and hear her! Lara must now deal with Sadie, who is quite loud and demanding, as she searches for her favorite necklace that is nowhere to be found. Watching the relationship between Lara and Sadie develop is wonderful and it really makes you think about how little you know about your ancestors.

A Boat-Load of Recipes

#41 Try a new recipe at least twice a month

I have been fairly good at keeping up Carebear's Kitchen (still have to work on getting pictures up for each recipe) but I've been slacking on rounding up the new recipes, per 101Thing #41! So here's a look at what I've been making the last couple months:

Turkey Chili
Healthy Shepherd's Pie
Creamy Mac n Cheese
Apple Crumb Coffee Cake
London Broil with Red Onions
Pumpkin Risotto
Spinach Artichoke Dip
Fish Tacos
Panko Crusted Fish Sticks
Pasta e Fagiole
5 Layer Dip
Chicken, Black Bean, and Corn Enchilada Casserole
Lemon Sandwich Cookies
Chicken Breasts in Garlic Butter
Chicken Braised in Herb Cream Sauce
Orange Chicken with Peppers

Valentine's Day!

#11 Try a new restaurant every month
#95 Buy flowers once a month

Valentine's Day allowed me to tackle TWO of my (favorite) 101Things...trying a new restaurant and getting flowers! J surprised me in the morning with a gorgeous and colorful bouquet that he arranged himself!

For dinner, we tried a new place called Almond, located on 22nd street between Park and B'way.



From the delicious looking menu (we decided not to do the special V-day Pre-Fixe), J and I each had steaks au poivre which came with a mountain of delicious stick french fries. We also shared a really yummy mac and cheese. We each had a glass of very good french red wine, a Pinot Noir for J and a Syrah for me. All in all, a wonderful V-day meal!

5 Guys Burgers

#16. Try to find the best burger in the city

So Justin and I first tried 5 Guys Burgers in Maryland last year when we were visiting for a wedding and we so happy to find out that there were locations in NY, since we were head over heals for these amazing burgers. Somehow though, we never made the trek for another taste until a month or so ago when a new location opened up right by our apartment (we are nothing if not lazy). Now it's become more of a regular rotation and who can blame us? With freshly made beef patties and all the delicious and unique toppings you could want for, not to mention the amazing fries, this place is definitely tops!

Here's a pic of J trying his first 5 Guys burger:

Pass the Mimosa...

#11: Try a new restaurant every month
#14 Go to brunch once every 2 months

The past couple months, I've really been into Brunches - they're more special than our regular weekend diner trips and can even include drinks! What's not to love? So far I've tried 4 brunch locations.

Essex

This place was awesome, the benchmark of all future brunch places perhaps. The place not only looks awesome, but has a delicious selection and free drinks (they say 3 drinks included, but they keep refilling your glass over and over so you can really get more if you so choose.) I had the eggs benedict over spinach, so good. Here's their brunch menu.

Craftbar

I was very excited to try out my first Tom Colicchio restaurant, but unfortunately I don't know if brunch was the correct time to go - though honestly, I think I just ordered the wrong thing for me. Drinks were not included, but I decided to drop $11 on a delicious mimosa anyway. Then I ordered the Frittata, but wasn't a fan of it sans ketchup (how I generally eat my omelettes/scrambled eggs) or salt and pepper, none of which were supplied at the table. That being said, I would definitely go back to try their lunch or dinner. Here's their brunch menu.

Dos Caminos

The new reigning brunch titlest? Possibly! Our Dos Caminos brunch was just as good if not better than our Essex brunch!! The menu had a dozen things I wanted to try, all very unique and inventive PLUS you got a free drink, which included a Prickly Pear Margarita, which is the drink I always get at Dos anyway and packs enough of a punch to count as 3 weaker drinks. All in all, this brunch made me a happy camper. I had the Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict with Avocados served on Cornbread with a Chipotle Hollandaise - AMAZING. Here is the full brunch menu.

Normas

This was a special brunch for my sister-in-laws birthday with the whole fam. Biggest negative to this place? No booze. Otherwise, the menu is full of interesting possibilities and it was a very hard decision! I ended up trying the Waz-Za, which is a waffle with lots of fruit and brulee berry topping. It was really good, but my general issue with such sweet breakfasts is that after about half, I don't want anymore (even if I'm not full, I just am more of a savory girl I guess.) There were many other dishes I would love to try should I go back though! Here is the full menu.

Winter Restaurant Week!

#11: Try a new restaurant every month
#12. Go to a restaurant for Restaurant Week once per year

It's that time again - NYC Restaurant Week! Last night, we went to the Russian Tea Room on 57th between 6th and 7th with Rachel, Dave, and Mike.



The atmosphere was definitely different than I've ever seen - so ornate, but very beautiful.

Here is the Restaurant Week Menu.

For starters, I had the Borscht. I'd never had Borscht before, so I figured this was the place to try it. It was very good, but admittedly after a few spoonfuls I didn't really want anymore. The best part was the Beef Pirozhki that came along with it. For entree, I had the Chicken Kiev - also something I'd never had before. It was really interesting and very tasty. The inside of the breaded chicken was hollow and filled with an herbed butter and the wild rice and fig and pear chutney were really flavorful. For dessert, the best part, I had the Chocolate Pyramid - which was chocolate mousse with a surprise raspberry filling inside. Mmm mmm good!

All in all, the meal was good, and definitely a great deal for Restaurant Week considering each entree itself would be more than the 3-course menu if ordered a la carte! Comparing it with our last RW meal at Fig & Olive though, there's no contest - I'd pick F&O every time.

Aruba, Jamaica, ooh I wanna take ya...

#22 Go somewhere warm in the winter

Aruba is just where I went for 6 glorious days to escape the cold cold NY winter. While I already fulfilled this 101Thing in November by going with Justin to Florida, I got to do it all over again, this time with my parents. And it was more of a true Winter escape with NY temperatures dipping way down while I was away. I got to spend everyday relaxing on the beach and by the pool, reading through chick lit and drinking tropical drinks, and spending each night eating delicious food and playing roulette at the casinos. Perfection!

Everytime a bell rings...

#4. Watch all of AFI's 100 best movies of all time



So what if I'm Jewish. It's a Wonderful Life (#11 on the AFI list) is one of my all-time favorite movies and I have to watch it every year. HAVE. TO. The holiday season is not complete without a viewing and I bawl like crazy every single time I see it (but in a good way!). For the past couple years, I've been trying to get Justin to watch it with me, to no avail. But this year, despite our AFI-quest slowing down after 5 less than stellar responses from J, I put my foot down. Even though he chuckled at certain parts, such as the evil seedy Pottersville filled with gambling and girl shows (as if that's not seedy enough for him??) the film ended with tears even in his eyes and he had to admit it was pretty good! :)

Reviews:
FilmSite.org
ReelViews
Roger Ebert

Belated Birthday Dinner

#11. Try a new restaurant every month

Every year I go out with my two girlfriends for my birthday, but this year with hard to plan around schedules all around, it took us a month to actually do it - not that I can complain to celebrate my birthday a month after the fact! This year I chose a place that my coworkers had raved about - Back Forty - and they weren't kidding! This place was amazing - the food, the drinks, and the atmosphere were all great. This place only serves fresh ingredients, so the menu is always changing. I had the roasted brussel sprouts to start (insanely good), a special of the day, which a delicious steak with roasted winter vegetables, and DO NOT MISS the Fresh Doughnut for dessert - yes I said doughnut, trust me.

Pre-New Year's Resolution Part 2

#40: Make meal plans every week
#41: Try a new recipe at least twice a month
#44: Make (or order in) one vegetarian meal per week
#45: Make fish at least once a month

Along with my workout kick, I'm also trying to cook more (both dinners and lunches for J and I), both as a means to save money AND be healthier! So far, it's been pretty great!

I've tried a bunch of new recipes from EatingWell and they've been a hit:
Chicken Paprikash
Sweet and Sour Chicken
Honey Soy Salmon

I've also made a delicious Turkey Chili recipe for lunch this week from the Food Network.

Pre-New Year's Resolution

#26: Workout 3 times a week for a month

Since I didn't make it last time, and I'm starting anew...I will start counting this again! This time I will count how many times I work out, my total goal is 3 times a week for a month...which comes to 12 workouts (it sounds so much easier to attain like that, doesn't it??)

I had a great first week back, going to the gym to walk on the treadmill twice and doing my 8 minute Arms and Abs workouts twice. Yesterday was my first gym blowoff (I was tired and was having dinner with my parents!) but I'm going to return strong tonight and tomorrow, doing one arms and abs workout and one treadmill.

Harry Potter Marathon? Yes please!

#9: Have a lazy day Harry Potter Marathon, Star Wars Marathon, and Lord of the Rings Marathon (1/3)



Counting it! This weekend was cold and rainy and thank goodness for cable networks in December! ABC Family was having an all weekend Harry Potter Marathon! I found out towards the beginning of #2, and was glued to the TV for the rest of the night through the end of movie #3. The next night #4 aired, and I happily watched. While I definitely would love to have a full marathon of ALL the movies (perhaps over a weekend...) I'm going to count it for now. Funny also, TNT was having a Lord of the Rings Marathon on Sunday, and I watched most of the second film while I was home (and tivoed the 3rd but didnt have a chance to watch it)

Chasing Harry Winston

#2: Read 1 new book every 2 months



Another chick lit book - what a surprise! This time, I went for Devil Wears Prada'a Lauren Weisberger's next book - Chasing Harry Winston. I loved Prada and her second book, Everyone Worth Knowing, so I was excited to put this next title on my library queue! While probably being my least favorite book of the 3, Harry Winston was very cute and fun to read. The book follows three best friends since college, Leigh, Emmy, and Adriana. The POV shifted between all girls within each chapter - I am a fan of the shifting POVs!

The friends are 29 and facing life before turning the big 3-0. Emmy was just left by her boyfriend of five years for a young, virginal personal trainer (who she bought for him as a present). Leigh seems to have it all - the perfect job, the perfect apartment, and the perfect guy, but for some reason it isn't cutting it but she's scared of letting anyone know how unhappy she is. Adriana is a gorgeous brazilian heiress who loves getting the attention of strange, handsome men. One night, Adriana and Emmy make a pact - within the next year, each will drastically change her life - Adriana, who goes through men like Kleenex, will be in a monogamous relationship by the end of the year, while Emmy, who's only ever slept with her 3 long term boyfriends, will become more uninhibited and have an around-the-world sex-fueled adventure.

I wish vacation could be always

#22: Go somewhere warm in the winter with Justin
#78: Go to a Cirque du Soleil show

Perhaps the 101 thing I was most excited to do (and hopefully will get to do again ...and again......) was escaping the cold for somewhere lovely and warm with Justin. While I originally envisioned laying on the beaches of Bahamas (maybe next time), we ended up spending 9 fabulous days in Orlando, FL at Disney World! Yes, we've been there before together (two other times) but we really love it, and we got a really great deal, so off we went! We had a really amazing time (despite a few setbacks, like someone breaking my camera on day 1 and them switching the park hours so that we had to rearrange our scheduling), it was so much fun and we didn't want to leave!!! We're hoping to plan a group trip to Disney sometime in the next 2 years - I don't know if I can wait that long! I'll link to all the trip pics once I get all that settled...



And, while we were there, I took care of yet ANOTHER 101Thing....we saw Cirque du Soleil's La Nouba at Downtown Disney! The show was really entertaining and had a lot of fun acts, including adorable little chinese girls playing with the diabolo (Chinese yo-yo). They hold two sticks linked by a string, they slide, juggle and toss a musical wooden spool while performing flips in the air. Other standout acts were cyclists, hire wire, flying trapeze, and a trampoline act.

Happy Birthday to me!

#99: Get a large TV for the living room

My birthday present this year from my parents, Justin, AND myself, is a wonderful large screen TV for our apartment!!! We decided on a 42 inch Insignia tv cause of the great price and I don't know how I watched tv before without it!

Thank God for Spa Week!

#62: Get a Facial once a year

Without Spa Week, I might never get to enjoy the wonderfulness that is a facial (or a real massage for that matter). Thankfully, Spa Week does exist and I got to get my first facial in a year! I went to a place I hadn't been to before, but it was conveniently located and got good reviews - Moonflower Spa, located on 41st street between 5th and Madison. It was a cute little place and everyone was very nice and friendly. The facial was relaxing and made my skin feel fresh and smooth! I'm already looking forward to the next Spa Week, whenever that may be! Massage next!

Always check if it's a BYOB!

#11: Try a new restaurant every month

So this past friday night I met a couple of my girlfriends for dinner down on the lower east side. We chose this restaurant, new to all of us: Antibes Bistro. One little issue with the place...it was a BYOB and we didn't know it!! The site has a wine list under the list of menus and you have to click onto the wine list for it to tell you that it's a BYOB and then it gives you a suggested wine list. I mean come on! That was a major disappointment since on a friday night, I was in need of a nice big glass of wine to start off the weekend right.

Anyway, the place was cute and small with nice ambiance, tho a little too tight with other tables. I love small places downtown but waitresses shouldnt have to ask people to move so they can reach another table! They put the 3 of us at a table for 2! And we did call for reservations in advance. They also had a small little outdoor seating area that would be nice in the warmer weather. We were astonished to see multiple groups of people sit there in the 40 degree cold! At least they had their own wine tho!

On to the food - I got the Beet and Goat Cheese appetizer which was sooooooooo yummy. I'm a big fan of this combo. For the entree, I got the Salmon with Ratatouille which was a little disappointing - for one, I saw a picture on their website of this which looked a LOT better than what was served to me. Secondly, the salmon wasn't so great, not enough flavor, a little too fishy. The ratatouille was good though. Then we split a Vanilla Panna Cotta with Poached Pears for dessert, which just didnt look appetizing at all. The pears had a pinot noir sauce that I just didn't like and the Panna Cotta was better than I expected (I have a thing about foods with weird consistencies) but still pretty blah.

Overall, I loved the appetizer and the ambiance of this place and would consider coming back with Justin sometime - with a bottle of wine in hand - and trying a different entree (since both my friends loved theirs).

Nothing like a good ChickLit!

#2: Read 1 new book every 2 months

So after my foray into a very long sci-fi series, I decided to go back to my favored book genre - Chick Lit! Now, it may seem like I strictly read books that are in a series, but I promise that's not true...it just is true for this particular Chick Lit book...and the one I plan on reading next...

Well see, what happened was...when I was looking for a new book to read, I started the search with authors that I've read in the past and liked - a natural place to begin! So first up is actually book #2 in a series (somehow I've read books 1 and 3...but it's not like a serious series, just has the same characters) of Rachel Benjamin mysteries - The Jinx, by Jennifer Sturman. This series is a lot of fun cause it's a mix of chick lit and murder mysteries!

The first book in the series, The Pact, follows Rachel and her college best friends who made a pact back in college to make sure to tell each other if the group ever felt a man was not worthy. Well, one of the friends was about to marry someone not so worthy and they all were there for the wedding - when the night before the wedding the groom-to-be was found dead! Needless to say Rachel helps figure it out - AND meets a guy while she's at it!

The Jinx picks up when Rachel is in Boston for the week for business and for her annual reunion with her friends...when her client/friend is attacked! Rachel has to figure it out all while wondering if her boyfriend is cheating on her and her college crush comes back into the picture! (I totally should write those summaries on the back of books, am i right??)

Anyway, long story short, it was a fun, short read!