Mozart in the morning

Anne Sophie Mutter open rehearsal 11/18/2010

  My husband Brian took a classical music class this fall. I was lucky to be his date for his field trip.   Anne Mutter’s open rehearsal, with the NYC Philharmonic, was a cold but sunny morning and we took the train up to New York City at about 6:30. I have to admit, I was not ecstatic. Cold, Damp, Jersey morning. We arrived in Penn station and decided to walk up to Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln center amongst all the foot traffic of Manhattan.   The walk was brisk and in about 20 minutes we arrived at the front doors in nice timing to find our seats. In searching for the perfect seat we witnessed the older international crowd.   My husband even caught an older women as she yelped and nearly fell in an isle. (good lord)  The crowd showed up early and took up all the lower level seating so we climbed a few flights of steps and claimed our two seats on the upper level to the right of the stage. Good view.

    Right from the start,  I was completely amazed at the quality of sound that this concert hall and orchestra created. The clean and crisp sound was so shocking that I immediately began dreaming about these people onstage performing and how lucky they are to be musicians at this level, in this city and at this venue.  What a lifestyle and what a place to work with the best in the world at something you love.

    Anne came on stage at the beginning and started right in on the first piece, Violin concerto No. 3 in G major K.216.. This Mozart piece was completed September 12, 1775 in Salzburg.  The music danced around the room, kissing our ears for two hours. In which time we grew quite hungry so, onward to lunch! We found Juniors and were glad we did. Comfort food, a cozy booth and a warm atmosphere. Pickles, beets and coleslaw were  brought to the table as we ordered our meal. I had a tuna melt Brian had a blt and we shared onion rings. The portions were gigantic. I didn't want to bring my tuna melt back to Jersey with me on the train so, I did my best. Juniors is famous for their cheesecake. http://www.juniorscheesecake.com/  We decided not to get any though (next time) The service was fast and friendly. Great lunch! Back to hitting the pavement. We also stopped at Fao Swartz for a stuffed Yoda, and Dean and Deluca's for a coffee. We strolled through time square, got annoyed and made our way to the train. As usual Penn Station provided free entertainment as we waited for our train to arrive.

Every day in the City is a different day in the City. 'til we meet again-

CAST IRON SKILLET PIZZA

In this pie I added grape tomatoes as well.

Ok, so I have made pizzas before. I just buy the dough let it rise add the toppings and bada bing, we have a pie. I think when I was 10 or so my family discovered Pizza Hut. It wasn't like any pizza I have had before. It was greasy, saucy, and cooked in a deep dish. Being from NJ, I was used to a pretty thin crust crispy delish pie. It was like they sprinked some kind of magic dust on the Pizza Hut pie because to look at it, I wanted absolutely nothing to do with it. I saw pools of grease on the cheese. The first bight I tasted oil but by  the second taste it was starting to get good. I could eat three pieces or more of that deep dish Pizza Hut pizza. It was addicting!

So, then I guess you could say that Pizza Hut was my first pizza chain experience. Didn't really take to it though, with it being like 5 miles away and in that distance there were at least 15 mom and pop pizza places they could write movies about. Now that I am older I try to recreate that pie for a change, less greasy of course. I find if I saute garlic onions peppers and mushrooms in the skillet first, remove the veggies from the pan, and then cook the pizza in that pan its extra tasty. So when you have your dough in the pan and add you favorite jarred sauce, I just spray the tiniest amount of spray olive oil to the crust. Ok, then add fresh mozz and provelone, sauteed veggies &fresh basil. Final touches. Microplane 2 cloves of garlic and sprinke on pie and then microplane fresh nutty parm cheese on the part of the crust where the pan touches it. add a good amount. Bake in a 450 oven for 12 to 15 minutes. set on rack for 5.

Not quite like Pizza Hut, but it does have that tasty factor going on that Pizza Hut did.

creamed crabmeat

    When New Orleans is mentioned I immediately think of food, as I'm sure a lot of people do. Rich, creamy, decadent food. Shellfish, desserts, sauces, oh my! When I visited there ten years ago, I purchased a cook book. Its one of those paper backs with the plastic ring binder. It is the 1978 selection for January for the cookbook of the month club entitled," Recipes and Reminiscences of New Orleans." Alot of  knowledge in this book, for sure! Sometimes I am overwelmed at the beginning of the recipe, but the result is always oldfashioned goodness. I was in NOLA pre Katrina and can't wait to revisit that intriguing city.

Here is a recipe from Suzanne Artiqus Cangelosi

Creamed Crabmeat

 1 pound lump crabmeat

 1 4 ounce cream cheese

 1 4 ounce cheddar cheese, grated

 1/4 cup milk

 Bread crumbs

Mix crabmeat, cheese, milk and bits of cream cheese in casserole, adding more milk, a tablespoon at a time to make it creamy. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Remove from oven an place in individual ramekins or seashells. Dot with butter and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Reheat when ready to serve.

I usually keep it in the casserole dish and serve with bread, pita chips or crackers. Raw asparagus, red peppers and carrots make a good addition.

We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make our world. Buddah

Kiwi

Kiwis are in season-
 put some sunshine into a meal!

Winter salad
4 kiwis skinned and chopped
1/2 cup raspberries
1/2 cup red graped cut in half
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 rotisserie chicken ( breasts skinned and meat chopped)
1 cup toasted slivered almonds ( save a few for the garnish)
1 5 oz package of mixed baby greens
1 bottle of poppyseed dressing
Combine all ingredient but dressing and garnish. Toss. Continue tossing and slowly add bottled dressing. Plate and add almonds to garnish.

Breakfast of champions

I love starting the day with a good breakfast after my morning workout. We usually only get to do that on vacation though. Here is a good one. 

Breakfast Burritos

• 1 large boiling potato (8 oz), peeled and cut into 1/3-inch dice
• 4 (9- to 11-inch) flour tortillas
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon water
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup coarsely grated Monterey Jack (about 4 oz)
• 1 avocado, sliced
• About 1/4 cup fresh or bottled salsa and adobo seasoning 

• Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Cut 4 (12- by 8-inch) sheets of foil.
• Cook potato in a small pot of salted boiling water until just tender, about 5 minutes. Drain.
• Wrap tortillas tightly in a large sheet of foil and warm in oven until heated through, 10 to 15 minutes.
•  Add potato and cook over medium-low heat, stirring, until tender and lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add some adobo seasoning to the potatoes at this time. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.
• Whisk together eggs, water, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/8 tsp pepper in a medium bowl. Heat oil in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Add egg mixture and cook, stirring to scramble, until just cooked through. Remove from heat.
• Put a tortilla on 1 sheet of foil.  one fourth of eggs, one fourth of cheese, one fourth of avocado, and then salsa to taste in vertical rows across center, leaving room to fold over bottom and sides. Fold bottom of tortilla over most of filling, then fold over sides, overlapping them. If desired, fold top down (otherwise, filling can be left exposed). Wrap foil around burrito, leaving top exposed. Make 3 more burritos in same manner and serve hot.
  * serve with a side of bacon or crumble bacon on on eggs before folding burrito if desired.

Happy trails mix

 When we travel to places where there are no restaurants to be seen, this trail mix gets us through.

- 1 cup milk chocolate chips
-1 cup mac nuts
-1 cup banana chips
-1 cup raw almonds
-1 cup dried cherries
-1 cup brazil nuts
mix and store in a sealed bag.  Everyone has their favorites and this mix is ours.