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more halloween


As I said, I really love Halloween and getting dressed up. And after much work and effort, I finally convinced Brendan to dress up with me! We went to a charity event costume party as Superman and Lois Lane (and we couldn't very well go as "Perryn and Brendan"). Sadly we didn't win the contest, but we still had fun!

autumn in new york city

not too shabby, huh? I snapped these pics on my walk home through Central Park yesterday afternoon. Apparently, the island of Manhattan somehow maintains its own climate which creates a difference in the weather patterns, like delaying the peak time for fall foliage. I'm not really sure what all of that means (or if it's even true...), but it's worth the wait for this!







fall dinner party

One thing I love about fall is that it just makes you feel like cozying inside with friends, making a homecooked meal for dinner, and gazing out the windows at the beautiful fall foliage (that is, if you live in the suburbs, I guess.) But, as a city-dweller, we can at least take advantage of the first two. And this past weekend, I did!

I tried to construct a menu that consisted of all things fall. Here are the recipes I used:

Hot Caramel Apple Cider (yields 12 ounces)

1 1/2 cups of apple cider
1 1/2 tablespoons caramel sauce (I used the stuff that is used for ice cream sundae toppings)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Combine apple cider, caramel, and vanilla into a sauce pan. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until apple cider is hot and caramel has melted. (Be careful, it gets REALLY hot!) Pretty simple, huh? And very delicious!


Cowboy Stew (courtesy of my good friend-chef, Caylen)

1 onion
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 lb ground beef
1 lb sausage
1 lb mexican velveeta cheese
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. cumin

And, 1 can of each:
Black beans
Kidney beans (I used Pinto beans in place of this... because I like them better)
Rotel tomatoes
Stewed tomatoes
Corn

Chop veggies into small bite-sized pieces and saute in 2 tsp. olive oil until soft. Brown the meat, then add the veggies. Cut velveeta into chunks and melt into beans and meat, then add spices. Simmer until heated through. (Basically, I just cooked and opened everything and then poured it all together in a huge pot!) And believe me, it will feed an army!


I might have shared the recipe for these here before, but I'll share them again because they're that good!

Garlic Cheese Biscuits

2 cups buttermilk baking mix
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Combine all ingredients until soft dough forms. Drop dough by heaping tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown.

1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/3 teaspoon garlic powder

Combine ingredients. Brush on warm biscuits before removing from cookie sheet.

A nice, not-especially-fallish salad (everything can't be fall-esque, I guess). Katherine majorly contributed to this, and Brendan got the cranberries and walnuts. The salad was his creation...too bad I forgot to snap a picture of it.

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes by Maggie (get her recipe here!) They taste as good as they look!


And, a delicious Pumpkin Crumple made by Ann-Marie (and I think Jon did the crumple on top). I don't have the recipe for this, or a picture, yet. But believe me, you'll want to add it to your recipe box as soon as I get it!

color invasion this year

You might remember me attending an event last year that was right up my alley, called Color Invasion? Can you possibly think of an event name that I'd be more excited about?! And I've been lucky enough to attend Color Invasion, one of the biggest interior design industry-wide events in New York City, for the past 3 years now! Last Thursday night I met up with LA and some old coworkers and enjoyed one of the most fun parties of the year. The theme this year was nurse & doctor, so I opted out of costume the part. But I did wear scrubs-green.



Meg, me and LeeAnne reuniting.

I have more pictures, from the official Color Invasion photographer, to post later but I was made to promise that I wouldn't post them anywhere yet. More to come.

she's heeeere!

My mom is in town, and we've been having a blast hitting the city together! She shopped with me at the D&D for two days, met me for lunch, went grocery shopping with me at the new Trader Joe's in my neighborhood, and helped me to recover the seat of a street find (blog post on that coming later!). And! She's not leaving until Wednesday so there's even more fun to come. I'm heading out to New Jersey tomorrow to have some family fun time. The weather is cooling down and fall is here, so hopefully beautiful outdoor adventures will be in our scope.

kat's welcome back party!

She's back, and we spent Saturday night celebrating her return here at her new casa! It was fun to hang out and catch up with the old fellowship group. Who knew three years could fly by so fast?!

broadway in Bryant Park


Yesterday, I got to watch a small glimpse of five different broadway shows (for free!) in Bryant Park: Mamma Mia!, American Idiot, La Cage Aux Folles, West Side Story, and Mary Poppins. My friend Julie is moving to Chicago on Sunday, and we took advantage of such a fun & free event to hang out one last time before she moves away to the Windy City. I only wish I had known about this event before now!

like fries?

Go here, in the East Village: Pommes Frites.


All they serve is fries. Authentic Belgian fries. With over 25 sauces to dip them in. We tried Especial, Rosemary Garlic, Wasabi, and Sweet Mango Chutney sauces, and they were all delicious. Me, Maggie, Kyo and Tim went here to celebrate Kyo and Tim's engagement last Saturday morning (along with a sandwich at a Vietnamese sandwich shop and cold skin noodles at an authentic Chinese restaurant, all within the hour). I'm glad to have found such a place. I'm sure I'll be back, only next time with a much less exciting reason, perhaps...

one week!


That's right, folks. It's only one week from today until this girl moves back to the Big Apple. Ironically, Katherine and I met in Central Park in June 2007 when we were both interning here, and we have all maintained our friendship over the past several years, even with many miles in between. Now she's finally moving back to New York City, and we can't wait!!

another hiking excursion

Except, this time it was in upstate New York at Lake Minnewaska. We had incredible views and perfect weather to enjoy the nice Saturday hike. I was a little more uneasy on this hike because you could walk right up to the edge of the cliff, so I only tip-toed nearby as my extreme acrophobia immediately set in. Nevertheless, I survived and was able to enjoy almost 6 hours of grandeur and beauty!


view from the summit.

favorite hiking snack of the day...



the group at the top.
does it look like they're skydiving? They aren't, but thought it was a nice effect...

food, fireworks, and (f)ilharmonic

Tuesday and Wednesday night the NY Philharmonic gave their annual free concert in Central Park. Since this is my fourth summer in New York and I had (regretfully) never been before, I took advantage and went both nights. I can now join in with the hype and hoopla and agree: it is fabulous! Both nights were tainted by the dread of rain and thunderstorms, but both made it successfully without even a raindrop, just a little damp park grass from previous daytime showers. Then, to end the night, fireworks! Philharmonic in the Park is not something you should miss if you ever have the opportunity to go.

Food!
Fireworks!
at the Philharmonic! (I didn't get the memo to be overly, unnaturally excited about the Philharmonic. Brendan did!)

this is for Tate

Today is Chick Fil A's "Cow Appreciation Day" and as a special promo they were giving out free chicken sandwiches in various locations in New York. After much deliberation, I braved the heat, followed the cows, and landed a nice (and FREE) lunch...

Let me assure you, it was madness. New Yorkers love Chick Fil A. Shortly before 11 AM, I heard screaming and yelling outside and looked out my window to find this: a bus full of Chick Fil A cows.

Then when I made it to the spot where they were passing out sandwiches at noon, I had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have my very own picture taken with the cow. Being the 24-year-old "adult" that I sometimes think I am, I hesitated and decided that I didn't really need a picture with the cow. But then I thought of the disappointment on Tate's face if I had opted out and the pure glee and elation he would have when he looked at this picture. Obviously, I chose the latter!