Snow Day!

Whew.  Two feet of snow in Pittsburgh this weekend. Ridiculous.

I made it to The Boy’s house in Southside Friday night around 6PM. The snow was just beginning, a slush forming on Carson Street.

Saturday morning we woke up to insane amounts of snow blanketing the streets. Two trees were down on The Boy’s street, one of which was hanging precariously over his car. We took matters into our own hands and shoveled and sawed, freeing his car from any type of damage. I mostly observed and took photos of course (those are on another camera – coming soon!). After this adventure, we trekked down to Carson Street  and ended up joining the crowd at a packed and jovial Fathead’s.  Clearly everyone there was a local with nothing better to do than drink. That is the Southside for you

I finally decided to make my way home Sunday morning. I shoveled out and began a harrowing drive to Shadyside. Horrible. Carson Street was horrid, Forbes Ave was horrid, Fifth Ave was horrid, all side streets in Shadyside were horrid. I miraculously made it to my street and somehow found a semi cleared spot in which to wedge my car. I finally took a breathe as I turned off the engine and vowed not to drive again until I could see some pavement.

I trudged to my building and found a huge tree blocking the entrance. Fabulous. Luckily, other residents had formed a tiny path to a side door. To note, this path also contained a down tree. This one was smaller though and could be climbed over. Lovely.

I threw down my things and have barely left the apartment since. I was able to work from home today but will likely be hiking to the East Busway tomorrow morning in an attempt to make it downtown.

I did make my way outside today for a quick grocery and gym run. Cleared sidewalks (and roads) are hit or miss around these parts, but I made it. Here are some photos from my journey. Please note this is 48+ hours after the storm and not much in Shadyside has been touched. I saw no fewer than five cars stuck, wheels spinning. Most got moving eventually though a few required a good push from some willing bystanders.

walnut near the armory

near walnut and shady

(normally) green space near walnut and shady

I did cook a bit with my time! Stay tuned for a few new recipes

A Little Pre-Vday Cheer

So I have a bit of a random post today. Its a feel good one though – promise!

Friends of friends are involved in a Philadelphia wedding competition through Philly.com. The competition started with 500 couples and is now down to 10 – including the lovely couple I know, Faye and Matt! I have had the pleasure of hanging out with Faye and Matt during my various Philly trips. They are beyond excited to have made it this far in the competition. The winning couple will be announced on Valentine’s Day and will ultimately receive a wedding worth $90K in May. How exciting!

Learn more about them here.

If you have a moment and are feeling in the lovey-dovey spirit, here is how you can vote and get them their dream wedding!

HOW TO REGISTER AND VOTE:

Follow this link: http://philly.upickem.net/engine/votes.aspx

You must first register with the site. Click the register link near the log-in information. You’ll get a confirmation sent to your email.  Click on the link in this email – it will take to back to the website to vote.

To find our entry again and vote once you’ve registered;
1. Click “Vote”
2. Click on “view gallery”
3. You should see a thumbnail picture of us (“Matthew and Faye”)
with our white bulldog
4.Click on “vote for this couple” and you’re set for the day!

Thanks for reading and I will let you know how this all ends up!

Update

So I have certainly been MIA. I blogged over a week ago about plans for 2010 and my resolve to get some good content on to Snickie.

And then real life happened.

Last week brought a family medical emergency and the beginning of the dreaded ‘busy season’ in accounting. This combination resulted in dinners of jarred spaghetti sauce over pasta all last week. It ain’t always glamorous folks. I did manage to force down some salads here and there – I hope this half-ass effort at balanced eating will keep me going.

Le sigh.

Before the storm of last week hit, I did manage to try a few new recipes. Two weekends ago, I prepped:

Beef Burgundy

Fennel and Orange Salad

Sour Cream Banana Bread

The beef was good but a little salty. I would possibly cut back on the soy sauce if I made this again. Also, it needs to cook for seven hours. If you decide to eat it after cooking for only five hours because it is already almost 8PM, it will be a little chewy. Noted. This recipe was mainly a reason to test out my new slow cooker. It was tasty enough. Leftovers were frozen.

I really loved the fennel and orange salad. I used one fennel bulb, two oranges, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and fresh mint. I will make this again.

The banana bread was awesome. This quick bread will definitely be in the rotation. The loaf was made on a Saturday night, quietly chipped away at all week, and was gone by the following Saturday. Did I mention I live by myself? I did make this with low-fat sour cream.

Additionally, I have seen some cool food stuff in the PG lately. I want to try it all out!

New Annex Cookery in Homestead – Mom of Snickie visited last weekend. She found the shop pleasant and hoped to visit the cafe attached but it was closed (Sunday morning). Check the hours if you plan to check it out.

Winter Cherry Tomato Pasta  - Looks tasty and quick.

2010

Welcome to my belated New Year’s musings/goals post.

I have been thinking about these things since 2010 reared its blustery snowy self. Most are food related, of course.

Looking Back:

2009 was the year Snickie was born! I started the blog when The Boy embarked on a six-week work project that took him to Hyderabad, India.  Through the year I have moved the focus of the blog around…food journal, recipes, travel recaps, restaurant reviews.  Sometimes the lack of focus frustrated me. However, this is a hobby! At this point, I kind of just post whenever and whatever I want. Keepin’ it random!

2009 was the year of travel! Many events coincided this past year that allowed me some crazy and wonderful travel experiences. This year, I went to:

San Juan and on a Caribbean cruise

magens bay, st thomas

Philadelphia

Italy

san gimignano - tuscany

Myrtle Beach

north myrtle beach

England

big ben

San Fransisco

ferry building

Boston

Chicago

Costa Rica

My favorite meal of 2009 was likely at a small restaurant in San Querico, Italy. Silky pasta with zucchini, squash, and other vegetables. Simple, satisfying.

My favorite Pittsburgh meal of 2009 was likely at Cafe Davio.

My favorite recipe of 2009 may have been angel food cake.

Looking forward:

I am keeping it pretty simple moving in to the new year. I obviously have some other personal goals, but for Snickie purposes, here is the quick and dirty.

a) Try one new recipe per week

b) Try one new restaurant per month

c) Document a) and b) on Snickie!

d) Meet some other Pittsburgh bloggers/readers…

Anyone interested? Leave a comment, please!

Costa Rica – Pura Vida!

Back in November, The Boy and I got an itch to plan a trip in between Christmas and New Year’s.  We knew we wanted to go somewhere warm – that was about it.

After some research (who knew Bermuda was 60 and rainy in December - no wonder there are great deals to be had) we decided on Costa Rica. Although plane tickets were still fairly pricey, accommodations, etc seemed to be pretty reasonable. We booked and were ready to go.

We left the day after Christmas. After a lengthy trip and an unscheduled stop in El Salvador and night in San Jose, we made it to Tamarindo. Tamarindo is a beach town that sits on the West coast of Costa Rica. It was hopping, full of vacationers.

We stayed at a little place called Hotel Arco Iris. Made up of under ten rooms, it was a great home base. I wish it had been a bit closer to the beach (it is a 5-10 minute walk) but that was really the only negative. The rooms were clean, the on-site restaurant (Seasons by Schlomy) was great, and the owner was very helpful and friendly.

hotel arco iris grounds - view from balcony

sea bass with tagliatelle @ seasons by schlomy

Most of our time in Costa Rica was spent on the beach. 85 and sunny.

We read, lounged, had a few drinks.

One day, we embarked on a day-long adventure.

We rode horses, we river-tubed, we zip-lined, and we dipped in volcanic mud and natural hot springs. This was actually done at Rincon de la Vieja, a national park about an hour from the coast, near Liberia. It was a little cooler here – probably 70 and overcast.

This day was actually pretty intense. I flipped over during the river tubing and found myself swimming through chilly waters in my tennis shoes. I was pulled out quickly by a guide – it was a memorable moment.

The zip-line/canopy tour included rappelling and rock climbing. I broke a sweat for sure!

The Boy also took a surf lesson during our vacation.

Our trip was rounded out by a New Year’s Eve spent sipping champagne on the beach under a full moon. Can’t beat that.

sunset - 12.31.09

Finally, we boarded a tiny plane headed for San Jose and said our goodbyes to Tamarindo. Hopefully, we will return

adiós

Christmas Whirlwind

This holiday season absolutely flew by. I traveled most of December for work and while I loved seeing other cities dressed up for Christmas, I missed a bit of the cheer in my own backyard!

Nevertheless, I still managed to bake a bit, cook a bit, party it up a bit, and eat and drink a bit.

Here are some Snickie holiday highlight:

Snickie Decor:

I am slowly amassing some holiday decorations for the Snickie-pad. Last year I started down a silver and gold themed path. I did not add much to the collection this year. However, what I do have lends a simple festive look to my little apartment.

Snickie Kitchen:

My ‘cooking’ during this holiday season consisted of cookies and appetizers. Here are some recipes I tried out.

Sugar Cookies – old faithful. However, my dough was very dry to the point of almost being crumbly this year. I added some milk and moved on and they seemed to taste good in the end.

Ginger Spice Cookies - spicy. I love these cookies. Once again though, they seemed to flatten out dramatically on me. Hmmm. I am beginning to think my knock-off Silpat is the culprit.

Pine Bark - addicting. I also used my ‘Silpat’ with this recipe and I had issues with the bark never really firming up. It was still tasty and crunchy.

Puppy Chow - again, addicting. This one turned out just right. Can’t really mess this up.

Hot Crab Dip - tasty enough. This creamy dip was eaten up at the events I took it too. However, the addition of the hot sauce had it tasting a little too close to its buffalo chicken dip cousin, if you ask me. I may tone down the hot sauce if I made this again.

Kielbasa Bites - I made this dish for a holiday work pot-luck event. Kielbasa just generally isn’t my favorite, but I wanted to bring something different. I liked the spicy, sweet and sour notes of the sauce.

I usually would cook a bit more during the holidays, particularly cookies and other items to take to parties. However, with this year being particularly busy, I often relied on a bottle of wine or champagne instead. This worked pretty well - you rarely can go wrong with booze.

Snickie Party-Time:

Soooo many social events were packed in to the month of December. I attended three parties at the homes of friends. Highlights were cranberry champagne cocktails, home-made pad thai, intense aged scotch, a tasty cappuccino punch, and certainly the company of beloved friends.

I also attended a baby shower during the holiday season. Being so close to the heavy eating of the holidays, the hostess opted for a ‘make your own salad’ spread. It was perfectly light and refreshing. This was a great idea for a shower.

I made it to a Pens game too!

And of course I visited some Pittsburgh restaurants during the holiday season:

Nakama – A trip to Nakama was in order to celebrate a belated birthday. Nakama is a wildly popular hibachi and sushi joint on Carson Street. Our table had a massive amount of food. While Nakama isn’t my favorite spot in the Southside, it is definitely a fun place.  I suppose I am just not wowed by the large portions of so-so food. However, although some knock their sushi, I really think it is decent. You could certainly do worse.

Paris 66 Bistro - I ended up at Paris 66 (6018 Centre) a few days before Christmas. I am not sure this visit made me want to rush back. I had the ‘La Marais’ crepe and found the salad portion overwhelming and the dressing odd. Additionally, it was 80 degrees (we could see the thermostat) in the restaurant. While I greatly appreciated the warmth (it was freezing outside that night) this was a bit much. Most of group had sweaters on and were melting. The waitress was a bit aloof. I am not totally sold on this place yet. (see my previous visit here).

Snickie Christmas – Foodie Style:

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day went by in a total flash. Christmas Eve started with early morning homemade Italian donuts at the The Boy’s grandparents’ house. Amazing. From there, The Boy and I dashed to his father’s house for more family time, complete with mimosas. After a short reprieve and mass, it was back to the grandparents’ house for the feast of the seven fishes. They end up with more than seven types of fish – this meal truly is a feast. I had pasta with anchovies, smelts, oysters, shrimp, lobster, crab, scallops, and tuna stuffed calamari. Everything was divine. The work that goes in to this meal is mind-blowing.

After this gorge, The Boy and I got back in the car to head to my family’s Christmas Eve celebration. While I did not eat much here, there was a spread of ham, cheesy potatoes, peel and eat shrimp, cookies, etc. Whew.

Christmas morning brought more mimosas at my parents’ house. Then it was off to my grandparents’ house for more family time. The spread there was brunch/lunch like. I couldn’t resist the old Pittsburgh favorites – I had my share of buffalo chicken dip and crab dip. More shrimp was consumed.

And finally, the home stretch! Christmas dinner was had at The Boy’s house. We had stuffed veal breast, homemade apple sauce, green beans, rolls, and a custard napoleon for dessert. I also had a lovely Barolo during this meal.

Of course, all these amazing meals were shared with lovely family. I felt very grateful to be so blessed this holiday season.

Snickie Haul:

Apparently word has gotten around that I like this food and cooking stuff. I got a ton of food-centric gifts! Thank you fam! I got a slow cooker, a new blender like contraption (supposed to be amazing for smoothies!), a waffle iron, wine and limoncello, and some various spices. Can’t wait to put all these to good use.

And then, the day after Christmas, I went to Costa Rica! Stay tuned for the recap!

I’m back!

I have returned from my Costa Rican adventure. After I adjust to the shock that is Pittsburgh during a particularly chilly January, I will definitely have a few posts up.

Look forward to a quick Christmas recap, lots about Costa Rica, and some New Years musings/thoughts.

Be back soon!

Tamarindo - Costa Rica - 12.31.09

Chicago

I most definitely have been slacking on the posting as of late. Work travel had be all over the place the last few weeks. In my last post, I chronicled a quick trip to Boston. This past week, I was in the great Windy City, Chicago.

I spent my time in Chicago with a group of male coworkers. Try as I might, we ended up sticking to some pretty safe food choices. I was dying to go to Frontera Grill or possibly throw some of my per diem at a Moto or Schwa dinner, but it just wasn’t happening. Oh well.  Some spring and summer events may have The Boy and I making several trips to Chicago – maybe I will be able to try one of those places on the next go-round .

However, please don’t think I was eating Subway the whole time I was in Chicago. I certainly was able to enjoy a decent meal or two…

Lou Malnati’s - One must do deep dish while in Chicago. I have previously been to Giordano’s and think I may have preferred it to Lou’s. However, this stuff was still gooey and tasty and hit the spot after a long day of travel. We hit up the North Wells Street location.

giordano's - 2008

Hannah’s Bretzel – (180 W Washington) – This tiny lunch spot came recommended by a Chi-town bestie (thanks Jul!). I ended up having lunch here twice during my stay. I had the Sergio’s Special (mango chutney, ham, gruyere, jalepenos) and also a prosciutto and goat cheese sandwich. It appears the place uses top quality ingredients and yummy pretzel baguettes. This was a cool little joint.

Hub51 - (51 W Hubbard) - We hit Hub51 on a Tuesday evening with a group of five. This was definitely a great ‘happy hour’  spot. Slightly trendy, lots of young people. I had an Asian chicken salad and a really nice glass of pinot noir. Some others had burgers. The food was solid - not outstanding, but certainly not bad.  Maybe this was just my opinion because I was comparing my dish to the Thai Beef Salad I had at Houston’s last week. That thing was damn good for chain food.

Sushi Samba - (504 N Wells) – I had never been to a Sushi Samba before (I believe they have locations in Vegas, NYC, etc). To be honest, I was not impressed with the sushi here. Maybe I just ordered badly? I had an eel and avocado roll and a vegetable roll. Eh. Others seemed to enjoy their meals, so maybe it was just me. The place definitely has a cool interior and overall funky, night on the town vibe. I definitely enjoyed that.

Harry Caray’s - (33 W Kinzie - Can you tell I was with all guys yet?) – This old school steakhouse was a ‘must do’ for the group I was with. I ended up ordering pasta with red clam sauce here – random but tasty enough. It was a cold night and the cozy hustle and bustle of Harry Caray’s was a welcome reprieve. The bar area was also quite lively. I probably would not return here but it was fun, pub like restaurant.

I managed to squeeze in a super quick Michigan Avenue shopping on Friday afternoon before I had to hit the airport. I have done Michigan Avenue a few times in the past – but never at Christmas. There was a little magic in a the air and I wish I could have spent more time there. I ended up with a sweater from Express and a small ‘mix’ (cheddar and caramel corn) from Garrett’s Popcorn. The smell coming from that place is in-sane.

I am now back in the ‘burgh until the day after Christmas, when The Boy and I head to Costa Rica! Yes, we have the travel bug and we have it bad.  I hope to post before then but if not, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Boston

This week, I was working in Boston, learning about some super cool tax accounting software. Wild times!

(Pic from here.  Camera died once again.)

I ended up having part of Thursday open for exploration. I took full advantage and conducted a self-guided mini walking tour from my base – The Hilton – Financial District.

I saw bits and pieces of Boston Common, Newbury Street, Beacon Hill, Quincy Market, and the North End. Here are some places I nibbled.

Mr. Dooley’s -  (77 Broad) – Irish pub close to the hotel. Food was so so but the place was cozy and pretty crowded considering the area pretty much shuts down after dark.

Houston’s - (60 State) – Upscale chain. They don’t have a Houston’s in Pittsburgh and I was actually pleasantly surprised by my dinner here. The restaurant space (near Quincy market) has a trendy and warm feel. I had the Thai Beef Salad which was pretty darn good. Filet, mango, peanuts, noodles, spicy Thai dressing. In fact it was so tasty that I just might seek out a Houston’s in another city to to get this salad again. Great combination of flavors. Houston’s menu included everything from sushi to steak.

Finagle a Bagel - (Various locations) - Reasonably close to the hotel and a Boston chain. Thought I would check it out. My bagel wasn’t bad (veggie with light cream cheese – certainly better than the Dunkin Donuts cardboard bagel I had the day before) but the decor of the spot left a bit to be desired. I was at the Franklin Street location. It looked like a subway station, in a bad way.  

Neptune Oyster- (63 Salem) - When I found out I had some free time yesterday afternoon, I contemplated my lunch options. I was leaning toward something quick near the hotel but decided at the last minute to take full advantage of my location. I hiked a mile or so to the North End and landed at Neptune Oyster. A glass of prosecco and a buttery lobster roll later, I was stuffed to the gills. I felt like I wouldn’t have to eat for another 3 days – that’s how much lobster was involved.

To be totally honest though, I thought the lobster was a touch chewy. I altogether enjoyed my meal and will likely remember it for quite some time. But the $25 price tag on the lobster roll (as well as my proximity to Boston) may have made this a once in a lifetime treat. If I ever find myself back in Boston, not sure I would return here, but it was cozy, tasty, and good for solo dining.

Bell in Hand – (44-55 Union) – Near Quincy Market. I had a drink here with some coworkers. Cheery little place, all decorated for Christmas. Heck, the bartender even made a Christmas tree outline in the foam of a coworkers Guinness. Can’t beat that. Apparently, this place is also the oldest continually operating tavern in the US or something like that. Nice little pub.

Other places I considered going but did not make it to:

-Pizzeria Regina

-Mike’s Pastry

-Oishii

-Sakura Bana

-JP Licks

Now it is back to the grind in P-burgh. It is colder here than it was in Bean-town!

Lately

So I had a lovely Thanksgiving.

It really was nice – my aunt and uncle had everyone over to their gorgeous home. There were appetizers and deep fried turkeys and wine and sweet potatoes and pies and plum pudding. We had a group of around 25 or so.

My uncle is certainly a Snickie supporter and I fully intended to take some photos of the spread. However, I got caught up in the day and forgot . Sometimes that will happen.

The rest of my Thanksgiving ‘break’ was spent with friends/fighting a cold.

The ‘friends’ part was good stuff – I reunited with my three best friends, two of which now live out of state. We managed to drink cranberry margaritas and Mad Elf on Wednesday night, followed up by buffalo chicken dip, puppy chow, and late night gyros. We tried hard to keep it classy but may have reverted back to our college ways. Again, sometimes that will happen . 

I spent more time with these darling ladies on Friday afternoon, at our ‘Annual Christmas Party’. What started as a group get together in high school has dwindled down to the four of us making and eating large amounts of food, exchanging gifts, and chatting for hours. This was officially the ‘10th Annual Christmas Party’.  This gathering contained a ‘new to me’ dip – Hoagie Dip. I would imagine you might only find this is Southwestern PA and I will admit I was a bit suspicious of the concoction. I will post the recipe once I get a hold of it, but I believe it contained deli meat, mayo, tomato, maybe lettuce and was served with rounds of italian bread.

Oddly enough, I liked the dip. Nostalgic. It reminded me of the ‘hoagies’ sold during elementary school fundraisers. Anyone else remember the distinct scent that would fill the hallways when those hoagies were stacked up for delivery?

Other items at the party included wedding soup, cookies, a fig/walnut/goat cheese crostini, egg nog, and greek dip. Yes, there were only four of us. Don’t judge.

Sadly, the day after the party, I felt sick/achy/congested. I curled up on the couch, ate espresso gelato, and watched crappy TV.

Fast forward a few days, and I am feeling better. Nothing mind-blowing has been happening in the Snickie kitchen, but I have been munching on some new items.

Loving on this bread - I have been using it to make paninis on my foreman - who needs a panini press?

a small mug warmed is the perfect night-cap

my go to cheapie pinot - consistently on sale for under $10 at the PA state stores

I hope to return to the kitchen this weekend. Stay tuned for some Snickie snacks