Ugh I know!

I know, I know, I know. I have not been good about this at all lately. I am really sorry!

And I am not even going to be able to really make up for it here. Aaghh! But as a quick overview of things:
Matty's birthday party went really really well. Well, for most of us it did. The weather held out for enough time that we got some chance to grill and then people periodically had time to hang out outside (much to the chagrin of one of our neighbors apparently who thinks that 11pm is quite late enough for people to be sitting around talking in their own backyard.) But Matty really enjoyed himself, which made me very happy since he was dreading celebrating this birthday.

We went to RI/MA the following weekend to:
Meet up with
1) One of Matty's URI roommates (Eric) who now lives in Redding, CA with wife and son and is currently expecting baby number 2. He was in Lynnfield, MA (his hometown) for a wedding and we hadnt yet met his wife or son (long long story there) or seen him since 2005.
2) Matty's other URI roommate (Liam) who now lives in Los Angeles, CA and was able to come in for the weekend which also coincided nicely with a family reunion of his own.
3) Another of Matty's URI friends (Justin) who now lives in Cranston, RI (recently from Chicago, IL) who we haven't seen since Matty left URI for Pitt.
Spend the night with:
4) Beth and Erich who are now in beautiful Central Square, Cambridge, MA. They have a lovely new apartment where we spent the night (and late into the morning) up talking. And Matty has (of course) fallen in love with Boston all over again. This I am perfectly fine with. We had dinner at Miracle of Science Bar and Grill. It was very good but there are claims that it has the best burger in Cambridge and I am not sure I am buying that. But good prices, good food, good beer selection and neat atmosphere (though the menu is a bit hard to read).
And:
5) Got my hair cut! Yay!
6) Hung out for a bit at Wickendon St. Pub with Liam, Justin, Liam's brother and firned. Which is kinda neat since we never really hang out in Providence. And by "never really" I mean really never.
7) In-the-garage Father's Day BBQ at Matty's parents place. Ridiculous amounts of food and a very silly watermelon holder which I will have to post pics of.

Phew. Ok, so done with the traveling right? Nope.
This weekend, (after an absolutely amazing rooftop movie screening of Ed Wood Friday night) we went to New York to celebrate the new apartment of Matty's high school friend Jeff and his girlfriend in Williamsburg with some croquet. Brooklyn, not Virginia. Home of the hipsters. A very cool neighborhood and a very cool apartment. Croquet in the park was certianly something different. Something different that I am not at all good at.

We got there via Eastern who partners with MegaBus. I do not think we will be taking them again. Firstly, we were supposed to leave at 9am. We ended up leaving after 10 because the bus had to be replaced since the original one broke down. Which is fine except that they refused to give us any information until 9:30. Secondly, there was absolutely no organization for the lines. Everyone was in one big line and then they suddenly announce that the DC people all had to go inside (their shoe box of an office) to check in and so then there was all this confusion since we didnt even know there was a DC bus. They were scheduled to leave at the same time as us. And on the New York side, there is no place to wait for the bus except on the sidewalk in front of other businesses, whose owners then kept coming out and yelling at us to get out of their way. In Chinese. And again, no order for the lines so there were definitely 2 (I think actually 3) buses worth of people (for buses scheduled to leave simultaneously again) all milling about on this sidewalk we werent supposed to be on. It was all very disorganized and there was no information given to any of us ever. Personally I do not think it was worth the $4 (roundtrip) we saved over our normal Chinatown bus, New Century Travel, who have always been on time and at least tell us what is going on.

But our actual time in New York was lovely. If you are in Williamsburg and looking for some tasty pizza I would recommend Anna Maria Pizza on Bedford between 7th and 8th. Very tasty and filling. And if you are looking for very reasonably priced brunch in a beautiful place in Carroll Gardens I would recommend Le Petit Cafe. Matty has once again decided he wants to live in New York. This I am not OK with and am completely serious in saying that he will have to leave me if he wants to live there. Or we will have to live separately. Because I am not moving to New York. Also he is talking again about not wanting to have kids. Which worries me, but I am not ready to bring it up again.

Let me see. Oh right, Center City Sips Review Week 2: Mexican Post. We missed 2 Sipses due to me being so pissed at my boss I couldnt deal with people 1 week and then a Phillies game the next (they lost 7-1 to the Blue Jay's and it was pouring). So this was our second week of Sips and we decided to try the lawyerly hangout that is Mexican Post - Love Park. Specials: $2 lager and Bud. $3 Gallo Copperidge Chardonnay and La Terra Cabernet. $4 Margarita on the rocks, Watermelon Leblon (dont know what this is, didnt know it was an option). $2 (I think) tacos (supposedly ground beef, chicken or beans but we were told only ground beef), Mexican Pizza (supposedly cheese or ground beef, but we were only told ground beef).

Pros: $2 lager. $4 margaritas. $2 tacos and mexican pizza. Sips specials with table service. Cons: Full of yuppy-type, self-important lawyer-types. The margaritas are not very good. The ground beef on the food is a bit on the watery side and the mexican pizza was too soggy to pick up.

We got to sit outside which was nice, until it rained. It was a nice change I guess, got to see what the people who work West of Broad are like. Were the pros worth the cons? I dont know. I probably wouldnt choose it to go back to. But if the lawyers want to go back I might go. I would probably avoid the food next time, simply due to messiness. And maybe find out what the watermelon thingy is.

Movies:
Man on Wire (2008). The story of Phillipe Petit's 1974 high wire walk between the (then brand new) World Trade Center Towers. It is pretty good and you should see it. I wouldnt necessarily bump it to the top of your queue, but definitely see it when you get a chance. He is a very interesting (and possibly completely crazy) guy. And what went into this stunt was ridiculous. But it is still the story of a guy doing a crazy and illegal high wire walk. So there isnt a whole lot going on necessarily. But again, worth seeing.

And finally. Some recipes of some new dips that I made for Matty's party. They were all awesome and I would totally recommend them all.

Skordalia

Cooking Light, APRIL 2008
This is a tangy potato garlic dip that I first had a Greek restaurant. This dip's olive oil—with its beneficial monounsaturated fats—tames the heady garlic. Serve with crudités.

1 pound peeled red potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces (I used 1/2 red and 1/2 regular potatos)
10 garlic cloves, peeled
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
4 teaspoons chopped fresh chives

1. Place potatoes in a large saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 14 minutes. Add garlic to pan; cook 1 minute. Drain potato mixture in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Place potato mixture and reserved liquid in a food processor; add oil, juice, and salt. Pulse until smooth. Cover and chill overnight. Sprinkle with chives before serving.

Yield: 2 1/3 cups (serving size: about 1 1/2 tablespoons) CALORIES 38 (67% from fat); FAT 2.9g (sat 0.4g,mono 2.1g,poly 0.3g); IRON 0.1mg; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 3mg; CARBOHYDRATE 2.7g; SODIUM 57mg; PROTEIN 0.5g; FIBER 0.4g

Cumin Curried Hummus

Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2004
A great use for whole cumin seed if you have them around like I did! Also, I made this the night before to let the flavors intensify. The pic is what it is supposed to look like, and is pretty close. The flavor of the hummus is similar to that of Indian lentil dal but is much easier to prepare. Serve with warm pita wedges.

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon curry powder (I used hot Madras curry)
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 (15 1/2-ounce) cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained

Heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add curry and cumin; cook 30 seconds or until fragrant, stirring constantly. Place garlic mixture, water, and remaining ingredients in a food processor; process until smooth.

Yield: 3 cups (serving size: 1/4 cup) CALORIES 82 (29% from fat); FAT 2.6g (sat 0.2g,mono 1.4g,poly 1g); IRON 1.2mg; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 27mg; CARBOHYDRATE 12.2g; SODIUM 254mg; PROTEIN 3g; FIBER 3g

Baba Ganoush and Pita Crisps

Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray, 2008

Prep Time: 30 min,Cook Time: 20 min, Level: Easy, Makes: 2 cups (That is the supposed to look like pic again)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds (2 to 3 small) firm eggplant, halved lengthwise
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup, a generous handful, flat-leaf parsley
• 3 tablespoons tahini paste
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted
• 2 bags pita crisps, any flavor (recommended: Stacy's)

Directions

Turn broiler on high.

Brush cut eggplant with olive oil on flesh side, drizzle over skin side. Season the eggplant with salt and pepper. Place flesh side down on nonstick baking sheet and leave under broiler 4 to 5-inches from heat until skin is charred and flesh is very tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes.

Scoop out eggplant flesh into food processor. Paste garlic with some salt mashing it with the side of your knife. Add garlic and the juice of 1 lemon to processor. Add parsley and tahini to processor and process until smooth. Adjust salt then transfer dip to a bowl and stir in half the pine nuts, garnish with remaining nuts. Surround the dip with pita crisps and serve.

Ok. I hope that satisfies and I will try to be better in the future.