C'mon everybody! get your Roller Skates today....

 Starry & BB got their Roller Skates...

You just don't see kids roller skating anymore. When I was a kid, I would roller skate with one skate, sharing another with a friend. I have never been an athletic gal, so one skate did me just fine. Navigating from one end to the other end of the block without hitting any cracks in the cement was a challenge. I recall visiting the local skating rink, I must have been 7 or 8. I went a few times in Brooklyn, and a few more while visiting family in Massena, NY. It was such a free feeling, gliding by while Madonna, Hall & Oates, Rick Springfield, and Joan Jett would blare out of  the DJ booth. 

You can rent skates, or bring your own like Starry did. 

Starr had a wonderful time today at United Skates, in Seaford. A friend from school had a birthday party. It was a lot of fun. My sister, Lisa even decided to take a ride around the rink. This place is great to take the kids on a rainy day. A pleasant change from video games and the internet. For less than 10 bucks you can skate for two hours. The rink is not over crowded. The kids skate in one direction, and the staff regulates to insure safety. I recommend United Skates for a fun day for the kids, and adults alike. 

                                                             

Classic. 

American Jazz History in Corona- The Louis Armstrong House

Ms. Selma, Louis and Lucille Armstrong's friend and neighbor.

Louis Armstrong—the world’s most famous jazz musician—was an international celebrity who could have lived anywhere. Yet in 1943, he and his wife, Lucille, settled in a modest house in Corona, Queens, where they lived for the remainder of their lives. No one has lived in the house since the Armstrongs, and the house and its furnishings remain very much as they were during Louis and Lucille’s lifetime. Starr and I went to 34-56 107th st in Corona to check out the Louis Armstrong House Museum. It is open to the public, offering guided tours of Louis’s longtime home. Admission is 8 dollars for adults and 6 dollars for students and seniors. Parking is convenient since the home is located on a residential street. On the tour, audio clips from Louis’s homemade recordings are played, and visitors hear Louis practicing his trumpet, enjoying a meal, or talking with his friends.  One of my favorite parts of the tour is when the guide spoke of Armstrongs' friendship with entertainer Tony Bennett, describing back yard summer parties where they would sing and encourage neighborhood kids to take part.

Tour information and ticket center.

     This house is a real piece of American Musical History. If you are looking for a quiet kinda day, where you will learn some cool stuff and perhaps meet a few people that could tell you a thing or two about Jazz music first hand, Check out the Louis Armstrong House.     Ms. Selma was Lucille and Louis' close friend and neighbor, she lived on the block before Louis Armstrong moved there. Starr and I were lucky enough to have a chat with her. She told us that the Armstongs were the kindest, giving neighbors anyone could wish for. Louis would come home from being on tour, play his trumpet on the stoop, buy all the kids on the block ice cream, and laugh at just about everything, he always had a smile. 

Another affordable day of learning and fun in NYC!

Doin' our thing in Queens... next stop 5Pointz

Starr with one of the many friendly Graffiti Artists @ 5Pointz.

Sun is shinnin', birds are chirpin' and aerosol paint cans are paintin' at 5Pointz, an Aerosol Art Center. This unique outdoor art exhibit space in Long Island City, New York is considered to be the world’s premiere “graffiti Mecca,” where aerosol artists from around the globe paint colorful pieces on the walls of a 200,000-square-foot factory building. The name 5Pointz signifies the five boroughs coming together as one, as a result of its reputation as an epicenter of the graffiti scene, the industrial complex has actually united aerosol artists from across the world. 

View of 5Pointz from Crane St. 

Every wall , corner , and crevice is covered in beautiful graffiti!

 Legendary writers from Canada, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Japan, Brazil, and all over the United States have painted on the building walls. 5Pointz gallery curator, Jonathan Cohen, a.k.a Meres, plans to convert the five-story, block-long industrial complex at Jackson Avenue and Davis Street into a graffiti museum. He is currently seeking a 501(c)3 certification for 5Pointz to confer tax-exempt status and allow tax-deductible donations .In addition, he plans to open a school for aspiring aerosol artists, complete with a formalized curriculum that imparts lessons in teamwork, art history, and entrepreneurship in addition to technique.

Starr checking out all of the very vibrant art work.

This place is larger than life. There is so much to look at that your eyes don't know where to focus first! Parking is a breeze, there is a parking lot right in back of the building. There are lots of young people appreciating the art. You can sit back and watch the very friendly graffiti artists at work. 5pointz is located off of Van dam  at the corner of Jackson Ave. and Crane St. Less than a half hour from Central Long Island, and just a subway ride from any of the five boroughs. The best part is that it's free! 

Panelle and Cannoli make for a Good Friday.

Panelle Special, Tastiest 6 Bucks you are gonna spend at Gino's

So if you don't know, you are about to find out. On this Good Friday, I found my way to Brooklyn's 18th ave to enjoy some of my favorite Sicilian treats. Traditionally, Good Friday is a day that Catholics all over the world refrain from eating meat for religious reasons. So driving down 18th ave is a the perfect place to pick up some delicious vegetarian Italian fare, that would be absolutely, without a doubt, IMPOSSIBLE to find anywhere else but my favorite borough, Brooklyn. Gino's Focceria  on 72nd st and 18th ave, is the place to be. Ever try a Panelle Special? Panelle is a chick pea fritter made of fried chick pea flour batter, on a soft Brooklyn roll smothered in fresh oozing ricotta. They have the all kinds of fish salads, cold salads, rice balls, and potato croquets. The smell of the oil frying my food brings me back to when I was a kid. 

I don't need fancy, Gino's is perfect!

Maybe you are looking for a sweety treat? One block down, at the corner of 71st and 18th ave is the Mecca of all Italian Bakeries, Villabate Alba. When I walk in I get so distracted by all the delicious choices, I have to regroup..lol! I never tasted a fresher Sfogliatelli, a classic Italian pastry with ricotta filling and a cake-like consistency in a crunchy shell in my life. The cannoli is the creamiest. Everything is always consistently fresh. Everything I have ever gotten from this Bakery is delicious.

Pastry @ Villabate Alba

I Just Can't Get Enough!

Ask for Organic Skim Milk to make this Green Tea Frap a healthy choice!

One of my favorite things in the whole wide world is contained in this plastic Starbucks cup. Green Tea Frappucinos. I am not a coffee drinker, I actually think coffee is gross, but that's another blog topic...lol  Green Tea is such a delicious flavor. I described it as a little vanilla, plum and cherry flavors. I recall when Starbucks would carry melon flavored syrup. That stuff was the perfect touch to a slushy, whippy creamy Green Tea Frappucino. I always order it without the whip cream topping, I like to taste the Green Tea straight up. People often wonder what makes this drink so green? It's something called Green Tea Matcha Powder.

Green Tea Matcha Powder

Matcha is premium green tea powder from Japan used for drinking as tea or as an ingredient in recipes.  While other green teas are grown throughout the world, matcha is unique to Japan.  It is the heart of the Japanese way of tea and has been celebrated in the traditional Japanese tea ceremony for hundreds of years. I purchase mine online at Gayot. You can also find Matcha powder at The Asian Market located on Portion rd in Ronkonkoma. Matcha can also be used to flavor ice cream, cupcakes, and puddings. I also use it when making Bubble Tea.

Starbucks also makes a very refreshing Iced Green Tea. Next time you are in the mood for something unique and sweet..try a Starbucks Green Tea Frap!

Pickles, Doughnuts, and Bialys...Oh MY!

The many delicious varieties of gourmet doughnuts @ the Plant!

You will never look at Grand street the same again! It's one stop shopping and what you are going to pick up is like nothing you ever had before! I am not a doughnut girl. Dunkin Donuts, Krispy Kreme...Blah! Until I visited the Doughnut Plant @ 379 Grand Street. Wow! This place is like a closet, serving freshly made doughnuts out of the back as they are ready makes for an unbelievable doughnut experience.  With flavors like Creme Brule, Pistachio, Tres Leche, and Peanut Butter and Blackberry Jelly...these are not your fast food chain doughnuts. The Raspberry Creme doughnut is glazed with homemade fresh crushed raspberries!

Doughnuts not your thing, no fear. Check out Kossars Bialys. Located @ 367 Grand St., you will find the dough-e-est, fluffiest bagels you ever had. Crunchy on the outside. Just the way I like a bagel. The bialys are full of onions. So good! Originally baked in Bialystok, Poland, the bialy was carried to New York City by Jewish immigrants. The oldest bialy factory in the United States is Kossar's. 

How to enjoy a Kossar's Bialy

1 bialy
Butter or cream cheese

Baking the bialy a little bit extra at home just before serving, to get them to the desired degree of brown. Do not slice bialy, bagel-style. Spread a fresh, hot bialy with either butter or cream cheese, either on the bottom or over the top of the roll. If underneath, take care not to shake loose the onions and, if there are some, poppy seeds. If spreading butter or cheese over the top, stuff a little extra spread into the well to form an especially luscious mouthful.

Not into Carbs? Doughnuts, Bagels, Bialys not your thing? Ok, right around the corner @ 49 Essex Street are the The Pickle Guys. With fresh pickled good made daily, you are sure to find a garlicky, vinegary slice of pickley fun! 

They have everything, Gardinera Salad, Hot and Sweet Peppers, Olives, and all types of crispy freshly made pickles.

Look at the Easter Bunny!

Family Circus cartoon, from 1982. "Look At The Easter Bunny" song @ 1:00 

I remember walking 13th ave as a child in Brooklyn with my grandma. She would always get me and my sisters whatever we wanted, but Easter was particularly special time. It seemed like the avenue was filled with an endless supply of Easter treats! From the drug store to the pork store, we would pick up all kinds of treats that could only be found during this time of year. Below are a few of my favorites.

Something very special about these colorful plastic eggs in a net.

An egg, a little vinegar and dye tablet, Magic in a box for 99cents!

Pizza Rustica from the Pork Store..YUMMY!

Russel Stover Creme Center Eggs

The drug store Easter Basket

My favorite Easter treat of them all! The Cadbury Creme Egg.

Heavenly Halo Halo

Adding Mochi and Tapioca Pearls Makes Halo Halo Extra Fun!

I am looking at this photo in awe of the sweetness, texture, and beauty of this dessert. Halo Halo has to be one of the most dreamiest desserts to ever exist. Halo Halo is a traditional summer cooler from the Philippines. Made with sweet beans and mongo beans, a blend of fruit, evaporated milk, shaved ice and a scoop of delicious ube ice cream. The sweet treat gets its unique color from the ube (“ooo-bee” or “ooo-bay”), an incredibly vibrant, sweet, purple yam used in a variety of Filipino desserts (like ube cake, ube buns, and ube macaroons ). I first had Halo Halo at Purple Yam with Starr a couple of years ago. Purple Yam , is located on Courtelyou Road in Brooklyn. They carry many specialties from the Philippines. So delicious. 

This is one variation of Halo Halo.

In Ronkonkoma, there is a great Asian Market that carries many elements that make up Halo Halo.  Located on Portion Road, it is a local, friendly place that you can find many specialty items that I have mentioned. This is a wonderful treat for kids and adults alike. So try something new and enjoy!

Halo-Halo Recipe

(Tropical Fruit Melange)

• 2 tablespoons kaong or...
  2 tablespoons nangka (jackfruit)
• 2 tablespoons macapuno (a variety of coconut meat sold in bottles)
• 2 tablespoons sweetened kidney beans
• 2 tablespoons sweetened garabanzos
• 2 tablespoons sweetened plantains
• 2 tablespoons ube or yam
• 2 tablespoons custard or creme caramel
• 2 tablespoons sweetened corn kernels
• crushed ice  to fill glass
• 2/3 evaporated milk
• a scoop of ice cream on top

Fancy Feet

Fancy feet anyone? 

This beautiful weather gets me excited for summer days, swimming pools, tans and exposed feet. Yes, I said exposed feet..lol! I have been a chronic fingernail biter ever since I could remember, so although my fingernails are not as pretty as I wish, I more than make up for it with my pretty toes!
I have always admired the beautiful colors and flowing fabrics of India. A few years ago I discovered the art of Mendhi. Mehndi is the Hindi word for Henna, henna painting and the resulting designs. Henna are crushed leaves that stain the skin once applied in paste form. The art of henna is used for special occasions, and more recently has crossed over into mainstream style. Last summer I had Mendhi done locally, after a pedicure. The henna "tattoo" lasts from anywhere to 3 weeks to 2 months depending on your type of skin. I have found tubes of henna for sale on the internet, and have ordered them to give myself henna designs whenever I feel like fancy feet! 

Herbal Henna Paste for sale online. This is what I use for my henna tattoos
.www.hennaindia.net

Tips on making your henna design last
Keep the paste on your skin for 4 hours minimum. This can be difficult since the paste will dry and start to flake off. You can spray or dab a mixture of lemon juice & sugar to moisten the paste and let the dye continue to seep out of the paste into your skin. Another way to keep paste on is to use a "liquid bandage" (such as "New-skin") or by wrapping the area with a thin breathable bandage (eg. gauze). Flexible micropore tape is ideal, but you can get by with toilet paper!

After removing the henna paste, do not get the area wet or wash within the first 24 hours. The henna 'dye' is just beginning to oxidize (darken) and by contacting the top layers of skin with water, soap, etc you will remove some of it.

Aftercare

• Do not apply suntan lotions or moisturizers to the area.
• Do not go swimming in chlorinated pools. To protect the stain, apply oil (eg. olive, vegetable or carrier oils like sweet almond oil) or cocoa/shea butter to the area to protect it.
• Also avoid contact with bleaches, exfoliants and alpha-hydroxy/anti-bacterial (acne) soaps. These will exfoliate your "dyed" skin cells quicker than normal.

Kiss My Grits!

Pan Fried Polenta with Fresh Tomatoes and Cannelli Beans

During my last visit to Trader Joes, I picked up this peculiar fat tube of yellow mushy stuff. In all of my years of eating, preparing, cooking Italian food, I have never thought to try Polenta. I mean, I always knew it was corn meal, a classy version of grits, you can say, so knowing that I have passed on this staple of what I call the "Olive Garden" italian kitchen. Maybe because when I have seen it prepared, it was deep fried, or drenched in fatty sauces, not foxy. So tonight, I broke out the organic polenta and followed the recipe below. You can use any type of bean, I am thinking that if I did this again I could do a black bean, mango, corn salsa. It was a nice vegetarian meal, tasty, light and fresh. 

Ingredients
2 ½ cups chopped ripe tomatoes
1 cup canned cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
½ cup chopped fresh basil
½ teaspoon each salt & black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 (16 ounce) package prepared polenta, sliced into ¼-inch-thick rounds
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions


1. Stir together tomatoes, beans, basil, salt and pepper. Let stand at room temperature 15 minutes to blend flavors. (I added a drizzle of olive oil.)

2. Heat 1 Tablespoon olive oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add half the polenta slices to skillet; cook until golden brown on both sides, about 4 minutes, turning once. Remove polenta from skillet. Repeat with remaining oil and polenta slices.

3. Arrange polenta on a serving plate. Spoon tomato-bean mixture on top. Sprinkle with cheese and garnish with basil.

Makes 4 servings

My Favorite Blonde!

If you know me, you know how much I enjoy coloring my hair. I believe that regardless of your skin tone, weight or height anyone can pull off blonde. As long as it's the right shade with the correct undertones. My rule is if I am going blonde, I keep it short. The most frustrating thing about going blonde when you are born with such dark hair is keeping the brass away! Brassy blondes are not foxy. 

Shimmer Lights shampoo & conditioner tone down brassy gold and red tones

The number one mistake that many people make when dying their own hair is thinking that the color of the model's hair on the box is what they're going to get in their final results. There are a few things to consider when shopping for products to take dark hair up to a beautiful blonde.

The very first thing to remember is that semi-permanent products cannot lighten the hair! Many people see the blonde model on the front of a box and think that's the shade they will achieve whether it's semi-permanent or not. When shopping for hair coloring products, do not purchase any semi-permanent colors.

Those with hair darker than light brown most likely will not be able to use a permanent hair color to lighten the hair successfully to a beautiful blonde. The reason is that permanent haircolor is only designed to lift a certain amount of pigment from the hair, and then it deposits color. Those with darker hair have more red and gold pigment in the hair than shades light brown or lighter. Permanent color is not strong enough to successfully lift all of the red and gold pigments from dark hair to take it to the necessary yellow or pale yellow level needed for a beautiful shade of blonde. If the hair is dark and a light blonde permanent hair color is purchased thinking it will produce the results of the model's hair color on the box, expect that the hair will be orange and brassy!

Dark brunettes will need to purchase a hair lightener or bleaching product to achieve the proper degree of lightening. Once hair has been lightened to the proper stage, a toner may be applied to achieve a natural looking blonde shade.

Those with hair light brown or lighter should be able to successfully go blonde with a permanent hair coloring product. Be sure to check the box and confirm the darkest starting hair color the particular shade can be applied to. If the hair is darker than that starting color shown on the box, use a lightener to avoid brassiness.

If you are in doubt, go to a professional. There is no reason to walk around with peroxide orange locks. Summer is around the corner, so why not find out if blondes have more fun! 

Mochi @ Trader Joes

Mochi are little balls of ice cream (about golf ball size) all wrapped up in a Japanese manju coating. Manju are Japanese confections with a sweet filling and a sort of glutinous outer layer made from mochi, or pounded rice cakes. This same outer layer is what surrounds the ice cream. They're dusted with rice flour so they don't stick to things. I first discovered these in Chinatown a few years ago. I was surprised to find them at my favorite new food spot...Trader Joes.
These are amazingly good. Trader Joe's usually has them in chocolate, strawberry, green tea, and mango flavors. The green tea and mango ones are excellent. I can take or leave the chocolate and strawberry ones.  Nothing very special about strawberry and chocolate when you can find Red Bean! They come six to a package, I can't wait to bring these to my sisters' house on Sunday for everyone to try!