'Til I Come to New York Town

Virgil's BBQ in Times Square Lunch

IMAX Twisters Movie

Once in a blue moon we feel the need to immerse ourselves in the bigness of the city.  The places we never go, some awesome, some grotesque, like the IMAX Theater in Lincoln Square.  It was a matinee showing of Twisters.  I had visions of slider baskets but the concession clerks were MIA for the whole of the movie.  If you've been caught in the city not knowing where you'll eat while starving, you know the horrors of too many bad choices.  I needed a safe landing spot, so we went with a familiar old favorite, Virgil's BBQ in Times Square. Twisters sucked and the best sound system in the world could not help it out.  The tornado visuals were kind of cool, although the whole larger than life experience felt similar to having a series of strokes. 

Beef Brisket Salad

Grilled Salmon with potato salad and Mac and cheese

Virgil's on the other hand, was void of life and for being in the middle of Times Square, had a surprisingly  hit you in your face glum vibe.  The waitress turned that up to eleven with an even more despondent service.  Without giving this poor woman more problems, I will only say the moment she sat us in the corner facing the kitchen of the non-busy establishment, I was filled with the strong urge to run out of there.  Do you ever do that? Know that you should leave a restaurant the minute you sit down but you don't because that would be rude.  You don't because you should be damned grateful to be sitting at a restaurant to begin with and you think, who am I to be leaving like some snob?  We didn't because we were starved.  But our hunch was right.  This place was sadness incarnate.  Needless to say, I blame myself for this terrible day-off Big-City idea.  But the best way to appreciate how you live is go watch others. 

Central Park walk 

Just What the Truth Is, I Can't Say Anymore

White Bean Turkey Chili or Chili Verde? Which is it?  I'm not sure what I want to call this beauty although I've made her a few dozen times.  Almost everything that goes into her pot is green in color, which for me, is most attractive.  Cilantro, green onion, jalapenos, Poblano Peppers, tomatillos and topped with avocado.  However, it is exceptional to put white beans in chili and the main spice is cumin instead of chili powder, so it's fitting to say white Bean chili.  You toast the cumin seeds while browning the ground turkey.  This alongside tons of garlic provides an awesome broth.

  I added a slurry of yogurt with corn starch to thicken slightly at the end.

The verdict; After careful consideration I realize I have been making two distinct dishes.  This above would be Chili Verde with the difference being, the main star here are the roasted tomatillos and Poblano Peppers. All the green goodness makes this spectacular.  With my white Bean chili, I add a little flour to the browned meat as well as 1/2 of a packet of ranch dressing mix to create a creamier broth.  The white beans I mash up half of them into the broth to make it even thicker.  I'm so glad we could clear this up.

I Thought I Knew You, What Did I Know?

Another Mediterranean Chicken recipe.  This time with artichokes and olives.  I used chicken breasts for a low fat, low carb option.  Of course it's better with thighs, but these worked surprisingly well, especially when you marinate them first. What's great about breasts that I never realized, is that when you cook them well, reheating them does not dry them out  They stay juicy.  This was a great adult lunch box meal for that reason. 

I roasted spicy chick peas and served them alongside a cool, tangy cucumber salad. 

Take the time to open two cans of chick peas, drain, dry and then oil and spice before roasting in a single layer. These are excellent snacks for work and also serve as a nice side dish.  They're great to have around and are still very inexpensive. 

Very Superstitious, Wash Your Face and Hands

Low Carb Lettuce Taco Buffet

I loved the old buffet restaurants back in the day when people weren't gross and could be trusted hovering over vats of hot food.  We weren't too worried about someone hocking a luggie in our wonton soup or lime jello.  There were even overseers of the smorgasbords, chef-looking, apron-wearing men and women standing like soldiers ensuring no one acted uncivilized with portion control or put the wrong ladle in the soup.  

Aside from the germ worry, the great thing about a buffet is the variety.  It can act as an art project so that each diner can create their own masterpiece. 

This was a mini lettuce taco buffet featuring carne asada, ground turkey with cumin and black beans.  You could add guacamole, salsa and sour cream (not shown) to your tacos.  More a child's finger paint set then a oil painting but it was fun. 

One party crasher crashed out early

You Make Me Feel Brand New

Another triglyceride-reducing, low-carb meal via a big pot of chicken vegetable soup.  I'm a huge fan of chunky soups, the more the merrier when it comes to vegetables.  Zucchini, tomatoes, spinach, mushrooms, onions, celery went into the rich chicken stock made with thighs.  I let the stock simmer until the meat can be pulled off the bone, which is great to use thighs as it's just the one bone.  If one was not a fan of chicken, this could also be awesome with white beans or potatoes

 and fresh herbs in the vegetable broth. A giant squeeze of lemon and chili oil make it a great remedy for lingering COVID symptoms as well.  

Touch Me But Don't Take Me Down

Summer COVID strikes.  A nastier version packing more punch and lasting power.  I can't think about how this is most likely shortening my life span due to the damage that is unclear to my heart and lungs, nervous system and God knows what else. But it is clear, these bouts are not just the common cold for a shit ton of people, as the New York Times article seems to elude to today by Emily Baumgaertner, the national health correspondent.  And its all fun and games until more youth is plagued with Long COVID because guess what?  There is not much known or can be done but when you got it, you got it, like Herpes. That's my scientific guess.  I don't believe it goes away.  Time will tell if I'm right. 

Hangry and sad, I made a very quick shrimp pasta with Brussels Sprouts, mushrooms, onions and spinach.  Soy, chili, Sesame oil and garlic went in.  It was so bright and light going down that I was able to concentrate on its nourishing benefits and get my mind off of heart-attack possibilities. 
 

Don't You Know That You Are a Shooting Star

Cabbage is like the shy singer that needs to be coerced to take the stage but that girl can sing, yes she can! Let cabbage play the starring role in this one pot meal, she is ready to headline.  Cabbage, spinach, red onion, ground turkey, tomatoes and chick peas stir fried with soy, garlic, pepper flakes, ginger, rice vinegar, sesame oil and a bit of Hoisin sauce went in to make this a great bowl of food.  Eat it on it's own for a low-carb meal or serve it over brown rice.  

This can be made in one wok or giant skillet and aside from chopping vegetables, you just throw it all in the pot on high heat and keep stirring until its perfect.  The cabbage stays crispy and the flavors explode with the acidity of the tomato and the Asian kick of the ginger and Hoisin.

I've always wondered about the middle of Prospect Park where there allegedly lived a waterfall and woodsy area.  Actually, I believed this to be a 70's gay hotspot but what was it now after they took down the ugly fencing?  Opened, apparently and available for all to admire.  It's big enough where you can get creeped out by going off path and we even found this spooky area where a group was burning candles in a circle and who knows what else.  It was desolate enough for one of those machete wielding crazies to be lurking, so that was enough adventure for me. 

This park isn't that wide, so it was such a treat to enter a section that was shaded and had a little river and off the beaten path enough to feel you really discovered something new.  

We Belong Here, the sign says, so at least someone has validated our choice.  Actually, it probably isn't meant for us, the actual citizens of the city, but instead some group that is feeling oppressed and is comforted by a neon sign atop the Barclays Center subway station.

I'm comforted by a tiny waterfall in the park 

She's Fresh, Exciting! She's So Inviting to Me.

Chicken and Kale Salad

Making a vibrant vinaigrette and taking the time to massage-up the kale, this cold salad was bountiful enough that I didn't crave bread, chips or crackers (too much).  We're white knuckling a low carb diet for a bit. Its always a good idea to cleanse your system, eat the basics until you feel lightened up.  In summer, all of these elements are at their freshest and tastiest, so they can shine in these simple preparations.  

A love my giant IKEA bowl to mix up salads.  There is nothing worse than a too small bowl when you're trying to toss things.  Bell pepper, tomatoes, red onions, mushrooms, avocado and grilled chicken went on the massaged kale.  I made the salad dressing on the bottom so I could mix it all together when serving.  

The Dressing:

-Dijon Mustard

-EVOO

-garlic clove minced

-squirt of honey

-lemon juice & zest

-salt and pepper

-pinch of oregano

Whatta Man, Whatta Mighty Good Man!

Stuffed Poblano Peppers

No purchased cat toy will ever be as interesting as a box.

No pepper will ever be as handsome and delicious as the Poblano.  Baked and stuffed with chicken or turkey, beans and  pico de gallo is a low-carb meal idea that is super simple to prepare because you don't need to parboil the peppers and you can actually leave all the seeds in if you're lazy because they're quite mild.  Split the dark emerald green fellers open, salt pepper and stuff.  I had some juices from my shredded chicken but you could add a little chicken stock to the bottom of the baking dish.  This pepper is strong and resilient, yet tastes smoky and elegant.  Somehow he provides an elevated culinary experience to the standard bell pepper.

I covered and baked for 35 minutes before putting cheese on mine and baked uncovered until melted, about 5 minutes more.

A big dollop of cool guacamole is a great side, as would Mexican or brown rice. But if you're low carbin' it, this works just fine.