Mermaid Parade at Coney Island 2012

Yesterday I set off in search for mermaids and sea monsters  in ... Brooklyn. Taking place there was the annual Mermaid Day Parade. All  colorful people who live in my city were marching to coastal Coney Island. In the sun, sea breeze, the blue sky, the wildly positive energy  floated above the ground :)

If you are at the Coney Island boardwalk, there can not be anything better to eat than hot dogs from Nathan's.

I like suprises!

Sometimes the best things come unexpectedly.  I had to sleep and recover. I wanted to have time to finally read through things I never had time to finish. I took up extra pillows, tea, and biscuits. I fell asleep. In the morning the phone rang and there was a change of plans. Unfortunately, again we start the day in traffic jams. This city never sleeps. There is always traffic that you are stuck in. At least there is the time for coffee and a bagel. Five thirty in the morning, and I'm already tired. I whine everyday in the morning ...  But what I had to do was done relatively quickly, and now I am standing between two avenues away from the park. I think to myself, why do I always drive by it, but never go in?  Once something that was a tourist attraction for me, is now just something I drive by everyday, and we both avoid each other without interest. The park somehow faded. It turned pale. I do not like this part of the town in Park Ave, 5 Ave, Madison, Central Park West, the whole museum. The splendor and flash. I heard on television that this year a Russian millionaire's daughter bought an apartment in this area for 80 million dollars. What for? The world is like a bubble that does not appeal to me. But, the park this time seduced me. I went into the green, full of huge linden flowers, where the morning was still, and the at one glance I saw ... wild strawberries!

I like surprises like that, and the day has been very successful.

 Today, I am not cooking. But I have to present a tasty salad, which we bought at Agata & Valentina (I will write about them soon.)

Orecchiette Pasta Salad

 a few cherry tomatoes 

green peas

 broad bean 

chive

 grated parmesan cheese

 olive oil salt

 Cook the paste. Cook green peas and broad beans and after cooking, put it in ice water . Chop tomatoes and chive. Mix all ingredients, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with cheese. The salad was great, but it didn't necessarily knock my socks off.  In my opinion, it could have been included with  more ingredients. Ingredients such as,  olives, zucchini, and peppers. In any case the idea is good :)

New York - I'm not sleeping

Last night I barely slept a wink. Work that is dragged mercilessly took my dream.

The night in the city is different.

You do not feel sleep here.

Only clocks betray the truth, the fleeing minutes.

Breakfast after such  a night has to be nice. It shouldn't be healthy at all. It must be such as I like. Unhurried and sweet. Today - Steffany cake and coffee.

Steffany cake

450 - 500 g tea biscuits

4 cups of milk

20dkg butter

3 tablespoons of cocoa

1/2 cup sugar

9-10 tablespoons of semolina

Dark chocolate + 3 tablespoons whipping cream for topping.

Milk, butter, sugar, boil then added slowly with vigorously stirring porridge  for a minute. When it thickens, add the cocoa. The cream should be set aside to cool.Then translate the still warm cream on  biscuits. Dissolve the chocolate in 3 tablespoons of whipping cream and pour it over the cake. Put the cake in the refrigerator. It is best eaten the next day.

New York- Taking a stroll

Bagel

cream cheese

onion

tomato

smoked salmon

1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup walnuts
2 ripe bananas
1 cup yogurt
1 egg
4 tablespoons oil or melted butter
In a bowl combine all dry ingredients and nuts. In another bowl add mashed bananas , egg, yogurt and oil. Combine all ingredients and put into molds. Bake in temp.350 degrees for about 20 minutes.

1/2 cup orange juice

1/2 cup chopped mango

1/2 cup of ice

honey to taste

and coffee...

I squint my eyes under the blue of the day

Accidental Yeast Waffles

3 cups flour
2 eggs
100g butter, melted
150g sugar + vanilla extract

 powder sugar for sprinkling the waffles
glass of warm milk (not to hot!)
20 g of fresh yeast or 7 g dry

Make leaven yeast , but more or less take 3 tablespoons flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1/4 cup of warm milk and crushed yeast. Milk should not be too hot to not inhibit the yeast grow. All mixed and allowed to stand. In a large bowl poured flour (preferably sieved to aerate), sugar, eggs and milk and knead. Because of my laziness I briefly kneading ingredients with my favorite food processor. Added yeast  and cooled down butter. Knead until dough is shiny and extends from the shoulder work. Cover and leave to rise for about 1.5 hour .Sometimes you can  put the dough in the fridge over night. Then gently knead and bake.  They were to be buns with strawberry filling, but since I moved to the new apartment I still do not have the gas installation(!)... so I made the waffles in the waffle maker.