Jack of all trades



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 In this economic climate it seems that many people are attempting to diversify themselves. Up skill themselves. And why not? I know I am. I've always considered myself a Jack of all Trades. I am very passionate and good at many things... but master?... I'm just not sure. I've been thinking and researching on this topic for a while now, of what I am good at,  what my core skills are, what I should pursue to better myself to provide more opportunities, but more importantly what I can be really passionate about. I looked into college courses, etc. in areas I think I'd like.. Event planning, flower arranging, letterpress, photoshop, anything creative really. I love projects. But many seem suuuper expensive for something I am not totally committed to.. and then I came across this site. CourseHorse! So cool! It's like all the extra curriculars you wanted to take without the heavy college fees. I think I am going to try and take a few of these classes this fall and see where it leads. I know several friends who are starting their own businesses and kinda want to learn through practice and it seems like this is a great place to see if you can pick up some extra skills. Cause when all is said and done, no job seems secure anymore. Now more than ever it seems the key word you need on your resume is adaptable. Anyone have any experience with this? Have you embraced and interest and cultivated it into your main source of income? Any tips for those starting off down the long road to self employment? :)

The Lot and the Highline

One of these past summer weekends (I'm waaay behind in my posting!) We took our first trip to the Highline. I'd heard bits about it over the last few years, but didn't really understand what it was. It is actually an elevated park that was built on top of an old train line that runs from Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District to West 34th Street, between 10th & 11th Avenues. In the 1930's the city used the line to lift dangerous freight trains off the New York streets. In the 80's the line stopped entirely and fell into disrepair and in the 90's they began the transformation of the rails into a really cool park. Its a fantastic place for a stroll after dinner to watch the sunset, and I hear they even have stargazing events at night. It's amazing how peaceful it is there with all the flowers and people laying on the big grassy lawns. I love it there because although you are still in the hustle and bustle of the city, it offers such a wonderful opportunity to stop and just take everything in. Nature can bring so much refreshment to a hot, old, tired city and its dwellers.

We stopped by the Lot before hand to grab some food (Korilla BBQ!) and had a great time taking pictures and people watching as we walked along the park. The Lot itself is such a fun place to visit. Exactly how it sounds, the Lot is ..... a Lot. Each day of the week different famous food trucks from around the city pull up and form a sort of bohemian food court. They also have beers on tap and ROLLERSKATING! So fun with a group of people. I think Uniqlo even has a pop up shop there for those who really like to multitask and shop while they rollerskate, or more likely for those of us who head over right after work, and would love a change of comfy clothes ha!



This photo is so perfect to describe the Highline. Nature and city intersect.



Lunch Break Staycation



oo la la


Ugh I could definitely do with one of these right now. A few weeks ago, my lovely hubby met me for Lunch! Actually it was the monthaversary of us being married for Jesus ;) (we had 2 weddings, a civil ceremony last year and a big ol' Irish Catholic wedding this June, of which I kept saying..."This ones for Jesus!") He was so sweet and surprised me with a bouquet of hydrangea to remind me of Nantucket (where we met) and took me to Le Pain Quotidien for yummy sandwiches. Right next to the bakery on 53rd street is a little alcove with a waterfall and tables and chairs for outdoor lunching. We grabbed our baguettes and snatched up a table. As we were chatting and sampling the sandwiches we had selected, I realize that I felt so relaxed and so out of NYC! It was like a little mini Parisian vacation or I suppose a Parisian style staycation. I went back to work and had a really nice afternoon. I felt so refreshed. Anyone have any ideas where we should try next? What is your favorite place to escape and feel like you are somewhere else. To just put life on hold for 30 mins or a few hours?

mmm sangwig

Weekend Update

This weekend was the best of both worlds. For me. For poor Daryll it meant working all Saturday evening and missing a fantastic friend reunion, only to be free Sunday for all the "Suzie homemaker" business. Sigh, thems the breaks of being a grown up in the restaurant business I guess... But yes this weekend was very nice.. For me.

Friday night consisted of girly dinner and drinks at one of our old standbys Arriba, Arriba in Sunnyside. 5$ Margaritas and pretty decent Mexican food. Yes and yes. My bff Lowra and I had a lovely chat per usual, and my carne asada taco's definitely hit the spot. Daryll = working, but then a surprise! The restaurant was dead (this being August in NYC and all the restaurant's regulars, i.e. finance people were either in the Hampton's or in their various other summer houses. Seriously, August in NYC is void of most of the high falutins. Especially on the weekends. Yay for plebs!) so D got to come home early and meet us at Molly Blooms, a beautifully redone Irish pub also on Queens Blvd. in Sunnyside. They have a rad back garden for drinks and food during the summer. Definitely check it out if you are in the area. We were just enjoying our Woo woos, (i.e. the vodka, cran, and peach schnapps ridiculous drink special for the night) and a chat when the "best bar owner ever" stopped on by. This guy was everything I love about Ireland. Irish of course, extremely friendly, witty, and deliciously irreverent. Seriously the jokes that he was coming up with were hilarious and shocking. Wonderful! He totally sold us on a trip back to the pub
which goes to show, if you are friendly with your guests and make them feel at home, they will not only have a great time but want to return to keep the good times rollin'. Plus, he reminded us all of D's dad so much it made my heart smile. We are so homesick for our families! I definitely have the sweetest most fun in-laws ever so anyone that reminds us of them has to be good people.

Saturday was a busy one. We got up early at 11am. tee hee. and headed over to our friends, Smashryn and Job's house on the upper west side for their house warming party. I got to see the place a few weeks back when it was infested with Smashryn boxes, but now the place looks super swank! They both put in long and hard hours to make their home look great (note Job's pseudonym is..well..Job.. like the bible man. That should give you a clue as to the trials of the S and J apt) and it all paid off. It was a lovely party with homemade fancy cake, and sangria, and gifts of bacon. D did get to partake in a few hours of the party, and then he went to work, and I went off to BEER GARDEN! Beer Gardening is an important agricultural activity here in New York. One cannot have summer without it. There were many people that were ...um... watered, and card games that were...um...sowed ...Our good friend, hmm lets call her Jan, came over from Philly to visit, and we all had a good catch up. We took a break from drinking for some life changing Greek food over at Taverna Kyclades in Astoria, and more drinking. Really a perfect evening with Drinks, Friends and Fried Cheese! mmm.



very serious business, this beer gardening..

 Sunday= Cleaning, Trader Joe's food shopping, and Irish Stew making... All of which Daryll got to participate in. Lucky boy! Definitely the best part of the weekend to piggy back on, don't you agree..Not! Cue sad trumpets....:(

Notice for a post this long winded there should most definitely be more photos. Greek and Mexican tastiness- MIA, Apartment Party and Fancy Cake-Absent. Say it with me ala JFK. "We can do bettah!"

Imperial Woodpecker Snoballs



They also sell ZAPP'S chips! Best chips ever. Like Cape Cod's dirty older sibling. Much more interesting and exciting but probably really bad for you.

Upon returning from our honeymoon, I was super excited to start blogging again about all things wedding. Then I decided that I would rather wait until we received our professional photo disk in the mail so I could feature some really fancy images of the day and look all professional blogy like......then another month slipped through my fingers..... poop.

It seriously seems like summer months speed by at twice the rate of, say, sleepy ol' January or February. Those definitely feel like the longest ones in my book and before you know it, it's winter again and I have to blog about snowmageddons and boots and shovels and the inside of my apartment...NOOOOO....So before all the hot, sticky, jacket free, sundress wearing deliciousness of summer disappears let's just get to it, and worry about the wedding recap at a later date. Oh the suspense! I know. Any who,  here is a bit about my new summer '11 food favorite, Imperial Woodpecker Snoballs. Yay!

As a New Orleans girl, I was delighted to hear that a fellow NOLA chick, Neesa Peterson, had decided to put her fashion career on hold indefinitely to bring a little summer joy to the Manhattan masses. After a few great write ups like the one linked above, and some guerrilla social media tactics, the little snowball shop got off the ground. With New Orleans people, good food news travels fast. Just a few short day's after their opening, my hometown NOLA loves and I had already visited the shop 2 times, however many more trips are in order to sample all the deliciousness on the MASSIVE menu..

Just a snippet of the massive menu

For those of you who aren't familiar with Snoballs. They are a billion times better than snow cones. They don't even compare to snow cones. Snow cones will break your teeth if you allow them to fuse together. Eating them is a highly unenjoyable experience, save for the 10 seconds it takes for you to suck all the flavor out of them. Snoball are a highly evolved ice creatures in comparison. The special machine used to flake the ice comes straight from New Orleans and makes the fluffiest, snowflake like ice ever. Then you add the flavor. There is a precise process for adding the flavor as well. Each flavor is in a clear glass bottle with masking tape labels (the only way its done in the south!) and is added to the snow in 2 layers. Big scoop of snow...tons of syrup.....big scoop of snow....boat load more syrup and you're done. There is no way to suck out the syrup. It just fuses with the ice, in perfect fluffy sno syrup ice love harmony. My favorite flavors so far and, well, always have been, Almond Cream or Wedding Cake for you southerners, and Ice Cream. The best part is most of these snowballs will only set you back a few calories and one diabetic coma! If you are looking to get a little wild, try the stuffed Snoballs. They are Snowballs with vanilla ice cream on top. Scandalous! Best with the Birthday Cake flavor. Or get condensed milk. Also very good with the Birthday cake. Can you tell I enjoy the Birthday Cake. The flavors we sampled our first visit were, half and half wedding and birthday cake and Cotton Candy. I love sampling new flavors with friends. It always turns into a pleasant version of a Berti Bott's Every Flavor Bean experience I had one Halloween with my family... "what does the grass one taste like?...." ....."grass!" "What does the "pepper one taste like?" ...."oh! pepper!" "what does the vomit one taste like?"............."Ahhhh vomit!!!!!!" cut to my cousin running to the bathroom and vigorously spiting it out. The cotton candy really did taste like cotton candy! It's always so surprising to me. I would love to get through all the flavors by summers end. That would be a very enjoyable month indeed!


The End



Labor of Love



Our wedding party and us on Howth pier by the incredibly talented Christina Brosnan of Brosnan Photographic


After quite a lengthy hiatus, I am happy to say that I am back and blogging. From May- June things went just a wee bit crazy. Our Ireland Wedding date was fast approaching and I was a bridal mess with to many "to-do's" to check off the list and too little time. So sadly my blog became temporary wedding roadkill. The upside to this is not only did our hard work pay off tenfold, but I emerged with many different experiences and lessons in the world of event planning and DIY (aside from an amazing husband, two of the best extended families imaginable and an EPIC, HUGELY EPIC dance party! Of course!). It is a rare situation when all your scatterbrained ideas pull together in the exact way it played out in your head, if not better..(well, maybe not that rare, but definitely rewarding) and you get to share something truly magical with the people you love. I can't wait to post some of the highlights of the wedding over the next few days..and then dive into the realm of what follows "Happily Ever After." I'm not sure what that may be exactly but I'm excited for all the projects, possibilities and WEDDINGS (finally not mine! ha!) in the future. xx

Mesa Coyoacan




Decor at Mesa Coyoacan. The restaurants funky style was featured over at Apartment Therapy. Check out the article after the jump!

  Happy Monday!

     Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend. We sure did! We got a few items checked off our wedding To-Do list and had a wonderful relaxing Sunday, which included the BEST Mexican food I've ever had,  hands down! Daryll and I are still day dreaming about it and wondering when we can go back for more. I was on my best blogger behavior and did manage to snap some pics to share before we completely devoured our food.

     Ok, so it was half eaten, so maybe I should reserve "best blogger behaviour" for next time when I actually capture the food before I've started eating it. However, considering the amazingness that was our meal, I can hardly be blamed. The restaurant in question is Mesa Coyoacan in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The style and flavor profile of the food reminded me of both Cafe Frida and Pompano; two other delicious Mexican eateries in Manhattan, however, I found Mesa's food a bit fresher; more exciting and adventurous flavor wise; and  more reasonable when it came to the price. We both got the Jamaican Margaritas (on the rocks salted) which were made with Hibiscus and orange liquor, and shared Guacamole and Tortilla Soup for our starters. The margaritas were great. Very refreshing and easy to drink. I did read a few reviews criticizing their potency, and although they were indeed a bit weaker than other Margaritas I have had (Uh, Blockheads!) they were incredibly smooth and in no way "skimpy" on the liquor. When it comes to Guacamole, Daryll and I are kind of snobbish. We really love the green stuff and try it everywhere I go. This one was incredibly fresh and very creamy (sorry, I hate that word but it is what it is!); not as roughly mixed as some of the "Guac-made-table side" restaurants we have been too. I was also delighted that they did not serve it in the stone mortar, but instead in a smooth bowl. The reason for this is while the mortar might look "cool" or "rustic," it is also very difficult to get all the last bits of guac out of! (We're Guacamole Gluttons what can I say.) So yay for smooth bowls! The Tortilla Soup was nice as well and was a generous portion, perfect for sharing. I especially liked the fresh avocado, tortilla strips and cheese that were added to it right before serving. 
    Our entrees were so satisfying. Daryll cannot stop talking about his Camarones Al Ajillo. It was a platter of smokey, grilled Shrimp that were marinated in Chipotle and lime; rice mixed with fresh corn; black beans topped with Cotija cheese, and fresh avocado. What made this dish perfect for him was that it was served with corn tortillas, so you can make a little taco out of whatever you like. Daryll love making sandwiches out of his meals. He constantly eats half of his breakfast or dinner and then somehow finds bread or a wrap to sandwich the rest, so he was in heaven. The shrimp were truly amazing. I've really never tasted anything like it. This is the only photo I have of his meal. He was stopping for no man, or woman....




Happy Days

  Finally, we get to my meal. I got the Carne Asada Tacos, not very adventurous, I know, but they were super flavorful. D commented that the meat was top quality, and they were garnished with onion, cilantro and a little bit of lime. They also came with this fantastic salsa quartet with mild chipotle salsa; mild tomatillo salsa, which was a little spicy; Medium something or other, which was tasty but pretty spicy; and Habanero Salsa (Didn't try it, didn't want to cry). My favorite though was the CORN. It was grilled corn on the cob with spices, Cojita, lime, mayo, and God's love sprinkled on it. It was so amazing. Sweet, salty, spicy, it had it all. Here is D and my corn that he hijacked. Drunk with Deliciousness.



nom nom nom

So, to sum up. GO THERE.

Anyone been? Anyone have their own yummy restaurant experience this week?