Turkey for me and turkey for you..

Inspired by the entire feast, I am really looking forward to the day I can host Thanksgiving! This year my mom and sister came to visit and my cousin hosted. We always have gumbo and turkey on the menu for this holiday but aside from that each year I enjoy an assortment of "accent dishes". Along with our turkey and gumbo this year, we enjoyed a kale and cornbread stuffing, spinach and artichoke casserole, sweet potato and pineapple casserole (grandma Val's recipe) and the MOST delicious gravy (courtesy of my cousin) just to name a few.

This most simply stuffed turkey was the juiciest -better than any fried turkey I've had. My little cousin seemed to enjoy the turkey, too! I realize preparing a meal of this magnitude takes much work but when I cook I tend to actually eat less of the finished product and that would have left me feeling much better at the end of this Thanksgiving Day!

Le Poisson, Le Poisson

Well, it's quite a feeling of accomplishment to finally find a good recipe for fish and be able to successfully execute it. In the end it ended up being pretty and presentable too!  I couldn't ask for more, so I felt the need to share this : ) I have  to say New York City is not the place to experiment with seafood, especially not in your home kitchen. It might seem strange  given it's an island surrounded by water! One trip to a local fish market explains why. The fish variety is quite different from the what I grew up with (catfish, snapper and red fish are rarely found.) Even tilapia, the cheapest and most common fish can't be found at times. But the biggest offense is the price of fish! It's almost shameful and definitely painful for the budget conscious shopper. I think the biggest trick is to travel to Chinatown where there are amazing seafood stalls and things are priced a bit like they might be outside of NYC. I hope to work up the courage and budget to try another great fish dish, but for now I'll be relishing in this success.

 I'll leave you with a sunset over the Hudson( from a recent walk over the George Washington Bridge.) 

It's a real treat

How does Halloween work in NYC? This was a question I asked myself several times in the first few years I lived here. Should I buy candy? With no porch light to turn on, how will it be clear that I'm home and giving out candy? Well, there was no need for too much concern. It all became clear when I was walking home from work that first Halloween and I saw witches and clowns emerging from a local health food store with hands full of candy. So I was off the hook, but it seemed so strange and maybe even a chaotic scene for businesses all over to hand out candy to large groups of trick or treaters while serving customers. Somehow it seems to all work out and maybe even for the better (for me.) Most recently this Halloween I visited Greenpoint, Brooklyn. A quaint little neighborhood known for Polish bakeries and perogies. Peter Pan bakery was one of the stops I made during my visit and I found a wide variety of really unique donuts. I think a second visit is in order.