Hi, friends! I keep forgetting to share this with you!!

Do yourself a favor, will you? Listen very carfeully to what I'm telling you and do everything exactly the way I describe it, OK?

First, get yourself and your special someone over to Motorino on Graham Ave. in Williamsburg. Share a bottle of wine, eat a Margherita pizza , but save room for dessert.

After dinner, wander outside, (maybe linger on the corner for a moment to share a kiss fueled by a pizza-eating induced high) and then head down Metropolitan Ave. to the corner or Manhattan Ave. If you look to your left you'll see the shining beacon of light that is Fortunato Brothers Bakery.

Go inside, order a cannoli (or two) and have a seat at one of the little tables. The lovely waitress will take your espresso order and bring your cannoli and your night will be complete.

This, my friends, is the recipe for a perfect evening. Trust me and just do as I say.

In the last year I've become more conscientious (obsessed) with buying local and unprocessed foods. I may have broken down and bought a frozen dinner one day last week (maybe) but in general I have been making more and more at home. I make hummus on a weekly basis. I still haven't perfected bread making, but I'm working on it. Luckily, I don't eat that much bread. I still buy my yogurt and pasta and oatmeal at the grocery store, but about 90% of my produce comes from my farmers' market near work (in Brooklyn Heights).

The decision to eat/shop this way is multi-faceted. It has to do with my health and the health of our nation and our planet. I do what I can, within reason. I am not perfect and I don't go overboard. I haven't bought a bottle of water in 3 months. I haven't bought chicken stock in about 6 months. But I did buy some Pepperidge Farm's Puff Pastry Dough on Sunday. But in general, the less that goes into bringing me the food I eat, the better.

Shopping at the Farmers' Market is the biggest change I've made. And I am trying to use every bit of everything I buy. I never ate radish or beet greens until last month and you know what? They're pretty good! I wish my market sold more so that I could buy more when I'm there. Maybe they will soon, because I think this way of living is catching on. Until they do, I'm going to keep doing what I do.

And every week, I'd like to share it with you as a way of spreading the word. Enjoy!

I went to the Renegade Craft Fair on Sunday with Jess/LittleBunny and Ana. I had a great time. I made a few purchases. I did not, however, take any pictures.

My favorite purchase (aside from a huge slice of organic watermelon!) was this tote from Survive Design. They have a wonderful message and their motto is"Style is Natural"! Hello!

I've been using the tote non-stop and the bright colors have livened up this dreary, rain-filled week. Turquoise is my new obsession for summer. It's a welcome break after Spring's navy blue bonanza. (I was just a tad obsessed)

I've also been visiting the Green Market at Cadmen Plaza every Tuesday on my lunch hour. Last week I saw the first strawberries of the season and nearly lost it. I was waiting and waiting to see some berry action! Now I can't get enough. I actually bought two pints this week. Shocking, I know.

The peas I lovingly shelled and put into a dinner of pasta with arugula pesto and fingerling potatoes. The pods are being saved for this. Can't wait!!!!

I wanted to share with everyone a new discovery that is currently making me very, very happy.

This is a bath product line that I found through one of the many, many blogs that I read. I'm ashamed to say that I forget which one, or I would give them credit where credit is due.

The Bubble Roome bath products meet two very important requirements for me. (Well, many more than two, but you get the idea.) They're handmade and paraben and sulfate free AND they're locally made. In addition to that they work like a dream and have really, really cute packaging that I love to look at in my bathroom. (Makes me feel so *fancy*).
Though I have to warn you, the brown sugar scrub is addictive.

I have a lot to be thankful for this year.

If you had talked to me a month ago, I probably wouldn't have said that. I probably would have just started crying and ran away, leaving you in stunned silence, but I'm feeling differently right now.

At Thanksgiving, my family has a practice that makes me cringe, but it's sweet in its way. Before we can eat, we go around the table and everyone says what they're thankful for. With nearly 13 of us gathered around the table, it can take awhile, and I usually get all shy and can't think of anything thoughtful to say.

This year. This year, though, they won't be able to shut me up. For real.

I have an adorable new apartment and an amazing roommate and a really, really good job, which I love and a cousin who survived cancer and a soon-to-be sister-in-law who I adore and tons of friends who would do anything to make me smile and THE MOST FANTASTIC FAMILY, who loves me more than I can explain to anyone.

So, yeah, I have a lot to be thankful for this year.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

VOTE!!

I spent last week in Astoria, Queens, with a side trip to Coney Island.


Sparrow, Astoria



Coney Island


Keyspan Park

Yesterday was my 31st birthday. I can honestly say, that I am exactly where I want to be in my life. A year ago, I was about as far away from that as I could get. A lot can change in a year.

This is me with two of my dearest friends: Kevin, who a one of the first real friends that I've made in my adult life and, Sabrina, who I've know for over 15 years. The other two cuties you might recognize from The Point.

We had a big ol' party on Saturday and yesterday Master P and I went to Marlow & Sons and other various points in Williamsburg. I couldn't have asked for a better birthday.

The family ventured to Brooklyn this past weekend for our first family dinner at The Works. I butterflied a chicken for the first time, and from the scraps, I made chicken and rice soup. This should keep me for a good week with cold weather on the forecast.

My Baba made the trip and brought us a special treat: kruschiki. My mom will be mad at me for not remembering the Ukrainian name for these, but Google let me find a recipe with the Polish one.
Baba transported the fragile delicacies in a big, mysterious box and when we unwrapped them, there was much ooh-ing and ah-ing. We all had a good laugh as we stuffed them into our mouths and the powdered sugar dropped onto our fancy, dark-colored, New York duds. If you could only understand how the little bow-ties melt in your mouth! The labor involved is worth the end product! Unfortunately, I never helped my Baba or Dido make kruschiki, so I have no experience with the recipe, but be bold, dear readers, and make some for yourselves!