The Blog

Yes, I know I’ve negelected my blog. Here’s an update:

I’ve moved from New York City to Trenton, New Jersey for a four month assignment with the Associated Press. I’m already having an excellent time. And it’s only going to get better and more hectic from here on.

Keep me in your prayers. And I promise to post as often as I can.

Meanwhile, check out the story I contributed to today. National news, it was. I got the scoop on the guy’s good friend in high school. It made it very high up in the story. Score!

My cowokers at Uniqlo introduced me to pork dumplings in Chinatown. I can’t count how many times I’ve taken a stroll, in the cold, to grab a tray of these.

They are cheap. About $4.50 per tray at Shanghai Cafe. It’s good for groups. Go with cash in your pocket. Neither place accepts credit or debit cards. If you are in New York, stop by one or both of the best places to get pork dumplings.

Shanghai Cafe — 100 Mott Street, Chinatown

Joe’s Shanghai (the more famous of the two) — 9 Pell Street

I didn’t really do much to celebrate Black History last month. I was uber busy.

I did make time to see a black comic book superheroes exhibit at the Caribbean Cultural Center in New York. Storm of the X-Men has always been my favorite. Blade comes in a close second place.

The exhibit was the back drop while I was at a speed dating event, of all things.

I attended another event last month that celebrated the music of the late, great Nina Simone. The tribute band, Black Rock Coalition, played amazingly. They exposed me to songs in Simone’s catalog that I’d never heard. And they had the never not to perform Misunderstood and Preacher Man! I still enjoyed, despite.

Here’s a amateur recording I pulled from my iPhone. Sorry about the quality.

Snow is beautiful. And at the same time…it’s a pain in the ass.

I’m going to blame the snow for why I haven’t updated my blog since…umm…early January.

So this is what they mean by walking in a winter wonderland. You would barely know how beautiful the winter can be if you lived your whole life in a state where temperatures rarely drop below 40 degrees.

Steph, Kim and I spent a couple hours ice skating in Central Park. It was snowing while we were there. Felt like we were in a movie. Rink rules stipulated we couldn’t take cameras on the ice. And for good reason. People were falling on their asses, shoulders and knees. For the record, I didn’t fall.

So much fun. I’ll go back before the end of the winter season.

I can check another thing off my bucket list. I spent NYE in Times Square. My sisters flew to New York to keep me company. We had a blast. We nearly froze our hands and toes off.

About six hours to go from this point…5, 4, 3, 2, 1…

Happy New Year!

Stephanie!

Kimmy!

Me. LOL

Us.

Once again, my cousins Tangie and Damond pulled out all the stops. Great food, great music, great company.

Here’s the menu, and the pictures follow it. (I’ll try to get the recipe for the fish and leg of lamb posted here.)

Leg of Lamb (Julia Child recipe)
New Orleans Baked Fish
Seafood cornbread dressing
Scalloped potatoes
Sweet potato casserole
Brussel sprouts
Kale
Cranberry sauce
Wine and champagne

Table is set.

Tangie blesses the food.

Leg of Lamb (rough recipe by one of the featured chefs in one of Julie Child’s cooking books)

New Orleans Baked Fish

- 3 lb. red snapper or white fish
- 1/2 c. butter or oil
- 1 c. chopped onion
- 1/2 c. chopped green pepper
- 1 to 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tbsp. flour
- 3 c. tomato sauce
- 1/2 c. chopped parsley
- 1 tsp. thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- Pinch of oregano
- Salt & pepper to taste

Wash and dry fish, melt butter or oil in fry pan. Add onions, green pepper and garlic. Cook until pepper is tender, stir in flour, tomatoes, parsley, thyme, bay leaves and oregano, salt and pepper to taste. Cook over low heat for 30 minutes. Place fish in greased pan, pour some of the sauce inside of fish and rest over top. Bake 1 hour in slow oven (325 degrees).

Clearly, it was good. And so was the lamb.

Seafood dressing

Brussel sprouts

My first Christmas morning away from home. Now my home away from home.

Got back to New York at about 6:30 p.m. Headed straight over to the Murray-Haynes household. We enjoyed a seafood stew and mulled wine.

Tangie said she got the spices for the mulled wine at Sur la Table, one of my favorite stores. This the mulled wine spice package she bought. But I can’t find it on Sur La Table’s website.

Tangie and Damond decorated the tree with the faces of the people who will be joining them for dinner on Christmas. (I will post the menu tomorrow.) Good night!

I was able to see my immediate family this year, just for a brief moment. I had to be back in New York before Christmas, so we did our thing early. And you know what that means! FOOOD!

Asked my mom for a crab feast, but I got much more than that. Let the drooling commence…

Crab and shrimp boil with broccoli salad in the background.

My fried chicken. (Yes, I fried it. Tired as I was, surprised that it turned out good.)

Rib eyes and links, seasoned and grilled to perfection by my lovely mother.

My mother’s apple pie. There was something about this one. It was better than any other time she’s made it.

I also got to reunite with my niece, Bailey. She’s the daughter of my step-sister Samara. I hadn’t seen Bailey since right after she was born in nearly seven months ago. I brought her the toy in the hopes she’ll remember me on my next visit.