An Excuse to Insert a Photo

Every summer the New York Philharmonic holds performances in Central Park, and the Great Lawn overflows with New Yorkers armed with picnic baskets (go here for pictures from the event) ready to unwind after a hard day's work.  Beethoven, Sibelius, Tchaikovsky, and fireworks...not a bad way to end a day.  Perfect setting for me and my friends to do what we do best:  eat, drink and be merry. 

We didn't really plan a picnic menu. To be honest, we were still recovering from a party couple of nights ago.  We decided to feast on the party leftovers of sopressata, fresh mozzarella, pesto, olives and champagne.  Some of us, fearing this would not be enough, made an executive decision to order pizza from Nick's Pizza on 94th Street and Second Ave (they delivered to one of the Park entrances!).  

Now, isn't that a pretty sight? Thin crust, ribbons of fresh basil, a brush of sauce, fresh mozzarella and a confetti of pepperoni.  I love their pizza.  I think it's one of the best in NYC.  I have to thank my friend, Bella, for telling me about Nick's.

The mushroom pizza disappeared before the picture-taking began. Now that I have a blog, I need to remember to take photos.  BTW, this was taken with my brand new iPhone.

Confession:  I don't yet have a handle on this blogging business, but I did recognize that this page was looking a little bland without any pictures and since I am craving pizza at the moment, I thought, "Why not?"

I'm off to test a recipe...will post the outcome soon.

I Don't Know What I'm Doing

It was a glorious afternoon.

The weather was perfect. Lunch at Sophie's Cuban Cuisine was lip-smackin', finger-lickin' good: tender roast pork, slightly crispy on the outside maduros, and a I-don't-know-what-it's-called-but-it's-addictive green sauce. Dessert was a sublime experience: oh-so-smooooth frozen custard from Shake Shack.

Ahh. All was right in my world.

My partners in crime and I were sitting on a park bench, seconds away from a stupefied trance that can only be induced by gluttony when suddenly...

Me: "I should have a blog!"

My friends, trying not to look horrified at the thought: "Uh, sure."

Me, wild-eyed and spittle forming at the corner of my mouth: "Yeah, yeah. I could write about today's lunch! And about that line! (Pointing maniacally.) Look at that line! Only in NYC will we stand in line for 40 minutes to a get a burger! And I can write about the 5 hours I had to stand in line for my iPhone! We stand in line for everything! I can write about that!"

My friends, who are now thinking, "What was in that green sauce?": "Um, yeah.  It would be great!"

Of course, back at work few minutes later, my sanity returned, and I mumbled to myself (I do this all the time), "Of course, I can't blog.  I'm not a writer. I'll probably get hate mail all the time.  I'm a neurotically private person - I don't usually do things like this. Besides, I'll commit some blogger faux pas and be banned forever by some blogging etiquette committee.  I don't know anything about html, php, gif, or whatever all those symbols are!"

Well, since you're reading this, you know how effective this talk was with myself.  I don't know anything about blogging, but I know I'm having a ball already.  I'll figure things out as I go. And I promise, I won't write about standing in lines (well, maybe once...or twice).  I will write about my gastronomic experiences and post recipes I've tested.