I have not found a cannot stop reading, cannot put down book in such a long while. When In Five Years: A Novel by Rebecca Serle was recently recommended to me, I knew it was going to be our next great read…
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
A Good Morning America, FabFitFun, and Marie Claire Book Club Pick
“In Five Years is as clever as it is moving, the rare read-in-one-sitting novel you won’t forget.” —Chloe Benjamin, New York Times bestselling author of The Immortalists
Perfect for fans of Me Before You and One Day—a striking, powerful, and moving love story following an ambitious lawyer who experiences an astonishing vision that could change her life forever.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Dannie Kohan lives her life by the numbers.
She is nothing like her lifelong best friend—the wild, whimsical, believes-in-fate Bella. Her meticulous planning seems to have paid off after she nails the most important job interview of her career and accepts her boyfriend’s marriage proposal in one fell swoop, falling asleep completely content.
But when she awakens, she’s suddenly in a different apartment, with a different ring on her finger, and beside a very different man. Dannie spends one hour exactly five years in the future before she wakes again in her own home on the brink of midnight—but it is one hour she cannot shake. In Five Years is an unforgettable love story, but it is not the one you’re expecting. – Amazon.com
For more information or to purchase this book, click HERE.
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!! I really wanted to share a great recipe with you today. But I really cannot beat my “Thank Heaven for Mrs. Mullen” best Irish Soda Bread recipe. Click HERE for the post. But today, I was speaking to my friend Kelley, one of my besties from High School (I’ve talked a lot about her over the blogging years!!!), as she was getting dinner together she was going to make herself an Irish Whiskey Sour. I asked her about it and thought that was the perfect thing to share with you today.
To all my lovely lovely readers:
May the Wisdom of God instruct us. May the Hand of God protect us. May the Way of God direct us. May the Shield of God defend us.
Now back to Kelley’s recipe!!!!
Irish Whiskey Sour or Irish Sour
(adapted from a couple of cooks)
- 2 ounces (4 tablespoons) Jameson Irish whiskey (or use 2 1/2 ounces for a stronger flavor). My friend Kelley recommends using less so it’s not so strong.
- 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) fresh lemon juice
- 3/4 ounce (1 1/2 tablespoons) simple syrup
- Use a Lemon wedge, cocktail cherry (my favorite!!!) for garnish
- Ice, for serving
- Shake ingredients without ice. Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker except the ice. Shake 15 seconds.
- Add ice and shake! Add the ice and shake 30 seconds. The foam will rise to the top!
PS I just love THIS cocktail shaker!!!! And this drink looks so good with a large ice sphere.
I know everyone loves Arthur Ave!!! And everyone also has all their favorite places where they like to do their shopping. A few years ago, in response to so many requests, I did my own Arthur Ave Shopping Tour and discovered so many good hidden gems. I definitely do not go there enough though and I really want to learn more about the area. My amazing Blogging friend Stacy Knows posted a great guide to preparing for Easter on Arthur Ave. I had to copy her and share the information with you. So here goes….
In advance of Easter, Sunday, April 4, the Belmont Business Improvement District (BID) is egg-cited to announce that a variety of merchants in Bronx Little Italy will feature a number of offerings available to help shoppers and visitors celebrate safely. The neighborhood features New York City’s best, authentic Italian restaurants, bakers, delicatessens, pastry shops, and specialty stores and is often owned and operated by the same families that founded them nearly a century ago.
Whether you’re filling baskets for little ones, creating an egg hunt or making a special dinner for your loved ones or your social distancing pod, local merchants will be offering specialty Easter bread, chocolate eggs, hand painted marzipan lambs, fresh lamb meat and roasts, and more. There’s something for everyone to enjoy and be hoppy about this year with offerings available for shipping, delivery, or in-store purchase.
2021 Easter Offerings Include
Madonia Bakery and Addeo Bakery – Madonia Bakery and Addeo Bakery are both multi-generational, family-owned bakeries well known for their specialty Easter bread, which is a sweet Italian tradition. Baked in the shape of a wreath, the specialty bread is made with three pieces of dough braided together to represent the Holy Trinity. Both bakeries are open for takeout.
Vincent’s Meat Market – Family owned and operated since 1954, Vincent’s Meat Market has been providing high quality, fresh meat, and poultry sourced from reputable farms. Offering a variety of lamb roasts, a very popular and traditional meat to serve on Easter, Vincent’s Meat Market is open for in store shopping, delivery and shipping.
Artuso Pastry – Established in 1946, Artuso Pastry has become a nationally recognized culinary treasure through dedication and authenticity, one fabulous cannoli at a time. The shop manufactures 10 million cannoli a year and this Easter, customers can customize their own cannoli at the cannoli bar. Additional offerings include Struffoli, also known as honey balls, a staple on the Italian dessert table for Easter. The Neapolitan dish is made of deep fried dough with honey, among other sweet ingredients. Artuso’s is open for in store purchase and shipping.
Gino’s Pastry Shop – Celebrating over 60years in business, owner, Jerome Raguso, maintains the shops traditional roots and honors the recipes of his father, the founder. Every Easter, Jerome offers hand painted marzipan lambs, a traditional Sicilian delicacy that are hard to come by these days, as well as handmade Easter biscuits. Available for in store purchase and shipping.
Teitel Brothers & Cerini Coffee & Gifts – Leading up to Easter, shoppers can find a plethora of Chocolate Easter Eggs in a variety of chocolates, fillings, and even some with little toys. Perfect for filling Easter baskets or the dessert table, both stores are open for in-store shopping and available for shipping.
I love the series Emily In Paris. Everything about it was wonderful but there was one scene that really stood out for me. Emily, Gabriel, and Camille go to an Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit and they are literally surrounded by Van Gogh’s painting through incredible digital installations. I began researching this exhibit and saw it was traveling to many places but NY. I swore I would somehow get to one of the US exhibits…AND THEN….I got an email that it was coming it NYC!!!! It is opening on June 10 at an undisclosed location and you can buy your tickets HERE. I have included, at the end of this post, all the safety measures that have been implemented for this exhibit. If you can I would try to go!!!!
Step Inside Van Gogh
Immersive Van Gogh was created by the world-renowned master of digital art, Italy’s Massimiliano Siccardi, who for 30 years has been pioneering immersive exhibitions in Europe. His magnificent installations have been seen by over 2 million visitors in Paris.
With the help of 60,600 frames of video, 90,000,000 pixels, and 500,000+ cubic feet of projections, this captivating digital art exhibit merges state-of-the-art technology, theatrical storytelling, and world-class animation.
It gives guests the rare opportunity to “step inside” and experience the incredible post-Impressionist works of Van Gogh like never before. Immersive Van Gogh will be making its mark at a secret NYC location, to be announced soon.
Immersive Van Gogh has risen to blockbuster status. Immersive Van Gogh sold out its run in Toronto, has sold out and extended its run in Chicago, and is opening in San Francisco in March, where its first month is sold-out. The forthcoming May opening in Los Angeles saw over 80,000 timed-entry admissions sold in the first week of sales. Collectively, over half a million tickets have been sold.
Immersive Van Gogh has received rave reviews from critics worldwide. The Chicago Tribune wrote, “entire rooms pulse with imagery and emotional resonance.” The Toronto Sun declared, “the mind-blowing imagery, brings van Gogh’s best work to life — including Sunflower, Irises, and The Starry Night — for a cathartic and liberating experience”. “Immersive Van Gogh ups the emotional ante”, Debra Yeo of the Toronto Star stated, “I wondered: could projections of paintings on walls and floors be thrilling? The answer is ‘yes.’” Called a “completely new way of encountering art” by CTV and a “blockbuster digital experience that has taken the art world by storm” by Artnet News, the exhibit “cleverly embraces creativity,” according to Washington Post
For Your Safety While Visiting The Exhibit:
- Social distancing circles guide you safely through the exhibition
- All patrons must wear masks*
- Increased sanitization protocols are in effect
- Reduced operating capacity in line with state guidelines
I love these articles where you learn how to use simple everyday items to do something really helpful around the house. I saw this list on Pinterest and I thought what a great monthly column this would be. All of the tips are so good. I love the one about the hard-boiled eggs, the one about limes and headaches and also the many uses for Alka- Seltzer!!! But they really are all good!!!!
Images Pixabay
1. Stuff a miniature marshmallow in the bottom of a sugar cone to prevent ice cream drips.
2. Use a meat baster to “squeeze” your pancake batter onto the hot griddle and you’ll get perfectly shaped pancakes every time….
3. To keep potatoes from budding, place an apple in the bag with the potatoes.
4. To prevent eggshells from cracking, add a pinch of salt to the water before hard-boiling.
5. Run your hands under cold water before pressing Rice Krispies treats in the pan and the marshmallow won’t stick to your fingers.
6. To get the most juice out of fresh lemons, bring them to room temperature and roll them under your palm against the kitchen counter before squeezing.
7. To easily remove burnt on food from your skillet, simply add a drop or two of dish soap and enough water to cover bottom of pan, and bring to a boil on the stovetop.
8. Spray your Tupperware with nonstick cooking spray before pouring in tomato-based sauces and there won’t be any stains.
9. When a cake recipe calls for flouring the baking pan, use a bit of the dry cake mix instead and there won’t be any white mess on outside of the cake.
10. If you accidentally over-salt a dish while it’s still cooking, drop in a peeled potato and it will absorb the excess salt for an instant “fix me up.”
11. Wrap celery in aluminum foil when putting in the refrigerator and it will keep for weeks.
12. Place a slice of apple in hardened brown sugar to soften it.
13. When boiling corn on the cob, add a pinch of sugar to help bring out the corn’s natural sweetness.
14. To determine whether an egg is fresh, immerse it in a pan of cool, salted water. If it sinks, it is fresh, but if it rises to the surface, throw it away.
15. Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away.
16. Don’t throw out all that leftover wine: Freeze into ice cubes for future use in casseroles and sauces.
17. If you have a problem opening jars: Try using latex dishwashing gloves. They give a non-slip grip that makes opening jars easy.
18. Potatoes will take food stains off your fingers. Just slice and rub raw potato on the stains and rinse with water.
19. To get rid of itch from mosquito bites, try applying soap on the area and you will experience instant relief.
20. Ants, ants, ants everywhere … Well, they are said to never cross a chalk line. So get your chalk out and draw a line on the floor or wherever ants tend to march. See for yourself.
21. Now look what you can do with Alka Seltzer:
Clean a toilet. Drop in two Alka-Seltzer tablets, wait twenty minutes, brush and flush. The citric acid and effervescent action clean vitreous china.
Clean a vase. To remove a stain from the bottom of a glass vase or cruet, fill with water and drop in two Alka-Seltzer tablets.
Polish jewelry. Drop two Alka-Seltzer tablets into a glass of water and immerse the jewelry for two minutes.
Clean a thermos bottle. Fill the bottle with water, drop in four Alka-Seltzer tablets, and let soak for an hour (or longer, if necessary).
Unclog a drain. Clear the sink drain by dropping three Alka-Seltzer tablets down the drain followed by a cup of Heinz White Vinegar. Wait a few minutes, then run the hot water
Happy Meatball Day, I really do not think there is a better meatball than the ones they serve at Rao’s. Since Rao’s has offered take out during Covid, I have been able to try a lot of their menu and I have to say I really think the meatballs are the best. If you have not had a chance to do a group order with us for Rao’s and you are local to the Westchester, NY area the next date is 4/3. I will send a reminder on social media the week before. But in the meanwhile, I am going to share with you Chef Dino’s meatball recipe. I think you are really going to love this one….BON APPETIT!!!!
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
- 1/2 small clove garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 pinch Kosher or sea salt, to taste
- 1 pinch Freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 2 cups fresh bread crumbs
- 2 cups lukewarm water
- 1 cup good quality olive oil, for cooking
- In a large bowl containing the beef, add the eggs, cheese, parsley, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Using your hands, blend ingredients together. Blend bread crumbs into meat mixture. Slowly add water, 1 cup at a time, until the mixture is quite moist. Shape into 2 1/2 to 3-inch balls.
- Heat oil in a large sauté pan. When the oil is very hot but not smoking, fry meatballs in batches. When the bottom half of the meatball is very brown and slightly crisp, turn and cooktop half. Remove from heat and drain on paper towels.
- Lower cooked meatballs into simmering marinara sauce and cook for 15 minutes. Serve alone or with pasta.
