J Is for Junior's

Cherry blossoms, Roosevelt Island this afternoon 

 

This post is about New York food. But before we visit another iconic Brooklyn food treasure, I thought we'd take a minute to enjoy the beautiful cherry blossoms on Roosevelt Island for Pink Saturday. I had a wonderful visit this morning and we'll be returning in May to this island in the middle of the East River. If anyone would like a sneak preview I'll be sharing photographs in my Instagram feed this week. 

J is for Junior's

We're returning to Brooklyn for another great New York food, cheesecake. Though Junior's is a lot more than cheesecake, it's known for its extraordinary New York cheesecake. Founded in 1950 in Brooklyn, its slogan is "You really haven't lived until you've had cheesecake at Junior's." I'm not sure this is the case, but you really haven't tasted the best of New York city food if you haven't tasted New York cheesecake. It's rich, dense and delicious and yes, I'm a cheesecake fan, especially cherry cheesecake. 

I don't see my favorite cherry cheesecake in this display, but I'd happily take a piece of Junior's strawberry or blueberry cheesecake. 

Tomorrow we'll be featuring another iconic New York food and I may just need to make it my luncheon choice. Any pizza fans in Buttercupland?

There's a busy week ahead: Weight Watchers, Yoga and I've a ticket for my first television show audience in over two years on Tuesday. I'm also excited to see a blog buddy who will be visiting New York at the end of the week. Lots to look forward to. What's on your schedule for next week?

As ever, thanks for visiting and wishes for a good week. 

F Is for Frostee and Fresh

Fun time Frostee is for "F" and Pink Saturday

I finally sat down on Thursday and made a list of topics for the remaining A to Z posts. There are just a few letters that are still unfilled, but I've finally got most of my ideas and photographs to go with them. Early on I had decided that "F" was definitely a post about food carts/food trucks and I'd been snapping pictures all over town. But yesterday I was out and came upon this soft ice cream truck that was a match for "F" and Pink Saturday. Today, we're not just doing food trucks, but specifically ones that begin with "F." 

About fifty feet from the pink truck I discovered this cart, Fresh Smoothies. I've yet to try this smoothy cart, but I'm waiting for a hot summer day. It's three blocks from my Y and a yummy smoothy will be my treat one day this summer after a workout. 

I made this cart/truck discovery yesterday after my first visit back to the Yoga studio at the Y for an in-person class. It felt so good to be back and surprisingly, after the time away I was still able to keep up with the class. I haven't made it back to the pool yet, but I'm going to push myself to get back in the next week. Is anyone else back to in-person gym classes?

Yes, I'm a few letters behind on the A to Z, but I'm optimistic I'll catch up in the next day. "G," "H" and "I" are sweet, sweet treats and if anyone has a sweet tooth, you won't want to miss them. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and enjoy the rest of the weekend. 

B Is for Black and White Cookie

B is for the New York classic cookie, the black and white.

For the second post in the A to Z Challenge, I'm going with one of my favorite sweets and a New York City icon, the black and white cookie. While I had to stretch for "A", "B" presented great difficulty in topic choice. There was my perennial New York food favorite, the bagel, as well as Breads Bakery, which I've written about several times. But I thought it was time to feature another iconic New York treat. 

I've never thought much about the history of the black and white cookie, but there is a history. When I did a little research I found that the cookie is "commonly traced" to a German bakery, Glaser's, in the Yorkville section of Manhattan in 1902. When I first moved to New York in 1975 the neighborhood still had a number of German restaurants and food stores, though sadly only a few remain. The cookie base is soft and the fondant icing is usually chocolate and vanilla, though I've had black and white cookies with a lemon section, which are equally tasty. The cookie pictured above is from Orwasher's, originally founded in 1916, also in the Yorkville section, but by Hungarian immigrants. Orwashers is one of my favorite food places in Manhattan and we'll be returning for a fuller look at its goodies in our "O" post.      

 

Though the bagel isn't featured, it definitely deserves an honorable mention. 

"B" also stands for Bonus and I'm including a Pink Saturday bonus, a few photographs from my visit this afternoon to Macy's flower show. 

This display called out for a Pink Saturday post. 

If you look at this picture very carefully, it's a selfie reflection. 

Tomorrow is a break from the A to Z posts, but I'll be here with a book post. I hope you'll stop by. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care. 

A Is for an Australian Bakery (in Manhattan)

 

And it's not an April Fool joke

Today we begin the ever popular A to Z Blogging Challenge. My assignment, and the assignment of hundreds of other bloggers, is to do a post every day (except Sundays) in alphabetical order and end with Z. I've participated in almost every year since 2013 (skipped 2015 when I was in Japan). I start off with great vigor, but as I'm the first to admit don't always get to the end of the alphabet. There were even a few years when I didn't get to the middle of the alphabet. But I'm optimistic that 2022 will be one of the years when I complete the assignment and feature a host of fun and interesting posts for the Challenge. 

I sampled a very tasty croissant during my visit,

 but I'd like to return to try one (or more) of the breads. 

I'm sure there may be a reader or two who is a little skeptical of using Australian bakery for the A post, but I've got two items to share for the B post tomorrow and I didn't have a post for A, so Australian bakery it is. I'm sure as I get farther into the alphabet I'll be doing some complicated alphabet gymnastics, so you're all warned. But I don't see that there's much to object to when our first post is this terrific new bakery in the neighborhood, Bourke Street Bakery. It's the extension of a well-known bakery in Sydney. I am a huge fan of all things -- especially food and drink -- Australian following my trip there in 2018 and I'm amazed that Bourke Street has been open at this location for months and I've missed it. I will have to make up for lost time and stop by again soon for my favorite flat white coffee. 

Another glimpse inside Bourke Street Bakery

Tonight A is also for accomplished. I'm so glad to be right up to date for the first post about New York City Food and Drink. There will be lots of coffee and a fair amount of bakeries, too. In the last year new bakeries have opened throughout my neighborhood and I'll be sharing some of the amazing treats I've discovered. But it won't all be sweets and treats, but I hope it will be a yummy time for all. 

I don't feel as though I'm getting all that much done in the rest of my life, but I looked at this week's to-do list and there was a lot that I've checked off, including finishing my taxes. I've also spent time with friends, done major decluttering and made donations for Ukraine. I've  gotten to the gym (finally beginning to get into a routine) and to Weight Watchers. I've also taken lots of pictures for this month's posts.  

As ever thanks for visiting and welcome to new blog buddies visiting from the A to Z Challenge. 

Blogging From A to Z: P Is for Paris and Pep LeMonkee

 

With thanks to Cole Porter, "I love Paris every moment..."

Several years ago I decided to analyze my affection for the city of Paris. I remembered that my interest in visiting Paris (and especially seeing the Louvre) began even before I started to study French in seventh grade. As I pondered I realized that I saw Paris in images from the movie, "Gigi," which was released in 1958.  I loved the music, the colors, the clothes and the wonderful cinematography of the film. In retrospect it was probably not a great choice for an eight year old. In addition there were any number of inappropriate topics in the movie. But they went right over my eight year old head and what remained was my love of Paris. 

Nine trips later, I still love Paris. I haven't been back to France since 2001, but I'd like (at least) one more trip back. I'm sure it's changed, and as New York has, changed a lot. But Paris is on my list of five places I'd like to return to. I've got no set plans, and despite American tourists being permitted to travel to France after June 9 (if numbers are under control) I'm not quite ready for a trip quite yet. I think next spring may be just right.

Now going from the sublime of Paris to the (not quite) ridiculous of everyone's favorite monkee, Pep. When I began to think about my favorite things that started with "P," pizza, Paris and Pep came to my mind first. I am a huge fan of pizza, love Paris, but Pep and all of his pals helped get me through the Pandemic. I couldn't post about my favorites without a shout out to dear Pep. 

Pep's got Carolina on his mind, remembering our visit to Charleston

Though Pep's enjoyed driving through New York City in his new red car, he's eager for a trip out of town, too. Pep will be joining me on an adventure next week and we're both getting excited for new scenery.   

We're coming to the end of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge and clearly, I will not be completing it this year. Last year I extended into May to post "Y" and "Z, and I will be posting "R" for Rhode Island and "W" for Washington, Connecticut, as promised, in May.  Now that I'm totally out of order I'm posting "Z" tomorrow -- it's a fun favorite! -- and "T" on Saturday. It was relatively easy to do the challenge last year, as I was in my apartment almost all of the time. But this year, thankfully, so many things outside of my apartment were doable and I did them. I was back to the gym, visiting museums, getting together with friends and catching up on medical appointments, some long delayed. Tomorrow night I will return to my first in-person synagogue service in thirteen months. It will be socially distanced and there won't be the opportunity to socialize before and after the service, but I'm so excited to be part of the in-person service

As ever, thanks for visiting and wishes for a fun weekend.   

Blogging from A to Z: I Is for Ice Cream and J Is for Jelly/Jam

Which flavor is your choice?

For today's A to Z Blogging Challenge post we're going with a sweet double treat. We'll be starting with some thoughts about one of my all time favorite foods, ice cream, and then we'll give some consideration to jam and jelly (and marmalade!).

Yesterday I was walking by this neighborhood ice cream shop. I've passed it dozens of times -- it's right next door to my (still closed) branch library, but I've only stopped in once. The cones are pricy and the ice cream is full fat (or more) and full sugar. It's very rare when I don't eat low/no sugar ice cream since I've been eating low carb. It's usually a treat saved for when I'm on vacation. But, perhaps because I had ice cream on my mind, I stopped and really looked at the flavors.

They all look good to me, but the Carrot Cake doughnut looks fabulous. I'm not a chocolate fan -- I know I'm probably in the minority on this issue -- and I love carrot cake and doughnuts. My plan is to return one day this month and enjoy a scoop of this April goody. Which one of these flavors would interest you? Would any of these flavors be of interest?

Marmalade, fruit spread, jam, jelly or preserves! 

I've always used the terms jam/jelly/preserves interchangeably. When I started to write this post I thought I'd find significant differences and there are differences. But all of the fruit and sugar combinations fall into the category of fruit preserves. I was most fascinated by the history of marmalade.

I think of marmalade as the special treat of breakfast in England, but it has a long history going back to Roman times. Marmalade began in antiquity, when the Greeks found that quinces cooked with honey would "set" when cool. In medieval times sweetened cooked quince was found in both Portugal and France. In fact the treat we know as marmalade comes from the Portuguese marmelada, coming from marmelo, meaning quince. "Marmalado" was introduced to England and as oranges became available, they became the fruit of choice, for what then was a dinner treat. Marmalade moved to the breakfast table in Scotland, and in the nineteenth century England followed the custom.

I hope you've enjoyed our sweet treats. For "K" we're zipping back to Australia to one of my all time favorite memories. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and have a great weekend. 

Blogging from A to Z: E Is for England and F Is for Fascinator

 

"Oh to be in England, Now that April's there..." Robert Browning

Punting in Oxford, at the Magdalen Bridge

April's there and I am in New York, alas. I am missing my English friends, the English countryside, English cities, English food and even English hats. But thanks to the wonder of memory and photographs, we can visit England as part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

Jane Austen's city of Bath, and a treasure of Georgian architecture

So often, and definitely for me, the thoughts of England are London. But I've been very fortunate in the last few years to visit blog friends in other parts of England. In 2018 I had a wonderful trip to Wiltshire to see my blog friend, Sybil, and in 2019 spent time in Liverpool and Chester with my friends, Sheilagh and Ralph. Seeing a country with people who live there is an extraordinary experience and one that I will always be grateful. 

I'd had a quick visit to Bath a few years ago, but my visit in 2018 gave me time to explore all of the Jane Austen sites to my heart's content. Bath is an architecturally perfect city in County, Somerset, about 100 miles from London.   

Buttercup and Captain Wentworth, featured in Jane Austen's novel, "Persuasion" 

A high point of my visit was seeing The Jane Austen Centre, which presented a great narrative of Jane Austen's life. I had hoped to meet Mr. Darcy while I was there, but he wasn't in that day. I had the great good pleasure of meeting Captain Wentworth, one of my favorite characters in "Persuasion." Captain Wentworth is not as well known as Mr. Darcy, but is an equally engaging character. 

My favorite English dessert, sticky toffee pudding.

It's sweet and scrumptious with dates and molasses and a rich 

toffee sauce, and it's equally good with whipped cream

I'm set for a royal wedding in my fascinator.

I'm not much of a hat wearer, unless it's twenty degrees and I'm cold or ninety degrees and I'm worried about the sun. But while I was in Scotland in 2019 I spent a leisurely day shopping and sight-seeing. Often on vacations I succumb to impulse buying and that's how I came to own a fascinator. I've yet to attend a royal wedding, or even be invited to one, but I had fun wearing my fascinator to two Zoom weddings last summer.  

I hope you've enjoyed our too-quick trip to England. Tomorrow we're back in New York and we'll revisit an experience I enjoyed today. 

As ever, thanks for visiting and have a bright and sunny Thursday.