Bahmi meatballs and sesame noodles recipe

ingredients:

thin spaghetti pasta (or your thin noodle / pasta of choice)

meatballs: ground turkey, five spice, fish sauce, soy sauce, salt, pepper (note for future: consider adding some panko)

noodle sauce: ginger garlic paste, peanut butter, water, sambal oelek, lemon juice, honey. (consider sesame oil or maybe a bit more water next time)

veggie sides: 

arugula or baby spinach

generous amount of cilantro

carrot/radish/cucumber/jalapeño cut into thin sticks.

cooking directions:

form and make the meatballs - 400F around 30min (check for temp by opening one up)

wash, cut, and make the veggie sides. toss carrot/radish/jalapeño/cucumber and marinate with salt/pepper/honey/rice vinegar. set aside

make the sauce

cook the pasta/noodle per directions.

once everything is done, mix sauce in with noodles and meatballs. serve with veggie sides and arugula/cilantro.

inspired by Bahmi burger recipe:

The Banh Mi Burger Recipe | Allrecipes

Egg Toast for Long Weekend

I have been putting off my Japan travel notes but maybe I will finally get a chance to work on it this weekend (given it's a long weekend in the USA). Let's warm up with a quick recipe.

eggs in a nest oven style

Stuff you need (for 2 people)

• 4 slices of bread
• 4 eggs
• shredded cheddar
• scallion (optional, separately chop up white part and green part)
• olive oil or butter (whatever you like to grease up your bread)
• oven pan
• large spoon (to make indent in the bread for toast)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F (some recipes also call for 400F)
2. Spread out foil, sprinkle some olive oil or oil spray
3. Assemble bread on pan, use spoon to make small indent in the middle. (some recipes make a hole with cookie cutter, which is kind of wasteful and unnecessary). Sprinkle on a bit of olive oil. 
4. Add eggs to the middle of bread slices. I crack eggs one at a time into a small bowl and gently slide them onto the bread
5. Add chopped white parts of scallion, shredded cheese, sprinkle salt and pepper
6. Put pan into oven when preheated. Watch how the egg whites are set (with oven lights on) after 7min and add more time as needed. I think I may have ended up needing 12-15min (will have to repeat recipe and adjust)
7. Once egg whites are more solid, you can take out the pan and sprinkle more cheese after you plate
8. Sprinkle more scallion green parts on top.
9. Eat with your bare hands! Egg yolk should still be somewhat runny. 

Best part of this recipe is how easily you can scale this for a larger group by having more pans in the oven. and no frying pan to clean up.

Happy Labor Day long weekend!

Notes: there are many ways to make this recipe and a bunch of youtube videos, including frying pan method that I haven't mastered. I find the oven one easier to manage but try them out and see what you like!

2018 Winter adventure day in NYC

On the final day of 2018, I took my cousins on a full day adventure in NYC. Below is a recap for future reference. I was surprised we managed to fit so much into one day!

stop0: jersey city

We started our day by taking a leisure stroll to Jersey City waterfront. The sun was out so we managed to enjoy the view of lower Manhattan skyline and the ferries. After some sightseeing, we took the Path train from Exchange Place to World Trade Center. Don't forget to load up on subway cards (can be used for both PATH train and NY subway trains).  Info on path: https://www.panynj.gov/path/maps-schedules.html and subway https://new.mta.info/

stop1: downtown

We walked through Brookfield winter garden to see the LED lights. It was relaxing and fun! C. wanted to see the Ground Zero memorial fountains so we skipped the inside of the Oculus hub. At Fulton Center C. introduced me to a bubble tea chain called Gong Cha. I've never been a huge fan of bubble tea but decided to try white pearl (it's interesting). After the fountains we walked to City hall and took some pics of the entrance to Brooklyn Bridge. Surprisingly busy on a cold day.

stop2: chinatown

We took a MTA bus from City hall to Chinatown. This was a request by cousins as I don't typically walk around Chinatown unless I'm meeting friends for food. We didn't get any food and it was getting close to lunch time so made our way to St. Marks for lunch.

stop 3: lunch

Given it's lunch time, St. Marks was kind of dead. No yakitori place was open. Some of the other places I had in mind didn't work out given they didn't have non-gluten options. We ended up getting lunch specials at a place (forgot the name) which was okay. Hopefully in the future we can try
okonomiyaki at Otarfuku and/or udon west.

Stop 4: midtown

We took the subway to Grand Central to browse Kinokuniya bookstore. Sadly didn't have time for NYC library or exhibition, but we were sort of in a hurry to head to karaoke before it got too late.

Stop 5: karaoke

Karaoke duet near 35th st, opens at 2pm https://www.karaokeduet.com/
We made it to karaoke and managed to sing for an hour before heading home to NJ on the 33rd St Path train.

Post NYC

After our multi-stop NYC tour we relaxed with some anime.
My pick: Tsurune (show about archery club, very well animated and very relaxing for a sports genre)
D's pick: Zombieland Saga (zombie idol show with a very wacky cast)

New Year's eve dinner can be pretty packed depending on the place and time. It was raining pretty hard and still relatively early, so we took my aunt/uncle and cousins to a local beer garden called Zepplin Hall.

It's always fun having visitors who want to explore NYC so I look forward to our future adventures too.

Seattle 2018 Trip

Huge shout out to my cousin Diana for being a fantastic host on my recent trip to Seattle. Feel free to use my travel notes as a guide for your future visitors (including myself!).

Fun

Starbucks Roastery (Seattle location), Capitol Hill)
I took a leisure walk to this place on my first full day. I ordered a coffee ((Pantheon 2018, pour over) and did some people watching (so much to see!). On my last day I went to the shop again and got some freshly roasted beans (also Pantheon). They of course also have food options, tons of coffee (made with your favorite brewing method) and plenty of Starbucks Reserve goodies. I can't wait for the NYC roastery to open up soon.



Seattle Center International fountain
Best place to enjoy a bit of sun (on those sunny days in Seattle, lucky me!) and people watching. and also a great place to snap a pic of the Space Needle.

I looked into the music a bit more when I was organizing my trip notes and found some great resources below:

• article about the DJ from the Stranger
• actual playlists!
• I haven't listened to this specific playlist but the date range matches when I visited the fountain. 

Tours

KEXP tour (Seattle Center)
Having listened to KEXP live in studio performances podcast, I was intrigued by the station tour and also the setup of the space. They have a rotating coffee place and also a record store in the lobby. The tour was clearly well-advertised because we had people from all over the world (including Scotland and South Africa). I haven't watched too much of their youtube channel but it is also very popular around the world. The actual studio had glowing, pulsating blue LEDs that are surprisingly calm (note for my future lighting project, ha). I was really impressed with the massive CD library. Each CD also had personalized notes from the DJs. The collection is already being digitized and everyone was relieved to hear that the CD notes will also be scanned and stored as part of the effort. The space had a lot of neat artwork, this one showing the skyline of Seattle was my favorite.


Mount Rainier National Park (2 hours drive from downtown)
Earlier this summer I went to the Grand Canyon and caught the national park fever. Given Seattle is so close to several national parks, I had to visit one! After searching, I found a tour group called Evergreen Escapes and went on a small group tour to Mt Rainier.

We got lucky with the weather and had possibly one of the best days ever for hiking. We were surrounded by beautiful colors of the fall and also amazing old growth trees/forests. I'm glad I took this tour closer to the beginning of my trip (since I traveled from East coast and still woke up at 3am on my first few days in Seattle). The tour specs included a round trip from downtown in a comfortable van. Our tour guide also provided water, snacks, and lunch so we didn't have to bring much. I would definitely do this same trip (perhaps a diff season) and other outings with this company again.





Underground Tour (Pioneer Sq)
I went on this highly recommended tour when I first went to Seattle but my cousin Diana hasn't experienced it yet (because tours are for tourists, not locals)! We joined a bunch of people during a weekend session and had fun walking around underground and looking for purple glass (skylights).  If you go on this tour, you will be causing sidewalk traffic jams like proper tourists. I enjoyed the storytelling part of the tour more so than the so-called 'relics' and 'artifacts' but decide for yourself! 

Theo Chocolate Factory Tour (Fremont)
On the last full day of my trip, I woke up to a gray and rainy day. I skipped my plans for the zoo/garden and ventured out to Fremont for a chocolate factory tour instead. The tour gave a description of the bean to bar process, a peak inside the factory through clear observation room, and of course chocolate samples. I picked up some bars at the store afterwards.

2018 Summer Recap

I dug out my old canon digital camera this summer and took it with me on several trips. After several trips and months, I finally got around to organizing the photos and took the opportunity to recap some of my trips and memories. These listings are not quite as detailed as some of my previous travel logs/trip reviews but I figured it's best to be brief and give my readers just the highlights.

Grand Canyon, Arizona 

(by scenic drive from Phoenix and through Sedona and Flagstaff)
I had a great time travelling with a large group of relatives. Some highlights are the tea lounge in Flagstaff (be patient and get some of their fresh brewed ice teas) and sunset pink jeep tour of Grand Canyon . I enjoyed the music museum in Phoenix, too.

Governors Island, NYC 

(by ferry from Manhattan BMB, 8 minutes)
https://govisland.com/
Go enjoy the sunset on extended Fridays and Saturdays. Rent a bike from bike rental place or get a Citibike pass for travelling around the island. Have some ice cream from blue marble ice cream (the main booth in food court takes credit card, the small cart is cash only). The oyster bar is a great place to party and enjoy the sunset skyline views. There is also a bbq near Brooklyn docks (cash only) that offers tasty chicken sausages and grilled chicken sandwiches. I had the DUB pies truck during a movie night but sadly they are not part of the regular food truck lineup.

Read more after the break...

Meditation Overview and App Guide

I've taken up meditation this year and have introduced it to several people who enjoyed the practice. Below is a list of meditation references for those interested in getting to know meditation through self-practice. To add more color and zen to this post, I've added some photos I've taken around NY and Jersey City.

battery park sculpture

Websites
Equinox meditation (free, great for beginners): I didn't download the app. Right on that website, they have short 10 minute sessions for different times of the day.

• Rise (waking up, early morning) 
• Recharge (refresh, good for late morning or maybe afternoon when you're aching for coffee but should actually take a walk and listen to this instead)
• Unwind (great for coming back from work or maybe a workout)
• Sleep (listen and relax before going to sleep). Once you go through all 4 sessions in some combination for a week, you'll build up good habits to incorporate this practice into your daily routine.

https://plumvillage.org/ this site offers a lot of reading and resources. If you haven't read any books by Thich Nhat Hanh, you should check them out at the library or your favorite bookstore. 

Mobile Apps (Google and AppleStore)
Meditation studio ($3.99 one time fee): they have intro as well as themed collections. so you can quickly pick up a theme like "dealing with stress" or "relax before sleep" or even body scan. You can also filter by type of meditation and length of the session. I like exploring different teachers and then looking up their other meditation sessions. Two teachers I have enjoyed are Chodo Campbell and Elisha Goldstein. This app links to the Mindfulness section of Apple Health.


Calm (free for limited meditation, subscription for more): good background music and some free guided meditation. If you subscribe, you get a nice library of guided meditation as well as a daily themed meditation. I also like their calendar for tracking your meditation time so it's encouraging to keep up with the daily routine. You can add outside meditation sessions to the app by using their "add a session" function. I've been tracking Yoga classes there. This app also links to the Mindfulness section of Apple Health. After trying this for free for a few months, I signed up for an annual subscription when they were running a promotion. If you are interested in signing up, I can send you a referral.

ship near Liberty State Park

Relax Melodies (free for limited sound library, paid for more and also meditations): Mostly music and some free meditation as well. I like the playlists you can build from sound blocks. Enjoy rain and city sounds and the ocean? You can make it into your own sound playlist. Timer for exiting the app is also helpful when you want to drift off to sleep but don't want the app running all night. Unfortunately it doesn't link to your health app for the meditation sessions so you have to track it separately.

In Person Resources
Besides some meditation before and after yoga class, I have not been to a meditation class in person. There are a lot of different resources in NY and Jersey City so feel free to try them and see if they are helpful for you.

• https://meditationinnewyork.org (multiple locations in the boros of NY as well as a few sessions in Jersey City, suggested $10)
• Rubin Museum: wonderful art museum which hosts some meditation classes. Also check out their concert series and cafe too. 
• http://www.shinnyocenternyc.org/ (midtown NY)

Lower Manhattan seen on top of ferry

Where to try meditation (besides your home)

• Neighborhood Park. I love Van Vorst Park for this, especially when it's raining lightly (bring an umbrella) or when it's early morning, right before the crowds get to the playgrounds.
• Beach (or even the waterfront just to hear sound of water)
• Friend's apartment or house. Offer to take a break together if you're doing a game night or cooking food.
• Before, during, and after music practice. Good for clearing your mind, practicing breathing, and reflecting on your intentions for your group (or even playing solo in a practice room).
• Quiet corner of an art museum or botanical garden

Van Vorst Park Fountain

Try it out and enjoy!

Ship and State of Liberty

Intro to Reading Challenge

Last December I came upon a blog post suggesting a list of NYPL books for the 2017 "Read Harder Challenge". Interesting enough, the original list of categories were sourced from Book Riot, the NYPL blog simply provided some book ideas to fit those categories. If you finish the challenge, you will have 24 very interesting books from different categories / perspectives to talk about.

While I set reading goals in general (something simple like at least 1 book a month of maybe total of 10-15 books a year) and use goodreads (website and mobile app) to track book recommendations and progress, I don't recall ever consciously trying to vary the types of books I read in any given year. So why not start with this challenge? I've also sent around the challenge to friends who suggested some books they've read. I've included them later in the post.

For 2017, I will work through this list and aim for a monthly or every-2-months update on what's going on. I've also been reviewing my local bookstore's book club suggestions for ideas.

What are some of your reading goals (if any?) Feel free to add more books to the comments.

2017 Reading Challenge

2017 Reading Challenge

1. Read a book about sports.
2. Read a debut novel.
3. Read a book about books.
4. Read a book set in Central or South America, written by a Central or South American author.
5. Read a book by an immigrant or with a central immigration narrative.
   Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbne. This was a tough book to read at times because it was set in the same time period as the financial crisis/fall of Lehman. The main characters are from Camaroon trying to make themselves a new life and family in the USA. The end of the book made me wonder whether it was supposed to be hopeful (the family was able to cash in on their money/earnings and start at a higher income level in Camaroon) or bleak (they were not able to make it in the US due to immigration policies)
6. Read an all-ages comic.
7. Read a book published between 1900 and 1950.
8. Read a travel memoir.
9. Read a book you’ve read before.
10. Read a book that is set within 100 miles of your location.
11. Read a book that is set more than 5000 miles from your location.
    No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai (Japan >6000 miles away from NY). I actually read this book because I'm currently watching an anime series called Bungo Stray Dogs that features Japanese literary personalities re-imagined as young men/women in a detective agency. One of the main characters is based on Osamu and his special ability (nullify other people's special abilities) is called "No Longer Human". Some of his crazy antics in the anime actually fit the main character from this book to a T.
12. Read a fantasy novel.
    Golden Son (Red Rising book 2 of 3) by Pierce Brown. I also intend to finish the trilogy this year but wanted to take a quick break for some other books.
13. Read a nonfiction book about technology.
14. Read a book about war.
15. Read a YA or middle grade novel by an author who identifies as LGBTQ+.
16. Read a book that has been banned or frequently challenged in your country.
17. Read a classic by an author of color.
18. Read a superhero comic with a female lead.
19. Read a book in which a character of color goes on a spiritual journey
20. Read an LGBTQ+ romance novel
    I started Guapa by Saleem Haddad but didn't get a chance to finish. Will try to pick it up again since it had a strong start.
21. Read a book published by a micropress.
22. Read a collection of stories by a woman.
23. Read a collection of poetry in translation on a theme other than love.
24. Read a book wherein all point-of-view characters are people of color. (From Jacqueline Koyanagi, author of sci-fi novel Ascension)
    Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates. This book has such poetry, love, and anger that I do highly recommend it to everyone. It is written from the perspective of a father to his teenage son and chronicles various injustices around the US.
    
    Bonus:
    Some other categories I'd like to explore are
25. Read a book about music (can be a musician/composer/rock star/instrumentalist/music period, etc)
26. Read a book in Chinese (can be fiction or nonfic)
27. Read a book related to mindfulness

This list will be updated throughout the year and may or may not be finished by end of 2017. For more background / context, please read my post on the intro https://azuleteats.blogspot.com/2017/01/intro-to-reading-challenge.html

New York Winter Jazzfest 2017

2017 Map
Despite the heavy snow fall, I explored several new venues and bands this year on Jan 7 with my friend Iona and her husband Peter. Great way to start out the new year!

Venues highlighted in yellow were the places I visited. 

Overview

Last year I did not check out performances in the New School venues because I stayed in the village area. It was great to check out 3 of the 4 venues in the New School area this year. Both the 12th St Auditorium and Tishman Auditorium offer plenty of space and seating. Tishman has stadium seats while 12th St has a more gradual slope. The festival also increased the number of ticket/wristband pick up locations so I had no trouble getting my wristband. Iona and Peter joined me around 7:40pm for my first concert of the night: Ralph Peterson and Aggregate Prime (instruments featured: flute, drum, guitar, upright bass, piano). I enjoyed the lyrical phrases from some of the pieces (at times almost wondering if some of the pieces would nicely paired with a vocalist?) Or better to just let the instruments do their own singing/talking.

Iona and I then made our way to Ravi Coltrane and David Virelles duo performance at Tishman (this show was written up in many 'must see lists' for festival previews) where Peter graciously saved seats for us before the venue quickly filled up. The ECM rep during her intro mentioned this was the first time the two took stage (in this combo, usually more musicians in the group) and that they hope to work on a future recording of the two! Ravi played several different saxophones during the performance. David played the piano and at times added percussion on or under the piano bench. The beautiful sound flowing from both instruments and the balance of the music dialogue between the musicians easily mesmerized the entire audience. I liked some of the lighter pieces where you can really enjoy the sound of the featured instrument with very light accompaniment from the other instrument. 

While the performance by Ravi/David was a difficult one to follow, we walked to New School 5th Fl theater to hear Edmar Castaneda World Ensemble. While researching the festival, I came upon this group and the harp jazz so had to check it out. Harp is certainly not a typical jazz ensemble instrument, But then again, this was not a typical jazz ensemble. Edmar welcomed his ensemble of musicians all hailing from different parts of the world, as one would introduce members of his family to a large crowd of guests at a house party. The warmth and hospitality was infectious. I also enjoyed the piece featuring his wife on vocals (they got married 20 days after first meeting at a Queens jam session!). The solo harp piece that Edmar dedicated to God was also awe-inspiring. I thought the New School 5th Fl theater was a bit on the small side (maybe around 100 seats seated) but it was also filled with a great audience that soaked up all the positive energy from the group.   

I ended the evening with a very high energy rock/disco/funk/jazz performance from Marc Ribot and the Young Philadelphians. Unlike the previous auditorium/stage/seated concerts, this was in the very crowded restaurant/bar called SOBs. Peter highly recommended this group so Iona and I took a quick cab ride from New School to Varick St to join him. What a crowd! Possibly the first time in the evening that I saw people moving and dancing (then again, I think Zinc Bar, Bitter End, and Django probably also had a lot of dancing from the more dancing friendly venues). The entire concert was basically a really fun jam session featuring fantastic guitars, bass, and strings. All attitude and all funk and probably the right way to end another year of a great winter jazzfest for me. Just keeps getting better every year!

Venues

listing of venues and their calendars so you can check a future concert.

• New School Events Calendar (will need to filter by Music School or other type). Would love to see a future show at the Tishman. 
• SOBs (Sound of Brazil)  (204 Varick St, near W. Houston)

Bands I saw

listing of bands that you can check out their music or in person at their future concerts!

• Ralph Peterson and Aggregate Prime (guitar, bass, piano, flute, drums) 
• Ravi Coltrane and David Virelles (sax and piano)
• Edmar Castaneda World Ensemble (harp, flute, harmonica, sax, trombone, keyboard, drumset)
• Marc Ribot Young Philadelphians (bass, guitars, strings, drums, more) Peter mentioned they are not always in this combo of musicians so look out for the various bands/groups.

Bands for next time

Particular bands I want to see at future shows

• Black String (jazz ensemble with Korean instruments)
• Claudia Acuna (vocals)
• Glenn Crytzer (hot jazz)
• Peter and Will Anderson (sax/clarinet)
• Scott Tixier (violin) with Tony Tixier (piano)

More Reading/ Listening

• My previous NY winter jazzfest posts: http://azuleteats.blogspot.com/search/label/NYWJF
• 2017 Jazzfest playlist research on youtube (this I put together while listening to bands and figuring out my lineup prior to the show, note some band members may have changed)

Nashville Music City Trip

I enjoy being a tourist in a completely new city. 2016 marked a few new cities for me: Austin, Atlanta (dragoncon), and Nashville. Below are some highlights from my Nashville trip.

Places

• Johnny Cash Museum
• Frist Art Center (Gallery fashioned from a gorgeous deco post office)
• Parthenon (Greek architecture in Nashville. gallery inside and fantastic park outside)

Music

Local radio Stations
I listened to some FM radio while in my hotel and wanted to save them here for reference. Thanks to the internet you can listen to them outside Nashville too.

• 95.5 WSM country (http://www.955nashicon.com/)
• 100.1 WRLT adult alternative http://lightning100.com/
• 103.3 WKDF country http://www.nashfm1033.com/

Legendary Johnny Cash
I listened to many Johnny Cash songs and covers of Cash songs at listening stations inside the Johnny Cash museum. I liked how the museum organized the songs by decade and also provided a viewing theater for live shows. The "covers" listening station was really fun to explore. I've linked to a few memorable ones. Did you know Snoop Dogg (walk the line), Ray Charles (ring of fire), Norah Jones (cry cry cry) all sang songs by Cash? They can probably create an entire box set (ahem I mean digital album) out of artists who covered different Cash songs. Amazing stuff.

Rob and Trey Bluegrass
When I was exploring live music options (there are tons daily and even in the mornings around the downtown Broadway area), I decided to skip the large venues for smaller stages. Station Inn was known for bluegrass and seemed like a cozy space, so I decided to look up the scheduled acts. Rob and Trey (official site) Pride and Joy on youtube sounded good so I went to the show. If you have never heard of a dobro before, give them a listen and you'll be amazed. After the show I did some more research on their upcoming tour dates and found out about a bluegrass festival in Seattle (of all places?)

Vanderbilt Blair Music School
Check their events calendar for concerts. I heard a group of talented high school musicians play recitals here. The campus is also quite scenic so I took several leisure strolls.

Ragnar Kjartansson Performance Art
Somehow I must have missed "Visitors" exhibits at MoMa a few years back. No matter, I got a close look at it in the Frist center. The concept seems simple: take a bunch of musicians who are linked up by microphone/headset and separate them into diff rooms inside an old dilapidated upstate NY Astor mansion. let them jam and sing their hearts out. As you walk through the exhibit area, you will see each wall which shows what's going on with the artist in that room, you will hear the instrument in more focus. Featured instruments include guitars, accordion, pianos, banjo, cello, drum set, etc. I didn't see the entire 64minutes but did manage to catch the end and beginning and most of the first part.  

Food
I did not manage to stuff my face with BBQ but I thought the two places did live up to the hype and reviews:

• Hattie B's Hot Chicken http://shop.hattieb.com/
• Flying Saucer (site) cozy bar / food joint featuring many many plates covering ceilings and walls (hence saucers). You are bound to find a beer you like on their list. It's next to Union Station Hotel and Frist Art Center so a good spot after some art and architecture.

Next Place

• Grand Ole Opry
• Ryman Auditorium
• Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum (and xmas lights if I'm around Dec)
• Visit Belmont University (also has a nice music school)
• Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
• more food exploration around The Gulch
• more music!

Jonas and Orange Hot Chocolate

We all know there was some serious snow this weekend in the NJ/NY area (see Winter Storm Jonas 2016). I hope everyone is safe and well-stocked with hot chocolate and nice teas.

A few days before the storm, I saw a recipe for orange mocha in my inbox and decided to try it out during the weekend since trains were suspended anyway.

Ingredients (for 2 people)

• 1 packet of Via instant coffee (Veranda, I didn't have espresso so this was a good sub)
• 2 cups of milk (I used non-fat, you can use anything from skim to half-n-half)
• 10 tbsp of hot chocolate mix (I had Max Brenner's dark chocolate handy, you can use your favorite mix)
• 2 tbsp of turbinado sugar (you can skip this or use any type of sugar you like to taste, it was just what was in the pantry)
• 1 orange (for zesting only, but go ahead and eat the inside anyway!)
• Optional items: nutmeg, cinnamon, other spices of choice.
• orange cookie (optional. I happened to have one of these sitting around from Maison Kaiser. it was a nice chocolate cookie with candied orange pieces. you can also obviously drink your hot chocolate with any cookie or sweet you like. 

Directions:

1. Measure out all ingredients
2. Take a knife or zester and get a good 3-4 large strips of orange zest
3. Pour milk into small sauce pan to heat up on low heat
4. Mix in sugar, hot chocolate mix, coffee, and orange zest strips
5. After low simmer for a few min and most items mixed, pour out hot chocolate in serving mugs (discard orange zest strips)
6. Top each mug with whipped cream, marshmallows, and small amount of fine orange zest

Sources:

Original mocha recipe with video: http://1912pike.com/recipe-orange-mocha/
Four ways to froth milk: https://youtu.be/iLNmPRPQ6UU

New York Winter JazzFest 2016

The best way to kick off the new year is to explore new venues and new music. Last night I went to a jazz marathon as part of the annual NYWJF (New York Winter Jazz Festival). As always, there is a lot to cover and I will try to break it up into three sections: Venues, Bands, and More Reading. A special shout out to my friend and fellow musician E. for exploring new music adventures together.

NYWJF added and changed a number of new venues this year. This meant some of the venues were farther away and made it harder to venue hop as before. Django at Roxy was particularly out of the way but they were hosting the French Quarter Jazzfest (cross-over with Winter Jazzfest) so I suppose concert goers just have to be aware of the risks of venue hopping and chance of lines. The festival had a page that posted live availability info which was helpful. It didn't stop us from trying to get into venues that were listed "full" since people would enter and exit in the middle of the show.

Venues

Greene Space this was a particularly small space which had a few seats and mostly standing room only. I listen to WNYC and am aware of the space for selected performances and shows but was happy to attend a live event for the first time.



Django is in the basement level of Roxy hotel (pic below with Samy). It had a cavern and cozy feel with a fun cocktail list. I would probably come back to check out future shows although the crowd noise level was a bit overwhelming. They do serve bites in addition to drinks. A lot of other venues as part of the festival do not offer food (probably because they are so close to other eateries in the village). This hotel was hosting day 1 of the French Quarter Jazz Fest (I like these cross-fest concerts). just wish they were better advertised...luckily they had a flyer because google search really didn't have a clue.


Zinc Bar and Greenwich House School were venues I had visited during last year's Jazzfest and also subsequent concerts throughout the year.

Bands

Visual Electric Guitar

Kaki King with her beautiful white electric guitar. The guitar told a story with video / photos / music too! E. and I both liked the NYC cityscape piece and one of the ballad/slower jams (I don't know the name but the song featured small colorful bubbles in the background)

Kaki King - guitar

I first learned about Kaki King from a post to her Ted Talk/Performance. Her performances feature visual elements (projected colors behind her and also her guitar has images/colors that fit with the song). Try to get a glimpse of her and the guitar if you go see a live show.

Dream Pop with Indian Rhythms 

Tongues in Trees was playing in the Zinc Bar when we stumbled into this venue which was listed as "FULL" on the crowds page. Their website describes it as Indie dream pop, which is accurate. All they are missing is a flute, really! Unfortunately my picture didn't get the percussion player.

Samita Sinha - vocals / Grey Mcmurray - guitars, vocals / Sunny Jain - drums 

Gypsy Guitar, Clarinet, and Dance!

Tatiana Eva-Marie & The Avalon Jazz Band featuring Oran Etkin.
Guitar seems to be underlying theme of my jazzfet experience this year. In any case, probably the show with the highest energy and warm feelings. Guitar, clarinet/bass clarinet, and lovely vocals and some audience participation too (singing and dancing). NY Hot Jazz is such a great org/event and I'm so glad I found out about them during last year's jazzfest. Unfortunately due to crowd factor I was not able to get a photo of their performance. They probably have fit in with the French Quarter fest too, now that I think about it.

Piano and Guitar

Samy Daussat "Gypsy Tribute to Serge Gainsbourg"

Samy Daussat - gypsy guitar / Stéphane Cochet - Piano / Claudius Dupont - double bass / Vanina De Franco - vocal

Flute, Sax, Guitar and Music Box

Sylvain Rifflet
When I was researching groups with flute (NUWJF has a page outlining all the instruments and musicians in all the acts), I came upon this band and immediately wanted to put them on the list of bands to see. Of course Django is not close to the other venues by a long shot so I ended up taking a cab from Greenwich House Music over (worth it!)

Sylvain Rifflet - tenor saxophone, clarinet, music box / Benjamin Flament - percussions, processed metal / Philippe Gordiani - guitar / Jocelyn Mienniel - flute, kalimba

More Reading / Listening

• Takuya Kuroda http://www.takuyakuroda.com/
• Jay Rodriguez Evolutions http://jayrodriguez.com/
• Véronique Hermann Sambin http://www.veroniquehermannsambin.com/ (really wish I had seen her perform. love her voice)
• Miss Lily's http://www.misslilysnyc.com/home (remember to take breaks between sets with some yummy food!). I got the chicken curry patty and sorrel drink. 
• My previous NY winter jazzfest posts: http://azuleteats.blogspot.com/search/label/NYWJF

Bacon and Ice Cream for life

When it comes to food and drinks, bacon, ice cream, and whiskey all rate fairly high on my list. So why not combine them?

After a day of running around, I met my friends Linda, Wes, Lorne and his family at BarBacon (http://www.barbacon.com/) in Hell’s Kitchen (9th ave btw 54 and 55th) and had such a good time that I thought I need to do a proper write up.

Special shout out and thanks to Wes for all the food photos. I am not as diligent or maybe I am just too hungry most of the time. I did manage to bookmark it on yelp though. Yay.

Drinks / Starters

• Beer and Bacon Flight – guaranteed to impress the entire table.
• Whiskey Flight
• Bacon Infused Old Fashioned (Not pictured) - Bacon Infused Bourbon, Maple Syrup, Aromatic and Orange Bitters. I highly recommend this to everyone who likes Old Fashioned and want to see a new variation. Really smells amazing too.
• Pork wings – small ribs made with sauce like chicken wings
• Fried Pickles – I like that they do these thin like fries as opposed to most places that have larger wedges.
• Next time – try their bloody mary

Main Entree

• Bacon Burger with Tater Tots
• Brussels Sprouts
• for next time try: Sausage/bacon/egg/cheese sandwich, Bacon/Steak/Sausage

Dessert

While bacon desserts are tempting, we decided to walk off some dinner and headed to Holey Cream (http://holeycreamnyc.com/) for ice cream. Lorne assured me that they do a nice donut ice cream sandwich but ice cream on its own is also great. I liked Java Guatemala (coffee flavored) and Long Island Raspberry. I also sampled their seasonal pumpkin flavor which was also a winner. I will definitely have to come back and try other flavors.

Arts and Streets in November

Canstruction near WTC

Ever wondered what you can make with canned foods? Check out annual sculpture competition for a good cause. I enjoyed all sculptures but thought it was really impressive to see a Yoshi.

http://www.sdanyc.org/canstruction/

Sunset over NJ (looking from Battery Park City near the water)

Love the color of sunset!

Street Scene

I saw this while walking around uptown (possibly west side) and just had to take a pic.

The Met Egyptian Tour

Ok, so you have been to the Metropolitan Museum, but did you ever take one of their guided tours (http://www.metmuseum.org/events/programs/met-tours/guided-tours)? I have been to several tours including Art of Islam, Great Rooms, Museum Highlights, and Art of Greek/Roman. Recently I took the one featuring Art of Egypt and learned about this female ruler Hatshepsut (http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/544450). The gallery featuring her statues and other temple objects quickly became one of my new favorite Egypt galleries.

Origami Heaven Exhibition at Stony Brook

Origami Exhibition at Stony Brook, NY (until Dec 31, 2015)

http://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/wang/exhibitions/current_exhibitions.html#origami_ex

I love these colorful bowties and the complementary shirt / diagonal presentation. more about bowties here:

http://www.madelinesbeauxties.com/

Including this photo for the orange/green color scheme and also my favorite origami model: traditional lily (blue flower in the middle)

nice foliage around campus too.

Colorado Trip Notes

I visited Colorado for the first time and wanted to share some sights and tips from my visit. I enjoyed both Denver and Boulder and would definitely come back for more fun. Some specifics around restaurants / hikes / beers / food stuffs have all gone out of my head. hopefully S. and T. have better notes and/or memory and can add a bit more.

day 1 Denver

beautiful airport with tent structure and fantastic lighting http://www.flydenver.com/

16th st free mall ride http://www.rtd-denver.com/FREEMallRide.shtml

state Capitol building. restoration of house and senate chambers (check it out next time). hall of president portraits. http://www.denver.org/listings/Colorado-State-Capitol/3679/

Tattered Cover Bookstore with coffee and ice cream shop (reminds me more of Powell's than Strand) http://www.tatteredcover.com/

Wynkoop Brewery. http://www.wynkoop.com/ Rail yard Amber ale (also part of the downtown brewery listing from the visitor center. food was also pretty good. I ordered trout with polenta.

Union Station. yet another station that’s prettier than our Penn Station. I didn’t take the train and we walked inside where they had many food shops and even décor for Halloween.

day 2 Boulder

We took Green Ride from Denver to Boulder. http://greenrideboulder.com/

walking around on Pearl St. one memory store was the puzzle store and one memorable street art was watching people make art by sticking leaves and flowers on the rock with water slowly running down it. http://www.boulderdowntown.com/visit/history-of-pearl-street

tried a pumpkin cannoli from this shop: https://pieceloveandchocolate.com/

hiking and panorama views (photo from S.)

French restaurant near pearl st. I think it was brasserie ten ten? great happy hour specials https://www.brasserietenten.com/menus/happy-hour/

SFjazz Michael Jackson tribute (with jazz interpretation) http://www.sfjazz.org/events/2015-16/1022/collective

day 3

origami convention

west end tavern rooftop – forgot which beer I had? smoker selection (pork, chicken, sausages) http://www.thewestendtavern.com/

day 4

flat iron coffee. http://www.flatironcoffee.com/

flat hiking around Sawhill Ponds https://bouldercolorado.gov/osmp/sawhill-ponds-trailhead

celestial seasoning tea tour http://www.celestialseasonings.com/tours learned about herbal infusions and the overpowering “mint room”. of course sample all the teas there ( I liked watermelon zinger and chamomile lavender) and buy some gifts for your friends and family back home! I enjoyed reading about the history and also looking at the illustrations that they have for each tea.

teahouse lunch (amazing décor outside and inside, visit it!) we sipped some tea and I loved the Mediterranean salad which came with hummus, grape leaves, and olives  http://www.boulderteahouse.com/

street art near the teahouse

more hiking with more slope and views Chautauqua https://bouldercolorado.gov/osmp/chautauqua-trailhead

chophouse and tavern (??) split lamb chops with T.

we sampled java porter (coffee flavored beer) at mountain sun bar and caught haymarket square 'punkgrass' band performance. http://haymarketsquares.bandcamp.com/ the bar also offered prime people watching opportunity. we saw poker players, board game groups, dancers, couples, visitors, and more. http://www.mountainsunpub.com/

day 5

the buff for breakfast http://www.buffrestaurant.com/

Next Time:

• Denver Visitor Center Tips
  • Appaloosa grill 10pm music http://appaloosagrill.com/
  • Jazz at Jack's http://www.jazzatjacks.com/
  • http://www.denver.org/things-to-do/day-trips-around-colorado/denver-beer-triangle/
• Coors Field baseball stadium tour http://colorado.rockies.mlb.com/col/ballpark/
• Denver zoo http://denverzoo.org
• various parks and stuff
  • http://estes-park.com/peak-peak-scenic-byway
  • http://peaktopeakguide.com/

Resources:

• Colorado Beer Tour iOS App. I consulted this along with Yelp for a few good outings. https://appsto.re/us/LL6zz.i
• University of Colorado at Boulder
• Visitor Centers and Trail Maps

Crisp Autumn Notes

I am sure everyone has those moments when one is too busy having fun to write about how much fun they are having. Just came back from an active vacation in Colorado followed by a non stop weekend.

In any case, instead of staring at my list of backlog, I am going to try a weekend recap. (Pardon errors as I am using the ipad and needs to do more editing when back to computer.)

The Rise at Old Westbury Garden features 5000+ pumpkins carved into various jack o latern or pop culture icons. The event attracted people of all age groups. http://www.therise.org/site/index

My favorites below:

The show also featured a soundtrack that fit the mood in the garden. the ghost walk path was probably more romantic than scary (only path without a huge crowd). As estimated on their site, we spent about 40 min walking through it, with some photo ops.

Oyster Bay oyster festival http://www.theoysterfestival.org/

W. and I surveyed the ever growing selection of food and decided to stick to basics. We braved the line for 15 raw oysters (expert tip: each LIRR oyster fest package comes with oyster vouchers. And bring food / drinks while waiting for oysters or have friends bring food from other food stands). We also ate pupusas, Manhattan chowder (they ran out of New England style 1 hour into fest), and soft-shell crab. J. gave us his extra oyster ticket and also offered some hot funnel cakes (the best, just be prepared to be sacrifice your clothes to powdered sugar). After browsing pirates, fire boat, and art/food vendors, we grabbed hot chocolate and headed to LIRR home.

NYRO concert - nyro.org

community orchestra concert set at very beautiful church in midtown. Suggested $10 tix totally worth the impressive program for every concert. Be sure to save the dates. the latest concert reminded me how much I liked Brahms yet how little of his work I know. Should also look into Virgil Thompson Louisiana Story. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisiana_Story

NY flute club concert - http://nyfluteclub.org/concerts-events-and-more/2015-2016-concert-season

I need to start a list of flute musicians and composer I hear at these concerts so I could follow their tours and listen more! Always more Bach esp for flutes (also need to play more Bach too). need to look more into Julius Baker and legacy. And wooden flute headjoint sported by Bart Feller. Look up Mimi Stillman in Philly.