Who Rule the World? Girls!

Tomorrow Manala Yousafzai turns 16 years old, but instead of celebrating it with a grand party as we are accustomed to, she will delivering a set of education demand which were written by youth to the United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-Moon.

Who's Manala you may ask? She is the Pakistani child who was shot by the Taliban back in 2012; Manala was only 14 then and returning from school along other classmates. After her horrific ordeal, Manala has come up stronger than ever, and is fighting harder, and speaking  for the more than 60 millions kids around the world who are not partaking on education. Manala courageously speaks for thousands, if not millions of girls of her own country who are desperate to be able to attend schooling but cannot for whichever reason.

I believe in the right to an education, I believe in the freedom of been able to make that choice, and I am blessed I live in a country, and a culture in which women are treated equal as men. Many girls who live in many of the countries that encompass the middle east do not. Research shows that in many areas / cities of the world  (Pakistan for example) only 1 in every 5 students is a girl. Reasoning for this you ask? there are many! Some girls might live in areas where there are no schools, or the fees are so high that in some circumstances parents can only afford to send one child to school and boys are the favored ones. However the main reason is because girls are discriminated due to their gender and denied even a basic education.

How would you feel; if you were not able to have such simple yet significant right to education? If it was stripped from you just because of your gender? Join Manala Yousafzai and many others on the fight to end Women Education Discrimination. We cannot all standwith her on the United Nation Floor, but we can all show we stand by her by signing the letter to the Secretary -General Ki-Moon. Signing this will show your support and demand for education rights around the world. Its easy and non time consuming, by clicking Stand with Manala you can make your voice heard.

On a separate note,  Golbal Citizen Organization is a great organization who also support s the Stand With Manala Cause. Every year the give a free concert in the CP great Lawn to not only thank its members for the great effort they make but to also bring awareness to the various causes they represent around the world. If you join, you can earn points whcih can be cashedin for ticket to the concert, trust me its a great event, Check them out!

Until next time!!

XO!

Junot Is Back!

I love, really love reading and if I was asked what's my favorite topic I would say it has to be based somewhat on real facts of life; hence why I love Junot Diaz. His books have a way of capturing, and catapulting you into the time frame in which the stories are based, whether you speak Spanish /Spanglish/ or English.

On his latest book, "This is How You Lose Her" a book billed as a collection of love stories we see Yunior reappear. We first met him on Yunot's book "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" and now he's back detailing a few pieces of his life, that of his brother Rafa and even his mother.  

Although the book its cataloged as love stories,  in my opinion it is about the love we see in our youth and how that love shapes who we are and how it shapes how we love. This is about how we find love and how we can or cannot make love last.
It is about love, life, and also loss; all mixed in with a bit of humor that will make you not want to put the book down until you have gotten to know each person's life love story. So I recommend that you grab it (or any of his other books for that matter) and get to know all, Yunior, Rafa, Magdalena, Miss Lora, and Elvis (to mention a few) and you will not regret it, trust me!

Again Yunot Diaz does the trick and brings us another master piece! 

XO!

Italy: A Love Affair with Food and History

Last year the dart landed in Italy as a vacation destination in our map. True to our motto we decided to become Italians for the 11 days we were to be there. We chose hotels in the center of each city we visited, and asked the hotel staff, (not the concierge) but the housekeepers / or front desk agents where they eat on a daily basis. By asking this, we experience an Italia not like a tourist, but as a local.

ROMA: When in Roma, do as the Roman
Our first leg of this vacation starts at the center of the Roman Empire: Roma. As we were still a bit jet lagged from our flight, we decided to take a 2hrs power nap to recharge our batteries. Once we did so, we started our adventure by visiting the Vatican City and St. Peter's Cathedral. a tour of the inside of the cathedral, as well as the Sistine Chapel was everything I expected and much more. The deep history inside can transport you to a grand era from long ago. When entering the Sistine chapel you are informed that no pictures are allowed or cameras will be revoked. Well, thanks to my magnificent skills and camera, I was able to shoot the left side of the wall :o) Ok ok, I know their reason to not permit photograps, but did you really think I was not going to try? While in the square, asked one of the guards where they ate lunch, he recomended a local pizzeteria, which is visited by all the employees during their siesta time. I cannot for the love of my memory remember the name of this place, but I can tell you that it is off the left side walking out of St. Peter's Square on Via Della Conciliazione. It will be the 2nd street to the left, and its the 1st pizzeteria on the left side of the street. Here, $10.00 US got us 4 types of pizzas, and 2 cokes, but most of all, it got us to taste one of the most amazing pizzas ever!
The next 2 days, after a good hotel breakfast, we headed out to explore Roma. We saw all the touristic attraction such as the Coliseum, the Voca de la Verita (mouth of truth), Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, The Forum, and Piazza Navona. BUT we also discovered the Jewish ghetto, the Appio Latino, where I found many of my fellow Dominicans reside, and other parts of towns which names I cannot recall, but that provided us with amazing food, wine, and fun memories. If you are in Roma, please make sure you go to Al Peperoncino www.alpeperoncino.it and have one of their many homemade  pizzas. It is off the beaten path, in the Garbatella neighborhood, the waiters do not speak much English and would not prioritize a "I'm a tourist attitude" but would treat you like the locals just like the crowd is all families from the neighborhood; but believe when I tell you it is all worth it!

FLORENCE: City of my Dreams
"I found my happily ever after home base" those were my first thoughts and words when I arrived. Florence has everything a girl like me loves; history, great architecture, culture, delicious food and wine and lets not forget about the prestigious "Via De Tornabuoni" which houses most of the high fashion label and jewelery houses. No wonder it is known as "La Culla Del Rinascimento" or the cradle of the renaissance. Here we spent 4 days (wish it was longer) discovering and learning about all its monuments such as Ponte Vecchio, the only  bridge that survived WWII intact, and which feature a multitude of shops built around its edges.The main church Santa Maria Del Fiore, which is the best known site in Florence because of its duomo (largest dome built out brick in the world) which provide magnificent views of the city and beyond - just prepare to make a long long line of at least 2 hours to get all the way to the top! Also our visit to Basilica of Santa Croce was an amazing learning experience; here, we were able to see the final resting place of some of the most illustrious Italians in history, such as Michelangelo, Galileo, and Machiavelli.

Florence is also known for its many (many) piazzes and streets. Below are a few that are a must when visiting this city

• Piazza della Repubblica, whre you can elbow with local (and expats) artists while having a espresso.
• Piazza della Liberta which has the triumphal arch of Florence
• Piazza Santa Trinita where not only you can find  several palaces from the renaissance era, but also flagship stores such as the hubby favorite shoe designer/maker Salvatore Ferragamo.
• Oh dont forget to stroll by the Via de' Tornabuoni where you can "research" about Gucci, Emilio Pucci, and Cavalli to mention a few!

Aside from its monuments, piazzes, and basilicas, Florence has a great culinary presence; ranging from its famous Mercato Firenze to local restaurants I can say I happily ate my little heart out. There are many places that claim to be real Tuscan style, however if you find them surrounding the piazzas then know you are been fooled! Real Tuscan style restaurants, are off the beaten path, and do now have a charming Italian waiter outside wrangling business inside. They do not care if a tourist comes in, but would serve them the same way they do their everyday clientele if you happen to stumble upon them. Here are two that are a must visit in  my book:

• Il Gatto & La Volpe (Via Ghibellina, 151/r) They don't have a website that I know of; and hardly do any (if at all) advertising. This place was recommended by our lovely front desk agent; when asked where she goes to unwind after a long shift at the hotel. It took us a while to find it, as is located where the locals live; but it was worth getting lost. Food was excellent, their house wine even more so, and the atmosphere was pure delight.
• Trattoria Antico Fattore (Via Lambertesca 1/3r) www.anticofattore.it.com while walking around the off the beaten path, we stumble upon this place. Its a small family owned restaurant where all you hear is the music played inside. Because we had already eaten lunch, we decided to come back for dinner. After getting lost a few times by turning the wrong alley, we found it once again. Now; this is not what I consider FDA approved and if you are squeamish about your meat not been refrigerated, then this is not for you. The first thing you notice when walking in is the big, and I mean big slab of freshly cut meat, and today's picked vegetables. When ordering steak, which they bring this slab to you, and you order based on mm. then pick your sides. We ordered the Bisteca alla fiorentina, and their stuffed zucchini flowers and their spinach with a bottle of house red. I have to say this is a meal which I still dream of today; and know I will have at the same location once I go back to Florence in the near future. Before I forget; make sure you practice your Italian, because the waiters as well as the owner's English is close to non existent!

Florence is also the most convenient post to venturing out into the Tuscan Region. I suggest you rent a car and visit the many vineyards, villas, and  drive down rolling hills to quaint little towns such as

• Siena (where we spent 1 night)  -The Siena Cathedral is a must visit. With its Gothic architectural design, and its Piccolomini Library which has the largest collection of manuscripts from Pope Pius II. Also pay close attention to the floor you walk in. There are 56 etched and inlaid marble panels which were designed by 40 of leading artists between 1369 and 1547, all from Siena except for 1 of them, who was Umbrian. Only a few panels are open all year round, but if you are lucky as we were, you will be there when they uncover the most precious ones which are under the apse and in the transepts; protected by special flooring since this is where people sit for mass; these are only uncovered in honor of the Palio and a pair of months during the year, often in September and October.
• Pisa - Yes visit the leaning tower, but most importantly, make sure you visit a few of its 20 historical churches, and the university of Pisa, which history dates back to the 12th century.
• Voterra -better known as the Italian town from the Twitligth Saga
• San Gimignano - known for its many towers and rich history dating to the 10th century, SG is a sight not to be missed. Make sure you refresh yourself with a gelato from Pluripremiatta Gelateria. Its gelato is world known, and the flavors combinations such as Blackberry & Lavander  / spicy chocolate and sour cherries are out of this world.

VENICE: A place for foodies
For me, Venice was not what I expected. Venice can be visited in two days or less. Once you have eaten your way around, and see all the mayor sites, there is not much to do unless of course, you are the for the world famous Venice Film Festival, Venetian Carnival which happens 2 weeks prior to ash Wednesday every year,or to take a week long class in the art of glass blowing (which I would love to). Yes, their quaint little alleys, (which always end on one end or another of the many canals that surround the city) San Marco, and the various museums, are great to see, however as beautiful, and romantic as the city is, it feels like a tourist trap with its many disembarking cruises, and haggling illegal street "designer goodies" vendors makes it feel like a visit to NYC

I do have to admit, Venice has some of the best seafood I have ever eaten in this lifetime; and for that alone I would go to Venice in a heart beat. If you find yourself in Venice, make sure you visit

• Osteria 40 Ladroni (by the Fondameta Della Sensa) and you will have the best squid ink seafood pasta in your life. It was so good, we end up eating dinner here for our 3 night stay in Venice.
• Al Paradiso (Off the Rialto) menu is small (20 tbls top), local and mostly based on the catch of the day. Our lunch here was so good, we even bought extra food (octopus salad) to take during our 1/2 day tour of the outer islands.

There are many places yet to visit in Italia. We are planing a tour mainly to the south of Italy, and stopping in Cicily in the next two years. And I cannot wait to continue our food trail trough such wonderful land!

Las Mariposas (The Butterflies)

Again I find myself reading one of my all time favorite books, In Time of The Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez.

This is the story of the four Mirabal sisters during the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo in the Dominican Republic (yes my homeland). The sister make a conscious decision to become part of the underground movement and overthrow the Trujillo regime, and the book presents the perspective of each sister, including that of Dede, the only surviving sister.

When I was a child (7yrs - 9yrs) I had the honor of meeting Dede during our customary school field trip to the Mirabal Sister's house; back then I was not interested in what she had to say, all I care along with my classmates was the "day-off" we got from the nuns at school, in retrospect, I wish I told her how proud I was of not only been a woman, but a Cibaeña woman at that (the region where they are from in D.R.) I want to thank her for her and her family sacrifice to our country. And also tell her how thankful I am for sharing the story of "Las Mariposas" as they became to be known during the underground movement to overthrow "El Jefe" whom had the killed on a side road buy sugar cane fields when returning from their monthly visits to their incarcerated husbands.

I do recommend you read/buy/devour this book, or rent "Code name: Butterflies" a documentary by Chilean filmmaker Cecilia Domeyko, which I believe is the only one (if not so the best one) that details the true events and lives of the Mirabal Sisters, including interviews with Dede Mirabal. Both will give a new light as to how you think of that beautiful island known for its beaches, music, and laughter.

If you want something a little more mainstream, go ahead and rent out Tropico De Sangre (with English subtitles) is more of a indie film, but non the least it captures the true story of the sister, in a more traditional film setting, it was co-produced by actress Michelle Rodriguez. Dede participated in the developing of the film as well.

The Butterflies death angered everyone, that the underground movement member who had not dared to act with violence before decided to move ahead and ambushed  El Jefe and assassinate him while his driver and him where en route to an outlying part of the city. 

Patria,  Maria Teresa, Minerva

Recent picture of Dede Mirabal 

The UN General Assembly designated November 25th  as the"International Day of Non-Violence Against Women". Did you know this day was chosen in commemoration of the the sisters because this is the anniversary of their assassination?

Dinner, Margaritas & Tequila!

There's not many tings I enjoy best than a dinner with the girls; and this occasion was for a dear friend's BDay celebration. The location you ask? Toloache on 50th st. Now I know there are 100's of so called Mexican restaurants, which in reality are nothing but the Americanized version of what Mexican food should be. Not Toalache, Yes, their food has a French presentation, but the flavors, ingredients, and Tequila are straight out of a real Mexican household with noise level and all!
Be ready to see, and enjoy traditional plates such as chiles rellenos (stuffed poblano chiles with ground corn, cheese, tomatoes, pork), tacos de chapulines (dried grasshoppers), and a varietal of ceviches. Their margaritas are also great, and it can be cause is not a cheap tequila used. We enjoyed the night special flavors of pomegranate, mango, and watermelon one that I swear taste just like those watermelon shape lollipops from the 90's.
And to finish off our night, we had a nice shot of Riazul Tequila with a side order of red velvet tres leches.. yes, tres leches cake made out of red velvet... How can you go wrong?!

It was a bit pricey; however I think that had more to do with our choice of drinks and tequila shots (we love love love tequila) than with the food itself. Pay a visit, and you will not be sorry!



Our Riazul Tequila shots, tres leches red velvet cake and our amazing Margaritas!



With the BDay girl :o)

 I now wonder where our next girls night out dinner date will be. Until then, I hope you take the leap and visit Toloache.

"Sunday Dinners"

Yes I married a chef... No; he's not the one cooking every single (if any) meal. It is the perception that a chef; who's passionate about his craft does spend his free time whipping some delicious meals at home right? well you are WRONG! lol

I do 99.9% of the cooking at home, and at first DH (dear hubby) excuse was that our kitchen was not up to par with what he's used to, and once we renovated and got a new stove it would be different. OK, let's get one point clear in here; as much love as I have for food, and I've been told I can cook a mean meal I am not a kitchen lover. I only started cooking once I left the comforts of my mommas house and do it cause my DH does not like to eat what he cooks. Back to the story LOL, so I caved in and decided to not only update the kitchen, but to provide him not only with the stove/hood he wanted but the fridge / dishwasher / etc he had chosen as well. By the way we did everything (with the exception of gas conversion) ourselves :o)



The before (during construction)





The after



If you think DH kept his promised, let me tell you he did so; BUT only for a month or two. I had to re-learn how to time my rice so it didn't burn; how to cook at a faster BTU (which I now love, love, love) and at the same time hear him preach about having to clean "his lady" (the stove) quick so the oil wouldn't stick to it.

So I came up with a plan, let's do "Sunday Dinner" we usually invite a coupled friend(s) over mostly my cuz Jenn and her DH Oscar (who happens to be one of my bff since 7th  grade) and my adorable god-daughter Zani. Arvin (DH) then comes up with simple & delicious master pieces for early dinner that leaves us always wanting more, more, more! There are some Sundays in which I become the chef and whip some Dominican staples. BUT I am happy to say that most Sunday dinners are by DH :o)

Below are a few pics of both of our creations during Sunday dinners:



Aged steak with a coffee rub, garlic and olive oil
tossed pasta with goat cheese and garden picked zucchini



Aged steak quesadillas with homemade salsa

Chimis: (Dominican style burger) with picked cabbage,
homemade beef patty. Passion fruit juice

Vegetarian delight: veggie dumplings with a soy-ginger broth
and enoki mushrooms

A true Dominican meal: white rice, fried chicken with picked onions on top, beans, avocado, and yuca fritters

Dominican style deep fried whole fish

Pasta tossed with Porcini mushroom, in a garlic-red pepper sauce 

Tomatoes from our back yard with shaved Parmesan, olive oil, sea salt.

Pizza: Trial and Error



A slice of good NYC pizza can make your day, no matter how bad of a day it was. One of the blogs I follow is Serious Eats  (because food to me is really serious!) has a piece on Forcella, a traditional Neapolitan pizza eatery in Williamsburg, BK. I cannot wait to head over to my old haunts - yes I am a Brooklynite :o) and have the so deliciously described deep fried crust  known as the Montagnara. Now I've had some good  and bad pizzas in the tri-estate area as well as on the motherland (Italia). But until I can make my way to Forcella, and decide for myself if its worth a 2nd trip; here are a few of my all time favorite locations:

Margherita with Pepperoni @ Grimaldi's in Brooklyn is worth the long lines.. even in winter!
www.grimaldis.com



Thin crust, dried tomatoes, mushrooms, & pine nuts from Star Tavern in East Orange NJ.
Even my non-pizza eater of a husband can't deny is out of this world!
 www.startavern.net/

The Capricciosa: Red sauce, fresh mozz di bufala, thinly sliced sardines, & topped with prosciutto
would make me take a flight straight to Il Peperoncino Dispettoso (Roma, IT) in a heart beat!
www.ilpeperoncinodispettoso.it 

Pizza by the Kilo is considered street food in Italy. I cannot remember the name of the place we got the above, however is right across from the Vatican museum. Its the 1st one you see on your right once you enter the street. We got a bit of our top favorites: the porcinni & cream, eggplant & pecorino, fresh mozz & tomatoes. & it only cost under $10U.S

Per Se

"When you acknowledge, as you must, that there is no such thing as perfect food, only the idea of it, then the real purpose of striving toward perfection becomes clear: to make people happy, that is what cooking is all about."  T.K.

In my opinion, my hubby is t he best chef in the world... To him however that chef would be Thomas Keller. About 1 1/2 years ago, we did an inpromtu trip to San Francisco and tried our luck at obtaining reservations at the fabled French Laundry; key word: Tried.  We settled for walking (without permission) the property & taking a few pictures.

Fast forward 1 1/2 years and it is my hubby's big 3-5. I decided that the bes present ever would be to create a series of surprises, starting with flying lessons, and ending with a cocktail reception. What did I also get in between both of the above gifts? Prime time reservations at Per Se! Below, its a brief recap of the most fabulous affair with food either of us had ever had.

Entering the Time Warner Building at Columbus Circle for the thousand time had a new meaning. It was July 8th, 6:30pm and we were 10 minutes away from our dinner reservation at Per Se. We were both excited as to what was awaiting us on the 4th level of the building. Immediately after arriving and taking the obvious picture of the namesake, we were warmly greeted and taken to our table. With its floor to ceiling windows, the restaurant is divided into two levels and has no more than 18 tables all facing the beauty of NYC and Central Park. Once seated we decided to experience the Chef's Tasting Menu; and began our 3 hours culinary journey.
 

View from our table


The night started with a traditional amuse bouche of "Goujeres" or a typical french finger food of puff pastries filled with warm delicious goat cheese; as well as the mini ice cream cone with salmon tartare. From there, the menu continued to a selection of 13 course made of absolute dreams, starting with Thomas Keller's signature "Oysters & pearls" dish; which was Sabanyon of Pearl Tapioca served with Island Creek Oysters and sterling white sturgeon caviar , which I have renamed "my When harry Met Sallie" moment and ending with a "Raspberry Pavlova" which left me wanting more.

 

Oysters and Pearls



During one of our conversations, my hubby expressed how he would love to be able to "peak" at the kitchen. Of course 2 hours later me and my big mouth asked our amazing waitress if it was at all possible to see the kitchen, to which she complied very excitedly I may add. I must say that the kitchen is what chef's dream of. One would never guess that a full swing 13 course dinner menu was been created time and time again for the patrons seating outside. It was the utmost quiet, coordinated kitchen I have yet to see.

After dinner, coffee and homemade mini doughnuts were given. And as leaving, we were sent off with nice parting gift bags of homemade French butter cookies (sandwich) filled with a dark ganache.

My one complaint is that there was not many pictures taken during the dinner. I was able to snap a few ones here and there, but otherwise that was it. And to be honest; I am not sure I had the time to concentrate in the task of picture taking as  I was too busy trying to figure out how the next dish would or could top the last one.

So would I come back to Per Se? Yes I would... But first I am setting my sights in getting into the French Laundry next spring for our 5th wedding anniversary, It would be a dream to visit the "mother ship" after having tried the "offspring"

If you are a foodie, I obviously recommend that you dine at Per Se at least once. I will not deny that this meal will cost a pretty penny just for the food alone. However both, the amazing food creation and the outstanding service will transport you to a world you have never imagine existed, and make every single penny you spend here soo worth it!




Birthday Boy