A Pudding for Autumn

I hope you're all having a wonderful Thursday!

Today, we're still turning stale bread from blah to Tada!.

And we're doing that by making bread pudding!

Here's the recipe I used (adapted from the Little Bread & Butter Puddings recipe in the Marie Claire Cooking Book):

1 apple, peeled, cored and sliced (you can use pears)
6 small slices of bread, chopped (I used a Baguette)
1/4 cup raisins
2 eggs
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon sugar
dash of cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease two 1 1/4 cup capacity ramekins with butter. Place apples, bread and raisins in the ramekins. Whisk together the eggs, cream, milk, vanilla, sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Pour mixture over bread and let stand for 5 minutes. Place the ramekins in a baking dish and fill the dish half-way with warm water. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until puddings are firm. Serve as is or with a scoop of vanilla or caramel ice cream. Serves 2.

I like this because I get to use up my stale bread plus apples which are abundant this time of year. I can have this for breakfast or for a snack with a warm cup of tea. Hmmm-yum!

All About Lunch

When I have a little extra time on my hands, I like to visit museums. This week, I'd like to share with you the museums/exhibits I've been to recently. Maybe like me, you'll discover something new or find a sliver of inspiration.

Have you ever been to the New York Public Library? It's an architectural beauty on 5th Avenue and 42nd Street. Now, if you've filed away libraries into your list of "extinct objects" {like rotary phones and cassette tapes}, don't let this discourage a visit. In its website, it exclaims:

"Libraries are the memory of humankind, irreplaceable repositories 

of documents of human thought and action."

Please tell me I'm not the only one who's fallen in love this line! 

Two lions proudly guard its doors. One is named "Patience". 

The other, Fortitude.

via NYPL

It's a functioning library with reading rooms, complete with high ceilings and frescoes, chandeliers, arched windows, wood furniture, and shelves upon shelves of books.

The're a lovely gift shop on the first floor, and rooms that hold talks, classes and special events.

 There's also a space where exhibitions are staged.

There's an on-going exhibit called "Lunch Hour NYC". How TADA! that something as blah and ordinary as lunch becomes the main theme for a collection of displays. In a nutshell, "The exhibition explores the ways in which New York City -- work-obsessed, time-obsessed, and in love with ingenious ways to make money -- reinvented lunch in its own image." 

New York City has always been a trend-setter {food included}. It's fun to find out the history of everyday things, don't you agree?

The Cafeteria: the concept began at the Childs' Lunch Room, a self-service restaurant where the diner takes a tray, moves it on a counter, chooses food from a selection, pays a very affordable amount, and is able sit anywhere. 

The Automat: addresses the need for speed. Just drop money in a slot and food magically appears!

The Deli: opened by German immigrants who sold cured meats and salads of their homelands. Now, "deli" refers to any store selling cured meats and sandwiches, as well as bread, bagels, smoked fish, and cream cheese.

Props also go to the immigrants who introduced pastrami sandwiches, Jamaican beef patties, sushi, and Chinese take-out, that are as common now as hamburgers and fries.

Street carts and schoolyard vendors: provide quick meals on the go like hot dogs and pretzels.

The Pizza: Genaro Lombardi {Lombardi's} gets the title "Founding Father of New York Pizza" but Patsy Lancieri {Patsy's} gets the credit for selling pizza not just by the pie, but by the slice, turning it from a sit-down meal to lunch on the run.

Take note of the "Pizza Principle" and tell me if you agree.

This wall of metal lunch boxes was pure nostalgia! It's all about school lunches and sandwiches made from Wonder Bread and peanut butter. 

Soda Fountains: they started just by serving soda, but evolved to adding light meals and ice cream concoctions to their menu. It's tiny, but on the top of this photo are a few "luncheonette slang/jargon" {ex. "axle grease" = butter; "put a stretch on it" = sandwich to go}. Fascinating stuff! 

Since all of us have lunch at some point in our day, this exhibit is very relatable and friendly for both young and old. You might even catch yourself saying, "So that's how it all began!"

Lunch Hour NYC

June 22, 2012 to February 17, 2013

New York Public Library

Stephen A. Schwarzman Building/Gottesman Exhibition Hall

Cherry-Berry Pops

Yesterday, I took you on a road trip

where we got to take home a lot

of cherries.

And when I say "a lot", I mean, a lot!

When life gives you cherries...

Turn them into popsicles!

I melted some vanilla ice cream,

added the cherries {pitted & chopped}

and threw in some chopped strawberries &

blackberries. Mix well & pour into

popsicle molds.

Leave in the freezer for a few hours

then unmold.

TADA! Homemade Cherry-Berry Pops!

Make some using fruits that are abundant this summer.

Because letting them spoil is a big blah.

It's also a wonderful way to beat the heat!

Chocolate Spoons

On my blog this week, it's all about finding uses for plastic utensils left-over from a party or delivery.

We'll turn these spoons from blah to TADA!

We'll need to melt some chocolate.
Then we'll coat each spoon.

Let the chocolate harden.
Wrap & decorate.

For a thoughtful gift, assemble as a bouquet
or put some on your dessert buffet.

Use it as a stirrer for coffee, milk or hot chocolate.
As the chocolate melts, it flavors your beverage!

Use it to eat ice cream,
that way you can lick the spoon clean.

See you again tomorrow for another gift-giving idea!

Fairy Tails

I hope you are having an awesome Thursday!

Today, I've got another Easter basket idea.

Excuse me if I'm using another yogurt container. I'm fond of yogurt and collected a few buckets over time. As an alternative, you can use empty ice cream tubs, deli containers or old boxes. They're all blah...

 But with a little lovin', they become TADA!

Just several blah elements used in this project.

I like how the bottom resembles a fairy's skirt.

This basket's ready for some Easter eggs!

My New Camera!

Can I tell you about a truly enjoyable

summer activity I did recently?

Well, it all began here:

B&H is a little piece of heaven for photo & video enthusiasts.

They have an event space where experts conduct free seminars.

Yes, FREE!

From choosing the best camera, to lighting & composition,

to marketing your work. During the summer, they have

photo safaris & scavenger hunts. They lend you a camera and

the group hits the streets of New York City in search of

items to photograph. Prizes await the best photos.

Here's the camera we got to try:

The Fujifilm Instax Mini.

It works like a Polaroid camera (instant film).

We were also given a free cap & T-shirt!

{I love freebies...they're TADA!}

Cameras being handed out...

Plus boxes of film {we each had a total of 40 shots}.

After a short demo, we were given the list of 25 items

we had to find. We had 4 hours to complete the mission.

The output of the camera is this credit card-size photo:

Item #2 on the list: Tourist taking a photo

in Times Square

Item #14: Green park chairs sitting pretty

Item #22: A French Arch with a fountain in NYC

Item #16: An ice cream truck like Mr. Softee

Item #18: A man riding a horse, and getting nowhere

It took us from midtown to downtown on a sweltering day.

I was able to cross out the items in about 2 1/2 hours,

without taking a break -- I really wanted a prize!

But sadly, some folks who were faster and

highly skilled beat me to it {they gave

away B&H gift cards}.

We got to keep the camera though!

And that's a prize in itself.

I also have a stack of photos:

This week, I'll show you how I turn them from blah to TADA!

See you tomorrow, okay?

Thanksgiving Friday

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Now, the holidays are officially here!

Today, I am thankful for REWARDS.

Rewarding yourself often is absolutely necessary.

Photo taken at Jacques Torres' ice cream

shop in DUMBO, Brooklyn.

Fist Bumps

Whether it's store-bought or homemade, a cake is always a welcome companion to any celebration. But sometimes, it needs a little blah to TADA!

I'm making one last cake topper using plain old cardboard.

Create a border with an image from a rubber stamp and an ink pad. 

Now time to write down congratulatory expressions. 

Position these on your cake with a toothpick. 

You can do this on doughnuts, too. 

Or truffles. Or macarons. Or cookies.

Or scoops of ice cream!

Cake and congrats...I think these are TADA!

Have a happy weekend!