77. Buy cooking ingredients based on quality and not price

On Saturday when Jeff and I went to the Union Square Farmer's Market, I picked up some fresh herb plants in order to make Cheesy Baked Tortellini. I bought some fresh basil and parsley which I used in this dish. I also stopped by Garden of Eden in Hoboken for some fresh ingredients. I bought fresh tortellini stuffed with tomato and basil, marscapone cheese, smoked mozzarella, and fresh Italian bread. I even made the dish with my homemade tomato sauce that I made earlier in the week.

It turned out really well and the smoked mozzarella gave it a different flavor but like lasagna, it tasted better the next day heated up in the microwave. Even though this dish was very simple, it cost me about $40 to make! It was delicious but I think I'm going to go back to shopping on a budget with the rising cost of food!

NBC Upfront

As part of my job, I get to go to the network upfronts each year. The upfronts are when the networks announce their upcoming fall shows which are followed by a huge party. The stars of the shows walk around the party and you can meet them and take pictures with them.

Last night I got a football signed by Tiki Barber, Al Michaels, and John Madden. I also got to meet Tina Fey and the cast of 30 Rock, Selma Blair (who was wasted and couldn't walk down the stairs. She needed help from 2 people), the entire cast of SNL, Christian Slater, the cast of Law and Order: SVU, the cast of The Office, the cast of Heroes, Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Fallon, the cast of Lipstick Jungle, the cast of the Housewives of New York, the cast of Friday Night Lights, etc. The stars from every single NBC show were there. Check out the pictures to see everyone.

The Kitchn Cure: Week Eight

I finished the Kitchn Cure and Week Eight's assignment is to plan a party! I love entertaining and throwing parties so on June 28th I am having a Sangria Saturday party. The evite has been sent out and I'm hoping for good weather. I am going to be making some sangria, margaritas, enchilladas, quesadillas, guacamole, and an apple spice cake.

Now I can cross another item off of my 101 Things list.

The Kitchn Cure: Week Seven

Week Seven's assignment was to learn a new cooking skill and plan a meal from start to finish. Since I have never made my own sauce, I decided to use my new Dutch Oven and make tomato sauce from scratch! Yesterday, I went to the supermarket and bought all of the ingredients and carried them home in two canvas bags. Gotta help save the planet! I normally use dried herbs even if the recipe says to use fresh herbs but I this time, actually bought fresh herbs.

Tonight when I came home, I made smoky marinara sauce and turkey meatballs with whole-wheat spaghetti. It was my first time making tomato sauce from scratch and it turned out really well although I wouldn't add the balsamic next time. I also used my new Global chef's knife which is unbelievable!! It cut through garlic like butter! I even cut an onion with ease (using the technique I learned watching the video on TheKitchn.com) and the layers didn't slide around everywhere. Even though the knife was expensive, I highly recommend it! It is unbelievable! I didn't eat too much because I was running with Amie afterwards but it was delicious! The turkey meatballs turned out amazing and that recipe is definitely a keeper. However, whenever I use ground turkey, it always seems to be really watery. Does anyone know why? The fresh herbs made a huge impact in the sauce and in the turkey meatballs. I should plant herbs on my balcony this summer to use for cooking. This meal taught me that good quality ingredients and good quality cooking tools make such a difference.

Mission(s) Accomplished

I got a lot accomplished this weekend and was able to cross a few things off of my 101 list:

15. Donate to a charity
17. Run another 5k
30. Get a good quality Chef's knife
43. Write a cookbook

On Saturday, I ran in the Revlon 5k Run/Walk for Breast Cancer with a group from work and Jeff even participated. It was so cold and crowded. It was really sad to see so many people with "In Memory Of..." signs on their backs while they were running and walking. The race began in Times Square and since we started so far back, we didn't get to really start running until the beginning of Central Park. Between Times Square and Central Park, Jeff, Amie, and I were weaving in and out of the crowd and even running on the sidewalk! The race went by pretty quickly and we finished in about 35 minutes which included running through the crowd. I felt extremely comfortable running and didn't feel out of breath at all. Afterwards, Amie convinced me to run a 10k with her. She keeps saying I can do it and I probably can. I just think running is so boring! Today she convinced me to sign up for a Woman's 10k in Central Park on June 7th. This one I actually have to start training for.

After the race, Jeff and I went to the Mall at Short Hills. I researched and bought an 8" Global Chef's knife from Williams-Sonoma after reading so many good reviews about it online and testing it out at Sur La Table in SoHo a few weeks ago. I also went to Macy's and got a Martha Stewart dutch oven that was on sale for $39.99 down from $99.99! I also had a 20% off Friends and Family coupon that I was able to use! Jeff and I went into Pottery Barn and Crate and Barrel and picked out furniture for our house that we will have some day. We even talked about what we would put on our registry. It's fun to live in fantasy land and he was even into it. We went to California Pizza Kitchen for lunch and talked more about our future. I just wish there would be less talk and more action.

I also read on one of my favorite websites, The Kitchn, that you can create your own hardcover cookbook on Tastebook.com. They had free shipping until May 4th for Mother's Day so I made a book of 100 of my own and favorite recipes and even included pictures. It'll be so much better than searching through all of my cookbooks and file folder for a certain recipe. I can't wait to get it in the mail!