Walnut Street Theatre

How often is it that you get to tag along on the occasion of someone else's graduation gift?

Well luckily for me, my daughter's gift from a friend to see a play at the Walnut Street Theatre included tickets for my younger daughter and me- hooray!

This page inside the PlayBill reminds me of the book the character reads in the play.

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying is great fun-and not only because we are grateful to have abandoned that olden era of gender inequality (whew), but because it is funny, and entertaining.
The cast is top notch, and the newcomer to Walnut Street, Jeremy Morse (J. Pierpont Finch) is really terrific.

The original book a satire by Shepherd Mead in 1952 was reinterpreted in 1955 by playwrights Burrows, Weinstock, and Gilbert, who then collaborated with Frank Loesser in an adaptation that became the Broadway hit which debuted in 1961.  An interesting evolution!

As the first scene unfolds, Finch reading How to Succeed... while trying to land a job at the perfect company- the book states, "It is essential that the company be a big one. It should be at least big enough so that nobody knows what anyone else is doing."

The hilarious company high jinks throughout the play keep the laughs coming and the audience entertained.

Pizza on the grill-wow!

Pizza may not be the most interesting food topic, but who doesn't like a great pizza? My family really enjoys pizza and we definitely all have our favorites- Stellas or Pizzerea Vetri in Philly, Gusta in Florence, Forcella on the Bowery.

But who knew grilled pizza could be our new favorite? It's a little bit of work to get the dough to cooperate on the grill but the rewards are worth the effort- promise!

Gilled pizza with heirloom tomatoes, San Marzano tomato sauce, buffalo mozzarella, red onion, fresh basil

Recipe: Inspired by Barefoot Contessa Grilled California Pizza
Adapted version:
Dough from Whole Foods Market
Cut dough in half
Roll each half out 1/4 inch thick
Brush dough with olive oil one side
Heat grill to around 375-400 degrees
I used long grill tongs to help with the dough on the grill and to add toppings
Place dough (oil side down) directly on grill grates cook for 1 minute then turn
Brush next side with olive oil and add favorite toppings
Close lid to grill- cook pizza for approximately 4-5 minutes

Here's what we had for toppings:
sliced red onion
fresh ricotta
fresh mozzarella
basil
heriloom tomatoes
roma tomatoes
prosciutto
1 jar San Marzano pizza sauce

This version has more fresh basil and prosciutto.

Tomato season

With the bounty of tomatoes hitting the markets, I'm always looking for new ways to use them in a recipe.
The other day I happened to be reading Melissa Clark's food column A Good Appetite for the NY Times where she includes a short video of Pasta With Burst Cherry Tomatoes and that was enough for me to head straight to the kitchen to see what I had on hand.

Turns out I had plenty of tomatoes, lots of arugula, some mint and a few scallions. After a quick stop to my favorite Italian market DiBruno Brothers, I purchased a fresh and tasty batch of ricotta cheese. While my recipe version is different from Melissa's, the inspiration for using ripe summer ready tomatoes is the underlying idea. With not much mint on hand I added some arugula which gave it a nice peppery finish.

Pasta with sautéed tomatoes

Here's my recipe:
8 oz fusilli pasta
3 garlic cloves smashed
1 tablespoon olive oil and more for drizzling
1 1/2 pints of cherry tomatoes halved
small bunch of scallions chopped
1/2 cup pepperoni abbruzze ( dry aged) chopped
fresh ricotta cheese ( about 3 tablespoons)
salt for finishing (maldon works well)
pinch of red pepper flakes
black pepper
mint leaves torn into small pieces ( about 1/4 c)
1 cup arugula

While the pasta is cooking, sauté the tomatoes in the olive oil for about 5 minutes adding garlic and abbruzze for an extra few minutes over medium heat.
Add cooked pasta to the tomato mixture adding a bit of pasta water to make a sauce.
In the same sauté pan add to the pasta mix fresh chopped scallions, red pepper flakes, ricotta evenly distributed and finally some chopped mint and arugula. Finish with a few flakes of sea salt. Serve making sure to give each person a nice dollop of ricotta.

Summer Birthday Celebration NYC

For my birthday this year, I decided to get my family together and have a picnic lunch in Central Park. The weather was perfect; sunny, breezy, and in the low 80's.  We entered the park around 72nd and 5th and were greeted by a row of beautiful American Elms.

 Canopy of elms 

 Summer planter in Central Park.

The picnic lunch from Bouchon Bakery. We brought our old plaid blanket along- perfect for relaxing on Sheep's Meadow.

We had a terrific time canoeing around the Central Park Lake-the midtown view in the background.

Model sail boats at the Conservatory Water.

A view of the Chrysler Building from our hotel.

 Hudson Clearwater in the West Village was the perfect spot for a casual and delicious birthday dinner. A side of Potato-cauliflower gratin.

We spent Sunday morning in Williamsburg and had a relaxing brunch at Cafe Mogador

The ferry ride view of the Brooklyn Bridge from Williamsburg to Dumbo.

Sunday Smorgasburg in Dumbo is an eclectic mix of food vendors.