GFJ (375-380) From Christmas to Boxing Day.....

Kelly dressed as a well-dressed svelte  slightly champagned up Santa.

Now, my mom has a zillion and one ornaments but I was too lazy to put them all on our little tree... I mean, if the tree were up for more than a week, than I would have done a big decorating job.. however, since I bought the tree days before Christmas, I loaded up the sucker with lights and a minimal amount of ornaments....

Tuesday - I went over to Best Buy to buy my dad's Christmas present and found that AT&T slash Best Buy was offering up the Blackberry Torch for FREE...So, I now have a new phone.. I'm on the fence if I like it or not.. I will give the camera major props however the touchscreen is kinda killing me softly. It keeps on calling people I don't want to ring up.. BUSTED....Btw: is it weird that I'm totally experiencing deja vu right now? I feel like I've been in Florida, blogging about a new phone whilst watching Top Chef before... I have the deja vu chills....

BREAKFAST: Okay, so today was Lox and Bagels day... I didn't have any gluten free bagels so I WENT

FOR IT.. I am beyond awful at this gluten free business.

LUNCH: A little bit of mushroom and zuchini lentils....

SNACK: Hummus and Carrots

DINNER: Fresh Bin Dae Duck


Wednesday - Theme Parks are dead expensive.. I was going to with E and her family to Universal cause I really wanted to see the whole Harry Potter world... Then I found out that tickets were $175 /pp... (Okay, so a normal ticket isn't $175 but we were going with the VIP tickets so we wouldn't have to wait in line for anything...)  I decided $175 was way too much for me to have the Harry Potter experience so I decided to take the money instead of going to the park. Is that so wrong?

BREAKFAST: So, I had another half of a Murrays Bagel... I COULD NOT HELP  MYSELF. I was toasting it without even thinking.. I saw bacon, I saw bagel and I went for it. Luckily I went to the gym apres so I wouldn't feel so badly about my breakfast....

LUNCH: Salad and I sauteed some boneless short ribs with sesame oil, LOADS OF GARLIC (cause I'm feeling ill) and a dash of soy sauce..

DINNER: Peking Duck and Crispy Egg Rolls


Thursday - J. Crew is basically FREE.... Yes, you read that correctly.. I went to the outlets on Thursday for some last minute shopping and everything was 70%.... Kelly, you would have been in seventh heaven...


BREAKFAST: Scrambled eggs and a gluten free biscuit

SNACK: Hummus and Nut Thin Crackers

LUNCH: Little burger from Five Guys

SNACK: A Kashi Bar

DINNER:  Loads of homemade Korean Food..... such as: Chap Jae, Kim-chee Jigae, Some Tofu thingy

Friday - Christmas Eve....

BREAKFAST: My mom is the best.. I woke up to her making homemade Bearnaise sauce for some delicious eggs benedict....It was a TDF breakfast which was immediately followed by an intense session at the gym.....

Mom's Eggs Benedict.....

LUNCH:  Chapjae

DINNER:  Fromage appetizer, way too much wine and Christmas Eve Dinner....

Shrimp sauteed with fresh herbs and garlic.

Salad with Sauteed Shrimp

1. I can't figure out how to rotate this picture.. It's driving me bonkers and it shows up in my album correctly but is effed up when I upload it to le blog....
2. My mom got overserved during cocktail hour and may have overcooked the prime rib. She was dead upset about it and I'm SHOCKED she hasn't run out to buy another rib roast to makeup for the overserved slash overcooked Christmas Eve one she made.

Dessert: E's delicious apple pie.

Saturday - Since E and the kids travel every Christmas, Santa only goes to Greenwich.. Therefore, we decided to open presents Christmas Eve and sleep in on Christmas.... Smartest decision ever.


BREAKFAST: I decided to give my mom a break in the kitchen and cook breakfast for eveyone. I went with a Prime Rib Hash... Not going to lie, it was a great use of leftover prime rib.

Prime Rib Hash with Eggs Sunnyside up.....

LUNCH: Carrots and Hummus..... Breakfast was quite filling so I pretended to be faux-rexi....


DINNER: Christmas Dinner at my sister J's house.. Not only are her two sons dead nice and smart (they are both doctors-to-be) but they can cook. K made the coq au vin and A made a delicious prime rib, which was not overcooked.

Nanimal.. are you missing my mom's cranberry sausage? I have to say, this picture makes it seem very fatty.

These endive spears are my favorite... I have my mom make these every time I'm home...

My nephew K's, Coq Au Vin.. He used Alton Brown's recipe...

My nephew A's, prime rib with sage horseradish rub.

Sunday: Happy Boxing Day... I hit the mall yesterday and regretted that decision once the dingbat at Neiman Marcus couldn't find the Chanel denim ballet flats that were on sale in my size.. Oh, they did have one side in my size but somehow misplaced the matching shoe... Boxing day is NOT my friend....

BREAKFAST: Half of a bagel with lox

LUNCH: Brio at the Mall... with my older niece and nephews....

Another one of my favorite stops is Brio at the Millenia Mall.. As I was running late at Bloomingdales, I made my nephew order the Fried Calamari for us to share.. I love it....It is so NOT gluten free.. Coco, if  you are reading this, I swear, I'm 100% gluten free staring January.....FOR REAL....

Brio's Beef Carpaccio.....

SNACK: Hummus and Nut-thins

COCKTAIL HOUR: I split a bottle of champagne with my dad and mom... Yep, that's right.. as we were watching The Parent Trip (the original) in our loungewear with Sweet T, my mom decided we needed to open up a bottle champagne... I heart being home.

DINNER: Mexican  at our favorite local hole-in the wall....

Steak Fajita... I've had a lot of red meat this trip....

GFJ (371-374) It's hard to be my mom....

I arrived in Florida before my mom returned from Korea.. So I had to be my mom for two days. This entailed grocery shopping at three different stores, buying a Christmas tree, cleaning up after my dad, cooking, more cleaning, wrapping presents, drycleaning, dropping off gifts, organzing, etc... IT IS HARD TO BE MY MOM.. I don't know how she makes it seem so effortless. She never complains, always has a smile on her face and has boundless amounts of energy... My feeble attempt to be her for two days made me appreciate her all the more.... Take a moment and be grateful your mom. Whether she is here or has passed, she has helped make you into the person you are today...and that's a good thing...


Friday - I started the morning with a head of hair that needed cutting.. I ended the day with bangs and poodle curls...No joke.. I went to Kazinori and had bangs and major curls... It was amazing.


BREAKFAST: Fage with Strawberry
SNACK: Nuts and some fromage
LUNCH: Leftover scalloped potatoes and som non-fat yogurt chicken.
DINNER: Poco

Some awful Blood Orange Mojito thingy at Poco. It sounded good in theory.. In practice, was DEAD SWEET.

Mushroom Truffle Croquettes ... I honestly forgot that these weren't gluten free..Therefore, in my book, doesn't count as cheating...

Chorizo Sliders... Seriously, I wasn't drunk when I went there but didn't EVEN THINK ABOUT the fact that these were on potato rolls....

Gambas al Ajillo -shrimp with garlic sauce topped with sundried tomatoes on garlic toast points .. I did not eat the toast points.

Caramelized Brussel Sprouts tossed with mint, chili and lemon

Skirt Steak and Manchego Cheese Lollipops

Papas Bravas

Saturday - I discovered Murray's Bagels today.. Okay, Lambo told me about them and I now love them.. Whilst I didn't eat one, I know they smelled good and when I dropped by Coco and Hollywood's to get Coco's opinion on the bangs, I gave one to Hollywood and he enjoyed it.. Go visit Murray's Bagels on 13th and 6th. You'll love.

BREAKFAST: Nothing
LUNCH: Masala Dosa
SNACK: Chee-tos
SNACK: Pop-Kettle Chips on Jet Blue
DINNER: Olive chips and Gruyere


Sunday - LIVER CLEANSE

BREAKFAST: Fage with Strawberry
LUNCH: Some Rice with Stir Fry Veggies (see below)

DINNER: Liver Cleanse

MONDAY:

Breakfast: Liver Cleanse
Lunch: Mushroom and Zuchinni Lentils...
Dinner: Korean BBQ and Rice.. AMAZING!

GFJ (369-370) I'm back on the GLUTEN FREE track....

After my binge weekend with Metts I'm officially on the gluten free track. To top it off, I will be taking the month of January off from boozing... I went to my acupuncturist yesterday and she told me my whole system was out of whack as a result of my weekend of fun.. So, I need to detox and flush out all the bad....Here's to a healthy 2011!!!

Wednesday:
BREAKFAST: Gluten Free Oatmeal
LUNCH: Grilled chicken sandwich and four onion rings.
SNACK: this damn peppermint bark that I was given for Christmas slash can't part from.
DINNER: Homemade dinner, pictured below...

Kale Salad with Chicken and Spinach and non-fat yogurt sauce with scalloped potatoes.

Thursday... I had a gluten binge.. My boss brought it all these stuffed breads and I had to try them.

BREAKFAST: Gluten Free Oatmeal
SNACK: Sausage Stuffed bread and Prosciutto stuffed bread
LUNCH: Kale Salad and Polenta Lasagna
DINNER: Ottolenghi Mushroom and Herb Polenta.. I had a lot of polenta yesterday. No wonder I feel ill today.

Dinner prep....

Sauteed mushrooms and fresh herbs....

Pears and goat cheese

Herb Polenta with Taleggio

Ottolenghi Mushrooms and Herb Polenta

Thursday night dinner...

GFJ (363-368) Over the past five days I've lost ten years of my life....

It has come to my attention that I AM OLD. I've actually known this for quite some time however I'm hard-headed so it has taken me sometime (and a debaucherous visit from Metts) for me to fully admit this.

When I woke up chipper and good-to-go on Friday, I thought I'd be able to lie to myself about my old-age. Let's be honest, how many people my age could bounce back after a slew of margaritas and a couple of tequila shots at Mason Dixon... not too many...  add in  the fact that I ended up at Stanton Social throwing back martini's and french onion soup balls late night, and that number dwindles even more.... The thing is, I SHOULD NOT BE GOING OUT LIKE THIS. It is semi-wrong that I was even able to  bounce back. Perhaps if I felt some semblance of pain on Friday morning, I wouldn't have let myself come undone the rest of the weekend...

That said, I have no regrets....No regrets what so ever... Who really needs those ten years that I lost over the past five days?



Thursday - It Ain't No Party Like A Cowboy Party....

I have no idea what I ate for breakfast or lunch... I'm fairly certain breakfast was probably either  a gluten free oatmeal or a fage however I couldn't be certain.... Lunch, NO RECOLLECTION...

Dinner: Some unhealthy, artery clogging food at Mason Dixon... and then, at midnight, we went to Stanton Social... All I remember eating were the French Onion Soup Balls....

The Bull at Mason Dixon.....

Man Down at Mason Dixon

Mason Dixon's Fried Mac and Cheese

Mason Dixon French Fries (although they try to call them something fance like twice baked fries or something)

Mason Dixon Hot Dog thingies.....

Friday.. When Your Brain Can't Handle Scattegories, Simply Respond With, NO ANSWER


As I said, I felt amazon when I went to work...and that feeling continued as I met Metts and Nacho for a bite at PEELS. Not gonna lie, the Champagne Cocktail (pictured below) probably helped things.... As did the Andouille Corn Dogs that we split....And my faux healthy Autumn Salad made me feel like I was treating my body well...until I washed it down with a mojito....

Champagne Cocktail at PEELS

Peels Andouille Corn Dogs.. Metts liked these so much we got two servings.. we barely made it though the second serving....

Since the night before had been so grody, I tried to pretend I was healthy by ordering this salad...Autumn Salad tuscan kale, treviso, trumpet royale mushrooms, anchovy vinaigrette, and aged goat cheese

Because I felt healthy with the Autumn Salad.....

The best hot sauce EVER.....

The mojito at PEELS is mouth-watering...

And then there was dinner at The Truth's... I showed up a little late cause I had my office holiday party... This got me out of doing any prep work (that's a lie, I did chop the garlic)...

If you haven't been invited to dinner at The Truth's you are missing out. It is an experience. In every home she's lived in, she creates an environment which sucks you in. Seriously, you don't want to leave. It's like Wonderland sans all the acid-y double entendre.

Wait, have I even gotten to the food?  Oh the her meals are so freaking yummy. I have never had a bad dinner there, EVER... I've also never laughed as hard as I did that night. You know that deep down belly laugh that you have when you are around good friends and are comfortable? Well take that and go even deeper... I was so out of my mind in giggles that parts of my body that I didn't even know could be sore from laughing, were. Sitting on the couch with Metts, The Truth, Nacho and No Answer was like a hysterical dream come true. If some drug company could simulate that feeling of pure laughing happiness, I'd buy that drug by the bucket loads.....

Dinner at The Truths...

These suckers were cooked in butter.. AMAZING....

If you ask No Answer to do a job, he'll do it well.. The Truth asked him to garlic butter this baguette.. Look at the amazing job he did.... 

Brussel Sprouts...

Potatoes Gratin... Truth, did I hear you say that these were out of a box? If so, which box as they tasted homemade..

The reason why WAC's new name is NO ANSWER.... This was probably the most hysterical part of the  evening.. Whenever we went around giving answers, WAC would respond with a, "No Answer"... At one point he said, "I have nothing from 4-12"...  My other favorite moment was when Nacho busted me for skipping one of the categories.... When I asked him what he put down he said, "oh, no answer... I just wanted to hear what everyone else wrote down."

Saturday - Marriage Enhancement....


On Saturday Metts and I walked uptown to meet The Truth for lunch at Melon's... En route, we ran into Metts' mom's best friend, S... At first she was so excited about seeing Metts and talking about her Christmas trip to San Francisco and then, all of the sudden, she got very serious and asked, "wait, what are you doing here? IS. EVERYTHING. OKAY?"

After Metts laughed and said, "everything is more than fine", S had a sly-smile and said, "is this a marriage enhancement trip?" Marriage enhancement... I love the way that sounds slash think it's a concept that all couples should embrace... Admittedly I'm not married so I'm sorta talking out of my arse... That said,  I do hear all my married friends whinge about their spouses... I truly think they'd complain less if they took mini-breaks away from their loved ones... Marriage enhancement not only enhances your marriage but, your soul....

Nothing says Saturday like a burger at Melon's...

Jalapeno margarita at Delicatessen.... This was soon followed by martini's at Brinkley's.....

After lunch at Melon's and a drink with Nacho and GDubbs at Delicatessen, we stumbled over to Brinkley's for some cocktails... Now, by "some" I mean about four or five... It was good times which led to amazingly hysterical times over at GDubbs for a mini- dance party. The Flip video from that little pit-stop is TO DIE FOR.....

From GDubbs we went to Pullinos for some pizza... Fiddlesticks (which Metts has dubbed, FIDDLESUCKS) so Nacho and GDubbs could find some chicks... Woggies, so Nacho could passout whilst Metts ate a heart-burn inducing Phillly cheese-steak and then I went home, right before it started to pour.....

Post mid-evening dance party at GDubbs, we went over to Pullinos for some pizza..

Sunday - I Officially Came Undone....


All I have to say about Sunday is that I was so out of sorts that I didn't even care that there was a leak in my room. Actually, that's a lie. I did care, I just couldn't deal.... I also couldn't motivate to the one meal with Metts that I was excited about, Gramercy Tavern. By the time I could get my act together, I met the guys at Penny Farthings for one drink and came home to die whilst Nacho, Metts, GDubbs and Love Shack went to Minetta... Basically I missed the best eating day of Metts entire trip.


Monday- The Last Day of Metts...


All I know about Monday is that I woke up to an email from El EP telling me he was coming in a few weeks.. Normally, the prospect of a visit from him would have me jumping out of bed.. Instead, I rolled over to the other side of my bed and re-set my alarm for an hour later...

By the time I motivated to work I had to turn back around and grab a quick bite in K-town..Take care of some personal business Uptown... do some work and then sit at the Old King Cole for some martinis. Winter isn't complete until you've spent some quality time at the St Regis hotel bar...

Metts favorite, Korean BBQ at Kum Gang San..

Tuesday-  I've Officially Lost Ten Years of My Life......


When I walked to work and was discombobulated, I realized that the past five days with Metts has led me to the loss of at least ten years of my life. I'm way too old for this shiz. I need to get married so my husband can keep me in check from these sort of shenanigans... slash, I could never marry a man who held me back from a little fun with friends, I'd have to divorce him.

BREAKFAST: Gluten Free Oatmeal
LUNCH: Miso Soup and Sushi Rolls
DINNER: Masala Dosa from Hampton Chutney Company (pictured below)... I'm simply OBSESSED with the Dosa... For those of you who don't know what it is, a dosa is a rice/lentil crepe... It's heaven on Earth.

My new favorite food, Dosa at the Hampton Chutney Company....

Inside the delicious DOSA....