Anna Steve Papoutsakis

Still Alive

So I disappeared the last couple of months.  Life in my world has been beyond hectic, and sadly my food and food writing projects had to take a back burner.  Since early July I have been juggling 60 hour weeks between 3 jobs in the hopes that one of those jobs would pan out into full time.  Until I knew if I would get the job I needed to keep my other jobs just in case.  Just in case became a reality, and come this Friday I should be back down to two jobs. Sigh.

So good news with the Flat Belly Diet.  I lost about 15 pounds and have kept it off even though I mainly returned to my normal eating habits.  The only thing I am disappointed in is that I have not been good about making sure I have a MUFA (mono unsaturated fatty acid) at each meal.  Again, the good news with this is that I know if I do want to lose more weight, the diet is very doable and has results, even without working out. :)

Lenten Feast

I have been a bad, bad blogger, not having posted in a few weeks.  I am going to pull the religion card on that one.  Greek (Eastern) Orthodox Easter was this past Sunday, April 27th.  Somewhere, sometime growing up my priest said we could be more American/Catholic-like and give up something we love as opposed to the usual meat fast.

This year I chose to give up a bad habit of mine - hot chocolate and whipped cream.  Particularly the whipped cream.  At Starbucks, we make it fresh basically every hour, depending on demand.  Everytime time over the past 40 days, it was torture piling it on to a Frappuccino or garnishing another beverage.  Then one of my favorite snacks was to make short hot chocolate, fill it only about half way, then fill the rest with whipped cream.  Then of course I would layer the whipped cream and eat it with a spoon, repeating the process until the hot chocolate was gone.  This naturally was a disgusting and highly caloric habit, but naturally one I enjoyed immensely.

I was sad on Easter Sunday when no one brought me a can of whipped cream.  I got over it yesterday, though, as I went out and got my own (not working at Starbucks for a few days, so at least I am not being tempted there).

Amid the hot chocolate and whipped cream fast, I enjoyed this Lenten season and of course, Greekster.  My family hosted over 60 people in our home and the menu was rockin'.  Spit-roasted lamb, potatoes, Greek sausages, Spanakopita, Tyropita, Cheese, Dolmades, Hummus, Souvlakia, Pickled Beets, Eggplant, Salad, Pita Bread, etc. etc.  I miss it already. :(

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

This year is major in New York baseball as it is the last year that both Yankee Stadium and Shea Stadium will be open.  I am looking forward to the new Yankee Stadium and Citi Field, and baseball aside, I am especially curious about the new eats.

I will probably be lynched for saying it, but right now, I feel Shea has the better food selection and it more representative of a New York food experience.  The fact that I am a Mets fan probably negates my credibility, but at the end of the day, I am a food fan.  Yankee Stadium has slim pickings.  Sure, it's all about the game, but who really goes to a game and doesn't get ANYTHING? 

Whatever the case, I am looking forward to some new options.

'Cause Down the Shore Everything's (Not) All Right

I am a native Jersey girl.  21 of my 28 years have been spent on and off and back on in the Garden State.  Naturally, part of my home state pride includes trips to the Jersey Shore.  Growing up, I would go down to Wildwood with my family every now and then, mainly because there was a nice sized population of Greeks living there who were from my mother's Northern Greek village.  In college, and before I was 21, I would take trips to Seaside Heights, because that is what you do when you're old enough to drive but still a minor.  When I returned to New Jersey in my mid-twenties after living in Rhode Island for seven years, I started taking trips to Point Pleasant.

Yesterday, a friend and I participated in the Polar Plunge, a charity event that benefits the Special Olympics.  The main event is participants plunge into the frigid Atlantic Ocean.  This year's event took place in Seaside Heights.  After the event, to avoid the crowds, we drove up to Point Pleasant for a celebratory lunch.  Being a Jersey native and loving trips to the shore, I love boardwalk food.  Fried foods, pizza, sausage and peppers, frozen custard, fudge, taffy, etc.  I love it all (well, except maybe the peppers because I hate green bell peppers, but alas,I digress).  Of course, I also remember it being really cheap, sans the homemade candies. 

I would like to know what changed in terms of prices, and when going to the boardwalk turned into going to the movies.  Yesterday, I got a hot dog, onion rings, a bottle of water...the whole thing cost me $12.50.  For that price, I can get three times the amount of food at a New York City street vendor.  I don't get it.  Have food prices really gone up as much as the analysts are saying, or has the Jersey Shore just become another Disney World resort, ripping off guests because they can?

Restaurant Week

I'm excited, well sort of.  New York City restaurant week is upon us, offering $35 prix fixe tasting menus.  1000 restaurants are participating.  I am definitely excited for it, but the problem is, I have no idea where I want to eat, or where I have time to go.  There are a couple of restaurants I need to research for writing gigs, but they are not on the list.  Sigh...

http://www.nycvisit.com/restaurantweek/

Fresh Mozzarella

There is a deli near the Starbucks I work at which I simply adore.  I have been going there since day one that it has opened and I've already witnessed the changing over of two owners.

There is one sandwich there that is perhaps a subtle cardiac arrest, but because of its fresh ingredients and simply combination of Italian flavors, I absolutely adore it.

The "Soprano," as the Italian deli calls it, is a foot long hero comprised of proscuitto, basil, fresh mozzarella, roasted red peppers, and oil and vinegar.  As I abhor bell peppers of just about any form, I substitute pickled hot peppers for my version, adding a bit of heat and a bit more tartness which completments the sweet fresh mozzarella and the salty proscuitto nicely.  The bread comes from a bakery on or near Arthur Ave in the Bronx for added authenticity.

For me, the best part of the sandwich is the fresh mozzarella, which the deli makes on site.  I have heard fresh mozzarella is relative easy to make at home, but I have yet to try.  It would a nice project for a rainy weekend afternoon.