The best subway performance I've seen so far.

These guys made me feel a little homesick. I also really wanted to film the little kids dancing to their music off to the side...but it's weird to film kids, so I didn't. Regardless, these guys totally got a dollar from me, and that's definitely not something I do on a regular basis (I've only ever done it twice before - I'm hard to impress!) I hope you enjoy this super talented group as much as I did!!

The Devil

in sugar form

Reese's Cup Cookies

I've been baking a lot for my co-workers lately. I really love them and I really love baking, so the combination is perfect, or may haps a result of this phenomenon. But let's not dwell, let's eat.

I mentioned earlier in the week that I would make my famous Reese's cup cookies. Then, after discovering that a few people gave up chocolate for lent and a few others just plain don't like chocolate (communists) I mentioned that I would make lemon cookies instead. One particular co-worker was deeply saddened by this news, as he and reese's cups have a very intimate relationship.

While working in the middle of the stacks, 2 floors and about a football field away from the supply closet, I realized I'd settled down to work without a stack of papers I needed to flag certain books. Seeing that Chris was not yet settled in his chair, I decided to be lazy and ask him if he would run to the supplies and grab me a stack of papers.

I've never seen anyone run so fast in my life. You should also know that Chris is about 6'4" and 280 lbs. Another co-worker, Michael, looked up from his work as Chris bolted by and said "what the f**k was that?" He was so excited about the idea of Reese's Cup Cookies that he didn't realize that he had his own stack of papers on his desk that could have shared with me! That's the power of peanut butter & chocolate!

To be fair, I also made the lemon cookies ;)

Reese's Cup Cookies
- 2 sticks of softened butter (1 cup)
- 3/4 cup cornstarch
- 3/4 powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 25 Reese's Cup Miniatures (unwrapped)

- preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and then beat in cornstarch and powdered sugar until well blended.
- add flour & cocoa beat well.
- wrap a tablespoon of dough around a reese's cup and pinch closed all over. place on cookie sheet.
- bake 12 minutes.

Look at Sheryl!

Sheryl is the reason we moved to Greenpoint because she blogs about what an amazing place it is and I'm very lucky that I now get to call her my friend. When I ran into her today, she showed off her medal from yesterday's NYC half-marathon!

The last of the Sprinkles :(

Since getting my new job with it's goofy-ass hours, I can no longer participate in my weekly Friday ritual of going to Weight Watchers at the 57th & Lexington location, meeting Ryan for lunch afterwards and then hitting up Sprinkles. It's for the better though. I've found a new meeting and don't need to spend $7 a week on little cakes. I only miss meeting Ryan for lunch.

New Blog Feature! Unidentifiable Polish Products!

 I love living in an "Ethnic Neighborhood." In Cincinnati, when you said you lived in a "German neighborhood" or an "Italian Neighborhood," it meant that that area was settled by them 100 years ago and there is still some Bavarian style housing or a couple of bakeries around that sell rainbow cookies.

 Here in NYC, though, when you say you live in a Polish Neighborhood, which is what Greenpoint mostly is, it means that every other business is a Polish one, and about 75% of your neighbors (I'm guessing) are Polish. And I don't mean "of Polish decent," I mean actually born in that place and immigrated to the United States and speak Polish amongst their peers.

 And buy Polish products that are readily available. Ryan and I love experimenting with unfamiliar food stuffs. We've decided that we're going to buy something we don't understand and give it a whirl.

Unfortunately, we choose the grossest thing possible for the first taste test. I thought that being a Kraft product, they would have a nostalgic Hostess cake like quality, but these gingerbread cakes stuffed with apple jam and covered in chocolate (sounded so good) were out of this world plastic tasting. Better luck next time, I guess.

Anyone know any good Polish products we should try?

Confession time.

I love diet food. I hate diet food. I love that diet food makes me thin. I hate that it mostly tastes like bark & fungus. I love finding good stuff that has no Weight Watchers Points Plus and tastes like real food. Yes, I just called soda a real food. I've been meaning to try stevia sweetened soda for a long time and finally picked some up today at my favorite local grocery store, The Garden. This one was Dr. Pepper knock-off flavor and it was so good that I'm going back tomorrow for the rest of the flavors!

What are your favorite fake foods? Any gems?