Sweet, delicious cravings

#15 on my Things to do Before I Go Broke list -- increase my baking skills, has lead some friends of mine to send over some very cool new recipes. Which got me thinking...if I had the time (like a couple of free weekends...of which I am not allowed to have apparently), what would I like to bake? Thus please see the following, and add any that you may like to try eating ;) At some point in my nesting stage, I will get to them all (in no particular order) :)

1) Strawberry cupcakes
2) Rocky Road Brownies--the dessert kind, not the Indian people kind ;)
3) Ferrer-Rocher Nutella Cupcakes
4) Margarita cupcakes
5) Champagne cupcakes
6) Scones (of any flavor)
7) Oreo cheesecake balls (although I HAVE made these before, I'd like to make them again)
8) something with coconut (suggestions?)
9) a peanut butter & apple cinnamon crepe (Mmmmm. had these in Vegas once...so friggin' good)
10) Okay, this is going to sound weird to most people, but remember, I am preggers -- Bacon filled waffles (as shown below via ThisIsWhyYoureFat.com)
11) Lemon curd cupcakes
12) Bakerella Cupcake Pops
13) Homemade Mini Donuts (in different flavors)
14) Butterscotch Pie
15) Sweet Potato cupcakes
16) Guiness Cupcakes (for ITPav)
17) Ooey Gooey Yummy Brownies (TGF Paul Deen)
18) OH's Creme Brulee French Toast
19) Fruit Turnovers (Strawberry, Apple, Pear, Blueberry, etc)
20) something with Dulce de Leche
21) something with caramel & fleur de sel
22) something with pumpkin (not pie)
23) Ice Cream Cone cupcakes
24) S'mores Cupcakes
25) Martha Stewart's Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes

**I also want to learn to take better photos of what I bake so that I can post them up here on the blog! Any ideas would be most helpful!

Things to do before I go broke...

My name is Brownie, and I am a shopaholic. Recently I was talking to a friend (no, not OH), and she told me that I shop so much because I am bored, and don't have any hobbies like I once did. She asked me to think of what fun things I would like to do, that would take me away from my insane shopping habit (much to the extreme joy of Hubby).

So here's my list. Let's see if I can get at least some of them done this summer, and save some moolah for the Li'l Bluebri's college education.

1. Take drawing classes (OH gave me a set of of 5 for my birthday...now I actually have to use them)
2. Visit a different Museum every couple of weeks (Met, Moma, Bodies exhibit, Natural History, Frick)
3. Ride a bicycle through Central Park (not feasible while pregnant, however), or just walk around the park & have a picnic lunch there
4a. Join a Book Club....it sounds like fun, but then I actually have to complete a book for each meeting
4b. While we're at that, actually use my library card for the first time
5. Help out in some sort of child care environment, maybe an art class for kids or something to that effect
6. Try an art therapy class for adults (do they exist?)
7. Take swim lessons
8. Create some new scrapbooks (especially one for the baby)
9. Work on a photo montage for Tiny Dancer & SK Prankster
10. Put together new fun playlists on my ipod (I want some good tunes for the baby to hear in the womb)
11. Plan the nursery/get the nursery done
12. Take a dance class (again, probably not very feasible during the pregnancy)
13. Join Netflix and rent a bunch of DVDs of shows that I want to get into; go to the theater and see a movie
14a. Go to the Bronx Zoo/Sothstreet Seaport/Cloisters/Botanical Gardens/
14b. Again, while we're at it, (Although this should probably be done WITH kids) Go to an Amusement Park--Hershey, Sesame, Great Adventure
15. Increase my baking skills--get creative with fondant, flavors, colors, etc.

Time for Tea

photo courtesy of www.mightysweet.com

Do you know the TeaCake Man, the TeaCake Man, the TeaCake Man? Do you know the TeaCake Man who works in ChinaTown?

Another trip down Food Memory Lane for me. When I was little, my family would come to the "city" (New York City, that is, for all you NON tri-state area residents) every Sunday for Dim Sum (We will talk more about my LOVE for Dim Sum in a separate future post). Our usual haunt was a place called HSF near where Krazee lived (in the Kips Bay area), but on nice summer days many times we'd venture down to Chinatown (where HSF eventually moved to) and walk around after lunch. Here, we would ALWAYS bump into the "Tea Cake Man" (that was my name for him then, and continues til this very day). He makes small little cakes in a mini Ebelskiver cast iron pan. Hot off the presses, 15-20 mini cakes for $1 in a little wax paper baggie, to munch on while you explore Chinatown.
We stopped our Dim Sum ventures as Little Sister and I got older, but I have returned to my dumpling ways along with my buddy, OH. And we have found our beloved TeaCake Man, soaking in every warm simple bite of the mini air cakes as we digest our delicious. scrumptious meal.

I Need a New Attitude...

So I REALLY need a new haircut.  A new style, something.  I think I've had the same hairstyle since I was 16.  No matter what I do, or what "celeb pic" I take with me to the hairstylist, it still looks like this (see pic to the right). Sorry I look so unhappy...I was trying to figure out the screen snapshot off my Mac while taking this.  Wasn't sure if it actually took a picture. (Plus I had one too many last night, and have not had enough fried foods to sop up the leftover liquor).

Anyhoo...So 5 years ago, I had FINALLY found a great stylist who charged me UNDER $100 (she charged me $50, in fact) in NYC, and even though my hair always looked somewhat the same when I came out of there, I still felt...brand new :)

Then she moved to Japan.  Back to square 1.  OH recommended her hair stylist who she just LOVED LOVED LOVED.I met him, and I will have to admit--I LOVE LOVE LOVED him too.  Except he charge me about $150 a visit (new prices for new clients apparently, and this was not inclusive of tip).  SO although everyone LOVED my hair every time I walked out of his salon, I didn't feel new.  I felt like I was being charged 3 times what I normally paid, for the same haircut I always got.  He's an amazing stylist, and if you can afford it, I definitely recommend Mario (www.mariodiab.com).  Mario is so wonderful, has a great vision, and is just so amazingly cultured.  But at $150, I can only go to him once a year, and he's not too happy with my hair when I go in.

My little sister, being back in NYC for a matter of 6 months, found a very hipster fab stylist...in Brooklyn.  And although I do love Brooklyn, I think it's been over 2 years since I last was there (I'm not counting the 3 hours OH and I spent in October doing our own Cancer Walk in Prospect Park, as everyone else walked in the other direction).  I know I'll never get my lazy butt down there, thus, again, only visiting the salon once a year.

And the reason why I've had the same haircut for almost 15 years...I'm scared to do anything different.  I'm scared something shorter will make me look chubbier.  Something too trendy will make me look silly.  Something too "normal" would make me look like I've aged 50 years.  I don't know what would suit me besides the above shot as per this afternoon. And I feel THAT look is just weighing me down.

Last night, after the 4th or 5th Grey Goose & Diet Coke, I came home and couldn't fall asleep.  I was thisclose to getting the scissors and just lopping off my hair.  I even started "measuring out" my bangs with my fingers. I decided I didn't want to wake-up King of Written Street and Polar Bear who were visiting this weekend by trying to find the scissors out in the living room.

So I have two dilemmas--finding a new stylist in NYC who won't charge me the same amount as a new pair of shoes, and a new hair STYLE period.  Please help.

Foodie & the Restaurants

OH (aka TM), one of my closest friends, and an utter foodie, just like me, loves trying new restaurants and frequenting the faves. You will usually find us together on our monthly jaunts to faves, as well as new spots off our respective Restaurant lists. She is also a restaurant blogger for the Urbanista website -- a site for "urbanistas" to find everything they are looking for in NY.
Anyhoo, OH & I were just discussing how we haven't really found any restaurants recently that we have fallen ABSOLUTELY head-over-heels in love with. I feel, gone are those days...which is really sad for me. I miss having a fave frequented restaurant. Hopefully, I'll find another one soon. (Keep your fingers crossed)

But I decided to give you my list of my ALL-TIME fave (and go-to) restaurants, in all my fave cities around the world:

New York:
Cafeteria (Chelsea)
Coffee Shop (Union square)
Nobu (Tribeca)
Le Bilboquet (UES)
Baraonda (UES)
Stanton Social (LES)
Mermaid Inn (LES)
Shake Shack (23rd Street)
Chennai Garden (Little India)
Tiffin Wallah (Little India)
Ginger's (Garment District)
New Yoshi (Hell's Kitchen)
Empanada Joe's (Midtown West)
Zen Palate (now closed)
NY's Delicious Pizza (Murray Hill)
Dojo (NYU area)
Atomic Wings (any location)
Best Wingers (Murray Hill)
Dukes aka Earl's (both locations)
*Honorable mention: Fishtail by David Burke, At Vermilion, Pranna

London:
Ping Pong (any location, but St. Christopher's Place is most frequented by yours truly)
Wagamama (any location, but Waterloo is most frequented by me)
Hakkasan
Yauatcha (sister restaurant of Hakkasan, Soho area)
Sylvio (across the street from the entrance to Selfridges' Dept Store on Duke Street)
Carluccio's (St. Christopher's Place location)
M&S Food Hall aka Simply Food (Marble Arch)
Selfridges' Food Hall (Oxford Street)
Suka (Sanderson Hotel)
Maroush (Hubby's fave - I haven't been)
Cinnamon Club (Westminster)
Royal China (Baker Street)
Crazy Bear

Mumbai:
Royal China (Sterling Cinema location, same group as of that in London)
Frangipani (Oberoi Hotel, Nariman Point)
Tibbs (Shivaji Park at Breach Candy, possibly the best food item on the planet!)
Swati Snacks (Tardeo)
Golden Dragon (Taj Mahal Hotel in Colaba)
Indigo (Colaba)
Trishna (Fort location)
Moshes (Cuffe Parade)
Ling's Pavillion (Regal Cinema, Colaba)
Shamiana (Taj Mahal Hotel)
Citrus (Leela Kempinski Hotel)
Pan Asia (Grand Maratha Sheraton)
*Honorable mention: Hokey Pokey ice cream parlours (all locations)
**(note) You'll also find not too many Indian restaurants listed here. This is because when I am in Mumbai, my favorite Indian food is at the homes of my family and friends. The best Indian food you can get anywhere :)
***(note) Colaba is one of the areas my mother grew up in Mumbai, and also one of the main areas of the November 26th, 2008 terrorist attacks. :(

Las Vegas:
Social House (Treasure Island Hotel)
Red 8 (The Wynn Hotel)
In 'n Out Burger (Off the Strip)
Okada (The Wynn Hotel)
Noodles (Bellagio Hotel)
N9NE (The Palms Hotel)
Yellowtail (Bellagio Hotel)
Trevi - formerly known as Bertolini's (Caesar's Palace Forum Shops)
Wing Lei (The Wynn Hotel)

Paris:
Les Etoiles (Rue Princesa, St. Germain-des-pres) *i'm sorry, this site is in French
Colette (Rue St. Honore)
Hotel Costes outdoor restaurant
Mood (Champs Elysee)
Pizzeria Napolitaine Chez Bartolo (Rue Canettes, St. Germain-des-pres)

So what do you all think? Have any favorites you'd like me to try or visit again? Let me know!

How the Fauna Finds Flora

Check out this book that my OH (ahem...Other Husband) found. I actually have no words...just read through it all and pick your fave story :)

http://community.livejournal.com/found_objects/3699822.html?page=1