Sunday morning and I am lazily scrolling through facebook from my bed. I come across a soaring review of Mah Ze Dahr in Gothamist and immediately jump up. 15 minutes later, I am dressed and on the A train heading downtown.
New to the village, Mah Ze Dahr should very quickly be placed on your bakery radar. With a variety of both sweet and savory pastries, I opted to try one from each side of the spectrum.
If I had to rate my garden this season it would be a solid 10 out of 10. What can I say, I have a green thumb…. Or more likely the case, my neighbors helped guide me on what to plant, how to plant it, watering when I failed and generally making sure I had a great season.
And I think that’s the point. My little garden in central Harlem is a real community affair. Neighbors talk with each other. They ask how each other’s days were. Wait, wait. Talking? Asking? Genuine interest in your neighbor? In New York? No Way!
Three hours, 30 euros and a direct train ride from Lisbon to Porto makes me a happy traveler. Sipping Port wine along the Rio Duoro as I watch the sunset over the Atlantic and the lights of this tiered city come up means I will be going to Porto again (and again.)
Do you like Harry Potter and Jesus? If so, put Coimbra on your travel itinerary.
Very much a college town, the city has the University of Coimbra (with early ties to the Jesuits.) Founded in 1290, it’s a UNESCO world heritage site and has the Joanina Library with a collection of books dating back to the 1500s.
When you visit the campus, you’ll notice many of the students wearing their uniforms; including capes. It really does feel like you’re in a Harry Potter movie.
Comic and Anime conventions have been popping up everywhere yet only one of them is based on bringing a terrible disease to the forefront. Immortal Con which takes place in Ronkonkoma, Long Island is in its second year and building with every new step. The founder Elsie Martinez-Ginsberg is all too familiar with the beast called cancer. She is stage four cancer fighter and still battling to keep up her good work. Elsie thought of a way of bringing breast cancer and cancer in general to the forefront in a fun and special way. Hence, her plan to incorporate anime and fantasy while highlighting the need for more awareness to this painful disease.
Lisbon is made up of distinct neighborhoods. I stayed in Alfama which is the oldest and located by a number of historic places such as the Sao Jorge Castle. The area is hilly and requires a special mention.
Imagine a place where you walk up a hill to get to your destination. You would think the reverse direction on the way back down would be easy, right? Wrong. Lisbon is seemingly uphill both ways. Not sure how this is possible but get ready for some strong calf muscles when you leave.
I tend to be a semi planner. I thought Lisbon in the south, Coimbra in the middle of the country and Porto in the north would provide a nice cross section of the country. There are also multiple trains running each day between all these cities so I wouldn’t have to worry about when to leave or travel wait times.
When it comes to determination and passion, Fabian Thorne would be the poster child. Here is a man who would not permit any handicap to derail his long term plans. Fabian, ever since childhood was always interested in sports in any form. He played basketball and his favorite football. At first he was a sight to see at the local parks but he would graduate to play at the High School and semi-pro level.
But there was one major set-back that many would have avoided even attempting to compete. Fabian was legally blind on one eye but that did not stop him from not only trying out but making the team. He owes his perseverance to his mother, coaches and his own stubbornness.
So what if you wanted to move your pretzel experience to the comfort of your own home? It’s actually quite easy with one annoying exception. The recipe called for 1/4 cup of powdered milk. Did you know you can only buy powdered milk in increments of 5 pounds? I do now. So $13 later and with the newest addition to the back of my cupboard, I was ready to bake.
I am always looking for new recipes to try (and ultimately set off the fire alarm in my apartment….) It just so happened the incredibly talented Janness Koh who writes for our Full Access Singapore site had just what I was looking for with her Pandan Cake.
