Ms. Bear’s Big Apple Adventure!

Another July has come and gone, and that means that I have taken another one of my annual trips out to NYC to visit family. It is always such a good time and I look forward to it all year long!!

This year was a little different though, as my niece, Mona, had taken a pretty serious tumble while training for a triathlon. So, this year we had a low key visit and tried to help Mona out as much as we could. Plus, we wanted her to rest and not run us all over the city as she usually does! We still had a wonderful time and I even stayed a day longer than I usually do!

I managed to squeeze in a visit with my DC and NJ nieces and nephews too. We had Subway catered….see, we really did take it easy!
We went to several nice restaurants. We had lunch at Tavern in the Green, in Central Park. Then I took a long, extremely hot walk through the park!

We also ate at Parm again…they have great food. We went to a wine bar in the late afternoon one day too. I had a couple hours in Times Square when Mona was at the doctors.

Oh, and we also got to eat lunch at the Yale Club and I visited Grand Central Station for the first time too!

It was a great family time. Life is so fast-moving that it’s important to take some time to have quality family time….as Mikey, the Life Cereal boy, would say…”Try it, you’ll like it!”

I sure did!

P.S. Ms. Bear takes NYC in 2013, 2014 and 2015… 🙂

Ms. Bear Takes NYC…

Ms. Bear takes New York…sounds like a certain reality show, doesn’t it? Well, if you know anything about Melissa, then you know that she and I have a very odd fascination with anything Kardashian. Since they have had TV shows “taking” Miami and the Hamptons, I thought I would call this third annual installment of my summer travels…

“Ms. Bear Takes NYC!“

Poor Janelle had to get up before dawn (which she does every day anyway, but she really HATES taking me to the airport!). It was smooth sailing on the highway and on the plane — on time and smooth. When I got to the Big Apple, I walked right out into a waiting cab. The driver was so nice and gave me a travelogue on the way. We also chatted about the controversy of Uber taking over business from the yellow cabs. What a swell guy!

When I got to my niece Mona’s new co-op, my sister Elaine was already there, so we headed straight out to lunch. They took me to a fancy place and it was just so much fun to be there again. Then when we went back to Mona’s house, I baked up a batch of my mom’s cookies for the rest of our weekend company.

Saturday morning found us going to Zumba, where the most memorable part of the trip occurred! We got on the elevator (it’s a humongous health club!), and I do realize the irony of taking the elevator when you are there to work out…haha. There were six other people on there with us, when all of a sudden, the elevator stopped and the doors wouldn’t open. We pressed the button for the fire department, but nothing happened! We then pressed the emergency bell, which proceeded to ring loud and clear — really loud and clear! We used someone’s cell phone to get a hold of the front desk. The New Yorkers were adamant about getting the fire department to help us….they are very trusting of the FDNY since September 11th. It’s an interesting sociological study of human behavior when something goes very wrong, that’s for sure! After 30 minutes, we were rescued by those strapping firemen and we proceeded to Zumba….better late than never! That taught me a lesson to always take my cell phone with me when I workout. Only one person had theirs with them!

We had a lovely family time on Saturday night, with good food, wonderful family and lots of love and laughter.

Then, on Sunday, I was lucky enough to see my sister-in-law (Brian’s sister), who came in from Pennsylvania.

If you read Melissa’s blog regularly, you know that we lost Brian 12 years ago. That experience makes us very aware of the importance of family, and the past weekend was so special because it was filled with my family, from both sides!

Now next year, we just have to convince Melissa to go with me! What do you say, readers?? Think we can do it????

Man Candy Monday.

Happy August, friends, and a very good morning to you! It’s a pretty exciting week — well, more like tomorrow, specifically — and I’m more than ready to get started. Look for a few more Americans With Disabilities Act posts sprinkled throughout the week and my mom’s annual New York City post on Thursday. In honor of her travels, I thought these guys would be perfect. Some are fashionable. Some are oozing passionate artist. And still others sort of remind you of the boy next door…

MEN OF NEW YORK CITY!!!!!!!!!!

Ms. Bear’s Kitchen: DIY chopped salad

Hello to Melissa’s blog readers! We have a winning recipe today…we all liked it the best of anything so far! Of course, there is yet another funny story to go along with this one. Weird things are always happening to us!

I decided that I had enjoyed my NYC chopped salad so much that I would make something similar for this week’s Ms. Bear’s Kitchen. So, Janelle and I set out for our afternoon jaunt to the Y and it was a beautiful, sunny day. We came out and went to the grocery store. When we were in the store, I heard a funny sound that sounded like rain. I knew it was sunny when we went in, so, being such an optimist, I told myself that they must have turned on the fans or something. Not! I was soooo wet when I finally got in the car. After unloading all the groceries, I shook myself off and water sprayed off me into the radio. Now the radio doesn’t work!!! It was quite funny!

Anyway, here is the recipe for chopped salad!

*1 bag Romaine lettuce
*1 can corn — drained
*1 can black beans — drained
*Assorted chopped veggies…whatever you like. I used green pepper, cucumbers, onions and Roma tomatoes
*1 can rotel lime and cilantro tomatoes
*Chicken breast/cheese/olives/Parmesan

It was so easy. I just put the lettuce into a big bowl, chopped all the veggies, added the corn and beans (just add as many as you think you want) and anything else you want. I used the rotel tomatoes as my dressing…leaving the liquid on them. Spicy! Melissa just used regular dressing, as she is wimpy about spicy food (sorry, Melissa, but you know it’s true!).

Mix everything up and serve with some fruit and bread for a great dinner! And for dessert, I made a delicious lemon blueberry cake. Here’s what you’ll need…

*1/3 cup melted butter
*1 cup sugar
*3 tablespoons lemon juice
*2 eggs
*1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
*1 teaspoon baking powder
*1 teaspoon salt
*1/2 cup milk
*2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
*1/2 cup chopped walnuts optional
*1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

And to make the most delicious glaze EVER…

*2 tablespoons lemon juice
*1 tablespoon butter melted
*1 cup confectioners sugar

In a mixing bowl, beat together butter, 1 cup sugar, juice and eggs. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; stir into egg mixture alternately with milk. Fold in lemon zest, nuts, and blueberries. Pour batter into greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 60 to 70 minutes. Combine all ingredients mix well. Drizzle over bread.

Until next time, readers…..go do some cooking!!!!!

Ms. Bear’s Mini Guide to NYC Dining

Hello again for another installment of Ms. Bear’s Kitchen! Before I went to NYC last week, Melissa told me to take pictures of all my food and talk about the culinary experience one can have in NYC. Most of the time, I remembered to photograph my meals, except on the rare occasions that we were starving or that a fantastic looking dessert came…then I forgot all about taking a picture…LOL! So, here is a rundown on some of the restaurants and meals I had while on the Upper West Side of New York! There is a lesson to be learned from my culinary adventures, which I will share with you at the end!

The first day I got in, we went to Shake Shack, which is one of my favorite places! Their food is remarkable. Unfortunately, the calories are right on the menu, so there is that bit of a shock, which we got over quickly! We had cheeseburgers, fries and ice cream, washed down with Diet Coke! We were pretty full that night, so we had cheese, bread and salami from a little deli around the corner from my niece Mona’s. We also had a nice bottle of imported beer to wash it down!

The next day started with bagels and fruit in Central Park while walking Howie, Mona’s dog — he is so cute that he has been stopped and petted by Martha Stuart herself! For lunch, we went to Lenny’s, a nice NY deli, and had sandwiches and salads. Funny story….my salad was super expensive because I didn’t know they charged for each separate ingredient! They also charge for pop refills, just a good thing to know if you ever go there!

Mona made great steaks for dinner that night!

The third day, we went out to a restaurant called Boulud Sud. It was Restaurant Week, and there were lots of specials at the high-end restaurants. Imagine my surprise when my tuna appetizer was raw! We had a phenomenal dessert there too.

The last day we met my sister-in-law, Barb, and went to Sarabeth’s. We had a lovely lunch of soup, salad and dessert. Then we went to the famous Zabars deli and stocked up on black and white cookies — a NY tradition!

I learned a couple of lessons on my foodie trip. First, I am really a plain eater, nothing fancy for me! When we got to the tollway oasis on the way home, I had a slice of pizza and a salad and was very happy! Second, it wasn’t the food that made this trip so special, even though it was delicious — it was being with my family and sharing good times.

And, lastly, if you ever go to NYC, make sure you go to Shake Shack, Magnolia Bakery (cupcakes, cupcakes and more cupcakes!) and visit some of the great delis and street-side fruit stands that they have there. Most of all, enjoy the company you are with.
Until next time…..