Bernie's NYC Foodie Tour

I've been lucky to benefit from some crazy flight deals lately. On a recent trip to NYC, Bernie was eager to try as much food as possible.

We thoroughly enjoyed the Ides at the Wythe Hotel. The views of Manhattan were fantastic. Bernie liked the lemony one on the left the most.

We put our names on the wait list for Lucali, knowing that we should kill time at a local patio. Two hours later, we finally got the phone call to trek back. The wait was totally worth it. The pizza could have been the best I've ever had.

We had a casual brunch at Cafe Habana. This place is famous for it's Mexican-style corn.

Maman in Soho is known for it's cookies. We were lucky to score an ice cream sandwich. There are limited quantities each day.

 The one big fancy dinner of our trip was at Gato, one of Bobby Flay's restaurants. Bernie liked how the appetizers were portioned. Just perfect for his size!

This kale and wild mushroom paella was the highlight of the meal. Order it! You won't be disappointed!

For late night food, we went to Halal Guys in LES. It hit the spot!

And for a quickie lunch, we went to Ivan Ramen. Since the day was hot and sticky, Bernie opted for cold noodles and a prickly pear lemonade.

We kind of went on an ice cream bender during our trip. Bernie's favourite spot was Morgenstern's. He tried Szechaun peppercorn chocolate, burnt honey vanilla, and green tea pistachio. It was hard to pick a favourite flavour!

Other noteworthy bites and drinks Bernie tried were the dip sandwich at Dirty French, ice cream at Odd Fellows, and cocktails at Lavendar Lake and Attaboy. Bernie left NYC will a full and happy belly!

More Fun in Chicago

It was great to catch up with my New Zealand "cuz". We picked up where we left off in Hong Kong a few years ago. We had a great coffee chat at Intelligentsia. Colin was a bit wired because the brew was strong!

We also did a whack load of touristy stuff together. Like check out the Willis Tower.

And stroll down the Magnificent Mile. Across the street is the Historic Water Tower.

We spent most of one afternoon in Grant Park, including Millennium Park. Here's the famous Cloud Gate, a.k.a. the Bean.

And here's the Crown Fountain. Even though it was cloudy, there were lots of kids splashing around.

The grass was soggy so we couldn't get up close and personal with the Jay Pritzker Pavillion. Who knew Colin could hang upside down with his hands in his pocket!

Before heading for an early supper, we made one last stop during our park walk at the Buckingham Fountain.

Overall, we managed to do a lot in 72 hours. We look forward to seeing my NZ cuz again, hopefully in Toronto! :)

Catching Up In Chicago

Colin joined me to meet my good friend from Thailand, by way of New Zealand. Little did Colin know we were heading to Chicago!

We stayed at the Hotel Allegro in the Loop. The lobby has been restored and it was super swanky.

Our room was equally swanky! It's hard to tell by Colin's face, but he liked the bed very much.

We had a fun brunch at Miss. Ricky's at the newish Virgin Hotel. Order the chilaquiles if you go!

There's lots of great public art in Chicago. Like this sculpture by Picasso.

And some cool historical landmarks. Including the Chicago Theatre. Yes, the "now showing" sign is for Pokemon!

The architecture in Chi-town is also first class. Colin liked watching the cars park at the Marina City towers.

Q went to Chicago in 2010 so he told Colin the Chicago River is a must-see! Colin was glad he had his hoodie because it sure was windy!

Shangri-La Staycation

Mini and Maggie were spoiled with a five-star staycation at the Shangri-La. While I was at the hotel's health club, they had a fun time hanging out in the room.

They climbed the fluffy pillows on the ginormous bed...

 ...made tea to go with their Milk Bar cookie for a snack...

...read Lost Horizon by James Hilton (the book that inspired the hotel chain)...

...watched TV (sometimes in the bathroom)...

...and took a nap!

Those Bluffs!

Buddy wanted to explore a new place in Toronto so we decided to go to the Scarborough Bluffs. He loved the views!

Down on the peninsula, Buddy found a cool fossil.

He also found a nice spot in the shade to relax. What an enjoyable afternoon!

Happy Victoria's Day, fellow Canucks!

Bake Sale Treats

Spencer and I whipped up some treats for a charity bake sale at my office. They were insanely easy and a hit among my co-workers. Check out the great recipes below!

Green Tea Chocolate

http://www.justonecookbook.com/green-tea-chocolate

Nutella Truffles

http://eugeniekitchen.com/nutella-chocolate-truffle

Mother's Day Cake

Sending lots of love to all the mothers around the world!

The Quatchis slice cake in your honour!

Nutella Oatmeal Cookies

I bought a large jar of Nutella last week. I haven't had it in years so I thought I could incorporate it into some new baking experiments. The Mins found the jackpot of Nutella recipes at Kirbie's Cravings. It was hard to choose a recipe to start off with but since we had lots of oatmeal on hand, this one seemed like a logical choice. And the result was delish!

Nutella Oatmeal Cookies

1/2 cup Nutella

1 extra large egg

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup quick oats

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat mat. Add all ingredients into a large bowl and stir with a wooden spoon until everything is thoroughly mixed. Make small round balls, about 1 1/2 inch in diameter. You should have enough to form 10 cookies.

Place dough balls on baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet until they are set and firm.

Source: Kirbie's Cravings

New PJs

The Quatchis just returned from an extended visit at my parents' place. They had a good time reading with my mum and watching TV with my dad. My mum sent them home with matching pajama pants. Aren't they the best? She sewed them herself!

The Quatchis love their new PJs so much that they spent the whole weekend in them. Here's a snapshot from this afternoon - Q and the Mins reading old cartoons and snacking on M&Ms!

The Monster Factory

Maggie, Colin, and Spencer come from the good people of Monster Factory. They have been top notch additions to our band of friends. We love them very much!

Maggie and Colin were asked by my cousin in Hong Kong to find her Buddy. So they joined me on Saturday when the company was hosting a retirement party for some of their monsters. Maggie and Colin were not made on-site so they've never been to the studio before. It was my first time too!

Here's Maggie and Colin with some of the big guys.

Oh, there's Buddy! Let's bring him home.

Farewell fellow monsters! These guys are some of the classics and are no longer in production. Lots of them were scooped up to go to good homes.

Buddy wanted to say goodbye to the guys hanging out in the back. Maggie and Colin were happy to meet some of the Mythicals, the same line of monsters that Spencer is from.

I'm sure we'll be coming back to the Monster Factory in the future. Like they said...you can never have too many friends!