These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

It all started with a little snow.

And then it turned into quite a bit of snow, actually.  17 inches in Central Park!  Most snow we've had in the city for a LONG TIME.  Happy birthday to me?  Unfortunately Thursday was one of the grossest days I've seen in NY maybe ever.  Just slushy and wet and slippery.  It didn't turn into real snow until Thursday night into Friday.

But that didn't stop me from having a great day!  I started out with a little yoga at 7am at my favorite studio (read: the only yoga studio I've been to outside of the gym).  It was a great class and totally set the tone for my day.  I knew it would :)  I made sure to stay relaxed, focused, and balanced all day.

My mom called at 10:30 to see how I was doing.  I told her I was having a great day so far.  Without missing a beat she said, "So, what does that mean?  Coffee and oatmeal?"  Ding ding ding!  And yoga, I informed her.  What I did not tell her was that oatmeal involved a chocolate cookie on top.

Rolled oats in the microwave (I don't like regular oats on the stove) with almond milk, flax, cinnamon, 1/2 banana, dried cranberries, the best almond butter ever, a little sprinkle of my homemade granola, and 1/2 of a crumbled chocolate chocolate chip cookie on top.  :-D  It's my party and I'll eat what I want to!

Plus my favorite Java Girl Spanish roast in the French press with vanilla soy milk and my Cool Moose mug from Bridgton, ME.

I also used my favorite glass all day.

I heart Collegetown Bagels!  Speaking of CTB, I have a little surprise at the end of the post regarding my favorite place in Ithaca...

Right before I went out for my orthopedist appointment (turns out I have some very uncomfortable tendonitis in my knees, and I can't run my half-marathon in April :( ), these came to my door!

Thanks, Mom and Dad!!!!  This was SUCH a nice surprise.  They're a beautiful arrangement.

After a slippery walk home in my rain boots, I made a giant bowl of more-of-my-favorite-things for lunch.

Arugula, white sharp cheddar, chopped green apples, red onion, alfalfa sprouts, a few walnuts, a drop of olive oil, a drizzle of balsamic, and a drizzle of honey.  With a side of my favorite carb:

Spicy sweet potato fries!!!  Tossed before cooking with a tbsp of canola oil, and a sprinkling of cumin, chili powder, and paprika.  I tried to cut them thin so that they would brown quicker.  I always get impatient and take them out before they have a chance to really crisp up, but the thin method worked better.

I nibbled on some broken hamantaschen throughout the afternoon, and then headed out for a quick stop at a Cornell happy hour and then to dinner with my friends at heaven.  Oh, sorry, I mean Clinton Street Baking Co.  February was Pancake Month, during which they alternated between a few special pancake recipes that they added to their regular menu.  Yes, I had pancakes for dinner.  And yes, they were AMAZING.  I don't even know where to start.  I'm talking about light, fluffy, airy, sweet, buttery, crispy pancakes.

NOT the nicest picture, but use your imaginations.  Crunchy banana pancakes (bananas in the batter AND fried banana on top) with cinnamon chili chocolate sauce.  And maple butter.  And powdered sugar.  And I think there was a little bit of love in there somewhere.  Definitely some love.

I couldn't finish mine, although, to my surprise, they weren't as insanely huge as restaurant pancakes often are.  It seemed POSSIBLE to finish, just not desirable.  I also had a peach bellini with dinner.  Yum!  My friends got them to sing happy birthday and the waitress brought out a fudgy minty brownie with a candle in it.  At that point, approximately no one needed dessert, but I cut the brownie into eights so everyone could try a piece.  Also incredible.  Of course.

It was such a wonderful day -- thanks to all who made it that way!

And now, moving on to my big exciting CTB news: I have entered a sandwich design contest.  It's like it was MADE for me.  I can't really get competitive when it comes to sports, but give me a food challenge and I am in it to win it!  It's a Collegetown Bagels/ Cornell Hillel join contest for alumni to make a sandwich in the theme of Tub'shvat, the festival of trees, and it was suggested that we draw inspiration from fruit, nuts, spring, and Israel.  This was a toughie, as it seemed like those ingredients would make a better salad than a sandwich, but I put on my thinking cap and came up with the following:

Toasted multigrain bread with a nice shmear of goat cheese, alfalfa sprouts, red onion...

...sliced granny smith apples, fresh baby spinach...

...and the secret ingredient!

Berry hot strawberry jam!  SAY WHAT?!  CTB uses raspberry jalapeno spread on my favorite bagel sandwich, the San Diego, and, as one of its strongest supporters (long live the razz jalapeno!), I was determined for it to find its way into my sandwich creation.  This was the closest substitute I could find (gotta find out where they get theirs and start importing it... seriously), and it worked beautifully.  I did a very serious taste test experiment with both my mom and my friend Amanda, and this was deemed the best combination of all my efforts.  I'm not gonna lie, I REALLY want to win.  And I would be ok with not seeing goat cheese in my life for another few weeks.  I think I ate about 10oz of cheese in a matter of 24 hours.  Pretty sick.  But worth it.  Wish me luck!