This weekend was such a blur of activities, but it was so much fun and full of good times with friends.
On Friday night I put the finishing touches on my Halloween costume and then met my boyfriend and our friends Amy and Max (they actually introduced us to one another). We were also joined by another one of their friends and a friend of mine from college. We hopped around to a few different places and, since we went out early for happy hour, we went home relatively early as well.
On Saturday morning, as I’m sure many of you know, we woke up to this:
Can you believe all that snow!? It’s only October!! While we were complaining about the inconvenience of having to go out in the wet, cold weather it was actually very bad in northern NJ where my parents live. Apparently there are downed trees and power lines everywhere, and a lot of schools were actually closed!
We pretty much hibernated all day until it was time for me to go to class. I had a test that I think went fairly well–definitely better than last time, I should hope. We had a substitute chef, and he was one of the real old-school French guys. He is actually going to be our instructor for levels 3 and 4, so it was great to meet him and work with him once to see what we are in for, but I can tell it’ll be a challenge. He is definitely tough! I guess that’s a good thing though, because I really felt like I learned a lot from him in just one class.
We made this ginger marinated pork with a sweet and sour sauce accompanied by mashed potatoes and pork chops. The ginger pork was so delicious–I’m dying to make it again. And I don’t even like pork!
Ginger marinated pork with sweet and sour sauce
After class I met Andrew and all his friends out to celebrate Halloween. I felt really silly putting my costume on at school, but I had fun with it. It also turned out that my costume was pretty perfect for the cold, snowy weather we were having.
Yesterday morning I was treated to an amazing brunch with my Mom, Dad and brother. My parents had come into town the night before to go to a concert, and it turned out it was a good thing because they still don’t have power at their house! We went to ABC Kitchen, a restaurant in my neighborhood that I have been dying to try (not an understatement). It’s a real hot spot right now and theirs always celebrities coming in and out of it, so I wanted to see what all the hype was about. I understand now! The restaurant is so sleek and beautiful inside. There is such attention to detail, and every time I looked around I felt like I noticed something new and even more beautiful. The food was also top-quality. They use all local, sustainable ingredients, but it doesn’t feel in the slightest bit limited or trying too hard to be “green.” I had this squash flatbread with ricotta and cider vinaigrette to start and then I had eggs Benedict. I felt a little boring getting the Benedict, but I just love it so much. My mom and brother got this pickled jalapeno burger and, I have to admit, I kind of wished I had gotten that!
Roasted squash flatbread
Eggs Benedict
Jalapeno Burger
What were you for Halloween?
cook with b 
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