Nature Preserve

Once there was a famous Broadway director, or was he a writer or choreographer, may be just a, no I think he was a writer. In any case he was famous and did very few and perfect works. In his twilight years he spent his days walking to and from his Village apartment to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. When I discovered this anecdote I realized I had been doing something similar with walking to the Museum of Natural History. As I enter my Grace Kelly years I have reduced the number drastically because for me frequency of experience tends to dim the quality. Maybe subconsciously that is why I don’t mind Sir traveling so often. I will ask my astrologer Keith to analyze that for me.

The techno disco frog exhibit is to die for and the dinosaur wing on the upper level makes humanity appear even more special for being able to capture well something they have never seen before.

Today I will walk up with Pepi and Pepe. Agatha will come stop by in a car once I get there to take the young gentlemen back home. And when I get back home, my mind filled with stars and moss and sugar gliders all I want is dessert. Especially Green Frog Pie (Dendrobates Auratus Pie). I created this dessert in honor of my favorite frog in the exhibit, the Poison Arrow Dart Frog. It incorporates the same colors as the frog, and something this decadent should be considered poisonous!

The Ingredients:



-1.5 Quarts Gourmet Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream








-1 Chocolate Pie Shell
-1 Bottle of Magic Shell ice cream topping
-1 Dark Chocolate Candy Bar Infused with flavor (I like Mayan Dark Chocolate infused with Orange and Spice)
-Fresh Mint Leaves for Garnish


Scoop tiny balls of Ice Cream using a cookie scooper and create a single layer of Ice Cream on the bottom of the pie crust. Wet the scooper as necessary.

Coat every other scoop of Ice Cream with Magic Shell. This will ensure a decadent flavor and crunch throughout the pie.



Freeze the pie and the quart of Ice Cream for about 5 minutes to keep it from getting too soft.

Remove the pie from the freezer and continue to scoop the rest of the Ice Cream in little scoops evenly over the top of the pie.

By the time you are done scooping the rest of the Ice Cream into the pie, it should be soft enough to smooth over with a frosting spatula.

Return the pie to the freezer for 10 minutes to harden.


Using the Magic Shell, create an artistic design over the top of the pie.



Grate about ¼ of the Flavor Infused Chocolate Bar

and sprinkle over the Pie.



Return the pie to the freezer for 1-2 hours to ensure the Ice Cream sets.

Slice and garnish with Chocolate and Mint Leaves.


And just as a precious aside, Bill Cunningham On the Street (which I have been a featured surprise participant many times) said this changing of the season to fall is clothed in black and white. Pepi and Pepe feel so with it. I gave them black and white biscuits to celebrate their au courant fabulousness.

See you this weekend for brunch gang!

Moving and Digesting

Bye to another lazy Sunday and hello to a busy week. Given my week's hectic schedule I have to pack a bunch of errands and appointments in one day. I need a new pair of fall sunglasses from Comme de Garcon, A gray Yves St. Laurent sweater I'll probably just pick up at Bergdorf Goodman, a selection of wines and scotch for my Sir to savor upon his return that I'll get from that Astor place wine mega mall everyone seams to adore. Biscuits for our two dalmatians Pepi and Pepe, and a birthday gift, a bag to be exact, for Sir's adorable niece Tulip, from Le Sportsac. To top it all off I have a 1pm sharp appointment with my chiropractor Dr. Lenore and a 5ish timeslot with my astrologer Keith.

Ahhh, I do too much.

There is no way I'll be able to squeeze a couple of hours of lunch at a corner bistro through that mess or prepare a substantial meal at home before hand. But with the right snack I can get through all of it, and you know what, so could you. My housekeeper slash goddess Agatha that Sir got me for Valentine's Day last year organized a fantastic snack for me.

Pomme et Fromage

Agatha's Ingredients:


-Freshly picked Apples (it is apple picking season you know)
-1 plump Lemon





-1 Wedge of full fat Brie (Agatha says if you are going to eat cheese, enjoy it-none of the skim or low fat stuff)

Agatha's Tools:

-Apple Slicer (it cuts the slices evenly AND removes the core which contains cyanide in the seeds!)
-Sharp Knife



Wash the Apples and slice them using the Apple Slicer. Squeeze a bit of fresh Lemon Juice over the Apples to keep them from browning. Beware! If you are allergic to sulfates, Lemon Juice is a sulfate!

Pack the apple slices in a cute Tupperware with the Brie.

(Thank goodness Agatha did it all for me)

When you are ready to snack, cut a slice of Brie and place on an Apple slice. Enjoy!

The Lemon, Apple, Brie combo is a refreshing pick-me-up snack.

Keep on trucking everyone. I've got a great little dessert for you next time for enjoying after or before one of my most favorite activities.

Play Date!

Sir is out of town this weekend (Le Sigh), just when I wanted to cook my first meal for him. Instead, I’ve decided to host a play date with my good neighbor buddy Hector. Hector has wavy dark hair, kind eyes and a promising appetite. Thankfully he is not Latin so he is never a distraction. I think his parents were creative with names or something but each time we hang out I always forget to ask what’s up with the history of his name. Given the poor walking weather this Sunday, we'll keep the cooking close to home. I will fix some fancy drinks for us, pop on a football match and enjoy the view. Come be a good tester with us will you.

I’m making Tailgate Lasagna- that should be a home run hit for this football game.

There is no way I'm going to slave over a hot stove cooking noodles on Sunday, so I'm going to use a little trick I got from my know it all grandfather The Internet.

Here are your ingredients:

-1 or 1.5 pounds of Ground Turkey (It's much leaner than beef and we must watch our waistlines)
-1 bag of Frozen Large Cheese Ravioli (24 in a bag) -thawed
-1 Box of Frozen Broccoli (to make it healthy)-thawed









-1 Large Onion Diced
-6 cloves of Garlic chopped
-1 Jar of any prepared Spaghetti Sauce
-1 Bag of Shredded Cheese-preferably Mozzarella and Parmesan (to make it authentic Italian)
-Italian Seasoning, salt, and pepper (whatever you have in your spice rack that sounds Italian)




Preheat your oven to 350 Degrees.


In a large pot, brown the Turkey and drain off any excess oil. Reduce heat to medium.


Add the Garlic and the Onions and cook until the Onions become translucent









Add the Jar of Sauce and the seasoning.

Stir and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Place a thin layer of the Meat Sauce on the bottom of a 9X13 inch baking pan.
Layer 12 of the Cheese Raviolis on top of the sauce. Cover that layer of Ravioli with a thin layer of Sauce.


On top of that add half the bag of Shredded Cheese.
Then layer the whole box of Broccoli.

Then layer the other 12 Ravioli's on top of the Broccoli.

Top with the rest of the Sauce and the rest of the bag of Shredded Cheese.

Cover with Tin Foil.




Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until the whole pan is heated through and the sauce and cheeses are bubbling.

Cut and serve making sure each slice has Ravioli in it. The Ravioli has the Ricotta cheese in it that makes this really taste like Lasagna.

Serves 6-8 people.

The tailgate Lasagna was a big hit with Hector. The best tailgate meal of his life. The rest is for me, My Sir to enjoy upon his return and the winning aptly named and endowed Vikings of Minnesota led by the smooth as butter Brett Favre.

Go Football!