Last weekend, we went on a family adventure to Queens to visit the Queens Museum. As we decided we wanted to have dinner on the way back, I researched hip but kid-friendly restaurants for an early dinner. We landed on Sotte le Stelle, which had rave reviews on Eater as the #3 hot spot in Queens. And… pizza. The new restaurant was DELICIOUS.
The restaurant only has 30 seats and is super small and cute. All of the waiters and staff are Italian, and super nice and friendly.
Thanks to Instagram, I saw a recipe for a peanut butter pretzel truffle from Minimalist Baker and knew I had to make it. The recipe is simple, easy, and a huge win.
How good does this look?
Ingredients:
* 1/2 cup pitted medjool dates, soaked in warm water for 10 minutes then drained
* 1/2 cup salted natural peanut butter
* 3/4 cup raw almonds
* 1/2 cup mini pretzels
* 1.25 cup chocolate chips
* 1 tsp coconut oil
Directions:
Before and after dipped. I DIP YOU DIP WE DIP
* Place almonds in the food processor and process until you reach the consistency of a meal.
* Then add in pretzels and soaked dates in the food processor and process until small bits remain and/or it forms into a ball.
* Next, add the peanut butter and mix until well combined. You don”t have to do this in a food processor, and can really just mix it in with a spoon.
* Once you have a dough that’s easy to form into balls, scoop out 1 Tablespoon amounts and roll/carefully form into balls. Set on parchment paper and place in freezer to chill.
* In a double boiler, melt the chocolate and add the coconut oil (which helps thin out the chocolate).
* Remove truffles from freezer and, one at a time, dip them into the melted chocolate. Transfer back onto parchment paper and place in to the freezer.
* Store them in the freezer until you eat them (or else they will melt — they will still be delicious, but they will melt).
They will not last long, mainly because you will want to eat them right away.
Happy weekend! Spring here we are, thank goodness!
Guest blogger alert! Here’s Ken… When he starts watching too much football on Sundays, I can usually guilt him into cooking/doing a guest blog post during commercials. And his Jets are terrible so it’s not like he’s missing much. Enjoy:
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If there’s anything in the vicinity of unhealthy on this blog, it’s a safe bet that it’s coming from me. While I try to make an effort to combine healthy and, um, not-totally-girly, (see: Grilled Artichokes, Grilled Fruit, Grilled Romaine Salad, Lemon-Mint Pasta with Bacon, and a Guy’s Guide to Pregnancy), things like Beer Can Chicken are more up my alley. Without further ado…. heart stopping mac and cheese.
An uber easy recipe for a colorful and delicious dessert/snack/pick-me-up. Pretzel kisses with m&ms!
Ingredients:
Basically, this is just like eating pretzels, m&ms, and a Hershey’s kiss at the same time.
* a package of (salted) pretzels
* a package of kisses (or hugs)
* M&Ms of any sort (original, peanut, peanut butter, or even pretzel)
It’s not often you can find somewhere in Manhattan to eat that is a) trendy, b) kid-friendly, c) guaranteed not to have a wait, d) guaranteed to have a parking spot DIRECTLY in front of the restaurant. We have struck gold!
One of our favorite Sunday morning activities is to drive downtown to Pastis to eat a delicious and quick breakfast right at 9AM. Located in the heart of the meatpacking district, Pastis is a favorite for locals and tourists alike. At one point, it was super trendy and truly the place to be. Although now less of a hot destination, Pastis continues to serve delicious French bistro food, and is great for an early morning treat with the family. And because it is no longer the “it” place, you can wear pajamas or workout clothes and not feel like a complete dork. Like I do. Check out the menu here.
Because the meatpacking district is all about clubs on Saturday night, the streets are empty on Sunday morning. Guaranteed parking right in front of the restaurant -> nice. Scaffolding -> not so nice.
The only car on the block (almost).
Extremely family friendly. And workout clothes friendly, too.
Don't look too closely at my face. Not awake yet. Where is my coffee?
THERE IT IS! Thank goodness!
View of the classic French bistro. We were lucky and got a nice table with open space for all our junk. We never travel lightly....whether it is two blocks or two miles or across the country. We come (overly) prepared. You name it, we have it in our green bag.
