One Lucky Dinges

Soon after moving to New York, I saw a video online or read an article or something, about the best food trucks in NYC. Two of those food trucks went on my list of things I had to do/see/try while I was living here (at the time it was only going to be a 3-month period of time).

The first food truck was the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck. I haven't actually seen the truck ever but I did visit their store location in the East Village when my room mate from college visited me over the summer. Yum!!

Fortunately, I did get to stay longer than 3-months because I never got to try the second truck, Wafels & Dinges, until today. I'd seen the truck once, before I even knew what it was, on the street where I had my first internship in Brooklyn. I was still new and didn't realize that the truck wasn't always there until one of the other interns came into work wondering aloud if anyone else had seen "the magical waffle truck of happiness?"

I haven't seen the truck again since that day but I have seen a food cart set up in Central Park and been tempted to pay it a visit, the timing wasn't right however. Today though, I went to pilates and noticed a Wafels & Dinges cart set up right by the subway stop I got off at. It was a lovely day and since everyone seemed to have plans or work to rush off to right after pilates, I went back to the cart and looked over the choices.

I'd heard of their savory wafels -- chili con carne, pulled pork, bacon and syrup -- which all sounded amazing, however this cart was a smaller version and didn't seem to have those options. There were a few different "wafels" to pick from -- brussels or liege -- then you could top them with one "dinges" or pay extra for more dinges.

I went with a liege waffle (more caramelized than the brussels variety which is more like what Americans know as the "Belgium waffle") topped with strawberries, which were fresh, not the syrup-y strawberries I half expected, and topped with powdered sugar.

Oh. My. Goodness. It was sooooo good!! I can't wait to go back (hopefully the cart is there again next week!) or actually catch their truck, and try something else. I hadn't had a real Belgium waffle before, not like the kind my mom always describes as being her favorite part of visiting the Netherlands, and it was awesome. I'm hoping to take my friend who is visiting me this weekend and see how they measure up to the waffles she ate in Belgium last summer.

Mmmm, just writing about these is making me hungry all over again! If you're ever in NYC, you must try out a waffle from Wafels & Dinges. If you have Twitter you can follow them @wafeltruck to find out where their truck is any given day.

After my wafel, I wandered to a Barnes & Noble to buy a new journal (I have so much time to write while I'm on the subway they've getting filled up really fast since I've been in NYC!) and moseyed around there for an hour or so before heading to work. It was a nice, relaxing afternoon :)

PB&J Oatmeal

This morning I woke up hungry for PB&J, probably because the last thing I ate last night was half of a PB&J cupcake from Hill Country (yum!!). I refrained from eating the rest of the cupcake as my breakfast (although I have to admit that I do eat cupcakes for breakfast on occasion...) and tried to figure out how to satisfy this craving in a more breakfast-y way.

Grilled PB&J? A PB&J smoothie...? Toast with peanut butter and strawberry jam?

Then I thought about oatmeal. Since coming to NYC I've found oatmeal to be a tasty, versatile  quick, and healthy breakfast. Having tried out many recipes from the internet, I was finally feeling comfortable with it enough to try making up my own recipe and I think it turned out pretty great, if I do say so myself :)

But try it yourself and you be the judge!

PB&J Oatmeal

3/4 cup old fashioned oats

1 cup milk

dash salt

2 teaspoons brown sugar

1 1/2 Tablespoons peanut butter

1 Tablespoon grape or strawberry jam/jelly

peanuts for garnish (optional)

Cook the oats with the milk and salt according to package instructions (either stovetop or microwave). I put them in a microwave-safe bowl and nuked it for about 3 1/2 minutes. Add brown sugar and peanut butter to cooked oats and stir to mix. Top with a dollop of jam (I used strawberry) and sprinkle with peanuts, if desired.

Enjoy this grown-up spin on a childhood favorite with a big glass of milk!

The peanut butter oatmeal would also be good with chocolate chips stirred in, instead of jelly :)

Springtime Smoothie

Hello all!

It's been a long time between postings... again :( I apologize. Time is just flying though! Can you believe it's already May?? I have a few fun updates to give then have a refreshing and delicious smoothie recipe to share in celebration of the fantastic sunny weather that most of the country is experiencing, on and off at least.

Exciting news! I got my first (big) freelancing job last week! Redoing the site for an actor/comedian/musician who I'd met eons ago (as in during the summer) and just got into contact with me again asking if I'd still be interested in the job. Of course! I'm super excited for this chance not only because it's, like, a job but because New York is FULL of actors and dancers and bands and singers who will need sites at some point in their career and if I can get started and into that niche now... fantastic!

I met with the guy today (that sounds unprofessional... my client?) and got a starting plan and outline figured out, now I just need to buckle down and get to work! Which is really what I should be doing instead of blogging... but it's been too long since I've posted... so here I am :)

I went to pilates again on Monday. It was a rainy day, the type where you were too warm with a coat on but chilly without one. I woke up and wasn't sure I'd been going but after a perky text from Summer (having her as both my friend and my instructor works great for accountability!) I knew the class would be well worth the money and trip. Sure enough, it was a great time with Ebony and I being the only students that day. It was great with just two, although there's so much talk now in the restaurant about the classes I expect it to be blown up with people next time. Afterwards we went out for frozen yogurt, which may have cancelled out the workout, but was absolutely delicious!

I have some big events coming up that I'm also really looking forward to.  Next weekend, one of my closest friends from college is coming for a visit. One of the choirs from our college is coming out to perform at Carnegie Hall and she's coming out with them. Her dad is head of alumni relations and often travels with the choir, which works out really well for us not only in that she's able to come with them as well, but we get to tag along with them for a Broadway show and to watch their Carnegie Hall performance. Some sweet bonuses in addition to seeing my lovely Kara :)

The next weekend is my aunt's wedding so I'll be going home for that, just for a few days. I'm happy to be going back already though.

Now for this smoothie. It stemmed from a random seeming assortment of fruits I had lying around and turned into a lovely combination. This is a very sweet smoothie, I'll warn, but also refreshing light. To turn down the sweet, you could use water as the base and add some lemon juice, rather than the pre-made lemonade. I think it's a great springtime smoothie, since it's not tropical, and is aesthetically pleasing even before being blended up. It's perfect for sipping on while you're reading a book in the back yard to sneak in some outside-time.

 Grearberry Smoothie

(Grape, pear, strawberry)

1/2 cup prepared lemonade

6-7 strawberries

1/2 cup green grapes

4 oz Dole fruit cup of pears, drained (or about 1/3 cup chopped pears)

Place all ingredients in your blender in the order they're listed. Blend until smooth. You could also add ice if you prefer a slushier or colder smoothie. Pour into a pretty glass and enjoy in the sunshine! Or on a rainy day when you wish there was sunshine...

**I have a single-serving sized blender which is super handy since I'm just one person :) Just don't get thrown off by the blender being full of liquid and thinking this recipe makes a ton of drinkage. It seems to be right around 16 ounces.