This is why I don't have "winter fatigue"

Leftover holiday decorations pepper the neighborhood.

Local businesses find ingenious ways to advertise.

You often see creative snow men people.

Freshly fallen snow muffling sound.

Wearing boots that make me invincible in slush and puddles.

Polish dumplings in mushroom sauce from Krolewskie Jadlo on Manhattan Ave.

And cats in cozy blankets!

I love my gym

My gym of choice is Otom Gym, on Calyer Street in Greenpoint. I love this gym! The equipment isn't brand new, but it's kept in good shape for the most part and there is a wide variety, more so than other gyms I've belonged to in the past. The best thing about this gym? People actually follow the rule about putting back plates after they are done using them! No more removing five 25 lb weights from each side of a leg press machine*...huzzah! The regulars here follow fantastic gym etiquette. Not only is everything kept clean and orderly, nary a gym grunter is to be found (at least there never has been when I go). They offer some classes and at various times have featured yoga, krav maga, Zumba and pilates.

I used to belong to the YMCA on Meserole and that is a good choice also. They have less equipment overall and when it's crowded that becomes a bit of a problem. I recommend off hours if possible (for me when I was working from home and would go on my lunch hour, it would be sometime between 11am-3pm). If you love classes, the Y has quite a few so I would recommend stopping by and picking up their class schedule list.

*I am loathe to make any negative remarks in this blog, but this was a regular occurrence at the Y. Men in the weight room simply did not put their multiple, heavy plates away, leaving me, a petite girl, to have to do it in order to use the machines. It drove me nuts and is just plain rude and insensitive!

Comfort food part deux

A lot of people dislike beets and I don't understand why. They are a gorgeous burgundy color, tasty, and fantastically good for you. I found a recipe for Warm Beet Vinaigrette several years back in a copy of Yankee magazine and I've carried it around with me ever since. It's got a tangy and unique taste, I think it's the combination of Dijon mustard with the more typical ingredients of beets and vinegar. It's also perfect for fall/winter when beets are in season and is best served warm. For example, I made this as a side dish for Thanksgiving last year.

The ingredients are easy to find at pretty much any local grocery store. I happened to get my ingredients at my local grocery store, Associated Supermarket on Manhattan Avenue*.

Warm Beet Vinaigrette ingredient list:

1 lb beets, peeled and thinly sliced (yellow beets would be fine to use in addition to red and adds lovely color)
1 small to medium onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced (or packaged minced garlic)
1/4 cup olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Here are the ingredients laid out before I started preparing the dish. (One note: I use disposable vinyl gloves to chop both the beets and the onion  - it prevents staining of the hands and the lingering smell onion oils leave on the skin. I bought the gloves at the Associated Supermarket also.)

1. In a large skillet, saute the onion in olive oil until golden (approximately 10 to 12 minutes).
2. Stir in the garlic, beets, salt & pepper (to taste). Cover the skillet and cook over low heat until the beets are tender. (Note: The recipe states 15-20 minutes but it often takes me 30 or more until the beets are completely tender. Use your judgment and check every 10 minutes or so.).
3. Stir in the vinegar and mustard well and leave to rest for 10 minutes. Serve warm.

Isn't this gorgeous? This is when I first stir in the beets with the onion/olive oil mixture.

I often have this as a side dish with a salad, here is how I had it today.

Enjoy and shop local!

*Other places that I shop or order from in the area are Natural Garden, Key Foods, The Garden, C-Town, and FreshDirect. In the warmer months I also shop at the McCarren Greenmarket and Eagle Street Rooftop Farms.

Comfort food

Who doesn't love mac and cheese? (Crazy people, that's who.) I know I do and it's the perfect comfort food. So how fortuitous is it that a mac and cheese joint, Brooklyn Mac, opened up within a few blocks from me! To further swing things in their favor, they have gluten free and vegetarian/vegan options as well. Doesn't it look DELICIOUS?

Brooklyn Mac
77 Norman Ave.
Greenpoint, Brooklyn

Small Kings County mac and cheese from Brooklyn Mac.

These make me impervious to winter weather

After the first big snowstorm of the winter, and getting my feet soaked in last year's (somewhat impractical, I admit) snow boots, I ventured out to get something that was actually waterproof.

To that end, I found some fabulous green rubber boots at:
Fabco
795 Manhattan Avenue, Greenpoint

I wanted to prevent snow from falling into the top of the boots, so I grabbed some legwarmers from:
Susie's Boutique
765 Manhattan Avenue, Greenpoint

And I must say that I find the Willy Wonka-eque green and purple color combo quite appealing!