Where have I been ???

I did take a short break from writing...a very short break from dining..and yet my ass is getting bigger than ever. Hard to imagine.
As i mentioned previously I needed to watch my diet. Dr visits are brutal. Sometimes a little scary and don't ya hate it when they say you should eat healthier and get more exercise ?
Hence the slowing down on fine dining.
I tried to explain that when I went for my check up it wasn't planned and I didn't fast. Quite opposite...I had an amazing lunch at David Burke's Townhouse where I had that yummy free range roasted chicken soaked in brine and cooked to perfection. There was probably some kind of amazing dessert with this lunch as well and maybe a glass of wine.
I believe salt intake for that afternoon must have been a bit high.
Well I am now a candidate for high blood pressure...also explaining to my Doctor the stress of the day job. What I really want to do with my life is travel and eat great food. I could write about it here...or in a book or write a TV reality show...My life and what I ate.
Life is too lovely to stop eating...so I try to get more exercises. My excuse it time.
Its a terrible excuse. So i will think about sit ups while writing.
Cooking has become a newly renewed passion.
Kitchen's in NY are generally small or non existent. My first studio was in Tudor City. Amazing pre-war building. Not sure which war...but it was really really old. Could have been the civil war...but I don't think they built buildings that tall. Although the Egyptians did build the pyramids. I could research this I suppose but lets get back to the food part of the story.
I could almost reach the entire apartment lying in bed and rolling from one side to another.
Open the window...roll to the left. make a pot of coffee, roll to to the right.
It was designed well...if you were a short armed midget.
Personally i have had a thing about how long my arms are. I call them monkey arms. I know I am the only one to say that, at least outloud. But my height is 5'2", actually 5' 1 1/4" so my arms seem extremely long for my body.
The strip of marble counter was just enough for coffee cups lined up like soldiers.
I ordered delivery alot.
Next apt..82nd and York.
The kitchen was a room. also just a strip of a counter. I mixed food while in bed.
90th and 2nd...this was my first amazing kitchen.
It wasn't huge, but it was all newly renovated. nice counter space. new fridge and new oven. It only took a month for the gas to work and 3 months for an oven rack.
I moved out a year and 1/2 later.
My best recipe was my spinach vegetable dip. easy breezy. Always a hit and when people ask me how I do it I tell them I read the back of the vegetable soup bpx.
Now I have an apartment with a realistic workable kitchen. Oven is wide so my pans fit well.
long counter and lots of cabinets.
With my recent doctor visit...I cook almost all my meals for the week.
Lots of sauteed and grilled vegetables. Chicken is my life long quest to prepare it perfect. Sometimes it happens and when it does I'm at peace with the world. Although the chances of perfection repeating is seldom.
I discovered the beauty of the tuna steak. so simple so lovely.
Pork loin is a weekly ritual for me. Trying a dry rub. sometimes in a barbecue sauce. Asian flavors at times. stuffed pork roast maybe coming up soon.
It's an easy lovely protein. And lasts for 3 or 4 days in various forms for many meals.
Fact...it's a perfect white meat.

It's summer and hotter than Africa. So my cooking takes place in the wee early morning hours. sometimes 6 am...or 4am which is this morning.
Puff pastry dough...spread out on a cookie sheet of non stick spray.
light coat of olive oil. then a nice marina sauce (bottle is fine, it's 4 am sheesh and I'm not Italian). Gruyere cheese or anything you like really is fine.
I did 2 this morning and put 2 kind of mushrooms on one with chopped chives. the other was a little mushrooms and cut up left over chicken and caramelized onions.
pop it in a 450 oven. about 10 min. but watch it...puff pastry cooks fast.

It was the best breakfast ever.