Stitchin & Bitchin

Tuesday night I had my first in a series of four beginner's knitting classes at Patricia's Yarns in Hoboken. I never pegged myself as a knitter (I don't have much patience), but I love to try new things... especially if they involve crafts or cooking. My Mom happens to be a great knitter, so for my birthday she bought me a gift certificate for this class.

Ladies n' gents... drumroll please... presenting my first knitting "project" (if you can even call it that):

Ain't she a beaut? 

Now it's ways away from a cable sweater, but I'd like to think it's a good start! By the fourth week we'll be starting a project, so I need to think a bit about what I'd like to make. My instincts say start easy with a scarf, but I'm dying to make some leg warmers for under my boots :)

Patricia sent us a website to help us while we're doing our 'homework' (a.k.a. practicing) during the week:

www.knittinghelp.com

And here are a couple of great websites for patterns (one from my Mom and one from Patricia):

www.ravelry.com

www.knitty.com

I'll be sure to give updates on my progress in week two!

 

Game Time Guac!

Happy football day! Today I'm sharing my recipe for guacamole (which I learned from some folks down in Mexico... cue James Taylor). It's a perfect, delicious game day snack with few ingredients, no baking involved, and very little clean up required... Even the boys could make it!


Game Time Guacamole

Ingredients: 
4 avocados
2 tomatoes
1 lime
1/2 small red onion
1/4 cup cilantro
salt


Instructions: 

Dice your tomatoes, finely chop your half onion and your cilantro. Set aside in a bowl.

Split the four avocados, remove the skins and the pit, then mash. I recommend using a mortar (my mom bought me this gem from Williams Sonoma... click here to purchase it on Sonoma's site). If you don't have a mortar on hand, the back of a fork and a bowl will do just fine.

Transfer the crushed avocado to a large bowl, add salt and squeeze in lime. I used 1/2 a tablespoon of salt, but I love salt... So try starting out with 1/4 a tablespoon then add to taste. 

Stir in tomato mixture until combined well. 

And serve!

Hope you enjoy!

Generations of Ferrara Yankee Fans

I'll start this off by saying... HOW BOUT THEM YANKEES?! I come from a family of die hard Yankees fans and there's nothing like some great October baseball.

This Monday, October 1st, I went to the Yankees vs. Red Sox game and had the chance to be part of something pretty special. My dad also attended the game and brought along the score card that his great grandfather had filled out at the Yankees vs. Red Sox game on October 1, 1933, the exact same game we were at, just 79 years prior. It was great to be there with my dad and to experience how baseball truly has the ability to connect generations... In this case four!

Here's the scorecard... Babe Ruth was pitching (Anthony had to explain to me that Babe Ruth both pitched and hit... who knew!)

NYC Architecture Cruise

Happy October (which just happens to be my favorite month of the year)!

Now, if it wasn't for our work outing, I probably wouldn't have done this cruise otherwise... But I'm very glad we did!

On Friday my colleagues and I hopped aboard the decks of the 'Manhattan' for a sail around New York City. The 'Around Manhattan Official NYC Architectural Boat Tour,' sponsored by the American Institute of Architects (who happens to be a client of ours), lasted about three hours during which a tour guide pointed out various architectural highlights of the five boroughs. Many obvious contenders were brought to our attention - like One World Trade Center, the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building - but there were lots of cool things that the guide pointed out that I didn't know... like the former TB hospital on Rikers Island, or the more than 15 brides that surround NYC (I can only name five, max!).

Here are a couple of pics:

Lady Liberty 

This is the little red lighthouse under the George Washington Bridge. As a kid my dad always used to point this little guy out to us as we were driving along the West Side Highway. It was neat to see it from the other side! It's also the inspiration for a great children's book: The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Grey Bridge

If you're into architecture (or even if you just like boats and booze) this is a really neat way to see New York City for the first time... Or, if you're a New Yorker, you'll definitely learn some things you didn't know about the Big Apple. Tickets to the cruise would also make a great gift (especially for parents)! For more info on the cruise's schedule and pricing click here to visit AIANY's calendar page.