Culinary Movie

I saw an excellent movie last night! I went in thinking I was going to be treated to a culinary flick, but left having cried, laughed and being reminded of how differently people grow up and how fortunate I am to have had the childhood I did and the parents I do.

This documentary shadows the lives of Philadelphia's inner city high school students. They are pushed by their teacher to prepare for a culinary competition that awards winners with college scholarships.

Marcus Samuelsson, executive chef at Aquavit, invited one the students to do an internship at his popular Manhattan restaurant. He was joined by the movie's producers, the teacher and one of the students for a q&a after the film.


Check out Pressure Cooker.
What is your favorite culinary inspired film?

Ceremony in Central Park

I love when blog posts write themselves.
I love that New York still amazes me after ten years, by surprising me with undiscovered cobblestone streets, new restaurants or a corner of the park I never knew existed. Today I had a wedding at The Conservatory Garden in Central Park. It is 16 blocks north and three blocks west of where I have resided for nearly four years, but this was my first visit to the this treasure. It is quiet, private and gorgeous. It is a the perfect setting for a special picnic, wedding ceremony or engagement.

After carefully monitoring a very dismal forecast for 18 hours, tweeting @alroker, and sincerely hoping for the best, I was left to make the decision if we were going to move forward with an outdoor ceremony or default to plan b. the court house downtown or c. a local church. The bride and groom were open to an umbrella ceremony in Central Park, if it came to that. At 10:30a.m. the extremely overcast skies were not raining, I collected three umbrellas (my new insurance policy) and headed on foot to the location, careful not to jinx the conditions.

The groom and I selected a perfect corner of the garden filled with a variety of wild purple flowers.



The bride was escorted in by her young son. Eight family members and friends who traveled with the couple from England watched as Kim Kirkley officiated the ceremony.


Not only did it not rain, the sun was beaming as the couple exchanged vows. It was incredible!

Happy Memorial Day!

Memorial Day is a day to remember those we have lost in the military and also the unofficial start to summer! Today I will share my favorite summer recipe. My friend Bretta made this Salsa recipe for a girls' night once years ago, and at least four of us, maybe five still make it on a regular basis. This healthy and colorful salsa is great on salad, over fish and of course with chips.

Bretta's Black Bean Salsa



By: Bretta Chaplinski

2 med tomatoes
1 bunch green onion tops and bottoms
1 bell pepper(colored is preferred)
½-3/4 cup of red onion
The above are chopped to salsa sized chunks
1 can good corn drained (I use sweet corn off the cob when in season or frozen)
1 can black beans rinsed and drained
1 jalapeño pepper(finely minced)
1-3 cloves of crushed garlic
½-3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
juice of ½ fresh lemon
1-3 tsp chili powder
1-3tsp hot pepper sauce (Tabasco)


½-3/4 cup of Zesty Italian Light or fat free dressing. I think it is
Kraft brand- difficult to find but well worth the search.

Always use good chips. I like to offer both blue and yellow and always
an organic brand as they are usually less salty.

You can really play with the ingredients and the quantities depending on your palate and preference. This tastes better the day after, so it's a perfect recipe to make the night before taking it to a picnic, potluck or girls' night.

What is your favorite summer recipe?

Enjoy the weekend!

Summer Soiree

It's been a great week socially and scholastically!

Honored to be accepted into an entrepreneurship program sponsored by the city of New York. I learn so much by just being in the presence of Franne McNeal, author and business coach. The conversations and cirriculum in the classroom are second to none.

Jimmy Fallon graciously welcomed me to his studio at Rockefeller Center. Friends and I were treated to a taping of his late night program and the music of Iron and Wine.

After a bridal boot camp at the Harvard Club on Monday, I enjoyed amazing wine, cheese, skate and chocolate cake served at Italian Wine Merchants in Union Square. They have a back room perfect for rehearsal dinners, engagement parties or wine tastings.

Wednesday night was the sophisticated summer soiree. The culinary geniuses of Boqueria partnered with L'Olivier, floral atelier, to host a delicious night of sangria and paella. The tomatoes which topped the bruschetta were quite possibly the best prepared tomatoes I have ever tasted. The dates stuffed with Marcona almonds, Valdeón cheese and wrapped in bacon were candy for adults. (Talk about a good date!) The setting was spectacular, a back garden that makes you want to unpack your bags. Hosting an event at a flower shop is practical and smart. Have you attended a party held at a flower shop?







(Photo credit: Sam Horine)

Personalized Wedding Gifts

Skip the registry. Looking for a sophisticated, personal, creative gift for an engagement, shower, wedding, new baby, graduate, etc. Check out Alpha 26 Photography. Play on their website to create a gift for the next milestone you are celebrating.

Calories for a Cause

Former colleague, facebook friend, creator & star of the one woman show Size Ate and veteran blogger: Marguax Laskey organized Bake for Hope, a bake sale to raise money to find a cure for breast cancer, in the cafeteria of The New York Times. Glad to support this important cause, I was happy to see many old friends. My miniature chocolate cupcakes were topped with pink icing and rainbow sprinkles and I dipped pretzel rods in pink chocolate. Hundreds of beautiful and delicious treats baked by many caring and generous employees + hungry and clearly sugar deprived journalists with sweet teeth (or is it sweet tooths?)= an incredibly successful bake sale raising $1470.42 for the Susan G. Komen fund.



(Photo Credit: Crystal Arroyo)

Butterflies & blue eyes

This past week, I enjoyed some time away at my “country home” aka my friends' house about 20 miles outside of Manhattan. I have a new boy-friend, meet Jason Evan Heffernan.


His recent arrival prompted the trip. Big sister Katie was happy to have a playmate and as much as I enjoy my city living, it was great to have something other than my computer on my lap all day long. We had so much fun swinging in the backyard, dancing to the music of the Bossy Frog Band, looking at bugs, sampling local goodies at the Nyack farmers' market, singing at the library's story hour, playing baby and giving faux makeovers. Like me, Katie is a huge fan of COOKIES.

Happy Mother's Day

"Does spit clean better than water?" a young son asks his mother. "You always use it to clean my face." As adults so many of us don't ask enough about our mothers. There is no better way to become closer to a person, even if you've known her all your life.

I found this article in May's Real Simple. It inspired me and I plan to share this with my mom later today. What a perfect day to initiate a thoughtful, honest, and real conversation with your mom, mother in-law or another woman special to you. Let me know what you learn, something interesting could be revealed.



1. What is the one thing you would have done differently?

2. Why did you choose to be with my father?

3. In what ways do you think I am like you? And not like you?
Accuracy is not as important here; you want to know her perceptions.

4. Which one of us kids did you like the best?
She'll likely dodge the question, but this might force a compliment out of her.

5. Is there anything you have always wanted to tell me but never have?

6. Do you think it's easier or harder to be a mother now than when you were raising our family? Understanding what she went through, you may appreciate your own situation more.

7. Is there anything you regret not having asked your parents?

8. What is the best thing I can do for you right now? One mom answered, "Call everyday. If you don't, I think you are dead."

9. Is there anything that you wish had been different between us-or that you would still like to change? Give her a chance to put it out there.

10. When did you realize you were no longer a child?

Thanks to the author Judith Newman for letting me share this article.

Mailing Your Invitations

Wedding invitations should be sent to guests six weeks before your day,but, buy your postage now, since mailing services prices will increase on Monday, May 11, 2009.

On May 11 the price for a 1-ounce First-Class Mail stamp will increase from 42¢ to 44¢. Prices for other mailing services — Standard Mail, Periodicals, Package Services (including Parcel Post), and Extra Services — will also change. The average increase by class of mail is at or below the rate of inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index.

Customers can use their Forever Stamps — regardless of when purchased — to mail 1-ounce letters after the price change, without the need for additional postage. Forever Stamps are widely available through Post Offices, commercial retail outlets such as grocery stores, and online.

Charming Postmark? But of course....
It is easy to get your invitations sent from:

Bliss, NY
Luck, WI
Romance, AR
Sweet, ID
Valentine, NE

Package your invites, write a note addressed to the postmaster asking them to hand stamp your invitations with their lovely postmark. Then follow up by telephone informing the post office of your package's imminent arrival. Allow two weeks for this and be sure sure to ship it via a trackable service.

Get Married TODAY

Are you engaged and ready for the wedding of your dreams? If so, The Today Show would like to hear your story. They are throwing another dream wedding for one lucky couple — and this time, be ready to duke it out with other couples for the grand prize.

They are looking for (1) one couple that is of good intellect, with a good personal story and who are creative in their application. This year, (4) four finalist couples will be selected to compete in a series of fun, competitive challenges and it will be up to TODAY viewers to vote for the winning couple.

Read the application for full requirements and to find out if you're eligible to be married on TODAY. Then fill out your application, print it, attach a couple photo, along with a one minute (1:00) video of why you should be chosen and mail it to us. If you think you're cut out to handle the competition, submit your application no later than May 15, 2009.