Nook n' Crannie on Ditmars in Astoria Closing

Yeah, you'll only care about this post if you're somewhat near NYC or Astoria and go mad for antiques and/or old-garbage-that-nobody-wants. (Don't be ashamed of being into that if you are, I am and I'm okay with it.)

Everything is 50% off right now until they close sometime in the middle or end of March. Click through the photos below to see some of what's still available. 

Foot stool (with hidden compartment)

Tiny birdhouses

I was going to buy that tiny-as-hell, adorable birdhouse since it's only $5, but then realized I'd be constantly filling it up, which wouldn't be as adorable.

Cauliflower Arugula Soup

Note: the above photo is actually of a cauliflower watercress soup, but the version I made looked the same so I included it here.

Once upon a time, I hated cauliflower. NO MORE, I say. Granted, I hadn't actually eaten it for about fifteen years - but the hate still managed to stay strong inside my core. You know how rigid adults can be with the foods they hate? Yeah, we all need to get better about that. And also? This soup blew my face off. 

It doesn't seem to make any sense that a soup this creamy wouldn't actually have any cream or milk inside of it. I'm not really sure how that happened. Nevertheless, I'm now into cauliflower.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp butter
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 tbsp whole wheat flour
4 cups low sodium chicken broth 
1 medium head cauliflower, chopped
4 cups arugula (3 oz)
kosher salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
"In a pot (big enough for spaghetti), melt the butter over low heat. Add the onions and saute until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the flour and stir about 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the chicken broth and cauliflower and increase heat to medium-high. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer over medium-low until vegetables are tender (about 20 minutes.) Add the arugula until wilted, about 1 minute and puree with a blender until completely smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste."

This recipe is totally not my creation, I adapted it slightly from Skinnytaste. That site is amazing. The original recipe can be found here. 

Two Pinterest Pins That Blow Hard

As I've mentioned before, one of my resolutions this year is to actually try the pins that I pin on Pinterest (I don't aim quite too high with my resolutions, you see) - and I vow to report on all of them, if worthy. Especially the pins that have been passed around way too many times AND ARE COMPLETE GARBAGE. No one ever talks about the garbage things they've made from Pinterest. It's weird. Anyway, please stay away from:

1. Skinny Peanut Butter Cups

These look amazing, right? Of course they do, that's why I wanted to make them. However, THEY ARE POWDERY-TASTING PIECES OF HELL. Do not try them, do not pin them. Or, you know, go ahead and try them and see for yourself, I'm not your mother. I consider myself a human who understands the delicate complexities of what a delicious peanut butter cup should taste like, and this skinny weirdo tastes nothing of the sort. Don't be fooled by the beautiful photography. It tasted horrendous. 

2. Chocolate-Banana "Ice Cream"

I don't know how on earth someone tried to classify this substance as "ice cream." Even in quotations. You can't just plop some cocoa powder in something and VOILA it's suddenly a fucking chocolatey dream. That's not how it works, internet. Adding this cocoa powder ruined what could have been a delightful banana treat. The weird powdery feeling is still lingering in my disgusted mouth. Hated all of this so much.

Happy Valentine's Day!

“Just because you’re out of elementary school doesn’t mean you’re incapable of sending Valentine’s Day cards to your friends.”

— #lizadvice

Shake - Legal App for Freelancers

“Think back to the last time you signed a legal agreement. Did it stress you out? Did it make you feel uncomfortable? Did it cost you a lot of money? If you’re like us, you probably answered YES to most of those questions. It’s a shame and it doesn’t need to be this way.

Our mission is to make the law accessible, understandable and affordable for consumers and small businesses. We want to empower our users to share ideas, goods, and services without the fear of being stiffed for a freelance gig or putting their business at risk.”

— Mission Statement of Shake Law

This is basically an app that freelancers have been waiting EONS for. It allows you to create, sign and send legally binding documents (with no lawyers involved) in a matter of minutes. Unfortunately it's only available for iPhones at the moment, but the second it isn't? I'll let you know. You can check it out here. 

Cop Gets High Video

Listen, I know this is old as hell (Jesus, it's seven years old) but it still ranks high amongst the best things that I've seen on YouTube. Always makes me laugh. (I realize this is very mom-like of me to post something so old, but man. I can't help it, I'm sorry. I have to JUST incase you're one of the weirdos who've never seen it.)

“I have a towel that I can’t throw out because it may have feelings.”

— the movie, 'Dedication'

Gross Confession of the Day

This will be a new segment where I will divulge one of my gross personal habits. I’m pretty judgemental about the things I tell you to do and like, I realize - so to balance that out, I figured this would be a welcome addition and reminder of the fact that I’m just as gross as everyone else.

Confession #1:
I don’t wash my bras. I think I’ve washed maybe four bras in my entire life. And each time I did it - it took FOREVER ‘cause I did it in the sink, so that’s pretty much why I refuse to do it again. Too time consuming, can’t be bothered. (This does not include sports bras, I’m not a mutant.)

(I was about to lie to you and go, “Oh, but it’s no big deal ‘cause I buy a billion bras and throw them away so often, so it doesn’t make a difference!” but I stopped myself. Because I value you and you deserve to hear an honest account of my repugnant behaviour.)

(Confession #2 can be found over here.)

Kee's Chocolate in NYC

If I'm not eating these chocolate truffles or these cake truffles, I shall most likely be eating these guys. I've been wanting to try them for awhile since every chocolate-loving person existing in New York City has mentioned this place to me. 

If that picture above doesn't make them look appetizing, well, I took it - so my apologies. They're actually ridiculously tasty. 

Was it smart of me to go and buy some chocolates here three days before Valentine's Day? Nope, not at all. The ones I really wanted to try (the crème brûlée, the keylime, the balsamic and the blended pepper) were of course sold out. But thankfully, the ones above were available and sublime. 

I completely understand why people won't shut up about this place. Even the bad-sounding flavours are crazy good. Go. Eat them. You can see all the flavours they have here.