Barca-bound

Leaving today to visit my brother in Barcelona, but will be back and blogging in a week! Adiós hasta el próximo lunes, mis queridos seguidores.

Literarian

Our president is a jokester:
Our president is a nerd:Our president is a reader, and a supporter of local bookstores!

Ringing in spring

The seasons are changing, and it's time to update your iPod accordingly - ditch the weepy winter stuff for tunes to skip the sidewalk to. Because I'm feeling generous, here are some freebies for your aural pleasure:

Phoenix's Live in Sydney album
MGMT's (slightly underwhelming) Congratulations was leaked, so they decided to stream it fo' free
Flavorpill's newest mixtape (The Black Keys, Metric, a remix of that Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros song ... it's a good one)

Happy listening!

Addams Family drama

Last week, Mike Flemming broke the news that Tim Burton would be creating a 3D, stop-motion animation adaptation of The Addams Family, based on the original drawings in the New Yorker. I couldn't help humming the theme song to myself (da, da, da, dum) and snapping in excitement. But then! MTV, killer of dreams, debunked Flemming's story as the stuff of myths, announcing that Burton had denied the report. Now Flemming is striking back, and I want ever-so-badly to believe he's right. Plus, The Addams Family is listed as "in development" on Burton's IMDb. I'm crossing my fingers. Snap, snap.

Spice up your seder

Talk about culinary fusion - from March 25-April 5, Rosa Mexicano is offering a Mexican Passover week, with a menu featuring Tropical Haroset, Banana Leaf-wrapped Brisket, and Red Snapper Gefilte Fish. But that's not all: on Saturday the 27th, chefs Joe Quintana and David Suarez will host a free cooking demonstration of their south-of-the-border Pesach treats. Maneschewitz sangria, anyone?

An historic moment

If you didn't stay up all night watching, you've certainly heard by now: the health-care reform bill was passed last night by the House and awaits Obama's signature. For those who are more than a little confused about the issue that has spurned so much debate over the past year, check out PolitiFact's top ten facts to know about health care reform, or NYmag's FAQ's. Obama has indeed left his imprint on history in more ways than one, and Americans finally have something to be truly proud of.

Macarons for the masses

My brother is in Paris this weekend, but I'll be making Paris come to me tomorrow, because it is Free Macaron Day NYC! During this first annual festival, 13 shops (17 if you count multiple locations) will give out a free macaron to each customer that says they're there for Macaron Day, and a portion of the day's sales will be donated to City Harvest. So buy one, get one free, and feel good about it.

March madness

Spring officially starts Saturday, and it's going to be 73 degrees in Manhattan!!!

Hot sauce and hangovers

New York City is awash in a sea of green ... vomit, that is. St. Patrick's Day in Manhattan is like Christmas for the day-drinking set, and as much as I'm looking forward to a post-work pint, I'm about fifty times more excited to wake up a little early tomorrow for a free sunny side up egg sandwich from the Tobasco Hangover Headquarters, a one-day food truck that will be parked on 48th btw 5th and 6th from 7-9:30am, and 25 Broadway from 12-2. Nothing like a gourmet hangover cure to take the edge off National Kill Me Now Day.

Good enough to eat

Kudamemo's memo pads look just like fruit - so much so, in fact, you may have to hold yourself back from biting in. And if you simply can't resist a whole basketful to brighten up your desk space, don't despair - they're just $10 apiece.

Disney's fairytale

Waking Sleeping Beauty is a documentary about Disney in its heyday, when the studio created such animated masterpieces as The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King. Behind-the-scenes footage of Tim Burton and John Lasseter is just the tip of the iceberg: to find out more, you can check out an early screening tonight at the MoMA, or catch it in limited release starting March 26.

Don't you eat that purple snow

On March 9th, residents of Southern Russia woke up to see a cityscape blanketed in a coat of many colors. A multicolored snowfall in hues ranging from purple to brown landed in Russia's Stavropol region as the result of an African dust cyclone rising to upper atmospheric layers and mixing with regular snow clouds. Almost makes winter more bearable!

Sweet&Salty

Not to toot my own horn, but last weekend's culinary confection was possibly my greatest work yet: cupcakes that capture the salty sweetness of chocolate-covered pretzels. To compliment the salty/sweet dichotomy, I wanted some sort of textural duality as well, so crunchy/creamy it was.Here's the breakdown, since inquiring minds want to know:
1. First layer: pretzel crust. Lined two dozen cupcake wrappers with this recipe, and as per my roommates instructions, baked the leftovers into "a giant ball."
2. Next up: Martha Stewart's One-Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes - I used nonfat Greek yogurt in place of buttermilk, and they came out just as moist and rich without being too dense.
3. Here's the kicker: Salted Caramel Buttercream frosting. For anyone who has ever made caramel before, you know what a royal pain in the ass it is. For anyone who has tasted homemade caramel, you know it's worth it.
4. To top it all off, I melted a Hershey's kiss on top of a circular pretzel, then pressed a colored M&M in the center. Didn't realize how much they'd resemble nipples until the damage was done, but still, pretty damn delicious looking. Oh yeah, and I drizzled the extra caramel on top - go big or go home, right?
Happy baking!

Real-live still life

Artist Alexa Meade blurs the lines between painting and photography, perception and reality, subject and object. Her "living still lifes" utilize human models painted with acrylic and arranged in scenes that appear two-dimensional when photographed. Without being told, I would never have guessed this was a photo!

Caffeine for cars, not kids

A team from the BBC science show Bang Goes The Theory built this "Carpuccino," a coffee-powered vehicle that heats up coffee granules which have been poured into a gas cylinder attached to the car, and breaks them down into hydrogen and carbon monoxide. Although it's not cheap or very practical, it's certainly creative, sustainable thinking outside the box. And better that caffeine goes into our Chevys than our children, right Bloomberg?

Uber bingo

Although it may have been a little long, between George Clooney's facial expressions, Jeff Bridges' dude-worthy acceptance speech, Katherine Bigelow's First Wives Club-style win (take that, James Cameron!), and four hours worth of comic relief from Steve Martin, Alec Baldwin, Neil Patrick Harris, Tina Fey, Robin Williams and Ben Stiller, this year's Academy Awards Ceremony did it up right. Except come on, give Tarantino his due respect! That was the birthday present I was waiting for (although this near-60 degree weather isn't a bad substitute).

Keepin' it gangster

Beginning March 7, visitors can preview the Museum of the American Gangster before its official spring opening for just 10 bones. The spot is on St. Marks between First and Second, in an actual Prohibition-era speakeasy where Sinatra was known to belt a tune or two. There's some grisly stuff on display, including a barber chair from the Park Sheraton where a mob boss was whacked in the 50s, and some really cool stuff as well - the old smuggling tunnels are still intact. One day the museum may even get a liquor license, but until then, tip one back and do as the gangsters did.

Go ask Alice

Just two days left until Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland hits theaters near you! Until then, check out artist Camille Rose Garcia's gothic illustrated interpretation of Lewis Carroll's classic, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Creepy and colorful - Monsieur Burton would approve.
And the first-ever film adaptation (dated 1903!) has just been restored by the British Film Institute. 107 years ago - does this not rock?

Grimaldi's in my borough

Limelight Marketplace (that's right, the former Limelight ... as in the club kid drug den of the 80s and 90s) will house Grimaldi's first Manhattan location, which will be open 24 hours.

Not sure how I feel about dining in the spot where Party Monster was filmed, but anything that brings that cheesy deliciousness closer by is okay with me.

Say goodbye to the February funk

What better news than the fact that February has finally met its dreary end? It already almost smells like spring. Here's what I'm listening to until the crocuses bloom:

Ride with me

New Yorkers aren't known for their warm-and-fuzzies, but the promise of a cheap cab ride may help any Manhattanite worth their salt to get over their squeamishness toward strangers. The Taxi and Limousine Corporation is about to begin a ride-share program where passengers can split rides from three designated checkpoints for a discounted fare. So much better than speed-dating, no? Let's get this carpool business further downtown, please!