September has been quite the whirlwind month… The beginning of the fall season has brought with it “back to school” events, long commutes to work, and a cornucopia of delicious produce at the markets! September started off with a bang – Labor Day Weekend. The weather was perfect, and the weekend was jam-packed with activities.
I started the weekend with a girls evening at my friend, Roshni’s home. Tere brought Ami along who was visiting from Michigan, and we had a spectacular evening – eating, drinking, chatting… doing what girls do best! Roshni wowed us with her elegant presentation of herb marinated chicken, roasted mushrooms, and sweet pea risotto. Something she just “threw together.” That’s what you get when you are in the kitchen of an FCI grad! 😉
Saturday brough
t perfect weather… so Manish and I decided to venture to the Green Market at Union Square. Joining us were our daughters, our nephews, and Jigna and Piyush… it was a family affair! We picnicked afterwards – enjoying fresh breads, cheeses, jams, berries, spicy radishes with fresh churned butter, and cold cuts. My most unusual purchase that day was the rainbow assortment of carrots… white, yellow, orange, and purple. Each hue lent itself a unique flavor.
Sunday night marked a most anticipated evening of fun, laughter, good food, and great libations! Sejal and Reena organized this evening of cocktails and paired foods for some of our closest friends. Sejal and Rick hosted. The weather was perfect. The cocktails were delicious. The food was divine. And that’s about all I remember… 😉 The photos that I DO have from the evening are ones that I should not share on this site (lol) But at least let me tell you about the menu… Heirloom Tomato Mojitos; Pumpkin Martinis; Bellinis; Blueberry Thyme Cocktail; Lady Sage; Kachumber Coolers – These were the cocktails that were served. The food was paired along side – we had home-made samosas, wild mushroom popovers, beef and vegetable empanadas, curried paneer in choux puffs, butternut squash and apple soup, quesadillas with salsa verde. All in all – an incredible evening with wonderful friends.
Monday was a lazy day – but we decided to head over to the outlets near the shore (exit 100-ish on the parkway.) By 5pm, the kids were cranky, and Manish and I were about to keel over from hunger pangs. We ventured back to the mysterious Thai restaurant that we visited last year after a family day at the shore. All I remember from last year’s experience was how hungry we were, and how delicious the food tasted. Testing out that theory…. we decided to re-visit. We were seated immediately. I remembered how much I loved the tofu with red curry – so I ordered that again. Seems silly, to order tofu when you are not vegetarian, but I remembered loving it. Delicate yet flavorful, it was the most delicious Thai dish that I had ever tasted. And I have had MANY red curries in my day. And many of you know that I have TRIED to find a more local Thai place that makes an equal or better dish… but have been unsuccessful. Again – it was SUBLIME. Never, will anyone’s tofu with red curry compare to this one. (Oh and Manish and the girls were thrilled with the food as well…)
It was the perfect weekend, spent with family and good friends, celebrating the end of a lovely summer.