muffin to-go, please

this afternoon katie and i are heading north to nyc. there is still a bunch of stuff at the old apartment i need to cart down to virginia, so what better time to go than 4th of july weekend?! the timing couldn't be better for katie; this is her first trip to nyc and the last opportunity for me to go before i head west this fall. which means she will get the full tour from a guide wholeheartedly soaking in the memories, oh so bittersweet. the heat of central park? SURE; the hoards of times square? NO PROBLEM! just as long as we retire to fort greene, brooklyn each night, i'm happy as a clam.

for the trip up i'm preparing egg salad with watercress on pumpernickel. this sandwich brings me back to my gallery days. when i became associate director at the art gallery, john connelly presents i travelled to london for the frieze art fair. i can not tell you how many egg salad watercress sandwiches i consumed. i made one yesterday with a touch of salt, pepper, paparika, dijon and mayo; it exceeded my expectations. my mother told me watercress prefers shady spots, but i'm happy to say my plants are growing quite well in full sun. my only concern is that they become too bitter, so i'm keeping them well watered.

in order to cut down on expenses in nyc, i made zucchini bread muffins. eating-in in the a.m. is a good way to a healthy conscience come dinner time. and there is some serious eating to be done. i found a simple recipe online and made it my own:

INGREDIENTS

3 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup sugar (it called for 2)

2 cups grated zucchini

2 teaspoons almond extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons (guesstimate) fresh grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 shots grand marnier (zing!)

bake at 325 degrees for 70 minutes in two 8x4 inch loaf pans. we had only one loaf pan so i poured the rest in a muffin pan and kept an eye on them. the muffins cooked for about half an hour. the original recipe calls for vanilla extract, but in search of vanilla i found almond and thought - oh yeah! then i thought almond and grand marnier - yes please! last night katie and i tested out the muffins and we are happy to report that breakfast, is served. now all that concerns us is, where to blow a wad first: local/seasonal french (http://www.icirestaurant.com/) in brooklyn or blow-your-mind brick-oven pizza (http://www.firstpizza.com/) in manhattan.

tomorrow there is a good chance that we'll be playing petanque (think french bocce, smaller
balls) at pit stop in red hook, brooklyn, so lunch will probably consist of stella artois, pommes frites and sausage. on saturday we'll stop in for vietnamese subs after a tour of chinatown. then, of course, there are the polish delis and italian markets where we'll find provisions to carry home with us. oh the possibilites are endless, but i've got a handle on the options.

there is so much eating to fantasize about, but right now i am thinking about the drive: i-95 to the new jersey turnpike. the trip is historic for me, i've driven it a million and one times between dc and nyc. now i look forward to sharing it with my sister.