GUEST SPOT: 5THANDJANE

It's that time of year again. Although I'm happy to see Fashion Week roll around, I can't help but ask myself, where has the year gone? I've been living in NYC for a year now (review of the year to come) and have been lucky enough to be a guest blogger for 5thandJane again.

Enjoy the shows!

Chicken Yakitori with Blue Apron

OK...So lets be honest, the worst part about cooking, isn't the cooking. It's the shopping and schlepping. The third S in the equation is SOLUTION. And I've found it! Blue Apron. Shopping done, schlepping done & all neatly packaged up ready for me to get my cooking-hands on.

I think I spent more time getting my Instagram video right, than chopping the veggies for dinner.

On the menu, Chicken Yakitori.

Ingredients:

• ¾ Cup Brown Rice
• 2 Scallions
• 2 Cloves Garlic
• 1-Inch Piece Ginger
• 1 Bunch Cilantro
• 7 to 8 Ounces Long Beans
• 3 Tablespoons Hoisin Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
• 8 Ounces Ground Chicken
• ½ Cup Panko Breadcrumbs
• 1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil
• 8 Skewers
• 2 Birdseye Chilis
• 1 Lemon 

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. 
2. In a small pot, combine the rice, 1½ cups of water, and a pinch of salt. Heat to boiling on high. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer 25 to 30 minutes, or until the rice is cooked through and all the water is absorbed.
3. Wash and dry the fresh produce. Thinly slice the scallions. Peel and mince the garlic and ginger. Finely chop the cilantro. Cut the long beans into 6-inch lengths.
4. Make the glaze & chicken mixture:
5. In a small bowl, make the glaze by combining half the hoisin sauce and half the soy sauce; stir until smooth. In a separate large bowl, combine the ground chicken, panko, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, half the scallion, half the cilantro, and the remaining hoisin and soy sauces.
6. Using your hands, mix everything just until combined. 
7. Divide the mixture into 4 equal pieces, and shape them into flat, oval-shaped patties. Place the patties on a lightly oiled baking sheet, and place 2 skewers in each patty. 
8. Roast the yakitori in the oven for 6 to 8 minutes, or until browned, then carefully flip them over and cook 6 to 8 minutes minutes longer, or until browned on the top and cooked through in the center.
9. To make the beans: heat some oil in a large pan on high until hot. Add the long beans and birdseye chilis and cook about 30 seconds, stirring. Season with salt and pepper. Add about ¼ cup of water and cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring until the water evaporates and the long beans are crisp-tender. 
10. Remove from the heat and squeeze the juice of half the lemon over the long beans. Stir in the remaining cilantro.
11. To plate: Divide the rice and long beans between 2 plates. Place the yakitori on top of the rice. Spoon some glaze over the yakitori and some over the long beans, if you like. Garnish each with the remaining scallions and lemon wedges. 

Click on the image, to view the Instagram video.

Try Blue Apron for yourselves (if you're in the USA that is)! 

DINNER FOR ONE

What to eat when the hubby is working late with a fridge full(ish) of veggies and eggs…baked eggs of course. Usually at around 4pm I start to think, what do I have in the fridge and what will I create with these random ingredients. Most days I’m not lazy and will venture after work to my happy place, wholefoods, but then there are days where I just don’t want to shop at all. Baked-eggs-for-dinner-tonight was one of those nights. Excited nonetheless, I started to plan…how hard could it be!

Yes I know I love to cook, and have no fear when it comes to the kitchen, but really this is easy, and you can make your own variation depending on what you have in the fridge too! It’s flexible…so relax and enjoy.

I had in the fridge, kale, capsicum/peppers, cherry tomatoes and feta. But feel free to use other veggies that you like. For example, spinach, zucchini, asparagus…if you can’t live without pumpkin, add in the extra step roasting them first, before starting the baked eggs!

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• ¼ onion, finely chopped
• 2 tbs olive oil
• ½ capsicum/pepper, chopped
• 6 cherry tomatoes (if they are large you can cut up)
• Half bunch of kale, chopped
• 1 tbs Parmesan optional
• Feta, crumbled (optional)
• Salt and pepper, to season

Method:

1. Grease a small ovenproof dish. I added some olive oil and made sure all the sides were greased and discarded the extra.
2. Add feta to the beaten eggs (if using).
3. Preheat the oven to 210 degrees Celsius.
4. In a small frying pan, heat the olive oil, add the onion and cook for 3-5mins, until the onions look translucent.
5. Once the onions are cooked, add the kale and capsicum/pepper for another 3-5mins, allow the kale to reduce.
6. Add the kale mixture, tomatoes (and other veggies of your liking) to the ovenproof dish, mix around.
7. Pour the egg mixture over and grate Parmesan cheese on top.
8. Cook in the oven for 15-20mins (note, keep an eye on it, all ovens are different).
9. To give the top a crunch, change to a high-grill for 2-3mins, once the baked eggs are cooked through. 

GUEST SPOT: 5THANDJANE

The snow must go on...no wait that's SHOW! Fashion Week doesn't stop for anything! Not even Nemo. Saturday morning, a blanket of white covered New York City, except Lincoln Center. It was full steam on the runway, and thanks to 5thandJane I was able to attend, Mara Hoffman Fall/Winter 2013. Read below...

GUEST SPOT: 5THANDJANE

Ahead of a busy week in New York, better known as Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, 5thandJane kindly offered me a guest spot on their blog. Here's to a week of amazing fashion shows and parties! Cheers...

COFFEE ADDICT IN NYC

OK, so my friends know this, and laugh at me, but I'll admit it to the world... Hi my name is Jordana, and I order a "weak, skim, latte, extra hot!" - yep that's my coffee order. Living in Sydney, I was totally spoiled with the coffee. The one hesitation I had when I knew we were moving was COFFEE. The US isn't known for it's Aussie-standard coffee. Or so I thought!

My coffee order is tres-complex, hubby however, depending on WWWH will order, macchiato, espresso, or cortado (like a 3/4 latte).

After three months in New York, I think I have a fairly comprehensive list of where I'm happy to drink (and order) my coffee.

OST
Location: 441 East 12th Street
It's a great place for a weekend-paper-read...and did I mention the Nutella biscuits!

THINK
Locations: 
248 Mercer Street
1 Bleecker Street 
73 8th Avenue 
123 4th Avenue 
730 Broadway (inside NYU bookstore)
Don't dis the chain! For a "chain-like" company I always feel a sense of home-coffee when I leave.

RUBY'S 
Location: 219 B Mulberry Street
Ok so I'm cheating a little, this cafe is owned by Aussies, but I can't resist! They serve a latte in a glass and they have vegemite toast on the menu.

BOWERY COFFEE
Location: 89 E Houston Street
Another cafe that serves latte's in a glass. Great coffee and it's only a stones throw away from my apartment - how could I go wrong?

MUD
Location: 307 9th Street 
I have to thank my sister-in-law. Having previously lived in NYC, and close by to our new apartment. MUD was her local and a "must-try."

BLUE BOTTLE
Locations:
450 West 15th Street 
1 Rockefeller Plaza, Concourse Level, Suite D
102 Franklin Street
160 Berry Street, Brooklyn
I can't take the credit for this, Tracy my BFF found them in San Fran (she used to live in Australia) and knew that it was up to my standards.

GROUNDED
Location: 28 Jane Street 
I'll be honest, I couldn't order my coffee when I saw the Nutella Latte on the menu!

88 ORCHARD
Location: 88 Orchard Street
It's a cozy locale in the LES. With a great menu to match the coffee. Plus free Wi-Fi.

71 IRVING PLACE 
Location: 71 Irving Place 
When I first moved to New York we lived around the corner. I spent many hours there, on my own, but never felt lonely. The Oatmeal with fruit is a perfect match to their iced coffee.

GASOLINE ALLEY COFFEE
Location: 331 Lafayette Street
Coffee served in a mason jar - wins everytime! Hubby and I stumbled on it while exploring our new hood and we haven't regretted it since!

BLUEBIRD CAFE
Location: 74 East 1st Street 
Originally set up by a Melbournian, its serves a mean latte (also in a glass)! Their granola and yoghurt is the perfect balance between sweet and tart.

TOBY'S ESTATE
Location: 125 North 6th Street, Brooklyn 
Yes another Aussie company has made its way over to the US shores. If you're an Aussie and feeling a little homesick, the coffee is the same, and they have Tim Tams!

IRIS CAFE
Location: 20 Columbia Place, Brooklyn
A cute cafe in amongst the terraces of Brooklyn Heights, this is a great breakfast lunch hang out. Thanks to Lauren Farmer for the intro to this place.

VINEAPPLE
Location: 71 Pineapple Street, Brooklyn
Another Lauren Farmer intro...the peppermint latte was delish, and we enjoyed many hours of "work" sitting at the tables, surrounded by chalkboard walls. Perfection.

SEX AND THE CITY MOMENT #3

It's been almost 2 weeks in NYC, and I haven't even stepped foot in a museum. Out of the hundreds of museums, I hit MoMA first! But that's not what this post is about...post MoMA, a casual stroll down West 54th street, there in the wall, so subtle I almost missed it, the MECCA for Carrie Bradshaw lovers, and shoe lovers alike.

MANOLO BLAHNIK ... "hello lover!"

SEX AND THE CITY MOMENT #2

I know what you're thinking. Given my obsession with Sex and the City, why didn't I go straight from JFK to Perry St? Well the simple answer is jetlag. But it wasn't long before the steps at 72 Perry Street were calling.

Before I left Sydney, I had found a vacant apartment next door! How perfect...but it wasn't meant to be. So, like all other Sex and the City fans, I walked to the steps where Carrie so often frequented, and took a cheeky snap!

OH SO SWEET

When I arrived in NYC, I felt like a kid in a candy store. So faced with another day of exploring, I headed uptown, to FAO Schwarz. And just like that, I felt like a kid again. Before jumping on the big piano, I was distracted by FAO Schweetz - kid in a candy store!

Trying to keep my self in-check and not blow out in my first two weeks of NYC living. I decided to buy the most amazing looking sweets there were. And trust me the options are endless.

My favourite (yes I'm still Australian, the U is staying) of all, a GIANT box of nerds. It was like the big corn flakes box at the supermarket. But since it was bigger than my head, I thought it probably wasn't the best idea!

But I hope you enjoy some of these delights!

SEX AND THE CITY MOMENT #1

So in my bid to find SJP, other than finding a job, it's my number 1 goal for living in NYC. I've decided to document my Sex and the City moments.

The first, hubby took this snap. It was our second morning in NYC and when he saw me with my laptop on the bed, he said that was the best way to start my SATC New York adventure!