$100/ 2 Weeks/ NYC: Day 13 & 14

$100/ 2 Weeks/ NYC: Prologue
$100/ 2 Weeks/ NYC: Day 1 & 2
$100/ 2 Weeks/ NYC: Day 3, 4 & 5
$100/ 2 Weeks/ NYC: Day 6 & 7
$100/ 2 Weeks/ NYC: Midway Meditation
$100/ 2 Weeks/ NYC: Day 8, 9 & 10
$100/ 2 Weeks/ NYC: Day 11 & 12

Here it is, the final push– my final two days. Will I make it? Read on, my friend, read on.

Wednesday 4/4
Total Spent: $8

LUNCH–> $0
Fumiko and Kayoko Lunch Club. I have leftover Thai string beans and Nasi Goreng from the day before. Fumi brought this delicious stewed squid that Jorge made, Provencal style with just onions, tomatoes, olive oil, and fresh chile peppers. Squid is SO good! It’s a seafood that is so often overlooked, but you can do such great things with it. And what’s more, is it’s cheap!

DINNER–> $8
I had a horrible day at work, but Fumiko lured me to her place for dinner by telling me she’s making mine and Jorge’s favorite dish: Pitan Tofu Salad. More on that in a sec.

I don’t want to come over empty handed, so i bought a bottle of this Cabernet from Spain on the way to their place. At $8, it wasn’t very good–even though it had a big deep dent on the bottom of the bottle, and it was 13.5% alcohol, which is how W(h)ine-o has suggested we choose our wine–but at that price, I’ll take what I can get.

Ok, so this salad. It is just delightful. She got the recipe from Harumi Kurihara, who is basically the Martha Stewart of Japan. A true housewife guru who Fumiko and I model ourselves after. BAH!

Here is what you need for the Pitan Tofu Salad (apologies if I botch the spelling of the Chinese words, this is just how I know to say it in Japanese):
– 1 Pitan, which in Chinese is a “1000 year old egg”. It is essentially a preserved duck egg, which turns black over time (is my guess). They are delicious, really, and can be bought by the half dozen in Chinatown. Gotta love Chinatown.

– Soft fresh tofu

– Green onions, chopped

– Zasai, or preserved Chinese pickled cabbage, also can get in Chinatown

– Shaved ginger and sesame seeds to your liking

Literally, all you need to do is chop all of the above into bite size pieces, and drizzle some soy sauce on top. That’s it. It’s easy peasy and a real crowd pleaser. At least this crowd. Thanks Fumi and Jorge for yet another wonderful dinner. xx.

***

Thursday 4/5
*FINAL DAY*
Total Spent: $3

BREAKFAST–> $3
So I’m totally sick, and thought that I should get a vitamin packed veggie/ fruit drink on my way into work to cure me. I work in Midtown Manhattan, and dude, this juice bar place charged me $3 for this tiny tiny cup of carrot/ apple/ orange juice. CRAZY!!! Look at this cup! It was all over after 3 sips! New York makes me so mad…

LUNCH–> $0
My biggest supporter, Dawn, at work wanted to celebrate her birthday and the last day of my $100/ 2 weeks with a special lunch with the rest of our department. Isn’t she the best??

There are about 7 of us total in the Film and Performing Arts department at my work, and we try to all get together for a potluck lunch once in a while, where we all contribute something. For this, Dawn brought salad and quiche, Yoko brought curry, Mari brought this delish mushroom concoction that we topped on pieces of baguette, and I brought rice. These lunches are a lot of fun when we actually get our act together and do it. Troy Division told me that he does this with his department at BAM too. Eating really does bring people together!

Mari’s husband’s heavenly mushroom medley:
– 3 kinds of mushrooms, sliced (I need to double check with her what exactly they were, but I’m gonna guess they were portobello, shiitake and something else)

– anchovies

– garlic

– fresh thyme

– lots of olive oil

Add salt, mix it all together and let it sit for one night. This stuff was SO GOOD, and it sounded very easy to make. The olive oil was infused with the taste of mushrooms and thyme and garlic– the oil soaked bread was the best part. YUMMY. I will check with Mari about the exact recipe, and get back to you about it.

Dawn bought a bacon quiche and asparagus quiche at Whole Foods that was VERY GOOD. Really rich and decadent, the pastry was flakey and buttery. Just as a quiche should be. The bacon was perfectly salty and the asparagus quiche really tasted asparagus-y. Excellent.

I could not have dreamed of a more fitting way to celebrate the end of my $100/ 2 Weeks– food that emphasizes fresh ingredients and highlights various tastes and cultures, with the people who I see most often in my daily life, sitting in our romantic work kitchen. Thank you everyone!!!

DINNER–> $0
I was still feeling sick, so I just hurried home so I could rest up. I just boiled some soba noodles and had hot soup. It’s really my ultimate comfort food, and I am happy to report that it was my final supper for my $100/2 weeks/ NYC!

***
Drumroll please…

COMBINED TOTAL:
$8 + $3 + $84.25 (Day 1-12 total) = $95.25

LEFT FOR 0 DAYS:
$100 – $95.25= $4.75

WOO-HOO!!!! I made it with almost $5 leftover!!!! WOW! I’m speechless… it’s been one hell of a ride…

*k*