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Pink Thing of The Day: Exterior of Pink Restaurant

Jun5

Pietro Nolita Photo By Gail Worley
All Photos By Gail

I’ve been hearing about Pietro Nolita since it opened (a few years ago at this point), because it is an Italian Restaurant downtown that’s Pink on the exterior and interior. I’ve always meant to visit, of course — because: Pink Restaurant — but it’s not in my neighborhood and I’m lazy, so I’ve never see the pinkness before in person, until now.

Pietro Nolita Photo By Gail Worley

The fact that Pietro Nolita had completely fallen off my radar made it that much sweeter to literally stumble upon it last week, as I walked home to the East Village from a doctor’s appointment in the Financial District and decided to shake up my route. Isn’t it adorable? Who wouldn’t want stop in and check it out?

Pietro Nolita Exterior Photo By Gail Worley

I love the details they put into it, including flower boxes bursting with Pink Silk Chrysanthemums.

pink silk mums photo by gail worley

hektad hearts photo by gail worley

Popular street artist Hektad has even contributed a flourish of his signature heart art.

hektad and baby faces photo by gail

And you might remember these little guys from a previous post! Ah, the Pinkness.

Located at 174 Elizabeth Street, Pietro Nolito is open during lockdown from Thursday through Sunday, Noon to 8 PM for Take Out and Delivery. I Promise that once it Reopens I Will Eat There and File a Full Report!

Pietro Nolita Photo By Gail Worley

Product Review: ChocZero Sugar-Free Peanut Butter Cups

May26

choc zero packaging trio
All Photos By Gail

Food Boredom: it is a thing that’s accentuated by a shortage of tasty snacks in the house. Grocery shopping is much less fun these days, and with many confectionaries and gourmet shops closed, thank god that we have the miracle of internet shopping to procure favorite specialty foods and sweet treats. If you’re following a Keto diet, you don’t have to ignore your sweet tooth, thanks to ChocZero, the go-to chocolatier for premium sugar-free, keto-friendly treats. Even better: you can buy them online!

Adding to its popular line of all-natural-ingredient chocolate candies, ChocZero just launched their indulgent version of a confectionery legend: the Peanut Butter Cup. Peanut Butter Cups are one of the most popular candies in the States, and for good reason: they offer both sweet, delicious chocolate and protein-packed peanut butter. Win win!

choczero milk chocolate peanut butter cups photo by gail worley

Available in milk, dark, and white chocolate varieties, ChocZero peanut butter cups are a no-added sugar treat that gets sweeter with every bite — and, surprisingly, they are:

  • Keto friendly
  • Sugar alcohol-free
  • All-natural
  • Sweetened with Monk Fruit only
  • Soy Free
  • Palm Oil Free

choczero milk chocolate peanut butter cup photo by gail worley
ChocZero Milk Chocolate Variety

ChocZero recently sent me samples of all three varieties, assuring me that these peanut butter cups would taste as good as the well-known brands, with zero added guilt. My verdict, they speak the truth! Each bag contains six individually-wrapped candies; and when you open the package you will notice that these peanut butter cups don’t include a paper wrapper, which makes for less mess.

Review Continues After The Jump!  Continue reading →

Bantam Bagels Offers a Gift For Graduating Seniors!

May18

Bantam Pretzel Bagels

Being a bit of a foodie, but also someone who is not very experimental when it comes to my own cooking, the thing I miss most since NYC went into lockdown is eating a variety of foods. Fortunately, there are many tasty frozen food options (especially when you are looking for breakfast foods that are different, tasty, and also convenient) and one of my favorite discoveries is Bantam Bagels stuffed bagel bites. I was first turned-on to  Bantam Bagels delicious mini stuffed-bagels at the Summer Fancy Food Show in 2018, where I was blown away by the innovative taste of oven- toasted bagels stuffed with scrambled eggs and cheese. Two thumbs up, for sure!

bantam bagel bites photos by gail worley
Bantam Bagel Bites Booth Display from SFFS18

If you’d like to give Bantam Bagels a try, and happen to be among the Graduating Class of 2020, check this out: through May 22nd, Bantam Bagels is running a campaign for graduating seniors. To celebrate graduation, and the stuffed Bantam Pretzel Bagel (pictured above), the company is giving three (3) Graduating Seniors a chance to win a year’s supply of Mini Stuffed Bagels!

Here’s How To Enter:

  1. Post your Senior Picture — or nominate a friend with their photo — on Instagram
  2. Tag @bantambagels and use hashtag #bantamsforayear
  3. Tell us why you/they deserve to win this reward in the caption!

This Pretzel Bagel stuffed with Cheddar Dijon Cream Cheese is Oprah’s personal favorite, so you know it must be good. Please share this post with any graduates you know, and wish them good luck!

Shark Attack Folding Comb and Brush!

May14

sharks tooth folding comb and brush by fred photo by gail worley
Photos By Gail

Do you like being thought of as ‘edgy,’ while also maintaining impeccably-groomed hair? Then allow me to introduce you to the Sharks Tooth; the compact, foldable comb and brush that keeps you looking sharp! Just open up its tooth-filled jaws to quickly attack those tangles. The Sharks Tooth snaps shut, making an it easy-to-carry (in a purse or a pocket) grooming tool that goes anywhere. Expertly crafted by Fred, you can purchase the Sharks Tooth for yourself at This Link!

Photographed at the NY Now Winter 2020 Gift Show in NYC

sharks tooth folding comb and brush photo by gail

Shark Attack In Your Hair!

Product Review: Vitagenne Premium Hemp CBD Oil

May7

vitagenne hemp cbd oil photo by gail worley
Vitagenne Premium CBD Line: Engineered for Wellness, Rooted Empathy (Image By Gail, All Others Courtesy of Vitagenne)

If you haven’t noticed that CBD and CBD-infused products have flooded pop culture consciousness as far-reaching wellness solutions, then you have been living under the proverbial rock. As someone who needs to manage chronic pain, I’ve spent considerable time investigating CBD wellness products that could help alleviate my discomfort, and perhaps also promote a night of restful sleep. The thing is, I didn’t know who to trust when it came to making a purchase. Last summer while vacationing in the Berkshires, my trusted pothead friends took me with them to their local dispensary. With guidance from a knowledgeable employee, I purchased a CDB tincture (oil) containing only trace amounts of THC, which means there’s no high involved. I’m happy to say that this product has worked well for me with no harmful side effects! What a relief.

Just as I was getting low on the product purchased in Massachusetts, and not sure where to find a trusted local source that could sell me an equivalent-quality replacement, I received a pitch to review the CBD wellness products of a company called Vitagenne. Timing: perfect.

vitagenne hemp cbd oil

Let’s get real: staying sane during the Covid-19 lockdown is a serious challenge. Just trying to work from home, keep my apartment appropriately sanitized, feed myself and cope with the news can make the day-to-day routine overwhelming. I know I’m not alone in experiencing an increased need to manage anxiety and stress, and having added pain doesn’t help, so this is really the perfect opportunity to introduce you to Vitagenne. While Vitagenne makes a full line of hemp-derived CBD products, they sent me their Pure Wellness Hemp CBD Oil Supplement, so that is what I will review here, based on my experience.

The primary difference between the supplement I had been using, and the Vitagenne CBD oil, is that while the dispensary product contained a trace amount of THC (producing no ‘high’), Vitagenne contains no THC, which makes it legal to travel with anywhere in the US, even states where pot is not yet legal or decriminalized. The lack of THC also means that this product has virtually no taste or odor. This is a big plus for anyone who has an aversion to the smell or taste of supplements. Vitagenne is 99% Pure CBD Isolate combined with 1% Coconut MCT Oil, offered in three strengths; 500 mg, 1500 mg, and 3000 mg. CBD oil  is intended to be consumed sublingually — applied under the tongue and held for 60 seconds — but since it is unflavored you can also enjoy it mixed with any of your favorite beverages. I am using 1500mg strength, and find it very effect and fast-acting to alleviate my moderate, chronic joint pain. Taken at bedtime, it also helps me drift off to a sound sleep, which is so necessary in these times.

Post Continues After The Jump!

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Pink Thing of The Day: Abandoned Baby Carrier

Apr24

abandoned baby car seat photo by gail worley
All Photos By Gail

I suppose it could have been worse: whoever this delightful Pink Polka Dot Baby Carrier belonged to could have put it in their vehicle, and driven away without their baby!

abandoned baby car seat photo by gail worley

Another possibility is that the owner had purchased a new carrier for their baby, and thus left this one out on the planter’s edge for someone else to pick up. But in this Covid-contaminated world, who would feel safe doing that?

abandoned baby car seat photo by gail

Answer: no one.

Cooking With Gail Presents: Easy Quarantine Chili!

Apr21

the best classic chili
Image Source

If you are a single person, and you’re like me, you plan most of your meals around what you find in Trader Joe’s freezer section, supplemented with a few weekly meals at restaurants, and lunch procured from the office cafeteria. So, I don’t have to tell you that grocery shopping and meal planning for our new Covid lifestyle is challenging, and, frankly, it sucks. I’ve bought as many groceries in the past five weeks as I have for each preceding week of this year combined. Just being serious.

There is only one thing I can really cook, and that is Chili. When I first moved to NYC I was dirt poor, so I taught myself how to make a huge vat of chili, so I could freeze some it and thus enjoy multiple home-cooked meals that would stretch my budget. Once I started making decent money, I abandoned cooking from scratch almost entirely. But . . . everything is different now, and cooking is a skill that has value, even if you are sheltering-in-place on your own — which I think of as  living on the prairie, but with indoor plumbing. A few weeks into isolation, I got a craving for chili, but it had been so long since I made any that I could not even recall my recipe. Dashing to the computer, I Googled “easy chili with beans,” and the first result that popped up was this recipe called The Best Classic Chili courtesy of Amanda Finks from her website The Wholesome Dish. This recipe is especially awesome because it can be made from ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry. Let me walk you through it.

Chili Ingredients Photo By Gail Worley
Above Image and All Other Photos By Gail

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 1 pound 90% lean ground beef
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 2 tablespoons ground cumin
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper – optional
  • 1 1/2 cups beef broth
  • 1 (15 oz.) can petite diced tomatoes
  • 1 (16 oz.) can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce

Instructions

Add the olive oil to a large soup pot and place it over medium-high heat for two minutes. Add the onion. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Chili Ingredients Meat and Onion Photo By Gail Worley

Add the ground beef to the pot. Break it apart with a wooden spoon. Cook for 6-7 minutes, until the beef is browned, stirring occasionally.

Chili Dry Ingredients Photo By Gail Worley

I like to combine all of the dry ingredients in one bowl, as seen above, so I can blend them together thoroughly before adding to the meat. Once the meat is brown, add the chili powder, cumin, sugar, garlic powder, salt, pepper, tomato paste, and optional cayenne.  Stir until well combined.

Chili Cooking Photo By Gail Worley

Tomatoes and Meat Photo By Gail Worley

Add the broth, diced tomatoes (with their juice), drained beans, and tomato sauce. Stir well.

Chili With Beans Photo By Gail Worley

Bring the liquid to a low boil. Then, reduce the heat (low to medium-low) to gently simmer the chili, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Chili Simmering Photo By Gail

Remove the pot from the heat. Let the chili rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. I like to serve mine on top of fluffy white rice!

White Rice Photo By Gail Worley

In addition to the chili ingredients listed in this recipe, you may also want to have these things as toppings.

  • shredded cheddar cheese
  • sour cream
  • sliced green onions or chopped white onions
  • saltine crackers or oyster crackers
  • diced avocado

You can also make cornbread or garlic bread to serve with this delicious meal! As you can, see the chili takes almost no time to prepare and the result is truly the best chili you have ever tasted. Just check out the hundreds of five star reviews on the site!

Leftover Chili Photo By Gail Worley

This recipe makes six generous servings, so you have enough to share with a friend or neighbor who might really be in need of a wholesome and super delicious home-cooked  meal right about now. At any rate, you are going have leftovers for days!

Chili in a Bowl Photo By Gail Worley

Enjoy!

NYBG Presents the 2020 Orchid Show!

Apr7

jeff leathams kaleidoscope orchid show photo by gail worley
All Photos By Gail

When I check the calendar on my iPhone, it’s easy to isolate March 7th, the day I visited the Orchid Show at the New York Botanical Garden, as the last time I attended a public event at any cultural institution. Maybe ten days later, the NYBG, like every other art museum, gallery and event space in NYC, closed for an indeterminate period of time as part of the Covid-19 shelter-in-place order. The new normal for many of us living in the city means life with little or no contact with nature and art: which is just unacceptable. For this reason, Worleygig.com brings you Art in the Time of Covid. Today we are going to revisit NYBG Orchid Show!

corsage orchid photo by gail worley
Corsage Orchid

While the Garden is thankfully being tended to by groundskeepers during its closure, the Orchid Show, originally scheduled to run through April 19th, will not reopen this year. If you missed it, you at can least peruse a selection of photos I took during my visit  to make you feel as if you were there (#livethroughme)

orchid show signage
Jeff Leatham’s Kaleidoscope Orchid Show (Click Image to Enlarge for Detail)

This year’s 18th annual Orchid Show, entitled Kaleidoscope, was created by Jeff Leatham, famed artistic director of the Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris. Leatham’s bold and colorful vision unfolded through captivating installations and designs, transforming each gallery of the exhibition in the historic glass Enid A. Haupt Conservatory into a different color experience and visual effect, like the turn of a kaleidoscope.

Enid Haupt Conservatory
Enid A. Haupt Conservatory 

Thousands of orchids provided bursts of forms and colors — in purples, reds, oranges, and hot pink — revealed through overhead arches, vine-inspired ribbons, mirrored sculpture, dramatic lighting, and other artistic embellishments.

NYBG Orchid Show Photo ByGail Worley
NYBG Orchid Show Photo By Gail Worley

I didn’t make note of the majority the names of these species, so I will just post for the enjoyment of how lovely they are. All flowers will be presented in the order in which they were seen by me as I travelled through the conservatory!

NYBG Orchid Show Photo By Gail Worley
NYBG Orchid Show Photo By Gail Worley

I believe that there is no better way to improve your skills as a photographer than to take photos of flowers. Who agrees?

NYBG Orchid Show Photo By Gail

This is one of my favorites. Do you wonder why there are so many different types of orchids? Different orchid species evolved to attract specific animal pollinators. Sometimes a flower’s color can hint at its unique pollination mechanism.

NYBG Orchid Show Photo By Gail

Some white and light-colored orchids attract nocturnal moths. Their pale coloration reflects moonlight and makes them visible to moths that can only distinguish between light and dark.

The NYBG Orchid Show Continues, With Many More Photos, After the Jump!

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Pink Thing of The Day: Pink Marshmallow Macarons from Dana’s Bakery!

Apr3

Pink Marshmallow Macaron by Danas Bakery

I first discovered Dana’s Bakery and their fancy and fabulous Macarons at a Summer Fancy Food Show a few summers back. When it comes to imaginative baking and creative flavor profiles, nobody does it like Dana’s. Just in time for our first Easter spent in nationwide quarantine, Dana’s Bakery has announced their special Pink Marshmallow Macaron! Each box includes 12 bright pink macarons with sweet marshmallow creme filling, rolled in sugar sprinkles! Always gluten-free and kosher, available for April in their Build-A-Box and Variety Pack. Visit This Link order!