I’m extremely lucky to have a great relationship with my brother. It wasn’t always like this. We’re two years apart, and we shared a lot of the activities when we were young - swim team, music lessons, playing with the neighbors. In our teen years, our paths still crossed, but like most siblings we had our fair share of disagreements. These days though, my little brother is one of my best friends. We chat all the time via instant message, email, text, phone, and almost every weekend on video chat. He has a lovely home, an amazing wife, and the cutest little baby around. I am a proud big sis, and I wish him a very happy birthday today! Happy birthday Edward!

(Edward, circa 1976)

Lately I’ve had a pretty full social calendar with lots of dinners out, for friends’ birthdays, my two dinner clubs, plus a handful of friends visiting from out of town. Still, eating at home a couple times a week is a necessity for me so that I have lunches for weekdays. Here’s what I’ve been stirring up the past week or so.

Chunky potato, leek and carrot soup

Mussels cooked in white wine with garlic, shallots, fennel, tomatoes and crushed chili flakes

Spicy three bean chili with black beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, corn and edamame

Cavolo nero (Tuscan kale), oyster mushrooms and broccoli rabe

NYC is supposed to be one of the fashion capitals of the world, so will someone please explain these outfits to me?

Drunk and snoozing on the train, this guy’s rocker style, bandana and all, is straight out of the ’80’s.

I would totally wear these sandals. Except they were men’s sandals, a.k.a. “mandals.”

Spotted on my commute to work one morning in January. Not sure what I liked best, the floral shirt unbuttoned down to his pot belly, revealing his chest rug, or the pretty purple purse and color-coordinated scarf.

This guys stumbled, completely drunk, onto my train as I was heading out to meet a friend for dinner a couple weeks ago. I would normally cover the unsuspecting model’s face, but then you’d be missing out on the full effect of his outfit. The back of his fringed coat had an animal head, like you’d see on an animal skin rug. And yes, that is a flask in his hand.

Tight white jeans, pegged at the ankles. Worn by a man. Fashion don’t, for sure.

Today during our Sunday chat, Corin surprised us all with his new trick. He started clapping on his own, and then with some prompting and encouragement from Mommy, Daddy and Auntie Jen (live, from New York!), he kept doing it! I had planned to teach him during the holidays, but he wasn’t feeling it then. Today, however, he’s quite proud of himself. Hopefully he’ll be able to perform for everyone when he’s at Tai Pau Pau’s this afternoon for his first Chinese New Year celebration! Yaaayyy!

As much as I love to try new restaurants and new cuisines (I live in NYC, after all!), I actually do love to eat at home. I shop at the farmers market for fresh, seasonal, local produce, and I supplement with other stuff from grocery stores. I find it difficult to create single serving portions, so there’s usually enough to last a few meals, which are good for weekday lunches at work. Most New Yorkers just pick up the phone and order delivery, but it’s quicker (and certainly much cheaper) to throw something together, even if it’s not something I’d necessarily serve friends or family.

So what do I eat when I’m home alone? Well, my simplest meals might be a bowl of tofu in broth, or soba, maybe tuna or sardine salad on crackers, a bowl of steamed or roasted veggies, or if  I’m feeling decadent, some cheese, crackers, and a glass of wine. But usually, I like to make a real meal. I’m talking soups, stews, or hearty salads. Most of the things I make are vegetarian. I’m currently reading Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant, which inspired me to start this new blog series: Dinner for One. Here’s what I made for dinner tonight:

Spicy roasted butternut squash over quinoa, chickpeas and kale, with a dollop of fat-free Greek yogurt

And here are some other meals I’ve enjoyed recently. Winter means limited options if you try to eat mostly local and seasonal, though sometimes I cheat. I’ve been eating lots of root veggies, butternut squash, and beans and grains.

Smoked trout and green bean salad with mustard vinaigrette and a hard boiled egg

Winter veggie stew

Veggie tagine (cooked in the terra cotta tagine I picked up in Morocco!)

Fried egg over roasted green beans, topped with grated parmesan

Roasted butternut squash and black bean tacos, with homemade guacamole and fat-free Greek yogurt

My version of Maialino’s Uova al Contadino (roasted brussel sprouts, fried egg and grated parmesan)

Making dinner for yourself doesn’t have to be boring. Life’s short, treat yourself right and eat good food!