Shakshoka .... New York City Marathon . . .and good friends

Today was a wonderful day. . .I'm exhausted, my knee hurts and I'm extremely content!

I will soon give you the recipe to Shakshoka, eggs with tomatoes, a simple, nutritious and yummy meal but first, why was this day so great, you ask?

Yesterday, my wonderful friend Shareah held a birthday/housewarming party in which she served amazing Iranian food. A great evening with wonderful friends, and new interesting people! That was a good way to prepare for this eventful day!
I had to wake up at 5 am, ride to Union Square where I met with fellow cyclists and we made our way to Bay Ridge to bike the New York City Marathon. Nine years after I move to the city, I finally take part in a marathon event (how I manages to escape any aspect of it thus far is beyond me!). It was an amazing experience. Riding some 25 miles in the almost empty streets of New York was great! I rode with Morrey and we soon found ourselves in a small group of two keeping a nice average pace of 13-15 m/h. We crossed Brooklyn, Long Island City, a bit of Queens to go over the 59th Bridge, uptown Manhattan on First Avenue, a brief stint in the Bronx (here, my knee started to give in, but I was a woman on a mission!) and back to Manhattan, where the finish line was in Central Park. The map is my tracking of most of the way!

Disappointingly, the police prevented us from reaching the finish line!Despite that, it was amazing! (and COLD).

But most exciting of the day was hitting my 1,500 Miles Goal! I did it, I rode 1,500 miles this year, and it feels amazing! In fact I did a victory dance when I hit it, which was quite funny. We were in Central Park, about 3 miles from the finish line, when this crazy woman dances a victory dance.

But it's New York, and people's bemusement didn't last much.

When we finished, I rushed home, where my dear friend Birte was waiting. Birte became my friend in the summer during the Decolonization Seminar through a cosmic lining of the stars. She arrived the day before just in time for Shareah's party. Here presence here adds an amazing positive vibe to life!
I arrived here and we soon were ready to meet up with Rashad, Eman and Alex for Dim Sum at the happening Jing Fong Restaurant in Chinatown (18 Elizabeth St, New York, New York 10013-4802). If you never had Dim Sum (Chinese weekend breakfast, where they walk around with carts and you chose what you want to eat), you have to try it. This place certainly will provide a great experience and good food. Rashad is a wizard and we had a wonderful selection of yummy food!:)
Then a walk around, with some of Rashad's must stops: Bubble ice tea, chopstick store, community park in Chinatown. We missed on the deserts, but we walked into a strange expo that entailed smartphones and hats, and a great Polaroid picture:

To end the adventure, we walked into a jewelry store, where Birte and Eman bought well-deserved treats for themselves!


After a quick rest, I sit her to ponder the greatness of friendship and the amazing circles we create in life!

Shakshoka

A great dish with wonderful childhood memories, it was always a good Friday family brunch. 

Ingredients

Tomatoes

(best fresh, but you can use good can diced tomatoes if no good ones are available)

Garlic

Eggs

Spices and salt.

(the mix includes allspice, black pepper, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom – read about it at http://leenaskitchens.blogspot.com/2013/08/my-mixed-spices.html)

Hot pepper or pepper-flakes

Olive oil

Preparation

1.      Peel the tomatoes (6-7 medium tomatoes should be enough for 2 people)– in order to that, boil water, submerge the tomatoes and let sit for a bit. You can then take the skin right off.

2.      Heat few spoons of olive oil and sauté a few cloves of garlic (depends how much you like garlic). If you are using fresh pepper, sauté it as well.

3.      Add the tomatoes, spices, pepper flakes, and salt. Stir.

4.      Cover and let cook until tomatoes are thoroughly cooked.

5.      Add eggs.  3-4 eggs should be enough, but depends on how much you like eggs.

6.      Cook a bit more, until eggs are done.

And you are done! Serve with pita bread, and enjoy! J