Cooking with Butter Beans Kitchen in Battery Park City

Last week, I got to join FIDI Families and other NYC Mommy bloggers out for a fun cooking class with Butter Beans Kitchen at their new Battery Park location inside Asphalt Green.  On the Menu: Jeweled Pomegranate Rice Pilaf, Sweet Potato Hummus, Kofta Kebab with Seasonal Market Veggies, and Honey Pistachio Baklava.  The Mediterranean menu sounded exotic and I knew I was in for a fun night out including a complimentary wine tasting by Simply Wine.   I guess Juliet was right.  Moms do drink wine at their “mommy play dates!” 

We all had a bunch of fun thanks to the easygoing and super approachable chef who taught us handy tips along the way including how to best cut an onion, tell if your oil is heated and what not to do to with your knife in order to avoid dulling it.  She was terrific at explaining step-by-step and was unbelievably not phased at all by our social-media obsessed crew who constantly had camera-in-hand documenting each and every instruction, step and photo opp.

These exotic dishes were surprisingly easy to make and tasty too!  My favorite recipes from the night included the pomegranate rice pilaf and the sweet potato hummus.

The sweet and savory flavor combinations of Middle Eastern cuisine made for fresh and elegant meals with a minimum of ingredients–no special equipment required.

I love how Butter Beans demystified this new cuisine for me and helped me feel comfortable cooking up these amazing dishes!

It really was a fun class for people of all skill levels!  Thank you so much to Butter Beans Kitchen, Asphalt Green, Simply Wines and FIDI Families for hosting us!  The candlelit dinner was scrumptious and the cooking class was such a treat!

In addition to their Thursday adult classes, be sure to check out the  farm-to-table kids classes on Wednesdays.  Use code BBFRIENDS to receive $10 off their first class.  Use code BBSIBLING to receive 5% off registration for siblings!

Classes are held at Asphalt Green Battery Park City Culinary Center, 212 North End Ave, New York, NY 10282.

$95 per class, 15% off for Asphalt Green members.

DISCLAIMER.  We received a complimentary class and event experience in exchange for the review but all opinions are my own.

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4 Toy-Inspired DIY Kids’ Costumes

I believe in recycling and re-using what you have and the same philosophy comes up during Halloween when I’m preparing costumes for our endless series of special events.  See my last post about 8 easy DIY Costumes from last year here as an example!  This year, I took a slightly different approach and let Juliet”s favorite toys serve as the inspiration to all our make-at-home costumes.  They were so fun to create with her and for her.  See below for some costume inspiration and let me know what you think you could create at home with what you already have!

• Baby Momma.  Does your doll love dolls?  Make her a mommy this year!  With an infinity scarf, I made her a makeshift baby carrier and stuffed her Water Baby in there.  Props could include, a (plastic) wine glass (I filled our with sparkling water), a Starbucks cup, a cellphone, a stroller, baby bottle, purse and kitchen accessories!  We glammed her up as a fab mom but you could easily do the stressed out mom look and opt for a more disheveled tee shirt and leggings paired with some under-eye circles and messy hair lol!
• Beautician.  If your daughter is like mine, she is obsessed with anything beauty-related.  Here she is making over Barbie’s hair, make-up and nails.  The Barbie hair styling bust came in handy for this photo opp (as well as for our recent Barbie-themed play date read more here.  You could however, easily use any long-haired doll, play make-up, or an apron filled with tools (ours was from Melissa & Doug).
• Veterinarian.  Do you have a doctor’s set and some stuffed animals?  It’s easy to re-create this doctor’s costume with a button down shirt, glasses, a cute stuffed animal and doctor’s tools (stethoscope, thermometer, bandaids, suckers, etc).  My friend made this lab coat and gave it to us as a hand-me-down and it completed the costume!!  BTW, if you haven’t already heard of Parker, you’ve got to check him out! While he looks like your classic, cuddly teddy bear, he actually digitally interacts with an app for an immersive, augmented reality experience!  We live in the future, I tell you!
• Rock Star.  Encourage your kid to rock on with his/her favorite musical instrument of choice and/or a microphone.  Get flashy with the outfit, and have fun!  I gave Juliet’ an 80’s rocker look with MY fishnet stockings, hair in a side ponytail, a bright neon dress, toy guitar and sunglasses.  Must have sunglasses.
• 

Thanks to the toy sponsors who sent us the beloved toys!  Follow us on IG and watch our IG stories to see the toys in action!

Seedling for the interactive teddy bear and doctor’s set

Just Play for the Barbie styling head and Water Baby Doll

For more Halloween inspiration see the below links!

See my past Halloween parties here.

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