ASHLEY’S CORNER City Getaway: Going Where the Wind Takes Us
I recently took a three-day trip with a friend to New York City, my first visit there in years. My friend and I didn’t have a plan. We flew out together and just decided, “Let’s go where the wind takes us.” The wind took us to a Broadway show, Rockefeller Center, a Central Park holiday market, and a concert at Madison Square Garden. It also took us to a diner where a New Yorker at the next table quietly picked up our lunch tab. Who said New Yorkers are unfriendly? My friend and I stayed right downtown. As soon as we arrived, we dropped our bags at our hotel and headed for a cute little diner nearby. We started chatting with two people at the next table. “Is this your first time in New York?” asked one of them, a guy who seemed like a native New Yorker. I told him I hadn’t been there since I was 20 years old, and we were planning to see all the Christmas decorations and festivities. After he left, we asked for our check and got this note instead: “Welcome to New York. I hope you have a great visit. I just bought your lunch.” That was our first experience of the city. It was such a joyful moment! My friend and I walked everywhere, and we saw the tree at Rockefeller Center, the holiday craft show near Macy’s, and other iconic sights. On Broadway, we saw “The Book of Mormon,” which was unexpected, but funny and relaxing. We also had tickets from our advertising partner, iHeartMedia, to the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball at Madison Square Garden,
where we saw Katy Perry, Shaboozy, Twenty One Pilots, and other artists.
Otherwise, we just did what we wanted to do. If we both wanted to sit in the hotel room for an hour to decompress and
read our books — let’s do it! Walking past Central Park, we saw the outdoor Holiday Market. “Should we run in here?” my friend asked.
“I think we should! It looks cool,” I said. After all, we didn’t have kids in tow. If Toph were along, he would not want to go shopping in different stores to see the decorations. But for us, it was great fun. The entire trip was refreshing and enjoyable, and I came back feeling really recharged. I have written before about the importance of having date nights and quality time with your husband. It is also important to do nice things for yourself now and then. As you make your way through the winter, I hope you can enjoy some refreshing breaks for yourself!
Take a Break
Fabulous Flourless Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
Inspired by EasyDessertRecipes.com
• 1 cup chopped dark chocolate • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted • 3/4 cup granulated sugar • 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts • 4 large eggs, separated • 2 tbsp cocoa powder
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 F and grease a springform pan with butter or nonstick spray. 2. Place chocolate in a medium bowl. Pour warm, melted butter over it, wait for 2 minutes, then stir until chocolate is melted and smooth. 3. Add sugar, almond flour, and walnuts and stir to incorporate. Stir in the egg yolks and set mixture aside. 4. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip egg whites on medium until stiff peaks form. 5. Fold 1/4 of the whipped egg whites into the chocolate batter. Repeat, 1/4 at a time, until egg whites are incorporated. 6. Pour batter into springform pan and bake for 30–35 minutes. 7. Remove from the oven and let it cool completely before removing from the pan. Dust with cocoa powder before serving.
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