New York, New York

I know, New York is not a country. BUT I never said we were touring by country. And really, what would you do if you landed in Canada or the US? Go with the state, province or territory of course. Besides, tonight is a great excuse for say New York style cheesecake: (Did I ever mention that Shawn spent a winter working at a bakery....that was a great winter)

To keep us hydrated while we cooked, we sipped on Manhattans (did you know that you buy bitters at the grocery store, NOT the LCBO?)  To make yours:

•  2oz whiskey
• splash of sweet vermouth (any thoughts on what else I should do with the 1L bottle of sweet vermouth? Oh wait....it's made in Italy, note to self: before drinking Italian wine when we land in Italy, find a drink requiring sweet vermouth)
• dash Angostura bitters
• maraschino cherry

Mix liquids with ice, strain into cocktail glass and garnish with a cherry.

Fun fact: The Manhattan was created in 1874 at the Manhattan Club in New York City, for Lady Jenny Churchill, Winston Churchill's mother. (from the Coles Notes, Your guide to Bartending.....yes I still have Coles notes, but  just this one)


The first course was a Manhattan Clam Chowder.....this is a recipe we will make again. So delish. Here is the recipe I used: Manhattan Clam Chowder

For the main course, we went with Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches.....I know, my US geography is not top notch, but one could argue that it is a good thing we are doing this. And Fintan's finger was kind of on the border. At any rate, the sandwiches were yummy!