Model Trains and Botanicals: The Magic of the New York Botanical Garden's Holiday Train Show

The holiday season feels so much richer now that I've got kids. Suddenly, I have the opportunity to experience the magic of the season all over again and through their brilliant, excited eyes. Yesterday, I took Ohm and Jai to the New York Botanical Garden's Holiday Train Show. It was an outing to remember.

The New York Botanical Gardens Holiday Train Show is wondrous!

The Holiday Train Show is a coveted annual event. Elaborate train tracks are constructed out of natural materials and botanicals.

Model trains chug down tracks that loop around New York's iconic landmarks that have been re-created using bark, leaves, flower petals, and sticks. It's an imaginative child's dream. It's a nature lovers dream. Who need leggos when you can build such extraordinary things using items you can forage on a walk through the park?

It was really astonishing to see what the imagination can do.

It was fantastic to see my little guy beam and light from within as he ran through the garden chasing trains and pointing out landmarks.

The New York Botanical Gardens never fail to inspire me. Regardless of the time of year, where else can you go, in New York to completely escape the hustle and bustle? Where else can you go and get lost in layers of green? Where else can you spy vibrant, tropical orchids, track numerous species of moss, and explore desert cacti and the flora of the tropical rain forest while never setting foot outside of the city? It really is an instant vacation.

Visiting the New York Botanical Gardens in the winter feels extra special because beneath the canopy of the greenhouse, the temperature is simply tropical. Dress in layers and be prepared to be comforted by the warmth of other suns.

The Holiday Train Show runs through January 19th. Don't miss it!

Art in NYC is All Around

Whenever I get frustrated about how cold, or dirty, or loud, or impersonal the city is, it helps to take a moment to reflect on what drew me here- great art! The wonderful thing about New York City is the fact that art, visual and performing, both great, questionable, and small is all around.

Today was a great art day. I didn't have to go to a concert hall, a theatre, or seek out a gallery, I simply went about my business and the art found me.

My subway commute this morning was full of extraordinary music. There were jazz trumpets at Fulton Street, a Vivaldi violin concerto at 86th street, 96th street featured a stirring blues electric guitar performance and on the way back home, I was serenaded with bells and a lovely chorus of Hare Krishna devotees singing a round of mantras at Atlantic Avenue.

Ah, New York...

Impromptu music isn't New York's only artistic virtue, the city is layered in colorful paint (and I don't just mean graffiti ).

Artists make use of abandoned spaces.

You can find paintings and murals everywhere. It's a lovely thing...

My favorite is this collection of portraits that bring the otherwise dull abandoned buildings in my neighborhood to life.

Up and down Fulton street in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, the artist Alan Aine's expressive portraits are part of the neighborhoods permanent collection.

I love his work! There's a whole story behind the eyes of his subjects. And I, lucky me, get to view his creations for free.

Although this writer and former actor is no longer an eager and helplessly enthusiastic new to New York, New Yorker, taking a moment to consciously bask in the city's art brings back some of that magic.

Because, after all is said and done, despite the grit and grime, the noise, the rats and the smells, this is a magical place.

This is the city that art built; a place buzzing with inspiration, creativity, and "I'm going to make it happen!" dreams.

Christmas in New York City: The Magical Rockefeller Tree

Because when you asked, you said please offering a sticky hug, the grin on your face revealing teeth Because you have the biggest, most impossible to resist midnight eyes, that gleam electric when you’re excited Because you promised to hold my hand and read your book on the train, even though you'd rather run free through the busy streets of Manhattan and dance a jig on the blue seats of the subway Because you get excited when you see the lights along Fulton street, snowflake shaped and golden, making even the dingiest façade from Bed-Stuy to Ft. Greene sparkle and shine Because you remind us there’s magic in the air and wonder all around, no matter how cold or rain dampened the air might be Because, because, because, Yes little one, We shall go see, We shall go see the Rockefeller Tree!

Help Getting to Sleep with this Natural Ayurvedic Remedy

Sleep troubles are a nation wide epidemic. Most of us (myself included) cram so much into a day, that by the time we're ready to go to bed our minds are still racing to catch up, or prepare for the next day. If you have trouble unwinding at the end of a long day, then this post is for you.

I’ve got a natural sleep remedy rooted in Ayurveda, sure to have you enjoying your beauty rest (unless of course like me, you’re up at night feeding a baby, in which case, I can offer you no more than a good luck!)

If your sleep difficulties are not a result of a baby or a toddler, this ancient Ayurvedic sleep remedy may help you reclaim some lost hours of rest. It also happens to taste really good and is suitable for children and adults alike. Unfortunately, it does not work on newborns!

You’ll need:

1-cup milk (whichever type floats your fancy, but I always opt for good old fashioned whole milk when I make this recipe-texturally, it works so much better)

1-teaspoon saffron

1-teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1-teaspoon ghee (clarified butter)

1/8-teaspoon nutmeg

Here’s what to do:

In a saucepan, combine your milk, saffron, vanilla, ghee and nutmeg and warm on low heat.

Stir.

Pour into a mug.

Enjoy an hour before bedtime as part of your unwinding ritual.

Or, if you find yourself up in the middle of the night, you can make this preparation, return to bed and prepare to go to sleep naturally.

Healthy Sweet Potato Bread Recipe

I've been spending a lot of time in the kitchen lately. Now that my youngest has started solids, I've been glued to the counter blending, mixing, mashing. This is not a baby food recipe. I promise.

It just happened to come about after I made an overly ambitious batch of mashed sweet potatoes for my little one.

I have no idea why I felt compelled to mash five pounds of sweet potatoes, I guess it's because they hold a very sweet spot in my heart. Just thinking back to the sweet potato pies and sweet potato custards I used to eat growing up makes me smile. Now, I can't remember the last time I ordered regular fries at a restaurant, I always opt for sweet potato. One of my favorite neighborhood restaurants serves a hearty sweet potato stew. I'm a bit besotted.

Prepared savory or sweet, I can't get enough of the hearty comforting texture.

Sweet potato or bust!

So with some of my extra mashed sweet potatoes, I decided to make bread. If you ask me, sweet potatoes take the prize in a sweet bread. Similar to pumpkin bread, the flavor is so much richer with sweet potatoes. This bread is what would happen if a sweet potato pie married a biscuit. Oh, and did I mention it's pretty darn healthy too?

Here's what you'll need: 1 ½ cups flour

1 cup coconut palm sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon of sea salt

1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ cup olive oil

2 tablespoons buttermilk

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup mashed cooked sweet potatoes

1 cup chopped pistachios

½ cup dark chocolate chips (optional)

Here's what to do: Preheat oven to 350°F then oil (coconut oil works great!) an 8x8 round pan and set aside. In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. Blend in the oil, milk and eggs.

Make sure your batter is fully blended before adding the sweet potatoes, ginger, pistachios, and chocolate chips.

Mix until uniform and pour into your oiled pan.

Bake 35-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool about 1 hour.

I dare you not to fall in love!