NYPL's Lunch Hour NYC

A lunch-centric blog that's a companion to The New York Public Library's exhibition Lunch Hour NYC, which looks back at more than a century of New York lunches. Submit your lunch photos today!

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The American is born "quick," grows up "quick," works "quick," eats "quick," makes up his mind "quick," gets rich "quick," and dies "quick." 

— The Westminster, 1908

And as exhibits come and go, Lunch Hour NYC has gone too "quick." It's time to say good-bye to Lunch Hour NYC. Thank you to everyone who stopped by since June to visit. We hope you enjoyed reliving automats and tin lunch boxes, but also came away with learning something new and memorable.

It has been a pleasure maintaining the Tumblr and Twitter feeds and seeing all the deliciously prepared meals posted by many great chefs and foodies alike. Seeing the enthusiasm and love people found for food is fantastic!  

Please continue and explore NYPL and look at the vast resources it can provide. Stay tuned for more great exhibits and if you haven’t already, please “Like” New York Public Library on Facebook. 

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Happy Valentine's Day from The New York Public Library! Send your loved ones a historic Valentine eCard from the Library’s collections: http://bit.ly/YcXq6R

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Too cool to pass up! Take a look at The Library Shop for more great gift items. 

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Sunday, February 17th is the last day to experience The New York Public Library's most popular event, Lunch Hour NYC.  Please make sure you take advantage of seeing this free exhibit that explores how lunch has evolved in The Big Apple. 

Saturday, February 16th- Last ASL tour will be given at 11 a.m. 

For more information — CLICK HERE 

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I think careful cooking is love, don't you? The loveliest thing you can cook for someone who's close to you is about as nice a valentine as you can give.

Julia Child

Today marks the 50th Anniversary of The French Chef premiere episode, which aired for 10 years.  Commemorate the day by reading her novel, My Life in France.  http://ow.ly/hCDGq 

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Enjoy your soup not too hot or not too cold? On this cold rainy day cuddle up to a nice bowl of soup. Does your family have an old recipe that you love? Please share and let us know your favorite rainy day meal. 

Original Source

: From The three bears; with drawings by Leslie Brooke.

[thebookmouse]

There is only one more week to see the New York Public Library’s Lunch Hour NYC exhibit!

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Can't believe it's already that time! Thank you for the shout out and we hope you enjoyed the exhibit

[valyrianprince]

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Our thoughts exactly.

Share your favorite lunch item with #LunchHourNYC and we will RT. 

[born2live0804-blog]

oh my goodness…too cute

[nprfreshair]

Oh! Good morning!

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Happy Friday! Now what's for breakfast?

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I think the basic thing that home cooks can learn how to do is just season properly. ... If the home cook realized how little salt they use compared to what's needed, it would make their food taste better.

David Chang — Momofuku Owner

Save the date: May 22, 2013

Join LIVE from The New York Public Library as we welcome Momofuku chef and owner David Chang and his culinary compatriots for an evening of conversation and surprises inspired by the release of Cook it Raw. 

Purchase your tickets HERE 

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Homemade Fortune Cookies for Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year is all about good luck and good fortune and wishing each other good wishes for the new year.  I decided to make homemade fortune cookies and ask the kids in the family to come up with well wishes for everyone which I will insert in each cookie.  So, I posed the question ‘what nice thing would you like to say to someone who opens the cookie and gets your wish?’  Here are some of the responses from the kids (ages 3 to 6):

‘You can be my best friend’

‘We are all a family’

‘I like your cooking’

‘Have a Happy Chinese New Year’

Making homemade fortune cookies is tricky.  You have to spread the batter not too thick but not too thin and you have to fold it before the cookie cools or else it will crack.  It takes a lot of practice and patience.  Good luck!

Here is a recipe from food.com:

Ingredients you will need:

2 large egg whites

1/3 cup sugar

4 tablespoons melted butter, cooled

1/2 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 teaspoon orange extract

  1. Prepare your fortune strips first.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

3. Whip the egg whites until foamy.

4. Blend in the sugar and beat until soft peaks form.

5. Pour in the butter, flour, salt and extracts and mix.

6. Using a spoon, scoop a dollop of the batter onto the parchment paper. Spread the batter with the back of the spoon until it spreads outward into a nice circle.

You should cut out circles and place under the parchment paper to guide how wide you want to spread the batter.

7. Bake the cookies for about 5 minutes.  Watch the cookie because you want to take them out of the oven when the sides begin to brown.  Some of the cookies I baked at 4 minutes.

8. Remove with a spatula and insert the fortune.  Fold upward to make a semicircle and then bend the middle over a cup. 

9. Put the cookie in a muffin tin to cool and keep shape.

10.  If the cookie is still soft in the center after cooling, you can bake for another 10 to 15 minutes at 250 degrees.  Then let it cool on a cooling rack.

What you can do with your kids:

Teach them about sending each other good wishes for Chinese New Year. 

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This looks delicious! Can't wait to celebrate Chinese New Year with this delicious home-made treat.

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Today is World Nutella Day and National Pancake Day... so why not combine the two?! Celebrate the best day on earth with Nutella Pancakes.  Thanks to armywife101.com, we found a recipe that will be sure to hit the spot. 

Nutella Pancakes Ingredients:

Jar of Nutella

Box of any pancake mix

Milk

Preparation:

1. Mix pancake mix according to instructions.

Then after you have mixed it throw in 2 spoonfuls of Nutella and mix again until everything is combined.

Some call for water in the mix I like milk in mine.

2. On pancake griddle spray with some butter spray and spoon about 1/3 of a cup of pancake batter onto it. Do as many as you can fit .

3. Drop a spoonful of Nutella in the middle of the mix.

4. Take another spoonful of pancake batter and spread over the Nutella and do this for the remaining pancakes as well.

5. Proceed to cook pancakes as normal and enjoy!

Image Source: doctr-satan 

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Am I tough? Am I strong? Am I hard-core? Absolutely. Did I whimper with pathetic delight when I sank my teeth into my hot fried-chicken sandwich? You betcha.

James Patterson- Author http://ow.ly/hpvBC 

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Save 50% off Coffee and Tea Daily from 3 - 6 p.m. when you visit 'wichcraft at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building on 42nd St. 

In addition save 10% off your purchases when you show your NYPL card all day long. Be sure to take advantage of this amazing offer!

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Good apple pies are a considerable part of our domestic happiness.

Jane Austen

Happy 200th Anniversary of Pride and Prejudice! 

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Yum. It was a series of food firsts this week. We continue with Korean Food in Flushing, Queens. This restaurant was next to a series of other Korean restaurants in the area, but what made this particular restaurant stand out was the way they cooked the meat. Many other Korean BBQ places use gas grills, but this restaurant uses charcoal grills, giving it a better taste and texture. 

The dinner came with appetizers that were served on little plates to compliment the meal. The appetizers came in a variety of tastes, anywhere from little mushrooms and potatoes to kale and egg. The service was great also. The waiters were extremely efficient in customer service and helpful when suggesting what meats to prepare. 

Overall, it was delicious and a great experience.

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Pull up a chair. Take a seat. Come join us. Life is so endlessly delicious.

Ruth Reichl- American Food Writer