My Most Sincere Apologies for Being a Terrible Blogger!

I think the title says it all..... I am so very sorry for being the worst blogger ever! It's been weeks since my last post... and I don't even have a fabulous excuse. Sure, it's been really busy with Thanksgiving and now Christmas on the way, but that's no reason not to write!

Stay tuned for posts about holiday crafts and treats, big dreams and other various ramblings.... xo

Weekend Recap: The Great Central Vermont Beer Tour

Yet another wonderful weekend, this one spent in Vermont!

Over the past month or so, I have been talking with my dad about planning a brewery tour around Central Vermont and we finally did it!

We started in Waterbury, just a few miles up the road from where I grew up. First stop - The Alchemist! For those of you who are big beer connoisseurs, you've likely heard of the Alchemist's super hoppy Heady Topper, which has been making beer headlines left and right recently! While I personally am not a huge fan, we had to stop by since they'll be closing their retail store at least temporarily starting this week!

A bit of snow on the way up to Trapp Family Lodge!

Next up, the Trapp Family Brewery - one of my favorites! Nestled in the mountains of Stowe at the famous Trapp Family Lodge, the brewery is simple, rustic, and has picturesque views! All of Trapps' beers are great traditional German brews, each one better than the next. My personal favorites? The Dunkel and the Oktoberfest!

After Trapp, we made a quick stop at Crop Bistro and Brewery in Stowe. This a relatively new brewery and I hadn't tried any of their brews before. They had a great variety of their own beers, as well as some other good microbrews. If you like IPAs, the Idletyme was pretty tasty, at least according to my dad! For me personally, I LOVED the Weizenbock, a dark malty and slightly sweet beer.

Our next stop was Rock Art in Morrisville - one of my (new!) favorites! Their variety is incredible, and their prices even better! I was a big fan of the Extreme Pumpkin Imperial Spruce Stout which was surprising considering I don't like most stouts and I've never met an Imperial anything that I liked! This brew wasn't too pumpkin, or too spruce, or too stout, but it was delicious! I also enjoyed the Rock Art 2013 holiday beer. I was bummed when I learned that I had just missed their Maple Wheat Ale which sounds amazing! Next year!

The last stop on the beer tour was Lost Nation, also located in Morrisville. Although my hopes were high upon entering this cozy bar/brewery which was serving up tasty charcuterie boards and soups, they were quickly dashed. Of the six beers I tasted, 3 of them tasted exactly the same to me! And as someone who tends to love Oktoberfest brews, I was terribly disappointed in their overly hoppy version. The one beer I did find fairly tasty and definitely interesting was their Gose (goes-uh) which is another German style beer brewed with sea salt and coriander, with a bit of a citrus taste. Overall, I am very sorry to say that I won't be going back!

We had hoped to make it to Hill Farmstead in Greensboro, but we ran out of time! We later heard that lines to get into the brewery were 1.5-2 hours long! Phew, that would have made for a very long day. I'm hoping to hit up Hill Farmstead sometime soon, as their beers are top ranked in Vermont!

On our way back home, we happened upon a new little treat in Stowe - Stowe Cider! A brand new locally made hard cider company that will start hitting local bars and stores in January. Not as sweet as many hard ciders, it was the perfect end to a perfect day!

My New Mantra: How to Be Happy

Could it really be that simple?

At first I thought not. But then I started actively trying.

Every day for the past few weeks, when I first wake up - before I start grumbling and complaining, before I start running late, and before I let my commute get the best of me - I try to take a few deep breaths. I try to pause for a moment. I try to tell myself, "You are so lucky today! You just woke up next to a fabulous husband, you're headed off to work for a great cause with some of your favorite people and it's beautiful outside! Let's have a great day!"

I know it sounds completely cheesey and corny, but for the most part, that actually did the trick. Of course, there were a few days that proved more challenging - days where I woke up late and had to rush, days that were very busy at work, or days where I wasn't feeling well. On those days, I made a cup of my favorite tea, took a few extra deep breaths, and tried my hardest to stay focused on all things positive throughout the day. When I found myself getting down or frustrated over something small, I just took yet another breath and a step back, asking myself if it was really necessary to get so worked up. It rarely was!

I have to say, I think it's made a tremendous difference. I tend to be a little cranky in the morning because I never get enough sleep and I am always running late. This means that I often lash out at poor husband, whining, complaining, nagging.... you know how it goes. But since starting this morning happiness mantra, I've found myself feeling much lighter, much more carefree and much more loving in the morning, which tends to then last throughout the day!

Give it a try - I dare you!

Top 5: Pinterest This Week

1. I think this speaks for itself... This is something I've been struggling with - that is, putting things off because "I can do it someday". This applies to annoying or tedious tasks like cleaning, or getting back to regular yoga attendance, or trying new things that might seem scary, overwhelming or otherwise unachievable. But why not just do it now? What do you have to lose? 

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2. My winter go-to -- black on black on black with a flashy necklace or a great pair of earrings. Pair it with heeles, flats or boots and you're good to go. Perfect for work or a night out!

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3. I recently started a bit of a love affair with eggs. I've always liked them, but over the past few weeks, I've been craving them so often! One night last week when the husband was out, I made myself garlic rubbed toast smeared with goat cheese, topped with sauteed lemony kale and two fried eggs.... SO GOOD.

Which of the recipes below are calling your name? I could go for an eggs benedict burger right about now.....!

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4. I loved this list the moment I saw it! I have to say, I already use a good number of these words including beautiful, hullaballo, scrumptious, sleepy and skedaddle. During this special holiday season (I love November and December!) I think we should all make an effort to use some of the more positive words below. Thankful, for example. How often do you actually tell your friends, family, colleagues, etc. that you are thankful for something they've done? Go ahead, humor me and try it. I think we'll all feel happier at the end of the day if we give it a whirl.

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5. And, last but not least, to bring a little smile to this chilly Wednesday morning.... an adorable donkey. Yes, I do have a fluffy animals board on Pinterest. Why? Because who doesn't love looking at cute, funny animals! Who doesn't get a little rush of joy or a little giggle out of it?

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Weekend Recap: Full of Adventures!

Don't you just love those weekends that send you into your work week still feeling a bit high on life? I woke up this morning still glowing from the fabulously fun and relaxing I had with the hubs, and I'm hanging onto that good mojo for as long as I can!

Friday evening we decided to take a stroll through East Arlington (the opposite side of town from where we live), and check out the Day of the Dead Festival that was taking place. Turns out, it wasn't much of a festival - shops were open a bit later than usual, there was a mariachi band walking store-to-store, and a few shops were offering snacks like room-temperature quesadillas or chips and salsa.

Who doesn't love the toy store??

However! In our stroll through the area, we wandered in and out of a bunch of restaurants I've always wanted to try including Kathmandu, Ristorante Olivio, and Little Q Hot Pot. Although we ended up at Little Q, I can't wait to try the others!

Having never tried hot pot before, I was beyond excited. Little Q did not disappoint! We got half black bone chicken broth and half Mala (spicy) both, which were both heavenly and warmed us right down to our bones. For those of you who are new to hot pot like we were, the term mala is made up of two Chinese characters meaning "numbing" and "spicy", which is exactly how your mouth feels when eating this broth - not quite numb, but close! Mala broth is made with TONS of Sichuan pepper flakes, among other spices and herbs, and is incredibly flavorful (and the perfect thing to clear a cold right out of your system - just ask my husband!). The black bone chicken broth, on the other hand, has a more subtle flavor, much like the best chicken soup you've ever tasted!

Of course with hot pot, you need some tasty morsels to cook in the broth and being newbies, we decided to order a special meat platter and a vegetable platter. The meats included: sirloin, beef short rib, fish tofu, white fish, and shrimp. Veggies included: mushrooms, corn, watercress, spinach, baby bok choy, tomato, and cilantro. The short ribs, fish tofu, spinach, cilantro and watercress were undoubtedly my favorites! I am already dreaming of going back :) 

Here's my man!

After a wonderfully relaxing Friday evening (capped off with some Modern Family!), we started Saturday morning off with a bagel adventure. A family friend once told me that Kupel's in Brookline was the best Jewish bakery and had the best bagels outside of NYC. So off we went! Unfortunately, we failed to remember that it was Saturday morning and therefore, the owners of the bakery were observing the Sabbath. Next time!

Instead, we ended up at Bagel Rising with dozens of hungover BU students. Fortunately, they had great bagels! Unfortunately, they had no decaf coffee... so off we went to 4A Coffee, a fabulous local coffee shop that roasts their own beans.

A sunny morning in JP

Once I'd sucked down an extremely tasty cappuccino, we headed to the Jamaica Plain farmer's market, where we were disappointed to see that there were only 3 or 4 booths there! Onward we went until we landed at the Roslindale farmer's market which was much more robust! We strolled through until a little shop named Bob's Pita/Droubi Bakery caught our eye. Inside, we found our favorite Armenian string cheese, a huge bag of dried mint for $3 (to make tea!), a large container of cinnamon sticks for $4 (for the holidays), and some other really neat spices, like sumac, which my mom has been searching for! Such a great find! (For those of you who are wondering, yes, they sold lots of pita bread, too!)

After a few other stops and detours, we suddenly realized it was 4pm and we hadn't eaten lunch, and we were out of things to do! Fortunately for us, we happened to be near Legacy Place in Dedham where we discovered a rather amazing thing - the Showcase Cinema De Lux! (We don't get out much!) This Showcase theater is unlike any other movie theater I've been to. While you can certainly still purchase regular price tickets and munch your popcorn, you can also pay a bit extra to sit in the VIP area of the theater where you can lounge in your spacious, plush rocking seats and order food and alcohol off a menu and have it served to you while you watch the movie. SO COOL.

A prime view of Ender's Game

So that is precisely what we did. We sat back, relaxed, ordered burgers and drinks, and thoroughly enjoyed our viewing of Ender's Game (which, by the way, is an excellent movie!).

We spent Sunday doing typical Sunday things... cleaning, laundry, football, steak, beer... you know the drill! All in all, we had a perfect fall weekend which made Monday somehow more manageable. I got on the train to work feeling energized and happy, like I could handle anything the day handed me. What more could you ask for, really?

What's Cooking? A Special Fall Birthday Dinner, Part 2

When we left off, I had just finished sharing with you what I made for my mom's birthday dinner a few years ago. Back to this year!

This year, I once again took my inspiration from my time in Italy. 

Aperitivi:

A mix of Trader Joe's treats including quince paste, pumpkin cranberry crisps and apple cinnamon goat cheese

Primo Piatto:

Rigatoni with creamy squash sauce, sage and rosemary

Contorno:

Spring mix with gorgonzola, pomegranate seeds, dried figs, crispy shallots and nasturtium blossoms

Dolce:

Pear-ginger upside down cake 

For those of you who haven't made it to Trader Joe's recently, get off your computer and go. Go right now. They have some incredibly tasty seasonal finds right now! This blog does a nice job explaining some of the many treats. Among my favorites (in addition to the pumpkin soup and pumpkin biscotti...) were the items I picked up to serve my mom for her birthday aperitivi. (Side note: Items from Trader Joe's are still a bit f a novelty in Vermont since there isn't a brick and mortar store there, hence why I brought store-bought appetizers instead of making something!) The pumpkin cranberry crisps were super flavorful and a perfect match for the sweet and tangy apple cinnamon goat cheese. Read: goat cheese rolled in the best part of apple pie. So good. I'm not sure if the quince paste is a season TJ's item, but it sure was good! A bit sweet, a bit citrusy, and perfect with the goat cheese and crisps.

Next up: Salad. Who doesn't love a tasty fall salad? For this one, I wanted to go for a mix of textures and colors hence the dried figs, pomegranate seeds, crispy shallots and nasturtium blossoms. I used my favorite dressing from Trader Joes - a light champagne vinaigrette that blended perfectly with the sweet figs, tangy gorgonzola and tart pomegranate seeds. 

For dinner, I channeled my Italian host mother who used squash to make the most comforting pasta sauce I've ever encountered - and it's simple too! To start, all you need to do is roast two butternut squash (although I bet you could use acorn or delicata, too!) until they are very, very sweet and tender. Next, saute onions and garlic until they begin to caramelize. Then you'll want to mash the squash and add it to the onion mix. Add salt and pepper to taste. I then added finely minced rosemary and red pepper flakes, but that's up to you! You could also add sage. Finish off the sauce by adding cream (light, heavy, Italian panna, doesn't matter!) until the sauce reaches your desired creaminess. If it's still too thick, I like to add chicken or vegetable broth. Serve over your favorite short pasta with some freshly grated parmesan and some crispy fried sage leaves - voila! 

And finally... dessert! My mom has always loved ginger cake but I wanted to make something a little more special this year. After much searching, I found a beautiful photograph of a pear upside down ginger cake (thank you, Pinterest!). Unfortunately, the measurements were in grams and that's always a bit complicated and tricky! After much searching, I stumbled across this recipe on Epicurious. SO DELICIOUS! For once, I followed the recipe (almost) to the T! (I may have added a little extra ginger, cinnamon and ground cloves, and I would highly recommend you do the same!). Mine didn't come out nearly as beautiful as some of the photographs online, but it sure was tasty!! Next time, though, I think I'd like to try adding some chopped crystallized ginger for a little extra kick! 

That's all for now, folks! Check in soon for yoga studio reviews and a recap of what is bound to be a spectacular weekend! xo