Mom came to visit last weekend and we had a great time exploring NYC but took the opportunity to get out and explore something new over the weekend (part 2 post to come!). We ventured out to the Northfork of Long Island and made our way to a couple of wineries. There was certainly no shortage of wineries to choose from, with over 35 vineyards for…
Wine Wednesdays
This week a little something different for you, red wine! I recently had dinner with friends at Mesa Grill and one of my dining companions ordered the wine. He chose Terlato Family Vineyards 2006 Syrah. I tend to prefer Cabs when drinking red, and wouldn’t normally choose a 100% Syrah but this was a welcomed departure from my norm. The wine was well balanced with…
Wine Wednesdays
I recently had my cousin over for what we like to call “mezze night”. A smorgasbord of sorts, which can vary in region (Italian, middle eastern, Greek, and almost always hummus). We sit, we chat, we nibble, we drink wine. This time we had a mix of Italian meats and cheeses, dried fruits, pistachios, and veggies. I chose a French white from the Loire Valley….
Baking “firsts”
I recently picked up a couple of ruby red stalks of rhubarb at the farmer’s market. I’ve never cooked with rhubarb before but I recently remember my aunt making an amazing rhubarb coffee cake when we were kids and I wanted to try and recreate it. I decided to attempt baking with the gluten free flour I bought several months ago but have been too…
Wine Wednesdays
It hit me recently, like a ton of bricks, I graduated college 5 years ago. FIVE years. That’s not an insignificant amount of time, where does it go?? So much has happened, new jobs, moving across the country, “maturing” and all that. But the reason I started thinking about this, is that my alcohol habits have changed so much since college (as most have I’m…
Summer Kickoff 2013!
Despite less than normal temps, we kicked off summer on Martha’s Vineyard this past weekend. I hadn’t been in 10 years and Mad Martha’s ice cream was just as good as I remembered 🙂 We spent the weekend BBQing, playing games, biking, shopping, and eating the largest lobster roll I’ve ever encountered. Such fun people and a beautiful setting, even better once the sun decided…
Holiday Baking
Well, another Christmas is done and another year is on the horizon. Crazy how time flies! Every year I use the holidays as an excuse to try out new recipes, I blast my favorite Pandora Christmas stations and get to work in the kitchen. Below are a few of my recent attempts! Salted Caramel Tartlets Salted Caramel and Nutella Thumbprints Holiday gift baskets for the…
#Tradition
Over the 4+ (insert gasp here) years that I’ve lived in NY I’ve created various traditions with friends and family around the holidays. There really is nothing better than NYC at Christmas time! This week I celebrated two traditions with two of my favorite people. Why is it that this time of year always goes so fast?? One week from today I’ll be back in…
Exploring
Hard to believe tomorrow is August already! Every year summer seems to fly by faster, I plan to make the most of these last few weeks of longer days and warm nights! I spent last weekend exploring the outer boroughs and made some amazing discoveries. Pink skies at night….. Greek salad in Astoria Swarming birds at Rockaway Beach Perfect day at the beach! A true…
Staycation
My dear friend recently left NYC for London. We were sad to see her go but we spent the better part of a month celebrating her departure with all things New York. For her last weekend we had a “staycation”enjoying NY as if we were tourists, and from start to finish it really did feel like a mini vacation! Highlights included a tour of the…