Monday, September 13, 2010

Preparing for the Bridal Shower

This coming Friday night is my future sister-in-law's bridal shower.  I've been running around for weeks trying to get the perfect gifts, making decorations (the party is being held at my parents' home) and trying to find something cool but casual to wear.  With only a few days left, it seems like I've crossed off most of the tasks on my list, which makes me feel less stressed.

Yesterday, I spent all day with my mom making cookies for the dessert table.  We cut of sugar cookies in the shape of diamond rings and wedding cakes, and I decorated all of the wedding cake-shaped cookies, which took me forever.  In the end, I really loved them though--hopefully, everyone else will love them, too!

I'm really looking forward to posting photos of the shower and can't wait to celebrate my brother's upcoming wedding in 3 weeks!

A picture of my wedding cake cookies--we used royal icing and colored sprinkles for decorations. 

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

End of Season Peaches

This weekend, we went to see Anthony's mom.  His mom doesn't like chocolate but she loves fruit so after I saw these peach shortbread bars, I decided to make her a little treat.

I browned butter for the first time and even though I don't think I browned it enough, it added a really nice flavor to the shortbread crust.  The peaches I used were really ripe and sweet and went well with the crumbs on top. 

Here's what my peach shortbread looked like:


And here is a picture of the shortbread that Deb from smittenkitchen.com made:


I cut the bars into small rectangles and packed them into a container.  I really hope that she enjoyed the snack with a cup of tea. 


Thursday, September 2, 2010

More good news!

With yesterday's exciting news still fresh in my mind, I couldn't be happier to see the Design*Sponge New Haven guide that I wrote posted on Jauntsetter, one of my favorite blogs (and one that I already gushed about in a previous post)!  September is going well so far...



Photo of New Haven, CT, courtesy of Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Design*Sponge Today!

If you get a chance, head on over to Design*Sponge today and check out their new city guide on New Haven, Connecticut, written by me!  I can't tell you how excited I am to have my work featured on one of my favorites blogs!  Thanks, Design*Sponge!


Sunday, August 29, 2010

Travel Diary: Maine



We've been home for about two weeks and I am still thinking about our vacation.  Our trip to Maine was a great getaway and we enjoyed every minute.  This was meant to be a relaxing, sit-on-the-beach trip, but we definitely explored the area and found some really fun and interesting sights along the way.


Anthony and I left Connecticut around 6am on a Saturday morning and headed north.  There was little traffic and we got to Ogunquit ahead of schedule.  Instead of staying in a hotel, we rented a small condo for the week, and by 10:30am, we were in our temporary home, staring at the lovely in-ground pool right outside the slider doors.


We couldn't have picked a better condo to rent.  We were only two blocks away from the center of town and about six blocks from the beach.  There are adorable shops and restaurants on the main drag in Ogunquit and it was so easy to find a nearby place for breakfast or dinner.  And, of course, there was a Ben & Jerry's close by too. 

Some of our favorite moments from the trip:

On our first day, after a quick lunch, we headed right down to the beach.  Without our chairs or even our swimsuits, we took off our shoes and stood in the cold water.  There were tons of families enjoying the day and we sat on the sand for a couple of hours, taking in our surroundings and talking about plans for the rest of the week.  What a lovely way to spend an afternoon.

Kites flying above at the beach

The next day in Kennebunkport, we parked in a residential area and walked to the stores and restaurants by the water.  It was a breezy day and there were lots of bike riders and even horse-drawn carriages on the roads.  The homes in the area were just gorgeous and provided the perfect scenery for our walk. 


Kennebunkport

The Marginal Way in Ogunquit is a path that runs along the shore for over a mile.  We walked this one night after dinner in Perkins Cove, just when it was starting rain.  It's a twisty, hilly walk spotted with lots of wooden benches and little enclaves to stop off and take pictures--the views are unbelievable.  Perkins Cove itself is great with boats coming in and out of the port/dock and tons of restaurants.  We had lobster and fresh corn-on-the-cob at Barnacle Billy's and sat out on the deck for an authentic experience. 


Perkins Cove

When in Portland, we spent some time at the Portland Observatory, which is actually an old watch tower from the mid-1800's.  Captain Moody used to station himself at the top and use flags to signal to the town which ships were coming into the port.  Today, the Observatory is a national landmark and the views of the city (and the beautiful Casco Bay Islands) are breathtaking. 


View from top of Portland Observatory

And, of course, Anthony and I spent our last night in Maine (which was actually the night before our 6 year anniversary!) on the beach looking at the sky during a Perseid meteor shower.  It was so quiet and serene, and just the perfect way to say goodbye to Maine.


On the beach at night

We were lucky enough to have wonderful weather for almost the entire week of our visit.  The sky was picturesque and I couldn't stop taking pictures of the clouds. 

It's still summer but we are already talking about another visit to the Maine coast.  I wonder what Ogunquit's like in the fall...

Friday, August 27, 2010

Venn Diagram: Muppets

I absolutely love this breakdown of Muppet names, but where are Miss Piggy and Rizzo the Rat?!





Via Jezebel

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Bon Appetit Features New Haven's Caseus


I got my new Bon Appetit magazine in the mail yesterday and was really excited to see it was the 'Restaurant' issue.  Since Anthony and I are headed into Brooklyn in a couple of weeks, I thought that maybe I could find a new New York restaurant for us to try.  Flipping through the pages, though, I came across something even better.  There was an attractive picture of Arctic Char with Cucumber-Feta Relish along with these delicious-looking Jalapeno-Goat Cheese Hush Puppies.  Now, I'm not even sure what a hush puppy is exactly but they looked so good that I looked down to scan the ingredients and that's when I saw that not only is this a great-looking meal but it's also from one of my favorite restaurants, Caseus Fromagerie Bistro in New Haven, Connecticut. 

Caseus is located just a few blocks from my office and is such a great place for a meal.  The food is excellent (my favorites are the burger with blue cheese, the pomme frites and, of course, the cheese plate) and the atmosphere is so relaxed and welcoming.  The restaurant has the feel of a bohemian French bistro and I just love it.  Hopefully, with the spotlight on Caseus in this month's Bon Appetit, more people will discover the loveliness of this New Haven spot.


Photo courtesy of Bon Appetit