April 16, 2012: Where were you?

On the day of Jayson's 25th birthday we headed to Jay Peak to check out the new water park. Needless to say I had the time of my life and I think Jayson had one of the best birthdays ever; we both can't wait to go back. Check out the article I wrote for The Free George, and here are some photos from the trip!

Dinner for Breakfast

In the wake of my recent bout of cabin fever, I find myself slowly potting plants and seedlings around my house and placing them in sunny windowsills. Waiting for spring has always been one of the biggest challenges for me as a small-scale gardener with limited space and time. Only 24 years old I find myself already challenged by the balance of life; friends, family, work, boyfriend, writing, garden? Prioritizing doesn't get any easier the older I get because it seems that the number of things on the priority list only continues to grow. I believe more than ever that the more you expect out of life, the more you are likely to find lying in every opportunity. In short, there is no excuse to stop writing, because even if I have to write about what I had for breakfast yesterday, it's always better than nothing. Each time I put something on a page it's an opportunity to share.

And so I present to you, Breakfast Carbonara! Spring time makes me awfully stir crazy and nostalgic of those days in school when all you wanted to do was play outdoors. Digging in the dirt and plating seeds is about as close as I get these days, but with the onset of an early heatwave, I find myself tricked into believing Springtime was actually here to stay. SO I resorted to the kitchen...

In my nostalgia I remembered the shear joy of having breakfast for dinner and began to wonder why it wasn't the other way around. Quiche is as close as it gets, but still, I've had quiche for dinner more times than I've had pie for breakfast... Always a fan of leftovers and their innate potential I created a brunch dish to thrill and satiate everyone:

1 box pasta (cooked)- I use whole wheat spaghetti but anything will work!
1 lb breakfast meat (cooked) bacon, sausage, or meatless sausage all  taste great, esp. the maple
3 eggs (whisked well with salt, pepper, shredded cheese, and seasoning to taste)
1 bag frozen peas (or equivalent fresh peas once in season!)

I cook the meat in a large, deep skillet then drain the fat. Adding a few tablespoons to the same cooled skillet I heat all of the prepared ingredients over medium heat. By first adding the egg mixture (I prefer Romano or Parmesan cheese, BTW) it gives it time to set, then add the meat and epase to coat them lightly in the same flavor. I keep the recipe simple to accommodate whatever may lie in your fridge. Ham would be a fine and economical substitute for bacon or sausage, as I'm sure turkey bacon would be a very healthy choice. I think adding a hint of maple and a fresh garnish of basil, cheese or parsley is a great touch for a potluck brunch or just to feed the family!

Be sure to accompany this with fresh fruit or crispy fried hash browns. Mimosas and juice are a must for any complete breakfast as well... Cheers!

Who Said Size Didn't Matter?

It's not that there isn't as much to do in Central Vermont, it's that there isn't enough time to do all the things that you might want. Why? Because half of the restaurants in this region are closed on Sundays-Tuesdays, or some combination thereof. SO what's a girl to do on Monday night when it's overdue to meet Mom for a night of wine and good eats? Go to the local hotel restaurant. As long as the hotel is locally owned, someone is likely to know about a local date spot. Ask about fine dining. If someone looks at you like an Extra Terrestrial, don't take their advice.

Monday night I went to J. Morgan's Steakhouse, the local hotel restaurant, with my mother. The restaurant offers a recently renovated, swanky appeal, but is eerily quiet. Looking at a reasonably priced wine list with outstanding variety only makes that palate grow larger. FRIED PICKLES?! The appetizer menu is enough to keep anyone on a budget well-fed, but sandwiches and salads for just a few bucks more are also sure to impress. We started with the friend shrimp and calamari. The menu specifies that the customer is to choose between either shrimp or calamari, but my mother keenly asked to have a mixture of both, which was approved by the chef with no problems, as far as we know.

For the main course we had decided to split the flatbread with prosciutto and figs (something striking familiar to a menu at the restaurant where I work) and a steak tip salad, because the place is supposed to be famous for their superior cuts of beef. First, the bread is served as the main course arrives. But the salad is immense. It's even hard to take a bite without pieces falling off the edge of the plate, even more difficult is finding the pile of greens beneath the tower of fried onion rings, which if you haven't already guessed, makes to steak look small. It was dressed nicely and tasted fresh. The steak was cooked perfectly and served piping hot off the grill, yummy, just served with a side of intimidation. The flatbread was deliciously topped with a balsamic glaze and toasted cheese and was accompanied by an arugula salad with fresh strawberries!

The desserts all have the same notorious reputation of size and glory, so I recommend spending $10 on one of their topnotch cocktails to finish off the evening. The Celebration comes with a dazzling recommendation from both myself and my charmingly picky mom. Brunch is wind saved for another review, as I am an avid fan and need not mix my genres.

Cheerio!

February Follies

February is that month in Vermont that has everyone itching to run off for a tropical getaway, or at least a good powder day. This year, I'm lucky enough to have made it to San Diego when I did because at home we are expecting rain... And what they call an "extreme" weather circumstance in Southern California, puddles. I'm hoping for one of two things: 1) a jumpstart to Spring with a nice gap in the weather right around mud season (maybe it won't be too bad anyways because of the lack of melting snow) or 2) a good ole fashioned noreaster comes our way in the next three weeks. If not, I'm going to continue writing about things I call February Follies when I'm not really sure what "folly" is by definition.

A first response on google search is "lack of good sense; foolishness" which makes a little bit of sense. Foolish and Folly seem to sound the same and have some of the same qualities... But I guess I always thought foolishness had a bit of shame that went with it and a folly was more like a mishap.

Check out this wikipedia entry for folly. I happened to have this visit alongside a google image search but went to wikipedia first because it shows on the google search page... Of course, there is a link to images right there, too. Folly: this structure seems to fit my premonition more appropriately. A sort of random, non-functional, "accidental" building. The ironic part is that the sheer excitement and infatuation these follies evoke come from the novelty of the folly. In fact, February Follies have nothing to do with mishaps, at least not this year. Happy Leap Year, have a fabulous month, dreary or not, and enjoy... Let the sun shine down on all follies.

Ciao!

10 Days Later

... And it feels like a chilly spring day in Vermont. I can't say I haven't been busy, but I miss the willy nilly hustle and bustle of my San Diego vacation. I went on a bit of a baking bender when I got home, mostly cupcakes, but the best were these cinnamon buns. I ended up going to work for longer than expected and let the dough rise for about five hours initially, but then refrigerated the rolls once they were made and let them rise a bit in the morning. YUM.

Basically, I felt I had to write something because it had been so long... I wrote for the Free George today so I will post that once it is published.

Ciao :)

10 Days Too Short

Well, I fly out of San Diego tomorrow, and I can't believe my trip is coming to a close! The time flew right by. On Thursday I ended up taking the guided trolley tour around the city. The first and only stop I made was at Old Town, which is home of the largest margarita found in the nation. I didn't have one, but I did enjoy a regular sized in the sun before getting back on the trolley. Old Town was very charming, but mostly just a tourist trap. I am really glad I took the tour, I learned some trivia about the town of San Diego and such. A two hour drive around the city with entertainment, old folks and after a few drinks was  a great way to spend Thursday, plus I got to walk through Little Italy, yet another one of San Diego's restaurant laden hubs of bustling culture.

Thursday night Anna and I pretty much got ready for the shows and packed bags for the weekend before a lovely dinner at Cucina Urbana, a nice Italian place around the corner. Friday the craziness began. After getting on the road we had a picnic at Point Loma, one of the more spectacular places I've seen in San Diego. Taking our time up the coast we made our next stop in La Jolla for some happy hour rejuvenation. On to the venue for An Evening with Keller Williams! Belly Up was the name of the spot, which was a great venue reminding a lot of Higher Ground... It had been years since I had seen Keller. The first and only time before was the doing of Tim Perez! Show=amazing, crowd=beachbums&dreadlocks, dancing=DUH.

Anna's boyfriend met us at the show and we crashed at his cousins spot. Saturday left us with plenty of driving, but we stopped to see the cutest puppies EVER at Karl's aunts house, then spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out at Venice Beach once we made it on the road!

The venue for Saturday night was Club Nokia and we made there in time to catch the end of Keller's opening set and get right up front for moe.! We were lucky enough to meet up with one of our friend Neils buddies and raaaged our faces off. I thoroughly enjoyed my first moe. show. The crowd was even better last night, the dancing was even more intense and the music was off the chizzain....! 

Back in San Diego today I mostly just enjoyed my last full day by taking another walk around the park. Sundays at 2 there is a free organ concert outside in the park too, it was awesome. But, Anna is home from work now and I must go.... I'll write more soon, if not before I arrive back in the frigid world of my real life.

Feeling like I belong...

The days have been flying by like they're in a hurry to get away from me or something. But every day that I spend here I love it more and more. The sunshine helps a lot, but also the endless amount of beauty; palm trees, ocean, restaurants, music. Don't get me wrong, the bums love it here too. Yesterday Anna and I walked around Ocean Beach. I think this was the most highly concentrated amount of bums I've seen since I got here, it reminded me a lot of Burlington just in the wrong corner of the country. More cute shops, a few head shops and a lovely fishing pier. While it wasn't another bikini day, it was yet again an afternoon filled with perfection.

My first beach day was back on Sunday... Anna went into work at noon after we spent the morning at the Hillcrest Farmers Market, which was full of free samples; juicy oranges, award winning cheese, avocado and olive oils, YUM. I had a sandwich called the California Love, which I saved half of for my afternoon at the beach. We circled the market a minimum of three times, finding new places to stop each time and indulging in the goodness California locals have to offer. After dropping Anna off at work (she works in the Kate Spade store at Fashion Valley, an immense outdoor mall with lots to choose from!) I ventured out to Mission Beach on my own. Lucky enough to have a car at my disposal, I only got lost a couple times because of some missed turns. The beach was beautiful and poppin off with activity! I was happy not to be the only one braving the January weather in a bikini :)

After the beach, I made my way back to the mall and spent the evening walking around the shops. Anna met me after work for dinner at the California Pizza Kitchen. Monday was Anna's day off so we went to the island of Coronado... I didn't really know what to expect besides a California resort town, but it was much more charming than I could have imagined. Anna likened it to visiting Cape Cod in the summer, if it wasn't so crowded and filled with New Englanders. The Hotel del Coronado blew my mind.... We went inside the lobby and explored the grounds, but skipped over the $14 drinks. Coronado is a place I could visit for a week, but we were lucky enough to spend the whole day shopping and sunning and just being cool. Topping off the night the the Coronado Brewing Co for a happy hour pitcher of beer and nachos for dinner.

Tuesday was spent at the zoo for me! While Anna was at class, I was a kid in a candy store... I could write about the zoo forever, I could go on and on, but I'm going to save that for another space and just show off some quick photos. And to anyone who said the zoo was overrated, YOU ARE WRONG, the zoo was amaaaazing.

Phewf. This is really why I need to update this every day, I'm exhausted after a three day update. After my big day at the zoo I met Anna for happy hour at a swanky rooftop restaurant with views of the whole city. My time here has been spent in such company and I'm loving every minute of it. Yesterday was the day spent at Ocean Beach, so that's what life is like out here for me. Sunshine, beaches, shopping, drinks and friends! It's no wonder I like it here so much... Today my plans remain open. Anna is at class until 3 so I may investigate the trolley tours that run around the city, or just take a walk in the park soaking up some more rays. The forecast looks warmer for the next few days (!!!) and sunny, so I'm hoping for at least one more good beach day while I'm here. And tomorrow we begin our mini-road trip with concerts Fri and Sat night... So I better take it easy today whatever I do, big party weekend ahead!

San Diego, Day One

The weather today was unbelievable. I was lucky to leave Vermont in the midst of a dismal and slushy haze on Friday morning thanks to the dedicated driving of my father, Thanks Dad. A four over layover in JFK was the least of my worries so I chose to have a quick massage followed by a manicure and then a luxurious lunch. I got to San Diego just before 8 pm on the West Coast so Anna and her boyfriend, Karl, picked me up and we went to a great restaurant for beers and some really good eats. The best part was the CoCoNut Porter I had for dessert that came from a brewery in Hawaii. After a few drinks and some food I was pretty exhausted but found myself oozing with conversation and reminiscence. Once the mattress was inflated I threw in the towel and fell asleep in the clothes I had worn all day.

Anna lives right next to the airport so the airplanes overhead are pretty spectacular. We slept in very late until we were finally hungry enough to shower and face the day. Sitting outside at a real cute cafe we had caffeine and breakfast. The sun was shining and a nice breeze was blowing all day long. It was 75 degrees when we left the house this morning. Her studio apartment is a great size, big enough for two to enjoy, and the balcony on the second floor catches the sunshine as it sets across the bay. My first California sunset tonight was accompanied by a cold beer and peaceful air.

With Anna at work until later tonight I'm staying in, eating dinner and maybe even watching a movie or something. We spent the entire afternoon outdoors walking around Balboa Park snapping photos and watching the locals. The culture here is so rich and lively, not to mention the city lifestyle. Fashion is rampant but the beach town vibe is laid back and easygoing. A great mix of flavors, sights and sounds is present everywhere I went today. Can't wait to enjoy the Southern California sunshine again tomorrow and explore more of the San Diego scene! Peace Out, Girl Scout...

January 25, 2012

While I hope for strong snowfall in Vermont to begin any day now, I'm going to San Diego to visit my dear friend Anna on Friday morning! Things I'm looking forward to include: ocean, sunshine, yoga and writing. Anna has a full schedule of work and classes, so I'll be exploring the city and it's surroundings by the seat of my own pants :)

I can't wait to breathe the West Coast air. If you'd like to catch up on my other blog in the mean time please do so! I've been on a pretty-much-every-other-week bender through the holidays and into the new year, and I'll be focusing on this space during my trip. I'll take the week of writing for the magazine and just focus on what inspires me while I'm traveling. Vermont is always on my mind while I'm gone, it basically pumps through my veins at this point, so I'm planning a Why Vermonters Love San Diego piece once I'm home.

January 24, 2012

Welcome to my new project! A work in progress that will allow me to share my thoughts, adventures and fears with the world. Tune in and stay bright...