Last weekend we drove to northern Virginia for Nick’s ten-year high school reunion. Do you agree that Facebook has taken the fun out of this event? Not only do we know who is married, but we’ve most likely seen photos from their honeymoon. We probably know where they live and where they work and the names of their children and,... Read more
Why have we not done this before? We don’t buy grocery store cookies or cakes (with the exception of peanut butter pie from Wegmans), so why have we settled for bagged, preserved bread for so long? Thank you, Mark Bittman, for providing a simple recipe to follow in our first attempt at homemade bread. It was such a success that... Read more
I’m not ashamed to admit that we’ve developed an obsession with blueberries. We add them to smoothies and salads and waffles, and we eat them plain by the handful. (Thank goodness their season is longer than strawberry season.) Most nights we top vanilla Greek yogurt with blueberries and granola, but some nights we crave a more deliberate dessert. Enter the... Read more
Since seeing Food, Inc. and reading The Omnivore’s Dilemma and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, we’ve become more conscious of the food we eat — especially the meat we eat. We do not support factory farms that follow inhumane practices, which unfortunately are the source of most supermarket meats. And so we buy our meat — often chicken or pork or lean... Read more
Today we received the sweetest and most clever thank you note. It’s currently hanging on our fridge. It’s from my sister, Laura, and her boyfriend, Stephen, who visited us a few weeks ago. How many 18- and 19-year-olds do you know who handwrite thank you notes? How many 28- and 29-year olds for that matter? (Thank you, Mom, for teaching... Read more
Looking for a charming British retreat on this side of the Atlantic? Look no further than Niagara-on-the-Lake, a brief 25-minute drive from the crowds and commotion of Niagara Falls. It’s located at the opposite end of the scenic Niagara Parkway past vineyards, farms, parks, and gated homes. The British established residency in the small Ontario town in 1781. During the... Read more
We had one more sight to see on our way out of Montreal: Parc du Mont Royal. Mount Royal (mont Réal in Middle French and Mont Royal in present French) was first discovered by Jacques Cartier in 1535. It is the mountain for which Montreal is named. The park is one of the city’s largest green spaces. There are numerous... Read more
We continued to celebrate my birthday on July 8th with a few activities we couldn’t fit into July 7th. First up: A 90-minute guided boat tour along the Saint Lawrence River. We boarded the Bateau-Mouche and cruised past the Olympic Stadium, La Ronde Amusement Park, the Biosphère, and the Molson factory. The cool breeze from the river was a welcome... Read more
What did we do with our only free Saturday in July? We went to the gym and ran errands and spent the remainder of the day in the kitchen. We turned chickpeas, roasted red peppers, and sun-dried tomatoes into hummus and slathered it onto warm whole wheat pita bread. We broke in our new Cuisinart with carrots, radishes, and squash.... Read more
(I sure hope I’m not boring you all with these vacation recaps. It allows me to organize our photos and document our memories, and I thank you for sticking around! Speaking of documentation, I eventually do plan to finish our wedding recaps. Perhaps before our first anniversary? Only 36 days away!) We drove from Quebec City to Montreal on Tuesday... Read more