Nick is in Pittsburgh today and tomorrow for work obligations, and so I have the house to myself tonight. I considered going for a run along my favorite trail, but instead I bought some goodies from the farmers market and came home to cook. Eating instead of exercising — you see where my priorities lie tonight. And I don’t regret... Read more
On Tuesday morning we grabbed coffees and croissants from Paillard (a.k.a. Canadian Panera) and climbed the hill to La Citadelle to watch the Changing of the Guard. The wall was originally built around Quebec City in the 17th century, and the current fortification was constructed by the British in 1820 to protect Canada from American invasion. (I’m happy to report... Read more
(Catch up on previous road trip recaps.) What do you order on a 95 degree evening from a restaurant with no air conditioning? Steaming seafood pot pie and messy maple ribs, of course. Okay, perhaps it wasn’t the smartest (or most photogenic) choice, but it was the most delicious meal of our entire trip. Not one, not two, but three... Read more
I’ve mentioned before that no Wiley can resist the combination of chocolate and peanut butter. So what better dessert to serve after our cookout than one featuring this duo? The whoopie pie is a Pennsylvania Amish tradition and consists of fluffy filling sandwiched between two small round cakes. My grandma has been baking these little treats for years, but recently... Read more
Taking a break from regularly scheduled programming today (a.k.a. road trip recaps) to share two recipes from this past weekend. (Also debuting a new printable recipe feature! See below.) We hosted two sisters, two nephews, and two dogs for three days. We played Bananagrams and read books and ran around the playground and watched Avatar. Nick’s comment after our guests... Read more
En route from New York to Canada, we rehearsed simple French phrases like bonjour, au revoir, s’il vous plaît, and merci. And when we stopped for our first bathroom break in the province of Québec, Nick successfully asked, “Où se trouvent les toilettes?” In fact, we were so engrossed in our French lessons that we missed our exit for Autoroute 20... Read more
The highlight of our July 4th was the BBQ and Dessert Festival. It was the ideal way to eat at seven restaurants in Saratoga Springs for less than $10 per person. Here’s the lineup and our reviews (out of 4 stars): Steamed oysters topped with BBQ sauce and bacon from Saratoga Gaming & Raceway: Sufficiently steamed, but could have used... Read more
As part of the July 4th celebration in Saratoga Springs, the city offered a free historic tour. And so following our coffees and pastries, we congregated in Congress Park. Most people believe fame arrived in Saratoga Springs on horseback. But before the races and the casinos, it was the area’s natural mineral springs that attracted crowds. During the 19th century,... Read more
I believe a fraternity invaded our modest motel on Saturday night. We awoke after just after midnight to the all too familiar intoxicated conversation and clicking heels, and the next morning we followed a trail of crushed Miller Lite cans from our doorstep, down the stairs, and into the parking lot. We needed coffee in a big way. And sweets.... Read more
The Friday before our road trip was a frantic one. There was work to do (from home, fortunately), last minute items to purchase (walking shoes for him and walking shoes for her), suitcases to pack, and — believe it or not — beer to bottle. That’s right, we realized only hours before we were due to leave the country for... Read more