Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas Eve!

MH and I hosted an Italian themed Christmas Eve dinner for the family. Mangia mangia!

Branciole                                   Seafood Medley

Roasted Artichoke Salad               Parmesan Zucchini Crisps

Italian Ragu & Pasta                          Dessert Buffett

Verwelkoming From Amsterdam!

Between our work assignments abroad, my colleagues and I enjoyed a weekend rendezvous in Amsterdam. 

Guten Tag From Germany!

 

After some drinks and food at the original HofBrauhas MH and I spent the rest of the afternoon taking a lovely stroll through the park. 

Flour's Famous Banana Bread Recipe

After trying Flour's delicious baked treats in Boston, I had to try Flour's famous banana bread recipe at home. What a moist and delicious treat!

Homemade Deep Dish Pizza

We tried to make deep dish pizza at home and I was pleasantly surprised by the results. Our crust was wonderfully buttery and flakey. However, our sauce could use a little work. 

MH made a sausage and mushroom pie and I made a chicken, mushroom, and basil pie (trying to imitate my all time favorite Zachary's stuffed chicken pie). 

A Weekend In Boston

In between a two week work trip in NJ, MH and I met for a weekend in Boston. We fulfilled our duty as tourists and walked the freedom trail and ate fantastic food all weekend. The cannoli at Mike's Pastry didn't disappoint and all of the seafood we had was great. 

Cannoli from Mike's Pastry

USS Constitution @ the Boston Navy Yard

Bunker Hill Monument

Lobster Roll @ Rabia's

Seafood Platter @ Rabia's

Myers + Chang

Myers + Chang

However, my absolute favorite meals were our lunch at Flour and dinner at Sportello. Everything we had at Flour was so delicious that I had to make a second trip there before we left to grab some goodies to go. Then, we had the most delicious gnocchi at Sportello. The dish knocked my socks off and really made me feel like I was eating little potato pillows. If you're ever in Boston I definitely think they are both worth the trip.  

Phantom Of The Opera On Broadway

Did you know that Phantom of the Opera isn't a love story?!? I used to listen to the soundtrack as a kid and knew all of the lyrics, but I guess I didn't realize who was singing each part and boy was I surprised when I was watched the show live on Broadway!

Shout out to Ickity for another another awesome night out together. 

Labor Day Weekend West Coast Road Trip

MH and I enjoyed the beautiful Labor day weekend with a road trip up the coast. We arrived just in time for a wonderful lunch at Post Ranch Inn and then spent the rest of the day enjoying Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. 

In San Francisco, we took a tour at the TCHO chocolate factory, enjoyed some delicious pizza at Tony's Pizza Napoletano, and visited one of America's crookedest streets, Lombard St.

Birthday Celebrations

MH and I celebrated our birthday milestones with a day trip to Catalina and a homemade Momofuku Milk Bar Cinnamon Pie. Cheers to another year of grace, wisdom, and beauty!

Dachshunds At Anthropologie

I love the house and home section at Anthropologie. A couple of years ago, I picked up a cute little dachshund ring dish that I use when I am in the kitchen cooking/baking or washing dishes. 

Check out the current dachshund items that they have available:

From left to right: Sweet Dachshunds Dishtowel $22, Dachshund Letter Holder $32, Menagerie iPhone 5 case $48

Allen Berg Racing School

MH finally cashed in his Christmas present and had his Allen Berg Racing School experience. Here are a couple of my favorite pictures from the day. 

Memorial Day Weekend In Mammoth

I have fond memories of family trips to Mammoth. The Sierra Nevada Mountains are a great place to hike, bike, ski/snowboard, and fish and doing it with your family always makes for a good time. 

We were pleasantly surprised how quiet Mammoth was for a holiday weekend. It was the last weekend for the mountain to be open for skiing and snowboarding and some of the mountain biking trails were already open. We hiked around Horseshoe Lake, did some fishing at Lake Mary, and hiked around Devils Postpile National Monument. 

Artistic Picture of Twin Lakes

Rainbow Falls is a relatively easy 2.6 mile roundtrip hike from the Rainbow Falls Trailhead and a much better option than the alternative 5 mile roundtrip hike from the Ranger Station. There isn't much shade on the trail and the altitude and sun really get you. Devils Postpile is an easy 0.8 mile round trip hike from the Ranger Station. The entire trail is paved and there are convenient log benches along the way. 

Back in town, we discovered the Mammoth Brewing Company and I have a feeling that it will become a regular stop for us. They do not offer any food and have a relatively small tasting room to try their brews. The boys tried a couple beer flights and each found beers they really enjoyed and I really liked their root beer. We'll be back!

You Know You Are Old When...

It's the little things in life that are sometimes the most exciting.

MH and I are getting new carpet installed in our living room and hallway! The new carpet is the second to the left on the bottom row. We are so thrilled.  

Bonjour De Paris!

Of all of the cities I have traveled to for work, I think Paris was one of my favorites. The sights, sounds, and food just couldn't be beat. I only wish MH could have been there with me. 

 

        Eiffel Tower                                        Notre Dame Cathedral

Arc de Triomphe

Palace of Versailles - Hall of Mirrors

Palace of Versailles - Gardens

Three Course Meal of Souffles                           Pierre Herme Boutique

Louvre Museum

Pont de l'Archeche - Lovers Lock Bridge