Exploring

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh (Rockefeller Center) Christmas Tree

December 15, 2015

This past weekend, we traveled down to Connecticut to stay at my sister’s house so we could all go into NYC together as a family to do some holiday sightseeing together. I loved being in New York on such a beautiful day with my family. So much fun!

Grand Central Station always is so awe inspiring.

I love that this is what greets us every time we visit New York as we take Metro North into Grand Central. It is just a great way to start and end our trips into New York.

Our crew!

We headed out to the Winter Village market at Bryant Park. I love going there. It’s festive and I love the shops there. Plus, grabbing a hot chocolate and watching the skaters at the ice rink is such a picture perfect Winter activity.

Autumn is still very much uneasy around dressed up characters. She previously freaked out around a duck on Mother’s Day and Wally the Monster, the Red Sox’s mascot, on Father’s Day, but I figured enough time had past that she might be ‘over it’. But nope, she would say “No, no, no Mommy/Daddy!” when they would walk by us in Times Square. She was quite happy watching Mickey, Minnie, Olaf, and Elmo at a safe distance though.

After our adventures in Toys R Us, Autumn tried sour belt candy for the first time. She love/hated it. She ate 2 pieces and made this face after each bite. hilarious!

I love how there never is a picture with kids looking in the same direction as there are always no less than 4 adults snapping pictures at them.

New York, I like your style.

And ta-da! Here we are as a grand little family in front of the tree.

I can’t even start with how much I love these pants that my sister found at a tag sale in the summer. They are old Lilly Pulitzer Pink Corduroy Pants with Boston Terriers all over them. And they were in such great condition! Practically new! I just needed to get them hemmed… duh!

And my sister, me, and my brother!!!

Also, what am I doing here with my leg? I have to stop doing that…

Such a great bad photo. ha!

St. Patrick’s Cathedral has undergone a major restoration project and had scaffolding on it for about a decade so it was wonderful getting to see it without any framework on it for the first time since it was taken down last year.

On our way to our lunch at Empanada Mama, Autumn passed out in the stroller. I was so excited about her napping on schedule and for having a meal in peace!

But then, an employee at the restaurant next door slammed the metal sidewalk access panel door shut and Autumn was up in an cranky instant. Such a bummer for her and us!

My sister, brother-in-law, and 2 nephews went back after lunch but the rest of us hung around a bit more. We just couldn’t resist being out in such awesome, strangely warm weather. We swung around Rockefeller Center and Bryant Park again to Grand Central to catch a train home.

We were able to decompress from our walking and eating on the quiet train ride back.

But of course, we had to try our Chimney Cake, that we picked up at our 2nd visit to Bryant Park. So stinking good! If you go you have to get it with chocolate inside and with cinnamon sugar on the outside.

My brother came over my sister’s house, where we were staying, for pizza and beers. Plus the kids all got to play around. Autumn learned the fine art of break dancing from her cousin Cara. There were some fantastic spins on the floors.

Overall, we were all so exhausted so we crashed pretty early on in the evening. That’s the best way to end a great day!

Before we left to head home my brother and his family came back over for breakfast for bagels, eggs, bacon, sausage, and fruit. And plenty of coffee!

These are the best photos from Sunday morning of the kids playing. They were nuts and awesome. They were jumping on each other and playing with all the Minnie’s that Autumn had (3) on her new Minnie Blanket (of course!). I love how they play and love with pure abandon.

Man, I love adventures with my family!

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{Glasses from Firmoo, Pants are old Lilly Pulitzer, Top is Old Navy}

Crazy for Cookies and Frosting!

December 8, 2015

On Sunday, after a very lovely post nap meltdown, Autumn and I headed into Boston to go to the KITCHEN at Boston Public Market to decorate some cookies.

Thankfully, cookies make everyone happy so my grumpy kid perked up with the fun afternoon activity.

And the sugar.

I have been a big fan of Boston Public Market since it opened this summer, so when I saw that their education event and cooking center, the KITCHEN, was having a cookie decorating event I knew that I’d have to bring Autumn. Plus, you can’t beat it for $1 a cookie!

The KITCHEN, programmed by The Trustees, is a space attached to the market that provides a variety of classes, events, and programming to help teach people everything from sourcing our food, healthy eating, urban gardening, and baking cakes. They offer these classes at a variety of pricing from free events to fun date night options for $90 a couple. Awesome!!

Autumn quickly embraced her sunglass wearing cookie decorating (& frosting eating).

She dove into all the different options for decorations. It was so fun to watch her strategize how she would decorate the cookies. Spoonful of frosting here, some gummies there, and a lot of sprinkles all over the place. She was also great at giving me direction to help her out by putting things ‘aqui!’ in her polite little voice.

There was a large selection of different colors of royal icing, candies, and sprinkles. It was perfect for kids (and adults!).

They also had salt dough ornaments to decorate too. We just stuck with the sugar cookies, but Autumn liked carrying around the ornaments while dancing to the music. She even tried to get a ride in the decorative sled.

Also, when did my little girl get so big?!?!

I admire Autumn’s strategy for getting all those excess sprinkles off her fingers. She certainly did it with with enthusiasm.

And that is some perfect cookies right there.

We are already are planning on going again while my mom is visiting before Christmas since it’s such a fun activity for kids of all ages. Plus, holiday music, yule log on the TV, fresh farm milk, and cookies will get everyone into the holiday spirit.

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the KITCHEN at Boston Public Market is hosting more cookie decorating at their Cozy Kitchen Cookie Sundays on the 13th and 20th from 2-5pm. Cookies and salt dough ornaments cost $1 each.

On the 20th, they are also decorating gingerbread houses as part of their Taste of the Season Series Presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts from 12-2pm. This event is free!

Our Cape Vacation. 2015

November 5, 2015

To celebrate my dad’s 75th birthday, my family stayed together on The Cape for a week at the end of August. It was a wonderful way to celebrate several birthdays in August while getting to all hang out together. I loved getting to spend time with my brother and sister and their families. Everyone had a blast!!

…

Halloween. 2015

October 31, 2015

Autumn loves Minnie so much that when I found a Minnie costume that would fit actually fit her I snatched it up. Of course, I based our costumes off of her’s so Price was Mickey and I was Daisy Duck.

But first, we started our Halloween a day early as Autumn went to daycare in costume on Friday in a spider costume. She actually wears it regularly. ha!

Price and I were having a rough week so we decided to perk ourselves up by having tons of fun on Halloween.

As it is our last Halloween up here, we decided to go up to Salem to enjoy the festivities up here. Price and I had been once before for Halloween with our friends Emily and Peter and it was a lot of fun and really busy. We didn’t want to deal with the crazy crowds so we decided to go up for breakfast, enjoy the morning there, and head home before lunch.

We went to The Ugly Mug for breakfast. (thanks for thesuggestion Twitter Peeps!!) It was so good that we are already planning on our next visit there.

Minnie and Mickey!!!

After breakfast, we headed out to wander around Salem.

We first visited the Witch Trials Memorial before heading over to the adjoining Charter Street Burning Point.

I love the rich history that is scattered throughout New England. It’s incredible in Boston and the surrounding areas.

Boil Boil Toil and Trouble

Witches were everywhere!

At least this witch was a nice one!

I told Autumn to wiggle her nose like Samantha. She looked at me strange.

There is a fantastic exhibit called Stickwork at the Peabody Essex Museum that we will come back to visit in depth one day. Especially in the snow!

Also, they have another exhibit that we want to see one day so we will be back soon.

I will defiently miss Fall in New England when we move. I can’t stop taking pictures of the changing pictures so I can capture all the carious hues of greens, yellows, oranges, reds, and purples that fill the trees and sidewalks.

I mean, come on…

There was a festival for kids on the Salem Common. They had dressed up characters that Autumn loved/was scared of, games, bounce houses, and face painting.

The bounce house maze experience was greeted with so much enthusiasm (she tried to go in before it was fully set up!!) but some big kids (4 yo’s?) ventured back through and they didn’t mean to scare her but did so we had to yank her from the side and she clawed for her freedom. Poor Minnie!!

Hey dude. Thanks for settling Salem.

We wrapped up our Salem adventure with some more wandering around and some shopping just after 11am and headed home.

Autumn was so upset to be leaving but she was just over tired from the busy morning as the hysterics lasted a minute before she was passed out for the ride home.

Keep it up New England. You rock this time of year.

We carved our pumpkins in the afternoon after watching a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Halloween special (but of course!). Plus, I made an apple crisp and a frity flax oat bran bread. The house smelled so good from the baking and the hot cider we had warming on the stove.

Later on, Autumn and I went out for an hour for trick-o-treating. It was confusing to her but she had fun with it.

She was wiped out after it so she ended up going to bed at 6pm! Now that’s a great day!!!

Unfortunately we don’t get a lot of trick-o-treaters. It’s a nasty cycle in our neighborhood… kids don’t go here because people don’t hand out candy>>> people don’t hand out candy because kids don’t come here. This doesn’t sit well with me as I LOVE to hand out candy to kids in costumes.

I ended up calling my Dad to see what we would be getting ourselves into next year when we are down in FL with him and he had to just rub it in that he had 300 kids. OMG!!!!!

I’m thankful we had such a great day celebrating Halloween in Salem this year.Mickey, Minnie, and Daisy had a great Halloween!!!

Apples, Pumpkins, and Donuts. Oh my! at Applecrest Farm, NH

October 22, 2015

What do they say about best laid plans?

Oh that’s right, they often get screwed up.

We had planned on going apple and pumpkin picking at Applecrest Farm with Price’s sister this past weekend. We went there last year, and had a blast, so we wanted to go again to get some more apples, pumpkins, and cider donuts.

Unfortunately, the day was much chillier than what would have been comfortable for apple picking. The temperature was okay, but the wind went right through ya! So we changed things up and checked out their large farm market instead

First, we bee-lined it to cider donuts stand for fresh donuts, which are my most favorite fall things ever. Autumn seemed to enjoy herself too!

Oh, hello.

Since we skipped the orchards, we got all our apples in their new Farm Market.

They were building it last year when we were visiting so it was fun to go back and see it completed. It is so charming with crates of fresh fruits and vegetables, a lot from their very own farm. As well as a selection of beer and wine, frozen prepared foods, and freshly baked goods. Rounding that all out is a healthy stocked refrigerated section, that includes fresh cider. It’s hard to find in the area, but they have raw cider, which is needed to make hard cider, so they are a great resource for home brewers.

There even is a Farm Bistro. Adorable. Timing wasn’t right for us to visit and try it out, but I’m really hoping to go back one day.

I love fall in New England.

We grabbed a lot of apples from our visit so I have plenty of apples to eat (Idared) and bake (Cortland) with. They cut a blue hubbard squash in half for us (to split with Catherine), which roasted up so very well! Plus, I grabbed day old cider donuts, that I used to make a bread pudding. That I then smothered with a lot of homemade apple cider caramel sauce. (recipe coming soon!)

Apples and pumpkins are still available for picking so be sure to check out Applecrest Farm this weekend!

Applecrest Farm

133 Exeter Road (Rt.88)

Hampton Falls, NH 03844

603.926.3721

Hours: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Open Daily, Year-Round.

Head of the Charles.2015

October 20, 2015

The 51st ~~running~~ rowing of the Head of the Charles was held this past weekend. Since it was our last chance to see it before we move, we went to check it and cheer along with other bystanders out along the banks of the River Charles.

Although both Price and I have been in Boston since 2003, neither of us had been to it. So when we were creating our Boston Bucket List, it just had to be included.

The day was beautiful, but brisk, so our visit wasn’t too long since the wind would sting your face a bit (poor rowers!). It was just long enough to walk along the banks, enjoy watching the races, and give some cheers.

We even got to check out a playground, where Autumn mastered going down the swirly slide all by herself.

The midmorning sun danced atop the ripples on The Charles and the vibrant fall leaves rustled in the wind. It made me so happy to be outside enjoying the sights and smells of fall. There is something so distinct about the smell of leaves that recently fallen to the ground and are being toasted by the sun. It is one of my favorite smells related to the season. I will miss it terribly next year, but knowing that there is a ‘last time’ for my experiences up here has made me much more aware of my surroundings and feelings than in previous years when I have taken this beauty for granted.

After we took in our fill of the regatta, we headed back to Harvard Square to enjoy lunch at Tasty Burger (I wrote about their food truck here). Then we swung into Sweet Cupcakes for an afternoon treat. Autumn helped picked them out for each of us, but still, magically, ate half of mine. Mainly, she was so fascinated with the street performer that she was almost too distracted to really eat her cupcake. She was pretty happy carrying it around to give the street performer a dollar.

It was such a great day together. I’m so glad that we were able to go to the Head of the Charles and cross it off Our Boston Bucket List. So fun!

Monday Munchies: Neighborhood Nights Out @ TAMO Bar- Boston, MA

October 19, 2015

As part of my Monday Munchies series, I will feature a different eatery for a review on the third Monday of every month. Hope you enjoy!

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There is a relaxed, fun vibe to TAMO Bar. You notice it the moment you walk in with the dim lights and upbeat music in the bar.

TAMO Bar is located in the Seaport Boston Hotel, located in the Seaport District of Boston. It’s a great location as it is great for visitors to Boston to stop in for dinner before going to for a show or concert. Or maybe it’s just the perfect stop to relax with a drink by the fire after a long day on your feet at the convention center.

TAMO recently relaunched their Neighborhood Nights menu. They offer a great deal every Monday and Tuesday night throughout the fall that allow guests to enjoy two courses each and share a bottle of wine for $40 per person. I love the flexibility with it as you can skip the appetizers and each have an entree and a dessert, or maybe you just feel like appetizers and dessert. So fun.

Price and I recently went and had a great weeknight date at TAMO to try out their Neighborhood Nights menu.

We decided to share an appetizer, each get an entree, and share a dessert to enjoy together on our neighborhood date night. Price and I typically share things off each others plates so sharing an appetizer and dessert is nothing new to us. But first, lets get to the good stuff, the wine.

Of the 6 bottles of wine that are available we elected for one of their whites, the ’14 Sauvignon Blanc from Chateau Lardiley in Bordeaux. We figured we would be eating light since it was a three course meal. We didn’t want to go too heavy and miss out on dessert from being too full. Then we moved onto our tough decisions for our meal.

We started with the Salt and Pepper Calamari, a large pile of freshly fried rings and tentacles is always good. The batter that Chefs Richard Rayment and Robert Tobin created reminded me of the batter on tempura shrimp and vegetables. It was served alongside a sweet and spicy chili sauce. Our only complaint was that it could have used a bit more heat, with extra peppers or jalapenos. It was a nice light start to our night and first glasses of wine. Then on to the main course.

Price selected the TAMo Burger. Burgers are traditional and safe, almost any restaurant can have a burger. There has to be something different and special about this burger if TAMO has it’s name on it it had better not be just any plain old burger. And it wasn’t. The TAMO burger was a flavorful burger mound smothered in sharp cheddar, bacon, caramelized onion, lettuce and tomato atop a nicely grilled brioche bun.

It was one of those meals where nothing sticks out because it all taste so great in concert. And the bun had grill marks! GRILL MARKS! You know TAMO stands behind their burger and it shows.

My Tacos Al Pastor were fantastic!

I arrived before Price and waited in the bar, and the gentlemen seated next to me ordered them and I knew right then that I would have to get them. Impressive since we actually ate tacos the night before. But I couldn’t resist.

Every bit was enjoyable with the warm tortilla, crisp lettuce, tender shredded meat, juicy pineapple, and drizzle of crema. Also, it was visually pleasing as much as it was delicious with the bright green avocado nestled next to the wedge of yellow pineapple. You really take it all in.

My only comment would be that I don’t like iceberg lettuce (with the rare exception of a wedge salad) so I didn’t love it in my tacos, but I’m just being picky.

The night was complete with the S’mores in a Crock dessert.

I love when restaurants take the classic S’mores dessert and change it up, so I wanted to see what the chefs did to jazz it up. They crumbled up graham crackers and combined them with melted chocolate and ooey gooey marshmallow. That delightful mess is then topped off with a large scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Admittedly, we did wait too long to dig in since I ran to the bathroom and Price waited for me before digging in solo. That allowed the gooey marshmallow to cool off and firm up a bit. So I highly suggest that the moment it is set down on your table, you dig right in to enjoy the textures at their finest. Plus, the contrast of the hot S’mores mixture and cold ice cream play off each other really well.

Besides the awesome Neighborhood Nights special that TAMO Bar is hosting this year, they ave deals and specials on Sundays and Wednesdays. On Sunday’s you can hangout and watch football while enjoying their “Wings 3 Ways”, which includes Buttermilk Fried, Korean Style, and Chimi’s Spicy Chicken Wings for $20. On Wednesdays they offer a wine flight (three, 2 oz. pours) for $12. You can even have a specialty paired entree for $20. They change up their wines and pairing every week!

No matter when you go to TAMO Bar, you are sure to have a great time.

TAMO Bar

Seaport Boston Hotel

1 Seaport Lane

Boston, MA 02210

617.385.4315

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While my meal at TAMO was complimentary, we provided our great waitress, Van, gratuity, and all opinions are my own.

Crab Eggs Benedict: Millbrook Company- Sedgwick, ME

September 26, 2015

Eggs Benedict is my favorite brunch dish. I love to try it everywhere we go from greasy spoons to top rated restaurants. I love the classic version, but I also love trying other fun variations. I share my experiences and personal ratings in my Eggs Benedict Reviews in my Dining Out Section. Check them all out!

While we were visiting Price’s mom, Elaine, in Maine earlier this summer, we were on a mission to get a new grill for her house there. Since her house is on a itty bitty island it’s a decent drive into the closest town containing big box stores, like 45 minutes.

So we needed some strength to make such a journey (ha!), so we stopped for breakfast on the way at Millbrook Company in Segwick, Maine.

Of course, as soon as I saw an Eggs Benedict on the Specials Board, I was immediately interested. Not just you’re typical Eggs Benedict, but a Crab Benedict, and for just $12.95. It sounded like a delicious deal!

In the unassuming building on the side of Rt 15, sits Millbook Company. A breakfast and lunch place opened Wednesday- Sunday from 7.30am to 2.00pm. They have the basics, and they serve them well. When you serve a limited menu, you better do it right, and it seems like they really do with the nice crowds in there and the food we all enjoyed, from the standard breakfast favorites to the delicious specials.

Millbrook Company has a great bakery that creates fantastic breads, cookies, bars, sticky buns, and much, much more. They serve there delicious baked goods at the restaurant, as well as sell them at area farmer’s markets.

While I didn’t get a breakfast that had a side of toast I did get a bite from Elaine just so I could try their house made jam. I love that they pay so close attention to their products that they make their own breads and jams.

We ordered the Blueberry Buckle for Autumn, figuring it is similar to a muffin, which she enjoys. She did thoroughly enjoyed it, as did we, when we snagged bites ourselves. It was moist, rich, and packed with blueberries. I loved the crumb on top too.

I’ve had plenty of Crab Cake Eggs Benedicts before, which are always enjoyable, but I enjoyed the similar approach with just serving crab on the English muffin. It didn’t muddle things, it kept it all perfectly simple, allowing the crab to shine through.

I would have loved some bigger lumps of crab, but the crab itself was delicious and overall I appreciated that it was affordable.

The eggs were poached perfectly. I just love watching when velvety soft warm yolks start to trickle down when the eggs when cut. It blends really well with rich Hollandaise sauce.

The side of potatoes was a little bland, but I I didn’t mind that much as I do appreciate getting to season the potatoes myself as I often find they are under-salted or over-salted. The crust on the potatoes certainly made up for any deficiencies in the amount of salt used when preparing the potatoes. I love the good crust on homefries.

If you are in the area I suggest stopping by this charming small breakfast and lunch spot. The simple home-cooked meals for affordable prices make for a great place to visit. Be sure to check out the beautiful views from the pavilion too!

Rating

English Muffin– 17/20 pts

Crab– 16/20 pts

Poached Egg– 23/25 pts

Hollandaise- 23/25 pts

Homefries– 8/10 pts

Total: 87/100 pts

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Millbrook Company

160 Snows Cove Road

Sedgwick, Maine 04676

207.359.8344

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Thanks for visiting. Please leave me a comment to provide some feedback. I appreciate all the comments I receive.

Apple and Peach Picking At Tougas Family Farm- Northboro, MA

September 8, 2015

This past weekend was really wonderful. Not just because it was Labor Day but because we to Tougas Family Farm in Northboro, MA.

We are moving to Florida next spring so I am determined to do as many Autumn related things here in New England. I really love the fall, but then my dreaded winter comes. So I’m soaking up every possible thing that we can do like apple picking, pumpkin picking, watching the Head of The Charles, go leaf peeping, and much, much more.

We kicked off the Autumn related activities with some apple picking. Thankfully, I found Tougas Family Farm, which also had peach and nectarine picking available. I couldn’t have asked for a better day as we were able to pick all 3 fruits.

As the farm is 45-60 minutes from Boston, we timed our departure with Autumn’s normal morning nap time. It worked out perfectly!

We arrived in great time just after it opened at 10am to get in line to purchase our box ($36 for a 1/2 bushel, approximately 20 pounds of fruit) that we would fill up with our treasures.

From there, we got in line for a short tractor pulled wagon ride to the fields. The first stop had 2 varieties of apples for picking, but everyone on a wagon opted to just go to the 2nd stop where there were apples, peaches, and nectarines available for picking.

I highly suggest some babywearing for apple picking.

It can be a lot of walking for little legs so babywearing helps you carry your kiddo while your arms are still free for picking and carrying around your box of fruit. Plus, then you don’t have to juggle with getting a stroller on and off the wagon.

We started with picking Ginger Golds which are great eating apples, as well as baking apples as they hold their shape well.

After picking some massive Ginger Golds, we headed up a few rows to get the New England Classic, the McIntosh. They are are great all around apple for eating and baking. They are great for pies and that is my #1 priority when it comes to apple picking as I love fall baking.

We started picking apples first as they are sturdier fruits compared to peaches and nectarines, so we filled the bottom of the box up with our apples first, to then place the peaches and nectarines on top of them.

Autumn loved picking the fruit with us. She was very delicate with them from picking them on the tree to putting them in the box. She would light up with each fruit picked.

Autumn ate plenty of fruit at the farm, but continued her attempt at eating our 1/2 bushel for the rest of the long weekend but walking over to the box on the counter to request a ‘beach!!’. After inhaling the sweet fruit, she would come to me with the pit, then sign for ‘more’ while saying ‘mas beach!!!’.

Tougas Family Farm has both White and Yellow peaches. Yellow are my favorite but you can’t go wrong with any fruit freshly picked from the tree.

Movin’ to the country,
gonna eat a lot of peaches.

They had ladders available to help you pick fruit that is out of arms reach. We though this was really helpful, as a lot of farms we’ve been do don’t offer ladders. This way we would easily could carefully reach a lot of sun ripened fruit. Plus, there is something extra fun about climbing a ladder to get a piece of fruit.

Autumn was very proud of the fruit she picked. She carried this peach around like a baby for a long time!

After we filled our box, we headed back to the farm via wagon ride, to put the box in the car and check out the farm animals and the farm store.

A quick stop at the large playground for some swing action and then we were were off to the farm.

The goats there are very friendly as kids, and adults alike, can feed the goats pellets ($1) directly from their hands. Autumn was basically freaked out by them, so she watched them cautiously in Price’s arms.

Price made fast friends with a goat who loved being rubbed on his head and back.

I tried very hard to convince this chicken that it wanted to come home with us, but as chicken as, she was very stubborn and refused all my offers.

The pig ignored me as well.

Lastly, we stopped by the farm store for some apple cider donuts.

They also had picked fruit, jams, and prepared foods available for take out and for picnicking while at the farm.

Apple cider donuts are my Achilles heel. And it appears that they are Autumn’s as well. I guess the saying is right, “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree!!!” She

Such a wonderful day together!!

Tougas Family Farm

246 Ball Street

Northboro, MA 01532

508.393.6406

A Day in Provincetown

August 25, 2015

The Provincetown Fast Ferry from Boston Harbor Cruises takes just 90 minutes from the docks of Boston to Provincetown. 90 minutes of blue waters, crisp salty air, and fun!

We took the 9am ferry from Boston to P-town a few weekend’s ago. We’ve been talking about it for ages and finally managed to make it work. I’m so glad we did. The weather was beautiful in the 80’s and the skies were bright and blue.

I wore Autumn for most of the boat ride in our Ergo. It kept her in there so she would relax since she didn’t nap in the morning at her typical time. Plus, I knew she was safe and sound in my arms on a very crowded boat.

Once we got to P-town, we checked out the area closest to the pier where the ferry came in. Immediately falling in love with the area. Charming details, cute stores and restaurants, and happy people. It all felt so sweet.

Of course, we quickly stopped off at the beach!

There was a charming little beach just next to the long pier we walked into town on. There are beautiful beaches in the area, but we just hung around here for a few minutes so Autumn could dip her toes in the water. She loved it!

Autumn eventually fell asleep in her stroller as we walked all around Commercial Street checking out the stores and galleries.

There was a farmer’s market set up next to City Hall so we stopped there to relax our feet and catch some shade while Autumn napped in the stroller.

We also grabbed some Farmer Willie’s Ginger Beer. It is alcoholic so it backs a bit of a gingery and boozy punch. Sadly, it’s only available on Cape Cod, so I will have to stock up at the next chance I get.

I mean, come on, this is just so damn adorable!!!

We wanted to go to the Lobster Pot but they didn’t have a patio and we really wanted to enjoy the beautiful weather, so we headed over to the Governor Bradford Restaurant after Autumn woke up from her nap.

It worked out perfectly as Autumn loved her clam chowder. It was her first time trying it and she absolutely loved it. So cute!!

P-town is well known for its acceptance of the LGBT community. There are several events throughout the year, especially during the summer, focused on and hosted by the LGBT community. Unfortunately there were no major activities that weekend for us to watch or participate in.

Autumn’s first experience with facing painting was met with mixed reviews- she loved it but her expression of disdain was priceless. Of course I couldn’t miss another chance to see that scowl so I rushed her over to her to face painted at the vendors in town. Fortunately, she enjoyed it and, unfortunately for me, no scowl.

Damn, I love this kid so much!

Besides just walking around and enjoying the day, we had the goal of getting some ice cream. Perfectly refreshing during the summer!

We found the most adorable gelato place that had an adorable girl scooping up the gelato. She was very sweet and very generous

Oh my goodness P-Town, you’re awesome.

This guy had several outfit changes throughout the day to showcase his fabulous style while promoting a show that night. It was fun every time we saw him around town promoting a show happening later that night.

Such a sweet little Daddy’s girl!

Our time in Provincetown wrapped up when we took the 4pm ferry back to Boston. Autumn ate a quick dinner and crashed from the fun filled day. We skipped the normal bathtime routine and she went to bed with the face paint on. Ha!

I highly suggest that everyone visits Provincetown if they have the chance. So much fun!

Monday Munchies: Tasty Burger Food Truck

August 17, 2015

I love Tasty Burger!

I love food trucks!

Tasty Burger Food Truck = LOVE! LOVE!! LOVE!!!

Tasty Burger is a Boston area burger joint that has damn good burgers. They have juicy, flavorful, hearty burgers that are paired so perfectly well with fries, onion rings, or their tots. Or skip the burger and grab a chicken sandwich or hot dog. No matter, it will be wonderful. A cold beer washing it all down doesn’t hurt either. It’s just that kind of place with that kind of food.

They have 5 locations in Boston and Cambridge, in neighborhoods like Fenway, Back Bay, and Harvard Square. Each location is great. Their Fenway location, which we frequent most often, was an old gas station that was reworked and redesigned so it went from changing oil to frying in oil.

But what happens if you work downtown and you start craving a burger? Well, have no fear! They have a food truck that you can visit or even rent out for events. Cool!

Thankfully, the truck stops at City Hall plaza on Thursdays. So just a short walk and I am in burger nirvana! Sometimes Price and I have burger lunch dates so we can split tots ($6+) and a drink ($2.75) while we munch on burgers. The City has new summertime seating which makes kicking back for lunch a real treat.

On a recent trip, Price had the Bacon Cheeseburger ($5.85), that he thought was a great combination of a perfectly cooked burger (medium is standard) with salty, crunchy bacon, and fresh lettuce and tomato.

Tasty Burger prides itself on the products they produce and sell as they strive to source their ingredients from the best places. They create 1/3 pounds burger patties from steers that eat a “100-percent vegetarian grass and grain diet.” They visit the pastures where the cows are grass fed, purchase their hot dogs from local butchers, and get their buns from local bakers. They are hands on with sourcing their products and produce and in the end the quality shines through.

They have the best eco-friendly packaging for their burgers. I love peeling back to wrapper to reveal the burger.

I love their Spicy Jalapeno ($5.75). It has just the right amount of kick with burger that is topped off with a spicy cheese sauce and then roasted jalapenos.

Besides their delicious burgers, they also serve vegan & gluten free veggie burgers ($5.75), Fenway Park Sausages ($6), bowls of chili ($3.95+) that you can load up with toppings. And lastly, they have 1/4 pound hot dogs ($3.95) that can get piled high with toppings like bacon, chili, sauerkraut, or their cheese sauces. Such epic food.

I’ll be honest, their lunch can set you back pretty well as their burgers average $5 and then a plain tot is $6 and a soda is ($1.75 or $2.75). And if you get loaded tots it is now $9, but that is exactly why Price and I make this our special lunch date. Great large portions to share and it saves on getting a sitter!!

Grab a friend, grab a chair, and grab some Tasty Burger for a great lunch. Then head back to work with a naughty food coma! ha!

Be sure to try the Official Burger of the Boston Red Sox’s at one of their food truck stops or at one of their 5 brick and mortar locations, which has much more elaborate menus that include chicken sandwiches, the most addicted thinly sliced onion rings, and brain freeze inducing milkshakes.

Tasty Burger

Food Truck Menu (check for schedule HERE)

A Maine Lobsta Dinnah

August 6, 2015

After our wonderful morning trip to ‘The Hub’ for mussels, we had the most amazing dinner. It was a wonderful way to experience Maine all together.

Elaine set the table full of plate, bowl, platters to serve us freshly cooked corn, steamed lobsters, sauteed garlicky kale, and mussels. And, of course, wine!

Prior to cooking the lobsters, we showed them to Autumn. She was interested but still very cautious of them. Understandably!!

While the lobsters and mussels cooked, Price and Autumn did some golf in the front yard.

And then the feasting began!!

This wild child loved loved the corn on the cob, strawberries, and crackers she munched on for dinner. She didn’t try any mussels or lobster, which didn’t surprise me, but she did check them out.

She cautiously held on to the lobster tail as she examined it. She picked it up and slowly rotated it in her hands as she checked out the shell. It slipped out of her hands and almost hit her face. Oh, poor thing looked so spooked!

There were some little pearls in the mussels that Price had picked for our dinner. One guy had like 12 pearls, but the majority of the mussels were pearl free and delicious.

We cooked up the mussels with some water, wine, and plenty of garlic. A little dip back into the briny broth after we removed the meat from the shells was all you needed before slurping them back.

Sometimes you just need to give your lobster claw with a big rock to crack it up. I insist it’s a much better technique than using a cracker. Louder, but much better! ha!

Dinner was thoroughly enjoyed!!

You can’t beat fresh seafood, good drinks, and wonderful company.