Vacation (all I ever wanted)!

Ah, vacation. I'm at one of my favorite places in the whole world, the cottage my Mom and Dad have been renting every summer for over 30 years. My days have been filled with reading, lathering my niece and nephews in sunscreen, eating, spending quality time with three of four sisters, snuggling with puppies, gazing mindlessly on the lake for extended periods of time, and the occasional sunburn of my knees. Meanwhile little sister anxiously awaits her room assignment for college this summer and Dad perfects his margarita recipe (you were right on with that one, M).

This morning something notable happened in food world. The family went to Food Dance in Kalamazoo. I love it because its the closest one can get to Zingerman's in west Michigan, they even serve some Zing breads and cheese. I ordered Julie's French Toast which is made with challah bread and soaked in a cinnamon orange brandy batter. Then I traded with sister #3 for some of her Smoked Whitefish Scramble (OMG!). Per usual, everything was great. If your in the area, stop - you won't be disappointed.

During brunch, my bro-in-law and nephew wandered off for a walk and came back with lots of "foodie treats" from Food Dance's market just outside of the restaurant. I was able to enjoy of few of his finds this evening on a dessert plate he made. A dessert charcuterie plate, if you will. Clockwise from the top, Vosges chocolate, Oreos, coconut macaroons, Food Dance brownie (buy 4, get 1 free) and marshmallows. A perfect mix of class and classics. Thanks, D.

Photo Credit: M's iPhone. 

A Weekend in the D of C

What a great weekend in DC. Good food, even better friends & family. 

Thursday we spent most of the day in the car, after a stop to Trader Joe's for car snacks. Friday morning brought a quick trip to the mall for wedding attire, and then lunch at 2Amy's. I had the Margherita, Dad had the Norcia, and Molly had the Etna pizza (she picked off all of the olives -  I ate them for her). 

Friday evening was wedding time. My oldest sister (I am one of five girls), Lindsay, was married. After a small but lovely fireside wedding the two fam's headed to dinner. We went to Mixtec where my sister and the world's most adorable chef, Pepe, planned a delicious family style meal. I'm not going to try and act like I know the proper names of what we ate, so here is how I saw it: guacamole, nachos (I was full after that), chicken, red snapper, beef, rice and beans. For dessert a pound cake-ish cake with a strawberry-tequila syrup poured over the top. 

Saturday morning my newly married sister, little sister and Mom went to Teaism for breakfast. I arrived just in time to eat from everyone else's breakfasts - I was being a little indecisive when they left, so many options of fun things to do. This trip was perfect because a fellow blogger/former teacher recommended Teaism's Salty Oat cookies. What a great dessert breakfast, I shared a regular and chocolate cookie with my sisters and mom. 

Saturday night was the real wedding party (as if Friday nights celebration dinner wasn't enough). The party was held at The Saloon on U Street. It's a really unique place. The owner closes up for a month every year to build schools in countries that really need them. The dinner was great especially mac n' cheese. More importantly, it was a great celebration and I am so glad I could be a part of it!

Houston

It's been almost two weeks since I flew down to Houston to visit my sister Meredith, brother-in-law David, adorable nephew Xavy, and BFF Caroline. I had a wonderful visit and it was nice to take a quick break from school before things got too crazy (and believe me, they did).

Friday night Caroline picked me up from the Airport. It was about 11:00 PM Mitten time, but somehow I caught a second wind and Caroline and I stayed up chatting per usual over Chocolate Espresso Cupcakes.

Saturday morning we visited the Farmers Market near Caroline's apartment and then went in search of Kolaches. Kolaches are a delicious European pastry popular in many cities across the U.S. including Houston where their annual Kolache Fests occur in March and May.

Next up was Central Market (H-E-B's version of Whole Foods?).

Our purpose in being there was obviously for their annual Hail to the Cheese event. We tried several great cheeses but our favorite was the Vermont Cheddar atop a rice cracker with Pumpkin Butter. OH-MY-CHEESE! What an amazing combination - which I now have all the ingredients to replicate. . .

Following the cheese, coffee, salsa, and fruit samples we shopped around for a bit and then headed out to my sister Meredith's house - where lots of fun, munching, baby kisses and snuggles, and shenanigans took place including. . .

My first cup o' pure espresso.

A quick day trip to Katy, TX for the 1/3 Terra Cotta Warriors exhibit.

Turtle Soup. Not really, just a plethora of turtles in Katy, TX.

Mediterranean Dinner Night with help from Phoenicia.

And more snuggling!