Flavors 518

Hello Internet. I have not typed at you in a while. What have I been up to, you ask? My coworkers and I were in a craft fair . We were proud of our display: My in-laws came to visit, and we checked out Yono's . I thought the food was fabulous, and liked that it felt light in my stomach even though clearly a lot of thought and skill had gone into the preparation. See my amazing lamb with coconut rice:  Husband's red snapper with flageolet beans: We had a great time at the Fresh Grass bluegrass festival at MassMoca where we also really enjoyed the "Oh, Canada" exhibit. We checked out Mezze in Williamstown too, which everyone loved.  I've made use of my bear cake pan I bought at the Confectionery House with my friend Sandy . I made this one for my friend Elizabeth. I went to my cousin's wedding in Michigan, where my sister put the bridesmaid dress she wore for my wedding on me. There was cake we didn't get to eat, and...

In the grand tradition of the haul videos on youtube , let me tell you what I got at the flea market yesterday. You remember when I went to the Brimfield Flea Market in July . Well, yesterday my coworkers and I went back. Check out what I got! This woman had a booth that was basically everything from my wedding - brooches, vintage hankies, gloves and awesome retro things. I saw this apron at that booth, and I had to get it. It is so awesome makes me think I should take an embroidery class at the Arts Center of the Capital Region since I always go so crazy for those types of items at flea markets. This awesome green kitchen stool was $20 from the 1920s. I figured I can peel potatoes, chop veggies, and hang out in the kitchen for hours all without my feet hurting. I'll probably touch up the paint, but I think it is adorable. I actually walked past it the first time and kept thinking about it (that is usually the sign you should head back and pick up the item). I got one ...

I am having a party of one tonight (thanks to Wild Oats Market ) and it looks like this: Why is that you ask? Because after two weeks of dogsitting in North Adams I get to go home tomorrow. Hooray! What did I do in two weeks you ask? Some highlights: I went to a North Adams Steeplecats game.   They played the Darien, CT team and were losing pretty bad in the first 6 innings. There were some really sloppy errors. One catcher even hit the batter in the face when he was trying to throw the ball to the pitcher. I had a great time though. They served Lickety Split ice cream. My husband is allergic to nuts, so I ate as many as I wanted while I was out here. I had butter pecan at the game. The mascot, Slider, kissed me on the hand at one point.  When they were losing I called my sister and talked about a Clue themed party she had. The more I talked to her the better they did, and they ended up coming back to win 4-2. So thanks to my sister for helping...

Am I going to go ahead and talk about the Walled Lake Big Boy ? Yes, yes I am. So I am in Michigan on a professional development trip. I took the train from Albany to Toledo on Friday night. Who takes the train from Albany to Toledo on a Friday night, you ask? Many people who are from Detroit originally and live out east, but are going to weddings and funerals. It felt we were all kindred spirits. There is something vaguely comforting about overhearing that a bunch of people are from the place you are from and don't live there anymore, but have to go back because of various important relationships. Also, there is something weird about the overnight train in terms of a bunch of strangers who don't know each other at all falling asleep in close proximity. You all feel like you are getting through some long journey together. There is a strong element of trust involved. Will the guy who is yelling at the all the people in his phone in colorful language do anything to me if I fall ...

Did you know that the mascot of the U.S. Postal Service is from Albany, NY? Yep, it is Owney the dog, and he loved the smell of postal bags. You can learn all about him at the National Postal Museum in Washington, D.C. Here I am with a statue of him. Adorable! Here is a video . You can also follow him on Twitter .

It is that time of year where it gets dark outside much earlier than one would hope, one dreary day can sort of meld into another, and sometimes I can go the entire work day without ever feeling warmed up no matter how many layers of clothing I'm wearing. It is the time of year when I randomly will type in "hot, dry desert" into Google images to make myself feel better.  So let's talk about something fun - good ideas for vacations! Pretend it is no longer winter- instead, it is a perfectly mild day, and I am wearing something like this: And off we go! I loved this story on NPR about the father and daughter who went on a BBQ journey. Here is their blog . Ever since watching Friday Night Lights and going to Capital Q , I have just thought a BBQ Tour would be so much fun. Although possibly my above wardrobe choice could get messed up with some sauce. I read in Wine Enthusiast magazine about Blantyre in Lenox, MA. Go check out these ridiculous wine tastings t...

So I am out here dogsitting , where the kitchen is mostly supplied for making things out of mixes . I've eaten a lot of salads from the salad bar at the local Stop & Shop (there should be more salad bars in the world - in offices, and schools), but I really miss my kitchen, I gotta say. I've eaten things this week I wouldn't normally buy or eat (my friend once told me that bad food doesn't count if you didn't actually buy it yourself). I don't think of myself as a snob . I'm also not crazy about calories or anything but I usually think you can have anything you want if you make it yourself. Like ice cream - it takes a while to make it yourself and you don't want to eat it all at once because it took a lot of effort to make. I do feel like some people my age wouldn't normally eat junk food or low brow foods, but if you change one thing like make the hot dogs out of Wagyu beef all of a sudden it is gourmet and acceptable to eat . One thing I th...

I took yesterday off of work months in advance to attend an author signing and cooking demonstration by Amanda Hesser for the Food52 cookbook. We woke up super early, drove to Poughkeepsie, took the Metro-North, took a cab from Grand Central, and made it to Sur La Table on 57th street just in time - just in time, that is, for their staff to tell us it was postponed because the store hasn't finished installing their kitchen yet. So unfortunate. What a let down! So we just killed some time hanging around Columbus Circle and then met our friend at Prune Restaurant for lunch at 1st and 1st. Scott had the sweetbreads with capers and bacon. I had the burger on an English muffin with Cabot cheddar cheese, and our friend had the skate with a lemon caper sauce. Hers also came with a potato slaw with some sesame sort of dressing with it. It was all amazing. A side view of the burger: We also had desserts: churros and a poached pear with brandy and creme fraiche. ...

One good thing about living in Albany is the proximity to so many other great places to visit like NYC, the Berkshires, Cooperstown, Montreal, and Boston. About a year and a half ago some of my Study Abroad companions and I reunited for a weekend filled with cultural activities. I brought British themed snacks. We had a Mad Men inspired fashion show. We visited the Boston Public Library and a great vintage travel poster show. We went to a great Italian restaurant in the North End. And we visited the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and Café . Unfortunately, it looks like the café is closed right at this moment for renovations, but when we were there it was open. I love that museum. It is so eclectic, so intimate, so personal. It is not formal or stuffy. Also there is the mystery of the stolen paintings , that I (as a person who works in museums) find completely fascinating. I find the subject so fascinating that I read books meant for teenagers about the su...