On the Agenda

On the agenda this weekend:

• Day-tripping to Concord for a walk around Walden Pond
• Buying mini gourds and pumpkins
• Adding an extra blanket to our bed so we can keep the windows open just a smidgen longer
• Eating our faces off at the Big E
• Finishing this fabulous book 
• Making a batch of creamy sorrel soup

Hope you all have a fantastic final weekend in September! XO

Dinner and a Movie

Peter and I used to be dedicated dining room eaters - at the table, candles lit, cloth napkins, music on - the whole thing. We've lately fallen into a routine of eating at the coffee table and watching a show, and while I know I'm probably supposed to feel bad about this shift, it's pretty fun. When I was a kid, I loved when my sister and I got permission to eat dinner in the family room, usually sitting the floor watching something awesome. Being able to do this whenever I want still feels like a great grown-up perk. 

Earlier this week, I made the rice noodle dish above. I cooked the chicken using this recipe. It filled up the kitchen with smoke, but it was truly amazing. The skin was so crispy and, true to Bon Appetit's claim, it was almost bacon-like! So temporarily remove your smoke detector battery and have at it :) The rest of the dish is just peanut sauce, stir fried broccoli, and scallions.  

While we were ohhing and ahhing over chicken thighs, we watched Jiro Dreams of Sushi (streaming on Netflix!). It is a great look at what it means to be truly passionate about something and hold yourself to incredibly high standards. I am often teasing Peter about his deep perfectionist tendencies, and Jiro made this quality look endearing (though I'm not sure his apprentices would agree). Deeply inspiring, and I highly recommend it.

Saying "Hi!" to the Old 'Hood

We were in New Jersey over the weekend for a baby shower and going away party. On Sunday, I was lucky enough to meet up with some of my dear NYC girlfriends (plus the sweetest little three month old baby!) for brunch. Oh, how I miss them!

When I met up with Peter, we couldn't help but make a little detour and take a quick walk around our old neighborhood.

We obviously needed a coffee fix. We have coffee in Boston, of course, but nothing as good as Gorilla :)

The whole thing made me miss New York very much, but not miss the actual living there part at all. I must go back very soon and get a good, strong fix of the city and all the good food and friends it contains.

Kissing Summer Goodbye

Last weekend, we went to the beach. It was slightly chilly - my hoodie stayed on all afternoon - but beautiful. Being at the beach in September feels like stolen time. You're someplace you're not sure you're meant to be.

When it got too windy down by the water, we went up to the estate. A wedding was going on by the main house, but we could walk the trails and see the cleared up rolling lawn in front of Castle Hill. It was overgrown earlier this summer, and the pretty ocean view was mostly hidden. It was a lovely day - the perfect way to spend the final weekend of a truly magnificent summer.

I snapped this picture as we were pulling into our neighborhood. Fall was welcoming us home.

Loving Lately

Peter's step mom served us this pumpkin shrimp curry last year, and it was a big hit. I'm excited to make it soon!

I was talked into watching one of ESPN's 30 for 30 documentaries, and I picked June 17, 1994. I was too young to remember any of the details of that famous car chase, so it was truly suspenseful (though of course I knew OJ didn't actually commit suicide). It was amazingly well-done. We've since watched The Two Escobars and Catching Hell (both excellent!).

I gave my sister this necklace in blue for her birthday, and I desperately want one, too. It's a little heavy (one of my jewelry pet-peeves), but it's cuteness will cancel that out.

Also loving:

• This book;
• This list of Boston restaurants; and 
• This Vanity Fair article (the entire issue, really).

What are you loving lately?

Paralyzed by Choice

This weekend will be our first one spent at home in a long while, and when exploring all the things we could do with these 36 hours, I was paralyzed by choice! Go out for Indian food, spend a day in Concord, golf with friends - so many fun options!

I think we've settled on spending one last (slightly chilly!) day at the beach, heading back to SOWA, aaaaand Peter will probably want to spend a chunk of time on Sunday afternoon following along as his fake football team leads him to fake victory (fingers crossed, of course).

What are you all up to this weekend? Your awesome plans will surely force me to re-evaluate my own.

Autumn Manifesto

* Work my way through my autumn reading list * Sew something * Dive into a new creative project * Make paté * Host a game night with friends * Take a hike * Eat too much at the Big E * Celebrate friends' new marriages and new babies and new houses * Go to the beach one last time * Perfect my apple cheddar crisp * Toast the season with Italian Manhattans *

Doesn't get much better

We had a lovely time in Philadelphia this weekend! It's such a charming city. And while we were there, it happened to be filled with a bunch of friends, so it really doesn't get much better. The pictures above were taken on our walk through Rittenhouse Square to St. Patrick's Church.

The church was stunning (and also super hot that day). We survived!

After the ceremony, we were able to meet up with dear friends - Adam and Ashley (of Meet Me in Philadelphia!) at Devil's Alley. We sat on the second floor by the wide open windows and got to hear all about their fantastic trip to Scandinavia, which she's recapping on her blog this week. As a warning, reading it will most definitely make you want to book the next flight to Stockholm.

The reception was held at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Such a beautiful spot! And I am happy to report that almost all the female guests wore different dresses to the reception. Everything was flawless. A few of my favorite details included the sushi chef preparing fresh rolls during the cocktail hour, a live artist (pictured above) painting the party as it was unfolding (!), and a gelato cart rolled in at the end of the dance-filled night. So much fun!

Like clockwork

(1, 2, 3) 

Each summer, I lose myself to reading, cocktails, beach trips, and grilled seafood. And every September, like clockwork, I'm drawn again to making soup, roasting chicken, hosting friends, and sewing. I always wonder if that crafty tug will pull again when I'm in the thick of summer fun. It always does.

Our bedroom is not really finished (evidenced by this long ago post - I have done exactly nothing that I intended to do then :) I spent a lot of time looking for new Euro shams, until it recently dawned on me that I can sew those with no trouble at all. I love these two fabrics, but I wonder if the floral is a bit too orange? I may just be having an autumnal moment with it. My duvet is a very, very pale pink, I have white curtains, and this braided rug in the bedroom. It could use a little floral + geometric print, right? 

Anybody else finding themselves bitten by the crafty bug these days? 

Diva Wedding Guest

We are heading to Philadelphia this weekend for our first wedding of the season. Can you believe that?! We're getting old (aka - lots of friends are married and moving on to babies already!). The bride is a wedding planner, so I'm extra excited to check out all the fun details she's surely incorporated into the day.

I am going all diva wedding guest and wearing two different dresses! I think I have a good reason, though - the ceremony and reception are five hours apart. You kind of have to be a diva in that situation, right? My nighttime dress seems too dressy for one o'clock...I wish I had roommates to consult with in person for this conundrum!

I hope you all have a wonderful September weekend! Hopefully there will be a glass or two of Prosecco for one and all :)

Summer Sunday Dinner: Back to School Feast

Throughout the summer, I am sharing a peak at our Sunday dinners. That is when our most pretty, fun cooking takes place, and this is a record of all that good stuff. I hope you enjoy! 

The back to school feast serves a larger purpose than just celebrating the end of summer. It's also a distraction to fight against first day of school jitters. This was a drawn out dinner that we ate in courses throughout the night.

First, the fig and olive tapenade. I added a bit of thyme, a teaspoon of capers, 1/2 teaspoon of anchovy paste, and a giant squeeze of lemon to mine. This is now my go-to appetizer. Ten minutes to make, with all pantry-ready items? Perfecto.

Peter made cocktails with muddled peaches and basil and rum, and I threw together the peach tart. After a while, we switched to rosé, set up the steamer for our little lobsters, and grilled the onions and peaches for salad. 

I've written before about lingering and eating long, drawn-out meals when guests are with us, but it turns out that it just as nice a practice when it's the two of us. Something good to remember as this summer Sunday dinner series draws to a close.

And just like that, we are back in school-mode.

Autumn Reading List