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Category Archives: Friday Night

Peter, Where are You?!?

20 Thursday Dec 2018

Posted by Nor'east Epicurean in Christmas, Epicurean, Friday Night, Holidays, Travel, Weekend

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I’ve been side-tracked more ways than I care to think about. The tree has taken a year and a day to buy, ‘install’, decorate, and get in its final place. Oh, and I use decorate sparingly; once the tree was installed, I started hanging lights, as you’re supposed to, only to discover I didn’t have enough. Deep Sigh…

I’ve purchased the remaining lights, finished the decorations as best I could and have since continued on with my life. So, things are good. But there’s still so much to do; another deep sigh. I’m making Peter for Christmas…err, I’m making rabbit (a post will definitely follow as this is not my forte and I feel that everybody, and their brother, should learn from my experiences). And, I really would like to find the recipe I used the first time I threw Peter over the fire as it was good.

While that may not happen, I will find a recipe (and order the bunny himself) and get all subsequent ‘doings’ in order.

I’m signing off for the evening as they advise that one shouldn’t blog while drinking and I’m beginning to believe them. That said, reports and postings will be more frequent, and interesting, as we move forward.

As always, I wish you and your family, a merry Christmas and the most wonderful of holidays, smooth sailings, and the happiest of new years.

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Lights Out!

18 Tuesday Dec 2018

Posted by Nor'east Epicurean in Christmas, Connecticut, Festivals, Friday Night, Holidays, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New England, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Travel, Vermont

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Christmas, Conn, Light Shows, Maine, Maryland, Massachuset, New England, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Penn

I’ve been to Lights in the Parkway in Allentown, PA and the Christmas Light Show and Village at Skylands Stadium in Augusta, NJ. Both were pretty fantastic (albeit, I enjoyed the Allentown lights better as you literally drove through a park). I almost went to Bright Nights Springfield (MA) over Thanksgiving, but, unfortunately, time was not on our side.

Waiting to be Lit Up in Hershey, PA

With the days winding down, I am hoping that you’re able to take some time to enjoy the season. And, if that happens to be in the evening consider taking a road trip to your local “light shows.” The roster of displays I’m most familiar with is limited, so I did some legwork and gathered some favorite picks up and down the east coast as culled by people more intimately knowledgeable on the subject than myself:

Eastern PA – The folks over at The Patch identify their Top 5 light displays in the easterly part of the state. While Mommy Poppins (I love Mommy Poppins; even if you don’t have kids, she does a fabulous job curating what’s going on — for young and old alike — in the NJ area and often includes neighboring states!) details out more than 15 shows in the greater Philly area, including the burbs

Hudson Valley, NY – Our friends at Hudson Valley Magazine have gathered 12 light shows ranging from a tree lighting in Nyack to a show in Newburgh that has dancing arches.

Maryland – Chesapeake Family lists out tree lighting ceremonies and on-going displays throughout the month. Most of the ceremonies have taken place, but the static displays are still going on.

New England – Yankee Magazine details out some of the best light shows in New England. For state-specific shows, visit: Kicks 1055 for CT (good ol’ Mommy Poppins also has a list); our friends at Visit Maine present 20 sites throughout the state; in NH, the writers at NH Magazine give their selections for the best; the folks at The Globe have chosen 10 displays from MA, including Bright Nights; and WPRI Channel 12 in RI serves up their choices for the best shows in the state. I’ve left Vermont off as that turned into an expedition of hunting and pecking and, like the writers at Yankee Magazine, I’m left scratching my head.

New York – Of course the City is all all aglow this time of year (more so than usual) and has some fantastic displays as described in Time Out NY (again, Ms. Poppins also has a listing for NYC). For those North of the city, New York Upstate details list out some offerings.

This list is by no means exhaustive, just some thought starters for those of you looking to fill time between now and the new year. If you can’t find what you’re looking for or are traveling outside the Northeast, Travel + Leisure has a list of Christmas light shows in every state.

It’s time for to start thinking about turning out the lights here at Casa Rivera; and, with that, I’m wishing you all safe travels, smooth sailings and, of course, bon appetite.

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Quote

Random Musings…

10 Saturday Nov 2018

Posted by Nor'east Epicurean in Christmas, Cookies, Epicurean, Friday Night, Holidays, Italian, Very Best Baking

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Celebrity Gossip, Christmas, cookies, Epicurean, Food, Holidays, Italian, Michigan, Recipes, Travel

Here I sit, in the kitchen, awaiting the arrival of my sister-in-law and niece, watching My Cousin Vinnie which is the perfect elixir as I do need to laugh. Prior to putting fingers to keyboard, I spent a good 3 hours cleaning out my 20-year-old email account as I’m switching ISPs.  A blast from the past, I tripped across a few tidbits worth sharing:

Zingerman'sZingerman’s: With the holiday’s coming up, we all need that trusty, go-to-source for food stuff; one of mine is Zingerman’s. A ‘community of businesses,’ Zingerman’s is a family of small, food-related companies located in the Ann Arbor, MI area.  Zingermans.com is ‘The Online Shop for Food Lovers’ featuring hearth baked breads, handmade cheeses, varietal coffee, estate bottled olive oils and customized presents. For me, the best part of visiting Zingermans.com are the cartoon pigs strategically placed throughout the site (I’m sure it’s some sort of ‘thing’).  At the bottom of each page is a flying pig with a quippy ‘Great food just flew to…’ and the city and state of the most recent shipment listed.  Absolutely brilliant, fun marketing.

Old Fashioned Pumpkin Cookies:  We don’t have kids, but that doesn’t mean I’ve escaped the ‘yeah, I need cookies for tomorrow’ plea.  Years ago, that very lament came my way at a time when I had limited supplies — sugar, a can of pumpkin, butter, and eggs. Muttering about the lack of ingredients, I googled pumpkin and found a recipe for Old Fashioned Pumpkin Cookies which are now a mainstay that I trot out throughout the fall and winter seasons (giving very little credit to Libby’s, of course).  Even if you’re unsure about a pumpkin cookie, you must try these; they are delicious and easy to make — what could be better?!?

Back to the emails.  A digital heavyweight is being lifted off my shoulders and it feels great.  Within the next month, my junk email will be virtually non-existent (until my new address gets sold). As I skim through the various mailboxes I created to see what I might want to keep, I’m finding all kinds of sites I may/may not want to revisit; in particular:

Very Best Baking: Apparently a Nestle website, it’s where I found the Pumpkin Cookie recipe.  Back in the day it was a ‘go to’ and extremely engaging site (of course the constant giveaways and contests didn’t hurt).  I’m not sure if Nestle owned the site then, but it was a fun, informative site you should consider checking out.  I’ll give a deeper report (more in depth than, ‘hey this used to be a cool site’) after I check it out.

TV Food Network:  Another site to revisit.  I love the station (OK, 1/2 the station, some programs drive me nuts; others, like the Baking Championship series I can’t get enough of).  I don’t visit the site frequently, I tend to default to my trusty cookbooks, however when I do need a recipe or am looking for something a bit different, that’s where I go.  If you haven’t visited, you should.

Avocados: A parting tip.  My husband loves his avocados (I could do without them), but they are a weird purchase — they either aren’t ripe or they are borderline ready to rot.  After a few shopping mishaps, I discovered what to do:  buy them by ripeness — a brown-skin soft sucker to be consumed immediately, light brown/green ‘cado to be eaten within the coming few days and the shiny, hard green avocados to be used a good week out.  Such a simple trick that brings satisfaction to those who eat them on a regular basis.

Before I part, I just have to squeal — OMG, Meg Ryan and John Mellencamp are engaged…what?!?

With that, enjoy the weekend. I’m wishing you happy trails and bon appetite — Now I need to go bake.

 

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Random Musings for a Friday Night…Rabbit Edition

26 Friday Oct 2018

Posted by Nor'east Epicurean in Epicurean, Friday Night, Holidays, Massachusetts, Recipes, Travel, Uncategorized, Weekend

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Epicurean, Food, Friday Night, Holidays, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Northeast, Travel, Weekend

I need to be better in marking down the meals I create and recipes I’m riffing off of (I’m sure there’s an app for that, any suggestions?).  I go through phases where I’ll create a meal completely out of my culinary comfort zone.  These meals are cobbled together from the numerous cookbooks gracing my shelves, focus on a particular region of the world, and often call for about $100 worth of ingredients that I most likely will never use again — turmeric powder for a Mexican meal; fenugreek seeds for my Mediterranean meal.  Past highlight include a random rabbit recipe and a wonderfully flavorful Italian soup.  The reality is I wanted to make both this weekend but, for the life of me, I can’t find the recipes.  Other random thoughts for this Friday evening:

woodland cabin

Woodland Cabin, Warren, MA

Thanksgiving with Marley & Co: Last year Tony and I realized, on Nov 1st, that we had no plans for Thanksgiving.  With some fancy, yet furious, finger work (OK, Airbnb has eliminated that last minute booking panic), I found and secured a cabin in Warren, MA for the holiday and am tickled that we’ll be returning this year (I think we’ll be doing this for as long as Mary Jane will have us).  Woodland Cabin is a fabulous get-away in the southwest region of Worcester County, MA that serves up freshly laid  eggs from the on-site hens each morning; has three wonderful goats, Marley being the most playful, that will go on walks with you; and offers up approximately 80 acres of hiking trails for one’s enjoyment.  Tony is salivating at the prospect of cooking our meals over the open fire — they have a fireplace that’s large enough for me to walk into. We’ll blog throughout the weekend providing blow-by-blow run downs on Tony’s open-fire cooking.

Seasonal Things to Do:  I have two master “Things to Do” lists that I update annually with current year dates (another app I need). The lists — one for summer and another for the holiday season.  I need to update the Christmas list which will, of course, commence with the Cabin.  I’m feeling giving this year and will share some of my favorite must do’s throughout the season.

German Christmas Markets:  Speaking of a favorite thing to do…the market at Lake Mohawk in Sparta, NJ is worth the drive.  To be fair, last year was the first year I attended and I’ve only seen one other advert, just this year, for another local market.  But, one of my bucket list items is to do the whole, proper German/European Christmas Market thing. Until then, I’ll be satisfied with the Northeast’s markets.

Boozy Burbs: This is fun.  Thanks to my good friend Nancy, I’m now hip to Boozy Burbs, Greater Bergen County’s ‘not-so-secret ingredient’ to discovering all things culinary in the area, including Rockland, Hudson, Essex and Passaic county bordering towns. Check it out, it’s well curated and will answer most of your ‘where am I going; what am I eating this weekend?’ questions.

Restaurant Week:  Featuring Hudson Valley – Sometimes they’re in the spring, sometimes the fall.  In NYC, I believe, it’s in the dead of winter. But Hudson Valley’s Restaurant Week kicks off on Sunday.  I like these weeks, wherever they may fall, as they give you the opportunity to experience a new restaurant or revisit a perennial favorite at a rate tolerable for most pocketbooks.  Featuring both lunch and dinner meus, restaurants can be booked in advance on OpenTable (another great site that answers the ‘what’s going on?’ question). 

Chicken Stock Ice Cubes: And, for a Fun Tip, when making chicken stock, freeze cubes of the stock.  This will enable you to grab as many as you might need for smaller batch cooking — i.e. replacing water when making rice, using broth vs. water to steam vegetables, or to enhance the flavor of a canned soup.  Whatever your desire having cubes to work with is an easily wonderful way to pretend you’re an epicurean maven.

This weekend’s adventures may or may not entail a rabbit, if it’s to be Peter, we’ll definitely make note as to where the recipes are housed and will let you know all about our culinary adventures. Until then, happy trails and bon appetite …

 

 

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Random Musings for a Friday Night…

26 Saturday Nov 2011

Posted by Nor'east Epicurean in Friday Night, Holidays, Pie

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Holidays, Maker's Mark, pies, Travel

While tired, I’m completely content.  Thanksgiving was spent in Connecticut, Higganum to be precise, which is an idyllic New England town; coupled with perfect fall weather, the day was amazing and well needed for the family.  Dinner was splendid and it was great spending time with family and friends in a warm, inviting setting.  Today, another perfect fall day, was spent at the Florence Griswold Museum and Hammonasset State Park (details to follow over the coming days) on the beach.  The holidays, and Thanksgiving in particular, should be spent with good friends and family and I’m fortunate to have been with both this week.  

As I embark upon the second half of the weekend, which, hopefully, will be as enjoyable as the first half, a few thoughts:

Still not afraid of the crust:   As I suspected, the pie was great.  While visually not eye pleasing, rustic was the term being thrown about, everyone enjoyed it.  When baking, I try to use fresh ingredients and am a firm believer in grating my spices as needed so the pie had freshly grated cinnamon and nutmeg and, even, three types of apples (rule of thumb is to use at least two).  I’m also a firm believer in doing something with the crust, whether it be an egg wash or sprinkling sugar on top; the crust does need its own tender loving care to give it that something special.

There are hidden gems everywhere:  Old Lyme, CT, where the Museum is located, is a vibrant, historic arts destination where city folk of yester year, from New York and Boston, would flock to.  It’s amazing to think of all the hidden cultural gems that abound in the Northeast.  Connecticut has a well-known antiques trail and, today, I noticed a sign for the Connecticut wine trail; Route 2 in Massachusetts is sprinkled with cultural, historical, and outdoorsy activities; and Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine are teeming with equally intriguing towns.  I’m committed, in 2012, to do more exploring of such destinations and vow to bring to you my discoveries along the way.

Plan with the sun in mind:  Traveling frequently by car between the Cape, my siblings throughout New England and my personal homestead in New Jersey, I always try to factor in the setting sun.  Few things are as annoying as driving into a blazing sun, setting oh so slowly into the horizon.  I tend to take Route 84, albeit not today, and if you don’t time it right, you spend a good hour, hour and a half, driving with the setting sun in your eyes.  The whole process is rather tiring and can turn an otherwise pleasant drive into a pain in the arse; thus, I always advise those driving to keep such things in mind.

Always have a treat on hand:  Growing up, we always had something stashed in the freezer in case someone popped in (this proved to be most helpful for my mother and Mims and has saved me on a few occasions).  Mims, and mom, always had fudge, quick breads and inevitably, a Pepperidge Farm cake or two at the ready.  I’m not as diligent throughout the year, but come fall, I’m steadfast in doing a bit of freezer friendly baking for the holidays.  Last week, I made biscotti from Ruth Reichl’s The Gourmet Cookbook and froze them in serving sized containers.  Have already taken two containers out as a quick little desert for guests.

Cinnamon Girl:  I’m a big fan of Maker’s Mark and make my own little concoction (as far as I’m aware no one else has come up with this).  Essentially, I do a Maker’s and seltzer and add cinnamon.  It’s a very simple way to get a bit of additional spice into one’s life.

Am doing some local New Jersey things for the remainder of the weekend.  My father is visiting and, I believe, we’ll either be going to Thomas Edison’s House or a farm in the Hudson Valley and, am inclined to say, we may even kill a chicken for brunch on Sunday.  Perhaps we’ll enlist the help of a few friends, one of whom, Manny, is Portuguese and an absolutely amazing cook.   Will fill you in on the details over the coming days.

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