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Tag Archives: Weekend

All Eyes on the Weekend

10 Thursday Jan 2019

Posted by Nor'east Epicurean in Epicurean, Italian, Maine, Maryland, New England, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island, Travel, Vermont, Weekend

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Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, New York, Philadelphia, Restaurant Week, Rhode Island, Vermont, Walking Tours, Weekend

The weekend is upon us and I’m staying local.  For those looking for something a bit different, following is a roundup of offbeat activities throughout the Northeast culled with the specific mission of getting you out and about.

In Portland, The Maine Historical Society is seizing upon the culinary renaissance taking place throughout the state with  two distinct programs:  Maine Eats and Maine Brews.  The exhibits are on display at the Society’s home in downtown Portland.  A bit further North, The Brunswick Inn is having a Murder Mystery Weekend. A quasi-embarrassing confession, my husband and I love these types of excursions; on the surface they seem like they could be cheesy, but when done right, hilarity usually ensues (note, you must call the Inn to reserve as reservations can’t be made online?!?  Phone:  207.729.4914).

Out and about in New Hampshire, the Prescott Farm Educational Center in Laconia offers a Snowshoe program on Saturday.  And, Stowe, Vermont is hosting its annual Stowe Derby, one of the oldest and most unique ski races in North America.

If you’re around Providence, RI, take the Federal Hill Food Tour.  Hosted by Master Chef and Historian, Walter Potenza, the tour touches upon the great foods and history of Federal Hill and walkers will have the opportunity to sample cheeses, charcuterie, and antipasti.

In New York, check out the New York Botanical Garden’s Bar Car Night (Saturday is the last night for the Bar car evening).   On these nights exclusively for adults 21 and over, the wintry landscape of NYBG sets the scene for festive outdoor adventures, with an after-dark viewing of the Holiday Train Show.

The weekend also appears to be the start of a smattering of Restaurant Weeks.  In Philadelphia, the City Center Restaurant Week begins on Sunday, where those in the know can enjoy a three-course lunch for $20 and a three-course dinner for $35.  In Maryland, it’s the Baltimore Restaurant Week (as well as in a few other, key towns throughout the state).  They fancy themselves a ‘delicious city’ and the week’s specials feature two-course brunch and lunch menus range from $12-20, and three-course dinner menus range from $20-$35.

May inspiration be upon you to get out and about this weekend; I myself might just end up at the Botanical Gardens Saturday evening.  As always, I wish you all safe travels, smooth sailings, and, of course, bon appetite.

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Waffles For All My Friends

01 Saturday Dec 2018

Posted by Nor'east Epicurean in Connecticut, Cookies, Epicurean, Holidays, Massachusetts, New York, Travel, Very Best Baking, Washington DC, Weekend

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Baking, Christmas, cookies, French Toast, Gourmet, Holidays, Libby's, Weekend

Gourmet’s Creme Brulee French Toast

According to Food & Wine, today is (ok, at this juncture, technically, it should be ‘yesterday was’) #NationalFrenchToastDay; who knew — I swear, there’s a day for everything.  I never enjoyed waffles growing up, they reminded me of eating soggy sponges.  And, the way they were prepared in the Stifter household, they kind of were.  It wasn’t until later in life that my mother became creative with her French Toast.  Can’t really blame her, she did have 5 kids to raise and worked full time — if I were her, I don’t think I’d have put too much creativity into my french toast. 

Fast forward some 20 odd years (gee, just 20 you wonder, how can she be so pithy at such a young age?!?) and I’ve grown to love French Toast.  It started after I met my husband who himself makes a mighty fine Toast of French. In our younger days, we would frequent a local diner called Rosee’s.  Rosee’s was located in a former gas station and had kitschy items on the menu like gas pedal meatballs and windshield wiper hot dogs.  Paola, the owner/chef, made fantastic French Toast — her secret ingredients a dash of cinnamon and a bit of nutmeg — that was absolutely divine.   

Very Best Baking’s (aka Libby’s) Pumpkin Cookies

While Food & Wine’s Instagram account specifically calls out the day, I wasn’t able to grab the link to its ‘8 creative takes on French Toast’ post.  Their Pinterest site doesn’t specifically pay homage to the day, but a simple search for French Toast served up a bevy of recipes.  My favorite, and one that is great for a brunch, can be found in the trusty Gourmet Cookbook (same one that my biscotti is from): a french toast creme brulee.  #SoGood. 

Nyack Chamber of Commerce

It’s now after midnight and I’ve missed French Toast Day 😦  (I should really post during the day time, perhaps that would help expand my roster of Western followers).  I’m making cookies and have a good cadence going on so that I’m able to whack out a graph in between baking cycles.  Tomorrow, we’re off to Nyack, NY which is a fabulous town along the Hudson, it’s actually nestled right next to the Tappan Zee Bridge.  We’ll walk the downtown area and attend its annual tree lighting ceremony. Really, what’s a Christmas without going to some sort of tree lighting — whether a big city like DC or NYC or a small town, like Mystic, CT, where Santa arrives on a boat, #fun, or Harvard, MA, a quintessential New England town.

Ah, only a few more trays of cookies to go — for tonight that is, tomorrow is biscotti day.  I’m wishing all of you a wonderful weekend, safe travels and, of course, bon appetite!

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Let’s Hear It For the Northeast!

14 Wednesday Nov 2018

Posted by Nor'east Epicurean in Connecticut, Holidays, Maryland, Massachusetts, New England, New York, Pennsylvania, Travel, Washington DC, Weekend, Winter Solstice

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Christmas, Connecticut, day trips, Holidays, Massachusetts, New England, New York, Northeast, Pennsylvania, Thanksgiving, Travel, Washington DC, Weekend, winter, winter travel

DC in WinterI love the winter. From its first days being the darkest with the winter solstice, yet brightest with the Christmas holidays, to the freezing storms of February that leave the trees a glistening wonderland, I really enjoy all things winter, especially here in the Northeast. I tend not to get the doldrums as I like outdoor activities as much as I find comfort in lounging on the couch with a cup of something hot — hot cocoa, hot toddy, not mulled cider — and alcoholic to warm my soul.  And, as a New Englander traveling, more specifically driving, in the winter isn’t an issue.

So, I was tickled when I tripped across a USA Today article about the best destinations for cold winter vacations.  The article is based on a WalletHub study that analyzed a locale’s costs and hassle (of getting to/from), overall destination costs, attractions, weather, activity, and safety.  The study looked at more than a 100 destinations and of the top 32, 13 were in the Northeast; woo hoo!! Washington and New York placed in the top 5 (NY ranking highest for attractions), the others are:

6: Boston

9: Philadelphia

10: Pittsburgh

18: Baltimore

21: Rochester, NY

27: Buffalo, NY

28: Worcester, MA

29: Providence, RI

30: Hartford, CT

31: Albany, NY

32: Bridgeport, CT (I’m a bit dubious about this one)

According to the folks at WalletHub, sports are a constant driver for winter travel; however, food (yeah, all things epicurean), heritage, and spa services are growing influencers of travel to cold weather destinations.

While people tend to get depressed with the shorter days, I encourage you to breath deep and take a cold weather trip; you’ll enjoy it. If you do go, safe travels and, of course, bon appetite!

via The best destinations for cold winter vacations in 2018

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Planes, Trains & Automobiles

13 Tuesday Nov 2018

Posted by Nor'east Epicurean in Holidays, Massachusetts, New York, Thanksgiving, Travel, Washington DC, Weekend

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AAA, AAA Travel Forecast, Holidays, Massachusetts, New York, Northeast, Thanksgiving, Travel, Washington DC, Weekend

car travelIn my previous life, handling Hertz’s Corporate Communications, I worked quite closely with AAA and their Thanksgiving Travel Forecast was always the catalyst for a slew of media inquiries.  A busy time for us, I was always impressed with the quality of their research.  Below are highlights with some specific details for the Nor’east:

  • Automobiles: The vast majority of travelers – 48.5 million – will hit the road this Thanksgiving, nearly 5 percent more than last year.
  • Planes: The largest growth in holiday travel is by air, at 5.4 percent, with 4.27 million travelers.
  • Trains, Buses and Cruise Ships: Travel across these sectors will increase by 1.4 percent, with a total 1.48 million passengers

For those traveling by car, AAA and INRIX, the global leader in connected car services and transportation analytics, predict drivers will experience the greatest amount of congestion Thanksgiving week during the early evening commute period, with travel times starting to increase on Monday. Drivers in New York City and Boston will see the largest delays – nearly quadruple normal drive times.  That’s right quadruple…insert loud groan here.

Per INRIX, the worst times to hit the road in major Northeast cities:

  • Boston Tuesday 4:00 – 6:00 PM
  • Washington, D.C. Tuesday 5:00 – 7:00 PM
  • New York Tuesday 6:00 – 8:00 PM

By and large, the best days to travel will be on Thanksgiving Day, Friday or Saturday. Drivers should expect increased travel times on Sunday as most holiday travelers will be making their way home.  As you figure out your travels, plan accordingly and think about leaving during an ‘off’ day or hour — i.e. leave on Sunday or early morning Thanksgiving day n(typically my strategy which works well).

Happy planning, safe travels and bon appetite!

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Sunday, Sunday

11 Sunday Nov 2018

Posted by Nor'east Epicurean in Christmas, Holidays, New Jersey, Travel, Yeast

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Tags

Christmas, day trips, Food, Gluten Free, Gluten Free Bread, Holidays, New Jersey, Northeast, Passaic County NJ, Travel, Weekend, Yeast

Here I sit, watching a Christmas movie — this one with Dogs and Kids, always a winning combination. I’ve yet to bake for Thanksgiving (in a nod to Ms. Scarlet, ‘I’ll worry about that tomorrow’).  Unfortunately, while I  cross referenced my baking list with the ingredients in the pantry, I forgot one key item — wax paper.  While I don’t mind being adventurous, making a pumpkin roll without wax paper isn’t high on that list. My husband and I did make bread dough, however.

NYC From Lambert CastleYes, we make our own bread.  Tony adheres to a Paleo diet which prohibits processed food, essentially eliminating flour and sugar from his diet.  While I’m not completely on the bandwagon, by default I’m also following a Paleo lifestyle. Tired of being breadless, a sad and unacceptable state, my husband started researching for, quite literally, ‘low carb bread that doesn’t suck.’  That, coupled with a few recommendations from his nutritionist, lead us to ‘Gluten-Free Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day.’ And, what do you know?  Following the book, its gluten free flour mixtures and master dough recipes churn out some darn good bread, that is actually pretty easy to make.  This is our second go-around making the dough and as I become more familiar with the wonders of yeast (I still haven’t figured that one out), we’ll dive deeper into the book as it has a fair amount of recipes — everything from white sandwich bread, to brioche and even flat bread and pizza doughs. #yummy.

Lambert CastleEarlier in the day we went to Lambert Castle in Patterson, NJ.  Yes there is a castle in Patterson of all places.  Home to the Passaic County Historical Society, their annual fundraiser is a holiday craft fair held throughout the month of November.  Driving up the side of Garret Mountain, we came upon what truly is a castle, built back in the late 1800s by a local silk baron (Patterson used to be known as the silk capital of the world). Walking into the castle itself, we were quickly submerged into all things Christmas as the building was stuffed to the rafters with all kinds of goodies — from provisions to ornaments and festive holiday decorations, to clothes for the kids and on and on and on — three floors of ‘on’ to be precise.

It was a fun day.  Not as productive as it could have been, but fun none-the-less.

At some point this week, I”ll bake.  Until then, happy trails and bon appetite!

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