Holiday Wishes

To my friends and blog readers near and far, wishing you and yours a peaceful and happy holiday.Lately I've been nestled on the couch in front of our tree with my laptop and a hot cup of English tea, or a large bowl of homemade chicken tortilla soup.

I have been battling that awful virus, I know you know the one - where your throat feels swollen to the point of making it hard to breath, a hacking cough that just won't.go.away and becoming ridiculously exhausted after the slightest task.

I'm finally getting better though and looking forward to a relaxing Christmas split between my family on Cape Cod and Adam's family in Quincy.In the coming weeks you can expect to see more London posts, and I'm even getting back to my roots with some North End restaurant reviews slated to kick off 2012. There's lots to look forward to! Many thanks for another year of reading III; I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and a happy holiday celebration!

The Most Wonderful Time of The Year

The holidays are in full swing, and I couldn't be happier to embrace them! Here are some of my favorite views around the city combined with a little about what I've been up to these days.... A most excellent Thanksgiving was spent at Adam's parents house in Quincy; we feasted in courses, most notably on peanut soup (his Mom's special recipe, so good) and a 34 pound bird (among the usual fixings of green beans, parsnips, potatoes, squash, cranberry sauce and more), watched football in between, and my contribution of pumpkin whoopie pies for dessert were a hit. It was super laid back and went undocumented much like lots of my meals have been lately. I have been lazy when it comes to bringing the Canon Rebel out and about, so please forgive a slew of instagram and iphone photos today and in the forthcoming posts. Here in Boston we've been enjoying the extremely mild temperatures as December rolls in, taking in the picturesque, bright light filled city spaces as they grace us with their presence. Although I do miss me some snow, I am never one to complain about the weather be it unseasonably warm or ridiculously cold. Snow makes me happier inside than I can explain, but then again, so do low heat bills! The Christmas tree in Faneuil Hall (above) is always a welcome sight, as is the vivid blue trellis in Christopher Columbus Park. I'm sure it looks familiar, I take a picture of this trellis every season! This year we attended the official lighting ceremony, where Mrs. Menino's introduction was met with neighborhood children caroling and complimentary Peppermint Mochas and cookies from Starbucks. In other news - our tree is up, (better pictures coming soon!) a good majority of my shopping is done, and I even started wrapping presents last night. I've never been so on top of my Christmas shopping, but I'm definitely happy to check people off the list so early.Adam and I got some great deals on Black Friday, and I've been on a roll ever since. On Black Friday evening we also ventured out to see The Muppets, starting Jason Segel and Amy Adams. If that's not the feel good movie of the year, I don't know what is. (I highly recommend! So. much. fun.) So is walking through Downtown and the Theater District at night. My Mom came into town this weekend for our annual city shopping spree. Along with my sister and Adam, we partook in the 5th Annual North End Buon Natalie Stroll on Friday night (Santa at the Fairmont Battery is always a hoot.) Then us girls got our fill of Harvard Square and Downtown Crossing shops on Saturday. A most excellent lunch was had a Russel House Tavern, I can't wait to share my review!Other than that, it's been holiday business as usual. Drinks at Cafe Florentine (this North End restaurant and bar has the best ambiance around the holidays!) Eggnog in my coffee,And pastries and cannolis from Modern. Always Modern.


How have you guys been embracing the holidays so far?!

Resolutions? and New Kitchen Stuff!

Lately it seemed that while everyone was blogging or tweeting about their New Years Resolutions, I was still busy reminiscing everything I ate in Two Thousand Ten.


I don't normally make resolutions, but with the overwhelming presence in social media, I couldn't help but give it some thought. I pop into the gym whenever I see fit, which hasn't been much at all lately. So getting my butt to Planet Fitness along with the rest of the rat race might not be a bad idea. But who cares about that? Bo-ring. A real resolution with some legit substance might be something like "get back in the kitchen" or "cook more." Not a bad idea seeing as I received something related to cooking / the kitchen from each and every member of my family and extended for Christmas and I.haven't.cooked. All I've used extensively are the red and white wine glasses my Mom gifted to me and the brand new wine opener from Adam. (We needed one and so I put it on my wish list.) Actually, I have also used the round wooden (I was very precise when making my list) cutting board and the pretty Anthropologie Utensil holder from my sister! That is a start, right? Sometimes outsiders refer to this as a cooking blog, and although you won't hear me call it such, (food blog - yeah! Cooking blog - not really) I did used to cook, take pictures, and post recipes (or at least links to them.) After awhile it turned into restaurants galore, a weeknight slew of events, vacations, holidays, and other peoples food. The cooking on my end faded into the background and eventually was neglected completely. I was so busy with everything else, I had no time to cook! I wasn't grocery shopping because I was eating out all the time, or dedicating time to writing, as opposed to cooking. I am blissfully content to eat out and write, and am happiest in life when going-with the-flow and embracing the opportunities as they are presented. When I named this blog I felt Inspire could capture any and everything I wanted it to be, so if it took another direction at any given point in time, I was content to let it. Well friends, it is time to get back in the kitchen and to restore some balance, at least for the month of January, as resolutions tend to go. Some old favorites are being pulled out of the recipe folder, a Peapod Online shopping trip is in the works and the pages are being turned in the three cookbooks I got for Christmas, searching for inspiration. I got a Cooking Light 1989 cookbook from my Dad. I am still wondering where he purchased a 22 year old version, because I am pretty infatuated with it. It is even dust stained, taking on an antique like quality. A Baking book from my boss, Ben (accompanied by a bottle of red wine, can't go wrong.)This awesome book from my Mom's boyfriend JJ. The Absinthe shot on the cover is reminisce of New Years Day some years ago. Sugar cubes, spoons and all. Oh where did my youth go? Oh yea, it went to the dirty martini, far left. And please note my new favorite quote on the cover "A triumph of unapologetic debauchery"-Julie Powell.The new kitchen utensils - knives from my Mom and a pizza cutter from Adam are sharp as they will ever be, awaiting use along with my new set of stainless steel pots and pans from Adam's Mom. The shock and excitement factor upon opening them Christmas afternoon in Qunicy was comparable to that of a nine year old child's believe in Santa being restored after they got the present they had no idea was under the tree for them.The current set of pots and pans I use were inherited from my Mom, a wedding gift to her and my Dad back in the day. I think it is time to pass that set down to my sister and embrace my very own shiny new set. You should have seen me cradling that pot after I heated up soup in it for the first time. I washed it in the sink like it was my firstborn child and then I rearranged my entire kitchen, as giving the 13 piece set ample cabinet space was top priority.Time to get a grip. Time to start cooking! Thanks to everyone who contributed to the improvement of my kitchen this Christmas.


P.S. Restaurant posts are certainly not going anywhere in 2011. 

Holi-daze

Come the holidays, I'm all about the picture montages. You know the drill: good food, spiked beverages, lots of wine, smiling faces, and since it is Christmas - presents galore! Christmas Eve Morning with Adam.Road Trip.Told you I'd get my Holiday Dunkin Donut.Presents & White Merlot with Dad that afternoon.Christmas Eve in East Sandwich, MAOur generous hosts - Aunt Laurie, Uncle Tony, Kate & AJBaked Brie with Apricots & Pecans. Pear Martinis. Family. Poinsettia Martins. Apple Jack & Cider. An incredible dinner and dessert spreadCupcakes from Lulu's Sweet Shoppe & Mom's famous eclair ring.
An extensive selection of cordials.Nothing better than winding down Christmas Eve with Coffee + Mint Baileys and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Christmas Morning at Mom'sBitch Bubbly from my sisters boyfriend Tray. hahaBroccoli Cheddar & Swiss QuicheBloody MarysPotato Latkes with homemade applesauce & crispy bacon. After this excellent brunch and a lovely time on Cape Cod, I spent the rest of Christmas day in Quincy with Adam's family. Many more presents and another dinner feast later, I feel extremely blessed to have so many loved ones with which to celebrate the holidays.
That's a wrap!