Part III of our Connecticut journey was a stay at Lynette's and Steve's house. It was perfect because we were able to visit with Lynette, Steve, Nanna, Aunt Tessie and Uncle Walter, Mark & Beth, Therese and Chris and all the kids - so great to have a mini family reunion!
And on top of that we were finally able to see Lynette & Steve's house - believe me, I've been frothing at the mouth to see what they did in terms of renovating their ranch. Steve is a general contractor, and if I could do a "plug" for his work...I must tell you if you are in the CT area, you should hire him. As you can see in the pictures above in the kitchen and the family room, he's one talented guy! When I saw their kitchen I just wanted to pass out: vaulted ceiling, beautiful cabinets and granite galore! A total cooks kitchen. Steve's company is Space Builder's Inc. (www.spacebldrs.com). He even was patient with me with the onslaught of remodeling questions I threw his way!
Our visit was so relaxing: great accommodations, wonderful visit with family, fabulous food by Lynette, Nanna and Steve, and to top it off I was able to get my "dog fix" in by hanging out with Buddy, Lucy and Finster - I, unbeknownst to Lynette, Steve and Larry, was trying to figure out how I could "sneak" the dogs into our car without anyone noticing - oh how I wish Jack (our cat) would accept a canine roommate! I thought I took more pictures, especially of family, but I was so busy enjoying the visit that I forgot to take pictures!
Vist with Family (CT) - September 2011
Visit with Sill and Terry - September 2011
Part II of our trip out East was a visit with Sil and Terry, whom we love so much I wish we could "kidnap"/bribe to live in IL so we'd see them all the time! :) But if that's not feasible, a visit with them in CT will just have to do.
We had an action packed 1 night visit with Sil and Terry: a great brunch at the Great River Golf Club, a walk on the beach (oh how I miss the beach!) and a trip to the Orange Country Fair (http://orangectfair.com/). I love fairs...really, what's not to love about piglet races, tractor pull racing, corn dogs and a beautiful day in Connecticut!
Of course in staying at Sil & Terry's house we were treated to a gourmet meals - a seafood pasta dinner and a yummy breakfast - both would rival a bed and breakfast. Although our trip was way too short, we had a wonderful time. Upon leaving their driveway we already missed Sil & Terry.
Can't wait to visit again.
Visit with Scott and Gwen - September 2011
In mid-September Larry and I made a whirlwind trip to New Jersey, Connecticut and New York, to visit family and friends. We managed to get everything in but it was sooo whirlwind it was too quick - wish we could have stayed longer.
Our first leg of the trip was a stop in Edgewater, NJ (next to the GW bridge and across the Hudson from NYC) to visit Scott and Gwen. We love visiting with the "Sgwotts" and especially when we are able to trek into NYC and explore, eat and just soak in the city.
We spent 2 nights with Scott and Gwen. Friday night we managed to swing a trip to La Vecchia Napoli (www.lavecchianapoli.com) in Edgewater, NJ.
This photo of La Vecchia Napoli is courtesy of TripAdvisor
Scott and Gwen are regulars at this fabulous little Italian restaurant. The owners are so nice and you just feel that you are at home - fabulous food. I always order Linguine and Clams - best in the city! :)
Saturday we drove into NYC for the day. We managed to find a parking lot that wasn't ridiculous (I guess by NYC standards) and just walked around and took in the sites.
One stop was Eataly (www.eatalyny.com), which is located down by the Flat Iron building. It's this amazing food market - just beautiful. Although, I will say it was too crammed with people, which I know is a good thing, but definitely hard to work your way through with all these people.
Since it was lunch time, we went up to the roof of Eataly to Birreria (http://eatalyny.com/eat/birreria), a restaurant and brewery. It was really nice to be on the roof, taking in the sun and enjoying the people watching.
This photo of Eataly is courtesy of TripAdvisor
Unfortunately, the cheese and meat plate and salads we ordered were really pricey. Maybe, by NYC standards it's OK, but for us it seemed a lot of money for not that much food. But it was very tasty.
As we headed into evening we went to one of our favorite restaurants - La Palapa (www.lapalapa.com)- which we always try to go to when we're in town. Great Mexican food. Unfortunately, without fail, I always fill up on their fabulous guac and chips before my entree (grilled shrimp) arrives - and then I'm completely stuffed!
The visit with Scott and Gwen was way too short...but were on our way to CT to visit friends and family for part 2 of our trip.
Crystal Lake 4th of July Parade - July 2011
I will fully admit that I am a latent parade-phile. It must be me being incredibly shy as a kid and walking in Redding, CT's parade as a Girl Scout - I vividly remember wanting to break free of the line and run to higher ground towards "freedom."
So I've been avoiding parades like the plague...until we moved to Crystal Lake. They are practically unavoidable since the parade route is smack in front of our house. So...I've learned to embrace and even enjoy the parades. Hey, as long as I don't have to be in them, I can "safely" enjoy them from the sidelines, or in our case our front porch.
This year Larry and I decided to once again host a little BBQ after the parade. We thought we had a "brilliant" plan to set things up in the front yard and avoid the mosquitoes in the back. And our plan would have worked had we not made one MAJOR error - I'll get to that in a minute...
The plan was for my parents, Hope and Greg and their kids and Bill and June (family) to stop by after the parade if they could make it.
In the beginning of the parade a guy stopped by and asked us if he could leave his bike in our driveway during the parade. We didn't even give it a thought and said yes.
The parade came and went and we started to get ready for the BBQ.
Well, Mr. Bike Man returned for his bike and since it was really hot out, Larry and I thought it would be nice to ask if he wanted a beer.
Well.....1 hour later...alhough it felt like eternity...Mr. Bike Man was still there! He wasn't talking to anyone, just texted away to someone, not budging. We started to get a bit nervous and trying to figure out what to do. Even some of our guests thought he was a friend...we couldn't explain anything until he left, which wasn't happening.
So finally, we decided to pack up the food, as a hint, and that finally worked.
Note to self...it's nice to be nice...but maybe next time we need to set some parameters or give someone a to go drink!
Cruise to Mexico - June 2011
The four of us arrived at the Port of New Orleans on time and ready for our new adventure. Gwen and Scott had already been cruising, but Larry and I were newbies.
I will say that if you are planning on going on a cruise, if you can afford it, go for a suite. Not only is the room a very nice size, all the suites get speedy boarding and departure privileges - I tell you this is the way to travel!
I honestly think I would have had a mini nervous breakdown if we had to wait in line - I swear the lines went on forever for the regular boarding.
The cruise itself was an experience and I definitely would want to do it again, but maybe next time not on Carnival. It's not that it was bad, it's just that it was a little too 20s-something partying - not really our speed.
The room was nice and big, but I'm still trying to figure out how Carnival can say it was recently updated - it looked kind of tired to me.
Unfortunately on the first night Scott started to feel ill and subsequently came down with a bad bacterial infection for the whole cruise. But I will say despite the fact that he didn't feel well, he was a real trooper and came out for dinner etc.
We mainly hung out on our balcony because, honestly, the areas where you would want to go to, the pool, miniature golf, etc., were incredibly stuffed with people.
My only other complaint is that we booked a cruise with only one stop. We did this on purpose because we weren't sure we'd like cruising, but it seemed kind of goofy to go all the way down to Mexico, stop at a port for 6 hours and then head back!
Our one port was Puerta Maya, Mexico. I believe were we actually docked was a few miles away from the actual town. The port had this carefully crafted tourist area, where you could really only see what they wanted you to see - it was surrounded by walls blocking your view of the actual town. After debarking Larry and I managed to walk off site and get a look of town - definitely a hard-hit area. Hopefully tourism helps keep some of the money in the town itself, because it was definitely a poor area.
The tourist area was just that. People were a bit too pushy for my taste for you to buy something. I was actually really looking forward to going to the jewelry shops because they had Tanzanite (my favorite), but it just seemed like a rip off. It could have been fine, but it just made me too nervous to buy something and then have to worry that I was being ripped off. Although, I did buy some beautiful black pearls for next to nothing.
The cruise was a great opportunity to de-stress, eat, take in the sun and hang out with Scott and Gwen.
It was a great time, although we wish Scott wasn't sick. We'll have to have a "makeup" trip for Scott - nothing like having a good excuse to travel! :)
Here's to our next adventure with the Sgwotts!
New Orleans - June 2011
For my 40th birthday, Larry surprised me with a cruise.
We'd never been on one before and I must say despite the fact that we used a travel agent to book the trip...it still was a daunting process to decide where we were going, when etc.
The "known" factors were we were traveling in June and that we were going with Scott and Gwen, our travel buddies whom we always have a fabulous time with.
So after going round and round of where we were going to go, we decided to go to the Western Caribbean. What sealed the deal was that we'd be leaving out of New Orleans - a favorite of ours. Larry, Scott and I had been there, but not Gwen. So we thought, "Let's kill two birds with one stone" - go to New Orleans for a couple of nights and then the cruise. Perfect plan.
It was a perfect plan until IL down to LA was hit rain and it began to flood! Apparently I was very naive about flooding, because I thought "OK, if floods and then it takes a day or two to subside." Well, it apparently doesn't. It takes time to crest and then to subside, leaving, unfortunately potential disaster in its wake.
So by the time we were ready to drive towards New Orleans, our "half-way point" of Tunica, MS, was under water! We love Tunica. It's this amazing town with casinos, literally in the middle of cotton fields. It's about 20 miles south of Memphis and a great little junket if you are passing through or want to try your hand at lady luck.
So Tunica was out and we decided to to go via Nashville - slightly out of the way, but since we love Nashville, we were game. We decided to stay in Franklin, TN again since we had such a nice time there in the Spring. That's what Larry and I love to do - find little cities and towns on our trips - it makes for new adventures and the promise of finding potential great restaurants and shopping!
So despite our serpentine route to New Orleans, we made it almost on time to meet up with Scott and Gwen.
It was nice to see that New Orleans was on it's way to recovery from the hurricane, but it seemed a little worse for the wear. But it seems that New Orleans is a rough and tumble kind of place, so I suspect it will bounce back.
We stayed at the beautiful W Hotel in the French Quarter. As you can see in the slide show above, the hotel has this gorgeous and very private courtyard. Larry and I were trying to figure out how to copy it for our backyard. The appeal other than the fact that it was stunning? No grass or weeds to pull!
We spent our time in New Orleans pretty much walking around and eating. And despite the fact that it was in the 90s, which I hate, for some odd reason it didn't bother me.
We made sure Gwen got a good taste of the city with stops on Bourbon Street, Nola (yum!), beignets at the French Market, Jackson Square, pedis for Gwen and I and MORE food! What's not to love.
It was a great couple of days in New Orleans...now on to the cruise!
Franklin, TN – Our Favorite New Destination - May & June 2011
Larry and I have a new favorite get-away destination: Franklin, TN. I’ve been reading about it for some time: it always seems to be written up in Southern Living or the now defunct Cottage Living (sniff, sniff, sob, sob). So I added it to my “Places we need to go to” binder.
We were there two times recently – once in May and another time in June.
We are huge fans of Nashville, which is about 20 minutes from Franklin, so it’s a great side trip if you’re in Nashville or in my opinion can be a destination in and of itself - it was actually the site of the Battle of Franklin duirng the Civil War (OK, I looked that up, but we have family who went there and knew about the history).
Franklin offers great shopping for the home and cute boutiques. And you have plenty of fabulous dining options.
The town is just darling – if we lived in the area I could see us living in Franklin and commuting to Nashville for work. It’s has a great small town feel with, yet has plenty to offer.
I can see why magazines have showcased this town – it’s a little piece of heaven, with gorgeous homes, yummy places to eat and will certainly satisfy your shopping fix.
If you have time, you should also visit Leiper’s Fork – about 8 miles away from Franklin. It’s a beautiful drive from Franklin to Leiper’s Fork: rolling hills, horse farms, stunning old homes – my kind of area!
Although we quickly visited Leiper’s Fork – OK, I was starved and even a cute little town couldn’t dissuade me from finding food! – we were able to, albeit it very quickly, see it’s charm. It’s literally a ½ block of artisan shops and restaurants. There was the original Puckett's which we tried at their restaurant in Nashville (it’s also in Franklin) – and it just looked like a great place to have beer, BBQ and relax in the country while listening to music.
It’s definitely located off the beaten path – but Larry and I love that and usually find the best food/towns/etc. by traveling the back roads.
Forty/[Insert Age Here] is the New Fabulous! - Februray 5, 2011
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| And to think that I still have some of my baby teeth! |
That declaration then turned into a 5 minute panic: “Get in shape! Do all your unfinished projects! Start using sunscreen!
Well after I calmed down and vowed to do some if not all of these “projects,” I did have a moment of clarity about turning 40: while I may not be the most confident all of the time with everything in my life, there is something about the latter part of your 30s and I suspect moving into your later years, that you just accept things that you cannot change and you realize that you just might be fantastic just the way you are, even if it means you aren’t 5’8’’, a size 0 and haven’t won the lottery.
Larry HUGELY surprised me with a party at Duke O’Brien’s in Crystal Lake and later a cruise in June.
It was a wonderful night, although Mom was not able to make due to being under the weather – but we were able to keep her in the loop via a play-by-play by phone.
Thanks to everyone, Family and friends, who came to celebrate – I was completely surprised and had a fabulous time!
Enjoy the photos!
A Visit from the Fritz Boys - January 16, 2011
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| Eric and Brian |
Afterwards we were able to chat with Brian before he was whisked away to another singing engagement.
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| Dad, Jill, Eric, Brian, Larry and Mom |
Wish the visit was longer!
To Die For Carrot Cake
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| Completely worth the ridiculous amount of calories! |
Carrot Cake with Decorative Carrots
Note: This recipe is entirely soy-free.
Makes 1 two-layered cake. Prep Time: 35 minutes; extra to decorate. Cook Time: approximately 1 hour.
Ingredients
Cake:
4 eggs
3/4 cups Canola Oil
2 cups white sugar
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
3 cups grated carrots-
1 cup chopped pecans
Cream Cheese Frosting: 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
8 oz. package of cream cheese, softened
4 cups confectioner's sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 tsp. milk - I used fat free because that's what I had in the house, but if I had my druthers, I'd recommend whole milk for the extra richness.
1 cup chopped pecans - for when you frost the cake.
.
Instructions for the Cake:
- Preheat the oven 350°F. Grease with some butter and sprinkle with a little flower two 9" round cake pans. Note: You can use cooking spray, BUT, they all have soy. So if you are baking with a soy allergy in mind, PLEASE read all your food labels; it's amazing how many products have soy.
- Using my KitchenAid stand mixer (you can use a large bowl and hand mixer too), beat together the eggs, oil, white sugar and 2 teaspoons of vanilla. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add in carrots and mix for several minutes. Add in pecans and mix for several more minutes.
- Fold mixture evenly into the 2 cake pans.
- Bake in the pre-heated over for 40-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean. Note: I start checking for "doneness" after 30-35 minutes, depending on your oven.
- Let cool in pan and then turn over onto a cool surface/wire rack for further cooling.
- Using the stand mixer, combine the butter, cream cheese, confectioner's sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla and milk. Beat until mixture is smooth and creamy - I did this for awhile to get it pretty fluffy.
- To Frost the Cake: Once the cakes are cool. I placed one on a nice plate and frosted the top of it and then placed the second cake on top of it. I worked my worked my way around the cake and then smoothed out the frosting around the cake.
- Nuts: I literally took small handfuls of the nuts and "smooshed" them gently onto the side of the bottom cake layer - it adds a nice, elegant touch (and tasty too!) to the cake.
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| Cute and Yummy! |
- I made some extra frosting and then divide the mixture into 2 bowls using the stand mixture. In one bowl you will need to add green food coloring for the carrot leaves - I ended up putting quite a few drops to get the color I wanted. For the Carrots: Same thing, but instead add yellow and red food coloring.
- Using a round frosting tip for the carrot shape and a star tip for the leaves, I placed each frosting in a pastry bag with its corresponding tip.
- First I made the leaves and worked my way clock-wise around the top of the cake. You may want to try this on a plate first to practice - it seemed to me that it's a matter of the pressure and amount you squeeze out of the bag to achieve the perfect leaf.
- For the carrots, I used a round tip and started right under the base of the leaves. Start with a bit of a "bulb" and then pull down with the frosting to make a tail. Again practice makes perfect.
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| Ready to wow guests |
Enjoy!
Source: © 2011 May Family Recipes
A Lesson from Seinfeld
When 2011 rolled around, I had in my head that this was going to be the "Year of Jill."
I was turning 40 in February and, well, my thought was it's time for me to get in shape, embrace the new decade, climb a mountain (not really), blah, blah, blah. Kind of like a New Year's resoultion but longer - which I do every year and...do they ever even last???
Well as soon as I had this new mantra in mind I then immediately thought "George on Seinfeld declared the 'Summer of George' and you know how well that turned out!
Well the start of 2011 did in fact start off with some blips and then it was suddenly June - so I'm FINALLY at a point where I can now play catch up with my posts...so bear with me.
Glad to be back!
Red Velvet Holiday Cupcakes...Yum! - December 2010
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| Red Velvet Cupcakes with Holly |
I got the design idea from an office neighbor (thanks Misty!) who brought in these beautiful chocolate cupcakes with "holly leaves" on top of them. Honestly, when I saw them, I was just giddy, because I knew I would have to try to make them. And a big thanks to Misty for lending me the very cool holly leaf gum press.
Here's my interpretation of them with a Red Velvet Cupcake - perfect for the holiday season!
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened - yikes, I know...these aren't exactly healthy...but they are worth it!
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1 bottle (1 ounce) McCormick® Red Food Color
2 teaspoons McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract
Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Set aside.
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| Mix the Dry Ingredients |
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| Beat in Eggs |
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| Add the Sour Cream |
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| Mix in the Red Food Coloring |
5. Spoon batter into 30 paper-lined muffin cups, filling each cup 2/3 full.
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| Be Careful to Not Fill Too High! |
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| Ready for Frosting |
Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
Beat 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened, 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened, 2 tablespoons sour cream and 2 teaspoons McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract in large bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in 1 box (16 ounces) confectioners' sugar until smooth.
Note: I used a frosting decorating bag - I sooo recommend this - it makes your cupcakes look pretty darn professional. This was my first try at it and after a few missteps, I was a cupcake decorating addict!
What you'll need:
- Green fondant
- Red fondant
- Edible sparkle dust
- Fondant roller
- Holly leaf cookie cutter/sugar press
1. For the holly leaves: Place the green fondant on a cookie sheet or hard, clean surface. Use a fondant roller to roll out the fondant to the desired thickness. Hint: don't make it too thin or the "leaf" will be to flimsy to work with and it may break.
2. For the berries: Do the same above with the red fondant and roll 3 little balls for each holly leaf.
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| Red Fondant (Rolled Out) |
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| Holly Berries |
4. Take a small amount of the frosting and put a it on the center of the holly leaf.
5. Place the berries on top of the frosting so that it is "glued" to the holly leaf.
6. Voila! Pretty realistic and festive holly leaves with berries!
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| Holly Leaves with Berries |
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| Cupcakes...Cupcakes...Cupcakes Everywhere...Oh My! |
So the final cupcake, I think came out pretty darn good...don't you think?
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| Festive Holiday Treat...Yum! |
Blue Spoon Cafe...Post Thanksgiving Trip to Madison, WI – 2010
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| Culver's Blue Spoon Cafe |
Last year while staying in Middleton, purely by accident, we found a great cafe: The Blue Spoon Cafe (www.bluespooncafe.com). Interestingly enough, it's owned by Culver's, but is not fast food - we just loved it.
We loved it so much on our trip last year, that we went to their other location in Prairie du Sac, WI - another cute downtown and headquarters to Culver's Restaurants (www.culvers.com). The funny thing is that while we were there, I wanted to see the headquarters building. So we drove up to the building, apparently their brand new headquarters building, and we, OK, me, peaked in the window. Suddenly, someone came to the door and invited us in - it was actually the owners of Culver's - Craig and Lea Culver - and they were there on a Saturday, decorating for Christmas! They were so nice and gave us a tour of their new facility - Larry and I got such a kick out of it!
But I digress...
So this year we were quite excited to go to Middleton and go the Blue Spoon Cafe, only to find that it was permanently closed. I was completely thrown because it was so yummy (custard pancakes!) and packed with people.
The good news is that the Prairie du Sac location remains open and just celebrated its 10th anniversary.
Apparently the Blue Spoon Cafe is a test concept cafe and I hope they consider branching out to other locations...say Illinois :), because it's really, really good. And I hope they re-open in the Madison area, because it fits the area to a "T" - great food, artsy and just plain cozy.
So if you are in the Prairie du Sac area, go to the Blue Spoon Cafe for breakfast or lunch - you'll be in for a real treat!
Thanksgiving - 2010
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| Ready for the Big Feast! |
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| All Set and Ready for Company |
I cleaned the house the weekend before and shopped for food, and set the table, made the pumpkin pie, gravy stock, and stuffing on Wednesday - just reheated them up the next day!
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| Festive Fall Pumpkin Pie (need to use a crust protector next time, though) |
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| Cheese and Cracker Appetizer |
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| Use Leaf Cookie Cutters for a Fall-Inspired Look |
While the guys watched football....
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| Dad, Eric and Larry |
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| Mom and Ma |
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| Dad and Me |
The only "bad" thing that day was the temperature just tanked - it was frigid by the time everyone left - that's our lovely weather in Illinois!
It was just a lovely day.
Fall/Thanksgiving Decorating - 2010
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| Outside Fall Display...A Little Worse for the Wear |
Fall is my favorite season - hands down. I love the earthy colors, the sun (typically) is always shining, and when it gets a little brisk, you can put on a cozy sweater, stomp on the crackling leaves, smell the crisp air, just enjoying the outside.
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| Living Room |
At least the inside of the house is climate-controlled, so you get a better idea of what I did. To follow is a breakown of my fall decorating projects for the fall/Thanksgiving.
Living Room Mantle
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| Living Room Mantle |
Urns
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| Urn Display |
For this year, I have branches, Chinese Lanterns (real - love these!) and feathers. As I said, I really like to keep things natural looking/use natural pieces. I was hoping to find some new lanterns this year, but no one had real ones in the area, which was a pity, because fresh ones are very vibrant in their orange color - these are actually from a farmers market in Cambridge, WI, that I picked up a few seasons ago and just try to use until they disintegrate...
Wheat Swag
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| Black-Bearded Wheat Swag |
Voila!
Mantle Hurricanes
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| Glass Hurricane with Hazlenuts |
The candles are unscented Chapel candles by Tag, Ltd - love these! Tag sells to places like Crate & Barrel and we are very lucky in the Chicago area to have 2 Tag outlets! These candles are excellent: great slow burn, no drip, and a really nice glow.
For the fall/Thanksgiving, I usually add nuts - here I used hazlenuts. Nuts are inexpensive, natural and add a very warm touch to the display.
Front Door
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| Shaved Wood Wreath |
But since we were going to the Country Living Fair in Ohio in the fall, I thought maybe I'd find something new for the door. And I hit the jackpot, because this is perfect - its natural (wood shavings) and is a great warm and toasty rust. Plus it's great for both fall, Halloween and takes you right through Thanksgiving.
The wreath is from Nest (www.nestgr.com) in Grand Rapids, MI.
Thanksgiving Centerpiece and Table Setting
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| Thanksgiving Table Setting |
The table is our typical "formal" table. This year I also bought some chargers - gold from World Market. The tablecloth is from TJMAXX.
Flower Arrangement
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| Flowers in Pumpkin "Vase" |
So I used the non-rotten one and placed it on the living room end table for a little extra fall flair - crisis solved!
