Tag Archives: food

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Can you hear my husband groaning from there?

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The search has begun.

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Yes, we’re finally breaking down and shopping to replace our…. are you ready for a shock?…. 39 year old mattress.

We bought a seriously high end Stearns and Foster mattress in … gulp! … 1986 and it has served us faithfully for a very long time. We’ve flipped and rotated for decades but it’s finally gasped its last breath and needs to go.

Have you shopped for mattresses lately?

It’s a whole new world.

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Aireloom… handmade, beloved by Ronald Reagan who put them in all White House bedrooms, and firm enough to make me happy.

The prices however, did not.

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Stearns and Foster firm? My second choice but about the same price.

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Serta firm? Not firm enough and I was beginning to feel like Goldilocks. Please note the husband’s thrilled expression that we were making the rounds of furniture stores again.

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And speaking of furniture, if we’re replacing the mattress…

Perhaps it’s time to replace the 39 year old bedroom set as well. Problem is our old set is solid mahogany and, well… solid. Today’s bedrooms? Not so much.

Unless you buy Amish.

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If they can hold a horse…

(PS… that bureau wasn’t $750, just the mirror which is sold separately)

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What’s that strange pillow on the sectional couch we walked by?

A pet bed of course.

🤣

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After a full day of shopping with no decisions made, my husband was ready for alcohol… and to be honest so was I. Lying down on mattresses that cost $6,000 plus will do that to a girl.

Spiced pear margarita and calamari to start.

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Grilled chicken harvest salad with goat cheese, apples and butternut squash for the husband.

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Haddock sandwich and seasoned fries washed down by a cranberry Paloma for me.

The search continues..

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Newport – Day 2… Bellevue Avenue, Ocean Drive, Jamestown, some fabulous homes, berried beer and geese.

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Newport, Rhode Island is famous for its Gilded Age “cottages”. These stately mansions line the waterfront on an avenue appropriately named Bellevue… ‘beautiful view’ in French.

And cruising down that graceful tree lined avenue is indeed a beautiful thing.

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Ornate wrought iron gates guard impressive estates.

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Some are owned by the Preservation Society and open to the public …

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Some are still privately held.

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Some look like the Addams family could live there, but trust me… they’re all spectacular.

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It’s like stepping back in time.

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Before all those pesky taxes, regulations and workers unions ate into the homeowner’s stash of cash.

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We were told Larry Ellison (founder of Oracle) just bought two adjoining properties, tore one house down and is doing 150 million dollars worth of renovations to the other. In a city that worships its history, this is akin to wholesale slaughter.

Needless to say he will not be receiving a welcoming apple pie from his neighbors.

Continuing down Bellevue Ave, we took the scenic route on Ocean Drive.

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Where large waterfront homes and properties rule the day.

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Jay Leno has a big spread here.

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And is said to drive his cars around town, popping into local restaurants and pubs quietly and politely.

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This is a gorgeous area.

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Scenically beautiful.

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And if I had that kind of money?

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I’d live here too.

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Stone is a favored building material. And turrets are popular.

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Because who doesn’t love a turret?

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Continuing across the bridge, we headed for Jamestown.

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First established in 1678 by the Massachusetts Bay Company on Conanicut Island, it’s the second largest island in Narragansett Bay.

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And though it has impressive waterfront homes like Newport…

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It’s a quieter, more laid back, rural town.

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I’m not sure why you’d want a deck around your chimney, but these people did.

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The coastline is very similar to ours in Maine.

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And they do love their stone walls.

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Crossing another bridge, we ended the day at a brewery in Middletown.

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Where I had a blueberry beer with actual blueberries in the glass. Shame it didn’t taste anything like fruit.

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An old photo on the wall paid tribute to the popular beers of days gone by. And though we were surrounded by Narragansett Bay on all sides, and Narragansett beer was on every tap in every restaurant…. the brewery itself is inland, in Providence and run by a New York company.

Boo to that.

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After an excellent clam chowder and French onion start…

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And the annoying lack of adverbs, the meal was sub par and not close to photo worthy.

But on the drive back to the resort?

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The ever present geese.

They never disappoint.

😊

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Miscellaneous nonsense.

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His Lordship has discovered the joy of popping bubble wrap.

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And literally throws his whole body into it.

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Because Easter is right around the corner.

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This sounds utterly disgusting to me, and to be honest… I don’t think the Peep looked pleased either.

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I didn’t know this, but am glad I do now.

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Yes, she’s still here.

And yes, we’re still getting snow.

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I know I complain about trying Facebook recipes that never turn out as pictured…. but I dare any of you to cook a pork tenderloin that comes out like that!

🤣

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If you know, you know.

😖

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My neighbor sent me this picture a while back. She was coming up her driveway and captured the strange cloud formation.

Very odd.

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Go for the beer, stay for the food.

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Friday dawned sunny and relatively warm so the husband and I jumped in the car for a drive to the mountains.

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Heading west to try a new brewery that had popped up since our last visit.

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And while the hilltops were free of snow, the lakes were still frozen.

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Our destination was Steam Mill Brewing which had a colorful tasting room.

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And a comfortable, laid back western vibe.

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We did a few tastings but weren’t overly impressed with the beer.

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But my Rogue Angel – Titos, elderflower cordial, grapefruit juice, soda water and orange bitters – hit the spot.

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Crab cakes with Cajun remoulade and truffle aoili? OMG. To die for. Some of the best I’ve ever had… and they are always my go to app.

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Husband’s French onion soup? Dark, rich and full of sherry. Yum.

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The vaguely spider like overhead lighting was bizarre.

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But my veal, beef and pork bolognese and his mixed green salad with grilled chicken and warm maple vinaigrette were amazing.

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The town was also running a cocktail competition that, had I lived there, I would have been all over. Bar hop 11 places and taste test their cocktails? Sign me up.

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Naturally I tried Steam Mill’s entry… which, while tasty, was down right deadly.

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On our way out, the rest rooms provided a few laughs.

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Then it was back over the mountains for a scenic drive home.

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A good time was had by all.

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Delizioso!

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A new Sicilian restaurant opened recently and you know we were all over that.

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Small and unassuming, it was packed tight with hungry customers and upon entry we were asked if we had a reservation.

For lunch.

On a Tuesday.

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We didn’t, but happily snagged the last two seats at the bar…. which is where my husband always wants to sit anyway.

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The Limoncello spritz was lovely and fit the decor perfectly.

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My arincini was too die for. Light, pillowy and perfectly prepared. The bread was freshly baked and the husband’s meatballs were juicy and correctly spiced.

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The husband had –

Canneloni Al Forno
‍Lacinato Kale + House Ricotta + Marinara + Mozzarella + Pecorino + Lemon Zest.

It was light and flavorful and even though it contained the devil’s weed… I liked it.

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I opted for –

Porcini Marsala*
‍Local Wild Mushrooms + Pecorino + Pistachio + Thyme + Busiate Pasta.

Which was absolutely divine. The flavor was amazing…rich and layered.

This place may be small and hard to get in, but we’ll definitely be back.

Yum!

😊

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First of the season.

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Look who’s back!

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I spotted our first woodchuck yesterday.

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And immediately tossed out some lettuce and broccoli to welcome the little guy back.

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I’m saying little guy but it might be a girl. I only know it doesn’t look like our old momma chuck of years past.

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She’s been around for a long time and sadly, I think it’s time for the next generation to take over.

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We’ll be back to Baxter.

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The husband and I found a (not so new, but new to us) brewery in Lewiston recently.

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Baxter brewing is housed in the old Bates mill complex …

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And has a fabulous tasting room space.

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I love when companies repurpose old buildings. This was a hydro powered textile mill back in the day and if you look closely in the far corner of that picture you’ll see a raw rock wall. During heavy rain storms it weeps… wear waterproof shoes if you sit there.

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The beer?

Yeah, there’s lots of it on tap.

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That chocolate orange stout?

Primo!

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They also have a full bar and since I’m a sucker for fresh herbs in my cocktails…

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I sampled the thyme after thyme mule with pear and lime ginger beer. Yum!

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At the bar we spied an outdoor mural we missed on the way in.

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Along with the beer?

Food.

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Sadly it wasn’t as good as the booze.

The husband’s French onion soup was sent back because it was basically just a bowl of soggy bread.

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My dumplings were tasty but a bit overdone with hard edges.

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The generator that powered the mill.

It’s massive and would have cost a fortune to remove so they just painted it and left it in place.

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The husband liked his chicken tenders, though I thought the coating was too heavy and too dry.

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I should have known better than to order a smash burger… I don’t usually like them as they’re thin and well done… but the bartender said the maple honey cream sauce was amazing so I took the plunge.

Sauce aside, it was a dry hockey puck.

Am I the only one who hates this smash perfectly good meat to smithereens trend?

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Poor pub food aside, the atmosphere and beer were good enough to warrant a return trip.

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We’ll just order something it’s harder to screw up. Like nachos, or salad.

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😊

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Who wants a wash, cut and style with their ravioli?

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After we visited the delightfully quirky Calefs General Store in New Hampshire last week, we were hungry for lunch. Not being familiar with the area we asked the ladies who worked there for a recommendation.

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They directed us to Dante’s, an Italian restaurant we were assured was popular, crowded and always delicious.

Unassuming from the outside…

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And not at all crowded on the inside, I was beginning to doubt the review.

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The bar is always my husband’s preferred seating choice and since it was completely empty, we got started.

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I like arincini, but have never in my life been served any this large.

Seriously, they were the size of tennis balls.

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Almost as big as my blood orange and vodka spritz.

Shame they were cold in the middle and virtually tasteless. If they’d been tasty I could have eaten them as a meal.

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This was supposed to be ravioli carbonara, but instead of pancetta they used ham and instead of garlic there were large chunks of onion.

The portion was huge, but again… rather tasteless.

Vowing never to return to this disappointing place, we noticed a woman walking out of a doorway adjacent to the bar with a brush and a can of hair spray.

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Turns out it’s a hair salon.

Right there.

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And next to the hair salon? A fitness center.

It was a regular one stop shop!

You could work out, blow out and pig out all in the same building.

Now that’s multi tasking.

🤣

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We’re doomed.

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As many of you know, we’ve battled a certain red squirrel in the past.

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She’s chewed holes in our barn, our garage and our wood shed.

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She’s gnawed her way into the eaves of our home and given birth to a large brood we physically had to evict. She attacked my husband when he was cleaning gutters and built a nest in his truck engine, destroying wires that required it to be towed to the repair shop. I could go on, but I think you get the gist.

She’s a menace.

So the other day… when I saw she had a friend?

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I was concerned, but before I could fully process the horror? I saw this…

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Four!

There are now four red menaces in residence.

We’re doomed.

😫

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