DINNER FOR TWO (PLUS SPENCER) / RECIPE: SUN GOLD BUTTER, August, 2014, Bushwick, Brooklyn

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This past Sunday the boyfriend and I had tentative plans to join some friend’s out on Shelter Island. But after driving to and from the Hamptons the day before for work the boyfriend just wasn’t up for it. Though I was slightly bummed, I understood his plight (especially since I’m a big unlicensed 26 year old loser), I got over it (though forced him to take me to the beach the very next day). He made up for it by bringing me to my favorite Sunday shopping spots: The Cooper Park Farmers Market and The Meat Hook! We bought way too much food for just the two of us (mostly tomatoes) and prepared a decadent dinner. Luckily, I ran into my oldest friend, Spencer, while running out for some pink wine and I forced him to join us. As per usual we had a lovely roof top BBQ and I finally got to make SUN GOLD BUTTER. Continue reading

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“WEEKEND” GATHERINGS / MY FIRST RECIPE: SUPER EASY COLESLAW, July, 2014, Bushwick, Brooklyn

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As a “restauranteur” (I put restauranteur in quotations because I feel uncomfortable calling myself one when I only own 50% of one restaurant) I don’t get many weekends off. Friday and Saturday nights are my busiest of the week, so more often than not, I’m working while everyone else is playing. (And the weekends I do get to take off nowadays are booked up with weddings, oh being in your late twenties…). Instead, I usually take Sunday and Monday off as my “weekend”. Luckily, the boyfriend (who work’s for a photo booth company) also has an erratic schedule, and can take the days off with me. This post is about my lovely “weekend” on the last hot days of July (I mean, can you believe it’s August right now?! I feel like I’m in San Francisco with this weather!), which culminated with a little roof top gathering (of course). Continue reading

DODGE POWER WAGON RALLY, July, 2014, Cavendish, Vermont

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Every other summer the boyfriend’s extended family (his mom’s brother-in-law’s brothers, to be exact) throw a Dodge Power Wagon Rally at their family’s farm house in Vermont. Before last weekend I had never heard of let alone seen a power wagon, though I found out plenty about them and the people who love them over the weekend. You can learn more about the Dodge Power Wagon, but basically they are vintage pick-up trucks, made between 1945-1980 that are super bad ass. There is a whole community of Power Wagon collectors, many of which congregate at the rally to talk shop, show off their rides, swap parts and most importantly, go off roading. People drive from hundreds of miles away, some with crazy souped up cars too nice to even drive, most towing beat up old wagons, all to ride, drink and EAT. Continue reading

BADGER BROTHER REUNION, July, 2014, Keesville, New York

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I had only planned on taking a couple days off to visit my sister in Cape Cod. The boyfriend, however, had a family Dodge Power Wagon Rally to attend in Vermont that weekend. On our last night he decided to take a detour en route to Vermont and visit our friends, the Brothers Badger. The next morning I decided ditch work and join. Dan and Dylan Badger used to live with my boyfriend when he was a farmer in Vermont. The boyfriend and Dylan farmed together, while Dan was a Brewmaster at a well known but not worthy of a link brewery. I used to love visiting the boys up in their little home in Woodstock, VT. They brewed their own (delicious) beer, killed their own meat and always had a plethora of farm fresh or home grown vegetables that they were all more than willing to cook up. They introduced me to fun that is the game Careers and the “Heart Attack Roll” (cream cheese wrapped in steak, wrapped in bacon). Dan and Dylan had moved to upstate New York over a year ago and had just finished building their Ausable Brewing Company, and we had never visited them. Continue reading

CAPE COD FAMILY FIESTA, July, 2014, Sagamore, Massachusetts

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I need to preface this post with a quick explanation of my family tree. I have what you may call, a unique family situation. Both of my parents have been married and divorced three times each (that’s five marriages between the two of them) and I have several brothers and sisters of varying ages and colors. Even so, in my family we don’t distinguish between “step”, “half” and “full” siblings. We all love each other and that’s all the matters. But just for a  reference, I have attached a nifty family tree I’ve come up with over the years as a quick explanation. See below. Continue reading

EMPANADA PARTY / WORLD CUP FINAL, July 2014, Bushwick, Brooklyn

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My boyfriend lived in Buenos Aires during his Junior year abroad. A week before the World Cup began he bought a flat brim Argentina baseball cap and continued to wear it for the entire tournament. When, for a brief moment, it looked like the USA was going to play Argentina in the quarter finals (set to be played on the Fourth of July), I asked him “Who are you going to route for? Argentina or USA? WIthout missing a beat he said, “Argentina”. When they made it into the Finals he declared we were having an empanada party. So an empanada party is what we had! Continue reading