Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Thwarted!
Summer of 2013 is finally here!
A funny thing happens to Vermonters in winter. No doubt that we all get out and have our fair share of fun in the snow(at least when we have snow), but somehow through the short days and the long nights, people around here seem to retreat. I won't see my neighbors for months on end, and friends stop by only once in a while. I guess I keep more to myself too, wrapped up in our daily routines of work, kids, and just staying warm.
But then in spring, what a wonderful transformation we have waiting for us! In the warm weather, neighbors and friends come spilling from their houses, kids are suddenly playing along the sidewalk, friendly driveway conversations pick up again, and friends stop by on their bikes or on walks with their strollers. We reconnect and joke about our winter hibernation; how silly, how distant it seems standing in the warm sun.
And of course we look forward to good times and good food with our friends on the double vision quest. Our first celebration was set during my last week of school, June 13th...
And then the stomach bug happened. First my family the week of the 13th. It was a particularly bad bug that lasted quite a few days, and since all of our participants have kids, we cancelled the cocktail round for that day.
We rescheduled for June 17th, Tim's birthday! A party was all set, and Tim and family had rented a cabin on lake Dunmore for the week. We were all looking forward to grilling, drinks, and birthday cake on the lake until Tim's family came down with the stomach bug too. Tim himself woke up with it in the middle of the night on his birthday. Happy Birthday. Thwarted again.
Suffice to stay that we have been off to a rocky start this year. We have another round planned for this week, in a few days. Keep your fingers crossed that we can actually pull something off this time, and we will keep you posted!
A funny thing happens to Vermonters in winter. No doubt that we all get out and have our fair share of fun in the snow(at least when we have snow), but somehow through the short days and the long nights, people around here seem to retreat. I won't see my neighbors for months on end, and friends stop by only once in a while. I guess I keep more to myself too, wrapped up in our daily routines of work, kids, and just staying warm.
But then in spring, what a wonderful transformation we have waiting for us! In the warm weather, neighbors and friends come spilling from their houses, kids are suddenly playing along the sidewalk, friendly driveway conversations pick up again, and friends stop by on their bikes or on walks with their strollers. We reconnect and joke about our winter hibernation; how silly, how distant it seems standing in the warm sun.
And of course we look forward to good times and good food with our friends on the double vision quest. Our first celebration was set during my last week of school, June 13th...
And then the stomach bug happened. First my family the week of the 13th. It was a particularly bad bug that lasted quite a few days, and since all of our participants have kids, we cancelled the cocktail round for that day.
We rescheduled for June 17th, Tim's birthday! A party was all set, and Tim and family had rented a cabin on lake Dunmore for the week. We were all looking forward to grilling, drinks, and birthday cake on the lake until Tim's family came down with the stomach bug too. Tim himself woke up with it in the middle of the night on his birthday. Happy Birthday. Thwarted again.
Suffice to stay that we have been off to a rocky start this year. We have another round planned for this week, in a few days. Keep your fingers crossed that we can actually pull something off this time, and we will keep you posted!
Monday, June 25, 2012
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Taste the Future
Summer is here. No, I am not referring to the solstice or the meteorological event, but to the end of the school year. You see, I teach high school. And I love my job, I really do. But sometimes the last day of the school year is the best day of the year!
The end of the school year always comes so suddenly, amidst the frantic rush of us teachers to accomplish everything we set out to do. It is crunch time: curriculum to get through, prom, field trips, assemblies and awards, lots of after school time helping students prepare for exams, final exams, graduation, and then...a quiet school, silent hallways, tranquil days. It is like racing a speeding car only to suddenly fly off the edge of a cliff. The abruptness of the transition always takes me a bit off guard, and often I don't quite don't know what to do with myself. Lucky for me, I had our second round of Double Vision Quest to help make the transition a bit more smooth.
This week, for logistical purposes, a few adjustments. We started earlier, and instead of going to 4 households, we only went to 3. This gave one family (mine, since it was my last day of school!) a break from hosting, and allowed us to spend more time at each stop.
This weeks theme was "Taste the Future", although none of us really knew what that meant. Julie decided that future is really the same as retro (and I agree!), and served us up some lovely Watermelon Mojitos and alongside mini vegetable frittatas.
(pic coming)
Next to Mountain Street, where the kids had a blast playing with the "Elefun" game.
Tim and Caitlin served up two cocktails. First, a nice champagne with Ginger liqueur, which I thought was absolute heaven! Tim also served what has fast become a classic around here: Pims and Ginger. Beautiful, tasty, and refreshing for summer. Along with some beautiful avocado salsa and sweet potato chips, and you've got yourself a party.
On to the next house...
Where Kristin and Curtis served up this:
Rhubarb cocktails with chocolate cheesecake and fancy popcorn. I'll have you know that Curtis wooed his wife with this dessert, and I don't blame her one bit. This is what the future tastes like, come and get some!
Watermelon Mojitos: See Comment Below
Vegetable Mini-Frittata:
Ginger Sparker: Champagne and Ginger Liqueur
Pims and Ginger: 1 oz Pims, 1 oz Ginger Liqueur, 6 oz Ginger Ale
Rhubarb Cocktail:
Curtis' Chocolate Cheesecake:
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Grand Opening
Our first round of cocktails was set to begin at 5pm on a Monday.
I had grand plans for our first event. I volunteered to be the last stop, so I could make a delicious lemon yogurt cake for dessert. I'd just finished Molly Wizenberg's book "A Homemade Life" and was full to the brim with ideas for kitchen creations that would be just perfect.
The weekend before, I even did a test batch, something I rarely take the time to do. I diligently followed the recipe, and the results were glorious. I pulled from the oven a beautiful pale yellow cake, moist and with a glossy brown skin over the top. We devoured it at our yard sale that weekend.
And then came Sunday afternoon. Of course I would need to bake the cake to have it ready for Monday evening. I got caught up in making dinner, getting my son to bed, and then grading papers to get back to my students Monday morning. It wasn't until about 9pm that I realized I'd forgotten the cake. The whirlwind had gotten the better of me. And so I created a backup plan, at 4pm Monday in the supermarket. It wasn't glorious, but luckily being the 4th stop means everyone is already 3 drinks deep!
And so 5pm finally arrived. Our first stop this week was Pleasant Street. Just about everybody was running late, but we oohed and ahhed over our first mojitos, guacamole, and homemade bread with olive oil for dipping. Our first cocktail circuit was coming together! The kids scrambled around our feet while we enjoyed real conversation and a nice drink.
On to Mountain Street, where we were treated to onion tart and Grapefruit Delights. They tasted as good as they looked, with a thick wedge of ruby fruit floating amongst the ice cubes.
Third stop was Pine Street, where we whipped up some attractive Old Fashioneds (that doesn't seem to be a word). Dates stuffed with blue cheese and pecans and wrapped in bacon quickly disappeared, as well one of my all time favorites, baked brie.
Last we headed to Maple, where I set out plates of "Petit-Ecolier" and other shortbread cookies, and brewed up some Irish Coffees. By then we were all feeling pretty great, and the sweet treats went down easy.
We spent time joking about proper cocktail attire and working out the name of our little circuit, "The Double Vision Quest". We spent time together with friends, an all too precious commodity in our newly kid-centric lives. We ran way behind schedule, and so revisions are in place for our next event. We also decided that a weekly theme would be a good idea, and so next week we'll be experiencing "Tastes from the Future".
Kristin's Mojito:
Guacamole:
Grapefruit Delight: Click Here
Onion Tart: Click Here
Old Fashioned:
Stuffed Dates:
Baked Brie:
Molly Wizenberg's Lemon Yogurt Cake
Irish Coffee:
6 oz brewed coffee (we chose Decaf Vermont Coffee Roasters)
1 oz Irish Whiskey
2 oz Bailey's Irish Cream
Last Minute Coffee Accompaniments:
Splurge on some fancy cookies from the supermarket, "Petit Ecolier" being my personal favorite.
I had grand plans for our first event. I volunteered to be the last stop, so I could make a delicious lemon yogurt cake for dessert. I'd just finished Molly Wizenberg's book "A Homemade Life" and was full to the brim with ideas for kitchen creations that would be just perfect.
The weekend before, I even did a test batch, something I rarely take the time to do. I diligently followed the recipe, and the results were glorious. I pulled from the oven a beautiful pale yellow cake, moist and with a glossy brown skin over the top. We devoured it at our yard sale that weekend.
And then came Sunday afternoon. Of course I would need to bake the cake to have it ready for Monday evening. I got caught up in making dinner, getting my son to bed, and then grading papers to get back to my students Monday morning. It wasn't until about 9pm that I realized I'd forgotten the cake. The whirlwind had gotten the better of me. And so I created a backup plan, at 4pm Monday in the supermarket. It wasn't glorious, but luckily being the 4th stop means everyone is already 3 drinks deep!
And so 5pm finally arrived. Our first stop this week was Pleasant Street. Just about everybody was running late, but we oohed and ahhed over our first mojitos, guacamole, and homemade bread with olive oil for dipping. Our first cocktail circuit was coming together! The kids scrambled around our feet while we enjoyed real conversation and a nice drink.
On to Mountain Street, where we were treated to onion tart and Grapefruit Delights. They tasted as good as they looked, with a thick wedge of ruby fruit floating amongst the ice cubes.
Third stop was Pine Street, where we whipped up some attractive Old Fashioneds (that doesn't seem to be a word). Dates stuffed with blue cheese and pecans and wrapped in bacon quickly disappeared, as well one of my all time favorites, baked brie.
Last we headed to Maple, where I set out plates of "Petit-Ecolier" and other shortbread cookies, and brewed up some Irish Coffees. By then we were all feeling pretty great, and the sweet treats went down easy.
We spent time joking about proper cocktail attire and working out the name of our little circuit, "The Double Vision Quest". We spent time together with friends, an all too precious commodity in our newly kid-centric lives. We ran way behind schedule, and so revisions are in place for our next event. We also decided that a weekly theme would be a good idea, and so next week we'll be experiencing "Tastes from the Future".
Kristin's Mojito:
Guacamole:
Grapefruit Delight: Click Here
Onion Tart: Click Here
Old Fashioned:
Stuffed Dates:
Baked Brie:
Molly Wizenberg's Lemon Yogurt Cake
Irish Coffee:
6 oz brewed coffee (we chose Decaf Vermont Coffee Roasters)
1 oz Irish Whiskey
2 oz Bailey's Irish Cream
Last Minute Coffee Accompaniments:
Splurge on some fancy cookies from the supermarket, "Petit Ecolier" being my personal favorite.
Friday, June 1, 2012
Humble Beginnings
It all started with a simple idea. Well, maybe it was a brilliant idea.
When you live in a small town in rural Vermont, there is plenty to do. We get our fill of enjoying the outdoors, breathing the clean air, strolling our little down-town shops, visiting with friends, appreciating the world's best maple syrup, and resigning ourselves to the fact that most folks in town know all of our business. You know, Vermont stuff.
But where we live, the night life leaves much to be desired. Especially when you find yourself tied to your children's schedule and a bedtime of 8pm with the closest bar scene 60 minutes away by car. And so began the quest.
We were 4 couples, all living within a 1-mile radius. We all had at least 1 kid, so getting out (together!) could be a challenge. It was decided that we would create our own cocktail circuit. 4 houses, 4 small plates, and 4 different cocktails. Our own little pub crawl. We'd start by 5pm and spend a half an hour at each house. Maple to Pleasant to Mountain to Pine and home again in time to get the kids to bed. Genius.
And so we set out to establish a new summer tradition of food, drink, and good times with friends. Here we'll be sharing our stories, recipes, pairings, successes, and failures. And if you're in town, come join us for a drink!
When you live in a small town in rural Vermont, there is plenty to do. We get our fill of enjoying the outdoors, breathing the clean air, strolling our little down-town shops, visiting with friends, appreciating the world's best maple syrup, and resigning ourselves to the fact that most folks in town know all of our business. You know, Vermont stuff.
But where we live, the night life leaves much to be desired. Especially when you find yourself tied to your children's schedule and a bedtime of 8pm with the closest bar scene 60 minutes away by car. And so began the quest.
We were 4 couples, all living within a 1-mile radius. We all had at least 1 kid, so getting out (together!) could be a challenge. It was decided that we would create our own cocktail circuit. 4 houses, 4 small plates, and 4 different cocktails. Our own little pub crawl. We'd start by 5pm and spend a half an hour at each house. Maple to Pleasant to Mountain to Pine and home again in time to get the kids to bed. Genius.
And so we set out to establish a new summer tradition of food, drink, and good times with friends. Here we'll be sharing our stories, recipes, pairings, successes, and failures. And if you're in town, come join us for a drink!
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