Pages

7.29.2016

friday.

{ gray malin }

Happy Friday! I can't believe it's the last weekend in July--more than ever, I'm planning on soaking in the rest of the summer. I have a long weekend in Maine planned in a couple of weeks, and I'm also set on doing as many summer-themed recipes as I can (come November, I know I'll be kicking myself for not taking advantage of all of the seasonal corn and tomatoes we have around these parts).

We're supposed to get some cooler temps and my fingers are crossed for those coming through. My hair and the rest of me can't deal with this humidity (and Olive hasn't been super pleased, either). Also, has anyone been watching Stranger Things on Netflix? I'm obsessed (#winonaforever -- I seriously love her).

7.22.2016

fri-yay.

image via rifle paper co.

We made it to the end of the week. This was a busy one for me with a bunch of family dinners (including celebrating my dad's birthday on Wednesday) and I feel like I'm starting to get reorganized and on top of things. It's funny (pathetic?) how sometimes something as little as dropping off dry cleaning makes you feel like you have your shit together.

The temps are supposed to rise this weekend (along with the dreaded humidity) and I'm looking forward to more family time in the western part of the state along with some much needed poolside relaxation.

Have a great weekend!

7.20.2016

grilled pizza.

This is totally lame, but until recently, I didn't really use my grill. I always found it a bit intimidating and I was fairly certain I was going to burn the house down. (And true confessions, it was always the guys in my life that did the grilling). Due to the fact that I'm currently sans man, my cravings for grilled meats and veggies have gotten the best of me and I recently decided to figure things out. I learned that oil/cooking spray is key--and it's really not that hard.

So, onto the grilled pizza--this is way easier than I thought it would be, and it ended up being super cheap because I bought all of my ingredients at Trader Joes:




I used Trader Joe's pre-made garlic pizza dough and bruschetta sauce (which is so, so good), a bag of shredded mozzarella (next time I'll use fresh) and some olive oil.

All you need to do is:

  • Preheat your grill for about 10 minutes at a high temp (between 450 and 500 degrees). 
  • Take a paper towel dipped in olive oil and rub all over using grill tongs to make sure the grates get oily (or just use cooking spray). Either way, you don't want a sticky dough situation. 
  • Put down the flattened dough, cover the grill and wait a couple of minutes until the bottom of the pizza is cooked and has those nice grill marks. 
  • Remove the dough from the grill and add your toppings to the cooked side (go easy on the sauce though, because it will get soggy if you're overzealous).
  • Return to the grill and cover until the cheese is bubbly and the crust is cooked through.






I drizzled the final product with some balsamic glaze, and it was delish--it kind of reminded me of the bruschetta pizza from Roma Pizza in Kennebunkport which is super tasty. Best of all, it was SO easy, and I think it finally got me over my grilling fears. The possibilities are endless, and I could totally see myself making some sort of variation when I have people over (even as an app).

Go forth and grill!

7.18.2016

lately.

Fortune cookie inspiration.

I just got back from a week-long work trip to San Diego and that 3-hour time change is no joke. I'm still recovering from my flight--and I'm very happy to be home for the time being. The trip itself was productive and I got my In-N-Out fix, but I realized I'm definitely an East Coast girl through and through.

Things continue to be super busy and I'm thinking I need to plan a long weekend away just to clear my head and take a breather. I can't believe we're almost at the end of July! I wish I had more glamorous/interesting/fun things to report, but c'est la (uneventful) vie.

7.05.2016

weekend things.

Bagels with my BFF.

Red, white and blue reading.

Celebrating the 4th with lobster.

I don't think I could have asked for a better, more low-key weekend. It was exactly what I needed. On Friday my niece Piper and I had a sleepover--it was her first time away from my brother and sister-in-law and it was great. We had dinner and dessert with my dad on Friday and then got bagels first thing on Saturday followed by some Curious George. She's a riot.

I didn't do too much on Saturday (I was so wiped from the week), and Sunday was spent poolside with The Girls -- I definitely recommend it. On the 4th I did three slow, sweaty miles and then went back to the pool with my brother, sister-in-law and Piper. We had a greasy lunch and later had lobster, corn salad and blueberry cobbler with my dad. 

It was kind of weird being home for this holiday because I've spent the past July 4th holidays in Maine, but it was really nice to take things easy. I got a little tan, went for some runs and got to bed early each night which I thoroughly appreciated...and it was great to spend time with my family. 

Here's to a short week!

7.01.2016

oh hi, july.

{ lord jeff, amherst }
Oh, hey. Once again I find myself trying to come up with an explanation as to why I haven't been around these parts much as of late, and once again, life got in the way. After a rather uneventful (aside from my annual hotdog party, which was a success) Memorial Day weekend, a chunk of my weekends in June were spent out in the western part of Massachusetts with my grandmother and enjoying boozy lunches at Judie's with my sister. Family time has been a top priority.

Work has picked up in a major way and it's a complete 180 from the lull I was experiencing in early spring. It was manageable up until very recently when after a number of 12-hour days I found myself waking up at 2:00 a.m. with a million work-related thoughts running through my head. Not healthy. I really haven't felt this kind of stress in years--I finally feel like I have (more) of a handle on things and I can tackle what's in front of me but keeping everything in perspective is going to be key.

So, onto July: I think things will continue to be crazy on the work front and I have some CA trips ahead of me. I also know that I need to take better care of myself--exercise has been on the back burner for longer than I'd like to admit, and getting back into a running routine will help big time with my mental state. I would also like to carve out some serious pool time and soak up as much of summer as I can--come January I'm aiming for no "I wish I would have [fill in the blank]" regrets--even if that's just reading on my porch with a glass bottle of wine.

So that's that. It's onward and upward for the second half of 2016.