Life: From the Little to the Lavish

Food was the Forecast

2011-05-23T08:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went to the Phoenixville Restaurant Festival. The sun never truly came out like the forecasters said it would and weather wise it was a pretty disappointing day; however, the restaurant festival in Phoenixville was a new venture for us and it made for a nice Sunday outing.

The main reason for our trip was the cupcake business, Dia Doce. The blossoming cupcake business belongs to my sister's best friend from high school. My sister has been helping her out tremendously at local events and we went to the restaurant festival to give our support. The festival ran from 11AM-6PM and by 3PM they were sold out of the 300 cupcakes they made for the event! Dia Doce makes an array of flavors and my favorites from yesterday included the carmelized lemon basil, chocolate raspberry truffle and chocolate espresso with cookie dough filling. YU-UM! You can order personalized cupcakes or pick from her list of unique flavors for your special event. Come June, there will be a Dia Doce cupcake truck traveling around southeastern Pennsylvania....mainly in Chester and Delaware counties to start, but you can visit her website and follow her on Twitter to find out more information on her expected stops. Cupcakes coming soon to a town near you!

Besides the cupcakes, we had a great meal at Molly Maguire's. The home store Hipster Home was pretty cool too. They sell my favorite plate pattern, which until now I was only able to find online. Phoenixville, we will be back to visit this summer and enjoy eating outside and strolling your streets in SUNNY, WARM weather!

A Few Tunes

2011-05-06T13:02:00.000-07:00

When warm weather approaches I always start forming thoughts about what my summer music will be. Windows down, sun, hair blowing, good music. Here is a short little list of songs (in no particular order) that I am into at the moment. We'll see what ones carry on through the summer.

Young Blood by THE NAKED AND FAMOUSE

Sprawl II by ARCADE FIRE

Stereo Love by EDWARD MAYA + VIKI JIGULINA

On the Floor by JENNIFER LOPEZ

Rumor Has It by ADELE.
Of course I am liking Rolling In the Deep too, but at the moment every radio station is playing it at any given minute in the day. Rumor Has It is still a little less easy to come by and I like that.

You Are a Tourist by DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE

New Slang by THE SHINS. I know it is an old one, but I heard it this week for the first time in a long time and it took me back to the early 2000s. I liked it all over again.

Check some of them out if you haven't already!

Bunny Food

2011-04-18T10:49:00.000-07:00

Are you possibly looking for something a little healthier than chocolates, caramels, and marshmallows to have around for Easter, but still striving to present some cute and festive (and easy) treats? Try Annie's Homegrown Bunny Grahams. They come in a variety of flavors like honey, chocolate, chocolate chip, chedder, sour cream and onion, and wheat. Some are more like crackers, while the sweeter flavors are more like tiny cookies. The best thing is that they are all shaped like bunnies! Perfect for the Easter season of course. The wheat version would be great to serve with a fruit and cheese tray. The honey ones would be great to serve with a pudding dessert or just have out for the kids to nibble on. It goes without saying the chocolate and chocolate chip versions would be a hit as well.

Annie's products are organic and all-natural. No refined sugar in these treats! There are no trans fats either. You can order off line from their website, but I have found them at my local Wegman's, Whole Foods, Giant and Target stores. Target had them on special today for $1.99 a box. I have yet to see the ginger snap and snickerdoodle flavors offered at the stores, but apparently they are available online. The snickerdoodle flavor sounds great!

Annie's Homegrown makes many other products too like pretzels, cereal bars, macaroni and cheese, and other pasta products.

Peep, Peep!

2011-03-16T11:55:00.000-07:00

My boyfriend LOVES Peeps. I am not such a fan, primarily because I am not a marshmallow lover; HOWEVER, I am excited to try this new version of the Peep that is out this year for Easter. Introducing Peepsters. They come in milk and dark chocolate. I have a bag of the dark waiting for me when I decide to dive in.

Yum Yums

2011-02-21T13:02:00.000-08:00

I am going to try out this incredibly easy and delicious sounding recipe very soon. One of my co-workers has been recouperating at home after a fall on the ice this winter and I thought this would be a nice comforting treat to have as this bone chilling winter weather continues to hang around.

These are called Yum Yum Brownie Muffins (from the Cooking Channel) and you simply take a box of Devil's Food Cake mix and combine it with a 15oz. can of pumpkin pie filling to get some of the richest muffins ever. Click on the below link for all the steps and details. Then get a glass of cold milk to pair with these treats! I think you will need it!

http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/lisa-lillien/yum-yum-brownie-muffins-recipe/index.html

Girl Scout Cookie Time!

2011-02-11T07:43:00.000-08:00

Today was Girl Scout Cookie Day! My order of Thin Mints (4 boxes!) arrived via my co-worker whose daughter is a Brownie. Of course I would have liked to have ordered my other favorite, the Peanut Butter Patties, but I like to get my money's worth. You get the most for your money with the Thin Mints and they keep well in the freezer, which is what I intend to do with three, if not all four of the boxes...straight in the freezer upon getting home today. Obviously they are great straight from the box, but they are also great as an ice cream topper all crushed up. If you want to get your chocolate mint fix and don't have any Thin Mints on hand, check out this video on how to make this Girl Scout Cookie inspired martini. So easy! If you have your own ideas on how to use Thin Mints please comment below. Thanks!

Laughter

2011-02-04T12:19:00.000-08:00

It is lavish to be able to laugh and this video of compiled animal footage combined with commentary really hit my laughter nerve today. Thanks to one of my sisters who sent it to me. Check it out! Click Here for a bigger version or simply click on the video below.

Camels and Coffee

2011-02-02T13:00:00.000-08:00

There are two places in the small town of Culpeper, Virgina that we always have to visit when we are in town visiting family. On East Davis Street you will find the town's main retail section, where The Cameleer and Raven's Nest Coffee House are located. They are only two of the special businesses in town.

The Cameleer sells Aboriginal merchandise, much like a Ten Thousand Villages for those who are familiar with that store; however, there is something very different about The Cameleer. They sell traditional crafts from many countries including Sweden, Australia, Chile, and Poland. They also offer many contemporary goods for buyers. You can shop their array of jewelry, clothing, home decorating items, woven rugs, kitchen goods, soaps and stationary. At Christmastime they have many unique ornaments and tradtional, cultural Christmas items. I love visiting The Cameleer everytime to see what new items they have decided to bring in to the store. You can also shop online if you cannot get to the store on East Davis Street.

While shopping in town, a caffeine pick-me-up is always needed. For that we head down the street to Raven's Nest Coffee House. The business is built around Raven's Brew Coffee, which has spectacularly clever names for all of their roasts. Deadman's Reach is their high speed, dark roast. Cherry Karma and Wicked Wolf are geared more towards the sweeter/richer side of the coffee spectrum. Anyway, it is always a treat to order one of their coffee creations (latte, chai or other), a baked good (I always go for their pistachio baklava or scones), a breakfast sandwich, or something for lunch. Art abounds on the walls asking the coffee sippers to gaze at them or even buy them. You can sit in the sun by the wall of windows overlooking the sidewalk or by the cozy electric fireplace. If you need something else to do while you eat and drink, talk to the friendly employees, pick up one of the many magazines or newspapers to read, or play one of the wooden board games that are available to customers. It is the perfect place in town to sit and plan your Virginia wine tasting route or read and learn about the places you want to visit during your next Virginia getaway! If you can't get there, you can always visit the Raven's Nest on their Facebook page.

More Chocolate

2011-01-20T07:36:00.000-08:00

Well, whenever I do actually blog I find myself always turning to food or confections. Coming off from the holidays I thought I would write about one of my favorite chocolates, Guylian. Not only are these Belgian chocolates whimsically shaped as seashells and seahorses, but the creamy chocolate praline truffle centers are to die for. Guylian offers an array of products, but their marbled white and dark chocolate sea shapes are their signature. How appropriate since with every box purchased, a portion of the profits are donated to Project Seahorse, which is an organization that helps protect and conserve marine ecosystems. For a chocolate you can buy almost anywhere including grocery stores, they are exceptional and I only try to buy them around the holidays or for special occasions. You can visit their website to find out where you can buy them in your state!

Sweet Little Crunchers

2010-05-24T11:24:00.000-07:00

Do you like pretzels, chocolate, chocolate covered pretzels? More specifically do you like M & Ms or bite sized chocolate covered pretzels? Today I discovered Pretzel M & Ms, bite-sized portions of sweet, chocolately, crunchy and salty! I don't know where they are available at this point in time, but I found my bag at Target. I always find new products being test launched in that store. I love it! Anyway, look for the royal blue bag and try them out! Now I just have to figure out how to control myself from polishing off the entire bag in 2 working days....

This is The Place...

2010-05-21T07:27:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I have a boring blog. I should be slapped with a boring blog ticket or something. I feel guilty that I've been lazy with my posts and I apologize for neglecting my blog. I will try to post more in the coming months, as summer has much to offer.

I did however, get the urge to share the following....my boyfriend and I often pass this store front in our travels and we always say we need to snap a picture one day as we go by. We certainly get a chuckle everytime we drive by. The other weekend in our travels, I readied the camera from the passenger side seat to try and capture the store front which was on his driver's side. Trying to time it perfectly going 25mph.....this was the result!

(To the owner of this business, here is some free advertisting)!

Branches of Beauty

2010-04-12T11:56:00.001-07:00

It's too bad Magnolia trees do not last longer (and they don't make less of a mess). They are beautiful trees. My office window looks right out into the branches of one of these beauties. I get excited when I see the buds start to appear each spring. While it is in bloom I savor it because only for a few days do its pink and white petals stay attached. You can miss the splendor of these trees in the blink of an eye. I am sure they are much prettier to those of us who do not have them in our own yards as we do not have to clean up after them!

Sweet and Sour

2010-03-19T10:16:00.000-07:00

When I was young, I wouldn't go near a grapefruit...unless of course it was covered with two tablespoons of sugar to cater to my sensitive tastebuds! I have grown to love grapefruit, grapefruit juice, and even grapefruit gummies! I admit that my current trouble is that I'm too lazy to cut and section the grapefruits myself!

In January when my boyfriend and I were on a Celebrity Cruise, my favorite way to start out the morning was to head to the Aqua Spa Cafe where they offered healthy breakfast options including halved and sectioned grapefruits. I had one every morning! Within two weeks it was back to reality and if I wanted grapefruit I was going to have to face it...I would have to cut them myself...or so I thought!

I recently tried Del Monte's Fruit Naturals, which are sealed plasic cups containing single servings of various types of fruit. You can find them in the refrigerated part of the grocer's produce isles. Red grapefruit is one of the fruits they pre-package! I know it is far from the "green" choice...all those little plastic cups, but for work, at the desk, and on the go these are great. The grapefruit tastes like it was freshly cut and there is no risk of it being rotten or too sour, as it is the perfect mix of sweet and sour. It is in extra light juice and of course is a generous amount of Vitamin C....100%! Very refreshing to pull one of these out of the 'fridge after returning from a brisk walk or a run!

Book-Movie Debut

2010-02-19T07:00:00.000-08:00

This entry is in lieu of today's opening of Martin Scorsese's film, Shutter Island. Leonardo DiCaprio stars with a supporting cast of Ben Kingsley and Mark Ruffalo. It was August when I first saw this movie previewed in the theater. The preview intrigued me so much that I knew I had to read the book first. The movie's original release date was October 2009, so in August I ran out and bought Shutter Island by Michael Lehane (Mystic River). The book sat on my desk for a while before I committed since I thought I was going to have to dedicate at least two weeks to reading it. I was wrong! This book was so gripping that I could not put it down and I had it finished in a week, which is a record for me. This book will draw you in and almost like the main character Teddy Daniels, you will develop a trusting/untrusting, mixed relationship with the storyline and it's characters....until the very end.

October 2009 came with no buzz about the movie. I wondered why. The release, I found out had been postponed until February 2010. Now that the film is out, I have to admit that I won't be the first in line tonight at the theater. I loved the book. It's a great story; however, we all know that books tend to be better than their cinematic afterthoughts, so I'd now like to postpone the book version of the story from possibly being damaged by watching the movie. Honestly though, I'm not sure if that will actually happen since the buzz I'm hearing today says it is going to be a hit film. Furthermore, I know myself...I'll be jumping out of my seat in the dark theater and peaking through my fingers during certain parts of the movie. The book coming to life on screen, well it brings the movie to life! Enough said. They say that despite the disturbing images, Shutter Island "will make you think more than it makes you jump". I'd love to hear the opinions of anyone out there who decides to see the movie, but promise me you will read the book before, or even after. I promise I will see the movie even if I wait until it is released on DVD so I can sit on my couch with a blanket nearby to cover my eyes.

The Chocolate Lab

2010-02-15T07:31:00.000-08:00

I love The Chocolate Lab. No, not the dog although they are pretty great dogs from what I hear. In honor of Valentine's Day I am talking about the chocolatier in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. I stumbled across this confectionary two Christmases ago when my boyfriend and I were visiting Bethlehem for a Christmas getaway (we stayed at the historic Hotel Bethlehem). I am a truffle gal myself, so after the bittersweet chocolate smells lured me into the shop I went straight for the glass jars that separated me from them.

Unless you absolutely need Lady Godiva etched onto the box that contains your chocolates, give The Chocolate Lab a try (you can order online) and support small town businesses. Her prices are reasonable and anyway, the size of her chocolates is about double the size of Godiva! You may not find the full variety of truffles on your first visit as they do sometimes vary, but I guarantee you'll find something to satisfy your taste for chocolate!

She is located in downtown, historic Bethlehem, so while you are there you can also experience the various other cute shops, boutiques, art gallerys and restaurants right on Main Street such as the Moravian Book Shop, Topsy Turvy, Donegal Square, The Attic, Heavenly Hedgehog Icrecream, Bethlehem Brew Works, and in August you can attend the Musikfest in Bethlehem.

A Taste of the Tropics

2010-02-03T07:46:00.001-08:00

I'm here! I'm here! I'm sorry that I've been slacking on my posts, but I must say it was great to be away from a computer for a week and a half. I was on vacation, away from the cold and snowy northeast, enjoying the Caribbean with my boyfriend. In the meantime of writing something substantial, here are a few, teasing pictures from the trip.

El Morro in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico

Caribelle Batik in St. Kitts

Orient Beach in St. Maarten
(yes the topless or nude beach)

Parental Honor Roll

2010-01-15T11:21:00.000-08:00

If I asked you to name the top 2 influential people in your life, most likely you would name one or both of your parents. Now there is a website where you can honor them through photos bc My Parents Were Awesome! I discovered the website a few months ago. You can submit a picture, or a few through the website and if your picture (or I should say your parent's photo) is chosen it will appear sometime in the near future. So dig through the boxes of memories and visit the times when your parents were young and modern.

You may not like to admit it, but one day your children will be looking back at photos of you wondering what the 80s, 90s and the turn of the century was all about and why you thought you were so cool. Then one day they will realize. Thanks Mom and Dad and to all the other moms and dads shown here and here.

Happy Time

2010-01-05T10:29:00.000-08:00

When I visited my friend in Sweden a few years ago she had the most enlivening body wash in her guest bathroom. It was called Happy Time, made by Nivea. The scent of orange blossom filled the steamy shower and I used it as much as I could without being a greedy, over-using house guest. With the exchange rate it would have been very expensive for me to buy even the smallest bottle, so I said "Hej da" to the Happy Time wash and returned to the various bottles of body wash stacked
up in my bathroom at home.

To my joy she sent me a bottle of it for my birthday. I used it sparingly since I never expected it to become available on the shelves of US stores. BUT THEN!....one day I was grocery shopping and beckoning me at the end of an isle was a display of "New!" Nivea products. I rushed over to find that Nivea was now marketing the wash in the US under a different name,"Touch of Happiness" along with it's other family members, "Touch of Smoothness" and "Touch of Bliss". I grabbed the "Happiness" and decided to also try the "Smoothness", which is also wonderful with it's clean scent. I've been enjoying both for months now and even saw more scents in this line appear on the shelves over time.

I guess that I alone, could not keep the sale of these products alive bc sadly I can no longer find them in stores....at least the ones I've shopped in. You can however, purchase items from this Nivea line on Amazon, drugstore.com, and likely other similar online sites. If staying clean is one of your goals for 2010 (and I hope every year) and you need something invigorating and moisturizing for your morning shower routine, seek out one of these washes!

Holiday Treat

2009-12-23T08:17:00.000-08:00

Christmas is around the corner, so get ready to be faced with an array of delicious foods! Aside from the staples of various cookies, pumpkin pies etc. I absolutely love Marie Callendar's Razzleberry pie. It is a mixture of blackberries and raspberries in a flaky crust. My family has it at least once a year, usually during a big holiday. If you want a delicious fresh baked pie (and the luscious smell it emits while baking) without the hassle of making one from scratch this is a wonderful substitue with that homemade taste. It takes less than an hour to bake, so if you have limited use of the oven you can even put it in to bake while you enjoy your holiday meal. What really completes this pie is a scoop of vanilla bean ice-cream. If you're searching for a last minute dessert or want something extra on hand when unannounced visitors come knocking at your door, I recommend having one of these pies available to quickly pop in the oven. Oh - watch out for the seeds...although picking them out of your teeth afterwards is totally worth it! Merry Christmas to all!

Songs of the Season

2009-12-14T12:00:00.000-08:00

At this time of year you can turn to a handful of radio stations that stream out Christmas music 24/7. If you want a break from the typical Christmas music, but want to stick with seasonal tunes I have two song suggestions for you. I heard both of these in the last week and both made an impression on me.

1. "Soul Cake" by Sting. On his 2009 Christmas album "If on a Winter's Night"

2. "Horchata" by Vampire Weekend.

Sting sings about Soul Cake, which historically was made for All Souls Day to celebrate the dead. Often marked with a cross, each sweet cake represented a soul and when the cake was eaten, it was believed that their soul was freed from Pergatory. The cakes were given out to children and the poor who visited different houses and sang for the deceased. Yes, very much like Halloween. Sting, to create his wintertime song "Soul Cake", based his song on the choruses that were sung by the children on All Souls Day. The song has Halloween-type haunting tones and consists of the mystical and intriguing sounds that Sting often brings to his music.

"Horchata" is on Vampire Weekend's sophomore album "Contra", due to be released in the US on January 12, 2010. View info about their new album and download "Horchata" by clicking here. This song talks about drinking horchata in December and how winter "is too much to handle". If you already need a break from the winter weather, turn up this song and transport yourself to the tropics! It is a fun-loving song and I read that they used a glockenspiel to give this song it's exotic sound...along with a lot of background vocals. I will be downloading this song as soon as possible. It's a fusion of winter and the tropics...a wonderful mix if you ask me.

On another note, I have had the pleasure of drinking horchata...it is a great drink! It's a little complicated to make, so if you can order it somewhere I recommend taking that route. Read all about horchata here. Happy Holidays!

Tea Time

2009-12-07T08:04:00.000-08:00

I am a tea drinker. This past weekend we had our first snow here in Pennsylvania and it was a wonderful feeling to be inside with one of my favorite Kusmi teas and watch through the windows, the sparkling snow pile up on the tree branches. The snowfall was the perfect backdrop to the day as we decorated the Christmas tree and listend to the holiday tunes.

My favorite Kusmi tea (so far) is a black tea called Prince Vladimir. Its sweeter, orangey citrus and vanilla flavors are balanced out by bergamot and other spices. One can really enjoy it without sugar, but a little pinch helps the flavors to flourish. This tea reminds me of Christmas and it is now a wintertime staple for my boyfriend and me.

We decided to try an additional one this holiday and we chose St. Petersburg, one of their Chinese black teas which holds citrus, red fruit and caramel flavors. Another winner! We have paired this with pecan sticky buns on weekend mornings and it is divine!

The Kusmi Tea company started in 1867 in St. Petersburg, Russia. As Kusmi has changed hands over 140 plus years, it has moved from London, Berlin, and its current home is in Paris. The tea can be a challenge to find and is a bit pricey, but in the end every sip is worth it. At times, I have been lucky enough to walk into Kitchen Kapers and buy it right off the shelf. I prefer the tea in loose leaf form (you get the most for your money this way too), but if you can only find it in tea bag form I still recommend you pick some up. Another thing, the loose leaf versions come in beautiful tins that you will want to keep. Other places you will find Kusmi Tea are Dean and Deluca and the US Kusmi Tea website. You can also follow Kusmi Tea on Facebook. Think about making Kusmi a part of your holidays or your own personal indulgence!

Day One:

2009-12-04T11:56:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my blog! It looks like I am now officially party of the blogging world. I've been wanting to start one for over a year, so I figured why not finally do it today before I am forced to make it one of my resolutions for 2010. It may take me a while to get my footing here, but please bare with me. I have some fun ideas and entries in store!

I'm sure this blog will morph and change over time as all aspects of life do, hence why I chose the title above. My plan; however, is to share with you the things that I come across in my life...from the little to the lavish, from the modest to the luxurious. It's good to enjoy the little things in life (even if they are frivolous), so you may find me raving about a recently discovered body wash one day, and the next you will find an entry on a delectable restaurant I just discovered, and then the next day an entry about an astounding travel experience. Restaurants/food, shopping, travel, books, local events and not-so-local events, art, music, memorable experiences, AND the little things will all appear here one day soon, so if all of that caputures your attention and you have an interest in what I have to say about them please stay tuned and check back soon... Thanks for visiting today!