Fascinating

Sunday afternoon, some gal pals and I headed to Boston's South End to check our their weekly SoWa Market. I've been wanting to head that way forever but haven't gotten around to it. 

If you live in the area, check these details out:

SoWa Sundays 

a previous fritter treat!

It's a crafty, farmers market-y open air bazaar that also includes some of greater Boston's rockin' food trucks, too. After a hunt for an ATM we grabbed some cash and headed to the trucks for lunch! I'd been talking up Roxy's Grilled Cheese, my fave Boston truck, but between the heat and swarming crowds, the thought of thick,melted cheese was making me a little nauseous! I opted for Clover, another favorite food truck and their delicious chickpea fritter pita.

The highlight was the Galvinized Headwear Hat Shop, located just inside the SoWa circuit. My friend Hannah mentioned that it was great and we made a point to stop in. I was sold.  Hand made fascinators and hats of every kindwere on display from designer Marie Galvin and they.were.stunning.

And super swank (As in, lots 'o money). 

There was one particular gem that was a fascinator with a giant mink tail poof on the side. I was in love with it for a fun winter look, but I don't think my friend were quite as enamored. Lucky for them, my wallet wasn't either ;) 

I did, however, end up with these funky new earrings!

Summer City

Yesterday was one of those days that reminding me how beautiful Boston is in the summer. Before meeting my friend, Nicole, for a delicious dinner at Henrietta's Table (thank you restaurant week!) I strolled over to the Common from my office and sat listening to live jazz music by the fountain. Boston has a little program called "piano in the plaza" and it was truly delightful.

Just this week, I've been telling people I'm ready for fall. I think this good city wanted to remind me there's still some summer left in her! (also, I'm obsessed with depth of field and use it indiscriminately. . .)

T

Day One: After the train arrives at my stop aproximately 20 minutes later than planned, the massive crowd that has gathered to catch the T clambors on, jockeying and pushing each other for a spot. I find myself crammed into the corner. I have to reach across my body and hold the pole awkwardly because my other hand is stuck to my side. Just as we're nearing the final stop (my stop) we come to a halt. Several minutes go by before we're informed that someone is seizing in the front car. I struggle to have compassion on this poor person as I text my boss that I'll be late. Finally the seizing woman is removed and we make our way to the second to last stop where it's announced the T won't be going on to my stop. I hop off and begin a ten minute speedwalk to my office. I arrive somewhere around 9:25.

Day Two: I leave my apartment early and go check on my car which I had to park somewhere potentially sketchy the night before. Secure that I have't been towed, I head up to an earlier stop than usual, assuming that will secure me a seat on the super crowded train. After missing a train by a mere minute or two, I proceed to wait several minutes for another one to come. It's packed already, somehow, but I make it on and we're on our way. We are chugging along a painstaking pace. The T is full but keeps stopping at the stops where people stand in the doorway, apparently imagining if they block the doors from closing long enough, space will magically open up and allow them to sqeeze on the train. Just as I begin to get concerned we'll be late once again, the conducter announces that he's been instructed to offload the train. As in, 100 plus of us must pile off and wait for several trains to pass us by before one is "empty" enough of rush hour bodies to fit anyone on it. Once again, I'm late to work. This time, by only about 15 minutes.

Day Three: I leave the house early. determined to be on time for work at least once this week. It's pouring rain, and the T is late, as usual. I make it on, though, thankful to be in out of the wet world. A few stops later, the girl seated next to where I'm standing and I glance up in startled confusion as we are splashed by several water drops. The T is leaking. I'm able to avoid most of the falling rain. Seated Girl uses her umrella and August Marie Claire to shield her white lace dress from the drops that fall everytime we brake. It doesn't stop, even after we're underground and out of the rain. I arrive exactly on time to work

Day Four: I leave on time; the T comes on time. A disabled train underground slows our surprisingly quick pace to a crawl over the course of 4 stops. Miraculously, I arrive to work with about a minute or two to spare.

Friday?

KatyInTheKitchen: Potato Chip Cookies

As I mentioned yesterday, I was in CT visiting my mom and some of my siblings this past weekend. I (as usual) was in the mood for baking and decided to whip up a special little treat for them. I'd found a recipe on another blog for Potato Chip Cookies which sounded delightfully intriguing. I love that salty sweet combo! 

My roommate, brother, sister and mother all loved these cookies. They are sort of like a pecan sandy (sandie?), dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with a little sea salt for good measure. 

If you'd like to take a crack at these delicious cookies, you can check out the recipe below:

Ingredients:

1 cup of butter, softened

3/4 c. granulated sugar 

3/4 c. crushed potato chips

1/2 c. ground pecans

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

2 c. all purpose flour 

Confectioners sugar for flattening cookies

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees 

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, cream together the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy; about 3 minutes. With your mixer on low speed, add in potato chips and pecans and mix on low speed until fully incorporated. Add vanilla and mix until thoroughly combined. Stir in flour and mix the flour is just combined; do not over-mix

3. Scoop dough into 1 inch balls. Place dough balls about 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets

4. Slightly flatten each dough ball with a glass dipped in confectioners’ sugar.

5. Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

6. Dip cookies about 1/4 to 1/2 way in melted chocolate and then lightly sprinkle with sea salt 

Family Fun

A wall of musty carpet odor slammed into my face as I stepped into the movie theater. The rainy day had apparently made it's way inside. Just as we stepped into the corridor, the lights dimmed completely and the movie started. My mother, sister, and I stumbled over each other, as I led the way to find seats. Eyes unajusted, I strained to make out anything useful. I made the snap decision to walk down the center break in chairs and use the stairs at the far end, to be out of most people's way. We trailed along down the center blindly and reached the end, but there was no stairway! Instead, two rows of chair couplets, kept us stranded at the bottom. Struggling to mask our laughter, we felt our way into seats, my sister forced to sit by herself in front of us.

Rained out of a planned afternoon at the beach, the three of us had decided to stop at a theater on the way home and see Hope Springs, the new movie starring Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones. Our ridiculous entrance into the theater after arriving a bit late, was made even funnier when, as we left, we realized we were probably the only three people under the age of 55 in the theater.

These are the kind of shenanigans that took place this weekend while I had a lovely mini break from the city visiting some of my family. 

photos courtesy Emily Veronica Photography

Being back in CT where I grew up, I realized I had the privelege to live in a charming, quintessentially New England town. All weekend I kept exclaiming at the trees, and farms, and stone churches. No doubt to the confusion of my mother. I never appreciated the beauty of miles of old stone walls winding through lush green fields before. It always seemed empty and stifling as a kid. Now, I can't get enough. Seeing horses or cows grazing in the fields gives me a thrill every time!

I feel I should mention that my little bro was around too, but he had to work and missed all the photo shoots!

London 2012

I think it should be a rule that we all shut down to watch the Olympics for the whole two weeks that they're on.

Let's not think about all the ridiculous implications that make this seem impossible. 

Our bartender whipping up some
Olympic  themed goodies

Instead, let's imagine a world where we can watch every glorious, triumphant, scandalous, and heartbreaking moment in real time, no matter where the action is taking place. 

Two weeks ago, on a Friday night, The Games of the XXX Olympiad began in London and as is my Olympic custom I've been obsessed ever since. 

On the eve of the Opening ceremonies, a small (ish) group of fellow Olympic enthusiasts joined me at my home to enjoy/make fun of/pick apart every detail of the ceremonies in high fashion.

There were Olympic themed drinks, desserts and, don't be jealous, but I may have fashioned some Olympic rings out of office supplies I borrowed from my esteemed place of business. 

apple pie tartlets. Go USA (and the rest of the world)!

Since then, I've spent many an hour this last week and a half glued to the TV. In "real life", I actually couldn't care less about sports. I don't know a point guard from a half back. Baseball is sleep inducing, and I generally just don't get the point of team sports. 

But the Olympics. 

Oh, the Olympics. 

 Maybe it's the romanticized idea of a world united by athletic competition. Or maybe it's just that NBC is a really good advertising machine. Whatever it is, it has me hopping around my living room at 11:45 at night cheering on Michael Phelps to his 19th Olympic Medal. And getting heated over a fencing match at 8AM on a Saturday morning between two people I will never think about again. I'm sleep deprived and medal crazed and watching Misty May Treanor and Kerri Walsh dominate the beach volleyball semifinals as I write this.

I love these games. 

(Now, who's going to go to Rio with me???)

Sissy!

 A few weeks ago my baby sis joined me for a weekend of summer fun. I'd had a pretty rough week leading up to her arrival, and was thrilled when Friday came, and I got to leave work early and head home in time for her arrival.

 We spent our weekend having heart to hearts, making pizza, and unintentionally traipsing a whopping 8 miles (dramatic movie with rap solo forthcoming) on Saturday. Four of those miles in the morning for exercise, and the other four because a) I'm cheap and I wanted Em to avoid tons of T fare, and b) having GPS on my "smart"phone doesn't mean I'm smart enough to understand what the heck it's telling me to do (did I ever mention I have no sense of direction. Whatsoever.) 

During one of our milelongwalk adventures, we headed to Toscanini's in Cambridge for their famous ice cream. My sister had read about it in a "Best Ice Cream" article and wanted to give it a try. We both got  goat cheese brownie ice cream that was all creamy divinity. A little heaven here on earth.

Other highlights including a visit to Harvard square for a sister photoshoot (obviously better than the alternative: actually taking a tour of the campus) and a visit to the USS Constitution and dinner with Em's boyfriend, who's in Boston for the summer. Of course, no dinner in the North End is complete unless it ends with Mike's!