When Shannon and I heard that her next field trip would be to the Cape Cod Canal, we were sort of disappointed. We’ve been up and down the canal umpteem thousand times by bike and by foot. And we really thought we’d seen it all. Not to mention, it’s just minutes away from where we live. Where’s the fun in that?
As usual, I was wrong. It was interesting. Very interesting.
Little did I know that we’ve had whales in our canal this past winter. Actually, there were times when the canal was shut down to ships while the whales made their way through. How cool is that? To think that I walk that canal so very often and that I missed the whales floating by. I need to pay better attention, apparently.
Also, it was fascinating to learn about the different types of ships that travel the canal and the cargo they carry. Did you know that a ship that carries vehicles can pack up to 5,000 cars on one ship? That’s a lot of cars.
And even though Shannon wasn’t as captivated as I was, it was a very interesting day. After the presentation was over, I made my way to my car which was parked at a neighboring fish market that I have never visited before.
Considering that the Cape Cod Canal Visitor’s Center is located smack dab on the canal, it makes sense that there would be a fish monger close by. That’s the thing about being a local. We can miss stuff that’s right beneath our noses sometimes.
Joe’s Lobster Mart is an unassuming little market perched right on the canal. Tucked between the local marina and the visitor’s center, it is a little easy to miss.
But I’m so glad I found it. They carry all sorts of good stuff like mussels, clams, fish fillets and even some prepared foods like stuffed clams and chowder.
I was especially happy to find salt cod which I need for an upcoming recipe on A Beautiful Bite. Have you ever cooked with salt cod? I bet if you are Portuguese you have.
I was tempted by so many beautiful pieces of fish, but in the end I picked up a couple of pints of chowder, the salt cod, chopped clams and a bag of mussels which I whipped up into this when I got home.
A field trip that was not only educational but delicious too. Not a bad way to start the week!
How about you? Are you a seafood lover? What do you think of mussels and clams? Love them or hate them?
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As I mentioned the other day, I went away for this last weekend. My girlfriend 
And the timing just couldn’t have been any better as I’ve had just about enough of snow and freezing temps. A weekend on an island sounded pretty sweet to this freezing cold mom.
Myself, 
We toured the beaches, ate the freshest fish you could imagine and soaked up the sun the entire weekend. Sun, sand and adult beverages. Just the medicine we all needed after such a rough winter. And a wonderful way to celebrate a birthday too!
A weekend is not enough time to fully appreciate all that Aruba has to offer which means that a return trip is needed. Aruba really is a beautiful place and I’m so thankful for my time there with friends.
This morning we woke up to the first snow of the season. And while it wasn’t a tremendous amount of snow, it was enough for the girls to wake me up at 8am to help them with their snowsuits.
While they were outside trying to get a few rides on the sled before the snow melts, I got busy whipping up breakfast. I figured they might be a little hungry and craving something hot after pelting each other with snow balls.
The recipe I’m going to share with you today is one that I shared three years ago on The Coupon Goddess. At the time my photography was pretty much lacking in every way and I didn’t really do the muffins justice.
I love that this recipe is easy to make and utilizes leftovers in the fridge. It has a base of Bisquick and scrambled eggs, but then you get to add whatever odds and ends you have in your fridge.
These also freeze beautifully. Make a few dozen and thrown them into a freezer bag. After a quick trip in the microwave, you’ve got the perfect breakfast for those hectic weekday mornings!
Because I feel like I haven’t sufficiently bored you enough with my new found passion for vintage Pyrex, I’m going to share with you some of my finds from the local thrift stores this week.
This bowl looks abused, doesn’t it? Like beyond repair. But I’ve been doing my homework and when I saw it at a thrift shop for .75, I thought I’d try to bring it back to life…
From what I’ve read, Bar Keeper’s Friend does a great job removing marks from vintage Pyrex. And my poor bowl was absolutely covered in metal marks.
Sure enough, after just a couple of minutes of scrubbing, my bowl looks pretty darn good. There are still some scratches in the paint here and there, but all of the metal marks are gone. Pretty amazing!
Nope, not Pyrex. Matter of fact, I can’t find the name of the maker anywhere. Doesn’t this chip and dip set scream Austin Powers? Yeah, baby! I LOVE this set. It’s so 60′s and in mint condition. I paid a whopping $3.50 for this little piece of retro awesome. And the glasses were .20 each. My absolute favorite find of the week.
As I shared the other day, while visiting an antiques shop in Virginia, I fell in love with a set of vintage Pyrex. I’ve also shared in prior posts that other than cookbooks, I’m not a collector of anything.
Just look at this. I don’t even think they were ever used. I mean, they were produced in 1957! So lovely.
Ok, so that was pretty amazing and I should’ve stopped there and gone home. But as luck would have it, right across from the Salvation Army is an indoor weekend flea market. Why would I not just take a peek?
At that point I should’ve called it quits. Really, that was a lot to be content with. Beautiful vintage bowls that I will certainly not only treasure, but get tons of use out of in my baking and also as props for my food photography. And I paid a fraction of what they are worth. A very good morning indeed.
While in Virginia for the Mixed conference, I did a little bit of antique shopping. Just one store, really. I had little time to work with.
I’d also be filling up my new vintage Tupperware pitcher with juice. I swear this is the same pitcher my mother used when I was a kid. I can almost taste the Kool- Aid.
But my biggest regret? Leaving this vintage pink Gooseberry Pyrex mixing bowl set behind. Had I known last week how hot this stuff is on eBay, I would’ve left my Duff Goldman cake in Virginia and brought this as my carry on. Sorry Duff. I can always bake another cake. Especially if I had this set to mix it in.
Our weekend in New York City started with the girl’s very first cab ride in the city. Now, they’ve been in cabs in other cities, but those rides did not prepare them for this experience.
Now, I have a few things to say about American Girl Place. Of course your children are going to want to bring their dolls into the store. This sort of goes without saying. But there is a problem with this. Your girls will then have to take said dolls and packages all over NYC with them for the rest of the day.
After American Girl, we visited the Hershey’s Store. Located conveniently right across the way from the M&M’s store, the Hershey’s store made my girl’s eyeballs pop out. Candy bars as big as their head, Hershey Kisses as big as a bowling ball and a machine that rained miniature chocolates. It was a lot for my cocoa bean loving offspring.
It was hard to steer them away from the M&M’s store. With thousands of lights on their ginormous billboard, it got their attention.
I’m not really sure what the girls were more fascinated by in NYC. Certainly the lights were a hit. Everything seems just a bit more grand when illuminated by tons of sparkly lights. The ordinary becomes quite extraordinary.
On Sunday we slept in for a bit, and then we made our way over to the event that was the reason for our trip. 
While Shannon gravitated towards the clothes, Leela enjoyed checking out the whimsical pillows and sticker books from 
But the highlight of their day was getting their hair done with 
We wrapped up our day by filling cups with candies from the jelly bean bar. The perfect thing to do before a four hour drive home. Hence, the singing along to the Mama Mia soundtrack at ear splitting decibels, complete with dance moves. My punishment for letting them partake in Hershey’s chocolates, M&M’s and jelly beans all within 48 hours.
When we started planning our family vacation, we spent a lot of time analyzing our options. Traveling with two teens and two elementary schoolers poses some issues. How do you entertain everyone? Not an easy feat.
It didn’t take long for the boys to slip into vacation mode. They are teenage boys after all and the two things they like to do are loaf around and…..
Eat. From slurping down coconut milk, to munching on peel and eat shrimp, the boys quickly got used to an existence they knew nothing about prior to boarding the ship.
Of course the girls were most excited about meeting the Disney characters. This is where the Disney cruise expense is justified….
From the moment you board the ship and right up to your departure, you are interacting with the characters.
Halloween fell during our trip. Instead of trick-or-treating, we took the girls to get glammed up at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.
Afterwards we took advantage of the professional photographers that were located all over the lobby. It was an excellent opportunity to catch the girls in all of their Bibbidi Bobbidi glory.
As awesome as the ship is, the ports were an adventure as well.
The one port adventure we scheduled for the girls was a dolphin experience in Cozumel. Both girls were wildly excited with the idea of seeing a dolphin up close….
Shannon embraced the experience and was nothing but smiles.
So, how about the food on the Fantasy? We were pretty pleased. My only goal was to not gain a bunch of weight, so I was delighted with all of the fish and fresh produce.
Did I mention the all you can eat smoked salmon? I think I ate the equivalent value of my cruise in smoked salmon.
And if you didn’t eat enough during your scheduled dining times, there were plenty of options to grab a quick snack. The self serve ice cream station was a ginormous hit with my little ones and big kids alike.
There were plenty of opportunities to make new friends and we did just that. Lots of silliness and giggles all around.
But there were quiet moments too. Time to reflect and appreciate what was given. Also time to reflect on what was not taken away.
Pixie dust has a way of making things shine that much brighter. Don’t you think?
I’m back home after an exciting week at the Food Buzz Festival which was held in San Francisco. I experienced way too much to write just one post. So, this post I’ll share some of the highlights of my trip and tomorrow I’ll write specifically about the festival….
One of my must do activities was ride a cable car. It’s sort of a mandatory activity when visiting San Francisco.
Fisherman’s Wharf is another must see attraction. With lots of shops and restaurants situated on the picturesque San Francisco waterfront, you could spend a whole day just taking in the sights. The people watching is pretty excellent too…
One of my planned stops on the wharf was Boudin Bakery. Known for their classic sourdough bread and other incredible baked goods (try their killer chocolate chip cookies), I didn’t want to leave San Francisco without grabbing a bite at their delicious restaurant.
Actually, I had my first raw oyster ever at Boudin’s. I had a brave moment and tossed back one of their champagne soaked oysters. And while I can’t say I’d eat a tray of raw oysters, I didn’t mind them. It went down much smoother than I expected. Interesting.
But what they are really famous for are their breads. Not just sourdough, but fanciful loaves in all kinds of fun shapes like this alligator. It was like a baker’s Disney Land.
And no trip to San Francisco would be complete without a stop at Ghiradelli! I was desperately trying to look and not buy, but when I was given a free sample at the door, I was a goner.
Now that I think about it, I can’t think of anything Ghiradelli that isn’t killer good. And speaking of killer…
I visited the very infamous Alcatraz. Another must see attraction in San Francisco, Alcatraz is quite the site to behold.
It was quite chilling, but completely interesting to learn about its history and to see with my own eyes a little of what the prisoners experienced. The words I would use to describe it are cold and isolated. A great place to visit, but not somewhere I’d like to stay for any length of time.
I wish I had more time to explore San Francisco. There was so much that I missed. I didn’t have the time to visit Lombard Street or see the Painted Ladies. So, that just means I have to go back. 
Not to mention the museums, the countless restaurants that I would’ve liked to have dined at and I sure would’ve liked to walk over the Golden Gate Bridge. Next time!
