Five on Friday

How is it already the last weekend of October?! This month has just flown by. We had a busy weekend, which you’ll read more about below. But the rest of this week has been pretty uneventful, minus regular mom duty a.k.a chauffeuring the kids around to their activities, cooking dinner, laundry, cleaning, etc.! My daughter has one more week of field hockey left in the season. Her team has improved so much from last year and currently are undefeated, with one tie. It’s so fun to watch her and her team play. Our weekend plans are still up in the air at the moment, so we will see what adventures it brings! Here are five from this week:

Reading – I am finishing up Three Amazing Things About You by Jill Mansell. This is a chick lit/contemporary romance book that I’m really enjoying! It’s my first book by this author but I will be checking more of her books out.

Celebrating – The Peekskill Brewery celebrated their 11th anniversary this past weekend with a block party. We stopped by and my husband enjoyed “Peaceful Border.” This Mexican Hot Chocolate Stout was a collaboration of the Peekskill Brewery and Peaceful Provisions, the amazing vegan doughnut shop that I’ve raved about in a past Five on Friday. Well, we got a surprise when we discovered that the first 48 people who purchased “Peaceful Border” got a complimentary Mexican Hot Chocolate Doughnut! Win, win! And yes, it was delicious. (And please ignore the horrible nail polish job! My nail polish had chipped horribly, but was so difficult to take off! ……Thus the half on/half off color in this pick! LOL!)

Cooking – This week I made Baked Sausage, Spinach and Gnocchi Skillet, Instant Pot Beer Braised Chicken, Turkey Burgers served with truffle parm fries, Grilled Pesto Zucchini Stuffed with Tomatoes and Orzo and homemade pizza. Our favorite dish was definitely the gnocchi skillet! The turkey burgers were also tasty and super moist, which can be difficult when cooking with ground turkey.

Date Night – Sunday evening, my husband and I enjoyed a night at the dinner theatre. The Westchester Broadway Theatre hosted us to see their newest production, An American in Paris. We love seeing Broadway shows and I had never seen this musical.

Baking – I haven’t done much baking recently. So Saturday, I made some Cinnamon Apple Muffins. I didn’t even add the cinnamon, sugar, butter topping and they were tasty. I ended up freezing most of them and they’ll be great for quick breakfasts.

ICYMI this week on the blog:

I wrote about An American in Paris at the Westchester Broadway Theatre.

This week on the podcast we talked about Michelin Stars and An American in Paris. Plus our weekly quick hits.

Sharing with Friday Favorites! Have a great weekend!

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Five on Friday {The Long Short Week}

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Five on Friday {Welcome October}

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I’m so happy the weekend is almost here! Even though we all had Monday off from school/work for Columbus Day, this has felt like a really long week! This weekend we all seem to be busy, but not doing much together! My daughter is at a friend’s birthday party tonight which includes a sleepover. Tomorrow my son is at a Boy Scout event all day and then camping out. I’m a little worried since the temps are expected to hit a low of 38 degrees! Better him than me! Sunday, I am going out for brunch with some mom friends – much needed time out! Then my husband and I are going out to the local dinner theatre. Lots going on! Here are five from this week:

1.Reading – I am currently reading After the End by Clare Mackintosh. This is a tough read, just due to the subject matter. It’s well written and has me wanting to read more. I’m hoping to finish it this weekend.

2. Watching – This past weekend we had a family movie night and watched The Secret Life of Pets 2. It was a cute movie, but one we were glad we waited to watch on DVD. My husband and I also watched Rocketman this weekend. All I knew was that it was about Elton John’s life. I enjoy his music and was surprised at how much I liked the movie. It gave insight into some of his songs, which I found interesting.

3. Weekend Fun – For the first time in forever, we skipped apple picking this year. I really wanted the family to do a corn maze together. So, I found a new-to-us farm upstate and we went Sunday. They had two corn mazes!! Plus, mini golf, a petting farm, apple cannons and more (you can check out all the fun in my Instagram stories highlights “Exploring NY.”) The weather was perfect and it was a great family day out.

4. iPhone Hack – So, this may be old news for everyone else, but I just learned a new to me iPhone hack. Did you know that you can search your photos by word? I never noticed the search icon before. But, for example, I can type in “waterfall” and every waterfall picture in my camera roll appears!

5. Cooking – This week for dinner we had Creamy French Onion Sausage Pasta (pictured above), Egg Roll In a Bowl, Old Bay Shrimp Burritos, Blueberry Pancakes and homemade pizza.

ICYMI this week on the blog:

Monday I wrote about our visit to the Emerson Resort & Spa in the Catskills.

Wednesday I wrote about our Catskills Rail Explorers experience.

This week on the podcast we talk about our visit to Kelder’s Farm and movie theater popcorn.

Sharing with Friday Favorites! Have a great weekend!

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Happy Friday! I’m super excited for a three day weekend where I have no set plans. This rarely happens, especially during the school year, where we can kind of plan our weekend as it goes. Tomorrow my son will be busy with soccer and then a Boy Scout car wash. But, it’s a three day weekend filled with so much possibility! This week we enjoyed a mid-week day off. School was closed on Wednesday for Yom Kippur. My son spent Tuesday night and Wednesday at the new waterpark, the Kartrite, for his friend’s birthday celebration. My daughter enjoyed some time at the mall with her friends. I got to sleep in a little later and was able to catch up on some blog posts. A win for all! Here are five from this week:

1. Reading – I am finishing up Dear Wife by Kimberly Belle. It’s a mystery thriller that I’m not loving. But, it has me curious enough to see how it will end.

2. Supper Club – Last Saturday was our monthly supper club. This month’s theme was Italian. I made Eggplant Rollatini and Dana made Italian Wedding Soup. His soup was so good and definitely the better of our two dishes.

3. Lunch in NYC – Sunday we took a trip down to New York City. Dana’s brother lives there so their parents and us all drove in to see their new apartment and go out to lunch. We went to a Vietnamese restaurant right near his apartment called Vietnaam. I had Chicken Bun (Vermicelli). This is one of my favorite Vietnamese dishes!

4. Drinking – On one of our recent podcasts, we discuss all things pumpkin spice. Neither my husband nor I had ever tried the Starbucks PSL……until this past weekend. Both of us were not huge fans of the drink, but we finally got to see what all the hype was about.

5. Cooking – This week’s menu included Shrimp Scampi with Linguini, Slow Cooker Raspberry Chicken Drumsticks, Chicken Parmesan, Crockpot Sloppy Joes and homemade Pizza. What are you cooking this week?

ICYMI this week on the blog:

On Monday I wrote about Cranberry Manor Bed & Breakfast in the Poconos.

Tuesday I shared my September Reads.

In this week’s podcast we talked about Fall Hikes and Halloween.

Sharing with Friday Favorites! Have a great weekend!

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Hooray for short work weeks! I am so happy that it’s  Friday. Even though it was a short week, it was super busy! We spent the long weekend up in the Catskills where we had the perfect mix of fun and relaxation.  We have another busy weekend planned. My son has soccer Saturday afternoon and then we have our monthly supper club Saturday night. We are heading into the city on Sunday to meet up with Dana’s family for lunch.  We also have some house projects that we have to catch up on. And Monday will be here again before we know it! Here are five from this week:

1.Emerson Resort & Spa – The Emerson hosted our family for two nights and I can’t wait to share all about this beautiful resort in the Catskills in an upcoming blog post.  It was a great place to stay and was conveniently located for our outings.  We enjoyed a kaleidoscope class, took a nature walk and played lots of ping pong in the game room during our stay here!

2. Eating – when you travel you eat out a lot.  We of course try to eat as much tasty food as we can when we are traveling! You can see it all on my Instagram stories. One of my favorite dishes was this brisket that my daughter ordered for dinner one night.  It was so flavorful and tender!

3. Catskill Rail Explorers – we enjoyed our visit with the Catskill Rail Explorers.  We biked a little over 8 miles round trip on these quads and got to see some fall foliage and views of the Esopus Creek. It was a fun family experience.

4. Reading – I was able to get some good reading time in while we were traveling and finished The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris.  Although the subject matter of the book is tough it’s a well-written story.  I just started a thriller, Dear Wife by Kimberly Belle and so far, so good.

5. Fall foliage – Living in New York I love being able to experience all of the seasons.  Before we headed home from our trip we hiked Great Ledge and got to enjoy these amazing views! It’s not quite peak leaf peeping season yet, but being this high up and seeing this was still pretty awesome.

This week on the blog I wrote about GoGreek in Pelham.

This week on the podcast we talk about Brothers Fish & Chips and What’s your food splurge? Then we end with our Quick Hits of the week!

Sharing with Friday Favorites!  Have a great weekend!

Fall officially arrived this week and I couldn’t be happier! I love the cooler weather, which brings the fall foliage, apple cider and dare I say, pumpkin spice?! This has been a long, busy week. We had back-to-school night for the kids. But because one night is grades 5th & 6th and the other 7th & 8th, I had to go on both Monday and Tuesday evening. This weekend we have a long, four day weekend for Rosh Hashanah. I will be spending Saturday at Town Day selling fried Oreos with my daughter’s Girl Scout troop. Then we will be spending a few days in the Catskills for a quick, fall getaway. I am so looking forward to a short break from everyone’s busy schedules! Here are five from this week:

1. Watching – Last weekend we watched Jurassic Park. My kids have seen some of the newer movies in the series. However, my son is learning the theme song from the movie on piano. When his teacher asked if he had seen the movie and he told her he hadn’t, I knew I had to rectify that. Honestly, I fell asleep during the movie. But the rest of the family enjoyed it.

2. Field Hockey Games – This is my daughter’s second year playing on the modified field hockey team. She attended field hockey camp this summer and she’s gotten more confident playing. It’s a lot of fun watching her and her team play. Even though I played one year of modified field hockey myself when I was in middle school, I don’t remember any of the rules. All I know is that the refs blow the whistle what feels like every 30 seconds. Last week they tied in their first game. They played yesterday in the cold and rain and won. And they have another game this afternoon!

3. Reading – I have just started reading The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris. This book has been on my to read list for awhile. One of my colleagues just read it and gave it to me to borrow. I started reading it at lunch yesterday and already know it’s going to be a good read.

4. Eating – This was a super busy week. We had both the Instant Pot and Slow Cooker in rotation this week. However, one of our favorite dinners of the week were these jerk chicken sandwiches. No recipe – I marinated chicken breasts overnight in a store-bought jerk marinade. Then the next day I cooked them up in a pan and topped them with Dole Sweet Apple Slawsome kit. It was a tasty combo and hardly any cooking was involved. I served the sandwiches with some truffle parm fries. We all devoured this meal!

5. Board Game Fun – We were recently sent some games from MindWare to try out and will be including some in an upcoming post. This week we played Picwits! and had a fun time. There are two decks of cards, one with captions and the other set with photos. A caption card is turned over and each player must choose the picture that they think best fits the caption. The judge decides which picture he/she think fits best. It’s similar to Apples to Apples, but with pictures. We will be playing this game a lot in future family game nights!

ICYMI this week:

Tuesday I wrote about Dover Stone Church.

In this week’s podcast we talked about all things pumkin spice and the Great Jack o’Lantern Blaze. Plus, our weekly quick hits.

Sharing with Friday Favorites! Have a great weekend!

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Happy Friday! It’s the first Friday of my 40’s and this post is all things birthday! While some people have told me how bad 40 is with all the aches and pains, I’m a glass half full optimist. So far, 40 has been nothing but fabulous and I’m hoping it stays that way! I’m always posting on my Instagram stories, so check my feed out if you want to see what NY Foodie Family is up to! There’s lots of stories from this weekend in the Poconos and 914 Eats Highlights! Here are five from this past week:

1. Cranberry Manor Bed & Breakfast – For my husband’s 40th I took him to a bed and breakfast in Warwick, NY. For my birthday, we went to the Cranberry Manor Bed & Breakfast in the Poconos. We enjoy the no children policy, the warm hospitality and the delicious breakfasts that bed & breakfasts offer! And this was no exception. We enjoyed a peaceful, childless weekend celebrating me!

2. Barley Creek Brewing Company – We opted to go casual for dinner in the Poconos. When I chose Barley Creek Brewing Company I didn’t realize how large the restaurant was or how many families would be there. Of course we got seated across from the family with three kids under 5 whose youngest screamed through their entire stay……as a mom, I remember those days. Luckily, the food was okay and the beer flight and cider were delicious!

3. Bushkill Falls – I love hiking and I especially love waterfalls. So we went to the Poconos knowing that I wanted to hike Bushkill Falls. “Hike” might be too strong of a verb, as it’s more steps and wooden walkways, with a few spots of wooded trails. It’s a touristy place that you have to pay to get in ($16.50 an adult!). But, I did get my fill of waterfalls, as the place is known as “The Niagara of Pennsylvania. “

4. Brothers Fish & Chips – My parents watched the kids while we were away. When they asked where I wanted to go for dinner when we got back, I immediately said Brothers Fish & Chips. This is a seafood restaurant where the chef not only cooks amazing food but is artistic with his plating too. The four adults enjoyed a 7+ course tasting menu that was so good! Pictured here is a lobster tostone which I could have eaten a dozen more of!

5. Book Club and Currently Reading – This week I also met up with my book club. It was a potluck and another night of delicious eats. Sadly, my contribution was garlic bread and Italian bread with butter to go with the lasagna and meatballs that the hostess made. There was no way I could make anything in time, between picking my daughter up from field hockey practice and making the 40 minute drive to the hostess’ house. I was the only one who didn’t enjoy the book, Beautiful Ruins, by Jess Walter. But it was on my to read list, so I’m glad I read it. Plus, it was a fun night with fellow book lovers. And I was surprised to discover that out of the 12 of us there, 3 of us share the exact same birthday!

I’m currently reading Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane. My husband already listened to it on audio and I can’t wait to be able to discuss it with him.

ICYMI: This week on the blog:

Monday I wrote about the NYCWFF Family Ice Cream Fun-dae.

In this week’s podcast we talked about apple picking and the NYCWFF Family Ice Cream Fun-dae, plus our weekly Quick Hits.

Sharing with Friday Favorites. Have a great weekend!

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Happy Friday! The kids are back in school…..and not happy about it! Unfortunately, summer had to come to an end. As much as a full calendar of activities gets me a bit anxious, I think our family thrives on routine. I know it’s going to take the kids a bit of time to readjust to early wake up. Believe, me Tuesday morning was ROUGH! But, we have one week down, only 178 more days left! LOL! Here are five from this week:

1. Reading – Over the weekend I finished reading The Farm by Joanne Ramos. The book is about a farm for surrogates, pregnant with babies for the super wealthy. It focused on relevant topics like race and inequality, but overall was just an okay read for me.

2. Last Beach Trip – We spent Labor Day weekend in Rhode Island and enjoyed our last beach trip of the summer. I even got a sunburn to prove it! My husband and I went back one evening to watch the sun set and got this beautiful picture.

3. Cliff Walk – My parents have been living in RI for years now.  We’ve gotten into a routine when we visit and I’ve realized there’s so much in Rhode Island that we need to see and explore.  So, I decided that we will do/try something new every trip. This visit we did the Cliff Walk in Newport.  It’s a 3.5 mile “walk.” However there are some rocky parts and my daughter complained that it’s definitely more of a hike.  There’s a reason it’s so popular though. There are some amazing views of the ocean and coastline.

4. Belly Flops – We made a stop at Ocean State Job Lot on our way home and saw these Belly Flops from Jelly Belly there.  These are the reject jelly beans that don’t pass the company’s high standards. Do I care that the jelly beans are misshapen? Not at all! Jelly Belly’s are the only jelly beans I like, so this was a win for me!

5. Winner! – This week at my weekly library drop off/pick-up trip, I learned that I had won a prize from the summer BINGO game! I won a box of 30 handmade cards and a $20 Barnes & Noble gift card, just from reading!

6. Mr. Softee – The Mr. Softee truck visited our office this week and my supervisor treated me to an ice cream. I went with a classic vanilla cone, which was such a nice treat during the work day!

ICYMI, this week on the blog:

In this week’s podcast episode we have Part 1 of our discussion about Cooperstown, NY.  Then we end with our Quick Hits of the week!

I posted about Mambo Italiano at the Westchester Broadway Theatre.

I also posted about the NYCWFF Grand Tasting.

Sharing with Friday Favorites!  Have a great weekend!

Hello Friday! It’s been such a quiet week here since the kids have been with their grandparents (my husband’s parents) for a couple of days this week. We had a couple of date nights and caught up on some shows while they were away. They came home yesterday afternoon and the house filled back up with lots of noise! They got their schedules yesterday and the start of school is becoming real! Tomorrow we drop them off with my parents for a week in Rhode Island, while we work. Then we will go back up to spend Labor Day weekend in Rhode Island and to pick the kids up. Here are five from this week:

1. Reading – So this week I finished Us Against You by Fredrik Backman, but I didn’t want to. This book was just as good as Beartown and I loved seeing the story continue. I honestly didn’t want the book to end! If you haven’t read Beartown, I highly recommend it and then read the sequel! I am now reading The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren. I picked it up from the library this week and learned it was a one week loan! So, this takes reading priority. I’ve really enjoyed every Christina Lauren book I’ve read so I’m looking forward to this one.

2. Date Night – Monday night my husband and I went to the Peekskill Coffee House for what we thought was going to be trivia night. They didn’t end up hosting it that evening, but we ended up having a nice coffee date. Obviously, I had to go with something caffeine free or I would not be sleeping that night! I enjoyed the “Berried Treasure” which was a caffeine free fruit tea blend. I added a little sweetener and it was really tasty!

3. Cooking – When the kids are away I try to make recipes that I don’t think they would enjoy. My daughter is not a fish or seafood fan, so I thought it would be a great time to make BBQ Salmon Bowls with Mango Avocado Salsa. These were really easy to make and so delicious! This is something you could find on a restaurant menu, but can easily make at home.

4. Eating – For another date night this week we went out to eat to Table 9. Our neighbor gave us a gift card after we took of her cats while she and her family went away, earlier this summer. My husband enjoyed chicken and waffles and I had a very unphotogenic crab cake hoagie!

5. Watching – Without the kids home, my husband and I get the television all to ourselves! We’ve been switching between watching The Chef Show and Ugly Delicious, both on Netflix.

This week on the blog I wrote about the recently opened Hudson Valley Food Hall.

On this week’s podcast episode we discuss Minnewaska State Park, Boundless Adventures and Meal Planning. I posted the show notes to this episode as well.

Sharing with Friday Favorites! Have a great weekend!

Hooray for Friday!  I hope everyone had a great week. It was pretty uneventful here for us, which I call a win!  My daughter attended a local field hockey camp in preparation for the upcoming school year, where she plays on the modified field hockey team.  My son was at the regular town camp all week. This weekend we are hosting our monthly supper club. This month’s theme is Brazilian, which I’m sure will be a tasty dinner! Here are five from this week:

1. Birthday Celebration – my husband’s side of the family came over this past weekend to celebrate my son’s birthday.  Even though he turned 11 almost a month ago, this was the first day that we were all free. My son requested chicken parm.  We also made meatballs, sausage, pasta, Caesar salad and garlic bread. It was delicious and we had leftovers for a few meals! Is it sad that the only pics I have of our food is the sauce simmering on the stove and the meatballs, pictured above, frying in the pan?!!

2. Listening – Dinner Sisters podcast. Each week, hosts Kate Schulz and Betsy Wallace pick the same recipes to cook for their family from popular bloggers and cookbooks. Then they make the recipes and review them for the listener. I’m always on the lookout for new recipes and I love hearing their opinions. I’m only four episodes in so far, but there are currently 74 episodes. I’m one of those listeners that like to start at the beginning and make my way forward. So I have lots of episodes to catch up on! I have yet to make any recipes that they have talked about though.

3. Cooking – My daughter has requested that we eat more vegetarian meals. So this week I made this Corn and Zucchini Goat Cheese Quiche with Lemon and Basil. Last night she made Egg and Tomato Open-Faced Sandwiches and tonight we will have pizza.

4. Reading – This week my work book club met to discuss Verity.  Everyone liked it which was nice since I’m the one who recommended it!  We picked The Art of Racing in the Rain for our next read. I read this book years ago and am looking forward to a reread.  I even have it on hand from the library since I just had my daughter read it. I’m always on the lookout for good books for her to read besides the typical YA stuff she enjoys.  If you have any good teen book recommendations, please share! I’m currently finishing up Born a Crime by Trevor Noah for my library’s adult summer BINGO game. It completes my BINGO win for the category, book by a celebrity or public figure.

5. Podcast – This week on the podcast we discuss Playland Park, local produce, adult summer reading and the NY Renaissance Faire.  Then we end with our Quick Hits of the week!

This week on the blog I shared 5 Recommened Peekskill Eats.

Sharing with Friday Favorites!  Have a great weekend!