Five on Friday

Happy Friday! Another week has flown by! Things will hopefully slow down as the end of the school year approaches. Here are five from this week.

1.Mother’s Day– it was a rare occasion that my daughter didn’t have to work and both kids were home. So, I requested that we go on a Mother’s Day family hike at the Sam’s Point Area of Minnewaska State Park. 

The ice caves are currently closed, but we enjoyed some spectacular views and a nice leisurely loop hike/walk around Lake Maratanza.

2. Reading – This week I finished reading The Housemaid by Freida McFadden. This was a 2022 Goodreads Nominee for Best Mystery & Thriller, so I knew it was going to be good.

I also finished Happy Place by Emily Henry. This is her newest release and it was a quick, enjoyable read. I didn’t love it as much as Book Lovers or Beach Read, but she’s become a favorite author and I’ll read anything she writes. 

3. Cooking  – This week’s menu included Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta (I used Impossible Chicken tenders instead of cooking chicken breasts), Buffalo Ranch Tofu Wraps, 20 Minute Vegan Eggroll in a Bowl, Migas Breakfast Tacos and homemade pizza.

4. Watching – Saturday night my husband and I watched Nope (Amazon)….or more like he watched it and I fell asleep halfway through! We haven’t watched a movie in ages and this is why! I’m usually too tired to stay awake! We are still enjoying our Friday night viewings of the newest episodes of The Last Thing He Told Me and Ted Lasso (both on Apple TV+).

5. Eating – This Eggplant Club Sandwich from A&S Deli.

Mother’s Day, after our hike,  we went to Mountain Brauhaus in Gardiner. This is a German restaurant, which is often meat heavy cuisine, but they had some great vegetarian options. My husband’s Roasted Polenta & Spargel (White Asparagus) with Fiddlehead Ferns, locally foraged Ramps, blistered Cherry Tomatoes, and local Blue Oyster & Phoenix Mushrooms in a Sherry ‘Cream’ Sauce was one of our favorites. Check out my Instagram reel to see all of the delicious things we ate!

6. Puzzle – This week I finished this 1,000 piece White Mountain “The Movies” puzzle. I’ve done this puzzle before, but I enjoy working on puzzles that I’ve already done if enough time has passed.

Sharing with Friday Favorites!  Have a great weekend!

Hello Friday! This week was a relatively relaxing week and the weather was beautiful, so I can’t complain! I hope all of the moms out there have a wonderful Mother’s Day this Sunday! Here are five from this week.

1.Time Mission – Saturday night we went back to time Mission at the Palisades Mall. The first time we visited, only 16 of the 32 rooms were finished. We returned Saturday and all of the rooms were open, like the one pictured above, which was new to us. We took my daughter and her boyfriend with us, since it’s better with more than two people and we had a fun time. You can read more about our experience at Time Mission here.

After Time Mission, we ate dinner at Yard House, where I enjoyed an order of Fish & Chips. It was late, like 9:30 PM late, and one of the few restaurants in the mall that was still open. We were impressed by the number of dishes, where you could substitute Gardein chicken and all the food we ordered was really good!

2. Reading – This week I finished reading All That Is Mine I Carry With Me by William Landay. I gave this suspense/mystery 3 stars on Goodreads. I had previously read Defending Jacob by the author and really enjoyed it, so I got this book, not knowing anything about it. Overall, it was just a meh read for me.

3. Cooking  – This week’s menu included Fajita Veggie Bowls, Healthier Homemade Hamburger Helper (using Beyond Beef crumbles), Crispy Orange Tofu with rice and roasted broccoli, Beyond Burgers with fries and homemade pizza.

4. Innisfree Garden – Sunday, I ended up taking a solo trip to the Innisfree Garden in Millbrook. I’m not sure why it’s taken me so long to visit this garden. It is so beautiful!! I have a bunch of photos that I’ll share in an upcoming post.

5. Online Things:

This made me laugh!

And this I found one so relatable!

ICYMI this week on the blog: 

Tuesday I posted about the Hudson Valley Summer Arts Pass.

Sharing with Friday Favorites!  Have a great weekend!

Hello Friday! This week was super busy and flew by, but I’m still happy it’s the weekend! Here are five from this week.

1.Birthday Celebration – Saturday we were finally able to celebrate my daughter’s mid-April birthday with family. We got to see my 18 month old niece, which was such a treat!

2. Reading – This week I read Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson. Two teens are driving a car across the country and end up taking some detours off the scheduled route. I haven’t read a YA book in awhile and this was a good one. I’ve only read one of Matson’s other books, The Unexpected Everything which I really liked too.

3. Cooking  – This week’s menu included these Crispy Smashed Chickpea Tortilla Wraps, Buffalo Tofu Couscous, Vegetarian Baked Ziti, and Pierogies.

We made this entire spread for the family party. 

I also enjoyed this Orzo Salad with Grapes for lunch this week. 

4. Watching – Saturday night we saw our high school’s production of Something Rotten. My son is a stage manager-in-training for stage crew and between the track team and the musical was not getting home until 10 PM the past two weeks! It was an amazing show and even though we have a small high school, they have a lot of talented kids!  

5. National Honor Society – Wednesday night my daughter was inducted into the high school National Honor Society. She’s been working so hard throughout high school and this is a wonderful testament to all the effort that she’s put into her studies.

6. Rainbow – I went to Pilates this week at my gym and when I walked out after the class I was greeted with this rainbow!

7. Going to Bed – Sleep is always a favorite. But a recent bedtime favorite has been two of our three cats joining me for bedtime. Every night pretty much looks like this with one cat sleeping on my stomach and other by my feet!

8. Track Meet – We finished up a busy week with my son’s track meet last night. It was their senior night, where they celebrated the graduating seniors on the team.

Sharing with Friday Favorites!  Have a great weekend!

Check out some recent posts:

May Events in Westchester County

13 Things to Do at Bear Mountain State Park

Happy Friday! It was another busy week and we also have another busy weekend ahead of us! We are having a family birthday celebration for my daughter. Along with track practice or meets every day, my son has been a stage manager-in-training for the high school musical. They are finally performing this weekend and we have tickets to see the show. Here are five from this week:

1.College Tour – Saturday we went on another college tour. This time we drove up to Binghamton University. My husband, brother and brother-in-law all graduated from Binghamton. We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day to visit! 

2. Reading – This week I finished reading The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth. While I normally enjoy her books, this suspense book was just a meh, 3 star read for me.

3. Cooking  – This week’s menu included Chickpea Pearled Couscous Bowls (a recipe that I ended up putting together with ingredients I had), Breakfast Burritos, Sesame Garlic Ramen Noodles with Roasted Broccoli and Tofu, Pasta with Alfredo Sauce and Homemade Pizza.

4. Watching – My husband and I have watched the first two episodes of The Diplomat. I’m not a huge political show lover, so we’ve been watching more of The Blacklist. Even though we never finished watching the show (or are watching the most current season) we have started rewatching The Blacklist from Season 1. Neither of us remember anything from previously watching it and we enjoy the suspense.

5. Mural – This mural was painted on the wall in the residence hall that we toured at Binghamton. I had to take a picture so that I can share it with my kids when needed.

6. The Gym – I’ve been good about getting to the gym and have done yoga, zumba, pilates and strength training this week!

ICYMI this week on the blog: 

Tuesday I posted May Events in Westchester County.

Sharing with Friday Favorites!  Have a great weekend!

Happy Friday! This has been one of the busiest weeks we’ve had….and we’ve been busy recently! I am so happy that the weekend is finally here! We have another college tour planned for this weekend. We are running out of time to get our visits in while students are still on campus! Here are five from this week:

1.Birthday Celebration  – Last Friday my daughter turned 17. She celebrated with friends at the Mt. Kisco Diner. This diner is known for their outrageous Instagrammable dishes and desserts. She ended the evening with this S’mores shake.

2. Reading – This week I finally finished reading The Maid by Nina Prose. This was the Goodreads 2022 winner for Best Mystery & Thriller. I really enjoyed it (4 stars). I started reading Someone Else’s Shoes by Jojo Moyes, but it was due back at the library before I could finish it, so I have to put it on hold again. I’ve just started reading The Soulmate by Sally Hepworth. I’m only a couple of chapters in but am enjoying it.

3. Cooking  – This week’s menu included Spicy Tofu Peanut Bowls, Beyond Meatball Subs with Caesar Salad, Shrimp Scampi Linguini, Sheet Pan Honey Mustard Salmon with Caesar Roasted Potatoes and a pizza from the local pizzeria (because by Thursday night after my son’s track meet, I was not in the mood to cook!).

4. Watching – I started watching The Last Thing He Told Me on Apple TV+. I read the book by Laura Dave over a year and a half ago and really liked it. My only issue after watching the first episode is that Bailey’s boyfriend Bobby (played by John Harlan Kim), is supposed to be a high school teenager. However, he’s 30 years-old in real life and looks it, so I think their casting is a little off.  

5. Listening – If you are looking for a new podcast, I recommend Let’s Talk Off Camera with Kelly Ripa. I’ve never had the opportunity to watch her talk show regularly, but the occasional episodes that I have watched, I’ve really enjoyed. It’s a fairly new podcast with only five episodes and I’ve listened to them all.

6. Cute Cat Pic – And I have to end it with a cute cat pic. Cats are so cute when they sleep. And my cats sleep a LOT! I was on the couch watching TV and Dixie was sleeping right behind me. She’s my lap cat and is always sleeping on or near me.

Sharing with Friday Favorites!  Have a great weekend!

Happy Friday! The weather these past couple of days has reached summer temps (89 degrees in April!) and I am not ready for it. I am however ready for the weekend! Here are five from this week.

1.17th Birthday!  – Today my daughter is 17 years old! I’m still in disbelief that I have a 17 year-old! We are taking her and some friends out to dinner to celebrate.

2. Reading – This week I am almost finished reading The Maid by Nita Prose. It’s a mystery thriller that’s pretty good. However, I’m feeling so bad for Molly, the main character. She’s on the spectrum and I’m so frustrated at how she’s being treated.

3. Passover – Friday night we had a Passover celebration with my husband’s family. It’s been several years since we’ve all been able to celebrate together, so it was nice to be able to see everyone.

4. Cooking  – This week’s menu included Lemon Chickpea Orzo Soup, Vegetarian Skillet Lasagna, leftover Easter sides and chik’n tenders and fries. It was one of those very busy weeks with not a lot of time to cook.

5. Easter – Easter morning we held an egg hunt for my teens. They are never too old for egg hunts and Easter baskets! With our busy travel schedule and Passover, we didn’t want to have a huge Easter celebration. Sunday we had just parents over for dinner for a small family dinner.

6. Puzzle – Over the past couple of weeks I worked on and finally completed this “Sweet Tooth” puzzle again. I’ve completed it before, but it’s still as challenging as the first time! One of the perks about doing puzzles is that they can be redone over and over, if you don’t glue them. 

7. Gym Membership – This week I joined a new gym. I had a membership at Planet Fitness that I wasn’t using. A work friend mentioned that the gym she belongs to has classes and she was looking for a workout buddy. I didn’t realize that 24 Hour Fitness offered classes, so I checked it out ASAP and ended up joining. So far this first week I’ve done a Zumba, Pilates and Camp24 (bootcamp) class. I’ve been sore but it feels great to be moving again!

8. Eating – Last weekend I tried the Häagen-Dazs® Pineapple Coconut Shake for a Guilty Eats post that I wrote. I love their pineapple coconut ice cream and this shake is made from it.

I made falafel salad for lunch this week. I didn’t have a recipe, but used my favorite salad from Chop’t as inspiration. I used the falafel mix from Trader Joe’s. I added the falafel to lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, pickled red onion and crumbled feta. Right before eating it I added crushed pita chips and topped it with an Avocado Green Goddess dressing.

9. Spring Flowers – My bulbs have bloomed and it makes me so happy! I have daffodils, hyacinths, and soon tulips that will be blooming.

Sharing with Friday Favorites!  Have a great weekend!

Happy Friday! It was a very busy Spring Break for us. We traveled to Rhode Island, did several college tours, and spent some time with my family. I think almost every other family with a high school junior was touring colleges at some point during their Spring Break as well! My daughter doesn’t know yet what she wants to study in college and I feel like it’s a much more competitive process than when I applied, back in the day. Our next tour isn’t for another couple of weeks and then we will likely visit a couple more during the summer. It’s an overwhelming and exhausting process and I wish any other families going through this process lots of luck! On another note, Happy Passover and Happy Easter to those who celebrate! Here are five from this week:

1.Boston – Prior to this week, I had never been to Boston. Crazy, I know!

I still want to go back and visit since the only day we were there was spent touring Boston University (unofficially walking around the campus since we couldn’t get a tour the day we visited) and Northeastern University. She liked both schools, but they are both very competitive to get into and also VERY expensive!

2. Reading – This week I finally finished Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. I highly recommend this book! It was a little slow in the beginning but once I got into it, it was so good!

I also finished reading Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister. This was a suspense book that had me guessing the entire time. It was a 2022 Goodreads Choice Award nominee for Best Mystery & Thriller and I can see why!

3. Rhode Island – My parents live in Rhode Island, so we stayed with them during the break while we visited schools. During our visit we toured Salve Regina, Roger Williams and Providence College. We couldn’t get a tour at the University of Rhode Island, but walked around the campus. We will tour URI this summer when we go back up to visit my parents.

4. Eating – This week there was a lot of eating out! Some of my favorites included:

Mango Sticky Rice with Coconut Cream from Sup Thai (Queens).

These donuts from Union Square Donuts (Boston). There were so many delicious donuts to choose from, but we shared the Baklava Donut, the Key Lime Donut and the Stuffed Cookie Dough Bar.

This Mushroom, Spinach & Potato Bowl from Tatte Bakery & Cafe (Boston).

And these Everything Fries from new.burger, a restaurant at Plant City, a vegan food hall in Providence, RI.

5. St. John’s University  – Last Saturday before we traveled to Rhode Island we toured St. John’s University in Queens. She liked this school, which is on the maybe list.

6. My Anniversary – Tuesday, April 4th my husband and I celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary….if you can call touring colleges a celebration! My parents did take everyone out for dinner to celebrate. However, we will have our own belated celebration soon. The highlight of the day is that both kids really liked Roger Williams University. It’s not a huge school and is right on the water with beautiful views.

7. Family– This week my brother and my sister and her family traveled up to Rhode Island from Maryland and surprised my parents! My dad is undergoing a major surgery in May and everyone wanted to see him before his surgery. It was nice to have the family all together since the last time we were all together was back in November at Thanksgiving.

Also, when you live in New York you are asked to bring bagels, since there is nothing like a NY bagel!

8. UConn – Finally, on the way back home to New York, we stopped at UConn. After our tour, my daughter was able to cross this school off her list for being too big and sporty. It’s been an exhausting several days, but she’s slowly narrowing down what she likes and what she doesn’t. We have also been bringing my son along on these tours, since he’s a freshman in high school and don’t want to have to do this all over again in two years!

Sharing with Friday Favorites!  Have a great weekend!

Happy Friday! March has just flown by! Spring break starts today and we are going to have a busy week touring colleges. Here are five from this week.

1.Lunch date – Saturday my husband and I went on a lunch date to Maria Restaurant in New Rochelle for Hudson Valley Restaurant Week. We’ve been here several times and it’s always delicious! The Pop’s Famous Danollo (cannoli donut) is delicious! 

2. Reading – This week I’ve been reading, but haven’t finished Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. I’ve been enjoying it but haven’t had a lot of time to read this week. 

3. Lip Sync Battle – Friday night our high school had a Lip Sync staff vs. students battle. It was a fundraiser for the stage crew. Since my son is a stage-manager-in-training, my friend and I went to the show. It was fun seeing the school staff perform!

4. Cooking – This week’s menu included Roasted Cauliflower Burrito Bowls, 20-minute Sopa de Fideo, 30-Minute Teriyaki Tofu with rice and Roasted Broccoli and homemade pizza.

I made this salad for lunch all week: romaine hearts, avocado, candied walnuts, goat cheese, red onion, cherry tomatoes and canned oranges/mango (when it finally ripened!). I topped it with balsamic dressing before eating and it was so good!

5. Eating – Thursday night my son’s Boy Scout troop held a fundraiser at Panera so we ordered takeout. I haven’t had Panera in forever. Before I became vegetarian, my favorite was the Green Goddess Cobb Salad with Chicken. I find their vegetarian options lacking. I ordered a large Broccoli and Cheddar Mac and Cheese and was disappointed at the small size of it!

6.Watching – My husband and I watched the newest episode of Ted Lasso and Shrinking (both Apple TV). I watched the finale of The Bachelor (Hulu) and was happy that Zach chose Katie over Gabby. So few couples actually make it, but I’m rooting for them.

And I found a new show: The Night Agent (Netflix). This is a suspenseful show that was so good that I ended up watching 3 episodes in one night!

7. Track Meet – My son competed in his first Varsity Track meet. He did the long jump and the triple jump. The jumping area was so far from the bleachers that I wasn’t able to get a decent picture. I was very unprepared for how cold it got! 

8. Memes –

ICYMI this week on the blog: 

Tuesday I posted  April Events in Westchester County.

Sharing with Friday Favorites!  Have a great weekend!

Happy Friday! I hope everyone had a great week! Here are five from this week.

1.Visit with Family  – Saturday we visited my brother-in-law and his family in Metuchen, New Jersey. Our schedules have been so busy and we hadn’t seen them since the summer! We ended up celebrating a belated Christmas with them. Our niece is 16 months old and is adorable! 

2. Pastry Lu – we were asked to bring dessert to my brother-in-law’s. We stopped at Pastry Lu, a bakery on Main Street, right in Metuchen. We bought a flan, two types of Tres Leches, and a variety of small desserts including a pineapple carrot cake, coconut cookie, banana bread and a “not just a brownie.” Everything was so good! You can see the Instagram reel here.

3. Reading – This week I finished This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub. This book involved time travel and I just wasn’t into it. It was a 2022 goodreads nominee for Best Fiction, which was why I decided to give it a read, knowing nothing about it. You may want to check it out though since so many others really enjoyed it.

5. Cooking – This week’s menu included an improvised version of the My Recipes Tofu Banh Mi, Vegan Taco Pasta, Caprese Pesto Pasta Bake, Boca Burgers with fries and homemade pizza.

6.Watching – My husband now has time to watch television! Friday night we watched Ted Lasso (Apple TV) and the newest episode of Shrinking (Apple TV)! We have also been rewatching The Blacklist (Netflix). We watched several seasons of this years ago. Somehow it came up in conversation and we found it streaming on Netflix so we are doing a rewatch. I remember nothing from the first time watching, so it’s like watching it for the first time! LOL!  

7. Paying for College 101 – Having a junior in high school and starting the whole college process has been daunting. This week I joined the Paying for College 101 Facebook group. It’s a little overwhelming since seniors are getting their acceptance or rejection letters now so there are A LOT of posts! But I think it will be a very helpful resource for me.

8. Puzzle – I finished this Star Wars puzzle. Even though it’s 1,000 pieces, I didn’t find it too difficult.

Sharing with Friday Favorites!  Have a great weekend!

You may enjoy reading:

Hersheypark Best Price of the Year Tickets

13 Things To Do at Bear Mountain State Park

Happy Friday and Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Last weekend started with some potential snow Friday night into Saturday which resulted in the kids’ winter formal being canceled and my daughter’s SAT test being postponed. When we woke up there was not a snowflake to be seen! Here are five from this week:

1. NYBG  – Saturday we visited the New York Botanical Garden for my favorite annual event, the Orchid Show! As always, the exhibition was stunning with the most colorful, beautiful and unique orchids. It was so hard picking only a few photos of the flowers to showcase here! You can see my Instagram reel here.

2. Eating – This week I made a batch of Rice Krispy Treats. I love homemade Rice Krispy Treats. They are so easy to make and so good! 

We also stopped at Savor food court at The Westchester Mall and I enjoyed a salmon bowl with rice, sweet potatoes and sauteed greens from The Little Beet. Then my husband went and got a White Truffle ‘Shroom Burger and a Tiramisu Shake that we shared!

We were invited to the media preview of the new Crumbl Cookies that opened in Hartsdale today! We are very excited to finally have one of these shops in Westchester County!

3. Puzzle– This week I finished another puzzle. This was a 1,000 piece puzzle that I completed most of on the snow day. While I couldn’t find this exact puzzle to link to, all of the Hometown Collection puzzles have a similar country feel.

4. Snow Day – Tuesday we had another snow day. The weather reports were all over the place and after Saturday’s bust, I wasn’t so sure we were going to get any snow. We ended up getting over 7 inches of snow that fell throughout most of the day! The amount of snow mixed with freezing temps at night resulted in a 2-hour delay on Wednesday! It was so pretty driving into work on Wednesday!

5. CFP Exam – The biggest news for our family was my husband passing his CFP (Certified Financial Planner). He’s been studying for this test for an entire year! He took two-hour classes every Monday and Wednesday evening for almost the entire year. He had to pass a test after each of the seven modules before moving on. This is a national test only given three times a year. Of course, the test day he registered for was the snow day! We are so fortunate that his test location did not close because of the weather or he would have to wait until July. 

5. Cooking – This week’s menu included Mediterranean Braised Chickpea Rice Bowls, Gigi Hadad’s Pasta, Crispy Salmon Bowls (tofu for my daughter) and Slow Cooker Veggie Potato Hash.

6.Watching – Ted Lasso is back (Apple TV)! I haven’t watched any of the episodes yet but I’m very excited!

7. Quiz – I get Gretchen Rubin’s weekly 5 Things Making Me Happy newsletter and recently there was a link to this “What Type of Reader Are You?” quiz. Honestly, I didn’t need a quiz to tell me that I have a Bookish Personality, but the quiz confirmed it. 

ICYMI this week on the blog: 

Monday I posted 13 Things to Do at Bear Mountain State Park.

Thursday I posted about the new Crumbl Cookies opening in Hartsdale.

Sharing with Friday Favorites!  Have a great weekend!