Five on Friday

Hello Friday and long weekend! The kids started their Freshman (my son) and Junior (my daughter) year of high school this week. I like that they now have the long weekend to slowly ease themselves into the new year. It’s been a huge adjustment for all of us. With two kids on Varsity sports with their practices and games, scouts, work (my daughter) and after school activities schedules, it’s a crazy configuration of making sure everyone gets to where they need to be. I keep telling my husband, the sports schedules are only for a month and a half and that we can get through it! Here are five from this week:

1. Boulders Game– Saturday night we went to another NY Boulders game. I really wanted to go because it was the last night they were having fireworks for the season. I hadn’t seen a fireworks show all summer. 

2. Eating – When we were at the baseball game we shared a funnel cake. Also my first and only of the summer! 

If you’ve never had $5.99 Sushi Wednesdays at Shoprite, I recommend. We got the sushi special this past Wednesday and it was good. My daughter had the veggie roll (not included in the $5.99 deal) and my son and I shared a Shrimp Tempura Roll, Crab Roll and California Roll (I don’t eat raw fish sushi). My husband ended up making his own avocado, cucumber rice bowl with rice sprinkle (we are currently using Trader Joe’s Nori Komi Furikake but we’ve bought sprinkle similar to this at HMart) and spicy mayo. This makes a super easy takeout dinner on some of our crazy busy nights!

3. Reading – I read The Secrets of Us by Lucinda Berry. This was a disappointing suspense read for me. I gave it a rare 2 out of 5 stars. 

4. Cooking – This week’s menu included Shawarma Beyond Beef Meatball Pita Bowls with Tomato-Cucumber Salsa, Super Easy Homemade Cheesy Spaghetti O’s, Spicy Peanut Tofu Bowls and tonight homemade pizza. 

5. Watching – We didn’t have a lot of TV time this week. My husband and I ended up watching another episode of Ozark. I watched The Bachelorette and some more episodes of Vanderpump Rules.

6. Puzzle – I forgot to post this Yoga Dogs puzzle that I finished a couple of weeks ago. It’s still sitting on my dining room table though! LOL! After finishing it I realized that there’s a piece missing! I’m debating whether to get rid of the puzzle or just note on a post-it that it’s missing a piece.

7. Perfume Search – I am on a search for a new perfume. I used to wear Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue. I ran out awhile ago and thought that I’d find a new scent. I’ve done a lot of perfume sniffing/testing at Ulta and Sephora with no real luck. A Sephora just opened inside our local Kohl’s store. I found this scent sampler and decided to give it a try for only $10. I’ve been trying the different scents, but think I may end up going back to the D&G Light Blue. What perfume do you wear?

ICYMI this week ok the blog: 

Tuesday I posted September Events in Westchester County.

Sharing with Friday Favorites!  Have a great weekend!

Happy Friday! The countdown is on with only 6 more days until the first day of school. I attended freshman parent orientation for my son and the kids got their schedules yesterday. Back-to-school is getting real! This past week has given us a glimpse of what the fall has in store for us with the kids’ schedules. Here are five from this week:

1. Sports Preseasons- The kids started their high school preseasons. They’re both on Varsity sports teams (soccer for my son, field hockey for my daughter). They have been going to practice every day, of course one in the morning and one in the late afternoon. So, it’s been a a careful coordination of drop-offs and pickups. We are so thankful that my husband works from home and is able to do most of the driving.

2. – Bear Mountain State Park – Sunday my husband and I went to Bear Mountain State Park. We rented a pedal boat which is something we hadn’t done in years.

We also got to see the Bear Mountain Bridge from below, which was a neat perspective. We are usually driving over it or seeing it from above when we hike Anthony’s Nose.

3. Reading – I read Every Summer After by Carly Fortune this week. Despite all the rave reviews, I thought it was a just an okay read.

4. Cooking – This week’s dinners included this Crispy BBQ Salmon with Roasted Jalapeno Peach Salsa. This was very tasty! I love a fruit salsa! My husband made this Swedish Meatballs recipe on Sunday that we served with mashed potatoes and green beans. I also made Sun-Dried Tomato Quesadillas with White Beans and Broccoli and Loaded Caprese Grilled Cheese.

5. Watching – This weekend we all watched Everything, Everywhere, All at Once. This was a weird, trippy, and funny but good movie. 

My husband and I watched the last episode of Loot (Apple+), the last episode of Only Murders in the Building (Hulu) and Ted Lasso (Apple+). Yes, we were holding out on finishing the most recent season, since I didn’t want it to end!

6. Guilty Eats – Here are some of my recent posts for Guilty Eats:

Goodles Mac and Cheese
Pickle-Flavored Snacks
Sauza Agave’s Que Viva el Mariachi Contest
Joffrey’s Disney Hocus Pocus Sanderson Sisters Brew
The Original Donut Shop SNICKERS Coffee

Sharing with Friday Favorites!  Have a great weekend!

Hooray for another Friday! This was the last week of real summer vacation for the kids. They’ve been living it up, hanging out with friends and enjoying every last bit of their summer. Sports tryouts begin on Monday and from there we start the new school year. Here are five from this week:

1. Date Night– Friday night my husband and I went to Brothers Fish & Chips and enjoyed the tasting menu again. This is a splurge, but it’s always so good! And we were in need of a night out! This lobster salad on fried yucca was one of my favorite dishes!

2. Back-to-school shopping – Saturday I took my daughter back-to-school shopping. Weekends are unpredictable since we don’t know her work schedule until Friday for the upcoming week. Since she wasn’t working until 5 PM we headed to Danbury. We stopped in Primark at the Danbury Mall for the first time. This is a huge store where everything was unbelievably low  priced. 

3.Eating – When we were in Danbury my daughter requested that we stop at Crumbl Cookies. This was our first time visiting. If you’re unfamiliar, they change their cookie menu weekly. We of course had to try all six cookies of the week. The flavors were Milk Chocolate Chip, Walnut Fudge Brownie, Old Fashioned Doughnut, Cotton Candy, Fried Ice Cream, and Lemonade. They were large enough to cut into quarters so we could each try them all. The Milk Chocolate Chip, Fried Ice Cream and Old Fashioned Doughnut ones were our faves. Fortunately, we don’t live too close or it would be very dangerous!

While we were at the Boulder game I enjoyed a strawberry fro-yo with mini non-pareils.

4. Reading – This week I finished reading Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston. This was a long book and it took me awhile to read it. But it was a cute contemporary romance. 

5. Cooking – This week our dinner menu included TikTok Feta Pasta (it may have been a trend, but it’s pretty tasty and easy to make!), Crunchy Roll Bowls, wedge rolls with Trader Joe’s Sausage-less sausage, sauteed broccoli rabe and provolone, Vegan Biryani and homemade pizza. 

6. Watching – Saturday night we (meaning my husband and daughter because I fell asleep!) watched Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. We also watched the newest episode of Only Murders in the Building. We are so sad there’s only one more episode in the season. 

7. NY Boulder Game – Tuesday night my husband and I went to a NY Boulders game. The stadium is fairly close to home and we always have a good time. Our seats were four rows behind home plate. We’ve had good seats before but this was the closest we’ve been! They were still in the 7th inning when we left at 10 PM. As much as I would have loved to stay, I had to get to work the next day! And they did end up winning the game 12-9. 

8. Blackjack – We can’t believe we’ve only had Blackjack for a week and a half. He’s made himself at home and it feels like he’s been with us forever. He’s full of energy and has brought excitement for us all. The older cats are slowly adjusting to him. They still hiss at him but they haven’t attacked him. He just wants to be there friend and follows them around.

Sharing with Friday Favorites!  Have a great weekend!

Hello Friday! Summer is flying by with the first week of August in the books. It’s been so hot that I don’t want to be outside. But we are trying to make the best of the time we have. Here are five from this week:

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1. Untermyer Gardens – This free garden in Yonkers is so beautiful! One of my husband’s college friends was in town this weekend and we took him here. This place never gets old for me!

2. Yonkers Brewing – After our visit to Untermyer we visited Yonkers Brewing Co. This was my first time here. My husband ordered a flight but said the sour was his favorite.

3. Reading – This week I finished reading two books: The Change by Kirsten Miller and Meant to Be by Emily Giffen. Both were 4 star reads for me. The Change started slow and took a bit to get into. But once it picked up I enjoyed it. I also really enjoyed Meant to Be. I’ve read most of Giffen’s books and have really liked almost all of them.

4. Cooking – This week I made Roasted Cauliflower Pitas with Zhoug sauce. I bought the zhoug sauce from Trader Joe’s but should have made it. The sauce was way too spicy for my liking and if I made it myself I could have controlled the heat. I made Vegan BBQ Beef Bowls (see below) and I also made Sweet and Spicy Tofu Noodles. Thursday dinner was just my husband and son so they had burgers (one MorningStar Farms and one regular beef) and fries. 

5. Watching – Haven’t watched anything new and exciting this week. I watched the newest episode of The Bachelorette and some episodes of Vanderpump Rules! I don’t watch Netflix very much and saw that a new season of Virgin River had come out. I realized that I hadn’t finished season 3, so I also started watching that again. Would love any recommendations of new shows to watch!

6. Dinner Party – Not a dinner party per se, but my daughter had six friends over and I cooked dinner for them all. She had been trying to have a dinner get-together since the beginning of the summer. After a previous cancellation it finally happened. I made BBQ Beef Bowls (I had both regular ground beef and Trader Joe’s Beefless Crumbles). I had never made this recipe before which was risky, but it seemed pretty fail proof. Plus they could all customize their bowls based on what they like. For dessert I made brownies (from a box) and had an ice cream sundae bar. I was so busy that no pics were taken!

7. Girls Night Out – This week I had two dinners out with friends. They were both much needed! It’s so nice catching up with these women that I don’t get to see very often. Saturday night I went to Wild Fusion and enjoyed this shrimp with eggplant. Last night I went to Savannah’s.

8. First Concert – Last night my daughter went to her first concert in the city with a friend and the friend’s older sister. It was a big deal, since this was her first time taking the train and going into the city without us.  She saw Ross Lynch and The Driver Era at Pier 17…..and I had no idea who he was! LOL!

ICYMI this week on the blog: 

Thursday I posted August Events in Westchester County.

Sharing with Friday Favorites!  Have a great weekend!

Happy Friday! Last Saturday my husband and I got up at 4:45 AM so we could drive over 3 hours to pick our son up from Boy Scout camp since pickup was at 9 AM. We then turned around and drove 3+ hours home! What a morning! But we had most of the day left when we got back home. In other exciting news, my daughter got her first job! She’s working at our local Shoprite in the Shop From Home Dept. We are all happy that she will be making money to support her expensive teenage lifestyle! Here are five from this week:

1. Trader Joe’s– A Trader Joe’s opened last week and it’s only about 15 minutes away. While I didn’t go opening day, my daughter and I did stop by Saturday night and picked some things up. Would love to know your TJ favorites!

2. Brunch at Goosefeather – Sunday my husband and I were hosted for brunch at Goosefeather in Tarrytown. This is celebrity chef Dale Talde’s Westchester County restaurant. Everything was delicious but this shrimp toast was one of my faves.

3. Reading – This week I finished reading Other People’s Houses by Abby Waxman. It was an enjoyable read about a suburban neighborhood and the secrets of a group of families.

4. Cooking – This week I made Halloumi Hummus Bowls, but used feta since I couldn’t find Halloumi at my Shoprite. Crispy Gnocchi and Tomato Panzanella Salad was also tasty. I called it Crispy Gnocchi Caprese when the kids asked what was for dinner. I also made Sheet Pan Cauliflower Fajitas and our quick and easy dinner was pierogies with roasted broccoli.

5. Watching – Saturday night we watched Morbius and it was pretty bad! 

I’ve also been watching Vanderpump Rules on Hulu. I watched this show when it first came out on Bravo but never watched all the seasons. I’ve started over from the beginning. It’s pretty bad and it’s so staged, but somehow I’m still watching.

6. Eating – We devoured these Trader Joe’s dark chocolate peanut butter cups. It was only 99 cents for the bag! 

My daughter also picked out these Bamba puffed corn peanut snacks that are dipped in dark chocolate. These disappeared quickly as well!

7. Drinking – MIZO hard lemonade pouches. Don’t these remind you of the Capri Suns from childhood? These are definitely not kid-friendly! I wrote about these for Guilty Eats and was sent samples. I’ve only tried the Blackberry Lychee so far. They aren’t bad! They are sweet and the alcohol flavor isn’t strong.

ICYMI – This week on the blog:

Thursday I posted about the return of Brunch at Goosefeather.

Sharing with Friday Favorites!  Have a great weekend!

Hello Weekend! It was scorching this week with temps in the mid-90’s! I did not walk at all during my lunch break this week. We dropped my son off at Camp Read Boy Scout camp on Sunday where he’s been for the week. We have no communication with him, so I’m really hoping he’s had a good week. We get up super early tomorrow to go pick him up and we’ll find out then! Here are five from this week:

1. Birthday Dinner – Saturday the four of us went out to dinner for my son’s birthday. The final celebration! He wanted dumplings and Dairy Queen….such a teen! So we went to Palace Dumplings, our favorite dumpling restaurant. After we went to Dairy Queen and he got a Caramel Cheesecake Blizzard and pretzels in cheese sauce.

2. Saratoga Spa State Park- Sunday on the way home from dropping our son off at camp, my husband and I stopped at Saratoga Spa State Park. It was nice to walk and stretch our legs for a bit and we got to visit some of the mineral springs in the park and taste the water (not good in my opinion!).

3. Reading – This week I finished reading Counterfeit by Kirstin Chen. It was a quick, okay read.

4. Cooking – This Creamy Garlic Butter Tuscan Salmon was really good! We made Parmesan Spinach Couscous to serve with it and spooned the extra sauce on top. These Smoky Shiitake Quesadillas With Avocado Cream were also really good! We made them using regular mushrooms.

5. Watching – I haven’t watched a lot of TV this week. I watched the second episode of The Bachelorette and my husband and I are almost caught up on Only Murders in the Building. 

6. Eating – After our drive to and from camp on Sunday night we were too exhausted to cook. We ordered Thai takeout from Bangkok Spice. We enjoyed this Pad Thai, fried calamari, vegetable red curry and pineapple fried rice. We hadn’t had Thai in so long and it was so good!

ICYMI – This week on the blog:

Thursday I posted about Two Way Brewing Company.

Sharing with Friday Favorites!  Have a great weekend!

Happy Friday! I cannot believe how quickly the summer is flying by! This week my son turned 14. He’s been taller than me for awhile but this weekend we realized he’s the same height as my husband! We were all surprised and questioned when that happened!! This weekend we are going to go out to eat as a family for his birthday and then Sunday we drop him off to Boy Scout camp for a week. Here are five from this week:

1. Family birthday celebration – Sunday we had family over to celebrate my son’s birthday. We went with a brunch theme since breakfast is his favorite. I made this Blueberry French Toast Casserole, a Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole and we had a bagel platter with cream cheese and lox (his request). 

2. Hastings-on-Hudson– Saturday morning my husband and I got up early and visited a new to us town in Westchester County, Hastings-on-Hudson. We started our day at the Farmers Market and then visited Clockwork Records. I got a lobster roll from Bread and Brine. Then we walked around the town for a bit and ended our visit at Penny Lick Ice Cream. It’s fun exploring new towns in our area and hope to plan more of these days.

3. Reading – This week I finished reading The Great Believers by Rebecca Makai. This was a slow read that felt like it took me forever to finish. It’s about a group of friends in Chicago during the AIDS crisis in the 80’s. Not a light summer read!

4. Cooking – this week’s dinners included this Summer Coconut Chickpea Curry, breakfast burritos and BBQ Tofu Tostadas. 

5. Watching – Saturday my husband and I watched the movie Turning Red. This is Pixar’s first film that was solely directed by a woman. It was a cute film.

I finished The Bear on Hulu and started watching the newest season of The Bachelorette. It’s been a couple of seasons since I watched The Bachelor/The Bachelorette so I’m not familiar with Gabby or Rachel. But I can already tell having two Bachelorettes is going to be a disaster.

6. Friend Birthday Celebration – Yesterday my son had a small friends get together at Spins Hudson to celebrate his birthday. They went to the arcade and had some pizza. Nothing huge and not an organized party through the venue. It was a much more casual teen get-together.

7. Summer League – This week I was at the fields every night Sunday through Thursday for either a soccer or a field hockey game! I enjoy watching the kids play and this is great practice for the fall sports season. I felt bad for them since it was so hot this week!

ICYMI this week on the blog:

Tuesday I shared my June reads.

Thursday I shared Where to Find a Lobster Roll in Westchester County.

Sharing with Friday Favorites!  Have a great weekend!

Hello Friday! This was the first official week of summer. I have shortened work hours, woo-hoo and although we don’t have any major vacations planned since we recently went on the cruise and traveled to Miami, I am planning on making the most of the time that we do have! The kids are done with school and currently have the next few weeks of nothing. We are heading up to Rhode Island this weekend for our annual 4th of July celebration with my family. Here are five from this week:

1. The Academy –  The Academy, a new food and drink establishment will be opening soon in Poughkeepise. Last weekend I attended a grand opening event and this place is going to be amazing when it officially opens in a few weeks!

2. Black Creek Preserve – Saturday we also took a short hike at Black Creek Preserve. I love the suspension bridge! And the trail takes you to the Hudson River. The last time we were here was back in November when it was cold and dreary. 

3. Reading – This week I finished reading The Saturday Night Supper Club by Carla Laureano. I enjoy reading fictional books about cooking and food. I just didn’t think this one needed all the religious references.

4. Cooking – This week we enjoyed these Mexican Street Corn Bowls. My husband loved the street corn! Tonight we are having this Corn Peach Pizza. These are both great recipes for corn season!

5. Watching – Saturday night we started watching Loot on Apple TV. It’s a fun 30 minute comedy and I can see us finishing this series soon.

6. The Edge VR – Wednesday night we visited The Edge VR. They invited us to try out their virtual reality venue. It was such a fun and unique experience! Full post coming soon.

7. Patio Set – We bought a patio set from Home Depot that was delivered last week. My husband had to assemble it, which he completed last weekend. I’ve been out on the deck during my spare time reading and even eating. I even typed this blog post out on the deck!

8. Lasdon Park – with summer work hours I’m trying to make the most of my afternoons. I visited Lasdon Park earlier this week on my way home. I love the gardens!

9. Eating – Wednesday while we were in Croton-on-Hudson we visited The Blue Pig for ice cream after our VR session. I didn’t think I wanted anything but when my husband’s strawberry rhubarb sundae arrived we all dug in! It was so good topped with their homemade vanilla bean ice cream.

When we were at The Academy grand opening they had a cotton candy artist. I think I was the only adult on line but I had to get this unicorn! Cotton candy isn’t just for kids!

ICYMI this week on the blog:

Tuesday I posted about the opening of The Academy.

Sharing with Friday Favorites!  Have a great weekend!

Hello Friday! I didn’t have a post last week since it was such a busy one. So lots to catch up on today! This week the kids had their last finals and regents’ and are officially finished with school! Here are five from this week:

1. Cirque du Soleil  – Last Thursday I had media tickets to see Cirque du Soleil Crystal. This is their only show that takes place on ice. If you’ve never seen a Cirque du Soleil show, I highly recommend. They are filled with amazing talent!

2. Menopause the Musical – Friday I had media tickets for Menopause the Musical, which is playing at the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center through tomorrow. Fortunately, I’m not experiencing menopause yet, but it was a fun show.

3. Reading – This week I haven’t finished reading anything. But last week I finished listening to I Kissed Shara Wheeler on book on CD. I feel like this has gotten rave reviews, but I thought it was just an okay listen. 

4. Cooking – This week I made these Portobello French Dips with Horseradish Aioli. As mushroom lovers, my husband and I thought these were sooo good! 

5. Watching – Last weekend we watched the original Top Gun as a family. My daughter saw the new Top Gun sequel and loved it, so we thought she should see the first one. Now she is adamant that my husband and I go see Top Gun: Maverick.

6. Moving Up – Yesterday my son “graduated” from 8th grade and had his moving up ceremony. I can’t believe this September I will have two kids in high school!

7. Summer Leagues – My kids are both participating in summer sports leagues in preparation for the fall. Field hockey for my daughter and soccer for my son. The leagues started last week so they are playing games a couple nights a week.

8. NY Boulders Game – For Father’s Day my husband wanted to go to a local baseball game. The Renegades weren’t playing at home so we went to a NY Boulders game. We ended up going Saturday night since my son had a soccer game on Sunday. We didn’t realize it was going to be so cold! We were freezing but stayed until the end, when the Boulders had a winning run in the bottom of the 9th.

9. Miami – How did I almost forget about our trip to Miami for my brother-in-law’s wedding?!! It was a whirlwind couple of days and my son ended up getting sick and was not able to attend the wedding. But it was a beautiful ceremony and super fun reception. I wish we were able to stay a couple of extra days to explore Miami, but it was the weekend right before the kids started finals and regents’ so we had to get home.

Sharing with Friday Favorites!  Have a great weekend!

Happy Friday! Today I am in Miami because my brother-in-law is getting married tomorrow! This wedding has been postponed for two years because of COVID. They ended up getting married over Zoom last January and they are finally getting to celebrate in person with family and friends. It will be a busy but fun couple of days! Here are five from this week:

1. Newburgh: Illuminated– Saturday we drove to my in-laws house to drop off our luggage. They drove down to Miami so we had them bring all of our dress clothes and suitcases. It helped us save on luggage fees and not have to stuff our clothes in a garment bag. While we were up in the Orange County area we stopped at the Newburgh Illuminated Festival. We enjoyed taking a historical bus tour of the city, listened to some live music and walked around a bit. It was very crowded!

2. Eating – When we were up in Newburgh we stopped at Pizza Mia on the way home. We picked up a variety of slices and garlic knots to take home for dinner. This was the first time I had a Detroit style slice and it won’t be my last time! I like the thicker dough and square slices!

Sunday my son had a Boy Scout event at The Castle Fun Center in Chester. So the we took the whole family. After we dropped him off my daughter, husband and I had lunch at Allan’s Falafel. We ordered the falafel deluxe platter and eggplant salad. It was so good!

3. Reading – This week I read Dessert Can Save the World by Christina Tosi. This is a short, memoir/motivational read.

4. Cooking – This week we made Big Flavors From a Tiny Kitchen’s Falafel-Spice Chickpea Flatbreads again. These are quick and easy to make and very tasty!

5. Watching – Friday night we watched the movie Licorice Pizza.  It was an Oscar nominated movie. We also finished watching Stranger Things and have started watching the new episodes of Somebody Feed Phil.

6. Goose Pond Mountain – After lunch we found a short hike in the area. It was very short at only .4 miles. But we saw a rainbow and some birds.

Sharing with Friday Favorites!  Have a great weekend!