Happy Friday! It’s crazy that Thanksgiving is next week! However, before we get to Thanksgiving we get to celebrate my husband’s birthday on Saturday. After a day filled with work/activities for the kids, we are going to hopefully get to enjoy a rare family dinner out to celebrate him. Here are five from this week:

1. Blackjack Update – A new pic of Blackjack. He’s now 6 months old. He likes to get the two older cats all riled up. He loves to eat. He doesn’t enjoy cuddling or being held (which makes me sad). He’s lucky he’s cute! Because he looks like a mini version of our older black cat, Salem, we’ve been calling him “Baby” way more than we’ve been calling him “Blackjack.”

2. Reading – It’s holiday reading season! I made this Instagram reel showcasing my Holiday to-be-read pile. This week I finished reading Meet Me Under the Mistletoe by Jenny Bayliss. It was a cute holiday read. I also finished reading The Santa Suit by Mary Kay Andrews which I enjoyed as well.

3. Cooking – This week’s menu included Sesame Apricot Tofu with rice and roasted broccoli, veggie burgers and fries, pierogies and roasted green beans and Gigi Hadid TikTok pasta with Caesar salad.

4. Watching – I watched another Christmas movie, Falling For Christmas (Netflix) which was a cute movie with Lindsay Lohan and Chord Overstreet (who I recognized from Glee). I also watched Christmas on Repeat (Hulu) and do not recommend. It was like Groundhog’s Day but Christmas themed, where a woman has to relive Christmas day over and over until she gets it right.

5. HVRW Lunch Date – Nov. 7-Nov. 20 is Hudson Valley Restaurant Week. My husband and I were able to have a lunch date at Restaurant X in Congers. This Peter Kelly’s Rockland County restaurant. Overall, we thought the meal was just okay. However, we’ve been to his Yonkers restaurant X2O and really enjoyed that meal.

6. Defensive Driving – Last Saturday we spent most of the day in a defensive driving class. We are doing anything and everything to lower our car insurance bill after seeing the shocking price increase when we added our teen daughter to our insurance plan.

7. Internet Faves this week

 A reminder for the upcoming holiday season.

And this! It’s definitely how I feel, but unfortunately, I do have to go back out to drive/pick up the kids from work and extracurricular activities.

Sharing with Friday Favorites!  Have a great weekend!

Happy Friday and Happy Veteran’s Day! I am happy to have today off from work. With daylight savings we got an extra hour of sleep, but somehow I was dragging this week! I am very grateful for this three day weekend! Here are five from this week:

1. Baking – This week I made a S’mores Cobbler. I love all things s’mores! This was chocolatey and rich.

2. Reading – This week I finished It Starts With Us by Colleen Hoover. I loved It Ends With Us but I read it so long ago that I didn’t remember much of it. It Starts With Us was good, but I didn’t love it.

3. Cooking – This week’s menu included Spanakopita with Greek potatoes and Tomato Salad, Sticky and Spicy Baked Cauliflower with rice and roasted green beans, Spaghetti and Beyond Meatballs and Baked Broccoli Cheddar Tortellini Skillet (but I used mini cheese ravioli). 

4. Watching – I watched the first two episodes of Blockbuster (Netflix) but wasn’t a fan. If you’ve watched it and it gets better after the first two episodes, let me know! I also watched Catering Christmas (Hulu). I’m normally not a big Hallmark-esque Christmas movie watcher. I prefer to read Christmas books. But I could use a little feel-good holiday spirit right now and this movie passed the time just fine!

5. School Play – My son is a high school freshman and is currently a stage manager-in-training. Last weekend was our high school’s fall performance, The Laramie Project. Although he had to be there Friday, Saturday and Sunday, my husband and I went on Saturday to see the play. The Laramie Project tells the story of the townspeople of Laramie, Wyoming’s reaction to the 1998 murder of gay, college student Matthew Shepard. The kids did an amazing job of telling this important story. It’s a well-known play was even made into a movie.

6. Election Day – I hope everyone got out and voted on Election Day! I don’t talk politics on the blog, but I think everyone should exercise their right to vote.

7. Memes and Other Online Finds

This one hit particularly hard this week. I’m going through a rough patch with my teen daughter and as much as I’m hoping to “teach the hard lessons” it’s not easy.

And something more humorous! Sadly, I need to get my son a new winter coat, since he’s outgrown last year’s. It’s on my to-do list this weekend and fortunately, it’s not too cold out yet. However, even when I do get him a new winter jacket, he will not be wearing it to school. Neither of my kids do since that’s not a cool teen thing.

Sharing with Friday Favorites! Have a great weekend!

Thank goodness it’s Friday! It’s been a long week and I am very much looking forward to the weekend! My son is a stage manager in training and the fall high school play is this weekend. The weather is supposed to be fairly warm (low 70’s) for November and I’m hoping to get a little outdoor time. Here are five from this week:

1. Baking – After watching episodes of the new season of The Great British Baking Show, I’ve been craving cake. I made a Pumpkin Caramel Cream Cheese Poke Cake. The icing was a bit on the sweet side, but it filled my cake craving and was a seasonal treat.

2. Field Hockey – Saturday my daughter’s field hockey team played in the Section finals. They ended up losing 0-1. It was such a close game. The last time our school district made it to the Championship Finals was in 2009! There are only two seniors on the team so we are hoping they can make it to the finals again next year! 

3. Reading – I finished reading the non-fiction book The Gospel of Wellness by Rina Raphael. This book takes a deep dive into the wellness industry and was an informative read. I also finished The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox. This was my first holiday read of the season and was a good one!

4. Cooking – This week’s menu included Korean Tofu Rice Bowls, Penne with Zucchini, Tomatoes and Boursin Cheese, Baked Cinnamon Crunch French Toast and Hearty Cheddar Garlic Herb Potato Soup.

5. Watching – This week I watched the movie Luckiest Girl Alive (Netflix). I read the book back in 2015 and didn’t remember much of it. But I had given it 3 stars on Goodreads. I found the movie to be just okay.

6. Eating – Sunday we went out to lunch with our daughter to Ramenesque in Peekskill. My husband and her shared a bowl of vegetarian ramen and. Tofu curry. I had this miso salmon. We hadn’t been here in ages.

7. Halloween – This was the first Halloween that I can remember where I was actually home to give candy out to trick-or-treaters. We don’t normally get a lot of trick-or-treaters (I think we got around 10 this year) so I made sure to stock up on candy that we actually enjoy! 

8. Favorite Memes:

This is so true!

Minus the money part, now that she has a job, this is my daughter!

This has me freaking out a little bit!

 ICYMI this week on the blog: 

  Sunday I posted November Events in Westchester County.

Sharing with Friday Favorites!  Have a great weekend!

Happy Friday!  It’s hard to believe that October will soon be over! We’ve been so busy this month has flown by! Here are five from this week:

1. Eating– Saturday my husband and I took a quick trip to Woodbury Commons so I could try to find a new pair of sneakers. We had dinner at Shake Shack and had Shroom Burgers and shared an Apple Doughnut milkshake.

I tried Trader Joe’s Ube ice cream. It was okay but not as good as the Salted Maple ice cream.

If you like olives, these Trader Joes olives are really good and less than $2! 

2. Field Hockey – Monday my daughter’s field hockey team won their Sectional quarterfinals game 5-0 and their semi-finals game yesterday 3-0. They play for the Section Championship tomorrow! 

3. Reading – I haven’t finished any books this week and am halfway through two. I’m reading the non-fiction book The Gospel of Wellness by Rina Raphael. I’ve also started my holiday reads with The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox. 

4. Cooking – This week’s menu included Chik’n Nachos using Sweet Earth Chik’n, Boca Chik’n sandwiches and fries, Honey Garlic Salmon Soba Noodle Bowls (with tofu for my husband and daughter), Healthier Homemade Hamburger Helper and Easy Baked Gnocchi with Tomatoes and Mozzarella.

5. Watching – My husband and I finished The Watcher (Netflix) this week. I was really disappointed after finishing the last episode.

Sharing with Friday Favorites. Hope you have a great weekend!

Hooray for Friday! Things are finally starting to calm down around here! Last Saturday my daughter took the PSATs and my son spent the day at the Thunderbird Games with Boy Scouts. My son’s soccer season is over but he’s been busy with stage crew for the upcoming school play. My daughter’s field hockey team is playing their sectionals game on Monday, so they’ve been practicing in preparation for their big game. This week I also took her to a college fair and my husband went to a financial aid meeting at our high school. This whole college process is starting to get very real! Here are five from this week:

1. Nail Polish – I’m loving this essie bahama mama nail polish. It’s a great fall color. I used the essie good to go top coat. I’m curious to see how long this polish will last before it starts chipping. So far it’s been five days and they are still looking good.

2. Serious Fun Arts Fest- Saturday my husband and I visited the Serious Fun Arts Fest in White Plains. I love seeing street art and The Social Fabric exhibition at the ArtsWestchester gallery is pretty amazing! It’s on display through January 22, 2023, so if you didn’t get to attend the Serious Fun Arts Fest you can still visit the exhibit.

3. Peekskill Brewery Anniversary Block Party – Saturday after the Serious Fun Arts Fest we stopped in Peekskill for the Peekskill Brewery Anniversary Block Party. We got to see the Fat City Rockers sing a couple of songs before we had to leave to pick our son up from his Boy Scout event.

4. Reading – Last night I finished reading The Winners by Fredrik Backman. It’s so good but not a quick read at over 600 pages! I was on a deadline since it was a two week loan and is due back at the library tomorrow. If you’ve never read Backman, I highly recommend reading the first book in the series, Beartown. His writing is filled with all of these nuggets that are so insightful and relatable.

5. Cooking – This week’s menu included Trader Joes’s Vegan Beefless Bulgogi with rice and Trader Joe’s Taiwanese Green Onion Pancakes, Vegan Bombay Potatoes, Sheet Pan Vegan Teriyaki Meatballs with rice and roasted broccoli and Creamy Shrimp Pesto Tortellini (no shrimp for my husband and daughter).

6. Too Good to Go – Sunday I used the Too Good to Go app and tried Terra Dulce Bakery in Peekskill. We got a bunch of different rolls, cookies and a muffin for $4.99! You can read more about the app in this post that I wrote.

7. Watching – My husband and I watched Sheng Wang Sweet and Juicy on Netflix. This was a fun comedy that I heard about from the Forever35 Facebook group.

8. Lunch Date – Sunday my husband and I went out for a quick lunch date. We went to Bangkok Spice, a Thai restaurant near our house. I got a Thai Iced Tea and we shared an order of Summer Rolls, Massaman Curry and Pad See Ew with tofu and vegetables. 

Sharing with Friday Favorites. Have a great weekend!

Happy Friday! It was another four day work and school week since we had Monday off for Columbus Day. But why do short weeks always feel so long?! It was another super busy week. However, things will hopefully start to slow down now. The kids had their last games of the season this week. They still have practices until they play their sectional games but the end is in sight! Here are five from this week:

1. Eating – My daughter had me buy these Oreo Brookie-O cookies. They are filled with brownie, original and cookie dough cremes. We all thought that they were really sweet.

2. Mochinut – Monday after the kids’ sport practices we took them out for lunch. We went to the recently opened Mochinut in New City. They enjoyed bubble tea, rice hotdogs and we shared some mochinuts. This was our first time having mochi donuts, which we all loved! We shared the Vietnamese coffee, Chocolate Caramel and Mango varieties, but they had so many more that we’ll need to go back and try! It was also our first time having rice hotdogs (mozzarella for us non-meat-eaters) which were so good too! I was happy that the four of us got to to spend some quality time together. 

3. Reading – This week I did not get to finish reading a book. I am almost halfway through The Winners by Fredrik Backman. This is the third, and I believe final, book in the Beartown series. It was just published and it’s over 650 pages! So far, I’m really enjoying it!  

4. Cooking – This week’s menu included One Pot Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Orzo, Curried Egg Noodle Soup, Pierogies and Roasted Broccoli, Crunchy Roll Bowls using Sweet Earth’s Korean Chik’n this time instead of tofu and homemade pizza.

5. Puzzle – I completed this White Mountain The Movies 1,000 piece puzzle in a 24-hour time period. It wasn’t a very challenging puzzle, but was fun to put together. My husband now wants us to watch/rewatch all of the movies featured in the puzzle!

6. Watching – I’ve finished watching the first season of The Morning Show (Apple+) and am halfway through the second. For mindless fun, I’ve started watching Bachelor in Paradise (Hulu) and my husband and I just started watching the newest season of the Great British Baking Show (Netflix).

7. Drinking – My sister sent my son a box of Warheads Sour! sodas. There are five cans in the box, but so far, he’s only tried the Watermelon soda. I of course had to give it a try. It was tart but not undrinkable. He enjoyed it a lot.

ICYMI this week on the blog: 

  Monday I posted about the Serious Fun Arts Fest in White Plains.

Sharing with Friday Favorites!  Have a great weekend!

Hello Friday! I hope everyone had a great week! It was so nice having a day off in the middle of the week. The kids had no practice, no activities and my daughter wasn’t scheduled to work. It was such a relaxing day! I’m excited for another long weekend. My husband is up in Binghamton today through Sunday afternoon, so I’m parenting solo! Here are five from this week:

1. Lunch date – Sunday my husband and I had a lunch date at The Red Pepper Diner in Wappingers. This is not a diner, it’s actually a Sri Lankan restaurant. This was our first time having Sri Lankan food and it was delicious! This is the kothu roti with a hopper.

2. Reading – This week I finished reading Vanessa Yu’s Magical Paris Tea Shop by Roselle Lim. This book made me want to go back to Paris. And I loved all the food descriptions!

3. Cooking – This week’s menu included Maple Sriracha Tofu with rice and roasted broccoli, vegan meatball subs (using Beyond Meatballs) with Caesar salad, Creamed Spinach Gnocchi Bake, 15 Minute Soy Sauce Butter Fried Rice and homemade pizza.

4. Eating – Salted Maple Ice Cream from Trader Joe’s. Eating this under a blanket with a cat sleeping on my lap is fall bliss!

I also bought this pretzel roll from Trader Joe’s. The sign recommended serving it warm with pub cheese. I didn’t see pub cheese there, so I bought a jar of salsa con queso at Shoprite. It was tasty but was more roll like than pretzel. Back when we ate meat, fried bologna on a pretzel roll was delicious!

I’m writing a post on plant-based snacks for Guilty Eats and have been sampling different snacks. This week we tried these mushroom chips that Popadelics sent me for consideration. If you like mushrooms, like I do, these are tasty!

5. Watching – The show isn’t new, but I’ve started watching The Morning Show on Apple +. I’m not sure why I didn’t start this sooner since I love Reese Witherspoon. It also stars Jennifer Aniston and Steve Carell.  

6. McDonald’s Cactus Plant Flea Market – Wednesday the kids and I were off from school and work. I got my son the Big Mac McDonald’s Cactus Plant Flea Market, aka the adult happy meal. Of course I also got myself a vanilla shake and some fries. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity and honestly I couldn’t remember the last time we had McDonald’s!

ICYMI this week on the blog: 

  Monday I posted Halloween Events in the Hudson Valley.

Sharing with Friday Favorites!  Have a great weekend!