When Cate and I went to Seattle last month, we were lucky to enjoy a lot of really amazing food. Seattle is a total food town, and one that prides itself on its attention to local, sustainable ingredients. How could you not love it?

On our first night there, we arrived late and hungry. Though we’d hoped to try a nearby restaurant, we found that the only thing open was Lola in the lobby of our hotel, Hotel Andra.

Fortunately, just because it was our only choice doesn’t mean it should ever be considered a last resort in Seattle. Lola, one of Tom Douglas’ restaurants, serves up breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner with Greek flare. Situated in the lobby of Hotel Andra, it’s walking distance to Pike Place Market and other memorable parts of Seattle. Read the rest of this entry…

On Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, we ate but didn’t feast — at least not in the fork-to-mouth sort of way. But we did feast in the beauty of our tropical surroundings. It was bliss.

When we returned to Connecticut, we prepared for the other kind of feast — the traditional one had at Thanksgiving. And on Sunday, we had a feast of food. It was bliss. Read the rest of this entry…

Photo by Virtual Frolic

Traveling is among my chief passions. New places, new experiences, new memories … it all comes with a good trip. This past weekend, my kids, husband and I headed to Cape Cod for a fabulous weekend of eating, enjoying and attending a close friend’s wedding. And yes, it was a good trip.

Of course, we’ve been to the Cape before (many times for me), but this time was different. The weekend was all about seeing a dear, dear friend wed a wonderful, loving man. The ceremony was beautiful — the kind that leaves you with tears glistening in your eyes. But the moment from the wedding that will be with me forever is when the vows were done and they were officially married. The look of pure joy, pure happiness, on my friend’s face was breathtaking.

I told him to think of something funny ...

She just loves the beach.

The sky was amazing.

Other than the wedding, we had a pretty laid-back, unplanned trip. The agenda was loose. The plans formed as we went and we changed directions in a heartbeat. Relaxing …

We visited Nauset Beach, a lovely public beach in Orleans. The surf was wild that day, with tall, crashing waves hit hard with strong winds, sending a cloud of spray back as the waves rushed forward. It was mesmerizing. As for the kids, they laughed and giggled while they ran (and fell!) in the sand.

Of course, the long drive? Not so relaxing … The long weekend started with the kids and I dashing from school pick up to the train station to pick up a friend to the Cape. Unfortunately, by the time we made the more than four-hour drive northeast, the seafood restaurant we planned to eat at had closed for the evening. We ended up eating at Papa Gino’s on what seemed like the best veggie pizza and grinder ever. Honestly, we can’t say if it was hunger or truly good food influencing our opinions … Whatever it was, it was just right for the end of that day.

Where else did we dine? Read the rest of this entry…

Last week, Shawn and I packed up the kids and the car (yes, my tiny Civic!) and headed south for the week. While our Connecticut home is near some lovely beaches, we went to a little spot that I adore: Cape May, New Jersey.

I first visited Cape May more than 15 years ago when my friend’s family took me on vacation with them a few times. With such fond memories of the trips, I have been wanting to turn to the sunny ocean-side spot for years. I am so glad to have finally done so.

The actual impetus to go there came when I – on a whim – Googled some combination of the words Cape May and Cabin. Up popped a listing for Ponderosa Campground. The site offered almost everything I could ever want in a campground cabin: electricity, a mini fridge, an in-cabin bathroom and even air conditioning (to keep the troops happy) … there was also a television, but I refused the remote and we never watched it. And the price? Just $40 a night. I called immediately and booked our vacation. It was just too perfect to pass up.

I did worry that the $40 price tag would mean that it wasn’t a good place to stay, but the staff was so friendly and helpful, the cabin was immaculate, the pool was pristine. It was great. The only downside? The mattresses were as thin as they come … but who cares? We just tired ourselves out and dealt with it … it is a campground after all Read the rest of this entry…

So, where did we eat this weekend on the Cape?

The Cape.

It feels so unnatural to me to say Cape Cod. It’s so formal, like something that someone who hadn’t ever been there would say. But I’ve been there many times. As a child, my family would make a yearly pilgrimage to the Cape for our massive annual family reunion. There would be volleyball and lobster. My grandmother would convene with her cousins, the ones that she’d spent summers playing on beaches and swimming with. Meanwhile, I would search the crowds (yes, crowds) for my generation of cousins … the ones who, although older, would build sandcastles on the beach with me.

I have a great family.

This past weekend was the first time that my children visited the Cape. While I doubt they will ever connect the concept of visiting the Cape with huge family gatherings like I do, I certainly hope that they do associate it would good times and good friends. I have great friends too.

Alright, enough musings … onto the food. Read the rest of this entry…

On Friday, not long after hitting publish on previous blog post here, I loaded the kids into my trusty little Civic and headed to Cape Cod for the weekend. It was dark and rainy, but the drive was pretty easy and peaceful. And when we arrived, just after midnight, we were greeted by two of my wonderful friends who helped me to quickly unload the car and put the kids to bed.

It was a weekend that we had talked about for more than a month, sending links back and forth and brainstorming about things to see. High on the list was visiting a cranberry bog, which unfortunately didn’t happen. But we did score three pounds each of some freshly picked cranberries. Sweet! I cannot wait to get cooking with them. I have many great things planned …

Missing the cranberry bog wasn’t for lack of trying … we did what we could. We dropped in on an annual cranberry festival, where we ate some dried cranberries and scooted around a barn filled with people and vendors. It wasn’t exactly what we were expecting. But the kids were pleased since they scored some balloons and got to meet a friendly pig.

We checked out a fake lighthouse at the fair grounds and a real one at a beach. We ate fried clams and delicious brownies. We went to a small museum, ate in a small local diner that I have been to dozens of times )but didn’t totally realize that until we were mid-meal) and managed to hit the better part of the cape. It was a total blast.

Many good things can be said about good food and good company … and we were blessed with both this past weekend.

Click through to see more photos from our trip. Read the rest of this entry…

Last week, I told you all that we were headed off for a few days of camping and promised details upon my return. My apologies for the delay. I have some big new things happening in my life (more on that tomorrow!) and was bogged down with work from the moment I arrived home. But now, I am caught up, cleaned up and ready to get back into the groove of things.

So, here’s the scoop.

Read the rest of this entry…