I’m a self-taught home-cook sharing my passion for eating, cooking, and all things food.
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I decided to visit the Morris Museum for my March monthly recap on one of the few sunny weekends that hinted of summertime. The Morris Museum was recommended to me as a great New Jersey museum to visit. After browsing the current exhibits, I was excited to visit to see their multiple galleries of artwork, sculptures, and interactive exhibits.
I feel like it was yesterday that I was writing my January Recap from our brunch in downtown Montclair. Without realizing it, it was March, and I couldn’t believe that the month was over. Looking back on the month, the February highlight was dinner at Turtle + the Wolf in Upper Montclair.
After exploring downtown Montclair, my boyfriend and I made a reservation in Upper Montclair to visit SLA Thai. We had an amazing dinner featuring Northern Thai dishes in a bold and beautiful restaurant. Click to read my first impression restaurant review and get my recommendations.
My January Recap, a continuation of my monthly reflection series, kicks off the new year with adventures in downtown Montclair. From brunch at Toast, to visiting the Montclair Art Museum, check out my January Recap and highlights by clicking to read more.
A rainy Friday evening brought us to Tino’s Artisan Pizza Co. in Upper Montclair. This Italian restaurant features local organic ingredients, thin crust pizzas with unique toppings, and other tasty options. Click to read my first impression restaurant review of Tino’s Artisan Pizza Co. in Upper Montclair.
Friday evening in Upper Montclair brought us to Tortas Lokas — a Mexican restaurant serving delicious tacos, massive sandwiches, and other tasty treats. Click to read the full restaurant review of Tortas Lokas and my recommendations when visiting this Upper Montclair restaurant.
My December Recap features Christmas and celebrating the end of the year with friends and family. I wanted to take the end of year off to disconnect from work and enjoy the seasonal traditions (like decorations, holiday movies, and intricate recipes). This monthly recap features our Christmas Eve tradition of The Feast of the Seven Fishes.
With the end of year quickly approaching, I decided to look back on the top 5 blogs from 2023. From travel adventures to restaurant reviews, 2023 was a mix of familiar foodie categories, plus some new additions to the blog. Here are the top 5 favorites from this year. Click to read more!
My November Recap features my mellow month where I nerded out on the recent release of Rebecca Yarros’s book Iron Flame, and spent the end of the month setting up my foodie Christmas decorations. Read the full recap on the blog.
We spent a morning in Portsmouth, NH, were we had breakfast at Cup of Joe Cafe and Bar. Then, we explored downtown where we stopped into the Tugboat Alley gift shop, visited the Byrne & Carlson Chocolatier, and Deadwick's Ethereal Emporium before heading back home.
After our stay at North Haven Island, we began the three hour drive to Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Along the way, we stopped in Boothbay, Maine to visit the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens to see the wooden trolls! After a few hours of exploring the gardens, we made our way to Portsmouth, where we had dinner at The Puddle Dock Restaurant. Click to read the full travel adventures and restaurant review.
To enjoy the October holiday season, I booked tickets for the Armour-Stiner Octagon House Tour in Irvington, New York. This house tour featured a multi-floor tour of the house, where we learned about the owners, architecture, and history. Plus, our tickets came with access to a bonus exhibit for the holiday season. Then, we headed to Mumbai Dreams in Nyack, New York for lunch. Click to read the full October Recap.
We headed to North Haven Island, in Maine to explore the island, stay at Nebo Lodge, and get a 2-hour tour of a working Oyster Farm! I loved the farm tour and had a fantastic dinner at the Nebo Lodge Restaurant. Click to learn more about the things to do on North Haven Island and read the first impression restaurant review of our dinner.
After our afternoon adventures in Rockland, Maine, we decided to stay local to Camden for dinner. With our innkeeper’s recommendations and my own research for the trip, we decided to visit Peter Ott’s for dinner and River Duck Ice Cream for dessert. Check out my full first impression restaurant reviews for these two Camden, Maine businesses.
After enjoying breakfast at our B&B, we spent the morning of our second day in Camden, Maine by exploring the downtown shops, like Uncle Willie’s Candy Shoppe. Then, we drove 20 minutes to Rockland, Maine, to explore their Main Street of shops, galleries, and museums.
While August’s visit to the winery was for relaxing and socializing, September was a month of foodie adventures. I visited 4 new locations — from cafes and bakeries to restaurants and food courts. Check out my 4 favorite foodie spots from September!
A three-hour drive from Concord, New Hampshire brought us to Camden, Maine, one of my favorite accommodations and towns to visit during our vacation. We spent the evening of our first day exploring downtown shops before having dinner at The Waterfront Restaurant. Click to read the full travel recap and first impression restaurant review.
We stopped for a late lunch after leaving the Mark Twain House & Museum. We arrived three hours later at The Centennial Hotel in Concord, New Hampshire. We spent the next day with breakfast at Tucker’s before exploring downtown Concord. We visited bookstores, shops, and candy stores to name a few! Click to read the restaurant review and travel recommendations for Concord, New Hampshire.
With the ocean air still on my mind from July, August rolled in with a whisper of fall, bringing cool mornings and blistering afternoons. My focus for August was one of connection. I wanted to recover from my stressful work weeks and reconnect with friends and family. We had several events scheduled in August, including summer vacation. I was excited for the adventure surrounding these activities, and the chance to enjoy the last of the warm summer weather.
Kicking off the first leg of our summer vacation to Maine, we decided to take our first stop in Hartford, Connecticut to visit the Mark Twain House & Museum. If you know my love of Gilmore Girls (and literature), then you know I was excited to see what Hartford was like. To visit the house of a literary icon was a bonus to me. Click to read more about our visit to the Mark Twain House & Museum.
