So as I mentioned in my previous post, I’ve taken a much needed week off from work.. Really, I was waayy overdue for some time off and I feel much better already! I’m sure that will all change Sunday night, though  This was also Kevin’s one week off in between classes, so we’ve been keeping ourselves busy with getting things done around the house and doing some little day trips when weather permitted.
Yeah, about the weather… The weather up until yesterday really hadn’t been the best. It was mostly rainy and kind of cold for a few days there, which really was perfect for staying home and getting stuff done! By Tuesday afternoon, however, I was getting a little stir crazy! I needed to get out of the house.
Neither of us had had lunch yet, so I decided we should take a little drive up to J Foster Ice Cream in Simsbury and get ice cream for lunch. I’ve been meaning to get there for awhile (ever since I tried their Pumpkin Ice Cream at a restaurant this past Fall) and, really, nothing makes me happier than having ice cream for a meal. This was the perfect way to cheer me up 
Have I mentioned that I’m also a big fan of long car rides? Call me crazy, but ever since I was a kid, I’ve loved a long ride in the car. It’s a little odd, I know, but that’s how I roll. Anyway, it’s a good 45 minute drive up to Simsbury from our house, which is probably why we hadn’t gotten around to trying out J Foster yet. Usually when we decide we want ice cream (which is fairly often), it’s after dinner and a little late to make the long drive when we have plenty of fine ice cream establishments in just a 5 or 10 minute drive. It was perfect, though, for a random afternoon.
It’s a beautiful drive to get up there. The store is located in a really pretty part of the state and the store itself is really cute. It met all my expectations and more!
The surrounding area:
Outdoor seating! Unfortunately, because it was a rainy day, we didn’t get to sit out there. Next time, though!
The ice cream was awesome, too, of course. It was really creamy and just tasted fresh and home made. I got a scoop of Coconut Mounds and a scoop of Kahlua Heath Crunch. The Kahlua Heath Crunch was really out of this world!
Kevin, as usual, had a giant Sundae. He said the hot fudge was really more like chocolate syrup, though. What’s up with that? He did say that the whipped cream was pretty good and the ice cream, of course, was stellar.
Overall, we were very pleased with our experience. It was well worth the drive and I’m sure we’ll be back for more in the near future!
My last post detailed the little gathering we had last Sunday night to celebrate Heather’s birthday. That just didn’t feel like it was quite enough, though. On Saturday night we went out on the town and gave Heather a more proper birthday celebration; one that did not include our friend Fudgie The Whale.
Our evening started at Feng in Hartford for sushi and cocktails (nothing says celebration to me better than sushi). Here’s a much better picture of Heather than the last one (not that she ever saw it, because she doesn’t read my blog – whose fault is that?). Give the girl a drink and you’ll get a smile. Works every time!
The food was awesome and the mood was relaxed. I really like Feng a lot. It’s the second time I’ve been there and both times I’ve had a really great experience. It’s the perfect place for a birthday celebration.
We ended up just deciding to do an assortment of rolls to pick at – including the Green Peace roll, which is one of the most interesting rolls I’ve ever had. It has “Asparagus, Avocado, Cucumber, Mango, Sun-Dried Tomato, Kiwi, with Strawberry and Yamata Sauces”. I’ll be honest. I was a little worried about it, but it ended up being great. And it’s what the birthday girl wanted; and what the birthday girl wants, the birthday girl gets! We also ordered an Autumn of Connecticut roll which was probably my favorite with “Spicy Alaskan King Crab, Salmon, Avocado,Yuzu Masago, Wasabi Pepper and Momiji Sauces”. Then we got a few more standard ones – Eel with avocado, a California Roll and a Tuna Roll. Everything was wonderful.
Dinner was followed up by a trip to City Steam for a few pitchers of beer (Acapulco Gold – an IPA and then the Summer Stout) and nachos (yes, we ate again – don’t judge)… and a Lisa’s Pie for Heather.
Acapulco Gold
Standard Nachos (don’t ask why they’re Standard – inside joke)
Lisa’s Pie
We had a great night out… with waaayyy too much food and alcohol, but I really don’t know a better way to celebrate! And it was definitely a good way for me to kick off my week off from work. Happy Birthday, Heather (again)!
After dinner tonight, Kevin and I took a little stroll down to Tom and Heather’s house to help them celebrate Heather’s 32nd birthday with her dear old friend Fudgie The Whale… yes, you heard me, Fudgie The Whale. When was the last time you had a Fudgie The Whale? I honestly don’t know that I ever have, but I have to say, it really was most delicious. It also lead to some highly entertaining innuendo surrounding Fudgie’s blow hole and fluke. Great times.
The Birthday Girl… this is honestly about the happiest I could get Heather to look in any picture.
Tom, getting ready to battle Fudgie
Fudgie The Whale (he looks a little scared if you ask me)
The Final Product! Tom won his battle vs the whale and the Birthday girl got the fluke!
In past years, we’ve spent long weekends in Boston for Heather’s birthdays (which is also my half birthday, by the way). This year, clearly, was a little more low key. This year, none of us could really get away for the weekend to help her celebrate her birthday due to busy work and school schedules, but I think we just may try to get away sometime in the next couple weeks (I have all next week off from work). Then, we’ll really celebrate! But for tonight, a little ice cream cake with some friends was the perfect way to end the weekend. And I was even home in time for Mad Men!
I’m not the biggest breakfast eater. Now I always eat a little something every morning – usually oatmeal or toast with peanut butter, but I’m just not generally a huge fan of the big traditional breakfasts. I’d rather just save my appetite up for lunch. Kevin, on the other hand, LOVES breakfast and I’m pretty sure he’d just eat breakfast all day and be perfectly happy.
While I for the most part can just do without most breakfast foods, there is definitely something special about waking up bright and early on a Sunday morning, throwing on a little jazz (always jazz on Sunday mornings – it’s a rule), and getting to work in the kitchen. This past Sunday morning, I decided to throw together some pancakes. I do have a special place in my heart for the pancake as it is what I consider to be the King of Breakfast Foods. Of course they were blueberry pancakes, because I still have pounds and pounds of blueberries hanging out and taking up space in my freezer from my trip to Evergreen Berry Farm a couple of weeks ago.
Now, I don’t really have specific recipes that I go to time and time again for just about anything (there are a couple of exceptions). I just always like to try out new things or I just completely wing them, so I went to my friend Captain Google and typed in blueberry pancakes and one of the first results I got was this one from Smitten Kitchen. Perfect! I have never had bad luck with any of the recipes I’ve tried from SK. I also appreciate the thorough lesson she gave on how to make a proper pancake – as I have been known to occasionally screw mine up.
These pancakes were wonderful – I did over whisk my batter a little bit (I get a little overzealous with these things), but that’s just me. The recipe was great I also topped mine off with a fairly ridiculous amount of the homemade blueberry syrup and served with some surprisingly not bad veggie bacon strips (“Fakon”?) from MorningStar Farms.
Kevin, needless to say, was very happy to wake up to a proper Sunday breakfast and I got to use up some more blueberries. A great way to start the day!
Blueberry picking season is in full swing and I recently joined my mother for our annual trek up to Evergreen Berry Farm in Watertown, CT.
The berries were plentiful and we were able to do all our picking under the shade of a giant tree. The shade was much appreciated as it was a very hot and humid day. Luckily we went early before the heat got to be too much. As long as we stayed in the shade, we were pretty comfortable. Here’s a picture of my mom with her berry picking bucket heading towards the tree.
We’ve been going to Evergreen Berry Farm for all our blueberry picking needs the last few seasons and have always had a great experience. There’s nothing like picking your own. It’s really neat to know exactly where your food is coming from. Every year we pick a fairly ridiculous amount of berries (last year we actually went twice) and this year was no different. Between the two of us, we had roughly 10 pounds!
Here’s my 5 pounds:
I know it sounds like a lot, and I guess it is, but no worries – they freeze beautifully. The trick is to not wash them before you put them into the freezer (just remember to wash them when you take them out) and then you have blueberries ready and waiting for you throughout the year. I actually still have berries left over from last year in my freezer – and they’re still fine!
So now you can expect a ton of posts (okay, probably more like one or two) from me about my baking adventures trying to use up some of these blueberries! Just this morning I made some really awesome blueberry pancakes (no pictures – they weren’t exactly pretty ) with homemade blueberry syrup. The syrup really made them special. And it was so simple! Who knew?
Do you have any good recipes to share to help me use up some of these berries? I’d love to hear them!
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