Dinosaur BBQ

My fellow Colgate alumnus will be most excited to hear we now have our very own Dinosaur Bar-B-Que here in CT! The distinguished caterer of my college graduation party, Dinosaur BBQ holds a special place in your heart if you've ever done a stint in upstate New York. Perfect for a big crowd of holiday visitors, be sure to make a reservation! Also any grill master would be happy to find a stocking full of their delicious BBQ sauce or a gift card for Dino Dinero!

www.dinosaurbarbque.com

Booth at the Greenwich Food and Wine Festival

SoNo Marketplace

We can't wait to checkout newly opened SoNo Marketplace at 314 Wilson Ave in Norwalk. Home to over 45 food vendors, eateries and artisans we know this will be a great place to pick up tasty treats to serve over the holidays and also to take refuge for a delicious lunch or coffee (who are we kidding - glass of wine!). 

See CT Bites write up here or visit their website at SoNo Marketplace

And they have special holiday hours!

Wed 11-8, Thurs 11-8, Fri 11-8, Sat 10-8, Sun 10-5

Paul Tudor Jones

We are excited that Paul Tudor Jones is sharing his light show with the community again this year! Be sure to take a swing through Belle Haven to check it out. Located near the Belle Haven Club, you can ask the gate house for directions. Show starts at dusk and runs til about 9pm however if the line is long they will begin turning cars away around 8. 

Stop by The Homestead afterward for a celebratory cocktail - tis the holiday season!

www.homesteadinn.com 

Light Up Rowayton

Rowayton Civic Association will be hosting their annual Holiday lighting and Egg Nog Contest this Sunday, December 2nd from 4:30-6. Festivities begin at Pinkney Park with the tree lighting and caroling. Afterward, stroll down Rowayton Avenue to enjoy a snack from Rowayton Market and to enter your vote for 2012's best egg nog!

Interested in entering your favorite recipe? Find more info here: Light Up Rowayton

Santa's been know to make a visit for some egg nog and you can also do a little holiday shopping at Flee (behind Sails) Flee on Facebook. Treat yourself to a tasty dinner at Sails or The Restaurant to finish off the night!

Greenwich Holiday Stroll

Time to shop and meet Santa at the Greenwich Holiday Stroll Weekend 2012. Saturday Dec 1st from 10 to 6 and Sunday Dec 2nd from 12 to 5. Parking is free and over 90 participating merchants will be offering promotions and refreshments. Enjoy carolers, musicians, professional ice sculptors, face-painting, complimentary holiday refreshments and horse-drawn carriage rides. Also travel down to McArdle's to visit with their live reindeer and have your photo taken with Santa!

Photos can be taken Mon-Fri 12-5:30, Sat 9-5:30 and Sun 9-4 until December 24th. Reindeers feedings at 9 and 4 daily.

http://www.GreenwichReindeerFestival.com/reindeer-festival.php

Shoppers are encouraged to make a donation to Kids in Crisis at any participating store. Look for the donation boxes!

New Canaan Holiday Stroll

This week kicks off our local FFC holiday strolls and tree lightings! Be sure to check back for all of our favorites!

We hope to head to New Canaan for the tree lighting and a fun dinner at one of New Canaan's great restaurants - perhaps the new Picador, a Spanish themed tapas restaurant by the owner of Carpe Diem (a personal favorite!) or South End, the newest restaurant to fill Pine Social's former space.

Kate Spade Shopping Event

You can shop til you drop this week! Enjoy 20% off at a special shopping night a Kate Spade Greenwich with Mackenzie Horan of Design Darling - check out her cute blog at www.mackenziehoran.com. I always love Kate Spade for holiday giftables, check out some of their adorable items below!

Bobby Pins  - too cute!

Crown Ski Hat

Perfect for your best friend at work!

Glitter bow belt - holiday must have

Haha!

The Enchanted Forest!

It's that time of year again when we're about to host the Junior League of Greenwich's biggest fundraiser of the year - The Enchanted Forest! A wonderful event for the whole family with gingerbread decorating, photos with Santa, a beautiful enchanted forest of trees for auction, an Apres Ski gala on Saturday night and of course the Boutique! It's EHA and my last year co-chairing the boutique show and we hope you'll come out to support the JLG and all our wonderful vendors! 15% of all sales go to fund the charitable projects of the league. Our favorite event of the weekend is the Friday night Sneak Peek - a wonderful night of shopping, cocktails and good times with friends! We will also have an amazing drawing for a Sail to Sable tunic, Pomeline earrings, faux fur collar from Toggle Home, $100 gift certificate to Fred, Ann Lansing Designs belt and more!

Below is a list of all the fabulous vendors joining us for the weekend - shopping is also open Saturday and Sunday from 9am-5pm. Many you'll recognize from FFC411! 

To find out more about the other events over the weekend please visit our JLG site!

Alpine Sleds - Traditional European bent wood snow sleds

Ann Lansing Design - new! - Belts, handmade buckles and reversible straps - all sold separately

BabyBox.com - Luxury gifts for babies & children

Bee & Clover - Vintage jewelry, refreshed

Center Stage - Music boxes, snow globes, porcelain dolls, tutus and stocking stuffers

Chalk Talk Sports - Sports-themed gifts, games and apparel

Charlie Dog Boxer Company - new! - Premium mens boxers made from 100% Peruvian pima cotton and dyed with eco-friendly dyes

Children of Tanzania - Beaded ornaments made by micro finance groups to support an educational project in Tanzania

Collared Greens - new! - Mens ties, bowties, belts, hats and t-shirts - eco-friendly and made in America

Devon Baer Designs - Women's one-of-a-kind luxury clothing and accessories

Diana E Kelly - Women's leather shoes and handbags

Elizabeth McKay - Classic American women’s sportswear with a modern sensibility

EMBY - new! - Unique home good and gifts, chic apparel and curiosities

Everything is Rosey - Variety of gift-giving items, including women's and men's clothing and accessories.

Gems and More by Christine - new! - Natural semiprecious stones set in sterling silver and silver plated jewelry.

Greenwich Women’s Exchange - Handmade dresses, sweaters, bows, dolls, wooden trains and Christmas items

Harbor Sweets - new! - Handmade distinctive New England Chocolates - world famous Sweet Sloops

Ilyse's Pieces - new! - Handcrafted jewelry and fashion jewelry

johnnie-O – new! - Classic apparel with a little topspin for men, women and children

Letter Perfect - The Junior League of Greenwich’s shop carrying holiday gifts and accessories

Linen Press - new! - Holiday themed linens, ornaments, tree skirts, stockings, Caspari paper products, pillows and candles

Liza Hennessy Fine Leather Goods - new! - An American collection of fine leather goods designed and manufactured in New England.                      

Lizzie Izzie + James – new! - Fun, whimsical and unique handmade children's accessories

Lynne T. Ward Antique Prints - new! - Full range of antique prints including botanicals, natural history and fashion

Marigot - new! - Cashmere sweaters, pajamas and robes

MIJA Jewelry - Fine jewelry for women & children- 18k gold & sterling silver

Moes Monkeys - Handmade lounge and sleepwear in cotton and cuddle fleece for children

Monomoy Designs - new! - Nautically inspired art

Oliphant Designs - Vintage and contemporary handcrafted jewelry

Once Again Jewels - new! - One of a kind antique and vintage jewelry

Ostilly Collections - Custom handbags, merino wool products, cashmere, belts and jewelry

Patrice - Lifestyle collection including tablecloths, place mats, napkins, women’s accessories and more

PIKME Papers - new! - Stationary, notepads, photo cards and gift tags

Pomeline - new! - Jewelry, semiprecious stones with gold vermeil

Pure Play Kids - Wooden and cloth toys

Sail to Sable - new! - Dresses and home accessories

Seton McGlennon - Hand painted ornaments of homes, pets, children and memories captured in original pieces

Shell Stories - new! - Mussel Shell Trees along with seashell pictures frames and mirrors

Silhouette Artist - Hand cut silhouette portraits, mats & frames

Small Field Papers - Personalized gifts & stationery

Smathers & Branson - 100% Hand stitched needlepoint belts & accessories

Snapping Turtle Kids - new! - Swimwear and accessories with stainless steel snaps for swimsuits, and 100% cotton terry cloth for beach cover ups and hats.

Soundview Millworks - new! - Mahogany and Maple boards completely customizable for your home, and make great personalized gifts.

SPLURGE - new! - Unique holiday hostess gifts, teacher gifts, scarves and unique children’s gift items

The Pink Mink - new! - Fur capes, vests, wraps and shawls as well as pashminas and accessories

The Spa at Delamar - new! - Spa gift certificates and gift baskets

Three Island - new! - A unique line of fun, vibrant, and accessibly priced clothing for the men, ladies and children to enjoy made from traditional hand-stamped Balinese batik.

Toggle Home - new! - Unique monogram designs on goods for adults and children.

Cashmere for All!

A Greenwich tradition - the cashmere sale is on from now until December 19th! Stop by 125 Greenwich Ave to scope out all the beautiful items this year!

Serendipity Girls Night Out

Serendipity hosted such a fab Food & Wine festival this year we have to say that anything they are hosting we are looking forward to attending!

Help them support Fashion Delivers which is a nonprofit that distributes clothing to people battling the effects of poverty and natural disasters - right now they are hard at work providing badly needed products to Hurricane Sandy victims.

Guests will enjoy food, a martini bar, make up artists, skin experts, give away and a fabulous gift bag while they watch eighteen of the community's most philanthropic women walk the catwalk at the J House!

To buy tickets to this event go to www.serendipitysocial.com

A Note from FFC411

I hope everyone is slowly recovering from hurricane Sandy and doing what they can to help their friends, neighbors and those across the tri-state with their relief efforts. Suzy Said has been doing a wonderful job updating those of us in the Fairfield County area on how we can help locally - check out their facebook page for lists of places accepting donations! Also consider helping those outside of CT, as many of them were hit the hardest, through organizations such as the Red Cross, AmeriCares and many more!

As people are starting to get back to normal little by little I felt it was time that we could start sharing some of the lighter things again and begin looking forward to the holiday season, because when things are tough nothing puts a smile on your face more than time with your friends and family!

While we'll probably spend the next month talking about shopping events, gifts, parties etc I hope Sandy helps everyone continue to keep their lives in perspective - while shopping and celebrating please also continue giving back to those who need it the most. It will make your holidays that much more meaningful!

Welcome back!

Tasty Fall Treats

I love this idea for a fun fall taste treat - perfect for a pumpkin picking picnic, a cute little dessert or something more unique for your trick or treaters. I think the little guys in your lives are going to love these, especially with the sugar, sugar, sugar!

Sweet Acorns

Pick up your favorite glazed donut holes - mine are the honey glazed holes from Donut Delight. Dip the top portion of donut into nutella, roll in chocolate jimmies, then break off a small section of a pretzel stick and add to the top as a stem, voila! Adorable, delicious, chocolate acorns. 

Yum!

The Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze

There are still tickets left for this special Halloween event - see more than 5,000 individually hand carved, illuminated jack o'lanterns while walking the riverside landscape of Van Cortlandt Manor. Tens of thousands of visitors experience this sold out event every year - don't miss out! We're very excited to have our first tickets to this years Blaze, we plan on hitting up The Ocean House Oyster Bar for some delicious seafood before we scope out these awesome pumpkins.

Van Cortlandt Manor
Croton-on-Hudson, NY
Adults $16, Children 3-7 $12
Advance tickets required, times very by evening
www.hudsonvalley.org/store
*very limited tickets remain!

Ocean House Oyster Bar & Grill
49 N Riverside Ave, Croton-On-Hudson
oceanhouseoysterbar.com

Half Price Wednesdays

Having that mid week slump and don't feel like cooking? Head to China White in Greenwich for 1/2 Off Wednesdays - 50% off your entire bill, every Wednesday, for the month of October! I've yet to dine at China White but this will certainly bring me in, I enjoyed their delicious lo mein at the Food + Wine Festival and I look forward to trying their spring rolls, pan fried dumplings, sesame chicken with baby choy or wok lobster! The perfect opportunity to come in and test a bunch of items!

Can't be combined with any other offer and only valid for in house dining.

249 Railroad Ave, Greenwich
203.422.5232
chinawhiteusa.com

Traveling Tacos

My friend EHA has long spoken about the famous taco in a bag but I'd yet to see them come to life until I stumbled across this post online. This is a fall football must! EHA is definitely on to something and I'm so excited to try these for our friends on a lazy lounging Sunday. No muss, no fuss - easy to clean, easy to eat and what's more fun than dining out of a Fritos bag??

Genius right? Fill little bowls with taco meat and all your favorite toppings, hand out bags of Fritos and forks, everyone picks their favorite fillers, shake and enjoy! 

Pick Your Own

Thanks to Suzy Said for a list of fun places around CT to pick apples and pumpkins this weekend! We're head to Jones Family Farms for pumpkins and wine tasting! Here are a few of Suzy and FFC411s other favorites. Take advantage of the long weekend and dive into Fall!

Jones Family Farms
Shelton, CT
www.jonesfamilyfarms.com

Averill Farm
250 Calhoun Street
Washington
860-868-2777
www.averillfarm.com

Daily apple picking, hayrides, pizza made fresh on site for lunch. Sound good? If that isn’t enough, they have alpacas making a comeback in October. Come pick some apples, grab a pumpkin and check out these funny little creatures on Sundays!

Blue Jay Orchards
125 Plumtrees Road
Bethel
203-748-0119
www.bluejayorchardsct.com
Open 9AM to 6PM

Boasting 17 different varieties of apples to choose from, this place is apple heaven. But check their web site for picking availability. The unusually warm winter and spring set off budding early and gave a low yield this year. Wagon rides start Saturday, September 15th and run from 10AM to 5PM 

Bishop’s Orchards
1355 Boston Post Road
Guilford
203-453-2338
www.bishopsorchards.com 

With 110 acres of orchards, the apple picking is available from mid-August to late October. You can also pick pears and raspberries from 10AM to 5PM The farm also is home to a vineyard on the Connecticut Wine Trail.

Horse Listeners Orchard
317 Bebbington Road
Ashford
860-429-5336
www.horselistenersorchard.com

Pony and tractor rides, a hay bale maze, baking demonstrations, hot cider and donuts—this place has it all. Over 25 different apple varieties provide plenty of chance to pick some nice and juicy ones. They can even ship apple gift boxes to loved ones who live far away.

Lyman Orchards
Junction of Routes 147 & 157
Middlefield
860-349-1793
www.lymanorchards.com

Who needs apple picking when they’ve got a Yankees vs. Red Sox corn maze? Or stop off at their market and pick up one of their famous pies. Is dad hoping to practice his backswing? Great, they’ve got an 18-hole golf course. If you like, you can even shop on their web site. But if you’ve got your heart set on picking, they’ve got over 20 different varieties to choose from. 

My neighbors are giving me pumpkin envy!

Greenwich Food+Wine Festival

We're very excited that the Greenwich Food and Wine Festival is almost here! We'll be going to the Food+Wine Grand Tasting on Friday night - Featured Chefs will be cooking dinner for the event, there will be wine from participating elite wineries and of course performance by the Ian Murray Band and Big Head Todd & the Monsters. I can't wait to meet a few of my favorite celebrity chefs - Ted Allen and Graham Elliot. This will be an awesome event and I encourage everyone to get their tickets before they are sold out, hope to see you there!

We are also looking forward to the Food+Wine Festival on Saturday. The culinary village will be open from 12pm-5pm featuring more than 90 exclusive food, wine and spirit vendors as well as tastings, demonstrations and book signings. Starting in the afternoon will be a beer garden(12pm-10pm), BBQ pit masters (3pm-8pm), a burger battle with celebrity judges (5pm), and starting at 5:30 there will be live music from Will Hoge, The Felice Brothers and Gregg Allman. Be sure to get there in time to sample all the amazing vendors and then enjoy a great evening of food and live music!

Don't miss out - purchase your tickets soon! 100% of the net proceeds support The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp.
http://greenwichfoodandwine.com/tickets.html

Don't Miss It!

Pumpkin Vases

I'd just pinned this adorable photo to Pinterest in preparation for some fun dinner parties this Fall.

And that very same week I got to my parents for dinner and voila - clever mom!

She found her inspiration from Flower Magazine in the below spread, some great ideas to create some beautiful tables this season!

What are you pinning these days? I hate to say it but I've already started pinning Christmas ideas - eeks, where did summer go! 

Grays Lane

I'm really enjoying new online magazine Grays Lane. It's a magazine about food and flowers, beautiful clothes, lovely homes and elegant entertaining. Although it's focus is on the Main Line and the greater Philadelphia area, the beautiful content can be enjoyed by those all around the country.

I'm certainly looking forward to their new Fall issue!

The Summer 2012 issue of Grays Lane magazine

Capitol Theatre

The Capitol Theatre has reopened in Port Chester and they have a great line up of acts through the end of the year!

Learn more here from the New York Time.

149 Westchester Avenue, Port Chester NY (easily accessible by Metro North)
Box Office 914.937.4126

Upcoming shows include...
The Roots
David Gray
Blondie
Ben Folds Five
Fiona Apple
Blue Travelers with Spin Doctors
Counting Crows
Al Green
Indigo Girls
Lyle Lovett
Ray Lamontagne
My Morning Jacket
Steve Miller Band
Guster

www.thecapitoltheatre.com

She La La Reopens with Sail to Sable Trunk Show

Go support She La La's reopening and check out their new selection of home goods! They will be featuring one of our favorite new brands, Sail to Sable this Wednesday night. And you can't beat 20% off all their merchandise! 

Fabulous Fall Arrivals!

She La La Home

New Sail to Sable Fall Arrivals 

She La La 

120 Main Street, New Canaan 

Sail to Sable

www.sailtosable.com

Save the Date GFWF!

Save the date! Our favorite event of last fall is back for their 2nd Annual Food and Wine Festival! A great three day event - kicking off Thursday night with an opening celebration, a Grand Tasting Gala on Friday night featuring live music from the Ian Murray Band and Big Head Todd and culminating with the festival on Saturday with over 90 food and wine vendors, cooking demonstrations and ending with a headline performance by Gregg Allman. And the best part is 100% of the proceeds benefit the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp. The perfect fall weekend in CT, make the trip out from the city or down from Boston and treat yourself to two fun days in the 'burbs!

Some of This Year's Celebrity Chefs: Graham Elliot                 Duff Goldman                       Ted Allen                 Purchase Tickets NOW! Before they sell out   www.greenwichfoodandwine.com ______________________________________________ Festival Weekend October 4 - 6, 2012  ·  6.3 Acre Culinary Village with 90+ Food & Spirit ·  Beer Garden ·  Celebrity Chef Cooking Demos & Book Signings ·  The Ultimate Pit Masters presented by JOHN STAGE ·  Burger Battle with Celebrity Chef judges ·  SOUTHERN BASH with BBQ, Bourbon & Live Music ·  Elite Wine Tasting ·  The Grand Tasting ·  VIP Tent LIVE MUSIC:  IAN MURRAY BAND BIG HEAD TODD & THE MONSTERS WILL HOGE and THE FELICE BROTHERS GREGG ALLMAN BAND **100% Net Proceeds go to The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp**

Tickets now available:
Ultimate Wine Evening - $125 (Thursday 6:30-8:30)
Grand Tasting Gala - $275 (Friday 6:30-8:30)
Food and Wine Festival - $95 (Saturday 12-10)
VIP Ticket - $250

Slice of Saugatuck

A fun event this Saturday in Westport - the 2nd Annual Slice of Saugatuck Festival!

From Noon to 3pm food, wine and retail vendors all around the Saugatuck area will be offering tastings, live music and special demonstrations. A $5 ticket is all you need to enjoy the festivities, available beginning at 11:45 the day of the event. Benefits the Gillespie Center's Food Pantry.

23 participating restaurants, live bands, retailers offering kayak rides, gym work outs, fly fishing lessons and more! See the map below and visit their website for more information.

Oliphant Store!

My favorite jewelry designer has opened up an adorable new store in her hometown of Litchfield CT. Combining her beautiful jewelry and her wonderful eye for design - she offers furnishings and accessories for the home as well as for fashionistas. This is certainly a must make field trip! Tie in some apple picking and a tasty lunch for the perfect Saturday.

OLIPHANT Design 

29 West Street 

Litchfield, CT 06759

860.567.8199

www.olipantdesign.com

Trunk Show Shop 2012

Join us this Thursday for a great event!! Featuring two of my fav ladies - Sail to Sable and Small Field Papers as well as some new vendors that I think I'm going to love! Stop by during the day and grab a tasty lunch at the Beach House in OG or come after 4pm for cocktails.

See you there!

Summer Vacation

I've been on summer vacation physically and mentally for the last few weeks and I just couldn't get the blog in the mix. I'm still mentally on vacation but home from a great ten days in Chatham and MV. I'll try to get back to blogging soon as there are always lots of great things happening in the FFC as the days start to get cooler and fall rolls in to town!

Celebrating the hubby's 30th bday

Tackling my "summer reading"

Welcoming the newest little baby girl in my life,
PHM we are so glad you're finally here! 

A week at our favorite place on earth!

Toasting our 1 year anniversary at CBI

Lobster bake with the fam!

Enjoying the blue moon

A quick jaunt to MV! 

Bye summer, I'll miss you!