Julie & Julia

Almost every afternoon I email my fiancé and say "what do you feel like for dinner?" and then we go back and forth debating the eight or ten things I actually know how to cook (or we just go out, as you've probably noticed from the blog!) I figure before we get married I should probably get this under control! So on my to-do list has been cooking classes at Aux Delices. They offer adult classes on Wednesday nights from 7-9 at their Stamford kitchen. It's $90 for demo classes and $125 for hands on classes and every Wednesday is a different theme - you can find the current schedule here. Only a few classes are left on their winter schedule, "Quick Meals" on April 27th looks like a fun option, and hopefully soon their summer schedule will be posted. I think this sounds like such a fun girls night! They also do small group events which could be great for a birthday or bridal party - and they offer cooking class gift certificates for the domestically challenged friends in your life. Who knows, you just might turn out to be the next Julia Child!

Aux Delices
23 Acosta Street, Stamford
203.326.4540 - Lynn ex 108
http://www.auxdelicesfoods.com/cooking_classes.html

Lolita Cocina & Tequila Bar

I had the best birthday dinner at Lolita on Thursday night. My fiancée surprised me by having six of our friends meet us at the bar and I was so excited for everyone to try this great spot! They started off our meal with grapefruit granita topped with tequila (served over a bowl of dry ice), fresh chips with a trio of tasting salsas and plenty of margaritas. For starters we tried the crispy masa oysters (delicious!) and the tres ceviches which includes grouper in fresh lime juice, shrimp & scallops with tomatoes and avocado and ahi tuna in coconut milk (all were great!). Some of our favorite entrees included lobster enchiladas for three of us (my favorite dish there), blackened grouper tacos, and carne asada. And for desert - cotton candy with candles! Everything was amazing and the atmosphere is great for celebrating. I'm looking forward to going this summer to enjoy their outdoor seating where they project black and white movies on the side of the restaurant. I'd definitely recommend this for a fun night out!

Lolita
230 Mill Street, Greenwich
203.813.3555
www.lolitamexican.com

Red Lulu
128 Washington Street, Norwalk
203.939.1600
www.redlulumexican.com

For my Boston friends it looks like they've opened a Lolita near you too!

Masa Oysters

Cotton Candy Desert!

dough*girl Part Deux

As I went to write this follow up to my post on dough*girl I happened to notice that it is currently the most viewed post on my site! Which is no surprise to me as dough*girl offers wonderful confections that are a huge hit with my family and friends. 

This weekend I had the great pleasure of hosting a bachelorette party for my best friend and MOH. As an extra special treat dough*girl created custom cookies for all the guests at our Saturday brunch! They were a huge hit and everyone was shocked at how incredibly delicious they were in addition to being adorable. If you're hosting a bridal or baby shower, birthday party or need a favor for a special event be sure to contact dough*girl at (203)984-5804.

Darling cookies for the future KNG!

Food Food Food

I was going to do a little review of our dinner at Sails in Rowayton but I'm still not 100% sure how I feel about the new River Cat. The decor is great, with big sails covering the dining room ceiling and lots of nautical prints and details, and they were quite busy for a Tuesday night which was good to see. I love their truffle mac and cheese and grilled caesar salad, two things I always order when I'm there, but people always seem to struggle with what to order off the rather eclectic menu. Three of us ordered specials which were all good but there's nothing on the menu that we're dying to go back for. Anyone have a favorite dish that they order there? I'd love to find a go to for the next time I go back!

Continuing on my birthday food-fest, we made a restaurant quality (so we thought!) dinner at home tonight that I thought I'd share. With all this cold, dreary, sleety weather I definitely have comfort food on the brain! One of my new favorite foods to make at home is risotto and we just can't get enough of the Stonewall Kitchen risotto mixes. Tonight we made the sun-dried tomato version, they couldn't be easier to make - just saute the rice in butter and olive oil, add a splash of white wine and then add the chicken stock little by little for about 30 mins. We added crumbled spicy italian sausage and parmesan baked broccoli. The spicy sausage, crispy broccoli and creamy risotto were an awesome combo! Complete with some pretty spring tulips it was the perfect way to beat the winter blues!

Still a Twenty-something!

I'm going to be a little MIA since it's my "birthday week" but I hope to be posting soon about all the fun restaurants we'll be frequenting over the next few days! My favorite part of my birthday is spending time with my friends and family and eating at all of my favorite spots! Food is clearly the best way to my heart! <3

Comfort Food

With snow listed three times on the ten day forecast all I can say is ?!??! Where did that beautiful 70 and sunny weather go - March, aren't you supposed to be going out like a lamb? Since we'll be putting the cover back on the grill for a few days I thought I'd share a recipe for one of my favorite comfort dinners to help get you through the week.

Ina Garten's  Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That?: Fabulous Recipes & Easy Tips

Spicy Turkey Meatballs & Spaghetti
Serves 8
Printable Version
3 cups bread crumbs
2/3 cup whole milk
2 lbs ground turkey
1/2 lb sweet italian pork sausage
4 oz sliced prosciutto finely chopped
1 cup freshly grates asiago cheese
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
1 tsp dried oregano (I leave this out)
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (I add more of these)
3 tbsp olive oil
2 eggs lightly beaten
3 jars good marinara sauce
2 lbs dried spaghetti

Preheat open to 400 degrees. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.

Combine breadcrumbs and milk and set aside for 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine turkey, sausage, prosciutto, bread mixture, asiago, parsley, oregano, red pepper flakes, 1 tbsp salt, 1 1/2 tsp pepper. Lightly combine ingredients with your hands. Add the 3 tbsp of olive oil and the eggs and stir lightly with a fork.

Roll the mixture into 2in round meatballs and place them on sheet pans. Brush with olive oil. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the tops are browned and the centers completely cooked.

Add the meatballs and marinara to a large saucepan and simmer. Cook your favorite pasta and top with sauce and meatballs and plenty of parmesan cheese!

The meatballs are great to freeze since the recipe makes 24. We use the leftovers to make meatballs grinders or as heavy appetizers. I like to use the Williams Sonoma Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce, it's delicious and much easier than making your own. And now all their sauces are 20% off so it's an extra good deal.

Kiss Me, I'm Irish

Happy St. Patrick's Day! My grandparents used to spend half the year living in Ireland so today is always a special day for me, remembering all my fond memories of them and our wonderful friends across the pond. I consider myself Irish at heart, although my fiancé who is 100% Irish claims I duped him when we met!

If you're looking for an outing on Sunday be sure to attend Greenwich's 37th annual St Patrick Day Parade. The weather looks promising so grab yourself some green beer, some green gear and a few friends and head over to Greenwich Avenue. The parade begins at 2pm in front of Town Hall and travels up Field Point Rd, right onto W. Putnam Ave and down Greenwich Ave. Pick a spot to camp out or bar hop down the Ave, whether you're Irish or just faking if for the day, you're sure to have a great time!

April Book Club Pick

One of the first things I was looking forward to when I moved to CT was starting a book club. I love to read and I also love to drink wine and gossip with my friends so this seemed like the perfect project! I hoped to find some great new books, introduce some different friends and have a great girls night to look forward to once a month. I have to admit we pretty rarely discuss the actual book but most of us do read them and we've had some great picks so far. Some favorites include The Help, Little Bee, The Art of Racing in the Rain, and One Day .

This month our book club pick is The Paris Wife, a novel about Ernest Hemingway's first wife Hadley Richardson. I have yet to read A Moveable Feast so I don't know much about their story but I'm excited to delve into it and some history of Jazz-age Paris. My mom and aunt were reading this on vacation and were constantly whispering about it and pressing the other to finish so they could discuss it. If our book club enjoys it half as much as they did I know it will be a hit!

If you're looking for even more book club suggestions feel free to email me at fairfieldcounty411@gmail.com!

Wine Not?

Who doesn't love going out to dinner on a Tuesday night? Monday night you're home, cooking dinner, trying to get into the week and by Tuesday you're just ready to go out again. So treat yourself to a nice dinner and a great bottle of wine - you've gotten through two days of this week, you deserve it!

I'll definitely be heading to Mediterraneo or Sole for their parmesan crusted halibut - one of my favorite dishes around - and a big ole glass of Pinot Grigio! Cheers! 

http://www.zhospitalitygroup.com/

Mediterraneo 

366 Greenwich Ave 

Greenwich 

Terra 

156 Greenwich Ave 

Greenwich 

Acqua 

43 Main St 

Westport 

Sole 

105 Elm St 

New Canaan 

Aurora

60 Purchase St 

Rye 

I Heart Florida

We just got back from a great trip to Ocean Reef! If you haven't been there, I definitely recommend it for an easy weekend getaway. A quick flight from White Plains to Fort Lauderdale and then about an hour and a half drive to the Reef. Once you get there you'll park your car in the driveway and enjoy cruising around in a golf cart for the entire visit. Nothing feels more like vacation than never having to get in a car!

A typical day includes an early morning trip to Reef Treats for breakfast, lounging poolside at Buccanneer Island, delicious crab cakes from The Raw Bar for lunch, shopping around "town" (be sure to hit up Reef Chic, Vineyard Vines and Orvis), dinner at The 19th Hole and finally cocktails and shuffle board at the Burgee Bar. And the best part is you get to wake up the next morning and do it all over again! If you're looking for more activity there's golfing, fishing, tennis, coquet, miniature golf, kayaking, paddle boarding, etc. There's dining options from casual to formal and you can always make the short drive to Key Largo for a dinner off the Reef, our favorite is The Fish House Encore. I wish we could have stayed for another week but I so enjoyed my time there, I feel refreshed and recharged and can sense spring just around the bend here in FFC. I even saw crocuses on my drive home from the airport! Now, how to upkeep my new tan?!?

Poolside at Buccaneer

The view from our lounge chairs

Tan, happy and heading home

Get your shop on

Me again! This time from my iPad poolside in Florida since I had to share a great shopping tidbit I just saw. Togs in Greenwich is having a 20% off sale on everything in the store today through Sunday. This is their new Greenwich Avenue location and it's just adorable. And be sure to "like" them on facebook so you can get updates from them in the future! This almost makes me bummed I'm not home in CT, almost. PS iPads in the sun stink - back to my kindle!

What's cookin?

Just incase you're checking in while I'm on vacation I wanted to leave you a little something to read on a slow Friday afternoon. I stumbled across this blog the other day and I loved looking at the beautiful pictures Courtney takes to go along with her recipes. I will admit I haven't tried cooking anything yet so I can't vouch for the final products but they sure look delicious right?? If you were thinking about cooking up something new this weekend I recommend heading over to Barefoot in Boston and checking out some of her recipes. If anything it'll inspire you to crank it up a notch in the kitchen. Enjoy!

Key Largo, Montego, baby why don't we go...

I'm off to Florida! I am so excited to soak in some sun and relax with my family. My mom and I have lots of wedding planning to do so it's going to be great to have tons of alone time with her. And my dad's adorably sentimental about our last "family vacation" so I'm looking forward to spending lots of quality time with him as well. I'll leave you with a few favorite items that I wish I'd had time to purchase for my trip! See you next week!

Rikshaw Design Kurta

Thanks to Monograms and Martinis for teaching me about this cute line!

Jcrew Tunic

TOMS Canvas Wedge

Cute shoes for a good cause, win-win!

Francesca Joy Tote

Oliphant Bauble Necklace

This necklace is so me, I'll absolutely be ordering this when I get home!

Cupcake Craze

I feel like everywhere I turn these days someone is talking about cupcakes! The new wedding cake, the new birthday cake, the new lunch? It sure seems that way! So I figured while we were talking about local eco friendly companies I'd share with you my favorite cupcake creator - dough*girl baking company. Started in Rowayton, CT in 2007, dough*girl uses the freshest and best all-natural ingredients, supporting local farmers and business whenever they can. If you're going to eat a cupcake shouldn't it be the healthiest one you can find? dough*girl is a staple at the Rowayton Farmers Market (I can't wait to post about that when it opens this spring!) and recently partnered in a small store front (more to come on that as well!). Be sure to check her website for local vendors or contact her directly for a custom order - in addition to being a cupcake genius, dough*girl offers wonderful cakes, cookies and ice cream sandwiches. I just ordered some custom "wedding cake" cookies for a bridal shower, and her "onesie" or "rubber ducky" cookies are the cutest baby shower favors you've ever seen. Until you can sink your teeth into the real thing, head over to her website to check out the beautiful photography, it'll make you want to have a cupcake lunch!

dough*girl baking co.
203.984.5804
http://doughgirlbaking.com

Date Night

Looking for a fun, romantic dinner out that your significant other might actually enjoy? Then check out Nessa's first ever gourmet beer dinner! If you haven't been to Nessa yet then you're in for a real treat. Cozy and candlelit on a weeknight but lively and crowded on a weekend, and their food is absolutely delicious! The menu offers bruschetta by the piece (they're all amazing), salads, paninis, interesting appetizers (the meatballs over risotto are a must!), and half or full size entree options.

They will be hosting their gourmet beer dinner Tuesday March 8th for $49 per person. Visit nessarestaurant.com to make a reservation or contact them at 914.939.0119. Be sure to mention you'd like to attend the beer dinner!

Nessa
325 North Main Street
Port Chester, NY

First Course

"ino" Truffle Egg Toast

baked high country loaf, egg yolk, fontina cheese, white truffle oil drizzle

Beer: Gaffel German Kolsch

Second Course

Grandma's Eggplant Siciliano

cubed, floured and fried eggplant tossed with rigatoni, tomato, garlic and oil, red pepper flake, ricotta, reggiano

Beer: Harpoon IPA (Indian Pale Ale)

Third Course

Choice Of:

Chicken "Cooked Under a Brick"

spinach, potato puree, diavolo sauce

Beer: Raderberger Pilsner

or

Salmon

escarole, roasted garlic, braised cannellini beans

Beer: Speakeasy White Lightning American Wheat

Fourth Course

Chocolate Mousse Pie

Beer: Timmermans Raspberry Framboise

In Flight Entertainment

I love airport bookstores. They put all the obviously popular books right up there in the front so a) I feel like a genius because I've read so many "best sellers" and b) I can always find something new to read on the fly without scouring through the fiction section trying to find something I'll like. Today as I was enjoying a little QT at LaGuardia I was browsing their selection of "First Class Reads" - aren't they clever? - and I found four new books to add to my reading list! I can't wait to dig into these while on vacation next week.

These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf
I loved her book The Weight of Silence so I'm hoping to enjoy this just as much! I think I might have to jump the gun and download this one tonight.

UPDATE: This book is so good, even better than The Weight of Silence. Each chapter gets better and better, I'm only three days in and hoping to finish it tonight. Highly recommend!

Incendiary by Chris Cleave
I was so excited to see the author of Little Bee had a new book! Until I realized he wrote this before Little Bee, but I am still very excited because I love Cleave's writing style and this seemed to have received just as many accolades, not sure how I missed it.

Lunch in Paris by Elizabeth Bard
I stay haven't read Eat Pray Love but this book seems to have a similar feel, just with the loving and the eating...and recipes! What's not to love about that?

Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult
I am not embarrassed to admit I am a shameless Jodi Picoult fan. I love her books and always look forward to the newest one coming out. If you haven't read House Rules yet than run to a bookstore, I thought it was that good. I'm not sold on this one yet, it includes a CD of songs related to the book which seems a little gimmicky to me, but I hope I'm wrong. I'm sure Jodi won't let me down!

Happy Reading!

Eco Chic

I'm headed to Florida next week so I've been on the hunt for some cute new resortwear to pack for my trip. One thing that will definitely be going in my suitcase? My favorite K. Madison tunic! Local designer Kristin McClutchy offers a line of incredibly comfortable yet environmentally friendly tunics and dresses made from Micro Modal, a sustainable fabric originating from Beech Trees! The softest thing in my closet, these coverups are the perfect item to throw on after a day at the beach or for a quick trip to the store - who doesn't like to be chic and comfortable? I can't wait to wear mine poolside in Ocean Reef while enjoying a nice big frozen cocktail! And if I had a daughter we'd definitely be heading south in these adorable matching tunics. Is that not the cutest little model you've ever seen?

    

  Troon Tunic & Tabitha Tunic

K. Madison also recently launched a blog - The Beach Trunk - where you can check out their trunk show schedule as well as other fun eco friendly ideas from Kristin. Mark your calendars and be sure to stop by and see her Thursday April 7th at the Darien Sport Shop!

K. Madison Designs
203.340.2231
info@kmadisondesigns.com
Be sure to sign up for their newsletter to save 10% off your order!