Long Weekend in Cape Cod and Boston

I know that I haven't posted in a week, my apologies.  As I mentioned in my last post, I've been in and out of town all month.  Yesterday I got back from my trip to Cape Cod/Boston, and today I have a LOT to share with you from my weekend away from home (apologies ahead of time for the HUGE PHOTO BOMB that you are about to experience).  Originally I was going to break these pictures up into two (or maybe even three) posts; but since we are leaving again on Wednesday morning to head up to Alabama for Thanksgiving, I just don't think that I am going to have the time to get more than one post done.

Here goes nothin':

I went up to the Boston area to visit my friend Colbi.  She and I met while Bo and I were stationed in Corpus Christi.  Colbi went to grad school in Texas, and was working in Port Aransas (just outside of Corpus) at the time.

Since then, she has gotten married and moved up to Cape Cod to live with her husband.  Long story short, Colbi and I both love the Twilight franchise.  In fact, if you have been a reader here for a while, you might remember that we went to the midnight showing of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn: Part 1 this time last year.  Outside of Twilight, we also have a ton of other similar interests, including:

• The Hunger Games;
• Shirley Temple;
• yoga (she is getting her teacher training this spring);
• reading;
• shopping/fashion; and
• much, MUCH more!

She even likes mandalas!  

In fact, she has one that I gave her framed and hung in her yoga room. :)

I also sort of (OK, totally) fell in love with Colbi's house.  It's an old one, and it needs quite a bit of work; but if you had the time and money to put into it, you could really turn it into something special.  Colbi and her husband, Brad, are just renting, so they won't be putting any blood, sweat, and tears into the house.  Regardless, it has a TON of potential that I couldn't help sharing with you all.

For instance, I just loved the little built-in shelves in the upstairs bathroom.  The woodwork is amazing, and adds something unique and special about an otherwise common feature.

The staircase was beautiful.  I especially loved the railing (original to the house) and the hardwood floors - which you can't really see in this pic, but were also gorgeous and seemingly original to the house

The kitchen needs some work, but the bones were really good.  The room itself has P-L-E-N-T-Y of room for an island or small breakfast nook set, and lots of natural light makes its way in through the kitchen's four large windows.  

The floor and countertops would probably need to be replaced; but the cabinets were in good shape, and the windows are brand new.  

I LOVE the wood details around the windows and cabinets.  

In the end, I think that a coat of paint and new fixtures would do wonders for making this kitchen look brand, spankin' new!

Also in the kitchen (directly across from the sink and windows) is this large, GORGEOUS, built-in shelving unit.  I would love to display some of my china or great-grandmother's silver on these shelves; and once again, the wood detailing is stunning!

Continuing with the theme of built-in character, the formal dining room includes two of these corner cabinets.  These would be the perfect place to display old family heirlooms or family pictures.  

You could always buy a piece of furniture like this to put in your home, but - in my opinion - it just wouldn't be the same.  Something about it being a part of the house really makes it special.  It's like, before you even put anything of yourself in the home, the home itself has a personality.  

I think it makes everything feel warmer and more like "home".

The living room has a large portrait window that opens into this unobstructed view of New England's fall colors. 

Here's a view of the house from the front yard (I was standing right in front of the trees from the previous picture.  You can see the portrait window right in the front of the house).

Isn't it adorable?!

Granted, if you owned the house and wanted to refurbish it, you would need to redo the outside quite substantially.  Regardless, I think that the house itself is so cute!  It has a personality all its own!

Old tree, outside.

Colbi and Brad's chickens!

Beautiful fall foliage.

View from one of the stained glass windows in their home.

Now, the REAL REASON I visited Colbi was so that we could attend the midnight (actually, ours was a 10:00PM...even better) showing of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2 together!

By some strange stroke of luck, when we arrived at 7:40PM on Thursday night we were the only ones there!  

I couldn't  believe it.  

Last year we had to stand in line - outside - for 30 minutes, before we were even allowed to enter the theater and wait.  

Whatever the reason, we were stoked!  

By being the first in line we were certain of having the best seats in the house for the grande finale!

WHO-HOO!

The theater ended up being packed, so we were really glad that we got to the theater as early as we did.  Our earliness really paid off!

On Friday night, Colbi and I decided to go see Breaking Dawn Part 2 again.  

YES, we are that big of fans!

YES, we loved the movie that much!

AND YES, we were first in line AGAIN!

Again, the theater ended up being completely packed, but our pre-planning paid off.  We sat in the best seats in the house for the second time in a row; and the movie was just as good, if not better, the second time around.  

I won't spill any spoilers for any of you who have yet to see the film; but let me just say, if you are a fan you WILL NOT be disappointed.  The franchise's finale film is awesome, action-packed, full of surprises that you won't see coming, and concludes with an ending that will leave each and every fan satisfied.

On Saturday we took the T into Boston for a day of exploring!

We started off by walking parts of The Freedom Trail.

And, of course, stopped along the way to take pictures. :)

I loved the cobble-stone streets.  

As we were walking around downtown Boston, I could imagine horses trotting along these roads, people protesting before the Boston Tea Party, and some of our countries greatest leaders walking to meetings that would change our countries' history forever.  

Of course, we stopped in Faneuil Hall.

And then we walked by the Christmas tree that was going to be lit later that evening.  

As you can see, it was HUGE!

I'm not even sure that the tree in Central Park, NY is that big!

Originally, we were planning to stay for the tree lighting later that evening; but truth be told, after 5+ hours walking around in the city, we decided to head home.  Downtown Boston was getting CRAZY busy, and the cold factor was getting chillier by the minute. After all, we did get to see the tree, it just wasn't lit yet.

For lunch, we ate at Dick's Last Resort.  

I had never eaten there - or even heard of it - but Colbi promised me that it would be a good time.  

For those of you that don't know the premise behind Dick's, it's this: the waitstaff are rude, a little mean, and a lot condescending...but the whole thing's in fun.  The restaurant is an attempt to loosen people up, make people laugh, and give everyone a chance to enjoy their delicious food (especially dessert)!

Oh, and everyone receives a custom hat too. ;)

Colbi and I split one of their infamous Mile High Peanut Butta Pie's and it was TO. DIE. FOR. delicious.  Seriously, this is the best peanut butter dessert I have E.V.E.R. eaten, and it was HUGE!  

Colbi and I couldn't even finish our piece.

(Well, we could have; but we would have been miserably full afterwards, so we didn't.)

Beautiful downtown Boston.

Our last stop in the city was Mike's Pastry.

Mike's Pastry is a local legend, a national treasure, and is known for its cannoli.  

We ended up buying four cannoli (Don't worry, two were for Colbi to bring home to Brad.  We weren't THAT greedy...especially after our Mile High Peanut Butta Pie for lunch!): strawberry, chocolate chip, pumpkin spice, and pistachio.  

Of the two I tried, the pistachio was the best.  I would be in serious trouble if I lived too close to this place!

Of course, Mike's Pastry also has a LOT of other goodies to quench your sweet tooth.

Before we left to head back to the hotel, Colbi snapped one more picture in front of the Christmas tree.  

I had an absolutely amazing time with Colbi in Cape Cod and Boston.  I feel so blessed to have several amazing friends in my life, of which, Colbi is one.  We share so many interests, and have so much fun when we are together.

I can't wait to do it again!

Since Twilight is over (sniff sniff), our new plan is to meet up for the release of each Hunger Games movie.  The next one, Catching Fire, comes out November 22, 2013.

Until then, I do have a new book series to keep me company.  

I finished reading the second book in The Mortal Instruments series on the plane to Boston, and am starting the third book today (there will be six books total, only five have been published so far).  The movie version of The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones comes out in August 2013.  Colbi is going to start reading the series soon, so who knows, maybe BOTH The Hunger Games trilogy and The Mortal Instruments will be our new series to enjoy together!

Question of the Day:

Have you ever been to the Boston area?  If so, what did you think?  Did you like the city?  Did you have a fun time exploring?!

Blessings,
Ally and Bo

Citrus-Infused Cranberry Relish

I know what you're thinking: cranberries in January?!  

1. First of all, YES, this post is all about cranberries.  
2. Second, might I ask that you suspend your skepticism for just a moment and trust me?  

Please, give this recipe a read, and then place your judgment.  I would dare to say that after reading this post, you will be ready to rush to your grocery store and pick up one of the two remaining bags of cranberries in the whole supermarket!


I was going to give you a brief rundown of the benefits of eating cranberries; but the truth is, once I started doing some research I realized that there would be no way for me to summarize its marathon-long list!  So, instead, I'm going to give you a few links and leave it up to you to read more on the issue:

• The World's Healthiest Foods: Cranberries;
• Research Shows Health Benefits of Cranberries; and
• Bow Down to the Medicinal Power of Cranberries.

Thanksgiving...I guess that's the only time of year that 99% of people eat cranberries...especially cranberry sauce/relish.  Well, let me tell you a secret, I usually don't fall in the 99% category of most things, and cranberry-eating is no exception.  I like to "march to the beat of my own drum" (thus the reason that Bo calls me a "funny bunny" much of the time), so the fact that today is January 27th isn't going to deter me in the least from eating a cranberry or two.

This recipe all started with a bag of cranberries that I bought for Thanksgiving, never used, threw into the freezer, and forgot about for almost three months.  On Tuesday night, Bo was at work and I knew I would be home alone for dinner.  I was already making couscous with pine nuts, roasted squash and carrots, and pinto beans with green chile sauce.  But, I felt like something was missing.  Something tangy and sweet, and something red to round out the color-palette on my plate.

I checked the fruit basket...nothing.

I checked the vegetable drawers...nothing.

I checked the pantry...nothing.

I checked the freezer...and BAM!

There they were!  Perfectly frozen, red, round, tart cranberries just waiting to be made into something delicious.  I also had an orange on hand that needed to be used.  My wheels started turning, and here is what I ended up concocting:

Citrus-Infused Cranberry Relish
Serves 4-6

1/4 C orange juice
1/4 C water
2/3 C succanat (or sugar)
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1-2 tsp orange zest
1/2 tsp cinnamon
8-10 oz. fresh cranberries (depending upon how tart you want it)

Directions:

• Place orange juice, water, and succanat into a medium saucepan.
• Over medium high heat, stir until the succanat has dissolved and a simple syrup has been made.
• Add in the lemon juice, cinnamon, and cranberries.
• Reduce heat to medium low; and cook until cranberries "pop" and begin to break apart, forming a relish.
• Stir in the orange zest.
• Serve hot or cold, depending upon your preference.

Later that evening I decided that I could also eat the Citrus-Infused Cranberry Relish for breakfast.  I started thinking about how much I love dressing/stuffing with cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving dinner, and it hit me!  I could make a breakfast version of one of my favorite comfort-food flavor combinations.  And that, my friend, is how a recipe is born. :)

Cranberry and "Dressing" Overnight Oats
Serves 1

1/2 C oats
2 stevia packets
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Dash of salt
Pinch of allspice
Pinch of cloves
2 C liquid (I used water)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp butter extract
2 T Citrus-Infused Cranberry Relish, for garnish


Directions:

• Add oats, stevia, cinnamon, salt, allspice, cloves, and liquid to a medium saucepan. 
• Heat over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes until beginning to bubble.
• Turn down heat to low.
• Add vanilla and butter extracts.  Stir until smooth.
• Pour into a Tupperware, or other container, and store in refrigerator overnight.
• Note:  The oats will not be fully cooked at this point.  Overnight, the oats will absorb the remaining liquid, continue to cook, and become voluminous and fluffy.  YUM!
• In the morning, stir in a splash of milk to loosen the oats.
• Note: I prefer my oats cold. Weird, I know, but I like what I like!  If you prefer warm oats, at this point you may choose to heat them up either via stove top or microwave.
• Dollop the citrus-infused cranberry relish onto the top of the overnight oats.  You may swirl it in if you prefer. :)

So what are overnight oats, you might ask?!  Well, it is only my favorite way of all time to prepare oatmeal.  By half-cooking the oats, and then letting them soak overnight to absorb the remaining the liquid, the oats become soft, fluffy, voluminous, and far easier to digest.  Here is a scientific explanation of the benefits of soaking your oats:

All grains contain phytic acid...in the outer layer or bran. Untreated phytic acid can combine with calcium, magnesium, copper, iron especially zinc in the intestinal track and block their absorption. This is why a diet high in unfermented whole grains may led to serious mineral deficiencies and bone loss...Soaking allows enzyme, lactobacilli and other helpful organisms to break down and neutralize phytic acid. As little as seven hours of soaking in warm acidulated water will neutralize a large portion of phytic acid in grains. The simple practice of soaking cracked or rolled cereal grains overnight will vastly improve their nutritional benefits. (source)

OK - so enough of the fancy scientific jargon.  The point is, soaking your oats is both good and yummy (which, let's be honest, is all we really care about anyway)!

Next up - a vegan-ized family recipe.  You won't want to miss this one!

Question of the Day:

Do you prefer canned cranberry sauce or cranberry relish (like the one in this post)?!

Blessings,
Ally and Bo

A Thanksgiving Party & Chocolate Pumpkin Pie with Pecan Butter Crust

This Thanksgiving Bo and I decided to stay in Corpus Christi.  With him not getting more than a couple of days off of work, and me teaching as much as I can before Christmas, it made the most sense to stay here for the holiday.  The problem was, we weren't sure exactly what we were going to do for the holiday...

Thankfully, we were invited to a Thanksgiving party!  Twice a week I teach private yoga lessons to Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence, a couple roughly my parents age.  They are a hoot to teach for, and I always look forward to my lessons with them each Wednesday and Sunday!  They have a beautiful home on Ocean Drive, and when I mentioned that Bo and I were staying in down for the holiday they immediately extended a warm invitation for us to come over.   Little did I know that their house is the. place. to. be. on Thanksgiving!

When we arrived at the Lawrence's around 3:30 pm, everyone was hanging out, watching football, finishing up the food, and having a few cocktails.



Bo and I in our Thanksgiving best!


Shortly thereafter, we were asked to take our seats for dinner in the dining area.

Wasn't it just lovely?!  Every place-setting was filled!

Every plate was also filled...YUMM-O!


My plate :)



Bo's plate!

After we ate, and after the Cowboys won (YIPPEE!), Bo and I figured the bulk of the festivities had come and gone.  Little did we know that the fun was just beginning...

Every year the Lawrence's four children organize a pie contest.  But this isn't just any ol' amateur pie contest.  No, the Lawrence children take this contest seriously!  There are rules.  For instance:

• You can't judge your own pie(s).
• No cook can enter more than three pies into the contest.
• If a pie recipe has won the contest for two years, it can no longer be entered into the contest.
• and many more...

This year, 19 pies were entered into the annual Lawrence pie contest!

Here is a shot of the majority of the pies, pre-eating:

And here are a few close-up shots of the pies, pre-eating:

Mr. Lawrence was trying to be funny, so he entered two different kinds of "Frito Pie" into the contest - hahaha!

After all the pies were set up, and the ballots were made, the eating commenced!  Bo really took his judging job seriously!  He ate at least a couple of bites of every. single. pie...and then really took his time giving each one a score between 1-10. 

Here is a look at the pies BEFORE eating:

And here are a look at the pies AFTER eating:

Most of the pies weren't fully eaten, but instead were partially demolished.  Even with over 25 people at the Lawrence's for Thanksgiving, if we would have eaten all of the pies it would have equalled over 1 1/2 pies per person!  Can you say tummy-ache and sugar-coma?!

Here's a closer look at a couple of the partially demolished pies:

So, you might be wondering, what kind of pie did I bring to the party?! 

Well, I brought a traditional pie with a twist, and I must say, considering I made the recipe up myself, I think it turned out pretty well.  I knew that I wanted to bring a pumpkin pie...of sorts...but I wanted it to be a little more special than just plain ol' pumpkin pie.  So, per my usual process, I did a little research, took inspiration from a few other recipes (here and here), and then created something unique and delicious!

 Chocolate Pumpkin Pie with Pecan Butter Crust
Serves 8

For the Crust:

1 C oats (I used gluten free because it is what I had on hand.  You could also use steel-cut oats.)
2 C pecans
2 T succanat (or brown sugar)
3 T ground flax
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 C maple syrup (or honey)
1 T Smart Balance (or butter)

Directions:

1. Grind oats in a blender until very fine.
2. Process pecans in a food processor for 35 seconds.
1. Note: The pecans should be finely processed and be able to clump together.  They should NOT be nut butter.
3. Melt the maple syrup and Smart Balance together in the microwave for 30 seconds.
4. Add all of the ingredients to the pecan mixture in the food processor.
5. Process until smooth.
6. Press the mixture into a pie pan.
1. Note: I prefer to press the crust mixture all the way up the sides of the pan as well.
7. Prick the crust 14-15 times.
8. Bake at 425 degrees for 14-15 minutes.
9. Remove and allow to cool for 10 minutes.

For the Filling:

1 can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling!)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp salt
2 T succanat (or brown sugar)
1 C chocolate chips
Note: I used carob chips because they are what I had on hand.  However, I would strongly suggest using dark chocolate chips, as carob is an acquired taste that some people may not like.

Directions:

1. Place the pumpkin, vanilla, cocoa, salt, and succanat into the food processor.
2. Process until smooth.
3. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave, 30 seconds at a time, until completely smooth. 
4. Add the melted chocolate to the pumpkin mixture in the food processor.
5. Process until smooth.
6. Add the filling to the crust.
7. Refrigerate for two hours or overnight.

This crust was really amazing!  Thanks go out to Angela for the inspiration.  Her recipe was pretty amazing, so I only tweaked the flavors a bit to make it work for my recipe.  I will definitely be using this crust again for future pie recipes.  Store bought pie crust - never again!

With a wonderful Thanksgiving having come and gone, I am already gearing up for Christmas!

Question of the Day:

Does your family have any unique Thanksgiving traditions?  If so, I would love to hear about them!

Blessings,
Ally and Bo