Orleans Crawfish, Randolph, MA

Orleans Crawfish at Hearth Stone is a restaurant in Randolph, MA that specialized in what they call "Asian Cajun" food.  This has been a restaurant that has been on both my and my husband's radar for a while, as we are both big fans of Cajun style food (our dream is to eat our way around New Orleans).  A few weeks ago I was able to snag a Groupon to this restaurant, and finally, this past Thursday we grabbed the girls and headed over to Orleans Crawfish for dinner.

We walked in on a Thursday evening about 6:15pm, and were immediately seated in the small dinning room.  There was only one other table occupied, but during our meal there seemed to be a steady stream of take out orders coming in (and going out!).  After checking out the menu, both the girls ordered chicken tenders (a small children's menu, but kids are able to choose a side for their meal from the generous list of sides).  Paul decided on the jambalaya while I ordered crawfish etouffee.  We also decided to order some hushpuppies for the table.

The kid's meals were typical kid's meals.  Nothing special, nothing terrible.  A good portion of chicken and well cooked.  Ellie ordered a side salad and Maggie got garlic bread for her side choice.

The hushpuppies were tasty, but did not come with any kind of dipping sauce, which left them a little dry.  One of them was also undercooked, with raw dough in the middle.

Paul liked his jambalaya, but didn't love it.  He thought the taste veered toward the asian, and not a typical flavor you would find in a traditional jambalaya dish.  Tasty, but not what he was expecting.  My crawfish etouffee however was very good.  The server had warned me upon ordering it that it was quite spicy, and as a spice lover, I was fine with that warning.  The dish did have a great spicy kick to it, but nothing that burned my mouth.  It was loaded with crawfish and came in a thick and flavor filled sauce.  The portion sizes of our meals were perfect, and both Paul and I cleared our plates totally!

While we weren't blown away with the meal, we were satisfied enough to comment we would come back to try other items on the menu.  I look forward to our next outing at Orleans Crawfish!

I Got a Christmas Card!

I did it!  I completed our family's Christmas Card already, using Shutterfly. I absolutely LOVE Shutterfly.  I use their service not only to get prints made but also to make fantastic photo books, cards, stationary, and loads of other fun stuff.  Check them out!  You will be hooked, too!

Stationery card

View the entire collection of cards.

Fabulous Caramel Cake

It has been a while since I have baked anything. Way too long! I used to bake something (anything) at least once a week, but since we moved and I started my job, I just feel like I just haven't had the time or inclination to bake anything.

However, I do love to bake and miss it a lot. So I decided to just jump back in a make something (anything). After perusing my recipe books I decided on this cake from Southern Cakes by Nancie McDermott; mostly because I had all the ingredients on hand!

The cake came out very good, but also extremely sweet. But what can you expect when making a cake with "Caramel" in it's name! Although my cake didn't turn out as pretty looking at the one pictured in the book, it didn't deter from the taste. I just didn't get the caramel icing spread as quickly as I needed to -- it hardened up quicker than I expected.

Fabulous Caramel Cake from Southern Cakes by Nancie McDermott

Yellow Cake

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
1 cup milk
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Caramel Icing

One 1-pound box (about 2 2/3 cups) light brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
7 tablespoons evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Inn at Bay Pointe, Quincy, MA

Last weekend my mother came down to visit us on Saturday.  We had plans to take our girls to see the latest presentation at the Randall T. Boyd Jr. Planetarium in Weymouth that afternoon, and since it was such a nice day, decided to ad in a late lunch/early dinner as well.  We had wanted to try something new, so we decided on a restaurant in Quincy that we had been hearing about for a while and had been wanting to try -- Inn at Bay Pointe.

I had first read about this restaurant from Hidden Boston, and if ever there was a hidden restaurant it would be this one!  It is buried at the end of a dead end residential street Quincy, in a parking lot of a marina.  Luckily, mu husband drives past this street on his way to work every day and had driven down it before, otherwise I may not have found the restaurant!  The owners have, however, placed a large sign on the corner of the street indicating that they are there, so if you do go, keep a lookout for that sign.

We walked and and immediately my husband and I commented that we both liked the look and feel of the restaurant.  It isn't super modern looking or fancy, but it just gave off a comfortable vibe, with nice large windows overlooking the water, and a nice large bar that would be great to check out at some other point (when we were without kids!).  There is also an outdoor seating area on the water that would be a nice place  to have lunch or dinner in the warmer weather.

The menu has a nice mix of seafood, burgers and sandwiches, as well as other classic American dishes.  I ordered the Vegetarian Melt.  It was very good, made with sliced Portabello mushrooms, roasted red peppers, Bermuda onion, tomatoes and mozzarella cheese, grilled, almost panini style.  It came with fries, which I normally try to avoid, but these were good as well.  Crispy and not greasy at all.  My mother ordered the Sheppard's Pie, which came in a very large portion.  She proclaimed it "delicious;"  one of the better Sheppard's pies she has eaten.  Paul got a Reuben Burger, which he said was perfectly fine.  Not outstanding  but a good burger nonetheless.  Ellie ordered the Shrimp Scampi special, which to my eye wasn't really scampi, as it came with more of a tomato based sauce instead of the garlic sauce a traditional scampi has.  She ate all of the shrimp, but left the pasta.  My youngest ordered pasta from the kid's menu, and ate the entire plate, which was a good sized child's portion.

All and all, we were pleased with Inn at Bay Point.  I would love to go back soon to try more of the seafood offerings there, and I am told the weekend brunch is excellent.  Give this place a try, if you can find it!

The girls pose on the anchor outside of Inn at Bay Pointe.

Why Am I Paying to Watch Ads?

Last night my family went to the movies to see "Dolphin Tale."  In 3-D no less.  It was a very sweet movie and a nice night, but there was one part of the evening that really got to me.

We got to the theater early (as I am very anal and am always way to early for everything).  We were sitting in the theater waiting for the 5:00pm start time for the movie.  5:00 came, the lights dimmed, and we were treated to 25 minutes of previews, reminders to buy popcorn and turn off our phones and, the worst of all, advertisements. Lots of ads.  Ads as far as the eye can see.  Can you tell me what is up with that?

I understand needed to make money.  That is what a business does; why they exist really.  To make money.  But, if you tell me that a movie starts a 5:00pm and I take my tow children to that movie, they should not have to sit and wait an additional 35 minutes for the movie to start.  A preview or two and maybe one Coke or Ford ad is all I am willing to stand.

So, I am going to try to stick to my local independent theater,  the Cameo Theater in Weymouth, MA.  They have it right!  One or two previews that the main feature.  Plus, it is only $5!  Can't beat that with your fancy 3-D glasses.

One Family's Disney Vacation: Day 6 -- Hollywood Studios

So, here we are on the last full day at Disney.  So far it has been a great trip.  Despite the crazy, jam packed schedule and being with each other non-stop in a small hotel room, we have had a wonderful time and have had really no big fights or meltdowns at all!  Paul and I are very pleased with the girls so far on this trip and only hope it continues at our last park of the trip.  Disney's Hollywood Studios.

Thanks to a great tip we received from the family who was sitting with us for dinner at Tepan Edo in Epcot, we arrived at Hollywood Studios before it opened.  We were told to do this so one member of our party could do the "Disney Dash" to secure Fastpasses to the Toy Story Mania ride. They informed us that if you do not get them first thing, you may not be able to get a Fastpass for this attraction, as they tend to run out very quickly.  This is by far the most popular ride in the park.  So when the park opened, off Paul ran with the rest of the throngs while the girls and I headed over to the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground to wait for his return.

As it was still early in the morning, we were the only people in this playground for a while.  It was pretty fun for both the kids and this adult, too. With monumental movie props and play structures inspired by the Disney movie, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, you get the sense of what it feels like to be shrunk to bug size by Professor Szalinkski's Electromagnetic Shrinking Machine.

We waited there for about 15 minutes before Paul arrived with our treasured Fastpasses.  Apparently it was great advice to get these first, as our passes weren't good until 2:10 pm, and the stand-by line was already a 90 minute wait for the ride!

Our next stop was Muppet*Vision 3-D, a film featuring the Muppets.  This was high on our list of things to see, as all four members of our family are great fans of the Muppets!  Again, being there so early, with most of the crowd either waiting for Toy Story Mania, or at the other side of the park where the Tower of Terror and the Rockin' Roller Coaster with Aerosmith were, there was only a small group waiting to see the film.  It was very cute, with some rather funny parts, but I would still recommend  It's a Bug's Life at Animal Kingdom over Muppet*Vision 3-D.


We then hopped onto the Studio Backlot Tour, a behind-the-scenes guided walk and tram ride showcasing the art of special effects in movies.  This was interesting, but the girls didn't really like this; they found it boring and the portion of the tour where they recreate a movie disaster was scary for Maggie.


Next up on our itinerary was The Great Movie Ride. This attraction takes you on a tram ride through many classic movies, including Casablanca, Indiana Jones, The Wizard of Oz, and Alien.  We all enjoyed this ride, and the girls especially liked The Wizard of Oz portion.  The attraction is housed in a replica of Mann's Chinese Theater, complete with various foot and hand prints of famous actors in front.  It was fun to look at those when entering the building!

 

At this time we were close to our lunch reservations, so we headed over to 50's Prime Time Cafe. This place is a hoot!  It is decorated to look like a kitchen from the 1950s, complete with a waiting room that looks like an old living room!  We were seated at our table and told that the kids had to set the table for us, using the plate, silverware, and napkins left in the center of the table. The menu is classic fare, and perfectly fine, but the vanilla milk shake I ordered was great, super thick and creamy, just the way it should be.  The servers play up the part by reminding you to keep your elbows off the table and to eat all your veggies or no dessert (speaking of dessert, that menu is given to you on a view finder!).  This was a fun lunch.

The waiting area at 50's Prime Time Cafe.

When we were done with lunch we still had some time before our Fasspass time to Toy Story Mania, so we needed to decide what to do next.  For weeks leading up to this trip Maggie was most excited about going on the Tower of Terror.  She had ridden a smaller drop ride many times at Nickelodeon Universe in the Mall of America and insisted she could not wait to tackle the Tower of Terror.  Every day, she would tell us that she could not wait to get to Hollywood Studios to ride the Tower of Terror.  So, of course we thought what a better way to fill the gap until our Fastpass time than to head on over to the Tower of Terror.  Um....not so much.  At that point, Maggie declared she had changed her mind and was not interested in the ride anymore.  So much for that.

We headed in the opposite direction and ended up at the Star Tours ride, which just got an over hall and had just re-opened in May.  This is a 3-D ride where you board a Starspeeder 1000 for a thrilling journey through George Lucas' Star Wars universe.  We were all very happy with this ride.  The cue was very fun (especially for this Star Wars geek)storylines" for the ride, so you can get a different experience during different rides.  We only rode it once though, as it was time for our Fastpass to Toy Story Mania.

Paul meets an Army Man outside the Toy Story Mania ride.

We were told that this was, by far, the best attraction at Hollywood Studios.  We were very curious to find out if this was true.  When we got to the ride, we were very happy that we ended up getting our Fastpasses first thing that morning, as the stand-by line wait was at 120 minutes, and the Fastpasses were gone for the day.  We only had to wait about 15 - 20 minutes with our passes.  Thank goodness!

Toy Story Mania is an interactive, 4D attraction featuring the lovable cast of characters from the Disney·Pixar Toy Story films. You climb aboard a ride vehicle and play through a gallery of midway-style games.  Well, lets just say the ride lived up to its billing.  It was a blast!  Very fun, and for this competitive family, it was fun to play against each other to see who could get the best score for each game (I lost to Paul, unfortunately).  Ellie and Maggie absolutely loved it!  Paul and I could hear them laughing the entire ride.  I don't know if I would wait 2 hours for this (or any) ride, but I am certainly glad we had the chance to ride!

By this point in the day, we were exhausted!  After 5 whirlwind days, the heat and humidity that whole week, and not getting necessarily the best sleep every night, our family was pretty much done with the theme parks.  There was noting in particular left at Hollywood Studios we really wanted to see, so we decided to pack it in and head back to the hotel where we spent the rest of the day hanging by the pool, relaxing before our 5 am departure the next morning.

All in all, we really enjoyed our trip to Walt Disney World.  We are so thankful we were able to go, and know the memories will last for a very long time.  Thank you to Dream Come True Vacations, and especially our travel agent, Kim O., for helping us plan our wonderful, exciting, fun, memorable Disney vacation!

When you wish upon a star, your dreams come true!

Nine Years Ago....

This past week we celebrated my oldest daughter's 9th birthday.  I can't believe that my beautiful baby girl is one year away from "double digits!"

Happy birthday Eleanor Jane.  I love you very much.

One Family's Disney Vacation: Day 5 -- Magic Kingdom!

So this is it.  The day we have all been waiting for.  The reason to even come to Walt Disney World.  What everyone thinks about when they think of Disney.  What the week has been leading up to.  Today we conquer the Magic Kingdom.

We decided to get to the park before opening.  We took the boat there from our resort, which really was a quick and easy trip.  Totally recommend it if you stay at a resort that offers boat service.

We then took our place in the crowd and waited for the park to open.  We were able to catch the little show they have before the park opens, and the girls were thrilled to see the main Disney characters arrive on the train, along with some other characters like Pinocchio, Mary Poppins, and Alice in Wonderland.  Then came the countdown...10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...and off we went!

 

Since we were there during the magic park hours, before the park opened to the general public, the only two "lands" that were open were Fantasyland and Tomorrowland.  So, after a quick first ride on Peter Pan, Paul strode off to get Fastpasses to Space Mountain, while Ellie, Maggie, and I stayed in Fantasyland and rode many of the ride there, like Snow White's Scary Adventure and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.

Paul got the Fastpasses and rejoined us in Fantasyland.  We had some time before our window to ride Space Mountain, so we decided to check out a Disney classic, the Mad Hatter Teacups!

After than we headed over to Fantasyland and right onto Astro Orbiter.

Then it was off to Space Mountain!  Again, Paul and I weren't sure how the girls would react to that ride, it being in the dark and all, but we shouldn't have worried.  Another big hit for Ellie and Maggie; so much so, they wanted to do it again!  So Paul and the girls got back in line for Space Mountain while I headed over to Frontierland to get our next batch of Fastpasses for Big Thunder Mountain. 

After their second round on Space Mountain the troops met me in front of The Haunted Mansion.  This ride caused a lot of trepidation with the girls.  They were very afraid that this would be a super scary ride.  We kept on assuring them that it is really more "funny" than scary, so they half-heartedly agreed to go on, especially since Paul and I really wanted to do it.  They got through it, although neither of them enjoyed it too much.

Then it was time for Big Thunder Mountain.  Another big hit with the girls.  I am getting the feeling that they are roller coaster lovers!

We had a little time before our lunch reservations at Cinderella's Royal Table, so we were able to get in another attraction that Paul and I (especially Paul!) wanted to see, The Hall of Presidents.  This is really cool, and the girls also got a kick out of it, as they are usually interested in the Presidents and American history.

Then we were off to our special lunch at Cinderella's Royal Table.  This was really quite a great experience!  In this lunch, you are able to meet Cinderella before you are seated at your table and have your professional photo taken with her, which you get to keep as part of the meal package.  Then, during lunch, four other princesses make appearances in the restaurant and go around from table to table signing autographs and posing for photos.  It was a wonderful way to meet so many of the famous princesses (Snow White, Ariel, Belle, and Sleeping Beauty were there during our lunch) as well as have a pretty good meal.  We were glad we did it and recommend it to any princess fan!

After lunch, we hit many of the other attractions at the Magic Kingdom, did some shopping on Main Street, saw the Flag lowering ceremony, and surprisingly, ended up riding the It's a Small World ride twice, because the girls loved it so much.

Then it was time for dinner at The Crystal Palace.  This is what I had been waiting for all day, as here we have another character meal, this one including the characters from The Hundred Acre Woods!  It worked just like the lunch at Cinderella's Table, where the Winnie-the-Pooh characters move from table to table while you enjoy the buffet.  I LOVE the Winnie-the-Pooh characters, but Eeyore is my all time favorite!

 After dinner, we were pretty much spent, after 4 whirlwind days at the Disney parks, so we decided to head back to Wilderness Lodge and spend the rest of the evening at the pool.  Especially since we had another park to see the next day, which would be our last full day there.  To be continued....

Remembering

From Bishop T.D. Jakes:

Thou who has been our help in ages past, thou who dispenses your comfort to all those who mourn. We seek your grace to strengthen us as we commemorate the lives of loved ones who have been lost on this day of anguish for our country and our world.

Wipe away the blinding tears that plummet down our cheeks like gushing streams of an overflowing riverbank. Our heavy hearts still search for the solace of your guidance through the maze of pain and the myriad of complex issues such tragedy releases.

Though hurt, we are compelled to commemorate those who are fallen on this day. Remember those who may not have lost a life but instead they lost a limb, those who gave their health for our wholeness, those who lost their emotional stability to help us regain our national security.

From first responders to heroic citizens we ask for your grace for these hurting heroes who often suffer in total silence. Fill the arms of mothers left empty and heal the hearts of fathers whose ears strain to remember the sound of fading laughter and frolic of children now gone. Wrap your arms around those who lost wives and husbands, parents, friends and confidantes on this day of terroristic espionage. Let that day which exhibited the worst in man be the catalyst of also revealing the best in our human hearts to love each other.

In spite of such pain we honor you as the God and guide who has enabled us to endure what we thought was impossible. Thank you for your sovereign grace that guides us beyond one moment of terror to a collective and individual destiny beyond that moment. Thank you for the occasional smile, the splendor of sunsets and the brilliance of sunrise. Since then you have granted us new friends and a renewed sense of purpose. Like stars in our night you have given us light in the midst of dark places for which we are so grateful.

Watch over us with your omniscient eye grating us your continued protection. Our enemies remain unrelenting. In the true spirit of our faith, we also pray for our enemies. Let the message of your love and light extend not only to those who mourn but to those who hate, that they might realize that hate will not replace the better choice of debate nor will destruction reconstruct the common chord of our shared brotherhood as human beings. Have mercy on the pain and misguidance that would make them seek the horrific option of destruction. Guide them to the light of your love.

Teach us collectively, the power of that love, the simple riches of your peace. Show us that the indomitable spirit of self-preservation need not lead us to the selfish indulgence of blind devastation and the malicious disregard for each other.

You are the God of all people, the father of every soul. Lord, teach your children to love each other as much as they profess to love you. 

One Family's Disney Vacation: Day 4 -- Epcot

After a successful day at Blizzard Beach, we hit our next Disney theme park, the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, or Epcot for the rest of you!

When we first arrived at Epcot, Ellie and Maggie were very excited to see Spaceship Earth, or as they call it, "the giant golf ball."  They were excited by it's size and were jumping up and down as we entered the park.

The one ride that we were very excited to try was Soarin', however we knew that the line for it would be rather long, so we decided to first get Fast Passes for that ride and then try something else.  So off we went to secure our Fast Passes.  When we got those, we moved on to The Seas with Nemo & Friends ride.

This was a very cute attraction, but the big highlight is the show after the ride called Turtle Talk with Crush.
This is a live show where kids of all ages can have a conversation with the totally tubular turtle from Disney·Pixar's Finding Nemo. After taking your seat, you watch Crush swim to the window from his ocean home and begin taking questions and chatting with audience members.  Ellie was thrilled to have Crush talk to her and answer her question about how long turtles live.

Then it was time to head back to Sorin'.  Soarin' is a multi-sensory attraction that simulates a peaceful hang-gliding flight over the Golden State of California.  An IMAX projection dome wraps 180 degrees around you, so you're engulfed by the impressive scenery.  Wow!  This was quite an incredible ride.  You really do feel as if you are gliding through the air.  The entire family enjoyed the experience.

Next we tackled a character meet and greet where the girls got to meet all the main Disney characters in one nice, air-conditioned building.  So out came the autograph books for Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Pluto, Donald Duck, and Goofy!

After that it was getting close to our lunch reservations, so we decided to head over to the World Pavilion and check out some of the countries on our way to Germany for our lunch in the Biergarten.  We were also able to meet a couple of princesses in the World Showcase; Mulan in China, and Snow White in Germany.

After our delicious lunch, we headed back to the main center of Epcot to grab Fast Passes for the Test Track. Once we got those we decided to check out Captain EO in 3-D, the classic film starring Michael Jackson.  That was quite a disappointment.  It was so dated and even boring.  The girls didn't really seem to like it either.

When we emerged from Captain EO, it was pouring!!!!  We ended up waiting it out under the canopy there for about 15 minutes before we decided to chance it as our Fast Pass time for Test Track was expiring soon.  However, we ended up getting wet for no good reason, as Test Track was shut down and would not be reopening anytime soon. So we decided to bag it and, after much debate, decided to try out Mission: Space.

Mission: SPACE Attraction is a 5.5-minute motion simulator ride that realistically mimics what an astronaut might experience during a space flight to Mars. I personally, as a space nerd, was kind of excited about trying out this ride, but nervous as well, as I had heard it can be pretty intense, even on the easier, green side of the ride.  After going through the cue and getting to the point where we were just about to enter our seats to start the ride, the non-stop warnings blasted at us all throughout the cue and pre-show about the ride got to Maggie and she declared she was not getting on it. We kind of figured she may do that, so I took Maggie out of the ride and we waited in the pavilion for Ellie and Paul to finish.

When Ellie and Paul emerged from the ride the excitement on Ellie's face told me everything.  "IT WAS AWESOME!" she stated and wanted to go on again right away.  Since the cue was not long at all, I got to go on the ride with Ellie while Paul stayed with Maggie in the pavilion.

When Ellie and I finished the ride I got a text from Paul saying that he and Maggie were across the way in the Innoventions building. This was a pretty cool place, with lots of hands on exhibits for kids to try -- almost like a science museum.  While there, we tried out The Sum of All Thrills. Here you test your imagination by designing a thrill ride using an interactive touch screen that lets you determine height and speed while adding features such as dips and corkscrew turns. Once "built," you climb aboard your very own design in the 4-D robotic simulator that uses sight, sound and movement to give you a realistic experience. Pretty cool!

After that it was time to head back to the World Showcase for our dinner reservations at Tepan Edo in Japan.  We got there a little early and had time to kill, so we wandered around the gift shop in Japan.  While there both Ellie and Maggie were able to try on authentic kimonos with the help of a lovely Japanese girl!

Dinner at Tepan Edo, a teppanyaki restaurant, was delicious, and the family we sat with was able to give us some good advice regarding our upcoming visit to Disney's Hollywood Studios in a couple of days. 

Spaceship Earth. This was another big hit with the girls, especially at the interactive end of the ride, where you are able to see yourself in the future.

That concluded our trip to Epcot.  Despite not being able to ride Test Track, we had a very happy day!

Stockholders Restaurant, Weymouth, MA

Yesterday was Paul's birthday, so the girls and I wanted to take him out to dinner.  We weren't wanting to go into Boston or go anywhere that would require a drive of more than 15 minutes, so we kept our restaurant search local.  Luckily, there was a restaurant right down the street that we had heard some great feedback on, and, since it was a steakhouse, it was a perfect fit for Paul's birthday dinner, as he loves a good steak.  So off we went to Stockholders Restaurant.

We had 6:00 pm reservations, and we arrived at the restaurant promptly at 6:00.  We were seated right away, as there were still many tables available.  Our table was right in front of a large fish tank, which Ellie and Maggie were enthralled with, as it is stocked with the same variety of fish that are in Finding Nemo.

Our server came over promptly and took our drink orders and told us about the specials for the night.  After we perused the menu, she came back to take our orders.  Maggie ordered her usual pasta and marinara sauce from the children's menu, which surprisingly also came with french fries.  Ellie ordered her new favorite menu item, a Cesar Salad with steak.  Paul chose the 14 ounce as poivre New York sirloin with embedded peppercorns while I went with the pan seared scallops over a creamy lobster risotto.

After ordering we were presented with a basket of bread and crackers, along with olive oil for dipping, and cowboy caviar, which is a kind of black eyed pea salad.  The bread was a little stale, but the cowboy caviar was a nice, unique touch with the crackers. 

Our entrees arrived promptly.  Maggie's pasta was perfectly fine, but what can you do to pasta?  The french fries were very tasty.  I don't know if they were hand cut, but I hope they were, as Maggie's dish cost $9.95!  As do all the children's menu items.  A little pricey for a kid's menu, considering the range of choices aren't any different than what you would get at a casual family restaurant.

The salad portion of Ellie's meal was also perfectly fine, but the steak on top must just be the kitchen leftovers, as it was grisly and tough.  Almost inedible.

However, Paul did enjoy his steak.  It was tender and well cooked (medium).  He did state, however, that he wished he had ordered it with the optional presentation of peppercorn sauce instead of peppercorn encrusted, as the pepper taste kind of overwhelmed the dish.

My scallops were very good.  They were cooked perfectly and had a very nice sear to them.  The accompanying risotto, taste wise, was also good, however, as I pointed out to Paul, it isn't a risotto.  It was clumpy and sticky and did not flow on the plate.  I would have billed it as a cheesy lobster rice, and not risotto.  A little false advertising.

We did not order dessert, as I had earlier in the day dropped of a cake at the restaurant which they were kind enough to serve to us after our meal was done.

Service was pleasant, although quite slow, which was surprising as about halfway through our meal, the restaurant filled up and there was quite a large crowd waiting for tables.  Once we were served our meals, it was a long time before the server reappeared to check on us.  When we finished our meals, it was a good 10 - 15 minutes before our plates were cleared and another 10 minutes before the cake was presented.

All in all, our night a Stockholders was fine, but nothing ultra special.  I would consider giving it another try in the future.

One Family's Disney Vacation: Day 3 -- Blizzard Beach

Our third day in exciting Orlando, Florida brought us to the moment that one member of our party was most excited about. I won't tell you who, but I'll give you a hint.  In our family of four, this person is the only one who doesn't wear a two piece bathing suit.  Welcome to Blizzard Beach!

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The park looks like a frosty ski resort—complete with a functioning chair lift. It's an action-packed water wonderland with exciting waterslides and attractions for the whole family.

We arrived at the water park before it opened, and waited with the other water lovers for the rope drop.  Once that happened, we hightailed it over to the wave pool to stake out our primo seats under the shade of the palm trees.  After settling in and lathering up with some sunblock, we headed over to the chair lift to ride to the top of the "mountain" for our first waterslide ride, Teamboat Springs. This is a family raft ride down a winding river. Big kids, teens and adults can all ride together in a large raft that holds 4 to 6 people.  

Even early in the day, the wait for this ride was starting to back up, and it was already pretty hot.  Thank goodness for the misting stations along the cue for the ride!  

The whole family enjoyed this ride, and as a parent it was great to have a slide we could all participate in together.  I loved watching the girls faces as we rode down the slide and splashed down at the bottom.  The girls declared this attraction a hit!

Next, Paul really wanted to go to the Summit Plummet.  This premier waterslide attraction for big kids, teens and adults is not for the faint of heart. At a "chilling" 120 feet high, this sky-scraping ski jump of a thrill ride down the slopes of Mount Gushmore is one of the world's tallest and fastest free-fall body slide.  However, neither of the girls was down for that slide, so while he was off to defy death, the girls and I headed over to Runoff Rapids.

Runoff Rapids are three different inner tube waterslides. Each flume is different; the center slide is fully enclosed and accommodates one rider at a time. The two outer slides can accommodate rafts that hold up to 2 people.  On our first attempt, we grabbed one double tube and one single tube.  The girls rode in the double tube and I got the single.  When we got to the bottom of the slide, the girls wanted to do it again, and knowing that the wait for Paul at Summit Plummet would be long, we headed back up the stairs for a second ride.  This time Ellie took the single tube and Maggie and I doubled up.

We decided to head back to our spot at the wave pool, and on our way there we found Paul, who had just finished his slide. Another big hit!  Ellie wanted to go do Runoff Rapids again, so she and Paul headed there while Maggie and I went to the wave pool.

After playing in the pool for a while, and grabbing a frozen lemonade, Ellie and Paul returned from their slide and we all decided to relax in Cross Country Creek. This is Blizzard Beaches' lazy river attraction where you grab an inner tube raft, put your feet up and chill out in this gently meandering stream that flows around the perimeter of Disney's Blizzard Beach Water Park. Pass through polar caves—large cave-like tunnels—and under gentle, misty waterfalls as your raft drifts aimlessly along. This would have been a very nice experience, if not for the plethora of people who insisted on pushing their way through the people who were just calmly riding in their tubes.  Rudeness abounded on this attraction.

After that, we headed back to the wave pool.  As I am not the biggest fan of water parks I decided to head back to the resort to relax a little before our night out at Disney's Boardwalk and our dinner at Kouzzina by Cat Cora.  Paul and the girls stayed for another couple of hours of waterslide fun!

One Family's Disney Vacation: Day 2 -- Animal Kingdom

Our first full day in the Disney World resorts brought us to our first official theme park Animal Kingdom!

We woke up early that morning and dined on a breakfast of cold cereal in our hotel room.  After dressing and catching the shuttle bus we arrived at our destination.  Ellie and Maggie we so excited to be there.

One of the attractions that the girls had been anticipating ever since we started planning our vacation was the newest roller coaster at Animal Kingdom: Expedition Everest.  We had purchased Birnbaum Guides Walt Disney World for Kids for them to use to see all Disney had to offer, and to find rides and attractions they may want to explore on our trip, and Expedition Everest made it to the very top of the list for them.

We were thinking that we may need to get a Fastpass for this ride, as we had heard that the wait can get pretty long, but we were at the park so early that the wait in the stand-by line said it was only 15 minutes, so we went for it.  The 15 minute wait time I think comprised about 13 minutes of walking through the cue area and only about 2 minutes of actual standing and waiting for our turn on the ride.

Once we got to the front of the ride, Paul and I were concerned that one (or both) of the girls would change their minds about attempting the ride, but that was not the case.  They bravely climbed into the car, and off we went.

We are next to ride Expedition Everest!

Any concerns Paul and I had about the girls liking the ride were put to rest when after it was over, they immediately proclaimed it "awesome" and insisted we do it again.  So, we got right back in line for round two!

After Expedition Everest, we next tackled another popular ride at Animal Kingdom, the Kali River Rapids.  That was also a very fun ride with a relatively short wait.  Maggie was the one in our raft that ended up getting the brunt of the splashing.  She loved it, though.

We then grabbed Fastpasses to the Kilimanjaro Safari ride and checked out the Maharajah Jungle Trek, a self-guided walking tour of native Asian wildlife.  The girls loved seeing the silver back gorillas on this tour!

A sleeping gorilla.

After that, it was time for us to use our Fastpasses for the Kilimanjaro Safari. This ride provides the chance to see African animals including giraffes, black rhinos and lions, as they roam the 100-acre savanna in the park.  This was great!  We saw so many wonderful animals and being able to see them in an open air truck really made you feel like you were in the African grasslands.

After that, it was time for our lunch at Tusker House (review to come), with which we received priority seating for the Finding Nemo: The Musical show.  We had time before we needed to be at the show, so we stopped by the Tree of Life to catch the It's Tough to be a Bug movie.  This 3-D attraction ended up being a favorite of both the adults and kids.  The 3-D effects were done very well, as were the "interactive" effects of the film.  A must see!

Our family fooling around while checking out the Tree of Life on our way to It's Tough to be a Bug.

Then we headed over to Finding Nemo: The Musical -- and not a moment too soon.  We were getting to the hottest part of the day; the perfect time to sit and relax for about 30 minutes in a nice air-conditioned theater.  The premium seats were excellent, and we sat right next to the stage, which enabled us to see much of the action up close.  The production was wonderful, and the girls found the show both entertaining and magical.

After the show, we headed over to try out the DINOSAUR ride, a thrilling adventure aboard a time rover that transports Guests to the age of dinosaurs on a daring quest to bring back a living piece of history. This ride was very loud, dark, and rough, and when it was over, Maggie declared her dislike of it.  In fact, I think she kept her eyes closed and covered her ears for the entire ride.  Ellie, however loved it, and while she and Paul got back in line to ride it again, Maggie and I partook of some of the carnival games in Dinoland USA while waiting for them to finish.

After that we headed to dinner at Yak and Yeti (review to come).  When dinner was done, the park had already closed for the evening, so we went to catch the shuttle bus back to our resort.

Our first theme park was done, and all-in-all, it ended up being a very successful, fun day.  Coming up...

Blizzard Beach!

One Family's Disney Vacation: The Beginning

As I mentioned in my previous post, we just returned from a week long stay at Walt Disney World in Florida.  It really was a great trip!  We are so glad we did it and think we timed it just right for our family.  Ellie and Maggie are 8 and 7 years old, respectively, and were the perfect age for a trip of this sort.  Young enough to still want to hang out with their parents, but old enough to have good stamina and patience for a busy, go-go-go type of trip Disney can be.

Our trip started with a 4:00 am taxi pick up at our house to take us to Logan Airport.  After a quick breeze through security (I mean really; who else is flying at that hour?) we grabbed breakfast at the airport before our separate flights.  Due to the fact that we wanted to use frequent flier miles, Paul and Ellie took one flight and Maggie and I were on another. 

America runs on Dunkin!

Maggie and I arrived in Orlando first.  We headed over to the area of the airport that housed the Disney Magical Express bus service that would take us to our resort.  This was a great addition to our trip.  Since we were staying at a Disney resort, it saved us the extra expense of renting a car, and also since we used their bus service, we did not need to pick up our bags at the airport; Disney took care of that and delivered them to our hotel room.  I loved this perk!!!

After a short wait in the cue, Maggie and I boarded our bus and off we went to our hotel.  We were staying in the Wilderness Lodge.  What a great resort!  It is a favorite of families traveling to Disney World and it is easy to see why.  The grand lobby is quite a site to see and the amenities and activities are great for the kids! 

View of the lobby of the Wilderness Lodge

After another short wait in line to check-in (we had done online check-in a couple of days prior to our leaving, which really cut down on our wait time) Maggie and I went to check out our room.  There was nothing too special about the room.  Very standard hotel room, but since we would be spending minimal time there, it was perfectly fine.

Paul and Ellie arrived at the resort a couple of hours after Maggie and I did, and after a quick lunch in the hotel's casual restaurant, the Whispering Canyon Café, Paul went up to the room to relax while the girls and I did a little tour of the resort.

Maggie and Ellie on our tour of the resort grounds.

 

Later that afternoon we took the boat from the resort over to Fort Wilderness to partake in a long standing Disney tradition, the Hoop Dee Doo Review dinner show.  It is a classic show, filled with one liners, puns, and silly jokes, but entertaining non the less.  We dined on fried chicken, BBQ  ribs, corn, baked beans, corn bread and strawberry shortcake (and one vegetarian meal for me!).  Nothing to write home about, but you aren't there for the food, really. 

 Lots of vittles to eat.

 By the time the dinner and show were over, we were all starting to feel the effects of our early wake up call that day, so we headed back to the hotel to relax and hit the sheets early.  We wanted to make sure we got all the sleep we needed for the next day.  Our first full day in Disney World and our first theme park adventure.  

Stay tuned!!!

A Little Disney Magic

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, but I do have a good excuse.  We just returned from a week long stay at Walt Disney World!  It was a vacation two years in the making and we are so glad we went.  The whole family had a wonderful time.

I will be posting more about our vacation, so stay tuned!

I Could Never Work at Dunkin Donuts!

I started playing this game online on Facebook.  It is kind of addicting, especially since it gives you the chance to win a $10 gift card to Dunkin Donuts.  Let me tell you, while we did love living in Minnesota, one of the many drawbacks was there are no Dunkin Donuts there.  I don't know how I survived the four years!

Anyway, have some fun with this game and maybe you can win a gift card!

Brownie Newtons

So, I was looking through my cabinets the other day and found a forgotten container of dried figs I had purchased about a month ago.  Now, I could go the obvious route and make a homemade fig jam or fig newton bar, but why be obvious?  And, since I was in a chocolate kind of mood, my creation became:

Brownie Newtons!

Chocolate and Fig?  Maybe it sounds a little strange, but make this recipe and you will find out very quickly strange can be delicious!

Brownie Newtons (adapted from "The Bon Appetit Cookbook" by Barbara Fairchild)


For the filling

• 1 1/2 cups finely chopped dried stemmed figs
• 1/4 cup water
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon allspice
• pinch of salt

For the brownies

• 3 1/2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup sifted all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 extra large eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup plus 6 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the filling
Combine the figs, water, sugar, lemon juice, allspice, and salt in a heavy large saucepan.  Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer until the figs are tender and all the liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally, about 8  minutes.  Remove from the heat and cool completely.


For the brownies
Line a 9x9x2 inch baking pan with aluminum foil. Butter foil and dust with flour.


Melt chocolate and butter in a heavy small saucepan over very low heat, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and cool completely.


Preheat over to 325 degrees.  Sift flour and salt into a small bowl.  Whisk eggs, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl to blend.  Whisk in melted chocolate.  Fold in flour mixture. Spread 1 1/4 cups of brownie batter in prepared pan.  Scatter the fig mixture over the top.  Spoon the rest of the brownie batter over the figs and gently smooth. (Batter may not cover all the figs).  Cover pan tightly with foil.


Bake the brownies for 15 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out with some moist crumbs still attached, about 30 minutes longer.  Transfer to rack and cool 5 hours.

The Restaurant 03894, Wolfeboro, New Hampshire

When I last left you, I was waxing poetic (well, maybe not that poetic) about Paul's and my recent mini-vacation in the lakes region of New Hampshire.  Since the Bed and Breakfast we were staying at didn't have dinner service on Tuesday nights, we needed to find a place to eat that evening.  After perusing the web for some good looking local spots, Paul spotted The Restaurant 03849 in Wolfeboro, about 20 minutes from our B&B.  Upon checking out the menu and spotting some interesting sounding vegetarian options, it was a thumbs up for me!

We got there about 6pm on a Tuesday evening.  The Restaurant is located on the main strip of Wolfeboro, and at that time the town was relatively quiet.  We were seated right away.  I really liked the cozy atmosphere of the restaurant.  It is small, but not crowded feeling, with a small outdoor patio you can eat in as well. 

Our server introduced herself and we gave our drink orders.  She returned promptly with our drinks and went over that nights specials with us.  I ordered the roasted tomato-dill soup to start (which was the soup of the day) and the roasted avacado for my entree (a roasted avocado stuffed with quinoa, oranges, spiced almonds and balsamic reduction).  Paul started with the basked of hand cut fries, and ordered the shrimp and scallop etouffee for his main course.


The soup was very good.  Light, with the dill giving it a flavor different from most tomato soups you get.  The fries were excellent.  Very well seasoned and not too greasy.  It was a large basket; easily enough for three people, but Paul was able to polish them off no problem (of course, he also skipped lunch that day!).


Our entrees then arrived.  The roasted avocado was excellent!  The orange with the balsamic reduction gave the creamy avocado a nice contrast in flavor I enjoyed very much.  It was so much better that the lone pasta dish you usually have to order as a vegetarian.  The side salad that it came with was a little over dressed for my taste, though.  Paul said his etouffee was very good, with a nice amount of heat; enough to give some flavor without overpowering the pallet. 


I wasn't planning on ordering any dessert, but, since it was my birthday, and coconut is my new favorite flavor, I ordered a slice of their coconut cake.  It was described as a coconut cake with coconut frosting and toasted coconut on the sides. This was the most disappointing part of the meal.  I could not taste any coconut in the cake at all, except for the toasted coconut on the outside of the cake.  It tasted like a basic vanilla cake which they had just removed from the refrigerator.  It reminded me of those Pepperidge Farms cakes you get in the freezer section of the grocery store.  A disappointing end to an otherwise good experience.


All in all, I do recommend you check out The Restaurant if you find yourself in the area.  The eclectic menu will satisfy many tastes, and the meals were very good.  Maybe just skip dessert!

A Peaceful, Easy Feeling

Paul and I and the girls just moved back to Boston in January after living the past four years in Minnesota.  As we had no family there, we had no opportunity to spend any time together as just a husband and wife; it was family time all the time.  When we moved back we made it a point to try to find a time to have a mini vacation for just the two of us, now that we had family close by who were willing to watch Ellie and Maggie for us.  That opportunity presented itself very quickly on our arrival home when we saw a great Living Social deal for two nights at The Wakefield Inn in Wakefield, New Hampshire.  The Living Social package included two nights lodging, a cooking class and gourmet dinner, two hour long massages, a bottle of champagne, and a picnic lunch.

We arrived at the Inn the afternoon of our scheduled cooking class that evening.  We were met by Janel, the owner of the Inn, as well as the chef!  She gave us a brief tour and then we settled  into our room, The Frost Room.  It was a very comfortable and sweet room.  Paul and I promptly fell asleep, waking just in time for our cooking class at 5pm.

There were 4 other people in the class, all whom had also participated in the Living Social deal.  The class was lively and fun.  I especially enjoyed learning how to make pasta by hand; I enjoyed it so much in fact I have ordered a pasta roller attachment for my KitchenAid stand mixer to make my own pasta at home with the girls!  After the class the 6 of us sat down to eat the meal we had helped prepare.  Janel told us that she tries to use only locally sourced and organic foods as much as possible.  She has her own chickens in the back of the Inn for her eggs, and she also has her own vegetable garden.  Delicious food and wonderful company made for a pleasant evening.

We awoke the next day to a lovely breakfast prepared by Janel, and had our in room massages later that morning.  After that, Paul spent the majority of that beautiful day sitting and reading on the quiet, peaceful front porch of the inn.  I drove into nearby Wolfeboro to explore some of the shops there.  When I got back Paul was still sitting on the porch, feeling extremely content and relaxed.  We spent the rest of the afternoon doing nothing, which is exactly what we wanted to do!

That evening we went into Wolfeboro to have dinner at The Restaurant.  We enjoyed our dinner there very  much (more on that in a later post!).

The next morning, after yet another tasty breakfast, we packed up and checked out, making sure to let Janel's assistant, Gretchen, know how much we enjoyed the Inn, and were happy to have such a quiet, comfortable place to relax together.  Gretchen gave us our picnic lunch for the road, as well as some "parting gifts."

The Wakefield Inn was just what the doctor ordered.  They have many packages available on their website that include cooking classes, as well as knitting and quilting packages, and romance and relaxation packages.  If you are looking for a wonderful, relaxing, friendly, warm place to spend some time in the Lake Region of New Hampshire, The Wakefield Inn gets two thumbs up from us!

Creamiest Lime Cream Meringue Pie

So I wanted to make something on my next baking episode with Paul in mind.  I usually bake thinking about what the girls would like, or what I would like, and usually ignore Paul.  Poor husbands...always ignored.

While Paul is not the biggest sweets person, he does like pie, and citrus, so I decided to tackle Dorie Greenspan's Creamiest Lime Cream Meringue Pie.  Let me tell you, the custard from this pie came out amazing!  Creamy and tangy, with just the right amount of sweetness.  Unfortunately, the rest of the pie I messed up on.  I under baked my crust so it just tasted of raw dough, and my meringue came out so "weepy" that it dripped all over my refrigerator requiring me to do a total fridge clean out!  The pie ended up in the trash.  Poor Paul!

The next time I make this pie, I think I will use the graham cracker crust and no meringue, just a whipped cream topping.  And, that custard is really just so delicious, I will for sure make that part again!

Creamiest Lime Cream Meringue Pie from Dorie Greenspan’s “Baking: From My Home to Yours”

Makes 8 servings

For the Filling:

1 cup sugar
Grated zest of 3 limes
4 large eggs, preferably at room temp
3/4 cup fresh lime juice (from about 6 limes)
A 1-inch chunk of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 1/2 sticks (10 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon size pieces, at room temperature

1 9-inch Graham Cracker Crust, or basic pie crust (I used a pre-made crust purchased at Whole Foods.)

Meringue:

4 large egg whites, at room temperature
½ cup sugar

Have an instant-read thermometer, a strainer and a blender (first choice) or food processor at hand.

Bring a few inches of water to a simmer in a saucepan.

Put the sugar and zest into a heatproof bowl that can be set over the pan of simmering water. Off the heat, rub the sugar and zest between your fingertips for a few minutes, until the sugar is moist and the fragrance of lime is strong.

Whisk in the eggs, then whisk in the juice, ginger and cornstarch.

Set the bowl over the pan and start stirring with the whisk as soon as the mixture feels tepid to the touch. Cook the lime cream until it reaches 180 degrees F. As you whisk- you must whisk constantly to keep the eggs from scrambling – you’ll see that the cream will start out light and foamy, then the bubbles will get bigger, and then, as it gets closer to 180 degrees F, it will start to thicken and the whisk will leave tracks. Don’t stop whisking or checking the temperature. Depending on how much heat you’re giving the cream, getting to temp can take as long as 10 minutes.

As soon as it reaches 180 degrees F, remove the cream from the heat and strain the cream into the container of the blender (or food processor); discard the rest.

Let it cool until it reaches 140 degrees F, about 10 minutes.

Turn the blender to high speed (or turn on the processor) and add the butter a few pieces at a time. Scrape down the sides of the container as needed as you incorporate the butter. After all the butter is in, continue to blend the cream for another 3 minutes. If you find the machine is getting really hot, work in 1-minute intervals, giving the machine a little rest in between beats.

Pour the cream into a container, press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface and refrigerate the cream for at least 4 hours, or overnight.

To Finish the Pie with the Meringue: Preheat the broiler. Whisk the cream to loosen it and spoon it into the pie shell. Place the pie plate on a baking sheet.

Working in a clean dry mixer bowl with the clean whisk attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, whip the egg whites at medium speed until opaque. With the mixer running , add the sugar in a slow stream and continue to beat until the whites are glossy and form firm peaks.

Spread the meringue over the lime filling, swirling it if you’d like. Make sure the meringue comes all the way to the edges of the crust, because it will shrink when it bakes.

Run the pie under the broiler until the meringue is golden and the tips are dark brown (Or, if you’ve got a blowtorch, use it to brown the meringue.) Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool for about 15 minutes, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.

Thelonious Monkfish in Cambridge

As mentioned in the previous post, Paul and I recently went to see the play "Matt and Ben" at the Central Square Theater in Cambridge.  We decided to make an entire date night out of it, as the girls would be spending the night in Plymouth with their grandparents, so we looked for an interesting restaurant to dine at before the show started.  We ended up at Thelonious Monkfish.

According to their website, Thelonious Monkfish describes itself as follows:

"Great food and jazz are characterized by spontaneity and joy. Nothing warms the palate like an explosion of flavor or the heart like a burst of song! Owner Jamme Chantler and Chef/Owner Chudapa Phomjun are passionate about jazz & ethnic flavors, and that’s why they’ve branded their unique take on sushi & Asian specialties: Thelonious Monkfish. “We love to jam on Asian culinary themes. Our menu reflects both our respect for gustatory tradition and our sense of play and innovation.” 

I think the only reason they are going with this jazz theme is because they thought up a clever name for the restaurant and had to find a way to tie it to the food.  Well, other than the jazz music playing in the background, they was nothing "jazzy" about this establishment.

We we seated immediately, as the restaurant was not too busy when we arrived and were promptly given water.  After a couple of minutes of looking at the menu, our waiter timidly appeared to see if we were ready to order.  While I dislike aggressive wait staff, this waiter was so quiet and unassuming I felt he would fall over if I looked at him the wrong way.

Paul ordered the Fever Wings and Duck Choo Chee (roasted duck simmered in choo chee curry sauce with pineapple, red and green peppers, and jasmine rice) while I went for Tempura Vegetables and Drunken Noodles. 


We both enjoyed our starters; Paul said the wings were nicely spiced and flavorful, and my tempura veggies were well cooked -- crunchy and not greasy at all, which I usually find with anything tempura.  However, neither of us was impressed with our main courses.  Paul's duck was alright, but the experience was marred by his needed to constantly pick out small bones left in the dish.  My drunken noodles were undercooked and not spicy at all.  The drunken noodle I get from my local Thai restaurant in Weymouth (Lime Leaf Cuisine) are so much better! 


The price of the dishes was no more expensive than other similar restaurants, but I have had much better Asian fare elsewhere.  While we did not try the sushi menu, I cannot recommend Thelonious Monkfish on its Asian menu.