From second grade me to all of you: Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanza (which I really should celebrate some year), and a very late Happy Hanukah.
We’re in Rhode Island with my family. Hoping we’ll be able to make it to Boston for our anniversary on Monday. Enjoy the day.
Christmas was so much fun. The hubs and I spent time with his family in Rochester, NY. It was, as always, an enjoyable time. Jeremy’s sister, brother, and his wife were all there. Between ringing bells for Salvation Army(yes the father-in-law dressed like Santa), cookie decorating contests, minor league hockey games and delicious food, I still found time to go work out, which really made everything even more enjoyable.
Jeremy and I did one run outside, which I think was a good prep for the 5k on Friday. As of right now, it’s supposed to snow/rain on Friday. I really don’t like the idea of running in that weather, considering I’m not much of an outdoor runner in the first place.
I was worried about making healthy food choices over the time at “home,” but overall I think I did ok. Obviously, I ate things I wouldn’t normally eat at home, but I think it went well. One really was nice was having a breakfast buddy. My sister-in-law and I had oats every morning, and they were a great way to start the day. We also went to the gym together on the 26th.
I am really, really excited to use the newest edition to my kitchen.
I researched a lot of bread-makers before deciding on this one. While I haven’t gotten to use it yet, a feature I really like is that you can remove the paddle before you bake the loaf. There will be many posts to come of wonderful, delicious breads.
I should be back to posting frequently from now on. Up next, Anniversary #5 and Burlington, VT.
I ate a lot of lame things today, but I also ate one of my favorite things ever. Popovers on the Square cheesecake.
Let’s back up, tonight Jeremy and I went to a Christmas concert at a local church with several friends. There was an amazing orchestra and great singers, some of them operatic. It was great; however, it made me realize that I’m more Broadway and less Met. It’s all good.
After the concert, the eight of us went to Portsmouth. If you are looking for a wonderful place in New England for a weekend getaway, come to Portsmouth. It is one of my favorite cities, literally, in the entire world. There is loads of great food. The people are friendly. It’s beautiful and on the New Hampshire seacoast. Really, just walking around the downtown area is pleasurable; you don’t even have to buy anything. But if you do want to buy something, there are so many options. Portsmouth is great in any season: In the summer you can enjoy a nice, cold drink by the harbor. In winter, you can cozy up with a cappuccino or hot cider in one of the great coffee shops.
Now onto Popover’s cheesecake.
It is a vanilla cheesecake. It is extremely firm, which I really like. The crust isn’t too sweet and you can taste both the vanilla and the sour cream. Usually, I am one of those people who likes to share dessert with someone else. However, when I get a slice of this cheesecake, it is all mine. I don’t eat it frequently. Although, about a month ago when I went to see Julie & Julia, I snuck a piece in. It’s really just that good.
Tonight, Jeremy and I didn’t really get time for dinner before we left for the concert. La Dolce Vita; We had dessert first. As we were walking back to the parking garage, we realized we were quite hungry.
Another Portsmouth perk, a hot dog diner that stays open until 2:30 am. After figuring out that the door neither pushed nor pulled but slid, we went inside. It was warm and toasty with only about eight stools to sit on. They have a small menu: burgers, dogs, and fries (w/ Poutine, if you would like). This is no place for a vegan. We ordered our dogs. I was only able to eat two bites, because I think I had gotten too hungry, but Jeremy managed to polish off the rest of mine. 
All in all, it was a great night. Now I am off to bed.
What’s your favorite non-major city?
Today was a great day. My students, for the most part, were all well behaved. My peanut butter on an English Muffin this morning was excellent and put some warmth in me, while I was scrapping off my windshield. At lunch, my salad was amazing: baby spinach, green leaf lettuce, black beans, guac, salsa, chevre, and a piece of left over bacon from yesterday’s breakfast.
My secret Santa struck again and left me two more wonderful Bath and Body Works hand sanitizers. The Vanilla Bean Noel is really delightful. They also left some homemade chocolate covered peanut butter balls; I ate two and then shared the rest with my teammates.
After I got home, Jeremy and I headed out to find a Christmas tree. We went to a little place I drive by everyday. The true New Englanders running it were awesome. We were the only ones there. They cut a tree down for us and gave me all the extra greens for free to make a wreath with. They were really great, and were all obviously enjoying themselves and the fact that they had customers on a Monday. Traditionally, Jeremy and I go out to eat after we pick out a tree. Tonight was no different. We went to our favorite restaurant in town Riverworks. If you live in the Boston area, it’s a place worth driving to. I got a chicken quesadilla with broccoli (maybe this blog should be called how many ways can I eat broccoli), green pepper, and red onion: I ate half and saved the other half for tomorrow’s lunch. Jeremy had a Kobe beef burger and french fries with truffle ketchup. I had never had truffle anything until tonight, and I may have fallen in love. I cannot describe what it tasted like, but it made my mouth happy.
Once we got home, we set up our tree, and now we’re watching Love Actually. This may be the best Monday ever.
Here are some of my favorite ornaments:
A handmade ornament from my long lost Texas friend
A great ornament that we got for our wedding from Bronner’s in Michigan
Antique ornaments from my Nana
What’s your favorite holiday tradition?
