Easter Feaster

The Easter bunny decided to join Kav and I at breakfast on Sunday.  He was delish :-9

 

The weather was the nicest it has been all year peaking at about 80 degrees!  I am claiming that this marks the start of bike season (for me at least).  So after breakfast, Kavan headed off to study and I headed on my bike down to the Common to enjoy the scenery.  Almost everything was in bloom, the swan boats were paddling around the pond, there was a drum line near the visitor center...  Little girls in white fluffy dresses and little boys in miniature suits pranced around discovering all of the sights and sounds at the Common.   Everyone was in their Easter Best.

I decided to take a different route back home, and oh boy what a ride!  The bike trail curved alongside the Charles River, which today was filled with drifting sail boats and lined with thousands of delicate blossoms.  I stopped several times to take pictures.

Finally, it was time for the Easter Feaster.  I didn't go all out, but it was nice to make a well rounded dinner.  Of course, it wouldn't have been complete without Easter Bunny carrot cake! One of my own, new traditions :)

<3 Liz

My First Marathon Monday!

Every April all of Boston shuts down, not for what is one of the most prestigious marathons in the world, but for Patriots' Day commemorating the first battle of Revolutionary War at Lexington and Concord.... yeah right.  We all know that the only reason state workers and the majority of people are off of work is to avoid thousands of people drinking on the job.  Luckily I was able to take the day off and save myself some HR troubles.

Kavan also had the day off from school and was able to accompany me to my friends' little get together, conveniently positioned at mile 23 of the race.  Watching the marathon was such a thrilling experience!  All that stood between us and the runners was a little aluminum fence.  Of course a race isn't much of a race without heartbreak and drama.

Kim Smith had an unprecedented lead.  At one point she was almost a full minute in front of the others.  She made it all the way to mile 18 when she injured her calf muscle and was forced to drop out at mile 20.  That wasn't all.....  Desiree Davila almost became the first American woman to win the marathon in 15 years!  She was neck and neck with her Kenyan opponent, and sprinted to the lead a couple of times in the last quarter mile only to lose by seconds at the finish line.  The men's race was also close with the top two runners beating the world record.  Here's a good article if you want to learn more: http://www.boston.com/sports/marathon/articles/2011/04/19/early_leader_smith_is_roped_in_by_calf_woes

I managed to get some pretty cool pictures with my sports setting, which acts as if my camera has turrets. 

Desiree Davila in the lead, followed by the winner.

 

The men's world record holder in Marathon running!

There were so many runners! I think in total there were about ~20k.  They were very interactive with the fans.  They high-fived, posed for the camera, gave kisses, and even grabbed food and drink that was hanging too far over the railing.  This video from the Globe really captures the essence of the race.

One marathon convention that I didn't know about was the COSTUMES. Some of the best were the bearded ballerina, burgerman, a high-fiving gorilla (whose hand was really sweaty :P ) aaaand a sultan! I am definitely making Marathon Monday my tradition.

Indulgent Food.... the only way to make it through the Boston Winter

I was going through some pics today trying to pick some for my post, and I can't believe some of the photos I neglected to post.  Before I came to Boston, I had heard horror stories of the winters up here.  I was pleasantly surprised that not only did I not mind the cold (I love you cuddle duds), but I also kinda liked the winter wonderland that engulfed the landscape of the NE.  Nonetheless, I did my fair share of baking to ease the winter chills.  Here's a couple highlights from the past few months:

 

Breakfast: 

Poached eggs with asiago and sopressata over toast 

with a pear arugula salad topped with pecans and goat cheese

Dessert:
Coconut cream pie

Unfortunately I don't have pictures of the carrot cake, cheesy garlic polenta squares with caramelized onions, paella, or andouille sausage pizza, but Summer cooking is just around the corner! =)

First Beach in 2011

It's been over two months since I've posted, which I know is a big no-no for bloggers.  My apologies. Instead of taking on the task of creating the most epic of all blog posts to catch you up, I thought I would just share some photos that I took during the trip to the beach that Kavan and I went on today.

The temperature managed to get up to a whopping 66 degrees today in Boston, perfect weather as far as I'm concerned.  Everyone was out and about -- kids were on the playgrounds, hipsters were on their fixies, men in leather were on their hogs (I especially like that one).  The energy was exhilarating!

Kavan went on a few joy rides along the coast last Fall before I moved to Boston, so when he suggested we go on one today it was a no-brainer.  I was thrilled to leave the city. He had visited a town along the bay called Hull, where he happened upon a place with mouth watering fish tacos over looking the beach.  Hull isn't that far from Boston so it was a great day trip.

The drive to Hull was complicated, but I am happy to report that, for once, we didn't miss a turn! When we arrived at the bay my first reaction was that it looked like the ocean, scattered islands were barely visible on the horizon.  The beach at Hull was busy.  There were dozens of dogs, kids, grandparents, couples, and teenie boppers trying to get the most out of the change in weather.

 

There were a few kites whipping in the wind when we arrived.  My favorite was one of a scuba diver complete with fish.  We ate lunch overlooking the bay, and then romped around the beach a little before heading back to Boston.

(see what I mean about the leather)

Interesting enough, you can even see Boston from the shore.

Last but not least we have the stereotypical picture of a New England lighthouse.  Of course I was super excited! I really don't think I will get used to those ;)

Love it! =)

Bosu y Bosu

One of my favorite parts of the weekend is going to the gym. Yes, I said it! I've never been a member of a gym before, but the lack of a free average joe's gym in the basement of my building (as it was at the Fed) has pushed me to break down and shell out the monthly fee.  In November, I joined a women's only gym Healthworks a few minutes away from my house.  There are a few reasons why I picked it:

1. It is not in a basement (you would think this would be a given, but not in my area of town)
2. I don't have to worry about "I Pick Things Up and Put Them Down" guys
3. It has lots of cool cardio machines w/tvs that I can use in the winter
4. It has a sauna and steam room
5. I get free towels which enables me to fit on the T with my gym bag
6 and Most of all. It has a TON of free group fitness classes!!

Because I usually stay at work late, I miss the classes during the week, making the weekend my only chance to try them out.  So far, the yoga classes have been pretty good, but what I've really taken a liking to has been Zumba!  I LOVE to shake my tush!









You can only imagine my disappointment when I woke up yesterday to find the class was already booked! Oh what to do!? Hmmmm, this Bosu Challenge class still has spots, guess I'll try it out... What is a Bosu anyway? Well I found out.









Bosu is half of a yoga ball used as stability for floor exercises and step aerobics. It's great! The class was very similar to the step aerobics class I would take at the Fed so I didn't get lost on the moves. Better yet, I won't have to get up at 9 am on my Saturdays to do it ;-)

Mandatory ME Time

I've missed you bloooog! Oh boy, this year has really started off hectic. In order to keep myself sane, I am officially instituting mandatory ME time (sans work computer) each day. I've always thought of myself as a hard worker, but I never would have imagined that I would become one of those people who let their job take over their life. I'm fighting with all my might!

There's been a lot going on, but luckily I've managed to squeeze in some fun stuff. I made a cranberry cheesecake for Kavan's return. It was super yummy :9 The recipe is from Cooking Light, and the cheesecake is made with 1/3 less fat cream cheese and greek yogurt. I've never heard of greek yogurt being used in a cheesecake, but I am pretty sure that is why this cheesecake turned out to be the creamiest cheesecake I've ever made.

 

My Kuckie Koo made it back safe and sound! =) Shortly after, we had a lovely dinner in the North End with his Dad and Step Mom. It was a treat to finally get to meet them! It was also a treat to finally celebrate Christmas, just the two of us, a few days later. Can I just say Wow! :) It really meant a lot to me that Kavan picked out such thoughtful gifts, and he is most definitely 4 for 4 on picking out jewelry that is both beautiful and "me".

The next day, Kav got to enjoy his Christmas present, tickets to the Bruins game! Ovi and the Caps still hold the keys to my heart however ;)

Onto the practical side of things. Kavan also got me a food processor!! Picture one of those kids in the we're going Disney World commercials, and that pretty much sums up my reaction. hehe I am gonna have some fun with this! First line of business was to make something I would never dream to attempt without a food processor, scalloped potatoes. They are made lickity split with my fancy slicer blade. I am definitely making these again.....

In other news:

There was a blizzard and corresponding work from home day :)

It was grand.

To celebrate her return, my roomie Amelia and I made chocolate port lava cakes.

These little things should be illegal........

Here's to ME time! Thanks for joining :)

NYE Boston Style

Wow I knew it had been a while since my last post, but I hadn't realized it had been almost a month! Because New Years has always held a special place in my heart and because I want to get started off on the right foot, I'm gonna do a quick and dirty blog post before 1/1/11 is over!

I unexpectedly had to cancel my trip to DC for New Years Eve, and instead spend the NYE here in Boston.  Almost all of the people I know here were out of town so on 12/31 I decided to gather supplies and have a wonderful NYE by myself :) First off was dinner, I had a coupon for the local butcher, The Meat House, and decided to see what was on the shelves there. When I arrived there I realized A LOT! I chose the maple bourbon sirloin and was NOT disappointed.  And what would NYE be without some libations? I found a wonderful drink recipe (which I modified) which was basically champagne with some St. Germain. If you have never had St. Germain before, I would suggest going to the nearest cocktail bar and getting a drink with it. It's marvelous :)

An hour before midnight I ventured out to go see the fireworks at the Boston Harbor! They were massive and great ending to the night! Here's some pics of the fireworks and what I found along the way.

 Faneuil Hall :)

This tree has to be the biggest Christmas tree I have ever seen in my life!! The people in the foreground are a good marker for size.

Happy New Year Everyone!!

Peace