animal park and amigos

As a working mom, I don't get to spend as much time with Elia during the day as I'd like to. When my college bestie, Jess, mentioned she and her family were planning to head through town today, I jumped at the chance to take the day off and enjoy a morning with them and Ms. E. We decided to meet at Boulder Ridge Wild Animal Park, and call up our friends Sarah and Parker to join us.

Boulder Ridge was new to all of us and has only been open to the public since 2011. When we got there, we were excited to find out that you could feed many of the animals. Parker, in particular, had no fear when it came to feeding the animals. He fed the goats, a camel, the giraffes, and even the birds (who Aunt Jess and Aunt Kate wanted nothing to do with).  

Owen did a great job feeding the animals too.

Elia spent most of the time huddled up to mom's legs. It takes her a while to warm up to creatures.

We also went on a safari ride, which was a hit with the kids. Elia especially enjoyed throwing her pacifier out the bus window. Oops.

We had a great time at Boulder Ridge and I can't wait to visit again.  Though, I might avoid the aviary next time. Who wants birds swooping towards them?  Not me.

After seeing all of the animals, we had lunch at Flat River Grill in Lowell before the Smiths headed out and Sarah, Parker, and we headed home.

It's always fun to see these college friends and I love watching their families grow up. Thanks for visiting, Smiths!

What a fun morning - maybe I should take more weekdays off. I like the sound of that!

this is summertime

 Summer, summer, summertime.

 

Time to sit back and unwind.

 

And put your [boat] on cruise and lay back cause...

...this is summertime.

porch party

This week I attended a Porch Party Workshop hosted by 6.25 Paper Studio, Art of the Table, and Aperitivo at 6.25's storefront downtown. When I signed up for the event I wasn't sure what to expect but they mentioned party decor and summer cocktails and that sounded just grand to me. My mom attended as well and we had the best time.

We were greeted by a darling tablescape, complete with personalized straws and pinwheels. The decor was so playful and inviting.

The workshop began with a presentation by Amy Ruis, owner of Art of the Table, a local staple for gourmet food gifts, wine, and kitchen decor. She also owns Aperitivo, a wine and cheese bar in the Downtown Market, a favorite of ours. 

Amy taught us all about cheeses and accompaniments, giving us great suggestions for entertaining, as well as a few great cocktail recipes.

6.25 took over from there, leading us through our first activity of the night, painting a chalkboard cheeseboard. We painted our boards, had some snacks, and then spent time creating our own paper decor as we enjoyed Amy's libations.

All of the hosts were fabulous and the mood of the evening was so fun and light, and I really enjoyed tapping into my creative side. We left with great ideas for summer parties and I'm looking forward to future events like these at 6.25 Paper Studio. 

For great summer cocktail recipes and porch party ideas, check out the book they recommended: Porch Parties: Cocktail Recipes and Easy Ideas for Outdoor Entertaining.

honey lavender goat cheese crostini

When I have people over, or if I'm bringing a dish to a friend's house, I like to bring something that is, or at least seems, just a little bit adventurous or creative. It's a great opportunity to try something new. Yesterday, a friend hosted a girls' night and I knew I needed the dish I brought to be quick and easy to make since I'd be putting it together after work with E underfoot.

Enter goat cheese crostini.

On nights when I don't have time or energy to produce much of a meal, I like to make crostini. It's so simple, you cut the bread, add some olive oil, toast it up, and top it off. Easy peasy.

Goat cheese is one of my favorite ingredients to work with because it's so versatile. It can be used in sweet or savory dishes, it plays nice with other ingredients, and of course there's that delicious tang.

Add a goat cheese mixture to crostini and you have a surprising simple little treat that's beautiful to boot.

Honey Lavender Goat Cheese Crostini

1 loaf baguette

1/4 cup olive oil

10.5 ounces (or so) soft goat cheese

1/2 cup milk of your choice

2 teaspoons culinary lavender

2-3 tablespoons honey

10 blackberries, halved lengthwise

Heat oven to 425 degrees. 

Cut your baguette into thin slices, say a quarter-inch thick. I like to cut mine on an angle, it adds more surface area for extra toppings. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper if you'd like then place the baguette slices on the baking sheet. Brush each slice with olive oil, then flip the slices and repeat.  Bake the slices for 6-8 minutes, flipping half way, until the edges start to toast, then remove from the oven and let cool slightly.

Whisk together goat cheese, milk, lavender, and honey.

Once the toasts have cooled a bit, spread with goat cheese mixture. Top with blackberry halves. Bon appétit!

Next time you need a quick dish to pass, try these out.  If you don't like these flavors, you can try all sorts of combinations: goat cheese with figs, apricots or strawberry and balsamic - basically any fruit would be good, mushrooms, ricotta with mint and peas, try blue cheese or brie, or add prosciutto or bacon, even shrimp. Pick whatever you love and, I promise, these will become a fast favorite.

a weekend in denver

The best weekends are filled with:

Adventure.

Discovery.

Time with family.

New friends.

And just hanging out with your favorite people.

Ours will filled with all of those things and we had a blast visiting our family in Denver this past weekend.

Can't wait to see all of them again in July!