a cranberry bog in nyc

October 18, 2013

You may think of Rockefeller Center in New York City as a place to visit at Christmas, or maybe you associate it with the TV show “30 Rock”…but, did you ever think of it as a place where you can visit a cranberry bog? Well, you can – on today’s Friday field trip!

Every year at this time, Ocean Spray transforms a little piece of Rockefeller Center into a cranberry bog.

The best part about checking it out is seeing the reactions of passersby…

Apparently, many people have never seen the way cranberries are harvested and the reactions are fun to watch!

The display demonstrates that cranberries need fresh water to survive… The vines spread along the bog’s floor and mechanical rakes are used to harvest the cranberries off the vines. Actual cranberry vines are very resilient – some more than 150 years old!

I think many of us in New England think Massachusetts is where all the U.S. cranberries come from, but Wisconsin is actually the largest U.S. producer (close to 60%) of cranberries; with Massachusetts coming in second.

I think it is pretty cool that Ocean Spray replicates what a bog looks like, right in Rockefeller Center!

Thanks for stopping by. Have a wonderful weekend!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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goodbye garden

October 11, 2013

There is no denying that fall is Connecticut in beautiful. But, to make way for the beauty of the changing leaves, the flowers vanish.

This is the time of year when I have to take in my favorite bird bath to protect it from being broken by the first frost…For Friday field trip today, I thought we would go outside and take a look in the garden to see what survived the start of autumn…

There is plenty of euphorbia…it seems to like this time of year…among it, one lone piece of lavender…

Not much else…some mums of course…and, a monster black-eyed susan vine. I decided to create something with the few flowers I had left…to capture one last look at my garden…so I arranged them in one of my white pumpkins to bring into the house.

This is easy to do…if you want to create one, just cut off the top of a pumpkin, hollow out the inside, and add floral foam to arrange the flowers. (You might remember last year I planted succulents.)

I like my little reminder of what is left of summer in my garden.

Thank you so much for stopping by.

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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pine straw bale planting

October 4, 2013

How many times have you seen hay bales and corn stalks used to decorate the outside of a home at this time of year? Pretty standard, right? When I saw a workshop scheduled at Terrain for planting pine straw bales, I was intrigued…what exactly would be done with the bales?

It turned out that Terrain designer Angela actually planted right inside the bale! I thought it was so cool that I wanted to share this week on Friday field trip.

A really great idea that can be tailored to any color scheme or taste. Start with a pine straw bale and some plants that you like or that will coordinate with the outside colors of your house…

Using scissors or something sharp, cut out spots to plant inside the bales – adding soil as your planting medium.

Looking down on a finished pine straw bale planting created by designer Angela at Terrain in Westport, Connecticut.

After Angela planted the selection of plants she had chosen, she added some green moss around the plants and a few white pumpkins (I wonder if that was for my benefit lol!) to complete the look.

Great idea, right?

Just be sure to place your pine straw bale in it’s spot before you start planting…Angela had hers on a cart so she didn’t have to worry about lifting it after it was completed. It looks great from every angle! I love the contrast between the plants and the pine straw.

I hope this will inspire you to try creating one of your own bale plantings…something a little different for your seasonal decor…thanks Angela!

If you don’t have a Terrain near you, you can easily find pine straw bales at Home Depot.

Thanks for stopping by!

Have a great weekend and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

Sharing at Craftberry Bush and The Tablescaper.

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club monaco arrives

September 27, 2013

Are you an outlet shopper? We have a couple of big outlet centers here in Connecticut. I don’t visit them very often, but on my last outlet trip, I was on a mission…

On a mission to check out the new Club Monaco! The first one in Connecticut! So, for the benefit of all my Connecticut friends, today’s Friday field trip is to the Club Monaco store in Clinton.

Well, since I was there…I really needed to try on a few things, didn’t I? Love the oversized dressing room!

Club Monaco is headquartered in New York City with over 69 stores in North America, in addition to several other countries. (Originally a Canadian company, Club Monaco is now owned and operated by Polo Ralph Lauren.) I have been to Club Monaco stores in New York, but my favorite location is the Philadelphia store…and I love shopping there with my college-aged daughter since the store offers a discount to college students!

It was at the Philadelphia store that one of my favorite sales associates gave me the heads-up on the new Connecticut location.

The Club Monaco style represents “a distinctly urban-casual point of view, best defined as a sophisticated play of opposites: mixing vintage with new, hard with soft and eclectic with minimal.”

I’m so excited to have the store in Connecticut…and, to have the opportunity to buy some great things at a discount!

If you live nearby, check it out. Thanks for joining me today for Friday field trip.

Here in Connecticut, one weather reporter said “Saturday will be the best day of the year.” Looking forward to it…Hope you are looking forward to some good weather or something fun this weekend!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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fall at terrain

September 20, 2013

If you read this blog, you know how much I love Terrain. I also enjoy taking you on a visit to this beautiful garden store from time to time since there are only two stores (CT and PA) and not everyone is as lucky as I am…I frequent them both!

Today, for Friday field trip, we are visiting the Westport, Connecticut store to see how they are preparing for fall…

I hope you will enjoy sharing a few photos…

I am sure we will make another trip sometime soon ;)

Especially since I decided on a woodland theme for my holiday decor this year…I will need some supplies. :)

This particular trip was special for me since I had a chance to talk to Joe…he is one of the creative visual team at the store – busy at work when I stopped by.

Every trip to the store is an adventure…I can’t wait to see what Joe is creating! Maybe I will stop by over the weekend to enjoy some s’mores by their fire and check out the latest inspiration!

Terrain also happens to be the store that helps satisfy my white pumpkin obsession…

Thank you so much for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

Sharing at The Tablescaper.

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isn’t gardening a spring sport?

September 13, 2013

I think of gardening as a spring sport since I spend the most time on my gardens during the spring.

This certainly isn’t the case for my friend Wendy. And, it was strongly apparent when I stopped over to visit her on a recent evening. .. Her yard looked so beautiful that I have to share it with you for this week’s Friday field trip!

It is not that her yard doesn’t always look beautiful…believe me, it does! But, I was amazed at all the seasonal touches she had already added to her gardens for the fall.

She has one of those yards that is like a park…so many different areas to admire. I couldn’t possibly show you everything in one post, but I will share some of my favorite spots that may just inspire you to put out some seasonal touches in your own garden. (Check my facebook page this weekend for some additional photos of this wonderful space.)

I hope you enjoyed our garden visit for Friday field trip…thanks Wendy! We will have to make another trip in the spring…there is so much to see!

Thank you for stopping by.

Have a wonderful weekend and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

Sharing with Craftberry Bush.

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visiting brimfield

September 6, 2013

What’s better than socializing with friends? Socializing with friends while shopping! In this case, at the Brimfield Antique and Collectibles Shows in Brimfield, Massachusetts…this week’s Friday field trip.

My day with friends was really more about talking and sharing, but there was plenty of inspiration thrown in! And, with over 75 acres to persue, we also got in some serious exercise.

Brimfield is the largest outdoor antique show in New England with over 5,000 dealers and runs three times a year (May, July and September) for a six day period. Especially for those that may not live in New England, I thought you might enjoy joining me by sharing some of my favorites this year at Brimfield. The beauty of Brimfield is that everyone has their own favorite items…here are some of mine…

I really loved this large, distressed white frame…I had so many imagined uses for it!

My grandmother had one of these telephone benches, but it sure didn’t look like this!

In LOVE with these pendants created from old ledger pages…

I always thought I would like to create a sea glass fireplace surround…this one is so beautiful and inspires me to think about other possibilities…

One of the vendors thought this was a cute arrangement of the letters offered for sale…how about this for a Wednesday in the office?

I hope you enjoyed today’s peek at Brimfield for this week’s Friday field trip. I will post some additional photos on my facebook page over the weekend.

Have a really wonderful weekend and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

Sharing with The Tablescaper.

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signature creation

August 30, 2013

I attended a very special wedding this summer when my nephew married a wonderful girl from New Jersey. At the wedding, I drank more than my fair share of the couple’s signature cocktail…D & P Pimm’s Cup.

For today’s Friday field trip, we are taking a trip to Fiddler’s Elbow Country Club in Bedminster, New Jersey (the magnificent wedding venue) where the bartender graciously shared the recipe for this addicting concoction! (All except the recipe for the club’s house made lemonade…I improvised my own on this!)

Pimm’s Cup is a gin based British liqueur, and with its subtle spice and citrus flavor, it is a perfect summer (or, anytime) drink component.

It was the first time I had tasted Pimm’s Cup, but based on the D & P Pimm’s Cup sightings in the wedding photos, I made up for it at the event! Well, I had to properly honor the couple, didn’t I ? ;)

Before I put the drink together for myself at home, I made up my own batch of strawberry basil lemonade.

To make my own, I started by making a simple syrup. I used 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar combined in a saucepan and heated, while stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolved. I put this aside to cool.

I then pureed a cup of strawberries and 2 oz. of fresh lemon juice in a blender on high until smooth, straining it into a pitcher.

To the pitcher, I added 6 oz. of fresh lemon juice, simple syrup to taste (about 1/2 cup), 3 cups cold water, and a cup of fresh basil leaves. I also added a lemon I had leftover – washed it and sliced it up. I stirred this together and refrigerated before using.

This gave me plenty of lemonade to use for making my D & P’s!

For a quicker version, you can always add some strawberry puree and basil leaves to purchased lemonade.

Make up a batch of D & P’s for your end of the summer bash! The recipe is easily adjusted for those under 21 (by eliminating the Pimm’s), so it is a wonderfully refreshing addition to any gathering!

Since I am still soooo excited about the wedding and all my new family, I am sending out official D & P Pimm’s Cup recipe cards to anyone that requests one – simply email or inbox me your address! Enjoy!

Have a wonderful holiday weekend and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

Sharing at The Tablescaper, Craftberry Bush, and The Shabby Nest.

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cotton candy grapes

August 23, 2013

To continue this week’s food trend theme, today we are taking a look at cotton candy grapes! When I heard about cotton candy flavored grapes, I was a little skeptical. Available since 2011, I hadn’t seen any in my little part of the world…until now. For Friday field trip this week, I made a trip to Stew Leonard’s in Norwalk, Connecticut to pick up some of these grapes and perform a little taste test.

Without any genetic engineering or artificial flavors (as reported by NPR), apparently the flavor of these grapes is obtained by cross-breeding different varieties of grapes. They look just like any other green seedless grape…

Can a grape taste like cotton candy? You know what? They do! I think the flavor is something of a vanilla note. The combination of that and a sugar content that is 12% higher than a regular table grape gives the fruit a sugar spun flavor reminiscent of cotton candy. It really is amazing. I keep wondering if I would think they tasted like cotton candy if I didn’t know they were called cotton candy grapes…I think I would!

Here I combined cotton candy grapes with pieces of angel food cake dipped in white chocolate and pink sugar.

A pound of the grapes at Stew Leonard’s here in Connecticut sell for $4.99. From what I have read in Time and NPR, these grapes are grown in California, although no indication of this is present on the Stew Leonard’s packaging.

A cotton candy grape rolled in sugar and chilled makes a great garnish for a cotton candy martini!

The grapes taste wonderful all on their own, but of course I did a little experimenting and want to show you some of my favorite ways to use the cotton candy grape! You can use them in any way you would normally use a grape. I am sure they would add a nice sweetness as a component in chicken salad or a nice accompaniment with wine and cheese. But for me, I most enjoyed them as a part of something sweet (especially white chocolate)! Take a look!

An elegant but easy dessert with cotton candy grapes. The grapes are added to white chocolate instant pudding poured into an angel food dessert shell and drizzled with white chocolate.

Cotton candy grapes taste wonderful on their own, but here I combined them with mini marshmallows on skewers for a fun dessert.

A great ‘salad’ for a sweet tooth. Combine cotton candy grapes with this sweet dressing and serve ice cold. For 1 lb. of grapes, combine 2 cups sour cream and 1 cup brown sugar and mix with grapes.

I hope you can find some cotton candy grapes near you and give them a try! If you already have, I would love to hear your comments! Have you tried any other food trends this summer?

Have a wonderful weekend and remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

Sharing at The Tablescaper.

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summer in the cape

August 16, 2013

Cape Cod, Massachusetts is one of those places that holds many happy memories for me. During my childhood, I enjoyed many family vacations in ‘the Cape.’ I had an opportunity to visit my old vacation spot recently, when I attended a service to honor the life of a special friend that had passed.

While there, I got the chance to reconnect with some friends that live in Chatham…not only did I enjoy spending some time catching up, but also enjoyed the beautiful view at the Wequassett Resort…

I thought I would share some of the beautiful view with you in today’s Friday field trip. Now remember, this is just a brief point in time at the Cape…dinner with friends as sunset approaches…Can you even imagine the beauty when you live there full time? Enjoy the photos!