a flirty restaurant

August 30, 2024

For me, this may be the summer of visiting restaurants with beautiful wall paintings! In my last post I showed you some beauties in Connecticut and today I want to share some I found in Massachusetts.

I found these paintings on a recent trip to Boston, when I had dinner at a wonderful restaurant called Coquette at the Seaport in the Omni Hotel. The food was fabulous and the aesthetics were just as great.

Right in line with the restaurant name (translating as flirt), the vibe was definitely flirty! My favorite part of the décor though were the paintings on the wall.

How pretty are these walls?

And, I had a major crush on these light fixtures!

Some other favorite décor details:

The chandelier in the main dining room, some of the large-scale paintings that truly added to the feel of the place, the ceiling above the bar, the toile wallpaper in the restroom, and the seahorse doorknobs!

If you should ever be at or near the Omni – even if you don’t eat at Coquette (which I highly recommend) – I would peek inside and check out the décor!

Thanks for stopping by!

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

no comments

brunch at the mayflower

July 12, 2024

Summer is such a fabulous season in Connecticut. There are so many great spots to explore – many that take on an aesthetic excellence during the summer months.

One of these spots is The Mayflower Inn and Spa in Washington, Connecticut. The Mayflower is a luxury country retreat set on 58 private acres of beautifully landscaped gardens and woodland in Litchfield County. The Mayflower always exudes distinguished luxury, but the spectacular grounds make a summer visit extraordinary.

Cacio y pepe beignets served at The Garden Room at The Mayflower Inn and Spa in Washington, Connecticut.

My recent visit to The Mayflower Inn was for brunch in The Garden Room – a beautiful light-filled dining space overlooking the Shakespeare Garden. Though the menu showcases the finest in seasonal and local ingredients, the views were the star of the brunch for me. Two fabulous views: 1. the view of the indoor décor and 2. the view of the outdoor grounds.

From the painted gardens scenes on the walls…

…to the fresh flowers…

the décor provides the perfect garden ambiance – right down to the perfect bathroom wallcovering!

While dining, the outdoor view of the Shakespeare Garden prompts a walk outdoors to visit and appreciate all its nuances!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you are inspired to explore a spot near you!

Have a fabulous weekend!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

no comments

lavender iced coffee

May 31, 2024

I love culinary lavender.

A subtle taste of lavender in a drink or a baked item is delicious! So, I was very excited when I heard Starbucks added lavender drinks to its menu. An iced coffee with a hint of lavender sounded very appealing to me! That is, until I actually visited my local Starbucks and found out the only way to get a lavender drink was with the addition of a lavender sugar syrup! “Is there any way to add the lavender to a drink without adding the sugar?” I asked the barista. “The lavender is part of a sugar syrup. That is the only lavender we have” was the response I received. Yuck! Determined to enjoy a lavender iced coffee without sugar, I set out to make my own.

The usual iced coffee I make at home is made from organic coffee. I combine brewed coffee I keep in the fridge with walnut ‘milk’. The walnut ‘milk’ I buy is from Elmhurst and has two ingredients – water, walnuts – that’s it! (These ingredients make my everyday coffee very clean!) Using my usual iced coffee ingredients, I was determined to create a lavender iced coffee. I came up with a very simple way to accomplish this!

I filled a tea infusion ball with culinary lavender and dropped it into a glass jar filled with my walnut ‘milk’. (Use whatever nut ‘milk’ you prefer.) I left this jar in the fridge overnight and by the next morning the milk was infused with a lovely, subtle lavender flavor!

I combined my infused ‘milk’ with some of my cold, pre-brewed coffee and voila! I had a lavender iced coffee with no sugar or other unwanted added ingredients!

The taste of my lavender iced coffee was perfect! (Of course, the longer the lavender remains in the ‘milk’, the stronger the flavor. Overnight was just the right subtle flavor for me.) Mission accomplished!

I hope you will try your own iced coffee creation by creating your favorite flavor(s) in a clean way!

Thanks for stopping by!

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

P.S. Be sure to use culinary grade lavender – lavender that is intended for ingesting! It will be marked accordingly. I usually can find it at a bargain at Home Goods or TJ Maxx – in the food aisle. Try it in your scones!

no comments

chocolate bunny beverage servers

March 22, 2024

Want a fun way to serve milk at your Easter breakfast this holiday? Use a hollow chocolate bunny! What child (or child at heart!) wouldn’t like Easter breakfast milk served in a chocolate bunny!

Here I’m using Lindt chocolate bunnies because Lindt 3.5-ounce hollow chocolate bunnies are the perfect size to serve a small drink! (Each bunny holds about 4 ounces.) Plus, they are very easy to find…pretty much any store that sells Easter candy will carry them. I purchased mine at Target. The bunnies are sold wrapped in gold foil with a bow around their neck. The bow color distinguishes the type of chocolate of the bunny…a red bow is milk chocolate; a brown bow is dark chocolate and a cream color bow is white chocolate.

Are you wondering how I got the milk into the bunny? It was pretty easy. I heated up the spout of a small stainless-steel funnel. While the funnel was hot, I gently pushed it into the chocolate bunny to make a hole. I used the funnel to pour milk inside the bunny via the hole and added a straw to serve!

Serving milk in a milk chocolate bunny is the obvious combination of tastes, but there are so many more great combinations!

For my milk chocolate bunny, I poured in banana flavored milk! I think a chocolate milk would also taste great. For a more adult treat – how about Amaretto?!

I decided to pour my favorite beverage – iced coffee – into a dark chocolate bunny. Yummy!! I bet Kahlua or Baileys would taste great in the dark chocolate as well!

For the white chocolate bunny, I poured in strawberry flavored milk – a great flavor combo! For an adult version, I would try Chambord or Limoncello!

Wouldn’t these bunnies make a great favor at Easter brunch or breakfast? Tie a bow onto the bunnies, like I did here, to match your color scheme. How fun for your guests to eat the container when the drink is finished!

I hope you are inspired to serve a beverage from a chocolate bunny this holiday – what will you serve in your bunny?

Thanks for stopping by! Have a fabulous weekend!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

no comments

3 Ingredient Organic Brownies

February 9, 2024

I haven’t bought sugar, eggs, butter, or milk in five years, so I’m thrilled when I can make something that tastes like a dessert without using these traditional dessert ingredients. This brownie recipe uses only 3 ingredients and the taste is close enough to the real thing to satisfy any brownie cravings I may have!

To make these, I use all organic ingredients from Trader Joe’s that I pick up during my regular grocery shopping. To make them a little fancier, garnish with walnuts and/or dark chocolate chips (or spread the top with peanut butter ‘frosting’).

3 Ingredient Organic Brownies

3 ripe organic bananas
½ cup organic creamy peanut butter
½ cup organic cacao powder

Line an 8” or 9” square baking pan with parchment paper. Mash the bananas in a medium mixing bowl. Add the peanut butter and mix well. Sift the cacao powder in with the bananas and peanut butter and mix well. Spoon mixture into the baking pan spreading evenly.

Bake at 350 degrees about 27 minutes. Cool completely before cutting.

So easy to make and a great guilt-free treat…just in time for Valentine’s Day!

Thanks for stopping by!

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

no comments

no-bake healthful peanut butter cup

May 20, 2022

These refrigerator peanut butter cups are a great, clean replacement for the candy ones. I make up a batch to keep in the fridge for emergency cravings!

A mini muffin tin can be used to make these, but I prefer the paper baking cups I find in Home Goods for a couple dollars a package. I make sure the label says they are food and freezer safe.

I make 12 per batch (242 calories each), but they can be made a little larger (10 per batch) if you prefer them bigger. I use all organic ingredients from Trader Joe’s.

Mix together:

1 cup rolled oats
¼ cup almond flour
1 cup peanut butter (peanuts as only ingredient)
½ cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
Dash of sea salt

Dividing the mixture evenly among the cups, press into 10 baking cups. Put the cups into the freezer for an hour to set.

Melt ½ cup unsweetened completely cacao chips and 2 Tbsp almond (or peanut) butter just until smooth. Spoon the mixture evenly over the 12 cups. Pop back into the freezer until set. Store in the fridge or freezer.

Tear off the paper cup to eat. Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a fabulous weekend!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

no comments

mini cookie cereal recipe

January 28, 2022

I had never tried making cookie cereal when it became such a sensation. I started thinking about it again recently while watching the Kids Baking Championship on Food Network. As a weekly challenge, these young competitors featured on the show were creating some fabulous cookie cereals as well as some companion mousses to go with them. These children were so talented – truly amazing to watch!

Inspired by these fabulous children on the show, I decided to create some of my own cookie cereal.

I knew I wanted to use my favorite shortbread recipe as the cookie, but I was torn on how to change it up to modify it for a breakfast cereal – I got it down to two choices.

My first idea was a rosewater shortbread. I thought the subtlety of the rosewater would make a great shortbread and I could add some chopped pistachios to the cookie and the cereal bowl for some added crunch. It sounded like a really good flavor idea, but maybe more like a dinner party cookie than a breakfast choice!

So, I went with my second flavor idea…cinnamon! I love cinnamon. I buy Penzey’s brand spices which are super flavorful and the cinnamon is wonderful. Cinnamon seemed a much more appropriate flavor for my breakfast cereal. Plus, my “go to” nut milk is walnut (I drink Elmhurst brand – made with just filtered water and walnuts) and that would make a great pairing with the cinnamon shortbread! I did add a little bit of instant coffee powder to my modified recipe as well – it is a breakfast cereal after all! If it seemed the cereal needed a little extra crunch, I could throw in some chopped walnuts!

I modified and halved my usual shortbread recipe. I didn’t want to have too many extra cookies around to eat!

I whisked together 1 ¼ cups flour, 1 ½ tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp instant coffee grounds and a dash of salt. In a separate bowl, I beat 1 stick of softened butter with 1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar on medium speed with a hand mixer until well blended. Then, I slowly added the flour mixture. Once it was all incorporated and resembled coarse crumbs, I gathered the dough into a ball using my hands, wrapped it in plastic wrap, and popped it into the refrigerator for a half of an hour.

Next, I rolled out the cold dough on a piece of parchment paper to ¼” and cut small cookie shapes. (I used a little flower shape, but of course at this time of year, a heart would make a great choice as well!) I put the cut dough shapes on parchment set on a baking sheet and set the baking sheet into the fridge for 15 minutes to firm before baking in a preheated 350-degree oven.

I baked them for about 11 minutes, watching them carefully. Shortbread should never get brown, but these needed to be cooked completely to hold up as cereal.

I used a 1 ¼” cookie cutter, and got over 9 dozen cookies – plenty for a couple bowls of cereal!

After they were baked and cooled, they could be put into an airtight container until ready to use – maybe for a Valentine’s Day breakfast!

When I tasted them, I wondered why I never made cinnamon shortbread before – they were delicious! And, in a bowl of milk? Scrumptious! I may never make cookie cereal again, but I will definitely make cinnamon shortbread cookies again – I am adding them to my holiday cookie list!

Make mini cookie cereal – check! That was a fun experiment!

Do you ever get inspired by watching a cooking show on television?

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

no comments

candy cane chocolate hearts

January 7, 2022

So, I have quite a few candy canes left from my holiday decor. I love decorating with them, but I don’t really eat them! Now that the holidays are behind us, I was trying to come up with some ways to use the leftovers! Using them to stir hot cocoa is always fun! I have pushed them into chocolate covered marshmallows which is also a fun way to use them.

I have never though, tried to melt them…until now! After some experimentation, I discovered my candy canes got nice and soft, but not very hot, after being in a 250 degree oven for 5 minutes. The softness made them flexible. Since Valentine’s Day is approaching, I decided to make some hearts by putting two candy canes together. I simply put the candy canes on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper in the basic shape I wanted. After 5 minutes, I took them out of the oven and gently pinched the ends together.

Deciding to add chocolate – they are for Valentine’s Day after all and mint and chocolate go great together, right? – I took the hearts off the parchment paper and drizzled some dark chocolate onto the parchment. I put the baking sheet into the fridge for a little bit to set the chocolate. After taking the baking sheet out of the fridge, I set my candy cane hearts on top of the chocolate drizzle.

Next, I filled the hearts I created with melted white chocolate and popped the baking sheet back into the fridge to set.

After the chocolate was set, I took the hearts off the pan and ended up with some pretty drizzled peppermint/chocolate hearts! A great recycling of my leftover candy canes!

There are so many variations possible with this simple procedure. The drizzle can be pink or red if you prefer. Or, forgo the drizzle and write a name on the heart when the chocolate is set.

I hope you are inspired! Set your oven to 250 degrees and start getting creative with those leftover candy canes!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

no comments

frozen holiday yogurt bark

November 19, 2021

If you follow this blog, you know how much I love frozen treats – ice pops…frozen drinks….I’m a sucker for any icy goodness!

Well, I came up with a frozen, guilt-free holiday treat. No, it is not an ice pop! It is a frozen holiday bark!

I mixed 2 cups plain nonfat Greek yogurt with ¼ cup honey and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. I spread this mixture on a parchment-lined baking sheet to about a ¼” thick – it made an 11” x 7” slab on the parchment.

Next, I added some fun extras – dried cherries, pistachios, and cocoa chips.

So now my guilt-free creation is looking like a festive holiday bark!

I popped it into the freezer to set and then broke it into pieces to eat! The remaining pieces are stored in a covered container in the freezer.

Fun, right?

There are so many fun variations to try – you can come up with some using your favorite extras – dried fruit, raisins, sunflower seeds, nuts, sesame seeds, etc. I like the consistency of the chewy dried fruit with the yogurt.

I haven’t been this excited about a snack since I discovered frozen grapes! Maybe if I make a version with lemon peel I could forgo my Thanksgiving lemon meringue pie? Now I wouldn’t go that far!

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

no comments

summer fun for one

August 6, 2021

Coming off the worst of COVID-19 isolation, I know there haven’t been a ton of social events, but even if there were, it would be tough to rival my favorite party so far this summer! With great company, great food, and the cutest guest of honor on the planet – it would be super tough to find a better celebration!

The occasion was a birthday party for a little guy named Owen and celebrating a first birthday was never so much fun!

The party theme of “Wild One” couldn’t have been further from the truth since little Owen did nothing but smile the entire party! Most children would have been fussy or afraid, but not this little guy! Even when the entire crowd sang Happy Birthday to him, he wasn’t phased in the least!

I’m not including photos of the little one – for privacy concerns – but believe me; he is the cutest and happiest little guy ever! I guess that is what happens when you have two laid-back parents – you end up chill as well!