a life-size gingerbread house

December 14, 2018

Yes, I am a Food Network junkie. And, since I love to bake, I particularly enjoy any show that includes baking! Currently, that show is The Holiday Baking Championship on Monday nights!

I was recently lucky enough to meet a current contestant, 35 year old Lerome Campbell, one of 3 bakers at the Ritz-Carlton beach resort in Naples, Florida.

At this time of year, Lerome is something of a local celebrity because of his part in creating a gingerbread house in the lobby of the Ritz hotel. Each year, pastry chefs at the Ritz-Carlton beach resort plan, bake and construct a life-sized gingerbread house. This year’s creation used 60,000 pieces of candy, 1,200 gingerbread bricks, 464 eggs, and is held together with 400 lbs. of icing! No small feat, the house required 1,000 hours to put together!

The first challenge on last Monday’s episode of The Holiday Baking Championship was for contestants to prepare a classic chocolate holiday dessert with the addition of two common pantry items. Lerome chose to create a chocolate trifle that incorporated potato chips and red wine…interesting combo! Coating the potato chips in melted chocolate and then sprinkling them with peppermint insured a crunchy, flavorful chip. He simmered the red wine into a thick reduction and layered it into the dessert.

Even with the twist of having to incorporate the secret ingredient of fruit cake into his second dessert creation of a pecan financier on the episode, Lerome was able to avoid elimination and is advancing to the finale.

I’m rooting for my new friend Lerome next Monday (December 17^th) when he competes on the finale episode!

I should mention, since the gingerbread house at the hotel is not available for tasting (it is lacquered after constructed – so it is totally inedible), I made sure to taste every one of Lerome’s creations while visiting his hotel! I probably tasted at least a dozen desserts and they were all beautiful and delicious! One of my favorites was the yuzu crème brulee.

Hope you enjoyed today’s Friday field trip and a glimpse of the 2018 gingerbread house created by Lerome Campbell and the bakers at the Ritz-Carlton beach resort in Naples, Florida.

Thanks for stopping by! Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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a visit to atlanta botanical garden

November 30, 2018

One fabulous stop included on my Atlanta trip this fall was the Atlanta Botanical Garden. The best part was visiting on the tail end of the Imaginary Worlds exhibit.

Imaginary Worlds was a display of giant living plant sculptures!

These topiary-like whimsical sculptures were amazing to see and ranged up to 26 feet tall and 21 feet wide – including an enchanting mermaid, a trio of gigantic camels (my very favorite!), and a beautiful peacock!

The sculptures were made from steel forms covered in soil and sphagnum moss and planted with thousands of meticulously groomed plants – staged in 14 installations.

The process for creating the Imaginary World sculptures took nearly six months. After metal frames were fabricated, the empty frames were shipped to Atlanta, and the garden’s horticulturists began covering them with a mesh fabric and stuffing them with soil.

Then the planting started. More than 200,000 plants, primarily annuals, were inserted, one by one. Sculptures were built in sections that were planted inside a greenhouse just outside the city, then trucked to the garden in spring for assembling on site. Intricate irrigation systems beneath the surface of the sculptures allowed the plants to grow – and the creatures to flourish – in Atlanta’s summer heat.

I am sure the Atlanta Botanical Garden is always worth a visit, but I was thrilled to be able to visit during the Imaginary Worlds exhibit. I hope you enjoyed a little glimpse of the display on today’s Friday field trip.

Though beautiful, we didn’t get the chance to see this goddess in full splendor – she was already being disassembled to create a holiday display.

Thanks for stopping by!

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

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fall on beacon street

November 23, 2018

There are certain things you can do more than once while visiting a favorite city. In Boston, one of these things is taking a walk up Acorn Street.

Acorn Street is said to be the most frequently photographed street in the United States. This narrow lane, paved with cobblestones, is located in the scenic and historic neighborhood of Beacon Hill. The beautiful Federal-style row houses of the area add a unique charm to this quaint New England neighborhood.

For today’s Friday field trip, since it is Thanksgiving week, I thought some fall shots of Beacon Hill and the infamous Acorn Street would be appropriate.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you are having a wonderful holiday weekend!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

P.S. My favorite Beacon Hill reference is in the story of Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey. Most of the story in the children’s picture book is set at the foot of Beacon Hill and it is commemorated every year in May by a parade through Beacon Hill to the Boston Public Garden, where the mallards nested.

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holiday at country living fair atlanta 2018

November 16, 2018

Last week on Friday field trip, I shared some photos of my trip to Atlanta to the Country Living Magazine Fair. As promised, I have a few more photos to share. Last week I shared autumn themed photos.

This week, just a few holiday themed photos from the fair, to give you a little seasonal inspiration!

Many of the vendors did create holiday displays. And, even in the rain, they were fun to enjoy!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Have a really fabulous weekend! Have you started your Christmas shopping yet?

Remember to take pleasure in simple things…especially during the holiday season, Jackie

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country living fair atlanta 2018

November 9, 2018

If you follow this blog, you know I am a big fan of the Country Living Magazine Fairs.

The fair takes place in four different U.S. locations each year. Rhinebeck, New York is the closest location to my home and I have been to that fair every year since it started. It is a fabulous venue – with great food, real bathrooms, and plenty of green! The Dutchess County Fairground is just lovely!

You may remember my friend Wendy and I embarked on a road trip last year so we could experience a second fair location. (I shared plenty of the trip on the blog.) We drove out to Columbus, Ohio. It was a great trip. I think we caught the travel bug after that trip because we thought it would be great to check out a third Country Living Fair location this year!

So, I asked everyone in my family to gift me some travel points for my birthday this past year, and we made a trip happen! Where did Wendy and I decide to travel to for our third Country Living Fair destination? Atlanta, Georgia.

Do they not have hydrangeas in the South? I thought it was funny that several booths were selling hydrangeas…they grow like weeds in Connecticut!

I had not ever been to Atlanta (or Georgia, for that matter). The venue was Stone Mountain. It was a cool location, with paths through forests, that was contained inside a huge park.

The only thing that wasn’t so cool was the weather! Thinking Georgia was all hot sunshine, it was a little disappointing to have two days of rain. We didn’t let the rain slow us down though!

We were happy to have light rain the second day after experiencing torrential rain the first day!

We discovered that the beauty of the Atlanta venue was the open space. The crafters and artisans were able spread out and display their wares in fabulous ways…there was even enough room to fit a Volkswagen in a display space!

I hope you enjoy sharing some of my favorite fall images from the Country Living Fair in Atlanta on today’s Friday field trip! Next week I will share some of the holiday inspiration I found at the fair. I also have some other fun Atlanta stops to share! :)

Thanks so much for stopping by! Have a wonderful weekend!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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atlanta pumpkin tower

November 2, 2018

I know this is the time of the month when I usually post the monthly giveaway. I’m changing it up a little this month. Since it is Halloween week, I thought I’d post a pumpkin tower for today’s Friday field trip! Time to say farewell to all things Halloween!

A cool pumpkin tower has become the icon of the Country Living Magazine fairs. The one pictured here was at the fair in Atlanta, Georgia.

A rainy fair, but a great one nonetheless. I will post the giveaway as well as the winner of the pink velvet pumpkins in next Tuesday’s post. I also have more to share on the Country Living Fair – so stay tuned for that!

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

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white flowers are the best flowers

August 17, 2018

One of the first perennial borders planted by the founders of White Flower Farm was pure white. (For a short time, the owners even considered growing and offering only white-flowered perennials and shrubs..I wish that was carried through!)

I call my all-white garden a ‘virgin’ garden. At White’s, the all-white garden is called a ‘moon’ garden. The white border is planted with a white tree wisteria and looks crisp and refreshing during the day and positively glows at twilight – the reason for its name!

This garden is my favorite at the farm, but visitors can’t get too close to admire it. This changes once a year when White’s has their open house. During the open house tour – and the best part of it – visitors can get up close and personal to the fabulous moon garden!

This year, the open house happened on a rainy day, but I wasn’t going to miss the tour and my chance to get close to the moon garden!

Today, on Friday field trip, I am sharing some photos from the beautiful moon garden at White Flower Farm in Morris, Connecticut. Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a fabulous weekend!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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open house at white flower farm 2018

July 20, 2018

Yes, the day my friend and I planned on visiting White Flower Farm for their annual open house was a rainy day! But, that did not stop us from attending!

We weren’t going to let the rain get in the way of our day off and the fabulous prospect of visiting one of our favorite garden centers in Connecticut!

The annual open house is a great time to pick up some discounted plants, tour the grounds, and enjoy some complementary refreshments!

I purchased one of these ‘Little Henry’s’ to plant in my own yard!

For today’s Friday field trip, enjoy a little glimpse of White’s during this year’s open house. Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great weekend!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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milk house chocolates at thorncrest farm

July 13, 2018

Connecticut constantly amazes me. I have lived here my whole live and I am still able to discover some great, new places on a regular basis!

Milk House Chocolates at Thorncrest Farm was a recent discovery that blew me away. Artisanal chocolates are made in small batches one at a time with no preservatives using their own fresh milk, cream, and butter.

The phrase coined by the farm ‘the magic is in the milk” is an understatement!

The farm operates on a core focus of comfort and happiness of their cows. They recognize each cow’s individual flavor in the milk, and ensure that flavor isn’t compromised by never allowing the cows to be stressed out! Kimberly and Clint Thorn believe great flavor from milk comes from lack of stress – that any kind of stress shows up right away in the milk. Everything from which cow is sitting next to which, to the hay they eat (they are fed only the sweetest hay and natural feeds) and the comfort of their beds can directly affect the flavor of their milk, so every little detail related to the cow’s happiness is considered!

Each chocolate is connected to a very specific cow, with each cow’s milk making an unbelievable difference in the flavor of the chocolates. For instance, after meeting the cow Daydream, I discovered every single caramel at Milk House is made strictly from her milk since the sweetness and flavor of her milk, with its ivory, buttery tone, makes it the best choice for a great tasting caramel!

I was fascinated to find out that milk works much in the same way as wine – just like each wine has a specific type of grape from a specific region and is affected greatly by the climate, soil, and other factors – milk works much in the same way. So, the 122 unique chocolates in rotation throughout the year at Milk House Chocolates are determined by several factors – including which cows are milking at that time!

These chocolates are truly amazing – of course, the freshness is off the chart, but also, they melt different, taste different, and feel different than a typical chocolate. I tasted the root beer filled and the dark chocolate and peanut butter with sea salt and couldn’t believe the fresh, rich tastiness of each piece.

A fresh peanut butter sea salt chocolate.

I brought myself home a bag of caramels made from Daydream’s milk. I really wanted to bring home some fresh milk infused with vanilla bean (doesn’t that sound luscious?), but I hadn’t brought a cooler with me so I couldn’t safely transport it home.

What a find this place is! I can’t wait to make another visit!

Biting into a fresh root beer filled chocolate at Thorncrest Farm.

Note: In addition to visiting Thorncrest Farm in Goshen, Connecticut, you may enjoy making a day of exploring 10 farms in Goshen this summer. The tour is offered free of charge on August 4^th and 5^th through the Goshen Agricultural Council.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful weekend!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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miss florence’s garden

June 22, 2018

One of Connecticut’s historical treasures is the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, home of Florence Griswold which was the center of the Old Lyme Art Colony – the main center of development of American Impressionism.

In addition to the museum’s collections, the grounds are something to admire. For today’s Friday field trip, I am sharing some photographs of the June garden at the historic site.

Florence Griswold, or “Miss Florence” as her friends knew her, was an avid gardener.

An archaeological dig in 1998 identified the physical boundaries of the garden beds and walkways of Florence Griswold’s garden before her death in 1937. With this information, as well as paintings and historic photographs of the site, Miss Florence’s garden was recreated to its appearance circa 1910.