pleasure in simple things

the road less traveled

January 11, 2013

friday field trip

There is nothing new about a brewery in Connecticut…it isn’t the first, by any means. The interesting thing about this newest brewery in the state is the location. It occupies an old factory building not far from the historic district in the south end of Stratford – oh, and it has a cool name. It is called Two Roads Brewing Co.…hard not to like something named after a Robert Frost poem.

A brewery is certainly “a road less traveled” for me, not being much of a beer drinker…or any kind of drinker for that matter. I was really more interested in checking out the renovated building and the state-of-the-art brewery than I was to sample the product.

There is a very large ‘tasting room’ that oozes with future possibilities…private parties are inevitable and, with so many colleges nearby, I expect many young people also.

The ‘tasting room’ overlooks the brewing facility, making it an interesting place to meet a friend for a drink. The place has a warehouse vibe – a unique environment that has incorporated many of the original parts of the building it inhabits. My favorite was the top of the bar. I later found out it was made from wood repurposed from the original factory floor.

Beer is sold in tasters, pints, growlers, and six packs and there is already a strong local following and a presence across Connecticut. Someone ordered a growler to take home when I was there and I have to admit I was kind of mesmerized by the machine that filled it up. It is probably standard brewery equipment, but I had never seen one before.

A photo of a selection of tasters at Two Roads Brewing Co. in Stratford, CT. The bar is made from the original factory floor repurposed from the old building the brewery occupies.

I probably should have planned my visit a little better since I did not realize tours were given on a formal basis and I wasn’t there at an appropriate time to take a tour.

Although there is no food being served at Two Roads, I heard the Caseus Cheese truck (the Caseus Cheese Shop food truck from New Haven that serves gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches during the week to the surrounding Yale community) parked outside one weekend and other local food trucks have plans to make future appearances. What a great idea.

All in all, Two Roads Brewing Co. was a really interesting place to visit and, if you are a beer drinker, a wonderful place to drink. I would like to make another trip when I can take the tour. Are you wondering if I tried the product? Yes, I did. I’m still not a beer drinker, but I would make another trip to Two Roads Brewing Co. Hey, it’s all about trying new things, right?

Thanks for visiting.

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

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valentine raspberry stuffed french toast

January 8, 2013

Yes, I have already started thinking about Valentine’s Day…the sweet part anyway! Valentine’s Day is about all things sweet. Even those that shy away from sweets give it a shot on February 14th! I always think of an indulgent breakfast or bunch as the ultimate way to celebrate Valentine’s Day. As a lover of all french toast, particularly the stuffed variety, I came up with a combo fit for a sweetheart…raspberry and mascarpone cheese make up the inside and combine perfectly with a hint of almond and some coconut on the outside. With the ingredients ready ahead of time, this decadent Valentine meal won’t take much longer to prepare than your standard breakfast, but will prove so much more appropriate! If time is super short on the 14th, you can always postpone preparing this dish until the weekend. The recipe is for two, but it would be easy enough to increase the ingredients accordingly if you are making a family meal.

For an added show of affection, I cut a heart shape into the bread with a cookie cutter :)

Recipe for Valentine’s Day Raspberry Stuffed French Toast for Two

Ingredients

4 slices challah bread, cut to ¾” thickness
½ cup mascarpone cheese
¼ cup seedless red raspberry jam
Approx. ¼ cup sweetened flaked coconut
2 eggs, whisked
¼ cup milk
1/8 tsp almond extract
Oil as needed
Butter
Sliced almonds for garnish
Fresh raspberries for garnish
Fresh mint for garnish
Confectioner’s sugar for garnish

Directions

Mix cheese and jam in a small bowl.
In a separate shallow dish, beat eggs and stir in milk and almond extract.
Spread coconut on a plate.
Lightly brown both sides of the bread in the oven.
If desired, cut a heart shape with a cookie cutter in two slices of the bread, reserving the hearts.
Spread the cheese filling thickly over the solid pieces of the bread and top with the heart cut piece.
Heat oil at medium high heat in a frying pan large enough to accommodate the two sandwiches.
Dip each sandwich in the egg mixture (let sit in the mixture a few seconds to absorb), coating both sides. Then coat both sides in the flaked coconut.
When oil is hot, add a pat of butter to the pan and fry the sandwich, cooking till hot and lightly brown on both sides – flipping once.
Put onto a serving plate and add the reserved heart cutouts, sift with confectioner’s sugar.
Garnish as desired with fresh raspberries, sliced almonds, and sprigs of mint.

Serve with champagne and a chocolate? Just as special served with juice in a ‘fancy’ glass if you are serving to the sweeties under 21!

A photo of valentine raspberry stuffed french toast. Challah bread is filled with mascarpone cheese and raspberries and a hint of almond and coconut is added in this creation fit for a sweetheart.

I hope you will enjoy this valentine raspberry stuffed french toast…on Valentine’s Day…or, any day!

Thank you so much for visiting.

Remember to enjoy the pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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shopping christmas past

January 4, 2013

friday field trip

In the ‘old days’ I would shop the big department stores the morning after Christmas, excited about getting a good deal – sometimes standing in line for hours to get a few rolls of the perfect wrapping paper or some gift tags at half price.

The excitement for this activity has worn off over the years…mostly because stores never close! Today, there is no big deal about waiting for the store to open on the morning of the 26th! And, the sales start way before the holiday even begins! Today, if you do want to shop the after-holiday sales, it is much more efficient to shop on-line…finding the best availability and shopping the lowest prices for holiday wares.

Still, old habits die hard and I couldn’t resist stopping in a store the week after Christmas. I happen to be driving past an Anthropologie and decided to make a stop. Although there was not very much holiday merchandise left, and certainly no long lines to get inside, I felt compelled to walk around the store. This year’s holiday ‘paper cut’ theme was still displayed and I enjoyed greeting the salespeople with ‘Happy New Year’ and walking around to get some final glimpses of the season past.

So, even though I didn’t stand in a line in front of a department store for hours waiting for it to open, or come home with my arms full of wrapping paper rolls, I realized that I did get exactly what I wanted.

My visit to Anthropologie made me realize that I really don’t want the shopping experience reduced to another computer function…particularly at holiday time when senses are in overdrive.

The experience of visiting a store – greeting people, touching fabrics, comparing the smells of candles, feeling the heft of a pitcher…these are all the things I wanted. I hope these are the things you want too.

A photo of a papercut hanging on a light fixture created by the display staff at Anthropologie…a work of art!

Happy shopping :)

Take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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duchess of york book giveaway

January 1, 2013

the duchess of york ~ sarah ferguson

Congratulations to Jessica (from the blog Brand New “We”), the winner of the December book giveaway. Jessica has won a copy of The Shoemaker’s Wife signed by author Adriana Trigiani! (Click here to see more about it.) It is a wonderful book Jessica…I am certain you will love it!

For January, the giveaway will be a little different…I am excited to be giving away a children’s book for the first time… because it is a special one from a New York Times best-selling author! I recently had the opportunity to have tea with The Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, when she visited the New Canaan library in Connecticut. I asked her to sign a copy of her latest children’s book Ballerina Rosie to use for this month’s giveaway book! I will give away this encouraging story of an aspiring dancer at the end of January – randomly, to someone that has made a comment during the month as a way to thank you for visiting. Click here for the full details.

The January giveaway book from pleasureinsimplethings.com.

Any child you know is sure to enjoy this charming story and beautifully illustrated book signed by The Duchess of York…or, you may just want to keep it for yourself!

A great giveaway to start off the first one of 2013! I also have two special New Year’s gifts that I will mail out to the first two people to wish me a Happy New Year!

The start of this new year is the perfect time to thank you all for visiting my blog. As a novice, I especially appreciate everyone’s support. This has been a very challenging year for me and the support and friendship I have received through ‘pleasure in simple things’ has really helped me through 2012. Please continue to visit. I look forward to 2013 with much anticipation and I am looking forward to sharing it with you.

Enjoy a safe and happy 2013. Love, Jackie

“Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties.” – Helen Keller

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discovering brooklyn cuisine at terrain

December 28, 2012

Today’s Friday field trip is a visit to one of my favorite places, Terrain, to attend a cooking class. This class is different than others I have attended, because it focuses on recipes from a specific area of the U.S. rather than those made with a specific ingredient. The area is Brooklyn, NY. The inspiration for the class is a book titled The New Brooklyn Cookbook.

If you are like me, the last thing you want to focus on after all the holiday eating is to eat! So, just sit back and enjoy looking at the photos!

The first thing we created together during class was some pizza…you really can’t think of any New York food without thinking of pizza! Even though I have made pizza many times before, I enjoyed the discussion as our instructor, Jen, led the class. How can you not have a fun time when you are kneading pizza dough!

A photo of our Terrain cooking class instructor. The Westport store offers a fun variety of cooking and craft classes. Here the instructor is creating Brooklyn style pizza.

Of course, an added bonus while taking any class at Terrain is to check out all the beautiful products they have in the store…

Here is a perfect example… I fell in love with this beautiful measuring vessel that our ice water was served in!

Another product at the store that we used during the class was the white truffle salt…a great addition to one of our pizzas!

The freshest ingredients are always on hand for the classes at Terrain…

And, in this particular case, since we were checking out all things Brooklyn…

The pizza was a really fun thing to create, and even more fun to eat!

We had alot of fun with it. But, as I mentioned, I have made pizza before…The real “lightbulb” moment recipe for me was the next one we tried out from the book…

I was pretty much a ‘beet virgin’ …beets were always a staple at my grandmother’s table when I was growing up, but they have never been a part of my kitchen. The roasted beet salad recipe that we tried out from the Brooklyn cookbook totally opened up my mind to beets!

The salad we created was incredible…

The cooking class was a really fun time. I’ve had a couple Brooklyn eateries on my list of places to visit for quite some time…this class may have just given me a little more motivation to follow through on my Brooklyn visit. I was told the cookbook that provided the

recipes we used during the class is no longer available in print. I looked on Amazon and found that they have a digital copy, if you are interested in obtaining The New Brooklyn Cookbook. It is a great collection of recipes from some wonderful restaurants in Brooklyn.

If, like me, you are interested in exploring more recipes using beets, I am currently trying some interesting ones…For those of us new to beets, Angela, on the blog Oh She Glows has really great, clear instructions on how to create a Citrus Beet Salad with Creamy Avacado Lime Dressing. Chef Martin Kouprie from Toronto creates a beet salad using chocolate! I love to see inventive uses for chocolate…his recipe is like a kitchen stadium creation!

Do you have a favorite beet salad recipe? I would love to hear about it!

I hope you enjoyed this peek into a Terrain cooking class…maybe it will spark a trip to Brooklyn…or, trying a new beet recipe! If you live anywhere near one of the two Terrain locations, I would recommend trying one of the classes.

Have a wonderful weekend as 2012 comes to its close.

Thanks so much for visiting, Jackie

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merry christmas!

December 25, 2012

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philly traditions

December 21, 2012

Recently, I had to make a quick trip to Philly and, even though it was dark and rainy and I was pressed for time, I wanted to use what little extra time I had to check out any local holiday traditions to share with you for Friday field trip…I didn’t have to go too far to be able to see a couple as we passed through Center City.

The first stop was to Love Park. This is the plaza in Center City nicknamed for the popular Love sculpture. During this time of year, the park is transformed into a Christmas Village…little shops surround the plaza representing many different cultures and traditions of the season. Because the weather was so cold and rainy, we did not spend much time at the Village, but it was fun to walk through…especially after finding the holiday “Wish Wall” where passersby left their wishes for the holiday.

Next stop was a short walk to Macys to see the Christmas Light Show. A tradition since 1956, the light show is an annual outing for many families. I was surprised to learn that there was a tie to my home state of Connecticut to this infamous light show…it was devised by Frederick Yost – a Yale University theatre-lighting graduate. The tremendous show that captivates so many children (and adults), is displayed every hour on the hour in the Grand Court of the store. The Wanamaker Organ that accompanies the show is worth the trip on its own!

A photo of the location of the Macys Christmas Light Display – a tradition since 1956. Although the red carpet is empty in this photo, it was soon filled with children looking up to the third floor tree to witness the amazing display of lights and the light show. The tree alone contains 34,500 LED lights.

A photo of The Christmas Light Show at Macys in Philadelphia, PA.

The best part about the show was listening to all the people gathered around talking about how many years they had visited the display…and the gasps of wonder from the little children! Even though it was a very quick trip, and not the best weather (and terrible for picture taking!), it was fun to share the holiday traditions of the locals in Philly.

I hope you are enjoying your holiday traditions during this special time of year.

A Macy’s holiday window at the Philadelphia store…a tribute to the Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Wishing you much love and peace and pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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focusing on family traditions – holiday lollipop recipe

December 18, 2012

Every family has traditions surrounding the holiday season. Our family certainly has plenty…making our annual ornament from a slice of the Christmas tree trunk…getting woken up on Christmas morning by sleigh bells…to name a couple. And, as in most families, baking is a part of our holiday tradition. In recent years, I have cut back on the huge variety of cookies I always baked. Instead, each family member can pick their favorite variety to be included in the baking selection.

In addition to the family cookie selection, it is a tradition to create some treats to wrap for giving. It is nice to be able to hand out a homemade treat to an unexpected visitor, or to bring a pretty wrapped treat to a neighbor while on a holiday visit. This year, my wrapped treats will be holiday lollipops and rosemary shortbreads.

I made the lollipops out of white chocolate and added dried cranberries and pistachios. They are very easy to make and can be personalized to your own taste. Crushed candy canes, or any combination of your favorite candy and/or nuts can be added to the basic lollipop.

Be sure to use a good white chocolate (like Lindt or Ghirardelli). 10 oz. of chocolate will make about 8 lollipops that will measure approximately 2 1/2″ in diameter. The perfect size for each lollipop is 2″ – 2 1/2″…anything larger may break off the stick.

You will need:

lollipop sticks
10 oz. of white chocolate
dried cranberries, fresh pistachios, or chosen addition
large cookie sheet covered in wax paper
double boiler

TO MAKE: gently melt the chocolate in a double boiler, just until melted. Using a large spoon, or pouring carefully from the pan onto the wax paper covered cookie sheet, make a circle of chocolate approximately 2″ to 2 1/2″ in diameter. Take a lollipop stick and insert into the chocolate by laying it onto the circle of chocolate while slowly twirling the stick until it is embedded into the chocolate. Position it so that the end of the stick is about half way on the circle of chocolate. Gently press the cranberries and pistachios into the lollipop. Continue with the rest of the chocolate…if you have a large sheet, you should be able to accommodate them all – approximately 8. If you have a smaller sheet, you may need two sheets to fit all the lollipops.

After they are firm, package them in cellophane bags tied with ribbons or raffia. I added a book print gift tag (purchased from the West Elm clearance section last year after Christmas).

In addition to the lollipops, I made shortbreads made from a recipe modified from Family Circle magazine. I simply added 2 tablespoons of fresh, chopped rosemary to a favorite shortbread recipe. (If you want a recipe and don’t have one, send me an email and I will send you out one.) I made these in a traditional cookie size from Christmas tree cookie cutters for wrapping. I also made some with mini cookie cutters to put into bowls for tasting. They are wonderful…such a great rosemary fragrance and great flavor.

A photo of rosemary shortbreads….some wrapped to give and others in a bowl for tasting.

I am focusing on family and family traditions this Christmas and leaving many of the seasonal trivialities behind… in light of this past week. The aspects of what is important about the holiday have come so sharply into focus…

Thanks for visiting. Wishing your family peace… and, pleasure in simple things, Jackie

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love & prayers

December 16, 2012

I am holding you all close in my heart and you are continually in my prayers.

For those of you out of the area that may want to help in a personal way:

The Newtown Post Office has set up this address for people to send letters of support directly to the families: Messages of Condolence for Newtown, PO Box 3700, Newtown, CT 06470.

You can knit a scarf of green and white. This is continuing until the middle of January. The address to mail completed scarves is: Scarves for Sandy Hook, 500 Monroe Turnpike, Monroe, CT 06468 (The children from Sandy Hook will be attending school in Monroe.)

If you want to help in a monetary capacity, you can use the website: www.uwwesternct.org

Peace and love, Jackie

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dreaming of a pink christmas

December 14, 2012

I’m dreaming of a…pink? Christmas…

I know many people associate red and green with the holidays…or, like I do, many decorate with whites…but, how many fest the Christmas halls with pink?

I found a shop in Seymour, CT that embraces pink for the holidays. For this week’s Friday field trip, I would like to share some photos from my quick stop at Tickled Pink and a little bit of the Victorian vibe that fills this quaint little place in the center of an old factory town off Route 8 in Connecticut. I was passing through and had very little time to spend in the shop, but I did find out that the annual holiday open house is held in October. So, I guess I missed the shop when it was fully stocked with Christmas treasures. But, I was able to capture some photos to share. Enjoy.