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Tag: field trip friday


cheers to the weekend!

6
March

smores cocktail

Yes, it’s FriYAY!  I don’t know why I get excited, based on the fact that I am working Saturday and Sunday!  It just seems everyone is happier on a Friday afternoon – and it puts me in a better mood as well – work or no work!

For today’s Friday field trip, I am taking you to a brand-new restaurant – I just happened to be there for work on the day it opened.  I didn’t eat anything at this restaurant – I only sampled a couple beverages.

And, since it was a new restaurant, I wanted to try a new drink!  After looking over the drink menu, I had my eye on two different drinks that sounded unique and fun to try.

The first one I tried was called Violeta Magica.  The reason for the ‘Magica’ was that the drink changed color!  Yup!  After pouring in a little added test tube of yellow liquid into the glass, the blue drink turned violet.  Interesting since blue and yellow make green!  But the change in acidity seemed to be the reason it made the color change.  The drink tasted sweet and had a light rum base.  Tasty and interesting!

Click here for Violeta Magica!

The first day the restaurant was opened, the drink was served with rocks and the next day, when some friends ordered it, the same drink was served in a more elegant glass with a floral garnish…I guess being new the restaurant was still experimenting!  (The color transformation video of the drink in the rocks glass is posted on the pleasure in simple things Facebook page.)

violet magic

The second drink I tried was the S’more on the Shore: Ron Zacapa 23/Dry Sack Sherry/Graham Cracker Infused Syrup/Chocolate Bitters/Roasted Marshmallow.  Loved the chocolate bitters!

smores cocktail closeup

I hope I have inspired you to try a new drink this weekend!  Whether with alcohol or without, whether you make it yourself or order something out – try something new!

Thanks for stopping by!

Remember to take pleasure in simple things, Jackie

P.S.  The new restaurant is Coquina in Amelia Island, Florida.  I will show you more of this beach-side beauty in an upcoming post!

Comments Off on cheers to the weekend! | food & festivities, inspiration, sand & sea, travel

dessert shooters

17
August

friday field trip

Target trips are very different with my daughter away and settled in her own apartment.  It had become a weekly routine when she was living at home for her and I to make a Sunday trip to Target.  Sometimes we would have a specific item in mind to purchase…most times, not.

So today I had a little gap between work and an appointment and decided to look around in Target without my daughter …and it wasn’t even a Sunday.

Walking through Target at this time of year is sad for me…no school supply lists to purchase from or dorm room items to choose.  Of course, most of the aisles are flooded with back to school items – I avoided all these aisles like the plague.  Instead, l looked at stationary products (love)…home items…then  finished up in the food section.

As I walked through the dairy aisle on this particular Target excursion, I was shocked to see a product I apparently totally overlooked – chocolate cream cheese!  What a great idea!  I know the stores carry many chocolate spreads now (thanks Nutella!), but I did not know about Philadelphia Indulgence chocolate cream cheese spread!

Target had a package of four individual tubs for $1.70…they had milk or dark chocolate.  I immediately thought of the strawberries back at home in my refrigerator.  What a quick and easy last minute dessert…to be able to just fill some fresh strawberries with this product.  Could I be this excited for a purchase that didn’t even amount to $2.!

I got home and immediately filled some strawberries with the chocolate cream cheese.  They needed more…I wanted to dip them in chocolate…well, wouldn’t adding that step ruin the whole point of being quick and easy?  Chocolate cream cheese on chocolate chip bagels….pretzels dipped into chocolate cream cheese…my mind wonders…okay, back to the task at hand!  Quick…simple.

Then, I had the perfect idea…’shooters’…I would make little shot glass-sized indivdual desserts.

A photo of  s’mores shooters.  A great single serving dessert made with Philadelphia Indulgence chocolate cream cheese spread.

As it turns out, this is the PERFECT way to use the package I bought since it comes in little cups that are the optimum size (1.25 oz. cups) to make this dessert.  It is a great way to indulge in a dessert without going crazy…a great dessert that is easy to create variations with little fuss.

I started with a s’more shooter – a nod to the Girl Scout’s  100th anniversary this year.  After that, I just couldn’t stop with the variations.  And, I went back and picked up the other two flavors.  Using the milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and white chocolate product there really are infinite possibilities.

I started with a graham cracker crust.  I mixed a cup and a quarter of graham cracker crumbs with 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter.  (This will make about 12 desserts.)   I used this as my base and put 2 tablespoons in the bottom of a straight–sided clear glass shot/cordial glass.  Use a 2 ounce or 2 1/2 ounce size.  If you want disposable (Labor Day picnic?), 2 ounce clear plastic cups are inexpensive and readily available (this is the size used for jello shots).

The s’more one was layered as:  1 tablespoon of the graham cracker mixture, 1 tablespoon of fluff,  1, 1.25 oz tub of milk chocolate Philadelphia Indulgence chocolate cream cheese spread.  I garnished the top with a marshmallow that was cut in half and toasted.  (You can toast this quickly under your broiler.  Don’t put the shot glass under the broiler if it is not oven safe – toast the marshmallow by itself and then add to the top of the dessert.)

A photo of a s’more shooter…a dessert made with Philadelphia Indulgence chocolate cream cheese spread, graham cracker crumbs, and marshmallow fluff.

 Some of my favorite combinations:

  • 2 tablespoons of crumbs, 1 tablespoon of coconut, 1 tub of milk chocolate Indulgence, almond garnish
  • 2 tablespoons of crumbs, 1 tablespoon of peanut butter, 1 tub of milk chocolate Indulgence, peanut butter cup garnish
  • 2 tablespoons of crumbs, 4 or 5 raspberries, 1 tub of dark chocolate or white chocolate Indulgence, raspberry & mint garnish
  • 2 tablespoons of crumbs, 4 or 5 blueberries, 1 tub of white chocolate Indulgence,  blueberry & mint garnish
  • 2 tablespoons of crumbs,  2 or 3 banana slices, 1 tub of milk chocolate Indulgence, banana slice garnish

It is very easy to gauge how much cream cheese you need to purchase since each indivdual tub makes one serving or  ‘shooter’.

A quick, easy, and fun dessert…mission accomplished!

Enjoy!

Thanks for visiting, Jackie

 

3 comments » | food & festivities

yes, chef by marcus samuelsson

29
June

field trip friday

I couldn’t wait to read Marcus Samuelsson’s new memoir.  And, guess what?  He was appearing at Barnes & Noble in New York City on the day of the book’s launch.  Perfect!  I was attending!

As a fan and a follower of Chef Samuelsson’s career, I couldn’t wait to listen to his casual conversation about his life and career with restaurant critic, Ruth Reichl.  Most of my friends know Chef Samuelsson as the winner of  Bravo’s Top Chef Masters in 2010.  No small feat, mind you…but, his career thus far has been far more impressive than one huge victory on Top Chef. 

He was the youngest chef to receive a three-star rating from The New York Times, and was also named Best Chef in New York City (in 2003) by the James Beard Foundation.  His restaurant in Harlem, The Red Rooster (a culmination of food influences from many countries), has received national acclaim. He also can take credit for creating the Obamas’ first official state dinner.

I arrive at Barnes & Noble early and score a front row seat.  Appearing much younger than his 42 years, Chef Samuelsson has a very humble and calming demeanor that immediately puts everyone at ease.  When Ms. Reichl opens his new book Yes, Chef (written with Veronica Chambers) and reads the first sentence, everyone is intrigued:  “I have never seen a picture of my mother”…

“fantastic food needs a lot of loving hands” – Chef Marcus Samuelsson

Born Kassahum Tsegie in Ethiopia, Chef Samuelsson was adopted by a white, middle-class family in Sweden.  Family was responsible for his early culinary aspirations. He credits his Swedish grandmother for his first cooking lessons and says “learning to smoke salmon with my uncle was good times.”  Listening to him talk about his love for food, it seems evident Chef Samuelsson was a natural in the kitchen.   He confirms my suspicions with comments like: “I think I was born to do this” and “food and flavors have become my first language.”

He talks openly about the life of a struggling chef…not all glamour like food television, but hard work..and he discusses the physical toll it has taken on his body.  When he was a young chef, he would vomit from stress before each shift –perfecting it to a timed nine minutes before returning, unflustered, back to work at his cooking station.

When asked for his restaurant recommendations, Samuelsson started to name some, by cuisine, then hesitated and thoughtfully told the crowd that “you are not gonna ‘get it’ as an experience in a restaurant.  You need to eat in someone’s home.”

A photo of Chef Marcus Samuelsson at the launch of his memoir “Yes, Chef.” He says he will always have a love/hate relationship with France.

Marcus talks about the circumstances of his life without shock value, but with a global perspective that is both admirable and  enlightening.  He tells us “the way we do things here (U.S.) is one way, but not the only way.” And, he speaks of the role of the chef in the global society, inspiring change in the global climate. (see his website for more on this: http://www.marcussamuelsson.com/ ).

He has lived a life of multicultural influences that are reflected in his cooking and his global perspective.  After hearing him speak, I am so much more interested in his cooking story for the fact that it helps explain the influence it has had on his life perspective.

Chef Samuelsson on his experience with the television show “Chopped”: “the person that is ‘one’ with the food comes out on top.”

I can’t wait to start reading…I suspect I will devour his book in one sitting…bon appetit!

A copy of Yes, Chef signed by Marcus Samuelsson is the giveaway book selection for August.  To be eligible,  simply ‘like’ my facebook, follow my twitter, or leave a comment on a post during the month of August.

Full details:  https://pleasureinsimplethings.com/book-giveaway/

 

9 comments » | monthly book giveaway

top ten coolest people i met countdown

9
June

friday field trip

A photo of Star Jones – #2 on my ‘Cool People I Met’ countdown.

So many exciting people to meet and fun things to do in New York City this past week!  I really couldn’t pin down a Friday field trip, so I decided to do a countdown of the ten coolest people I met on my three day field trip to NYC.  Are you ready?

#10. #9. #8.  Hercules, Mercury, and Minerva

Yup, I am talking about the gods!  Hercules, Mercury, and Minerva are the three gods depicted on the statues surrounding the clock on the facade of Grand Central Station facing 42nd Street.  I actually took some time to look up and notice the clock…it definitely fits in the cool category (I know, I know…these three are not exactly ‘people’, but it’s my list :) ) I can’t believe how many times I have been in and out of Grand Central in my lifetime and have never really taken the time to notice the details on this amazing piece of work.  At the time it was unveiled in 1914, it was considered the largest sculptural group in the world!  Cool!

 #7.  The Hawaiian Airline Dancers

Hawaiian Airlines has staged a little piece of Hawaii on the streets of Manhattan as a part of a promotion to celebrate the start of direct, non-stop flights from New York to Honolulu.  Hula dancers performing to traditional Hawaiian music really set a mood of the tropics, but it is the fragrance of all the real flower leis that just put the whole sensory experience over the top for me!  Like many others passing by, I could not resist stopping to enjoy…and, I put my name in to win a drawing for free flights to Hawaii…aloha!

#6.  Keenan Cahill 

Keenan is an internet celebrity that became famous from lip-syncing popular songs on YouTube.  If you don’t know who he is, you probably don’t know who ‘David going to the Dentist’ is either.  He lipsynced his first YouTube video in 2010 to Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream.  He has had some big name singers (rapper 50 cent for example), join him in his videos.  He lives in Illinois and traveled to New York City this past week to speak at a social media conference, giving advice to a roomful of techies on how to achieve what he was able to at 14 years old.  What is supercool about Keenan?  He put himself out there and did what he really wanted to do, in spite of what anyone else thought or advised.   In the process, he became an internet sensation by combining genuineness, a love for music, and a great sense of humor.  His confidence and spirit get him on my list as #6.  Keep singing Keenan :) !

A photo of internet celebrity Keenan Cahill. #6 on the “Cool People I Met” countdown.

#5.  Ina Garten

With so many celebrity chefs today, Ina stands out as someone that ‘keeps it real’.  Always cooking great food, simply and deliciously prepared, joining Ina (via Food Network) in her home to watch her cook for her husband, Jeffrey, or some of her friends, is always a treat.  As lovely in person as she is on her television show (with a face full of adorable freckles), it was definitely a thrill to meet Ina Garten (who grew up and was married in my home state of Connecticut) and she comes in at #5 on my cool people list.

A photo of Ina Garten – #5 on my ‘Cool People’ countdown.

#4.  Tim Gunn

Always impeccable and oozing with swag, Tim Gunn is #4 on my countdown of cool people I met this week.  He was cool when he mentored young talent on the television show Project Runway (as a former faculty member of Parson the New School for Design) and he remains cool now, in all he does.  You can catch him on daytime television giving “Timterventions” on his show The Revolution.  You got it going on Tim!

A photo Tim Gunn – #4 on the countdown.

#3.  Roble Ali

This hot, young chef is currently starring in the show Chef Roble & Co. where he and his team cater events for big name clients and celebrities in NYC.  But, that is not why he receives #3 on my ‘cool’ countdown of the week.  He attains this honor for judging the Teen Battle Chef LIVE in Harlem last Wednesday night.  Teen Battle Chef is a program where young people learn to cook and explore culinary careers, nutrition, food systems and gardening education, while ‘battling’ obesity and chronic disease.  Chef Roble helped confirm to the students that it is ‘cool’ to be interested in preparing and eating healthy food.

#2.  Star Jones

Star Jones also gets on my cool list for supporting the Teen Battle Chef event in Harlem.  She served as the emcee for the evening and did an amazing job of conveying the importance of eating right by speaking candidly about her own personal story of being overweight (over 300 lbs.) and requiring open heart surgery.  Kudos to Star for using her personal story and her no-nonsense demeanor to help inspire others, while lighting up the evening with her sense of humor and sparkling personality.

Photo of Star Jones at Teen Battle Chef in Harlem – #2 on my ‘Cool People I Met’ countdown.

I am blessed with some really great friends…one of them works in health and wellness and invited me to attend Teen Battle Chef that was being held in Harlem this past week, sponsored by her employer, Emblem Health.  I had never before spent any time in Harlem and hadn’t heard about the event I was attending, but it seemed to contain all the ingredients I love:  celebrity chefs, education, and the chance to meet new people.  I was in!  I  managed to negotiate my way to Harlem (thanks sweet, young girl from the performing arts high school that I met on the subway) and find my destination.

#1.  Harlem students participating in Teen Battle Chef.

There is no question that the coolest of the cool I met this week were definitely the students that participated in the Teen Battle Chef in Harlem (I couldn’t pick just one) and they came in as  #1 in my countdown.  What a fun night I had with them all!  I was lucky to get the chance to sample the creations in the appetizer category and the students were eager to explain the nutritional value of each ingredient.  (Send me an email if you would like me to send you the recipe for my favorite – “Carribbean Salsa”.)

Every person that helped create and implement this program (an extra-curricular activity at school) and competition is #1 in my book…this includes Lynn Fredicks (founder of FamilyCook Productions), Former First Lady of New York State Michelle Paige Paterson (sparking the idea for bringing the program to Harlem), and all those that supported it – including Former Governor of New York, David Paterson and celebrity chefs Walter Hinds and Marcus Samuelsson.  Bon appetit!

A photo of #1 on my ‘Cool People I Met’ countdown – the Harlem students committed to learning about healthy eating.

Congratulations to the students of Harlem for their committment to help their friends and family make healthier food choices to prevent unhealthy weight and associated diseases!  Super cool!

Hope you enjoyed the Top Ten Coolest People I Met Countdown for this week’s Friday field trip!

 

3 comments » | celebrity

fleet week nyc and other excitement

25
May

field trip friday

I am one lucky girl!  I toured Food Network!  There aren’t many things that would get me as excited.  Not since meeting Khaled Hosseini, has my heart beat so fast.  Even more exciting was that a friend and I were given a personal tour by a high school classmate who I would have enjoyed spending time with no matter where I was….the combination of the two sent my happiness through the roof :)  Adding to the excitement of the day…it was Fleet Week!  Fleet Week is a United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, and United States Coast Guard tradition – active military ships recently deployed in overseas operations dock in a variety of major cities for one week.  On the walk to Food Network, we were able to witness the Parade of Ships that signaled the start of Fleet Week NYC 2012.  Check it out:

A picture taken while walking along the Hudson River on the way to Chelsea, we got a great view, even with the overcast day, of the Parade of Ships marking the start of Fleet Week – a tradition in New York City since the early 1980’s.

Another photo of the NYC Parade of Ships for Fleet Week 2012.

Watching the Parade of Ships signaling the start of Fleet Week creates such a patriotic spirit!

Three of the 6,000 men in uniform descending on NYC for Fleet Week. Does this remind you of a particular Sex and the City Episode :) ?

(See pleasureinsimplethings facebook page for more Fleet Week photos – click the facebook icon on the homepage)

How cool!  Now, off to Food Network!

 

A photo of a view of the Food Network set from ‘behind the scenes.’

I got the chance to not only see the inner workings of the network, but so much more.  My former classmate is a senior executive and his insight into, not only the Food Network (and some cool history about the buildings in Chelsea), but the industry and the future of media, was totally fascinating. The technical aspect of the station is overwhelming, the physical space is visually interesting, and the people that work at the network were all so fun to talk to…all happy to explain their roles and answer questions posed by a ‘groupie.’  I think that is probably what I am…a Food Network ‘groupie’ (some may say ‘junkie’)…or maybe they just call me crazy?

The Food Network kitchens sign really got me breathing heavy :)

A photo of the Food Network kitchens.

 

A photo of the Food Network set. Standing on this set, where so many I have admired have stood before, was definitely a highlight for me!

On the visit to Food Network, Melissa d’Arabian was filming a promo for Ten Dollar Dinners.

The Food Network is located above Chelsea Market, an enclosed urban food court and shopping mall located in the Chelsea neighborhood of the borough of Manhattan in New York City.

The Chelsea Market has so much history surrounding it – dating back to the 1890’s and the National Biscuit Company complex.

A photo of the salad I had for lunch in a little organic restaurant located in Chelsea Market.

After the walk TO Food Network from Grand Central Station and witnessing the ship parade, I never expected the walk BACK to be as interesting, but I was wrong – my Food Network friend suggested we check out The High Line as we were leaving the Network building and it ended up be a really cool walk back as well.  It was reminiscent of visiting a botanical garden.

The High Line is basically the recycling of the former elevated New York Central Railroad into an urban park. It was redesigned and planted as an aerial greenway.  It runs from three blocks below West 14th Street in the Meatpacking District, up to 30th Street, through the neighborhood of Chelsea to the West Side Yard, near the Javits Convention Center.

A photo taken on The High Line walk…notice the old train track in the lower left corner.

This was a tough post to edit.  I had so much I wanted to include.  Fleet Week, Food Network Tour, and  The High Line…what a fun day!

9 comments » | food & festivities

ice cream nostalgia

17
May

field trip friday

ice cream nostalgia

Yes, I do love ice-cream.  And while so many others post photos of crocuses to show the change of season, I gauge its coming by when Dairy Queen opens its windows.  In the same way, while others look forward to a green bagel or green beer to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day every year, I can’t wait to have the celebratory Shamrock Shake.  Summer for me is marked by the moment I step foot into our local Baskin and Robbins each year.  The young boy I know that works there starts preparing the scoop of bubblegum in a cup before I even attempt to place my order.

When I look back on why I enjoy these ice-cream moments, I realize it is not as much the taste of the ice-cream, as the memories of these three places.  Dairy Queen was a place I would walk to with my grandmother as a very young girl.  My grandmother didn’t drive and we would walk to the Dairy Queen on the main road a few blocks away – all the while she would hold my hand in a death grip.  The Shamrock Shake came later….I worked at a McDonald’s when I was 16 and was so proficient at the register I was proud to attain the coveted ‘highest cashier of the hour’ award.  This meant you had the most sales of any cashier for a specific hour.  In essence, it meant that you were able to work the register and pack the food faster than anyone else.  (I won’t say how long ago that was, but prices from that time are etched into my brain, and I know the hamburgers were 30 cents back then)  It was at this job that I was introduced to the Shamrock Shake, and even if it didn’t taste all the wonderful, it held the significance of being part of my whole employment experience…… Baskin & Robbins bubblegum ice-cream was my treat when I was a kid for completing the 15 mile bike ride from my home to the closest Baskin & Robbins store.  We did not have a Baskin & Robbins in our town, so I would make the ride to the town my grandmother lived in to purchase the limited edition bubblegum flavor.  It was only sold for a short time in the summer, so in my mind, it quickly became associated with summer.

The nostalgia, not the taste, is what really drives these ice cream purchases.  Truth be known, I am actually very much an ice-cream snob.  Other than the few nostalgically motivated choices I mentioned, my ice-cream selections are pretty much exclusive to the natural variety.  My favorite being handmade and served from a little shop located in a small neighborhood by the shore.  The best flavor?  Lavender & fig.  Hard to believe the same person that would eat a Shamrock shake could truly appreciate the subtlety of lavender and fig, but it is certainly the case.

Walnut Beach Creamery’s ‘sandi annie’ ice-cream – blue vanilla, graham cracker sand, and chocolate covered pretzel goldfish

The International Ice Cream Association has vanilla, chocolate, and butter pecan as the top three ice-cream flavors – with vanilla way out in front.  This would not be true in the little shoreline community where Walnut Beach Creamery operates.  The current bestseller is cupcake.  What is your favorite ice cream flavor to celebrate the season?

 

2 comments » | food & festivities

pez…no question about it

11
May

field trip friday

nurse pez

PEZ…an iconic candy from my childhood, I haven’t thought about it in years.  I don’t really notice it in stores anymore…maybe that’s just because I’m not looking for it.  The PEZ factory has been located in Connecticut since the 1970’s, but only recently has it been open to the public.  I had to check it out.  PEZ  was a staple in my candy repertoire back in the day… right up there with turkish taffy, button candy, and the huge round individually wrapped sweet tart.  PEZ was always more about the dispenser than the actual candy…for me, anyway.  I checked out the website recently to look up the visitor center hours and discovered that the dispensers are listed by the year introduced…so, if you remember your favorite, you can look up the year it was introduced …great way to feel your age!

The visitors center houses more PEZ dispensers than you can possibly imagine.  Yes, they still produce PEZ and in many more flavors than years ago.  The visitors’ center is not very big, but worth the trip down memory lane.  I was happy to find out that the tour included a PEZ tasting, but somehow the candy just didn’t taste the way I remembered it.

I was very disappointed that I was not able to see the PEZ themed chopper built by Orange County  Choppers on my visit.  The chopper is a regular exhibit at the center, but it was on loan to a candy convention the day I was visiting.  It was built in 2006 when PEZ introduced the first living people on a PEZ dispenser – the Teutel Family…Paul Sr., Paul Jr. & Mikey!

I guess another generation of PEZ lovers is being created, but their first dispenser will most likely be one of the super heroes from The Avengers, and not Popeye or Tweety Bird.

“If I could only have one food for the rest of my life?  That’s easy-Pez.  Cherry-flavored Pez.  No question about it.”

-Vern in the movie Stand by Me.  Dir. Rob Reiner.  Columbia Pictures, 1986.

To find PEZ dispensers listed by year released:  go to www.pez.com   Click on ‘collector’s corner’, then ‘dispenser archive by year.’   P.S.  Happy Nurses Week

2 comments » | nostalgia

chef irvine in the house

4
May

field trip friday

I am slightly obsessed…okay maybe a little more than slightly… with shows on the Food Network.  That being said, you can only imagine how excited I was when I found out that Restaurant Impossible had chosen a restaurant IN CONNECTICUT to feature on the show!  If you haven’t seen the show, the premise is that a failing restaurant is transformed in two days with $10,000 and a lot of ingenuity.  Chef Robert Irvine stars in the show, revamping every facet – including the concept, décor (utilizing a design team), and menu to makeover the chosen restaurant.  Two days sounds like a quick turnaround to totally makeover a restaurant…and, it certainly is, but actually witnessing the process up close and personal rather than watching it on television makes the whole process even more amazing.

Stella’s updated look…with a lemon motif.

 

I drove by and checked out the activity during the two days the workmen toiled in the makeshift tents set up in the parking lot of Stella’s (the restaurant they transformed).  Everything seemed pretty low key…granted, the workmen were VERY busy, but there were no other people, like me,  that wanted to check on the progress…at least not while I was there.  A friend that lives near the restaurant said he saw Chef Irvine in the nearby Dunkin Donuts hanging out and being very personable, but unfortunately I didn’t happen to be buying coffee at the appropriate time to be able to witness his demeanor.

One of the tasty appetizers I enjoyed at Stella’s.

Anyway, it definitely was an impressive restaurant overhaul….not just in respect to the aesthetics of the place, but also updating the menu.  Chef Irvine tweaked the menu selections and gave suggestions on food presentation.   I think the part that impressed me most, when I actually sat down to dinner, was the energy from the employees….they certainly had to be exhausted and emotionally drained after the intense two days they had been through, but everyone was so friendly, and…the best word to describe them … energized.

 

It will be fun to watch the design team create this room divider when the episode airs in July.

The restaurant just needed a little attention to rediscover itself.  (Don’t we all!)  Who doesn’t like a good makeover?  A tired, dated restaurant benefited from an updated look and some new energy…breathing life into an old favorite.   I have to think the experience made the entire crew closer to each other and their community.  I will definitely be visiting the “new” Stella’s again.  Hopefully, this new-found energy continues beyond opening weekend.    The episode doesn’t air until July, but the photos here provide you with a sneak peek of the facelift.

Michael Savoie’s family has been in the restaurant business since 1919. He has owned and operated Stella’s since 1998.

The ‘energized’ Stella’s crew posing with Chef Irvine.

 

My favorite? Popeye Pizza made with fresh tomato, spinach, ricotta cheese & fresh garlic.

 

7 comments » | celebrity, food & festivities, restaurant impossible

11 countries in 60 seconds

26
April

field trip friday

You can take the same field trip that I am enjoying today without ever leaving your house – actually, without ever even leaving your chair.   A perfect day to stay put on a cold, dreary New England day. Today,  I am going to take you through eleven countries in sixty seconds….are you ready?

Three friends traveled through eleven countries in fourty four days.  They  took 18 flights and traveled 38,000 miles. From this trip, they created three one minute video travel logs:  Move, Eat, and Learn.  All three are inspiring and visually exciting, but the one I keep watching over and over again is Move.

Please watch below…enjoy!

What do you think?

I LOVE sharing my very favorite online video.  I am not big on videos online… Sure, I am savvy to Tupac’s hologram video and yes, I know who Tosh is.  And, I know that the honey badger went viral, but come on….is Move not the most inspiring sixty seconds EVER?  Doesn’t it put a smile on your face?  Truly beautiful.  Play it a few times today…it’s worth the three minutes.  :)

2 comments » | travel

     

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