Ch..ch..ch..changes.....

 

I've kind of been out of touch lately; but I don't want to lose contact with any of you.  I'm hopeful that I will continue to post here and continue to follow you.

It seems the Google Reader will not be available soon so I'm taking a moment to move everything.

If you use Google Reader to 

follow my blog, I invite you to...

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Happy Thursday!

 

Good Morning.....

Have a beautiful day!

August 2012 - My first time

I had never heard of "mochi" before my foodie friend at work brought in a box of it that she had received as a gift.  She wanted to share and being the adventurous person that I am, I eagerly accepted.  Mochi is a small dessert cake made from glutinous rice that has been pounded into a paste and shaped into a cake form and then stuffed with some other ingredient.  The box she had was a variety box with a few different flavors.  I think this one was filled with red bean paste.  It had the texture of a marshmallow; but, not quite so sweet.  I liked it!

 

Have you ever had mochi?

August 2012 - Homemade Ice Cream

After a summer of eating ice cream and sorbetto all over New England, we made the decision to purchase an ice cream maker for our mixer.  I loved the idea of controlling what we were putting in there and saving some money by making it at home.  We love icey cold treats for summer desserts so this seemed like a fun way to experiment.

First up was Lemon Sorbet...

 

Next up was Pioneer Woman's Vanilla Bean Ice Cream kicked up with some dark chocolate chips.

We, then, tried another recipe for Vanilla Ice Cream.  I am not sure where this one came from.  I would be willing to bet that the printed copy landed on my desk and has disappeared. Once upon a time I was organized; but in the famous words of Sweet Brown.  "Ain't nobody got time for that!"  Anyway, it was delicious and our favorite vanilla recipe so I need to find it before summer for sure.  When I find it, I will pass it along.

Last, but definitely not least, was one of my very favorites of the summer.  Cookies and Cream.  This recipe is courtesy of the fabulous Jenn at Jenn's Food Journey.  You can find her recipe here.  I loved, loved, loved this one and will definitely be making it again this coming summer.

August 2012 - Cornish Fair

The warm days and the cool nights of August welcome "fair season" to New England.  This year I visited the Cornish Fair  for the first time. 

It was a beautiful Saturday to get out and

 enjoy the weather and take in this fun country fair.

 

with animals...

 

and antique tractors...

and lumberjack events...

local agricultural products...

and artwork by local artists...

and no fair is complete with french fries...

and vinegar.

You can't forget the vinegar.

 

They are quintessentially New England.

August - Love Your Lakes and Antique Boats

I'll take any excuse to hang out in Sunapee Harbor.  Love Your Lakes Day is an annual event and always a fun time.

Old Chris Craft boats are awesome and this has to be one of the coolest ones that I've seen.  This would be a great way to cruise around the lake, don't you think?

I love the details on the boats.

They have such beautiful wood.  

They are so much prettier than the fiberglass boats of today.

This year we were treated to a concert by local legend, Carey Rush.  Carey is an amazing musician and always puts on a great show.  Anytime that we get to see him perform is always a treat.

July 2012 - Star Island Cruise

Vacation week continues with a cruise.  We have always been intrigued by the islands off the coast of New England so a cruise to explore one of them was another item to be marked off the bucket list.

The vehicle of choice was the "Uncle Oscar" which leaves out of Rye Harbor and the destination of choice was Star Island.

The day started sunny; but in true New England fashion, the clouds settled in quickly.  It has been said that if you don't like the weather here, wait a minute.  That is so true.

By the time that we made it to the Island, it was less cloudy with bursts of sunshine now and again.  The overcast skies provided perfect light for taking photos.  The anchor of Star Island is a historic Victorian hotel that is a now a religious retreat.   I am a lover of architecture...historical architecture, in particular...and this was an exciting part of the trip for me.  I love the era of the grand hotels such as this one and it was so much fun to walk around inside and imagine it in its heyday.

We didn't take advantage of the lunch portion of the trip that was offered, preferring to set out on our own and explore the island.  From what I understand from those that did take advantage of it, we made the right decision. 

There was quite a bit of activity on the Island that day as there was a retreat in session.  Because we arrived around lunch time, we were able to explore the Island without too much interruption.  Most of the campers were dining.

The Island is full of old buildings which have been lovingly kept in good condition.  I love the stone work that was used.

There is an old cemetery that overlooks the Atlantic.  New England is full of old cemeteries and there is something very interesting about them, I think. 

This was a beautiful final resting spot for the people buried here.  Seeing the old headstones always make me ponder who these people were and what their lives were like.  I can imagine visiting the grand hotels of the day; but, I cannot imagine what it was like to live in a place like this during that time period.

We really enjoyed our time exploring the Island, taking photos and enjoying the views.  

I'm quite sure that this is not a pleasant place to be when a Nor'Easter blows through; but on the day that we visited, it was peaceful and quite beautiful.  I could definitely see myself living there....in this time period...on a day like that.

This was another day of making memories for us.

The gnarly wind beaten trees and shrubs were expected on the Island; but I did not expect to find such beautiful, green foliage and these delicate little flowers.  It was a welcome shot of color.

Some things really never change.  As this wide front porch was, I'm sure, a wonderful place to hang out in days gone by, the rocking chairs still provide a place to rest and reflect on the beauty of the New England coast.

It was one of my favorite places of the day.