Tag Archives: women traveling

2013 ~ I’m BACK!

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Montmarte, Paris

Montmarte, Paris

We spent 16 glorious days in Paris and I am completely recharged and

ready to hit 2013 running!

I am taking back my health by joining Weight Watchers Online & doing yoga and walking as much as possible. I want to dance through my MidLife Flourish as much as possible.

I need to get my collective tech shit together, updated and organized so forgive me if my posts start out a little slowly.

So much to do & Spring really is around the corner. I can believe it on a beautifully sunny day such as this!

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Dali Museum

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Ladies Who Laugh ~ part one

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And laugh and laugh we did! I lost count of how many times I was doubled over with tears streaming down my face, trying to catch my breath and not pee my pants.

Nancy, Marisa, Kayla, Despina, Katie, Jennifer

Marisa and I were the first to arrive even though my GPS, also known as Bossy Bitch, tried her best to send us to Falmouth instead of Eastham. Bob, the cottage’s owner, met us there and showed us everything we needed to know about the place. Which was even more wonderful in person.

Seriously. The rooms were exactly as pictured on the rental site. Exactly. No surprises at all, which I guess was the surprise! The cottage has just enough original details, (built in 1913), while still providing all modern necessities. Which, let’s face it, for me, is all about the kitchen.

I joked about the kitchen when I found the cottage online with it’s blush pink counters and while I still wouldn’t choose them for a kitchen, they fit the cottage perfectly. The range was propane- hurrah! – a full size fridge, which was empty when we arrived and soon overflowing with everyone’s groceries.

I really should have taken a picture of the fridge when it was loaded up, it was full of fresh fruits and vegetables, just gorgeous.

Note : Next time, and there is going to be a next time in the autumn, maybe we should bring along a stills photographer as we were all too busy laughing, talking and catching up to remember to take pics.

But back to the kitchen. I planned the menu, made up the shopping list and then divided the shopping list between us all. There was no discussion about this, these ladies know me. (The good, the bad and the ugly me.) I would be head chef and they would be my back up dancers. And yes, you read that right.

Friday night we had a dinner of :

After we ate, laughed and chattered our way through the meal, the table was cleared and dishes were washed, (by my back up dancers).

We reassembled around the table and the merriment continued, music playing in the background, until, at nearly 3 AM, the last of us, (Despina, Katie & I), wandered off to bed.

Tired but happy. Very, very happy.

To be continued…

 

 

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Have Kitchen, Will Cook For You

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Random Cuteness

We went North this past weekend to visit Boy Wonder and his lovely girl-friend, M. I have a hard time leaving the Mom thing behind so I came with ingredients and trimmings for Saturday & Sunday’s Night meals.

Boy Wonder is good about it and knows it is my large nurture gene and not a reflection on their ability to cook for us. Truth is, I do this wherever I visit and most people who know me well enough all react the same way.

They chuckle, sit back and enjoy.

Saturday we enjoyed pizzas made on the Italian Semolina dough I had brought from, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. (If you haven’t discovered the joys of the Breads in 5 series from Zoe Francois and Jeff Hertzberg, MD, you are missing out!)

I kept it simple with thinly sliced tomatoes as the base followed by thinly sliced purple onion, torn fresh basil, good imported prosciutto and fresh mozzarella cheese. Bit of fresh ground pepper, kosher salt and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Full of fresh flavor and hit the spot nicely.

BW & M treated us to lunch at Brown’s Brewing Co. early on Sunday afternoon. We noshed on nachos, two kinds of wings and an incredible asian calamari. The Balsamic BBQ wings were declared heavenly delicious unanimously, hands down. The Oatmeal Stout I had was superb as well.

Brown’s left us all in a food coma & we spent the next couple of hours reclined over assorted furniture, surfing the inter webs. It also left M with a craving for chocolate, specifically warm brownies.

I had been haunted by salted caramel recipes that were all over Pinterest and knew just what to do. Armed with a list, BW took me to the grocery store and I came back with everything needed to make salted caramel, brownie sundaes to follow that evening’s meal.

I went by this recipe. I have not made caramel before and honestly, it’s not hard at all. Just don’t do the one very stupid thing that I did. As tempting as the amber colored melted sugar looks, do NOT stick your finger into it to get a taste.

salt caramel, homemade caramel, slated carmel

If you know what it feels like to have a hot glue burn, imagine that times 1000. Seriously.

The other thing is that when you haven’t tasted salt caramel before, you keep being surprised by the caramel tasting salty sweet instead of just sweet. At least that’s how it worked for BW and I.

So after we dined on Tamarind Glazed Meatloaf from American Masala and Manchurian Roasted Cauliflower from Masala Farm we tucked into our Salt Caramel Warm Brownie Sundaes.

And while I cheated and made the brownies from a box, topped with a good french vanilla ice-cream, whipped cream and a drizzle of more salt caramel on top…….. we all agreed that the balance of salty, sweet and creamy was a success!

 

©2012 Dawn Marie Kelly, all rights reserved.

 

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Have Office, Will Travel

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One of the lovely perks of being a creative writer, aside from living inside your own head, is that it can be done anywhere.

All it really takes is a pencil & a bit of paper and you’re good to go.

However, in order to keep myself organized and on track with all my writing projects going on I do rely on my accumulated arsenal of tools.

 

My traveling technology tools include my; MacBook Pro, iPad 2 and my iPhone and my Canon PowerShot. If online research or inspiration is needed then I can pul out my trusty MiFi from Verizon. If I’m traveling for more than a couple days then I also grab my headphones and tune into my favorite Pandora Playlist. In a pinch, the camera in my iPhone 4 will suffice over dragging around the Canon PowerShot. Just depends on the situation really.

My low tech tools include my Moleskine Planner, two sharpened Mirado Black Warrior pencils complete with pink eraser toppers and a small blank Moleskine journal.

moleskine, planner, journel, mirado black warrior, pink eraser head, pencil

If I am doing cookbook reviews then I will need that particular book handy so I get all my recipe references correct but other than that, the above listed items are always within reach.

During mild Spring & Autumn days, I move myself out onto the porch where I can enjoy the birdsong and the pups can snooze in the sun. The rest of the year finds me in my comfy armchair, feet up with my writing board spanning the arms of the chair which forms my desktop.

Martin made my writing board from 1/4″ birch, seven years ago after I showed him this one that I found on Levenger’s site. Mine of course cost no more than what we paid for the birch and the time Martin invested jig sawing the shape and then sanding it smooth. I have even picked up a clip-on, battery operated LED Book Light which makes a great mobile desk, task light.

I do have one more tool I’d like to add to my arsenal though. I have been coveting the BedLounge for those times when I want need to work in bed or the couch so the pups can be close by and I can still work in comfort.

BedLounge

I don’t think Martin can make me one though so I’ll need to start saving my pennies.

 

©2012 Dawn Marie Kelly, all rights reserved.

 

 

 

 

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