Twelve Dates of Christmas :: Brunch at Hamersley's (No.2)

We had an event packed weekend. Mostly, it was events revolving around food and decadent eating. Every single meal we had today was out- which doesn't make for  a good feeling at the end of the day, but was much enjoyed at the time. 

Technically, our original X-mss Date #2 was brunch at Hamersley's with E & A (a family brunch!).  It was nice to catch up. Both E and I wanted one of the waffle dishes (savory? sweet?- couldn't quite decide) but alas, the waffle machine happened to be broken today- we were informed literally minutes after we set foot into the restaurant. Seriously, of all days! We subsequently both settled for the arctic char special, but still, I think our hearts were set on the lobster waffles. Nevertheless, brunch was so delicious that I forgot to capture any of the moments in photos. Good thing Chris snapped at least the menu. (In addition to brunch, we had a breakfast of dim sum and a dinner of straight up carb-loaded pasta- gnocchi for me and pasta fra diavolo for Chris. Just classic.)

We walked around a bit today between breakfast and brunch looking for some necessary cookware for  preparing Christmas dinner. We now finally have a true roasting pan!

We saw this cute little "lawn" decor in the South End whilst strolling around:

And we ran into a group of Christmas caroling bicyclists!! I wish I had time to have captured them on video.

Twelve Dates of Christmas :: The Nutcracker (No. 1)

We kicked off our Twelve Dates of Christmas with our yearly trip to The Nutcracker! This is our 4th year in a row going to the show, and it's still just as exciting every year. Chris and I are in agreement that this year's performance was, no doubt, the best show (though C did note a couple of mis-steps. Chris! I likely did not notice these little mistakes since I joked that the two tallest people in the entire row in front of us, if not in the entire theater, just happened to sit in front of the two of us…). I can't quite put my finger on why we thought this year's show was stand-out, but I think that the costumes and dance numbers were just spectacular this year- pared down to the most beautiful bits.

We have been pretty lucky each year in terms of weather. At least in my memory, it's been nice enough that we've been able to just walk to the Opera House, and yesterday was no different.  It was uncannily "warm" yesterday for late December, and all the snow that had accumulated last week was slowly  but actively melting. We walked through Boston Commons on our way there and got a couple of good shots of the Christmas lights.

the Commons and the city scape behind it on a beautiful winter night

beautifully strung blue lights near the skating rink- which was packed. Just packed with people having fun. The most packed we've ever seen in. "crazy, nuts, packed" per Chris.

The Opera House is just so elaborate inside- a real underrated treasure in Boston, I feel. We've got to plan to get there at least an hour prior to the show one of these years so that we can get a good picture of the two of us in there. It's usually mob-like when we get there and there are just too many people in front of, behind, and everywhere, to get a really good picture.

but I did get this one, though. Beautifully, ornate ceiling at the Boston Opera House. 

After the show, we stopped by our favorite fast food haunt, Uburger. We always find an excuse when we're anywhere near the Commons to stop by that place. Well, even when we're no where near the Commons too, I suppose. 

at Uburger, enjoying the view of the Commons. You can see our reflections in the
window! Guess what Chris ordered…a frappe. A frappe! In this weather! No wonder
someone got cold on the walk home...

close up of the X-mas tree, on our way home.

Happy Birthday and Xmas decor

Happy birthday to Chris! This year, since his birthday fell on a Monday (boo), we celebrated the weekend before. We went to The Cottage, in Chestnut Hill. It was a fun day to go to the 'burbs, as it was the first real snow fall of the year. The streets were relatively empty and we almost had the entire restaurant to ourselves. We had eaten at The Cottage in Wellesley with friends several weeks prior and Chris adored the prime rib special. Now, it is rare for him to love a meal/dish at just any old place, but it happened and we decided to give it a whirl again for his birthday. I was glad that the second time around was still a success! (He always pretends he's not pleased with his photo being taken, but again, don't let that stifled smile fool you.)

On the actual birthday day, we celebrated with good ol' college Chris' favorite meal of wings from our old college haunt (or rather, delivery-haunt), Wing It.  

We both have next week until the New Year off and though we are spending Christmas in Boston, we are looking forward to pursuing some quiet holiday time off, exploring what the city has to offer. I've been very inspired by "Twelve Dates of Christmas" from a blog I read and have planned out some good activities in the next coming weeks. I would love to hear live Christmas music but haven't yet found a performance that fits into our schedule. It'll be a busy but fun couple of weeks- we have two weddings to attend before the New Year!

A few weeks ago, we found our Christmas tree. The past two years, we've brought home a tall one- I'm talking, it needs to be strapped to the roof of our car- tall. This year, we decided to go small. It even fit into the back seat- no trunk needed! I've documented how much our pets (especially Gregory) love the Christmas tree ornaments here, and this year is no different. So far, no broken ornaments despite his attempts. The nutcracker soldier still lives. 

Householding

We haven't had too much time these days- mostly due to Chris' intense schedule which requires him to be in bed by before 9:30 pm. I am an early riser at 6 am and every morning for the past 2 months, Chris is gone and out of the home before then. 

This leaves me to do all of what I call the "maid work." One day on my day off, I truly felt like I spent the entire day planning out very strategically, how best to maximize house work. The dishes were cleaned, the kitchen was scrubbed, all surfaces were vacuumed. All the while, load after load of laundry was being washed. The weekly meal plan was established and off to the store I went to purchase and lug home a weeks' worth of ingredients in our reusable grocery bags. I believe 3 separate store employees asked whether I "needed help" with all the grocery bags.

I joked to Chris that when he came home that day, that it must have felt to him, that the "maid" had come while he was gone, as the home was in complete order, clean clothes filled the dressers, and a warm meal was prepared. 

I spent a lot of the morning cooking today, also a day off. Some of the preparation was for our meal this evening: lentil meatballs with basil pesto, and other preparations were made for meals several days away. 

With all the tough work planning, cooking, and cleaning can be, it is delightful to enjoy a gourmet lunch that did take some time to prepare, but with flavors that are well worth the effort. Above, a delicious baby kale and roasted sweet potato salad. 

That ye olde time again

We enjoyed ourselves this past weekend at the King Richard's Faire. It's hard to believe that an entire year has passed so quickly since were were there last time! Though we weren't able to spend as much time at the faire this year, we still had just as grand a time. Strolling through the canopy of tall forest trees and the beginnings of a fall breeze adds greatly to the wonder of the faire, and the medieval music of bagpipes and pipes adds to the mythical feeling of the times. 

Of course, we could not forget about the faire food. We learned from our mistake last year that one roasted turkey leg per person is by far too much. So, one turkey leg per two people it was!

This year, we were not alone and I'm glad E was there to join in on the forest festivities.

We arrived to the faire early this year and the long lines we experienced last year for the bloomin' onion was not an issue at all. We enjoyed our fried onion while watching children try their hand at the best ride/game at the faire: the Dragon Joust!

Finally, who can forget about "peasants' bread"? Warm fried dough with sweet powdered sugar and cinnamon.

Don't let the stifled smile fool you- peasants' bread is pretty much Chris' reason for going to the faire each year!

Summer Ride

A wonderful bike ride with dog. You can read more about the adventure here!

Summer heat

We've tried to make the most out of summer- mostly on the weekends- despite the foreboding temperatures. Today is one of the first days the weather has been more moderate, but temperatures pushing 100F in a city where most people walk everywhere makes staying indoors the most attractive option. 

We've spent a little time on the roof deck, but mostly in the late evening when the sun is on its way down. The photo above is of the neighborhood, as seen from our roof deck. I've been considering making our common building roof deck a little more friendly by adding some planters, but gardening and maintaining it through the fall and winter can prove a bit of a challenge. 

Since getting a bike, we have both been biking as our primary form of daily transportation. We have also been taking Harry out for weekend bike rides in his new bicycle basket! You can read all about how much he (and Gregory) loves it in the post here.

This photo was taken from our bike ride last weekend. We mostly ride along the Esplanade. You can see the all-too-familiar Mass Ave Bridge in the background. 

Speaking of biking, it is somewhat of a new obsession of mine. I've been reading up quite a bit about biking and the more you read, the more you need. We both got brand new, stylish bike helmets last weekend, which we both love.  At the bike shop, I test-rode a gorgeous vintage-style bike and I am so excited about this new, red bike that is supposed to be shipping from the UK any day now.  There will no doubt, be more photos as we go for more 'stylish' bike rides in the upcoming weeks!