Holiday Activities In Connecticut

You know what puts a damper on your holiday plans? Bronchitis. Do these (vaguely Victorian) activities because I can't:

                                         Credit: Mark Twain House & Museum

Attend Stowe & Twain’s Olde-Fashioned Christmas at the Mark Twain House

Check out the Wadsworth Atheneum's annual Festival of Trees (quick, It ends on Sunday! But also, Jazz Brunch!)

See the Nutmeg Ballet's performance of The Nutcracker at The Bushnell

Take a spin on The Bushnell Park Carousel during Winterfest

Go on Mystic Seaport's Lantern Light Tour 

Check out the New Britain Museum of American Art's Community Holiday on Dec. 9th. Free admission! 

Got any ideas?

Sunday Brunchin' At Firebox

Hey, want to hear something awesome? Of course you do. I found my new favorite brunch place in CT: Hartford's Firebox. I've been wanting to go to this place since it opened a couple years ago, but like so many other things in my life, it took awhile to make it happen. But, I am so glad I didn't give up. Everything from the food to the atmosphere is great. See that? That's a DJ! At brunch! In Hartford! It's the kind of place you'd expect to find in a city like Boston or New York, but unlike those places there isn't a 40 minute wait for a table and the prices are reasonable. Firebox is a part of Billings Forge and is housed in a beautiful, old brick building. They are part of the farm to table food movement and grow a number of ingredients in their garden out back.

Doesn't the word 'tavern' make your mouth water? No? Just me?

I had the eggs benedict with salmon pastrami and James had some egg and sausage thing served in a personal-sized cast iron pan. The hollandaise was so friggin good. Next time we go I'm asking for an additional side of hollandaise because I am gross and the accompanying heart disease is well-worth it. Also, salmon pastrami? Did you know this was a thing? I had never heard of it before I ordered it, but needless to say I am now a fan. In the middle is our order of homefries accompanied with a dollop of smoked paprika aioli. I have recently been introduced to the wonder that is smoked paprika, but this aioli took my adoration to a new level. Yet another thing to speed along that heart disease.

 All in all, it was a wonderful, relaxing meal that I'm sure was helped along by the two mimosas I had. It was also really nice to see how they incorporated other Hartford-area businesses and foods into the menu when possible. The toast my benedict came with was from the good ol' Hartford Baking Company. Basically, this is the kind of place that makes you go "Yeah! Hartford could really be something!" but then you look around and realize there's only six people in the entire restaurant on a gorgeous Sunday. I guess the place is pretty hopping during the weekend and happy hour, which is encouraging because this is the kind of place that Hartford needs.

An Afternoon at The Hartford Baking Company

This month I'm participating in NaNoWriMo, National Novel-Writing Month, where participants attempt to write a 50,000 word novel during the month of November. It is my first time doing this and am happy to say that I am currently on track at approximately 21,000 words--though I'm expecting to fall behind by the end of the week. As such, I have been neglecting the blog. Between teaching, tutoring, and writing a "novel" I haven't had much time or energy to post. My students are busy working on their research papers, which is always a stressful time for them (and me). 

Lately, I've taken to reviewing drafts and grading revisions at cafes in the area that provide a nice atmosphere, good eats, and don't mind an adjunct settling in to grade forty papers. I used to never understand how people would get work done in cafes, but there is something about grading that makes it the perfect activity to do in public. Plus, it makes me feel like I'm still living in a city. I know that probably sounds stupid and nonsensical, but so much of living in the 'burbs is done in private. It's kind of nice to do something as solitary as grading in the presence of others.

Last week I paid a visit to The Hartford Baking Co. while I tackled some drafts.The outside is nothing to write home about--it's located in a strip mall. But don't let the lackluster exterior deter you. Inside it's bright and cheery with a kind of industrial/minimalist decor and an open kitchen. More importantly, this place is serious about their coffee and baked goods.

Let me just say something: This is the best scone I have ever had. Ever.  Granted, I've never met a scone I didn't like, but this one surpasses all others in terms of flavor and texture. So flaky, so buttery, so orange-cranberry-ery! Buy two. One for now, and another for later. You'll thank me for this tip.

Next time: Christmas everything!


 

Culinary Time-Travel: Heirloom Apples

Last week, James and I made our annual pilgrimage to Belltown Hill Orchards in Glastonbury for apples, donuts, and more. I was thrilled to see that they had a variety of heirloom apples for sale and picked up a few.

Clockwise from top: Cox's Orange Pippin, a dessert apple that originated in England in 1825 and perfect for pie-making, the lovely, sweet, red Honeycrisp developed in 1960, and the tart, green Newtown Pippin, allegedly Thomas Jefferson's favorite apple.  

I first learned about heirloom apples last year while doing research for the book and loved the idea of cooking heirloom recipes WITH heirloom ingredients. It's culinary time travel! Luckily, heirloom fruits of all kinds seem to be having a moment right now, if NYT trend pieces are to be believed.  And really, considering that most grocery stores only stock around three varieties of apples out of the 7,500 available, one of which includes the abhorent Red Delicious, we could all benefit from a little more apple variety.

I first made a pie using a mixture of heirloom apples and a recipe for Blue Ribbon Apple Pie from my Cook's Country cookbook, which is filled with lots of old-fashioned, classic, "heirloom" American recipes.

Mmmm tastes like history!

Then on Saturday I made yummy vegan pancakes with warm apple topping from the Post Punk Kitchen. Not quite culinary time travel, but delicious all the same. So whether you're making an old fashioned apple pie, or just looking to spruce up an old recipe, heirloom apples are a great addition. Keep an eye out at the farmer's market or, if you're lucky, your grocery store for heirlooms.

 

Daytrippin' in Litchfield County

As my mother says, "Litchfield County is a lovely part of the world" and, even though it's only half an hour away from my home, it feels like another country. Sometimes I get so caught up in planning far away trips that I forget how restorative it can be to simply get away, even within state lines. So, after a busy week where we barely saw each other (thank you, new school year) James and I decided to take a long lesiurely drive down to New Milford, CT to visit our friend's farm.

Sullivan Farms (sadly, no relation) sits on 100 acres of beautiful Connecticut farmland and managed by our friend Joey, pictured here eating an apple.

All kinds of seasonal produce can be found at their farmstand, as well as other local products like honey, soaps, and maple syrup.

But we enjoyed simply wandering around the farm and taking in the scenery.

A girl could get used to this.

The Last Gasp Of Summer

On Monday James and I were supposed to go to a Red Sox night game. A nice way to wrap up summer, right? Well, turns out that it was actually a day game but James didn't realize this until the last minute. I couldn't go because I had to work and he didn't feel much like driving for two hours to sit in the hot sun by himself. So, to cheer him up, I suggested we head down to the shore and enjoy the beautiful weather. It would give us something to remember fondly in five months when we're trapped inside because it's too damn cold to go anywhere.

I wanted a shore dinner and I wanted to sit outside, so we made our way to Bill's Seafood in Westbrook. It may not have been Fenway, but it sure was cheaper. Plus, some scavenging seagulls provided surprisingly compelling dinner time entertainment.

James waiting no so patiently for his fish and chips--or being mad that I took his picture. Whatever.

You know what makes fried calamari even better? Jalapenos.

The hot lobster roll is a traditional Connecticut thing, and kind of goes with our whole upper crust snobby WASP vibe. Mayonaisse is simply too gauche, darling. Bill's wasn't as good as Abbott's, another CT institution, but lobster is still lobster.

After stuffing our faces, I suggested we take a walk on the beach to aid in digestion. We parked at the nearby Clinton town beach. Sometimes I forget how beautiful Connecticut can be.

....It's still boring though.

Sunday (Farmers) Marketing

As long time readers of this blog (all three of you) know, I love farmers markets. When I lived in Boston, it was a weekly ritual of mine, but since moving back to CT last year I confess I haven't gone marketing as often as I should, despite there being a number held in the state. The biggest one in the state is the Coventry Farmers Market, held on Sundays at the Nathan Hale homestead. It's a bit of a drive for me, but the variety of vendors and other activities made it well worth the trip. Plus, my friend Alicia drove.

Nathan Hale, Revolutionary War hero and local food enthusiast.

 Since there's only like, five cool things to do in Connecticut the place was packed. I really wanted some crepes from Le Petite France's truck but the line was too long. I settled for a delicious apple cider doughnut instead. First of the season!

In addition to the normal farmer's market activities, Kelly Farms was hosting a free pickling workshop. Alicia has been dying to learn how to pickle, so we checked it out.  

Some things I learned: 
This guy is obsessed with pickles.
Any part of a dill plant can be used for flavoring.
Apple cider vinegar is the best to use for pickling.
Shove as much as you can into the jar.
That's it.

There was also an old-fashioned fife and drum muster going on, which, from what I can tell, involves lots of marching in costumes and camping in one of these:

Rather cozy, if a bit rustic. 

  
Though I'm not sure this haircut is historically accurate...

All in all it was a lovely afternoon. We'll definitely be back for the Brews and Blues event on Sept 2nd. Until then I'll be checking out some other Sunday markets. This week: The Hill-Stead Museum's Farmers Market.

Daytrippin' in Old Saybrook

Last week, I was complaining to James about how we never do anything. Lately, our weekends have been eaten up by family and friend obligations, which is fine, but when we've had time to ourselves we've been too worn out to really take advantage of it. When we finally found ourselves with a free Monday, I suggested we head down to the shore instead of sitting on the couch. We decided on Old Saybrook, which is about a 45 minute drive, and made our way there without much of a plan other than to wander around and grab lunch. It's nice to be spontaneous once in a while. It makes me feel aliiiiiiive.

Obviously, when we saw this place I had to go in there. Luckily, the food was great!

James enjoying his egg scramble while the girls in the background have the distinct honor of being the only people I have ever seen talk about the tv show Girls in real life.

This was called 'The Best Grilled Cheese You'll Ever Eat" or something like that. It lived up to the name.

After lunch we walked around Main Street for awhile and stopped in this little bookshop.

I have a thing for used bookstores. Lately I've tried to stay away because, well, I have a lot of books already, but I couldn't resist.

 I made out pretty good.

Old Saybrook's favorite daughter, Katharine Hepburn and her cultural center. Kate and I actually have a lot in common. We were both born in Hartford, enjoy the Connecticut sea shore, and were labeled box office poison at pivotal points in our movie careers.

Oh, you didn't know about my love of old timey soda fountains? I guess it doesn't come up a lot because WHERE ON EARTH DO YOU EVER SEE THEM?

 I was far too excited about this....peach soda with caramel cashew ice cream.

 

James enjoying a cone outside the James Soda Fountain. James.

Leftovers

In addition to some fun but exhausting weekends as of late, I've been working on a couple other projects, so my attention has been rather scattered, but there's always time for food.

This week I made a delicious dinner of chicken and artichokes, while accidentally stabbing myself repeatedly during the process. Though fresh ones are lovely to photograph, I think I'll stick with frozen artichokes from now on. 

I also attempted to make a version of Trader Joe's addictive edamame hummus. Next time I'll go easier on the tahini.

We then stuffed ourselves with gyros and souvalki at the Hartford Greek festival this weekend. I have no regrets.

Lastly, Hartford Restaurant Week runs now until the 9th. I think we're going to check out Dish tonight.

In Which I Try To Relive My Former Lifestyle One Brunch At A Time

One of the things I miss most about living in Boston is the ability to walk to, well, anything. If I'm going to live in the suburbs, I at least want to live within walking distance of things to give me some semblance of my former city life.

We live pretty close to the small downtown area of Forestville, but as much as I enjoy Italian banquet facilities and closed travel agencies, there really isn't much going on there.

 Luckily, a new restaurant, Garnish, opened a few months ago, taking the place of a sketchy bar where there was a stabbing once. They offer brunch on the weekends and we finally made the walk over today.

I had crepes filled with strawberries and sweet mascarpone cheese, while James had eggs in a basket, which they called Nana's Windowpanes or something like that. Everything was delicious. The crepes were particularly good. I typed god at first just now, but I think it fits. "These crepes were GOD!" Yeah, good crepes are hard to come by around these parts. 

My friend Elizabeth, who lives in the big city, texted me during our meal to say that she was going to brunch, but would call me after--a typical Sunday activity for us. But this time, I got to say that I was at brunch too. See? Us 'Burbans can rock brunch! To which she replied, "We are such middle class white people." Fair enough. 

My favorite part though was when we got to walk back home, basking in the bright April sunshine. Of course, a ten minute walk wouldn't be complete without James complaining about it, but even he admitted that it was nice to be able to get outside a bit.