South Face Farm

About this time last week, I found out that I would have the whole weekend off of work. It became clear that it would be a good idea to plan an adventure. This post reminded me that despite growing up in New England and going to college in the woods in New Hampshire, I'd never been to a sugar shack, so Emma and I decided to rectify that with a trip to South Face Farm.

We couldn't decide what to get, so we ordered one of everything and split it down the middle. It was all delicious, especially covered in fresh maple syrup. I liked the waffle the best- it was thin and crispy and really flavorful, but everything was pretty amazing. Afterwards, we watched them boil sap into syrup for far longer than I would have expected it to be interesting.

It was the perfect weekend adventure.

I got home from work extra early tonight, so my roommate Mary and I went on a little adventure to the Tufts library roof to look at Boston and see the sun go down.

It was chilly and the sunset wasn't particularly amazing, but it's still amazing to me that you can get a perfect view of Boston from pretty far away. That, and the roof garden itself is pretty magical. 

Five

So, I don't normally do these things, but then Rachael tagged me, and I have a crush on her blog and I never post anymore, so here goes.

Five things about me.

1. I am loud. Like, if you asked someone to describe me, they'd probably start with how much my voice carries. It used to bother me, but now I just try to keep it down around new people, and I feel grateful that people always know how to find my house when the windows are open. (No, really.)
2. I am a lefty, and I'm secretly really proud of it. I always notice when other people are lefties, too.
3. I went to college to study mechanical engineering. I wanted to design racecars. Two years in, though, I realized that I hated it, so I took a year off from school. I nannied an amazing little girl, and when I got back to Dartmouth, I switched my major to psych. I've been working with kids since then.
4. I've had this blog since forever. It's kind of weird to go back through old posts (when I was 21, I spent a lot of time talking about homework), but it's a neat and sometimes hilarious way to remember what life was like back then.
5. When I was in high school, I worked on a farm. It changed everything, not just about how  I think about food and agriculture, but also how I viewed myself as part of a community. It was amazing.

No pressure, but Mel and Anna, I'm curious about your answers!

PS That picture of me up there was taken by Tricia Saxler, who I get to work with at her other job. It belongs to her. Don't steal it!
PPS I don't know why you'd steal it, but you know, trying to give credit where credit is due. . .
PPPS I think that reading things I wrote when I was 21 makes me write like I'm 21 again.

Snow Brunch

 

The snowstorm we're getting up and down the east coast is making me a little nostalgic for Nemo. Nobody had to work, and you weren't allowed to drive anywhere, so the logical thing to do (after making chicken and waffles, of course) was to have people over for Saturday brunch.

Liz and Chris hiked up to my house. Betsy snowshoed over. Mary and I walked from our respective bedrooms to the kitchen. 

There were sourdough waffles (I. am. obsessed.), and hot chocolate with as many mix-ins as I could find. I may or may not have licked whipped cream from the whisk.

And then we went sledding.

That Baby

Two weeks ago, I took a little vacation to the midwest. I planned my trip around a visit to St. Louis to visit my friends Lisa and Charlie and their new baby, Teddy. (I prefer to call him That Baby, but I'm not so sure Charlie understands the affectionate tone I use, so I'm trying to work on using his actual name.)

 

It was so fun to get to spend the weekend with my friends, to eat barbecue, and to go to Teddy's christening (I'm his godmother!)

But the best part, by far, was witnessing just how much love there is for this little boy, both from his parents (who are already doing an amazing job), and from his extended family and friends.

It was such a treat to get to spend the weekend with them, even if they wouldn't let me take Teddy back to Boston. I guess that means I'll just have to go back to visit ASAP.

Chicken and Waffles

Last Thursday, it became clear that we were going to get an epic snowstorm. It became clear to me that I needed to engage in an epic cooking project, so on Friday before they shut down the T, Elizabeth and Sara adventured over to my house to make chicken and waffles.

I had never deep-fried anything before, and honestly, Elizabeth did most of the work. There were a lot of steps involved, but none of them were that complicated, and the chicken was some of the best I'd ever had.

(I absolutely gave them a hard time about the Ivy League sweatshirts. Actually, they gave themselves a hard time.)

I have the BEST waffle recipe, so of course it made sense to have waffles with our fried chicken. I'm not sure why they're such a perfect combination, but they really are, especially when the world outside is quickly turning into a winter wonderland.

We felt extra cozy indoors.

WorkTrip

A couple of weeks ago, I went on a work trip to Philadelphia. I get to have a little role in a really cool project, which meant that I got to meet someone whose work I've admired since I took my first education class my junior year of college. That was amazing, and pretty inspiring.





I also got to hang out in a high school and have adventures in Philadelphia with my froworkers.*


We actually sat in one room, gchatting with each other. We're classy like that.


There is a really gorgeous running path behind the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Julia and I explored it.


If you eat meat, you have to have a cheesesteak. It's like a rule.


The Barnes Foundation is a really strange and pretty wonderful museum. All of the art was placed in really interesting ways.

I'm lucky to work with such fun people, and to get to do such fun stuff. I had so much fun exploring Philadelphia- I can't wait to go back!

*froworker = friend + coworker. My froworker Carlos and I made it up. It's catching on, I think.