Category Archives: Holidays

End of summer, beginning of fall

I categorize the sad ending of summer in two different ways.  The first – when I officially finish my last NDA camp.  This happened on Saturday when I ended 2 back-to-back camps: Shen in New York and Bryant University in Rhode Island.

We work really hard at camp... That would be me as a dead staffer.

The second time I say goodbye to the summer is the first day of September (aka tomorrow.)  After Irene, there is an autumn chill in the air up here in Boston.  As much as I love the hot days of summer, I also bask in the cooler breeze of fall.

One of the best parts living up here in the fall is watching the leaves change colors.  Another is carving pumpkins, apple picking, then cooking with said pumpkins and apples.  I also love when I have lots of things to look forward to and this is definitely the time of year when it happens on a regular basis.

Monkey Trunks.  Has anyone ever heard of this place?  It’s in NH on Weirs Beach.  Apparently, it’s like a jungle gym for adults.  With harnesses.  And heights.  And nets in case you fall.  And medical waivers.  Clearly, this was not my idea.  I’m just being dragged along for the ride.  Could be fun.

School starts.  Hello Boston University COM.  You are a lovely building.  I think we’ll be great friends.  Conveniently located only .87 miles from the beautiful BU gym?  That was really nice of you to consider me like that.  Side note: When my mom asked me the other day “What types of notebooks do you want?” it brought me back to 4th grade when Anne Frank was popular.  Good ‘ol nostalgia..

10K Training.  6 weeks, 6.2 miles.  And I plan on crushing every.single.one.  (I’ll try not to throw up the process… No guarentees though.)  Follow my progress on my new 10K Training page!

Dance.  3 nights a week and I could not be happier.  Choreographing “Hello World” is both wonderful and heartbreaking.  “Sideways” hits home in more ways than one.  “Suckerpunch” and “Superbass” are high energy and just fun.  And “Crazy Crazy Insane” will be sexy as hell.  Keep an eye out of video updates.

Sweaty and happy

Boston Brunchers dinner at Lil Vinny’s Ristorante.  Good thing I check my e-mail 4543 times a day or I might have missed Renee’s invite for a free, family-style dinner at Lil Vinny’s in Somerville with the Boston Brunchers on Thursday night.  Lots of pics and a review will be coming your way!

Boston Brunchers brunch at Local 149 .  Once again, my OCD-like behavior of checking my e-mail wins.  I originally didn’t get the opportunity to be apart of this brunch but since Irene caused an uproar, they moved it and I snagged a seat!

Chocolate & Wine’s 1st Blogiversary.  I started my little blog on September 7, 2010 never knowing that people would want to read it and that I’d get so much support for it.  I am so grateful for all of the friends I’ve made and the different events I get to go to through my blog.  Thank you to everyone for making Chocolate & Wine a success.

Stephen’s 24th Birthday.  Man, he’s getting old.  I like to remind him of it everyday.  He doesn’t mind (much).  However, he is probably one of the most difficult people on the planet to buy a present for so this year, we are doing something a little different.  It includes dinner and Boston.  Hopefully it’s a success.

Yeah, we're cute like that.

Raechel’s Bacheloretty Party.  I mean, who doesn’t love dinner, drinks and dancing with a good friend who’s about to tie the knot?  I’m a big fan.

Turn that martini into a shot and we have Raechel's Bacheloretty Party.

Races.  Run for Ryan 5K on September 17th. Tufts Women’s 10K on October 19th. Witch City 5K on October 23rd.  I’m going to make it rain PRs all over those 5Ks.  And in Salem, I’m gunna do it in costume.  Watch out now.  PS – if you want to run one with me, let me know and I’ll send you the info! (Head’s up – I run slow.)

George & Julie’s Wedding.  After a long 2-year engagement, my cousin George is marrying his fiance, Julie.  Seriously, she could not be more right for him.  And of course, we can expect lots of crying from this girl right here.  Damn emotions.

My Sister’s 21st Birthday.  Finally.  She’s kept me waiting long enough.  Now we can have some real big kid fun.

Halloween.  Candy, costumes, parties… enough said.

That takes us through October.  I also plan on having my first giveaway for my blog’s 1st anniversary.  Lots of people right now are doing “Favorite Things” giveaways and I’m jumping right on that bandwagon.  If you want in, check back around the 7th!   Until then, follow me on Twitter for updates - @ChocoAndWine.

I wanna know… What are you looking forward to most this fall?  Any suggestions for what to put in my “Favorites” giveaway?

Weekend Recap & My First Race Week!

As you can see from my previous post, I have lots of RUNNING related things going on this week.  But I don’t want to miss out on recapping my wonderful weekend because it was jam-packed and full of fun.  Makes me wish every day was the weekend.

On Friday night, my friend/co-worker/Work Mama, Tracie, invited me to a wine tasting at a friend’s house.  We drank copious amounts of wine, ate lots of crudites, hummus and oreo truffles (made by me, which everyone loved!) and I met lots of wonderful people.  I took an extensive amount of notes during the tasting, per the English major in me, and learned quite a bit.

The party host, Dawn, from The Traveling Vineyard brought 5 wines for each of us to sample: 2 whites, 2 reds and 1 dessert.  She encouraged us to grab different finger foods to try with each.  The wines included Sauvignion Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignion.  Dawn told us that the proper way to try a wine is to use four categories: color, aroma, taste and legs.  Yes, legs.  The more “legs” a glass of wine has, the more alcoholic it is.  For example, if you swirl a glass of Sauvignion Blanc, the drip lines down the glass will be few, if any, and very thin.  But if you swirl a Cabernet and glance at the legs, they will run thick and numerous.  This is because the alcohol content is much higher in red wines than whites.  It was a great educational experience as well as an excuse to drink lots of wine.  Win-win.  Thanks Tracie!

Saturday was my dad’s 59th birthday.  (Happy Birthday Daddy!)  He took the day off from work to…work.  Around the house.  He likes that sort of thing.  Boyfriend and I went out for a walk along my 5K route in Marblehead around 1 but after a mere mile, it started pouring.  HARD.  We quickly abandoned the walk and headed to the mall to buy gifts for Mother’s Day where we waited in the obnoxious Pandora line for an hour.  Good thing he’s funny.  I would’ve been so bored alone.

On the way home, we picked up additional Mother’s Day gifts (a bottle of Midori for his mom from me and a bottle of red wine to my mom from him), a new bottle of Merlot for us, bought dinner ingredients at Hannaford’s and by the time we got back to his house, we had gotten it into our heads to make homemade wheat bread (a 3-hour process), turkey chili and profiteroles for dessert.  Perfect for a Saturday night at home.

Let me just say – the worst part about breadmaking is the WAIT.  We used this awesome recipe from a blog I found called Hot Mess Cooking.  It is a lengthy process so I’ll let you jump over there for it’s entirety.  The yeast expanded, the dough rose, we punched it, it rose again but it just takes patience…which we all know I don’t have so I proceeded to throw flour around the kitchen and boss Stephen around to pass the time.  He always loves when I do that.

Here’s what the bread looked like. It was so good.

The chili recipe, adapted from Weight Watchers, is easy and requires 1 (maybe 2) pots/pans for the entire cooking time.  We like to throw in a few extra things (mushrooms, turkey kielbasa, a jalapeno, red pepper flakes and hot sauce) but a little heat never hurts.  Just make sure to chaperone the pot if your significant other is heavy-handed with the Sriracha sauce.  That stuff hurts.

Dessert was a classic from 17th century France: profiteroles.  Simply put, these are hollow pastry puffs, light and airy that are split apart making the perfect canvas for ice cream, whipped cream, pastry cream, etc.  We made ours from a basic combination of flour, nutmeg, eggs, butter and water,placed a small scoop of vanilla bean ice cream in the middle and then doused the tops in semi-sweet chocolate.  It was hard not to eat all of them.  Warm and dainty, but so light you don’t feel (as) guilty about that extra scoop of ice cream on the side or eating the chocolate sauce out of the bowl.  All-in-all, a good Saturday.

Sunday = Mother’s Day and I got to spend it with the fam at my sister’s college.  After a mid-day dinner at Bertucci’s (I got the special salad: arugala, orange, roasted red peppers, grilled chix with a lemon dressing and balsamic glaze) and a Mocha Light Frappuccino from Starbucks (happy hour, dur), we headed home.

I sat around for 10 minutes and decided to head to the gym.  I figured I’d do a short run (20 minutes or so) and get some strength training in.  I settled myself onto the treadmill with a new playlist and told myself I would run to the end of it.  At the end of it, I replayed a 5:22 song Kanye’s “The New Workout Plan” and decided to finish that.  At that point, I took my sweater down from the tread to see my time and I was at 3.01.  Since I started the run at .33 after a 5-minute walk, I decided to push the end of the 3 miles.  I clocked it at about 32:20 and marked the completion of my Couch to 5K training.  I was so happy, I thought I was going to cry.  I walked to cool down, did some strength and some abs, drained 2 water bottles and left feeling accomplished (and very very sweaty.)

Looking ahead to this week…

So it’s my first race week ever, but since this is no 26.6 mile race, I don’t feel that “tapering” really applies to me yet.  Here’s what I’ve got planned for the week workout-wise…

Monday: Cross trainer, arms, Dance 7-8
Today: Run the 5K route, abs, sides, arms
Wednesday: Cross trainer, thighs, sides, abs, Dance 7-9
Thursday: Run the 5K route, abs, sides, arms, Dance 7-8
Friday: REST!
Saturday: Well.. duh.

Weekend & Easter Recap

Happy Easter Monday everyone!  Too bad it’s not an actual holiday… I’m pretty sure we could all use an extra day to come out of our food-induced comas.

My weekend was full of friends and family and I loved every minute of it.  After work on Friday, my sister and I decided to spend some quality time together.  We hit the gym for a bit before getting Panera for dinner (I’ll have the You Pick 2: Black Bean Soup & 1/2 Chicken Thai Salad, no wontons, dressing on the side, please!) and went to see the movie Water for Elephants.  It was one of the best movies I’ve ever seen.  The storyline was typical of a romance but the acting was wonderful and I have a soft spot for elephants anyway.  Go. See. It.

After the movie, I headed to Medford to meet up with some friends for Friday night in Boston.  I would have to advise you to skip Kitty O’Shea’s the next time you want a bar/club scene.  Needless to say, the bouncers there are inappropriate, rude and very inconsiderate.  No details necessary, just keep that in mind.

Saturday morning included an iced coffee and spending time with my sister before meeting up with some high school friends for lunch at Bertucci’s (Salad Vivaldi con Pollo & Bello is highly recommended..just saying).  I don’t know how I ever let my communication with these girls go.  We caught up on everything from college life to life now.  We’re older and wiser, but still those high school jokes are still as hysterical.

Later that night, I met up with the boyfriend and we decided to head to Grassfields in Danvers for dinner.  Little did we know that is the identical twin to one of our favorite restaurants a few towns away.  Who knew?  Regardless, I got the Surf & Turf broiled scallops and steak tips (medium rare of course) with a double side of veggies.  The scallops were dusted with a combination of spices that were out of this world and the steak tips were gently marinated and cooked to perfection.  And the veggies? Crisp tender and NOT slathered in butter, thank goodness.  We highly recommend it for a casual, inexpensive date night.  Oh, and try the pomegranate margarita – you will not be disappointed.

Easter Sunday rolled around and I was out of bed by 8:30 to go to mass with my family.  It was beautiful, as the St. Pius V Parish masses always are.  Communion takes a bit longer than normal Sunday service because of how packed the church is but our priest’s homily was short, sweet and meaningful.

We headed home and I made breakfast: Egga-Pinwheels from Hungry Girl.  The first carb-y thing I’ve had in 40 days.  It was heavenly and healthy which is always a nice combo.  It was similar to a ham-egg-cheese traditional breakfast sandwich but with way better nutritional info!

I also made HG red velvet cupcakes with my own buttercream (made with Brummel & Brown spread).  Unfortunately I didn’t get a picture of the cupcakes but it was curiously warm outside yesterday and after piping beautiful swirls of buttercream on my cupcakes, it quickly melted ALL. OVER. THE. PLACE.  Still tasted good even though I was pissed about it.  And of course my family would say that “it’s not how they look, it’s how they taste, Rie.”  Yeah, yeah.  Good thing they were yummy - that could have been just embarassing.

Can you tell we are Italian?

After dessert, I headed to Stephen’s and had more wine and his mom’s Italian cookies.  I swear, I could eat an entire batch of those things.  Made with anise and almond extracts, they are little pillows of confectionary genius.  An old family recipe.  Utter perfection.

Overall, it was a successful weekend and I look forward to getting my butt to the gym today and spending the next 2 weeks in body detox.  Fine with me!

Also!  Here are a few things coming up that I am getting excited about:
- My first 5K : Saturday, May 14th @ 10AM
- NDA Staff Meeting in Oklahoma: Friday-Monday, May 27th-30th
- My First DanceWorks Boston show: Thursday & Friday, June 2nd & 3rd
- BAHAMAS: June 11th-18th

Egga-Pinwheels
Adapted from Hungry Girl

1 package (roll) of Pillsbury Seamless Creations Crescent Dough
6 slices lean deli ham (blotted dry with paper towels to get rid of excess moisture)
1 cup Egg Beaters
3 slices fat-free American cheese, torn into pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Spray a frying pan with nonstick cooking spray and bring to medium heat.  Scramble cup of Egg Beaters until fully cooked and set aside.

Roll out dough on a clean, flat surface dusted with flour.  Roll out until dough is about 1/4th inch think and even with the shorter sides to the left and right.  Lay ham evenly over the dough leaving a 1-2 inch border on the right side only.  Evenly spread scrambled eggs over the ham and sprinkle the cheese over the egg.

Starting on the left side of the doll, roll the dough tightly and seal both sides and the middle.  With a sharp knife, slice the roll into 8 disks.  Lay flat on a baking sheet sprayed with nonstick spray and bake in oven 15-20 minutes, until dough is puffed and golden brown.

Weekly Gratitude

Hooray for Friday!  I know I’ve only had a 4-day work week (so spoiled..) but I’m really excited about this weekend.  It’s Easter .. duh .. and that means spending time with my family, eating good food and being thankful… I figured a Friday Weekly Gratitude was appropriate.

  • Thank you to my sister, Melissa.  She’s home from college for Easter break and man, she’s a funny kid.  She came with me to 2 nights of dance practice and totally showed me up in hip-hop.  I told her to stop being better at it than me.  She doesn’t listen.
  • Thank you to Marathon Monday for giving me the day off from work and giving me something else to strive for.  Those Boston runners are incredible!
  • Thank you to the sun.  It’s nice to finally see you.  Would you mind warming the Boston area up just a bit more?
  • Thank you to flip-flops.  I’ve missed you.
  • Thank you to Boston University’s Accepted Student’s Day.  It was so well-organized and everyone running it was beyond helpful.  I know I am making the right decision to go there for graduate school and I pray that I get picked to study abroad in London next summer to cover the Olympics! ::Fingers crossed::
  • Thank you to my high school friends who have recently gotten back in touch.  We’re getting together tomorrow and it’ll be so great to talk and catch up after a long time apart.
  • Thank you again to the people I work with.  The days go by faster and the crazors are a little easier to deal with because of you.
  • Thank you to my Nuna for everything she has given me.  Most recently paying my (very expensive) BU deposit.  She is amazing.
  • Thank you to my grandmother… another Easter with us and still going strong.  She is the cornerstone of our family.  We love you Grammy.
  • Thank you to Easter Sunday.  A day of love, family and faith.

St. Patrick’s Day Treats – Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

I promised green treats and here they are.  Okay, so they aren’t green but they are a dessert take on a traditional Irish-inspired drink.  I brought them to my DWB dance rehearsal last Thursday night and a few to work on Friday morning.  Not to brag, but everyone loved them. (Yes, I know that is bragging. Forgive me.)

I couldn’t actually eat the cupcake portion (Lent…) but you can bet I had a serving or two of the buttercream by itself.  I just couldn’t resist.  I don’t think you could either.

For those of you who have never had one, an Irish Car Bomb is a drink consisting of Guinness, Jamieson and Bailey’s.  You take a 16 ounce glass and fill it a little more than halfway with Guinness.  You then take a shot glass half full of Jamieson and half full of Bailey’s, drop it into the glass of Guinness and chug the whole thing before it curdles together.

Apparently, it’s supposed to taste like chocolate milk.  They don’t – I had my first one on Saturday night.  I’m a much bigger fan of this dessert.  These cupcakes (without the Jamieson part – I decided against the whiskey ganache this time) are a piece of Irish heaven.  And there is no chugging involved.

– I’m sorry that there are no pictures yet.  Unfortunately, I have a horrible reputation with cameras and I either need ANOTHER new one or I have to charge the one I have now.  Sad.  I’ll get them up ASAP!

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes
Adapted from Baked Perfection

Guinness Cupcakes
1 cup Guinness Stout
1 cup butter (I use Brummel & Brown)
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup splenda (or another calorie-free sugar substitute)
1.5 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup low-fat sour cream

Bailey’s Buttercream
3/4 cup butter (Brummel & Brown)
Powdered sugar (I never measure it; I don’t like it super sweet so I just add it in small amounts until I reach the sweetness I like.. it’s probably around 2 to 2.5 cups)
Capful of Bailey’s (literally use the Bailey’s bottle cap – probably about a tablespoon)

Optional garnish:
Green sugar sprinkles

For the cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line cupcake tins with liners.  I made 24 mini cupcakes and 17 standard size from one batch of batter but you can make 24 standard cupcakes or 48 minis with the same amount. 

Bring Guinness and butter to a simmer over medium-high heat.  Whisk in the cocoa powder until fully combined and smooth.  Take it off the heat and allow it to cool.

Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl together.  In another large bowl, beat sour cream and eggs together until just combined.  Slowly, add the Guinness mixture to egg.  Gradually add the flour and continue to beat until it is all incorporated.

Evenly distribute the batter into the prepared cups filling them about 3/4 full.  Bake until tester comes out of the center clean – approximately 14 minutes for mini cupcakes, 17-19 minutes for the standard size.  Let cool completely before frosting.

For the buttercream:

Cream butter until smooth in a large bowl using a hand mixer.  Gradually add the powdered sugar until desired sweetness and consistency are reached.  Finally, add the Bailey’s and fully combine.

To decorate:

Using a pastry bag (or awesome mechanical piping set), pipe frosting onto each cupcake.  Garnish with green sugar sprinkles. 
Store in airtight tupperware at room temperature.

Everybody’s Irish on St. Patrick’s Day!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone!  Although I’m not Irish, I usually take part in the traditions anyway.  I mean, how can you not get into the spirit when you’re a college student and there’s green beer to be had?

Well, I’m not an undergrad anymore and to be honest, I don’t like green beer at all.  But there are things about St. Patrick’s Day that I do love.  The color green is one of them, boiled cabbage is another.  But it seems that St. Patrick’s Day isn’t just an excuse for a free-for-all drinking binge (which, I will not be taking part in but if you head to South Boston, you definitely won’t be alone) but its the perfect time to try out some great Irish-inspired recipes.  I have selected a few of my favorites from some fellow cooking blogs.  I hope you enjoy them!

Oh - and yes, I made St. Paddy’s Day treats for my dance rehearsal tonight.  Check back for my next post to see how pretty they turned out!

Hungry Girl’s Shamrock & Roll Shake

Corned Beef & Cabbage

Double Fudge Irish Cream Cookies

Traditional Irish Car Bomb 

Plaid St. Patrick’s Day Cupcakes (Video Tutorial)

And speaking of cupcakes…. Well, you’ll just have to wait and see!

Very Exciting News, No Meat on Fridays & A Little Something Special

I’m not going to lie – the past two days have been incredible.  First, I won an orange iPod at work yesterday.  Today, I got an interview for a marketing company I applied for  (fingers crossed I do well) and found out that I got into Boston University’s prestigious graduate program for journalism.  Needless to say, I’ve been bouncing off the walls with glee for the past 36 hours.

And, as we’ve already established, it’s Lent… 3 days in and the no-carb promise is going strong.  As is my 5K training, of which, I have successfully completed 2 days.  I know it’s baby steps but 2 days is a lot to a non-runner and my calves are definitely feeling it.

Being Catholic, Lent is 40 days of repentence, remembrance and no meat of Fridays.  Today is Friday and I’m craving fish – good thing since it’s practically the only thing I can have today.  A simple tuna salad for lunch (a can of tuna and a 2 teaspoons of low fat mayo – I hate it when it’s super mayo-y) and salmon for dinner.

Salmon is one of my favorite foods of all time.  Ask my boyfriend – I get it almost every time we go out to dinner.  So tonight, I figured I’d make my own.

I chose a simple recipe and it was delicious.  The lemon sauce was the perfect compliment to the lightly peppered fish.

Broiled Salmon with Lemon Sauce

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth
1 TB cornstarch
2 TB honey
4 5-ounce salmon filets, skinned removed
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Preheat broiler to low.  Place salmon filets on a broiler pan that has been greased lightly with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Whisk together the lemon juice, chicken broth and cornstarch.  Heat in a small saucepan over medium heat until sauce thickens, stirring constantly.  Stir in the honey and remove from heat.  Cover and keep warm while you cook the salmon.

3.  Broil salmon for 8-10 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.  Serve salmon and top with sauce.  Season with black pepper to taste.

Serves 4.

On a completely different note, I have some very exciting dance news.  I work for a company based in Texas called the National Dance Alliance.  With them, I travel to different states during the summer to teach at their high school summer camps.  This past summer, I worked a total of 9 camps in 7 states.  This upcoming summer, I will be a 3rd year vet with NDA and it is one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had.

My last camp of Summer 2010 was with a high school team north of Albany, New York.  While they weren’t the most technical team I worked with during the summer, they by far, had the most heart.  By the end of the 3 days, I felt as though I was a part of their team, despite the fact I am (significantly) older than them.  They cried when I gave them a bid to NDA’s High School National Championships and I cried when I pulled out of their parking lot to go home.  5 months later, I was back in their gym.  This time, however, it was all about nationals.

After 2 intense days of choreography, 3 months of practice with their amazing coaches and 1 more cleaning day with me, the team is now in Orlando, FL to display their hard work at nationals.  Diamond-themed routine under their belts and shimmering, new, black and silver poms in their hands, my girls will take the stage on Saturday morning with hopes of making finals and ranking as one of the best teams in the nation.

But regardless of whether or not they place, I am so proud to say that I am their choreographer.  They are one of the most loving teams I have ever come across.  They not only love to dance but they love each other, their coaches (and me!)  And I love them back.

GOOD LUCK AT NATIONALS SHEN DANCE TEAM!

Lent: My No-Carb Promise

Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. 

Every year, I attempt to give up something.  A few years ago, I gave up milk because I used to drink an abnormal amount of the stuff.  Nowadays, that would be easy because I don’t drink milk that much anymore.  This year I have decided to give up carbs.  Why?  There are a few reasons.

First, I don’t need them.  Carbs, you are harmful to me despite how much I love you.

Second, I am going to the Bahamas in 3 months…enough said, right?

Third, it’ll definitely be a challenge and I need more of those in my life right now.  (Ahem, 5K training….)

So, for the next 40 days, I will be carb-free.  No bread, pasta, crackers, etc. etc. It will impact my cooking but I don’t think it will be so dramatic that I will slip into a boring routine.  I’ll do my best to change up the proteins, veggies, soups, even the desserts since I consider cakes, cookies and the like to be serious carbos. 

Nevertheless, with my dance schedule, new 5K training and Jillian Michaels ab routine, I think a bikini in 3 months just might be possible.  Maybe, we’ll see.