Marie

Sunday Brunch at the Bristol Lounge? Yes, please.

Published on June 8, 2011June 8, 2011 by Marie1 Comment

On Sunday morning, I hopped out of bed at 7:30 AM (a rare occurence for me on a weekend) to get ready for a day in Boston. The occasion? Brunch at the Bristol Lounge at the Four Seasons Hotel.

A few weeks ago, I entered a contest on the Boston Brunchers website to attend a complimentary brunch hosted by the Four Seasons. To enter, all we had to do was follow the hotel on Twitter (@FSBoston) and leave a comment saying why we thought we should get to go to the event. Representatives from the hotel picked 7 winners. I almost fell out of my chair at work when I saw the tweet saying I was one of the lucky 7.

When I arrived at the hotel at 10 AM, the hotel PR rep, Kristan, greeted us with a smile, gave a brief description of what our event entailed and graciously led us to the hotel’s pastry shop.

Once inside, we were given a warm welcome by two of the hotel’s pastry chefs. We noticed seven stations of parchment paper with a makeshift piping bag on the large counter. Chef Ashley proceeded to give us a lesson on how to pipe words in chocolate by gently putting pressure on the bag and letting the chocolate flow as it pleased. I need some practice (check mine out… looks like a 5 year old did it!) but his was incredible. Some of my fellow brunchers were good at it as well. Mom, if I just start melting chocolate and using obsene amounts of parchment paper, please do not be alarmed.

From there, Kristan took us down to the Bristol Lounge where a large buffet was set up for brunch. We sat at a round table, each table setting decorated in our honor. Then, the head chef of the hotel, Chef Vosika, came to chat with us, giving us fun facts and relaying the importance of brunch to himself personally as well as the hotel.

Time to eat? Yes please. There were so many options, I had a hard time choosing. I think I walked around and around at least 10 times with an empty plate debating on what to get. However, that did not stop me from filling my plate for a first go-around.

When I returned to the table, hot coffee, fresh orange juice and a “Lobster Trap,” the Four Seasons Boston’s rendition of a Bloody Mary sat in front of me. I dug into my (first) plate of food which included individual huevos rancheros, a cheese blintz, a mini yogurt parfait, oatmeal with berries and poached pears with cranberries and walnuts (by far my favorite item of the whole brunch and the only thing I had a second helping of!) There was baked french toast (good thing I tried that last, I could’ve eaten an entire batch of it), bocconcini, and cranberry toast with a smear of goat cheese. I also helped myself to a warm scone with homemade strawberry jam that our pastry chef buddies sent down after we left them.

I must say, the atmosphere, the food, the generosity and graciousness of the entire staff at the Four Seasons and the Bristol Lounge made me feel right at home. Although the decor was on the fancy side (hello.. it’s the Four Seasons!), I was completely comfortable and chatted endlessly with my fellow brunchers: Megan, Justin, Kimmy, Jessica, Robin and Athena. Thank you so much to Renee (we missed you!) and the Four Seasons for hosting us (and giving us a behind-the-scenes tour)! It truly was an incredible experience and I hope to go back again soon.

Oh – and about those fun facts that Chef Vosika gave to us… Well, the Four Seasons was giving away a free overnight stay at their Boston location and I was one of the four finalists via Twitter. No, I didn’t win… but for being one of the finalists, the Four Seasons gave me a complimentary dessert to enjoy in their Bristol Lounge. Now I have a definite excuse to go back… who wants to come with? I can’t eat this cake ~~tower,~~ ~~building,~~ Prudential Center-looking skyscraper all by myself!

And I might have taken in a Sox game with my bestie Alyse after brunch. The beer was cold, the guys in front of us were funny and the Sox won. Not bad.

Sweet seats

Awww Yeahh

In Memory of my Grandmother Lena Torto

Published on June 5, 2011June 6, 2011 by Marie2 Comments

My grandmother, Lena, had a beautiful life. She married my grandfather at the young age of 16 (he was 18), raised four wonderful childen (3 girls, 1 boy), watched 7 grandchildren grow up (2 boys, 5 girls) and saw 2 great-granddaughters brought into the world.

Christmas 2010

My grandmother was always the foundation of my family. She cooked, cleaned, raised her kids, took care of my grandfather (who was a bit of a handful in his older years if I recall correctly) and made sure her house was always full of love (and food.)

Grammy & Grampy

As a child, I spent much of my time at my grandparents’ house. They lived in the second floor apartment of their 2-family building while one of my aunts lived on the first floor. As an early teenage, I pet-sat my aunt’s 2 fluffy bishons which gave me an excuse to be with grandmother every afternoon. Grammy always made me dinner on nights before I went to dance and on the off nights, I would stay late and watch TV with her. No wonder why I love the Food Network, Jeopardy, The Price is Right and Wheel of Fortune so much.

When my grandfather died in 2000, I was 12 years old. He was my grandmother’s whole life but she pushed on, caring for her family, still being the strongest woman I’ve ever met.

Grampy and Girls 1997

During the summer of 2005, my grandmother had a stroke while asleep in her bed. The doctors didn’t expect her to make it very long, but she managed to live almost 6 years after the stroke occurred. She is the most resilient woman I’ve ever met and I hope to be just like her.

I love you Grammy. I’m sure Grampy is happy to see you after all this time.

We miss you already.

Christmas 2007

OOOOOOklahoma!

Published on June 1, 2011 by Marie2 Comments

Sorry… every time I talk about Oklahoma, someone sings that song. Most of the time it’s me. I can’t help it, it’s catch-y.

Anyway, yes, I spent my Memorial weekend from Friday til Monday in Oklahoma. Why? Because I dance for the National Dance Alliance (
“NDA”, a company based out of Texas) and Oklahoma is where our first camp of the year is… and it’s pretty centrally located anyway.

I love Oklahoma. Sure, it’s a tad flat and yes, they aren’t experiencing the best weather at the moment (Read: devastating tornadoes) but nonetheless, it’s a very nice state. If you haven’t been, I recommend checking it out. Even if it’s just to see the University of Oklahoma at Norman. If you went to a tiny college like mine, the campus alone will blow your mind.

I spent the weekend seeing some of the most incredible people I’ve ever met. It is a rare occasion (only once a year) when I see some of the NDA staff because we come from all different states and don’t always get to work together. But even only seeing them once or twice a year, when we get together for staff meeting, it’s like I saw them yesterday. We are one big family and it’s one of the reasons why I love my job with them.

So camps for this summer.. so far I have 6 and I want at least 3-4 more. At least. As of right now, I will be spending my summer bouncing around Maryland, Kentucky, New York (twice), Wisconsin (never been there before) and Rhode Island throughout July and August and will hopefully find a camp or two towards the end of June.

Oh – and some unrelated exciting news…

First – my DanceWorks Boston show is this Thursday and Friday! The culmination of 4 months of very hard work and the curtain goes up tomorrow! I am so lucky to be apart of DWB, have met some amazing people and get to do what I love. I haven’t been in a “recital” of sorts since my senior year of high school (no, college nationals doesn’t count) so I’m really looking forward to performing on the BU Dance Theater stage. (PS – there are still tickets for sale if you want to go but they are selling out fast.)

Second – a few weeks ago, I entered the Boston Bruncher’s June event contest to win a complimentary brunch at the Bristol Lounge at the Four Seasons Hotel in Boston. I found out yesterday, via Twitter, that I was one of the 6 chosen to attend! Needless to say, I have never been to the Bristol Lounge or the Four Seasons Boston so I am very much looking forward to this brunch. It’s next Sunday and I will be sure to borrow a camera from someone to take lots of pictures and bring you a full recap of the yummy food I get to eat.

Finally, my good friend Megan from Cooking Whims got engaged over the weekend to her boyfriend, now fiance, of 6 and 1/2 years! Congrats MK & Chris!!

College Graduation

Published on May 27, 2011 by Marie1 Comment

About a year ago, I graduated from Assumption College with a Bachelor’s Degree in English with Writing & Mass Communications. With a white cum laude cord around my neck and diploma in hand, this picture was taken with my boyfriend, Stephen, his sister, Nina, and his mom, also named Marie.

I am very proud to announce that today, Stephen graduated from college. After spending 2 very hard, long years in a tough radiology program to become an x-ray tech, Stephen is now a certified graduate.

Now wait… it’s only fair that I explain what exactly this program means. It’s a 5 semester program: fall, spring, summer, fall, spring. First year, he spent 3 days a week in class (read: Anatomy and the like… yuck) and 2 days in clinicals (read: dealing with patients… no thanks.) The summer in between the first and second year meant he spent 40 hours every week working as an intern WITHOUT PAY. Ouch. So essentially, he worked 60 hours a week: 20 paid (at a seperate job) and 40 unpaid. The second year, the schedule flipped. The students then went to class 2 days a week and clinicals for 3.

Let’s put this in perspective. Sure, I spent a whole 4 years as a full-time college student but I had my summers free to make money. I had class roughly 3-4 hours and hardly ever in a row. I haven’t taken science since junior year of high school and if you asked me to “position” anyone, I’d flat out refuse. Those x-ray kids don’t get enough credit.

Regardless, he graduated and awesome for him, he already has a job lined up. 2 words: Thank God. ~~5 more words:~~ ~~damn my stupid English Degree.~~

Congratulations Stephen!

And, being the super nice, never-a-pain-in-the-butt girlfriend that I am (cough), I bought him this pretty toy as his present. Which I will be borrowing. On a regular basis.

My Summer Wish List

Published on May 26, 2011May 26, 2011 by Marie4 Comments

So I know this entire collection is Coach. I can’t help it…. Everything is so adorable this season. And my birthday is coming up in July. Just sayin…

Manoush fitted dress
$402 – boutique1.com

Coach sandal
$188 – lordandtaylor.com

Coach summer handbag
$118 – lordandtaylor.com

Coach ring
$88 – coach.com

Coach sun hat
$198 – coach.com

Coach
$178 – coach.com

PS – I still need more bloggers to guest post for me. E-mail me or leave me a comment if you’re interested!!

Wanted: Bloggers Who Love Guest Posting

Published on May 25, 2011May 26, 2011 by Marie4 Comments

So here’s the deal. In approximately 17 days (but who’s counting?) I will be off to NYC to board the Norwegian Jewel and embark on my first cruise… to the Bahamas.

Why the Bahamas you ask? Well, it’s actually a cruise to Florida and the Bahamas and was the most convenient (and cheapest) way since it docks right in NYC instead of having to fly to Florida first. We are savvy like that.

Stephen and I love to travel. During my junior year of college, we spent Spring Break in Puerto Rico and had an absolute blast. We went hiking, ATV-ing, snorkeling, site-seeing, drank lots of Medalla Light and ate traditional Puerto Rican food. Although we wanted to go back there, we decided to see a new place and when I found an all-inclusive cruise that would take us to the Bahamas, we didn’t think twice.

Here’s the plan… on June 11th, we will take a coach bus from Boston to NYC, hail a taxi to the dock, board the boat and get settled in our room (and ~~probably~~ will definitely have a drink.) From there, the cruise will take us to Port Canaveral in Florida. We will spend the entire day in Universal Escape in Orlando.. aka HARRY POTTER WORLD. So what if I’m 22? I want to ride a broomstick and drink butterbeer and get a wand. My vaca, my rules.

Our next stop is Great Stirrup Cay, the perfect place to spend the day snorkeling. In the water. For those of you who know me, you know I hate water. If you don’t know me that well, there’s a fun fact about my life. Unless I’m drinking it, spending approximately 10 minutes in the shower or submerged in a scorching hot jacuzzi, I don’t do the whole large-body-of-water thing. Maybe it’s because I’m not the greatest swimmer. Maybe it’s because I don’t like live fish staring back at me. Maybe it’s the fact that I despise cold, icy, frigid water. I don’t know. But I promised Stephen we’d snorkel and a-snorkeling-we-will-go. I’ll try my best not to drown for the blog’s sake.

Finally, a day in Nassau, the heart of the Bahamas. More specifically The Atlantis Resort. We will spend the day walking the grounds of the resort, doing a little shopping and most importantly, splashing around in the Aqua Adventure Water Park. Gah, water, again. Hopefully I not have a repeat bathing suit fiasco as I did once on the Geronimo slide at Water Country. I won’t go into details. I love rollercoasters so that’s how I’m looking at this water park… a big ‘ol thrill. Plus, there is a tunnel water slide that goes through a shark tank. Cool.

Besides our excursions, I plan on relaxing on the deck of the ship, getting a killer tan (like I did in Puerto Rico), taking lots and lots of pictures and appreciating my last vacation for a while. It’s a celebration of Stephen’s graduation from college and my acceptance into graduate school and will probably be the last vaca we take for a few years.

So why am I telling you all of this? I will be gone for about 8 days and I need awesome bloggers to guest post for me. About whatever you are most passionate about. Cooking, running, dancing, reading, etc. The possibilities are endless. Interested? Leave me a comment or shoot me an e-mail. Tell me where you write and what you’d like to write about and I’ll send you more info/a deadline. And I’ll love you forever. That’s pretty cool too.

Yup, that’s me… underwater. Crazy.

My Weekend Recap

Published on May 24, 2011May 25, 2011 by Marie1 Comment

Stress fractures are no fun. Especially if they reside in your left foot, aka your turning foot if you’re a dancer.

My foot had been bothering me for a while. I know I have tendonitis in the top of my left foot already from years of dance but when a sharp pain developed in my big toe, I started to worry. It started acting up around Week 5 of my Couch to 5K training but I chalked it up to overuse and moved on. When I woke up on Friday morning with a painful (and gross looking) broken blood vessel in the same foot and throbbing in my toe, I knew sucking it up might not be best course of action. Doctor, here I come.

I more or less expected the result. Minor stress fracture, pain from imflammation, and a broken blood vessel that should go away in a few days. My doctor gave me a prescription for high dose ibuprofen with the consoling words, “I’d tell you to stay off of it, but I know you won’t.” Smart man my doctor. I decided to take a few days off since I was in for a busy Saturday anyway and hoped that by Sunday, some of the pain would subside for my dance rehearsal.

Later that day, I headed down to Hanson with my friend Alyse to celebrate our other friend, Swy’s, 23rd birthday. I made this cake for her. Talk about a project and a half. I am no Duff Goldman, but I think it turned out pretty good. And it was quite delicious if I do say so myself. I found it in a Food Network magazine. (Chocolate cake, vanilla icing, toasted coconut.)

On Saturday morning, Alyse and I enjoyed Mary Lou’s coffee on the way home where I had roughly an hour to get ready for a graduation party with Stephen’s family in New Hampshire. We had a great time, ate lots of yummy grilled veggies with hummus and I enjoyed a (large) glass of Cabernet.

That night, Stephen and I made a shrimp/veggie stir-fry for dinner. Nothing fancy, just tossed a bunch of frozen veggies in a wok, made some basmati rice, threw in the shrimp last minute and voila. It was delicious, especially the quick wheat biscuits I made to go with it. We also ~~popped open~~ finished a bottle of Asti I bought for him because we were celebrating. Not only is Stephen graduating from college on Thursday with an x-ray degree, he also has a job already! (Seriously, he’s out of school 3 seconds and has a job. I’ve been out of college a year.. where’s mine?!) Regardless, celebrations were in order. Just wait til he sees the gift I bought him. I’d tell you now but he reads this… sneaky.

On Sunday my mom had one thing planned for the morning: My FAFSA. More like the bane of my existence. Paying for college is hard enough without tacking on an additional $45,000. Whatever, BU, you better get me a job when I’m done.

Around 2pm, I headed to Boston for my DanceWorks photoshoot/dress rehearsal. It’s hard to imagine that the past few months have flown by and our show is a little over a week away but I am more than excited for it. I danced all through college but we never really had dance shows like this. It’s like being in recital all over again…something I haven’t experienced since high school. Needless to say, I’m pumped.

The rehearsal went great. We each got our photos taken (headshots and full body poses), learned some of the finale routine and ran through each dance in show order. During the show itself, I think it’s a pretty safe bet that I will be throwing my costumes around backstage between routines and trying not to look like a bright red lobster during the entire show. Ha. We’ll see.

After rehearsal, we had a mini pizza party in the food court of the Pru. I made some sugar cookies for the girls. I think they went over pretty well.

I rounded out Sunday night with Stephen (I swear we aren’t actually attached…) We made pork and broccoli for dinner and pistachio cupcakes for dessert (sans frosting so I hesitate to call them cupcakes but that’s how Stephen refers to them.) Overall, besides the stress fracture, it was a very successful weekend.

Coming Up…
–Oklahoma on Friday. I can’t believe it’s time for Staff Meeting already!

NDA/DanceWorks Packets….

I WANNA KNOW!! What is the fanciest dessert you’ve ever created? How did it turn out?

Weekly Gratitude

Published on May 20, 2011May 20, 2011 by MarieLeave a comment

Thank you AGAIN to everyone who came out, sent me e-mails, comments, text messages and supported me for my first 5K race. It was an unbelievable experience and I can’t wait to do it again. (And I think I may be getting roped into a HALF MARATHON in August?!?!? Oh. My. God.)

Thank you to my cousin Ali for taking gorgeous pictures at my race. She’s legit. And hysterical. And an all around great kid. She takes after me.

Thank you to Dunkin Iced Coffee. It’s Friday and I NEEDED you. Small with skim milk and 2 sweet-n-low if you were wondering.

Thank you to my boyfriend. I don’t give this kid enough credit. He puts up with a lot on a regular basis. (I am a HUGE pain in the you-know-what.) Last night, he brought me a bottle of wine for no reason whatsoever. One word: Keeper.

Thank you to Tracie for making the best American Chopped Suey that my sister and I absolutely hoovered last night. Comfort food at it’s finest. Oh and for my b-e-a-utiful flowers for my race. What a Work Mama she is.

Thank you to NDA for the best summer job I could ask for (not that I don’t love my hospital peeps!) I get to travel all over the country, meet incredible people and dance all.summer.long. I go to Oklahoma in exactly one week and I cannot wait.

Thank you to the gym. I love you, enough said.

Thank you to DanceWorks Boston for having fall AND spring sessions next year. I want to choreograph again…. pom, jazz or contemporary?

Oh.. and a big HAPPY 23rd BIRTHDAY to my best friend/college roomie Swy! 23 is the new 21…

Me & Swy

It’s Friday.. what are you thankful for?

For the Bloggers…

Published on May 18, 2011 by Marie2 Comments

Last night, I made HG Tremendous Turkey Burgers and roasted cauliflower. It was delicious, pretty to look at, and I forgot to take a picture of it. See people, this is why I need a good camera. Maybe if I had a fun toy I wouldn’t forget so often. Doi.

Bloggers need a lot of things to make their blogs successful. Good cameras, unique web set-ups, intriguing things to talk about. If you cook like me, you need recipes that other people will want to try. If you run, you gotta run hard. You have to make whatever you are passionate about entertaining for other people. And it’s not always easy.

So here are a few of my essentials for Chocolate & Wine:

1. My iPhone – yeah, whatevs. It’ll suffice for now as a camera. I have this thing with nice cameras…. I break ’em.

2. My cookbooks. I’m gathering quite a collection. Everything from my mom’s checkered Better Homes “New Cookbook” to Giada and Rachael to Hungry Girl to a whole book dedicated to fondue (not kidding). I could spend hours in a bookstore flipping through the pages of a good cookbook, getting ideas for new recipes and staring at the beautiful professional pictures. If I was good at photography, can you guess which profession I would choose?

3. Word of mouth. When I hear about a new restaurant that other people rave about, I write the name down in my daily planner (yes, I have a not-fancy, middle-school-style planner. It’s fine.) Later, when boyfriend and I want to try something new, I flip to the list. Lately my list looks like this: The Antique Table, Petrillo’s, The Blue Ox, The Beverly Depot, Victoria’s Station. Just to name a few. (I could always use more in the Boston area… hint hint.)

4. My Kitchen/The Gym: So these are kind of self-explanatory. I cook in my kitchen, I work out/run/dance at the gym. I’m in both once a day (usually…I try.) I suppose if I didn’t have a gym or a kitchen I could still work out and cook and deal with it, but I like my structure. Sorry I’m not sorry.

5. Twitter/Facebook. 2 words: Free Publicity. I’ve had Facebook since my senior year of high school when it was created but I was totally against Twitter until recently. Now I’m obsessed. Follow me @ChocoAndWine or Like Me on Facebook!

6. YOUR blogs! Yup, that’s right. I have about a billion of your blog sites favorited on my computer. I spend my down time clicking through them, scoping out recipes, running tips, photos of the new baby. I love them and can’t get enough. You all inspire me to cook, run, write. It’s the best feeling in the world to know that someone other than you is reading your blog. If you have one, you know exactly what I’m talking about. The thrill of each new comment, the regular checking of your site stats, the first time you realize people are listening. Thanks for listening. Really, I love you guys.

Got a blog I should check out? Shoot me an e-mail… I’ll gladly read along!

Blogger friends, what are your essentials? Your cookbooks? Garmins? Adorable new babies? Worldly views? What makes your blog tick?

bloglink1 bloglink2

My First Race: The Recap

Published on May 16, 2011May 16, 2011 by Marie7 Comments

They say a picture’s worth a thousand words. That picture right there is worth a million.

As my short but sweet post yesterday told you, I. FREAKIN. DID. IT. I finished my first 5K ever with an official time of 33:28 which was right where I wanted to be. (I told myself I didn’t really have a goal time in mind but all kidding aside, I wanted a time between 33 and 36 minutes.)

So, another first for me… My Race Recap!

Place Name No. Div/Tot Div Ag S City St Time Pace
224 Marie Torto 149 48/64 F2029 22 F Lynn MA 33:38 10:50

The Highs:

The weather – sure, it was chilly when we got there but it was cloudy and breezy and I think that’s what kept me from getting overheated.

The route – I cheated and totally mapped it out ahead of time but knowing exactly where I was going and knowing how much further I had to go was great for my first race.

My t-shirt – I bought a plain BRIGHT orange t-shirt and ironed RUN on the front and MY FIRST 5K, 5-14-11 on the back. Throughout the whole race, people were telling me what a great job I was doing and to keep going. It was so motivating and made me want to finish strong.

Tracie’s heart monitor – It kept my time for the race so I knew how I was doing. When I saw that I could finish in my goal time, I knew investing in a Garmin would be something I would do in the future.

The Crowd/My Entourage – So compared to huge marathons, this was a pretty small race with a little more than 350 participants but what can you expect from a small town 5K? Nevertheless, the crowd was super supportive. At the 1.5 mile, there was a water station with little kids holding out bathroom cups of water. It was precious. I grabbed one and proceeded to spill it all over me but oh well. It was the thought that counted. AND I may have had the biggest group there. My mom, little sister Melissa, cousin Ali, Aunt Deb, Stephen, Claire, Tracie AND April (also known as Ariel) were all there cheering me on with signs, pom poms and a million flashing cameras. I felt like a celebrity.

The Finish Line/Time Clock: When I saw it from the original starting line at 33:something, I pushed. I guess surged is the right word. I ran hard, fist pumping over the finish line before collapsing into Stephen’s arms. And I cried. Whatever, I’m an emotional person, it was bound to happen. I felt more than accomplished, I felt incredible.

Not-So-Highs:

My stomach – Just as I passed the 2 mile marker, my stomach did a somersault. There was an incline and as much as I wanted to push through it, I listened to my body and took a short break to walk. It was either that or grossing out the other runners. I picked it back up as I rounded the corner to the Causeway for the end of the race. Smart move.

The nerves – I was so nervous the night before and all morning on Saturday. I was able to shake them off (and I didn’t get sick, thank God) but hopefully next time they will back off a bit.

Post Race:

I spent the rest of my day RELAXING. I ate a bagel when I got home and treated myself to some Starbucks. Then I passed out on the couch for 2 hours only to be woken up by Stephen’s ringtone. I pulled myself off the comfy couch, made myself pretty and headed out to celebrate this cutie’s 3rd birthday. (And made Mickey Mouse cupcakes for it!) We had a great time.

Thank you…

To my mom, dad, Melissa, Ali, Aunt Deb, Stephen, Claire, Tracie & April for coming to support me at my race. To Christine, Aron, Ali and all of those other running bloggers out there who I look to for advice. To my friends and family who believed in me. I couldn’t have done it without you.

So what next?

I guess the big question is am I going to keep running? My answer: Just try to stop me! I would’ve signed up for another race on Saturday when I got home but I have to get my summer dance schedule from NDA first. So my summer will pretty much be all dance and running. I don’t hate it. I do know that I want to run the YMCA’s Witch City 5K in Salem this October. And there is a 5-miler in August that I’ll try to work up to as well.

I’m unstoppable.

How was your first race? How many have you done since then? Have any around the Massachusetts North Shore that you’d recommend?