Last week when I met the owners of the new French Last week when I met the owners of the new French bakery in town, I told them how happy I was that they were opening … because now I had an endless source for gifts for my mom’s future birthdays and Christmases. She was born in Paris and we’ve grown up with a healthy appreciation for French things … starting with their pastries and baguettes, but so much more. My daughter took her first trip to Paris last year and thoroughly enjoyed the croissants there and she deemed the ones at @chocolatinenj just as perfect. No surprise there since the owner is a French pastry chef! If you’re local and haven’t been, do make a point to stop in and visit. They’re open Wednesday through Sunday and have a wide selection of sweet and savory items and a few French retail selections as well. We’ve tried the macarons, the Croque Monsieur, the croissants, the tomato tarts, the baguette … basically we’re working our way through their display case in due time. Don’t miss this one - enjoy!
People complain about how much time is spent on ph People complain about how much time is spent on phones sometimes, but if it wasn’t for phones. I wouldn’t have these awesome little snippets of them growing up. I only wish I had more. Appreciate and document the little mundane things, for they are the very fabric of your life.
happy Spring, friends! Y’all know how long I’v happy Spring, friends! Y’all know how long I’ve been waiting for the seasons to change and I’m so excited that Mother Nature was on board today! ☀️ There is nothing like the energy from the sun and it makes me happy. Hope you got some today!
Weekend photos in review, old school style. Contex Weekend photos in review, old school style. Context: 1) saying goodbye until Easter, 2) sending him back with good bagels, 3) sunlight charging station, 4) the sun was out all day yesterday and it was glorious, 5) hitting the farmers market for my favorite garlic butter, 6) make a wish, 7) sun patterns, and 8) my sous chef
I don’t eat French fries often, but when I do, I I don’t eat French fries often, but when I do, I’m going to make it count. Doo Wop Eats opened a few months ago in downtown Denville and their fries are LEGIT. They are hand cut and taste the way fries should … like potatoes! I add a sprinkle of salt and dunk them in a side of their special sauce and they are pure perfection. You can order a small bucket or a large one (better for sharing!), or as a side item with one of their other delicious menu items like their cheeseburgers, fried chicken sandwiches or cheesesteak. I do believe they’re the best fries in town. I said what I said. Doo Wop’s menu celebrates all your favorite Jersey shore boardwalk treats, including Fried Oreos, clam strips and milk shakes and has a fun vibe for kids and families. 😍
The Grinder Salad, a recipe I found on tiktok that The Grinder Salad, a recipe I found on tiktok that takes all of your favorite ingredients from a grinder (or sub) sandwich and makes it into a delicious chopped salad. It’s as easy as putting everything in a bowl and chopping it up. Perfect for busy days and lazy nights, light meals and warm weather choices. Ingredient list below. Enjoy!

One bag or arugula
One container of cherry tomatoes 
Quarter pound of hard salami
8 Oz of fresh mozzarella
One small red onion
1/3 cup banana peppers 
Handful of fresh basil
Half cup Italian salad dressing
3 T Kewpie mayo
2 T red wine vinegar 
Sea salt and black pepper

Chop it all up, add a half box of ditalini pasta, cooked. Mix to combine.

Recipe from GrilledCheeseSocial.
We had a fun little board party this week and the We had a fun little board party this week and the delicious whipped Brie I shared earlier was front and center. If you haven’t heard of board parties, it’s when every guest makes a different type of food board and brings it - so much fun noshing ensues! With toasted baguette slices, cornichons and local honey, this was mostly a French-inspired board. So simple to pull together and totally my kind of meal.
Lunch date with one of my favorite people. 😍 We Lunch date with one of my favorite people. 😍 We popped into Cafe Crevier downtown and I finally got to try one of their burgers. It was thick and juicy and cooked to perfection. Love that the lettuce was shredded, and that the bun was toasted and slightly crispy. If you’re local, pop in and give them a try - don’t miss the fries!
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Sweetnicks

Food and Life

When the Boys are Away…

September 2, 2005 · Narrative

… Mom gets to play! The Husband took Nicholas down the shore for 2 nights and I have the house ALL TO MYSELF! It’s funny, I had the darnedest time figuring out what to do for dinner tonight. Part of the problem was that I wasn’t hungry at all, so there was no rumbling to drive my decision. Didn’t feel like cooking, so I went out to a local organic store to buy this amazing Coconut Rice that they sell. Well, new owners took over a few months ago, and Coconut Rice is now no longer. Bummer. Being that I wasn’t especially hungry, I didn’t just want to get an actual meal from anywhere — no sense paying for something that I’m not yearning for. So, I decided to go get some decadent Starbucks ice cream and a slice of pizza. Hey, I’m allowed a junk food night every once in a blue moon.

Anyways, Starbucks makes this one flavor with white chocolate ribbons through it, and, of course, the first grocery store didn’t have it. Second grocery store didn’t have it either. Doing well tonight, eh? Ended up getting Starbucks’ White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle ice cream. Pretty good stuff, so no complaints. When I grabbed the ice cream, I stopped to take a peek at the toppings, to see if they had any new ones that looked appealing. My favorite topping is the peanut butter one from Friendlys, but nobody sells anything like it. I happened to spy a new line from Smuckers, their PlateScapers Dessert Topping. Pretty cool stuff, it’s like a thinner syrup to dress up desserts. I grabbed the raspberry one and is it ever good! I can see a new addiction forming…

Have some major organizational plans to keep myself busy while the boys are gone, and hope to overhaul my home office and our porch. I’ve already started, so hopefully I’ll make some good headway. Going shopping with Mom tomorrow afternoon (bargain cookbooks?) and stopping in at the Dollar Store with a neighbor. The Houston SPCA is looking for donations of a bunch of items for the animals they’ve been taking in from Hurricane Katrina, so I’m going to fill up a couple boxes and ship them off. With the Post Office’s flat-rate box, it’ll be real cheap to ship, and it’s just another small way I can help the displaced pets.

And speaking of helping, thank you to those that donated through my links on yesterday’s post. I really appreciate it … and if you didn’t yet, just scroll down for the info. One of the daughters of a co-worker is having a lemonade stand this weekend to collect money for the young victims. She has even gone so far as to post a schedule on their tree of which neighborhood kids are to man the stand when. It’s really nice to see kids at her age (6) get involved like that. This was completely on her own, and she’s even donating the money she recently received as birthday gifts. Truly heartwarming.

OK, off to watch a few movies. Our neighbor loaned me Beauty Shop and Monster-in-Law, so I’m all set for the rest of the night.

Tune in tomorrow to see how the weekend unfolds… there’s a rumor of oxtail making an appearance on Sunday!

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Posted In: Narrative

Comments

  1. Stephanie says

    September 3, 2005 at 2:54 am

    You can make the Friendly’s peanut butter sauce yourself by heating peanut butter for 20-30 seconds in the microwave and stirring. I worked at Friendly’s during college, and peanut butter is the only ingredient in that topping. Now that I live in a state without Friendly’s, we sometimes make our own Reese’s Pieces sundaes at home. Yum!

    Reply
  2. Cate says

    September 3, 2005 at 12:56 pm

    Really? That’s all they do? Wow – very cool. You know what I’M having tonight!

    Reply
  3. Mona says

    September 3, 2005 at 6:30 pm

    Thanks for commenting on my site!
    Did you like Monster-in-Law? Figured I’d skip it in the movies and rent it on DVD.
    That artichoke dip recipe is my favorite. A friend used to make it for me all the time when I lived in Aspen…and I make it now everytime I’m going over someone’s house :)

    Reply
  4. Easy Eats says

    September 4, 2005 at 3:40 am

    Starbucks makes ice cream?!? I’m gonna have to try that for sure instead of the usual Coffee Heath Bar Crunch from my good friends Ben & Jerry.

    Good stuff here, added you to my links!

    Reply

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Last week when I met the owners of the new French Last week when I met the owners of the new French bakery in town, I told them how happy I was that they were opening … because now I had an endless source for gifts for my mom’s future birthdays and Christmases. She was born in Paris and we’ve grown up with a healthy appreciation for French things … starting with their pastries and baguettes, but so much more. My daughter took her first trip to Paris last year and thoroughly enjoyed the croissants there and she deemed the ones at @chocolatinenj just as perfect. No surprise there since the owner is a French pastry chef! If you’re local and haven’t been, do make a point to stop in and visit. They’re open Wednesday through Sunday and have a wide selection of sweet and savory items and a few French retail selections as well. We’ve tried the macarons, the Croque Monsieur, the croissants, the tomato tarts, the baguette … basically we’re working our way through their display case in due time. Don’t miss this one - enjoy!
People complain about how much time is spent on ph People complain about how much time is spent on phones sometimes, but if it wasn’t for phones. I wouldn’t have these awesome little snippets of them growing up. I only wish I had more. Appreciate and document the little mundane things, for they are the very fabric of your life.
happy Spring, friends! Y’all know how long I’v happy Spring, friends! Y’all know how long I’ve been waiting for the seasons to change and I’m so excited that Mother Nature was on board today! ☀️ There is nothing like the energy from the sun and it makes me happy. Hope you got some today!
Weekend photos in review, old school style. Contex Weekend photos in review, old school style. Context: 1) saying goodbye until Easter, 2) sending him back with good bagels, 3) sunlight charging station, 4) the sun was out all day yesterday and it was glorious, 5) hitting the farmers market for my favorite garlic butter, 6) make a wish, 7) sun patterns, and 8) my sous chef

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Last week when I met the owners of the new French Last week when I met the owners of the new French bakery in town, I told them how happy I was that they were opening … because now I had an endless source for gifts for my mom’s future birthdays and Christmases. She was born in Paris and we’ve grown up with a healthy appreciation for French things … starting with their pastries and baguettes, but so much more. My daughter took her first trip to Paris last year and thoroughly enjoyed the croissants there and she deemed the ones at @chocolatinenj just as perfect. No surprise there since the owner is a French pastry chef! If you’re local and haven’t been, do make a point to stop in and visit. They’re open Wednesday through Sunday and have a wide selection of sweet and savory items and a few French retail selections as well. We’ve tried the macarons, the Croque Monsieur, the croissants, the tomato tarts, the baguette … basically we’re working our way through their display case in due time. Don’t miss this one - enjoy!
People complain about how much time is spent on ph People complain about how much time is spent on phones sometimes, but if it wasn’t for phones. I wouldn’t have these awesome little snippets of them growing up. I only wish I had more. Appreciate and document the little mundane things, for they are the very fabric of your life.
happy Spring, friends! Y’all know how long I’v happy Spring, friends! Y’all know how long I’ve been waiting for the seasons to change and I’m so excited that Mother Nature was on board today! ☀️ There is nothing like the energy from the sun and it makes me happy. Hope you got some today!
Weekend photos in review, old school style. Contex Weekend photos in review, old school style. Context: 1) saying goodbye until Easter, 2) sending him back with good bagels, 3) sunlight charging station, 4) the sun was out all day yesterday and it was glorious, 5) hitting the farmers market for my favorite garlic butter, 6) make a wish, 7) sun patterns, and 8) my sous chef
I don’t eat French fries often, but when I do, I I don’t eat French fries often, but when I do, I’m going to make it count. Doo Wop Eats opened a few months ago in downtown Denville and their fries are LEGIT. They are hand cut and taste the way fries should … like potatoes! I add a sprinkle of salt and dunk them in a side of their special sauce and they are pure perfection. You can order a small bucket or a large one (better for sharing!), or as a side item with one of their other delicious menu items like their cheeseburgers, fried chicken sandwiches or cheesesteak. I do believe they’re the best fries in town. I said what I said. Doo Wop’s menu celebrates all your favorite Jersey shore boardwalk treats, including Fried Oreos, clam strips and milk shakes and has a fun vibe for kids and families. 😍
The Grinder Salad, a recipe I found on tiktok that The Grinder Salad, a recipe I found on tiktok that takes all of your favorite ingredients from a grinder (or sub) sandwich and makes it into a delicious chopped salad. It’s as easy as putting everything in a bowl and chopping it up. Perfect for busy days and lazy nights, light meals and warm weather choices. Ingredient list below. Enjoy!

One bag or arugula
One container of cherry tomatoes 
Quarter pound of hard salami
8 Oz of fresh mozzarella
One small red onion
1/3 cup banana peppers 
Handful of fresh basil
Half cup Italian salad dressing
3 T Kewpie mayo
2 T red wine vinegar 
Sea salt and black pepper

Chop it all up, add a half box of ditalini pasta, cooked. Mix to combine.

Recipe from GrilledCheeseSocial.
We had a fun little board party this week and the We had a fun little board party this week and the delicious whipped Brie I shared earlier was front and center. If you haven’t heard of board parties, it’s when every guest makes a different type of food board and brings it - so much fun noshing ensues! With toasted baguette slices, cornichons and local honey, this was mostly a French-inspired board. So simple to pull together and totally my kind of meal.
Lunch date with one of my favorite people. 😍 We Lunch date with one of my favorite people. 😍 We popped into Cafe Crevier downtown and I finally got to try one of their burgers. It was thick and juicy and cooked to perfection. Love that the lettuce was shredded, and that the bun was toasted and slightly crispy. If you’re local, pop in and give them a try - don’t miss the fries!

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