Naptime on the Road: Eating & Traveling with My Family

Last month my husband and I escaped to Napa Valley for a much needed vacation without the children. We love our little maniacs, but everyone needs a break once in a while! My parents bravely stepped in to care for them while we flew west for some wine and sun.

I just returned for a wonderful, almost transformative, visit to the west coast and can’t wait to share all of the details with you over the next couple of weeks. To start off with, here is little taste of what I did: On Tuesday April 28th, the day my book launched, my friend held a […]

Hi Friends! I am heading to San Francisco and Napa Valley for a much-needed vacay soon. I am SO ready for some sun and a change of scenery. Do you have any tips for places I must see in Napa? I would love to hear any and all suggestions. I love wine, riding bikes, and anything to do with being outdoors and enjoying good food. I’ll be sure to report back after our trip. Thanks in advance!

Last week I had the pleasure of attending an event to kick-off Childhood Cancer Awareness Month at OXO in New York City. The evening featured the fantastically talented, and one of my most favorite food writers, Dorie Greenspan. She is working with OXO and Gretchen Witt to raise awareness for the Cookies for Kids’ Cancer charity which I’ve written about before. So, basically this event combined three of my favorite things: Dorie + Children’s Cancer Charity (a cause about which I am passionate) + OXO. It was a total win.

We had so much fun on Martha’s Vineyard last week. The island was just as wonderful as it always is. Traveling with two kids is always a bit of a circus, especially since our little guy caught a bad cold, but it was so nice to get away. Here are some instagram shots if you’d like to see:

We had the most delicious Fourth of July in Cooperstown this year. Here are some fun photos I took on instagram if you’d like to see:

For my last food truck visit of 2013 my family and I swung by the pork-based Vanchetta. It was a sunny late fall afternoon and us hungry travelers were totally gunning for a heavy duty sandwich. I really have been thrilled to learn all about food trucks this year. In just a few years food trucks have become a food movement in and of themselves. They offer everything from coffee and donuts, to heavy duty french fries, to you name it! Every time I spot one now I run over to see what amazing delicacy the chef has mastered and is serving up. In the case of Vanchetta it is sandwiches. Hearty, meat-based sandwiches to be exact.

This is the second part of my Top 10 favorite things about the Pillsbury Bake-Off!

Over Veteran’s Day weekend I flew to Las Vegas to attend the Pillsbury Bake-Off at the Aria Resort & Casino. It was a weekend of firsts for me since I had never attended a Bake-Off and never been to Las Vegas. The thrill of hitting both in one fell swoop was so exciting! The entire weekend was a whirlwind of catching up with old friends, learning the history of the Bake-Off, rooting for contestants, and taking in the sights and sounds of Vegas. Every bit of it was so thrilling that I barely know how to begin sharing the experience. I’ve decided that listing my top 10 favorite things about the Bake-Off would be a great way to go. My list is in chronological order of the weekend. There were so many great parts!

I am a little sad that my year of exploring food trucks is almost over. I’ve discovered so many good ones in our area! During my exploration I’ve been trying all kinds of cuisines served from a variety of vehicles. There are some that serve up full meals like a restaurant, others that focus specifically on one dish, and still more that are exclusively for desserts (!) This month I found the Fryborg Food truck, a truck that really pulls off a neat trick. The chef takes ordinary french fries and elevate them to the extraordinary. What was once a side dish to a cheeseburger or sandwich, becomes a main course with all kinds of ingredients and variations.

Last weekend I took a little time off from unpacking to attend the Greenwich Food + Wine Festival. Part of my role as a Sargento flavor correspondent this year is to investigate popular new flavor trends that are changing the food scene. Specifically, I am documenting two topics: the current explosion of food trucks, and popularity of cooking with mushrooms. I’ve been having a blast diving into both subjects, sampling food trucks all over the area, and cooking with mushrooms any chance I get. At the Greenwich Food + Wine Festival I was particularly interested in attending the crispy taco demonstration by Richard Blais, and the Weeknights Meals with Sara Moulton.

A trip to the Taco Loco food truck!