Eat, Drink & Get Engaged!

To say that we’ve had a good year so far is to put it quite mildly. To date, I’ve had one new niece, two fabulous weddings, three relaxing vacations, and lots and lots of bubbly to celebrate one very special engagement: ours!
 But, as I’ve been not-so-gently reminded, these milestones are not a part of Bubbly – until now. Below are some snaps of 2014 in review (thus far).

4.29.2014 Engaged! [Home]

Four generations of fancy [Westfield, MA]

Here’s hoping that the next half of the year is as full of love and celebrations as the first!

My babes in the sand [Cape Cod 2014]

Waiting for Penny! [Cohasset, MA]

Bridesmaids! [NYC ]

Celebrating Sarah & Graham [Moraine Farm, MA]

*True love and lobsters foreva. 10.17.2015*

Holiday Spirits

Merrily We Roll Along

I’ve taken a bit of a hiatus from blogging as work and life seemed to really get busy this past fall. It was a season full of celebrations, house guests and my discovery of JustFab.com, a new outlet to feed my shoe obsession. But with the holidays in almost full swing, a beautiful apartment to decorate and a new niece on the way, I think it’s time to turn back to Bubbly. Here are just a few snaps of our holiday decorations in Branford, a mix of hand-me-downs, antique treasures, store-bought glam and some DIYs. Hope you are all getting into the Christmas spirit, check back here for plenty of posts come 2014.

 

Happy Holidays 

to You 

and Yours! xox

For the Love of Labor Day

"Some people go to priests; others to poetry; I, to my friends." - Virginia Woolf

We got to spend our Labor Day weekend with some of my very favorite people in the world, in and around witchy Salem, Massachusetts and the north shore.

I feel very fortunate to have a group of girlfriends who have known me for over ten years, and through countless tiffs, tipsy nights and true love moments, they still trust me enough to let me stack all of their diamonds on my fingers.

literally, all of their diamonds.

Though we've all started to grow up and carve out our own roads of yoga poses, wedding planners and Pinterest queens, every time we're together we don't miss a beat.

 And, we've all been lucky enough to find boys who will put up with our inside jokes, gossip gabs and endless reminiscing, and sometimes even find us all as funny as we think we are.

This visit was extra special as my Sarah is getting married next year, and we got to talk color schemes, flowers, wedding dresses and honeymoons together the whole weekend long. I love being a part of it all (sans the actual honeymoon, of course) and can't wait to walk down her aisle as a bridesmaid in May.

I am counting down until the next time thesix (now in my mind, thetwelve) can toast and laugh and dance together again - but until then, I'll be remembering how important it is to have some truly good, old friends in your life.

Lobster Racing

The best of friends

A few weeks back, we took a mini-vacation to the lovely Cape Cod, staying in the village of Orleans. Three years ago, we spent a week in the same cottage, and it’s amazing how much can change in what seems like so little time. In the past couple years, I’ve changed jobs and industries, switched neighborhoods, cities, and recently, states, and gone from living with two of my best friends to living with my very best friend and boyfriend. And that doesn’t touch on becoming an auntie to the most fabulous 2 year-old in the whole wide world. Needless to say, we had some nostalgic spots to revisit and show off to Steven, Zack and darling Colin, all who were visiting Cape Cod for the first time.

Lobster Chef

Highlights of the trip include my hole-in-one during our family mini-golf tournament (I’m choosing to forget that I still managed to come in last place despite my epic shot), watching my mom try a moonshine-soaked cherry, a couple dangerously competitive games of badminton and ping-pong, and introducing Colin to his very first lobster. My family has been traveling to the cape since I can remember, and to me, it’s a place of ultimate relaxation. Other than the beach, a select few flea markets and the fish market, itineraries are open and the days fly by. For now, I will just concentrate on my goals for next year: stay longer and figure out how to beat Steven at ping-pong.

La Famille

If you find yourself on the cape, check out some our vacation favorites: Sundae School Ice Cream, Nauset Fish and Lobster Pool and Wellfleet Flea Market and Drive-In Movie Theater

Spicy Chicks [Chicken and Chickpeas]

In many ways thanks to Steven's mother, we both feel like having a stocked freezer of dinner options is a must for our home. Because of this belief, I tend to get overly excited about even the most minimal discounts in the grocery store butcher section, and this dish is one of my favorites when I realize I have way too many boneless skinless chicken breasts. Partially inspired by a Bon Appetit  2008 recipe and even more so inspired by Penzeys Tandoori Spice that I adore, this dish is has a ton of flavor, spice and savor. I would recommend trying this with similar Indian-style spices and serving alongside a simple green salad.

• 4-6 pieces of thin sliced boneless, skinless chicken breast (*Can also be swapped with pork chops, chicken thighs, shrimp, or almost any other type of meat you find yourself stockpiling)
  
• 4 garlic cloves crushed
• 1/4 of a cup + 1 TB of Olive Oil
• 1 TB of paprika
• 1/2 TB of Penzeys Tandoori Spice
• 1/2 TB of red pepper flakes
• 1 can of chickpeas
• Handful of cherry tomatoes (optional)
• 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt
• Handful of fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup of feta cheese and a bit extra to toss

To make:

Preheat oven to 450° while you mix together the olive oil, garlic, and spices.Whisk 1-2 teaspoons of the spiced oil into the yogurt to prepare a dipping sauce, and set aside in fridge (right before serving, give this another stir and top with a touch of fresh cilantro: for pretty's sake). 

Add chickpeas, tomatoes (if using) and some fresh cilantro to the remaining spicy oil and stir to coat. Once the mixture is stirred, drench the chicken with it in a roasting or baking dish, and be sure to layer some directly on the chicken breasts. Before you pop into the oven, top with crumbled feta (be liberal if you love feta as much as I do).

Cook 27-30 mins, or until the chicken is cooked through and the feta and chickpeas have the slightest crunch to them. Serve alongside a dollop of the mixed yogurt and a simple salad and voila! 

*You may have noticed that there is one ingredient photographed that I didn't mention: the wine. Of course! That chard is for drinking, as you always should be sipping on vino when you are whipping up something in the kitchen: it leads to creativity.

Spicy Chicks 

Find Your Beach

Beaches and BBQs

We’ve started our exploration of all the nooks and crannies of Branford, already finding some serious gems. A few things I am hoping to discover in this little town include a local watering hole, some sort of market for produce, a restaurant for special occasions and a brand-new hair stylist. So far, I can check one off the list. I had an appointment with Nicole at Salon Massimo downtown, and I fell in love with the stylish hairdressers, premium products and all-over feminine feel (not to mention the fact that Nicole and I share a last name – fate!)

 

We also discovered the tiny cove of Branford Point Beach, which, thanks to our brand-new resident stickers, we are now welcome at. The small sandy area feeds into the Long Island Sound and is right next to a marina, which allows for prime boat-watching (slash drooling).

It feels like we're still eating leftovers.

 We invited some family over for the fourth, and though the heat wave in Connecticut forced us to spend a little less beach time and a little more AC time than we would have liked, it was still fab to show off our new apartment and

have a big family dinner.

 
And the best part was spending some time with my favorite two-year-old , Colin.

Bonkers in Branford

Moving Day! Weekend! Week!

Since we were lucky enough to have our move professionally handled and paid for as a part of our relocation package, we thought this move would be a breeze.  We thought wrong. It turns out, that while our movers were amazing at packing and lifting boxes (we’d highly recommend Collins Brothers Movers), the process of moving from a 2 room apartment to a 7 room apartment (plus a porch and a deck) is quite an undertaking. In just a few Saturdays, we have made 2 trips to Ikea, 3 trips to Walmart and 6; yes SIX, trips to Home Depot. Those shopping trips included feasts of Swedish meatballs, taking apart a grill using a penny and a dime to fit in our car, and a semi-romantic viewing of town fireworks – from a Walmart parking lot, alongside an Uncle Si local lookalike.

Just a few boxes

Parking lot celebrations

And I don’t think that we are close to finished. The good news is that all of our moving boxes are empty, the kitchen is officially open, and we toasted our very first bubbly in our banlieue of Branford. Here's to many, many more flutes (or solo cups) of champers.