friday links

Happy Friday!

The weather is still summer-like so I'm very happy.
Did I mention I saw one of these cupcake trucks the other day?
Did I squeal like a child when I saw it? Yes, yes I did.
Cute truck right?



Recently I was on a trip to western massachusetts to see one of my best friends. We visited the area of Shelburne Falls on the Mohawk Trail. What a nice area for for walking and eating. I was blown away at how many fabulous places to eat. Not only was the food good, but most of the restaurants served locally grown foods.
We went to West End Pub for these lobster rolls that we're the size of your head! And I'm from cape cod--we never get them that big!
We also ate at Hope & Olive in Greenfield, MA. And I cannot even begin to tell you how absolutely perfect their food was. It had been a long long time since I've been a restaurant that prides itself on local harvest with family owned values. The food was fresh, seasoned just right, and a huge array of choices not only in the tapas side but on the daily special dishes as well. I'm not a drinker, but I was at Hope & Olive because they had speciality drinks such as the swan dive:
tarragon infused vodka martini, with grapefruit, sugar and black pepper.
I had the coco mojo, a traditional mojito made with housemade coconut cream. A delight on the tastebuds.
I had photos, but they got deleted from my iphone sadly.
If you are making a trip out to western massachusetts this fall, please pay them a visit. They open at 5pm for dinner, and by 7pm they are already packed. Thankfully the seating is very roomy.

Of course a trip would never be complete without finding the perfect little gourmet resource shop for cooks.
I swear I seek out these gourmet kitchen stores whenever I'm on vacation.
The Lamson & Goodnow Factory Outlet in Shelburne Falls, MA.



You might have heard of Lamson & Goodnow maker of LamsonSharp™ cutlery, is the oldest cutlery manufacturer in the United States. Lamson & Goodnow was established in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts in 1837. The factory outlet in Shelburne Falls is the ONLY place where you can buy Lamson & Goodnow cutlery seconds at drastically reduced prices.
When I say reduced, I mean a true factory outlet price, not just discounts on crappy, scratched up seconds.
The knife in the above photo, is from the vintage collection, with super alloy american steel, double tempered, morado wood handle, and full tang with double brass rivets. A true knife, that is handcrafted to last. I was very impressed by how well made these knives were.


The Lamson & Goodnow factory outlet store in Shelburne Falls, MA.




Another knife that caught my eye!

What did I buy?
Oh you know all kinds of little knick knacks because they are so small, so cute.
I mean who doesn't love mini souffle dishes?



Are you interested in what's happening at the planet Mars?
The rover Curiosity?
I am too, and I found this neat little curiosity cam website.

DIY banana liqueur? Yes please.

20 ways to cultivate intermittent euphoria in your life. Interesting indeed.


frosted carrot-ancho snack cake! From scarletta bakes. Seriously.


Apple pie bundles from bake or break.


peanut butter & jelly blondies from averie cooks.


Has anyone tried this yet?
I hope it's not too sweet. I adore flavorful coffee's but not sugar-filled.


Downton Abbey fans?
Have you seen this cookbook?
It's actually quite good.
Has actual recipes as seen on the show; dining with the Crawleys!
I was drawn to this cookbook because of those "breakfast baked beans". Remember those? The recipe is in here.
One could really say these are vintage-like recipes. Even the book is laid out with a vintage-like theme.
Nibble on Sybil's Ginger Nut Biscuits during tea. Treat yourself to Ethel's Beloved Crepes Suzette. Feast on Mr. Bates' Chicken and Mushroom Pie with a room full of guests.
With this collection of delicacies inspired by Emmy Award winning series Downton Abbey, you'll feel as sophisticated and poised as the men and women of Downton when you prepare these upstairs and downstairs favorites. Each dish finds its roots within the kitchen of the grand estate, including:

Mrs. Isobel Crawley's Smoked Salmon Tea Sandwiches
Filet Mignon with Foie Gras and Truffle Sauce
Walnut and Celery Salad with Pecorino
Decadent Chocolate Almond Cake with Chocolate Sour Cream Icing
Very Vanilla Rice Pudding


Fig & blue cheese tarts. Pg. 33


Butternut squash soup. Pg. 42

Tips for keeping your hormones in balance. (very helpful).

Curious. Do you believe (and practice) the health benefits of apple cider vinegar?

Superfoods for youthful skin. (they should have added blueberries!--the miracle fruit).

For those of you that love vintage recipes (I do).
You're sure to love this food blog: Kitchen Historic.

Craft junkies? Have you seen this new website: craftgawker.
Find a lot of inspiration here for your next crafting project.
Mine is sewing. I am determined to take up sewing. Knitting didn't go so well.

A wonderful piece in the New York Times about happy cows, happy farming,and healthy food.
How I wish we had more of these kinds of articles and more of these kinds of dedicated/caring farmers.

Mini moon pies. And one has mint! I'm in heaven.

Info-graphic: how women are being set up for eating disorders.

Coconut oil may help prevent tooth decay?

4 new tick-borne illnesses have been identified.

Buffalo "chicken" vegetarian style. You must see these!

How to manage the 7 most common sleep disorders.

10,000 unwanted books take over the streets of melbourne.

Intimate and revealing backstage photos of famous musicians.

Merguez hot dogs with pickled carrots & cumin aioli.

How do foods affect my sleep?

Before you tell yourself "I can't", watch this video.

Easy peasy ways to add more raw fruits & veggies to your diet. (you can easily do these).

It's going to be really hard to say goodbye to summer.




We had one heck of a beautiful (and hot) summer here on cape cod.


....really hard to say goodbye to summer.....


Have a great weekend everyone!