Goods And Bads; Weekend Wrap-Up

I wasted an entire long weekend being sick in bed with a cold.  Uggh!  All the signs were there – cough, sniffles, headaches, plus we ate nothing but take-out, I watched about a billion episodes of Friends, I used two boxes of tissues and a toilet paper roll blowing my nose, and I haven’t worn pants since Friday.

Thankfully I had two healthy days at work Thursday and Friday, so I do have a few good things to share…

Iced coffee with chocolate milk is always good.

iced coffee with chocolate milk

iced coffee and chocolate milk

But I also learned that Starbucks’ salted caramel pretzel bars are really good.

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And the ‘Bucks didn’t let me down with these almonds either.

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On the healthier side, heirloom red spinach is also good.

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salad with heirloom red spinach

This coconut milk totally helped me feel better – for a minute or two – on Sunday.

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And TJ’s Crispy, Crunchy Broccoli is fantastic.

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Plus, Chobani’s new grape yogurt tastes like Greek yogurt with a purple pixie stick mixed in!

Now I’m crossing my fingers that I can make it through today with only one box of Kleenex.  Think dry thoughts for me!

Two By Two…

…hands of blue  <– name that show!

A short weekly wrap-up since my pictures were terrible, the two best from each category…

breakfast

I made wonderful coffee this week with the help of Grady’s Cold Brew Bean Bags. DSC04887 Paired with 1) A coconut berry smoothie. DSC04853

Hint of honey almond milk, frozen strawberries and blueberries, and coconut butter. I love the way the coconut doesn’t totally blend in and you end up with little pockets.

2) A surprisingly good omlette from the cafeteria. 20150106_094337

Eggs with onions and peppers.

lunch

1) A mix of seafood items from the caf made me feel fancy. 20150107_134558(0)

Tuna salad sandwich, lobster bisque, and a honey tangerine from home.

2) A snack plate that was actually the first half of lunch; I had Vietnamesse food at a party later. DSC04898

Pretzels, turkey jerky, and cinnamon apples.

snack

1) The party was a goodbye party for my boss. I brought in cookies.  Lavender chocolate caramel chip and my Smore’s Monster Cookies.

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I ate way too much dough then stayed up half the night with a stomach ache/sugar high finishing the latest Kathy Reichs’ book.

2) More sugar?

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I enjoyed these crispy m&m’s much more than I was expecting to.

dinner

1) Chipotle is always good.

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White rice, pinto beans, veggies, corn and mild salsas, cheese, sour cream, and lettuce.

2) This salad, sans chips, was good too.

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My take on a copycat of TGIFriday’s pecan-crusted chicken salad.

copycat tgif pecan crusted chicken salad

Copycat TGIF Pecan-Crusted Chicken Salad

  • chicken tenders
  • honey mustard – I used cranberry honey mustard which I highly recommend
  • chopped toasted pecans
  • baby spinach
  • dried cranberries
  • crumbled blue cheese
  • canned mandarin oranges
  • balsamic vinegarette
  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Farenheit. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Pour mustard and pecans into wide, shallow bowls.
  2. Dip chicken into mustard, then into pecans, pushing gently to help set the nuts (I only coated one side of my tenders).
  3. Place chicken on prepared baking sheet, naked side down. Bake for 27 – 30 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Allow to cool before slicing.
  4. Assemble salads with toppings.

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instagram share

1) I bought these cards to brighten up my office for only 99 cents at Trader Joe’s.

cards from trader joes

2) I made up a joke! Adam hates me.

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Could you identify the tv show from the quote?

Hello, 2015! Weekend Wrap-Up

It’s 2015!!! 

My new year is off to a good start; I rearranged a few areas in the apartment that have been driving me crazy and have even been to the gym a few times.  I opened the year with a trip to the movies to see “Wild” with friends.  We all enjoyed it, even those who hadn’t read the book.

I’ve done plenty of good eating this year too…

breakfast

Coffee coffee.

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With vanilla sugar.

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And vanilla creamer.

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Yep, I’m still deep in my vanilla obsession.

Which is why I bought this French vanilla yogurt.

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With a seckel pear.

Another day I stirred vanilla bean paste into plain 0% Chobani.

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It was delicious topped with blueberries, toasted walnuts, and maple syrup.

Pumpkin smoothie.

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Canned pumpkin – the final can that’s been waiting in the pantry – with Greek yogurt, frozen banana, maple syrup, cinnamon, and Almond Breeze Hint of Honey.  This was thin but so tasty.

Adam and I split this latte and donut.

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Dough‘s mocha crumble did not disappoint.

lunch

A killer sandwich.

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Turkey, sharp cheddar, banana peppers, and strawberry jam.

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Plus apple slices with cinnamon maple sugar.

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Black-eyed pea salad {BEP, green pepper, sharp cheddar, green Tabasco, and smoked almonds}.

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And trail mix {peanuts, smoked almonds, dried blueberries, and birthday cake M&M’s}.

Another sandwich with sliced apple.

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Fried egg with mayo and mustard.

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If I had rye bread this would be the exact sandwich my dad cooked for me when I was growing up.  His specialties were sandwiches – fried egg and grilled cheese (with pickle relish!).

snack

A trip to Ample Hills for the good stuff.  Butter pecan brittle and salted crack caramel.

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Chocolate covered potato chips.  I measured out exactly one serving – these are Adam’s favorite thing ever and he was very kind to share.

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Turkey jerky.

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Chocolate-covered gummy bears = yum!

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It’s possible I splashed cookie-flavored coffee creamer into diet coke and it was the best thing ever…

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Dooo itttt!

dinner

You have to eat black-eyed peas on the first for good luck in the new year.  I had mine mixed with green pepper, tomato, hot sauce, mayo, and cheddar on top of sprouted brown rice and chopped spinach.

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The dog even got his own little serving!

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I stuck a fork in my bowl, but I actually scooped my meal with bbq kettle chips.

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It was a great pairing.

Friday we did salads for course 1; spinach with peanut sauce, chopped apple, and kasha (roasted buckwheat groats).

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Followed by chicken patties from Trader Joe’s and cheesy fries.

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The fries were great – just frozen from Trader Joe’s that we baked with shredded cheddar and gouda.

We celebrated round 2 of our anniversary on Saturday.  When we watched our wedding video last weekend, we were reminded that I talked about eating pizza and watching Scrubs in my vows (really, I did!) and we realized that pizza and Scrubs would be a good anniversary activity.  We got a variety of slices from our favorite pizza place in our old neighborhood and had a great time.

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I got a green juice {spinach, kale, cucumber, and pineapple} to get in some veggies while we were picking up our pie.

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Adam was on call on Sunday but I figured that I should start off 2015 by breaking my streak of chips and cheese for single lady dinners and cooking a real meal.

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Spinach salad with balsamic, dried cranberries, blue cheese, and pecan crusted chicken tenders.  I dipped the chicken in cranberry honey mustard before I dredged it in chopped pecans and it came out amazingly.

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Woot, woot!

I hope that everyone is having a great year.

Goodbye, 2014! Weekly Wrap-Up

I cannot believe that it is almost 2015!  Doesn’t it sometimes feel like life is flying by?  I hate the idea of waking up late and tired in a new year, so our big plans for NYE consist of cuddling on the couch and trying to get in bed extra early.

Posting my recap a few days ahead of schedule so I can feel like I wrapped up one final thing…

breakfast

Yummy hot chocolate and an apple.

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After coffee, obviously.  Per usual, I was all about the coffee.

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This giant (I had a freebie) was an iced vanilla latte with extra espresso.

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I have been weirdly obsessed with vanilla all week and it’s making me kind of crazy; I don’t even like vanilla!  You’ll see Greek and frozen vanilla yogurts below, and I’m pretty much going to die if I don’t find pudding this weekend.  Hopefully this craving will pass soon.

lunch

Salted caramel Greek yogurt with coconut butter and an apple on the side.

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Plus a vegan monster cookie sandwich from Babycakes.  <– amaze!

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And some jerky while I did my charting.

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Tuesday I got lunch from the cafeteria that tasted better than it looked.

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A strange Caesar pasta salad (it was chicken and dressing with pasta AND croutons?!) topped with mushrooms and broccoli from the salad bar.

Another day I brought in dinner leftovers.

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Apple on the side; I had SweeTango and Kiku this week and both were great.

snacks

Chocolate!  Some nice (this Coffee & Cream bar from Theo is gritty good),

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and some inedible.

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Sorry, Mom, this Christmas gift was too spicy.

Adam is now as obsessed with this fruit mix as I am.

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But no one is as obsessed with vanilla as I am currently!  Vanilla bean yogurt with some candy cane Oreos crushed in it.

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And vanilla frozen yogurt with sprinkles.

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This was literally the first time I’ve even ever tasted vanilla froyo.  Who orders vanilla?!  But today I looooved it.

dinner

A dinner in three parts – (1) Leftover, cold, spicy cashew chicken straight from the container.

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(2) A tray of roasted green beans with truffle salt.  I have been finding green beans to be particularly buttery tasting lately.

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And finally, (3) a chile relleno from Trader Joe’s.

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The chile looks a little rough but it was so yummy; cheesy without being too heavy.

We went with the TJ’s freezer section the next night as well.

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Pad See Ew and orange chicken with broccoli.

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We wouldn’t get the chicken again, but years ago we had the vegan version of it and loved it.

Tonight we were supposed to eat lentils with broccoli and coconut rice.

DSC04742That bowl is in the garbage.  Apparently I have forgotten how to cook lentils that don’t taste like dirt.  It looks like I’ll be ending the year with take-out instead.

Happy New Year’s Eve!!

Seven Year Celebration

Sunday was our seven-year wedding anniversary. Adam and I got married on our fifth dating anniversary, so that means that we’ve been together for twelve years now. <– holy cow! I seriously thank my lucky stars every day that I get to be married to that man! {sap over, I promise}

We had a great weekend to celebrate. Both sets of parents sent gift cards and we had dinner out both nights, old friends of ours (who are new parents to a ridiculously adorable little girl) came into town for a visit, and we even went to a movie. P.S. we haaaaated “Into the Woods,” anyone else?

Iced coffee (7-11 for the win) with chocolate milk.

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Rabbithole in Williamsburg for brunch with friends.  I got the Rabbithole Florentine with poached eggs on wilted arugula, carmelized onions, sharp cheddar Mornay sauce, and a baguette.

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They bought me an amazing lavender iced latte at the cafe next door afterwords.

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We got take-out from Cheesecake Factory for dinner that night. Chopped vegetable salad and spicy cashew chicken.

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Plus candy and our favorite champagne for dessert.

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Sunday morning we made brunch at home. Eggnog french toast with blueberries and mimosas.

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In the afternoon we spent some time in Grand Central Station.

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Cafe Grumpy for cold brew.

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And Ciao Bella for fig toasted almond honey gelato.

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Prune was new to us for dinner and we loved it. I

talian Greyhound for me.

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And we started with sardines with Triscuits and mustard.

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We split two dishes and a side for dinner. Grilled pigeon with warm parsley dressing and seeded toast. The (buttery, seedy, sauce drenched) toast was pretty much the best thing ever.

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Duck breast with cipollini onions, dandelion greens, and agrodolce dressing.

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And hen of the woods mushrooms in brodetto.

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Dessert was marscapone ice cream on a salted caramel brioche crouton.

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Delish!

Five Things – Weekly Wrap Up

five things i ate last week

{1} Really great breakfasts.

I killed it on the breakfast front this week.  Two different days I managed to bring in yogurt (TJ’s strawberry and then 2% plain Fage) with tons of pomegranate and blackberries for topping.

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Plus I had cold-brew coffee with soy nog for the train.

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Another day I did toast, followed by a juicy apple, and caramel hot chocolate to spruce up my coffee at work.

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{2} Party food!

My lunches were a bit ridiculous this week, lots of work parties to attend.  First, the Dietitian party.

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My profession always has the best food.  Salad, fruit salad, glass noodles with shrimp, and chicken Pad Thai.

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Plus lots of dessert.

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And later in the week there was a hospital wide celebration.

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Salad, green beans, jerk chicken, eggroll, macaroni.  Plus a chocolate fountain.

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{3} Sandwiches, still.

The days without parties, I was still loving the cafeteria sandwiches.  Jerk sliced chicken with mayo, mustard, provolone, and lettuce.

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Plus a similar ‘wich with seaweed and a tangerine from home on the side.

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{4} Dinner at Whole Foods.

We went on the first night of Hannukah hoping to find lattkes on the hot bar.  No such luck, but we did make super tasty giant salad bowls.  P.S.  That seltzer was so good that I went back and bought a case of them!

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Salad base with yummy chipotle almond dressing, tons of shredded veggies, roasted veggies, and a big scoop of mac and cheese.

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And we stopped at Ample Hills to check out the seasonal flavor on the way home.

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Did not disappoint.

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{5} Super thick hot chocolate.

I made my own (super thick) hot chocolate.  But I messed up the proportion of things a bit so the recipe is still not ready to share.

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It looked good though!

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five things i read/watched/listened to

{1} “Take Me to Church” from Hozier.  I am still obsessed.

{2} “Snowfall” from Ingrid Michelson.  This is my all-time favorite “Christmas song.”

{3} Blood, Bones, & Butter, Chef Gabrielle Hamilton of Prune’s memoir.  <– do not recommend.  Parts of the story were great, but I wasn’t a fan over her writing style and by the end I wasn’t a fan of her either.

{4} The mid-season finale of “Brooklyn-99.”  Loooove.

{5} “Rick and Morty,” an amazingly smart and funny cartoon that we just discovered.

five things from instagram

{1} My new favorite top ever, a sweater my parents sent me with a giant icebear.

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{2} I’m super proud of this wrapping job I did on my in-laws’ Christmas present… working a toy store over the holiday season in Buffalo definitely taught me a few things.

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{3} Another shot of that tasty marshmallow I ate in the Bryant Park Winter Village.

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{4} I like this drawing, but I took this photo back in November, before Thanksgiving!  Slow down!

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{5} Puppy love.  His fat little arms slay me.

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Have a great weekend!

Cookie Monster

An old-school full-day wrap-up post?  Why not!  I felt the urge.

I cannot even tell y’all how excited I was this morning that today was Friday.  Adam has the weekend off and even though he has studying to do I’ll get to sit next to him on the couch!  I still needed coffee to help me face the day though.

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Non-fat iced latte (always iced!) and an apple.

I clearly wasn’t getting up early enough to pack a lunch, so I got food from the cafeteria today.

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A half sandwich – love that my caf. offers that – of tuna salad, provolone, lettuce, red onions, and honey mustard, on whole-wheat.

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Plus baked onion rings.

Dessert was candy that my co-worker sweetly brought me.

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A thank you for the gift I brought to her baby shower on Tuesday.  I am excited for her, but also a little bummed because she’ll be out on maternity leave soon and she’s one of my favorite people at work.

We have tons of leftovers from our take-out streak the past week so we kept thing simple for dinner.

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Buffalo chicken pizza.

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And green papaya salad from a new Thai place in Great Neck.

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The salad was flavorless and disappointing but it was my only shot at produce so I ate it anyway.

And cooooookies while we watched “Bones.”  The last caramel chip plus cookie creamer in my (half-caf) iced coffee.

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Both good, obviously.

My weekend plans include a long overdue visit to the gym, Christmas shopping, grocery shopping, and a doughnut spree in Manhattan if the rain holds off.

Have a happy weekend!

The Girl In Sonoma {San Francisco}

Our last two days were spent enjoying the beauty of California wine country.  And eating.  So much eating!  We were trying to pack in as much fun as possible on our last full day and we went a little crazy ordering food.  We definitely didn’t finish everything shown, but we did eat quite a lot.

We started Friday with coffee,

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and fruit and bread.

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We split a Satsuma, an unpictured banana, and a rosemary roll from ACME Bread Company.

We saved the sourdough roll for an amazing lunch of bread, cheese, and chocolate.

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Plus earl grey panna cotta for dessert.

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We had the Cowgirl Creamery Mount Tam fresh from the source because we were there for a history lesson and cheese tasting.

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Best tour of the trip!

After cheese, it was time for wine, with a tasting at Matanzas Creek.

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The grounds were gorgeous and the wine was de-lish!  We liked it so much we even bought a few bottles to bring to Thanksgiving.

Next up was beer (and more cheese!) at Lagunitas Brewing Company.  Brown Shugga was my favorite, unsurprisingly.

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They had pretzels out for palate cleansing between tastes,

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but we also got a big plate of cheesy nachos.

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This was the point in the day where I was getting a little too full!

But we forged ahead with a trip to Bouchon Bakery for a butterscotch éclair.

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And finally settled in at The Girl and the Fig for an outstanding dinner.

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Those light green olives were shockingly good.

I had to get a lavender mojito, it was made with Cruzan rum!

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We started with a cheese plate with apple, house-made fig cake, spiced nuts and baguette.

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We choose a P’tit Basque sheep’s milk, Bohemian Creamery’s The Bomb goat’s milk, and a Bleeting Heart Moolicious Blue.  Because we had to fit cheese into every single meal that day.

Adam and I shared for dinner.  Local mushroom raviolo with sunchoke purée, truffle pesto, local mushrooms, and chicories.

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And the house-smoked trout sandwich with farm egg salad, caper aioli, pickled red onion and dill.

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Both were absolutely amazing.  The sauce under the pasta and the pickled red onions on the trout totally made the dishes.

We got an after-dinner drink with Firelit coffee liquor and Sailor Jerry rum.

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And had dessert that was my favorite dish of the entire trip.  Chocolate and salted fig caramel trifle with cocoa nibs and Italian meringue.

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Adam was amazed by the nibs and I was obsessed with the marshmallowy meringue.  Plus we came home with a jar of their salted fig caramel.

We had such a wonderful dinner at The Girl and the Fig that we ended up going back for brunch on Saturday!  We met up with a medical school friend who is doing his residency in Fresno and he said The Girl was his favorite Sonoma spot.

Fig Fashioned.

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Mussels and frites for the table, which I was totally brave about and ended up loving.

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And the best grilled cheese sandwich of my life.

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We left completely stuffed; the three of us were barely able to get coffee, hours later.

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Our flight was a red-eye and it didn’t leave until after 10 pm so we were able to spend the whole day catching up.  Our friend chose to spend his one day off for the week with us so we were thrilled to make the most of it.

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A perfect end to a perfect vacation!