December 2015 / WHAT JEN DOES

gingerbread scones with maple glaze

12.28.2015

I'd like to introduce you to a wonderful scone variety - unfortunately, he's appropriate for about as long as the Little Debbie Christmas Tree cakes are. Meet the Gingerbread scone. While he would taste the same all year long, he tastes best probably November to New Years Eve. Maybe one weekend into the month of January. Maybe.

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Bye Palm Beach // Day 5

12.22.2015

Bye Florida.

Today was largely uneventful. It was a lot of drive to the airport, go through security, go through security again because you accidentally left the terminal, and then fly home. But before all that, I took a sunrise walk on the beach. It might have been one of the prettiest sunrises in the last couple days. Lots of pink in the sky and shells on the beach.

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1 Alligator, 1 Manatee, 5 Turtles // Day 4

12.21.2015

After two days of trying to find something "nature" related to do in Florida (besides walk on the beach), I finally achieved my goal. It was actually a really great day with no repeats visits like the previous days. I didn't go back to the Gardens- just kidding of course I did. I tried new places to eat. And. I saw an alligator. Win.

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A little bit of everything // Day 3

12.20.2015

Today was overall a win. I got some yoga in, had a BLT, and ate dinner with my brother. In the loss column? A failed trip to a nature preserve. All nature is beautiful but I expected a little bit more for engagement. No big deal. Other exciting things compensated for that loss.

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Faux Beach Yoga // Day 2

12.19.2015

Every day when I’m at home I wake up at 6 am. In part because I try to get the 6:40 train to work – but also because I’m an early person. So, I just assumed that I would wake up in time for my morning yoga class – and I just barely did. I slept nearly two hours later than normal. I guess that’s what happens after an early travel day?

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Palm Trees Please // Day 1

12.18.2015

Welcome to Palm Beach! Or at least a slightly less amazing area 10 minutes to the west of Palm Beach. Whatever. The beach is still the beach. I’m down here for a few days chaperoning Jake on a school trip. Despite how much time we spend together in general, this is our first trip together… and I’m pretty excited about it.

Today was a travel day that was made longer because I don’t live 15 minutes from the airport anymore. That was a huge bummer to realize especially at 4:15 in the morning. I honestly had not even looked at the weather before coming down. It wasn’t as though anything I was doing could change so I just tossed a couple yoga outfits and sundresses in a bag and called it a day. After a rainy afternoon, I was a bit anxious about 4 days in the rain – but it looks like that was a false alarm.

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Braised Chicken with Onions, Rosemary and Sage

12.17.2015

If there were 3 things that made living in the burbs best, they would be: more farms, more people willing to eat my cooking, and more ocean. All three are rather important to me – and I managed to do all of them this past weekend. Jackpot.

I spent the weekend going to various yoga or spin classes. I tried a new place in Norwell that splits a class between half row and half ride (e.g. spin). It was a nice change up – but the real benefit was that it took me past Hornstra Farms on the back roads of Hanover. It was just too picturesque to resist. Big ole barn. Cows. Fresh milk and cheese. Older couples holding hands picking out cinnamon bread? HEAVEN. Other hits? Walk through a marshy trail in Greenbush (2011 visit) and a morning walk for sea glass before yoga.

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Meet Marshall

12.09.2015

I’m a big fan of the Timehop app on my phone. It might be one of the first things I look at each morning as I delay getting out of bed. These days my commute unfortunately propels me a little faster from the covers… and earlier to boot. This morning the app kindly reminded me that this is the anniversary of when my tree fell over last year.

I loved Mr. Tree from 2014. He was a gift delivered by my dad after we discovered they weren’t selling trees at Faneuil Hall anymore. So my Dad lovingly picked allegedly the smallest tree up from the burbs and delivered it to my apartment. I was a little late coming home and found Mr. Tree already firmly implanted in my living room… with the his top severed and in the middle of my kitchen floor. He was just a tiny bit too tall for my North End apartment. A few days after that, he fell over in my living room and I was alerted by my security camera in the middle of a workday. Modern technology is a beautiful thing.

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Brussel sprout latkes with basil aioli

12.08.2015

With the move behind us, I was excited and maybe a little anxious to get in the kitchen and make my first meal. Technically my first meals were frozen pizzas, takeout chicken fingers, and the inaugural box of Kraft Mac and Cheese… but let’s not split hairs.

I’ve always wanted to cook seasonally and try recipes that were based on what was happening. My favorite holiday to cook for is Cinco de Mayo (2015, 2014, 2013)… and least favorite was the Philippine inspired dish for the finale of Survivor one year. But Sunday was the first day of Hanukkah, and one of my coworkers was talking about making latkes over weekend. So latkes it is!

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