Tag Archives: favorites
April Sample Society Box
The first beauty subscription box to arrive last month (yes, I know– I’m late with this review!) was BeautyBar’s Sample Society box. I think this is the one I am always most excited about due to the historically generous size of their samples!
This black box really brings me such joy! I love getting mystery presents (granted, I paid for this present!) at my doorstep.
Seriously, when I opened this box, I quickly realized it was bursting at the seams! The cover practically popped off because it was so full! Notice how the card on top is at least an inch above the box itself!
The brands. . .
The first thing I picked up looked huge! It’s this Eve Lom’s sample facial cleanser plus, within this little box, there’s a muslin reusable cloth tucked away!
The second sample I saw was also pretty big! It’s an oil treatment from Phyto for your hair that you apply before you shower! How great is that?
Within this card is a small sample of a facial moisturizer with SPF from Cotz. That’s always something that will come in handy.
Now the coolest-slash-weirdist thing I got in the box was this large packet from Hanskin. I couldn’t really figure out what it was at first since all of the ingredients and directions were written in another language!
Fortunately, the Sample Society folks are on top of their game because they included this little booklet, which explained the product in English. Basically, it’s a facial mask but it is infused in a sheet which you place on your face. The good stuff seeps into your skin from the sheet!
Lastly, I got this full-sized lip gloss from Borghese. I am not a gloss or lipstick kind of girl, but I am going to try this out for a change!
You’d think that would be it, right? But no, the bonus in this box was these cute little hair clips!
This was an incredible box in terms of variety, suitability to my preferences, and value. I definitely think I got way above my money’s worth!
Do you use facial masks? If so, what kind (clay, mud, etc. . . )?
When Your’re Feeling Low. . .
I was pretty down and out all last week , but having a night out with friends on Saturday gave me something fun to look forward to and definitely helped boost my spirits!
My husband and I met our two great friends, G and M, out for dinner at Kartabar, a Mediterranean-influenced hot spot literally up the street from where I live. Kartabar has been around for years– it turns into a club after about 11 or so on Friday and Saturday nights, and admittedly, I spent many a Friday and Saturday at Kartabar when I was in college!
Needless to say, we went for dinner way before the restaurant to club transition!
Kartabar has really good food, which is probably one of the reasons it has managed to stick around for so long. I ordered three of my staples: salad, pizza and fries!
The salad I had was a delicious poached pear salad with goat cheese, raisins, walnuts, fried onion rings and raspberry vinaigrette. I loved it because it has all the things I crave in a salad– fruit, nuts, cheese, greens, and a tasty dressing.
I ordered a margherita grilled pizza– it was pretty thin and crispy. It tasted great, but I prefer a less cracker-like crust.
And, to round out the meal, I had a mix of sweet potato and regular fries.
–
The meal was great and the company was even better– my bad mood lifted instantly.
On our walk home, our friends and I stopped by our local Froyo World. I really resisted getting froyo since I had a Crumbs cupcake sitting at home for me, but at my husband’s urging, we decided to just get a little cake batter froyo to share between the two of us without any toppings, so we would still have room for the cupcake. It was a delicious compromise.
Their cake batter froyo is truly amazing– so creamy! The flavor is right on too!
And, to top it all off, a red velvet Crumbs cupcake to conclude my foodie extravaganza! This is one of the best Crumbs cupcakes I have tried– the cream cheese frosting was so good!
Looking back, I realize just how well I ate on Saturday night. A bit indulgent, yes, but all worth it!
What’s your favorite froyo flavor?
1149 Date Night
My husband and I look forward to our Saturday night date nights more than any other time in the week. We tend to rest up during the day so we have energy on Saturday night to enjoy a nice dinner together. Two Saturdays ago (yes, I am a little late with this recap), we decided to get out of Providence for dinner since it was gorgeous out and we were feeling adventurous.
We didn’t feel like driving all the way to Newport, plus we had a party to stop by at in East Greenwich, so we decided to have dinner in East Greenwich right after afterwards. I love East Greenwich– it’s a far enough drive from Providence so it feels like we’re really going on a trip, but it’s close enough to get there in twenty minutes! Our restaurant of choice was 1149, since it had availability on Opentable and the menu was varied enough so that as a vegetarian, I would have plenty of options.
1149 is a really nice place– it is casual, but classy, and has a vibe about it that makes it feel like a special night out. It seems all the diners there were celebrating something or just really set on having a great time!
Anyway, the menu, like I said is pretty vast– 1149 features pretty classic American menu offerings with an Italian twist including grilled pizzas, salads, pastas, burgers, meat and seafood dishes.
Our waiter was great– as soon as we sat down, he took our drink orders and brought us a bread basket. This, however, was no ordinary bread basket– it featured three different kinds of bread (olive, multigrain and Italian) served warm with whipped butter. It’s so rare to find a restaurant these days that serves warm, fresh bread, so needless to say, I was very happy with it!
The olive bread was the best!
I was torn between ordering a pizza/salad combo, a bunch of apps including spinach artichoke dip, or a baked pasta dish that sounded delicious. I have been pretty off pasta lately, but having it baked with pink vodka sauce and smothered with cheeses sounded quite appealing. I just had pizza and salad the night before, so in efforts to have some variety, I ended up with the baked ziti dish. It was definitely the right choice.
This dish was amazing! The pasta was perfectly al dente and the pink vodka sauce was so creamy! The best part though was the bubbling cheese and the pasta bites that were engulfed in a cheesy crust. It was also huge, and I ate a little less than half. My husband also tried a few bites and loved it, so much so that he had some later that night when we got home.
I simply must order fries whenever I go out, and their shoestring fries with truffle may0 were fresh, hot and crispy. The portion size was generous, yet my husband and I still managed to take them down. I don’t like mayo, so I stuck with ketchup but my husband really enjoyed the truffle flavor.
I haven’t had dessert in a restaurant since February. I have been so stuck on Crumbs cupcakes that we tend to scram out of restaurants and eat dessert at home. My choices included molten lava cake, bread pudding, creme brule, and a flourless chocolate cake. I went with the warm bread pudding, which came with a dollop of vanilla ice cream. It was delicious– not eggy at all, which is my worst fear with bread pudding– and it tasted like a Cinnabon!
Three words about 1149: yum, yum, yum! I had been there about five years ago and didn’t think it was very memorable at all, but this time around, I was impressed. It definitely earned a spot on our restaurant rotation.
Are you a bread pudding fan? I like it, but sometimes find it can be way too eggy.
What I Ate Wednesday: Our Having-Met Anniversary
This is a pretty special week for me– eight years ago, on May 6th, 2005, I met my husband for the first time. We actually met at a restaurant in the Federal Hill section of Providence called Zooma. I was hanging out there after chaperoning my school’s junior prom, and he came to hang out with one of his high school friends, who happened to be a teacher I was with. Three months later, we were engaged!
We celebrate our having-met anniversary by going back to Zooma each and every May 6th since we met. It is pretty lucky we met at a restaurant first that has the longevity to still exist so we can make our return visits, and second that has wonderful food. But before I show you what we ate at Zooma Monday night, let me first show you what I had for breakfast and lunch first! Thanks Jenn for hosting!
I ate my usual oatmeal bowl– except this time, it wasn’t oatmeal– it was oat bran! I picked some oat bran up at Trader Joe’s last week, and decided to bring it into my life, especially since it not only reminds me of my childhood favorite, Cream of Wheat, but also because it has more protein and fiber than oatmeal per serving! I cooked it in the microwave with ground flax, cinnamon, vanilla bean powder, and sea salt, and topped it off with a sliced banana, tahini, and unsweetened coconut flakes.
Whole Foods had my favorite massaged kale and avocado slaw as their prepared salad special the other day, so I bought a container (though I have gotten pretty good at making it myself!). For lunch, I had some of the kale salad, some raw Dr. Cow nut cheese, raw veggies and some raw crackers and zucchini chips. I haven’t had an all-raw lunch in a while, and it really hit the spot.
Now onto my Monday night anniversary dinner. An 8 o’clock dinner reservation awaited– we always request to sit at the table we actually met at!
They were aware of our anniversary story, so we were greeted with free champagne! I don’t drink, but it was a sweet gesture.
All of the food at Zooma is so fresh, including their crusty bread. I enjoyed two chunks dipped in peppery olive oil.
My husband and I split a margherita pizza. I swear, I can’t go more than a week without eating this kind of pizza.
I also had a few bites of my husband’s red wine infused goat cheese tortellini. It looks horrid but tasted divine. It was house-made too!
I also devoured a tasty escarole salad with fresh mozzarella cheese and a red wine vinaigrette.
I think our dessert though was the best part– tiramisu for the anniversary win! I forget how much I love this creamy dessert– I need to get it more often.
I was up late considering it was a school night– I didn’t get to bed until 10! I know, I know, for an average person that’s not late at all, but for an old lady teacher like me, that’s super late, considering I usually fall asleep before 9!
It is fun to do something a little different on a school night though. . . and I wasn’t even tired the next day!
Do you like dining out on work nights? I tend to prefer to stay home when I know I have to get up early.
New York City Weekend, Spring 2013: Day 3
Here’s the last of my NYC recaps. . . from a trip I took nearly a month ago! Enjoy!
We only had a few precious hours on Monday in the city before we had to hit the road and head back home. Our morning started just like it did on Sunday– with some Bouchon Bakery!
I enjoyed a plain croissant (again). . .
and a vanilla bean scone (again). . .
oh, and some coffee as well!
Just a sidenote– my husband is always amazed at how much I know about famous or celebrity foodie spots in NYC (not that I am an expert or anything– I am just a tourist who’s done a little research!). So, he was extra impressed this past week when he opened our local paper on Wednesday only to discover Bouchon Bakery featured on the front page of the food section! When he saw that, he immediately called me and gave me even more props for knowing my way around NYC bakeries!
Anyway, after we were fueled up, we set out on one last (dessert) mission. See, I am a devoted reader of the wonderful blog Ali On The Run, and Ali, who lives in NYC, mentions a certain cookie on her blog quite often. Her love for Levain Bakery cookies convinced me that I too must track them down. When I googled around, I discovered Levain is often touted as having one of the best chocolate chip cookies in the entire country. In fact, Food and Wine Magazine gave Levain a shout out for having one of the top ten cookies in the U.S. My husband and I therefore set out on a thirty minute walk from our hotel to find these famous cookies.
Once again, because Levain is tiny, we almost missed it! We had to consult out phones a few times before finally locating it!
As you can see from this picture of the outside taken from inside the bakery, Levain is a tiny spot down a flight of stairs. This is the view from the bakery itself, looking up on the sidewalk.
The display case was awe-inspiring– not only do they have cookies, but they have baguettes with butter and jam, scones, muffins and more!
So here’s why Levain’s cookies are so famous– they are known not only for being enormous (like 6 ounces enormous!), but reports indicate they are crisp on the outside and melt in your mouth on the inside. I also read many reviews in which the cookies come to you hot off the rack!
We ordered one of their well-known chocolate chip walnut cookies and one of their chocolate peanut butter chip cookies. I did something I normally never do– once we had the bag in hand, we stepped out onto the street and immediately dove in for tastes of both (though we just had breakfast!). My husband insisted we had to so we could experience the cookies in their ideal condition, i.e. fresh off the rack.
Umm. . . HOLY COOKIES! Anyone who claims Levain Bakery offers of the best cookies in America is not exaggerating at all! Hands down– these were the best cookies I have ever had in my life, no joke. The chocolate chip walnut was epic– words can’t even describe how ooey-gooey the insides were. In fact, the chocolate chips were still a bit melted! The outside consisted of the perfect chewy cookie crust. As far as the chocolate peanut butter chip, it didn’t taste at all like a brownie, like I expected. I was worried the cookie would be too chocolately and fudgy, but I had no need to fret. The chocolate flavor was mild and the peanut butter flavor really shined. In fact, if I was eating the cookie in a blind taste test, I might not even identify the chocolate cookie as chocolate, but rather a traditional chocolate chip cookie with peanut butter chips. That, my friends, is a good thing! No one wants a brownie when they are expecting to eat a cookie!
We ended up having a few bites of each and saving the rest for dessert later that night. I ended up devouring both cookies all on my own!
Mark my words– I am always and forever visiting Levain Bakery when I go to NYC. In fact, next time, I want to bring home a whole bag of cookies to share with my family back here in RI. Oh, who am I kidding– I want to bring home a big bag of cookies all or myself!
By the way, the next time I throw a party, I am ordering Levain Cookies online to be delivered here because, yes, they do have an online store. In fact, I may throw a party just to be able to order those cookies!
Our visit to Levain was the ultimate ending to our New York City weekend. I already miss the city and can’t wait to return in the summer!
Who sells the best chocolate cookie you have ever had?
