Pilates Twice Per Week? Oh My!

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I've posted in the past about going to a Pilates mat class once per week. I've been doing that for (eek!), close to five years. (Time flies when you're sweating.)

Last fall, I found a dance class for Grace that I wanted her to try and of course, it overlapped with my Pilates class. I talked to my instructor and she noted there was an opening in the Reformer/equipment class on Thursday night. 

SIDE NOTE: I could've sworn I'd previously posted on this blog about my one time in the Reformer/equipment class and how dizzy I was and that I'd never do it again. Can't find reference to that, but it happened.

Since that was experience was a few years ago, I decided to give it another go, as I didn't want to lose out on my once per week exercise. (When doctors ask if I exercise, I say, "well, I do Pilates." [I just tend to leave out the once per week part....]) I joined on a Thursday night and while I can say I didn't get dizzy (I made sure to leave my glasses on, which oddly was part of the problem, I think), I DEFINTELY had a more intense workout than mat class.

But I soldiered on and kept going. Unfortunately (for Grace), the dance class she was in ended up with dwindling attendance and it was canceled after the holidays. So, I'm back to having my Monday nights free. What to do?

At 50 years of age, I committed to two days of exercise. What the what? Yes, I'm now going to mat class on Monday night and Reformer/equipment on Thursday night. And you know what? I like it. I mean, it's taken five decades for me, but better late than never! (And yes, I realize that two days is ludicrous to some people who work out on the regular, but I have never been an exercise lover. So sue me.) 👊😅

2023 New to Us Restaurant #1 of 5: Buono Bistro

 As a sort of New Year's resolution, I vowed to visit (at least) five "new to us" restaurants this year. What better time to start than my birthday?

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Buono Bistro- North Andover, MA

Italian cuisine is generally not my first choice when choosing a restaurant. I like it but don't love it as much as I love Thai, Chinese, Tapas, etc... However, for my birthday, I wanted my mom to come to dinner and she'd recently had dental surgery, so I was looking for places that had softer food, such as risotto. I asked in my local Facebook group, "Merrimack Valley Eats" for places that had the best risotto. Buono Bistro's name came up many times. I narrowed my choice down to three restaurants, a "safe" choice (one we'd been to before), and two other "new to us" restaurants. In the end, I am SO GLAD I chose Buono Bistro- it was amazing! (My mom didn't end up coming with us, but we'll definitely bring her there in the future!)

Interestingly enough, the website where the photo above comes from is a restaurant review blog and the first sentence of the Buono Bistro review is, "It was a bit confusing trying to find the entrance to Buono Bistro in North Andover." YES- exactly! It's in an unassuming industrial/strip mall type building (you can kind of tell from the photo above.) We went at night, so it was unclear where to turn in and where exactly in the building the restaurant was. When we saw the type of building it was in, I think both John and I said to ourselves- "what will this place look like inside?"

Amazing. It looked amazing inside! The lighting was perfect- dark but not too dark. It had a nicely lit bar and a very large dining area with both tables and booths. We had a table, but I think next time I make a reservation, I'll ask for a booth, as all of the booths are cozily tucked against a wall.

We started with a Blueberry Limoncello martini (for me) and Italian red sangria (for John).

Both were very good! I am a big fan of blueberry lemon drop martinis, so I thought this would be similar. It was and the Prosecco added a little "something." 

We were pretty hungry, so we decided that an appetizer would be a good idea. We chose the Margherita flatbread. 

It was good, but not the "star of the show." Also, bread is served, so this was a double dose of carbs! Funny story about the bread. As soon as we sat down, we were served water and then bread with a balsamic vinegar/oil mixture. We were both dipping in it and going on our merry way eating when all of a sudden, balsamic caught me the wrong way and I basically couldn't speak. I was coughing, gasping, wheezing. Of course, right at that moment, our server came to take our drink order. I'm trying to mime to John what I want and trying to grab the drink menu to point it out. Finally, I was able to whisper my order. Awkward!

There were a handful of specials that our server shared with us (I don't remember them- only the one that I ended up getting.) John chose Pappardelle a la Bolognese (beef and veal with sweet Italian sausage in a fresh white wine tomato sauce and mozzarella.) I was originally planning on getting Butternut Squash ravioli, but once I heard that swordfish was a special, I knew that was the winner!

John said the Bolognese was the best he's ever had and the pasta was very fresh. The swordfish was very tasty. It came with a crab risotto, broccolini, and a corn salad type topping (for lack of a better description.) It was amazing! (No pics of the Bolognese- I let John eat in peace.)

We had looked at the dessert menu online prior to going and weren't wowed by anything in particular, but since it was my birthday, we decided to look one more time in person. Turns out it was a different dessert menu than online. We ended up with tiramisu and it was great! (Can't go wrong with tiramisu.)

All in all, the atmosphere, service, and food scored an A in my book. We'll definitely be back!

Riding the Wave of Grief

Last week I was driving home from some errands and started thinking about my dad. I don't even remember what prompted me to think of him, but I caught myself smiling.

I started to reflect on how far the wave of grief has taken me since his passing on May 11, 2021.

I vividly remember the morning of May 11, 2021. John and I were on our way to Florida, as my dad went into hospice the day before and we knew it wouldn't be long before he passed away. My Mom called me while we were in the airport and told me that hospice had called her and told her to come right away. In hindsight, her telling me this was likely her way of preparing me from the inevitable. We boarded our flight, and I cried off and on during the two-hour journey. 

As the flight landed and started taxiing toward the gate, I turned on my phone. Almost instantaneously, it rang. It was my mom telling me that my dad had passed away. 

At that moment, I remember a distinct feeling of time stopping- but just for me. Passengers on the plane were chatting and looking out the windows. They were carrying on with their lives. Performing normal acts of "being." I thought to myself- how can they do this? Don't they know that a great man is no longer on this Earth? I kept looking around expecting everything and everyone to stop, pause, and acknowledge this unimaginable loss, but it didn't happen. It seemed like I was somewhere between being underwater and having an out of body experience. 

That feeling was SO deep. And it lasted for a day or so. It was so strange. I've never experienced anything like it.

Now, almost two years later, I can look around and see people going about their business and living life and not be resentful or angry. I'm still angry it happened to him. I'm still sad. I still miss him. But I can now smile when I think of him and if you know him, you'd know that's what he'd want me to do. 

Also, I don't want to be the jinx, but I think it's the Bruins' year and I really wish he was here to see it.

Don't Try a New Recipe on a Holiday

Leading up to Christmas, some friends/co-workers and I were talking about what we would serve/eat on the big holiday. One of them related that her husband felt she shouldn't try a new recipe on a holiday. 

I started thinking about that, as I was planning on breaking that "rule." 

I'd been craving stuffed mushrooms and as John doesn't care for mushrooms, I thought I'd make them when I had a wider audience. I started searching for recipes in Pinterest, with the key qualifier, "easy." 

Let's stop here for a moment, shall we?

Apparently, I have lived 50 years (gasp!) only knowing one kind of stuffed mushroom. A mushroom with bread crumb stuffing. Plain and simple.

Pinterest was giving me recipes for mushrooms with cream cheese stuffing (not for me!), sausage stuffing (maybe?), and seafood stuffing (possibly?). I was overwhelmed and slightly annoyed that I couldn't find a "regular" stuffed mushroom recipe.

Then, all of sudden and randomly, I came across this one.

Stuffed mushroom recipe from a Chinese food blog? YES!

I was a bit reticent at first, but this was the simplest, most straightforward recipe I could find for what I wanted.

Prep was easy/straightforward. If you've never made them, do pay attention to the "do not soak the mushrooms" instruction. (My mother reinforced this while I was wiping mine off.)

I will say that I ended up with a fair amount of extra stuffing, so depending on whether you have extra mushrooms to stuff or not, you may want to cut back on that.

I only got a pre-cooked photo, but you can see they are stuffed generously.

They came out GREAT! Cooking time/temperature was just right. Texture/flavor was great. 

They were a crowd pleaser (even John had one!) and I would definitely make them again. Even on a holiday. 😀 I guess I proved that adage wrong!

Thank you Woks of Life blog for coming through!

Consumer Report: January 2023

Hello and Happy New Year! I'm trying to start the year off right by blogging within the first week (it's a Christmas/New Year's miracle!)

Here are some items that I've tried for the first time recently (well, recently as in "within the last six months.") 😉 and my opinions on them.

First up, Cinnamon Crunch Pop Corners:

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I absolutely love Pop Corners. Spicy Queso and White Cheddar are two of my favorites. They're "never fried," so in my mind, I'm eating a healthy snack! (I'm sure they are healthy, but my mind might think they're healthier than they actually are...lol.) I was in BJ's (New England's local version of Costco) and saw a gigundo bag of the Cinnamon Crunch Pop Corners and thought I'd give them a try.

My verdict- they are good! It's rare (for me at least) to find a crunchy snack that satisfies a sweet craving, which this does for me. Not enough to buy a gigundo bag (which I ended up throwing out probably 1/2 of because they got stale). If you can find a normal sized bag, give them a try. However, if you're looking for another opinion, here's what John had to say- "they still taste like cardboard." 🤣 (They're definitely no Doritos or potato chips!)

Continuing the purple item theme (not on purpose!), next up is Tostitos Restaurant Style Salsa.

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I have never been able to find a jarred salsa that isn't chunky. I don't like chunky salsa (neither does John). I like thin (is that the right word?) non-chunky salsa. I saw this in the grocery store but didn't try it until mid-last year. It's several steps in the right direction towards Mexican restaurant salsa. It's not quite there, but honestly, I'll take it. (It prevents me from thinking about blenderizing chunky jarred salsa- no extra step!)

Moving along to other colors of the rainbow...

Next up are some very tasty, canned spirits.

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Cranberry Island Cocktail and Blueshine Lemonade by Maine Craft Distilling.

I absolutely positively love both of these! If I was held at gunpoint and asked which was my favorite, I'd have to say the Blueshine Lemonade (but only by a hair.) They're both refreshing, light and not overly syrupy sweet. These are perfect for the summer, but honestly, they're great year-round. 

Continuing the boozy theme...

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Blake's Triple Jam Hard Cider. This was a bit of a random find for me. Since I live in Massachusetts, I saw the Maine Distilling drinks in liquor stores in Mass and grocery stores in NH, so they were familiar to me. I was looking for another fruity hard cider and started doing some Googling. I stumbled upon this, but once I saw it was brewed in Michigan, I thought I wouldn't be able to find it nearby. Wrong! I found it less than 2 miles from my house, ran out, and scooped it up. LOVE it. Probably love it slightly more than the Maine Distilling drinks. I was really worried this would be overly sweet and heavy, having three fruity flavors. Wrong again! Sweet, but not too sweet. Tasty and refreshing. If you like fruity hard cider, you must try this! (Plus, the can illustration is fabulous!)

I really thought there was one other thing I wanted to review, but at my advanced age, it's not surprising that I've forgotten it. 

Have you tried any of these? Thoughts?

Happy eating and drinking!

Are You Good at Being Busy?

Let me go first at answering that question.

NO.

Perhaps I should re-phrase it. 

Do you like being busy? 

Again, I'll go first.

NO.

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The last few months have seemed extremely busy here. Out of the ordinary busy. The kind of busy when at the end of the day, I look at John and say, "Do you want to run away with me? I know we have to come back, but can we just run away to get a short period of 'doing nothing'?"

I look at others I know- friends, acquaintances, and coworkers, and see how busy they are on a regular day-to-day basis and all kinds of emotions are stirred up. I feel awe, wondering how they can possibly keep up with such a schedule and wonder if they have time to eat, sleep, or shower. Occasionally, I feel jealous and wonder why I can't be the Energizer Bunny and like it. Mostly, though, I feel lucky that I don't live "on the go" daily. I'm just not cut out for it. And that's OK. I'm happy there are others that fill that role. 

The holidays are coming, so I fully expect this period of busyness to continue. 

I'll just keep swimming and occasionally sit alone in the dark in silence (even if it is in the bathroom!)

50 States? 50 Blogs!: Idaho

 

Lindsay Is a Lifetime Member

First let me start by saying that it's been SEVEN AND A HALF YEARS (!) since I wrote the last "50 States? 50 Blogs! post." How is that even possible? I feel old yet I also feel somewhat proud that I've kept the blog alive for that long (even though it was definitely on life support at some points!)

Time to get back on the Blogwagon!

I've been reading Lindsay Is a Lifetime Member blog for a while now...at least a few years. I don't have a recollection as to how I came across it, but I have enjoyed the content.

Lindsay lives in Boise, Idaho and is an emergency dispatcher. She frequently mentions her husband Kenyon and their travel adventures (mostly cruises!)

The "Lifetime Member" part is related to Weight Watchers (WW). She has been a member for over 10 years and has lost over 100lbs. Once you reach your goal, you're considered a "lifetime member."

I've done WW before (and have blogged about it). It definitely works if you stick to it- I lost 20lbs at one point. This blog post is actually good timing, as I'm considering re-joining. I'd really like to lose 10 or so pounds and keep it off.

Lindsay details her ups and downs with the program (keeps it real!), which I really appreciate. As mentioned, she travels and goes out with friends, and shares how that fits with WW. 

Things that caught my eye about this blog:

• I like the header at the top of the homepage that leads to different sections. (I think I've said I liked this about other blogs, as well.)

• The fun background.

• The photos on the right side.

Things on this blog that I'd like for my blog:

• See above

• POSTS! She's great at posting frequently.

• See above

Next Up- Illinois! (But don't hold your breath...since it took so long for me to write this one!)