Vacation in Boston

Hi friends!

The past two weeks I have been home with my family in Boston. I had some time before starting my new job, so I was able to spend a few weeks at home relaxing. I haven’t been home for that amount of time in over two years, so I felt very grateful for the time to relax and catch up with lots of family and friends!

Now that I am back, I am finally catching up on my blog. I decided to take a good detox from social media while I was home, so I could truly embrace every second there. Here are a few pictures from my time in Boston (and Maine) to catch you up:

My mom found this “resepy” book I must have made when I was in preschool. The recipe I chose to include was homemade peanut butter, so clearly nothing has changed.

The same thing goes for this journal entry I wrote for class when I was in first grade. Guess I’ve always been a good Jewish girl!

I always know I am home when I see glorious Dunkin’ Donuts everywhere. Dunkin’ is expanding to the west coast and they are opening a new location only a few blocks away from me in LA this month! Wahoooooo!

My dad and I took a trip to the farmer’s market in Kennebunk, Maine. Everything was so colorful and fresh. We brought home two big bags of fresh produce to cook with. There is something about farmer’s markets that makes me so darn happy.

My dad turned some of what we purchased into a few delicious meals. It was such a treat to be cooked for and occasionally just play sous-chef.

My family stopped at Rococo Ice Cream in Dock Square, Kennebunkport. We heard it was one of top ten ice cream shops in the country, so we had to try it!

They had unique flavors such as “Smokey Blueberry,” “Molasses Ginger Snap,” “Strawberry Basil,” and “Speculoos Pretzel” (shown in the cone above). If there hadn’t been a long line behind us, I would have asked to sample every flavor. Everything I tried was outstanding and I can definitely see why it was voted one of the best in the country. If you find yourself in Kennebunkport, Maine you must stop here!

On one of my last days at home, I took a tour of Taza Chocolate Factory in Somerville, MA with my friend Amanda. My mom found a deal for 2 tickets for only $8 and after reading raving Yelp reviews boasting unlimited chocolate samples, I knew I had to do it.

Amanda (who is such a sport for allowing me to take a picture of her in our required hair nets) and I took the hour-long tour and learned all about how Taza chocolate is made. Taza is stone-ground Mexican chocolate, so we were shown the stones as well as all of the various machines used throughout the chocolate-making process.

My eyes lit up when I saw our tour guide passing out samples within the first five minutes of the tour. This was my first time trying Taza chocolate, and after one bite I was hooked! Taza’s chocolate has a gritty texture that I can best compare to a crunch bar. You can see tiny crystals in the chocolate, which gives it a unique texture and taste.

Taza sells most of it’s chocolate in round disk form, which is very unusual compared to the typical American bars of chocolate. I sampled so many flavors such as coffee, salted almond, orange, cinnamon, ginger, chile, super dark, and more!

I brought home a few samples for my family to try and they loved it, too! None of us are ones to typically reach for a chocolate bar (if I am going to have chocolate, I usually prefer it in cookie or cake form), but we are all big fans now! You can find Taza at any Whole Foods across the country, but if you’re a Boston local you must check out this factory tour!

Now I am back in LA with my favorite girl, Bessie. Travis brought her in the car to pick me up from the airport and she went NUTS when she saw (or smelled?) me. She basically hasn’t stopped wagging since. I’m just as happy to be back with her 🙂

 

I will be back later this week with a new delicious recipe! Remember to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for regular updates! You can use the easy “follow me” buttons on the right!

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