LDW Plans: Chequessett Cafe and Food Truck!

September 2, 2016

I know for certain this will be our last weekend weekend at the cottage in Truro. We have had no shortage of sun for us this summer. So while the forecast has some cooler temps and clouds, we will be enjoying the yard, food truck, and chasing waves. I pulled out all of the navy and orange I could find to dress Roswelle, Maddie, and Teddy for the big Auburn game on Saturday. War Eagle!

Speaking of food truck, I plan to eat numerous meals at our new favorite spot just a short walk away from the cottage, Chequessett Chocolate Cafe and Joey's Food truck. If you follow on me on Instagram, you know how much I love it there. I've been gluten and dairy free for some time now, and this shop provides a healthy take on all things I crave. The corn tortilla tacos are super satisfying and the coldbrew shakes with cocoa and almond milk from Chequessett feel absolutely indulgent. Unfortunately, I don't have pictures of either - I always inhale everything too quickly to get a good picture. However - I do have a cute snap video of Paul and Roswelle about to do 'work, work, work' on the tacos at the end of this post (fingers crossed it actually plays).

As you can see in the pictures below, it's a family favorite! Hope you have a wonderful 3 day weekend.

Lauren

My Monday Morning Coffee

April 27, 2015

Good Monday Morning!

Gone are the days of a simple cup of coffee. No longer will the convenience store being out of filters be the biggest threat to you enjoying your cup of joe. Enter the era of chemix, aeropress, syphons, and scales. I thought my stove-top bialetti brew was special until I saw this post...wow. Also, check out this flowchart to see which special brew is the one for you!

When I need a special pick-me-up cup of coffee, I make this strong and creamy stove-top version using my Bialetti - "an iconic piece of italian design from the 1930s". On Monday mornings, on Wednesday afternoons, on the weekends...even the occasional Friday night, I will brew for myself or special guests...it's definitely something to be excited about.

As always, the best cups of coffee are based on the freshly ground coffee bean (I use the Trader Joe's Organic Fair Trade Wake Up Blend) and clean filtered water (I would use organic water if I could - ha! :P)....the rest is just pizazz

Roswelle approved!!

Some Self-Care @ Tamper Cafe

March 30, 2015

Last week I met with my friend Mikhail to go over the basics of photography including focus/apertures/shutterspeed/ISO. You would think after having a nice camera for 4+ years that I would know the basics but I have honestly been pointing and praying the picture would work. After the mentoring session, I ordered a new lens for my nikon (just arrived over the weekend!) - he emphasized I need the right tools for successful pictures and this included a new lens, so I made the commitment and ordered the pricey item. For those of you curious, I ordered a AF-S DX NIKKOR 35mm f/1.8G Lens. ALL of these pictures are PRE-new fancy lens.

As Roswelle just turned one, I am making my love of fun photography and blogging more of a priority. Paul has his hobbies/passions: a crossfit membership + a garage gym full of kettle bells, rings, and a squat rack. And I have mine: a new camera lens, flower arrangements, and half-marathons. ;) It makes us healthier individuals, partners, & parents to feed our passions and I'm thankful we make it a priority.

I met Mikhail last week at a cool coffee/wine/beer bar right near his house in Medford. Tamper Cafe (#tampercafe or tampercafe.com) has it all including a delicious menu, a full drink menu and an inspiring atmosphere. I highly recommend for anytime of day!

I can't wait to share pictures with you with my new lens!! It makes me REALLY happy.

Sweet Life Bakery + Cafe

March 2, 2015

{almond citrus bread}

One of my favorite things about living in Boston (sometimes hard to remember in this Winter) is the possibility of discovering an amazing cafe, restaurant, coffee shop in your neighborhood. Recently I found all three in one great spot - Sweet Life Bakery + Cafe! It has everything I could ever want in a cafe...endless coffee, sweet baked items, plenty of space, good lighting, a fire place and free wifi! I have started going here to blog and have a quiet cup of coffee while Roswelle is at a playdate/sitter on Wednesdays for 3 hours. It's something new she and I are trying out...this whole separation thing, and it's proving to be quite wonderful for both of us. :) 3 miles from our house deep in Dorchester, this is my new spot to take my friends and family. The freshly baked sourdough is a must try!!

{the breakfast bar}

{details I appreciate}

{the bakery - where I will be ordering Roswelle's birthday cupcakes}

Tatte Cafe and Bakery

November 25, 2014

A few weekends ago I saw a picture on Instagram of a cafe in town - Tatte Bakery and Cafe. It looked like a mixture of lovely and cool and I decided I would try it out this week - a reason to get out of the house with Roswelle, coffee, and something to blog about...perfect!

Below are some quick photos I managed to get with a busy, busy
baby on my hands. There is no graceful entrance, casual coffee, and relaxing blogging/reading these days! Thankfully, I was able to meet a girlfriend there (was great catching up with you Erin!) who happily held her while I snapped a few quick shots. By the end Roswelle had had enough and was screaming (arched back and all) and we quickly left the rest of the sans-baby patrons so that they could have their lunch and coffee in peace.

All in all it was a successful trip! I'm hoping to hit this up with my girlfriends for brunch this winter.