Quite the life we have been living. Things are starting to return to normal. Cooking is fun again.

Nick and I took a weekend trip to Niagara Falls.  We met up in Rochester airport (my flight was 2.5 hours delayed…imagine that!).  What a treat to get three whole days by myself with Nick and no work!!!  Once I got past the tacky appearance of both the Canadian and US side we had a fantastic time.

From Rochester we drove the scenic byway along Lake Ontario.  We made one stop to take pictures.  Lake Ontario is such a clean lake.  I have never been to the Great Lakes but from the looks of them they can be quite the attraction.

Arriving in Niagara:

We stayed at a lovely Bed and Breakfast on the New York side called the Butler House.  It was about a fifteen minute walk from the park where you can see the falls.  Breakfast was delish.  Would highly recommend this place.  We found it on trip advisor.  The price was just right and the reviews were good.  The area in NY was a little shady (one street over is completely run down, we walked through in the middle of the afternoon and didn’t feel entirely safe), but we confirmed with the owners that it was safe to walk around at night.

I could not believe the shape that Niagara was in.  I thought it would be cute and quaint.  Not the case.  The NY side was splattered with wax museums, eye sore tourism shops, and tons of people.  Somehow we couldn’t find a unique place to eat lunch outside of the million Indian restaurants which is a cuisine that Nick is not a fan.  We ended up having a beer and splitting a sandwich at a local hotel bar, which wasn’t bad since we got outdoor seating.

Adventures:

After lunch and checking into the hotel we departed for the park.  First stop was the Maid of the Mist, a boat that takes you around and into the falls.  It is amazing how “misty” the falls are.  Quite a way to experience them.  The wait was about two hours for this attraction.  Kinda like standing in line at an amusement park.  They give you a poncho so you don’t get too wet, but if you are adventurous I guess you could just wear a bathing suit, but it is only a 20-30 minute ride so staying dry is good to walk around the park which is what we did.

After getting a feel of what the US side had to offer we walked across the bridge to the Canada side.  From the Canadian side you can see both the American Falls and Horseshoe falls.  Though you get closer on the US side.  I have heard that the Canadian side is better but maybe that was for attractions.  Niagara in Canada is kinda like Times Square in NYC.  Lots of lights, lots of people, tacky shops, then there are the casinos, and chain restaurants.  Again a disappointment on where to eat as far as unique (and considering we had decided not to go to the Skylon Tower to eat a $200 meal it was chain food for us).  We ended up eating at the restaurant with outdoor seating that looks over the falls so that we could see the falls be lit up at 9pm.  The food was just alright but the views were nice.

After dinner one last glimpse at the falls and a stroll back to the US.  It was quite cool out at this point and we were shivering with no jackets so we made a pit stop to a local wine bar in NY for a nightcap.  After our drink back to our room we went.

Niagara On the Lake:

On the second day we decided to bypass the Niagara attractions and go to Niagara on the Lake.  Boy were we glad we did when we got there.  What a cute quaint town.  Everything we expected Niagara to be that it wasn’t!  If you go to Niagara and want a town with the feel of Charleston or Savannah you should definitely stay in this area.  Though it is only a 30 minute drive from the falls.  We spent a few hours walking around meandering in and out of shops.  When it was lunch time we decided to pop in a few local restaurants to partake in local wines and appetizers.  The first spot we went “Corks”; apparently we are suckers for outdoor seating.  We ordered a glass of wine, but they did not have appetizers, so we had to go to another place (oh darn!:)).  Our second place was a little more fancy but still super cute and of course outdoor seating (Shaw cafe).  We each got a glass of wine and split the smoked salmon and shrimp.  Was a pretty yummy appetizer the scone being the best part of it.

After our quick bar hop we were off to the local vineyards. The first one we went to was Konzelmanns which our waitress at the first restaurant had recommended.  Situated right on Lake Ontario we had a few samples and purchased a bottle of wine for that evening.  We also went to two others for tastings and had a bigger lunch at a local spot before heading back (had to end the wine hop so there would be no drinking and driving).

Arriving back to to our Bed and Breakfast we took a nap and then proceeded to the american side to explore goat island.  From this part of the park you can see the Canadian Falls up close.  What an amazing sight.  We were definitely in awe.  If you stay on the Canadian Side definitely walk the bridge and go to the American Side to hang out on Goat Island.

After bumming around and taking pictures we crossed the bridge back over to Canada to get some dinner and see the fireworks.  Unfortunately finding a place got us off schedule and we missed the fireworks.  But they were only a 5 minute ordeal, or so it seemed.  So I guess we didn’t miss much, and headed back to the house to drink our wine purchased on the mini vinyard tour.

Last Day:

On our last day we decided to go to Cave of the Winds and explore goat island a little more.  After standing in line for Cave of the winds for about 1.5 hours is was finally our turn to cimb the stairs and get wet.  It’s interesting how things become attractions and people stand in line so long for them, but this was definitely worth the wait.  How majestic these falls really are when you are standing at the bottom of the.  Standing closer to the falls you feel like you are in a hurricane.

After our adventure in Cave of the Winds and walking around Goat Island we decided it was time to leave for the airport so we could decompress a little before going our separate ways.  We arrived a little early as we didn’t find much in the way of food on the drive to the airport and got something to eat at an airport bar.  Then it was time to board the planes.  Nick’s was cancelled at the same time I was boarding my on time flight.  He ended up catching a flight to Philly and taking the local train from there:(.  I arrived home at 1am and he arrived around 3am.  Exhausted, it was time for work on Tuesday morning for both of us.  But, always worth the time together.

The book I purchased was The New Best Recipe from the editors of Cook’s Illustrated.  So far I am super impressed by this cookbook.  I have only made one recipe out of it (yellow cupcakes), but think it will become a go to cookbook for any questions I have including what brand to buy and how to cook certain vegetables.  There are two whole pages on eggs.  Any question you have could possibly be answered in this cookbook.  So far I highly recommend.

Ingredients:

• 60 maraschino cherries with stems
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 3 tablespoons corn syrup
• 2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
• 2 12 oz bags semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 12 oz bag milk chocolate chips
• 3 tbsp shortening

Directions:

1. Drain cherries and set on paper towels to dry.
2. In a medium bowl, combine butter and corn syrup until smooth. Stir in confectioners’ sugar and knead to form a dough. Chill to stiffen if necessary. Wrap each cherry in about 1 teaspoon of dough. Chill until firm.
3. Melt 3/4 chocolate chips and 2 tbsp shortening in a double broiler over low heat. Dip each cherry in by its stem, and place on waxed paper lined sheets. Chill until completely set.
4. Melt other chips and remaining shortening in double broiler.  Pull out stems.  Dip top of candy where hole is.  Let set as before.  Remove and dip bottoms one more time so that they are completely covered. Chill until completely set. Store in an airtight container in a cool place. Best after 1 or 2 weeks.

Nutrition:  60 servings

• Calories 121
• Fat 5.3g
• Sat fat 2.8g
• Sodium 18
• Fiber 1
• Protein 1.2

I haven’t tried them as I am waiting until actual valentine’s day when they should be completely set.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 – 12 once box of pasta (spaghetti is generally used but you can use any variety)
• 10 slices center cut bacon (I think the center cut tastes best)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 2 eggs
• 1 small onion diced
• 2 garlic cloves
• 6 cups fresh spinach (have to add some veggies)

Directions:

1. Put pot of water on to boil for noodles
2. Pan fry bacon in olive oil until done.  Remove bacon and add onion/garlic to oil/bacon grease.  Cook onions until transparent.
3. When water comes to boil add salt, bring back to boil add pasta and cook al dente per box directions.
4. Crack eggs in mixing bowl, add parmesan cheese , season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.  Combine.
5. Add 1/2 cup pasta water to egg mixture to temper the eggs.
6. When pasta is complete drain and add to onion/oil mixture.  Pour in egg mixture and constantly stir/rotate with tongs so not to cook the eggs.
7. Add spinach and cover to wilt.
8. Toss in crumbled bacon.

Nutrition:  5 servings

• Fat 15g
• Sat fat 5g
• Cholest 105.6 mg
• Sodium 465.2mg
• Carb 49.8g
• Fiber 8.9g
• Protein 20g

I have been missing for a few months.  I am coming back soon.  This weekend we are having a lovely brunch with friends and sisters!  I will be sure to post!

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs chicken with bone (I used three chicken breasts)
• 1 cup chopped celery 
• 1 onion 
• 2 cups chopped carrots 
• 1 tbsp garlic 
• 2.5 cups flour 
• 1 egg 
• 3 tbsp butter 
• 1/2 cup milk 
• 3 tbsp canola oil 
• 1.25 cup cream of chicken soup 
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 tablespoon salt 
• 3 tbsp cornstarch 
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tbsp herbs (mix of rosemary, thyme, oregano, and parsley)

Directions:

Chicken and broth:

• Saute onions, carrots, celery, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper in 1 tbsp oil 
• Remove veggies, saute chicken in 2 tbps oil until skin is brown 
• Add half of veggies to chicken 
• Add bay leaves, and season with salt and pepper
• Cover with water bring to boil until chicken is done (about 30 minutes)  
• Remove chicken from water and cool, when cool take skin and bones off, and dice into bitesize pieces, set aside

Pastry:

• Combine flour, butter, herbs baking powder and salt 
• Add milk and egg, stir roll out dough 
• slice in 1 inch squares 
• Add dough slices into boiling broth, they are done almost immediately 
• Add chicken to noodles, stir in cream of chicken soup, season with salt and pepper

Nutrition:  10 servings