25 Hours in Philadelphia, PA

January 20, 2016 in Travel

This past weekend we ventured to the City of Brotherly Love and indulged in all of the foods, American history, and fun we could find. It's close enough to NYC that I think it's totally doable in one day, and perfect for going in January-February because it's less crowded and certain things are free (Independence Hall)! While I would love to go back when it's full of spring blooms and sunnier weather, I can't say I'd enjoy the crowds that come with it. If you're looking to go sometime soon, here's a quick guide to what we did in 25 hours!

Day 1: Arrive around 1pm because you slept in then wanted NYC bagels so you didn't leave until much later than you wanted.

Venture to Old City for lunch and to kill time before checking into the hotel. We ate at High Street on Market, and it was well-worth the hype! I had one of the best kale salads of my life. Also make sure to get something on the menu that has bread in it. Their bakery is amazing!
Explore the ghost structure house of Benjamin Franklin, and the Carpenters Hall nearby.
Check into hotel (3-4pm). We usually like to do Airbnb but this time we had planned it last minute so opted for a hotel.
Head to the Liberty Bell (but hurry because it closes earlier on weekends!)
Shop around/eat dinner in Old City again or head to Rittenhouse Square. There are a ton of shops here so we hit up some good sales. We tried to eat at the British restaurant The Dandelion but it was completely booked and I was getting hangry. The exterior looked so unique though and there were a ton of people waiting outside. I hope to try it next time we are there!
At this point all I could think about were dumplings so we cabbed it to Chinatown and ended up eating at Spice C Noodle. We both got dumplings and soup with the homemade noodles and it was perfectly satisfying after a long afternoon walking in the cold. While not the best noodle soup I have ever had, it was still extremely fresh and the broth was very flavorful.
We then headed back to the hotel for drinks because we were freezing! But some cool bars I had read about include Graffiti Bar and Sassafras.

Day 2: Sleep in, eat the free hotel breakfast or check out Federal Donuts which is where I actually wanted to go.

Walk over to Independence Hall and sign up for the tour. Afterwards, check out Washington Square Park, a memorial to George Washington and American Revolutionary soldiers.
Get coffee at Menagerie Coffee to keep warm, and then spend 20 minutes editing and trying to decide which photo of your coffee to Instagram.
When you're ready, walk a few blocks to Reading Terminal Market. I tried the Philly Cheesesteak from Carmen's and then we got loaded chocolate chip and Reese's pieces cookies at Pennsylvania General Store. The entire food court has a lot to browse and unique eats to check out. It kind of reminded me of NYC's Chelsea Market.
At this point it started snowing so we headed back to NYC around 2pm!

Creamy Tahini Broccoli Spinach Soup + a Blogiversary!

January 17, 2016 in Recipes

We successfully made it to Philly and back in 24 hours. It was a marathon of a trip, but that is how we travel best! We drove in yesterday afternoon, saw the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Rittenhouse Square, hit up the Zara sale, ate yummy foods (including our first legit Philly Cheesesteak!), and then drove back just as it started snowing.

Oh yeah, the first snowfall of this winter is happening in NYC right as I speak!! Bring on the hot cocoa, movies and books, and all of the coziness!

This creamy soup has a bit of tahini, spinach, broccoli, caramelized onion, and garlic in it, and I think it is amazing for this current snowfall happening outside. Throw it all in a blender or food processor, and you have the creamiest and healthiest veggie soup to warm you all the way to your toes. Kyle even said he would order this in a restaurant (he's the sweetest)! We ate this with grilled cheese because I think broccoli and cheese is maybe one of the best pairings ever.

Also, my blog's birthday came and went last week without any confetti, candles, or even the happy birthday song (!!!). While I may have neglected this space's anniversary, the fact that I have kept up with this blog an entire year means a lot to me! There are few things in life (besides necessities like showering and sleeping) that I have kept up with every week for an entire year. This blog has brought creativity in my life, in the ways of cooking, baking, styling, writing, and photography. I love documenting our lives through it, and pushing myself to come up with new ideas and think outside the box. Happy one year of blogging to me, and I hope the next year brings a lot more! <3

Creamy Tahini Broccoli Spinach Soup (serves 3-4)

Ingredients:

1 large head of broccoli
1 large handful of spinach
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
2 tbl. olive oil
1/4 cup of tahini, plus more for drizzle
salt and pepper to taste

Directions: Preheat oven to 400°F. Separate the broccoli florets from the stalk. Chop florets into smaller pieces, and transfer to a lined baking sheet. Toss with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through. Dice rest of broccoli stalk into small pieces.

In a large stock pot or dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add onions and garlic, and sauté on medium-low heat until translucent and very soft, about 10-15 minutes. Add broccoli stems, cover and cook another few minutes until soft. Add chicken broth and water, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer, and add the tahini.

Meanwhile, blanch spinach in a medium pot of boiling water until wilted, about 30 seconds. Remove from hot water and place in ice water to stop cooking. Add to soup mixture.

Puree soup in manageable batches until very smooth. Transfer back to pot, and add more broth if needed to thin out. Top with roasted broccoli florets and a drizzle of tahini to serve!

Salted Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

January 13, 2016 in Recipes

Has everyone given up on their healthy new year's resolutions yet? Have you been keeping up going to the gym, the dreadful treadmill, the elliptical, the yoga?! Are you sick of salad and smoothies and need a little butter in your life?

hi.

I will be honest, I'm not the type of person who makes New Year's resolutions. I just happened to join ClassPass starting this January and so far it has been an amazing experience. My favorite class I have taken so far is rowing. Have you tried it? It's insane! And I love it! It kind of reminds me of a cycling class except the machine requires you to actually move your entire body and I think it requires a little more effort. Especially when it's all about your numbers and strokes per minute and distance per minute and the instructor keeps hovering around you publicly yelling your numbers out. Way to get me motivated, right?! In between phases of rowing sprints/distance we get off the machine and do a series of exercises like push-ups, planks, mountain climbers, and squats. It is one of the best workouts I've ever done.

Too much talk about my sweaty work outs? Okay, on to butter and chocolate!

I'm a sucker for any and every type of chocolate chip cookie. It might just be my favorite dessert! I'm not going to claim this is the best chocolate chip cookie recipe either, because we all know that's a load of bananas. Instead, I will say it is a great variant on the chocolate chip cookie. The addition of whole wheat gives it a very unique and chewy texture, while the addition of Kosher salt gives it the perfect contrast it needs from the sweetness. I froze half of the dough and so now I have the wonderful (horrible) temptation of making these anytime I want. So far though, I've done a pretty good job of resisting. Although don't get me wrong--I think it's totally okay to splurge every now and then, especially if you've earned it!

Salted Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies (makes 24)

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp hot water
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
Kosher salt for topping

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Once smooth, add each egg one at a time, then add the vanilla. Dissolve baking soda in hot water then add to mixture. Next, combine the flour and salt and add to batter, combining until smooth. Fold in chocolate chips last.

Refrigerate overnight in sealed container or at least for 2 hours. This helps batter set!

On a greased baking sheet, drop cookie dough into 2 tablespoon-size balls. Bake for 10 minutes, or until edges are slightly golden brown. Let cool on cooling each for 5 minutes.

Also! Here are a few other chocolate chip recipes I have seen across the web that sound amazing and definitely worth making!! Make sure to check them all out--I love all of these bloggers and think they are so so talented! (Link to blogs below each photo)

Happy Baking!