the T room

How do I beat the summer heat in NYC? Spend the day in the kitchen, of course! Tomato soup, peach-ginger jam, and Paula Deen’s peach tart. Gotta love farmer’s market season!

sorry i’ve been MIA for awhile…been soooo busy with wedding things…in the meantime please visit our sister site for updates- www.teresaandleigh.com

Leigh and I got engaged!  He asked me over exchanging our Christmas presents.  Even after all this time, he managed to take me by complete surprise!  It’s taken the past 2 weeks for it to even start sinking in…What an amazing end-of-2008, beginning-of-2009!

Check out the beautiful ring!

Expect many future posts about wedding reception site trips, floral arrangements and of course, cake tastings!!!

Thanks again to all who made it out in the snow/slush/rain Friday nite.  We had a great time at this year’s Christmas bash, and judging by the lack of “postable” photos we have, it looks like you all did too!

Everyone- Thanks for all the treats you brought (a special thanks to Dan and the ‘pagne), Julie- Thanks for all the set-up help, and Mom- Thanks for all the new apps recipes and cookies, they were loved by all…

I’m already starting the coutndown to next year’s bash…

They’re finally restoring the Sunnyside arches to their former glory!  Saw them roped off and being painted this morning…”After” photos to be posted (hopefully) soon…

Wow-What a busy week-and-a-half!…Starting with my first birthday outing last Friday, the fun hasn’t stopped!  Forgive me, but I already know this is going to be one long, run-on post…

So last Friday (11/21) I started this year’s birthday celebration with a couple of friends and a ton of ribs…A bunch of us went to happy hour(s) and then to Dallas BBQ for ribs and Texas-sized drinks.  SO much fun- I haven’t been there in years…never disappoints… (Julie-insert cute pic of us with drinks HERE)

Saturday Christina came into town for her birthday, and after another fun dinner we checked out the bar at the Four Seasons.  Obvi this was a big treat and such a nice time (really-one of us should have pocketed that silver, serving set!!)…

On Monday (my actual birthday), Leigh took me to an amazing dinner…We orig intended to go to “our” spot Mario’s in Sunnyside, but remembered it’s closed on Monday’s at the last minute…So we ended up going to Christo’s Steakhouse instead.  This was definitely one of those situations where things don’t go as planned, but end up being so fantastic in the end.  Christo’s is a Greek steakhouse in Astoria…Leigh had read about it ages ago but this was the first time either of us went.  It’s very old- school New York…dark…wood…quiet…and excellent service.  We had the porterhouse for 2- and it was EASILY in my personal top-5-steaks-of-all-time list.  So delicious- and it came with 3 house sauces- everyone better than the last.  Oh- and we had LOBSTER mashed potatoes.  I don’t even have to go into how amazing those were.  I’m spoiled for life now!

Wednesday we went to my parents house for Thanksgiving…My mom made us all a most excellent birthday dinner (yes, another one!) and 3 desserts!  I know I shouldn’t be surprised at this point in life, but I can never get over how much she cooks/bakes for every family get together…

Thursday we all went back to my Grandmas for Thanksgiving lunch…Leigh’s mom came with us this year, b/c we were then all driving to Jersey for their family’s Thanksgiving…After about a 3 hr drive we ate (again) another delicious turkey meal.  This was the first time I’ve ever done a back to back Holiday meal, and it was definately a challange!  But it was so much fun to be able to see everyone…

The next morning Ellie took Leigh and I to get our Christmas tree…We got an extra huge one this year- and it looks so beautiful.  We spent Saturday decorating it and the house…I LOVE CHRISTMAS TIME!!!

To top off everything, today we spent the day installing under-cabinet lighting in the kitchen.  It looks great!  I’m so happy to have it in time for the very dark, Winter nights…

And that’s that!  Tomorrow back to work and the real world!  Now it’s time to start planning our annual Christmas party (12/19 for anyone who doesn’t know)………………..

Check out the cool door Leigh and I bought over the weekend!  It’s about 60 years old…Hand painted in Tibet…

Went to visit Amy Yost this weekend-I still can’t believe it’s been a year since we last got together!

Both her new apartment and her new local of Phoenixville are so cute! We spent Friday nite in the downtown, and I have to say the restoration/revitalization that’s taking place is amazing…The city’s done a great job of integrating modern restaurants and shops in stunning, old buildings. Tin ceilings, pendant lights, martini’s and Thai food really can all work so well together!

We ended up having dinner and drinks at an Irish bar that served the most amazing nachos EVER! Hand made chips with sharp cheddar,fresh tomato, scallion and Irish bacon…

Saturday we went on a mini road trip to Peddler’s village for the annual scarecrow competition.

www.peddlersvillage.com

Very lively,quaint shopping area… The scarecrows were really impressive- some stores got very creative…Sadly I ran out of battery life and was only able to get a few pics- below is a small sampling of the display…

Leigh and I had the best weekend!  We spent it in the Denver area juuuuuuust kickin’ it…

Saturday we spent the whole day visiting Estes State Park.  It took us about 2 hours to get there from the condo, but well worth the long drive!  We started out in Estes small “downtown” area.  Very cute little town with a ritzy-ski town feel (think mini-Breckenridge).  Lots of cute shops and restaurants built up along a river-walk…They happened to be having their outdoor “Beer and Brats” festival so we stopped for a quick lunch…

From there we continued our drive up the mountain to the entrance of the park…Right away we spotted herds of Elk (see below).  We had a beautiful hike and saw waterfalls and amazing scenery-We could see all the way from the valleys filled with wildflowers up to snow-capped mountains…

That nite we made it to Hacienda for dinner (chimichanga with spicy queso!)- excellent as always!

Sunday we took a long bike ride in Parker and saw lots of prairie dogs(!) and cacti…After, we drove into downtown Denver and spent the day at the annual Oktoberfest and sightseeing around town…

We really managed to pack a lot into a short weekend.  And I loved every minute of it! 

Can’t wait to visit again…

Did you see?!  Sunnyside got not one, but TWO write-ups this week’s Time Out New York (“The ideal ‘hood” edition)…

The first was a runner up position for “Best Design” (ok, ok I’ll give the top slot to the West Village….)…

http://www.timeout.com/newyork/articles/features/60531/best-new-york-neighborhood-design

The second was a mention in the “Got Room for Seconds?” section…

http://www.timeout.com/newyork/articles/features/60651/new-yorks-best-secondary-neighborhoods

Yea Sunnyside!