The Sweet Life

As the flowers start to bloom and life begins to emerge anew, I can't help but feel the colorful spirit of spring sweetly singing to me. The song is for the future and for all the exciting possibilities that drift on the dawn of each new day.

But before I can look too far forward, I'll take a moment to look back, and at the here and now, to acknowledge the hustle and bustle foreshadowing future transformations.

With so much happening this last month, it was easy to stick to my goal of not eating meat, while indulging my senses in life and its endless array of flavors, textures & colors. Gurpreet and I took a three day trip to rural Watertown, NY situated on lake Ontario, just fifteen minutes from Canada! While we were there for an interview, we were pleasantly surprised by the mouthwatering culinary experience we shared at the rustic Cavallarios Cucina.

tender salmon with spinach and broccoli in a garlic lemon butter sauce

Gurpreet enjoyed chicken, potatoes, and broccoli

Even though we were stuffed, the food was so delicious that we couldn't pass on dessert. When you're batting .1000 you keep on going up to the plate!- An apt reference for the start of the 2016 baseball season. 

Coconut Strawberry Cheesecake...
A game winning grand slam.

Yum.

The view from up top

Rich & fudgy Chocolate Cake with cream filling

So, needless to say, we enjoyed our dinner (and dessert!) and we had a wonderful experience in Watertown, NY. As it may be our future home, we're hopeful that this experience is a sign of good things to come. There are no Whole Foods :( , but there are plenty of farms, pastures, and other opportunities for closer connection with nature. I'm excited to think that learning how to successfully grow my own crops may be the next big step, along with horseback riding, fishing, and shoveling snow. Lots and lots of snow.

We returned home from Watertown on Thursday March 31st, just in time to celebrate Gurpreet's 30th birthday and close the month with a bang! Well, technically we opened April with a bang because that Friday night (April 1) I threw Gurpreet a small surprise party with a few close friends. 

We kind of, umm, botched the surprise (Gurpreet ran into one of the guests on the elevator) but fortunately the refreshments and birthday caked fared better . . .

PaRtY TiMe!!!

Rich double-chocolate cake with butter-cream cheese & lingonberry frosting (recipe coming soon!)

As much fun as the festivities were, I also had a fab time in the kitchen preparing these colorful concoctions!

Time to bake the cake!

I was so inspired by that Strawberry Coconut Cheesecake, I couldn't resist creating my own coconut & chocolate covered berries!

...And sprinkles-walnuts-pretzels-M&M's... 

So I went a little crazy.

What will April and the upcoming months cook up? Beyond what I hope will be the buzzing of bees over prismatic and sweet-smelling flowers, I can only imagine. But I can say with certainty that all the ingredients are looking splendid so far and I can't wait to taste what nectarous courses the spring, summer, and fall will be serving!

Until then, do like the honey bees do and relish the sweet life.


                               




Gurpreet & I celebrating a year well lived--><--A tree just beginning to bloom in Westwood, NJ.

Don't let the sun fool you, it was actually freezing...

But that didn't stop us from enjoying the rebirth of Mother Nature, obviously.