Hey guys and gals! If you don't know, Cade and Ryan have an awesome little mead business going called Meadworks! Just recently, they created two new meads to add to the collection. A stone fruit mead, and a pear cyser mead. I haven't tried them yet since they're still growing into their full potential... But I can say that being in the kitchen with them for the short amount of time it took to take these photos was enough to know that it's going to be incredible! They also have a few others up for grabs, the original (no added flavoring), rum ham! (pina colada), and blueberry basil. I've tried them all and truly can't pick a favorite. If you enjoy meads then you should chat with them about getting a bottle. Plus, you're supporting two guys who have a knack for making tasty drinks for others to enjoy! What's not to love?
OK, enough of my chatting; let's get to the pictures.
I know nothing about how to make mead, but I can say with confidence that this is the base.. a.k.a - honey. I can say that because I asked. So... ask and you shall receive.
I love pears. It's a true feeling that I have and I can never deny it. Eating pears is wonderful, but drinking their juice? Another level. I have a feeling that this mead will somehow be a level higher than that!
THESE, my friends, are plumcots. And they're delightfully delicious. But the real beauty to them is their color. Look at that!
Peaches too, cause... peaches. ('nuf said.)
I can't wait to report back with the first tasting! I have a feeling that it'll be more intensely stated than this post. But in all honesty, I'm proud of these dudes and their passion to home brew and make new things. Not only is it delicious, but it's meaningful. They come up with ideas on the regular and plan so well. You can taste it in the mead and any mead-drinker can appreciate it.
If you read this post, and if you want to try it then check it out. Reach out to Cade Buckus, or Ryan Hunter or check out their Instagram Meadworks.
Hey there! Hope you're having a great week so far. There are so many things for me to look forward to coming up. I can't wait to share them all. For now, I want to share what I'm currently finding interest in!
Do you watch Game of Thrones? Can we talk about it? I love keeping up with this site for all of my GoT fan needs. I also listen to their podcast "Binge Mode" which is my favorite of the many that are out there.
I didn't necessarily "quit" the internet, but I feel like Aziz Ansari hit the nail on the head with this article. I'm particularly in total agreement with this excerpt:
"Whenever you check for a new post on Instagram or whenever you go on The New York Times to see if there's a new thing, it's not even about the content. It's just about seeing a new thing. You get addicted to that feeling. You're not going to be able to control yourself. So the only way to fight that is to take yourself out of the equation and remove all these things. What happens is, eventually you forget about it. You don't care anymore. When I first took the browser off my phone, I'm like, [gasp] How am I gonna look stuff up?But most of the shit you look up, it's not stuff you need to know. All those websites you read while you're in a cab, you don't need to look at any of that stuff. It's better to just sit and be in your own head for a minute. I wanted to stop that thing where I get home and look at websites for an hour and a half, checking to see if there's a new thing. And read a book instead. I've been doing it for a couple months, and it's worked. I'm reading, like, three books right now. I'm putting something in my mind. It feels so much better than just reading the Internet and not remembering anything."
Have you ever eaten at Choolah? If not, then I would highly recommend it. Incredible food and such a nice, well-taken care of restaurant. I am impressed every single time! It quickly became one of mine and Cade's favorite places to grab lunch on the weekends.
I made a figgy stonefruit jam over the weekend! I want to post specifically about this jam so I'll save the details for then... In the meantime, just know that it's really, really good. (and pretty!)
In my quest for ultimate health and happiness, I've been finding a lot of inspiration from other wellness blogs. Lee from America (blog: here) is incredible! I also basically keep this Ted Talk in my back pocket when I need a pick-me-up. I've shared it on my FB in the past, but I really think everyone should listen to the words in it. Beautiful!
Since the cooler weather will be making it's way here soon, I've began crocheting again! It's so calming and peaceful and it's actually putting my spare time towards something tangible! I want to learn more stitches, and how to make a sweater (specifically this one.). Right now I'm pretty set on a big blanket, but I have to take breaks to keep it interesting.
That's all for today! I can't believe August is almost over! Where is this year going?!
Before I get started I just want to say really, super quickly; HOW CAN YOU LOOK AT THAT FACE AND NOT FEEL THE PUREST FORM OF HAPPINESS?!
OK, glad I got that out of the way. NOW, let's recap the exciting day that was Lilah Rae's first birthday!
My girl. She turns me into a ball of mush and all of a sudden I'm happy to lose focus on everything so I can chase her around, wipe her boogies with my bare hands, and stop her from putting that dead bug in her mouth. On my worst, and best day I'd still want to be chasing her.
For obvious reasons, I've always had a deep love for my sister... But seeing her as a mom makes me look up to her. We might have different timelines for becoming "mommies" but I genuinely look forward to confiding in her when my day comes (whenever that might be).
Happy (now, late) Birthday Lilah! I can't believe you're a year old. I can't believe how much I love you and I can't believe how much you've changed my life. That was only year one and I know it's only going to get better. I love you 'peanut'.
If you haven't heard (or read), I've decided to take a break from social media. There are a lot of reasons, but to sum it up - it's silly and stupid. Also, in the grand scheme of things, it's social media... It's nothing significant and I can live a happier life withOUT it. I can't change the way the world works, but I can change things in my life that don't work out. So, for now I'm going sans-soc (pronounced "s-oh-sh"). However, I am keeping this blog. Unlike any other time in the last 4+ years, I am truly enjoying writing, and sharing here! I find myself looking forward to something that I get to post from the beginning of the thought, all the way to the actual posting it. Maybe it's just for me, and maybe there are some of you who enjoy reading it too, but it feels like an achievement to me. Also, I LOVE going back through the archives here and reading some of my posts from the past.
So there's that. I wanted to stop in and throw that out there. I love this blog, I love the messages and positive feedback I get from it. But mostly, I love that it's my own space. My own words, my own photos, my own thoughts.
I'll be back soon to share Lilah's first birthday (heads up: cute baby + smash cake = hilariously cute pictures).
Enjoy the day!
Welcome to another edition of my Cleveland Series!! I don't know how relevant these might be to you all, but I sure am enjoying them. To be completely honest - I am quite possibly the most shy person when it comes to photographing people candidly and so this one was a little bit of a learning curve for me. But my good ol' husband Cade helped me out here and snapped a few himself, and then encouraged me to break out of that shell and snap the darn photographs of people. Guess what guys... People don't care when you photograph them. Well, at least I haven't ran into any (fingers crossed). That could be because the fine ladies and gent's that work at Platform are just down right cool, but it could also be because I am a nervous person by nature and just assume people will care. Either way, enjoy our little date at Platform!
I have to give credit where credit is due.. Cade made the adjustments on my camera to get this wonderful shot. The first few were super bright and you couldn't read the letters at all... He fixed it and I snapped it. Reason # 5,928,757 that we make a great team.
Planning to go with a group, but don't really enjoy beer? No problem! Order a mixed drink. (But you'd be sorry to not try something off their menu!)
Maaaaaybe *steal* a coaster to remember! (I don't condone stealing... But I mean, it happens right?)
OK, OK, OK, I saved the best for last. THEY HAVE A DOG-FRIENDLY PATIO! And, the best part is that even if you don't have a dog, or don't bring yours, you can still just sit on the patio and admire all the other cute doggo's. Isn't that fantastic!?
Don't you want to go to Platform now? There is also a location in Columbus which I haven't been to yet, but I've heard wonderful things about that location as well.
Hello! I hope your week is going well so far! I went outside on Monday to (carefully) see if I could watch any part of the eclipse, but sadly it did not happen. Although, I have watched many videos of it within the path of totality. Apparently the next one will be in 2024 and it's path will be from Texas to Maine which means us Ohioans will get to see it. Woot, woot!
Also, I am one of those people who are ready for fall to happen ASAP. I keep hoping to look at the 10-day forecast and see the weather plummet down into the 60's but apparently August isn't having it. Oh well, I'll just keep lighting my pumpkin candles until the cooler weather is ready to come around.
This isn't the best picture, but late last week we had some bananas that were (very quickly) going bad so I decided to make banana bread! It's a recipe I've never made before that used no sugar, dairy, or gluten. I was slightly nervous at how it would turn out, but that quickly went away when I had my first bite. Delicious!
This is from another post that I will put up soon, but we went on a double date to Saucy Brew Works and I can't tell you enough how much I love their pizza. Specifically their new haven style margherita ones.
Cade and I went hiking on Saturday after a pretty comical chain of events. I read up on a 2.8 mile trail through Mill Creek that lead to the falls, which... is apparently the tallest waterfall in NE Ohio. So of course, I had to see it. Anyway, we get our hiking boots on and head out the door. We get to the park, start on the trail and after one turn and 30'ish feet, we were back in the parking lot! So, no luck there. Although, I did happen to snap a couple pictures of the waterfall. I fully intend on finding this trail and getting to the bottom of the falls. It will happen!
Cade and I, being ones who never back down from a good hike, decided to head over to Rocky River instead and find a new trail that we hadn't been on yet. This one was perfect! It was totally secluded, runs parallel to the river, and was even shallow enough that we could walk in it with Frankie while he cooled off! (see below)
I've also been doing my best to read a lot more lately. Recently, I read this book. Once I made it out of the first chapter I was sold. Very good! If you can get past the language in the book (hence the title) then I would suggest it. Good stories and how they relate to your every day life.
So, that's it for now! This Friday is my niece's first birthday and I'm still trying to figure out how I feel about it. One thing is for sure though, time stands still for no man (or begging aunt)... I can't wait to see her and celebrate 365 days of her life.
Yesterday at lunch Cade and I were trying to figure out what to do for dinner that night and one idea led into the next and by the end of the idea chain we landed on what felt like most anticipated Cade and Renee dinner there has ever been... Chicken basil ravioli! So we finished up our taco's and headed towards the grocery store to get all the fixin's.
I'm going to be completely honest with you all and let you know that we did not write down any measurements and the reason for that is because we kiiiiiind of winged it. But those are the most fun dinners, right?! Anyway, some photos below of our fun-filled ravioli makin' Saturday night.
This was probably the most fun part for me. We cooked the chicken and then I shredded it. Once that was all shredded I added some freshly chopped basil into and minced them all down as much as I could. Then we mixed in the cheese, and voila! We had our filling.
I wish I'd gotten more pictures of me making the sauce, but for someone who's never made a parmigiana garlic sauce, it turned out pretty stellar (and incredibly tasty!).
Fini! Once they were all filled and wrapped up, we threw 'em on a tray and let them chill for 20? maybe 30 minutes in the fridge...
Check those out! Again, we're amateurs but proud ones at that!
I can't tell if this picture looks appetizing or not (I'm biased though), but I can assure you it was the best ravioli I've ever eaten in my life.
And there you have it! Cade + Renee made chicken basil ravioli in a creamy parmigiana garlic sauce ALL from scratch. I'd give it 5 out of 5 stars.
