"Spring" Break

Golden sunlight streaming down on white sand beaches.  Frothy waves crashing on beaches.  That's what spring break has meant to me in the past.  This year?  Not quite.  For the past week and a half I've been exploring the northeast and taking a break from the kitchen to some extent.  I went to New York City for the first few days, and if any of you watched the weather channel, you might have noticed that the city was hammered by snow.

As an Alabama girl who has felt cheated by this sorry excuse for a New England winter, the snow storm in New York was beautiful and a perfect end to the winter season.  While there, I went to a Mexican restaurant, Rosa Mexicano, a more upscale Mexican restaurant that was recommended to me by a friend.  I had some delicious stuffed poblano peppers filled with rice, raisins, pine nuts and herbs, topped off with fresh, creamy goat cheese.  And for an appetizer, I ordered one of my favorites, guacamole.  At this restaurant, they actually prepare the guacamole tableside.  I watched carefully, taking notes of the ingredients.  Nothing out of the ordinary for guacamole: cilantro, jalapeno, avocados (yum!), white onion, tomato and a little salt, but I swear that this was some of the best guacamole I've ever tasted.  And this picture does not begin to do it justice. 

After New York, I ventured up to Vermont for a few days on a road trip with a friend from Johnson and Wales.  For 3 days, I was surrounded by this: 

We spent the days skiing, shopping, hot tubbing, sledding and enjoying playing in the snow.  During my time in Stowe, Waterbury, and the surrounding areas, I decided that I want to live in Vermont.  Between the maple syurp, delicious cheeses, and apple orchards, I could not stop buying food products.  I came home with quite a collection.  Maple apple butters, fresh cinnamon apple sauce, apple peanut butter, maple walnut candies, maple stone ground wheat crackers, aged cheddar cheeses, and so much more.  Remember how I said that I forget that I live alone?  Point proven once again.