Home for the weekend = time with friends

It was nice to be home last weekend and have a mix of fun things on the docket. With delightful summer weather for the entire weekend, there was no reason to stay inside. Finally. So, I made the most of it- a walk through the downtown and lunch on a restaurant patio, soaking in the sun on the rooftop deck while reading a magazine, and drinks with friends on a restaurant deck. To be outside and basking in the warmth of almost-summer was wonderful.

Things I Cooked

• The problem with great weather and friend gatherings is that I wasn’t in my kitchen much at all, even with being home for the weekend. I did take time on Sunday morning to try my first batch of Maple Bacon Scones. They need tweaking, but the recipe will be on Think Tasty in the coming weeks.
• Monday evening was a girls’ night in. We followed our usual routine and made Swiss Fondue to accompany our watching of Orange Is the New Black. Apples, broccoli, and a baguette make for fine dippers to nibble on while binging.
• Wednesday night we had baked fish tacos. Accompanied with salsa and slaw, it was a delicious and incredibly healthy dinner. To compensate for the lack of fried fish coating that my family members love, I seasoned the fish heavily, giving it all sorts of new flavor dimensions.

Places I Ate

• It’s funny how our move to the downtown has changed our restaurant habits. Our favorite go-to place had been the Copper Door in Bedford. We still adore the food, drinks, and staff, but we have to drive to get there. The fact that we have so many walkable options nearby make the Copper Door a second choice. However, we went there last Friday and had a wonderful evening, as always. Although it sounds basic, I devoured and adored every single bite of my grilled cheese and side salad. I guarantee if you try their grilled cheese you will be hooked.
• The restaurant that most likely will become our go-to is The Foundry. We met friends for Sunday afternoon cocktails on their deck. Shaded and breezy, it was the perfect location for a quick visit.  This restaurant has great service, a sizeable menu with well executed dishes, and is walkable, as it’s just shy of a mile from our home. 
• On Saturday night we met friends at a newer restaurant. The food was mediocre, and the service was slow and fairly inattentive, until the bill arrived. However, it may have been an off night, so I’ll keep the restaurant name to myself. (Note: It was a restaurant we had to drive to, so I can’t imagine we’ll be back.)
• Now that summer is here, it’s also ice cream season in NH. Thankfully we live further from our favorite shop, Lix,  (that coincidentally my daughter works at), so we won’t go all that often, but we did make our first trip on Sunday evening. Nothing quite caps off a terrific weekend like a dish of strawberry cheesecake ice cream.

Things I Did

• Tuesday I had the most interesting/travel-focused/multi-vehicled business day thus far. I took a 10:00 AM flight to Baltimore, drove a rental car about 15 miles, attended a meeting, drove the rental car back to Baltimore, and took an evening flight home. It was a lot of travel, but it was a great meeting, so it was worth a day of planes, buses (to the rental car location), and automobiles.
• Thursday also had a first for me. I was able to walk to a breakfast meeting. Although I’ve walked to a number of lunches and dinners, I haven’t walked to breakfast. Thursday changed that. It is amazing how much more of my life is walkable between my location and the arrival of nice weather.

It’s another weekend on the road for me, including some horse time. I’ll be packing my peppermints to keep my equine friends happy. Here’s to a wonderful weekend and a happy Father’s Day!