We’ll start with the best: cacao! Cacao starts here, in a tree:

When the fruit is ripe, one of Erik’s adoring English students picks it and carves it appropriately.

What you cannot tell from the picture is that when the heart is removed, exposing the innards of the fruit, several little beans are lined up inside waiting for collection. The beans get roasted:

Ground:

Mixed with cinnamon, spices, and other secret ingredients … and bagged and/or frozen for future use:

Future use most likely involves this traditional refreshing beverage, aptly named Cacao, closely resembling chocolate milk:

Cacao was one of my favorite beverages in Nicaragua (depending on who prepared it).

Here’s Erik’s favorite beverage of Nicaragua:

Granada was a convenient place for Erik to live, as even the doctors recommended his favorite beverage:

Erik took advantage of the convenient late night schedule, much to my happy surprise (eye roll):

However, we both agree that the real beverage winners were the refrescos naturales: fresh fruit juices everywhere we turned! Pitahaya (hot pink dragon fruit), mango, watermelon, papaya, limonada (limeade), naranja agria (sour orange), and the list goes on and on.

We learned that limonada (with a pinch of salt) can solve all the problems of the world …

As can coco:

And that freshly picked ginger coconut juice is the best concoction ever discovered:

Moving onto the slightly less heart-healthy portion of our journey, Nicaraguans LOVE fried food. Since room and board were included in our program, we had no choice but to drown ourselves in vegetable oil and enjoy it.

Repochetas (fried tortillas with cheese inside):

Tacos dorados (fried tortillas with chicken inside) and gallo pinto (fried rice and beans, a staple of every single meal):

Vigaron (a pile of potatoes, cabbage, and fried pork fat, served on a banana leaf):

Pescado frito (fried whole guapote fish):

And our all-time favorite: tostones con queso (fried green plantains topped with fried cheese cubes):

Every once in a while, when I really really really thought I might die of a heart attack at any moment (a grand total of two times), I excused myself to go to the one restaurant in town with fresh vegetables in stock: The Garden Cafe. There, I would spoil myself with a Mediterranean salad and a coconut, lime, pineapple smoothie:

Heaven.

Other worthy food mentions:

Best pancakes ever, homemade by Lucrecia (our Nicaraguan “mom”):

Baho (meat, green plantains, yellow plantains, and yucca, cooked in banana leaf and topped with cabbage and tomato):

Nacatamal (cornmeal dough mixed with potatoes, onions, seasonings, peppers, pork, tomatoes, and herbs and cooked inside a plantain leaf):

It was probably my favorite traditional Nicaraguan dish, and I’m so sad that I could not manage to get a pretty picture of it. Just trust me that it was incredible. We only ate it on Sundays because the preparation process was so labor intensive, and I looked forward to Sundays every week for this reason:

I also received quite a bit of food education. For example, almonds grow on trees inside of fruits like so:

The fruit is edible (but more frustrating than delicious, I would say). Reaching the nut is a definite challenge:

I now understand why almond butter is so efffffing expensive.

We helped some fishermen (through observation):

We helped (or delayed, as the case may be) family farmers. Here’s Erik describing how he killed his first chicken (sorry chicken!):

Isabel preparing the chicken:

Chicken soup:

Breakfast collection:

Homemade tortillas with homemade cuajada (special Nicaraguan “cheese”) made from fresh milk:

I received a life-changing lesson about rice. The entire trip, I just could not figure out why everyone was only eating white rice, especially if rice grows readily right there. Why would the farmers themselves go through the hassle and expense of having the rice milled when they could just eat it as is?

Every time I asked about brown rice, I got stares like I had 20 heads … followed by lectures that brown rice would destroy my stomach. Near the end of our trip, we went exploring around the farm where Erik worked (and where we lived for the last two weeks) and found a field full of rice:

We decided to carry out our own investigation. Whole rice:

The brown husk/bran/germ (whatever you call it) was completely inedible. It was even inedible cooked, as we once encountered a piece that had accidentally made it into our dinner. Inside, the rice (the only edible part) was pure white, not brown. I was so confused!

To solve the issue once and for all, I went to a natural pharmacy in town (catering to tourists, obviously) where I had seen brown rice and bought a bag, which I delivered to a rice expert for her analysis. I showed her the rice, and she explained that the brown rice I had bought was from a different seed (similar to how yellow corn has to grow from a yellow kernel and red corn has to grow from a red kernel) and how the product was too expensive to be sold in Nicaragua. (Understandable, considering how a 1 lb. bag of brown rice cost me $3, while a 20 lb. bag of white rice probably would have cost 50 cents.) Brown rice is produced only for export, which is why no one is aware of it. This is one sad and frustrating situation we encountered over and over again in Nicaragua: dollars are more powerful than cordobas, so the best quality, most delicious, most healthy Nicaraguan products are sent to the U.S.

Also, I learned that noni (just like lime) can solve all the world’s problems …

… if it does not kill you first:

The only way we were able to stomach Noni was boiled and then mixed with mango in a ratio of 10 mangos: 1 noni.

Somehow I’m not sure that Noni’s power was able to survive all that abuse.

The major reason we did not die of heart attacks in Nicaragua was the fruit. Conveniently, Erik worked on an out-of-season coffee farm … which meant he spent his days weeding and collecting fallen fruit.

Clockwise, l-r: mamon, mango, Erik, nancite, coconut:

And serving me the bounty:

More fruit:

Various methods of coco harvesting and eating:

So … I hope that was informative and interesting. We also did many things in Nicaragua aside from eat, and I would be overjoyed to make recommendations if you’re considering a trip there. For now, my fingers are tired of typing. Go eat a coconut!!

Erik and I took a day trip to Cold Spring, NY during Memorial Day weekend. We chose Cold Spring because Erik has recently developed a fascination with all things river-valley-related (Cold Spring is right on the Hudson River), and the NY Times called it “magical, yet practical” since no car is necessary. What could be more perfect?

Our first order of business (following a chat with the helpful gentleman at the information booth and a stop into Drug World for emergency sunblock) was to hunt down the Farm Market for some lunch.

While Erik was busy communing with the donkeys in the petting zoo, I followed my nose to the jackpot: Block Factory Tamales.

Fresh tamales are one of my top 5 favorite foods (I’m 98% sure of this, though I don’t have an actual list), and tamales that feature local, organic farm-sourced ingredients are QUITE rare, unless you are in, say, rural Mexico. With this in mind, lunch was an obvious no-brainer. Block Factory only had one type of tamale left by the time we arrived. Lucky me, it was sweet potato! What a GENIUS creation.

We ordered two sweet potato tamales and a Buffalo chicken sandwich. OMG.

We ate lunch on a cement stoop with an unobstructed view of the petting zoo:

After lunch #1 at the market, we strolled back toward downtown (or should I say “downvillage”?), admiring the scenery and architecture along the way:

We were sweaty, full, and over-heated and decided it was time to cool down with an easy hike along the Hudson River Greenway Water Trail:

I was very pleased that Erik decided to use my sweatshirt as a sweat rag. Ummmmmmmmm …

I love anything waterfront, and Cold Spring delivered!

Erik explored abandoned caves.

Nature:

Excited by nature:

I took a nap on the sand by the river because sleeping next to water is right up at the top of my list with eating farm-fresh tamales. When I woke up, I was soooooo thirsty, and we had of course embarked on our hike without water. Back to town it was!

We made the very wise decision to stop in at Go-Go Pops:

I had noticed the Go-Go Pops stand at the Farm Market, but it was sold out by the time we got there. I was thrilled to see that the store in the village was well-stocked.

Pretty incredible menu, no?

In addition to a mammoth cup of ice water, I ordered a Green Faerie Go-Go Pop and Strawberry Rooibos Bubble Tea:

(The Hudson Valley Poached Pear was Erik’s choice and, wowwwwww, it was amazing.)

I loved my creamy avocado pop and was pleasantly surprised by the real strawberries blended into my rooibos bubble tea!

After the pops, we stopped for lunch #2 (or was it dinner #1?) at the Foundry Cafe. We shared a perfectly crispy quesadilla and yummy herby lentil-wild rice cakes:

Bellies full yet again, we went out in search of this:

(Proud conservationist/farmer-to-be)

We spent a few hours strolling around this former industrial mecca that is now a wildlife and nature preserve.

Cute boy with binoculars:

I ♥ ruins.

Forest coated with cottonwood droppings (not snow!):

Our final meal of the day took place at Le Bouchon, an obviously charming French restaurant:

We had fun with the decor:

All I wanted was some sort of salad with feta, so the watermelon-arugula-feta salad listed on the specials board pulled me in! This was the most perfect, refreshing, jaw-achingly delicious salad I could have imagined.

We decided to go specials crazy and ordered the chilled gazpacho soup of the day:

And the soft-shell crab special entree of the day.

So much perfect food at one sitting should be illegal … but I am glad it’s not.

For dessert, we ordered crème brûlée …

… which we enjoyed while observing a drunken arrest take place at the police station across the street.

After dinner, we had time for a relaxing sunset stroll before hopping on the 9pm train back to NYC.

Perfect day!

(Photo courtesy of Andrew Kelly.)

This year, however, the same Erin Gunn convinced me that I needed to attend a costume party, and I agreed in honor of her one-year wedding anniversary.

Obviously, I had to find a way to dress as a cupcake.

I found a pink fleece blanket at the dollar store and went to town with my sewing needle. The process, however, was not as smooth as anticipated.

I forged ahead, though, and I still have the needle pricks in my fingers to prove it!

The finished product was worth the pain:

Yayyy, I’m a cupcake!

Anyway, the appointed hour eventually arrived, and Erik and I hopped on a NJ Transit and rode it forevvvvvvvvvvver until we arrived in New Jersey’s farm country and at this beautiful house, appropriately festooned:

Where our impeccably attired hosts, Elena and Chris, were waiting:

(Photos courtesy of Andrew Kelly.)

Plus co-host, the corpse bride herself, aka Erin Gunn.

The hosting committee had done an outstanding job with decor:

(Erik was a bedbug victim, in case that’s not clear.)

The themed snacks were amaaaazing and brilliant:

Deviled eggs with olive spiders:

Cheese-ball pumpkins:

Puff-pastry fingers with onion fingernails:

Hot dogs with puff pastry and mustard:

Chicken cordon bleu balls:

Mini-quiches and spinach pie:

Shenanigans:

(Photo courtesy of Andrew Kelly.)

Beer pong:

(Photo courtesy of Andrew Kelly.)

Erin Gunn was on dessert duty, and she made pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese icing:

Pumpkin brownie squares:

And rice crispies franken-treats:

The cupcakes were delicious!

It is probably a good thing that I did not keep track of how many I ate:

I must say that this costume provided excellent camouflage for the expansion!

The night charged on. Someone unfortunately got trapped in the freezer:

Captain Kirk danced …

The rockers rocked …

(Photo courtesy of Andrew Kelly.)

Uncle Jesse collapsed in exhaustion …

And the cupcake had a sugar crash:

(Photo courtesy of Andrew Kelly.)

The built-in cushioning was very convenient!

In conclusion, I loved being a cupcake, and I wish I could be one every day. Life would be so comfortable …

Was your Halloween costume comfortable or uncomfortable?

I loosely followed the instructions and filled the bottom of a baking dish with lots of plum halves, cut side down. I browned a mix of Sugar in the Raw and water (I had to guess because it was brown to begin with!) and poured it over the plums.

I also made two baby ones for taste-testing purposes:

Then, I smeared batter over the whole thing. I used yogurt instead of sour cream, lime zest instead of lemon zest, unsweetened coconut flakes instead of vanilla extract, 3/4 whole wheat flour and 1/4 white flour instead of all white, and somewhat less sugar than required, given that the whole thing was doused in that melted sugar caramel concoction.

I baked it and cooled it and then inverted it.

I was obviously in love with how pretty it was and could not stop taking pictures.

Sprinkled with coconut (instead of powdered sugar):

When I cook things for myself, I tend to go nuts on the substitutions and make it as healthy as possible. I have to reign in those instincts when I am cooking for others. I think I made a good compromise on this cake and was excited to share it at the potluck.

Aside from the cake, we had tons of delicious food including lots of salad, pesto pasta, wheatberry salad, freshly baked homemade bread, and the list goes on.

The cake was a hit

Yay, CSA!

P.S. If you were cringing at my disgusting stovetop in those cake pictures, do not fear! I also did a big scrub-down when I finished with the cooking saga:

Much better! It’s amazing what some steel wool can accomplish. The End!

Erik and I took the free IKEA shuttle bus out to Red Hook and started following the beach grass:

Red Hook is a formerly industrial area turned residential and swanky. We passed IKEA …

… and eventually sighted water!

Back behind IKEA, there is a whole world of waterfront parkway honoring the industrial history of the area.

We did some modeling …

… and then continued on our dessert mission.

This sign was not incredibly helpful with helping us locate our destination, but we forged ahead nonetheless.

A ha! Getting closer …

Warmer …

Finally, when we thought we could not follow one more arrow, we arrived!!

We each ordered a swingle, the dessert of my dreams.

A swingle is a 4-inch key lime pie tart, frozen on a stick and dipped in dark chocolate.

Pretty much the best dessert imaginable:

Right across from Steve’s Authentic Key Lime Pie shop, we saw this:

The best garden ever to go with the best dessert ever!

The garden was lush with tomatoes, peppers, beans, eggplant, and tons of other beautiful veggies, including some Italian zucchini craziness!

I had never seen anything growing like this before! They looked like giant, thick pea pods growing from overhead vines. I had to call in the expert (my mom) to ascertain their exact identity.

We walked out past the garden to more waterfront parkway and enjoyed the view. Once again, note the industrial-turned-residentialness of it all:

Plus the swank of a departing cruise ship:

And prime viewing of the Statue of Liberty.

Waves!

We took a quick run through this adorable old barge/museum:

Fishing:

We relaxed with the water a bit more and then set out for our secondary destination:

Fairway!

We stocked up on some extras that we don’t get through the CSA and then meandered back toward IKEA to get the return bus.

We were sidetracked, however, into making a record-time swing through the showroom, since Erik had never been.

I feel in love with some bedding, so we did make a small purchase, too.

Yayyyy, new duvet set I am so excited to sleep under these pretty sheets every night now. I spent the next week studying on top of them and eventually passing my test. So there is something to be said for the motivation potential of water, swingles, and new bedding. And Brooklyn for providing it all.

We started the tour at Mug’s Ale House, a down-to-earth old school favorite with locals:

We had three samples of beer, including one pumpkin ale (I always get excited for this, even though I end up disappointed when I realize it tastes more like beer than pumpkin), along with nachos and wings.

The food in front of me disappeared. The beer did not.

Lucky Erik pretty much got to have double portions of beer at each stop. No matter how I try, I just cannot like it!

I can, however, pose with it:

Next stop was the famous Brooklyn Brewery.

We discovered that “local” only means so much, however. The beer may be brewed right in Brooklyn, but the malt comes from Germany!

The tour included a full beer from the on-site bar:

As usual, Erik ended up with both of them after I took a few good sport sips:

Our super-hip tour guide gave us an excellent rundown of the brewing process.

We learned about the barrels and vats and tubes and all sorts of technical beer stuff.

I was mostly impressed by the kitty cozying up on top of the barley bags.

Next, we stopped outside of Teddy’s Bar & Grill, which still boasts the original stained glass from its days as Peter Doelger’s Extra Beer brewery in the mid-1800s.

We even saw the remnants of the separate women’s entrance that the bar had back in the day.

After Teddy’s, we moved onto the Spuyten Duyvil Grocery:

Spuyten Duyvil Grocery is a little fancy foods shop that wants to be a beer store. Due to the law that any establishment that sells beer must also sell at least 50% food, the shop is stocked with gourmet pickles and jams and cookies and crackers and other fun treats:

Next was the Sputen Duyvil bar, obviously under the same ownership as the shop.

We went straight to the garden. I love the backyards of Brooklyn restaurants! Each one is such a surprise.

We got a beautifully colorful flight of three beers, along with fresh bread, spicy sorpressata, and a fancy goaty-sheepy cheese.

The garden also had its own fig tree!!! I was so excited about this:

Posing with the fig:

Our last stop was Barcade.

This place is Williamsburg through and through. It’s a super casual yet hip bar, and its walls are lined with …

… actual original arcade games! You can see some in the background here:

We had our many beer samples, and then our guide gave us all quarters so we could go play.

I picked Tetris; Erik played Punch Out.

It was fun to be able to explore a local neighborhood through a new perspective. I would definitely go on another Urban Oyster tour. They even have one for food carts. That is next on my list, of course We had a great time but were completely wiped out by the end of this. I fell into bed and napped for three hours when we got home. Yayyy for local history! To me, beer still does not taste good.

Sure, I’ve gone up there before, but I never thought it was anything worth talking about … until the sound of fireworks lured me up there at one point early this summer. I thought I might be able to get a glimpse of what was happening and BOOM! I noticed that I have a view of the NYC skyline???!!

Not too shabby! When our un-airconditioned apartment became too much to bear after approximately seventy-six 90-degree plus days in a row, Erik and I headed up to the roof with a yoga mat to enjoy our snack/dinner to catch the teeny breeze.

We went to town on this Trader Joe’s concoction of sundried tomato, pesto, and cream cheese with gorgonzola cracker:

And a homemade smoothie (I think?)!

Yay for snacks! On the roof!

Also this summer, I found myself on a DC country club balcony one gorgeous late August evening at a pre-wedding cocktail party …

Could the view get ANY greener?

Mint juleps were the specialty of the night, so I dove in and ordered one, putting aside my ulcer concerns:

It was too alcohol-y for me, though, so I gave it away and got some Malbec (my new favorite wine!) instead.

Here’s a smattering of the scrumptious cocktail fare:

100% Maryland crab crab cake!!

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm …

Make-your-own shrimp-and-grits station:

Mmm, again!

Stunning sunset:

What made the night even better was that I got to hang out with my sister Emily:

And my dad and stepmom and more family that that rarely see!

I was so inspired by those baby crab cakes that I ordered a crab cake burger at lunch the next day.

Once again, it was 100% crab and sooooooooooooooooo amazing.

Fast-forwarding through the wedding …

… here were the post-wedding dessert selections!

My brother came over for a chat, but I was clearly too invested in my creme brulee to notice:

Post-wedding dessert was followed by post-wedding drinks (and unpictured post-wedding artichoke dip!):

To cap off this lovely summer of outdoor fun, Erik and I went out to Staten Island to visit with his aunt, uncle, and cousins on Labor Day. We worked up an appetite strolling the Staten Island beach that I had NO idea existed:

Linner involved garden gazpacho, homemade by Erik’s aunt Lois:

Garden salad with steak strips and roasted veggies:

And (sadly unpictured) grilled pineapple with coconut sauce! Ahhh, I am getting so hungry writing this post, that I must go raid the fridge this instant.

Later!

For breakfast, I had cinnamon toast with mashed banana on top:

I guess it doesn’t take much, but I was so excited about the beauty of this cinnamon toast!

Course #2 was an egg with cheese:

After a completely natural chat and some newspapering …

… we set out on our agenda of the day:

A bike tour around Minneapolis!

Once again, I was dazzled beauty of these MN houses, most of which were on lakes:

We rode through the Sculpture Garden …

And across the Mississippi …

We stopped for lunch at an amaaazing cafe, hand-picked by Erik.

I saw the menu and decided it was acceptable:

OK, more than “acceptable.”

Erik ordered the chipotle BBQ tofu sandwich:

And I ordered the black bean quinoa burger:

They were both delicious, but Erik’s sandwich was the winner by far. My sandwich had so many amazing flavors that I sort of couldn’t taste anything!

After lunch, we rode for many many many more miles around lake after lake after lake. When I thought I couldn’t stay on that seat another second, I made an executive decision for us to stop at the Lake Calhoun snack stand:

Obviously, we had to take advantage of the catch of the day: made from scratch extra tart key lime pie:

Satisfied.

We dropped off our bikes at the shop (after 7 hours of riding!) and took a stroll toward downtown. We walked through the Wedge on the way, a neighborhood that boasts a food co-op of the same name:

Snacks = happy Sarah.

Once downtown, Erik indulged my demands yet again and brought me to the Foshay Tower, as I have an obsession with observation decks on top of tall buildings:

When we finished observing, Peder picked us up and drove us back out to their mom’s house for a casual dinner of salad:

And pizza:

And carrot cake and lemon squares:

OK, don’t mind if I do.

After eating, we had a good chat around the fire out back, since Erik’s mom and stepdad had taken out a special permit for it and we did not want it to go to waste!

We spent the night at Erik’s dad and stepmom’s house and then had to catch our flight back to NYC the next morning. Sad to leave!

We were so bummed about the end of vacation, in fact, that we decided to keep it going with lunch at Chili’s during our stopover in Milwaukee.

After the fajita, however, it was time to admit defeat. Vacation was over. But do not cry for me, Minnesota. I will be back!

… and for a picnic on Lake Superior. Diane had packed the most incredible feast!

Against all the rules, we played in the water after we ate.

I was like a broken record: Are you sure this is a lake? This is not the ocean?

But where is the other side??

I suppose that is why they call it Lake Superior.

And I continued to be sold on MN as we continued our journey north.

After many many many hours, we finally arrived up at the cabin, where Erik’s dad and brother were waiting.

I must admit that this was the part of the trip I had feared the most. Three nights in a little cabin in the middle of nowhere with FIVE adults and no electricity and no plumbing. NO PLUMBING??!!

Ugh.

But it was surprisingly easy and fun, especially since wild raspberries and blueberries were everywhere I looked!

And the kitchen in the cabin was the most adorable thing I’d ever seen!

Somehow, Diane managed to prepare a gourmet feast for us every single night in that little space:

And take a look at this ingenious toasting contraption:

Breakfasts generally involved some kashi golean crunch with fruit, yogurt, and earl grey

And water drawn from the WELL!

Lunches revolved around our planned activities, such as a 5-mile hike along the Superior Hiking Trail:

We had a really cool idea to eat our sandwiches (pre-made by me!) in the middle of the Brule River:

There was a minor incident that involved me slipping into the river during the tiptoe out to our target rocks, but I recovered quickly.

The experience was definitely worth the impromptu ice bath!

After the hike, we met Erik’s brother Peder for dessert at the Naniboujou Lodge. Can you believe this place?

More rhubarb-based treats:

When we finished dessert, we went out behind the lodge to collect some big rocks for our planned marshmallow-roasting fire.

Again, I was in awe of Lake Superior. Remember, this is not an ocean …

… but there is a tide. There were waves.

Completely unbelievable to me! The whole way out there, I was turning my nose up at all this talk of “great” lakes. I’m an ocean girl, and I was sure I could not be swayed by these mid-western lakes. But I ate my words! There were WAVES.

The skies seemed a bit threatening later on …

… but I was determined to make the s’mores happen. I appealed to my boyfriend’s masculine side until he gave in and dusted off his old Boy Scouts talents to get the fire started.

Nobody regretted the move!

On our last night at the cabin, time got away from us and it was suddenly too late to start a fire. Never fear! We used the stove:

I was sad to leave the cabin when our three days were over, but there was one thing that made it easier:

We stopped in town for the World’s Best Donuts on our way out.

Mmmmmmmmmm.

I love northern Minnesota.

Did you know that the Great Lakes were so great?

I planned my major summer vacation to take place in Minnesota.

What reason could I possibly have for vacationing in the mid-west?

Erik happens to be from right outside of Minneapolis, and I love visiting new spots … so to the midwest it was!

Erik had flown out earlier in the week to have a bit of solo time with his family, so he came to pick me up at the airport and then drove us to St. Paul to meet Pamela and Becka, two of my best friends from NYU.

We had a very satisfying dinner at Punch Pizza, and it looked like this:

After dinner, Erik took off to meet his mama for dinner, and I stayed with the girls to wander around downtown Minneapolis. We caught sight of the Aquatennial fireworks from Pamela’s office building …

… and then …

… we situated ourselves at Zelo for dessert!

Obviously, I was in heaven going back and forth between the rhubarb crumble and the chocolate lava cake.

(I did, however, have significantly less of the chocolate because, as I have mentioned, I was ulcer-ridden this whole summer and under doctor’s orders to stay away from chocolate, tomato, caffeine, soda, spicy food, citrus, alcohol, and any other food that sounds fun.)

The next morning, we were up with the sun in preparation for Becka’s yoga class. Lucky for me, Becka is a yoga instructor and she and Pamela pulled some strings to get me in!

I warmed up with a soymilked vanilla rooibos and a Van’s with jam:

The class was excellent! I hadn’t been to hot yoga in ages, and Becka made me realize how much I missed it. Also, the yoga studio was conveniently located above Bread and Chocolate:

I had lotssssssssss of samples:

And I took the ladies’ advice and ordered the almond croissant:

Ahhhhhhhhh, this was incredible. It was stuffed with almond paste. Mmmmmmm, it was like eating a delicious hunk of marzipan wrapped in perfectly buttery, sweet, flaky bread.

Between the croissant and the chai I got with it, I well exceeded my sugar quota for the day. I could hardly see straight when I was done! We counteracted the sugar daze with a long walk through their St. Paul neighborhood.

My goodness, would you look at this house?!

It was one of dozens and dozens. I have never seen such a high concentration of beautiful houses!

After our walk, Erik came back and collected me to head to his mom’s house for some grilling action.

We had corn on the cob, baked beans, and brats!

Watermelon for a palette-cleanser:

And carrot cake made by JohnO, Erik’s stepdad.

After dinner, Erik took me for a walk around Lake Calhoun.

I was sold in 30 seconds.

Can …

… we …

… move …

… to …

… Minnesota?

Please?