Fall Break in NJ

I wasn't planning on doing anything special for fall break. Fall break tends to sneak up on me and I'm usually left deciding if I want to spend my days off in New York or New Jersey. I had originally planned to stay in New York and catch up on a few things I have been meaning to do. But, at the last minute I decided to hop on the ferry and spend my break home in NJ with my little sister and parents. I spend a lot of weekends in NJ but this was one of the best.

As we get older we start taking on more adult responsibilities and sometimes we forget to be kids again. Especially after living in NYC I have become so programmed to do this or do that all in a short amount of time. Sometimes I find myself running around this city getting swept up in the rush on the sidewalks for what? To go pick up a new deodorant? Or maybe it was to pick up groceries for dinner? The energy is what brought me to the city but sometimes you just need to cool off.

When my boat docked in NJ my dad was waiting eager to get me home to "pizza night." Fridays in the Saba house are, and will always be, pizza night. I used to love pizza night. The thought of cheese oozing and sizzling in a 500 degree oven makes my stomach grumble. Now Pizza night is a night I put up with, or like we say in my family, "taking one for the team." I was diagnosed with Lactose Intolerance in the fall of 2012. Although it has been a struggle here and there I have been able to find substitutions for some of my favorite things; except for pizza. I have tried all types of lactose free cheese and in my humble opinion they are all cheap impersonators. I personally never try to be someone I'm not so I can't take these fake cheeses seriously. Plus, they smell and taste like awful 7-day old buttered popcorn so, there's that. Anyways, my parents have been graciously trying to come up with new ideas to make pizza fun for me again. We've tried broccoli and sausage (I stuck with that for awhile but what else was a girl to do?). We've tried adding a whole assortment of spices but nothing seemed to change. But, that Friday night I came home, we did something so tasty I have to share it with you. After a coating of fresh marinara sauce my parents put brussels sprouts, sausage, and prociutto di parma on my pizza. My sad little pizza wasn't so sad anymore. It was absolutely delicious and between me and you I think I will keep pizza night on my calender for a long, long time (or at least until I get sick of brussel sprouts.. like that will ever happen!)

The next day I dragged my parents and my little sister apple picking at the orchards. I LOVE apple picking. There is nothing more essential to fall then spending a few hours at the local orchard picking crisp, juicy apples. Little did I know I was in for an even bigger treat than just apples. When we pulled into the lot my mom noticed plants that looked similar to brussel sprout plants. As we entered the orchard we saw the brussel sprouts were there to be picked! I was in hog heaven. It was so cool to see how the sprouts grew and it was even more fun to pluck them off of the stalk. This took farm to table to another whole new level for me.

After we apple picked we drove back home for some lunch. With our bellies full and our hearts at ease we went home to relax a little bit. Once digested, we decided to go see the movie Gravity. Although the film was a bit tense (me, my mom, and my little sister cringed every other five minutes) it was very good and I am happy we saw it. On our drive home from the film we discussed how we would cap off the evening. I somehow got it in my head that I wanted to make fresh apple pie, pumpkin pie, and pumpkin bread. And thats what I did.

The apple pie was fairly simply.. I can give you guys the recipe next week! I have made apple pies before but this time I wanted to make one without any dairy. It was still pretty delicious although my dad wasn't too happy about the vegan crust. As for the pumpkin pie, my mom and I decided it would be neat to make our own pumpkin puree. So, we roasted a pumpkin, scarped the guts out, and pureed them until smooth. The pumpkin pie was spiced to perfection and the two pies paired perfectly together. As for the pumpkin bread, I made the batter with the leftover pumpkin puree. I had made pumpkin bread the previous week but this time I added chocolate chunks which made all of the difference! Mm.. can you tell I just love fall?

It was a fun and relaxing weekend that was much needed.

My fall essentials. What I packed for the perfect NJ weekend. 

Dinner in action.

Vegan apple pie.

Chocolate chip pumpkin bread and pumpkin pie.  

Early morning routines. 

Spain Getaway

I've had the good fortune of being able to travel to so many great places. As much as I love New York City, I always catch myself daydreaming of distant travels and future plans. I think a lot of this wishful thinking is coming from the travel bug inside of me. I love visiting new places and learning about different cultures. It's fascinating to see the way other people live. The everyday customs and lifestyle of different cultures is so interesting to me and I hope I can continue to be able to recognize the beauty in places not yet traveled.

This post is a little overdue but I couldn't go forward without mentioning the little trip I took to Spain with my parents and my older sister, Christine. For me, this trip was a spontaneous eye opener to the world around me. We flew into Madrid late August when the weather was just about perfect. From Madrid we took a two and a half hour train ride to the capital of Andalusia, Seville. Growing up in middle school and high school  I have always taken French speaking classes. So, knowing little of the language or the culture, I was amazed at the beauty this petite and incredibly old town had to offer. The buildings were exquisite and the cobblestone roads we walked on weaved their way through the historical town. Of course, parts of the town have been modernized (with a Zara on almost every corner) but with an open eye you can see the detail in each and every breathtaking building. As my family and I strolled through the maze that they called streets I found myself looking up, down, to my left and right, gawking in delight at everything we passed by.

In Seville we were introduced to the infamous Spanish Tapas, and from there we were hooked (I'll have more on that later.) On our first night we ate a small restaurant. I had ox tendorloin which I was a little afraid of at first but it ended up being pretty delicious. Dinner was yummy but it was the tapas bar next store (owned by the restaurant we were eating at) that drew in a large crowd of locals. After dinner we enjoyed a few glasses of wine outside at the tapas bar. It the perfect way to end the night and its a memory I don't think I will ever forget. After a few days spent in Seville we flew to Barcelona. We explored the tapas a little bit more in Barcelona and found ourselves completely in love with the city. One of my favorite dinners on the trip was at a small restaurant called La Pepita. Upon our arrival we were greeted by a woman named Sophia who welcomed us into her restaurant with open arms, as if she had been waiting for us. The restaurant was cozy and the ambience was a ten. Sophia ordered everything for us, we didn't even have to look at the menu! It was exciting to see and try to guess which tapas they were going to bring out. The night could not be more perfect and I think we all left with happy stomachs and light hearts. On our last day we had an amazing guided tour through the city and some of the views we saw were unlike anything I have ever seen before. There was so much culture and richness in everything we saw and everywhere we went. It was almost magical in a way (not to sound too cheesy).

All in all it was an incredible trip. I am so lucky and so happy I was able to spend time with my family (minus my little sister, we missed you kitty!) in a new place. I hope to return to Spain again in the future, hopefully sometime soon. There is so much I want to do and so much more exploring that needs to be done!

As for the tapas.... my dad is hooked. Our palates were wildly expanded in Spain which is always a nice change of pace. Since coming back to NYC we have mastered recipes for "pan con tomate" and the yummy "potatas bravas." We even tried making shishito peppers (although is another story for another day!)

Walking through the streets of Seville 

Beautiful Seville buildings

From Seville to Barcelona! 

The view from the Mandarin Oriental Hotel 

My Dad and Mom at La Pepita, an incredible and fun tapas restaurant in Barcelona 

A little fun after dinner! 

Breakfast at the Mandarin Oriental 

Park Guell 

Pan con tomate with Iberian ham

There's always room for dessert

The best view in Barcelona 

Cheers to amazing food and wine, breathtaking views, delightful laughs, and an incredible trip. 

Fall in NYC

Almost everyone who knows me understands that my favorite time of the year is fall. In particular, the month of September has forever stolen my heart. There are a landslide of reasons why I enjoy September, one of course being that it is my birthday month. Another is the start of school. There is something so exciting about the begginning of a new semester. With fresh notebooks and glossy textbooks you are ready to take on almost anything a professor throws your way. Flash forward not even a month and a half later and I will be cursing and pulling my hair out while trying to write a 15 page term paper about psychology (but we'll forget about that for now.) Maybe the reason I love the beginning of school so much is because the weather is almost always perfect. September is the time of year when the temperature dips just below 70 degrees and you can be outside comfortably in just a sweater and a pair of jeans. This is my favorite type of weather. I love waking up in the mornings with my coffee in hand and the fall breeze on my skin. Fall is beautiful no matter where you live. But, for me, nothing compares to fall in NYC.

Here are a few snapshots from the first few days of fall. And I promise there will be more!