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Around Town - Giulia, Cambridge

A few weeks ago, a friend and I checked out Giulia in Cambridge.  It was one of the last truly cold evenings of the winter and Giulia provided a warm, inviting place for us to indulge in some really amazing food.  

Our first and only mistake in choosing this restaurant?  We didn't have reservations.  It was a Thursday night and this popular place was packed.  We were told it would be 45 minutes but the wait ended up being much, much shorter.  Happily, we took our place at the bar and started drooling over all of the yummy items on the menu.

The bar staff were friendly, knowledgable, and attentive.  They sold us on the day's special crostini so we started with that.

We then shared a salad with citrus and fried fennel.  All I can say is that fried fennel will be sweeping the nation one day because it was that good.

The entrees didn't disappoint either.

Neither did the wine or sides.  Their spicy, citrusy take on brussel sprouts is so different and unique, making this trendy side seem new again.

If you love fresh pasta or (heaven forbid!) don't know if you've ever had it.  Try it here.  You won't be disappointed.

Giulia
1682 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
617.441.2800

#BostonStrong

Despite the tragedy at last year's Boston Marathon, today will always be a day of hope, inspiration, and celebration.  

Good luck and be safe to all of the runners, spectators, and volunteers today!

Weekend Brunch

This very special edition of weekend brunch is brought to you from The Big Easy. 

Beignets and cafe au lait from Cafe du Monde. Pure powdered sugar-covered heaven.

Easy Plants for Indoors (No Green Thumb Required)

As I mentioned around this time last year, I was not blessed with a green thumb.  I kill plants like it's my job.  But I have found a few things that work for me in the home to keep things looking green and lively around here without much work.

 {Tulips have to be the ultimate spring flower.  I picked these up for cheap at a local florist and they still look great almost a week later.  Plus even when tulips start to die, they look beautiful.  They droop so gracefully.}

 

 {This snake plant -- also known as mother-in-law's tongue-- requires such little water that I throw a couple of ice cubes in it once a month or so and it's good to go.}

 {Fresh herbs are hardy and enough to keep alive as long as they are in a super sunny area.  These stayed alive all spring and summer last year until the weather turned cold.  They aren't planted inside but were close enough to our kitchen that I'll count it.  They can also be grown indoors if desired.}

 {This grassy little friend is a new edition that I just picked up at CVS.  I love the look for Easter.  It's pretty and perky even though I haven't watered it once.}

 {Back to herbs.  These hydroponic basil plants just need enough water to cover their roots and grow nice a full even in the windowsill.}

Do any of you have problems keeping plants alive?  Which ones work for you?  Succulents? Cacti?  I'd love to hear! 

Buy or DIY: An Update

A few weeks ago, I was asked about my kitchen cabinet DIY mentioned here,and I thought it was about time to provide an update for everyone on how they are holding up!  

Remember when we painted our kitchen cabinet using Rustoleum's Cabinet Transformations Kit that we bought for an absolute steal?  Well almost two years later, they still look like new!  Now granted, we don't have any kids to bang on them with pots and pans or pets that might scratch them up, but we haven't been tiptoeing around them constantly worrying about messing them up either.  On the contrary, we have added a backsplash and replaced the microwave since they were painted and they are no worse for the wear.  

If you have ever considered painting your own cabinets, here are a few tricks that have kept these babies in mint condition:

• We put in the time at the beginning, knowing that it would save us in the long run.  Completing the project took us a lot of dedicated time and we followed the directions to the letter.  We agree with the instruction manual that ideally one person should complete a whole step to avoid variations in color, pattern, or style.  While this doesn't save you any time, this painstaking process now seems worth it ten times over because we have a professional, uniform look that makes us want to keep them in tip-top shape.  They don't feel DIYed.
• I wipe the cabinets down with a wet rag when needed and a little organic multi-surface spray if they're really dirty.  I don't use anything that could damage or break-down the polyurethane or alter the color of the paint.
• I use a wood finish stain marker to touch up any nicks or imperfections that might come up.  It doesn't happen often but if I'm clumsy with a fork or saucepan, the marker takes care of the damage.
• The clear, plastic rubber bumpers that we put in the corners of the doors and drawers seem to be preventing most dings.  {If you're lucky enough to have slow close cabinets then you could skip this step of course}
• If you do notice a larger imperfection that a stain marker might not take care of, think hard about how you plan to fix it.  Once something is polyurethaned it's pretty hard to make touch ups that aren't noticeable.  

Has anyone else used the kit?  Any tips you've learned to keep your cabinets look new? We are so happy that we chose to give it a shot because we still love the results two years later!

Two Years

We have been in our home for two years today, and I thought I was the perfect time to share a little about how we landed this beautiful little gem in the city. 

It was 2011 and we were "just browsing" the market.  We were living in Charlestown and had decided to stick around more permanently.  We wanted something with two bedrooms, an open floor plan, and outdoor space.

We went to so many open houses that summer.  We saw some that underwhelmed us, some that didn't meet all of our criteria, and one that looked like it was made for a family of elves-- seriously that house was weirdly small.  Then we saw the one.  We had that feeling, and we compared every other house to it.  Only problem?  We weren't actually trying to buy anything yet.  We were just looking.  Bummer, someone else would snag "our" house and we'd try again next year.

Cut to the following year.  We casually mentioned to a couple of friends that we were looking more seriously this time, but nothing really seemed to match this house that we had seen over the summer.  As the conversation went on, we realized that they knew the owners of said house!  And better yet, they had never sold.  They were still living in it, but looking to sell ASAP in anticipation of a job change and out of state move.  Score!

No matter that we were in the middle of negotiations on another place.  "Our" house was about to go on the market and we needed to find away to get it!  Next thing you know, we're emailing the owners, going over on a Sunday night to negotiate a price, and starting the paperwork the following day.  It all happened so fast and we were learning as we went-- sans realtors mind you.  Never in a million years did we think that our first home would be a for sale by owner situation that we bought from a friend of a friend without the help of a buyer's agent.  But that is exactly what happened.  It was a crazy adventure and we learned so much.  Best of all we landed the house that we had been thinking about for almost a year.

This week I can't wait to share with you some thoughts on home ownership, buying a house, and some updates on home projects in celebration of two years in our current home!

Weekend Brunch

Everyone loves a good cocktail with their brunch and today I have exactly that for you.  Best thing is that this one is as simple as they come.  I give you, the Pink Grapefruit Screwdriver.

___________

Start with one part pink grapefruit vodka.

 Add two parts your favorite OJ.

 And a splash of grenadine.

 Enjoy!

Pink Grapefruit Screwdriver

One part grapefruit vodka
Two parts orange juice
Splash of grenadine

Serve cold or over ice.