Weekend

{carnitas amazingness @ 6th Borough Market}

I know it's Wednesday and I already have my sight set on the weekend ahead, but we had a lot of fun this past weekend and so I'm going to write about it now.

On Saturday, we kicked off the day with a big omelet to share:

I cooked a few slices of ham in a skillet, then poured on an egg mixture that I made using 3 eggs, skim milk, parsley, salt & pepper. I let the bottom set, then flipped it and added some fat free cheese on top. I folded it over for just long enough to melt the cheese and voila! A simple, Dukan-friendly omelet for two!

After a bit of work around the house, we packed up and headed out to my aunt's house in western Jersey for a barbecue and picnic. I love going there. It feels like I'm transported into another place entirely since they live on a huge plot of land with a horse farm to boot. It always feels secluded and peaceful and it makes me think for about 30 seconds what my life would be like if I didn't live in a city, didn't commute into Manhattan for work, didn't work long hours. Dare to dream. 

Penelope couldn't get enough of the animals. She chased around the dogs and made BFF with Jake, my aunt's French bulldog. She also had no fear around the horses, just wanted to pet them. I see riding lessons from her cousin Alyson in her future.

She also loves the beanbag/cornhole game. Now if I can only keep her from climbing onto the board...

There are 5 birthdays in the month of July on that side of the family and so my aunt kindly got this amazing cake, with a nod to the hilarious misspelling of my dad's name (Hirb instead of Herb) which mimics the birthday cake we got for him in Aruba.

Since I don't even know who I am anymore and don't bake for parties in my current life (which really makes me sad. Future post on that to come...), Shaun and I brought this amazing Ube Overload cake to the party. We found this gorgeously purple cake from a local Philippine bakery near us in Jersey City called Red Ribbon. The cake is made from ube, purple yams, which give the cake its amazing color and moistness. Covered with their signature whipped cream frosting...well let's just say that I thought I'd share a slice with Penelope, but she devoured almost the entire thing on her own. 

On Sunday, we hit the splash park with Penelope. I think it brings me just as much, if not more, joy than it does her. She had a blast running back and forth between the splash zone, the swings, the slide and the little ride-on springy horse.

After P was truly worn out, we stopped by the 6th Borough Market. It was a small market made up of local vendors and we loved it. I taste tested earl grey lavender syrup, purchased a few goodies and we hit The Taco Truck for some A-mazing carnitas. So so good. And as luck would have it, Milk Sugar Love was also there with an ice cream cart!

We had the blueberry sour cream, and while that is not a flavor I would typically choose, it was unreal. The blueberries were so sweet and balanced out the tang of the sour cream flavor beautifully. I can't wait to get to the actual shop in Jersey City!

We ended the night with some relaxing on the terrace. Penelope played with her water table and after she went to sleep (early!), Shaun and I enjoyed a cool breeze, some barbecue, some veg and a glass of wine al fresco. Nothing better, really.

How was your weekend?