Grits in the City - discounts and faves

Hope you enjoy all these as much as I do!

book review: romantic comedy

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I dare say I’ve found my reading groove? I used to read a lot but since having kids (so around six years) I haven’t been great about it at all. I set a low reading goal for 2022 on Goodreads and miserably failed. But I’m back, baby!

The Author

This month, I started and quickly finished Curtis Sittenfield’s Romantic Comedy. I loved her book Prep and two of her other books (The Man of My Dreams and You Think It, I’ll Say It) have been hanging out in my to-be-read stack for what feels like forever. I thought this one sounded like an interesting read so was happy it was my book club’s May pick.

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Race recap: United NYC Half Marathon

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I’m not a big cold weather runner. I don’t enjoy the layer upon layer upon layer required to bundle up to run outside, especially if we are talking 25 degree Fahrenheit or colder. I was kind of curious how it would go if I had to run during the winter? And then the more I read about the United Airlines NYC Half Marathon, I decided that I had to run it — and I was about to figure out how I could make training during the wintertime possible.

This was my first time entering the lottery to run. I threw my name in on a whim and realized how much I wanted to do it when I wasn’t selected. I didn’t want to wait it out over multiple years to get a yes. I decided to reach out to the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network, supporting a cause close to my heart. They have a small team but happened to have a spot open. I was so proud and excited to get to be part of their team.

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igloo afternoon at bellemara

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Our dating anniversary is just after Valentine’s Day so we tend to celebrate it over the holiday. However this year we wanted to check out the January and February only thing Bellemara Distillery in Hillsboro, New Jersey has been offering — igloos! For $50, we were able to book a 1.5 hour time slot to have an igloo all to ourselves. We were in!

When we arrived, we saw the igloos took up the majority of their patio. The last time we were there, it was around summertime, and that space was filled with patrons at tables. Made sense with the cold to switch to this, even though the day we went it was unseasonably warm.

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2022: year in review

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Just a few days left to go in the year! Time for my favorite activity — the 2022 year in review. It’s amazing how many things you do throughout the year that you forget about. It’s easy to remember the downs so I love to use this as a moment to reflect back on the year and appreciate all the moments of good. I always share this and to be honest, it’s usually more for me to pause to soak it all in!

Trips

where to go in lavallette
Lavalette Beach, New Jersey

We managed to squeeze in several trips this year. We went on a family vacation to Lancaster and to Dutch Wonderland. We had a great time and had so much amazing, fresh food. We also went to the Jersey Shore, visiting Lavalette the week after Labor Day. I made a solo day trip to Sea Girt and Spring Lake for some beach time. So many cute spots in the North Jersey Shore area!

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25 hour aerial fitness certification? check!

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I have been going to Air since 2020 when T bought me a certificate close to their opening for Valentine’s Day and I was instantly hooked. I took a bit of a break during peak pandemic (and while I had my broken foot) but have been back at it as soon as I could. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to further elevate my level by signing up for this fall’s 25 hour aerial fitness certification. The certification program is their teacher training, so it is a great way to take your practice to the next level or to progress on to teaching.

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Fig & Lily Igloo Dining

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My goal this month was to find a fun place we could dine “outside.” That’s a tall order at the moment, as there are no longer many options and the temps have been pretty brutal. I wanted to find somewhere nice my dad, sister and I could enjoy a nice meal on the day that my mom died.

I was so glad that I remembered Fig & Lily, a restaurant I’d been wanting to try in Morristown that has igloo dining. On the weekend, the igloos require you do a $68 prix fixe menu. The same is not required if you go for lunch during the week.

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dinner at motel morris

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I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — I miss NYC restaurants. I miss them so much. Stalking the openings. Curating lists of spots to try or hitting up special events at the holidays. We eat some here and there in the ‘burbs but there’s really no comparison.

Exterior of Motel Morris in Chelsea with people walking by on the sidewalks

I was really excited when I got the chance to go into the city earlier this month for our team holiday dinner. It was a randomly warm December NYC day with high temps in the 50s (not that I’m complaining.) Perhaps a bit on the warmer side but I loved that we had the option for it and that I was able to fully join in.

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merry christmas!

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Wishing you and yours all the best this holiday season. May you have lots of wonderful memories with your family, and lots of delicious things to enjoy over the days to come!

holiday traditions

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To me, the holidays are about time with family, beautifully decorated spaces (ours and experiencing others out in the world) and something fresh and sweet on the table. This year, we are doing some of my annual faves and bringing some back into rotation we haven’t had in quite a while.

Lara Ziobro - NYC Lifestyle Blogger - Food Photographer - Food Blogger - Grits in the City
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a low-cook kinda thanksgiving

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Thanksgiving is all about spending time with family but sometimes it feels more like quality time with your oven and kitchen counters. Typically we have a lineup of all the things to make to get things ready for the day. This year we took a different approach. Instead of cooking everything we decided to just cook a few things and order the rest. Genius!

Parker House Rolls

What I did do was to try a recipe T found on TikTok for homemade Parker house rolls. Would they live up to the hype? Oh yes! We have a new fave. These were so easy to do — they just require some time to get through all the steps. You can even start some the day before if you plan ahead. I didn’t do that this time around.

If you have a big group coming, definitely recommend doubling the recipe — because no one is going to want just one! (Note, I doubled it the next time around and found the dough ended up a bit tall for the KitchenAid — it worked, but it wasn’t the happiest with me!)

Here is the recipe on Cozy Kitchen. It’s been quite the hit with our family!

PieCaken

I have been curious about the PieCaken from the PieCaken Bakeshop for a while and thought it was a perfect time to give it a try. I ordered it from Goldbelly and it arrived a couple of days before Thanksgiving.

What was there not to love? It had something for everyone. The bottom layer was pecan pie followed by a pumpkin pie layer then a spice cake layer. The whole thing had cinnamon buttercream between the layers and along the top and edges. On the very top, there was apple pie filling. It was a true crowd pleaser. We are excited to try the Christmas version soon!

Main

For us, it’s hard to go wrong with Honeybaked Ham. Their turkey is great but I still think their ham is where it is at. We ordered sides at a local restaurant, which we liked better than doing all through Honeybaked.

How do you make it all work?