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    our playroom — the *new* plan

    our playroom has been a crazy mess of toys, my second giant dollhouse i haven’t started working on, and so many craft supplies– and since gid got a remote job last year, we barely use the other side because he works out there. Read More

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    pasta alla vodka

    this post is in partnership with fermat commerce

    it’s been a long time coming — i’ve been making this pasta for like two years now but never shared it here on the blog! it’s not my original recipe, but i’ve been making my own version of it basically weekly now so i feel very attached to it. “orange pasta” has become an important tradition for our family 🙂 

    i got some beautiful new cookware from great jones which inspired me to finally post the recipe, the Dutchess– a 6.75-quart enamel cast iron dutch oven that looks sooo beautiful on my stovetop and i’m gonna use it all the time. 

    i’m trying out this new commerce tool built by Fermat Commerce that allows you to buy products directly from the brand while staying here on my blog and would love it if you purchase with me here! let me know what you think of it!

    ok so you can shop the great jones products below, without ever leaving my blog! just click on the product to shop and lmk how it works for you! and you’ll get free shipping if you spend $100!

    pasta alla vodka

    this pasta alla vodka — aka “orange pasta” as we call it — has become an important tradition for our family and one of my go-to weeknight dinners!
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe

    Ingredients  

    • ¼ cup olive oil
    • ½ shallot finely chopped
    • 2 garlic cloves finely grated
    • ½ cup tomato paste
    • 2 tablespoons vodka
    • 1 cup heavy cream
    • 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional, we don’t use any!)
    • kosher salt + freshly ground pepper
    • 1 lb short pasta
    • 2 tb butter
    • ½ cup finely grated parmesan (plus more for serving)
    • ¼ cup chopped fresh basil

    Instructions 

    1. heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. add shallot and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling heavily salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente.
    2. add tomato paste and cook, stirring occasionally, until the paste is brick red and starts to caramelize, about 5 minutes.
    3. add vodka and cook, stirring constantly, until liquid is mostly evaporated, about 2 minutes.
    4. add cream (and red pepper flakes if you want) and stir until well blended. season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.
    5. drain your pasta, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid (or you can scoop your pasta directly into your sauce like i do). add pasta to skillet with sauce along with butter and about ½ cup pasta cooking liquid. cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly and adding more pasta cooking liquid if needed, until butter has melted and a thick, glossy sauce has formed, about 2 minutes. season with salt and pepper and add the parmesan, tossing to coat.
    6. divide pasta among bowls, then top with basil and more parmesan.

    ADAPTED FROM JON & VINNYS

    i love my dutchess so much — not only is it perfect for making the vodka pasta, i’m gonna use it to make chicken all the time and it looks so good right on my table.

  • martha’s vineyard travel guide

    this post was updated in 2023!

    i love this island so much!! when i was a kid, my mom would take us for the summers and it has always been a magical place to me. in fact last year i was driving to my moms rental house and i started crying because i love it so much more than LA and sort of wish i lived there haha.

    there is something so special about this island, even if it’s become crazier and fancier and way more crowded over the years, there is just this happy energy i don’t know if i’ve ever experienced elsewhere.

    towns:

    in terms of where to stay, we’ve always stayed around the oak bluffs or vineyard haven area until our last stay trying out chilmark, but i love so many parts of the island. 

    oak bluffs

    so cute and charming, can be pretty touristy especially peak summer but i still love it.

    edgartown

    tons of shopping and is adorable, slightly more formal feeling than OB. fancier shops/restaurants/people. 

    vineyard haven

    my favorite of the towns probably, some of my favorite shops are here and it has this amazing chill energy even when crowded. 

    chilmark

    better for quiet stays if that’s what you’re into, you’re definitely more secluded and about 30 minutes from the other side of the island. but it’s so peaceful! we spent a lot of time frequenting the same nearby beach (menemsha) and the same food place (chilmark general store)

    west tisbury

    also up island, this town feels more residential than the others. we stayed here when i was a kid and i liked the location – there are also some good food spots nearby i’ll list below!

    beaches:

    menemsha

    our favorite for watching the sunset, because of the fish markets nextdoor. i like to order oysters from larsens and i like the lobster rolls and clam chowder next door at menemsha fish market.

    we pop over and get our dinner to eat on the beach and it’s so much better than trying to sit at a restaurant with kids. just make sure you get there in time to park/order/get your food/get a good spot on the sand!! byob!

    lucy vincent

    the beach for chilmark residents– huge beautiful rock cliffs!

    katama

    a barrier beach thats public for all. big waves here!

    lamberts cove

    our favorite beach, but only open to west tisbury residents so you can’t go without a pass during the summer.

    aquinnah

    it’s a little hike to get down to the beach, but it’s worth it! stunning beach, and you can see the aquinnah lighthouse while you’re there.

    places to eat:

    in oak bluffs:

    nomans

    this is our favorite place (we go like 3 times a week) because it is soooo easy with the kids/a big group. first come first serve, giant area (they got rid of the grass sadly) to run around with games, you can order for yourself, a bar, pretty good food and live music! 

    jimmy seas

    a cute little italian restaurant where most of the dishes are served in a pan. my family loves this place. the food is fine. haha

    sweet life cafe

    open for brunch and dinner in a cute garden setting.

    tigerhawk sandwiches

    super good and it’s nice to have take out spots if you don’t want to sit down forever somewhere. we took sandwiches with us to eat on chappy one time!

    backdoor donuts

    open till midnight and super fun to grab a hot donut after dinner in the parking lot. so many good ones, but i love their chocolate glazed and and their apple fritters! (it’s now open during the day as well but less novel)

    artcliff diner (closed, hopefully not forever)

    the best breakfast! i always love their specials.

    lookout tavern

    a little crowded for my liking, but they are famous for their lobster roll and their location on the water! the lobster roll is pretty good, it’s huge.

    in west tisbury:

    7a foods

    incredible sandwiches, and another nice spot to grab food to take to the beach. i love the “liz lemon” a lot.

    state road

    one of my favorite sit down restaurants on the island, farm to table and larry david loves it too haha.

    scottish bakehouse

    good breakfast sandwiches and chill picnic tables outside.

    morning glory farm

    grab some food for your rental house here and you’ll be happy you did! we got a vegetable quiche and enjoyed it for days for breakfast.

    in vineyard haven:

    waterside market

    the cutest little cafe and i love their food so much. one of my favorite lobster rolls too, but honestly everything is good.

    fish mv

    right next door to waterside, a cute little patio and the food is good! i loved the sushi burrito but it should be bigger.

    the black dog tavern

    so there are a bunch of black dogs around the island, but my favorite is the tavern. the location is so cute and there are two black dog stores next door in the alley. we love this location because arlo loves to run around the beach behind the restaurant afterwards and its so quintessential vineyard.

    the pie chicks

    the pies are SO GOOD! i love the strawberry rhubarb and the key lime. i recommend getting some small sized pies so you can try different ones.

    in chilmark:

    chilmark tavern

    the cutest little neighborhood restaurant, the food is very good and chilmark is a dry town, but they have mixers in case you byob and want a cocktail (i brought wine for myself). not inexpensive, but a nice night out.

    in edgartown:

    rosewater market + shop

    i needn’t mention anything besides they have a tap for water… and a tap for SPARKLING WATER here!!!! my dream!!! fine i’ll keep going, the food and place is also lovely as well.

    atlantic fish + chop house

    very fancy place to sit on the dock and have a beautiful (albeit expensive !!) meal.

    * there are lots of good other places to eat in edgartown as well but i won’t add to this list until i stay there someday and really explore more.

    things to do:

    chilmark general store

    a fun spot to people watch and grab a quick slice of pizza. maybe JUST MAYBE you’ll spot larry. don’t tell me if you do i’ll be too jealous.

    the grey barn

    such a beautiful farm to walk around and see animals, as well as shop in the cute well curated little shop for cheeses and breads. 

    chilmark flea market

    tons of handmade items by local artisans, runs wednesdays and saturdays, june 25 – september 10.

    flying horses

    an MV staple — the oldest carousel in america!! last year it was closed but i’m hopeful arlo will get to go this year.

    Processed with VSCO with g9 preset

    dinner on menemsha

    yes i already named this but it’s my favorite past time! there’s also a texaco gas station/shop where we always grab ice cream bars for dessert.

    ryan family amusement

    this is where the boys spent a LOT of time (which was perfect for me because i got to go shopping while they went to the arcade)

    rent a boat

    if you can, this is our favorite!! we picked up bread and cheese from the grey barn and had the best sunset boat ride with the family. 

    the jaws bridge

    jumping off this bridge is like a rite of passage for island kids.

    see the lighthouses

    last year the lighthouses were closed, but when they’re open it is sooo fun to go inside. i’m partial to the east chop lighthouse because our old house was down the street. but the island is filled with lighthouses!

    go to chappy for the day

    take a the little tiny 3 car ferry for 30 seconds over to chappaquiddick (no for real), you can go to the beach there and the mytoi japanese gardens are beautiful! bring some food from the mainland to have a picnic.

    island alpaca company

    a very cute activity with kids (but i’ve been without arlo too lol)

    shops:

    i can’t name every shop, there are COUNTLESS CUTE shops. all you need to do is plan to stroll around each town for one day at least and you’ll discover them all. but here are some!

    in vineyard haven:

    conrado — down a little alley way, it’s so cute in here!
    the green room — loved it since i was a kid
    rainy day — a good shop for knick knacks
    trust — cute little boho boutique
    bryn walker — i’ve spent too much money here!
    bunch of grapes — very good bookstore with fun kids section upstairs
    lenox & harvey — tiny little shop thats curated so beautifully!

    in oak bluffs:

    there are definitely more souvenir shops here, but i’m a sucker for those too
    island outfitters — cute beachy apparel
    slip 77 — clothing store with lots of branded stuff

    in edgartown:

    slate — stunningly curated clothing here!
    salte — a very cute home shop with lots of beautiful gifts
    boneyard surf co — cute shop that used to have a street fighter arcade game, arlos pissed they got rid of it
    portobello road — a fun bookstore you could spend hours browsing in
    country day — toys + lots of adorable kids clothes

    up island:

    alley’s general store — lots of gifts, so many cute toys.

    hope this helped if you’re heading to the vineyard!! 

  • pretty everything : good looking clothes hampers

    modern attractive laundry hampers for you! quite a lot of rattan ones but they’re all kinda different from one another lol. i hope one of these makes doing your laundry more beautiful and enjoyable 🙂

    and ps how had i not done a hamper roundup yet?!Read More

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    our go-to weeknight dinners

    i’ve been wanting to do this post forever! now i realize, some of these meals might be super ambitious if you work a 9-5 or you aren’t super into cooking– i don’t make dinner from scratch every night, but i do like to a few times a week.

    i really enjoy the routine of cooking dinner because it gives me some alone time where i’m doing something besides mindlessly scrolling. but i also really love to make things i know how to make, because when i follow recipes i usually have to read them 1700 times, so i can really only handle one brand new recipe a week max. so most of these i know how to do without a recipe now!

    i’m gonna try to keep adding to this post! i’d love to incorporate more of those cliche mom dinners into my repertoire like lasagna and meatloaf. 

    also i’m going to do a separate post of all my favorite things to grill too, at some point!! Read More

  • my fave things this month | april

    a few days late– but here are some of the things i purchased or loved the most this past month!Read More

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    mother’s day gift guide

    a little late but there’s still some time before mothers day! i rounded up some beautiful things i think lots of moms (including me obv) would love. Read More

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    cute travel essentials for kids

    i meant to do to this post side by side with the other cute travel essentials post i did recently, but here we are!

    the majority of kids travel things are basically the opposite of “cute”, so i spent quite some time scouring the internet for these finds!Read More

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    our backyard redo– the plan

    i’m sure some people are going to be very bummed out to hear that we’re changing up our backyard, but i’m really excited to make it more suitable for our life now! i love the way it looks, but honestly we barely use the backyard besides to eat dinner when it’s warm out. 

    when we first designed our backyard, we didn’t have arlo. we put tons of cacti all over and it was a beautiful desert oasis. once we had arlo and he started toddling around, we decided to remove the cacti (which had gotten HUGE by then) and add softer plants everywhere.

    when we were in those initial design stages, i did consider adding a patch of grass for future children, but got lazy and just went ahead with a full yard of DG instead.

    but over the years, i’ve realized our backyard isn’t fun, like at all whatsoever, and it’s kind of sad! i want the backyard to be a place that arlo can run around and have fun in, and now that we’re expecting another one– and now that we have put our house hunting on hold, i decided this would be a good time to make it work better for us in this season of our lives! Read More

  • really really good french toast

    i don’t know what’s taken me so long to share my french toast recipe, because i’ve kinda perfected it over the last year or so! i used to keep the batter pretty simple but the more i played around and the more i started added a few extra special touches, the more it became EXTRA SPECIAL TASTING!

    my personal belief is that bread is very key — and croissant toast makes the ultimate french toast. if i don’t have any, i’ll use challah or sometimes banana bread when i’m feeling very ambitious (although it’s kinda sad to bake a whole loaf of banana bread and then use it up in an instant but it’s real gooooood)

    adapted from ina gartens challah french toast

    really really good french toast

    i've tweaked this french toast recipe over the years and now it tastes so special. the key is to use really good bread!
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe

    Ingredients  

    • croissant toast
    • 5 eggs
    • ½ cup heavy cream
    • 1½ cup milk
    • 1 splash of orange or pineapple juice
    • 1 tb orange zest
    • 1 tb honey
    • 1 tb vanilla bean paste or extract
    • 1 tsp cinnamon
    • 1 tsp cloves
    • 1 tsp nutmeg
    • ½ tsp salt

    Instructions 

    1. preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
    2. in a large shallow bowl, whisk all the ingredients together. for extra gooey french toast, soak as many slices in the egg mixture for 2-3 minutes, turning once.
    3. heat 2 tbsp butter in a large saute pan over medium heat.
    4. add the soaked bread and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. make sure not to flip until the first side is nicely browned.
    5. to keep warm, place the cooked french toast on a sheet pan.
    6. i love to serve with warm maple syrup and blueberries or caramelized bananas when i’m feeling extra ambitious. to make them, just slice up a banana, toss in sugar and cook in a pan until golden.

    Notes

    i usually wing it and don’t really measure the ingredients out, but i like the egg to milk/cream ratio to be pretty creamy versus yellow/eggy.