Lemon Rosemary Shortbread

I was intrigued when I first found this recipe on Flipboard (hands down my favorite app for finding random, fun articles). It looked so simple and clean; a nice change to all the gooey, dense cookies I was

used to baking. 

But the driving force behind recreating this was mostly nostalgia.  Shortbreads (and meringues - another post on that to come) were the go-to snacks my siblings and I munched on as we nursed our chlorine soaked, aching muscles after swim practice. And man, it has been years since I've last had one (mostly because we stopped training). 

So I decided it was time to recreate my childhood.

The recipe is fool proof and didn't require any complicated, expensive ingredients. The shortbreads came out beautifully buttery brown, with a light crumbly sweetness highlighted by a dash of lemon and a sprinkle of rosemary. An instant crowd hit.

So the next time you're craving something sweet without the heavy aftermath, try it out! 

The recipe I followed can be found here. I've also reposted it after the break.

Monday Munchies - Greek Yogurt

(Please excuse the photo quality - I was too hungry to grab my actual camera)

Today's post is gonna be a quick and easy one because (1) I'm old and getting sleepy, (2) that's exactly the way you want breakfast to be.

Lately I have been obsessed with the Chobani Soho store, my epitome of clean eating. They serve the most delicious yogurt combinations (my personal favorite is pistachio+chocolate) and even let you keep the glass bowl! If you haven't been, I highly recommend you check it out next time you're in the area. 

Since I can't possibly visit their store everyday, I've taken a page out of their book and recreated their fig+nut combination - greek yogurt, fresh figs, pine nuts and a drizzle of honey. The whole thing took me less than 2 minutes - perfect for when you're rushing out the door.  (PS - it's also fig season, are you convinced yet?)

Alright, that's all for tonight!

Traveling Thursdays: Storm King, NY

It's been too long since I've last blogged (um, how has it already been a year?!) and since tonight was a making-new-goals and reflecting-on-my-life-decisions kind of night, I figured I'd add one to the list -- start blogging. 

I realize it is not Thursday, but I wanted to do a traveling post because lately I've been feeling a little suffocated by routine. Since holidays are much harder to come by now, I've tailored this post to the kind of travel you could do in a day. 

First up -- Storm King. 

Storm King is a beautiful outdoor sculpture garden that lies along the Hudson River in upstate New York.  At over 500 acres with hundreds of sculptures (from Serra to Noguchi and everything in between), to call it a garden is to completely belittle the size of the place. 

And that is precisely why I love it - the sheer size, the wide open spaces punctuated with sculptures that are larger than life, the sun warm on your skin, the wind tangled in your hair, the air fresh and dewy. Your senses are at once elevated and muted, heightened and calmed.  

So pick a warm, breezy weekend, bring a friend and go check it out before the sun sets too early and it gets too cold to do anything but snuggle in bed. 

Ideal for: When you're feeling outdoors-y but don't want to break a sweat.

When to go: I went in autumn - when the air was crisp, but honestly any warm, sunny Sunday will do.

How to get there:  It's an easy one hour drive away from Manhattan. (Tip: If you rent a zipcar, simply show your receipt and you get 2 tickets for the price of 1!). Or for those who don't drive, it is easily accessible via bus or train (CoachUSA/Shortline, NJ Transit, MetroNorth Railroad).

What to do: You can rent a bike but personally I prefer walking. I mean, the whole point of escaping the city was to breath a little slower and smell the flowers, right?