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In Travel

Tremont Art and Eats

What a perfect weather weekend in Cleveland, Ohio! Not only did we enjoy my niece’s graduation party and another Father’s Day BBQ with family and friends, but we also attended some fun events that really connect you to the city.

Friday night was the 2nd week in June and therefore, the Tremont Artwalk. This event has been happening for a long time (how’s that for specifics, I’m not sure how long actually but it seems like forever!). But through sleet and snow and now summer! these galleries and restaurants open their doors for a fun Friday night out in the city. We like to do a gallery / restaurant crawl of sorts and eat and drink our way through the neighborhood. We park somewhere off Professor Street and make our way over. This time we stopped at Fahrenheit and found 2 seats at the bar. After a delicious Bourbon Mule (oh yeah, a little Maker’s Mark instead of Vodka for this fun drink served in a copper mug), we ordered the Vietnamese Chicken Spring Rolls and Thai Style Spicy Chicken Meatballs (with Sweet Chili Glaze, Crushed Peanuts, Cilantro). Oh my was that a perfect intro to Artwalk night!

We spent some time walking around Dick Russell’s Gallery looking for unique treasures and fun finds – there is always something! We could have headed down the street to some other favorites- Lilly Handmade Chocolates (who also has a great selection of microbrews and wines) or Wine & Design (a favorite for home decor and… WINE!), but this Friday we went to the Treehouse as our friend, Jill Lemieux, was showing some artwork there. She creates unique renderings of animals using colored pencils with almost a pointillism technique. If you haven’t been to the Treehouse before, it’s the perfect little Irish bar (complete with tree growing through the bar!) to grab a drink and mingle really any day of the week inside or out. Check out the “Lovely Day for a Guinness” painting on the back side of the building, pretty spectacular!

We took a walk down to Banyan Tree (one of my favorite shops in the city!) and then decided it was time for another snack. Would it be Lolita? Michael Symon’s bustling restaurant with a great happy hour at the bar after 10p. Would it be Dante? delicious small plates to share and wonderful atmosphere in the old bank building. Or would it be Barrio? fantastic margaritas and unique tacos made completely to order. We found a couple of seats at the bar at Barrio! Somehow I concocted a pretty cool Pescada del dia (fish!) taco with jicama slaw, mango salsa, chipotle crema, cilantro/lime aioli … oh my was it good! …particularly alongside a house made pomegranate margarita. It ended up being the perfect ending to a great Friday Tremont Artwalk! I hope you’ll check it out, too.

Sausage Stuffed Cubanelle Peppers

These are good, I mean really good. Oh, and did I mention easy?! Beyond easy. Ooh ooh, and versatile! Ok, I’ll stop now. Just take a look at this deliciousness and try it for yourself.

Pick up some delicious peppers at the market. I chose sweet cubanelle peppers this time. But I have also used fresh banana peppers (sometimes I even grow them myself) or poblano peppers (also sweeter and mild with more of a Spanish flavor). But you could go spicy and substitute a hot cubanelle or banana pepper, too. It all depends on the heat you can handle.

Next you need sausage. There is something about Italian sausage that just can’t compare to straight up ground beef. It may be the pork, it may be the spices, it’s just…necessary. Again, I choose sweet and mild but if you wanted a contrast, you could do mild peppers and spicy sausage or spicy peppers and mild sausage. It is your game! Choose wisely. 🙂

And now you need some sauce and cheese. That’s it! You could make your own sauce or just keep it simple and use a store-bought jar. My favorite is Mid’s meatless sauce. I don’t know when I discovered Mid’s but I swear it was at Marc’s (a local very cheap grocery store), and I was hooked. I really can’t use Ragu or Prego or anything else at this point. Marc’s sells it as does my favorite grocery store, Heinen’s. And they are a local company from Navarre, Ohio.

As far as cheese, really anything goes. To keep it on the Italian side, I normally use mozzarella, but we are championing versatility, right? How about poblano peppers, with Mexican 3-blend cheese shreds, and andouille sausage, WHOA! That just came to me, right here, right now and I’m totally trying that next time.

But that’s it, folks. Ratios are flexible and not a science – this is cooking, not baking after all, so have fun with it. I usually buy 4 larger peppers, 1 lb sausage, 1 cup sauce, and 1 cup cheese and that’s a main meal for me and the hubby or an appetizer to share with 4 people. Here’s the 411…

INGREDIENTS:

4 large sweet cubanelle peppers
1 lb sweet and mild Italian sausage, ground
1 cup spaghetti sauce
1 cup mozzarella cheese

STEPS:

Preheat oven to 350F.
Cut a horizontal slice right below the tops of the peppers but not all the way through. Cut a vertical slice the length of the peppers but not all the way through. Open and remove seeds and membranes.
Mix the sausage, half the cheese, and half the sauce.
Place peppers in a 13×9 pan.
Stuff the peppers (just use your hands, baby!), each with a quarter of the sausage mixture.
Pour the remaining sauce over the peppers.
Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 50 minutes.
Remove foil, sprinkle with remaining cheese, and bake another 10 minutes or until golden brown.

EAT! MANGIA! Enjoy. 🙂

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In Life, Travel

Homegirl Barn Sale!

Thursday night I stopped by the Homegirl Barn Sale in Hudson, Ohio. I had not been to one of Gina Bishop’s sales before and had a delightful time perusing her wonderful property and barn, let alone all the fabulous goods for sale from her chosen vendors! Rob loved it as much as I did and now wants to find a property with a barn and yard. I didn’t catch all of the vendors displayed, but I definitely recognized fantastic pieces from Rust and Found, Urban Chic Decor, and also discovered Marshall’s Antique Warehouse and Go Girl Shoppe.

She had gorgeous furniture pieces, lighting, and decor…

… linens and gift items…

…not to mention, fun pillows and great architectural salvage pieces and more!

She’s open today, 10a-2pm, 2357 Hudson-Aurora Rd. Hudson, Ohio 44236… I encourage you to check it out! I’m sure you’ll come away with a great find.

Happiness

Many people search their whole lives for an answer to the question, “what is the meaning of life”? Others just live and act on it naturally. Seeking happiness is certainly a part of that quest. But happiness can be elusive, at times dodging us when we seek it most and at other times appearing randomly – when we see a robin outside our window singing about the first signs of spring. I have come to find that happiness is not about some permanent state of existence. I believe it is found in those moments that, when bound together, make up a life – when we see life through the eyes of a child, when we discover a new place in the world, when nature screams its beauty at us. Perhaps all of these experiences, together, equal happiness. And the more moments like this that we recognize and find, the happier we are.

“It isn’t what you have, or who you are, or where you are, or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about.” – Dale Carnegie

Is happiness then a state of mind? There are people in seemingly similar circumstances who have completely different outlooks on life and perhaps dissimilar “happiness quotients”. Of course, we are all individuals and we can’t know the unique experiences and attitudes internalized over the years. But might it be possible to change our minds by seeking actions and experiences that bring us joy? And those who are happier, have just found more of those moments? As Thich Nhat Hanh says “Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.”

“Inspire Happiness” – Yogi Tea

Maybe happiness isn’t about ourselves at all – I’m convinced that the strongest moments of happiness come from inspiring happiness in others, and that may be the ultimate path to Aristotle’s meaning. Inspiring happiness can be as simple as a kind word – encouragement. Or how about helping someone with a task they can’t do themselves, nurturing someone when they are sick, offering an ear to listen, sending a beautiful bouquet of flowers, remembering their favorites, creating something they enjoy, etc.

When we seek these moments – through gratitude, by creating experiences, by inspiring happiness in others – we change. And through that change comes… happiness.

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In Life

Encouragement

When was the last time someone said a kind word to you? or the last time you said a kind word to someone else? I am constantly amazed by the power of words to heal or hurt. I know that my life has been completely changed by just a few words of encouragement scattered here and there at pivotal moments in my growth. Whether it was my parents, sister, friend, or teacher – a word or two of “hey, I really like that”, or “you have a real talent for that” can set your course and lead you into areas you would not have discovered on your own.

“Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.” Mother Teresa

In the corporate world, employees often receive “performance reviews” and ratings that focus on correction or “areas of improvement”. How much more valuable and effective would it be if the evaluations focused on encouragement only and ignored the rest? I would love to conduct an experiment, evaluate the impact of encouragement on employee morale. For when we believe in ourselves, we are motivated, we are inspired, we are productive.

“When you have once seen the glow of happiness on the face of a beloved person, you know that a man can have no vocation but to awaken the light on [all] the faces surrounding him.” Albert Camus

In the eyes of a child, it can be transformational to say the words, “I believe in you.” It can define a person and create a ripple effect on all who surround him. Mary Barnett Gilson says “…there are persons who seem to have overcome obstacles and by character and perseverance to have risen to the top. But we have no record of the numbers of able persons who fall by the wayside, persons who, with enough encouragement and opportunity, might make great contributions.”

Encouragement… Don’t be afraid to give it. Graciously receive it. And watch how your world blooms.