Category Archives: Blog Series

“The Shire” – Vermont

I grew up in the tiny, tiny Northern Vermont town of Berkshire, VT. When I say tiny, I mean I’m pretty sure there’s more cows than people, even now. I thought, what better way to introduce Vermont than to first introduce the town where I was raised! Here’s a glimpse into my childhood. The more things change, the more they seem to stay the same.

View from my parents land.

A few facts:

2000 Census Population: 1,300 people
One store / gas station.
Elementary school is Kindergarten thru 8th grade.

High school? We can pick which high school we would like to attend from one of the neighboring towns.
Two restaurants (one is only open in the summer, the other just opened up), one bar.

MANY, many family owned dairy farms.

It’s a place where “Everyone knows your name”.
Canada is in our backyard. Literally.
‘West Berkshire’, ‘Berkshire Center’ and ‘East Berkshire’ constitute as ‘The Town of Berkshire’.
Closest grocery store – about 15 minutes away.
Traffic? It’s either a car going slower than 50 on the main road or a tractor, probably a tractor.
Not one stop light in town. Not one.

A few more important buildings (considering we have them)…

The Lady of the Lourdes Catholic Church in East Berkshire.

We have a fire department, volunteer only. My dad was a volunteer fire fighter when I was growing up. The big fires were the barn fires from wet hay.

This is the Berkshire Town Hall. I will say this is “new” to me. This building has obviously always sat here but it was recently renovated and it looks pretty nice. The previous town clerks office was about the size of my bedroom… ok probably a little bigger than my bedroom but not that much. This is nice, I’d be interested to go inside.

Finally, coming into East Berkshire from Berkshire Center…. we love those Green Mountains in the background. It makes a sight for sore eyes. I can never get sick of looking at those peaks. The point part of the mountains in the background is Jay Peak (ski resort).

Here’s a little glimpse into my homeland. This town holds a really special place in my heart. If you have any questions about the town or what it was like to grow up here, I’d love to hear them!

Brew Over Ice & Giveaway!

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Disclaimer: I did receive product from Brew Over Ice in return for this post. All opinions are entirely my own.

I attended BlogHer in Chicago a few weeks ago and tried out the Strawberry Pomegranate Brew Over Ice and I fell in love. Now I’m hooked!

Let’s back track for a second… I am not a fan of the “coffee” flavor. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE how coffee smells but the taste, oh the taste just isn’t for me. Needless to say, I’ve stayed away from the Keurig machines for this reason. Then they came out with the tea flavors and I’ve been a little more intrigued BUT when I found the Brew Over Ice – they got me.

It gets pretty hot here in Texas and there’s nothing that I like more than a cool, ice cold beverage on a HOT day. Now, I can have pretty much any flavor I’m looking for in a matter of seconds. There’s a ton of flavors, coffee, Snapple variety, Green Mountain Naturals, Celestial Tea, the list goes on so you are bound to find something you like! Plus, it’s the same great convenience of getting a glass. Fill a cup with ice and tell the Keurig to go!

Keurig has a great offers going on right now…

Print off a $2 coupon to save on Brew Over Ice K-Cups!
Participate in the Brew Over Ice Sweepstakes where you could win $10,000 in cash!
Also check them out on Facebook and Twitter to be the first to know of any new updates they may have!

On top of all that, we’re hosting a giveaway! Keurig and Down Home Traveler has teamed up to give you the chance to win:

3 Brew Over Ice K-Cup® samples,
Brew Over Ice tumbler
4 Brew Over Ice coasters
Brew Over Ice light-up ice bucket and tongs

Be sure to enter! I’m in love with these and I think you will be too! Give it a go! Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Neighborhood Services, Dallas

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Up until last Friday, I had never heard of Neighborhood Services in Dallas. It’s surprising I even ventured to that side of the metroplex, I’m a Fort Worth kind of gal. “Neighborhood Services” doesn’t exactly sound like the name to a restaurant but I’ll tell you right now, it’s one hell of a place. No wonder it was voted D Magazine’s #1 Restaurant for 2013.

Nick Badovinus is owner / chef to a few restaurant’s in the Dallas area. Many of you may be more familiar with him than myself. From what I gathered on Friday evening, this man prides himself greatly on what he is presenting. The menu selection at NS is varied. Pork, veal, chicken, steak, seafood galore made with only the freshest ingredients. Each night, there are various new specials on the menu, which is what people go for and smart people they are! Whatever suits your fancy you will find here, just be prepared for a wait and to pay a higher price.

As mentioned, I really wasn’t sure what to expect except that “this place is phenomenal”. We walked in and the place was packed… and an hour wait (at least). That’s fine. We headed to the bar. The bar needs a little more space. Tight fit, we ran into some really nice people and one not so nice person that elbowed one of my friends in the head, then when we pointed it out he said “You know how people get elbowed… they walk into elbows.” This is why some people in Dallas get a bad name… moving on.

The Bar. A PBR draft will cost you $7. So will a Shiner draft. (A PBR draft in Ft. Worth will cost $1.50… just saying). My immediate thought, this food better be damn delicious and I don’t want another beer. On the other hand, they serve microbrews and that’s a love that I enjoy.

(I apologize for iPhone photos… I wasn’t prepared.)

Finally seated, we ordered a couple appetizers. Roasted Green Chile and Jonah Crab dip. Both dips were savory and delicious although I will say I favored the Jonah Crab dip…huge chunks of crab meat!

Butchers Meatballs in a voodoo peppercorn sauce. The meatballs fell apart as soon as you tried to lift them off the toothpick and then melted in your mouth.

Entrees. It was my birthday last week, I had the “go big or go home” mentality. The waiter also found out about my love of seafood and how I had never had swordfish and talked me into one of the specials of the evening. Let me introduce you to one of the best meals I’ve had…

Swordfish topped with Dungeness crab seated on top of mashed potatoes with grilled asparagus.

Holy mother. Best, meal, ever. Hands down / hands up – however we do it. Savor it! Savor it!

We also decided to split macaroni and cheese among the table. Baked mac and cheese?! The noodles were just floating in cheese goodness.

I’m not really sure why we decided to do this because I don’t think any of us had room for dessert (we were already set to roll right out of there) but here came dessert. We couldn’t pick one or two options, for five of us ladies, we picked three.

Butterscotch goodness. Slightly thicker than pudding but two bites of this and you’ll be delighted with your sweet tooth.

I think the next was Key Lime Tres Leches. Yum! Savory Tres Leches cake with a hint of key lime.

Lastly, a chocolate ding-dong with chocolate ganache topping.

Needless to say, we had to roll ourselves out of the restaurant. Now that I look back on the experience, this also explains why they have valet for vehicles…

If you’re looking to treat yourself to a well deserved evening, set some time aside for a good 3-4 hour meal and enjoy a bit from each course. It’s well worth it. Your belly will thank you!