2018 was welcomed with fluffy homemade cardamom marshmallows and fluffy (I really mean frigid) Nor'Easter snow.
We spent NYE with a couple of our special friends, Ben and Arielle. We were charged with bringing a dessert to help wash down the lamb and duck dinner. After acquiring a TON of fresh fruit from a Christmas party the day before (AKA, gramma wouldn't let us leave without taking leftovers), we opted for a classic assembly of boozy chocolate fondue (because duh, it's NYE.)
Boozy chocolate fondue sauce:
- 2 cups of heavy whipping cream
- 2 bars of 60% cocoa
- 1 bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/3 cup BRANDY!
- Pinch of salt
Homemade marshmallows accompanied the fruit — yes, I made marshmallows! I used Lulu the Baker's cardamom marshmallow recipe from her cookbook "Scandinavian Gatherings" -- this was a gift for my sister-in-law but I scanned the book before gifting.
She and my brother are honeymooning in Denmark + Norway in May, so I thought it would be fitting. I highly recommend it. It's full of recipes, stories, and crafts that remind me of my great-grandma, Clarice.
These marshmallows were a HUGE hit at the NYE party. The recipe made about forty 1-inch marshmallows, so we had a few extras! We used the extra 'shmallows for hot chocolate on New Years Day. Here's the recipe for Dan's hot chocolate:
Hot chocolate + Bailey's:
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1/2 cup natural cocoa powder (we used the Scharffen Berger brand)
- 2 tsp. vanilla (Nielson Massey brand)
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp. ground nutmeg
- A splash (or more, YOLO) of Bailey's
- Top with cardamom marshmallows - YUM!
I sipped on this drink while packing for my annual snowboarding trip with my brothers, Sean and Scott.
Mi gente.
This year, we tried out Burlington, Vermont.
The trip started with a few hiccups, mostly the airline misplacing our snowboards for 24 hours. While we were waiting for arrangements from Boston Logan, we visited the Anheuser-Busch biergarten in Merrimack.
What I drank:
Blue Point Winter Ale - American amber / red ale
Once we received the boards, it was straight to the slopes before we checked into our Airbnb.
First, we rode Bolton Valley (caught this amazing sunset) -- and then the Bomb Cyclone (Winter Storm Grayson) hit -- which made it easier for us to decide to go on a walking brewery tour of Burlington the next day.
Fingers froze for this pic.
Burlington, VT has a bit of a Madison vibe -- lots of beer, a cool art scene, and a University gathering place: Church Street, which resembles State Street in downtown Madison.
Here are a few places we checked out:
Magic Hat Brewery: They offer a self-guided tour with an overlook of the assembly line -- we watched for quite a while, it was mesmerizing.
What I drank:
Feast of Fools - Stout brewed with raspberry
Single Chair - Golden ale
Zero Gravity Brewery: Before continuing our brewery hopping, we ate lunch at The Great Northern next door. I had a Haddock sandwich and oysters!
What I drank:
Bernie Weisse - Berliner weisse (pictured below)
This drink does NOT improve shuffle board performance.
Foam Brewers: You MUST check out their jazz and ramen night on Thursdays!
What I drank:
Let the Funk Flow - Golden sour (MY FAVORITE BEER OF THE TRIP!)
The Parlor: Located in the downstairs of The Farmhouse Tap + Grill on Church street, this bar has a casual feel, equipped with a fireplace and a couch for optimal lounging. We shared a cheese plate, which included a VERY VERY stinky blue cheese that reminded us of playing in our great-grandparent's barn, with an after taste of hay. Yes, hay. Like neigh neigh. I think we'll be sticking to Wisconsin cheese from now on.
What I drank:
von Trapp Bohemian Pilsner - Czech Pilsener
CONFESSION: I watched The Sound of Music for the first time on Christmas with Dan's parents, so I felt it was necessary to try this beer.
We wrapped up our time in Vermont at Sugarbush ski resort, on the Mt. Ellen side of the mountain, which is apparently home to Vermont’s highest chairlift. With the temps far below zero (-8 and a wind chill of -14 when we pulled up), I was surprised to see so many patrons. While Sean and Scott embraced the cold, I stayed warm with some clam chowder and a hot toddy while catching up on some work emails and reading my first book of 2018: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr.
Before flying out, Sean and I stopped at the Harpoon Brewery in the Boston Logan airport.
What I drank:
UFO White - Witbier
What did YOU drink to bring in the new year?!