Happy New Year!

We’re back! It was a whirlwind trip and we could not have had a better honeymoon vacation. I am now officially certain that delaying our honeymoon was the best decision ever. We were able to rekindle some of that newlywed spark and we felt fresh and relaxed and ready to tackle our European adventure. We packed it all in…visited all the famous sites, toured extravagant estates and villas, viewed remarkable art and museums, ate the best food, drank the best wine, walked miles and miles, took hundreds of pictures and enjoyed spending every single second together. We did whatever we felt like doing, whenever we felt like doing it and just allowed our fantasies and our whims to be our guide. It was more wonderful! I could get used to that lifestyle for sure. Unfortunately I don’t have a lot of blogging time these next few weeks with all of my patent bar studying taking over my life, but I’ll try to hit the major events in our days and the highlights of our trip as best as I can, though it will be impossible to fully capture the magical-ness of it all.


When we finally arrived in Paris at 7am on the 27th it was 27 degrees for a high temp! We took the train straight into the city, and took the metro to our hotel, which was an adorable bed and breakfast near the bastille. The walls were old exposed brick and the rooms were quaint and small, but very cozy and beautifully put together. We bundled up and headed straight for the Louvre, the first major stop of our Paris adventure. On our walk we passed by some classic French sidewalk cafes and the crazy Pompidou Centre, famous for its exposed skeleton of brightly colored tubes for mechanical, plumbing, climate control, and electrical systems. We didn’t go in this museum as our time was limited and it’s mostly famous for its exterior.


We continued on our walk towards the Louvre, and when we could see the river, we came right up on the Louvre on our right. I had no idea how massively huge it would be in real life. We walked into the courtyard and took a few pictures before moving into the next courtyard and stumbling upon the famous glass pyramid.


The entry line was extremely long, and we had originally intended to try to go through the Louvre this morning, but we got in a little later than expected and decided to put this off as a maybe we’ll add later if we have time. We mostly wanted to get our bearings on our first day anyway and just walk around getting to know the city. Our only scheduled event for the first day was our trip up the Eiffel Tower at 4:00, so we continued walking around the Louvre property, ogling the structure, and the massiveness, then continuing walking through the Jardin des Tuileries, reaching the Place de la Concorde and the Champs Elysees.


By this time we were starving, and as if perfectly planned the celadon green facade of the infamous Laduree appeared and we stopped in for some lunch.


The food was good, but it’s definitely known for desserts and macaroons, and they are amazing! We left feeling more energized and continued our walk down the Champs to the Arc de Triomphe.


From the Arc, we walked towards the Trocadero area for our walk over the river. We got a gorgeous sneak preview of the tower between buildings on our walk.


Once in the Trocadero region, we walked through the Palais de Chaillot for one of the grandest views in the city as we approached the tower just across the river. Walking up to the Eiffel Tower was one of my most memorable experiences in Paris. The huge mass of steel is incredibly impressive and unlike anything I've ever seen before.


We picked the perfect time of day to go up the Eiffel. It was dusk, so we had some great light to see the 360 degree view of Paris, and while we were up , we watched the sun set over the river giving a beautiful glow to the city.


We went up the second elevator to the very tip top, at about 1000 feet. It was an absolutely stunning panorama of the Paris skyline and we could make out many of the landmarks, such as the Louvre, Musee D’orsay, and Napolean’s tomb, but I was the most cold I have ever been. The wind chills were in the negatives and the frostbite was definitely setting in.


We stayed just long enough to take in the view, and then headed down. Leaving the Eiffel, we crossed the bridge again and took some time to enjoy the view at twilight and watch the sun finally set as the tower lit up for the evening. It really is one of the most gorgeous sights in the city, and it was so romantic to stand there together on our first night in Paris.


We then headed out to our hotel to defrost and clean up for dinner. We ate in our area at a great little sidewalk bistro, Chez Gaston. Drew tried his first real fois gras, and we both enjoyed it. I had a salmon dish, drew had entrecote (ribeye) and we finished with some crème brulee. We went to bed, happy, satisfied, and exhausted, and ready for day 2.

bonne nuit paris

au revoir and bonne annee

The time has finally come for the clarks to set off on our very delayed honeymoon! We fly into Paris, spend a few days there, then fly to Rome for 5 days, where we'll spend New Years. The Mr. has ever been to Europe so this will be one amazing trip. We're bringing the point and shoot cam, the flip video cam, and my canon eos, so I'm excited to document our trip and take some fun pictures of our adventures and the culture. I'm so anxious to get there and to enjoy all the romantic spots, street cafes, wine and cheese, and the historical sites. Until 2011...we're out!

Merry Christmas!!!

It's christmas morning, and we're off to the races to spend time with our cherished loved ones.


The puppies love all of the wrapping paper and bows, so we should have a great time playing with them and watching out for eaten paper. I hope you all have a wonderful day with those who are most dear to you, and if you don't have anywhere to go, come on over. We have plenty of love and food to share.


This is our baby tree this year. Since we're leaving bright and early tomorrow, we didn't want to have to worry about a real tree dying/falling/burning etc, so baby tree it is. I think it's pretty cute.


Our matching stockings from my momma on our makeshift mantle...not yet filled with santa goodies.

Merry christmas!

5 days till honeymoon!

I am getting super super excited to leave for our trip! We spent last night making our itinerary for Paris and buying tickets for Versaille and Musee d'Orsay. We have everything all planned out for when we're going and where, but we also made sure to leave time for just roaming through the neighborhoods, sitting on the streets and people watching. Many of our friends have told us that we will have some of our most favorite times just relaxing and taking it all in, so we certainly intend to park ourselves on sidewalk cafes to enjoy some pastries, cheese and wine and just BE.


We have not made any reservations for our meals yet, and I was thinking that we would just pop into whichever random cafe looked good. Though I am told that the reservation in Paris is a necessity, and that restaurants in Paris do not leave a percentage of the room unbooked for walk-ins, and if the place is particularly small, they won’t let you linger until a table opens up. AKA...what should we do? Do I need to make reservations now? Does anyone have any suggestions?

My guidebook has suggested that a reservation, while valuable, is not an absolute necessity, and that when in doubt, ask our concierge to make us a reservation in the neighborhood where we intend to be that day. Or if we do decide to pop into a random cafe or restaurant then to avoid restaurants displaying multi-lingual menus and opt for the french only menu for an authentic, non-touristy, experience. I figure we can't go wrong, but I'd certainly like to do it right, so if anyone would like to recommend specific restaurants to us or steer us in the right direction, please feel free to comment or email me!

tonight we'll plan rome, and tomorrow we pack. Lots to do!

Lunar Eclipse

Last night I set my alarm for 2:30 to make sure I got to witness the total lunar eclipse that happened to coincide with the winter solstice this year.

A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth comes between the sun and the moon blocking the sun's rays and casting a shadow on the full moon, though some indirect sunlight still pierces through to give the moon an eerie reddish hue. This year the total lunar eclipse coincided with the winter solstice, so the the moon glowed bright red high in the sky. It was gorgeous! I had a hard time going back to sleep so I watched it for about an hour beginning when about 25% was covered and through the totality phase when the moon was completely immersed in Earth's shadow.


The last time this occurred was more than three centuries ago on Dec. 21, 1638 when Galileo was proclaiming that the sun was the center of our solar system. It will happen again on Dec. 21, 2094 according to the experts. I am so amazed that we were able to witness this and happy I woke up to my alarm!

How to Cook Like A Top Chef

One of my favorite parts of my week is watching Top Chef on Bravo on Wednesday nights with Drew, endlessly googling every cooking technique they mention that I've never heard before, dissecting their dishes, and discussing the chefs and their creations with my best friend the next morning. She's an amazing cook and we can talk forever about the show and our favorite chefs and what we'd like to make at home. So yesterday I was christmas shopping in a little boutique by my house and I discovered this newly published book, "How to Cook Like a Top Chef."


I spent a very good 30 minutes skimming through the book, and I loved it, but didn't come home with it (what a good christmas shopper I am)! I know these books can be hokie sometimes, but I really liked that it included recipes from all six seasons of the show and Top Chef Masters, with a major focus on technique. There were sections featuring knife skills, sauces, plating and sous-vide, and little sidebar demonstrations and explanations by the chefs and judges.

I love that in addition to including some original recipes from contestants that I can remember them making over the past seasons, it also contains behind-the-scenes interviews, trivia, and tons of tips and tricks from my favorite chefs (ahem Carla, Wylie Dufresne and Eric Ripert)

Pasta with sausage, chicken, asparagus and cherry tomatoes

New version. A few weeks ago I made a shrimp and artichoke pasta and we loved it so much, I made another version with italian sausage and asparagus. I threw in a half a chicken breast for me because I wasn't in the mood for all sausage and it worked out perfectly. I've become such a fan of enjoying the wonderful flavors of the pasta and the seasonings and the vegetables, that I don't even miss the sauce.


Begin by removing the italian sausage from the casing and brown it in the pan with olive oil, chopped onion and chopped garlic. Add in the chopped chicken and your favorite seasonings. I liked thyme, oregano, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper tonight. Once the meat is almost cooked through, add in the asparagus and let cook for 4-5 minutes. You want it to still be bright green and crisp in the middle.


Then throw in a pint of halved cherry tomatoes, cover and let cook on medium heat for 5 minutes. While that's sitting, go ahead and cook your pasta in boiling water until just al dente, then drain and reserve the salted pasta water.


Remove the lid and mash the tomatoes to squeeze out some of the juice. Then cover and let cook for 4-5 more minutes. You should start to get some nice aromatic juices in the bottom of the pan now.


Now add the cooked pasta directly into the pan, throw in some spinach leaves, because I love my fiber and folate, and really anything green (except olives...for another day). Pour in some of the reserved pasta water. I used about 3/4 cup, but you can do whatever makes you happy.


Stir it around over medium-low heat until the spinach leaves just start to wilt and the sauce begins to thicken. Then shave some fresh parmesana over the top, and add some salt and pepper if you think you need it.


winner winner pasta dinner!