A blog about life, adventure, and good food.
I wanted to get one more summer getaway in before the weather starts to turn and the cool air rolls in. Nick pretty much left it in my hands as to where we would take an overnight trip. Of course I turned to my USA Food Tour check list and narrowed down the list to locations within driving distance. I decided that Maine was the best choice for the time of year, specifically the seaside town of Portland. (more…)
We all know that Labor Day Weekend is the “Unofficial End of Summer.” People enjoy their last barbecues, last weekends at their summer camps, and just embrace the last few days before the cooler weather rolls in and kids head back to school.
My friends and I decided to go out with a bang and try to complete all of the quintessenial summer activities in one weekend. The weekend started with a day at the Saratoga Race Track with my office. We had a beautiful, sunny day at the races. Though I didn’t win a single dime, it was still nice to spend some time out of the confines of the office and relax with my coworkers.
My girlfriend has a house on the outskirts of Long Island. In years past we’ve spent a weekend every summer relaxing on the beach, eating lots of delicious food, and just enjoying the care free atmosphere. Now it’s been some time since we’ve been able to get together over at the house. We decided to settle on a weekend that would work for the three of us and stuck to it. (more…)
My girlfriend Sarah planted a vegetable garden this year. Last time I was over to visit, she had a plethora of delicious home grown veggies to share; one of which was a very large zucchini. I decided to bake it up into a delicious treat. Thanks Sarah! (more…)
As I’ve previously posted, my friend Theresa and I made a short trip over to California.Throughout our four day stay, we were able to pack just about everything in that someone traveling through San Francisco would want. We had an early start to our trip and were off exploring upon landing. Our first stop, of course, was the iconic Golden Gate Bridge. I was able to surpass my fear of bridges and we walked across most of it. I’m glad I did because I was able to get a few great shots!
I feel it has been awhile since my last turn for Girl’s Night. When planning, I had originally wanted to make grilled pizzas. However, the grill is currently indisposed so I had to turn to Plan B. I obtained this recipe from a friend of mine who has told me about this dish several, mouthwatering times. I could not wait to try it myself so I figured this was the perfect occasion. I also feel that I use my Girls as my test subjects for new recipes, my guinea pigs if you will. Thanks ladies! (more…)
I am delighted that I launched the USA Food Tour series when I did. A little over a week after I started, I had a preplanned trip with my friend Theresa to San Francisco! This worked out perfectly because honestly, how often does one travel to the other side of the country?
For those of you who may remember, it was a goal of mine this year to revamp this here blog. I had been utilizing Google’s Blogger since it’s inception for several reason; it was cheap (free to be exact), easy to use, and had decent templates.
However, the time has come to move on to bigger and better things. I was limited in some ways and wanted to have a blog that was my very own. So I have officially purchased the domaine name http://www.essentiallyjackie.com (thanks for your help Shane!). I have spent a few weeks playing around with the new site trying to make it as close to perfect as possible before launching. I think I have it as ready as it ever will be. Plus, I think it looks so pretty and I can’t possibly write any more posts without showing you all here!
I hope you enjoy the new and improved Essentially Jackie.
Like his Mom, Quattro thoroughly enjoys adventures. Exploring a new place, seeing new things, investigating new smells…it really makes for the perfect day. When it was decided to take a trip down to Mystic, we went back and forth on whether to bring the beast along for the ride. Having him tag along would hold us back just a bit but we decided it would be much better to have him with us for the day. (more…)
I came across these delectable treats on one of the Giada at Home episodes. While salivating over the TV screen, I noticed that the ingredients were pretty standard and the recipe was extremely simple. I actually had almost all of the ingredients on hand too! So I decided to give them a try. And let me tell you, they taste as good as they look. Maybe better! (more…)
