Choc-o-late

Nothing tastes better than warm hot chocolate on a cold Boston night.

The other weekend, we met up with some friends of ours to try out LA Burdick's hot chocolate in Harvard Square, supposedly some of the best stuff around.



Brian had the white chocolate hot chocolate.



And I tried the dark chocolate hot chocolate.

It's SO rich and sweet that I wouldn't recommend getting anything bigger than the "espresso" size, but it's delicious! It's thick and warm and....perfect for a "hot" date night with your husband and some new friends! =)

SWEAT-cicles

Credit Brian with coming up with the term "sweat-cicles" - it's what happens when you're training for April's Boston Marathon through the very cold New England Winter.

It's what happens when you have to do a two-hour training run in 16-degree weather, and you haven't bought a face mask.

It's what happens when the salt water [sweat] pouring off your face is SO cold that it freezes. It takes a lot to get salt water to freeze.

Take a look:







Look closely - those aren't iPod earbuds, those are "sweat-cicles" in his ears!

Brian thought it was the coolest thing in the world, but it looked so painful to me that I begged him to go buy a face mask at the running store across the street.

Now, he looks like a robber running through the streets of Cambridge. All you can see are his eyes!

Boston Houseguests

Last weekend, one of my sisters, Katy, and her boyfriend, Matt, came up for a long weekend to hang out in Boston.

We had a great time! Here are a few pictures:




The Charles River in the winter



The new couple



The old couple





For lunch on Saturday, we had some amazing burgers at Mr. Bartley's in Harvard Square. Been around since 1960!





Sunday night we ventured out in the snow to show off our candlepin bowling skills at Sacco's Bowl Haven in Davis Square.









Capping off a great weekend with some nice, sweet cigars!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Earlier this month, I celebrated my 28th birthday. B surprised me by cooking breakfast, lunch AND dinner for us! Each meal had a different theme about us and our marriage.



Chef Brian

He used to say he "couldn't even make a sandwich," but now that I know better, I might have to take advantage of his skills more often!







Breakfast in bed: Raspberry and Banana Pancakes with Orange Juice

Why? Because we LOVE pancakes!



Lunch: Fluffernutter sandwiches

Why? Because our first date was at the Peanut Butter Co. in NYC. Both of us ordered peanut butter sandwiches - one with orange marmalade, white chocolate and almonds and the other with dark chocolate, cherries, and coconut. It was meant to be!

And finally...







Dinner: Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp with Chipotle Cheese Grits

Why? Because we love to watch TopChef together every Wednesday! (Well, I love to watch it, and Brian loves to talk about what an a$$ he thinks Tom Colicchio is.) This recipe came from a Top Chef contestant in Season 3.

What a fun birthday!

Fun With Octahedrons

In case there was any doubt about which one of us - me or my husband - is the budding scientist, today's craft project will clear that up.

Brian: "I wish I had chemistry blocks."
Me: "Why?"
Brian: "I could use them to check my chemistry homework. I'm trying to figure out how many configurations there could be in an octahedron."
Laura: (turning back to her reading and trying to dust off the part of her brain that recalls a few shreds of her high school chemistry class) "Why don't you make a model out of stuff we have around the house?"

A few minutes later, and an "Aha!" coming from the kitchen, Brian emerged with a nectarine poked with 6 toothpicks. On each end of the toothpicks were Craisins, raisins, and a walnut.

To some, it may look like the beginnings of a fruit salad. But to my chemistry-minded husband, it was a perfect model of an octahedron to help him complete his homework.



Brian: "You know what's crazy? The name of this thing is (ethylenediammine)chloro(diethylenediammine)cobalt(III)."

My mom always said nerds would make the best husbands. And she was right! (Plus, he's cute, too!)

As Seen On Good Morning America...Behind The Scenes

Brian took some great pictures of the behind-the-scenes at Good Morning America last month during our segment on the Gift Catalog.

Thought you might like a sneak peek:



Anchors Ron Claiborne and Bob Woodward with Devin H., our spokesperson















Kari P., the producer; me; Devin H., our spokesperson

Snacks, Santas, Singing and Spanish Food

Over the past two weeks, Brian and I have been pinching ourselves that we get to enjoy EVERY HOLIDAY IN DECEMBER off. That was unheard of for both of us over the past five years in television.

Now that we've retired from TV at the ripe old age of 20-something, we've discovered what the rest of the world already knew: not working on Christmas or New Year's Eve is a LOT of fun! So long, CNN.

So, here are a few pics of what we've been doing with all.that.time.



Our Charlie Brown Christmas tree



Our Martha-Stewart-Eat-This Christmas cookie decorating party



The 99th Annual Christmas Carol Service at Harvard



A kick-off to our weekend in NYC at the end of December - this "members only" place has the best paella in the city!



Because nothing says "Merry Christmas" like 30 drunk Santas at Buddakan









A very Midtown Christmas



Bryant Park in the winter