Spring of Self Improvement

It's been a good while since I last posted, I know. It seems the last month or so of school has just been bogging me down. I haven't felt like I had more than a few moments of time to sit down and write. Now that school is winding down, this means more time for posting, and more importantly gorging myself on great food and being able to blog about it. Food blogging, what a concept. 

A few weeks ago I decided that during the spring and summer, I am going to get my life going in the right direction. No more being stuck in a rut for me. I'm going to get everything done that I always tell myself I will, but never get around to. 

Get in shape: I need to get crap together and lose this gut once and for all. I'm at 199 as of this very moment. Losing 20 pounds by August is the goal. Get thee behind me, bloat! 

Start writing again: Back in high school and college I used to be in love with writing. I think I was pretty decent at it, according to my teachers at least (I've always been hyper critical of myself). Once I stopping going to college a few years back and started working full time, I kind of lost the passion for reading and writing. It's time to get back on the literary horse and get my ass in gear. It's time to start reading and writing everyday. I know I have some good ideas up there, but just need to get those creative vibes going. 

Get my tattoo: This really doesn't have anything to do with self improvement, so much as it has to do with getting something done that I've wanted for a while but never got around to doing. I have my appointment made at Three Kings Tattoo in Brooklyn to get a consultation with Daniel Trocchio. This will be my first one, so I'm a little nervous, but the final product will be great I'm sure. 

Those are the main things I plan to work on in the next few months. It's time to feel better physically and mentally. Once I can start feeling better about myself, everything will fall into place. 

Now as far as upcoming posts are concerned, Allison and I will have some goodies coming up in May. We will make our 2013 return to the beloved Smorgasburg in Brooklyn next weekend. Rest assured, we will have plenty of sexy food photography to share in attempts to get you to take the trip out there. Though that being said, it shouldn't have taken you this long to do so. Don't miss out any longer. For your own sake. 

We'll also be taking a little trip up to Providence, Rhode Island in a couple weeks. We visited last year, but felt we needed to make a return trip to dig a little deeper into what the city has to offer. 

So keep a look out for those posts. In the meantime, we hope everyone is enjoying the spring season. Hope you are eating well and have some adventures planned. 

Beer & Cheese

Grand Cru Beer and Cheese Market is an amazing place in Rhinebeck, NY. It's a small beer and specialty cheese market that also doubles as a tasting room when you can grab a stool, sample some prime beers and cheeses and even enjoy a giant pretzel with spicy mustard. Alex and I headed over after our Thai lunch and pigged out on amazing cheeses, three (!!) pretzels total, and some delicious brews. I forget the beer Alex enjoyed, but he picked out an old standby for me; an Irish stout. Stouts are definitely my favorite. I love the creamy, heaviness of a stout, plus the fact that a lot are made with hints of chocolate, and that adds a whole other layer of flavor to the beer.

It was such a nice, relaxing evening overall. We sat by the window people watching while we stuffed our faces and got happily tipsy on great beer. Then we went home and did a bunch of crack. Just kidding! Just seeing if you were reading or just admiring that glorious pretzel with mustard. It's ok, you can stare at it (FYI-it was quite sensational).

Allison

Thai in Rhinebeck

Rhinebeck, NY is such a gem of a city. It's small, but still bustling with people, even now during the still chilly months. On a visit to the Hudson Valley the other day, Alex and I stopped by Aroi Thai on one of the main streets in the city. Both of us are really obsessing over Asian food lately, and Aroi was so great. We both got the lunch special which included an appetizer and lunch dish - I got the tofu soup and vegetable pad thai - yum! Please give it a stop if you're ever in the area. It's a really sweet, quaint place with super friendly servers and great food to boot.

Allison

Doomjazz, Cookies, and Haircuts

(Shoving food into my face at Brooklyn Flea. I'm very photogenic) 

Thoughts: Allison and I have been in the process of planning our moving in together. It's been over two years of driving two and a half hours to see one another on the weekends and it's about time we take the next big step. I might need to get another part time job to get some more money coming in, but I don't mind because it's for a good cause. 

Listening  To: I signed up for Spotify recently and I am now in music heaven. Ever hear of the band The Mount Fuji Doomjazz Corporation? No? Well all you have to know is that they play ambient, dark, experimental jazz. Yeah. It's always nice to discover a new band. 

Eating: I made cookies tonight. Chocolate chip, cherry, marshmallow fluff sugar cookies to be exact. They came out amazing but the photos I took of them did not. They look like hell  because my kitchen is overly yellow and the granite countertops clash against every plate of food I take a picture of. 

Here's a sneak peak:

I was going to post tonight, but I think I need to retake the pictures in the morning. I know the whole baking thing is Allison's thing and deservedly so because she's pretty damn good at it, but I might have to steal some baking thunder this one time. I'm hoping it doesn't result in a rumble a la "West Side Story", complete with singing knife fights to determine the baking champion. 

Barber Shop: For all the gentlemen out there who are looking for a good place to get a haircut and a hot towel shave, fear not. I have the place for you. Virile Barber Shop in Waldwick, NJ is simply the best. Recently they have been getting a lot of great press including being named one of the manliest barber shops in America by Men's Health Magazine. Stop in and get a great haircut, an invigorating hot towel shave, and enjoy a complimentary adult beverage. The decor is great, the music is always quality, and the staff's barbering skills are top notch. 

Grab a Drink: Bloody Mimosa by Allison

Welcome to the first post of the guest bartender series! A brand new series that showcases favorite cocktails and brews and the people who love them.  Each post in the series will feature a guest post by someone with a delicious beverage to share, the reason why they love it, and a recipe to make your own at home.

The first post in the series features...me! And I'm sharing a drink that isn't necessarily my favorite cocktail, but includes my favorite liquor: tequila.

Who: Allison! I am one of the writers here on the Bleu Whale. I also run the blog Fleur Bake Shop.

Where: Upstate NY

What: Tequila. To showcase my favorite liquor, I (with Alex's help) created a mimosa featuring tequila, instead of the usual champagne.

Why: I love tequila because of the smooth, spiciness of it. One of my first beverages as a legal beagle was a giant margarita from Bomber's Burrito Bar in Albany, NY and I loved the tequila combined with a delicious fruit taste.

Ingredients
Blood Orange Sparkling Soda
Pineapple Orange Juice
Tequila
Blood Orange (for garnish)

How To

1. Add equal parts tequila, pineapple orange juice and tequila - for example one full shot glass of each
2. Slice up a blood orange as add to the outside for garnish, and add some slices to your glass to kick up the blood orange flavor, if desired
3. Drink up!

I'd Like to Be Under the Sea

This is a retrospective post on family vacation this past Summer in Virginia Beach. The cold weather makes me long to be by the ocean. I do love the changing of seasons, but a couple of weeks into any season that isn't Summer and I'm already over it, particularly Winter. Upstate New York is a bitch to live in the Winter, specifically if you're a driver. Everyone instantly forgets how to drive or deal with any condition when on the road, so it can really be dangerous out there.

Because of my hate for the Winter I probably just by default love Summer so much. But the ocean is just the most perfect place on Earth. I love the sand and the water and the salt smell in the air. Alex hates the beach, but I think I'll be able to turn him one of these days. enjoy some of my pictures as the temperature drops and I'm wishing I was taking a dip in the big blue.

Allison

Introducing: Fleur!

Fleur Bake Shop is a new project of mine - my new found love for baking has brought me to loving to create and hoping to one day share these creations with as many people as possible. Please check out The Bleu Whale's new compliment blog Fleur Bake Shop. Recipes! Food Porn! And the potential to buy amazing sweets! It's all there, folks. Please check it out, and thank you for reading and your continued support of The Bleu Whale!! You are all amazing.

Allison