January Recap And February Plans

January, while it seemed like it might be a quiet month at first, ended up being quite busy.

I started the new year by spending the day with my future mother-in-law making blintzes and challah (and yes, there will be posts/recipes for these at some point, once I make them on my own) and then went over the next day to have brunch with Jeff's family.

After brunch, Jeff and I headed to out to visit a potential wedding venue. I had been focusing the search on farms and barns, and the inn we went to has a gorgeous barn space. As opposed to a couple other locations we went to, the barn looked every bit as perfect in person as it did in pictures. We left thinking it was a definite possibility. It was the fourth venue we looked at, and so far we only had one other place on our potential list.

The following weekend we went to see yet another venue. We headed north, took a few turns off the highway, and found ourselves driving down a tree-lined road through lightly falling snow. It was so picturesque. We met with the wedding coordinator, toured the grounds, revisited the menus (which I had already practically memorized), and asked all of our important questions (Could our dog come? How does the open bar work? Where can our out-of-town guests stay? Do you use local, seasonal food?). I think we both had a gut feeling about this place because we weren't on the fence like we were with the other two potential venues. When we left and got back in the car, we looked at each other and said, "We're getting married here, right?" And so... we picked our venue and set a date! Now that that's done, I am taking a little breather, but I'm excited to start dress shopping, picking out invitations, and thinking about all the little details!

Enough wedding talk though (I know most of you come here for the food)... I continued to do a bunch of cooking and baking at home all month long (as you know) as well as attended a ton of food events, including:

• The Seasonal Beer Dinner at The Lansdowne Pub
• Dinner at the EAT @ Bloc 11 Pop-Up Restaurant
• The Boston Food Bloggers Launch Party
• Brunch at the Langham Hotel Boston
• The Muir Glen Tomato Tasting at Garden at the Cellar

I really can't believe how much I fit in during January, and now February is already filling up! Here's what's on the radar:

• A cooking class at The Four Seasons Hotel
• A baking date with another blogger who loves to bake as much as I do
• A bowling party (and I am a terrible bowler!)
• A weekend with my mom and sister, which will include watching my sister's track meet and then hanging out in Boston
• A special homemade Valentine's Day dinner
• A weekend trip with friends to CT (if the weather cooperates)
• Facials and lunch with college friends
• The Burger Battle at KO Prime

... and I am sure some other things will come up throughout the month -- they always do!

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What was the best part of your January, and what are you looking forward to in February?