Ok- It’s not really a New Years Resolution, but I missed posting to my blog and really wanted to get back into the totally saturated world of blogging. I know I can be more consistent this time and have a great time sharing my crazy life! So hold on! Here we go!
Fabulous Cape Cod Freebies! June 23, 2010
Ok! So, I have been away from the blog for a bit, but Cape Cod has a way of doing that to some….especially with the amazing weather and awesome spring we had this year! With the last day of school today, I look towards what to do this summer. On the Cape we are so fortunate there are so many things to enjoy for free or little cost. So, I thought that I would share one or two a week that my family enjoys and hopefully you will discover them too and love the fabulous freebies that the Cape has to offer!
White Sheep
First I would like to introduce you to the Taylor-Bray Farm in Yarmouthport . We recently rediscovered it as they held their annual sheep shearing festival. The farm is open to the public year round dawn to dusk and there is no admission fee. But, if you would like to make a donation to offset the care of the animals, anything would be appreciated. It has been a farm on Cape Cod since 1896 and acquired by the town of Yarmouth in 1987 to save it from becoming a development. YEAH!! There are sheep, goat and also two Scottish Highland Cattle that were so unusual to the Cape and easy to fall in love with.
Scottish Highland Cattle
There is also a small boardwalk on the property that goes out to the marsh where the view is pretty and the bird watching is plentiful. I hope if you are traveling on RTE 6A in Yarmouthport you will check out the farm and let me know what you thought!! Another Fabulous Freebie coming soon! Stay posted!
The Goats gave the most entertainment!
DIRECTIONS TO THE FARM:..from the lower cape go west on Route 6A through Dennis, to just over the Yarmouth town line, and turn right at Oliver’s Restaurant, and go to the end of the road. from the upper/mid cape area go east on Route 6A through Yarmouth, and turn left at Oliver’s Restaurant and go to the end of the road (Bray Farm Road)
Amazing Light April 9, 2010
There is an essence of light on the cape and it is hard to explain. There truly is a “cape light” It is not specific to a season, I have come across it at various times in the year. It is amazing.
Traveling around Brewster and Dennis on RTE 6A earlier this week photographing all that was out in bloom, I came along Sesuit Harbor and Cold Storage Beach in Dennis. I am not sure if I have ever been to this harbor and beach. They are one the northside and I found them easily off of RTE 6A. The light on RTE 6A wasn’t exciting me so I traveled to the ocean and found such gorgeous light.
It is a light where the ocean meets the horizon and the horizon meets the sky. It is so blue and deep in color and yet there is glowing light that reflects on the sand. It is wonderful to experience and it is usually fleeting.
I love coming across this light and love when my camera is with me. I hope you enjoy this Cape light……
Sesuit Harbor and Cold Storage Beach
Getting Itchy to Get in the Garden! March 29, 2010
With the nicer weather, my beloved garden is calling me and calling me. We created our raised bed garden several years ago and love them. Over time the soil level has gone down and it looks like time to top off the boxes. We put in a compost bin about a year ago and looks like it is time to “harvest” that black gold everyone speaks about.
With the help of a sifter box that I pick up at a year sale last year, my son and I sifted out our first wheel barrel load of composted soil. It was wonderful! We even found a few new worms that had taken up residence.
I am so glad that the composting paid off, not only has it reduced the amount of waste that we haul to the dump, it has given us the much need soil for our garden!
Our Compost Bin
Our Reward
This Spring/Summer I am planning to try the gardening technique of square foot gardening. Hopefully I will have the bed quartered off and I will try to show you the progress the garden is in using this technique! Stay Tuned!
My First Contest for YOU!!!!! March 22, 2010
As you might have read earlier, I entered a contest with the canned good alliance and was so pleased to have learned that I was one of the top 10 winners! Wahoo- I never win anything so of course I am psyched! The best thing is that with winning, I can offer a contest WITH PRIZE to you- my viewers! Love that!
So, here is what you need to do- View the following video with the link on the side or here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNZr0JajfBA .
“After, share a fact that you learned from viewing the video, and post a recipe of your own. Everyone has a “go to” recipe and it probably has canned foods as one of the ingredients.
The winning recipe will receive a $25 gift certificate.
So please watch the video and post your recipe Contest ends 3/28
Happy Viewing and check out my winning recipe here http://thecapecodwoman.wordpress.com/2010/02/23/canned-food-to-the-rescue/ 
Take the Kids for a Bike Ride! March 21, 2010
We had amazing weather this weekend and so we got out the bikes and went for our first long ride of the year. We are so fortunate to have a lot of bike path options here on the Cape. On this day we decided to head to the Cape Cod Canal. There is a two lane pedestrian/bike/ roller blade “road” that lines both side of the canal. The length is 6.5 miles one way and on a nice day, you will see lots of boats traveling the canal, many types of birds, and a friend of mine actually spotted a shark swimming. It is also a great place to people and dog watch.
We headed out in the early afternoon with no real goal in our minds, but less than an hour later we were looking up at the Railroad bridge all the way in Bourne.
The ride there was beautiful but as we turned back we realized why the trip had been a breeze. The wind was truly blowing hard in one direction! So, needless to say the return was a bit more difficult and cold. We would have loved to have a pair of gloves and my son contemplated taking off his socks to warm up his hands. We took several breaks on the benches that are spotted along the trail to warm up.
For our first long trip of the year I think these 8 year olds and I, did pretty well. Next time we may head out and then do a quick return to see how strong the winds are actually blowing! At least they went to bed easy that night!
The Bikers
The Bourne Bridge and The Railroad Bridge along the Canal
Walking the Knob March 8, 2010
The Knob at Quissett Harbor off of RTE 28 in Falmouth is an easy and fun way to get some of the best views in Falmouth. The knob is a spit of land that juts out into the bay and looks like a knob. The whole walk is only about a mile. It winds thru a forest of old oaks and then along a sandy beach. You then travel along a causeway out to the “knob” where, at the end, there is almost 365 degree views of Buzzards Bay. A great place to pack a lunch, watch the sunset or just sit and take in the beauty.
The causeway to the knob
Lunch at Cafe Chew March 2, 2010
Today we saw the big yellow thing in the sky surrounded in blue and white puffy clouds. Wow, what a needed relief from the dreariness that has become the Cape.
I had a busy day today and was happy that I was traveling from one end of the Cape to nearly the other and then back again. It was nice to be in the sunshine! So, in the midst of all the driving, I decided to take a break and treat myself to lunch a Cafe Chew.
I have only had their food at Chamber events and always found it to be wonderful. They have only been in Merchant Square, Sandwich less than a year and there definitely is a buzz around the eatery.
When I arrived the place was hopping with many people ordering their lunch. There were plenty of staff to handle the crowds and the wait for my sandwich was pretty brief . While I waited, one can not help but look at the many wonderful pastries and baked goods they have, and will- power was in high gear for me!
Baked goods at Cafe Chew
After having a real hard time deciding on what lunch specialty to have, there were many creative and tempting options to pick, I choose The Forager: Goat cheese and roasted portabella mushrooms with fire-roasted red pepper puree, tomato, baby spinach and balsamic vinaigrette on a caramelized onion-focaccia roll. I ordered it to go and proceeded to the Sandwich Marina to take in the nice weather.
My lunch came in a cute take out box which inside contained the sandwich, Cape Cod Potato chips and a pickle.
Take out box
Goodies in the box
Sandwich Marina was picturesque with a few early boats or year-round vessels in their slips. It was the perfect place for a quiet lunch. The sandwich was overall wonderful. There was a nice balance of flavors with the tangy goat cheese, the sweet roasted pepper puree and balsamic vinegar and the meaty texture of the mushrooms. The only thing that I didn’t love, love was the roll. I thought it was a bit too dense and thick and seemed to overpowered the other textures. I think that maybe I may ask for a different bread selection if I get this sandwich next time as I loved everything else about it!
I look forward to many more wonderful lunches at Cafe Chew, I think I will use it more for a special occasion place as the sandwiches run a bit more than I am accustomed to paying for lunch. This sandwich and bottle water was $11.50. But, a quiet, yummy lunch, in the sunshine, on Cape Cod- really is priceless!
Sandwich Marina
I hope you go and tell me what you think!
Their website is: http://www.cafechew.com/lunch
And you can fine them at Café Chew, 4 Merchant’s Road, Sandwich, MA 02563 • 508 888-7717
Canned food to the rescue! February 23, 2010
I love this recipe and make it quite often for the family and for pot luck suppers. I was prompted to post it today from a challenge from Twittermoms and Canned Food Alliance. After watching the canned food alliance video (see link on the side or click on previous link), I was inspired, as all the ingredients that they highlight in their video, are included in this yummy and super quick chili recipe.
Beans are super healthy and have so many health benefits, it is a wonder why we don’t eat then everyday! And canned veggies like tomatoes found in the salsa are picked at their peak and canned immediately to retain their nutritional value and taste. With the garden yeilding it’s crop many months from now, it is silly not to incorporate more canned veggies and beans into your everyday dishes! Get creative, it is bound to be delicious!
This is always a quick last-minute meal always that commands rave reviews!
Not my original recipe and with only three ingredients, it is hard to change. This is the recipe for zippy chili (from Trader Joes)
1 pound ground meat (turkey, chicken, beef- I have even used a meatloaf mix if I have one in the freezer)
2 jars or cans of your favorite salsa
2 cans of TraderJoes Marinated Bean Salad (red beans, chick peas, brown)
Brown the meat, pour off the fat, and then open the cans of salsa and bean salad and add it to the meat. Heat through.
(If you don’t have a tjs near you, you could make the bean salad from the countless recipes on the net….just an added step)
Typically, I don’t even need to serve this chili with any cheese or tortilla chips it is so go on it’s own….but you could if you wanted to.
Will post a photo the next time I make this…….enjoy and let me know if you do!
Making Winter Fun on Cape Cod February 12, 2010
This winter we have had a lot of snow. Some winters we hardly get any but this season we have had our fair share! Even when the mountains were hoping for a few flakes, we were able to get it all down here.
In the summer time, there are so many outside thing to do, right outside your door, but here we tend to keep inside in the winter if only to begrudging shovel our driveways or take the kids out to a tiny hill in the yard for sledding.
This past summer, I picked up two sets of cross-country skis at a yard sale. Seems like there wasn’t a lot of opportunity from the previous owners in the past to break them out as the both were in amazing shape. Last December, I thought long and hard about pulling them out when we got the 16 inches of snow but alas, the snow came and went and there they sat. I still regretted that and secretly prayed for a little more snow.
This time I was determined to break them out and give them a whirl. With the 8 inches we got earlier this week, this was my chance! I pre-flighted them yesterday in the yard and all seemed to be good. I called my friend Wendy and asked if she would like to join me on my venture. After all I had purchased the two complete sets and have only one set of legs. She agreed and was excited to meet!
Off we went to the Sandwich Hollows Golf Course where they allow you to sled their one awesome hill, snow shoe and cross-country ski. It was a balmy 32 degrees and a slight wind was blowing. The sky was amazing blue color that only occurs in the winter time.
We started out and mistakenly hit a small hill and needless to say, we both landed on our butts! But we got back up, found the straight away and proceeded to carve out our track. It was so peaceful and the light was amazing. We completed our loop and skied it two more times. We finished about an hour and a half later with a great workout under our belts! The rest of the day, my mind felt clear and I had a great sense of energy.
I hope when it snows where you are, you will go out and embrace nature and don’t let the season pass you by. Winter can sometimes seem long and dark but, summer will be here soon enough, enjoy every day you have!
Shadows in the morning
Happy Winter
Sunlight and track
The leading track
My friend
Another self portrait
Oh yeah, if you would like to try cross country, snow shoeing or sledding…..Sandwich Hollows is located on Round Hill Rd in East Sandwich.
