Showing posts with label girls-only. Show all posts
Showing posts with label girls-only. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Networking with women in the non-profit sector
Tonight I attended a networking get-together for Women in Development of Greater Boston. Those of us who work in fundraising in the Boston area are extremely fortunate to have access to such a fantastic network -- New York has the only other WID organization of which I'm aware. Fundraising crosses many industries, from health care to museums, social causes to education, and this has been a great way to learn about other fields in development and, more importantly, the women who are leading them. Having graduated from a women's college, I have developed a deep appreciation for networks like this where you can learn from their career choices and challenges.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Tufts 10K
Moana and I walked the Tufts 10K today -- her first time and my 13th. What a glorious day -- absolutely perfect conditions.
The Tufts is a race like no other -- or for many of my friends, the closest experience they will get to the Boston Marathon. A sea of 7000+ women lined up on Beacon Street next to the Common, then the surge up Charles Street over the Longfellow Bridge. Women screaming as they run through the underpasses on Memorial Drive, listening to their echoes. Cheering on the lead runners as they double-back on the other side of Memorial Drive, heading toward the Mass Ave Bridge. Passing spectators on Comm Ave, some who are there every year to cheer on the women, others who are woefully stuck in traffic, wondering why they didn't know about the race. And turning the corner at the Common and racing toward the finish line.
The Tufts is a race like no other -- or for many of my friends, the closest experience they will get to the Boston Marathon. A sea of 7000+ women lined up on Beacon Street next to the Common, then the surge up Charles Street over the Longfellow Bridge. Women screaming as they run through the underpasses on Memorial Drive, listening to their echoes. Cheering on the lead runners as they double-back on the other side of Memorial Drive, heading toward the Mass Ave Bridge. Passing spectators on Comm Ave, some who are there every year to cheer on the women, others who are woefully stuck in traffic, wondering why they didn't know about the race. And turning the corner at the Common and racing toward the finish line.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Girls-only wine series: round 3
The lovely ladies came by today for Round 3 of my continuing wine series. This time, the theme was fall flavors and luscious red wines.
For the wines, we enjoyed:
For the menu, we sampled:
For the wines, we enjoyed:
- Penfold's Thomas Ayland Shiraz --- 2002
- Crane Lake Cabernet Sauvignon -- 2002
- Les Traverses de Fontanes Cabernet Sauvignon -- 2002
- Napa Valley Silverado Vineyards Sangiovese -- 2004
- Soltione Chianti Classico -- 2004
For the menu, we sampled:
- Beef & roasted red pepper crostini: Tom makes this for a lot of family events, and it has a wonderful taste. I bought the wrong bread (the thick french bread, rather than the smaller baguettes), but it worked out fine. The recipe makes a healthy serving, so cut back if you're making it for a smaller group like I did (Moana's son was the happy recipient of many leftovers!).
- Creamy squash and apple soup: this got rave reviews, and I personally loved it. In the recipe, the author suggests holding back only 1 cup of the reserve broth. The soup ended up a lot thicker than we had expected (much closer to a side dish than a soup) so Tom opened up an extra can of chicken broth and threw some in to thin it out. Next time, I'd recommended holding back all of the broth and adding to desired thickness (probably closer to 2 cups).
- Crispy prosciutto and scallion fritatta: the saltiness of the prosciutto and parmesan cheese makes for a really nice taste. I've found in general that I need to cook fritattas for longer than suggested, but it could be just my oven.
- Persian spinach and yogurt dip -- again! I made this for the last party and loved the flavor so much that it made a repeat appearance. The cinnamon in particular lends itself to a wonderful fall flavor! I served it with french bread, rather than crudites or pita.
- Fresh raviolis from Dave's Fresh Pasta and homemade pesto sauce: The sauce was incredibly easy, yet messy to make. Tom found it in a book, but there are plenty of version online.
- Applesauce spice cake: Our friend Mike and his family went apple picking recently and, in a desperate attempt to use their surplus apples, gave us a jar of homemade applesauce. I hunted around for a dessert recipe that would use it, and this cake got rave reviews. The raisins plumped up something ridiculous in the baking process! Served with Brighams (of course!) vanilla ice cream -- yummy!
- Stone Soup Farms (veggie CSA)
- Chestnut Farms (meat CSA)
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Running of the Brides
This Friday was the bi-annual "Running of the Brides" at Filene's Basement. It's turned into quite a production, and I'm proud to say that I did it before it went totally commercial!
Just a week or two after Tom and I got engaged, my now sister-in-law, Mary, urged me to go with her to the upcoming sale, telling me to have no expectations, be prepared to be shocked and amused, and to just go with it and have a good time. I have to say: I had no interest whatsoever in going. When I was young, my mother used to drag me into Boston to catch a good sale at the Basement, and I have very strong and rather unpleasant memories of being practically bowled over by over-eager women of all ages trying to get a bargain. Running of the Brides is not my idea of fun.
I gave in. Mary met me around 6am and we headed into town. We were there by 6:30, an
d I think the doors (of the original Filene's Basement) opened at 7am. Some girls had camped out for an hour or two, but we were fairly close to the front. At her suggestion, I wore running tights and a tank top that I could easily scoot a dress over. The doors opened, we rushed in, grabbed whatever we could, then the trading began. All very cordial -- I'll give you this for that. I saw a petite girl wearing the dress I would ultimately buy and told Mary "we have to get that dress!" No expectations, but I somehow ended up with a designer dress that cost thousands for only $250. Apparently there was local TV footage later that night of me trying the dress on and twirling around in front of a mirror.
Today, the footage is a little more frightening. Girls camping out the night before. Grooms with them, ready to defend their future wife's dress stash physically if necessary. Cutesy matching t-shirts with catchy slogans. Way too many whistles. Way too much flesh being bared -- apparently my modesty is a thing of the past. I think these girls have seen Sex and the City one time too many!
Just a week or two after Tom and I got engaged, my now sister-in-law, Mary, urged me to go with her to the upcoming sale, telling me to have no expectations, be prepared to be shocked and amused, and to just go with it and have a good time. I have to say: I had no interest whatsoever in going. When I was young, my mother used to drag me into Boston to catch a good sale at the Basement, and I have very strong and rather unpleasant memories of being practically bowled over by over-eager women of all ages trying to get a bargain. Running of the Brides is not my idea of fun.
I gave in. Mary met me around 6am and we headed into town. We were there by 6:30, an
d I think the doors (of the original Filene's Basement) opened at 7am. Some girls had camped out for an hour or two, but we were fairly close to the front. At her suggestion, I wore running tights and a tank top that I could easily scoot a dress over. The doors opened, we rushed in, grabbed whatever we could, then the trading began. All very cordial -- I'll give you this for that. I saw a petite girl wearing the dress I would ultimately buy and told Mary "we have to get that dress!" No expectations, but I somehow ended up with a designer dress that cost thousands for only $250. Apparently there was local TV footage later that night of me trying the dress on and twirling around in front of a mirror.Today, the footage is a little more frightening. Girls camping out the night before. Grooms with them, ready to defend their future wife's dress stash physically if necessary. Cutesy matching t-shirts with catchy slogans. Way too many whistles. Way too much flesh being bared -- apparently my modesty is a thing of the past. I think these girls have seen Sex and the City one time too many!
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Girls-only wine series: round 2
Several years ago, I read a wonderful article about a group of women who got together once a year at someone's home or summer home and spent a weekend together eating, drinking, laughing...no real agenda except the occasional pedicure. This really struck a chord with me, so I floated the idea among my friends. Long story short, by the end of a beautiful early spring weekend, close to 30 women had passed through our house in Plymouth. Some dropped by for an afternoon, others came down for a day, still others stayed overnight, and a few girls even came from out of town! Those who couldn't make it begged me to continue the tradition, saying that not only did they look forward to some girl-time, they needed it!
This year, we put the house on the market and eventually rented it out in the last spring, so using Plymouth was out of the question. We live in a two-floor apartment in Somerville, so having a houseful of girls for an entire weekend is sketchy at best. So, Heather's girls-only wine series was born!
I threw together a last minute wine & cheese in June, featuring Australian wines, and only a few girls could make it. This time, I gave the gals a few weeks notice and was delighted to have a full table of girls over for brunch today. Our theme: champagnes and sparkling wines. Why? Because I had somehow accumulated four bottles in our fridge between the SuperBowl and a few other parties and I desperately need the room!
Our selection:
A good resource for the uninitiated: Oldman's Guide to Outsmarting Wines. I think the writing is hilarious and have learned a lot from it. The best part is for each type of wine, he recommends best buys under $15, as well as those to impress under $30. Several of the above were his recommendations.
The nicest surprise of the day, however, was Tom's early anniversary present. He had come home from the Cape a wee bit hungover, so instead of heading out with the boys, he spent a few hours in the a/c upstairs in bed, then later in the afternoon settled in on the couch to watch TV. He must have been listening to our conversation about jewelry, because he suddenly appeared with a bag from DePrisco and said "here, I thought you might have fun showing these to the girls." A beautiful pearl necklace and matching earrings! Totally caught me by surprise -- we're heading up to Portland this coming weekend to celebrate and I hadn't expected us to exchange gifts (sneaky little bugger!). But apparently I needed to stop borrowing my friend's pearls (namely Cindy's for our wedding) and have my own. What a guy!
This year, we put the house on the market and eventually rented it out in the last spring, so using Plymouth was out of the question. We live in a two-floor apartment in Somerville, so having a houseful of girls for an entire weekend is sketchy at best. So, Heather's girls-only wine series was born!
I threw together a last minute wine & cheese in June, featuring Australian wines, and only a few girls could make it. This time, I gave the gals a few weeks notice and was delighted to have a full table of girls over for brunch today. Our theme: champagnes and sparkling wines. Why? Because I had somehow accumulated four bottles in our fridge between the SuperBowl and a few other parties and I desperately need the room!
Our selection:
- France: Perriet Jouet Grand Brut
- Spain: Freixenet and Segura Viudas Brut Reserva
- Italy: Prosecco Brut Mionetto and Zardetto Proseco
- US East Coast: Westport River Blanc de Noirs 2000
- US West Coast: Mumm Nappa Blanc de Noirs
- El cheapo: Korbel
A good resource for the uninitiated: Oldman's Guide to Outsmarting Wines. I think the writing is hilarious and have learned a lot from it. The best part is for each type of wine, he recommends best buys under $15, as well as those to impress under $30. Several of the above were his recommendations.
The nicest surprise of the day, however, was Tom's early anniversary present. He had come home from the Cape a wee bit hungover, so instead of heading out with the boys, he spent a few hours in the a/c upstairs in bed, then later in the afternoon settled in on the couch to watch TV. He must have been listening to our conversation about jewelry, because he suddenly appeared with a bag from DePrisco and said "here, I thought you might have fun showing these to the girls." A beautiful pearl necklace and matching earrings! Totally caught me by surprise -- we're heading up to Portland this coming weekend to celebrate and I hadn't expected us to exchange gifts (sneaky little bugger!). But apparently I needed to stop borrowing my friend's pearls (namely Cindy's for our wedding) and have my own. What a guy!
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