Happy Christmas Eve!

I am so absolutely happy to be home with my family by the cozy tree this Christmas eve. I wish you a Merry holiday as well! I hope it is filled with joy, warmth, and celebration of Jesus. Feliz Navidad!

A Tavola/Taste of Belgium

Yesterday I turned almost a quarter of a century old. Just almost! And I spent the weekend celebrating my birth with a plethora of fun festivities. Starting Saturday Claudio and I went out to eat at A Tavola and Taste of Belgium.  Can you say delicious???

In October when I took Claudio to Senate, we were interested in their neighbor restaurant A Tavola. So, we decided to go there for my birthday and have some delectable pizza. This restaurant in Over the Rhine (an up-and-coming neighborhood in downtown Cincinnati) is a small establishment with uniqueness and simplicity. We were seated fairly quickly at a bar table right next to the "kitchen" and pizza oven.

The kitchen is tiny and it's because of the imported oven that they don't really need a larger one. This oven is amazing! It stays at about 900 degrees and fires the pizzas in about 90 seconds! Claudio and I had the pleasure of watching the pizza baker continually go through the same process for each pizza. I was hypnotized as he took the prepared pizza from the cook, placed it in the oven after measuring the temperature with a laser, turning the pizza around and up and down, and watching the dough rise in a matter of seconds. Truly something to see.

I started off with a cocktail comprised of house-made ginger beer, lime juice, and rum. It was flavorful and very very ginger-y. We chose bruschetta with a cured and somewhat spicy tuna. It literally melted in my mouth. Then, our pizza came not too long after. Our fairly medium sized pizza included fig jam, fontina cheese, proschiutto, and arugula sprinkled on top. It didn't take us long to eat the whole pizza between the two of us. I would looove to go back and try others.

We decided to cross the street for some dessert at Taste of Belgium. This restaurant is well known in the city for its Belgium waffles. They just recently started serving for dinner so we were lucky to grab a small sweet. We opted for two cups of coffee courtesy of Coffee Emporium, and a waffle with fruit. These waffles are to die for. The buttery texture and denseness of the waffle is very satisfying along with the fresh raspberries and blueberries. I plan on going for breakfast sometime when I have a little more room in my stomach!

Please, please go to A Tavola and Taste of Belgium next time you are in the OTR. I can't wait to try all the other restaurants in the area as well. What a great birthday celebration!

The Ups and Downs of the Season

Many of you feel excited, stressed, joyful, depressed, and maybe anxious about the holiday season. Do not expect me to post a cheery, "rudolf the reindeer" type of Christmas blogpost. I too, have mixed feelings about the Christmas/New Years season. 

I absolutely LOVE Christmas at my house. Yes, it is still my house even though I don't live there. I love the big tree in our cozy log-walled living room. Sitting with a cup of fresh hot chocolate next to the twinkling lights, playing a board game with my family, and coming up with hilarious inside-jokes every season is what I delight in. Going to midnight Christmas eve service at church and singing "Silent Night" in the dark holding our candles. Walking outside in the snow to see my dog Baby stare up at the albino squirrel disguised in the frosty branches. This is the best season.

This is also a season of sadness for me at times. It is hard to celebrate without remembering my two grandfathers and missing their company at the holidays. It is also the end to another year and my contemplation of what I did right and what I may have done wrong but how I learned. I know for many of you, you are feeling some of this holiday nostalgia. My best advice is to surround yourself with friends and family. If you don't have one or the other, I'd be glad to introduce you. Let this season be a good one, and don't forget, it's all about our Christ. You will always have Him to keep you warm this chilly winter.