Author Archives for Kelsey Finkle

Old School Blogging – Holiday Edition

I was scrolling through my Bloglovin feed tonight when I came across Christine’s Old School Blogging post.  It caught my eye so I clicked, which led me to Elaine’s blog, which then introduced me to The Kir Corner.  That’s one of my favorite things about blogging…you come across some fantastic bloggers on a daily basis!

And find fun ways to let readers get to know you!  I loved the idea of this post and thought it was a great way to dedicate a post to the holiday season…one of my favorite times of the year!

1 Holy Night or 8 Crazy Ones? (Do you Celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, both?)

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I celebrate Christmas which will consist of three celebrations this year!  I always spend Christmas Eve with my Dad’s side of the family and Christmas Day with my Mom’s.  But this year is the first that I am sharing Christmas with my better half, so we are celebrating with Andy’s family on Christmas Eve Eve!

Peppermint or Chocolate?

Dark Chocolate! But for a nice cozy christmas drink, I’ll have an adult peppermint hot chocolate please!

Sing us into the Holiday Season, what is your favorite Carol this time of year?

Well this is difficult… I can’t just pick one!  My absolute favorite is Neil Diamond’s “So This is Christmas.” BUT I can’t not mention Mariah’s “All I Want for Christmas is You.”

Tell us about a Favorite Family or Personal Holiday Tradition.

Thinking about this I’m realizing that as you get older Christmas traditions fade a little.  When I was younger I had so many! Writing Santa letters, leaving cookies and milk (and carrots for the reindeer), and hiding the baby Jesus from the manger so that Santa could put him back on Christmas morning.  I guess I’ll just have to re-visit those when I have kids one day!

C’mon you remember your favorite  (Christmas, Hanukkah) gift, tell us all about it:

I feel like it had to be something to do with Barbie’s or dolls.  I remember I had a gigantic (it seemed) Barbie House that I absolutely loved.  I think I got that for Christmas!

That magical moment? (Your favorite scene from a Holiday movie…it’s okay if you have 2)

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Love Actually (my favorite).  At the end of the movie in the airport when everyone is coming home for Christmas…it gives me the chills.  And Home Alone when Kevin’s mom comes home.  I guess I like reunions!

Kissing under the mistletoe?  Who do you hope is standing underneath (We know it’s normally your spouse, if it did not have to be, who would you choose?)

Hmm…Justin Timberlake.  Or Channing Tatum?  But I don’t think me and Andy have kissed under a mistletoe – so he has to be first!

Swans a swimming, lords a leaping, golden rings; which gift of the 12 days of Christmas would you like most?

Definitely 6 geese-a-laying.  Do you know how many eggs that would get me!? Hmm, goose eggs? I’d try them!

Play Secret Santa, what inappropriate gift would you love to give this year?

Hmm…inappropriate? To a single friend…a deck of “pick-up line” cards.  Those were fun once!

Martha Stewart or the Grinch? What is your decorating style? (Pictures would be awesome!)

So far my decorating has been with my mom’s hand-me-down decorations.  (Think college apartment decorations). This year me and Andy bought our first tree for his apartment and decorated it from scratch.  I think we did a good job seeing as we didn’t spend too much money!

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What is ONE WORD that defines the holiday season for you? (Examples: Believe/Wonder/Bah Humbug?)

Family! I love spending the holidays with my big family.  It’s such a happy time of year!

If Santa could assure its delivery, what’s the first thing on your holiday wish LIST?

A round the world plane ticket! And a year to use it!

Take Me Back Tuesday – Newport, Rhode Island

I haven’t written a Take Me Back Tuesday post in quite a bit.  I’m not sure if it’s because I’ve run out of places to write about or that writing about places I’ve been makes me miss traveling….yup I think it’s the latter.

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This week I decided to tell you about Newport, Rhode Island, one of my favorite weekend getaways in both the summer and winter.  Newport is the perfect little nautical town that has something for everyone.  Fantastic restaurants with beautiful ocean backdrops, fun outdoor bars, gorgeous sightseeing, a bit of history, and even some fun adventurous activities!

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My Newport Favorites

Place to Stay

Rheas Inn: My family has been staying here for years.  The owners are super accommodating and friendly.  Rhea’s is set right across from the beach and is a 5 minute cab ride from downtown.  It’s a cozy place with about a dozen rooms and a common area that is stocked for a full continental breakfast (or late night snack).

Newport Beach Hotel & Suites:  If you are willing to spend a little more money, this place is really nice.  I stayed here for my sister’s wedding and had the suite.  It was definitely a 4-5 star experience.

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Beach

Easton’s Beach:  Often referred to as “First Beach” this area is right across from the above two hotels.  It gets pretty crowded in the summer, but that’s to be expected.  If you plop your chair in front of the Atlantic Beach Club you can expect some music and college kids enjoying being college kids.

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Restaurants

Midtown Oyster Bar: This restaurant was new this past summer.  Me and Andy loved it.  It had great food and a roof deck!

Red Parrot:  I think my family goes here every single time they visit Newport (and that’s at least a couple of times a year).  It’s kind of a Newport staple right in the middle of Lower and Upper Thames.

Brick Alley Pub:  Another staple restaurant on Thames street.  They have a great salad bar!

The Landing:  If you want a water view, this is a great option.  We weren’t blown away by the food or service but the view is worth it!

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Things To Do

Thames Street:  You can go to Newport and spend the entire day walking up and down Lower and Upper Thames Streets.  They are the cutest cobblestone streets with a ton of great small boutiques, souvenir shops, and of course great restaurants.

Concerts at The Newport Yachting Center:  This is a great small and intimate venue to go see a band.  It’s right downtown and has some great shows.  A fun way to start or end your night.

Cliff Walk:  I absolutely love going for a run or walk on Cliff Walk….I can’t believe I don’t have pictures from it!  Just take my word and go.

Ocean Avenue:  Take a drive on Ocean Avenue if you want to play the game “How much do you think that house is worth?” or “Which one would you buy?”.  The houses on Ocean Avenue are unreal.  A bit different from the old money mansions down the street, these are modern-day million/billionaire’s summer homes set right on the ocean.

Mansions:  I actually haven’t toured the mansions since I was younger but it’s definitely a must – do!  There is so much history and of course a lot to see!  If you want to go when the crowds aren’t there, go during Christmas.  They decorate a few of them for the holidays and they aren’t too busy!

Skydive Newport:  Andy and I went to Newport this past summer just for the skydiving.  It was absolutely awesome!

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Have you ever been to Newport? What’s your favorite thing to do there?  If not, where is you favorite getaway from home?

 

 

Grilled Apple and Bacon Pork Chops

Happy Sunday!  I hope everyone’s weekends were great.  Mine was pretty mellow and relaxing, which is always nice!  We had our first legitimate snow storm come through Saturday so it was the perfect excuse to get snowed in!  Before re-capping though, I wanted to share a recipe I made last week.

I was really missing the grill so decided to fire it up!  Even though it was about 25 degrees out it was definitely worth it (or maybe I should ask Andy that since he was the one who ended up doing the dirty work).  I wanted to grill some pork chops but didn’t want to make my barbecue and rosemary chops.

I came up with Grilled Apple and Bacon Pork chops. The apple and bacon is really just a saute that I topped the pork chops with once they were off the grill.

Grilled Apple and Bacon Pork Chops

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  • 3 Bone-in Pork Chops
  • 1 Gala Apple, diced
  • 1/2 Small Red Onion, chopped
  • 2 Slices of Thick Bacon, cut into small pieces
  • Coconut Oil
  • Salt, Pepper, Sage

Melt about 2 tablespoons of coconut oil in the microwave and pour over your pork chops.  Try to have them in a warm place so the oil doesn’t harden right away.  Sprinkle each side with salt, pepper, and sage.  Place the pork chops on grill over medium high heat.  Grill one side for about 8-10 minutes.  Flip, and cook the other side for 8 – 10 minutes or until cooked through.

While the chops are grilling you can prepare the Apple and Bacon saute.  Take a teaspoon of coconut oil and place in a hot pan over medium heat.  Put your bacon in the pan first and cook for about a minute so that your pan is nice and greased.  Add the apple and onions.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and sage.  Continue cooking and mixing around for 8 – 10 minutes.  Leave on low until pork chops are done.

Top your pork chops with the apple and bacon saute!  I loved this dish.  I hope you do too!

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