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Date Night at Home With Blue Apron
What A Week
It has been a very stressful week for my wife having to deal with the erratic behavior of our chickens who just can’t seem to get along at the moment. My wife has become the first official chicken police and it is the most hilarious thing I’ve seen this week. She has Mary in solitary confinement, Elizabeth in a detention center, and Catherine is being pampered like a queen. Chicken drama along with dreary and wet weather did not set the tone for a happy weekend. With all of this going on I decided to be a gentleman and cook my wife a meal (no I did not cook any of her chickens, she would not let me). Instead, I was going to treat her like my queen for the night and Blue Apron was here to help change the mood to a nice relaxing date night at home.
What’s On The Menu
Tonight we are having Pork Chops & Garlic Picada with Brown Rice & Spinach which I am going to pair with a spectacular red wine while relaxing in the comfort of our home. The box arrived with all of the key ingredients for the meal and they were measured and packaged to ensure the correct amount for a tasty meal. The wine is not included but can be ordered online if your state law allows the shipping of alcohol. Be sure to have your common salt, black pepper and olive oil as this is not included in their shipped meals. The instructions were very simple and easy to follow, I was on my way to provide my wife with a dinner to be desired. I started by washing, drying, and chopping the fresh produce which I sorted into separate containers.
Yogurt Serving Sauce
Next up would be the yogurt mixture for serving. Half a cup of plain greek yogurt mixed with the cilantro, some paprika and half of the included vinegar. This is now starting to get interesting. Never in my life would I have ever put this recipe together on my own. I have always wondered what goes on in the mind of a great chef, now I know you have to be a little adventurous in all aspects of life. I cook a lot of different dishes at home without using recipes and my wife would compliment the meals even our son who does not like to eat would happily enjoy my cooking.
Rice Another Way
Cooking the rice was very straight forward as I would hope, I cook rice very often but always it has been my way. Cooking rice with Blue Apron has shown me another way. Here goes the process, add olive oil to the pot and heat on medium-high until hot. Ok, I knew that, now add chopped white bottom of scallions and half of the minced garlic to the oil…What! I knew then I was cooking like a professional in my own kitchen. The rice was then added along with the water and cooked according to the directions.
Wrapping it up
The garlic picada was then prepared followed by the pork chops. The meat was rinsed, pat dry, seasoned and set into the pan. Cooking for four minutes per side while enjoying a glass of pre-dinner wine and conversation with my wife gave us the chance to unwind. My wife rarely eats pork so this was going to be another opportunity for me to impress her with my cooking. As long as you follow the directions you will have a very appealing meal on the table for all to enjoy. The spinach was cooked in the same pan using the fond from the pork chops which added more flavor.
Bon Appetit
After seeing this meal come together I knew it had to be presented as a finished product. After all, this was date night and I was going to amaze my wife with a restaurant style dinner at home. I followed the serving directions by transferring the rice to a dish. Topped the rice with the cooked spinach and added the pork chops. It was then garnished with the garlic picada and topped with the green of the scallions.
Be sure to check out our YouTube channel for my Honey Mustard Chicken dinner and feel free to subscribe.
Blue Apron has provided us with an exclusive offer for our readers. Go to this link to redeem it now!
Do you have date nights at home?
Blue Apron provided us with these meals for review, as always opinions are our own.
Fairview Dining Room’s Weekend Holiday Brunch
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All-Inclusive: Club Med Punta Cana
Tucked away where the Caribbean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean, is the all-inclusive Club Med Punta Cana in beautiful Dominican Republic. We stayed in their newest addition to the property, Zen Oasis which you can read about here.
This all-inclusive resort has 631 rooms making it Club Med’s largest Caribbean resort. It also offers accommodations and activities for all types of travelers from couples to families.
There are Sports Schools available for almost any sport you can think of trying such as tennis, yoga, fitness classes and more! The trainers are committed to working with you to excel at your choice of sport. I absolutely loved the archery school, it made me feel like Katniss from The Hunger Games!
Activities
You can also try your hand at water sports with or without a trainer. We took a sailing class with our trainer, Ryan. I was a nervous at first, but he was informative and I felt safe sailing out on the ocean with him – thank you Ryan!
Another great addition to Club Med is CREACTIVE by Cirque du Soleil where you can test your limits and learn how to fly on a trapeze, face paint and much more. There are 30 recreational and acrobatic activities for children and adults at Club Med’s immersive CREACTIVE playscape. You’re going to work up an appetite with all the activities at Club Med Punta Cana, which is a good thing they have 3 bars and 3 restaurants.
Dining
Hibiscus Bar & Lounge, Cielo and the Indigo Beach Lounge Bar are fully stocked with tasty beverages and snacks. Hispaniola is an international buffet open for certain meals during the season. They were serving breakfast and lunch during out visit. The restaurant sits on a terrace overlooking the ocean.
Dinner at Samana is an absolute must! There is an international cuisine buffet complete with appetizers, breads, fruits, cheeses and desserts. You can also order wine with your meal at no cost (unless you want a special brand – you can buy a bottle at La Cave.)
Indigo Beach Lounge Restaurant offers a nice sit down menu with tables overlooking the sea. We ate a delicious breakfast there and if you visit, try their catch of the day for lunch – the fish is amazing! If you want a table near the water for dinner, you will need to make a reservation.
Club Med Punta Cana may also be a family resort, but the night life is spectacular! Leisure Services Manager, Quentin Bourru, was the interim Chief of Village during our stay and he was an amazing host! He recently was promoted as a Chief of Village for another resort. I can honestly say he will make a wonderful Chief of Village! He was energetic, friendly and his positive energy made everyone have the best time.
There is a different entertainment theme each night such as a talent show, Dominican Night, and Creactive Under the Stars. There is also a dress code for each night but you don’t have to follow it, however it is a lot of fun to do! For instance, Saturdays are “Red and White” so in the evening you would wear a red and white outfit.
My favorite was “Black and 45” because we got to wear our very cool Club Med 45 Punta Cana shirts kindly given to us by Marion and Carmelo at La Boutique – an on site shop filled with adorable Club Med gear!
Club Med feels like a family from our interaction with the G.O.s and G.M.s, we truly had a memorable Club Med experience and made new friends along the way. We did not want to leave when it was time to go home. Not only is Club Med Punta Cana a stunning property to keep in our memories, but the kind and generous staff will never be forgotten.
I’d like to thank Club Med for hosting us in Punta Cana, my opinions are always my own.
BONUS: Download and print our FREE Quick Guide to Club Med Punta Cana
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Club Med Punta Cana
We had a wonderful experience of being hosted by Club Med at Club Med Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. You can read about our stay on this blog post. Don’t forget to like, comment or subscribe to our YouTube channel for more great travel videos!
Stay, Eat, Play: Club Med Punta Cana’s Zen Oasis
If you’re looking for an escape to paradise, then you may not have to search far. Tucked away where the Caribbean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean, is the all-inclusive Club Med Punta Cana in beautiful Dominican Republic.
Stay
We were treated with kind hospitality from the moment we arrived. We received a gracious welcome from Elodie, one of the many extraordinary G.O.s (Gracious Organizers) we’ve encountered on our visit. The cold cloths, welcome drinks and bottled water were a lovely welcome in the Caribbean heat. She offered us freshly cut coconut and delicious chocolates – a delight after our flight from the United States!
We were introduced to John, the Zen Oasis Manager who gave us a tour of their newest addition that was opened in 2015.
Zen Oasis is Club Med Punta Cana’s Adult-Only area that is ideal for couples and adults. We stayed at Zen Oasis for this trip and it was an amazing experience! Zen Oasis felt exactly that – a private oasis designed for a relaxing stay. From the landscape to the endless lagoon pool, every detail of the Zen Oasis zone was in perfect harmony.
Our room was on the top-level so we had a sweeping view of the Zen Oasis grounds from our private terrace. It even had a bed, chairs and table outside if you felt like lounging around. It was one of my favorite things about our stay in Zen Oasis.
The Deluxe Zen rooms are decorated in simple, yet beautiful red, white, gray and rich earthy browns. We felt at peace each time we entered our room.
The rooms have spa-like bathrooms with large rainfall showers, therapeutic bath tubs and mood lighting to help you unwind from the day’s activities. They also include toiletries from L’Occitane and plush towels. If you’re a big fan of music, there is a blue tooth speaker you can use to play music from your mobile device. There is also an auxiliary port if you’d prefer to plug and play your device.
Eat
In the mood for a drink? There is a mini refrigerator in the rooms along with bottled water (replenished daily) and a coffee/tea maker complete with tea bags and coffee. You can also visit the poolside wellness bar, Hibiscus Bar & Lounge for drinks, snacks and light meals. You can order the cocktail of the day, premium alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, teas, coffee, smoothies and other favorite drinks. I ordered their Pina Colada and was addicted.
Bartenders Pier-Luc and Marie-Claire whipped up some top-notch drinks for us! You are also allowed to take your drink back to your room or relax by the pool. If you’re hungry for a large meal, there are 3 restaurants in different locations at the resort.
Zen Oasis has a concierge desk that can help you with just about anything you need. We met Chantal and Rafael and they were a big help! If you need to book a table at Indigo for dinner, pool towels or arrange airport transfers, concierge has you covered.
Play
There are many ways you can relax within the Zen Oasis zone. You could take a dip in the lagoon pool or relax in the spacious Jacuzzi. If you don’t feel like swimming, no – problem! There are plenty of lounge chairs with shade or grab a seat on the private Zen Beach.
If you’re in the mood for some pampering, visit the on site Club Med Spa by L’Occitane. We had a full body massage with amazing lavender oil! There wasn’t any music, only the sound of the waves outside our window. I highly recommend it!
Thank you so much to Club Med Punta Cana for giving us a memorable stay. More about Club Med Punta Cana is coming soon on the blog!
Although we were hosted by Club Med, my opinions are always my own.
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Foodie Friday
A campaign of daily featured clips from our Club Med Punta Cana visit shared on our Facebook page the week of 9/19/16-9/23/16. Don’t forget to like, comment or subscribe to our YouTube channel for more great travel videos!
New Hope Valley Railway: Diesel, Steam & Ice Cream
This is one ride you do not want to miss! We spent the weekend in New Hill, NC at New Hope Valley Railway and attended their event, “Diesel, Steam & Ice Cream”. The Triangle’s Train is just 30 minutes away from Raleigh and Durham, making it a perfect day trip for people of all ages.
New Hope Valley Railway (The Triangle’s Train) is an all-volunteer educational non-profit organization. All proceeds from ticket fare and ride events go directly towards the museum, restorations and upkeep of the railway.
The staff are also there on a volunteer basis, all with the same love and goal of educating people about North Carolina railways and its history. The original New Hope Valley Railway was built in 1904 and ran through New Hope Valley which was later flooded by the creation of Jordan Lake. The railway was used for transporting tobacco, corn, cotton and other agricultural products. Passenger trains also used this rail line.
Take The Ride
We eagerly got our tickets and hopped aboard the covered, open-air passenger car for an unforgettable ride on this historic railway. With a loud “whoo-whoo” from the locomotive, we were on our way!
Winding around corners at a steady pace while passing through scenic woods, the ride offered a welcoming breeze on that hot summer day.
The ride itself lasts an hour and it takes you on a trip from Bonsal to New Hill and back. We also got to watch as the locomotive moved from one end of the train to the other via a second set of tracks when it was time to return to Bonsal.
Tip: There are no bathrooms on the ride so be sure to go prior to boarding, especially if you have the little ones with you! Also, bring a bottle of water when riding on hot days.
Local Ice Cream, Beer & Wine
Since this was an ice cream social event, Bruster’s Real Ice Cream of Apex gave everyone with a ride ticket, two scoops of delicious ice cream including your choice of toppings! They offered chocolate, strawberry, vanilla and mint chocolate chip. The toppings were M&Ms, sprinkles, Oreos and gummy worms.
My husband chose vanilla, our son got strawberry and I went for the mint chocolate chip! It was so good, especially on that hot day!
Southern Peak Brewery was offering their beer for purchase. Their neighborhood brewery and taproom is located in Apex, NC. With their 7-barrel brewhouse, this brewery is bringing back the traditional neighborhood brewery as seen decades ago. Go check them out!
RagApple Lassie Vineyards were doing a wine tasting at the event. We were asked if we would like to partake in the wine tasting – naturally, we said yes (we love wine)! I absolutely loved their Cabernet Sauvignon and I’m not much of a red wine drinker but I would make an exception for this one. It wasn’t too dry like many of the other Cabernet Sauvignon I’ve tried, it still had a little smoothness to it – which I loved. We were told they have a tasting room in Durham, I think we may have to visit! Food provided by vendors is available for purchase on most ride days.
We spent some time afterwards wandering through their outdoor railway museum – kids and railroad enthusiasts could probably spend hours at this railroad yard! Our son had such an amazing time watching and interacting with their G-scaled garden railroad (which is also maintained by volunteers) he did not want to leave!
He and the other kids loved pushing the buttons to control the handcar and also being squirted by a water cannon on one of the toy firetrucks.
Spotting Thomas on the tracks was a treat!
Parking and admission to the museum is free. There are many opportunities to catch a ride on New Hope Valley Railway. Here is a full schedule of their 2016 Ride Days and Events. There is also a Halloween train in October and “Holiday Santa Trains” ride for Christmas! If you’re interested in going, I suggest you book your tickets early since these two events are very popular.
To make a donation to the railway or sign up to become a volunteer (there is training involved) please visit their website.
Thank you so much to New Hope Valley Railway for hosting us at their “Diesel, Steam & Ice Cream” event!
Although we were welcomed as guests, my opinions are always my own.
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