if you play your carbs right

I honestly struggled with what to focus on in this blog post. I was blown away with all of the food that I ate at Calandra’s Italian Village in Bloomfield, NJ. The visit to this literal village was definitely unexpected. I never planned and definitely did not expect this delicious of a meal on this particular night. Originally, I was just planning to go with my really good friend and her mom to their dress fitting for her upcoming wedding. I have to say it really was so fun and exciting because they both looked so beautiful in their dresses. I was so caught up in it all that I totally didn’t even think I was hungry.

Then we got into the car…and I was hungry! My friend said we could go to Calandra’s bakery and although I am typically down for bakery visits, I really felt like I needed to eat real food. Who knew that Calandra’s was not only a bakery but an Italian restaurant directly connected to it.

Because it was so late, we had to pick up out baked goods first. The place is HUGE!! I didn’t know where to start. So many displays, so many options. I could have purchased the entire store. and I really wanted to for my dad but I held back.

These are just a few of the displays. The cupcakes looked so amazing and there were so many options. Although the cookie case does technically look “empty”, it was about 9:00 at night which tells me that their cookies are an absolute HIT! I decided to buy a few mini treats. I had a mini vanilla cupcake, mini lemon cupcake, mini raspberry cupcake, an eclair, a cream puff, and a mini fruit tart. All so cute and adorable. The cupcakes were my favorite though. Not too sweet and freshly baked for the perfect fluffy texture. Just the perfect amount of frosting on the top with so much flavor! I want more!

Once finally making a decision and packaging up all of our treats into little white boxes, we headed to the restaurant portion of the building. Which was beautiful by the way. The tables were beautifully set and huge windows lined the walls.

As soon as we sat down this was put on our table…

Oh my God. A whole ramekin filled with grated parmesan cheese- YES! And right next to it…

croissanting my mind

July 27, 2015

On Sunday morning, I woke up and I thought “I really want a spinach and feta croissant from the Stockton Market”. Is that normal? Do people really crave these indulgent foods at 8:00am in the morning? Now, I had no plans to drive the forty minutes over to this market but it was nice to fantasize. I continue on with my normal weekend routine, getting up early and going to the gym. I mean, I have to go to the gym with all of this food that I’m eating! After the gym, I called up my mom because I had this inkling, this feeling, this gut feeling that she had gone to Stockton Market that morning. I’m not saying I’m psychic or anything but I think I might be psychic. After some casual chit-chat, she told me that she and my dad went to the Stockton Market and she picked me up a spinach and feta croissant!! Do parents get any better? No, I really don’t think so.

So, after the gym, I drive home. I try to control myself, act casual. I explore what’s around the house, see what else my parents bought from the market.

Beets

Like these beets. Look at those babies. Is that for real??

But then I locate THE bag. The bag from the Crossroads Bakery table at the Stockton Market. The bag that holds all the fresh pastries that my parents have purchased. The bag that holds my spinach and feta croissant. The bag that holds my happiness.

Oh I think “I’ll just have a piece and have the rest tomorrow”. So, I cut a piece.

Crossroads Bakery Spinach and Feta Croissant

The croissant is flakey, buttery, chewy but also crunchy on the top. Inside, is the perfect about of spinach and feta. You can actually see the chunks of feta which makes me very happy. The croissant is completely savory. Who am I kidding? Cutting myself a piece is a joke. I ate the whole thing and I loved every bite. The spinach and feta croissant started as a fantasy, became a reality, and now it’s a memory. Until next time!

This is my favorite food item to get when visiting the Stockton Market. However, I’ve had fresh juice, salsa, bone broth, all sorts of lavender products, pulled BBQ chicken all which top the charts. All which knock it out of the park for me. So it’s worth heading over. Plus afterwards (or before), you could walk or ride your bike along the Delaware River. It’s the perfect thing to do on a beautiful Sunday.

For more information visit, Stockton Farm Market.

i mean, crumb on!

July 5, 2015

Can anyone really resist a good bakery? I know there’s plenty around New Jersey and every time my dad brings something home from one of them, I just can’t say no.

Dorsi’s Bakery
479 Port reading Avenue
Port Reading, NJ 07064

When you see this on your kitchen counter, the fun has only just begun, right? I mean aside from trying to wrestle with the strings in order to open the box only to eventually get scissors out so you can cut the string off, there’s actually a treat inside!