August was CRAZY! Between our wedding anniversary, Nathan’s 3rd birthday, and our patio construction, we were BUSY all month long.
Here are my five faves from August 2020!
ONE
Our 8th Wedding Anniversary Dinner from Peter’s of Millburn
Every year since we moved to New Jersey, we have celebrated our wedding anniversary with dinner at Peter’s of Millburn. While outdoor dining is currently available in New Jersey, E and I didn’t feel comfortable bringing the kids with us, so we decided to bring in Peter’s instead! Their menu is filled with the Italian dishes you grew up with, but with a modern twist!
My FAVORITE dish on the menu is their grilled artichoke salad. I could eat it every day for the rest of my life. It is so delicious! I love the char on the artichokes, the brightness from the lemon, the peppery bite from the arugula, and the creaminess from the freshly grated parmesan. We, of course, ordered the grilled artichoke salad, in addition to the watermelon salad (to share), eggplant parmesan (for me), the chicken parmesan (for E), the fusilli with pesto and burrata (to share), tiramisu, and chocolate mousse. Everything was OUTSTANDING (as always).
Fingers crossed we will be able to celebrate with dinner out next year!
TWO
Our New Patio is COMPLETE
Since we are spending an extraordinary amount of time at home now, we decided to spend our “vacation money” on a new patio. BEST DECISION EVER. We had an older deck that was rotting away that we never used, so we either had to replace it or get rid of it all together. The addition of the patio really opened up our backyard, and it is such a nice space to hang out on! I cannot wait to buy an outdoor sectional couch for it next year. We used Giglio Landscaping to do the work, and they were GREAT! Highly recommend.
THREE
Nathan’s Drive By Birthday Party
We celebrated Nathan’s 3rd birthday with a drive by birthday party. It was so much fun! He loved seeing all of his friends (from a distance, of course).
I plan on doing a dedicated post on it, but I had to mention it here because it was definitely one of my favorite moments of August.
FOUR
Dinner at The Fox and Falcon with Friends
The Fox and Falcon invited me, and two of my friends (also bloggers), to experience their outdoor seating, and to eat EVERYTHING on their menu. And when I say everything, I mean everything. They brought us every single dish on the menu. As you know, I only eat kosher meat, so I did not sample the meat items. I ate vegetarian. Everything I tasted was AMAZING. My favorites were the falafel burger, the cold soba noddles, and the seasonal salad (tomatoes, etc). They also had some KILLER cocktails. My favorite was the blackberry coconut frozè!
To be completely honest, I was a little skeptical about eating outdoors. I hadn’t eaten at a restaurant since February. This was going to be my first outdoor meal since COVID. I was pleasantly surprised. Their outdoor set up is great! WAY MORE than 6 feet between tables, all of the servers were wearing masks. I felt safe and comfortable.
We will definitely be back soon!
FIVE
My First REAL Haircut in New Jersey at Imagine Encore
So…this may shock you but I have not had a haircut at a proper salon in YEARS. I have been going to Supercuts for YEARS for a trim ONLY. I had a HORRIBLE haircut in college, and I was traumatized, so I am VERY picky with who is allowed to cut my hair, as a consequence. At the beginning of August a family member recommended a stylist at Imagine Encore. The salon is 5 minutes from my home, so I thought it would be nice to give it a try. Thankfully, all went well, and I LOVE my new haircut! I will definitely be going back in a few months!
