I Love York City

Necklace from Cherie Anne

We set out on a downtown shopping trip on Thursday, this time with baby in toe (not mine, a friend’s). Special note: York sidewalk’s are not a toddler’s friend. After a couple trips and stumbles, we were finally on our way to some of York’s boutiques. I think that if I learned to knit/crochet I would save a ton of money. In general, I wish I were craftier. I saw some gorgeous handmade clothes, scarves, hats, and jewelry – all of which had to be put on the back burner for now. 

I parked on Philadelphia Street, luckily right in front of Cherie Anne’s (otherwise I may have passed it by). The ‘handknits’ caught my eye, but the jewelry drew me in. I fell in love with an adjustable ring, much like the one pictured to the right, seen on Etsy. For people that are more DIY than myself, they also have plenty of yarn and whatnot to choose from, as well as teas and herbs. I also recently found out that they have a small courtyard to enjoy those teas and herbs, which looks absolutely adorable (like a sister Cherry Lane). 

We also stopped at Sweet Melissa’s Dream. Due to work and, honestly, the inconvenience of downtown on a workday, I really only find myself on Beaver Street at night when heading out for some local brews and grub. I’ve often found myself window shopping but never really had the chance to go in. I finally did and can honestly say it was a treat. I fell in love with the lace, eyelet, and crocheted sweaters and dresses. They were exactly what I’d been eyeing up in stores but with more attention to detail and a more true-to-vintage feel. The photo at left is taken from their Facebook page and gives a real idea of what can be found in-store. 

Finally, we made our way to Market Street and to the York Emporium (luckily they have a parking lot) where we browsed the multitude of books. I left with a few classics: Howard’s End, Tess of the D’urbeville’s, and Vanity Fair, as well as my favorite Rebecca in a worn and ‘vintage’ hardcover copy to replace my tattered paperback. I really hope the Emporium does not follow library rules. The toddler was a chatterbox the whole way through. The York Emporium has always been one of my favorite haunts. I have purchased many a favorite and spent many hours perusing their full stock of books. They really have something for everyone. 

Seeing as it was a market day, we ran through market where I bought plenty of pastries to ruin my diet from The Copper Crust and the YBI Student Run Bakery. The Copper Crust has amazing croissants, but what really gets me drooling is their Paris Bun. Similar to a sticky bun (they also have a version with nuts), only flakier (like a croissant). The Student Run Bakery is hit or miss but for the most part is definitely well worth the money – you really can’t beat the price. I love to stock up on their frozen pizza dough – for $2.50 it definitely beats anything you get at the grocery store. I would also recommend their Potato, Cheddar, Chive bread and their Everything bagels, which include sea salt – surprisingly hard to find in this area. For a healthy and surprising twist, I grabbed some lunch at Simply Soup where Joy left me sample her four delicious soups before settling on the Beef and Shrimp Oriental – yum! I ca’t say I’ve ever gone wrong with her soups. They’re always guaranteed fresh and she never goes overboard on salt or seasonings, which also means healthy. 

Yet another successful Market Day in downtown York. Living near DC/Baltimore may sound exciting, but in reality I would choose my hometown any day!

Tried & True Beauty Routine

I have very sensitive, dry skin and thick, strangely textured hair so I’ve spent years trying to find products that work for me. When I was younger I didn’t care so much about the ingredients, but more the result: how did it make my hair look? Over time I found that it truly is what is on the inside that counts. Certain hair products left my hair looking shiny, but in reality was just a glossy coating creating an unnatural buildup that would ultimately leave my hair worse off than it found it. Now I’ve realized how important it is to have a short, simple list of natural/organic ingredients. And no, the results shouldn’t be immediate, because there’s a good chance that it’s just a quick fix that isn’t treating the actual problem.

Organix Morroccan Argan Oil. I have yet to use any of their additional products, but this shampoo/conditioner combo is enough. After using this product, my thick, unruly hair is left soft and shining. The smell is a little more floral than I would usually like, but it’s not a deal breaker. It’s very strong in the shower, but once my hair dries it is quickly toned down.

Purpose Gentle Cleansing Wash, by Johnson & Johnson. This is a new addition to my lineup. I have been struggling to find a gentle cleanser for my face for years. Recently, during a particularly bad irritation, I stopped at Target desperately seeking something for sensitive skin. It also had to be cheap. Purpose Gentle Cleansing Wash was exactly what I was looking for, but of course I was still skeptical. I had been led on by false promises for years. I’ve been using this for a few months now and have yet to have any kind of irritation or break out. It has cleared up clogged pores and gotten rid of spots that I had been struggling to get rid of for what feels like ages. It always leaves my skin feeling clean and fresh without that sense of buildup. I would recommend this to anyone with dry, sensitive skin.

Note: According to some reviews, the ingredients are identical to Johnson & Johnson’s baby wash, so I will have to do some research!

Dove Deep Moisture Nourishing Body Wash. I have been using this for years. I have issues with dry, sensitive skin, but I can always count on Dove. It leaves me feeling fresh and revived, with a clean soapy smell. There’s no false advertising on Dove’s part – it does exactly what they say without leaving residue. A lot of soaps I’ve tried before would leave my skin red and irritated, but Dove calmed my skin rather than irritating it. Occasionally, I also use the body bars.

Eucerin Calming Creme. This pairs wonderfully with the Dove body wash, especially as I am not a fan of the Eucerin Calming Body Wash. This, too, I have been using for years. Because my skin is so dry, I often apply more than once a day. I have tried other moisturizers but this is really the only one that works. It truly does calm my itchy skin and dull any redness.
I stated earlier that I like natural and organic ingredients, so a good question would be, why am I not using more natural products? Well, I’ve tried ‘Kiss My Face’ and Dr. Bronner’s soaps and they just didn’t work for me. Kiss My Face Whenever Shampoo/Conditioner probably would have worked better had I given it more time (or so I hear) but my hair always felt dry and brittle. I didn’t mind that it didn’t lather, but it almost felt like I was washing my hair with water. As for Dr. Bronner’s soap, it had an oily consistency and I never really felt clean after using it. I simply like the classics!

What’s for Dinner? Homemade Tzatziki

Tonight’s dinner: Grilled naan, baked chicken breast, and homemade tzatziki sauce, served on a Gyro-ish platter. Yum.

Tzatziki Recipe
2 cups plain Greek yogurt
1 cup of cucumber; seeded, diced, and drained
Juice of 1/4 lemon
Garlic
Salt
Pepper
Dill

Some recipes will tell you not to drain the Greek yogurt; however, we’ve done it both ways. When we didn’t drain it the tzatziki ended up extremely wet. So my suggestion is to strain it. The easiest way is to take a bowl and place a strainer in it. The best strainer for this is one with a handle and lip, seen at right. Ours was purchased at the Dollar Tree, so no huge investment there! Place a paper towel into the strainer, then scoop the yogurt on top. Cover the entire thing with plastic wrap, then sit in the fridge for 4 to 6 hours.

The cucumber, too, has a moisture issue. My suggestion, when using a normal cucumber, is to peel the outside of the cucumber. Slice the cucumber in half and then scoop out the seeds. This is more difficult than it sounds: squeeze out excess water from the cucumber. Then, sop up whatever is left with a paper towel. If all else fails, or you’re kinda lazy, just salt the cucumber and let it sit. There are multiple ways to dice the cucumber: the old fashioned way (knife), grate/shred it, or use a food processor. We’ve found dicing the old fashioned way to actually be the easiest. I’ve never been a fan of grating and the food processor produced too much water, pureeing it more than anything.

Blend the cucumbers and the yogurt, then add the lemon, garlic, salt, and pepper. In all honesty, we have never used dill or mint because we’ve never had them on hand. This time, I added some tarragon because it felt like it needed more seasoning. Next time, I’ll make sure to have dill on hand because the tarragon just wasn’t right.

Salted Caramel Butter Bars*

Pinterest has become my latest outlet for boredom and inspiration. I love how easy it is to spot a fantastic recipe without digging through text before realizing it’s not what you’re looking for. Sometimes the photo (pin) is misleading, but for the most part I can find exactly what I’m looking for after a quick perusal of pins. Other times, I just browse through the popular pins to find something new and original. That’s how I found my latest recipe: Salted Caramel Butter Bars. Follow the link to an excellent step-by-step recipe!

Photo borrowed from CookiesandCups.com

My boyfriend made sure to emphasize the butter in the name. This dessert, made for Easter, called for a 9×13 pan – your average cake pan. But the amount of flour (4 cups) and butter (1 lbs) that went into the mixture was anything but average. The recipe was easy to follow and surprisingly came out as expected, looking exactly like the pinned photo. 

I’m going to be honest. When I bake something, I’m less than excited to try it when I’m done. Something about the labor that went into it makes it somehow less appealing, and my biased review is almost always negative. While everyone else raved, I only ate half a bar out of the batch and it was met with a resounding, “Meh.” Of course those raves could have just been obligatory niceties, but I’m fairly sure my reviews are always more dismal than those of my tasters. Even when I’m positive something is delicious, I’m just too critical of my own kitchen escapades to be anything but ambiguous about it. 

So, back to the bars. They were extremely dense and buttery and could replace the hockey puck in the playoffs. There was way too much dough and not enough caramel for my taste. I could have halved the dough and been more happy with the outcome. Even those who liked it could only eat about half a bar, and my family is not short of sweet tooths. The following day, I shipped them off to work with my boyfriend and never saw them again. I was told one of his coworkers snatched up three, but I honestly can’t imagine where they all went. Door stops, perhaps?

*Transferred from my previous blog, so this post is a little dated.

Brew Review: Bear Republic, Big Bear Black Stout

Bear Republic is a brewery located in California (surprise, surprise) and this is the first beer I have tried by them. I don’t pretend to be any kind of beer expert, so I’ll begin with Beer Advocate as a reference, and it gives their Big Bear Black Stout an incredible review. The average review leaves it with a BA rating of 93, which is considered exceptional. ‘The Bros’ or the founders of Beer Advocate give it a 100. I haven’t seen a whole lot of 100s on Beer Advocate. It’s ABV (or alcohol by volume) is 8.1%, which is pretty hefty compared to your average stout.

So as your average craft beer drinker, I can BS all I want about the mouth feel and bitterness units, but in reality I just like what I like. It’s malty and delicious, like coffee and chocolate. Or maybe roasted toffee. It’s not too sweet or too carbonated – which isn’t usually a problem with stouts, but I’ve definitely experienced it. It’s just ‘velvety smooth’. My boyfriend is a huge lover of stouts and we’ve had our fair share, and I’d definitely have to place this if not at the top of the list, then at least somewhere near it. It’s a little bit pricier, so it’s more of a treat, but it will be returning to our stock sometime soon. Particularly in the winter months when roasty stouts warm your insides. But, and this may be due to its California roots, it could also easily be drank in the summer.

The “Best” of York County

The Best of York County is out (at least for a sneak peek) and I am yet again disappointed in York. I get it: York isn’t exactly the epicenter for high culture. But you’d think that at least the newspaper could gather up some energy to try to inspire the people of York to move beyond Texas Roadhouse. And maybe clear them up about the differences between  insurance providers vs. insurance agencies (State Farm is a company. Insurance Services United is an agency.)

Admittedly, a few of the recipients did deserve their awards. But when “Best Italian” is given to Olive Garden, you know you’re in too deep to dig your way out. Yes, Victor’s came in at #2 but I just can’t possibly fathom how it came in under Olive Garden. And Sam & Tony’s wasn’t even an option? Ugh. Texas Roadhouse came in with a total of 3 awards (while not always first). I worked there – and it’s not that great. I haven’t been back because I try to “eat local”, which should also be encouraged by the ‘local’ paper. Best of York County: The New York Times. I really just adore The New York Times.

My suggestion? Make the Best of York County locally focused by forcing it’s residents to actually eat in truly local restaurants. No franchises. No chains. That way Victor’s will have a chance at coming in at #1 – because with Olive Garden in the running (which has a long wait every single day of the week) they don’t have a chance. York Country residents don’t like to step out of their comfort zone and try something new. So by saying, “Hey, look! There are local options that will blow Olive Garden out of the water! We want you to try them out and let us know which one is the best!” You are giving your readers an option.

Just saying.

So here are some local dining suggestions that didn’t make the cut:

Mudhook Brewing Co.

The Cove

Festive Board Deli & Bakery

Maewyn’s

Bistro 19

First Capital Dispensing Co.

Sam & Tony’s Italian

Marino’s Italian

Anything located in Central Market

Old Navy’s Misleading Boardwalk Dress

Dear Old Navy,

It isn’t April Fool’s Day but you managed to get me again. HaHa, very clever. You managed to persuade me to log onto your site with your latest commercial for Boardwalk Dresses.

Now, I know. I swore to you before I wouldn’t set foot in your store because of your cheap and unflattering styles. But I did. Then, when every single commercial you produced grated on my nerves I really never did set foot in your store again.

But that great retro-inspired blue dress with the yellow belt did it for me. It was like ‘Hey! Now there’s something I can get into! Wow, Old Navy! You finally did it!’ I ran through that site about three times before finally accepting it wasn’t there. A little more research led me to find you’re auctioning it off for charity. That’s great for the minority that can afford a dress for $200 and rising. But for the rest of us that actually would shop at Old Navy if your clothing actually was that inspired…

Not only was that stunner of a dress not up for sale, but the ones that were were disappointing to say the least. They were your standard, budget dress that can be found at just about any store, Wal-Mart included.

Hey, I’d give you the benefit of the doubt. I’d say, well maybe it’s just me, but I know for a fact it isn’t. Social networking sites are in a (minimal) uproar over this little bit of false advertising. Maybe you thought that this gimmick was a good idea, but it seems like it just makes your flimsy dresses pale in comparison.

But like I said, I haven’t shopped at Old Navy in years, so why should you care?

Sincerely,

A Could-Have-Been Customer

P.S. For those of you interested in bidding on the dress, you have until June 10th. Go here.