POSTED BY: Stefanie LaSalle

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! I'm always sad when Christmas is over because then it's just winter, and that means cold and dark days from now until the spring. I can't complain though because our Christmas season was  jam-packed with events including two big family Christmas parties.

Rob's family party was the Saturday before Christmas. We did a Yankee swap with 27 people. TWENTY-SEVEN. It was by far the craziest swap ever. So many aunts and uncles and cousins. So much food. 

Rob's mother hosted this year. She has some special favors made...

Coozies! There was a minimum order of 90, so we'll have plenty left over for Patriot's Day. And Fourth of July. And forever.

The best Rutkauskas Christmas surprise was my very own stocking at Rob's mom's house! Rob's family always makes me feel welcome. I can't wait to be part of the family (officially)!

Meat pies, orange soda, family, and lots of laughs - Christmas eve at my Grandma and Grandad's house is always a fantastic time. The moment the Christmas festivities are over, my grandparents head down to Florida, so I hope they are all unpacked down south and nice and warm for the remainder of winter. We'll see you in the spring!!!

My auntie Christ and Uncle Dave have hosted Christmas day for my family for the last few years. It's always fun, and always delicious. This year we actually went out for dinner at Coachmen's Lodge, and we had the biggest prime ribs I've ever seen. It was also my first time having clams casino and now I want clams casino all the time.

My dad thought he was very smart putting his new rake to good use right away. Actually, it did a really good job collecting all the tiny pieces of paper and cardboard that we had flung all over the room. So, good job, dad.

My uncle with his dog, Sadie. This picture makes my heart melt.

And of course, this Christmas was very special for our family because it was the first time my dad and his three brothers were all together in a long, long time. It was really nice to have so many people home with us for the holiday.

Hope you all had a great holiday with family and friends. Have a safe and happy new year! See you in 2014!

I love Ree Drummond, a.k.a. The Pioneer Woman. I'm borderline obsessed with her. So you can imagine my excitement when she announced her 2013 Holiday Cookbook signing tour and Boston was at the top of her list. So Wednesday, October 30th I took the day off from work and planned to head into the city to get my copy signed.

For anyone who's a fan of baseball, especially in the Northeast, Wednesday, October 30th might ring some bells. That's because it was game 6 of the world series - the game the Red Sox won, in Boston, to take the series victory this year. Oh, and Obama, the president of the United States, was also in town because, what the hell, why not?

So PW made the difficult but ultimately smart decision to cancel her visit with promises of coming back on another day that would be more convenient for her fans to find their way into the city.

And that day has come. 

BAM! Here we are with Ree herself right after she signed my copy of her holiday cookbook. You should also check out her website for recipes at her website.

She also has a show on Food Network on Saturday mornings, you know, in case you're interested.

Moody Street in Waltham has been adding some great restaurants lately, but my favorite for 2013 is Moody's Delicatessen and Provisions. Part deli, part sandwich shop, part cafe, part specialty grocery store, this addition is full of character, and meat. And those are my two favorite things.

Look at those sausages hanging above the counter. All made by the guys who run the place. I bought some of their garlic sausages around thanksgiving to use in my stuffing and boy were they delicious. I also bought what is now my favorite cheese I've ever eaten in my life - Pave D'affinois. So creamy. So expensive, but worth every penny. 

This time, we decided to order lunch and eat-in. We've heard great things about the sandwiches and I want to take my friend Katelyn here in a few weeks when she's visiting. I wanted to be able to offer a few suggestions.

I will definitely be suggesting that she get a bag of THESE. House made truffle chips. Rob and I ate the whole bag before our sandwiches were ready, and I seriously considered buying another bag.

The Bahn Mi. Oh my. This sandwich fell down from sandwich heaven. Crisp pork belly, country pate, smoked pork, daikon, carrots, cilantro, sriracha aioli on a baguette...I don't even really know what half of the ingredients are, but I know the combination of them is one hell of a good sandwich. 

In addition to the regular coke products, they have lots of cool colas to try. This Cherry Tree cola was fascinating. Like a tea-cola - I can't explain it. Next time, I'm going to grab a can of Dr. Brown's Cel-ray soda - CELERY SODA - to try.

This shop is not cheap, but so far everything we've gotten from there was worth the extra money. I love having this type of place so close to us, and I intend to continue taking advantage of it's unique offerings.

Coffee milk is my life blood. It's Rhode Island's state drink. It's sweet and creamy and coffee-y and delicious.

My two favorite places to get coffee milk are New York Lunch in Woonsocket (coldest coffee milk and best wieners around!), and Wrights Dairy Farm in North Smithfield, RI. We were down at my parents this weekend for their annual Cocoa Party, so we just HAD to swing by Wright's to pick up some milk. Why is their milk so good? The milk comes from cows that live 100 yards from the register you buy it at. Now that's local.

They also have an amazing bakery where you can choose from a variety of  cupcakes, cookies and pastries. 

I didn't get any pictures inside the store this trip because the holiday rush is definitely in full swing and the place was PACKED. But when we return after the holidays I will take some snaps to share with you guys.

But for now, here's some cows.

Here is our new cow-friend, Yang. He was the most curious of the bunch and we got to take lots of pictures of him.

The calves were sleeping in little houses to keep them warm in the cold weather. Rob was sad. He wanted to see baby cows. 

Rob did get a picture with Yang! I couldn't get a good one at first because the fence was blocking his face. As if sensing the problem, Yang lifted his head up and held it so we could get this photo. Thanks, cow!

Cow butts and sleeping roof chickens. So nice.

Bought two half gallons of coffee milk - one for home and one for work. They also had a special going where you get a bag of chocolate chip cookies when you buy two half gallons. BONUS. The cookies did not make it very far.

Have a great afternoon!

-Stefanie

We have so many fun adventures to share with you! 

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-Stefanie and Meaghan