Charm Hour: Home Sweet Home in Upstate New York

After a week in Ohio it was time to hop a plane and head back my homeland of upstate New York!

Because I was flying from small city to small city I ended up on one of those itty bitty propeller planes.

And before I knew it I was home. My mom being the wonderful woman with a similar love for food we stopped at Wegman's on our way home. If you don't know it, Wegman's is seriously The Best grocery store. It was started in Rochester, and I've been going there forever. It's so great Cher demanded to go there when she came here to perform. It's that good. We got all stocked up for a delicious grilled dinner to take full advantage of the warm and sunny weather- steak, girl scout potatoes, corn on the cob, and salad. Every item was cooked on the grill and totally scrumptious. Next time we'll have pictures, I promise!

After dinner we settled in with a glass of homemade Limoncello made by my very own Dad. My parents went on their honeymoon to Capri, an island off of Italy. To celebrate their 20th anniversary we all went on a mediterranean cruise that was the trip of a lifetime. While there we fell in love with limoncello- a lemon liquor. This year he decided to try his own hand at it, and from what I hear it's pretty simple. And I can vouch that it is very very good.

my petite glass

the bottle

sunset on the back patio

Once the sun set we brought the festivities indoors with a game of Assholes.
The way my brother plays, if you're president three times in a row you can make your own rule, which is how we ended up with the T-rex rule (the loser has to keep their arms tucked into their shirt until they're not losing anymore). It's hilarious as long as it's not you having to be T-rex....

We played until my brother had finally been rousted from the President's position for a few rounds so his head wouldn't get too big.

The next day we headed out for the early morning mass at church, followed by breakfast at the Village Bakery & Cafe in Pittsford. My brother swears by their cold drip coffee- the Rooster- and they make a mean poached egg. I opted for a poached egg, pancetta, and goat cheese sandwich in brioche with a regular coffee. Plus, you can sit outside and enjoy the beautiful weather along with lots of people who bring their dogs and baby strollers so you can look at their cute little loved ones.

Pittsford has the Erie Canal run through it, and they have made the most of it with wonderful walking/biking/running paths, fishing spots, and lines of shops. It's a nice mix of easy exercise, enjoying good weather, and the potential of stopping for ice cream during your stroll. What could be better?