What a wonderful weekend we had up in Vermont! As I mentioned on Friday, we made a last minute decision to head up to Manchester Center, Vermont on Friday night to spend a relaxing weekend with my aunt. It’s hard to believe that we were able to enjoy a weekend away without taking a vacation day. Friday and today were long days, driving up to Vermont from 5-9pm on Friday and returning this morning from 5-9 AM. Luckily, the 48 hours in between were filled with rest and relaxation.

Here are a few highlights from our weekend in Vermont.

Snow – The temperatures dropped forty degrees Saturday night as a strong front moved through the region. Much to our delight, we woke up Sunday morning to a winter wonderland. There were more than six inches of wet, heavy, dense snow covering my the yard and surrounding towns. We spent an hour outside playing fetch with my aunt’s Samoyed, making snow angels and enjoying the beautiful scenery.

Ponce Bistro – After a morning of relaxing and shopping, we enjoyed lunch on the front porch of Ponce Bistro. A local favorite, this small bistro serves an eclectic menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner including customer favorites such as the spanish meatloaf sandwich, pumpkin soup, lavender goat cheese salad and an array of refreshing homemade iced teas. Bo ordered the meatloaf sandwich while my aunt and I each shared the pumpkin soup and north country turkey sandwich. I wish we’d saved room for their sweets as the bakery items I saw when I went inside to pay looked delicious – especially their chocolate chip cookies.

Solo Farm & Table – This cozy, farm to table restaurant is tucked on a quiet road in South Londonderry, about 20 minutes from Manchester Center. Within seconds of trying our first bite, we could tell that the numerous James beard nominations their chef has received as well the recognition in Bon Appetit, Food & Wine and the New York Times was beyond justified.  Since my aunt, Bo and I all love to share meals, we ordered two appetizers, a pasta, two entrees, and two desserts to share. This method allowed us to sample far more of the menu than normal, which made for a very tasty and fun evening. Unexpectedly, it was the fresh made bread and smoked butter as well as the homemade potato bisque which stole the show.  After cleaning the bowl with a piece of bread, I requested the recipe from the waitress, in hopes of recreating this rich, yet simple bisque at home.

It’s A Wonderful Life – As soon as the snow started, we found ourselves in the Christmas mood. Our typical rules of saving Christmas movies and music until after Thanksgiving were replaced with an afternoon of Christmas music followed by watching It’s A Wonderful Life that evening. When my aunt discovered that Bo nor I had seen this 1946 classic, she insisted that we watch it over dinner. I can see why this wonderful, touching and emotional film became one of the most acclaimed fils ever made and has received so much recognition over the years from AFI.

With that I’m off to enjoy the evening with Bo as we celebrate our seven year wedding anniversary. It’s hard to believe that seven years have passed since we danced the night away with our closest friends and family members in Savannah, Georgia.