Last week, Matt and I decided to check out an after-hours chocolate tasting at the American Museum of Natural History, hosted by Mast Brothers. Have you ever tried their chocolate? It’s incredible—and the pretty, hand-wrapped packaging that each bar comes in is one of my favorite things.

The tasting traced the history of chocolate (it dates back 4,000 years!) with a brief talk, reading and film by Michael and Rick Mast. Then, the chocolate. 🙂 There was so much to sample and try! We even got to grind our own cacao beans. 

The coolest part of the whole night was meeting Michael and Rick. We bought their brand-new cookbook, and are looking forward to trying this recipe for Hot Chocolate. Seems like the perfect way to get through the remaining snowy days, right?

PS: A Mast Brothers Chocolate tour!

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Happy Friday, my darling readers, and happy Valentine’s Day! What do you have planned for the long weekend? I’m looking forward to relaxing, and also to testing my photography skills with this Skillshare class I just registered for about shooting at night. Seems cool, right? Wishing you a wonderful weekend ahead! Here, to get it started right, a few happy posts from around the web:

Um, win a double date with Ben and Matt. (For a good cause!)

A Red Sox beard report.

Why you shouldn’t run in the snow. 

A pretty book cover for Lena.

In love with this pink dress.

DIY heart-shaped cutting board.

Did you know you should moisturize before you shower?

Here’s looking at you, Valentine.

A beautiful ode to (apple) pie dough.

The worst fictional boyfriends.

(Image via I Dream Of…)

Thanks to my sister Alyssa, Matt got the best Christmas present ever: the Jerusalem cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi. We’ve been trying so many of their delicious, mouth-watering recipes, but our new favorite is for Roasted Chicken with Clementines and Arak. The flavors! You won’t believe me until you try it yourself. The clementines are the genius ingredient that add a tangy sweetness to each savory bite.

The full recipe is available here, but make this dish soon: Clementines are only in season in New York for a couple more weeks!

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I popped by the Greenpointers Valentine’s Market on Sunday, and came across these adorable cards from Loveless Designs. Each card is pen and ink, and then hand-colored with markers by the artist (Bethany Robertson) herself. I thought it was such a sweet way to send spontaneous snail mail greetings to friends. 

On that note, you should know: I’ve added a budget line for card shopping in New York. My addiction is getting worse! On a more positive note: Friends, check your mailboxes! 🙂

PS—An Instagram snap from the Market!

Have you heard about Almost, Maine? It’s a delightful romantic comedy written by John Cariani and now playing in the West Village at the (fake snow-covered) Gym at Judson. Filled with sweet, mostly 2-person vignettes, the play illustrates the funny, awkward, cheesy, charming, and sometimes heartbreaking parts of love. The four actors in this performance (including the writer himself) cover 19 different roles, beautifully and seamlessly. And with Maine as it’s backdrop, this show feels like winter comfort food. 

I loved every hilarious reference to the state I adore. I highly recommend this show!

PS—More Maine here, here, here and here.

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