CHEERS...

Hey, everyone!  Hope it's not as dreary where you are, as it is in NJ today.  Yeesh.  It's taking me a hot minute to get motivated this morning, given all this rain & dark clouds.  But at least I have some fun stuff to tell you guys about today!J

6:30-7:00am:  30 minutes dance + 2 sets of weights

8:00am:  Coffee with peppermint creamer

9:00am:  Breakfast- Apple with peanut butter

12:00pm:  Lunch at Molto Bene!

It has been FAR too long since I've been back to this place.  So long, in fact, that it has since moved locations from Hightstown, NJ to nearby Cranbury, NJ after the original location was destroyed in Hurricane Sandy (b*tch!)  But thankfully, it's as good as ever!

Their menu offers a GREAT amount of small AND large plates, so there's plenty of options to pick and choose from to create your own foodie funJ  We started our food tour with some polenta fries....which Katie couldn't dig into fast enough, apparently...J 

Super crispy on the outside and creamy smooth on the inside...these were an obvious hit! 

But I think our table favorite was the baked ricotta served with prosciutto, basil & fig marmalade...

So many flavors all held together by the ricotta.  Delicious!

Next up was one of my FAVORITE THINGS I'VE EVER EATEN:  Italian Chili!! 

From the first bite I was FLOORED by the perfect blend of sweet Italian sausage, ground beef, Italian spices and cannelloni beans.  I'm going to need to try to recreate this ASAP because it was the BEST chili I've ever had!  And the best part was it was hearty enough to be served not just with spoons, but with slices of warm, crispy bread that you use to GET THIS CHILI IN YO' FACE! 

This chili ALONE is worth a trip to Molto Bene!  It is extraordinary!J

And because our eyes were bigger than our stomachs, we also decided (after housing our appetizers, mind you) that we needed to try out a 'small plate' of the braised short ribs & butternut squash risotto... 

The meat was tender & savory...but what really put it over the top was when it was paired with the sweet butternut squash on the bottom!  I don't actually think there was even risotto IN it, I just think it was squash cooked LIKE risotto until it was starchy & thick.  Quite sublimeJ.

And we just HAD to finish our meal with the house made bread pudding topped with sea salt caramel gelato...cause how can you NOT??

...and maybe an Italian cookie (or 2) for Miss KatieJ

To say we enjoyed this meal is an understatement!  Some of the best food you can get ANYWHERE.  Visit Molto Bene soon...and get that chili, damn it!!!

The rest of the day was spent having lots 'o Christmas fun, including Katie's first taste of eggnog...

...complete with CHEERS with Nona...

 ...and a subtle smile to tell you how much she enjoyed itJ

SUCCESS!!!

We also headed to the little park around the corner from our house to check out their ADORABLE Christmas display and even caught the lighting of the Christmas tree!  SO BEAUTIFUL! 

SUCH a fun dayJ  I'd live that one over again x 200.  Lots of good eats, Christmas fun & plenty of Katie and Nona "fun time."J

Annddd...now it's back to reality with these dreary clouds trying their best to deter me from CRAZY power yoga this morning.  I better get up & outta here before I concede to the calling of my couchJ

Have a great weekend, everyone!!J