Author: lukephillaryh

Hillary & Luke’s Wedding Weekend Itinerary!

On By lukephillaryhIn AdventuresLeave a comment

We’re so excited to celebrate with you! Thank you for making the trip to Philadelphia. We want the weekend to encapsulate all the wonderful ways you’ve been a part of our lives. Which means enjoying the things we all love! Like good food (throwback to Pig n’ Pie), music, and Philadelphia.

Most of all, we are grateful for our parents. Judy and Dave (Hillary’s!) and Maja and Scott (Luke’s!). Both have helped us lots (and are still helping, eeee!) to make this a special day 🙂 We wouldn’t be getting married without them!

Here is the plan…

Friday, June 20th

4:30pm
We’ll be hosting a picnic/tailgate at Palumbo Park (723 Catherine Street, Phila PA 19147) near Luke’s apartment (different location than originally planned).  

7:15pm
Phillies versus Mets!!! Classic rivalry game at Citizens Bank Park. We have a block of tickets in right field.

If you’re super amped after the Phillies win, we recommend hanging out at the Garage in Passyunk. It’s right by Pat’s and Geno’s. Open 24 hours! Cheesesteaks, not the bar. More fun is coming!

Saturday, June 21st

We’ve got a list of totally optional recommended activities 🙂 see below! There may be rewards for things like most steps, museum ticket stubs, or bringing a stolen bottle of alcohol to the wedding.

5:00pm
Wedding! We’re doing it—we’ll start with a ceremony, followed by some drinks, snacks, dinner, and dancing. DJ Clairevoyant is helping with the tunes! It’s all happening at The National Society of Colonial Dames (here’s the website).

Sunday, June 22nd

10:00am
Coffee and breakfast at the Bucan and Poethig house, 2530 Naudian Street. The house is nearby 30th Street Station, and getting to the airport is easy via public transport or car. Feel free to bring your bags. We’ll be so sad to see you go 😦

Suggested Activities!

Option 1: West Philadelphia

Check out Penn’s campus: peak inside Fisher Fine Arts Library (fun fact: one time Hillary slept overnight here), take photos with Claes Oldenburg’s Split Button (1981) and an iteration of Robert Indiana’s LOVE sculpture. Visit the Clark Park Farmers Market. Eat some good chicken at Doro Bet.

Option 2: Benjamin Franklin Parkway + Fairmount

Walk or run the Rocky Steps! Visit the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Barnes Foundation. Enjoy the best Guinness in Philly at The Black Taxi, eat some wings.

Option 3: South Philly

It’s not burning trashcan season, but there’s still lots to see in the Italian Market. Magic Gardens is a fun, outside art experience and Philly classic. Lots of good Vietnamese on Washington Avenue: Pho Ha for vermicelli, Pho 75 for pho, Ba La for Vietnamese hoagies. Angelo’s is the best cheesesteak in Philly. Options!

If you just want some tasty food here are some favorites…

Middle Child Clubhouse, Fishtown
Pizzeria Beddia, Fishtown
Isgro Pastries, South Philly
Machine Shop, South Philly
Royal Tavern, South Philly
Sky Cafe, South Philly
Dim Sum Garden, Chinatown
Reading Terminal Market, Center City
K’Far, Rittenhouse Square
Parc, Rittenhouse Square
Primos Hoagies, various locations
Federal Donuts, various locations
Panda Express, various locations

Woohoo! See you soon 🙂


Apple Crostata with Crumble

On By lukephillaryhIn Classico4 Comments

Apple Crostata dessert with vanilla ice cream
A perfect dessert plate

For Thanksgiving this year I did not make Apple Pie. I’ve never been the biggest fan of Apple Pie. I’m actually not the biggest fan of making any kind of pie that requires two crusts (a top and a bottom). Though I consider myself a pretty adept crust maker, it’s still a laborious and nerve inducing process. I especially dread rolling out the dough and then transferring it to the pie tin. While I roll, Luke watches carefully and provides words of encouragement. Together, we flip the crust a couple times, re-flouring the surface between flips, to avoid sticking. We roll the dough up onto the rolling pin at the end to transfer it to the pie tin. We patch up the sides; the crust is never perfect. It’s always a relief when it’s in the tin. Having to do the process all over again with the top…oof.

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Roasted Squash & Feta Sandwich

On By lukephillaryhIn Veggie2 Comments

Roasted Squash and Feta Sandwich recipe
Orange you glad this squash sandwich is for dinner?

While Hillary and I love our summertime tomato salads and fruit cobbler, cold-weather cooking is really when we hit our stride. We’re in our groove when the oven has been on 400ºF all evening or a ragù has been simmering for the last two hours. Throughout November, December, January, and February, there’s one thing in particular that pushes our culinary prowess: leftover squash.

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Spaghetti Carbonara

On By lukephillaryhIn Classico2 Comments

Spaghetti Carbonara guanciale cast iron
Mangia mangia!

Spaghetti Carbonara was one of the first meals I made where I diverged from my mother’s recipe. Growing up, my mom would make a delicious Spaghetti Carbonara full of crispy bacon bits and sautéed onions covered in a creamy sauce. It was not until college that I realized that though bacon is passable, an authentic Spaghetti Carbonara recipe never includes onions and the creaminess does not come from some generous pours of heavy cream.

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Farro & Beet Salad

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beet farro salad healthy veggie recipe
Everybody loves a grain bowl

Have you ever made a grain bowl at home and fancied yourself a chef? Your fridge was filled with a mishmash of leftovers, including a grain. You roasted up some veggies, whipped together a vinaigrette, maybe added a protein (or a fried egg) and voilà! You just made dinner, a grain bowl of arguably Sweetgreen quality, without even using a recipe.

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A Lunch Worth Waiting For

On By lukephillaryhIn Adventures3 Comments

Maine Lobster lunch in Kennebunkport
Heaven on a blue plastic tray

“I’m pretty upset that today was the first time I’ve had a proper Maine lobster.” This was the text I sent my parents after lunch in Kennebunkport, ME two weekends ago. Yes I know, #firstworldproblems indeed. But I was drunk off of sweet corn, clam chowder, and freshly-caught lobster, so I felt some guilt tripping was warranted.

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Rustic Summer Veggie Galette

On By lukephillaryhIn Veggie2 Comments

Vegetarian galette with tomato squash zucchini
Close up, to show off that crust

This summer Luke and I noticed a surge in galette popularity. Every food related Instagram account I follow posted at least one galette pic. Most posted two – a savory and a sweet. If anything, it’s a surprise galettes are not already more popular. Compared to a pie or tart, they’re way less intimidating and require no special equipment. No pie tin or tart ring necessary, all you need is a basic baking sheet. Galettes have a free form construction that allows for greater improvisation. They are also more forgiving. You don’t have to agonize over rolling the dough into a perfect circle. A little extra dough here and there can be easily remedied – just fold it over!

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Red Clay & Rosé

On By lukephillaryhIn Adventures1 Comment

New York City red clay tennis and glass of rose wine
Tenez + Apéritif

The ochre shade of a red clay tennis court beams especially bright on summer days. In New York City we’re surrounded by so much silver, blue, and black that other colors seem to pop out of nowhere – like the red chile oil in Chinese food or the green meadows in Prospect Park. The Riverside Clay tennis courts on Manhattan’s Upper Westside provide a burst of orange that catches every runner, driver, and cyclist by surprise.

Saturday, June 10th was one of those bright summer days, and we both had red clay fever.

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Bonne Maman Jar Gazpacho

On By lukephillaryhIn VeggieLeave a comment

gazpacho soup in Bonne Maman jam jar
Not tomato juice, but chilled, drinkable soup

I’ve always been wary of gazpacho. Bad batches can end up tasting like salsa or tomato juice. Often, you have an urge to over spice it. Tomatoes, some mild veggies, a little bit of salt and vinegar – how could these ingredients be enough for a flavorful, satisfying soup? But if you start adding a little bit of heat or some extra garlic you begin to veer dangerously close to Bloody Mary sans vodka territory. No one wants a virgin Blood Mary.  Lots of Americanized recipes list bread chunks or croutons in their ingredients, in order to add a little bit of thickness and texture. Or worse, they leave the soup chunky. This is called salsa. And while it’s better than a virgin Blood Mary, you don’t want to sip on salsa.

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