It's Not Easy Being Green

Happy St. Patrick's Day from Boston! Though the parade and Irish Pubs are raging in Southie, it's pretty quiet out in the suburbs. Yesterday, I made a loaf of Irish Soda Bread, cutting the butter into the flour, sprinkling in a handful of raisins, and gradually adding in buttermilk until the dough just came together. It baked up a lovely golden brown and filled the house with the smell of freshly baked bread. Today I'm wearing green and am celebrating my Irish heritage by making a batch of Potato Leek Soup, since there's no potato famine in sight. 

In case you're still looking to add a little green to your life, here are some of my favorite colorful housewares from around the web. 

How about a little espresso to go along with that soda bread? This Green Coffee Pot from Anthropologie is too cute and would look great perched on the stove top year-round.

I've had my eye on these little Fleur-de-Lys glasses, also from Anthropologie, for quite a while now.

When serving up a big Irish dinner, these Ross Lab salt and pepper cellars would add a nice little pop of green to the table.

Just think how lovely a bouquet of spring flowers would be in this vase by Jill Rosenwald for a St. Patrick's Day brunch!

Maybe Guinness isn't your thing, and you just want to curl up on the couch with a cup of tea, using this adorable green tea mug cozy from Knit Storm. 

For mixing up cocktails (maybe with Irish Whiskey), I would love to have a set of these stylish hand-blown Zafferano green coupe glasses.

If none of these tickle your fancy, you can always go for a pint of green beer! 

Lemon Chess Pie

Happy Pi Day, folks! To celebrate, everyone brought pies to work today (one of the perks of being a nerdy engineer). I wanted to show these New Englanders a taste of the South, so I made Lemon Chess Pie.  Basically a Buttermilk Pie (or Chess Pie) with lemon zest and lemon juice in place of vanilla, it's a cinch to pull together. If you're not a fan of buttermilk, please don't be tempted to dismiss this pie. You would never know it's in there!

Once baked, the pie has a beautiful, golden-brown crust hiding a delicate, rich custard with a little spring in its step from the tangy lemon.  It's a little taste of home that anyone (even a Yankee) can enjoy!

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), very soft

2 cups sugar

3 Tb flour

3 eggs, beaten

1 cup buttermilk

zest of one lemon

1 Tb lemon juice (~1/4 lemon)

1 9-in refrigerated pie crust
(or even better, homemade pie crust)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350

Place your pie crust into a pie pan, pressing it flat against the bottom and sides. Fold the extra edges over, and crimp. Place the pie pan in the refrigerator until you're ready to pour in your filling.

Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, cream your butter and sugar.

Add flour and eggs, beat well. 

Stir in buttermilk, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Pour into your unbaked pie crust. 

Bake for about 1 hour. Start checking it after about 50 minutes, until the custard is set and a nice crust forms on top. (Sometimes I bake mine as long as 1 hour and 10 minutes)

Cool on a wire rack. 

(With a pie this good, it's unlikely that you'll have leftovers, but on the off chance that you have a piece or two leftover, store it in the refrigerator)

A Very Busy Weekend

Somehow, it's already Monday again, so to ease the beginning of a new week, let's reminisce about the weekend!

Friday brought a fresh blanket of snow. I usually play the "I'm a Texan who can't drive in snow" card and work from home on these days, but because of a big meeting, I braved the whirling snow and icy roads. It's a small miracle that I made it to work in one piece, despite literally sliding down a hill at one point. The snow eventually stopped, and when I got home, I FINALLY built my first snowman (if you don't count the little mound of snow and dirt that I scraped together, using sweet gum balls for eyes, back in East Texas as a kid).  Meet Marky! He's melted now, but he was cute while he lasted.

As the sun went down, we headed back inside to get ready for a double date, suburbs style. We met friends in Acton for dinner, candlepin bowling (just bowling, according to the locals), and arcade games. Candlepin is pure New England. It involves straight cylindrical pins, a smaller ball, and allows three throws per frame. You may think this would make the game easier, but you would be wrong. I averaged 40 points per game. I'm pretty bad at bowling.

Saturday, after a dress rehearsal for my upcoming wind ensemble concert, we waded through slushy snow in Newton Center to grab some lunch, a gigantic slice of pizza, at the cute little Sweet Tomatoes. I liked their crisp ultra-thin crust and chunky and bright sauce.  

After an afternoon of errands, we got gussied up for another double date, this time big-city-style. We began with dinner and drinks at one of our favorites, Eastern Standard and then made our way to The Hawthorne Bar, tucked away in the Hotel Commonwealth. 

Walls lined with art, drink-related knick knacks, and comfy seating, The Hawthorne is cozy and inviting, like being in the living room of a very stylish friend. We stood by the bar for a while, with our name on the waiting list for seats (you can actually reserve seats -- greatest bar idea ever), and were eventually led to a corner with a couch and an arm chair. Run by the same folks as Eastern Standard, these folks are mixing up some quality craft cocktails (my favorite of the evening was The Martinez).  We will be coming here again.

Sunday, I performed with the Charles River Wind Ensemble at the beautiful First Baptist Church in Newton. Our concert, "Dance and Play", was a success, despite some crazy-hard clarinet parts. 

Post concert, we celebrated with dinner at Tu Y Yo in Somerville's Davis Square, offering authentic Mexican food and the best sangria I've had in Boston.  We started with appetizers, a quesadilla (more like an empanada) filled with oozing cheese and braised beef and a sope topped with Mexican sausage. For my entree, the Cochinita Pibil, marinated and slow-cooked pork, was falling apart as I piled it on a tortilla, topped with their homemade salsas. The beans, usually the most overlooked item on my plate, were so unbelievable that I can only assume large amounts of lard were used. Everything got two thumbs up from these Texans!

It was a busy weekend that went by all too quickly, and now it's back to the grind at work. It's time to think about things like deadlines, meetings, laundry, and meal planning for the week.  On a brighter note, I'll see you on Pi Day with a recipe for my mom's Lemon Chess Pie! Get excited!

Swiss Chard & Pancetta Quiche

Pi Day is right around the corner, so I've been thinking about pies this week. (I'm an engineer, what did you expect?)  To get into the spirit of things, I decided that a quiche was in order.  Quiche is a great way to use up whatever vegetables are stashed away in the fridge (like a bunch of swiss chard), and for me, it's a good excuse to use my favorite pie dish, courtesy of Emile Henry.

With a quick saute of pancetta and the earthy chard, a handful of grated hard cheese, and a pinch of cayenne to spice things up, all held together by eggs and cream, you have yourself a quiche! I served it along with a green salad for a simple, yet indulgent, dinner.  This would be perfect for brunch as well, or bring it to a Pi Day Party with friends. A homemade crust would be even better, but some weeknights call for a pre-made crust. I'm not ashamed! For a vegetarian-friendly version, ditch the pancetta and maybe throw in some sliced mushrooms. Really, it's hard to go wrong here!

Ingredients

1 9-in refrigerated pie crust

2 oz pancetta, sliced into small pieces

1 bunch swiss chard, strems removed and roughly chopped

6 eggs

1 1/4 c half and half

2 Tb sour cream

pinch cayenne

1 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, grated

salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 375. 

Heat a large skillet over med-high heat. Add a little olive oil, and once heated, add in pancetta. Cook until crisp. 

Add swiss chard to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted.  When chard is done, remove the skillet from the heat. 

Meanwhile, whisk together eggs, half and half, sour cream, cayenne, and salt and pepper. 

Lay your pie crust into your pie pan, ensuring that it is formed to the bottom and sides of you dish. Fill with one half of the chard/pancetta mixture, and sprinkle with half of the grated cheese. Layer with the final half of the chard/pancetta mixture and the remaining cheese.

Pour egg mixture over the top, and then fold over or crimp the pie crust edges in whatever pattern your heart desires (see these tips for ideas).

Bake for about 45 minutes, until the eggs are golden and set. 

Slice into wedges and serve fresh out of the oven (or even at room temperature).

Books and Brunch

Saturday, I spent a very girly morning in Boston for brunch, shopping, and frozen yogurt with my friend Jessica. We started things off at Trident Bookseller's and Cafe, a little shop with some of my favorite things all under one roof: books, food, and coffee. What more could a girl want?  We were seated up on the second floor by a bay window, winter sun streaming in, with a fine view of bustling Newbury Street below.

I ordered a steaming mug of coffee and their breakfast sandwich, offered with bacon or avocado. But to choose between the two is just plain silly -- I got both! This is brunch, after all. What came out of the kitchen was an open-faced sandwich. Toasted bread spread generously with avocado and topped with crumbled crispy bacon, beautifully runny sunny-side-up eggs, and molten cheese spilling over onto the plate.  To balance out the indulgent sandwich, I also ordered one of their vegetables juices, the Stress Reliever. This was my first all-vegetable juice, and it was almost grassy in taste.  I have to admit, I didn't love it, but it was fun to try something new.

After our plates were cleared, it was time to shop! Before stops at Zara and Anthropologie, we poked around Trident's bookshelves. I somehow managed to walk away with only two books, one of which I already have two copies of at home. I know that sounds silly, but it's my favorite. It's Jane Eyre. Sweet, passionate, principled, courageous Jane.

See, my first copy is tattered and frayed, the cover hanging on by brittle strips of tape. I can't bear to get rid of it, because it reminds me of the first time I read the story. The second copy is one I bought for my husband before we got married. He started it twice but never finished it. Somehow, I love him anyway. Why would I need a third copy? Well, have you seen these Penguin Hardback Classics? They're gorgeous, and I couldn't help myself.

While we're talking beautiful book editions, I also want these, courtesy of Mr. Boddington's Penguin Classics. Jane Eyre, with its lively yellow print and curling text, and the cheery and colorful Pride and Prejudice are hard to resist. Apparently Penguin is attempting to corner the cool book cover market.

Then there are these breathtaking embroidered Penguin Threads covers (another by Penguin -- this is getting ridiculous). I would love to have this version of Little Women, another favorite, on my bookshelves.

Am I the only person tempted to buy endless copies of their favorite books? Every time I see an ornate new edition or a tattered and well-loved copy, I want to bring it home with me. Someday, when we have our very own home, I dream of having a cozy reading nook and walls and walls lined with books. At this rate, I'll need a whole shelf dedicated to sweet Jane, the Bennet sisters, and the March sisters.

(Home Library spotted at To Die For Decor Tumblr)