My 10 Favorite Things in February

How was your February? We're experiencing the winter blues a bit ourselves, but spring has to be coming someday right? After posting my 10 favorite things in January, I decided that as each month draws to a close, I want to take a moment to remember the highlights that I am thankful for.

1) Charleston with Jeff and Jessica
We had the best time touring Charleston with the best tour guides! 

2) Charleston BBQ
Speaking of Charleston, the BBQ deserves a shout out all of its own. I'm still dreaming of pulled pork doused in pepper vinegar sauce.

3) Mani-Pedis with Jane at Zen Nail and Beauty Bar
Sometimes you just need a mani-pedi date with a girlfriend. My favorite spot is Zen in Woburn. It's out in the 'burbs, but they're fantastic: a cup of hot tea while your feet soak, friendly folks, long lasting polish, and (possibly the best part) your choice of scented scrubs, hot oils, and lotions for both your legs and arms.

4) Smoked Salmon Salad with Rice, Red Quinoa, and Toasted Pecans
By far my favorite recipe creation of the month. It's light enough that you feel good eating it, but it's hearty enough that you're not hungry an hour later. And it tastes really good.

5) Brunch with Brad and Ashleigh at Area Four

The food was good, but the company was even better. We were thrilled to catch up with our friends, visiting from Dallas

6) My Pretty New Mug from Sarah

This bright colorful mug, a gift from my sweet friend Sarah, and my favorite hot teas are helping ward off the winter blues.

7) Valentine's Day Brunch for Two

I once read that according to the great Jacques Pepin, the most important thing about Valentine's Day is the morning after -- and who am I to argue with Jacques? So my husband and I  made these wonderful pink-hued Cranberry Meyer Lemon Biscuits from Joy the Baker, heart-shaped eggs. and clementines. I decorated the table with happy tulips and an antique carafe of coffee.

8) Clam Chowder Crawl
Tired of sitting in the house all winter, my husband and I took an adventure out to Cape Cod for a "chowdah" crawl. It was SO much fun.

9) Chatham Lighthouse Beach
On the aforementioned day trip out to the Cape, we spent part of the unseasonably warm day plopped down in the sand, watching the waves roll in, at Chatham Lighthouse Beach. Sometimes we forget that beautiful beaches like this are right down the road from us!

10) Breakfast in Bed

Last but not least, my very sweet husband brought me breakfast in bed for the first time featuring homemade biscuits. I'm not sure how I got so lucky!
(Bonus: we found another great use for our DIY Serving Tray!)

My 10 Favorite Things in January

How's your 2014 going so far? As the first month of the New Year is drawing to a close, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the things I've enjoyed most this month. It's been brutally cold and snowy, and work has been crazy busy, but there have still been plenty of bright moments to be thankful for!

1) Night Shift Brewing Cape Codder Weisse Release Party

We love Night Shift, a local microbrewery in Everett. They recently released a new version of their Berliner Weisse -- Cape Codder Weisse, aged with local cranberries and orange. It's really pink and really good.

2) Homemade Breakfast Sandwiches
Because most weekend mornings are too cold to venture out anywhere for breakfast, we've been making our own a little more often these days. My favorite were these breakfast sandwiches -- bacon, fried egg, and grated cheddar piled onto homemade biscuits and then warmed in the oven for a few minutes to melt the cheese. Why had we not thought of this before?

3) Medford Winter Farmer's Market
I love the Medford Winter Farmer's Market. It's little, and it's in a hotel parking garage, but it's so nice to have the opportunity to go buy local produce and wares even in the frigid winter months. Especially when those local wares include hand-filled cannoli from Joni's Cannolis! Jonie even lets you sample the different fillings. (My favorite is the plain filling dipped in pistachios)

4) Belly Wine Bar
On a recent date night we tried Belly, a fairly new wine bar in Kendall Square. We got a cozy table in the corner and snacked on fried chickpeas and a beautiful cheese plate while sipping our wine. My favorite wine bar is still Spoke, but this place is great too!

5) A4 Pizza
Another fun date night with this handsome man of mine and yet another super cool spot in Union Square! Pizza, craft beer, and the best garlic knots I've ever had (though the ones at C and O in Marina del Rey still have a very special place in my heart).

6) Beef, Barley, Sweet Potato Stew
My favorite recipe creation of the month was this hearty, comforting beef stew. I've been craving soups and stews like nobody's business given how cold it's been around here.

7) Pretty Snow
I may not like the cold, but I do love snuggling up on the couch where it's warm and dry and watching the snow fall outside. It's lovely and so peaceful.

8) Snowy Day Nachos
My husband made us a batch of nachos a couple weeks ago that changed my world. He spread bean dip on the chips before topping them with the standard cheese and jalapenos! I know this is old hat to a lot of people, but somehow I had never tried this before. And I love it!

9) Using our new Serving Tray
In the winter, we try to tackle a few projects around the house (one of our tricks for battling stir craziness). In December, we made this serving tray, and it's been so fun putting it to use this month!

10) Candied Pecans
The best part about my husband no longer being a grad student is that he has time to play around in the kitchen again, thus this batch of cinnamon and sugar coated pecans (using fresh Texas pecans). I love it when he cooks!

Date Night in Central Square

Last weekend we ended up in Central Square for a night out with our friends Jessica and Bryan. I'll admit that Central is not one of my favorite areas. It doesn't have the quaint charm that some Boston-area neighborhoods do. It's a little rough around the edges, a little grimy and seedy, but man, are there some good places to eat and drink in the area.

We started at Brick and Mortar, a speakeasy-style craft cocktail bar. Through an unmarked glass door next to the entrance to Central Kitchen and up a wooden stairway you find the bar, complete with exposed brick walls and a gleaming copper-topped bar. We snagged a table, and I started with a "Last Word," a classic made with gin, Maraschino, Chartreuse, and lime juice. It's one of my favorites, and theirs was a good one (as was their "Sister Mary" with tequila, Aperol, St Germain, and grapefruit). The men-folk loved the "Duck You Sucka!" (rye whiskey, Averna, Maraschino, and bitters). The bartenders were even able to mix up great off-menu classics like a Martinez and a Hanky Panky.

After a couple drinks, we went downstairs for dinner at Central Kitchen. It was a windy, cold evening, so we loved being able to dart quickly from one door to the next.  In their cozy dining area, we started with another round of drinks and a couple appetizers to share. The cocktails were solid, we loved the mussels in a buttery broth and topped with fries, but I think our favorite starter was the Raclette. Melted hunks of cheese and fingerling potatoes alongside pickled vegetables? It was perfect for a cold night, and it disappeared quickly. 

(Photo from Central Kitchen's Facebook Page)

For entrees, the star of the show was the Steak Frites ordered by both of the boys. We girls enjoyed our Cioppino (despite the red splatters on my outfit thanks to a botched attempt at cracking a crab claw doused in tomato broth), but I stole as many bites off my husband's plate as I could get away with. The house-aged steak, topped with a generous pat of herb butter, was perfectly tender. It was served alongside crisp hand-cut fries and a well-dressed watercress salad with just enough peppery bite.  Fantastic!

For dinner and drinks out on the town, Central Kitchen plus the upstairs Brick and Mortar are a great (and convenient) combination! I can't wait to go back to both! Who wants to come with us? :)

Restaurant Week: T.W. Food & Bergamot

For the last two weeks, restaurants have been participating in Boston Restaurant Week. We like to visit a couple new spots whenever the occasion rolls around, and if I do say so myself, we picked two winners this time. Our first stop was at T.W. Food, almost hidden in a nondescript neighborhood in Cambridge, about a mile from Porter Square. It's not the most glamorous location, and it's hardly accessible without a car, but if you manage to find it, I think you're sure to enjoy it.

We were seated at a cozy table in the corner, and I started out with the rich "creme brulee" foie gras served with toasted buttery bread, a tart cherry compote, and fresh local plums. For the main course, my husband's seared flat-iron steak was just as delicious as my swordfish in an asian-inspired broth.  Why can't I cook swordfish this perfectly at home? We opted for wine pairings with the first two courses, and the selections (mostly French) paired beautifully with our dinner. When dessert rolled around, I'm so glad that I opted for the cheese plate. My favorites were both from Vermont: Twig Farm Butterwick and Mt Mansfield Inspiration. 

Also off the beaten path (read: not on the T), we enjoyed another fantastic dinner at Bergamot in Somerville.  Light from the early evening sun flooded into the dining room from their tall windows as we were taken to our table. The staff was friendly and helpful, recommending fantastic (and adventurous) beer and wine pairings for our meal. (My other favorite thing about Bergamot? They have a parking lot! That is just unheard of around here!)

After warm, freshly baked bread smeared with a basil parmesan compound butter, I started with the duck confit salad. Tender duck with its perfectly crisped skin was tossed with romaine, radishes, braised celery, wheat berries, and a light vinaigrette.  Things only got better for the main course. My husband really enjoyed his bluefish, but I think my pasta was the star of the show: a house-made tagliatelle with zucchini, chanterelle mushrooms, mozzarella, and tomato fondue topped with a fried squash blossom. It managed to be light and summery yet hearty and comforting at the same time.

Both meals were wonderful, memorable experiences, and I can't wait to pay another visit to both T.W. Food and Bergamot. These may not be the flashiest restaurants in the hippest Boston neighborhoods, but they are well worth a trip off the beaten track. They're truly hidden gems! 

Parisians in Boston

Last week, we had special visitors. After driving from Paris to Richmond, VA to visit family, my mom and grandparents hopped on a train to Boston. Eleven hours and a few states later, they were here!  Hungry and road (and rail) foundered, we welcomed them to town with big hugs and a laid-back dinner at Moulton's in Medford (or as we lovingly call it, The Old People Fish Place). 

This was my grandparents' very first visit, and we were so excited to introduce them to Boston. With just a few days to work with, we did our best to squeeze in as much fun, food, and history as we could manage.

Thursday while we worked, my family took some time to rest from their travels. After work, we all gathered in the kitchen and started on dinner.  Beers in hand, my husband and grandfather manned the grill while the ladies worked in the kitchen. We're a family that loves to cook, and it was so special to have my mom and grandmother in my kitchen cooking with me. I cut the backbone out of a chicken (!!) for grilled butterflied (or spatchcocked) chicken using Jacques Pepin's rub served with prosciutto-wrapped asparagus, roasted radishes, and cheesy zucchini rice.

The spatchocked chicken was a thrill for my family, as they had never seen such a thing, and they loved the roasted radishes. It's such a simple side dish, the bite of the radishes mellowed from roasting. Just clean, trim, and halve the radishes, place them on a sheet of foil topped with a couple pats of butter, a drizzle of olive oil, and some salt and pepper, wrap them up, and toss the packet on the grill for about 30 minutes. That's it! We did the asparagus on the grill as well, wrapping each bundle in a foil packet and roasting them alongside the radishes. It was a wonderful meal!

After a hearty breakfast at Paul Revere Restaurant, a local greasy spoon diner, we spent Friday exploring Boston, beginning with a stroll around the beautiful Boston Public Garden, where George Washington and the mother duck from "Make Way For Ducklings" were sporting Bruins jerseys!

Next,  after four years of stubbornly resisting such a touristy activity, we went on a Swan Boat ride.  And you know what? The leisurely trip around the pond was surprisingly relaxing and fun. And cost only $3 per person!

Across the street in Boston Common, we walked past the golden dome of the State House and found the red line of the Freedom Trail.  We stopped into Park Street Church, meandered through the Granary Burial Ground (burial site of Paul Revere, Ben Franklin's parents, John Hancock, and Boston Massacre victims),  and were pleasantly surprised to hear the organist rehearsing at King's Chapel (burial site of Massachusetts' first Governor and the first woman to step off the Mayflower and onto American soil).

We worked up an appetite traipsing around town, so the gigantic pastrami sandwiches at Sam LaGrassa's were a welcome sight for lunch. We lucked out and found 5 empty chairs at the end of a busy table and dug in!

Ready to hit the road again, our next stop was Copley Square.  Copley is surrounded by beautiful old churches, the towering Hancock building, food trucks, and that afternoon a bustling farmers market. We ducked into the cool interior of the Boston Public Library, America's first public lending library, decked out in marble, tile mosaics, murals, and wrought iron. They just don't build libraries like they used to!

I wanted my family to see one of my favorite places in the city: the Reading Room. I think I would live here if I could.

I love the green lamps casting a soft glow over the tables, shelves lined with books, gleaming wooden tables, and the towering windows letting in sunlight.

After a stop at Trident Booksellers & Cafe on Newbury Street to have a drink, cool off, and rest our feet, we headed across the Charles River to pay a visit to the MIT Museum. The first floor is kind of a bust, but head to the second floor where there's some great stuff! My favorites were quirky and fun interactive kinetic sculptures (including a walking wish-bone machine), the remnants of a piano dropped from the roof of a building, almost unbelievably realistic holographs, and the photography of Joel Tettamanti showing human presence and architecture in unforgiving landscapes.

Following a walk through the Infinite Corridor of MIT's Main Building and a few photos out front in Killian Court, we made our way back across the river for dinner at Al Dente in the North End. After barely making a dent in large plates piled high with homemade pastas, we snagged cannolis from Mike's Pastry, saw the Old North Church, and then caught the commuter rail back to Medford with only seconds to spare.

Saturday, after bagel sandwiches from Magnificent Muffin, we headed out of the city for strawberry picking at Tougas Family Farm. We were given cardboard trays to fill up, a bucket to toss out bad strawberries (this helps the farm minimize spraying), and a quick picking lesson.

It was an overcast morning, but the rain held off, allowing us to gather a little over 10 pounds of strawberries! Sampling as we picked, it was fun but hard work! And really addictive! The more you pick, the more strawberries you spot, and you feel the urge to keep picking as long as you keep spotting new bunches of vibrant red berries hidden under the protective green leaves.

But finally, the trays got full and our knees and backs begged for a break! We plopped down at a picnic table to rest, sipping on strawberry lemonade slushes and snacking on fresh strawberry donuts (in the interest of full disclosure, I hated the donuts, but my family loved them).

After sandwiches at Nashoba Brook Bakery in Concord, we stopped by the Old North Bridge at the Minuteman National Park where the first battle of the American Revolution took place and the "shot heard round the world" was fired.

Three years ago, we took engagement photos here. My how time has flown.

That evening, our Texan guests needed a lobster fix, so we prepared the ultimate summer lobster feast.  At Market Basket, you can buy extremely affordable lobster (anywhere from $3.99 - $6.99 per pound), and they will steam it for you, free of charge. We brought home a lobster per person and broke them down, halving the tails, popping off the claws, and even rolling the meat out of the tiny legs (using a rolling pin). After brushing the tails with butter, my husband threw everything on the grill for a few minutes.

Along with the grilled lobster, we had boiled new potatoes, corn with chili lime butter, pesto pasta salad, and sweet tea (it's very difficult for my folks to have dinner without sweet tea). For dessert, we used our fresh-picked strawberries to make strawberry shortcake.

Sunday we took a drive up to Essex to visit the North Shore. We spent the morning and early afternoon antiquing, stopping for lunch at Woodman's because you can't go to the North Shore without getting fried clams and chowder. Our favorite antique shop was the Flying Dragon, filled to the brim with dusty and rusty odds and ends. The other antique stores lining the road to Woodman's (Main Street) are targeted toward wealthier clientele, so while still fun to browse, purchases were out of the question.

Behind the shops along Main Street, you can see the Essex Salt Marsh stretching out toward the horizon as it winds its way toward the sea.

That evening we drove back into Boston, visited Fenway Park, and enjoyed a fabulous dinner at Eastern Standard, our favorite restaurant in town. Back at home, we put our feet up and watched tv over bowls of homemade strawberry peach ice cream topped with macerated strawberries!

We had so much fun this weekend and were sad to see my folks headed back south on Monday morning, but I know these will be memories I treasure for a very long time.

Mid-Week Date Night

On Wednesday my husband and I had a mid-week date night, which is pretty wild and crazy for us. Usually we're fairly boring during the week, preferring to just cook dinner together and then curl up on the couch to catch up on TV shows.  But this week, we had a concert to go to! Ramin Karimloo, a singer from the West End (London's Broadway), was in Boston on his "Broadway to Bluegrass" tour.

I originally learned about Ramin while following the career of Hadley Fraser. I fell for Hadley and his simply amazing voice when I saw him as Marius in "Les Miserables" 10 years ago in London.  Last year, I was lucky enough to see him return to "Les Mis" and steal the show as Javert.  Hadley and Ramin have performed together in various productions and are the singing/song-writing duo behind the band Sheytoons. While Hadley is my favorite, I was excited to see Ramin perform for the first time.

Before the show, we tried Veggie Planet, a cute little hole-in-the-wall vegetarian restaurant.  I got a tart summery Raspberry Lime Rickey and the Portobello Redhead pizza (their items are served over either pizza or rice).  Topped with portobellos and onion, blanketed in romesco sauce, and dotted with goat cheese, it was very good (though maybe a little too oily).

After dinner, we stopped into Algiers to share a pot of tea.  Named after Algeria's capital city, it's a coffee shop specializing in Middle Eastern food. Almost hidden in a typical Harvard Square red brick building, you step in and feel transported -- the decor is eclectic, colorful, and quite beautiful. There's a downstairs seating area, but I prefer to head upstairs to their lovely second floor with a high dome ceiling, large windows, Middle Eastern artwork, and even a little outdoor deck area.

The service is almost ridiculously slow, but if you aren't in a hurry, both the food and drinks are very good. I absolutely love their mint tea and their lamb kebab sandwich wrapped in a fresh pita.  We finished our little pot of mint tea and made our way to Regatta Bar, excited for the concert to start.

Ramin put on a fantastic show with some very talented musicians backing him up, including a Texas fiddle player with some real chops. The "Broadway to Bluegrass" concept may sound like a weird one, but they totally made it work, playing arrangements of showtunes with a bluegrass flair. Ramin about brought the house down with a moving rendition of "Bring Him Home" from "Les Miserables," and I particularly enjoyed "Broken", a Sheytoons number (sadly lacking Hadley's vocals).

I was pretty tired at work on Thursday morning, but it was worth it for a fun night on the town!  Now it's time to gear up for the long Memorial Day weekend.  Tonight we go to the last ballet of the season (Coppelia), and we'll spend the rest of the weekend celebrating and cooking out with friends. Wishing everyone a very happy Friday and a wonderful weekend!