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!)

Cape Cod Clam Chowder Crawl

Most of this winter has not been very glamorous for us. We've spent the vast majority of our free time holed up in the house (in fact, there have been weekends where we never even changed out of our pajamas)! It's been so cold and snowy that the thought of voluntarily venturing outdoors just hasn't seemed worth the effort. So we cook, we watch TV, we work on projects around the house, we read, etc.  But finally, we had a little relief this weekend. Temperatures were in the 50s which, at this rate, felt like summer. We were itching to get out of the house and to go on an adventure, so we hatched a plan for a day trip down to Cape Cod for a "Clam Chowdah Crawl" as the locals would say!

The Mission:

Eat all the chowder! After crossing the bridge and making our way down the Cape, our delicious adventure began in Chatham, and our crawl would take us back up the Cape, through Dennis Port, Harwich, and finally West Yarmouth.

The Contenders:

Chatham Squire (Chatham) - An almost-dive bar featuring foosball and pool tables, pinball, and walls lined with old license plates:
Clancy's (Dennis Port) - A slightly dated restaurant, but the large windows boast a gorgeous view of the Swan River. (Ladies, they also have a bowl of complimentary locally made salt scrub for your hands in the restroom.)
Captain Parker's (West Yarmouth) - Another wonderfully dated spot packed with locals (and boasting a pretty incredible Police badge collection in the bar area)

The Chowders:

Chatham Squire - Very solid. We're off to a good start here! The flavor is great, but it left us searching for any actual clam bits in the broth.  
Beer Pairing: Cape Cod Red
Clancy's - Things are still looking good. Another bowl of chowder, another packet of oyster crackers. This one is creamier with a little less briney flavor. Larger hunks of clam are the highlight.  
Beer Pairing: Sam Adams Boston Lager
Captain Parker's - What a way to finish! This chowder (while a smidge too salty if we're going to split hairs) was definitely the best. Great flavor and generous amounts of meaty clams! Bonus points for offering a bread bowl option!  
Beer Pairing: Sam Adams Cold Snap

The Things We Did When Not Eating:

While a large portion of our day trip revolved around eating, we did manage to squeeze in a few other activities between bowls of chowder.

After emptying our first bowl (and a game of Star Trek pinball) at Chatham Squire, we poked around a few of the local shops like the Yellow Umbrella Bookstore (new and used books) and The Mayflower Shop (cute house wares, toys, games, and souvenirs). Next we drove down to Chatham Lighthouse Beach for a little lighthouse spotting and for a stroll on the beach. The rolling sand dunes, sea grass, weathered wooden sand fence, and gray shingled beach houses were right out of a post card. With our second bowl of chowder behind us, we made time for a little antiquing at the Harwich Antique Center and at the Antique Center of Yarmouth. We were really hoping to squeeze in a game of miniature golf, but sadly all of the courses were closed for the season.

After our third and final chowder, the sun had set, and it was time to head home. The weather has turned cold again, and snow is back in the forecast, but our Cape Cod adventure will be a happy, sunny memory to keep us warm until Spring arrives!

Housewarming or Hostess Gift Idea: Embroidered Tea Towel

A couple weeks ago we visited friends who have recently moved to Charleston, South Carolina. They just bought their first house, and they were kind enough to welcome us into their home for the weekend (and play city tour guide), so I wanted to bring them a little gift to say thank you. One of my favorite housewarming (or hostess) gifts is a hand-embroidered tea towel for the kitchen. I use classic white flour sack towels and embroider cutesy little food-related patterns on them. They're quick projects that only take a couple of hours, but it's fun to be able to give someone a handmade gift.

What You'll Need:

Embroidery Floss (whatever colors you like)
Tapestry Needle, Size 22 or 24 (tips on choosing needle types and sizes)
Embroidery Hoop (I use an 8" hoop)
Cute Patterns (see below)
Flour Sack Towels
Water Soluble Tracing Pen 

Favorite Patterns

These are some of my favorite patterns that I've found.  Aren't they adorable? I do the bacon and egg love story or the happy coffee pot the most frequently.

Left to Right: True Love #5, True Love #2, True Love #1 patterns by Gina Matarazzo Design and Illustration

Clockwise, Starting at Top Left: Coffee, Grumpy Grill, Cupcake, and I Heart Tea patterns by Wild Olive

What to Do

Once you've picked a pattern and your embroidery floss colors, it's time to get started!

1) Place the towel over the pattern such that you can see it through the fabric, and trace along the pattern with your water soluble pen.

2) Place the towel securely in your embroidery hoop, and get to stitching! Using all 6 strands of embroidery floss, embroider along the lines of the pattern. I use the back stitch most frequently, and I like to use French Knots for eyes. 

Note: If you're new to embroidery, I highly, highly recommend Wild Olive's Embroidery Basics. They're incredibly helpful, and they got me started!

3) Once you're finished with your embroidery, simply rinse the towel to remove the water soluble ink, and let it dry.

4) Ta da! You have a pretty, handmade, one-of-a-kind gift that will hopefully bring a smile to just about anyone's face!

Toraya: Sushi Hidden Gem

I don't think I have an unusual story when it comes to sushi. For the majority of my life, I wouldn't dare try it. But when I moved to LA after college, after a significant amount of peer pressure, I decided to give it a shot. After all, it's basically the unofficial official food of LA. Turns out I was wrong about sushi and that I very much needed it in my life. I got pretty spoiled in LA, as there's a quality sushi place on roughly every other street corner, but upon moving to Boston, it took me a while to find a spot that I really loved. The place I finally stumbled upon was Toraya -- a little hole in the wall hidden gem in sleepy Arlington (and conveniently, about a 10 minute drive from our house). 

As far as I can tell you can't go wrong here. Maybe start with some green tea and gyoza. Then you'll want a little sushi. Or maybe a lot of sushi. Whatever floats your boat (speaking of boats, maybe you want one of the table-sized wooden boats full of sushi).

If you're still hungry (or if sushi really isn't your thing), try the Nabeyaki Udon, an udon noodle soup with chicken, mushrooms, a poached egg, and two gigantic tempura shrimp. I can only go a couple months at a time before I'm overcome by severe cravings for this soup. My husband has similar cravings for their steak teriyaki, served alongside rice and tempura vegetables.

Long story short, if you're in the Boston area, give Toraya a shot. On the other hand, this place is tiny, and it's hard enough to get a seat as it is, so maybe just stick to your "big city" sushi places in Boston. Leave the suburbs to us! 

Happy Valentine's Day!

(Print by Christine Stalder of CbyC Design Studio)

Happy Valentine's Day, friends! I hope it's a wonderful day (and weekend) spent with those you love, whether that be family, friends, or a special someone. We're celebrating tonight in our own kitchen with this Ricotta Gnudi with Pomodoro Sauce followed by these ridiculously adorable Raspberry Lemon Pie Crust Hearts! Then tomorrow we'll go out on the town for dinner and drinks at State Park and a trip to the movies. Sunday, we have a brunch date with our friends Brad and Ashleigh, who are in town for the weekend from Texas! So many fun things to look forward to!