homemade chicken noodle goodness

I'm spending a few days at my grandmothers house in Connecticut. And this means many things like shopping, and lounging, and movie watching, and cookie eating. But most of all, this means...

Homemade chicken noodle soup.

There is nothing better in all the world than my grammy's noodle soup.

celery root and apple puree (courtesy of Ina).

Check out this episode of barefoot contessa for delicious ideas for Thanksgiving dinner. I myself am planning on making the celery root and apple puree (minute 7:16 in the video). YUMMY. It sounds and LOOKs delectable.

2 days!!

Taking on Thanksgiving...

photo from: Closet Cooking

This year Meg and I are hosting Thanksgiving at our apartment!

I know my mom and Grammy will probably be helping a LOT, but I've been doing a little research on what I can contribute to the meal. Ina Garten and Martha Stewart have been supplying me with plenty of ideas, now it's just about deciding what to do!

I'll keep you updated!

What are your plans for Turkey Day?

Weekend Breakfast Hotspot

I know I have blogged about this cafe before, but I don't care I'm going to blog about it again. This is most definitely my most favorite place to get breakfast in Boston. The atmosphere is chic and the food is savory. A real winner for any weekend morning. If you live in Boston, and didn't check it out after my last post, GET SOME EATS HERE! And if you don't live in Boston, come to visit and I will take you there!!

Win, win!

YUM!!

so long, new york!

What a terrific little weekend trip I had to New York City. I absolutely LOVE visiting NY and discovering new restaurants, meeting up with friends, and visiting the many many shops! This weekend I got to do all of that and more and in really just a matter of 24 hours. I packed it all in and am sitting on the megabus home feeling very satisfied.

There's only one thing I would have changed: Bailey was not there. Boo. I missed you, Bails! Tons!

Here is a sneak peak at what I did this weekend...

had a delicious brunch @ Miriam

fell in love with Fishs Eddy

and enjoyed a lovely italian market experience at Eataly in Union Square

FAVOLOSO!

More on each of these experiences this week!

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CafeTeria (Tres Chic!)

Last Sunday Mo, Katharine and I decided to get brunch together before Mo headed back to Rochester. We chose CafeTeria on Newbury Street and it was the perfect choice. A great bright and airy atmosphere and really delicious food. Simple, but with a touch of fancy.

I was too busy eating my chocolate chip buttermilk pancakes to take a picture of them, but trust me, this place is a winner.

Highly recommended!!

CafeTeria

279a Newbury Street

Boston, MA 02116

Crazy good. Insanely delicious.

This dressing is the YUMMIEST. I just picked it up today at Super Stop and Shop because as I was skittering down the salad dressing aisle my eyes were drawn to the product packaging. I am such a sucker for packaging. I'll admit it. Give me a nice looking bottle and I'm sold. The good thing about most well-packaged products is that they do actually taste better. In my opinion. Or at least, my brain has convinced my taste buds to think that way.

Brinanna's Home Style Dressing is for real DEEElicious.

I picked up some Rich Poppy Seed dressing and it's phenomenally sweet and flavorful. I can't wait to pack a salad for lunch tomorrow with butter lettuce, raspberries, grapes, sliced almonds, and especially this tasty topper. What a treat!

There are lots of other appealing flavors too... just check them out at your local grocer (Whole Foods excluded, which is surprising, but true).

BRIANNA'S

Fine Salad Dressing

Crazy good.

Fruit Frenzy Bars

I just tried one of these Fruit Frenzy Bars from Trader Joes. Wow. WOW. I apologize for lack of a better picture. It's too dark in my kitchen right now and this is all I could find. You can get the idea though. Looks so pink and cheery. And tastes even better.

It is three layers of sweet, tart, sugary goodness.

First raspberry. SOOO flavorful.

Next lemon. Deliciously sour.

Last strawberry. Tastes like summer.

TRY these. Try these tomorrow! They will keep that summer skip in your step. Hold on to it while you can!

Beans. Dragon Beans.

I have been feasting on these delicious beans all summer.

Their name?

Dragon Tongue Beans.

Sounds like something Harry would eat at Hogwarts. And these beans sure are magical. They are so tender and delicious. The colorful pods are great when eaten raw. They have a satisfying crunch and are juicy and sweet. YUM! Zan has been growing them in his garden all summer and I've been eating them by the handful. They are supposedly locally grown in California, but have been producing just fine here in Massachusetts.

Have you ever had these beans?

Another delicious item in the garden:

Dragon's Eggs. They look like eggs, but they're really cucumbers! A heirloom crop that is most rare and unique. Cool and crisp I've been eating these "eggs" like apples. Even better, they don't have a pit.

Summer vegetables! YAY!

Yummy Pizza

Lauren made these SUPER yummy pizzas for dinner tonight. They tasted so good, and they're good for you too! She found the recipe in this month's Women's Health. Tasty, tasty.

Individual Pizzas with Gruyere, Caramelized Onions, and Apples

Hands-on Time: 10 Minutes
Total Time: 30 Minutes

4 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium onions, halved and thinly sliced
2 medium red apples, halved, cored, and thinly sliced
2 cans (15 oz each) white beans, drained and rinsed
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dried rosemary, crumbled
4 whole-wheat tortillas (8-inch)
2 cups shredded reduced-fat Gruyere cheese (8 oz)
1/4 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 450°F.

2. In a large skillet, warm 2 teaspoons oil over medium heat. Add onions and toss to coat. Add 3/4 cup water, bring to a boil, and cook 5 minutes longer.

3. Add apple slices and cook until apples are crisp-tender, onions are golden, and liquid has evaporated, 7 to 10 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mash beans with remaining 2 teaspoons oil, lemon juice, salt, rosemary, and 3 tablespoons water.

5. Place tortillas on 2 large baking sheets. Spread beans evenly over tortillas. Top with the onion-apple mixture, cheese, and pecans.

6. Bake about 5 minutes, until pizzas are piping hot and cheese has melted. Serve hot.

Makes 4 pizzas.

Food and Friends| a diary of dining out.

My mom bought me the most delicate book this weekend at anthropologie. It's so fun it makes me want to call up my girlfriends for some dinner and drinks! The book helps you keep a log of the restaurants you've visited, who you went with, what you ate, and what you thought about the meal. A cute idea for keeping dining memories! And it's really so true-- some of the best memories I've had with my friends are over a delicious meal. Food and Friends, the perfect pair.

Alright, who wants to go out to dinner?!!

Sunflower Butter vs. Peanut Butter

Meet my new friend:

Sunflower Seed Butter

Although I do still have a [VERY] special place in my heart for peanut butter, I am forced to eat my beloved PB&J's with sunflower butter this summer, as my reading specialist internship is at a "peanut-free" school. Which I guess would now make it a SB&J. Which really, just sounds weird.

Truthfully, sunflower butter is actually pretty tasty and when slabbed on some bread with some extra delicious raspberry preserves I can barely tell the difference.

But still we should ask ourselves-- Which butter is better??

After doing a bit of research (my own taste tests and those of others) I have come to the conclusion that although peanut butter ultimately tastes better, it is not in fact better for you. For nutritional value sunflower butter takes the gold. It has lesser amounts of monosaturated fat and it is richer in vitamins, protein, and fiber. And although it might not taste as sweet or salty, it has less additives, and is more hearty in flavor.

And if you feel up to it-- go ahead and mix some of your own!

Click here for an easy recipe from Domesticfluff (a really awesome blog!):

Sunflower Seed Butter

Still I do wonder-- when my internship is over will I rejoin forces with Peanut Butter? We have, after all, been lovers for SO long-- a true connection that runs deep.

Only time will tell.

Five Guys in Boston!!

Today Zan and I had big plans for the beach. It was going to be awesome. I slathered on some SPF, packed the cooler full of snacks, and grabbed my towels from the closet. We even put the top down on Zan's convertible. The sun was shining and life was good.

Then, it started to rain.

Should we go? We debated. Probably just a sprinkle.

Onward we went. Out of the city and up to the shore.

And the sky got darker. And darker. And the Heavens opened up.

Dang. Double Dang.

How disappointing. BUMMER. Until we spotted this:

And life was good again!

Five Guys in Boston (or technically the North Shore).... DREAM!!!!!

Five guys is one of the best burger joints in the country.

(only 2nd to In-N-Out in Cali)

Simple food and simply delicious.

Burgers. Fries. Shakes.

This photo is of the regular bacon cheese burger.

I prefer to get the little burger (one patty) because it's really all my stomach can handle.

The burgers are SUPER delicious and you're allowed to get as many toppings as you want FREE. Incredible.

Thanks Five Guys. You made my day.

After some research, it turns out there are several FG around the Boston area. Super sweet. Click here to find the one closest to you!

Bakerella's Peach Crunch Cake

Photo from Bakerella.com

HOLY popsicle sticks.

This incredible dessert is so sweet and scrumptious it nearly killed me.

It is made with brown sugar and vanilla cake mix.

And peaches.

oh, and also-

an entire stick of butter.

Go ahead, you can think it: Heart attack in a dish.

OR Heaven in a dish.

Heaven with vanilla ice cream on top.

YUM.

Get the recipe!!

Strawberry Poppy Seed Salad

I was feeling lazy tonight for dinner and so I stopped by Panera to take-out a salad to bring home. I decided on the Strawberry Poppy Seed, seeing how it's summer and all, and it was the perfect dinner for a warm June night.

The salad not only has strawberries, but blueberries, mandarin oranges, and pineapple too. Plus walnuts and feta (if you ask) and a really tasty poppy seed dressing. It's great choice if you're ever near a Panera Bread-- take my word for it!

The Beehive

Last Thursday we celebrated Lauren (my beloved roomate)'s 25th birthday. Lauren is one of the nicest, most excellent people I know. And if you happen to be friends with her, you know what I am talking about!

LJ: YOU ROCK.

For the big two-five, a group of us decided to hit up the south end for a fun dinner at a hip location. Said location being... drumroll please.....: The Beehive!

The Beehive is THE place to go in the South End for a trendy time. There's live music every night, tasty cocktails, and REALLY yummy food.

REALLY yummy food such as...

Poutine (Cheese and Gravy Fries)

OH YES.

Whole Grain Flatbread Pizza with Prosciutto, Ricotta, and Tomato

Braised BBQ Beef Brisket, Twice Baked Potato, Slaw, Corn

Baked Scallops Rockefeller, Creamed Spinach, Beehive Frites with Sage and Sea Salt

Truffled Potato and Cheese Pierogies, Carmelized Onions, Sour Cream

Seafood Fra Diavolo, Scallops, Cod, Clams, Calamarl, Mussels

Happy 25th LJ! Love you forever!!

Hello Chocolate, top of the morning to you.

Good Morning.

And a very good Sunday morning it is.

Check out the new "Brownies and Bars" Section on Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen Website.

My, my. Oh my.

I am freaking out over here these all look TOO delicious.

Photos by Ree Drummond, Pioneer Woman

I LOVE CHOCOLATE.

There. I said it. And I'm never taking it back. Ever.

How's that for a start to your Sunday? Pretty good, right?

Thanks PW, you're the best.

Enjoy your day, friends!

Last night's dinner.

Last night's dinner

57% local (from the farmers market)

Pasta Dish

Local Squash

Local Zucchini

Chicken Pork Sausage

Rainbow Rotini

Salad

Local lettuce

Local tomatoes

Homemade salad dressing

Easy. Delicious. Success.

Eating Local.

I want this book.

I want to eat local foods every day and every night.

I want to be Barbara Kingsolver and have my own garden and raise my own chickens and have a husband who bakes bread daily and a daughter who cans tomatoes and I want to be able to make my own cheese.

Mmmm. Maybe someday.

For now the only things local I am eating are Zan's strawberries and some veggies from the farmers market. I feel so busy and too overwhelmed to commit myself to eating only local foods, although it's something I would love to do. Plus, I have absolutely NO land to call my own. Grass hardly exists on my street.

Luckily, there are so many farmers markets in Boston that there is no excuse for me not to eat mostly local this summer. Summer is, after all, the time to do it (winter is the hard part). I'm going to give it a try and see how it goes. Who's with me?

Farmers markets around Boston

Brookline Farmers Market

Coolidge Corner, Center Street

June 17th-October 28th

Thursdays, 1:30-dusk

Copley Square Farmers Market

St. James and Dartmouth Street

May 18th-November 23rd

Tuesdays and Fridays, 11:00-6:00

Prudential Center Farmers Market

800 Boylston Street

May 20th- October 28th

Thursdays, 11:00-6:00

SOWA Open Market/Farmers Market

Harrison Ave, South End

May 16th-October 31st

Sundays, 10:00-4:00

Allston Farmers Market

N. Harvard Street and Western Ave

June 18th-October 29th

Fridays, 3:00-7:00

There are SO many FM in and around the Bean! Click here for a farmers market near you.

And if you want to read a good book about Animals, Vegetables, and Miracles (like making your own cheese) check this out. It's one of my favorites!

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingslover (also a favorite author of mine).

www.animalvegetablemiracle.com

The Danish Pastry House

Stopped by the Copley Farmers Market today after work and found the most delicious looking pastry stand! Of course I had to try something. It would be wrong not to. So I went with the apple cinnamon brioche twist. And I'm gonna let you in on a secret: It tastes just as amazing as it looks. Simply fabulous.

I have such a sweet tooth and this pastry just really hit the spot. It's made by The Danish Pastry House so if you're ever in Copley on a Tuesday or Friday definitely stop by and have a treat! Besides getting some of their goodies at the farmers market they also have shops in Watertown and Medfield.

Check it out.