November 23, 2018 Bear in Boots
Every time I am down in Falmouth, I like to try to get to Bear in Boots right on Main Street. They have a scratch kitchen and everything they put out is consistently delicious. We started with the fried cheese (pictured top left): Beer battered Vermont cheddar cheese curds with dill seed crema. My daughter loves cheeseburgers, so we ordered her one – loved that they offered it with sides of asparagus and green apple. She proceeded to inhale it as soon as it reached the table. The gnocchi did not disappoint, with delicious flavor and the perfect consistency. And how do you come here and NOT get the table pretzel? The salty goodness comes with a side of stone ground mustard and a cheddar jalapeño sauce.
Other things to look out for on the menu: the ramen, the bolognese and the stout marinated steak tips.
Bear in Boots
285 Main Street, Falmouth, MA
Hours of operation:
Sunday, Monday, Tuesday:- CLOSED
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday & Saturday: 5:00 pm-9:00 pm (Kitchen Hours) Bar Open Until 12:00 am
Parking is available on street.
Tags: casual dining, family friendly, restaurant, scratch kitchen
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November 22, 2018 Happy Thanksgiving
There are so many things to be thankful for this year – good health, a roof over our heads, food on the table and good friendships. I am most thankful for my family. While I am not hosting this year, I am still doing quite a bit of baking and cooking. I was trying to finish off all the apples we had left over, so I made apple crisps and home made apple sauce. Every time I make anything with apples, I am reminded of my great uncle Sol (who has since passed away). He was one of my favorite (great) uncles, with great stories and a husky laugh. When I was younger, I was always in awe that he could peel apples in just one peel. In my eyes, that was just one of the things that made him larger than life. I see that same sense of wonder in my son’s eyes when he is doing just about anything with my dad.
I hope you are spending this holiday surrounded by people you love. May your hearts (and stomachs) be full, and may you never lose your sense of wonder. Happy Thanksgiving!
Tags: holiday
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November 21, 2018 Picking Fruit at Tougas Farm
Another place we liked to pick our own fruit this season was Tougas Farm in Northborough. We did strawberries and cherries here this season, but this time of year they do have apple picking available. The first time we went was when the baby was fairly new – so here I am with three kids in the car and as soon as we pull into the lot, it starts to rain. But we drove all the way here, so I make the kids get out and put on coats. So I have one strapped into the baby carrier, I’m holding two by the hands and have an umbrella on my arm and I’m trying to get them up the stairs onto the tractor to go out to the fields. I figure it’ll be great, strawberries are low to the ground so the kids won’t need a lot of help and they can have a fun afternoon. Wrong. After picking two berries, my son says, “Mama, I’m all done.” Ummm, no. Then, “How about you pick them and hand them to me and I will put them in the basket?” So here I am bending down with the baby basically parallel to the ground picking strawberries, soaking wet, picking two enormous cartons of strawberries by myself. And when we are done, I’m holding two full containers, so I have no hands to help the kids up onto the tractor ride. Why do I even do this to myself?! But we make it and the kids had a good time, we even were able to squeeze in some lunch. They have a nice little picnic area outside to eat at – we had grilled cheeses and the kids were happy!
With cherry picking I wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice, so we all went as a family. This way at least I would have one hand free. The kids love the tractor ride to and from the orchards and they really love the big playground area. They do have goats and some birds that are roaming about the picnic area. Their farm store has lots of delicious seasonal treats (pies, cider, donuts, fresh picked fruits), jams, maple products, beverages, and more.
Apple picking is a 10lb peck for $30 and a 20lb half bushel is $40. You can pick your own pumpkins for $0.75 per pound. Make sure to check their Facebook page to see what they are currently picking and what the current prices are (sometimes they run specials).
Where do you like to pick your own fruit?
Tougas Farm
234 Ball Street, Northborough, MA
Pick your own fruit Tuesday – Sunday 10am – 5pm. Closed Mondays.
Tags: family friendly, farm, pick your own, trips
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November 20, 2018 Rail Trail Flatbread Company
Kim and I met out for lunch at Rail Trail Flatbread Co. to try out their Breads and Spreads. Cute little toasts with some seriously tasty toppings. Pick three for $7 – totally great deal if you’re looking for a light lunch.
Here are the current options (they have changed the menu a bit since we were there):
spinach & artichoke baked spinach & artichoke dip, asiago, chive
avocado (pictured top right) crushed avocado, cucumber, roasted seed on toast
sweet potato spiced sweet potato puree, torched fluff, sage
pimento prosciutto (pictured middle right) pimento cheese, 7-minute egg, crispy prosciutto, chive on toast
honey chevre (pictured left and top right) whipped goat cheese, local honey, black cardamom almond on toast
And while were were there, we were excited to try some of their mocktails out, which are really top notch. I love the madras fizz which is grenadine, lemon, orange and soda water (pictured right). Kind went with the Edgar Lucia (pictured left) which was luxardo cherry, maple syrup and soda water.
Rail Trail Flatbread Co.
33 Main Street, Hudson, MA
https://railtrailflatbread.com/
Tags: casual dining, family friendly, pizza
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November 19, 2018 Kōhi Coffee Co.
Located on Guest Street, Kōhi Coffee Co. seems so spacious due to the floor to ceiling windows and the high ceilings. It has a standing bar as well as a place to sit if you want to catch up on some emails. While it was quiet on a lazy Sunday afternoon, I can see it being packed on the week days. After all, it is close to the Bruins, the Celtics, WGBH and New Balance.
I’m not a big coffee drinker – so I don’t know about the subtle differences, but they offer batch brew and pour over coffee as well as Siphon, Chemex and Aeropress from their brew bar. I picked up a single origin cold brew and they also offer NOLA, which is brewed with chicory root.
Pair a cup of coffee wth a savory scone, house made granola, homemade biscuits with jam and butter, seasonal muffins or a chocolate chip cookie. They have a light breakfast and lunch menu featuring a vegan sandie, a morning salad, a season fruit bowl, toad in a hole and a breakfast sandwich, to name a few.
Kōhi Coffee Co.
130 Guest Street, Brighton, MA
Hours:
mon-fri: 7a – 7p
sat-sun: 8a – 5p
Tags: breakfast, casual dining, coffee, lunch, take out
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November 14, 2018 Food Truck Festival
Sponsored Post
The kids and I have been reading Food Truck Fest by Amanda Penfold and it has quickly become a night time favorite. The kids can recite almost all the words to this rhyming book by heart. So when we were invited to the Cape Cod For Truck Festival, it was a no brainer. The weather looked like it was going to be a bit iffy, but we ate until we were stuffed and got out before the rain came. Who was there?
Shishkaberry’s (VIP Truck!), The Whoo(pie) Wagon, GottaQ, Trolley Dogs, Say cheese!, Binge BBQ, Cape Cod Cannoli’s, Moyzilla, Sheherazad,Da Bomb Truck, Teri-Yummy, Local Scoop, Mediteranian Home Cooking, Wahlburgers, Big T’s, Melt, Travelin Bones, Kebabish, The Salt Block, HullaGood, Chocolate Freaking Bacon, Wolf Pizza, and Macarollin’
They also had a craft beer area that hosted beers from Jacks Abby, Springdale, Lord Hobo, Down The Road, Stormalong Cider, Mighty Squirrel, White Birch, Zero Gravity, Lawson’s Finest Liquids, Citizen Cider, Brown’s Brewing, Weyerbacher Brewing, Toppling Goliath, Great Divide Brewing, Epic Brewing, 21st Amendment Brewing, and Uinta Brewing.
What were our favorites? The corn from The Salt Block (bottom right) was amazing, Wahlburgers (middle left) was a big hit with the kids along with pops from The Local Scoop (middle right). My favorite was the brisket sandwich from Binge BBQ (top right).
Food Truck Festivals – Heck yeah or not for you?
Disclaimer: I partnered with Food Truck Festivals of America on this post. Our admission and some of our food was provided complimentary. As always, all opinions are my own.
Want more information on when a food truck festival is coming near you? Check out their website here.
Tags: family friendly, festival, food trucks
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November 12, 2018 Smashburger
Not all my meals as a blogger are glamorous – too be very honest, most days my kids want to eat at Panera. I swear if I have to look at another grilled cheese this week I may scream. So I try and find other places for them to try. We had a special mom and daughter day so I took her out to Smashburger – she loves burgers these days. Not bad for being a chain (and not an every week kind of thing) – the bacon and swiss burger was totally edible. Of course we added on fries and I was pleasantly surprised as how much I liked the shakes – they are made with Häagen-Dazs ice cream. Join their rewards program to get a point for every dollar spent and when you get 100 points you get a $10 reward. Get a free side or shake with any purchase on your birthday as well.
Lunch is always a hard meal for me – whether it is for school or out at a restaurant. We sometimes get in the chicken fingers, grilled cheese, hot dog, macaroni rut. With school it is even harder as we aren’t allowed to send kids with fruit or veggies cut at home (allergy reasons). What do you do for your kids for lunch? I’d love to have some other new ideas.
Smashburger
1298 Worcester Street, Natick, MA
www.smashburger.com
Tags: burgers, casual dining, family friendly, take out
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November 9, 2018 Uhlman’s
I am always looking for a new place to try ice cream. Uhlman’s (pronounced yool-mens) is located in Westborough and they make delicious ice cream in small batches. (They are closed for the season, but keep them in mind for next year.) They are open from March to October, 11am – 8pm daily. So what do they have? Hard ice cream, soft ice cream, frozen yogurt, allergy friendly options, and no sugar added flavors.
Flavors like strawberry cheesecake, Milky Way, Oreo, green tea, ginger, coconut, mint Oreo, bubble gum, m&m, Cookie Monster, cake batter, heavenly hash, chocolate peanut butter cup, cherry vanilla, frozen pudding and pumpkin Oreo will be sure to tempt anyone you bring. Allergy friendly flavors include orange, raspberry, pineapple and lemon dole whip that is nut free, dairy free, gluten free and cholesterol free. No sugar added flavors include vanilla, black raspberry and coffee. Frozen yogurt comes in flavors like cappuccino crunch, coffee, Oreo, chocolate chip, mint chip and black raspberry chocolate chip. Strawberry cheesecake is a winner in my book so keep your eyes open for it next season.
They offer ready made and made to order ice cream cakes – YUM!! Looking forward to next summer already.
There are a few picnic tables to eat your ice cream at, as well as some grassy areas for the kids to burn off some energy before getting back in the car. They have some cows on property that are always fun to look at as well. If you go in the afternoon, they have lunch time hot dog specials!
Uhlman’s is a cash only shop, but there is an ATM on site. Their prices are very reasonable and have appropriate sized kids ice creams 🙂
Uhlman’s Ice Cream
232 East Main Street, Westborough, MA
https://www.uhlmansicecream.com
Tags: cash only, dairy free, family friendly, gluten free, ice cream
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November 8, 2018 Washashore Bakery
I hadn’t been to Mashpee Commons in a while, and was excited to see that the space where we used to get sandwiches has turned into Washashore Bakery. They have the cutest little desserts that taste good too. We picked up a few teats to bring home for dessert – the lemon tart was just perfectly done and the kids adored the little lobster cookies. The shop offers cinnamon buns, scones, coffee cake, pop tarts, lemon squares, blondies, brownies, cheesecakes, bread puddings, cookies, cupcakes, tea breads and more.
The bakery was opened in 2016 by Sandy McPherson and you can pop in and see them icing cakes or making desserts in their open kitchen.
For Thanksgiving they are offering pies at $23 in the following flavors: pumpkin, pecan, chocolate cream, apple cranberry, apple, cherry and blueberry.
Washashore Bakery
14 Central Square, Mashpee Commons, Mashpee, MA
Monday – Saturday 9:30am – 4:30pm
Sunday 10am – 4pm
Tags: bakery, cape cod, casual dining, dessert, family friendly
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