December 8, 2017 3 Little Figs
3 Little Figs has also been on my list of ‘go to’ places for quite some time. While Leah and I were doing a little tour of Somerville, we stopped in here for breakfast on a Saturday. Packed. Jam packed actually. Line outside the door.
Totally worth the wait. Leah and I grab a seat at the bar at the window and wait for our breakfast. Want an idea of what is on their menu:
SAUSAGE BREAKFAST PIE (weekends only) – local pork sausage from MF Dulock, egg, potato, cheddar, sun-dried tomatoes, flakey crust
SPINACH PIE (best ever!) – sheep’s milk feta, spinach, leeks, buttery phyllo dough
I chose the avocado torta because it reminded me of Chacarero. So this delicious sandwich may sound a little odd, but the flavor combination just works. Trust me. Avocado, green beans, muenster cheese, tomato and a spicy walnut chili pesto. This is like the more sophisticated version of the Chacarero sandwich.
3 Little Figs
278 Highland Ave., Somerville, MA
www.3littlefigs.com
Tags: bakery, breakfast, casual dining, coffee, lunch, somerville, takeout
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December 7, 2017 7Ate9 Bakery
I can’t tell you how long 7Ate9 Bakery has been on my list. Far too long. So when Leah and I were in Somerville, I made it a point to stop in. What a cute little shop.
The shop serves two sizes of cakes, a 9″ that feeds about 16-20 and a 4″ size that serves about 4-6 slices, but frankly, i thought they were more of a personal sized cheesecake 😉 Don’t forget to take a selfie while you’re there with their cute props by the door!
I chose the classic cheesecake with chocolate chips on top. Other flavors they have include:
lemon cheesecake, cheesecake with fruit (blueberries, strawberries,raspberries, or blackberries), cheesecake with strawberry, raspberry or blackberry sauce, a Taza raspberry cheesecake, cookies n’ cream cheesecake, chocolate cheesecake, mocha cheesecake, and a peanut butter cheesecake. Seasonal flavors include pumpkin and orange cranberry.
7Ate9 Bakery
199C Highland Avenue, Somerville, MA
www.7ate9bakery.com
Tags: dessert, somerville, takeout
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December 6, 2017 Muffin House Cafe
What do you get for your dad for his birthday when he doesn’t want or need anything? You make the trek out to Medway (yeah, I had to look up where it is too) and pick him up some of his favorite muffins at the Muffin House Cafe. Sheldon used to have a little shop in the back of JJ McKay’s in Wayland, but then they closed. You can still pick them up at Mel’s in Wayland if you don’t want to drive to Medway, or their other location in Mendon.
Every day they make the muffins from scratch. They have over 20 varieties of muffins. Individual muffins will run you $2.59 and they are generously sized. Here are the flavor options:
Blueberry, Coffee Cake, Corn, Raisin Bran, Chocolate Chip, Apple Cinnamon, Blueberry, Banana Nut, Cranberry Orange, Pumpkin, Pistachio, Lemon Poppy, Banana Chocolate Chip, White Chocolate Strawberry, Double Chocolate Chip, Salted Caramel, Pina Colada, Morning Glory, Cappuccino
They were packed when we went in the late morning. I grabbed the muffins and had to jet, but next time we go, I will certainly go during breakfast or lunch – they had some tasty looking breakfast sandwiches and their lunch menu includes items like: chicken quesadilla, turkey club sandwich, Thanksgiving wrap, and buffalo chicken wraps.
Muffin House
116 Main Street, Medway, MA
http://www.muffinhousecafe.com
Tags: bakery, breakfast, casual dining, dessert, family friendly, lunch
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December 4, 2017 Farmers to You
I have a special place in my heart for Vermont – so I was excited to hear about Farmers to You, a weekly food delivery company that brings local Vermont goods either directly to your home or to a neighborhood pick up site. It couldn’t have been easier. Hop onto the website, pick out some delicious food from their vegetables, dairy, bakery, and fruit departments. I picked my order up in Wellesley in the church parking lot. It was raining cats and dogs – and I was able to pull my car up right next to the truck and barely got rained on – which is more than I can say for going to the grocery store.
We have been going to Vermont since I was a small child. Mostly in the winter, but no, I don’t ski. Like, at all. Not even cross country. In fact, I don’t even really like the snow that much. But we have some great memories from years spent crammed into our two bedroom condo at Trapp Family Lodge. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I ‘discovered’ Vermont in the summer. So many things to do. One of the best experiences I’ve had was a Vermont Farm Tour.
I was excited to see some brands that I was familiar with when I was browsing the Farmers to You website and excited to try out some new companies. What did I choose?
Cellars at Jasper Hill Landaff Cheese
von Trapp Farmstead Savage Cheese
Champlain Orchards Crumb Top Apple Pie
Strip Steak
Ploughgate Creamery salted cultured butter
Sweet Rowen Farmstead Cheese Curds
Strafford Organic Creamery Vanilla Ice Cream
Valicenti Organico Fresh Garlic Scape Linguini
Square Deal Farm Maple Syrup
Nutty Steph’s Peanut Butter Magic Chunks and Peanut Butter Milk Chocolate Bar
I love apple pie. As far as I am concerned, there are no other pies. I also think I am the only one alive (besides my dad) that prefers their apple pie cold. And I like my ice cream on the side, not on top, so as not to get the crumb topping soggy. The best part about this pie is that I didn’t have to drive to VT to get it, but I would have…
The crumb top was delicious and there was a hint of…nutmeg maybe…that gave it a little extra something something.
One of my favorite choices was the garlic scape linguini. I love fresh pasta, and I love garlic shapes (but to be honest, most times I get them, I’m not even really sure what to do with them). I wish that you could have smelled this pasta – it made my kitchen smell AMAZING! The flavor was both bold and subtle at the same time. I didn’t want to add sauce on to it because I didn’t want to take away from the flavor of the pasta. I did however add a mountain full of Parmesan cheese to the top of it, because hey, everything tastes better with cheese!
These bad boys almost didn’t make it home. I had to fight my husband for the third one (maybe there should be 4 in the package to avoid fights haha). In my head I convinced myself that these were even kind of healthy – 71% dark chocolate, ground peanuts and house made granola.
We loved the cheese curds, and by we, I mean my husband, because I don’t think they were in the fridge for more than an hour and when I went to go try one, they were gone…
The bagels were tasty as well – firm texture with a bite to it, we had them for breakfast plain and made breakfast sandwiches with them – any way you slice them, they were good.
Saving the meat for our traditional New Year’s Eve party with friends. The maple syrup will be in a maple roundup piece I am working on and the cheese is going to debuting on a cheese plate post later this month – so stay tuned for more!
Disclaimer: I was given a credit to Farmers to You to buy goods on their site. All opinions are my own.
To get $30 off your first order, use my special code “DG15”. This offer expires 12.31.17
Tags: shop local, shop small, vermont
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November 30, 2017 Blackbird Doughnuts – Fenway
I’ve been dying to try out Blackbird Doughnuts’ ice cream doughnut. One of these days I’ll get one! Until then, I settled for stopping in to their second location in Fenway and picking up some tasty treats for a hostess gift. We picked up both the raised doughnuts and the old fashioned cake donuts. What’s the difference? The raised doughnuts a light an airy and are made with a brioche dough while the cake doughnuts are made in the traditional style of cake batter.
The shop is small, similar in size to the south end shop. We were in and out quickly!
We bought these ones a while back (so the flavors pictured are no longer available), but here is a list of the doughnuts they are currently offering:
Raised Doughnuts
VANILLA GLAZED
Classic fluffy and airy vanilla doughnut.
CHOCOLATE SPRINKLE
Decadent dark chocolate ganache with a hint of coffee. Topped with rainbow sprinkles.
SALTED TOFFEE
Sweet, buttery, brown sugar topped with flaked sea salt.
CRAN GRAPE JAM BISMARCK
Buttery brioche filled with homemade jam made from fresh grapes and tart cranberries.
PUMPKIN BOSTON CREAM BISMARCK
Velvety pumpkin spice custard inside buttery brioche doughnut, topped chocolate ganache. Our best seller is all dressed up for fall.
CHERRY COBBLER
Bright cherry glazed topped with brown sugar cobbler crumble and dusted with powdered sugar.
EVERYTHING BAGEL DOUGHNUT
Our brioche doughnut filled with whipped cream cheese and topped with toasted garlic, onion, sesame, and poppy seeds.
Cake Doughnuts
THE BLACKBIRD
Vanilla bean old fashioned with vanilla glaze, our SIGNATURE FLAVOR!
MOCHA CHIP
Rich chocolate cake doughnut with cold brew coffee glaze topped with mini chocolate chips.
CHOCOLATE OLD FASHIONED
Chocolate cake with black cocoa for an extra rich finish.
TRIPLE CHOCOLATE
Our most decadent doughnut. Dark chocolate cake covered with rich chocolate ganache and chocolate sprinkles
APPLE CIDER
Old fashioned cake doughnut made with fragrant spices and finished in cinnamon sugar.
CINNAMON ROLL
Vanilla bean cake doughnut frosted with velvety cream cheese buttercream and dusted with cinnamon sugar.
CINNAMON SUGAR STACK
Three mini cake doughnuts rolled in cinnamon, sugar, and a touch of salt.
POWDERED SUGAR STACK
Three mini cake doughnuts rolled in delicate powdered sugar.
Blackbird Doughnuts
20 Kilmarnock Street, Boston, MA
www.blackbirddoughnuts.com
Tags: dessert, doughnuts, fenway, restaurant, takeout
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November 29, 2017 It’s About Time – Cooking with Michael Schlow
If you’re looking for holiday gift ideas, I always love giving cookbooks. Pick out your favorite recipe from the book (flag the page with a post it note) and pick up the ingredients the recipient will need to make the recipe. It makes a super cute gift basket! I already owned the Michael Schlow, “It’s About Time”, cookbook and love that the recipes are so easy to make (that even this novice chef can whip them up!) I’m a fan of all of Schlow’s restaurants, my all time favorite being the now closed Radius (I still have dreams about that burger!). Have you been to Alta Strada, Tico or Doretta Taverna?
I was excited to be invited to the Chef’s table at Eataly a while back when Michael Schlow was the guest chef. The intimate two hour class had Schlow preparing three recipes (with wine pairings from the Eataly sommelier) while sharing some personal stories in between each course. First up was the crostini of creamy mushrooms with lemon and mint (page 58 in the book), which was paired with the I Clivi, RBL Brut, Friuli-Venezia Giulia. The recipe can be made with any type of mushroom you prefer and you can use the mushrooms to top any number of dishes, bot just crostini – let your imagination take you away.
The congolese in brodetto (clams in broth) (page 60 in the book)were the star of the show. The raw clams were beautiful and still alive when we got to take a peek at them (you can tell if they are still alive when you buy them if you tap them lightly and they close). That one piece of bread was not enough to soak up all that delicious broth (not kidding, I wanted to drink up every last bit). It was a simple dish with just a handful of ingredients – a sure way to impress guests at your home. You can pick up any of the ingredients you need to make these recipes at Eataly – how convenient is that one stop shopping! The clams were paired with a Antinori, Cervaro Della Sala 2014 from Umbria.
Schlow talked about how the pasta station at any restaurant is the hardest one – so that you know that the chef who is running it is the best one in the kitchen. It is an art to get out multiple pasta dishes all perfectly al dente (especially if they are all different kinds of pasta – rigatoni cooks differently than spaghetti etc). While I wasn’t sure about the black olives in this dish when I read the description, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. The rigatoni dish was served with white beans, tomato and black olives ( page 64 in the book). It was served with a Mastrojanni, Rosso di Montalcino 2015, from Toscana. The flavors melded so well with each other and the beans added another layer of comfort to this dish.
I highly recommend picking up Michael Schlow’s cookbook, “It’s About Time” and make sure to check out Eataly’s class schedule (you even get a coupon for 10% anything you buy at Eataly after the class!) Hint: Another great gift idea is giving a cooking class!
Disclaimer: I was invited to be a guest at the Chef’s Table, my admission was complimentary. All opinions are my own.
Tags: back bay, celebrity chef, cooking class
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November 28, 2017 Manoa
I’ve been on a poke kick lately. We decided to venture over to Manoa in Somerville to try out their bowls. I have to say that this place felt the most authentic out of all the places we have been to thus far. Poke is a raw fish salad that is generally served as an appetizer in Hawaiian cuisine. The fish is generally dressed with soy sauce or sesame oil.
Manoa is a small shop with a few seats, the line is out the door when we arrive but it moves at a decent pace – clearly a good sign that so many people are eating here.
A small poke bowl with one scoop of poke and your choice of base will run you $7.95. The regular that comes with two scoops of poke, your choice of base and your choice of a side is $11.95. If you’re feeling particularly hungry, try the big bowl with three scoops of poke and two sides for $15.95. So what kind of poke do they have? Ahi shoyu (tuna in sesame soy marinade with pickled onions and macadamia), Kilauea (spice tuna in kim chee aioli with house made furikake), soy boy (braised tofu in a teriyaki marinade with edamame and avocado), salmon shoyu (salmon in a sesame soy marinade with pickled onions and macadamia), and kelaguen (raw catch of the day in coconut milk and citrus marinade with crispy rice).
Not in the mood for raw fish? No problem. They have you covered with a chili bowl, a fried chicken plate and kalua pig. They offer some delicious sides as well, the kim chee cucumber is not to be missed. They also have a mac salad, rainbow slaw, chorizo slaw, edamame and a veggie special. Those “kaboom legumes” you see above are also not to be missed, they are spicy roast chickpeas! If you’re like us and want a little bit of everything, go for the poke flight that is a tasting platter of ahi shoyu, salmon shoyu and kilauea and kelaguen with your choice of brown or white rice and two sides all for $19.95.
The kalua pig is a slow cooked heritage pork shoulder that comes with rice or a Portuguese sweet roll and is topped with crispy crackling and served with a side of chorizo slaw. SO GOOD!
While not poke, the fried chicken stole my heart. It’s a mochiko battered thigh served with rice and drizzled with a spiced honey.
There is something for everyone here, and they use tamari sauce so all of their fish poke can be made gluten free.
Where is your favorite poke spot?
Manoa Poke Shop
300 Beacon Street, Somerville, MA
https://manoa.fish
Tags: casual dining, gluten free, lunch, poke, somerville, takeout
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November 27, 2017 Davis Square Donuts and Bagels
I am always on the hunt for a new breakfast spot, and especially a new bagel spot! I had been eagerly awaiting the opening of Davis Square Donuts and Bagels ever since Leah and I went to Rosebud for lunch and I saw the sign that it was coming soon. The shop has some seats on the main floor and if you walk to the back, there are stairs to seating upstairs. Leah and I were the only ones there so we had ample time to ogle all the goods.
I had the breakfast sandwich (bacon, egg and cheese $6.25) on an asiago bagel – super delicious. I would definitely come here every day if I lived closer. All the bagels are vegan except for the asiago, jalapeño cheddar and egg. Single bagels are priced right at $1 each.
The donuts are all sights to see. At $2.50 a piece, you can certainly try more than one! What flavors can you expect? Glazed, chocolate glazed, old fashioned, jelly, oreo cookie, peanut butter and jelly, nutella, bavarian cream, somerville cream, boston cream, butternut crunch, chocolate frosted, chocolate sprinkles, cinnamon sugar, strawberry frosted with sprinkles and fruity pebbles.
The donuts were pretty delicious. The nutella one was decadent and the lemon filled was sweet. I liked the textures of the donuts and the fact that they were light as air (calorie free right?).
What is your go to donut flavor?
Davis Square Donuts and Bagels
377 Summer Street, Somerville, MA
Tags: bagels, breakfast, dessert, donuts, family friendly, lunch, somerville, takeout
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November 24, 2017 Just Add Cooking
I bet that you never want to look at another pot after just cooking that AMAZING Thanksgiving meal. Am I right? Well here’s a great option if you just want to whip up something quick and easy. Just Add Cooking. There are a ton of meal delivery options out there, so why choose Just Add Cooking? I know Amanda Mayo from her days at Pantry. I liked making those meals, and making these meals felt similar (easy to follow recipes and not a lot of cook time).
So how does it work? You pick what size box works for you, cooking for two or cooking for 4. You pick the recipes you want to create for the week. We picked with Polish Potato and Sausage Stew, the Beef Teriyaki and the West African Peanut Stew. Order by Wednesday and your meals are delivered on Sunday. They drop off your meals and send you a text that they have been dropped off (just in case you’re not home). Just Add Cooking works really hard to support local farmers and producers – my box came with organic cabbage from Kitchen Garden Farm in Sunderland, orange potatoes from Atlas Farm in Deerfield, Kielbasa from New England Charcuterie in Waltham, and organic sweet potatoes from Next Barn Over Farm in Hadley.
All the ingredients are pre measured, so you don’t have to think about a thing. The recipes all come with a level of difficulty, cooking time and caloric information. I found that the beef teriyaki, which was marked medium, was actually super easy to make. So my welcome packet gave me a suggested order to cook things in. I started off with the Polish Potato and Sausage Stew. The brown paper bag has all I need to make the recipe, so I don’t have to worry that I’ll leave something out or mix up the ingredients with something from another recipe. There was very limited prep that i needed to do. Wash the potatoes, cut the kielbasa and onions and that was about it. Now granted, I rarely cook these days, so mine did not come out looking like the beautiful picture on the recipe, and you know what, that’s ok. What matters is that it was easy to make on a weeknight, it tasted good, and even my picky eater tried some and liked it.
They give you a copy of the recipe so you can make it again at home if you liked it. If you want to see how I made this recipe, check out the recipe on the Just Add Cooking website.
My second recipe I tried was the beef teriyaki. To be honest, I had to look up what mirin was, it’s not an ingredient I ever use in cooking. In case you don’t know either, it’s a staple in Japanese cooking, a type of rice wine with a lower alcohol content and a higher sugar content. You can find it in your local grocery store near the soy sauce. I had to admit that this was the easiest thing that I made. And it was AMAZING! I’ve already made it again on my own and people RAVED about it. Something about that sauce (the mirin probably!). Check out the recipe here. My other confession is that when I made it, I was contemplating not sharing it and eating all four portions myself. I can’t say enough good things about this recipe, oh and wait, it’s gluten free if that’s your thing. They have a whole bunch of gluten free meal options available.
Want to try Just Add Cooking for yourself? You can use my special code: Debbie30 for $30 off your first box. Head over to the Just Add Cooking website today.
Disclaimer: I was invited to try Just Add Cooking for this post. My box was provided complimentary. All opinions are my own.
Tags: dinner, gluten free, meal prep
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November 22, 2017 Staycation at the Boston Marriott Newton
I have a confession to make. Thanksgiving is one of my least favorite holidays. I don’t even like turkey. (GASP!) So sometimes the idea of spending Thanksgiving away is very appealing. Cue the Boston Marriott Newton. A perfect place, close to home, where you don’t have to worry about making your bed or cleaning up the kitchen. I recently had the opportunity to check out their recently renovated rooms with my family. The views of the river from our room were amazing – while beautiful all year round, I was just imagining what fall foliage season would be like out this window! The hotel is easy to get to, with easy access to Route 128 and the Mass Pike. It’s close to Boston College and Brandeis University. The rooms have these amazing showers that are so much nicer than the one I have at home. And when traveling with a family, having a fridge in the room is such a pleasure. The kids can come back to a snack later in the day – perhaps a little something to refuel with after an afternoon of swimming in the heated pool. My kids are water babies, they love the pool. The pool at the Boston Marriott Newton is WARM, like amazingly warm that you never want to get out. We were in there for over and hour. There were some other families that were there so it was fun to play with other kids. The second day, we even met some kooky friends and had a Billy Joel sing along while swimming!
While there are some restaurants in the area, if you’re like us and having a staycation, why bother leaving the property? The Riverbend Bar and Grill was a perfect place for our family to catch an early dinner. We had the same great view from our room at dinner, overlooking the river. In the warmer weather, you can rent a canoe or a kayak and take in the scenery from a different viewpoint. The restaurant was super kid friendly, with coloring pages and stickers for the kids. The portion size for the kid’s meals were huge, we had leftovers – thank goodness for that in room fridge! It was a little chilly outside, so I was in the mood for some comfort food. I started with the Portuguese Mussels with chorizo sausage, peppers and onions in a spicy tomato broth. Such a good combination. Give me all of that Italian ciabatta bread to soak up every last bit of that sauce!! For my main meal I had the braised short rib ragu, served over orecchiette pasta. Again, huge portions and it was so stick to your ribs tasty. What other items can you find on the menu? Pollo Arrosto, a boneless chicken breast with roasted garlic mashed potatoes and sautéed spinach; Roasted Atlantic Sea Scallops with grilled rainbow swiss chard; Grilled Australian Lamb Sirloin with mascarpone cheese polenta and roasted seasonal vegetables; and a Grass Fed Beef Ternderloin with fresh locally made herb butter. Many of the items on the menu can be made gluten free. Desserts were equally tasty, I finished my meal with a sweet and tart key lime pie – one of my favorites!
The lobby has a Starbucks kiosk, because mama needs her caffeine (am i right?). They have coffee, tea and snacks all day long. Need a snack to go? The lobby has you covered with sweet and salty snacks, cold drinks and fun souvenirs. Looking for something to do for the day? My kids liked checking out all the area had to offer. Additionally, they have a business center if you need to hop on a computer or print something out.
Breakfast the next morning was at the Riverbend Bar and Grill and we were enticed by the buffet (they also offer an a la carte menu). I’m a sucker for an omelette. The spread was so impressive that I almost missed the omelette station tucked into the corner. Fresh shellfish, tasty green beans, and holy chicken! The dessert bar was a favorite among most guest of the restaurant with lots of oohs and ahhh. I do love a mini cannoli or 3. Breakfast is all about balance, so I did stop at the fresh fruit station, where they had all my favorite things – that pineapple was oh so tart and I loved the mixed berry option. Service was top notch, both at dinner and at breakfast. We were well looked after but also given the space to catch up and chat about the day.
Have you ever spent Thanksgiving at a hotel?
Disclaimer: I was invited as a guest to stay at the Boston Marriott Newton. My stay and my meals were provided complimentary. All opinions are my own.
Boston Marriott Newton
2345 Commonwealth Avenue, Newton, MA
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/bosnt-boston-marriott-newton/
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