I Aint Never Had A Beef Like You

b.good - Cambridge, MA
http://www.bgood.com/index.php
   

Frank's Potatoes

     Eons ago, after a cleverly crafted tweet, the b.good truck came to my work and delivered free chocolate

milkshakes to us. It was THE BEST way to end the work week. So, that was my introduction to b.good and I've been following them and getting their emails ever since because I'm technically part of their "family." I'm not sure if I've explained their story yet, but their focus is making fast-food "real" by making it the way it should be... by people, not factories. I still hadn't visited one of their actual restaurants yet, when I got an email about Frank harvesting his potatoes, and if you came in before Sunday, you'd get a free order of fries. Also, I still had 2 other free orders of fries loaded onto my "family" card that I hadn't taken advantage of yet. Well... it's impossible for me to turn down free food, so one Saturday after the workout, Meagan and I went over to b.good to take advantage of two orders of free fries. On the wall right when you walked in, they had a picture of Frank on his farm and a little blurb about his potatoes from Hatfield, Massachusetts. Along with Frank were photos and information about two other families that b.good was sourcing their beef and other ingredients from. I'm a real big fan of this. Locally sourced and "real" ingredients. It's comforting to know who I'm supporting when I'm eating out. Not to mention, the environmental impacts of buying local.
     As I mentioned before, we went for our free fries and they were phenomenal! They came out looking just as I expected. Real. All different shapes, sizes, and textures. As if an individual, rather than a machine, had imperfectly sliced all different sizes of potatoes. The first thing Meagan said was "they're kind of creamy," and she was totally right. The outside was slightly crispy, but the potato inside was so moist and practically creamy. They also had some sort of delicious seasoning on them, perhaps with a little paprika? I'm unsure. But I do know that I can't wait to go back one day and try their burgers.


Coolidge Corner Clubhouse - Brookline, MA
http://www.thecoolidgecornerclubhouse.com/index.php

Mile High Nachos

     Remember my "nacho average run" pre-CRASH B? Well... I'm slowly checking off the six restaurants that I visited with "the best nachos in Boston." Very very slowly. I've currently only been to one. However, Coolidge Corner Clubhouse was highly recommended by everyone and their mom, so one Saturday evening after sitting outside at MixFest downtown, Meagan wanted to go get food. We scooped up Jimmy and headed to Coolidge Corner Clubhouse where I could finally put their nachos to the test. I was pumped. The place looked like your standard sports bar, but a little older. By that I just mean there weren't seven thousand TVs and the look and feel wasn't very modern. I will instantly love a place if they offer me something free before my meal. For example, bread, popcorn, peanuts, or in this case, small packets of breadsticks. I care not of the quality because it's free and delicious. Jimmy and I decided I'd order the half plate of Mile High Nachos, he'd order a greek salad and we'd split both. That's a lie. We didn't agree on the half plate size. I'm pretty sure he rolled his eyes when I told the waitress I only wanted the half order.
     The greek salad was actually really awesome. It had a bunch of grilled chicken, green peppers, a few tomatoes and they used a mix of romaine lettuce, spinach and a bunch of other mixed greens. I love when places do that. Makes me respect them a little more. Maybe because it makes me think that they value nutrition and are willing to spend a little more on greens rather than just romaine or iceberg lettuce. I'm weird.
     The nachos were, in fact, a mile high. Never have I ever seen a place do such an incredible job layering cheese and chips. The entire bottom of the plate was covered in cheese, and it seemed like each chip in the entire stack had cheese on it. It was incredible. And it was a good blend of cheddar and monterey jack cheeses. The meat chili that came on top was great too. It was practically all meat and full of flavor, but I wished there was more. It also came with jalapenos and salsa with huge globs of guacamole and sour cream thrown on top. There was no skimping on these guys. I'd definitely say they're the best nachos I've had here in Boston so far. They beat out the nachos from Cambridge Brewing Club, the Hill Tavern and Tavern in the Square because of the cheese layering technique and the delicious chili.


Sloppy Joes - My Kitchen, Cambridge, MA

   

My Heavenly Sloppy Joes

      I do like sloppy joes... I do. But when they're at some sort of function, I'm never going to be super excited about it or anticipating seconds before I even finish my first. Don't get me wrong, they're tasty, but generally, I feel like they're pretty standard and generic. However... I stumbled upon a sloppy joes recipe on pinterest (from Ellie Krieger on the Food Network) and thought I'd try it out for myself. Real homemade sloppy joes. No packets. No cans.
     Conveniently, that week Whole Foods had a sale on grass-fed, free range, antibiotic and hormone free 90/10 ground beef from some family farm in Missouri. I picked up about a pound and a half of it and knew it was sloppy joes time. First of all... this was the most amazing ground beef I've ever eaten. "The look of it, the taste of it, the texture... "(-Goldmember) was so different than any other ground beef. There was very little fat that cooked out, and it almost smelled game-y. The taste and the feel of it in my mouth felt so clean. I know that's really really weird, but it was just different and eye opening. I had no idea that ground beefcould be different in so many ways.
     Anyway, I threw in some kidney beans, a ton of spices, onions, garlic and a few other key ingredients (similar to the mountain meatballs recipe Jake and I made a while back) like molasses and Worcestershire sauce. I'm sure if I followed her recipe exactly it would've been delicious, but I made a few additions and substitutions, as always. I omitted the jalapeños and red peppers (simply because I didn't have any on hand), and instead of using a mix of tomato sauce and tomato paste, I used only a tomato basil tomato sauce from Trader Joe's (it's my favorite). I also added from fresh basil from my mom's garden. I would definitely say that this is up in my top 10 favorite dishes I've ever made. It's incredibly easy and incredibly delicious. I spent everyday at work dreaming about getting home to eat it. Here's my version of her recipe.

Sloppy Joes

1.5 pound extra-lean ground beef
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 3/4 cups no-salt-added tomato sauce
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon molasses
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon mustard powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4/5 fresh basil leaves, chopped

1. Brown the meat and the onion in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, breaking up the meat into crumbles as it cooks. Pour the drippings out of the pan and discard.

2.  Add the garlic and cook 5 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Stir in the rest of the ingredients, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes more.


Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Muffins - My Kitchen, Cambridge, MA

She's pretty

     I want to bake everything... all the time. Brownies, cookies, cakes, muffins. You name it. But I can't for lightweight reasons. So whenever the opportunity arises where I can make a recipe I've been wanting to make for a while, and I can count on other people being there to enjoy 95% of the fruits of my labor, I seize it. Thank you Head of the Kevin 2! For the breakfast post HOK2 I decided to make these peanut butter banana oatmeal muffins. The picture looked great, they had great ingredients and they really caught my eye when I found them on Annie Eats. I've made similar breakfast banana-y muffins before, but these ones took the cake. They were so easy to make and incredibly tasty, especially when they were fresh. With a slight hint of peanut butter in the muffin, creamy peanut butter on top and the sweet taste of banana all throughout, it kind of felt like a treat but was still full of nutrition. An energy powerhouse.  I think it also helped that I used some super ripe bananas that were plenty sweet. This is key.

Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Muffins

1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
2 tbsp. applesauce
¾ cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup mashed banana (about 3 bananas)
6 tbsp. creamy peanut butter
1 cup low-fat buttermilk (I mixed 1% milk and a tbs of lemon juice)

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line muffin cups with paper liners (this recipe made about 15 muffins for me). In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir together with a fork.

2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the applesauce, brown sugar, eggs, banana, peanut butter and buttermilk until smooth. 

3. Combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients gradually and mix just until fully incorporated.

4. Divide the batter between the muffin cups and bake 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Hungarian Mushroom Soup - My Kitchen, Cambridge, MA

     

   

I wish you could've smelled these shrooms

     It's finally getting a little chilly outside and it's making me super eager to make soups. It's a very exciting time. I've had this Adventures in Cooking recipe for a Hungarian Mushroom Soup on the back burner since the spring. A little more rich than my normal soups, this one is up there in the top 5. I made it with sliced baby portabella mushrooms, sliced large portabellas, and a ton of paprika and dill. I wonder if the paprika and dill are what make it Hungarian. Hmm... Also, instead of sour cream like the recipe called for, I used greek yogurt (which I feel like is practically the same thing), and it gave it an awesome creamy texture. I'm pumped to have a huge pot of this in my fridge for dinner all week.

Final product

Hungarian Mushroom Soup

8 Ounces Crimini Mushrooms, thinly sliced
6 Ounces Small Portabello Mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 Cups Vegetable Stock
1 Cup Milk
1/2 Cup Sour Cream (or Greek Yogurt)
2 Cups Onions, chopped
5 Teaspoons Hungarian Paprika
3 Tablespoons Butter
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
4 Tablespoons Flour
1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
2 Teaspoons Lemon Juice
1 Teaspoon Dried Dill
1 Teaspoon Fresh Dill, finely chopped (I used only dried dill)
1 and 1/2 Teaspoons Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper
1/4 Teaspoon Thyme
1/4 Teaspoon Marjoram

1. Sauté the onions in a little olive oil in a cast iron skillet for about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, 1/2 cup of vegetable stock, paprika, thyme, marjoram, dried dill and soy sauce. Cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes or until the mushrooms soften and become dark in color (This smell will blow your mind).

2. Melt the butter in a large saucepan, then whisk in the flour and continue whisking while the mixture cooks for another 3 minutes. Add the milk and continue cooking over low heat for 10 minutes allowing the mixture to thicken, stirring once every minute or so. Empty the mushroom mixture into the milk mixture. Add the remaining 1 and 1/2 cups of vegetable stock and the lemon juice. Cover and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.

3. Remove from heat and watch mixture until it stops boiling. When the boiling ceases, stir in the sour cream, salt, pepper, and fresh dill if you have it.

Cupcake Game Changer

Mojito Cupcakes - Jimmy's Kitchen, Brighton, MA

Mojito Cupcake/Best Cupcake on Earth

     I really do struggle from time to time deciding which burger is the best burger I've ever eaten, which taco is the best taco or which cupcake is the best cupcake I've ever eaten. Now... I'm a HUGE chocolate fan. Duh. I'd take a hunk of a chocolate over a cocktail any day. So I would think that I'd think the best cupcake would be a big fat chocolate cupcake filled with chocolate, topped with chocolate, and sprinkled with chocolate shavings or something. But this recipe... this recipe for mojito cupcakes that I found on Brown Eyed Baker... may have just changed the game. I had a mojito cupcake once or twice before from Kickass Cupcakes and they were good, but this one was a kajillion times better. Jimmy and I were going to purchase some for Karl just for the fun of it, but then we thought "why not just make them instead?" Such a great idea. The cupcake has rum in it, there is a rum glaze on top of the cupcake, and the frosting has rum in it. It's sweet (but not overly sweet), refreshing and minty. It's just to die for. They're the absolute best about an hour out of the oven when they're about room temp, the rum glaze has crisped up the top just a tad, and the frosting is room temp and perfectly creamy. I swear I ate a gallon of that frosting before putting it on the cupcakes. I attribute part of our success to Jimmy's kitchen aid. That thing whipped up butter like I've never seen before. Anyway... it may seem a little complicated, but these cupcakes are a real crowd pleaser, even if it's a one person crowd.

Mojito Cupcakes

For the Cupcakes:
½ cup buttermilk
½ cup mint leaves, bruised
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
Zest and juice of 1½ limes
2 tablespoons white rum
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

To Brush the Cupcakes:
2 tablespoons white rum
2 sprigs fresh mint

For the Frosting:
1½ cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
4¼ cups powdered sugar
1½ tablespoons lime juice
3 tablespoons white rum

1. Combine the buttermilk and the ½ cup mint leaves in a small saucepan over medium heat. Warm until just starting to steam (do not simmer), then remove from the heat and cover. Let steep for 15 to 30 minutes. Once finished, strain the milk into a bowl using a fine mesh sieve. The milk may appear curdled or clumpy, but it will come back together. Press on any milk solids and mint leaves to extract all the liquid possible. Give the milk a quick stir to smooth it out and set aside.

2. While the mint is steeping in the milk, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners; set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.

4. In an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter and sugar together until pale, light, and fluffy (about 5 minutes).

5. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and add the eggs one at at time, mixing thoroughly after each addition.

6. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the lime zest, lime juice, vanilla extract and rum. Mix until combined. 

7. Reduce the mixer speed low. Add the dry ingredients in three batches, alternating with the buttermilk in two batches. Mix only until just incorporated, using a rubber spatula to give it one last mix by hand.

8. Divide the batter between the muffin cups. Bake for approximately 25 minutes or until just slightly golden and a skewer shows only moist crumbs attached, rotating the pan at the halfway point.

9. While the cupcakes are baking, combine the rum and mint sprigs in a small saucepan and warm over medium heat until the rum is heated through (do not let it simmer). Remove the pan from the heat, cover, and let steep until ready to use.

10. Allow cupcakes to cool for 5 to 10 minutes and then remove to a cooling rack. Brush the tops of the cupcakes with the mint-infused rum. Set the cupcakes aside to cool completely before frosting them.

11. To make the frosting, whip the butter on medium-high speed of an electric mixer using the whisk attachment for 5 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium-low and gradually add the powdered sugar, mixing and scraping the sides of the bowl until all is incorporated. Give it a mix on medium speed for about 30 seconds. Add the lime juice and rum and mix on medium-high speed until incorporated and fluffy. If the frosting appears a bit too soft, add some additional sugar, one spoonful at a time until desired consistency is reached. Frost cupcakes once they've cooled and garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.

Zinnekens - Cambridge, MA

Fruit Delight

     You know those places where you walk by the front door and the sweet sultry aroma brings you to your knees? Zinnekens is one of those places. Thus the reason for me loading up when I found them on Groupon. I mean.... come on... their front window says "Coffee, Chocolate and Waffles." How could I go wrong? They offer gourmet Belgian waffles with a multitude of toppings. Meagan, Jimmy, Karl, Dave and I all went and Meagan and I split the Fruit Delight with Belgian chocolate, bananas and strawberries. The waffle itself was, hands down, the best part. It was totally unlike any other waffle I've ever had in that it was mildly chewy. It was just so simple and delicious. Plus the warm melted Belgian chocolate. Oh man. I also tried a bite of Jimmy's, which was the Gourmand with bananas whipped cream and caramel, and Dave's, which was the Zinneken's with whipped cream, Belgian chocolate and speculoos. Dave's was DEFINITELY my favorite. That speculoos filled every little square of the waffle and had warmed up ever so slightly. With a little chocolate drizzled on top, it was a sugary death trap. I debated going back in and getting my own. A return trip to Zinneken's is definitely in order.

Border Cafe - Cambridge, MA
http://www.bordercafe.com/

Corn and Bean Empanadas

     I know I've blogged about this place before, but I was reeeeeally watching weight for an upcoming race at the time, so I had a piddly 3 chips or something and a salad while there (don't get me wrong, the salad was incredible). This time, I went for the real deal. I wanted to devour 3 baskets of their piping hot chips myself... and I did. Ok not really, but I could've. After Zinneken's Jimmy, Meagan and I wanted something salty to follow our sugar overdose... naturally. We were just going to "get something small" at Border..... riiiiiight. Either way, we killed a few baskets of their phenomenal fresh tortilla chips with some queso dip before our "meals" arrived. I ordered the corn and black bean empanadas because I don't think I've ever actually had one. To me, they seem like the Mexican version of a pastie (a meat pie that us Michiganders are quite fond of). The little pockets of heaven were absolutely incredible!  I loved the crispy dough on the outside and I was really happy that the insides weren't stuffed full of cheese. That would've been too much I think. Instead it was just corn, beans and a little bit of melty cheese. The best part was the sauce in that little dish in the top of the picture. It was so good that I had to ask our waiter what was in it. It tasted like a pesto, had all the pesto flavors, but also had something different. Apparently it's some sort of roasted red pepper pesto with parmesan cheese, basil, garlic, etc. It was incredible on it's own and along with a forkfull of the empanada. So good. Great food, great service, great atmosphere.