Rekindling My Spontaneity

Surfside at the Pavillion at Salisbury Beach - Salisbury, MA
http://www.surfsidesalisbury.com/

Salisbury Beach

   

If I was an arcade game...

     One thing I've started to value more this summer is spontaneity. I'd consider myself a very spontaneous person, but I've lost quite a bit of that in the past 3 and a half years since I've been here in Boston. This is undoubtably due to my elite rowing lifestyle and lack of free time. But this summer I've definitely opened things up a bit more and allowed myself to say "This is what I want to do, so I'm going to do it."
     When Zack mentioned the idea of heading up to Salisbury beach for the afternoon, I threw all my other plans to the wind and jumped on board. It was awesome. I had never been to Salisbury beach before, and it was absolutely gorgeous. The beach itself stretched on for miles and included some of the Massachusetts shoreline as well as the New Hampshire shoreline.

Lobster Grilled Chee
   

   
          After getting tossed around by some decent sized waves, we decided to check out the "little" town of Salisbury. This cute beach town was packed, and there were tons of things going on. It kind of reminded me a little of the Jersey Shore (at least what I've seen on TV). There was a band playing along the water, tons of little shops, bars, ice cream stands, and arcades. Lots of flashing lights. Lots of noise. But it all fit the fun-in-the-summer bill.
     For dinner, we snagged a table on Surfside's deck that faced the ocean. The deck had an absolutely gorgeous view, was super spacious and had an huge dance floor that must be kickin' at night.
     Being on the water like that always makes me want seafood (as with 95% of the rest of the population)... so seafood it was. To start, we shared the mussels which were in a wine, herb and butter broth. I'd say they were mostly in butter, and I was 100% ok with it. I really liked the way these mussels were prepared because it was so simple. Sometimes it's nice to have mussels bathing in a ton of spices, vegetable based broths, or coconut milk. But other times I like something more simple like this wine and butter because it lets the salty mussel flavor shine though.
     For my meal I went for the lobster grilled cheese. I don't think I had ever seen that on a menu before, so I was definitely gunning for it. First of all, I dug the bread. Why? Because it was just texas toast, slathered in some kind of butter or oil and crisped up on the grill. Since the bread is so thick, it's easier to get the crisp outsides of the bread and maintain a soft interior. The sandwich was basically just huge hunks of delicious lobster meat held in place by melted cheddar. Again, very simple but almost gourmet because... have you ever had a lobster grilled cheese? Didn't think so.

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Kelly's Diner - Somerville, MA

http://www.kellysdiner.net/

     I'll say... this whole weekend was just great. Saturday turned into a beach day, and Sunday I had a ticket to the Mad Decent Block Party with some big names in electronic/trap music such as DJ Snake, Flosstradamus, and Diplo. I had been geeked out of my mind for months. I was going with a bunch of my coworkers, so a few of us met up for breakfast first at Kelly's Diner in Somerville. Kelly's is super cool because it started in 1953 as a two piece dining car in New Castle, Delaware. Now it sits become one of the top diners in New England and has been seen on Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. It's one of those diners that looks like a big long toaster from the outside. The walls and the ceilings seem like the same colors they must've been painted the day they opened their doors; a salmon pink and turquoise. 

#2: Two eggs, homefries and Scali toast

     I wasn't outrageously hungry, and didn't want to stuff myself (for once) so I just got their #2 with 2 eggs, homefries and toast. The eggs were... well... eggs. Can't really screw those up. The homefries were cooked until perfectly tender, and there were those few fought over crisp potato pieces that I would've been battling Jimmy for if we were sharing. I also learned something new that day. I opted for the Scali bread when asked which kind of toast I wanted. I had never heard of it before, but apparently it's an italian style braided loaf that's covered in sesame seeds. It was delicious! Admittedly, it was basically a type of white bread with a little bit of a different flavor, perhaps from the sesame seeds. The only downside was the same downside you'll find at 99% of restaurants out there. The "butter" on the toast. I want butter. Not margarine. Not any kind of spread. Just real, plain and simple butter. Still searching.

Such a riot. Note: Not a clue who these girls are in the front. 

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Lemon Chia Seed Muffins - My Kitchen, Cambridge, MA

     Well... I'm not quite so sure I've ever failed this much at muffins. Muffins are generally fool proof. They're not difficult. But I apparently think I can alter entire recipes without repercussions. On that note, these little buggers sure were delicious! My main issue here was that I decided to replace the oil with applesauce. Generally you can do this when baking, but I was using paper cups for the muffins rather than a greased muffin pan. So literally all of the bottoms of each muffin had to be cut off and thrown in the trash because there was paper stuck to it. I'd definitely suggest replacing the oil with applesauce as long as you're a) not using paper cups or b) you spray the inside of each paper cup. I think using the applesauce made these muffins very moist. That being said, I wasn't all about the chia seeds. I think I'd rather have the poppy seeds because they provide such a unique flavor. Lasty, I'd like to note that these aren't super sweet, so if you'd like sweeter muffins, feel free to up the sugar addition. 

     From: The Corner Kitchen . Makes 9-12 muffins.

Lemon Chia Seed Muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup olive oil (or 1/2 cup applesauce)
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup lemon Greek yogurt (I used plain yogurt with a little extra lemon juice)
Juice and zest from 1 lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
2 tablespoons chia seeds

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Add 9-12 liners to a standard-size muffin tin and set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, mix together the olive oil/applesauce, sugar, yogurt, and lemon juice and zest, until fully combined. Add the egg and vanilla, and mix thoroughly.

4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in two additions, stirring until just combined.
Fold in the chia seeds.

5. Add batter to the muffin liners, filling 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 13-15 minutes, until the muffins are golden on top and a toothpick comes out clean after inserting it into a few muffins.

6. Remove from the oven. Cool and enjoy as soon as possible!

Temper The Eggs? Nah... Scrambled Is Fine

Mija Cantina and Tequila Bar - Boston, MA
http://mijaboston.com/

A super grainy photo of my taco salad...

The outdoor dining area

     I absolutely love when friends come visit. Primarily because they're my friends and I get to see them. But also because it gives me an excuse to go out and try new restaurants. Double win. The evening Marissa and Jess arrived, we headed towards Quincy market to find some chow. We didn't have any place in mind, but it was a beautiful night and Mija had a beautiful open dining area ... complete with a view of someone's taco salad. That's what won me over. This place gave off a pretty cool vibe. It was kind of a rustic and rugged but classy kind of cantina. Lots of distressed wooden accents, "candle" lighting, but also slick black leather chairs. Very unique.
     I already had my mind made up, and that taco salad couldn't come soon enough. As most taco salads are, it came in a big fried tortilla, which... admittedly... is always my favorite part (I say that like I order taco salads often. It's a lie. This was probably my second one ever). I got beef in my salad because I say beef trumps all other meats when it comes to Mexican food. It came with the standard romaine lettuce, monterey jack cheese, roasted red peppers, guacamole, roasted corn, and sour cream. It was exactly what I was hoping for. On the lighter side, but still super flavorful. The seasonings on the ground beef were spot on. Not too spicy, but with a little kick. Enough to make the sour cream essential to balance it out if you know what I mean. What wasn't spot on was the roasted red peppers. I'm pretty sure they were rancid. They had that weird fizzy feeling and taste. No bueno.

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Hi-Rise Bread Company - Cambridge, MA

Things were happening no-so behind the scenes

     After swimming at Walden Pond one morning, Antonia and I got super amped as we drove by High Rise Bread Company on Concord Ave. I had never seen this location before and was pumped to finally be able to try it... some other day. It was barely 7:30am, and they weren't open yet. Le sign... However, we agreed that someday that week we'd bike over in the morning and try them out. So that's just what we did. It was a lovely morning ride over to that next of the woods (other than the killer hill at the end). The place was hoppin' when we got there. Their kitchen is open, so you can watch all of the workers making the pastries, breads, and all their other goodies. It's cool to be reminded of how much work goes into things like this sometimes. 

Chocolate brioche, cheddar snail, chocolate chunk cookie

     "I'll take one of everything please!" That's not what happened. That's what we wanted to happen.

But instead, we both ordered three things. Here goes... My #1 pick was the cheddar snail. It was basically a plush and soft roll smothered in melted sharp cheddar cheese. The flavor in the cheese was so key. They could've easily gone with a cheap cheese with not nearly the complexity of this one, but they don't mess around. Plus it had started to take on the browned and crisped cheese flavors you get when you cook cheese. Sometimes I cook straight cheese in a pan because it's so good. Like the burnt cheez-its. Give them all to me.

     One of my other picks was their chocolate brioche. I didn't know what a brioche was. Apparently it's a french pastry made with extra eggs and butter. That's what gives it a soft texture, rich insides and a golden crust. This brioche was relatively hallow and had some sort of melted chocolate inside. I really enjoyed the chocolate inside because it was more on the bittersweet side, and was different than the sweeter chocolate that coated the top of the brioche. It was interesting that they decided to take two different approaches to the chocolate filling and icing. I think it gave each bite a little more depth and helped the pastry to not come off as too sweet or rich. 

     My third choice was their chocolate chunk cookie. I was originally going to save it for work. That was a joke. Good try. This cookie was so soft and had huge, rich chocolate chunks in it. It was a goner. 

     Antonia also let me try her pecan scone which was unique and mighty delicious. It was probably the most moist scone I've ever had, and I think I really preferred that. I hate when scones are so crumbly that you feel like you're losing half of it down your shirt and on the ground. The pecan flavor seemed to travel throughout the scone itself and wasn't just in the nuts themselves. Very well done Hi-Rise. 

     As we ate, we realized just how beautiful the whole scene was. The smells of bread, the hum of the mixers and knives on cutting boards, the sun pouring in the windows, flowers on the table, and pastries in our mouths. How does it get any better?

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Rhubarb Gelato - My Kitchen, Cambridge, MA

Fresh from the ice cream maker. I was super pumped.

     I did it I did it I did it I did it I did it I did it I did it I did it. I really did it. I got ice cream to set up in my ice cream maker! Ok true, this wasn't technically ice cream, but I got gelato to set up, and it was glorious. I still screwed up the egg in that I still managed to basically make scrambled eggs in milk. Joy. Upon refusing to strain it out like I did last time, I took an immersion blender to it. I do not care. I wanted the stupid eggs in there for a reason unbeknownst to me. I got this recipe from Ilana last year when she posted about it being. I've always been a big fan of rhubarb after years of sucking on the tart stalks in my mom's garden. "You're gonna get a tummy ache if you keep doing that!" She was right. I didn't care. It was bitter sweet. Well... mostly entirely bitter. Less sweet. If you're not super familiar with rhubarb, I may suggest putting a little more sugar in it. I used what the recipe said, and most people that I had sample it gave intense pucker faces because it was so tart. I truthfully didn't think so, but ... I aim to please the masses when it comes to sharing food. 

      Anyway, the recipe for this is super easy to follow. Chill your mix thoroughly before putting it in the ice cream maker. Use rock salt. Enjoy. 

Rhubarb Gelato

8 cups of fresh rhubarb, chopped
1 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
1 cup milk

1. Chop rhubarb stalks rather finely to avoid strings in the finished gelato. Put the chopped rhubarb and sugar in a pot over medium heat, and cook until the rhubarb is tender and looses all shape - you should have a rhubarb slurry. 

My rhubarb before it got mushy

2. Refrigerate to cool.

3. Whip the egg yolks in a bowl until they are light yellow in color. 

4. In a separate saucepan, heat milk to almost boiling. Pour the hot milk slowly into the egg yolks, while continuing to whip the mixture. 

5. Return this mixture to the saucepan, and heat over low heat, stirring continuously, until the mixture thickens into a custard (should coat a wooden spoon without running off). Refrigerate to cool.

6. Once both components are cool to fridge temp (many hours / overnight), combine both in a blender or food processor to mix them thoroughly and eliminate any remaining fibres in the rhubarb. 

7. Transfer to an ice cream maker and freeze according to your appliance's directions.

Ice Cream Is Hard

Souper Roll-Up Cafe- Cambridge, MA
http://souperrollup.ucoz.org/

Chicken Tarragon Salad Wrap and Mushroom soupz!

     I'm terrible when it comes to getting lunch with coworkers. No matter where I work. They always ask me to go. I always say no. Why? I'm poor, nervous, and ... well... the lightweight rowing thing. However, as some of you might not know, I've decided to take some time off of rowing/retire my elite rowing career. I'm not about to get into the details about it, but I think it's just what's best for me right now.
     Regardless, this means I now feel like I can say yes to things like getting lunch and dinner with friends. So after David made fun of my puny sandwich, I said said yes to going to get lunch with him at Souper Roll-Up. This tiny little restaurant is really close to Gentle Giant, and is run by a cute asian couple. Everyone at GG knows them and apparently they give us discounts? I had no idea. Meh.
     I was a copycat and ordered the same thing as David. He goes often. He knows what's up. We got the chicken tarragon salad wrap and one of their homemade soups. This half and half deal was something like $7! Stellar. Their soups are always changing and always made fresh. It's like going to Trader Joe's for the sample. You never know what it's gonna be. Mastering soups is an art. I got their cream of mushroom soup which was thicker than any I've ever had before. It was so delicious. Real big chunks of mushrooms interspersed among a thick soup of smaller mushroom bits. I also really liked that it wasn't actually very creamy. The appeal of soups for me is generally that they're light and mildly refreshing, which you often lose in creamy soups. Not this one. It was on the lighter side of cream soups and had a nice peppery kick.
    It's hard to beat my stepmom's chicken salad, but this one came close. I can't say I know exactly what tarragon tastes like, but if it gave this chicken salad its incredible flavor, then I love tarragon. The chunks of chicken were so moist and small, so you weren't pulling hunks out of the wrap with each bite. The chicken salad itself was nice and peppery and full of celery. Celery and fresh lettuce is key in chicken salad. The mayo in the chicken salad was speckled with something orange too. It wasn't spicy, and I'm inclined to think they were really small pieces of carrots. That was the flavor I thought I could suck out of each little speck. There were so many flavors and feelings put into this wrap. Then again, there are only so many weird people out there that can be as blown away by chicken salad as I can. Oh! Plus, the wrap came with a nice big hunk of a baguette. Bonus bread is the best. Forever and always.
     As we left, the little asian man (I forgot his name) told us to "tell everyone I said have a good day!" Adorable.

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Cherry Chocolate Stracciatella Ice Cream - My Kitchen, Cambridge, MA

All of my tools I attempted to use to pit cherries.

     Let me just say that making ice cream is the hardest thing I've ever had to "cook." Harder than granola. I really just suck at it. Tempering the egg? I can't do it apparently. No matter how many times I try, I always end up with scrambled eggs in half boiling milk and cream. And then when I put the mix all in my ice cream maker it never sets up... leaving me with flavored ice once I freeze it. Ok, that's an exaggeration... because this cherry chocolate stracciatella ice cream from Closet Cooking wasn't half bad. It was a little crystally, but I think that's because it didn't set up in the ice cream maker, and I had to strain out all of the scrambled eggs. It was a complicated process, and I'd be here for years trying to explain. Not to mention I'd be full of rage when I'm done. However, I can give you some pointers regarding how it's SUPPOSED to work. Maybe I just am not meant to make ice cream... or maybe I should use rock salt like every recipe on the planet says to use. Yes, I admit that I attempted to use regular salt the first couple times I tried ice cream, and I'm almost 100% sure that's why it didn't work. Egg or no egg. 

     Anyway, the flavors in this ice cream are incredible. I'd suggesting making it when cherries are in season to get the freshest fruit. The chunks of cherries in the ice cream are key, so don't be afraid to chop your cherries in larger chunks or add more than the recipe calls for. I could only nail the flavor, but if you can figure out how to achieve a smooth and creamy texture, you'll make friends wherever you go. 

Notes: 

-Pitting cherries is miserable. I used a chopstick. Good luck.

-Use rock salt in your ice cream maker. No exceptions.

-Make sure you chill the mixture fully before you put it into ice cream maker. I suggest overnight.

Cherry Chocolate Stracciatella Ice Cream

1 cup cherries (pitted and chopped)
1/2 cups sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup dark chocolate

1. Heat the cherries and sugar in a small sauce pan until the sugar is dissolved and the cherries are tender, about 10 minutes.

2. Heat the cream and milk in a sauce pan until it almost boils, about 5 minutes.

3. Reduce the heat to low. Add one tablespoon of the cream mixture to the eggs to temper them.

4. Add the egg mixture to the sauce pan. Cook at low heat until it thickens and can coat the back of a spoon.

5. Remove from the heat and stir in the cherries and vanilla extract.

6. Chill the mixture in the fridge overnight.

7. Start freezing according to the instructions for your ice cream machine.

8. When the ice cream is almost done melt the chocolate and pour it into the ice cream in a thin stream. If you can't pour in the chocolate as the ice cream is churning, make sure you're stirring the mixture at the same time (otherwise all of chocolate will freeze in one big clump like mine did). 

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Peanut Butter and Jelly Ice Cream - My Kitchen, Cambridge, MA

 

PB&J Ice Cream

       I got frustrated with my cherry ice cream and had some cream left over, so I figured I'd give this peanut butter and jelly ice cream from Fat Girl Trapped In A Skinny Body a try. PB&J is one of my favorite things ever, so I figured it'd be great. Well... I was in for another roller coaster of an ice cream experience. This recipe didn't have egg, so I didn't have to worry about screwing that up again. However, I used crunchy peanut butter which I wouldn't advise if you also plan to not follow the recipe instruction to use rock salt. In doing so, your ice cream won't set up and all of the peanut chunks will just fall to the bottom rather than being dispersed throughout the ice cream. The texture of this one was even worse than the cherry one. I really need to learn to follow directions. It was just super ice crystally. However, I got a ton of compliments on the flavor. I used a raspberry jam instead of the blueberry syrup that she suggests, and I think that substitution was actually a success. Again... rock salt. Please. I think if you do this, it will set up in your ice cream maker and layer it like Julia suggests.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Ice Cream

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 1/2 cups 1% milk
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 cup jam or a fruit sauce

1. Bring the milk, cream, sugar and salt to a roaring bowl.

2. Remove it from the heat and whisk in the peanut butter. Whisk the pb in until it is smooth and completely incorporated (it takes a couple minutes). Transfer to a glass bowl, cover and put in the fridge until it is chilled completely (I suggest overnight).

3. Churn/Freeze according to manufactures instructions.

4. Layer in a container with the jam/fruit sauce, ice cream, jam/fruit sauce, ice cream, jam/fruit sauce, ice cream. This will give it the swirl when it is scooped out.

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Donuts With A Difference - Medford, MA
http://www.donutswith.com/#!/splash

Please excuse my mediocre photo of this lemon
filled donut. Excitement got the best of me.

    Union Square donuts couldn't have been pleased when Donuts With A Difference took Best of Boston's title for Best Doughuts this year. I truly can't compare the two, because I've never had Union Square Donuts (terrible... I know). The day the Best of Boston magazine came out, my coworker Carrie came down to the accounting department and talked donuts with us for a bit. She raved about Donuts With A Difference, so when she offered to bring some in the next day nearly all my thoughts and actions the rest of the day and the next morning revolved around the promise of donuts. Don't make fun. It was an exhilarating time.    
     The next morning, however, I got in late and was terrified I missed the donut train. I did. She had come and gone, but LUCKILY I have great friends. Zack grabbed a rogue donut that another coworker didn't want for me. It was a lemon jelly filled donut. Now normally I'm not a huge fan of filled donuts and lemon isn't my flavor. However, this donut may have changed my perspective on such treats. My opinion on lemony desserts is evolving. The lemon jelly inside was very simple and sweet. I really enjoyed it much more than I had anticipated. The donut itself was very moist inside and springy too. I love when donuts have the springy texture rather than a crumbly cake-like texture.

Blueberry Donut

 
     Zack also gave me the word when Carrie got back from her lunch so I could ask her if she had any others left. Oh she sure did. My third favorite kind of donut is a blueberry donut, and that was one of the very few she had left. Jackpot. I'd definitely say that it was the best blueberry donut I've ever had. It was the outer crust that made all the difference. The crispy fried crust on the outside was much thicker than normal donuts, but I don't think this was because they fried it for a long time. Apparently Donuts With A Difference dips their donuts in honey, and I'm inclined to say that's what gave it such a stellar crust and made each bite melt in your mouth. It was like walking across frozen snow. You know when it rains a little and freezes the top layer of snow to the point where you can almost walk across it? Sometimes you take a step and your weight crushes that outer layer of snow and your foot falls down into the soft and fluffy snow beneath, right? That's what this donut was like.