You made cookies? Ugh wait...are they healthy cookies?

     Cooler temps mean more time spent in the kitchen, and it's my favorite! I feel like I can finally cook again after many months of living in the hot-box that is my apartment.  I kind of came out the gates running and was making many new things a week, but then I realized... that's expensive and I have way too much schoolwork to be doing that. So I toned it down a little and am here to share some of my favorites. Also, you'll have to forgive my lack of pictures. I was in this I'm-too-busy-for-anything phase where I thought I wouldn't write about the cookies and things, so I didn't make the effort.

Asparagus Gruyere Pizza with Garlicy Ricotta - My Kitchen, Allston, MA

Asparagus Gruyere Pizza

     This pizza recipe was surprisingly the only one on my pinterest, so when Eric agreed to making a pizza with me, this is what we went with. I was nervous it would be kind of bland, but it was far from bland thanks to the Gruyere cheese and the panchetta, which Rach from Spache the Spatula didn't use. The panchetta (Italian cured pork belly) was Eric's idea, so we cooked it up in a pan and tossed in the asparagus for a few minutes before adding it to the pizza. The gruyere cheese took the pizza to another level far beyond that which mozzarella has the capability to do. It has a very rich and nutty flavor that was just outstanding. Normally I'm not a big fan of ricotta, but once it was whipped up with some garlic and lemon, it was light and delicious. The garlic, lemon, asparagus combination is something I'm quite familiar with and am a big of. Eric approved. Also... never measure cheese when making a pizza. It's all about feel. 

Asparagus Gruyere Pizza with Garlicy Ricotta

1 cup ricotta cheese
2 garlic cloves
juice of 1 small lemon
salt & freshly ground pepper
4-5 ounces gruyere cheese, shredded
1/2 lb. thick asparagus spears (1/2 a bunch), shaved or sliced longways
Mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/2 cup panchetta, cubed

1 lump of pizza dough, pre-made or homemade

1. In a food processor, combine the ricotta, garlic, and lemon juice. Blend for a few seconds until whipped. Season, to taste with salt and pepper. Spread the ricotta mixture onto your pizza.

2. Top with the gruyere, the asparagus, panchetta and the mozzarella. 

3. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the cheese starts to brown, and the crust is cooked through.

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Pecan Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies - My kitchen, Allston, MA

The insides of a pecan butter oatmeal chocolate
chip cookie

     These cookies by Ambitious Kitchen were honestly much better than I had expected. Last time I made a nut butter based cookie recipe, they were good, but you could tell they were mainly peanut butter; just a little heavy feeling and crumbly in a slightly dried out peanut butter way. Anyway, this time I got some pecans, roasted them, threw them in a blender (my food processor sucks) with a little maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla and salt and presto... it was gold. I wish I had roasted the pecans a little longer to get a more roasted flavor, but the pecan butter was still delicious regardless, and I wish I had made more for things other than cookies. Also, I used Ghirardelli chocolate chips and I feel like this is one of the best choices you'll ever make in your life. They're exceptional in cookies.
     What make these cookies exceptional was their texture and form. The bottom crisped up, but not from the oils in normal butter, but from the oils in the nut butter and it tasted richer. The edges had a slightly caramelized flavor and feel to them, while the insides were slightly chewy (from the oats?) and steered the cookie away from a dry nut-butter cookie (like I mentioned earlier).

Pecan Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup homemade pecan butter
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup gluten free oats
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup coconut flakes, optional

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2. In small bowl mix together the oats and baking soda; set aside.

3. In a large bowl beat pecan butter, brown sugar, egg and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth. 

4. Mix in dry ingredients with a wooden spoon. Fold in chocolate chips.
Drop cookie dough by tablespoonful onto prepared cookie sheet, leaving 2 inches of space in between. 

5. Bake cookies for 9-12 minutes and remove when edges barely begin to turn a golden brown. The cookies may look a little underdone, but they will continue to cook once you remove them from the oven. Makes 20ish cookies. Store in airtight container.

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Chewy Carrot Cake Cookies - My kitchen, Allston, MA

     Another cookie recipe from Ambitious Kitchen! She does good work. While I think the pecan butter cookies earned a higher grade, I couldn't stop eating these. They tasted healthy, but were by no means lacking in flavor like some other cookies that try to be healthy and tasty at the same time. I've had plenty of experience with those in my lightweight days. This was the real deal. Now I know looking at the ingredients list may be overwhelming, but it's not that bad. They're easy to make, as long as you don't mind shredded carrots all over your kitchen (or you're more graceful than me). My favorite part about this cookie was the influence of the coconut. Anytime I've ever had a dessert made with coconut oil, it's always blown my mind, and this was no exception. The cookie had a subtle coconut flavor from the oil, but you'd also catch very distinct nibs of it when you'd bite into one of the coconut shreds. It was irreplaceable. I loved the fall-like spices, the roasted and nutty pecans, and moisture that the carrots brought to the cookie. 

Chewy Carrot Cake Cookies

3/4 cup whole wheat flour (or all-purpose)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup shredded carrots
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup raisins

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. 

3. In a separate large bowl mix together coconut oil, brown sugar, egg and vanilla until well combined; next fold in shredded carrots. Add in flour mixture and mix with a wooden spoon until just combined. Fold in oats, coconut flakes, pecans, and raisins.

4. Drop by tablespoonful on prepared baking sheet. Gently flatten with your hand. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Cool cookies for a few minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.

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Quinoa Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash - My kitchen, Allston, MA

(insert beautiful picture here)

     OH boy. These are so pretty looking. Go check them out on Daily Garnish. I feel like I made a meal for the first time in forever. I say that only because this dish seemed like it was more than just a side dish that I've turned into dinner, which is normally the case. However, I took this over to David's family's house for dinner and it was indeed eaten as a side dish, David thought it was dessert, and most of his siblings were too afraid to try it. Hmph. However, it inspired his mom, and I was super happy with it and would definitely make it again. This dish was on the fence trying to decide if it wanted to be savory or sweet. The quinoa, squash and onions brought the savory, and the apples, cinnamon and cranberries brought the sweet. It was a beautiful blend. It was very easy to make too, as long as you have a couple hours. According to Daily Garnish, this makes two large servings, but I used acorn squash the size of my head so it made many more. Also, I used apple cider vinegar instead of the orange champagne vinegar because I felt like it was a better idea (and because I wasn't going to spend the $ on the fancy stuff). My only other alteration was that I screwed up the balsamic glaze and turned it into glue practically, so that part of my recipe was omitted. She includes it in her recipe, but I feel like there are already so many flavors going on, that adding another may make it more complex than it needs to be. 

Quinoa Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash

2 large acorn squash
1/2 cup dry quinoa, rinsed
1 large onion, diced
1 large apple, diced
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. 

2. Cut a slice off the bottom of each squash so that it can stand up on its own. Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds (I roasted the seeds separately - like pumpkin seeds - and they were fabulous!). Drizzle a bit of olive oil and salt into each squash, and then place face-down in a baking dish. Bake for 45 minutes, or until fork tender inside. 

3. While the squash bakes, prepare the filling. Rinse and cook. Set quinoa aside.

4. In a large saute pan, cook one diced onion on medium heat until brown and softening. Once the onion has cooked 10-15 minutes, add the diced apple and cook until soft. Add the cranberries and the cooked quinoa, and turn heat down to low.

5. Whisk olive oil, vinegar, cinnamon, and salt together into a dressing. Pour dressing over quinoa mixture, and continue to stir over low heat.

6. Once the acorn squash has cooked, flip them right side up and fill the squash with the quinoa mixture. Pack tightly!

7. Bake 10-15 additional minutes, until the tops of the quinoa is golden and starting to get crispy.

Are You Sure? That's a Lot of Food.

Esperia Grill - Brighton, MA

http://www.esperiagrill.com/

     I hadn't seen Karl in forever, so one evening we to talking rowing and eating foods. 2 of my favorite things to do. Esperia Grill in Brighton gets voted Best Greek Food by Boston Magazine and The Improper Bostonian pretty consistently, and even though I used to live in Brighton, I had never been. It's a pretty tiny restaurant, and when you walk in there is a big long take out counter right in front. Everything looks incredible and the smells just cannot be put into words. 

Saganaki (top left), Falafel ball (bottom left) and pita.

     They're known for their gyros, kabobs and rotisserie chickens here and I really couldn't decide what to get, so I got a kabob and a half of a chicken. Yes. Both meals. In addition to a greek salad, saganaki (fried cheese) with pita bread, and a falafel ball. After all the words came out of my mouth the waiter furrowed his brow, shook his head and said, "That's a lot of food. Are you sure?" I said, "Uhhhh ... yea." Please do not question my choices Mr. man. It was comical. Sometimes situations like that remind me that I'm not "normal" and make me feel good. I wasn't upset. 

Lamb Kabob and Pita on bottom and the
half chicken on top.

     Anyway, I was a little bummed they didn't light the cheese on fire for us to see because this was Karl's first saganaki experience. But the cheese itself was great. It had a great top crust and was perfectly soft. Delicious wrapped in a pita. 

     The falafel ball was decent, but not exceptional. It was green like the one I got from BenjYehuda in Chicago once with Mary. I wanted the crust to be thicker and hold up to my bite a little better. This one crumbled a tiny bit. 

     The lamb kabob was basically a bunch of big chunks of lamb that were tender and slightly rare, just like I like, lying in a bed of tzatziki and grilled vegetables. This pita was exceptional. It was so soft, thick and had these grilled edges and areas that were full of a toasted pita with butter flavor. And the combination of the succulent, juicy lamb with the cool, herb-y, lemony fresh tzatziki was perfect. I don't know what it is about those flavors that pair so well together. 

      The last addition was my half of a chicken. Admittedly, I knew I'd be taking it home, and I knew I probably wouldn't be back for a while so I had to get it. This bird was coated in herbs. I mean coated. I love chicken skin and this just took it over the top. It had such rich, savory flavors and the meat felt clean, as in not greasy and sticky. The meat was tender, broke apart easily was was extra juicy. It was beautiful. I'd say I weirded Karl out by my superfluous excitement about the quality of the bird, but I'm sure he's used to it now. 

     Overall, it was absolutely delicious. I was so happy and satisfied and Karl was too. I can't help it to the satisfaction I got from Greek Corner with Mary a while ago though. That was nirvanic (<my invented word again), but I'm not sure if that was because we were starving lightweights coming from a Saturday practice or what. We also didn't really eat meat then. So the comparison becomes unfair. Sounds like we are due for another carnivorous Greek Corner visit.

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Lamb and Hummus Bowl - My Kitchen, Allston, MA

     Finally I cooked something exciting! Kind of. This recipe for a baba ghanousch bowl came from Closet Cooking. Go look at his photo. It's just beautiful. Mine is quite lack luster and you can't even see half of the things in it. So basically this is a bowl of heaven. He put baba ghanousch in the bottom, but I wanted to do hummus. He also suggested greek yogurt on top but, honestly I forgot, but I think it's ok. It let the feta creaminess show. On top of it you put some ground lamb you cooked up in a pan with some spices. Top it with some tomatoes, parsley, and feta cheese. Boom. My childhood. I took a pita and just pinched a bit of the mixings and ate it like that. I've had day dreams since of what it would be like to actually construct it like a burrito. The combination of every single one of the flavors is harmonious. The lamb is rich with flavor and hot, while the tomatoes and parsley are fresh. The feta is salty and the hummus is smooth. It's really a genius idea and super easy.

Lamb and Hummus Bowl

Lamb and Hummus Bowl

For the lamb:

1 pound ground lamb

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup parsley, chopped

2 tablespoons mint, chopped (I used dried mint)

For the toppings:

1-2 cups hummus

2 cups tomato, diced

1/4 cup feta

1. Mix the lamb, garlic, cumin, coriander and cinnamon, cook over medium-high heat until cooked and slightly caramelized. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and mix in the parsley and mint.

2. Assemble the bowls and dig in with pitas or a spoon.

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Vegetable Purses - My Kitchen, Allston, MA

     A while ago (I'm talking over a year ago), Mary and I went over to Antonia's for dinner and she made these wonderful little things called Vegetable Purses. She found the recipe on My San Francisco Kitchen and I knew that someday I wanted to make them for myself.  They're nice and light and a actually much easier than they look. They'd be much easier if you just bought phyllo dough too. I love the combination of roasted veggies inside. I tossed in a few extra savory herbs like rosemary.

Vegetable Purses

Vegetable Purses

Phyllo dough:
2 cups flour
½ tsp salt
⅔ cups warm water
2 tbsp olive oil

Filling:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large zucchini squash, cubed
1 cup butternut squash, cubed
1 red bell pepper, chopped
½ cup light crumbled feta cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Red pepper sauce:

1 red bell pepper, roasted
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp basalmic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl, add vegetables and olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to coat.
Transfer to a baking pan and bake for 30 minutes. Throw in your whole red pepper for the sauce too and cover in a thin layer of olive oil. 

3. Remove from the oven and lower heat to 350 degrees F. In the meantime, add phyllo dough ingredients to a bowl and mix by hand (or use a stand mixer).  Knead for 10 minutes.

4. Cut into four equal pieces, and roll out as thin a possible.

5. Divide the filling among the sheets of phyllo dough, placing the filling in the center and then topping with feta cheese. Gather the four corners of each phyllo sheet and bring together. Press in the center and twist.

6. Bake for 30 minutes, until slightly golden brown. Remove from the oven and tie each purse with one chive for decoration.

7. For the sauce, add all ingredients to a blender and blend to desired consistency.
Makes 4 purses

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Banana Chocolate Chip Coconut Cookies - My Kitchen, Allston, MA

Banana Chocolate Chip Coconut Cookies

     I've made these eggless, sugarless, flourless cookies before and they've generally just been ... meh. I half expected the same out of these cookies, but I was way far off. These were awesome! I think the fact that I used decently ripe bananas aided in the sugar issue. I found this recipe off of a blog called My Little Table.

Banana Chocolate Chip Coconut Cookies

3 large, ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup coconut oil
2 cups rolled oats
2/3 cup flour
1/3 cup coconut, finely shredded & unsweetened
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
6 – 7 ounces dark chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl combine the bananas, vanilla extract, and coconut oil. Set aside. 

3. In another bowl whisk together the oats, almond or oat flour, shredded coconut, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder. 

4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. 

5. Drop dollops of the dough an inch apart onto am ungreased baking sheet.

6. Bake for 12-14 minutes. Let cool and enjoy!

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Pumpkin Scones - My Kitchen, Allston, MA

Pumpkin Scones

     I'm still slowly working my way though all that pumpkin puree I made back in January. I pull a jar out of the freezer on occasion with no real plan for it, but just a hope to use it at some point within the week. One morning I woke up and realized I had the time and energy to make these pumpkin scones Stef posted a while back on her blog Energy Neutral. She calls them "healthy" so I assumed they may be a little bland (due to a lack of butter and all that much sugar) but I was so wrong! They were fabulous! They had the perfect dry texture but maintained a decent amount of moisture inside. Unlike my pumpkin bagels, I could taste more of the pumpkin flavor in these, which was nice. I made a few changes to her recipe in that instead of using almond milk (that I didn't have), I just used a little bit more pumpkin and a dash of water (my pumpkin is already pretty watery to begin with). I also used coconut oil instead of canola just because I was curious as to what that would taste like and I was a big fan of the switch. Anyway... just look at how pretty these are and try them out yourself!

(Healthy) Pumpkin Scones

2 1/2c whole wheat flour
2 1/2t baking powder
2T brown sugar
3T coconut oil
5T pumpkin puree
1t vanilla
1/2c almond milk
1T ground flax seeds (soaked in 3T water)

1. Preheat oven to 425F. 

2. Combine flour, baking powder, and sugar. Cut in the pumpkin puree and oil using a knife. Flour mixture should be very dry and it should resemble course crumbs. Mix in vanilla, flax seed, and almond milk. 

3. Knead dough 5 or 6 times, then break into 3 large lumps. Cut the lumps into quarters. 

4. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until the edges just start to brown. Let harden or enjoy immediately!

In Search of Higher Ground - Tasting South Carolina

From the summit of Grandfather Mountain, NC

Immaculate Consumption - Columbia, SC
http://immaculate-consumption.com/

     This winter was brutal here in Boston and my travel bug was itching something fierce. I needed mountains. So I hopped on a plane and headed down to South Carolina. I had been before a couple years back with rowing, but this was my first spring break trip with no obligations. No rowing. No diets. No real plan. Ethan and Dan both live in SC, so the plan was to fly in to Charleston, rent a car, drive to the west side to see Ethan for a few days, hike some mountains and drive back to Charleston to see Dan. This isn't a travel blog, so I won't write about the whole trip. But, I did eat some delicious foods while I was there.

     To start... Immaculate Consumption. That's how it always begins (teehee). On my way west, I had a few extra hours, so I stopped in Columbia, home of the University of South Carolina, to check out the campus and fill my tank (my food tank). I had to go to Immaculate Consumption simply because of the name. Duh. The scent of this tiny cafe hit me as soon as I swung open the door. It smelled like antiques and old wood and strangely like my aunt and uncle's house in VA. It was this really cool blend of hipster and farm - classic. Frank Sinatra was on the radio, and the walls were decorated with tapestries and antlers. Weird, right? I've never seen anything like it. The waitstaff was charming and I thought everyone was leaving the restaurant with an open cup of beer. No no... it was sweet tea. Everyone drinks sweet tea. Welcome to the south.
   

Turkey Tarragon Sandwich

     For lunch I got their Turkey Tarragon sandwich which was sliced turkey breast with tarragon/balsamic marinated mushrooms, lettuce, tomatoes, swiss cheese and dijon mustard. The turkey was the best part. Of course. It was so far from a deli meat. More like real fibrous, sliced turkey breast that fell apart, rather than being all held up by whatever junk they put in deli meat. The mushrooms were sopping wet with that balsamic and it was fabulous. It was a serious punch to the face, but was so good. That marinade made the mushrooms kind of chewy too. To smooth out the power of the mushrooms and dijon, they added some swiss. It was perfect on toasted pumpernickel.

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Cupcake Down South - Columbia, SC
http://www.freshcupcakes.com/index.htmld

            After walking for a couple hours through Columbia looking for little shops and such, I came upon Cupcake Down South, which is a small bakery that has a bunch of different locations in Columbia and Charleston. At first I was just going to walk in to see what they had (yea... right) and also to see if they had samples. I was in luck because they did have samples, and those samples won me over. I got the death by chocolate cupcake (of course) which was a chocolate cake with chocolate chips inside and a tall swirl of rich chocolate buttercream frosting. For the cake, they found the perfect middle ground between a brownie and a cake. It was much more moist and substantial than most cupcakes. The frosting ... oh my lord... the frosting was stupid stupid good. So creamy and smooth with just a little bit of air in it, but not like a whipped textured frosting. It was ideal. Definitely the best gourmet cupcake I've ever gotten before. Sorry Georgetown.

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Sunny's Donuts - Gaffney, SC
https://www.facebook.com/SunnysDonuts

The containers for filling. So smart. 

I ate the blueberry donut too fast (on the left), but
this is the massive apple fritter. 

       For my last morning in Boiling Springs with Ethan, he wanted to take me to experience Sunny's Donuts. Shoot. We headed to Gaffney (where the Nestle plant he works at is located) for an apple fritter experience that was apparently unlike any other. In my 26 years, I had never had a better apple fritter experience than that of Dandee Donuts at home, but I was willing to be adventurous. Apple fritters are my favorite.
     First of all, Sunny's Donuts was just a little tiny shop built into the same building as a gas station convenience store. From the outside, it really was nothing special. But the inside boasted racks of freshly made donuts and quite a few different tubs of filling for some on-demand stuffage. Yes. You pick the donut. You pick the filling. They fill it for you. GENIUS. WHY DON'T MORE PLACES DO THIS?! Anyway, the sweet old man behind the counter gave me my apple fritter and a buttermilk blueberry donut. OH and these donuts holes. These donut holes make Dunkin Donuts munchkins seem like dog food. For real. The slick, thin glaze was perfectly sweet and literally just melted in your mouth to reveal the plain, soft, almost chewy dough. It was beautiful.
     Blueberry donuts are my second favorite to apple fritters and this was 100% the best I've ever had. This donut was made with buttermilk, and split at the top (from all the cream?) like a sour cream donut does (those are my third favorite). I love when it does that because it just means more surface area. More surface area = more crust = more glaze. The browned outside crust of this blueberry donut was thick and it had a thick glaze. It was unlike any other donut I've really ever had before. The dough was pretty dense, but there were some great contrasting textures going on.

     The all-star of the show, as predicted, was the full hand sized apple fritter. Lord have mercy on my soul. It wasn't just a donut that had an apple-y flavor. It had a TON of soft apple chunks in it, and throughout the dough there was this applesauce-like filling. Not like a jelly or cream, but like cinnamon applesauce. It was incredible! It took it way above and beyond not just any other apple fritters, but all other donuts. Oh gosh there were so many nobby edges that had their thick fried crust and were coated in glaze. Just like those donut holes (but x 100000), this donut melted in your mouth. I would physically put it in my mouth and feel it melt. It was a magical experience. I wish there was a Sonny's north of the Mason Dixon Line. Ethan, I am forever indebted to you. 

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Hyman's Seafood - Charleston, SC

http://www.hymanseafood.com/

Coleslaw and hushpuppies. Just look at how dark those puppies are. 

     It's ok to laugh at the name. I did too. And at the half naked mermaid in the stairway. And at the fact that Martha Stewart sat at our table. Hyman's was recommended to me by one of Ethan's friends. Since it was one of the only Charleston recommendations I had gotten, I was going for it. Plus, she mentioned something about hushpuppies and well... that's all it really took. Hyman's has some historical significance in that it started as a little shop within the warehouse district back in 1890, but they added the restaurant portion back in 1986. They've been recognized everywhere. All over the food network, travel channel, you name it. They're a Charleston favorite. 

     This place was huge. They had room after room after room of celebrity dining photos and dark wooden tables filled with people.  As a complimentary appetizer, they served boiled peanuts. I had only had them at Hailee's house when we were kids and they were good, but these were great. The primary reason? Salt. Oh man they were so salty. If you've never had boiled peanuts, you ought to. A lot of little roadside stands sell them down here too.
     The hushpuppies came first and were BY FAR the best I've ever put in my mouth. They were much sweeter than others I've had, but don't think they were like donuts or anything. They had a sweet onion flavor, with little strings of onion in them. They had a great, dark brown thick crust with the gritty, dense, cornmeal insides. I could've eaten them forever... or at least until I felt l like death. So phenomenal. 

     The other appetizer they served was coleslaw, which was delicious. It was heavier on the vinegar and lighter on the mayo. Don't get me wrong... me and mayo go way back, but I like the healthier feeling coleslaw better. This one was perfect and light with carrots and red cabbage. 

Fried catfish, collard greens and more hush puppies.

     For my meal, I got the fried catfish. It came super hot, with a thin breading, which was good. I don't like when the breading overtakes the actual fish. This breading had more of a gritty texture to it too, but was a little softer than I would've liked. However the fish was cooked perfectly. It was flaky and juicy and was served with a sweet bowl of collard greens. I wanted that southern meal, and I got it :]

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King Street Cookies - Charleston, SC

http://kingstreetcookies.com/

            

     There will never be a cookie shop I don't go in. King Street Cookies was located on King Street in downtown Charleston. This cute little shop had all white and orange decor with 2 huge, tall king-like chairs in the front. When I walked in, I was one of three people. When I left, there was a line almost out the door. I'm convinced I started a cookie trend. This place had 33 kinds of cookies (I counted) of all varieties. Literally. There were flavors like red velvet cake, berries and cream, and the three kinds I got: Ms. House, Georgia Peach, and Peanut Butter. I've got to say... that peanut butter cookies was in a whole league of its own. It was love at first bite... and not just because I love peanut butter, but because this provided all of the satisfaction a cookie could provide. The center of this cookie stayed fat, so it was done just right so that it wasn't gooey anymore. The top was a little crinkled and sprinkled with a tiny bit of sugar, and all of the edges had a slight crispness to them. It was incredible. It seemed so delicate. Nothing could've made it better. For real. 

Peanut butter (top),  Ms. House (middle),
Georgia Peach (bottom)

     The second one I tried was the georgia peach. It had peach chunks, toffee, cinnamon and white chocolate chips. It was definitely tasty, but almost a little too sweet for me, if you can believe that. Maybe it was the white chocolate. I think I'm beginning to learn that I'm not all that into white chocolate. The third cookie was called Ms. House and was a basic, chewy oatmeal cookie with chocolate chips and chunks. It tasted very much like your homemade oatmeal chocolate chip cookie, but baked by someone who had done it a time or two and knew how to nail the timing down. 

     The best part of this whole deal was that, when you purchase 3 cookies ($6), you get a cup for unlimited milk and get the option of skim milk, whole milk or chocolate milk. I sure milked that opportunity. Got all 3. 

(see what I did there?)

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Triangle Char and Bar - Sumerville, SC

http://trianglecharandbar.com/

Avondale Nachos

     Dan introduced me to boxing, so whenever we get the chance to go, we go. After trying out a new Title gym, he wanted to take me to this place called Triangle Char and Bar. Clever name. Char and Bar = Bar and Grill, but unique. It reminded me very much of a Boston type restaurant in that they focus on using local ingredients and give you information on the menus about how the animals used for their meats are humanely raised. It's pretty neat. Everything inside was bright and colorful, but also very simplistic, in a country way. It fit in with the local, trendy, inventive vibe one experiences in Cambridge. 

Pad Thai Tacos with Sweet Potato Fries

     Dan said if we got the Avondale nachos we might not need to get a meal, so we got the nachos... and then we both got meals. Good. Those nachos were insane. Absolute madness. They were like a loaded baked potato made into nachos. Instead of tortilla chips, they used their homemade potato chips (which were perfection and I'd pay $20 for a bag if they were sold in grocery stores). They were topped with chunks of salty bacon, jalapenos, tomatoes, green onions, a bunch of real melted jack cheese and ranch dressing. It was a sodium overload but it was incredible. I'm generally not too into eating ranch dressing, but in this case it was a really unique take on adding the bit of cream to nachos instead of sour cream. Dan was right. We didn't need meals, and I'm proud to say that I only ate half of my Pad Thai tacos when they came. Go me. The two tacos came in big soft shells and were loaded with grilled chicken, peanuts, peanut sauce, and onions. The chicken was a little peppery and spicy (but in a good way) and the warm peanut sauce went surprisingly really well with the chicken. Seems like such a weird concept in my head, but it worked out. I probably would've been better off with something more mild and lighter after the nachos, but you don't see pad thai tacos often. Oh plus they were served with sweet potato fries sprinkled with salt and some seasoning (maybe paprika?). They were some of the best I've had. I really liked that they were skinnier and I loved the sauce they were served with. It was some sort of dipping sauce that was a dark red but tasted like applesauce and cinnamon. I still have no idea what it was, but it was delicious. 

     Needless to say, my shoes were a little tight the next morning, and my soul was content. 

Can You Ask The Chef Please?

The Pier Patio Pub – Old Orchard Beach, ME
http://oobpier.com/

Old Orchard Beach. The pier Patio Pub was at the end. 

     But really…who builds a waterpark in Maine? Finally… a Sunday in Maine that didn’t have rain in the forcast. Meagan and I had been waiting forever for this day because it meant we could try out Splashtown Funtown. I bought this groupon for the waterpark eons ago because… well, who doesn’t like waterparks? We really had no idea what to expect. It was a beautiful drive up, but after about an hour and a half in the tiny park in cloudy, cool and windy conditions, we called it and headed to the beach. Old Orchard Beach. Similar to Salisbury Beach in that it’s a super long beach and the surrounding area kind of reminds me of the Jersey Shore. There were tons of restaurants, arcades, ice cream shops and even a ferris wheel. One thing that was kind of funny was that the beach was packed! It was not a warm day, it was not sunny, and the water had reached Arctic proportions. These people were crazy… or just confused.

My lobster roll and rings :]

     Either way, we had warmed up a bit, so we walked out on this long pier that was full of shops and food stops and happened upon The Pier Patio Pub. It wasn’t anything fancy by any means, but it was perfect and exactly what we had in mind. We sat on the very end of the pier looking out into the ocean with waves crashing under our feet. It was beautiful. The oldest Hanson brother (in my opinion) was our waiter.
     To start we both ordered a Seadog Sunfish beer which, we both agree, was quite possibly the best beer we have ever had. It had grapefruit and peach flavors in it, but didn’t have the sweetness that some fruity beers sometimes seems to have. It was so refreshing and delicious. For dinner I ordered the lobster roll (when in Maine…) and onion rings. Everyone had the rings. I needed them. They were so good too. Medium sized slices, battered and fried to oblivion. It’s been a while since I’ve eaten something that took that many years off my life, and it was worth it. The lobster roll may have been the best one I’ve ever had too (not that I’ve had many). It wasn’t loaded up with mayo like most are and it was served with lettuce in the bottom of the bun. While the lettuce may seem insignificant, I think that’s what put it above the other lobster rolls I’ve had before. It made the roll complete. It made me complete.

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Gingerbread Construction Company – Winchester, MA
http://gingerbreadusa.com/muffins.html

   

Look at all the varieties!

     So now that I’m not rowing anymore, I’m finding fun ways to still stay active. One way I make them more fun is by including delicious rewards at the end (or the middle in this case). Zack had mentioned that Gingerbread Construction Company in Winchester was deadly and not too bad of a bike ride if I wanted to make a trip out of it. Genius idea. So I did it a couple days after he told me about it. I hopped on my bike with the intention of biking up to the Middlesex Fells reservation, tooling around a bit, grabbing a muffin and heading home. A 2 hour round trip I’d guess. Well… thanks to Google Maps thinking I could ride my road bike on hiking trails, I got a little lost, made some wrong turns, and finally made it to Gingerbread Construction Company two hours after departure. In all honesty, it was a great ride, I had great tunes, so all was well. I was just hungry and thirsty.

Look at all this fruit

Stupid good, stupid looking

 

Raspberry Blueberry muffin, Double Chocolate Chunk
Cookie and Oatmeal Raisin Pecan Cookie

     I’m pretty sure my jaw hit the ground when I walked in because I was blown away with the kajillion different varieties of muffins staring me in the face. Some with crumbles, some stuffed, some with icing. The line only got longer and longer the more time I spent debating and asking the lady behind the counter a million questions. In the end I chose the raspberry blueberry muffin and two cookies. This muffin wasn’t even a muffin. Of all the muffins I’ve had before, there has never been anything like this. It was super soft and moist inside, but not sticky or tacky on the outside. It had an awesome crust on top and was loaded with fresh juicy berries. I wanted another. I wanted 5 more.           

     Thankfully I had the world’s best cookies left to eat. I’m not kidding. Gingerbread Construction Company had the best cookies I have ever had in my life, and I’ve had a lot of cookies in my time. What was so good about them? I’m sure they were loaded with butter, and they literally melted in your mouth. The flavor of the oatmeal raisin pecan was so rich and nutty. I love the flavor pecans give to cookies. This was the one I could really feel melt in my mouth. Oatmeal cookies. I can’t get enough. The double chocolate chunk cookie had these enormous chocolate chunks in it as well as big white chocolate chunks. It was just oozing love. The 2 types of chocolate chunks plus the cocoa in the cookie itself all had different flavors and made each bite unique.

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Bella Vista – Boston, MA

   

It's grainy, but there were basically no lights on in the
restaurant, so I had to make do. This was my Chicken Villanese

     These posts aren’t in order, but I do not care. I forgot to write about the Italian place we went to when Marissa and Jess visited! It’s hard to pick a place to eat in the North End because they all seem the same. I mean… I guess they kind of are. Anyway, Bella Vista looked promising, and we’re easy to please. The place was really dark, tiny and cute (minus the party bathroom Marissa accidentally discovered in the basement). The walls had your typical fake ivy hanging from them and catholic pictures and statues sat situated all around you. Our waitress was an old Italian lady who I’m sure has worked there since the dawn of time. I always like seeing that because it makes me feel like the place is more authentic. I’m sure that’s what they aim for though.
     

     My main meal was great, but my favorite

The first of two incredible, warm bread baskets. 

part may have been the rolls with butter. The rolls were big and football shaped and came to the table nice and hot. They were soft on the outside, but had a thinner crust that you could easily tear. I had at least 3 … maybe 4.
     For my main course I ordered the Chicken Villanese because I didn't feel like eating a ton of pasta. It did come with a side of spaghetti and tomato sauce though, which was a bonus. That was a little bland though. The Chicken Villanese was two flattened chicken breasts with shrimp, mushrooms and clams in a white wine sauce. Normally I’m hesitant to order things in a wine sauce, but I was feeling adventurous this day. Oh and it was such a great choice! The bite that I normally associate with wine wasn’t prominent at all. The white wine sauce was light and thin, but gave all of the seafood and the chicken a powerful flavor. It almost had the sharpness of wine, but not that rotten taste I dread so much. I was so pleased that it went well. I was nervous. The mushrooms were another unique element of the dish. They were a couple different varieties of wild and meaty mushrooms with a hearty chewiness. They were like sponges for that sauce. Bella Vista did not disappoint :]

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Grafton Street – Cambridge, MA
http://graftonstreetcambridge.com/

    

BBQ American Lamb Pizza

     Jimmy and I can’t help it. When we get a butter dish that has a unique flavor and little red specks in it, we will look like morons trying to assess the flavors. And we will not hesitate to ask the waitress to ask the chef what’s in the butter. Grafton Street in Harvard Square had some tasty butter with lemon, red pepper and cumin to go with their awesome sliced chewy and sticky bread. After a big upset about not making it to Veggie Planet before they closed on their last day of existence, Jimmy, Meagan, Liz and I headed to Grafton Street to take advantage of their really nice outdoor seating area. To start we got a pitcher of Sangria which was one of the best red sangrias I’ve had. Since I’m not a big fan of red wine, sangria made with it often makes me want to hurl. I think this had more juice in it or something… or whatever else they put in sangria that isn’t wine.

     For my main meal, I stuck with the pizza idea since that was what I had set my mind on when Veggie Planet was in my future. Grafton Street had a awesome sounding BBQ American Lamb Pizza. This was completely different than I expected. I thought I was getting a normal thick crust pizza with tons of cheese and bonus shredded lamb on top. Instead, this crust had a light smear of tomato sauce and was sprinkled with smaller sized lamb chunks, equally sized chunks of feta cheese, and cilantro. So each bite you took had to have some strategy for fear of not getting a little bit of each topping and of them tumbling off. It was served on a beautiful, thick wooden cutting board and was quite pretty. I loved the savory and salty flavors of the lamb and feta balanced by the fresh cilantro. That cilantro was essential. Parsley would've been good too. It was very simple and tasty, but not filling. I love lamb, so there wasn't really going to be any way I would've been dissatisfied, but I would've liked some more meat and cheese.

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No Name Restaurant - Boston, MA
http://www.nonamerestaurant.com/

     After spending the day out on Spectacle Island in the Boston harbor, Meagan, Madalyn, Jimmy and I were in the seafood mood. I had heard about No Name before, so I thought we might as well give it a try. It’s in a super odd location though on a wharf amongst what looks like a bunch of other fishing loading docks within a brick building. It wasn't quite the waterfront, open air dining experience we were looking for, but it was apparently the first restaurant in Boston to start serving seafood back in 1917. The inside resembled an old seaside restaurant with sea-worthy wooden furniture and art.

Sauteed Seafood Plate

     To start, they sent over a garlic bread basket. I was starving so it tasted good, but it honestly was just like the pre-made garlic bread you can get in the store that already has the garlic paste spread over it.
     For dinner, I went with the seafood platter with sautéed veggies. I was so happy with that choice. I wasn’t ready to feel the post-meal misery of a fried seafood plate, and I really enjoyed being able taste the simple flavors of the sautéed scallops, shrimp, swordfish and calamari. The swordfish was my favorite part of the dish. So simple and tender.  This also came with a heaping side of great coleslaw that I couldn’t finish.

Look at that coleslaw mountain

     I shared Jimmy’s seafood chowder and it was excellent. With a bunch of different types of seafood in the chowder, it had tons of different flavors, and it was the perfect consistency. I’m not a huge fan of runny chowders, nor am I fond of the super thick ones. This was right in the middle and allowed for a rich flavor without being overbearing in consistency. Jimmy’s broiled Scrod was simple and delicious because of the light buttery flavor and slightly crisped up edges of the fish. They cooked it perfectly without drying it out at all. Overall, a decent place, but not one of the better seafood experiences I’ve had here in the city.

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.