Cave Cibum

The Colonial Inn, Concord

2013-05-10T12:28:00.000-04:00

I have lived almost my entire life in Lexington, and yet I've somehow managed to go all these years without a visit to The Colonial Inn in Concord. Maybe that has something to do with the long-standing feud between Lexington and Concord (because they can't accept the fact that the first shot of the American Revolution was fired in Lexington), or, more likely, why would I visit an Inn in the town right next to mine?

The Colonial Inn, originally built in 1716 and in operation as a hotel since 1889, could continue to operate based on its history alone. What tourist (and yes, this region sees bus loads of tourists each year) wouldn't want to stay in such a historic spot (which may or may not house a ghost or two)? But recent personnel changes and a revamping of the Inn's two restaurants have made it more than just a historic spot. I was invited to spend an evening sampling dishes from both restaurants, and how could I say no?

We started the evening in the taproom, decked out much as it would have been during the Colonial period, with low ceilings, rustic tables, brass lamps - the perfect spot to enjoy a bit of whiskey or beer. This room, along with a larger bar room in the back and a restaurant room in the front of the building, make up Liberty, the Inn's gastropub. We enjoyed bites from the bar menu a we listened to the in-house historian, Arthur. The crab johnnycakes (less johnnycake, really, and more an impressive crab cake) and the smoked maple bacon bites (served on skewers with little bits of roasted sweet potato) were my favorites. All of the bacon is made in-house, and it's the attention to the little things like that that make a difference here. I would happily stop in for bacon bites and a drink any day.

After our cocktail hour, we moved into Merchants Row, the more formal dining room in the Inn. Our meal, meant to highlight the new menu and new chef at Merchants Row, was served in small portions (ie the portions in my pictures here are not indicative of what you'd order). I found quite a few dishes that I would happily order full servings of.

The highlights of the meal for me were the various seafood dishes. We started with salmon tartare, and while that's never my thing, I appreciated the skill with which it was made. Next up was shrimp and grits, which I'm pretty sure everyone at my table agreed on as being phenomenal. Granted, I haven't had shrimp and grits in the South, but this was by far the best rendition I've ever had. The grits were appropriately cheesy, the shrimp were buttery and perfectly cooked, and the little bits of bacon, mushroom, and scallion on top tied everything together. In fact, this dish is on the menu in Liberty as well, so you can pair it with your drink and bacon bites. After a sorbet palate cleanser, we had our last seafood course, a Meyer lemon scallop with parsnips and beets. I am always in awe of perfectly cooked scallops, and these were wonderful. Our final dish was a duo of beef - short ribs and steak frites - and while they were very good, they paled in comparison to the seafood that had come before.

And then a dessert sampler came out. The chocolate stout cake was fine, the bread pudding was tasty, but oh, the blondie sundae! I could have happily eaten another one, even after the huge meal we'd had. This perfect sundae consisted of tiny bites of blondies, topped with ice cream, whipped cream, caramel corn, and nicely salty caramel. I was definitely licking that plate clean, and you would have too.

I am happy that I have finally visited The Colonial Inn, and even happier still that I've found a lovely spot to send visitors to the area to eat. As the days get nicer, Concord is a perfect spot to spend the day exploring (again, not as perfect as Lexington, but I'm biased), and lunch or dinner at The Colonial Inn would be the perfect way to wrap up the day (especially if you order one of those blondie sundaes!).

Full disclosure note: my meal was provided for free by the Inn.

Moving on in the Lamb Pro-Am!

2013-04-29T19:36:00.000-04:00

A big thank you to everyone who voted for my Green Goddess Lamb Kebabs in the 2013 Lamb Pro-Am! I am happy to announce that I have been paired up with Michael Scelfo from Russell House Tavern. I can't wait to see what he does with my recipe!

The Lamb Pro-Am Finals will be held at the Royal Sonesta in Cambridge on May 19th. Ticket info can be found here. Please come and stuff the box with votes for me! ;)

Lambtastic Voting

2013-04-18T12:43:00.001-04:00

I spent the morning watching the interfaith service for the Boston Marathon. I think it was what we all needed to hear right about now.

And so life goes on.

Voting for the Lamb Pro-Am has opened, and I would be thrilled to receive your vote and move on in the contest. The top 4 of the 7 Boston bloggers will move on to work with a local chef to reinterpret their recipes. The Lamb Pro-Am Finals will be held on May 19th, and tickets can be purchased here.

Voting ends on April 26th, so vote, vote, vote!

Thank you!!

For Boston

2013-04-16T21:48:00.000-04:00

There's not much to be said, but here I am anyway.

I am a Bostonian, born and bred, even though I have never lived within the limits of the city. Being a Bostonian is more a weirdly puritanical mindset than it is an indication of where you were born (it may have something to do with being able to speak and understand the accent, however). I have proudly called myself a Bostonian (and occasionally a Masshole) wherever I have traveled (often while wearing my Red Sox hat proudly). And I am proud to be a Bostonian today.

Plenty of other writers have said it more eloquently than I ever could, but Boston is a grand city with amazing history and tough-as-nails people, and this won't keep us down.

I am sad that someone chose one of our most sacred holidays, Patriots Day, to cause harm. I am sad that this day, which holds so many dear memories, will be marred. I am sad that my niece, whom we have always kidded about being a Tax Day baby, will hear about this day on her birthday for the forseeable future. I am, of course, sad for the loss of life and the injuries sustained by so many.

But mostly I'm just mad. You don't mess with Boston.

The title of this post refers to the Boston College fight song. I'd like to think of it more as this city's fight song right about now. Here's the Dropkick Murphys version.

Olive (yes, olive) Shortbread

2013-04-15T10:24:00.000-04:00

I like a little challenge. That is exactly why I love Kitchen Play - the site often challenges me to think creatively about a particular ingredient. So when Kitchen Play hosted a progressive party (with different bloggers taking on each course) for Lindsay Olives, I wanted to join in. Five bloggers posted delicious recipes, and readers were invited to add their own course.

Now, the post was worded in such a way that immediately made me want to try making a dessert. But what to make? There are plenty of olive oil desserts out there, but not many that use actual olives.

Since cookies are probably my favorite thing to bake, I went for that. Shortbread, which doesn't have a lot of flavors already competing with the addition of olives, seemed perfect. I wanted to enhance the flavor of the black olives, so I subbed out a little of the butter in my normal shortbread recipe for olive oil.

The resulting cookie is floral and citrus-y and just a little bit unctuous. I had a very nice lemon olive oil sitting around from my trip to Italy last fall, but you could certainly use a plain olive oil instead. The chopped olives gave a nice amount of chew to the crispy cookie, plus they gave a little bit of a burst of olive-y goodness every once in a while. I sprinkled black sea salt on the tops of some of the cookies, and I enjoyed those even more (but then I'm a sucker for salt in my sweets).

Will I be making olive shortbread again? Oh yes!

Olive Shortbread
1 1/2 sticks (12 Tbsp) butter
1/4 cup good olive oil (lemon olive oil, preferably)
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
pinch of salt
2 1/2 cups flour
12 Lindsay large pitted black olives, washed and minced
black sea salt (optional)

Cream butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Cream in olive oil. Mix in egg and salt. Add in flour and mix until just combined. Gently mix in the minced olive so it doesn't get mushed. Halve dough and shape each half into a squared log about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap in parchment paper and freeze until firm, at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 375°. Cut dough into 1/4 inch thick slices. Place slices on parchment-lined cookie sheet and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake until edges are golden, about 15 minutes. Do not let the cookies brown, just look for hints of color at the edges.

Green Goddess Lamb Kebabs

2013-04-14T21:43:00.000-04:00

I had such a blast cooking in the inaugural Lamb Pro-Am last year, I jumped at the chance to participate again. Last year's recipe was so personal for me, and I was very proud that I got to the finals with that dish.

Because American lamb has such a wonderful taste (never that game-y flavor that most people associate with lamb), I didn't want to make anything that would cover up the actual lamb flavor. A mix of herbs, I thought, would compliment that taste without overpowering it while also making the dish feel very Spring-y.

But the herbs needed a vehicle. I started looking at Green Goddess dressing recipes, but I avoid most things that call for large amounts of mayonnaise. That got me thinking, however, about how I often swap mayo out of recipes for Greek yogurt, something I still don't eat on its own but which certainly still has its place in the kitchen. Using yogurt as a marinade base also has the wonderful effect of tenderizing the meat; the boneless leg of lamb I had was almost flawless, but a yogurt marinade can help a more grizzly chunk of meat soften up. I call these Green Goddess Lamb Kebabs, but I know this isn't a traditional Green Goddess dressing. Maybe Green Goddess-ish Kebabs would be a better name?

I served these kebabs with shaved parsnip chips and leftover marinade. The sweetness of the parsnips was a nice contrast to the creamy dip, plus the chips added some great texture.

A note on the herbs: I used a mix of parsley, cilantro, basil, dill, and mint. You can leave out any of these that you might like. For one container of yogurt, I filled an entire salad spinner with herb leaves (picked off their stems). This probably added up to about 2 grocery store-sized bunches of herbs. Use as much as you like, but this is definitely a case where the more, the merrier!

And thanks again to the wonderful American Lamb Board and Boston Chefs for sponsoring this event. They both go to great lengths to support American lamb, which I find the tastiest of all the lamb out there.

Voting is open now, and you can buy tickets to the Lamb Pro-Am Finals by heading here.

Here's my lamb grilling on our indoor electric grill because it rained the day I made this recipe.

Green Goddess Lamb Kebabs

16 oz. Greek yogurt (not fat-free)

2-3 garlic cloves, crushed

about 2 bunches worth of fresh herbs (parsley, cilantro, basil, dill, mint), minced

4 scallions, minced

juice of 1 lemon

salt

cayenne pepper

2-3 lbs lamb, cut into 1 to 1 1/2 inch cubes

In a large mixing bowl, combine yogurt, garlic, minced herbs, scallions, and lemon juice. Stir to combine, then blend with an immersion blender. Salt and cayenne pepper to taste. Remove half of the sauce and reserve. Add lamb to remaining sauce in bowl, making sure all the lamb is well covered by the sauce. Refrigerate 24 hours.

Heat grill. Thread lamb onto wooden skewers, being careful not to pack them in too closely or they won't cook evenly. You do not have to wipe off any marinade that is clinging to the meat. Grill about 5 minutes per side, until they are pink in the middle. Serve with reserved sauce.

Not-Too-Puffy Sugar Cookies

2013-03-28T14:43:00.000-04:00

As I've mentioned before, I am a HUGE fan of cookie cutters. But not just any cookie cutter will do; only the weirdest and geekiest will find a happy home in my kitchen.

So when PAX East (the gaming convention held in Boston that I attend every year) rolled around and I started to think up cookie ideas for the Cookie Brigade (a group that gives away cookies to PAX attendees and takes donations for Child's Play), I knew I had to be on the lookout for more geeky stamps.

And then I found my new favorite Etsy shop, WarpZone. It is FILLED with amazingly-detailed, highly geeky cookie cutters made using a 3-D printer. I had such a hard time picking some and not just buying everything she had. I'm actually still fighting that temptation...

I opted for Doctor Who (above) and Archer (below). The Archer ones are awesome, but they were a little too delicate because of how the heads stick out for me to bring to PAX again. The Doctor Who ones, however, turned out AWESOME! I got great response when I was handing them out, and I'm really happy with how the food coloring in the dough turned out. The weeping angels turned out the best, because I used black dye and marbled it in a bit to look like stone.

Oh, and Cookie Brigade ended up raising $17,650 this PAX East!!! How incredible is that?!

The problem with these kinds of cookie cutters, though, is that you need to use a dough that doesn't rise too much in the oven. My usual sugar cookie recipe puffs up a fair deal. Luckily, I found a great recipe in an old issue of Cooking Light, and I ended up making 6 batches of it. It's not a particularly special sugar cookie recipe, but I like to keep track of anything I've had substantial results with. It's also a fairly forgiving dough - I rerolled it and rerolled it after screwing up quite a few times (these cookie cutters need the dough to be a very specific thickness), and I didn't feel the quality of the cookie suffered. I will DEFINITELY be making these cookies for PAX again next year.

Not-Too-Puffy Sugar Cookies (adapted from Cooking Light)
1 cup sugar
10 Tbsp butter, softened
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract or paste
2 egg whites
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups flour

In the bowl of a mixer, cream together sugar and butter. Beat in vanilla and egg whites, then beat in baking powder and salt. Slowly add flour until combined. Divide dough in half, shaping each half into a disk. If you want to add food dye (I recommend gel food dye) to the dough, gently work it in now (don't forget plastic gloves!). Wrap with plastic wrap and chill at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 375°. Lightly flour your rolling surface, then roll dough out to desired thickness (about 1/4 inch for these cutters). Stamp away to your heart's content! Place cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet with about 1 inch between cookies. Bake for 10 minutes or until just starting to brown at the edges.

Vine Brook Tavern, Lexington

2013-03-06T12:09:00.001-05:00

I've lived most of my life in the Boston suburb of Lexington, so I can say firmly that it is somewhat of a culinary wasteland. There's plenty of pizza and Asian (which only recently got any traction with Formosa Taipei - but then, that's another post). And besides one of my favorite bakeries, there wasn't anything in town that I've felt deserved much attention.

Until now, at least. A few months ago, Vine Brook Tavern opened right in the center of town, and I feel like I've found my local watering hole AND a place I can firmly recommend to friends and guests. I've been a few times already, each in very different circumstances (once for a drink and appetizers, once for a more casual family-like dinner, and once for a finer evening out), and I've only seen the quality of everything improve over time. The building, which has housed a few Italian chain restaurants in it's last few iterations, has been cleaned up a lot, and it really fits in with the historical look of the town now. I'd call the design contemporary colonial, with lots of wood and iron and muted colors. And yet, it still feels inviting! The only thing missing is a fireplace to have a drink next to.

First off: the drinks. There is some fine cocktail work happening here! The fig sidecar (with fig-infused Bulleit bourbon) is something I dream of, and the Bee's Knees is perfectly sweet. And these drinks aren't wimpy, either!

My favorite appetizer at Vine Brook is the lobster tacos (one for $4 or three for $12), but they are sadly not on the menu right now (they've been replaced by steak tacos). Hopefully they'll come back soon, because a couple of those and a drink at the bar would make me a happy girl any day. Coming in a close second, however, is the duck confit pizzetta (above, $9) - roughly 6 inches in diameter, the little pizza is loaded with duck confit, crispy caramelized onions, fresh ricotta, and little pieces of hazelnut. Plus, the crust is crispy on the bottom - a tough thing to do with all those toppings!

Another appetizer you have to try: the cauliflower steak ($8). Personally, I love cauliflower and would eat it any day of the week, but I know most people aren't quite so excited by it. Even our waiter said he wasn't a fan of cauliflower, but he strongly recommended we try this dish. It's a wonderful presentation of crispy roasted cauliflower with plenty of garlic and capers. I love the idea of starting a meal not with a salad, but with a cooked veggie!

The entrees are equally delicious and hearty. My steak frites ($23, which I ordered with sweet potato fries instead of regular, and you should too) were perfectly cooked, and the fries were tossed with arugula, parmesan, and garlic, which wilted the greens slightly. Oh so good! The roasted salmon ($22) was also clearly cooked with expertise and was served with crispy root veggies and a bright beet sauce.

I didn't have high hopes for dessert, which was OK , because I was plenty full. But when our order of apple and pear crisp came out, piping hot, with a pile of melty vanilla ice cream on top, I suddenly found myself willing to eat some more. The fruit was still chunky, not cooked down to mush, and the topping was loaded with oats and was nice and crunchy. What a way to end a meal!

Like I said, I am so happy to have a place like Vine Brook Tavern open in my hometown. We sorely needed something of this quality, and I know I'll be back. Chef Chris Frothingham (who has previously worked at Sel de la Terre, Bonfire, and Kingfish Hall) is doing great stuff with fresh and seasonal items while maintaining a varied menu that can appeal to a wide variety of diners. I can't wait to see what he comes up with when all the local produce comes in during the summer!

Full disclosure note: one of my three visits was paid for by the restaurant.

Lamb-tastic Voting!

2013-02-16T08:29:00.000-05:00

So my lamb post from a few days ago was not just a recipe - it was also an entry into a wonderful contest sponsored by the American Lamb Board! I'm one of just 10 bloggers across the US asked to come up with a lamb recipe fit for Valentine's Day, and a year's worth of lamb (!!) is at stake for the winner.

Won't you help me win some more delicious lamb? If I do, there are bound to be even more lamb recipes here...

You can vote on the Fans of Lamb website through February 28th. I really do appreciate every vote!!

Also, Boston's Lamb Jam is tomorrow - stay tuned for more delicious lamb pictures!

Valentine's Day Veggie Soup

2013-02-12T13:05:00.000-05:00

What, you didn't believe me when I said I like to do cheesy heart-shaped everything for Valentine's Day?!

Over the weekend, trapped in the house due to the blizzard, I figured soup would be a perfect way to stay cozy. I had seen this nifty heart-shaped carrot tutorial and knew I had to incorporate it. Once you get a hang of cutting the carrots, it really doesn't take too long to make. For long carrots, I'd recommend cutting them in half first so they're shorter and more manageable.

Since I also had butternut squash to add to the soup and I knew it would remain pretty solid throughout the cooking, I wanted to make them heart-shaped as well. The technique for these is a little different - cut fat slices of the top (skinnier) section. Cut each of these slices into 6 triangles, like you're cutting a pie. Make a notch in the top of each triangle and use your potato peeler to round edges into a heart shape. Slice into thin pieces like with the carrot.

This soup - whether you make heart-shaped carrots and squash or not - is hearty and filling and delicious! We all went back for seconds and even enjoyed it again the next day!

Heart-y Veggie Soup
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 slices of bacon, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
3 carrots, cut into heart-shaped slices (or diced)
3 celery stalks, diced
about 1/2 lb butternut squash, cut into heart-shaped slices (or diced)
28-oz can peeled tomatoes, roughly chopped, including juice
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
1 bay leaf
1 can cannellini (white) beans
3-4 large leaves of kale, chopped and stems removed

In a large pot, heat olive oil, then add bacon and cook until it begins to brown. Add onion, carrots, celery, and squash and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the veggies start to soften, about 10 minutes.

Add tomatoes and juice, broth, water, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered until the veggies are tender, about 30 minutes. Remove bay leaf, then stir in beans and kale. Serve once beans are heated through and kale is wilted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Lamb Kufte is for Lovers

2013-02-10T22:13:00.000-05:00

According to the American Lamb Board, February is Lamb Lover's Month. When they reached out to me to create a special Valentine's Day meal for two, there was no way I could say no.

I'm a fan of the typical cheesy Valentine's Day stuff - heart-shaped everything, splashed in red and pink, surrounded by little baby cupids. My Valentine's Pinterest board has more links than my Christmas boards! So forgive me if I went a little overboard with this recipe of heart-shaped kufte. If your heart (ok, that was taking it a bit too far) isn't in it, you could just shape these as patties or meatballs.

I was so happy with this recipe, I would have made a second batch right away to put into the freezer just to have on hand... if we hadn't been in the middle of a huge blizzard here in New England. As it is, I will be making this again in the future. It was relatively quick to make (especially if you make the sauce ahead of time or start it first), and it stretched one pound of meat into enough to fill 4 people. Another plus? It can be made ahead of time, just doing the final bake before you eat - especially helpful when Valentine's Day falls on a weekday ;)

And the sauce! Oh god, the sauce! I wanted to use pomegranate molasses, but I thought the flavors would be even more exciting if I made my own and added some red wine. I could probably eat the sauce all by itself, because it tastes like a very tart and tannic jam. I'd love to try it on other meats as well.

I served my kufte with buttery pilaf topped with fresh pomegranate seeds, although a salad or even some noodles would work.

Heart-Shaped Lamb Kufte with Pomegranate Wine Molasses
1/2 cup bulgur wheat
1/2 cup hot water
1 small onion, minced
1 shallot, minced
large handful of fresh parsley, minced
1 egg
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp sumac
1 lb ground lamb

In a mixing bowl combine bulgur wheat and hot water; let sit, covered, for 15 minutes. If there is any water left after 15 minutes, carefully pour it out. Add onion, shallot, parsley, egg, salt, pepper, allspice, cayenne, and sumac, and mix well. Add lamb and incorporate with the rest of the ingredients. Don't overwork the lamb or it will become tough.

Line a baking sheet with foil. To shape hearts, take a golf ball-size piece of mixture and form it into a triangular patty. Place on baking sheet, then gently use one finger to form an indentation in the top of the triangle (as in the picture above) to form the heart (this may take a bit of coaxing). Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Cook kufte in a 350° oven for 15 minutes, flipping halfway through. Serve with pomegranate wine molasses below.

Pomegranate Wine Molasses
2 cups pomegranate juice
2 cups red wine
1 shallot, minced
2 tsp honey
salt

In a medium saucepan, combine juice, wine, and shallot. Bring to a boil and cook about 45 minutes, until reduced to 1/2-cup or so. Whisk occasionally to make sure nothing is sticking. In the last 5 minutes, add the honey and whisk well. Once the sauce is reduced, add salt to taste and serve with kufte.

Friday I'm In Love... with Sucré King Cake

2013-02-01T12:57:00.000-05:00

I had never had a king cake until a few years ago, when my friend Ann (who went to college in New Orleans) decided that we should try making one. It was a huge success (thanks mostly to Joanne Chang's brioche recipe from her Flour cookbook), but I didn't have much to compare it to.

But when Sucre Bakery asked me to try their king cake, I jumped at the chance. A real king cake, straight from New Orleans? Yes please! (Here's some history on the king cake if you don't know it.)

I had a hell of a time getting a good picture of Sucre's king cake because it is just too beautiful. Coated in edible glitter (the ONLY kind of glitter I'll stand for) in traditional Mardi Gras colors, this cake will not allow decent pictures to be taken. But in person, it's gorgeous! It would make a stunning addition to a buffet or as a centerpiece (but we just ate it with our hands straight out of the box).

And the taste? Oh so good! I was a little worried about it having a cream cheese filling, but in truth, the cream cheese is very light and not at all cloying. In spots, it was almost absent, while in others, it was a bit thicker. The dough itself is light and chewy, like a perfect breakfast pastry. We enjoyed some of the cake at room temperature, but we also heated some for a few seconds in the microwave (as suggested by Sucre) and that was even better! In fact, I'm drooling just thinking about it.

I was worried that a king cake shipped from the land of Mardi Gras would be crazy expensive, but Sucre's cakes are only $20, so even with shipping, it would hard to find anything in the Boston area at a comparable price (not to mention the taste!). But they only make king cakes from January until Mardi Gras (which this year is only a week and a half away!!!), so order now!

Full Disclosure note: I was sent samples for free by Sucre, but the opinions are all mine.

Blood Orange Negroni

2013-01-29T22:01:00.000-05:00

The Negroni has been my drink for a while now. I like the play between bitter and sweet that it offers, plus I don't know anyone else who likes it, so I don't have to worry about running out of ingredients.

Traditionally, a Negroni is one part gin, one part sweet red vermouth, and one part Campari, served with an orange peel garnish. I tend to think of Campari as a summer drink (probably because I was first introduced to it on a hot summer day in the form of a Campari and soda). The addition here of blood orange to the basic recipe makes the drink slightly sweeter and also makes it something special that can only be made in the winter months, when blood oranges are available.

Blood Orange Negroni
1 part gin (I use Bombay Sapphire)
1 part Campari
1 part fresh-squeezed blood orange juice
1/2 part red vermouth
slice of blood orange

In a short tumbler, pour gin, Campari, juice, and vermouth over a handful of ice. Stir well, then top with orange slice.

Friday I'm in Love... with Crunchtables

2013-01-25T21:45:00.000-05:00

Photo from Crunchtables

Fried. Pickles. In. The. Freezer.

I have found the most perfect frozen food, and it is fried pickles with a crispy pretzel crust! While wandering around the supermarket, I found an endcap freezer filled with Crunchtables, a new product featuring a variety of vegetables dressed in crunchy exteriors to make them more appealing. I mean, I'll eat veggies any time, but I know lots of people who won't. These aren't exactly a health food, but they're better than a lot of things out there.

So far, I've tried the zucchini, green beans, and pickles; I also have a box of broccoli waiting to be eaten. (There are also mushrooms and carrots, but I couldn't find those.) Everything except the pickles have a "crouton crust" which is tasty enough, but the "pretzel crust" on the pickles is phenomenal! These pickles are as good as any I've had at local pubs, and knowing that I can pop them in the oven at any time of the day makes me very happy.

I only wish the pretzel coating were available on all the other veggies.

Finally, Fantastic Crab Cakes!

2013-01-08T15:47:00.000-05:00

I feel like I've tried a million crab cake recipes, and while they always end up tasty enough, they're never easy enough or healthy enough or worth the time. Just prior to New Year's Eve, though, I was thumbing through a copy of Real Simple and found a crab cake recipe that sounded like it would be worth trying.

For a simple but elegant New Year's Eve dinner, I made the crab cakes and placed them on top of a salad made of butter lettuce, avocado, and grapefruit. I made a simple dressing with olive oil and grapefruit juice to tie everything together. I paired the salad with popovers, and we were all very happy.

These crab cakes are a breeze to whip up, and they can be made a few hours ahead of time and kept in the fridge before baking. Oh, and did I mention they're baked, not fried? These would be an elegant appetizer at a party, but I wouldn't hesitate to make them for a weeknight dinner, either.

Sesame Crab Cakes (from Real Simple Magazine)
8 ounces lumb crab meat
1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs *
2 scallions, thinly sliced (I used a handful of chives)
1 egg
1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
zest of 1 lime
3 Tbsp mayonnaise
3/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 450°. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with baking spray (I used grill foil, which is already non-stick).

In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix well. Form into about 20 miniature patties and place on baking sheet. Bake until golden, about 3 to 4 minutes per side.

*Use fresh bread crumbs instead of packaged. They make a big different. Just bake a couple of slices of bread at 300° for a few minutes per side until crispy, then use a food processor to chop fine. Store any extra in the freezer for next time.

Christmas Coal

2012-12-28T11:37:00.000-05:00

Since I'm always looking for new holiday cookies and since my baking list is always ridiculously long, I like to find recipes that are simple or require very little time to make. When I came across this recipe for Lumps of Coal, I was in love - not only was it a quick no-bake recipe, but I could use Peppermint Joe-Joes from Trader Joe's to make them truly Christmas-y!

(And sorry for no picture, but really, they're just blackish cubes.)

Christmas Coal (with thanks to Sweet Pea's Kitchen and Pinterest)
1 package peppermint Joe-Joes (or mint Oreos)
1 bag mini marshmallows
4 Tbsp butter

Line an 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.

In a food processor, pulse cookies until ground. My food processor is smaller, so I did this in batches. Make sure to fish out any pieces that don't get chopped up well and add them back to the processor for more time.

In a medium pot over medium heat, melt butter, then stir in marshmallows until melted. Stir in ground cookies, then press into prepared baking dish, making sure to get the mixture into all the corners. Let set at room temperature (I waited an hour or so), then cut into pieces.

I cut mine very tiny, because A) I was making a huge cookie tray and wanted people to get little bites of everything, and B) these things are RICH!. Considering how easy these are to make, I'm fairly sure that they will be going on my Christmas cookie list for years to come. :)

Christmas Appetizers

2012-12-26T11:19:00.000-05:00

What would Christmas be without some strangely thematic food?!? This year, I became totally enamored with these veggie tray Christmas trees on Pinterest, and I knew I'd have to make one happen. I made my mother volunteer for the veggie tray for our family gathering, and my father and I spent the morning before the party having fun with toothpicks and fresh produce.

I combined a number of similar ideas from Pinterest to make this tree. I should have taken a photo of the base before we started adding veggies - we used a cabbage on the bottom, an apple in the middle, and a carrot on top. Both the cabbage and the apple had the ends trimmed so they sat flat, one on top of the other, and the carrot was a nice handhold to stabilize the tree as we added the veggies. We cut about half of the carrot off at the end because it was too hard to stab the toothpicks into it.

After the base was complete, we added big pieces of broccoli and cauliflower to make up the bulk of the tree. Grape tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers made up the decorations, and baby carrots and more cucumbers were placed around the bottom of the tree like presents. We added some bits of kale here and there to fill in any holes, and the kale really gave the tree a full look. The star on top is a yellow pepper that I cut with a cookie cutter.

The tree was a huge hit at the party, although I noticed that people kept taking veggies from the back of the tree because they didn't want to ruin how it looked. I started purposefully taking my pieces from the front so others would start as well.

The best part of the day, though, was after dessert when my cousin's son came up to me and said "I want that apple!", pointing at the tree. I took apart what was left and gave him the apple. A little while later, I came back, and he was basically using the leftover parts of the tree as legos, building little men with the veggies and toothpicks, then eating each piece. I told my cousin that all snack times from here on out should involve toothpicks. :)

My cousin Emily is also on Pinterest, and leading up to Christmas, she had repinned the veggie tree AND this cool cheese tray tree. I told her what I was making, and I knew her mother had gotten some cheese, so she should make this one. This was a big hit too, and such a simple but beautiful way to present cheeses and meats!

North Pole Cupcakes

2012-12-15T18:35:00.000-05:00

When I started my new job at the library, I was informed that during our quarterly Friends of the Library book sale, there was also a cupcake sale. I couldn't possibly not participate. I'm not usually a cupcake baker (cookies are really more my thing), but I was willing to join in.

And thankfully, my Pinterest obsession came in handy once again! I had pinned these adorable north pole cupcakes, which I thought would be perfect for the bake sale. The original pin used striped paper straws for the pole, but I wanted to make them as edible as possible, so I opted for peppermint sticks topped with bell-shaped gum drops. The sign and string, however, couldn't be edible, but that's close enough.

The Christmas Must-Bake List

2012-12-11T11:13:00.000-05:00

Christmas cookies are a BIG thing for me. I bake a ridiculous number of cookies this time of year, and I usually end up bringing 10 or so different kinds to family functions. I try to keep a good balance between the classics (gingerbread), the things I know my family loves (rosemary shortbread), and experiments. I also end up making a few presents as well, like black cake for my dad (although my mom usually gives a few away too) or various flavored liqueurs.

My list so far (although this will be whittled down at some point):
-Gingerbread
-Rosemary Shortbread
-Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
-Almond Macaroons (for my gluten-free peeps) (or maybe peanut butter cookies?)
-Baraze
-Buckeyes (how have I not written about these before?)
-some kind of biscotti

And recipes that Pinterest told me I should bake:
-Rolo-stuffed sugar cookies
-Christmas-y shortbread
-Coal lumps (but with Trader Joe's Candy Cane Joe-Joe's)
-Santa Party Mix

And I know it's still early for baking, but usually by this time, I have all my recipes in order and I've stocked up on necessities like butter, sugar, and flour. I'm falling behind this year!! That's where you come in - give me your favorite cookie recipes! I'm always looking for more, and I'm happy to give some new things a shot.

NaBloPoMo Wrap-Up

2012-12-04T22:13:00.000-05:00

Well, I did it. I wrote 30 blog posts in November (can't say it was truly daily, since I did back-date a few). Would I do it again? I think so. Much like NaNoWriMo, NaBloPoMo's focus is just to get you writing, not to write the BEST content for your blog. And considering it's been months since I posted ANYTHING, this is better than how it was before. I don't think I really learned anything about blogging, but I had fun.

The thing I liked best was linking my other blogs to this one. When I first started Making Islands and The Reading Mouse, I was a little better known here for food writing, so I didn't want to muddy the waters by talking about other stuff. I'm a little less hesitant to do that now, though. I'm thinking I'll do a monthly round-up of my posts on the other two blogs over here, just to keep it from being too overwhelming.

Friday I'm In Love... with Cuppow

2012-11-30T14:30:00.000-05:00

A few years ago, I got REALLY into canning. I made pickles and jams and butters and processed pretty much whatever I could get my hands on. Some of the stuff I made was really good, while others were just fine (thankfully, I had no horrible disasters). A lot of it, though, just wasn't worth the effort.

That left me with tons of Ball jars laying around. I mean, I use them for all sorts of stuff, but how many Ball jars does a girl need?

Now that I've found the Cuppow, apparently I need them ALL again. This magic piece of plastic turns a glass jar into an adult sippy cup that can handle hot or cold with no problem. My favorite part is that the cup can then go into the dishwasher!!! Try doing that with a fancy coffee thermos!

That being said, canning jars aren't the easiest thing to carry around. My pint jars don't quite fit into the cupholders in my car (which may or may not have resulted in me destroying my garage door opener - it was already pretty damaged before that), and the jars still need some kind of sleeve when they're hot, or they'll burn your hands. I think I need to start knitting jar sweaters...

Photo borrowed from the Cuppow website because I'm too lazy to take a picture of my own.

Dirt Candy: A Cookbook

2012-11-29T12:20:00.001-05:00

A cookbook that's a graphic novel! A graphic novel that's a cookbook! Why hasn't anyone thought of this before?!

I'd heard of Dirt Candy, a vegetarian restaurant in New York City, before, but I'd never given it much thought. I'd heard that chef Amanda Cohen had a cookbook out, but what chef doesn't? But then I SAW the Dirt Candy cookbook and I was in love.

Part graphic novel story about life in a professional kitchen, part cooking technique builder, and part typical cookbook with recipes, this book is 100% readable. I don't often sit down and read a cookbook cover to cover, but it's quite possible to do with this one. It's filled with humorous asides and helpful tips, not to mention some mouth-watering foods (some simple and some crazy complicated). There's not much else to say about this book than to tell you to pick up a copy and leaf through it - I'm sure you'll be hooked, just like I was.

As an added bonus, Amanda Cohen will be in Medford this weekend, talking about restaurant life and how to cook vegetables RIGHT. The event is presented by the Friends of Medford Public Library and the Tufts Culinary Society (why didn't we have that group when I was at Tufts?!) and will be held on 12/1 from 3-5pm at Sophia Gordon Hall (15 Talbot Ave) on the Tufts campus. You know I'd be there if I didn't have to work, so someone needs to go and report back to me, ok?

Full Disclosure note: I was given a copy of the cookbook for free by the publisher, but the opinions are all mine.

The Reading Mouse: Days of Blood and Starlight

2012-11-28T11:53:00.000-05:00

It's hard to review a book sequel without spoiling the first book, so I don't even try. But I stayed in bed all day reading, so that should tell you how good Days of Blood and Starlight is.

The Reading Mouse: Sandcastle Girls

2012-11-27T11:33:00.000-05:00

The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian is utterly unlike any book I've read this year. If everyone in my family hadn't already read it, they'd be getting copies for Christmas.

Corn & Co, Burlington

2012-11-26T23:01:00.000-05:00

I can't quite remember how I heard about Corn & Co a few months ago, but from the moment that I did, I was super excited. Popcorn is one of my favorite snacks, and flavored popcorn? Even better! And then I learned that they would be opening in the Burlington Mall, not too far from my house - what more could I ask for?

I've chatted with the owners a few times online since then. They've sent me samples of flavors, and I bugged them about when exactly they'd be opening. Every sample I received was AWESOME, but it left me wanting more! Finally, they told me that they'd be opening up on Black Friday. Ugh. No way I was going to the mall then.

But since I have mondays off and everyone was busy buying goods online and not in stores, I managed to make my way into the mall. Corn & Co has set up shop upstairs in the food court wing, where the newsstand used to be (for those of you who are as intimate with the Burlington Mall as I am. Yes, I was a bit of a mall rat in my day.).

When the corn is popping, you can smell Corn & Co from a ways away. The store is still a little bare right now, but they're clearly on their way to getting all set up for the holiday season. Flavors are listed on signs throughout the store, as well as in bowls behind the counter (above). There are pre-packaged flavors if you just want to grab and go, or you can get one of three sizes (small comes with one flavor, medium with two, and large with up to four). Feel free to ask for samples, because they clearly want you to find the flavor that you love.

Case in point: I am a savory girl when it comes to popcorn. I sampled the Corn & Co cheese, and it was AWESOME! Seriously, all-caps awesome. In fact, writing about it, I want more right now. But I was intrigued by the mixes they have on their menu also. I asked for a sample of the caramel apple (green apple and caramel mix, natch) and was equally blown away. Caramel is caramel, fine, but the green apple? Tart and sweet like the real thing. Mix them together and I am one happy girl. I bought some of this one and it was gone in no time.

I would much prefer to grab a snack of popcorn at the mall than a greasy pretzel. I am quite happy that Corn & Co is in town now. And I can only start to imagine the gift-giving opportunities here...