Pumpkin Ravioli

After making pumpkin pancakes and pumpkin blondies, I still amazingly had about a cup and half of pumpkin puree left. My solution - pumpkin ravioli.

I made the filling with pumpkin, marscapone cheese, nutmeg and honey. I didn't really measure out the ingredients, I just kind of went by taste, texture and appearance.

To wrap the ravioli I used wonton wrappers, which I've seen in Rachael Ray's magazine and also on Giada's show, Everyday Italian. These made an excellent substitution for fresh rolled pasta. The wontons boil up perfectly thin and light and stayed together beautifully. I really love how delicate they made the ravioli.
I used a tiny cookie scoop to measure out the ravioli filling.

After dotting about a tablespoon of filling in each ravioli, wet the edges of each wonton with a wet fingertip, and then place another wonton wrapper on top and secure the edges by pressing down firmly.
I boiled the ravioli for about 10-12 minutes and then served it with a sage brown butter sauce accented with caramelized onions and a splash of balsamic vinegar for tartness.

The sauce was ok - I was really having trouble figuring out what would work with these. I think next time I'll try a bechamel or cream sauce laced with nutmeg and black pepper. The brown butter sauce was very rich, but did complement the pumpkin filling quite nicely.
Overall these turned out very well. If you can't find marscapone cheese you can very easily substitute cream cheese or any other kind of soft spreadable cheese, such as goat cheese, Laughing Cow cheese or boursin cheese. Be creative! Play with the flavors and you're bound to find something that works.

Although I didn't measure here is an estimate of the measurements.

Pumpkin Ravioli with Sage Brown Butter

1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
3/4 cup marscapone cheese
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon honey
salt and pepper to taste
1 package of wonton wrappers
1/2 stick of salted butter
1/2 onion
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped fresh sage leaves
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

In a bowl, mix together your pumpkin, cheese, nutmeg, honey and season with salt and pepper. Taste to adjust seasoning. On a baking sheet lay out as many wontons as you fit side by side in one layer. With a small cookie scoop or tablespoon measure, scoop out a tablespoon of pumpkin mixture and place in the center of your ravioli.


After you've laid down all your filling then fill a small bowl with water, dip your index finger in the bowl and then run it around the edge of your wonton. Place another wonton on the top and then press firmly around the edges to seal. Try not to leave any air pockets within your ravioli and make sure you get a good firm seal.

Once complete, place your ravioli in boiling water and boil until they float to the top, about 10 mins.
For the brown butter sauce, melt your butter and olive oil in the pan and add your chopped onion. Once the onion softens, about 20 minutes, add in the balsamic vinegar. Let it cook off a bit and then add your chopped sage leaves. Let cook another 5 minutes to soften sage. Remove from the heat and spoon over a plate of ravioli. Sprinkle with pine nuts and grated romano cheese and serve!

Chicken Ragout

I came across this recipe randomly one day while I was on msn.com. They had an article called, Our Favorite Five-Star Chicken Ideas . So many of these recipes sounded good, but I chose the chicken ragout because I had pretty much all of the ingredients on hand, it seemed healthy and fairly quick to put together.

I made some additions. Wine, green pepper and spinach mainly. In my opinion, every great meal begins with wine.

And I don't mean in it. I mean me, drinking it. I love to have a glass, or two, while I cook. I feel like it opens and relaxes the senses, allowing me to take in the whole cooking experience. It makes me feel like a real "in the trenches" cook. Ok yes I'm bullshitting you. I just really like wine and I really like drinking it while I cook. For me the two go hand in hand. My wine glass is almost as necessary a tool as my kitchen knife.

That aside, as you probably already know, it also serves as the perfect meal enhancer many times. If it goes with the meal, I love to just pour in a swig of wine straight from the bottle. It makes me feel French or something. No not really, but it's fun to just freely pour the wine while the pot is simmering, hear those glug glugs, a little music going, garlic sizzling. Wine just goes with the whole scene.

So needless to say, I glug glugged a few swigs in the ragout. It added great depth of flavor to the rich tomato sauce. I also loved the addition of the spinach to this dish. It, along with the beans, made it a hearty, healthy stew-like meal. Perfect for warming you up on a cold November evening. I did half this recipe, as I was only making it for two, not six. This would definitely feed a crowd otherwise. I also used chicken breasts rather than thighs and they turned out juicy and tender!

Chicken Ragout
adapted from Delish.com

6 large chicken thighs
2 tablespoon(s) salad oil
Salt
3 medium celery stalks, sliced into 1-inch pieces
3 medium carrots, sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
1 large onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1/4 teaspoon(s) black pepper
2 clove(s) garlic, mashed with garlic press or finely minced
generous splash of red wine
1 bag of baby spinach leaves
1 can(s) (16-ounce) Italian-style stewed tomatoes
2 can(s) (16 ounces each) Great Northern beans, drained
1/4 cup(s) chopped fresh basil or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves

1. Remove skin and fat from chicken thighs. In 8-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat, in hot salad oil, cook chicken thighs and 1/4 teaspoon salt until chicken is golden brown on all sides, removing chicken thighs to plate as they brown.
2. In drippings in Dutch oven, cook celery, carrots, onion, pepper, and 3/4 teaspoon salt, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender-crisp and golden brown. Stir in garlic; cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add the wine.

3. Add stewed tomatoes, using spoon to break up tomatoes. Return chicken thighs to Dutch oven; over high heat, heat to boiling. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 25 minutes or until chicken is tender and juices run clear when chicken is pierced with a knife.

4. Remove chicken thighs to platter. Into vegetable mixture in Dutch oven, stir Great Northern beans, spinach and chopped basil; heat through.

5. To serve, spoon white-bean and tomato ragout around chicken thighs on platter. Top with a whole basil leaf for presentation.

Platinum Chef Challenge #10!

I almost missed this round! I passed the torch on to Amanda at The Missing Ingredient and she came up with some tasty ingredients for the next round.
The chosen elements were:
1. Lemon
2. Lentils
3. Goat Cheese
4. Vinegar
5. Spinach
I had a few things in mind, but went with a goat cheese and lentil bruschetta topped with fresh spinach leaves. It was very good and we even ate the leftover lentil hummus the next day with some celery and carrot sticks. Healthy and delicious. Here's my recipe.

Goat Cheese and Lentil Bruschetta Topped with Fresh Baby Spinach

For the lentil spread:
1 cup lentils
2 sprigs rosemary
2 small bay leaves
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
1/4 cup olive oil
1 head of roasted garlic (to roast the garlic cut off the top, brush it with olive oil and place it in a baking dish. Pour water into the dish so it goes about 1/2 way up the head of garlic. Cover with foil. Preheat your oven to 425 and put in the garlic for about an hour or until soft. Remove, let cool and then squeeze out your soft cloves )
juice of one lemon
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

For the rest of the bruschetta:
1 bag of baby spinach leaves
1 loaf of French baguette
16 oz of spreadable herbed goat cheese (or any variety of goat cheese you like)

To make the lentil spread, combine your dry lentils, rosemary, bay leaves, chicken stock and water in a pot and place the lid cocked over top to let steam escape. Turn the burner to medium heat and allow the liquid to come to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and let simmer for 25 to 30 minutes until lentils are tender.

Once lentils are cooked, drain them, remove the bay leaves and the rosemary stems (many of the rosemary leaves will have come off the stems, this is fine it will all get pureed in the food processor. You just have to remove any woody stems.) Place the lentils in a food processor, add your lemon juice, garlic and vinegar and process. Stream in the olive oil as the processor is running until you have a creamy spread-like consistency. Add in salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

Preheat your oven to 350. Slice your baguette in half longways, as if you're going to make a sandwich with the entire baguette. Once you've done that then slice it into 4 in pieces. Drizzle olive oil over each piece, sprinkle with salt and pepper and place in your oven for about 10 to 15 minutes until bread is toasted. If it's warm out you can grill your bread, or if you have an indoor grill you can grill your bread. It was cold outside and I didn't feel like pulling out my indoor grill pan so I toasted it in the oven. Worked just fine.

Once the bread is toasty, pull it out and spread a layer of goat cheese on each piece.

Then spread a thick layer of lentil spread on each piece.

Finally, top with a handful of baby spinach leaves.

You can place the bruschetta back in the oven for about 3 minutes to wilt the spinach just a bit and warm the spreads. Eat and enjoy!

Tagged!

I've been tagged by Michelle, whose blog, My Italian Grandmother serves up some of the most comforting looking Italian food I've ever seen. Plus anyone sharing Italian recipe traditions holds a special place in my heart since I myself come from an Italian family.
Anyway, the rules are I have to share 6 random things about myself. Hopefully, these little tidbits below give some insight in who I am:

1. When shopping, I never ever can take the first product in the row on the shelves. I always have to reach back and get the second or third. I don't know why, it's a sickness.

2. As a little girl, the worst punishment my mom could rain down on me for bad behavior was the threat of no dessert. It still holds water today as a matter of fact :) Also, when I was little, I loved to bake, cookies, cakes, pies, brownies. Today I almost can't stand baking. Once in a while I get the baking bug, usually around Christmas and holidays, but otherwise I'm pretty content to stick with cooking.

3. On my wedding day I wore glittery ruby red high heel shoes under my dress because ever since I saw the Wizard of Oz when I was a kid, I always wanted my own pair of ruby slippers. I figured what other day besides my wedding day can I get away with wearing these crazy shoes. Everyone at my wedding loved them! I was so glad because I was afraid people would think I was nuts.

4. I met my fabulous husband randomly at a bar one night. So yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.

5. My brother's girlfriend's aunt is Tori Amos, the singer. My brother and his girlfriend have been dating for nearly 10 years and I just found that out like 5 years ago. I'm slow sometimes.

6. One time in middle school I got a perm. My hair is pretty thick and naturally very wavy, so this was not something I needed to do to my hair. I cried all the way home from the hairdresser's because I hated it so much. Then when I got home and it dried, I brushed it out thinking I could straighten it and my hair was huge. I cried even more. Then I eventually got used to it and just waited patiently for it to grow out. Then never got one again. I'm so glad the 80s and 90s are over.


So here are the rules of the game:

1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules.
3. Write 6 (or 7) random things about yourself.
4. Tag 6 people and link to their blogs.
5. Let each person know they were tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry has been published.

Here's who I'm putting in the hot seat:

1. That Girl at Paved with Good Intentions
2. Carrie at Carrie's Sweet Life
3. Jen at Made With Love
4. Wife Plzak at Big City Cooking
5. Mary Ellen at Mary Ellen's Cooking Creations
6. Tricia at Tricia's Kitchen

Tag ladies! You're turn to spill :)

Buffalo Baked Chicken

My husband loves buffalo wings. Let me give you some proof.

Once, he went on a "low-carb" diet that consisted of eating nothing but chicken wings 3 times a day for 30 days. No this was not endorsed by the American Heart Association, Dr. Atkins or even George Foreman. This was his own cockamayme (however you spell that) hair-brained scheme. Are you hearing me people? Chicken wings. For breakfast. Then again for lunch. Then again for dinner. Then again for breakfast. Well, you get the drift. Talk about disgusting. He literally had fryer grease coming out of his pores, started pecking at people and sprouted feathers....ok maybe I embellished a bit. This was before I knew him, thankfully, so the story gets more fantastic every time I hear it and then retell it. But it really doesn't need embellishment, because eating chicken wings 3 times a day for a month is ridiculous enough.

He did lose nearly 30 pounds eating just chicken wings, believe or not, but I would have hated to see his cholesterol. Or his blood pressure for that matter. Not to mention, a diet of straight protein isn't too friendly on the bowels. But enough details! My point is, this man loves chicken wings in an unnatural way.

So when I saw this recipe for baked buffalo chicken I knew I had to try it. Anything to distract him from the real thing, but still bring him that buffalo flavor he likes. I found this recipe on Carrie's Sweet Life Blog . I wonder if her husband has an obsession with chicken wings too? Doubt it, but there's always hope that someone out there knows what it's like to be married to a chicken wing addict. I keep the Franks Red Hot Sauce locked up tight.

Anyway, this chicken dish was quite good, albeit a little on the salty side for me. My husband didn't notice though. He did notice however, that it was a healthier version of his beloved wings. This, my friends, was a good thing. So in conclusion, not only was this easy to prepare but it satisfied a craving for that all too familiar junk food, buffalo wings. Enjoy!

Baked Buffalo Chicken

2 chicken breasts
1/2 c. Blue Cheese crumbles
3/4 c. Ranch Dressing
1/2 c. Franks Red Hot (I used Buffalo Sauce one)
1/2 c. Panko Bread Crumbs
1/3 c. shredded colby jack cheese
Preheat oven to 375. Spray baking dish with Pam.

Mix ranch dressing and franks red hot, marinate chicken for desired amount of time, I did mine overnight.

Cut slit in the side of chicken breast and stuff with blue cheese crumbles. (instead of stuffing mine, I put the blue cheese crumbles and shredded cheese on the top together.)

Dip into franks/dressing mixture then dip in bread crumbs.

Bake in prepared pan for 35 minutes. Turn oven up to 400 and top with shredded cheese.

Bake until done through.

Broiled Swordfish Stuffed with Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

On Sundays, as I may have mentioned before, we usually do dinner at my mom's house. She doesn't eat meat, so we either go vegetarian (which isn't often because my husband doesn't think a meal is a meal if it doesn't involve some kind of something that was killed - sorry, it's true, what can I say?), or we do a fish dish. The old stand-by is grilled marinated fish, but because this past Sunday we were celebrating my sister-in-law's much belated birthday (sorry Irene!), I wanted to do something a little different.

I found this recipe in my Whole Foods Market Cookbook , which is full of fresh, flavorful recipes. I've made quite a few things from this book so far and have enjoyed most all of them.

So today I share with you stuffed swordfish. This dish was very Mediterranean in nature, starring pine nuts, sun-dried tomatoes, Parmesan and garlic. You could easily stuff chicken breasts, tuna or salmon fillets, pork chops or even make steak roulades (fancy!) with this filling. The fish gets marinated first and then stuffed before going under the broiler. A pocket is easily made with a sharp paring knife, although as you'll see my pockets came out a little large. Oh well, it still tasted good. I'll also preface this with saying, raw fish DOES NOT photograph well. Or at least it didn't for me. Plus I was working with some pretty poor indoor lighting. Ok now that I've made excuses for my photos, you can move on. This dish was healthy, light and fresh. Enjoy!

Swordfish Stuffed With Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Source: Whole Foods Market Cookbook

The Marinade
1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
freshly ground pepper to taste

2 pounds fresh swordfish cut into 4 steaks, 1 and 1/2 to 2 in. thick

The Filling
1/2 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil
1/8 cup capers (I left these out because lately when I've had them I realize they taste like Pine-sol and therefore ruin my meal. So go with what your palate says here.)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chopped fresh and washed spinach (I used a 10-oz box of frozen chopped spinach)
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (this was my addition)
1/4 cup chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste

To prepare the marinade, mix the olive oil, white wine, garlic, mustard and pepper in a bowl. Add your swordfish steaks and marinate for about an hour, turning once.

To prepare the spinach filling mix the sun-dried tomatoes, capers, garlic, spinach, pine nuts, parsley, Parmesan if using, salt and pepper in a small bowl.

Preheat the broiler. Remove your fish from the marinade and place it on a broiling pan that you've covered with foil. Cut a horizontal slit in the center of each piece of fish without going through to the other side. You should now have a small pocket for filling (or a large gaping hole if you're me and can't work with a knife). Stuff each pocket with your spinach mixture.

Line them up on the broiler pan, cover with any leftover marinade and place them in the broiler.

Cook for 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Remove from the broiler and sprinkle with some fresh chopped parsley and serve.

My Sweet Pumpkin Lips

That's what I call my big orange bundle of joy, Sawyer. Probably because he's a 15-pound orange tabby so he looks like a pumpkin. I don't really know where the "lips" part comes in. It just slipped out one day while I was cooing to him, "Oh who's the cutest baby kitty ever? My sweet pumpkin lips that's who!" Yes people, I sound like an idiot when I talk to my cat.
Anyway! Ever since that first time, it's stuck.

His name is no more appropriate than in the fall when pumpkins are all around. Although, close to Thanksgiving I do tend to call him my Thanksgiving turkey. Yes - this cat has a ridiculous number of nicknames thanks to my husband and I.

So this past weekend I made two pumpkin recipes, in honor of fall and my sweet pumpkin lips!



I obtained both these recipes from fellow bloggers. The Pumpkin White Chocolate Blondies are from Cate at Fresh From Cate's Kitchen . Originally when I saw this recipe I thought I would maybe substitute some ripe banana puree I had for the pumpkin puree and then top the blondies with a caramel drizzle. However, the thought of the pumpkin and chocolate combo had me truly mesmerized- as pumpkin and chocolate are two of my favorite things. And since I wanted to bring the finished product to a party I figured why mess with perfection. So I baked them as is. The only substitute I made was vanilla vodka for vanilla extract. I had no extract on hand and the vanilla beans I did have on hand had completely dried up. I did have vanilla vodka in the fridge, leftover from apple cider martinis (Yum!), so I used two teaspoons of that and it worked fine.

These were moist, flavorful and gooey. Enjoy!

Pumpkin White Chocolate Blondies
2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 tablespoon pumpkin-pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 package (12 ounces) white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang on all sides.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, pie spice, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until smooth; beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in pumpkin puree (mixture may appear curdled). Reduce speed to low, and mix in dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

Spread batter evenly in prepared pan.

Bake until edges begin to pull away from sides of pan and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 30 to 40 minutes. Cool completely in pan.
Lift cake from pan (using foil as an aid). Peel off foil, and use a serrated knife to cut into squares.



The second recipe, which I made for breakfast on Saturday morning accompanied by crispy bacon, was Pumpkin Pancakes from The Way The Cookie Crumbles . I loved that Bridget had already done all the testing on pumpkin pancakes. I'm not much of a baker - yes, to me pancakes are considered baking - and so I want something that is tried and true. Baking takes time, it's hard to fix if you screw it up and so I don't want to spend time on something that isn't worth it. Or calories either for that matter. I've always found good ideas on Bridget's blog so I completely trusted her judgement that this was the best pumpkin pancake recipe around. I'm happy to report she was right! These were easy to put together from scratch, moist, super flavorful and cooked up fluffy and light. These are going on the shortlist of go-to recipes for easy, homemade breakfasts. I also appreciated that the recipe was written for 2-3 servings. Most pancake recipes seem to be written to serve a firehouse! This was definitely the Goldilocks of pancake recipes - just right.

I also loved that it used buttermilk.

Ever since I was a little girl and read Laura Ingalls Wilder, I have romanticized the idea of buttermilk. They always made it sound so good. They ate it with cornbread, it soothed them if they couldn't go to sleep. For some reason, the name just brings me back to the prairie - ahh that I never grew up on. It just makes me think of farms and old-fashioned churning and real down-home food. So the fact that these were Buttermilk Pumpkin Pancakes just made them sound soothing and comforting. Does anyone else have this obsession with buttermilk? There's just something about that word that rolls off the tongue and sounds as comforting as a pillow. Anyway...here's the recipe.


Pumpkin Pancakes


Serves 2-3

1 cup (5 ounces) flour
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon allspice
¼ nutmeg
1 egg
2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
½ cup pumpkin
1 cup buttermilk
vegetable oil for the pan

1. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices.

In a separate mixing bowl, whisk the egg until thoroughly combined, then add the butter, pumpkin, and buttermilk. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk gently until batter is mostly mixed but still contains small lumps. Let batter rest while pan heats, at least 5 minutes.

2. Heat non-stick skillet or griddle over medium heat. Add a few drops of oil and spread it over the bottom of the pan. Using a ¼ cup measure, pour pancake batter onto hot griddle.

When pancake is golden brown, flip to cook other side. Keep warm in oven heated to 275 degrees. Serve warm with lots of butter and syrup.

BB: Herb Roasted Onions

I was really excited to try this week's Barefoot Bloggers choice because I love roasted vegetables. I've already roasted onions before, usually mixed with potatoes and green peppers in olive oil, a little vinegar, rosemary and garlic. But I was intrigued by Ina's choice of thyme, dijon mustard (which I love with the intensity of 1,000 suns! No joke - I think I add it to almost everything and anything I can. Dijon mustard ice cream anyone? No, just kidding...) and lemon juice. It sounded quite tasty. She of course just serves the onions by themselves, but for me that is just not going to cut it. I like onions, but not that much. To me, onions are there to enhance and spruce up the flavors of other foods, not to be eaten solo. That's just my thought though. I just couldn't see myself eating a pile of onions as a side dish, and since I wasn't making steaks to go with this meal I figured adding potatoes would be the best bet.

So I followed her recipe to the letter, but added three diced red potatoes to the onions. I also ended up doubling the marinade to have enough for all the potatoes and onions. These turned out very good. I think I even like the marinade better than what I used before! Ina hits one out of the park again. This is the perfect side dish for fish, chicken or meat. Enjoy!

Here's the recipe if you're interested:
Herb-Roasted Onions
2 red onions
1 yellow onion
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup good olive oil
1/2 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Remove the stem end of each onion and carefully slice off the brown part of the root end, leaving the root intact. Peel the onion. Stand each onion root end up on a cutting board and cut the onion in wedges through the root. Place the wedges in a bowl.

For the dressing, combine the lemon juice, mustard, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Pour the dressing over the onions and toss well.

With a slotted spoon, transfer the onions to a sheet pan, reserving the vinaigrette that remains in the bowl. Bake the onions for 30 to 45 minutes, until tender and browned. Toss the onions once during cooking. Remove from the oven, and drizzle with the reserved dressing. Sprinkle with parsley, season to taste and serve warm or at room temperature.

(I used all the dressing when baking my potatoes and onions instead of drizzling the reserve over top. It turned out fine and very flavorful. Also, I baked them in a baking dish instead of a sheet pan and that worked fine as well.)

Stay tuned....

The weekend was full of cooking and baking.
So before long this blog will be up and shaking,
With updates galore to tempt your palates,
Of onions, potatoes, fish, cakes and shallots!

On that note I leave you for now.
But I'll be back tomorrow with lots of chow!

Boston In Color

Well since I STILL haven't been able to cook this week (let's see, got back from Boston on Monday night and had Chinese food, we had dance class Tuesday night and went for food afterwards, Wednesday we met my mom, Thursday I met up with a friend and tonight we're going to the movies!), I figured I'd offer up some pics from our recent trip to Boston. I got a brand new camera, the Nikon D60. I'm still trying to figure out a lot about how it all works, but here are some photos from over the weekend.

The statue of John Harvard on the Harvard campus. Apparently it's good luck to rub his foot. It's also good luck to pee on the statue but we didn't get that risque.


An old church turned academic building. It was beautiful.


An inside window.


Cemetery at the beginning of Boston's Freedom Trail.


Boston's Public Gardens.


An amazing canopy tree in the park.




The gleaming state house.


An old church along the Freedom Trail.

Boston's North End: Vinoteca Di Monica

Review #3 of 3! And to say I saved the best for last would be no exaggeration!

Vinoteca Di Monica
www.monicasonline.com

Before going up to Boston for the weekend, I knew I wanted to eat in the North End, which is basically Boston's version of Little Italy. But as my husband said, it's not so little. There are so many restaurants in the North End you could literally spend hours trying to pick a place. Coming from Baltimore, we're used to our Little Italy, which by comparison is, well, little. Don't get me wrong, I love Baltimore's Little Italy and many of the restaurants it contains, but Boston's North End has so much more variety. It almost feels like you're walking down the street in Rome! Well, ok that may be a stretch, but it's truly a very colorful place in more ways than one.

Each establishment is so quaint and cute, some are very small with only 10 tables and others are more swanky with a new-age feel and menu. It also helps that the whole section of town smells like fresh bread and roasted garlic making you feel that no matter where you walk in you'll be getting a hearty meal. You can go as casual as a slice of pizza from a corner pizza parlor or as fancy as a five-star restaurant.

Fortunately, I did a bit of research before going to Boston in the hopes of finding a true gem in the North End. I wanted a place that was kind of modern but with classic dishes, homemade pastas, a good wine list and moderate prices, although I wasn't against splurging for something extra-special. I really think we found all of this at Vinoteca Di Monica.

We stepped in on Sunday evening. We had a reservation, but obviously didn't need it as the restaurant was sparsely populated. I think this had more to do with the fact that it was cold and a Sunday night more than anything else. The dining room is handsomely appointed in a simple, modern style. No checkered tablecloths and drippy wine bottle candles here. Light green, bright reds and oranges make up the color scheme. White tablecloths drape the tables and an open kitchen sits like a stage at the back of the restaurant. The bar area is separate and includes seats at the bar as well as a few high-top tables for a more casual experience.

On this night, the restaurant was offering a number of mouth-watering specials. An antipasta appetizer, grilled shrimp bruschetta, fresh ravioli filled with beef and thyme or wild mushrooms and gruyere cheese, braised short rib served over polenta, and a swordfish fillet. The wine list is several pages and actually, quite daunting for someone with even medium wine knowledge like myself. It's almost exclusively Italian wines from every region possible. In making the choice, I focused on price range, which may not always be the best approach but I had to narrow it down somehow.

We settled on a Montepulciano D'Abruzzo Riserva. The waiter was impressed with my random selection, as of over 250 bottles of wine on the menu I chose the only one that came adorned with a rubber seal stamp and it's own brochure attached to the bottle. Along with the wine, came a basket of chewy sourdough bread served with a garlicky white bean dip. The dip was very good - a nice change from butter or the traditional olive oil. It was flavored with rosemary, garlic and Parmesan cheese.

For appetizers we went with the special bruschetta and the involtini di prosciutto e provolone al forno - a regular menu item of prosciutto and provolone cheese wrapped around fresh mozzarella, baked till the prosciutto is crisp and served over tomato slices and roasted red peppers.

The bruschetta was delicious, if not a bit alarming at first as the three shrimp came with their heads attached. No matter though, they were cooked just right and covered in a rich tomato broth. The bread beneath was grilled to impart a smoky flavor and worked well to sop up the tomato broth. The involtini were just as delicious, the perfect combo of smokiness from the prosciutto, salt from the provolone and creaminess from the mozzarella. I would have liked to have seen more roasted red peppers on the plate simply because they were out of this world delicious and a personal favorite of mine.

Finally for the meal, my husband ordered the braised short rib special served over a mound of polenta. His face literally lit up at the rich meaty smell coming from his plate as the waiter placed it in front of him. The short rib was so tender it practically melted in your mouth. I haven't done much braising in my day, but damn it I"m going to start because that was delicious. It was covered with an aromatic chunky tomato sauce - you could really taste the wine, woodsy herbs, meat juices and slow cooked vegetables used in the braising process. It gave outstanding flavor to the meat and complimented the soft, buttery polenta as well.

I ordered the ravioli de aragosta, or lobster ravioli. The homemade pasta enveloped chopped pieces of lobster and was topped with a creamy lobster reduction sauce. It was a rich dish, but the portion size was exactly right. No Olive Garden pasta buckets here, which is how it should be if you ask me.

Our meal, as you can see, was very good. We ended the evening with a walk around the North End, which seems to exude even more charm at night with it's street lanterns, homey smells and the occasional Italian music lofting from the cafes and storefronts.

A crowd was bustling inside Mike's Pastry, www.mikespastry.com . This large bakery specializes in Italian baked goods serving countless varieties of cookies, homemade cannolis, pies, cakes and even gelato. We walked in and bought ourselves a few cookies to enjoy back in the hotel room. But seriously, an Italian girl like myself could have spent hours in there just drooling over all the sweets.

So if you are in Boston, definitely don't miss out on the North End. It's almost like you get two trips in one, Boston and a taste of Italy.

Good Food Can Be Found In "The Cellar"

Review #2 of 3.

Garden At The Cellar
www.gardenatthecellar.com

Two words. Rosemary fries. This place has them and they are delicious. They are almost like McDonald's addictive fries but glammed up with some rosemary and sea salt. It's a deadly combination, but how can you fault it? Rosemary and the fry are so good together. In fact, when I think of them I'm reminded of the Jack Johnson song, "Better Together." I imagine a sprig of rosemary skipping through the park with a fry and the melody playing in the background:

"Mmmm, It's always better when we're together
Yeah we'll look at the stars and we're together
Well, it's always better when we're together
Yeah it's always better when we're together."

Or maybe that's me singing as I eat the rosemary fries. Either way, it's good. And at The Cellar you can either get a basket to share as an appetizer or enjoy them as a side to your sandwich.

Fries aside, this place has many other fine options for hungry diners. The restaurant itself is two floors. The top floor is an upscale, casual dining room, albeit kind of narrow. An open kitchen sits at the back of the room and along one side of the room is a large wooden bar. A few tables grace the other side but seating is very limited - hence the two-hour wait for 5 people on a Saturday night. The downstairs, or cellar area, is a bit bigger and much more rustic. It's darker, danker, well like a cellar, and more like a bar. You can eat down there at the high top tables, but it's louder and much less of a relaxed dining experience. It just depends on what you're looking for.

Our group ordered the rosemary fries, like you couldn't have figured that one out, along with the mini burgers and flatbread pizza to share. The mini burgers were served on brioche bread and topped with cheddar. I didn't partake in these, as I ordered the larger size for my meal, but they looked juicy and were served with some crunchy roasted potatoes. The flatbread was crispy and topped with just the right amount of cheese, roasted mushrooms and spicy arugula.

For dinner, as I said, I got the burger. Now I'm very picky about my burgers. Ever since I discovered the best burger of all time at a restaurant near my house (how fortuitous right?) I've been hesitant to order a burger elsewhere. The Cellar burger fortunately had no problem measuring up to my old standby. It was cooked just as I'd ordered, medium, which somehow always seems to be hard to come by. The meat was top quality, juicy but not overly fatty. It was topped with garlic aioli, arugula and Vermont sharp cheddar and served on a brioche bun. Basically a larger version of the minis.

One of my other dining companions got the Cuban sandwich. I personally never know what to expect with a Cuban. Sometimes it's too many pickles or not enough pickles, too much mustard or not enough mustard and so on. I think the jury is still out also on whether or not I really like ham. Hmmm..Anyway. There's a good balance to strike in a Cuban and some places get it and some don't. The Cellar's Cuban looked as pretty as a picture. Shredded braised pork poking out the sides, melted cheese oozing, briny pickles, bright yellow mustard and thin slices of ham all pressed together and mellowing under the bread's dark grill marks. I'm told it tasted as good as it looked too. The food at the Cellar is a sure crowd-pleaser. They have a dinner menu and bar menu so even the picky people in your group will leave satisfied.

I also have to mention that I washed this meal down with a margarita. Like burgers, I'm picky about my margaritas. I hardly ever order a margarita at a bar since most of the time it involves rail tequila (gag me), sour mix and Rose's lime juice. I'm pretty sure that's as unauthentic as you can get. But I spotted a woman sipping on one at the end of the bar and it just looked so enticing so I bit the bullet and ordered one. To my surprise, it was surprisingly good for a bar margarita. I think the bartender used actual margarita mix instead of the aforementioned ingredients, which makes all the difference. So if you do go to The Cellar (as the locals call it), don't be afraid to order the margarita. It's a refreshing change from your standard bar drink. The food is also a refreshing change from standard bar fare - it's classic bar flavors made with fresh ingredients and prepared with a little creativity than usual.

Service: B+ (We sat at the bar and the barmaid was fairly busy but still managed to be attentive and bring drinks and food in a timely manner)
Atmosphere: B (It's nothing special, but it's clean, bright and has a cozy feel. The cellar also provides a much more Gothic experience if you're feeling it.)
Food: A (Everything was just really good.)
Overall Value: B (Portions were huge, no one finished anything on their plate, and prices were reasonable. You can go big or go small here and still be satisfied.)

Tomorrow:
Vinoteca Di Monica, an Italian wine bar and restaurant in Boston's North End that specializes in homemade pasta and a dizzying wine list of Italian selections.
www.monicasonline.com

Eating Well in Boston: Green Street Grill

This past weekend my husband and I ventured up north to Boston, Mass. for the weekend. A friend of mine from high school is getting her MBA at Harvard University and we went up for a visit and some site seeing. Along the way, we ate some really great food at some fun local spots. Thankfully, Boston is a walkable city otherwise we would have gained at least 30 pounds just over the weekend.
Of course, I'd like to share and review our dining experiences with you over the next few days. Here's the first of four restaurants to be reviewed:

Green Street Grill
www.greenstreetgrill.com
If you didn't know it was there, then you'd probably pass right by this little place. Judging by the crowd on Friday nights however, this place has no problem with bringing in the patrons. On this particular evening, the bar was packed tight and there was an hour wait for a four-top. No worries though. We sidled up to the bar, grabbed a few drinks and ordered some of the Grill's appetizers. The grilled calamari, cheese plate and marinated olives made it to the small bar table quickly, despite the crowds, and helped stave off our appetites while we waited for a table. The olives and calamari were good, fresh and simply prepared. The cheese plate was a bit of a disappointment in that it cost $12 and had two, no that's not a misprint, yes count 'em two, pieces of cheese on it, a few slices of bread (very tasty raisin bread I might add), and some homemade spreads. There was a disproportionate amount of spread to cheese and bread, which I thought weird and wasteful. The two pieces of cheese that were on the plate were good - creamy and not too strong in flavor. They paired nicely with the spreads too, one being a crunchy homemade peanut butter and the other an apple onion jam. It was obvious that this cheese plate was all about quality over quantity but then the price should have been as well.
Moving on to dinner! The soup of the day, Lobster Bisque, was creamy and warm with bits of lobster scattered throughout. The clam stew, my entree, was delicious. Succulent little clams swimming in a garlicky tomato-based broth filled with onions, white beans and homemade sausage. It was served with perfectly grilled bread to sop up the juices.
The most intriguing item on the menu though, for all of us was the Baked Macaroni and Cheese with Brussel Sprouts and Bacon. This has to be the holy trinity of mac and cheese! In the name of the mac and cheese, brussel sprouts and bacon...A-MEN! What a fantastic combo! I can't believe I never thought of it myself since I have a passion for all three elements. Together these were tasty and complex. This is the most sophisticated mac and cheese you will ever crave. The bacon was crispy, the brussel sprouts were tender and the mac and cheese was creamy and bubbly with a topping of beautifully browned breadcrumbs and Parmesan to give it salt and crunch.
As you may have already guessed, we were too full for dessert. Still we definitely enjoyed a sweet ending at Green Street. We left with full, happy bellies and visions of brussel sprout mac and cheese dancing in our heads.
Service: B
Atmosphere: B+ (A bit noisy in the dining room and very tight in the bar area when the crowds come in, but not awful. Definitely caters to a young, casual crowd.)
Food: A-
Overall Value: B+ (A bit on the pricey side but I really think you get fresh, well-prepared food at a pretty standard price - minus that skimpy cheese plate. It's upscale bar food done very very well.)

Tomorrow:
Garden At The Cellar, www.gardenatthecellar.com.

Salmon with Herb Mustard Glaze

I finally got a chance to cook on Sunday - and it felt good. Especially after my husband and I had been junk food junkies on Saturday. Potato skins and sliders for lunch, pizza with friends for dinner and then more junk at a Halloween costume party later that evening. Here's a pic of us in our costumes:

Quite a couple, hey?? Who knew Mike Myers and Snow White were an item :)

Anyway, the junk food was tasty but we definitely needed to detox with some healthy food on Sunday. So for dinner, I whipped up some roasted asparagus, a nice salad and some roasted salmon that I smothered with an herb mustard glaze. I've seen recipes for this sort of glaze before but this time I just decided to wing it and start throwing ingredients together. The result was delicious! The leftover salmon is great the next day to put on top of lettuce for a light lunch.
Enjoy!

Roasted Salmon with an Herb Mustard Glaze

1 lb salmon
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 375. Rinse and pat dry your salmon. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Put in a shallow baking dish or pan and set aside. In a small bowl, mix together your remaining ingredients. Once you have a thick paste, smother it over the top of your salmon.
I couldn't decide which picture was better. What do you think?


That salmon was so fresh and meaty I could have eaten it raw like sushi. But I resisted and put it in the oven for about 20-25 minutes.
The cooking time will really depend on a lot of things. HOw thick your salmon is, how done you want it etc. Ours was really cooked perfectly, still moist and tender in the middle, but not dry. And the glaze had browned a bit as well which was good.

I served it over top the roasted asparagus. Hopefully this is the start of a week of cooking - although somehow I doubt it since I'll only be home one night this week and then away for the weekend. Well...there's always next week!