Love It!

Thanks MenuPages!

Champagne and Stripper Poles - A Classic Bachelorette Party

On Saturday, I finally slept in and headed to Whole Foods to get some ingredients to make some appetizers for K's bachelorette party. Her bridesmaid and our mutual friend, M, was hosting a cocktail hour at her house and she asked me to make my spinach and artichoke dip. I also wanted to get the ingredients to make cheesy poofs. I quickly made the spinach and artichoke dip (since I've made it a million times before) and then got to work on the cheesy poofs. A few of the ingredients had measurements in ounces, so I asked B to look up online the conversion into cups. Despite me telling him so many times before that there is a difference in wet and dry measurements (i.e. when he tries to put flour into the liquid cup and milk into a dry cup), he didn't check to make sure it was a dry conversion. Needless to say, the dough was a bit runny because it did not have enough flour. I was suspicious that he had converted it wrong but he insisted it was correct and the end result was cheesy mini cookies. After we discovered his error, we added a little more flour after the first batch and this resulted in cheesy mini biscuits. We'll definitely try this recipe again with the correct measurements but I refused to bring these over to M's apartment for the cocktail hour.

After the cheesy poof fiasco, I quickly showered and got dressed in my favorite short black dress (we were required to wear black or red). B offered to drive me since I had the dip and a lot of beer and wine. We picked up T along the way in Kenmore Square and we were off. We arrived early to help M set up. She had gotten lots of funny bachelorette decorations and a pretty sweet gift basket for the bride-to-be.

After everyone arrived, we played some games, including a shot smelling game. Basically there were different shots with tin foil on top with holes poked in the tin foil. You have to smell the alcohol and write down what you think the six shots are. The one who got the most right gets to choose the shot of choice. Sadly or amazingly (depending on which way you want to look at it), I got the most right and went with the safe sour apple pucker. We also played Never Have I Ever and "Pin the Macho"...which ended up with some interesting results:

After the cocktail hour, we hightailed it to Dick's Last Resort in Fanueil Hall. I've got to be honest that this place has always sounded like my personal hell on earth - a chain restaurant where the service is purposely crude to you. BUT we ended up having a blast and it is the perfect environment for a traditional bachelorette party. We had a group of outspoken girls who gave it back to our server and I think he was amused. Plus, the food was actually really good. I had the "Chicky Fried Chicken" which included fried thinly pounded chicken breast and a huge pile of mashed potatoes, which was covered in a jalapeno gravy along with a side of spicy corn (also including jalapeno, chili powder and cilantro). Delish.

After another round of shots, we headed to the Hong Kong for karaoke and scorpion bowls. I ended up running into my best guy friend D and my old study abroad roomie M. Random! And M ran into one of her boyfriend's old co-worker friends too. I surprisingly didn't sing but rocked out when my ladies sang some B.I.G. and Journey. Too funny.

We ended the night at Sanctuary with VIP tables and free champagne (thanks M!). The rest of the night becomes a blur - involving dancing with Brazilian men, a turn on the sketchy stripper poles, and watching some HILARIOUS dancing. But I had a glass of champagne in hand so the night couldn't go bad.

B ended up picking me up from the bar because I was a wee bit inebriated and like a good boyfriend, he made me mac and cheese. I spent all day yesterday recovering but it was worth it all for my girl K's last night out as a single lady.

xoxo

A Frugal Date Night

Per usual, Friday night is date night. We decided to head to Stix Restaurant for dinner and drinks. I went there a few years ago for a girls night out during Restaurant Week and I was not impressed. However, I had previously blogged about winning a $50 gift card from Boston Chefs and we thought it was worth another shot.

B made a 7:30 reservation but since it was nice out, we headed over a little earlier. We grabbed an outdoor table, which had an enclosed view. Some of the other tables had worse views of the Pike and construction. Its not exactly appealing. We read about $5 mojitos and $1 oyster bar on their website, but our server did not mention it and nothing on the menu indicated it. However, we heard another server offer the special to another table so it was very strange. When we inquired about it, she only told us about the mojitos despite the tables around us being served oysters when there is no oyster plate on the menu. We had to further push her to explain the $1 oyster bar. We were not off to a good start.

B and I each ordered a frozen mojito. It was tasty and the perfect drink on an outdoor patio. I started out with a half dozen oysters. They were large and succulent and perfectly served on a bed of salt. However, they were really poorly shucked. I'm a raw bar aficionado and am lucky enough to have a major seafood chain restaurant as one of my clients. In other words, I have seen and eaten a lot of shucked oysters and this was jagged and one or two oysters had small pieces of shells in it.

We ordered another round of frozen mojitos and various small plates - lobster wonton tacos, sausage trio, shitake potstickers and fried calamari. Our server assured us that everything would be served tapas style and served when ready. Since there were a lot of small plates, we wanted to make sure everything didn't come out at once. We sipped our mojitos and while others were served breadsticks to munch on, our server neglected to give us one until right before our meals were served. It was just bad service all around. That being said, the breadsticks was served with a delicious ricotta butter. They were absolutely delightful.

The rest of our meals? Not so much. Despite her assurance that everything wouldn't come out at once, it did. And the food left a lot to be desired. The lobster wonton tacos would have tasted great if the lobster had been fresh and it was clearly not. The sausage trio was delicious - skewers of keilbasa, bratwurst and a third unidentifiable (but delicious sausage) with an accompanying mustard - grainy, Chinese, and honey. But the presentation left a lot to be desired. The shitake potstickers were disproportionate - too much wonton and not enough mushroom filling. And they were way too greasy. The calamari was just okay but not crispy fried. I was not thrilled with our food and instead order another six oysters to eat.

The bottom line? I will probably never go back to Stix again, but it was nice having a $17.00 bill at the end of the night.

Since it was beautiful, we decided to end the night with dessert at Finale. I haven't been to this place in over five years but we wanted to end with a sweet dessert. B got a glass of pinot grigio and I the high caloric Finale Freeze - Baileys, butterscotch s. We split the Fantasia plate, which came with bites of their desserts. My favorites included the creme brulee, strawberry shortcake (the shortcake was seriously out of this world - so light and fluffy), and the majari mousse. While this is not my first choice for desserts, it was a nice (and cheesy) and overly sweet way to end our date. Update: Finale has posted an excerpt of my blog on their website. Its pretty cool!

While we had mediocre meals, it was nice to end the work week and start the weekend on a low-key date night. The rest of the weekend was a bit crazy, which I'll blog about later (once I've recovered some more).

xoxo

Perfect Hospitality at Tupelo

I was thrilled when the sun came out last night. I decided to be good last night and resist the temptation of Zara's half-off sale and head to the gym for a good workout. But the sunshine was calling my name and B and I decided to go out for a nice dinner. To make ourselves feel good about playing hooky, we wanted to go somewhere that we could walk to so at least we would be having some exercise.

So we decided to cross the river and head to Tupelo at Inman Square. I have been wanting to check out this place for a really long time (since Daily Candy sent me this email about it in April). I have never been a huge fan of Southern food or barbecue joints (I know that they are not necessarily the same thing) until I dated B who is in love with this food. But we have had many wonderful meals at Hungry Mother and I thought I was ready to give another Southern place a try. We googled it and realized that it is only a two mile walk from our apartment so this was the perfect place for us.

Tupelo is located at 1193 Cambridge Street. It is a fairly small space and when we arrived, every seat was filled except one at the bar. The host told us that it would be about fifteen minutes for a table so we headed to the bar for a drink. B started out with their Belgian wheat beer on tap (the name escapes me) and I started out with a Blackthorn Hard Cider. I used to drink this sometimes when I studied in Oxford, England for the summer and I had it more for nostalgia's sake. Tupelo only has a beer and wine license and I didn't check out their wine selection but their beer selection was pretty big for a place this small.

We were seated just about fifteen minutes later and we lucked out with our server Fred, who has quite the following on Yelp. He described the specials of the day, which included an appetizer of fried grits, which we couldn't resist. I also ordered their watermelon white sangria and B switched to Strawberry Pale Ale. The watermelon sangria was really refreshing, especially since it was a little warm in the restaurant. The fried grits were really interesting. They were small cubes of grits fried and served with a side of Frank's Hots and Tabasaco Jalapeno Sauce. By side, I mean two bottles (which I actually found charming). The texture was really interesting because it reminded me of fried tofu but obviously the grits were creamier and way more filling. I think they were pretty good but not stellar. I think a crispier outside texture would make the fried grits a more interesting texture. But the hot sauce on it was really great.

After we finished the fried grits, Fred brought over a bread basket (well, more like a tin) filled with garlic toast points, biscuits and cornbread. We nibbled on pieces of each type of bread because we didn't want to fill ourselves up. To be honest, none of it was really that outstanding and the garlic toast points could probably be dropped from the basket all together.

Our meals though were out of this world. I got the fried catfish, which is served with parsley mashed potatoes, jalapeno aioli and pickled green tomatoes. The parsley mashed potatoes didn't sound too appetizing to me so I got the hominy mashed potatoes. Oh man. First of all, the portions are HUGE. The catfish was cooked really well although I would have appreciated a little more crisp to the fry. The catfish with a little of aioli and mashed potatoes made a perfect smooth and creamy mouthful but the pickled green tomatoes added the perfect acidity to the dish. I was in love. I stole a bite of B's roast chicken dish served with cheddar grits and greens. The chicken was so moist and succulent. We were both very satisfied.

B and I each got another bottle of Strawberry Pale Ale and then entered the dessert course. B got the red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting, which was really delicious. I got the mixed berry pie served with honey caramel sauce and a scoop of the buttermilk ice cream. B really enjoyed his dessert but I thought the pie was overall too sweet. Their pies are from Petsi Pies and their ice cream is from Toscanni's.

Overall, I had a great time at Tupelo. I liked the bright crimson painted walls, sparse decorations and Elvis music playing in the background. It was comforting without being too kitschy. Our server Fred was timely, attentive and friendly (even when I told him that I read great reviews about him on Yelp and then showed him my Blackberry report about Michael Jackson's death). In fact, better than my entree was probably the great service we got there from everyone - the host, bartender and our server. This place is small and to my understanding, doesn't take reservations for groups smaller than six. We got there a little before seven and had a small wait but others did not fare so well and there was a decent line when we left. The portions are generous and the food is deal. Our six drinks, appetizer, two entrees and two desserts came out to a whopping $71.00. Unheard of. I'd highly recommend Tupelo if you'd like to try some Southern fare but want to spend less than you would at Hungry Mother.

xoxo

Starting tomorrow: Everything at Zara is 50 percent off - Stylephile - Boston.com

This is actually for today. It was an article from yesterday...

Starting tomorrow: Everything at Zara is 50 percent off - Stylephile - Boston.com

Posted using ShareThis

Thank You Fantabulously Frugal!

Thank you Fantabulously Frugal! Last week, one of my favorite blogs posted about a Kate Spade Sample Sale. So, I checked it out and got a gorgeous purse for about a third of the retail price (along with $5 shipping).

It is a small handbag that converts into a clutch. It is their Savona style, which is the same style (but larger) purse that B got me for Valentine's Day! Love it!

And if you haven't checked out Fantabulously Frugal, but love shopping and love getting a good bargain, then this the blog for you!

xoxo

Raindrops and Babysitting

I don't love kids. I know that I'll love my own, but if I had the choice between dog-sitting and babysitting, you know that I'll choose the puppy every time. But I've got to admit that B's nephew has me thinking twice about kids...

Every year, B's sister and brother-in-law come down to Boston for a weekend afternoon Sox game. Since Noah is two years old now, he's old enough to spend the day with us (i.e. free babysitting) while his parents are enjoying the day at Fenway.

Since Noah would be playing all over our apartment, we decided to get the apartment cleaned for his arrival. While our apartment was getting cleaned, we decided to get some brunch at Beacon Hill Bistro. Because it was Father's Day, there was a forty-five minute wait if you didn't have a reservation but if you know people, you can get a table right away. Luckily, we got seated within five minutes, especially since I was starving (i.e. hungover) from the night before. Even though I typically order breakfast-y items when I go to brunch, I ordered a juicy burger to soak up all of the lemon drop shots from the night before. While the burger was cooked a perfect medium, the bread didn't taste really fresh although not quite stale. And their home cooked potato chips were way over salty. But, the burger did the trick.

We got a call from B's sister and they had arrived earlier than expected and wanted to grab a bagel. So we met them at Finagle A Bagel so they could grab some breakfast and feed Noah. He was feeling a little shy from the long car ride and the strange sights of the city, but he perked up after eating.

We headed back to the apartment and gave Noah his new dinosaur that B picked up from the Red Wagon and I gave his mom the cute polos I got from the Baby Gap outlet. After his mom and dad headed to Fenway, I read Noah a book.

Since it was misting, we brought Noah to the playground by the Charles River that we had scoped out on one of our long walks. It was a little wet and really windy, but Noah enjoyed it. There were four different slides and he had a blast.



After we went to the playground, we headed back to the apartment to change Noah out of his wet clothes. B changed his diaper and we fed him some snacks while he watched his Sesame Street DVD. I used to watch Sesame Street multiple times a day growing up and I realize how cracked out this show is. Seriously.

When Noah climbed off the couch, we noticed a big wet spot on the couch. Yep, Uncle Bret definitely did not know how to put a diaper on properly. Luckily the stain was easily removed and we could change him back into his jeans because we had dried them. Needless to say, I properly put Noah's diaper on.

B's parents came by to spend some time with Noah, which I was not too thrilled about. Neither B nor his sister wanted to hang out with his parents. B and I wanted some alone time with Noah since his parents see Noah all the time. His sister was against it because she thought it would be a long day for Noah. But, they came anyway unannounced. B's sister and brother-in-law came after the game and we headed to Harvard Gardens for a Father's Day dinner. While the service was unbelievably slow, the place was empty and great for Noah. I had a pressed pork sandwich, which was served on naan and came with a huge side of fries. Delish.

It was a long Sunday (especially considering girls night out the night before) but I had a great time with little Noah. Here's one last photo of him...


xoxo

Girls Day - Shopping Excursions, BBQ and Bars

A month ago, S and I talked about going to Wrentham Outlets for a day of shopping. However, our crazy work and social schedules didn't allow this to happen right away and we set a date for June 20th (via Outlook Event Invitations). N decided to join us and offered to drive me down to S' condominium in Canton. S got a gorgeous custom-made black dress at Holiday Boutique but was having problems with the buttons. She dropped the dress off at Holiday for repair and asked me to pick it up for her before heading down there. I intended on picking it up before N picked me up, but N was a little early so she drove me down the few blocks to pick it up.

We headed down to Canton with no traffic. N made brownies and I brought two bottles of wine. It was great to drive down with N because I haven't seen her in awhile and I wanted the one on one time to catch up with her. We dropped off our goodies at S' place and then we jumped in her Beamer to the outlets. The weather was really great - cloudy and a little muggy, but not too hot. S and N taught me that if you have a AAA card, you can get a discount coupon book that has a list of discounts that some of the stores honor. We got some great deals and I lucked out with a gorgeous black silk dress from Banana Republic, black patent flats from Nine West, and some baby clothes for B's nephew at Baby Gap. The lines weren't too bad and we ran into A, N, and R along the way!

After a few hours of shopping, we headed back to S' place for a yummy BBQ of cheeseburgers, hot dogs and wine. There was also Sabra hummus, Helluva Good French Onion Dip, and brownies. But the real highlight of the meal was S' pasta salad - long noodles, peppers, cucumbers and her homemade peanut sauce (which she thoughtfully packed leftovers for me in a tupperware). D and T came by and joined the festivities. We caught up on life, watched ABC Family movies (that I may or may not have forced on them) and played Rock Band 2. We had a blast. Thanks again pahkcah02 for being the hostess with the mostess and B loved the pasta salad!

After a wonderful day with the ladies, I headed home with T and I got ready for ladies night out with T, KK, and A. We were planning on starting the evening at Johnnie's on the Side but when I was the first to arrive there, it was inexplicably closed. So we changed plans and headed to Flat Iron for a few glasses of wine. There were some crazy wine deals at the bar and I ended up with a glass of prosecco and two glasses of pinot blanc for $13. Unheard of.

Afterwards, we headed to the Harp to listen to a cover band. The band wasn't playing when we got there so we danced to some music, did countless shots, and danced some more when the band played. What happens on ladies' night stays on ladies' night so the details won't be divulged but a good time was had by all. It was a night that we all needed in different ways and I can't wait for the next one!



I came home and B's friends had gone home. B gave me some water and leftover pasta salad and I called it a night.

This was one of the most fun Saturdays I've had in awhile and I couldn't have asked for a better day!

xoxo

Staying In on Date Night

On Friday, after a long work week, I knew that I had a busy weekend ahead of me. Since I usually run my errands on the weekend, I had to get them done after work on Friday because I wouldn't have time the rest of the weekend. I went to CVS to pick up a few items and then headed home to tidy up a bit. I dropped off my drycleaning and then headed to Pinckney Nails to get a pedicure. On the way home, I stopped by Charles Street Liquors to pick up a few bottles of wine (a malbec and a sauvignon blanc) for Saturday.

I came home and was ready to relax with B for a date night. We decided to make Mexican food again. B got started on the guacamole with avocados, cilantro, red onion, garlic, lime juice, jalapenos, black pepper and salt. We put a dry rub on the chicken with the Williams Sonoma Spicy Chipotle Rub and we decided to kick it up a notch with some dried habanero pepper my mom had given us. We threw the chicken in a pan with some vegetable oil and then added water to added some moisture to the chicken as it cooked down through the water. We also heated up some black beans after we drained most of the canned liquid. To give it a little more flavor, we added some cayenne and black pepper. We had our tacos with the spicy chicken, Mexican shredded cheese, diced jalapenos, cilantro, salsa and guacamole. The side of black beans was also really delicious and healthier than refried beans.

After our spicy meal, we snuggled up on the couch to watch He's Just Not That Into You. A lot of my friends saw it in the theater, and while I would have preferred to watch it with the ladies, I managed to convince B to watch it with me. It was a little cheesy and over the top but the message was really great. I think if they took out the "interviews" between scenes (a la first season of SATC), it would have been better. Best quote of the movie:

Girls are taught a lot of stuff growing up: if a boy punches you he likes you, never try to trim your own bangs, and someday you will meet a wonderful guy and get your very own happy ending. every movie we see, every story we're told implores us to wait for it: the third act twist, the unexpected declaration of love, the exception to the rule. but sometimes we're so focused on finding our happy ending we don't learn how to read the signs. how to tell the ones who want us from the ones who don't, the ones who will stay and the ones who will leave. And maybe a happy ending doesn't include a guy, maybe it's you, on your own, picking up the pieces and starting over, freeing yourself up for something better in the future. Maybe the happy ending is just moving on. or maybe the happy ending is this: knowing after all the unreturned phone calls and broken-hearts, through the blunders and misread signals, through all the pain and embarrassment... you never gave up hope.

It was a quiet date night but it was the perfect ending to a long week and the relaxing beginning to a jam-packed weekend.

xoxo

Fantastic Chicken Gyros at Zo

I've heard a lot of different things about Zo, a new Greek restaurant that opened recently at 3 Center Plaza. After my friend A checked it out last week and raved about it, I made it a point to stop by there today for lunch. Coming back from the Secretary of State's office, I was there a bit before noon and was the only one in the restaurant. They have a fairly limited menu and I decided to try the chicken gyros - thick chunks of chicken breast in a flatbread with tomato, onion, a little parsley and tzatsiki sauce (with lots of cucumber). I ordered it to go and they wrapped it up carefully and instructed me on how to carry it out. By the time I left, there were a few people behind me in line ready to order.

I work only a few blocks away so I carefully placed the gyros in my bag to protect it from the lovely weather we're having. Back at lunchroom, I discovered that Zo packaged the gyros carefully so that you can eat the gyros by hand without worrying about it getting everywhere. It was delicious. The flatbread was light and warm. The vegetables tasted fresh and the chicken, despite being all white meat, was not dry. In fact, I was surprised that the flatbread didn't get soggy during my walk considering the amount of meat juice and the yogurt sauce. I personally would have used less of the tzatsiki sauce, but that is easily forgivable and correctable the next time I order. for $6.75 (including tax), this was a great deal and a hearty lunch.

Zo took over the space formerly used by Cafe Latino (up the escalator at Center Plaza and an immediate right). They offer limited seating indoors with a few tables for outdoor seating. This shouldn't be a problem for them during the summer. When I used to work at the State House, everyone would pull up a seat on the steps and concrete all around the area and eat outdoors during the summer. I can't imagine this has changed much.

Zo's menu is limited but from the chicken gyros I had today, it seemed like they have the right approach on quality and not quantity of menu offerings. I can't wait to try their original gyros or their vegetable lentil soup. I'll definitely have to add this to my list of take-out lunch spots in the area.

Staying Out of the Rain + Beer +Trivia + Good Friends = Perfect Thursday Night

So last night I was supposed to go to the Red Sox game. We had great seats lined up (courtesy of S) but after a gorgeous night at Fenway the night before, I couldn't muster up the energy to sit in the pouring rain. So we got out of the tickets and decided to head to Coogan's for trivia with the gang. While half the table won (Team Where is Kim?), the other half did not (Sarj in Charge). But we had a blast and on a rainy night, what more can you ask for than good friends, beer, and a few laughs.

Random pics below:

Scenes from Wednesday Night's Game...

It was a beautiful night...although it felt more like the beginning of May than the end of June. we had great seats and I couldn't help but take a few photos...

Gorgeous sky...

Pitchers heading to the bullpen...

Rainbow over the Coca Cola sign - can you see it?

Ortiz.

Bright lights...

Nighttime at Fenway....

For Today: No Explanation Needed

Finding Zen

My friend J is a med student in New Jersey. I met her probably within the first few days of my freshman year in college and the rest is history. We don't get to see each other as often as we'd like (especially since she has a crazy schedule with school) but she does come home from time to time because her family all reside in Massachusetts. She is taking the month of June to study for her boards and I was thrilled to know that she would be in town for a few days. We decided to meet up for lunch and since J was craving sushi, we decided on Zen, located at 21A Beacon Street, which is right by the State House.

I am a HUGE fan of sushi but in the past decade or so, everyone seems to offer sushi. The end result are sloppily made, overly large (i.e. Americanized) versions of rolls. I was brought up believing that sushi was a form of art in both beauty and taste, but too many Asian restaurants (no longer limited to traditional Japanese sushi houses) are making this less the case. That being said, there are two places I will go to during the lunch hour for sushi. The first is Sakurabana Boston and the other is Zen. These are both great places to get decent, well-made sushi at a great price and service.

J and I decided to meet at Zen at 12:30. I left a little late from my office and got a call from J that she was running late and was having GPS issues. I told her I'd meet her at Zen and since it was surprisingly beautiful out, I snagged an outdoor table. Between her GPS and finding parking, J showed up about a half hour late. With anyone else, I would have been less than patient but with one of my oldest college friends, I couldn't help but laugh that nothing has changed with her. The outdoor server was really kind and patient with my dining companion running late. I felt bad and ordered some edamame to pass the time and to also make the server not feel like I was just wasting table space. The edamame was plentiful but it didn't seem super clean or fresh to me.

J arrived and we both ordered from their lunch specials. I ordered their Sushi Special B, which came with Boston maki (salmon, avocado, cucumber) and four pieces of Chef's choice of sushi (tuna, salmon, shrimp and white fish). It also came with a delicious miso soup and a side salad. I am absolutely repulsed by the ginger dressing that is served on a random bed of American style lettuce with sushi. I almost always try to substitute it with seaweed salad, which I usually get charged a few bucks for. J ordered the Maki Special B, which came with California, Boston and Tekka maki. It looked really well made and despite her being one of the most fit people I know, the girl can eat and she ate every last bite.

The sushi was good but the service was great. They were timely but not on top of us and really know how to work the lunch service crowd (even though I did start the meal by holding up the table for awhile). Plus, the prices are really great. I'd recommend Zen if you want some decent sushi in the downtown area.

I had a great time talking to J and we realized that no matter how much time goes by between conversations, our friendship is so solid and constant. If our life is a play, there are people who enter into our lives and will always be there (cast members) and those who make brief appearances and serve very limited purposes (cameos). I'm grateful to sort out the cast members from the cameos and to count on her always to be there for me.

After such a healthy meal, I went back to the stress that is my desk and pounded away. I really have a lot on my mind these days so after work, I took it out on the gym (you'd be proud KK). I did some weight training (something I don't do as regularly as I should), ran a mile and a half, took my hour long cardio kickboxing class, and then walked another mile and a half. I felt great. After the gym, I also took the time to talk to my friend A and sat in the Common just talking out everything that is going on. Like I've said many times before, I'm lucky to have that support system around me no matter where I am or how far away my friends and family are. The sun is shining today and I'm taking that as a good sign of good things to come my way.

xoxo

Delayed Weekend Update

Things have been kind of crazy on my end...lots of stuff going on, mostly things that I can't blog about. I had another jam-packed weekend that I'm going to attempt to squish together in one blog entry.

On Friday night it was B's 30th birthday party. We went to Spice & Rice for his birthday dinner, which is a favorite place with that group because they have a lot of vegetarian options. I was less impressed with them this around because their service is so spotty. Even though we were a large group, it just shouldn't take that long to take our orders. B and I decided to split a spider maki roll for an appetizer (soft shell crab, avocado, cucumber, and tobiko). We both ordered dol sot bi bim bap as our entrees because we loved it so much the last time. But our entrees came out first, which was a bit annoying. Our entrees come with miso soup and a salad, but that came out after the actual entree came out. It was just a mess. The spider maki roll was really delicious but the bi bim bap was a bit disappointing as the stone pots were not hot enough to really get that crispy rice on the bottom. Despite the mediocre food and service, we had a blast because this was a really fun group getting ready for a fun night. At the end of the meal, D brought in a box of shirts that he made in honor of B's birthday, which were HYSTERICAL. We also got B a book and DVD set, but ofcourse wrapped it in a pretty pink bag and with a Jonas Brothers card.

After dinner, we drove to Flat Top Johnny's where we had reserved tables in the back for B's birthday. I've only been there once before to grab a bite to eat before heading to the movies, so I didn't realize what a great beer selection they have or how cheap the drinks are there. I played some terrible games of pool, drank lots of PBR in a can, and had a great time. More importantly, B had a blast.

On Saturday, I woke up bright and early and headed to Haverhill for K's bridal shower. I've got to admit that bridal shower rank up there at some of my least favorite things to do (along with baby showers) but this was actually a lot of fun. The shower was held by the groom's parents and his mom had an amazing garden. So we had this beautiful shower under the tents amidst beautiful flowers. We played silly games, drank lots of wine (and maybe some wine coolers - don't ask), and ate lots of food. Again, it was just so great to see K so happy.

After a long day in the sun and with lots of wine, I was pretty exhausted when I got home. There was a birthday party in Quincy but I could not get the motivation to get my butt there. Instead, B and I stayed in, ordered Pizzeria Regina (yum!) and watched movies. It was a really nice low key night.

Sunday morning we were off to Chinatown to meet KK, E and A for dim sum. I'm embarrassed to admit that I've never had dim sum before and KK and E eagerly wanted to show us the yumminess that is dim sum. We met at Chau Chow City and the place was packed for dim sum. Old ladies passed by with carts of yummy steamed and fried dumplings of different sorts, side dishes, rice, and desserts. I was overwhelmed but luckily E had his radar on and could spot what was in each cart even when it was across the room. We ate bite after bite of delicious dumplings and I was stuffed. And it was SO cheap. I think it came out to like $15 a person.

After such a big meal, B and I decided to walk off our full bellies. We first headed to the movie theater to see if there was anything good playing but everything was playing in a few hours. So we headed to the South End to the SOWA Open Market. We browsed around and bought an Aunt Sadie's candle on sale and a T-shirt for B. There was also an antique market, which was fun to browse in but we didn't find anything we liked. We did find a bag of candied almonds that we munched on (clearly our appetites had rebounded) as we headed to the Back Bay.

Like any yuppie couple, we browsed around Crate and Barrel and Pottery Barn until we finally headed home with a few stops at the hardware store and at Savenor's. We sat around watching Baby Mama and I made a creamy dip using leftover basil, pine nuts and ricotta (along with some garlic, fresh crushed peppercorns and Parmesan cheese).

Sunday night ended up being a long night and I was stressed out yesterday. Luckily I had made plans with A to go to Zumba class. It was a blast. We laughed, sweat, danced, and maybe yelled a little (okay that was me) but it got all of the aggression out I needed. Afterwards we stretched and cooled down on the patio overlooking Boston Common. I felt more at peace and ready to deal with whatever this week may bring.

I'm jealous of all my city/state employee friends who are off tomorrow for Bunker Hill Day but am hoping the rest of the week flies by.

Lots of photos from this weekend, just haven't had time to upload them yet. Pictures to come...

xoxo

A Favor for a Friend

This morning I received an email from my friend Jean asking me to post this on my blog. Please read below.

First off, I am sorry for even having to write a note like this. As some of you may not be aware, Over New Years, David's (my boyfriend) 4 year old niece was diagnosed with a rare stomach cancer. Since the beginning of January, she has undergo a few surgeries as well as at least 2 IV Chemotherapy treatments. This coming week, she will be admitted again into Children's Hospital for 5 weeks to undergo a bone marrow treatment. She is one tough little cookie. A fund has been started for her and her family. I am just hoping to pass on word to you and if you could possibly pass on word to others who may be interested in helping. Currently, The Angelina fund is hosting a raffle. Tickets are $10 and there will be 10 prizes given. Information can be found on the website -- www.theangelinafund.com

As well as asking that you pass along this information, I am asking the few of you I know who also have blogs, if you would maybe take a moment to post an acknowledgement to your blog regarding this fund.

Any help you may provide in passing along word of this fund or raffle will be greatly appreciated. All information can be found on the website and if not, please feel free to ask me any questions.

Thank you for your consideration and please keep our girl in your prayers.

A Meal Centered Around Two Simple Ingredients - Tomatoes and Mozzarella

On Tuesday I was at a golf tournament all day. Luckily the rain held off for most of the day, and I kept warm by drinking copious amounts of beers on the course. Between Tuesday's outing and the generous eating and drinking I did last weekend, I was in the mood for a healthy Wednesday.

I met my friend A for lunch at the Kinsale. I love this place and was craving a nice big salad. They have a great Mediterranean salad that A and I both like. Apparently its been awhile since I've been to the Kinsale because they no longer offer it on their menu! Instead I got a less healthy but delicious Cobb salad with chicken.

I headed to the gym after work for a good workout session and then stopped at Deluca's Market to pick up some ingredients for dinner. Even though the weather is so cold and rainy lately, I'm still feeling craving summer time foods and decided to make a meal centered around two basic ingredients - tomato and mozzarella.

I started out by making a simple tomato, mozzarella and basil salad. I quartered some small mozzarella balls and then halved the grape tomatoes. The grape tomatoes were especially juicy and sweet. B finished up the rest of the work by chopping up the basil, adding some fresh crushed pepper and salt, and drizzling some olive oil. We threw the ingredients in a Tupperware and mixed them up. We put the Tupperware in the fridge to keep it cold and right before we sat down to eat, we drizzled balsamic vinegar on it and shook it up some more. Delish.

For our entree, we decided to keep it simple and followed a recipe we found online. B took three large chicken breasts and cut two of them in half for thinner chicken breasts. B rubbed garlic powder, pepper and salt on the chicken breasts and threw them in a pan and cooked them for about six minutes on each side. Meanwhile, I mixed up some low-fat ricotta cheese, oregano and salt and pepper. I also sliced up one large mozzarella ball. We put some olive oil in a baking dish, put the chicken breast in, and put the dish in the fridge to cool. After about ten minutes, we took the dish out. I spooned on the ricotta mix, some diced tomatoes, and then placed the mozzarella slices on top. The recipe didn't call for it but I also added some Parmesan cheese in their because we had just a little shredded cheese left. We baked for twenty minutes and it was a colorful dish. The actual recipe for the Chicken Capri can be found here.

B and I had a healthy and carb-free meal based around two simple ingredients. Since we both go to the gym after work, its nice to have easy recipes to follow. And both dishes are easy enough for me to bring to work because there are lots of leftover salad and chicken!

xoxo

Another shout-out?

Thanks MenuPages Blog for picking up on my review of the Marliave.  

xoxo

Enjoying the only sunshine I'll get this week...

Last night I was working later than I expected and couldn't make it to my favorite Zumba class at the gym. I thought about heading over to just get in a regular cardio workout but the sun was shining and I wanted to enjoy the weather since it is supposed to be miserable this week. I called B and asked if he wanted to opt out of the gym and go for a walk. I think B will avoid the gym at any chance so he happily agreed.

I headed home and after a quick change, we took off along the Charles River. It was a beautiful afternoon and we walked along the river until we hit BU. We turned around there and walked back through Beacon Street among the gorgeous brownstones in the Back Bay. I really forget how lucky we are to be living in such a beautiful city. When we got to Mass Ave, we walked up a block towards Marlborough Street because I wanted to check out the re-done Corner Tavern. I can't wait to check this place out at some point because it looks SO different from what it used to look like.

We finished our walk down Marlborough, Arlington and then Charles Street. We were both starving but just couldn't get the energy to cook dinner so we did another quick change and headed to Ma Soba for dinner. I love the open air seating and we got a nice table on the street. Because B and I had been talking about dim sum with KK, we started out with their steamed dim sum basket. The basket had five dumplings and to be honest, they were pretty unremarkable. The dumplings were way too sticky and we had difficulty taking them out of the basket (causing them to rip and tear). Not good. I can't wait for real dim sum this weekend to erase the bad experience.

I had quite the dilemma ordering my entree because I wanted sushi originally but the dol sot bi bim bap was tempting. I stuck with the sushi and ordered one of their combo meals, which came with rice, salad and miso soup, and I chose mixed sashimi and mixed sushi as my combo. I asked to switch out the regular salad with a seaweed salad and was told that it would cost three dollars more. It was odd since they are all the same price on the menu but I complied and ended up with both salads. The seaweed salad was worth it though because it was so refreshing. And ofcourse the miso soup was good to the last drop - although I've never had a bad miso soup. The sushi and sashimi were just eh. There was a lot of crabstick, which is just cheap on Ma Soba's end. The sushi wasn't cut very well and I just wasn't impressed. I don't expect a lot when I'm ordering combo meals but I've had much better sushi elsewhere. We also ordered two pieces of uni (sea urchin) and that was pretty good.

After dinner, B and I stopped off at boYo for some froyo. I got a small banana frozen yogurt with cocoa krispies and strawberries. I really like their frozen yogurt but it does a number on my stomach. I can also happily report that they now have gelato and the staff seemed to be a lot more with it then they were during my last visit during their opening week.

I'm glad we spent so much time outdoors yesterday since it is miserable outside today.

xoxo

RIP Froggy

When I pulled you out of the box, I knew it was love at first sight.  Who could resist that adorable green face with the steam coming out through the tops of the eyes.  You served me well through two dry winters and helped me through many a cold.  But lately you haven't been working as well and I know that it is time to close this chapter.  Thanks for the memories...

xoxo

Weekend Re-Cap

On Friday night I went to Midwest Grill in Inman Square for a double date with M and P. This is an all you can eat Brazilian barbecue joint that I've heard a lot about. B and I arrived a bit early but they sat us right away under M's reservation. We sipped on some very delicious caipirinhas and listened to their in-house guitar player while we waited.

When M and P arrived, we started the rodizio, which included a hot and cold buffet of sides and salads along with servers who came around with skewers of various meat. It is all you can eat and they give you a little card that you flip over to green (if you want them to keep coming over) and red (if you want a break). I tried pieces of different meat but some were a little too rare or salty for me. The chicken hearts though were delicious! I also had a very hearty side of white rice served with a fish and potato stew. I was disappointed that there weren't fried plantains but they instead served fried bananas. The boys ate like, well, boys at an all you can eat meat buffet. M and I fared a little better. We all very stupidly also got desserts, but I think that was what pushed us over the edge (especially since all of the desserts we ordered were pretty unremarkable). We walked to Central Square to get some air while our bodies started to process the ridiculous amount of food we ate. B and I ended up taking the T home and stayed up late playing Mario Kart.

On Saturday, I woke up still feeling overstuffed and ran some early morning errands. L picked me up and we headed to Putterham Golf Course for an afternoon of golf. We played the front nine holes with a very pleasant doctor as our fourth, and then we played half of the back nine. The sunshine and the very slow moving groups in front of us made us lose our motivation. I had a tough first three holes but had a better game as it moved along.

Afterwards, we headed back to our respective places to get ready for girls night out. I was thrilled to finally wear out my Laila Azhar strapless dress, white blazer and nude heels. We met up at Stella for dinner. We initially were going to sit outside but it had really gotten chilly so we say indoors. Over two delicious bottles of white wine, an appetizer cheese platter, a complimentary plate of deep fried artichokes served with aioli (too big for an amuse bouche but small enough to comp our long wait for the food) and three split entrees (mushroom pizza, half serving of gnocchi, and a half serving of orecchiette), we had a blast.

We jumped in a cab and headed to Alibi for drinks. I actually haven't been here in awhile mostly since it is last season's "it" place to hang out. But, we were in the mood for a good time and we managed to charm our way in despite the long line. Things get hazy and we ended up at a reserved table and drinking lots of wine and prosecco. Delish.

Afterwards, we stopped off at Harvard Gardens for some sangria before I drunkenly left and headed home. I ran into G, who had just walked home with B, and he walked me home from Harvard Gardens, which isn't much of a walk at all. I ended up having a very late night phone call from E and managed to eat some kettle corn before calling it a night.

On Sunday I woke up to the most nasty hangover. Prosecco does not equal to a good time the morning after. B's parents picked us up and we headed to Derry for B's nephews birthdays. I love this little kid so much and cannot wait until we get to babysit him in a few weeks. We had a blast watching him open gifts, eating burgers off the grill, and yummy birthday cake! N loved the tent we got him, along with "Danny and the Dinosaur", which I read twice to him. I fell asleep on the car ride home.

B and I couldn't get the motivation to do anything so we just bummed around and eventually got sandwiches from the Federal for dinner. I had a yummy and spicy Cuban sandwich but they definitely need to start grilling their bread and pressing their Cuban sandwiches. But the space definitely looked better than Venice Cafe and I liked the open kitchen so that you can see what and how they are making everything.

All in all, it was a great weekend and way too busy for me to blog all weekend. I'll post some pics of the weekend later on.

xoxo

Saturday Morning Shout-Out

It is a good week for blogging. On top of Boston.com highlighting my blog, Universal Hub has highlighted it too! Thanks for continuing to encourage me in my blogging endeavors!

xoxo

Marliave - My New (Old) Favorite Lunch Spot

So there's been quite the buzz about Marliave, located on the corner of Province and Bromfield Streets. People are raving about Chef Scott Herritt (of Grotto) energy in getting this place to be the jewel that it once was. Ofcourse, the newly finished (and gorgeous) condos at 45 Province along with the new beautification of that area are helping draw people to this area.

I'm quite familiar with the lunchtime eats in this area as I went to law school less than a block away and now work a few blocks from this establishment. For an actual sit-down lunch, I tend to haunt the popular Silvertone or Beantown Pub. But I always avoided the Marliave due to its run-down condition and general lackluster food. Yesterday, I had the opportunity of hearing Scott Herritt talk passionately about the history of the restaurant and how much work he's put into the restaurant, including the newly opened cafe and his adventures in getting the planters on the just-opened patio. Seeing someone talk so passionately about his restaurant, I knew I had to give it a try.

I headed over to Marliave close to 1 PM today with a co-worker. We wanted to sit down for a leisurely lunch and originally we were hoping to sit on the patio but it was too cold for me to brave it. We were greeted by a friendly hostess who asked if we wanted to sit upstairs or down. The downstairs didn't look too crowded (with maybe four or five tables seated), so we thought we'd give it a try.

We got a nice two-seat table against the wall, which gave me a perfect view of the other diners, the bar, and even the kitchen. We were immediately given some water and shortly after the bartender came over to our table and asked took both our food and drink orders. I stuck with water while my co-worker opted for a ginger ale, which was served timely.

While we waited for our food to arrive, the place really started to fill up. This was surprising to me because it was a little late for the lunch hour rush but people were being seated consistently both upstairs and downstairs. The bar started to fill up too - with both the typical lone diner along with the tourists in for a few drinks.

There was only one server downstairs, besides the hostess, and the service was a little slow. But I am forgiving because Scott Herritt himself came over and served us our meals. My co-worker got the steak and cheese sub and it is served with a horseradish mayo (which he opted out of) and crispy fried onions. I got the Mr. Marliave (grilled ham and Gruyere sandwich). The sandwich was served "bercy style". Traditionally, a bercy style sandwich is served with a bercy butter (traditionally a reduction of shallots, white wine,butter and marrow) poured on top of the sandwich. The bercy style here seemed to include a simple bechamel (white cheese) sauce. I've got to say that this was the largest Croque Monsieur sandwich I've had (I could only eat half of it) and pretty tasty. The sandwich came with a pickle and a side of fries. The fries were a little salty (which probably means perfectly salted for most diners), crispy and plentiful. My co-worker is a man of little words and pointed to his empty plate and let that speak for his meal.

Our sandwiches plus a soda came to about $25.00, which is reasonable for most of the sit-down places in this area. The service was a little slow, but I'd have to guess they are testing out the staffing throughout the lunch crowd. But the service was very pleasant and it is always great to see the owner and chef of the joint really running the place. I'd definitely come back here again to test out the drinks and entrees (which have had various reviews on the usual foodie boards).i also wouldn't mind checking out their pastries, which are made in house. But for now, I'm adding this to my small roster of lunch places downtown. From the full patio and what I observed to be other happy diners, I don't think I'll be the only one.

xoxo

Friday's Thoughts

Hopefully you're eating your free Dunkin Donuts' donut while you're reading this..

• Thank you Boston.com for highlighting my blog today!
• B and I made yummy tacos last night.  Along with a gift card to Williams Sonoma, B received a tin of Spicy Chipotle Rub.  In lieu of the nasty pre-packaged taco seasoning, we used this rub on some chicken breast, which we cooked down with some oil, water, fresh peppercorn, salt and jalapeno peppers.  The chicken breasts cooked so tender and made unbelievable shredded chicken.  We wrapped the soft tortillas in tin foil and heated them up in the toaster oven while we prepared the rest of our taco ingredients - diced tomatoes, diced jalapenos, fresh cilantro and guacamole (using avocados, salt, diced jalapenos and spicy red peppers, cilantro and red onion).  Our guacamole was delicious, although it will never be as good as G's amazing home-made guacamole.  It was pretty delish.
• I drank quite a few Wachusett Blueberry beers last night and spent the night laughing my butt off while playing Wii Mario Kart.  B made delicious (and totally unhealthy) ice cream cookie sandwiches using cornmeal lime cookies from Flour and the Haagen Dazs Vanilla Frozen Yogurt.  It was the perfect way to end the evening.
• I've gotten recent reports of an amazing triathlete running around the Financial District with a bag of pancakes.  Good luck A, KK, and E with the Mooseman Triathlon tomorrow!
• And good luck to Mama T as she heads to her first ever 5K race on Sunday!

I'm ready for another fun-filled weekend!

xoxo

Dunkin’: Buy joe, get free Donut Day sinker - Daily Business Update - The Boston Globe

I'd don't drink coffee or eat donuts, but this may be of interest to some of you....

Dunkin’: Buy joe, get free Donut Day sinker - Daily Business Update - The Boston Globe

Posted using ShareThis

All I wanted to do was try out a sriracha mayo recipe...

...and I ended up creating a whole meal around it.  

I'm an avid fan of foodgawker and read it everyday.  Okay, I mostly drool over the delicious pictures but who is counting.  Last week, I saw a delicious recipe for a sriracha mayo and I knew I had to make it.  The sriracha mayo itself was really easy to make with the sriracha, mayo (we used Miracle Whip), and the lime juice of half a lime.  We opted out of adding the soy sauce because the color the creamy orange color was too pretty to mess with.

We decided to actually make fried fries.  Normally we make baked sweet potato fries, which are a lot healthier and (in my opinion) a lot easier to make.  We picked up a three Russet potatoes from Savenor's.  B chopped up the potatoes and started to heat up the vegetable oil in a pot.  We ran into our first problem because the oil needs to be 350 degrees but our meat thermometer couldn't effectively measure the temperature of the oil.  I was worried because I've watched enough cooking shows to know that the oil needs to be hot enough to cook the fries through but not too hot because the oil will burn through.  B dropped in about a third of the chopped potatoes in the oil and used a hand strainer to move them around.  The first batch came out great.  We turned on the oven and threw the fries on a cookie sheet with salt to bake and stay warm while the rest of the fries were cooked.  The second batch was a generous third of the chopped potatoes and they started to stick together.  We didn't cook these too long because we were afraid moving them around too much would result in mushy potato mess.  The third batch came out perfect and finished just in time as the oil started to smell a little burnt.  

While B worked on the fries, I threw two potato buns in the toaster oven at a low temperature to toast up.  I also began to work on our burgers.  Since the potato buns are on the smaller side of hamburger buns, I made mini burgers - too big to be sliders but to small to be a full fledged burger.  I took a pound of ground beef, A-1 steak sauce, Worcestershire sauce, crushed peppercorn, salt and dried onion flakes in a bowl.  We had ordered 85 % lean on Peapod because we didn't want dry burgers and you need a little fat, but we ended up getting delivered 99% fat free.  To avoid dry burgers, I added a little extra of the liquid ingredients and mixed together with my hands.  The one big mistake I've learned that people make when mixing ingredients for burgers is that people tend to over mix and over work the meat, which results in dense, heavy burgers.  I just mix enough to blend all the ingredients and retain the juiciness of the burger.

I threw the burgers on a cast iron skillet and also started boiling some water for our corn on the cob.  We time everything perfectly and everything was ready at the same time.  

The end result was a perfect summer meal.  While frying the potatoes in oil was a good experience, I find that baking them is still the healthier and easier way to go to make a good golden brown fry.  Plus, it is way less work intensive and I can avoid the smell of cooked oil.  I topped my burger with Gulden's spicy brown mustard, B's leftover spicy ketchup and pickles.  I also  grated some Parmesan on the fries for a nice little touch in the end.  

I took some rough pictures from my camera phone (see below). 

xoxo

Good Life - Not the Best for a Business Lunch but a Good Place for a Leisurely Meal

Today I had a lunch date with my bestest guy friend D, a fellow attorney in downtown Boston.  We try to have a lunch date at least once a month so that we can catch up on each other's lives, although often this doesn't happen because we get way too busy with work.  Luckily, I saw D last week when he came through with an extra ticket for my boss' son for the 2009 Speaker Series event with Karl Rove and James Carville.  This reminded us that we were long overdue for a catch-up lunch.

Since it was D's turn to choose a place, he picked the Good Life, located at 28 Kingston Street, which is just around the corner from his office.   I arrived there a few minutes late and the host could tell that I was waiting for someone and asked me if I wanted to poke my head into the dining area to see if my dining companion was already there.  The place was pretty busy but no sign of D.  Even though D wasn't there, the friendly host seated me and then awkwardly asked me if my dining companion was a female or a male so that he could keep an eye out for me.  I told him that D was a young male but I ofcourse texted D that I had already gotten a table.  

While I waited for D to arrive (who is notoriously later than I am), the server asked me if I'd like to order something to drink.  I ordered an unsweetened iced tea and a water.  Although she walked by me several times empty-handed after I placed my order, it took her quite awhile to get me my drinks.  I was a bit dismayed when she didn't offer any sweetener and I didn't see her again for awhile, so I managed to grab another server to ask for sweetener.  It was quite the production.

D finally arrived with his apologies of being late and our server came back and took his drink order.  We scanned the menu and started to chat until we realized that about ten minutes had passed and our server still hadn't returned with his water or to take our order.  When she finally came back, D ordered the cobb salad and I asked what the chicken sandwich of the day was.  She described a grilled chicken breast with guacamole, lettuce, tomato and bacon on a focaccia bread.  I was sold.  Thankfully the food service was a bit quicker.  To be honest, D loved his salad but it looked completely unappetizing to me.  The lettuce just didn't look fresh.  My sandwich was delicious with a hearty serving of grilled chicken, bacon and guacamole but the focaccia bread was sliced so thick that I could barely get my mouth around the sandwich.  I ended up eating the sandwich open faced.  My sandwich came with a huge side of perfectly crispy fries that D shared with me but I couldn't eat more than a few because they were way over salty for my taste.  D, on the other hand, thought that the fries were delicious so I'm not sure if it is a case of me being over-sensitive to salty foods.

After we finished, we finally received our bill and after we paid, it took awhile for the server to come back to pick up the check to run the credit card.  While I may seem a little picky about the slow service, I believe that downtown eating establishments need to be able to time their service quickly during the lunch hour, especially when many people are having business lunches or have to run back to their office.  Plus, it wasn't necessarily the best place to talk business with the poor acoustics of the echoing walls and the closely placed tables.  D and I managed to catch up but practically had to yell to talk over the loudness of a dining guest two tables over.  

Good Life is a good place to have a leisurely lunch with an old friend because in the end, it doesn't matter where we are but just as long as we get to eat in each other's company.  But I wouldn't recommend Good Life for a business lunch.  Next time, I'll stick to an oldie but goodie - Kingston Station - across the street.

xoxo

Another Korean Feast with the Family

After a hectic Saturday night, involving a late night dinner at Border Cafe (yum!), I was looking forward to a nice afternoon at home with my family.  My mother was throwing a Korean barbecue in honor of my brother-in-law's 35th birthday.  And if you know my mother, any family event means copious amounts of food.  

My mother made many dishes, including radish leaf kimchi which including fresh radish leaves from her garden....

She also made a non-Korean dish.  Like me, my mother is a huge fan of the Food Network.  We also both share a love for the show "Cooking for Real" because the host, Sunny Anderson, makes a lot of simple dishes with a lot of flavor.  Instead of my mom's traditional Korean barbecued chicken, she decided to try out one of Sunny Anderson's recipes for Caribbean Chicken Wings:

Ofcourse, she altered the recipe to use chicken breasts instead of chicken wings (since she knows that I refuse to eat meat on bones) and threw them on the grill.  While the picture below doesn't necessarily look appetizing, this had to be the most delicious, spicy chicken breasts I've ever had.  The first bite is sweet from the honey and brown sugar, but the habaneros gives it a huge kick.  

To add more spiciness to the meal, my mother ofcourse served her traditional spicy kimchi.

To eat with our Korean white rice, she also picked the first lettuce of the season.  In Korean, we call this "sam" and we eat it by putting a small amount of rice, some hot bean paste (kochujang) and bulgogi (Korean barbecued beef).  

Since there is sam, there is ofcourse the bulgogi...

My mother also made some skewers of shrimp, marinated with olive oil and garlic.  It was a bit salty for my taste but still delicious nonetheless (its hard for me to criticize my mom's cooking!).

My mom served a third kind of kimchi made with cucumbers - oi kimchi.  Again using fresh cucumbers from her garden, she cut cucumbers in half lengthwise and then in half again to create little half circles of cucumbers.  She ofcourse marinated it with onions, hot pepper flakes, and a tiny bit of garlic.  This is my second favorite type of oi kimchi and whenever my mom makes it with cucumbers from her garden, I know that summer is near.

I didn't take pictures of two more of my mom's dishes.  The first is a squid stir fry called ojingeo pokkum.  It consists of small pieces of squid, carrots, onions, and green pepers stir fried with the hot bean paste (kochujang), soy sauce and a tiny bit of sugar.  This is a spicy dish, although the chicken definitely stole the limelight in the spicy category.  

She also made her traditional spicy pork barbecue called daeji bulgogi, which I've previously blogged about.  This is probably one of B's favorite Korean foods.

We had a wonderful day at home.  Nothing completes a traditional Korean meal than ice cream cake!  Okay, not really but can we talk about how much I love the crunchy cookie crumbles in Carvel ice cream cakes?  Yum-0!

I'm finally starting to catch up on my blogging from the weekend.  Hope everyone had a great weekend!

xoxo