Sweet Cupcakes

After brunch on Sunday, Alicia and I slowly strolled our way back to Beacon Hill.  We made a quick stop at the newest location of Sweet Cupcakes in downtown Boston.

Located right on the Freedom Trail, this is the perfect location for a cupcake shop.  In fact, I fit right in with all of the tourists as I snapped photos outside the shop.  I was stuffed from brunch but I really wanted to pick up a sweet treat for Bret.

I settled on the Boston Cream cupcake and this was definitely the right choice!  Bret said that the cupcake was so moist and it really tasted like a slice of Boston cream pie...in cupcake form!

While I'm bummed that Sweet Cupcakes opened up after I stopped working right around the corner, I realize that this is probably a blessing in disguise!

Sweet Cupcakes has several locations in the Boston area and I visited the one located at 11 School Street, Boston, MA.

Al Fresco Brunch at the Terrace at Avenue One

It has been a long time since I've been in the Hyatt Regency Boston.  I think the last time I was there was for one of my law school formals and sadly, I've been out of law school for five years now!  So when Renee emailed out an invitation to this month's Boston Brunchers' brunch at the Terrace at Avenue One, I was definitely excited for a return visit.

Executive Chef Kelly Armetta warmly greeted us as he gave us a sneak preview of his new brunch menu, which will roll out next month.  I absolutely loved his emphasis on using seasonal and regional ingredients.  This brunch was served buffet-style and there was plenty of food to choose from:

I started out with a strawberry banana smoothie shooter.  There were also peach and mixed berry smoothies as well.

For my first plate, I nibbled on some fruit and a delightful strawberry pastry.  I was really intrigued by the yellow watermelon and it tasted just liked a red watermelon!

For my next plate, I had the house omelet, which had portobello mushroom, caramelized onion and prosciutto.  I also couldn't resist the lobster eggs Benedict. 

Please note that the messy lobster Benedict presentation was
my inability to plate it nicely...and not Avenue One!

We had a choice between mimosas and Bloody Mary's.  Although I'm typically a Bloody Mary kind of gal, the warm summer weather had me craving a mimosa!

I finished my meal with something sweet - a blueberry muffin.  The blueberry muffin was so moist and chock full of blueberries.  I thought it was the perfect note to end my meal.

A sunny brunch on the patio was the perfect way to start my Sunday.  Plus, I was happy to see some of my favorite food bloggers together and we actually remembered to take a photo together!

I had no idea that the Terrace existed and I'm glad that I got to check it out.

The Terrace is open from Tuesday to Friday from 5 PM to close, with a happy hour from 5-7 PM featuring $4 chef's seasonal bites.  Plus, they have live jazz music every Thursday and Friday!  I am definitely going to be returning here for a cocktail with some friends in the near future!

The Terrace at Avenue One is located in the Hyatt Regency Boston at One Avenue de Lafayette, Boston, MA.

Tortilla Party!

My friend Megan recently received a giant box of Tortilla Land tortillas to sample. 

Since these were fresh tortillas, she knew that there was no way that she would be able to go through them quickly enough so she decided to throw...a tortilla party!  Everyone brought a lot of different side dishes that fit with the tortilla theme.  Here are some photos of all of these fantastic eats:

I made my Spicy Roasted Salsa.

Cheese Nachos

Bianca's guacamole

Grilled tortillas.

Meghan's Tomato and Corn Salad

Deep-Fried Tortilla Strips

Alicia's veggies were a great filling for veggie quesadillas.

Megan made these fantastic chimichangas filled with chicken adobo.

We also had to have margaritas to help wash down these delicious eats.  I picked up a bottle of Skinnygirl Margaritas.  It was definitely a little mellow compared to typical margaritas but I really liked it.

They were nothing, however, compared to Christine's spicy guava margaritas!

Of course, Megan wouldn't have a party without dessert.  She whipped up this fantastic margarita cheesecake which had the most awesome pretzel crust. 

I have been in my own little world lately since I've started my new job so it was really great catching up with everyone.  Thanks again to Megan for hosting this get-together!

Photo courtesy of Megan at Delicious Dishings

Megan also sent us all off with some of our own packages of tortillas.  I'm definitely looking forward to cooking up a lot of different dishes in the next few weeks incorporating the tortillas.

I'd love to hear some of your ideas on how to use these tortillas in a creative way!

Newtons Fruit Thins

Earlier this month, I received a complimentary package of Newtons Fruit Thins as part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program. 

I've been eyeing this package of cookies in my pantry for the past few weeks but I felt bad snacking on them while Bret was still recovering from his surgery and could only eat soft foods for the first few days.  But now that Bret is almost completely better, I finally dug into them this past weekend.

I really loved these Cranberry Citrus Oat cookies.  These cookies are so crispy that they are almost like a hybrid of a chewy cracker or a really crispy cookie.  I also loved that the cookies were made with whole grains and had a nice balance of cranberry and citrus flavors.  I'm definitely going to pick some more of these out the next time I'm at the grocery store!

Tell me, what have you been snacking on lately?

Full disclosure: The Newtons Fruit Thins cookies were completely complimentary, but as always, my opinion is honest and completely my own.

Sweet and Spicy Mashed Carrots

Last weekend, it seemed like after all the rain, summer finally arrived!  I enjoyed all of the sunshine last weekend, especially making a point to get in some runs along the Charles.  Between the warm weather and the exercise, I started craving a lot of veggies.  Awhile back, I flagged Everyday Food's recipe for Mashed Carrots with Honey and Chili Powder for a warm winter side dish.  I ended up making the steamed carrots last weekend and found that this actually makes a really perfect dish for summer!

I started out by gathering my ingredients.  I used two pounds of carrots instead of the suggested one and a half pounds so I increased the measurements on some of the other ingredients:

 

• 2 pounds carrots
• 2 tablespoons salted butter, room temperature
• 3 teaspoons honey
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• Salt and pepper, to taste

I put a pot of water to boil with my steamer basket on top.  While the water started to warm up, I washed, peeled and roughly chopped the carrots.  I added the carrots to the steamer and let them cook for about forty minutes.

When the forty minutes were done, I mashed the carrots using a hand potato masher.

I then added the butter, honey, chili powder, salt and pepper to the bowl and gave everything a good mix.

I had a strange dinner that night consisting of a frozen burrito, a side salad and mashed carrots. 

The carrots were definitely my favorite part of the meal because they had lovely sweet and spicy notes.

We had a lot of carrots leftover and they were even better re-heated the next day as leftovers!

What types of food do you crave in warmer weather?

Nutella Banana Coconut Pudding

My friend Bianca has been providing me with a lot of inspiration in the kitchen lately.  When I saw her recipe for Tuna Meatballs, it inspired me to make my own version - Lemon Pepper Tuna Meatballs.  And when I read her blog post for Nutella Banana Pudding, I knew that I would be making this immediately. 

Besides the skim milk and instant vanilla pudding, I had to get the rest of the ingredients.  Thankfully, I didn't have to go far as Top Shelf had everything, including the canister of whipped cream.  Yes, I used canned whipped cream.  No, I didn't feel the least bit guilty for doing it.

 

I used a smaller pie pan than Bianca did so my measurements were a little bit different than hers.  I also decided to add some shredded coconut to the recipe because I had some in my pantry and I though that coconut would make a lovely addition.

• 1/2 box vanilla wafer cookies
• 2/3 cup Nutella
• 1 package of instant vanilla pudding
• 2 cups skim milk
• 2 cups whipped cream
• 2 1/2 bananas, sliced
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut

I started out by making the instant vanilla pudding with the skim milk.

I let the pudding chill in the fridge for about five minutes before I folded in the Nutella.

I then folded in a 2/3 cup of whipped cream.

I quickly read Bianca's recipe and mistakenly forgot to start out with a layer of pudding on the bottom of the pan.  Instead, I started out with a layer of vanilla wafer cookies.

I added the sliced bananas on top of the vanilla wafer cookies.  Don't they look adorable?

I sprinkled a layer of shredded coconut to the dish.

And the last step was to gently spread the Nutella pudding mixture.

My dish was a little small so I only had room to repeat this layer one more time instead of adding two more layers like Bianca did.  I finished the Nutella Banana Coconut Pudding by adding a layer of whipped cream, crushed vanilla wafer cookies and shredded coconut.

I let the Nutella Banana Coconut Pudding chill in the fridge for several hours before we finally dug in. 

I decided to serve the dessert in martini glasses because I firmly believe that desserts in martini glasses are more fun - liquid desserts or otherwise.

The Nutella Banana Coconut Pudding was definitely the easiest dessert I've made in a long time.  I love that you can basically get all the ingredients at your nearest corner store or bodega.  Sure, it's not necessarily the most fancy dish but it hit all of the right notes of sweet, cold, creamy, and crunchy.  And I definitely went back for a second serving! 

Tell me, what food blogs have inspired you recently in the kitchen?