Category: Main

  • Pan Seared Salmon

    Seared Salmon

    Have you guys seen the movie Her? If not, then allow me to give you a brief breakdown. In a not too distant future, a man falls in love with his phone’s female operating system. I’m not capturing what the movie is really about in that previous sentence, but please watch the film. It’s funny, heartwarming, uplifting, heartbreaking, and hopeful. Her stays with you long after the credits are done rolling; this movie hits hard for Leili and me.

    Salmon and Asparagus
    For those of you who have seen it, you may remember the beach scene with the armpit anatomy bit. Shortly after that funny break comes a beautiful piece of music that the girl (computer) writes for the boy (human) about their day at the beach. That piano piece is equally sweet and sentimental as it is sad.

    Salmon Filet (more…)

  • Chicken Congee with Bok Choy

    Congee

    Perhaps it’s my restless desire for change, or my anxiety from the undeniably longer nights that indicate even longer nights are coming to overshadow our daylight, but my appetite has been zapped lately. I don’t feel like myself when I can’t finish my food and I become disappointed in my tummy’s lack of desire for a real meal. Am I alone here?

    Ingredients

    Like an old woman aging gracefully, I crave softer foods that are totally neutral when digesting. Did I say too much? If you follow what I’m trying to say, then you understand how miserable this war with food can be. Running this blog can become difficult when you suddenly become underwhelmed by ingredients and cooking. (more…)

  • Pork Chops with Garlic Thyme Sauce

    Sliced Pork Chops

    Life’s been a little hectic lately, summer’s almost over and I definitely did not get the vacation I thought I deserved. But then again, what exactly is a summer vacation to a grownup anyway? I had a couple getaway weekends, but it didn’t satisfy my desperate need to lie down somewhere for a week and do absolutely nothing. So here I rant, but I am actually ready for some cooler temps and extra layers.

    Season and Brine
    Recently, I found up an old recipe from Food Wishes that combines pork chops and apple cider – brilliant and too tasty to pass up. Then I remembered that it wasn’t apple-picking season yet and so I gave up. Just kidding, I would never give up on something as sacred as pork chops.

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  • Grilled Corn Bacon Flatbread with Garlic & Herb Cheese

    corn bacon pizzaI’m not the only one in a constant state of craving cheese, am I?grilled pizzaGood. I knew we were friends for a reason. (more…)

  • B&G Oysters: Lunch

    Seafood Sandwiches

    B&G Oysters is the ideal place for a summer lunch if you’re looking for classic New England fare. As a go-to place for South Enders in dire need of fresh seafood, B&G reliably delivers. And just as all of Barbara Lynch’s other restaurants, the menu at B&G focuses on freshness and quality – and it shows.

    Wieners and BivalvesB&G Patio

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  • Three Herb Mushroom Pasta

    Pasta View
    I think I’m having one of those weeks where I get massively lazy and refuse to shop or cook. The hazy summer informs me I should have a slushie or ice cream instead. It’s a titanic effort to leave the beach or park to initiate any adult responsibilities. You guys know what I’m talking about, right?

    Mushroom Pasta

    So I go the farmers’ markets for inspiration and they never disappoint. This time of year, they are lush with vegetables, flowers, fruits, and energy. This mushroom pasta has been a staple of mine for a long time, but I added some garlic scapes for good measure. If you haven’t noticed, I have a special relationship with garlic from green ‘til bulb. (more…)

  • Handmade Ricotta Cavatelli & Hazelnut Pea Sprout Pesto

    ricotta cavatelli3We’re going traditional, straight-up, full-frontal Italian with today’s recipe, because I have some very relevant news:

    ricotta cavatelli

    I’m officially going to Italy this summer!

    In one month, I’ll be hightailing it out of Boston for a month-long adventure of smelling and eating and seeing all the things in Paris and then a bunch of cities throughout Italy. Even with all my tickets booked, Airbnbs reserved and regional food research completed, I still feel like I could wake up one day and find that all these plans were just a dream; something my travel-thirsty mind created to keep me from going totally insane. (more…)

  • Roasted Honey Spiced Chicken

    Chicken Plate

    I might be late to the game on ramps, but better late than never with these beautiful, delicate plants. This is my first spring using them, and I am delightfully in love, but more on that later.

    Chicken Leg

    Let’s also talk about my love with chicken. Chicken. Chicken. Chicken. You can never go wrong with my first poultry love. I grew up in the city and have no access to a grill – this recipe is the next best thing. I wanted an almost burnt chicken packed with lots of flavor. Here, I used the sear-and-roast technique. Not quite the same, but definitely delicious and full of umami. (more…)

  • Naco Taco

    Naco patioNaco Taco, Chef Michael Scelfo’s second restaurant venture after Alden & Harlow, opened its doors in early March 2015 in Cambridge’s Central Square area near MIT. And it was an instant hit. (Edit 6/15: Michael Scelfo left Naco Taco in June 2015 – after getting the restaurant off the ground, he handed the reins over to Chefs Robert Preciado and Amanda Howell).

    naco truck windowNaco arrived just in time for patio season, and because we’ve been hit with a heat wave in Boston lately (no complaints here!), we were grateful for Naco’s large outdoor seating area with shady umbrellas and ice cold drinks. (more…)

  • Arugula Zucchini Pesto Quinoa Bowl

    a to z quinoa bowlHere’s a whole lot of green comin’ atcha! What better way to celebrate the weekend?

    I always make big plans for my free days or weekends, with the best of intentions. I say I’m going to clean out my closet, finally perfect my brown butter croissant recipe, or spend a whole day prepping meals for the following week. I never, ever do these things. Who do you think I am, superwoman? I usually end up sleeping in, lazily making breakfast, and then I sit around spending way too much time looking at trending recipes, or dream places I could one day live, or fantasy jobs I could one day have. Right now my ideal job is to be a recipe tester at Bon Appetit (but, I mean, whose isn’t. It’s like the unicorn of jobs).
    final close upBy the time I finally get around to doing anything productive on weekends, half the day is gone and I have to rush around just to get all my necessary errands done. On days like these, I’m always relieved to have a quick, healthy dinner recipe I can pull out of my back pocket. Enter the mighty quinoa bowl.

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