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.
Blueberries are my everything right now.
Summer rolls around and I can’t help but throw them into drinks, ice cream, and even salads. I love all fruits equally, but the berry in blue just happens to be in my fridge at all times when they’re in season. Like a friend who knows me all too well, they’re there for me even when I didn’t realize I needed them. (more…)
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?
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…)
When life hands you lemons, you make lemonade. But what about when life hands you watermelons? Is watermelonade a thing?
Summertime is made for juicy watermelon slices and sticky fingers. But let’s be real: there is nothing better than sipping on a cool drink and breathing in a warm summer breeze. So instead of watermelonade, I blended fresh watermelon chunks with ice and alcohol. It was a great life choice. (more…)
June has gone by too quickly and I constantly have to remind myself to savor summer before the leaves lose their colors. Grim, I know, but I just want to eat and see everything while it’s nice out. Boston is incredibly charming in the summer.
I love seafood with a passion, but summer accelerates that passion into an obsession. I crave lobster rolls and crab cakes on a weekly basis. It’s a New England thing, possibly. So I decided to challenge myself a bit and see if I could make a seafood fritter of some kind. So, the shrimp and green garlic cake was born. (more…)
All I need in this life of sin is a few heaping scoops of creamy chocolate ice cream. It fits into any occasion; at any time of day – it’s perfect for elevensies, a summer afternoon snack, or some late-night stress eating after last week’s Game of Thrones finale. (I don’t want to talk about it. I just can’t even.)
But as I’ve mentioned before, I can’t eat ice cream without feeling icky afterward. Lactose intolerance is just a cruel joke. The good news, which took me way too long to discover, is that there’s a solution to this dilemma. And if you give it a chance, you’ll see what all the fuss is about. (more…)
Occasionally, a rainy afternoon will make its way into my very warm summer. On those days, I want nothing more than to stay in and inevitably develop a sweet tooth born out of boredom and laziness. I don’t like to be bitter about it.
I usually end up at work though, and I have to carry my sweet tooth with me. Most days, I’m not picky as long as it fills my sugar hunger, but sometimes I need a really special cookie to do the job. This, my chocolate toffee cookie, is it – I think this might be my cookie soul mate. It’s one of those cookie recipes that I never mind repeating, because it tastes so damn good. (more…)
We’re going traditional, straight-up, full-frontal Italian with today’s recipe, because I have some very relevant news:
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…)
It’s about time, guys.
I’ve been itching to share this recipe with all of you since the birth of this blog last year, but posting a recipe that’s been years in the making is like watching your baby head off to school for the first day of kindergarten. It’s so hard to let go. After years of effort, I can only hope it does well out there. It’s close to my heart, so naturally I want it to succeed. But no matter what happens, I will always love it.
Too melodramatic considering I’m talking about cookies? Let me explain. It all started back in 2012 when I stopped eating gluten, dairy, soy, and all processed food for a couple months…right before I started working at a bakery.
I never said I was sane. (more…)
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.
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…)