Getting Baked in the Big Apple (and Other Crumbs)

I spent what little time I had in New York last Sunday morning scoping out — and sampling the offerings — at various Big Apple bakeries. Because that’s just what I do. It’s really not my fault. My husband is still peeved that our family spent most of our time in Lisbon at Casa Pasteis […]

American Chop Suey: A Love Story

I got a kick out of Thrillist.com’s “22 Things You’ve Definitely Eaten If You Grew Up In New England” post the other day. All the usual suspects were there – Fluffernutters, NECCO Wafers, Hoodsie Cups… But I learned something, too. Apparently, American Chop Suey is a New England thing. I was shocked. Just shocked, I […]

It Started with a Shrub: My Dinner at Puritan & Company

As a history buff and food lover, chef Will Gilson’s Puritan & Company in Cambridge is my new happy place. First off, it’s located in a building that housed the Puritan Cake Company‘s bakery from the 1930s to the 1950s. So, it feeds into my need to honor the past. And Puritan’s eclectic menu pays […]

Act II, Scene 1: Flour, Sugar and “Ronda”

The Second Act of my life began yesterday at 6:50 a.m. when I entered the doors at Flour Bakery + Café with a smile on my face and chef’s pants in my tote bag. I left 11 hours later with the same smile, dirty chefs pants and a sense of pride. Sadly, I could barely walk. […]

For the Love of Lemons…

How much do I love lemons? If I have a choice of a sweet made with chocolate or lemon, the fruit wins every single time. If I’m cooking and I think the dish needs “a little something,” it’s usually lemon or lemon peel. And of all the people on TV, “30 Rock” funnygal Liz Lemon […]

When Life Gives You an Extra 2 Dozen Eggs…

make an angel cake! I said I would only take one dozen off his hands when our friend, Fred, called to say one of his paddle tennis partners — who owns a farm in Dover with 300 chickens — off-loaded three dozen on his bachelor buddy. “I already bought eggs this week,” I told him. […]

Can’t Contain My Excitement…

for great containers! Last night, after spending the afternoon at Babson College at a culinary entrepreneurship seminar, I was treated to dinner at The Farmhouse in Needham. A beet salad with fresh greens, pistachios and a goat cheese croquette followed by Nantucket Scallops with exotic mushrooms on a cauliflower/purple potato puree were divine. And then […]