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Just Peachy

September 7, 2010 in Uncategorized by traveleatlove | 14 comments

I don’t really care much about dessert. I am the type of eater who fills up pretty quickly to the point where people question if I eat enough, but gets hungry an hour after a meal. It’s just the way my body works, and I have learned to roll with it throughout the years. So, by the time dessert at a restaurant arrives, I usually don’t even want it; stuffing it in just doesn’t feel good.

There are of course always those exceptions, and I do like a snack an hour or two after dinner at home, especially when it involves incredible, seasonal local fruit.

I am trying to completely take advantage of local peaches until they are all gone, so last night I whipped up a sweet and creamy treat using a few peaches, goat cheese, and honey.

It couldn’t be any easier, I cut the peaches in half and pitted them, then placed them in a pie plate in the oven at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Once the 10 minutes were over, I turned the oven to broil for another 2 minutes.

I removed the peach halves from the oven and plated them on a simple white salad plate, then stuffed each half with crumbled goat cheese.

The final step was to drizzle honey over the peaches and a little on the plate for decoration. . . and dipping

I absolutely loved this dessert with its gentle, natural sweetness from the peaches and the creaminess of the goat cheese. My husband thought it was “weird” but he also liked it. Boys. . .

Are you a dessert person or would you rather a good appetizer?

Have you buzzed my Foodbuzz/Alaska Seafood post yet? You can do so by logging in to Foodbuzz and buzzing this post:

http://www.foodbuzz.com/blogs/2594074-foodbuzz-alaska-seafood-dinner

Technorati Tags: dessert, fruit, goat cheese, peaches, recipe

Tags: dessert, fruit, goat cheese, peaches, recipe

Bad Blogger

September 6, 2010 in Uncategorized by traveleatlove | 9 comments

Everybody needs a break, and I definitely took one this weekend! Partially, my break was forced; I had almost no cell phone service and very slow internet at the hotel, but mostly it was a conscious decision to check out a bit. I was utterly exhausted by the time I left work on Friday afternoon, and with a crazy hectic week and another weekend away coming up, I knew I needed to recharge.

After our Mt. Greylock hike on Saturday, we helped the bride and groom with some pre-wedding tasks, then rested for a bit before dinner at the Gramercy Bistro at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (Mass MoCa).

As part of my blogger break, I didn’t bring my camera to dinner, and honestly, I really wish I had. It was a beautifully serene restaurant in the Mass MoCa complex which is made of old mill buildings. Muted grays and beiges provided a lovely backdrop which was further enhanced by some nice jazz in the background. We started with their signature crab cake and a beautiful Villa Wolf Rosé de Pinot Noir. The crab cake was outstanding, 99% crab meat with a little bit of breadcrumbs, and it was served with a spicy, creamy wasabi sauce. We wanted to lick the plate clean.

My entree was equally as perfect, seared tuna with pickled vegetables, ginger and wasabi. I guess I was in a wasabi and seafood mood

We finished the meal with an amazing chocolate and hazelnut tart. Yum.

Sunday was the big wedding day!

We woke up and got some of the best coffee I have had in a long time at Cafe Brewhaha in North Adams, then got ready for the beautiful ceremony. I loved all of the personal touches, like wildflowers from the bride’s family farm.

The ceremony was held on the spacious property of another family member under a beautiful white tent and decorated in a summery, elegant late summer theme.

The wedding theme was all about wine, including the placecards.

But the food was 100% New England clambake. Clam chowder, mussels, clams, corn and potatoes, salad, rolls, barbequed chicken and lobster. The menu was a lot like our wedding, and I loved every bite!

Once the bride and groom’s cake was cut, we dove into the cupcakes which were just beautiful in addition to being delicious.

The rest of the night was spent dancing; we were having so much fun that they extended the party by another two hours. It was a COLD but beautiful and fun evening in the Berkshires and wonderful to see two of my favorite people so happy.

This week is going to be crazy busy with my wine class starting tomorrow and then a trip to NJ to visit my mom and DE for a Venge Wine dinner on Friday. I also need to get back on the healthy eating and working out wagon. . . the clothes are feeling a little snug after a summer of great food indulgences.

Did you have a relaxing weekend?

Journey West

September 4, 2010 in Uncategorized by traveleatlove | 7 comments

I love the smell of cow manure and hay, I love being able to see the stars at night, bonfires and beers in a corn field, and sometimes I just love being hours from the city. The air is a million times fresher, it’s quiet, a slower pace, and people are actually friendly.

Yesterday afternoon, I left my Boston office at 2:00 thanks to our holiday closing, and I headed straight to my favorite Friday place, the Copley Farmers Market. Sadly, maybe due to the hurricane brouhaha, the market was missing my favorites, Siena Farms and The Herb Lyceum, where I planned to get lunch for our journey west. Instead I grabbed some fresh raspberries and apple cider and headed for the train that would deliver me to my husband a bit further west.

Being a UMASS grad, I have some great memories of the western part of the state, and our hunger and those memories convinced us to stop in Northampton at the Northampton Brewery for a quick dinner on our way to the Berkshires.

The brewery makes great beers, and since I wasn’t driving, I enjoyed one of their Conundrum beers, a lovely dark, malty brew that tasted delicious on a humid Friday after another not-so-great week at work.

We shared small plate of nachos with salsa and tons of jalapenos.

And we both picked at an avocado and cajun shrimp Caesar salad and a plate of chicken tenders with lots of yummy house made sauces. The orange one is an apricot jam honey mustard, and it was amazing.

Once we had eaten, we hit the road again to make the rest of the journey. Windows open, James Taylor blasting, I could totally feel the tension of city life and the past summer melt away. The views were breathtaking.

Since we were running late, we decided to head straight to the bride’s parents’ house which is a farm waaaay out in the country. Unfortunately, we trusted the GPS.

And we got very, very lost in the middle of a mountain pass in dark on a road that turned to dirt, then to gravel, then to a hiking trail. Ever the blogger, I was trying to snap shots of our adventure when my husband politely asked me to help him reverse down the road about a mile. . . flanked by ravines on either side and pitch black, it was impossible to turn the car around without falling off the side.

Eventually, after dodging the Blair Witch, we made our way back to the main road, found our hotel, regrouped and finally made it to the farm, where cold beers and a bonfire in the cornfield awaited us. As we spent the night laughing and breathing in the beautiful farm smells, I literally felt my shoulders drop about 4 inches. Sheer bliss, and exhaustion ensued.

After a good night’s sleep we wandered the small town of North Adams and found Petrino’s a cafe focused on local food. An iced coffee and a scrumptious goat cheese, local egg, spinach, mushroom, and hot sauce burrito later, we were on the road to Mt. Greylock for a morning hike.

Oh yes, we hiked. The trails were densely forested, and terror of encountering a bear crippled me, but we forged on, sometimes walking in the woods. . .

Sometimes stopping to enjoy the beautiful views. . .

And sometimes making our way to the main road and running up big hills. That’s me! At the summit, we found a unique and beautiful memorial to MA veterans.

And I did a little downward dog.

We explored the inside of the beautifully rustic Bascom Lodge and climbed to the top of the memorial.

The hike down was, as always much easier! We ran part of it and made it back to the car in no time, then headed to Shelburne Falls for lunch and to check out the glacial potholes where my college roomies and I went swimming one hot summer.

And then it was back to the farm and then the hotel to prep for night before the wedding fun.

I am delightfully sleepy and might just take a nap before dinner. I love long weekends.

Summer Lovin’

September 3, 2010 in Uncategorized by traveleatlove | 11 comments

Is anybody there? I feel like offices have emptied out for the weekend, and my blog traffic over the past two days has certainly reflected that! I am feeling a little burnt out from work, working out, and blogging in general, and this weekend has come at a perfect time.

Since it is unofficially the last weekend of summer, I thought I would wave goodbye to Summer 2010 (even though I celebrate summer all the way until the Equinox!) with some of my favorite photos.

Sipping a “Lovely Kathleen” cocktail at Taste of Cambridge with some newfound blogger friends

Walking the sun-drenched vineyards of Dry Creek Valley at Michel-Schlumberger

Boating on Lake Sonoma’s beautiful waters while looking out over jaw dropping-ly beautiful mountains

My first Pinot Noir Tweetup, hosted by Amanda and The Urban Grape

Hangin’ at Davis Farmland with my niece

A bachelorette party on the open seas

It has certainly been a lovely summer! I realize I still haven’t recapped several of the wineries we visited in July, and since there is so much coming up this fall I will try to share all of that this weekend.

Only a few more hours until we head to the Berkshires! If you are in Eastern Massachusetts, stay dry and safe from Hurricane Earl! And to all of you, Happy Friday, and Happy Long Weekend!

What is your favorite Summer 2010 memory?

Shrimp and Goat Cheese Ravioli

September 2, 2010 in Uncategorized by traveleatlove | 15 comments

I have been spending quite a bit of time in the kitchen lately. I think since I have so many weekends away coming up, I am just enjoying hanging around the house and cooking up a storm. Earlier this week, I had the bright idea to make homemade ravioli, perhaps a lofty goal for a weeknight after a day of work, a run, and some blogging, but it turned out okay.

I looked at a bunch of random online recipes and got the gist of the ingredients involved. Since we only had wheat flour in the house (I will remedy that soon!) I was stuck making wheat pasta.

I used three cups of flour, two large eggs and enough water to turn it into dough. It was a messy mess.

I used my fanciest of rolling pins, an empty wine bottle, to roll out the dough. I do have a pasta maker, but I didn’t set it up for this venture. Probably a bad idea. . .

I let the dough sit for awhile while I mixed up a quick, simple filling of goat cheese, shrimp, and garlic powder.

I added scoops of filling along the dough, placed the other layer of dough on top, and used a glass to cut the ravioli out. Finally, I used a fork to seal the ravioli, making sure the filling didn’t fall out.

Totally rustic, right? My dough was a little too thick, and I will most definitely use the pasta maker next time and probably more water. It kept ripping when I tried to get it thinner

I planned on making a homemade heirloom tomato sauce for the ravioli, but by the time I was done rolling out the pasta dough and all, I decided to use another of the samples that Lucini sent me, Spicy Tuscan Tomato Sauce. It ended up being the perfect choice. Once the ravioli were cut open, the goat cheese and spicy sauce sort of combined to make a nice, creamy sauce.

As we get closer to the holiday weekend, I will be taking a break from my kitchen adventures. I am exhausted!

I am going to a wedding in the Berkshires for our friends’ wedding this weekend, and I can not wait to break out of the office Friday at 2. It has been quite the week!

What are you up to for this unofficial last weekend of summer?

Technorati Tags: cooking, pasta, ravioli, recipe

Tags: cooking, pasta, ravioli, recipe

Peach and Tomato Couscous

September 1, 2010 in Uncategorized by traveleatlove | 13 comments

Ever since our delicious dinner at Zazu in Santa Rosa, CA, I have been obsessed with Israeli couscous and mixing in new and different ingredients to make it the base of a variety of meals. The recent onslaught of fresh summer peaches and heirloom tomatoes got me thinking a couple of nights ago, and I couldn’t wait for the farmers market so I could pick up some great local ingredients. I find my best recipe development happens when I can’t sleep at night! And speaking of recipes, please buzz my Foodbuzz Alaska Seafood recipe so I can win a trip to Foodbuzz Festival! Pretty please, and thank you in advance! I promise not to be too obnoxious about it, but I would appreciate the buzzes!

http://www.foodbuzz.com/recipes/2593860-foodbuzz-alaska-seafood-dinner

Ok, back to the regularly scheduled post. This recipe was simply delightful, each ingredient shining on its own but also tying in with the others. It was also very quick and a healthy choice for a quick weeknight meal. We are eating the leftovers cold for lunch, and I think it will be just as delicious. I love leftovers!

The ingredients were really just eyeballed amounts, what I had and felt like mixing in, a box of Trader Joe’s Israeli couscous, a spicy green pepper. . .

Two juicy white peaches

Six or so heirloom tomatoes and about half of a red onion

Premium Select olive oil, sent to me as a sample from Lucini Italia

I started out by lightly browning the couscous in olive oil with a pinch of chili pepper and cumin, then slowly added water and stirred it until it was close to done.

In the meantime, I was chopping onions, peppers, peaches, and tomatoes. Once the couscous was ready, I added the veggies, stirred thoroughly, and let the whole thing simmer on low for a few minutes. I did not want the peaches and tomatoes to fall apart or get mushy, just to be warmed, so it wasn’t long.

After I plated the couscous, I added crumbled Narragansett Creamery feta for a bit of saltiness. I love feta and couscous together, perfection!

We loved this dish! It was so quick to make and bursting with summer flavors. I am glad that after a tiring run I mustered up the energy to cook. It certainly isn’t always that way!

Remember back when it was the big blog trend to do those “Ask me anything” posts? I never did it then, but since I couldn’t think of a random question for you all, do you have any questions for me?!

Technorati Tags: Food, Israeli Couscous, peaches, produce, recipe, tomatoes, Vegetarian

Tags: Food, Israeli Couscous, peaches, produce, recipe, tomatoes, Vegetarian

I baked!

August 31, 2010 in Uncategorized by traveleatlove | 22 comments

When it comes to the kitchen, I am definitely a throw caution to the wind kind of girl. A little of this, a bit of that, give me a curry, sauce, or soup to make, and I delight in the creative possibilities.

Enter baking. For someone who grew up baking all sorts of cookies with my mother at home and who has fond memories of grating potatoes for potato rolls with my nana, I have somehow become terrified of baking. Maybe the fear comes from the few times I decided to forego an important ingredient like baking powder. Maybe it’s the time that I dreamt up my own recipe for almond butter shortbread, the results something only I would eat. I am not sure exactly where my growing fear of flour came from, but this past weekend I decided to face it.

With almost 3/4 of a container of buttermilk left from my chilled avocado soup, it came to me that I should bake buttermilk biscuits. I perused the internet for recipes, knowing that successful biscuits would depend on following a recipe all the way through, and I finally settled on a recipe from Tyler Florence. Of course, I had to change it up a little, and I used whole wheat flour instead of all purpose and butter instead of shortening.

While I was definitely nervous and careful to read every step of the recipe, I had fun mixing everything together with my hands, dropping little blobs of dough on to a cookie sheet, and smelling the delicious, buttery aromas as they emanated from the oven.

The final result? A little drier and less flaky than any biscuits I have ever had, which I think might be the result of the whole wheat flour. They certainly looked and tasted more like scones, but they tasted good.

Especially topped with Trader Joe’s lemon curd or honey and Kerrygold.

I look forward to baking again and hopefully to getting to a point where I am confident enough to bake for friends and family. This September I am attending a baking class at King Arthur Flour, and I am really excited to see what a professional has to share with us!

Are you a baker? If so, what is your favorite thing to make?

Technorati Tags: baking, biscuits, Food

Tags: baking, biscuits, Food

Brunch at Sensing

August 31, 2010 in Uncategorized by traveleatlove | 10 comments

Brunch is one of the best meals of the week, and this past Sunday, after waking up late and lolling around the house, we decided to eat at Sensing at the Fairmont Battery Wharf. We had only eaten at Sensing once before, for lunch last 4th of July, and after a great lunch experience, I was looking forward to brunch by the bay.

For a city that has so much water, Boston severely lacks in waterfront dining options, don’t you think?

Sensing’s outdoor patio has a great view of the harbor, and we were gratefully seated in the shade so that we were able to enjoy the beautiful day without baking in the sun. The restaurant manager seated us and served us for most of the meal; the service was absolute perfection.

I started with an extra spicy Bloody Mary, just how I like them. See all that horseradish floating around? Yum!

While we were sipping our drinks, we also nibbled on flaky scones topped with apple butter.

I took this photo of the condiments because they looked so perfect. . . and they are usually a pretty big part of my meal!

And then my brunch arrived, the Coast Guard Omelet, with brie, asparagus, and lobster, oh my. With a stuffed tomato, home fries, carrots, and asparagus on the side, it was a completely indulgent breakfast but still with a lot of nutrition.

The lobster was perfectly cooked, not a chewy bit, and the brie was ooey-gooey and melty.

My husband had the lobster roll which we shared at our last meal at Sensing, and once again it was perfect. The brioche roll makes it extra delicious.

Stuffed, we left to wander down along the waterfront and through the St. Anthony Feast going on in the North End. Other than getting yelled at for taking a photo (of something I was going to buy!) by a child working in the chocolate dipped fruit booth, the feast was enjoyable but a little too crowded for a day that was in the high 80’s. I didn’t buy the chocolate covered apple after the boy yelled at me. Hmph to him.

As a blogger, have you ever gotten yelled at for taking a photo? I was yelled at once before in Lush of all places.

Technorati Tags: Boston, brunch, Dining out, Food, lobster

Tags: Boston, brunch, Dining out, Food, lobster

Dinner at Union Boston

August 30, 2010 in Uncategorized by traveleatlove | 16 comments

As I write this post, I am contentedly full from a delicious dinner at Union Bar and Grille in Boston’s South End. A day of wandering the North End in the heat and wishing I owned the dogs in the South End dog park, we found relief from this late summer heat in Union’s cool, comfortable dining room.

We have been to Union’s bar a few times, once to eat brunch, and a few other times for drinks, but never for dinner. They have a great wine list and are one of the restaurants in Boston that has ventured outside of the traditional wine regions of the world to offer Austrian Gruner Veltliner, a huge plus in my opinion. They also offer reasonably priced wine by the glass from places like Washington, New Zealand, and Argentina.

Since we had never eaten in the dining room, it was a nice surprise to be seated in the very comfortable black banquette lit by some great natural light. The decor is dark, cool, and sleek, very comfortable but really chic.

We were greeted by the restaurant’s manager, Justin, seated, and given a complimentary glass of bubbly to mark the end of Boston Restaurant Week. It was a very nice touch

Fresh, hot cornbread preceded our meals, and while I decided to save room for my three course dinner, my husband thought it was perfect, especially with some creamy, lightly salted butter.

For my wine, I decided on the Neapolitan flight which started with a glass of Graham Beck Brut Rosé. As you may know from other posts (wine tasting at Morton’s, Vino Voyage, and my friend’s graduation dinner). Graham Beck unfortunately recently passed away, but his delicious wine certainly lives on and gives us reason to celebrate.

My first course was a fresh, light, and summery soup, Chilled local peach and golden tomato gazpacho, that took advantage of the best local produce at the moment, tomatoes and peaches. I don’t know why I never thought to pair tomatoes and peaches before (but Chef Robin White does in an incredible salad) but it is a magical pairing, the sweetness of ripe peaches accentuating the sweetness and slight acidity of the tomatoes. It was the perfect starter for such a hot evening. The only thing that I personally would have left out was the drizzle of oil on top; it was a little distracting. Otherwise, I could and would eat bowl after bowl of this gazpacho.

My second wine was a Sauvignon Blanc from Groth Vineyards in the Napa Valley. It ended up being the perfect choice to pair with the spice of my entree

Oven roasted cape bluefish
with spicy watermelon pickle charred sweet onions,
grilled summer corn and basmati rice pilaf

The spicy watermelon was just luscious and unexpected, complementing the meaty bluefish well. I even enjoyed the sweet summer corn and rice, and I am not usually a fan of rice. Everyone finds it strange that I don’t like rice, but I really rarely enjoy it. Last night was one of those nights.

The Restaurant Week menu included a dessert course, and we were completely spoiled for dessert as we were brought out the house special, a maple bread pudding, in addition to the desserts we ordered:

Raspberry spiked chocolate brownies
with pistachio ice cream

Bread and butter pudding
with roasted peaches and vanilla bean ice cream

That’s a lot of dessert for two people! But we managed, with two glasses of Port, to put quite a dent in them, each delicious and decadent in their own way. Justin was completely correct when he said that the maple bread pudding was life changing, and I can see it being a big time autumn craving.

Union is a great neighborhood restaurant for just about any meal or casual snacks at the bar, which I find to be one of my favorite bar settings in Boston. They provided us with above and beyond hospitality, and we will definitely return. Thanks so much, Justin!

So, it’s Monday again and a pretty busy week leading up to our holiday weekend in the Berkshires. . . and a fall season for lots of travel and fun events. I can’t wait, but it’s also a little bit daunting. One day at a time I guess!

Even though we work until 2:00 on Friday, I am telling myself it is a short week. Ask me again on Thursday how I feel about that!

It was a quiet weekend on the blog traffic front, so in case you missed them, don’t forget to check out summer farmers market roundup, a wine tasting at home, and another cod recipe. Also, I am in the process of updating the Sites I love page. More to come!

Did you eat anything particularly delicious this weekend?

Technorati Tags: Boston, Dining out, dinner, Food, gazpacho, restaurant, Union, wine

Tags: Boston, Dining out, dinner, Food, gazpacho, restaurant, Union, wine

Another Saturday Night

August 29, 2010 in Uncategorized by traveleatlove | 13 comments

I definitely have some of my happiest moments in the kitchen. Whether alone or with my husband or a group of people, the kitchen is such a hub of goodness, fun, nourishment, and rest.

Last night was no exception. My husband was out with his family, so I first baked buttermilk biscuits using the leftover buttermilk from my chilled avocado soup. Yes, I baked. A small feat, but still, I never bake, so these simple biscuits will get their own post.

Once the biscuits were done, I got to work on dinner. Although we are facing an end of August heat wave, I am ready for fall cooking which, for me, involves lots of roasting. Last night I decided to roast onions, potatoes, and tomatoes together for a flavorful side to a cornmeal and chile crusted cod. Thanks to the generous portion of cod sent by Alaska Seafood for the Foodbuzz contest, I had a couple of filets left and decided to cook them with a little crunch and spice.

But first, the veggies. I love roasted red onion, and because of the roasting time, thought that I would toss in the chunks of onions and potatoes together. While I chopped them into chunks, I preheated the oven to 420, then tossed the veggies in olive oil and popped them in the oven.

In the meantime I chopped and set aside some heirloom tomatoes to be added to the mix later. I wanted them roasted but not disintegrated!

Next, I mixed an egg with some fire roasted green chile peppers from Trader Joe’s and coated cod filets with the mix.

Before I popped the fish into the oven, I sprinkled cornmeal over the top for a little bit of crunch. At the same time, I added the tomatoes to the dish of roasted veggies and doused them in some nicely aged balsamic vinegar before I put them back in the oven for some more roasting.