Charley's - Boston's Best Burger?

On a recent Saturday, Nick and I went out to brunch with his siblings and a friend and wanted to go to a fun place with good food that did not break the bank.  Not having been to Charley's in a while, and remembering that they had plenty of room and a good burger, I thought it would be perfect.

We arrived around 1:00pm and were seated straight away.  For those who have not been to Charley's, it has a bit of a saloon atmosphere.  Our server was very nice and took some time to explain the menu, pointing out that everything was cooked from scratch in the kitchen and that they are known for their burgers. Wanting a burger to refresh my memory so that I could properly compare it to other places, I did not even have to open the menu.  Turns out the burger fever spread to the rest of the table - we all ordered one!

While some in our group went for the Au Poivre burger or a blue cheese burger...

Beef Bourginon and No Knead Bread

Full disclosure: I made this way too long ago, but never got around to fully blogging it.  On what was supposed to be a semi-cold and rainy day but actually turned out to be an unseasonably warm one, I decided to make one of the dishes everyone says you need to try with a dutch oven - Beef Bourginon.

For Valentine's Day this year, Nick gave me "Williams Sonoma Cooking at Home" by Chuck Williams, which is supposed to be our generation's "Joy of Cooking."  Unlike most Williams Sonoma cookbooks this one does not have any photos.  Instead, it's just packed full of good stuff, including all sorts of helpful tips for every type of chef. 

The Necessities...

1/2 lb. of salt pork (diced)
Olive oil as needed
8 Shallots (minced)
2 yellow onions (finely diced)
2 carrots peeled  (finely diced)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
about 2 cups all-purpose flour
salt, ground pepper and nutmeg
3 lbs well-marbled beef chuck (2" cubed)
1/4 cup cognac
2 cups beef broth
2 fresh thyme sprigs
3 cups dry red wine
1 bay leaf
5 tbls. unsalted butter
18-24 pearl onions (peeled)
2 tbls. sugar
1 lb white or cremini mushrooms (I used a mixture)
Chopped flat-leaf parsley

As always, to start I took the initial ingredients...

BIG NEWS!!!

So, I cannot hold it in any longer. We tried to tell as many people as possible before they would find out through social media channels, but honestly, we've waited long enough!!

On Saturday night last weekend, Nick and I got engaged!!!!  It was a total surprise for me, and I loved every moment of it.  We were hanging out at home for the night and I was trying to finish up some cupcakes for a St. Patrick's Day party the next day. 

I am completely obsessed with my ring so I must share it with everyone!

The Ring!

Cheddar-Topped Shepherd's Pie - Perfect for St. Patrick's Day

This St. Patrick's Day I wanted to make something honoring the Irish, but I did not want to do corned beef and cabbage (I just didn't have that sort of time!)  So I turned to the trusted Martha Stewart for some inspiration and found this cheddar-topped shepherd's pie.  The recipe did not seem too difficult for an after work meal.

The Necessities..

• 2 pounds baking potatoes (about 4), peeled and thinly sliced
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, such as safflower
• 6 medium carrots, halved lengthwise, quartered if large, and thinly sliced
• 6 celery stalks, thinly sliced
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 2 pounds ground beef chuck
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp white cheddar (6 ounces)

Within the first step I almost screwed this up!  The recipe calls for you to put the potatoes in a large saucepan with some salted water, but I neglected to read the words "thinly sliced" in the ingredients list.  Luckily Nick came in the kitchen and saw the four whole potatoes in the water, so we pulled them out and sliced them up so that we were able to eat dinner sometime during St. Patrick's Day 2011!

Sliced Potatoes

The Butcher Shop - Another great Barbara Lynch experiance

Last summer a friend gave us a gift card to The Butcher Shop, but hadn't had a chance to use it - the restaurant doesn't normally take reservations and we couldn't get ourselves to head down there randomly if there was a chance we'd have to stand around and wait.  Lucky for us they DO take reservations during Restaurant Week, so we went for it.  We could order off the regular menu, but if the special menu looked good, even better.

Walking in, I was surprised at how small the actual interior is.  There is a small bar with its own seating as well as higher tables along the perimeter.  In the back, however, is a large butcher block table where a big group or a bunch of different parties (about 10 people) can gather and have some wine and appetizers.  In the back of the restaurant in a large refrigerator where they store all of the antipasti meats and cheeses among other things.

They started us off with some good bread that came with a honey to spread on it that was AMAZING, to the point where I almost bought some when I found out it was for sale!  They also sprinkled sea salt on the butter, which I thought was a nice touch.

Bread and Butter

Whoopie Pie Class at the BCAE

A couple of weeks ago a friend emailed me about getting together for drinks as it had been way too long since we had last seen each other.  However, after a couple of emails she suggested going to a Whoopie Pie making class at the BCAE.  Having never been there, I was not really sure what to expect, but for whoopie pies I probably would do most anything!  Plus, the promise of having whoopie pies to take home made this prospect sound even better!

My to-go pastry box!