Spinach, Chicken, Feta and Almonds...

I know I have mentioned Gojee as a good source for recipes a number of times.  While I get really annoyed with daily emails, I still allow Gojee's because they have some good suggestions and it only comes once a week, so I don't get too inundated.  Recently they sent an newsletter that featured Chicken Stuffed with Spinach, Feta and Almonds, which looked and sounded delicious.  Since it had been awhile since I had done a wrapped chicken (I went through a phase, pre-blog) I figured I should give this a go.

The Ingredients

Dinner at Area Four and a night cap at Catalyst

Recently I had a girls night with some lovely ladies: A, C, and G.  Being the blogger, I was tasked with finding a fun location for us girls, and based on a couple of things (location, cost and my desire to try somewhere new) I decided on Area Four - small plates and a good bar list always makes for a fun way to dine with a group.  So, we headed over to Kendall Square on a Friday night - who knew it's becoming a place to hang out outside of business hours!

When we arrived at Area 4, we actually were able to grab a 4-top in the bar area straight away and they said they would make a exception and give us a server - perfect!  However, these chairs were not what you would call easy to sit on - they were pitched forward, so I kept sliding out.  I promise I was not the only one having this problem.  Once we figured out the seats we looked over the drink menu, and while some decided on white wine and another on a pumpkin beer, I went with a sangria because I am always looking for a good red sangria.  This one was actually pretty good - a bit more juice-like but not too sweet.

Red Sangria

After reviewing the Area Four menu we decided on a couple of items that we could split.  The first to arrive was the roasted mushrooms with Maderia vinaigrette and gremolata.  Now, they were only $5 so I am not sure what portion I was expecting but what came out was tiny.  Really, we had about 2 or 3 mushrooms each.  This plate really is not one to share.  The flavors were good, but the size was off.

Roasted Mushrooms

Next to arrive was a bit of redemption: KK's bacon and sea salt pretzel nuggets with a side of Pimento cheese dip.  While these were tasty, soft on the inside with a little crunch on the outside, I did not get much in the way of bacon flavor.  The bites were great for snacking and were a more generous portion.  Also, they are definitely a different dish on a menu that was fun.

Fluffiest Pancakes Ever

When I was doing my daily blog reading, I stumbled upon A Boston Food Diary's post for what looked to be the best pancake recipe ever.  One quick read and I knew I had to make them!  So, on a recent Sunday that Nick and I had to ourselves I knew pancakes would be perfect to accompany our morning coffee.

Fluffiest Pancakes!

The main difference between these pancakes and the more traditional recipes is that it calls for cake flour.  Since I had some on hand, I set to work.

The Paris Wife

I take the T every morning to work, and those who have ever stepped foot on the green line know it can be a bit of a battle.  I only ride for six stops, making somewhat of a reverse commute, so its not too much of a hardship.  Really though, the way I make it even better is that I keep my kindle in my purse at all times.  Needless to say, getting lost in a book, even just for one chapter makes, the ride go by a lot easier.

Photo from Amazon...

I recently finished The Paris Wife by Paula McLain.  This was a novel I had seen in bookshops (when they were around!) and online for awhile, but I had not really looked at it closely.  Finally, Amazon recommended it so many times based on my other interests I decided to take a closer look.  Turns out this was a novel (historical fiction) about Ernest Hemingway and his first wife Hadley Richardson and their time in Paris.  I must admit, I really have only read Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway and did not know much about him other than what Chris O'Donnell taught me in In Love and War.  What makes this book stand out, however, is Ernest Hemingway is only a supporting character, and the book is really about Hadley and written in her voice.

Tasting Menu at Craigie on Main

I started this blog almost a year ago (November 4, 2010) and its amazing to see how far I have come since then.  When I first started, I really had no idea where it was going to take me but I knew it would be a great way to keep track of all the fun places I go and what I see - but also, it turned out to be a fantastic way to track all the restaurants I frequented.  Finally, I can recall what I ate and if I actually liked it!  Even better it got me to try new places rather than continually going to my comfort zone.

When a new internet venture, Tasted Menu, contacted me to help build up their website I was more that willing to help out.  Tasted Menu does not limit you to review the restaurant, but every menu item, so you have a good feeling about what the plates will look like when it comes to your table.  There is nothing worse than ordering a dish and being totally let down when you see it in person.  Since I loved the concept of Tasted Menu, I was more than willing to go into my archives and start add my reviews to the site.  As a thank you, the founder Alex took myself, Rachel, Elizabeth and the One Food Guy, due to our number of photos, to Craigie on Main for the 8 course tasting menu.  Having been to Craigie once before for dinner and then for the BEST burger so needless to say I was excited for the tasting menu.

When I arrived, Rachel, Elizabeth and I were a bit early and decided to ask for some bread as we all had not eaten for most of day in order to leave plenty of room for dinner, but we were hungry!  Nothing like some fresh rolls to get things going for the evening.

Fresh Rolls

Once the rest of our table arrived, ordering went quickly because all we had to say was the 8 course tasting menu!  To begin, we were served three amuse preparations; house-cured Portuguese sardine, house-smoked artic char with a buttermilk vinaigrette and an Albacore tuna rillettes with hackleback caviar.  These really fit the definition of an amuse (something I did not know about until Top Chef), just a bite to awaken your taste buds to get you ready for the rest of dinner.  The flavors of these three bites did just that - fun combinations that just wet your whistle.

Yappy Hour - Halloween Style

This summer, Nick and I took Holly to Yappy Hour at The Liberty Hotel and had a fantastic time.  Basically, the Liberty Hotel sets up a bar tables, chairs and plastic couches out in the Yard, behind Scampo, and allows pets and their owners go crazy.  Most of the dogs are running around off-leash, just having a ton of fun while the owners are hanging out with the dogs enjoying a few drinks.  For me, it is really nice to be able to head out with Holly after being away from her all day.  Yappy Hour is done every Wednesday through the summer, up until (as it turns out) Halloween.

Enjoying a drink with Holly!

The Liberty Hotel's cap to the Yappy Hour season was the Halloween Party!  I had seen an ad through Four Preppy Paws' twitter account and thought it would a fun way to spend the evening.  Even better, we got to torture Holly by dressing her up in a costume.  We were a bit late to the shopping, but were able to find a great bee costume at Fish and Bone on Newbury Street.  The costume was a little snug, so we said she was the bumble bee girl on the cover of the Blind Melon album, but doggy glasses are a little hard to come by ;).

Heading to Yappy Hour

On our way down the street, Nick asked if I was sure it was truly the costume night because he did not want Holly to be the only pup dressed up.  He knew how uncomfortable he would have been to be the ONLY one dressed up.  Even though all the dogs were dressed up, at the entrance we saw a french bulldog dressed in the exact same costume!  Oh the horror!  Turns out bumble bees were big this year.

Look of panic

The first time we were at Yappy Hour, Holly was definitely the shy girl, and this night was no different.  We found ourselves a nice little couch area, and Holly made herself right at home looking down at the other dogs - from all angles.

Asking "what is going on?!"

There was a doggy costume contest going on throughout the night, so while there were repeats, there were some real original ones as well.

Great Dane as a horse - owner was a jockey

Hooters Girl

There was also a dog dressed Hugh Hefner, complete with a captain's hat, and the owner had a bunny costume on.  Meanwhile, Holly still was hanging out on the couch with the humans.

Eventually, she decided to seek refuge on Nick's lap.

A close up on her sitting position was needed because she was literally sitting like a person would on a bench.  But she was a happy camper.

The winner of the evening!  & Holly's twin...

 

Blackhawk - the lit couch was killing my photo!

Finally, when we were ready to leave and I got up to pay the tab, Holly jumped down from her perch and and ran around a bit.  While it was only to see other people - not dogs - I was proud nonetheless.  Next year maybe she will branch out more.

Yappy Hour is such a fun time and a great way to have some apres-work cocktails.  If you have a dog or just like dogs, I highly recommend heading over to the Yard on Wednesday evenings next summer.