Now before you remind me about my goals of losing a few pounds this year, let me assure you – I’m well aware of this goal. And in case I somehow forgot, my jeans very clearly (although passive aggressively) set the record straight by bursting at the seems. No, I’m not using this expression metaphorically. Literally, I looked down at my jeans yesterday while my sister was in a dressing room trying on wedding dress #3785643, and along both sides of the pant legs, I saw seems. Holding on for their dear life. No bueno.

Needless to say I went with a lighter recipe for brunch (from Cook’s Illustrated The Best Light Recipecookbook). These guys normally know their stuff. They test dozens for recipes before publishing their own. They tell you what went wrong and what went right. I trust them.

Yet somehow this recipe was a fail.

The dough was crazy sticky (I added a lot of flour in an attempt to remedy that); the technique of patting it down (instead of rolling it out) into a rectangle was quite strange (they said it’d be easier but nope, quite awkward in fact) and then finally when I started forming the cinnamon roll, the dough started ripping in so many places – spewing out cinnamon sugar like crazy (you may notice patches in the below picture).

I was not a happy camper. Not at all. But at the end, decided to just plop a bunch of dough and cinnamon sugar blobs into the pan and see what happens.

Cinnamon bun dough blobs

This is what happened ~25 minutes later. Hey, not bad!

Getting these babies out of the pan was no easy task (since I basically poured sugar over the dough, it stuck to the bottom of the pan once melted)… but I persevered.

These were “quick” cinnamon buns, meaning the dough was not yeasted. Instead they were biscuit-like buns with a sweet cinnamon filling and a cream cheese/buttermilk glaze. I won’t be making this recipe again but they were quite tasty at the end.

Have you ever made cinnamon buns (or rolls)? Do you have a favorite lighter recipe? And just for fun… what’s your favorite brunch food? Mine is French toast and this crème brulee baked French toast (which incidentally I made last time I was staying at my sister’s in NY) is my favorite recipe of all times!

Christmas day was definitely lazy (the kids got up at 5am so once the Christmas morning excitement wore off, we were pretty much like zombies for the rest of the day). And I even took Monday “off” together with Adam (aka my computer was pretty much closed all day and my kitchen looks like a bomb went off in it so there was no cleaning). I did find a few peppers and carrots in the fridge, a few sausages in the freezer and decided to make spaetzle for dinner (it was time to get another thing crossed off my 30 by 30 list!).

Have you ever had spaetzle? In case you haven’t, spaetzle is basically little German egg noodles which are boiled then pan fried in butter (mmm). I’ve only had them once before last night but recall my first time vividly. It was from a restaurant in New York called Little Giant. It was served as a side to a dish that intrigued me and I was so surprised to bite into these buttery plump little noodles. They totally stole the show! Of course I assumed they would be a huge challenge so I added to them to my list. Little did I know they were a cinch to make! A spaetzle makerwill come in very handy here but it’s less than $10 on Amazon.

I started with this recipe for spaetzle but decided to use half whole wheat flour/half all purpose. Making the dough was pretty much like making pancakes but with less ingredients! Mix the dry ingredients, then combine with wet. And you’re done!

The dough was so much runnier than I was expecting. I added another 1/2 cup of flour to it hoping it would firm up (I think I had pasta dough in mind)… and then decided to just try it out as is. See how it’s pourable? If pourable is a word…

While this was happening I brought salted water to a simmer… and we were off! The dough drips through the spaetzle maker holes and forms little noodles that set in the water.

OMG, it’s working!

We’ve got spaetzle!

A quick stir-fry of peppers, carrots and sausage in a bit of EVOO, then the spaetzle in 1 tablespoon of butter (which was plenty!), parsley and garlic…

… and we have one fantastic meal! [serves 4]

This was so incredibly satisfying. The spaetzle was seriously SO EASY to make and Adam and I loved the buttery noodles with lots of veggies and sausage (I was going for a German theme here). Now that I know how fast the whole thing comes together, I will definitely be adding spaetzle to our usual rotation of carbs.

Have you made anything fun lately? Do share!

I’m slowly but surely going through the restaurants on my 30 by 30 list. This time was extra fun because Adam and I were joined by our friends Kyle, Tiffany, Jim and Liz. We’re trying to have a monthly dinner going and this was our second outing (the first one was at Bistro du Midi… yeah, I’ve put myself in charge of organizing future dinners so we don’t actually have 11 months passing between each “monthly” dinner again). We even left the comfort of the Back Bay/South End area and traveled to Jamaica Plain. I know… so ambitious!

Canary Square is bar and restaurant specializing in American comfort foods with a twist. Local ingredients are often used in many dishes, which is always a welcome sign for me because aside from the sustainability side of it (which is complicated in my opinion), I think it forces creativity in the kitchen and as well as makes the menu more seasonally appropriate.

The décor is modern meets warm with exposed brick walls and ceiling beams with funky lights. I was actually imagining a tiny spot similar to Coda in Boston and was very surprised to walk into a large space filled with dozens of tables. It was already buzzing with excitement (around 7pm) but I wanted to take advantage of the warm weather and asked to be seated on their patio instead!

A hot day calls for a cold drink! I went back and forth between the basil grape or spicy watermelon mojito (don’t they both sound amazing?!!) but at the end was told that they ran out of mint. Yikes! Instead the sangarita (lunazul silver, red wine, lime, triple sec, sour mix and lime) quenched my thirst just fine! [It was stronger than I anticipated but after a few sips I was really into it.)

Lebanese hummus and pita chips was a lovely starter for the table! I loved the rustic preparation of the hummus (slightly chunky) and the super thick and crispy chips.

Adam also ordered the The Salty Pig – chef’s choice of salty pig parts, house made mustard, pickled vegetables, baguette. The “salty pig parts” that night were represented by a deliciously garlicky pate. I would order this again in a heartbeat!

Most of the entrees were surprisingly heavy (think mac & cheese, pasta carbonara <—with fresh local peas, nice addition! and roasted chicken with mashed potatoes). Comfort food for sure!

I found the lightest thing there and ordered the wood grilled skirt steak with truffled blue cheese tater tots, local zucchini and radish salad

That’s a perfect summer item if you ask me!

The steak was tender and very well cooked but I wasn’t crazy about the spice rub (I think they went a little heavy on the rosemary… I felt like I was eating pine trees) but the zucchini salad was super refreshing and perfectly balanced by the bites of creamy tater tots. I am not a fan of blue cheese but these were really divine!

A few bites of Adam’s wood roasted half chicken with local summer beans, bacon and mashed potatoes…

… and Jim’s baked mac and cheese with grafton cheddar and north country ham…

…made me want to come back to this place in the middle of winter and stuff myself silly with fantastic comfort food. Or maybe I’ll just eat inside with AC blasting (I guess it does have its benefits!).

Red sangria

We were all very happy campers but dessert was yet to be consumed… for completeness of this review of course!

Butterscotch bread pudding with vanilla ice cream

Incredibly rich and remarkably reminiscent of pancakes doused with maple syrup.

Chocolate cheesecake with cranberry jam

This was not your typical chocolate cheesecake! Tiffany was not a fan because “it wasn’t chocolaty enough” and I agree – this had much stronger caramel undertones than chocolate and the cranberry jam added additional quirky bitterness -  but I loved it for it! It was unique and delicious in its own right. Comfort food with a twist.

The check came with a little book for comments, notes, songs, whatever.

Haha, courtesy of Tiffany. My kind of challenge

Canary Square is a fantastic place for good drinks and great food with friends. We’ll be back for sure!

***

For other restaurant reviews, please check out my restaurant reviews page!

I’m sure that all of you locals know it’s a new-ish spot by the Hynes Convention center established with Lydia Shire and Jasper White’s creative direction. I happen to live a few blocks away and have been eager to try the place for many months. Well, hesitantly eager actually.

The place has very mixed reviews. One of these reviews came from my friends Katie and Mike, whose opinions I trust. They are foodies from the South End (well Katie is a foodie and Mike just likes more traditional good food) and our conversations often turn to the latest and greatest (and worst, overhyped, etc.) dining spots around Boston. Mike and Katie weren’t impressed. So I put it off and off… until I figured I gave the place enough time to work out its “new restaurant” kinks (they didn’t used to have a lunch menu for example which is just silly being right next to several high rise buildings full of hungry business folks – they do now).

So last Thursday Adam and I were hungry for a dinner out. The restaurant was rightthere and also happened to be on my 30 by 30 list so we decided to go for it! [Not so coincidently, I read Daisy’s super positive review that very afternoon… I’m sure that had a lot to do with why Towne was on my brain.] We were there early since we just wanted to grab a bite to eat after work, and it was sort of dead in the dining room area. I wasn’t particularly impressed with the décor – I found it to be too close to something a chain restaurant would try to pull off – dark leather booths with quirky images on walls (I’ve read that the second floor is a little more impressive). Like I said we were mostly there to just grab a bite to eat so I wasn’t necessarily looking for a good “atmosphere” anyway.

The bread basket with an eggplant dip, butter and something unrecognizable arrived soon enough (the runner mumbled what the dibs were so apologies for not really knowing). The bread was cold and sweet and did not work with the dips provided.

The sangria was awesome though! I think the bread basket is an easy and cheap way to impress the guests from the start but good drinks can certainly score some extra points if needed. I loved that the sangria wasn’t very sweet. Very refreshing on a hot summer day!

Time to peruse the menu… whoa, expensive!! The fish entrees are all in the low $30’s with some meat items priced into the $40’s. That’s extremely expensive for a place of this caliber in my opinion. After being completely shocked by the prices (seriously, nothing about this place says high end except for the prices!) we made our choices.

I wanted to try their lobster roll since I haven’t had one this summer at all! It wasn’t actually on the menu (despite being on the menu online) so I got scared for a moment when I didn’t see it but the waitress informed us that they just brought it back today. Yay!

Lobster roll with sherry butter in a brioche bun, served with house-made chips

The moment of truth. The place is expensive and isn’t particularly inviting, the service is average at best… but how is the food?

The brioche bun was tiny (the size of a regular hot dog bun I suppose), overflowing with big chunks of lobster meat, which was delicious. It was warm, rich and buttery, slightly sweet – very flavorful (one of the best lobster roll fillings I’ve ever had!). BUT, the bun was not only small, it got soggy in seconds so a sandwich that was difficult to hold from the start, got impossible to pick up after the first bite. The bun seriously was inedible after a minute so I was picking at the lobster meat with a fork. For $27, just a few forkfuls of lobster meat were not satisfying enough. [For full disclosure, the waitress did ask how things were and I told her about the bun. She asked if I wanted the chef to make me another one but I was just over it at that point so I declined.]

Adam got the half order of fried clams ($21) which were no better than the stuff you’d get anywhere. Absolutely NOTHING special about them at all.

It’s safe to say this was a complete bust. We both felt cheated. The restaurant is in a great location and has very talented names behind it but the concept (or maybe just the price point) makes absolutely no sense… and even execution was clearly lacking. This was the most disappointing meal we’ve had this year and we eat out several times a week! I absolutely would not recommend this spot for dinner. The brunch seems to get better scores from the yelpers but it’s unlikely I’ll get to find out for myself.

***

For other restaurant reviews, check out my restaurant reviews page.

Since my last diet free living post things have eerily been going smoothly. I think I have the weather gods to thank for it because just the knowledge of warmth and sunshine for a while there made my days in the office better. Adam and I have also been sneaking in nights on the patio as often as we can (sometimes with a bottle of wine – why not?). Honestly there was just no room for the food/body obsession in this life. I felt an almost out-of-body experience where I was watching someone else; someone I couldn’t really recognize because things weren’t perfect but she was just so happy and thankful for the things that were good, the other ones didn’t matter. I was happy. I was glowing. I could really get used to this life!

 Image source

They say what comes up must come down but I was hoping physics didn’t apply to diet free living. Why should they? I was so happy not dieting! So in love. And that sun was still shining. And then something (an old demon) came up. And the sun was still shining and I still had the most amazing husband in the world, and I was employed. But I broke down. And I got the food shakes. And I let myself have some (I have learned that food can be comforting and sometimes it’s ok to let food “take care of you” for a little while there because no one/nothing else will fill that void quite the same. You have to be ok, really ok with letting food do that for you though, otherwise you’re opening up an old can of guilt inducing warms.) And then I tried to breathe and calm down but I still wasn’t ok and I bounced around between feeling not ok and going through the motions and numbing that feeling with food.

I snacked the night away last night and I’m not okay with it. I knew what I was doing. I chose it. I’m still not ok with it.

Image source

I have a food hangover this morning and I still don’t feel fixed. The same issue, the same sense of helplessness, is still there. I just added a stomachache to the list of thing to worry about.

It’s easy to feel defeated but I’m not letting this black cloud hang over me any longer. I’ve reached out for help (Christie is letting me join her Feelings eCourse last minute – super nice!) and I will work through this stuff. This is nothing I can’t handle and food is not the answer!!

That’s all I have for you today, folks. Just wanted this to be another reminder that there are always ups and downs and we can never get too comfortable. It’s a lifetime of a work in progress and I personally still believe that it is a very worthy journey to take on! Hope you are all doing ok and enjoying your summers!!!

I’m going to pat myself on the back for picking the things I did to include on my “to-make” list because these are all kind of basic (almost staples… well maybe not marshmallows) that I’ve purchased numerous times pre-packaged yet had absolutely no clue about what goes in to them or how they become what they do.

Take gnocchi for example. I knew they were made of potatoes. Sometimes I’ve seen the whole wheat variety sold, sometimes the “fancy” sweet potato kind. But what else is in those babies… and how do potatoes (and flour? seriously I had no idea) turn into pillows of goodness? I needed to know… and well, now I do

All right, in case you have been wondering how gnocchi actually becomes gnocchi, here is how it went down for me. Upon Beth’s recommendation, I used Heidi’s recipe for how to make gnocchi like an Italian grandmother (who wouldn’t want that?!!)

All gnocchi is is potatoes, flour and eggs. It never seizes to amaze me how delicious and inspired things are created out of almost nothing. This is all you need to make gnocchi!!

Boil potatoes…

Peel those babies…

… and run them through a ricer (easiest for smooth mashed potatoes).

[Yes I bought a ricer just to make gnocchi and I am happy with that decision. A ricer is pretty cool.]

Nice and fluffy!

Work in egg and flour!

Kneed lightly

Mine came together quite easily without a lot of flour. I guess the gnocchi gods were smiling at me that day.

Mmm, gnocchi dough

Once I cut these up, I realized they were quite tender inside… so I tossed them in extra flour before shaping.

Mine didn’t look as perfect as Heidi’s… but I’m not really into perfection these days

Why hello. You look like real gnocchi. Nice to meet you

SO, this is where I think I made a small mistake. I wasn’t ready for dinner quite yet so I covered this pan with a towel and went on to do some errands around the house for maybe an hour. Then I went to boil them!

They were really gooey when I went to pick them up. Really gooey. I’m guessing it was too hot in my apartment so they kind of melted. I think I should have put them in the fridge if I wasn’t going to cook them right away.

A few minutes of boiling produced very light and pillowy gnocchi though. I think we have a winner on our hands!!

In the meantime, I fried some pancetta and grape tomatoes and once they were all ready, added the boiled gnocchi to the pan to give them a quick sear. Some garlic scape pesto to finish and dinner was ready!

Wow, guys. Just wow. I have never had lighter gnocchi in my life! These were just so airy… so delicate. This meal was ridiculous. Seriously. I can’t wait to do this again. Like tomorrow!

Have you ever made gnocchi?

The 30 by 30 list was meant to be fun yet slightly challenging (not difficult but perhaps get me to do things I’ve been saying I’ve wanted to do but then haven’t… for whatever reason. Laziness comes to mind!). Believe it or not, this even applies to eating out!! I know, tough task… I told you I was lazy sometimes!

That thing with rarely going to Cambridge because it’s all the way across the bridge. Yeah, well – that doubly applies to Sommerville. I mean, have you ever taken the T from the Pru to Davis? I think it takes a lifetime. Or close to it for sure. Or maybe I’m a drama queen… whatever.

Anywayssss, this past Saturday Adam and I were running errands in Sommerville (that Target is awesome!!) and when we both realized there was no way we could go on without some lunch, I proposed to consult the list. Foundry on Elm in Davis Square seemed like the perfect place. Turn the car around… let’s get some lunch!

I’ve been to Davis a few times (like the Ras na hEireann 5K last year) but apparently I’ve never really looked around. What a cute little spot!! Maybe it was the gorgeous summer weather and lots of spots with outdoor seating and flowers… it just felt so fun and alive. I already want to go back!!

Foundry on Elm is a newish gastropub that’s already getting people’s attention with its high quality French food and craft beers and cocktails. The décor is a cross between a high class pub and a brasserie. The high ceilings and large windows (that used to open up but apparently are out of commission now after a few breaks) added to the bright and clean feel of the place.

Adam and I chose to sit on the high chairs by the window (I wanted the most natural light I could get… and light I got… most of my pictures were waaaaaaaay overexposed and I actually had to fight the light!). Oh and before I continue rambling about all sorts of irrelevant stuff, let me mention my Bloody Mary, which was perfectly spicy with 3 big juicy olives on top. This was going to be a fantastic lunch, I could tell!

Adam got the Pretty Things Field Mouse’s Farewell, which came in a proper glass. He was impressed!

I thought the Pretty Things glass was indeed pretty.

I can’t pass up on anything pickled so the assorted farmstand pickled vegetables had to be ordered. In the mix? Carrots, onions, cauliflower, and peppers.

I was sort of horrified by the amount of onions on some perfectly good veggies but then braved a bite of the cauliflower and enjoyed the slight fennely twist with the addition of caraway seeds. I love the cute presentation with the mini-bucket too

Next up were our main entrees!

Adam couldn’t help himself with the Italian sausage flatbread (with cherry peppers and fontina) which came over a cheesy and buttery crust with just the right amount of heat. He polished the whole thing off mmm’ing the entire way through!

I went the slightly lighter route with a nicoise salad – olive oil-poached tuna, capers, egg, green beans, new potatoes, mustard vinaigrette… which was honestly perfection on a plate! [I’m kind of on a nicoise salad kick now!]

Every component of the salad was perfectly executed, from the delicious medium rare tuna steak, briny capers and olives, creamy potatoes and eggs to crisp green beans. The mesculin greens were slightly overdressed but the dressing was so good, I was still a happy camper!

An incredibly satisfying lunch at a fantastic spot! I’m looking forward to future trips to Davis already [Gargoyles and Posto pizza are also on the list so there will definitely be future trips. No more laziness!!]

Are we good? Ok.

SO. I’ve had pictures of a delicious summer soup sitting in my Russian Bites drafts folder for weeks now. It’s one of my favorite summer meals from childhood and I have a lot to say about it. But you see, the pictures came out awful (at least for my standards) and even though these marshmallows were made only a few days ago (and I just blogged about the challah bread here), I’m letting those okroshka pictures sit in the drafts folder for just a few more days so I can tell you about these gorgeous (and delicious! don’t forget delicious!!) marshmallows. What can I say, pictures inspire me. And these are very pretty

Now marshmallows. How do you feel about them? Love ‘em, hate ‘em, indifferent? I’m generally kind of in the indifferent category but here are 2 reasons why they ended up on my 30 by 30 list (knocking off item #2 baby!!). First of all, they were a mystery to me. What the hell are marshmallows? Some kind of product of a chemical reaction? You have to agree they don’t exactly look or taste like real food. Not the boxed kind anyway. So this brings me to reason numero dos: homemade stuff tastes waaaaaaaaaay better than the store bought variety (in most cases). And I wanted gourmet marshmallows. I don’t know why. Sometimes I surprise even myself.

Anyways, wanna see how they’re made? They’re real food in fact (consisting pretty much of various forms of sugar and gelatin but “real” nonetheless). I used the Martha Stewart recipe, originally found through We Are Not Martha.

Scenes from the kitchen…

Sugar bubbling away… (make sure you have a candy thermometer, really key here!)

Then whisk whisk whisk (a Kitchen Aid stand mixer would have been handy here but this worked too… just took a bit longer. Maybe 20 minutes?)

From syrup to marshmallow fluff!!

It’s ok to lick the whisk. I won’t tell

Pour into a 9×13 pan and cool.

Time to clean up… or play with gadgets. Whatever

3 hours later…

Cut!

… and toss in powdered sugar. This is really key! You may notice the texture difference from the picture above to the one below. They go from sticky (and shiny) to perfectly fluffy (and matt) and hand-friendly

Pretty

Can you tell how fluffy they are? I love the little air bubble holes.

Oh and btw, I used only 1 cup of light corn syrup (all I had) and they turned out great so I’d totally do the same thing next time.

[Extra] Fun time!!

Ok, so I obviously couldn’t just stop right here (although as my sister’s boyfriend said “they were already dreamy”). It was s’mores time… with a twist!

It was my friend Katy’s brilliant idea to dunk them in chocolate and then graham cracker crumbs. We tried the marshmallow lollipop route but these sticks weren’t working… and you know what, it was actually even more fun to really get in there and dunk away!

Marshmallows –> melted chocolate (thinned out a bit with heavy cream) –> graham cracker crumbs or chopped toasted almonds  

This would be a really fantastic interactive dessert for a party! Just have a chocolate fondue, marshmallows and lots of different toppings. You better believe I’m stealing my own idea for my next gathering

Let these babies set.

Then take lots of pretty pictures…

… or just dig in!!

Another winner!

Now what should I do with the remaining ‘shmallows? Marshmallow brownies… or should I eat them plain? I need ideas!!

As you know, I spend the week on a conference in NY (btw, Adam is loving all the meals I made him… and thank you for your sweet comments. I did feel like an awesome wife for doing that). This weekend I’m staying at my sister’s place in Brooklyn – hanging out with her and my friend Katy, and of course, baking and cooking. The natural light is too good at her place to miss such an opportunity! [Remember last time’s cookie baking extravaganza, rice crispie treats, sugar-free brownie dough balls, and baking with protein powder? Those are my favorite pictures from the blog!)

I’m focused this year with the list so I knew I wanted to tackle at least a few items from it and maybe a thing or two for Russian Bites. Every single Saturday morning, my sister and her boyfriend make French toast for brunch so I decided to take on the challenge and make French toast with homemade challah bread [challah was part of my 30 by 30 challenge.]

I used the Bon Appetit recipe that my blog friend Michelle recently tested. Wanna see some pics from the process?? [Say yes!]

[yeast, sugar and warm water get all bubbly]

[Mixing dough by hand]

It got pretty gluttonous.. and sticky for a while. I just kept kneading and adding flour.

Eventually it was time for it to rise… and time for me to go out with my friend Katy (we went to the Westville Restaurant btw, and ohmygod guys… if you’re ever in NY, go there!!!! Best meal in recent memory and not expensive!)

The dough was supposed to rise for 30 minutes… it’s been many hours. So yeah, it got a little over ambitious

I punched it down and put it on a well floured countertop. It was all good!

Love the pockets of air!

At this point I divided the dough into 2 balls (it makes 2 loaves) and braided one and put the other half in the fridge. I read right after that if you don’t want to bake it right away, you can actually store the dough in the fridge for up to 2 days so I put away both the braid (which you shouldn’t do anyway) and the other dough ball, and went to sleep.

Next morning, it was time to braid the other dough ball. Here is how we do it:

Roll (by hand) into three 9-10” ropes (if you want a fat braid for sandwiches, etc… you can also have longer ropes which would make a longer but skinnier challah… just make sure they’re all the same length.

Now, right over middle; then left over middle

Repeat… (new) right over middle, (new) left over middle

Pinch the ends; flip the braid

Repeat the same process (left over middle; right over middle… pinch the ends)

Yay, it looks like challah!

Cover with towel and let it rise for another 30 minutes while the oven is preheating. Then it’s egg wash time!

Pretty!

I’m obsessed with this picture (below)!!!!

Don’t you just want to rip a piece off? We did

Ready for the best french toast of your life?? This one goes in the “sane” category because there is not much healthy about it… but man, is it good. Going on the favorites list for sho

Crème brulee French toast (note I attempted the broiling method for the sugar topping but was so scared to burn the tops that I ended up just taking them out and shaking off most of the sugar. It was beyond fantastic even without it… and hey, just a tad healthier )

Custardy (not to be confused with soggy… it definitely was not) french toast with some organic raspberries… and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. This tasted like it came straight from a fancy restaurant’s brunch menu, and I felt pretty good about making it all from scratch!

Mmm, this was slightly reminiscent of lemon pound cake with berries.

When can I have this again??

Have you ever made challah bread? I definitely plan on doing it again to perfect it. It will be even easier with my KitchenAid at home. I do think I’m going to try a different recipe though… this one was slightly lacking in the salt and maybe even sugar dept (although pure perfection in French toast form).

Oh and… this is off topic but… Taste of Cambridge this year is on June 28 (this coming Tuesday) and I scored tickets over the weekend and am beyond excited to attend the event. I wasn’t around last year and read numerous recaps from my blog friends and was super jealous, so I know it’s going to be a fantastic evening of food, drinks and friends! You can find more info about the event here. This year’s beneficiaries include The Salvation Army Cambridge/Somerville Corps “Restoring Lives Capital Campaign and The Saturday program of the Cambridge special olympics. If you come, definitely say hello!!

Now onto something fun I did this weekend. The weather was dreadful (stoopid rain) but we still had a chance to eat at East by Northeast – a sustainable Chinese tapas place, which happens to be on my 30 by 30 list. The place was adorable but the lighting was not good for pictures so Adam and I happily enjoyed a photo-free dinner.

I continued to plow through my list (ok not exactly “plow”) by inviting Josh and Melissa over for dinner. I’m totally crushing my goal of 12 dinners this year (this one was #3 already in less than a month! Told ya I’ve been busy!!).

Scenes from the kitchen…

[Tofu pressing]

Melissa is vegan so dinner was a 3 course vegan meal. On the menu:

• Tofu and mushroom lettuce cups
• Jamaican veggie hand pies
• Double chocolate cranberry cookie dough balls & Chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream

[Recipes linked to the names]

I don’t think that having a few friends over for dinner needs to be a big production, but if it’s the weekend and I have time, I love making things a little more special. I’ve mentioned it before but I just love browsing through recipes and having a theme in mind (vegan in this case) was actually fun.

Tofu and mushroom lettuce cups

I doubled the recipe to make sure we have enough and it made A LOT.

This was quick and very flavorful. Would make for a really great entrée over rice.

While the guys were chatting it up, I went back to the kitchen to make the hand pies which… were a pain in the ass. Instead of butter (not vegan) the dough had coconut oil which was pretty hard to work with. It was either rock solid or almost mushy the second it started to warm up. I persevered and made 5 large and 1 mini hand pie and crossed my fingers that it would bake up into something edible.

Oh it did.

While the coconut oil was hard to work with, it made these taste so much more special. It had the texture similar to any short dough (given the high fat content) but had a natural sweetness that was very appealing. Btw, I added some black beans to the filling (and omitted the onions of course) which was a great decision. Some hot sauce over the top and these were lip-smacking good. We devoured them within minutes! (I saved the dough and the remaining filling and am determined to make a few more pies for me and Adam to enjoy later this week). I’d make these again and see if practice makes perfect

Dessert time!

[How cute is my ice cream container???]

Cookies fresh from the oven with homemade ice cream. Does it get any better than that??! It doesn’t. I speak from experience.

I used dark vegan chocolate chips instead of white, and dried cranberries instead of cherries for the dough balls and am very happy with the results. Just like the peanut butter chocolate chip dough balls the dough was quite dry, but the taste was nothing short of amazing. Pea Daddy said “Those will be gone by midnight”… well ours were gone by 10!

The vegan ice cream was delicious as well. If you put it side by side with the “cows milk” ice cream, it wouldn’t win but in a class by itself, it was very delicious (and well, if you’re vegan – obviously that taste test would never even happen). I LOVED the cookie dough made of cashews, dates and chocolate chips (larabar-style) and will make those again just for a random dessert soon for sure (I ran out of cashews, otherwise I would have doubled the recipe right there!). Nice job, Lauren!

Happy bellies all around. Checking things off the list has never been tastier

I realized at the end that we never took people photos so here are Josh and Melissa with their “party favors” (aka a box from our popchips stash)

Haha, don’t they look like proud (popchips) parents or something?

All right, that’s enough rambling. Say hello in the comments if anything strikes your fancy See you soon!