BostonZest

Sunday Dog – A Look, A Sniff and...

Sometimes all it takes is that certain look...

Followed by a friendly sniff...

And before you know it, you're buds!

BostonZest cameras captured this casual encounter as, long-time Boston resident, gentleman Jack the greyhound was introduced to a new neighbor. The youthful and quite charming Charlotte seemed eager to make Jack's acquaintance.

A chance meeting on a cold winter day has a way of warming your heart.

Is there a puppy in your life. Training is the key to a long and happy life together!

   

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Writer: Ed Cherubino

Photos: © 2010 Penny Cherubino

Wreath Removal Weekend

Do you still have a holiday wreath on your front door? Make this the weekend when we all say good-bye to winter and remove the last of the holiday decorations. If you love having a wreath, replace one that celebrates Winter with one that welcomes Spring!

Want to make your own wreaths? Here's some help. And, a good resource if you plan to do a bit more Spring cleaning.

   

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Writer: Penny Cherubino

Photo: © 2010 Penny Cerubino

Wish You Were Heading to Spain This Weekend? We Have Alternatives...

 

If the budget doesn't stretch for a trip to Europe, head to Bauer Wine on Newbury Street instead. They're hosting a Spanish food and wine tasting on Saturday. ( map to Bauer )

Here's the email I received from Howie Rubin at Bauer Wine. (And he said we could extend the invitation to our BostonZest readers.)

"Penny....Saturday 4-6, we will be serving up some Spanish food, courtesy of Julio de Haro from Estragon and Las Ventas on Harrison ave...He'll be carving some ham tableside, and serving up a wide variety of Spanish cheeses. We will be poring a half dozen Spanish wines, all from different regions!"

We'll be there! Estragon and Las Ventas are both on our list of places to try. We'll enjoy meeting Julio de Haro and look forward to chatting with him about Spanish food. 

Other items on the BostonZest weekend agenda. 

"Meet Meat" with Stillman's At the Turkey Farm - For those new to this extension of the farmers' market season, Stillman's send a truck of meat to the city. Local bloggers spread the word, and we can buy their great lamb, pork, and poultry during the winter.

JJ Gonson from Cuisine En Locale says, "Look for the happy mob of carnivores gathered about a white van in the parking lot behind Quest Diagnostics at approx 36 Bishop Allen Drive in Central Sq, Cambridge." Full details here:

Dining with a James Beard Award Nominee.

The list of nominations came out yesterday. You can see the complete roster over at Grub Street. It contains many BostonZest favorites including: 

• Sam Hayward, Fore Street, Portland, ME
• Ana Sortun, Oleana, Cambridge, MA; 
• Will Gilson, Garden at the Cellar, Cambridge, MA
• Maura Kilpatrick, Sofra Bakery and Cafe, Cambridge, MA; 
• Neal Rosenthal, Rosenthal Wine Merchant/Mad Rose Group, NYC, 
• Steve Johnson, Rendezvous in Central Square, Cambridge, MA, 
• Tony Maws, Craigie on Main, Cambridge, MA
• Marc Orfaly, Pigalle, Boston

Want to keep BostonZest information coming your way? It's easy to support our work. Just begin all your Amazon shopping from our site. Click on any Amazon item or use the Amazon search box over in the left hand column. 

The paella pan is great for grills, open fires or gas stoves but is not recommended for electric or glass cooktops. 

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Writer: Penny Cherubino
Photo: from www.iStockphoto.com is of the  Dinastía Vivanco Museum of the Culture of Wine in Riojas Spain.

When Pigs Fly in Brookline

As soon as I walked through the bakery door at "When Pigs Fly," I slipped into a semi-trance. I'm not sure if it was induced by the aromas or just the sight of all that bread.

My reaction is nothing new to Penny, who's learned to pretend she doesn't know me, whenever we walk into a bakery of any kind.

But, this time, my euphoric state was completely justified. "When Pigs Fly" is no ordinary bread emporium.

Sure, they have white and whole wheat, including a wonderfully dense French, but from there, choices accelerate into a creative taste-ride. Their artisan breads include: Mexican Black Bean, Cherry Peach Hog Heaven, Whole Wheat Grapenut & Date, and an incredible Chocolate that has the texture of bread but tastes like it was just cut from a baked sheet of brownies.

 

"When Pigs Fly" in Brookline arranges the loaves with tantalizing descriptions and offers a sample taste to help you make a selection. Since I can never decide on just one variety, my solution is to take as much as we can carry and just freeze what isn't eaten that day. They'll be happy to slice it for you.

This New England company began in the 1990's in Wells, Maine and now has six stores, including the one in Brookline (a block beyond Coolidge Corner) and in Somerville. "When Pigs Fly" is also offered at some Farmers' Markets.

Just reliving our visit is starting to erode my focus. You understand. So, while I finish my slice of Oat & Honey, check out the "When Pigs Fly" website at www.sendbread.com.

Here are our bread tools of choice. We bought this bread knife two decades ago and still use it daily. Friends who use it are quick to see the difference in this and lesser-quality bread knives. 

The bread cutting board with crumb box lives on our kitchen counter where it saves us from constantly cleaning up crumbs from the crusty breads we love. 

The oversized flour sack towels are perfect for wrapping breads to keep them fresh and still crusty. 


 

Related Posts: 

Want to learn more about "When Pigs Fly" and see more photos? Check these posts:

Baking with Good Taste and Humor

Pigs Fly at the Downtown Crossing Holiday Market

Here's a tip for Keeping Bread Fresher Longer


Details:

When Pigs Fly
www.SendBread.com
1378 Beacon Street, Brookline, MA‎ ( Map & Reviews )
617-232-1077‎

Writer: Ed Cherubino 

Photos: © 2010 Penny Cherubino

Seeds & Other Signs of Spring in Boston

 

This weekend we spotted this display of Franchi Italian seeds at Salumeria Italiana in the North End. That is certainly a sign of Spring. It's time to think about what you'll plant in your garden. Our building has a communal roof-deck herb garden, and we're looking forward to a summer-long bouquet of herbs on our kitchen counter. 

After reading about these Franchi Seeds from Italy, we may lobby to have a few of their herbs added to the collection. We knew that if they were offered at Salumeria Italiana, they had to be the best around. Reading about them we discovered that this company has been in the same family since 1783. For a business to last 227 years, they must be doing things right.

Information on growing from seed and seed exchanges.

This morning Public Radio Kitchen offered readers an information-filled guest post from Anastacia Marx de Salcedo of Slow Food Boston. Click here to see all the seed resources provided. http://publicradiokitchen.org/2010/02/16/jonesing-for-green/

The Garden Club of the Back Bay has also featured seed education events on their wonderful daily agenda of what's happening of interest to gardeners in the Greater Boston Area. 

"Seedy Night," Thursday February 25th, Natick Community Farm

"Growing Plants from Seeds," Arnold Arboretum, March 13th

And, our friends over at Allandale Farm will host "Seed Talk" on Saturday, February 27th. 


What's your favorite sign of Spring? 
Penny has a secret spot where she watches for the first crocus to emerge through the snow and mulch. Guess what? There were little green sprouts peeking through on Valentine's Day. Yes, this endless, dreary winter is coming to an end. 

Go plant something! 

Ready to plant a garden in the city? Here are three great resources. And remember to begin all your Amazon shopping from BostonZest to keep the information coming your way.



Details:

Salumeria Italiana 
www.salumeriaitaliana.com 
151 Richmond Street , Boston, MA 02109-1414 ( Map & Reviews )
617-523-8743

Related Posts:
Allandale Farm 
Garden Club of the Back Bay 

Writers: Penny & Ed Cherubino 
Photo: © 2010 Penny Cherubino

Crystalized Honey- How to Use it

If you use local, minimally-processed honey, you may find that it has crystalized and is hard to get out of the jar. 

You might even be asking yourself if the honey is safe to eat. It is. In fact, crystalization is a sign that your honey has not been highly processed in a way that would remove some of the flavor and goodness. 

The Honey Board has posted an answer to the question, "My honey has become solid (crystallized), is it still good?" They say:

"Crystallization is the natural process by which the glucose in honey precipitates out of the liquid honey. Different varieties of honey will crystallize at different rates, and a few not at all. If your honey crystallizes, simply place the honey jar in warm water and stir until the crystals dissolve. ... Be careful not to boil or scorch the honey. Also keep in mind that you can eat the honey in a crystallized form. Just scoop out of the jar and spread it on your toast or drop it in your tea!"

I removed their suggestion for microwaving the honey because I've read too many disaster stories online about the down side of this method. I don't even bother to reheat my honey to dissolve the crystals. 

 
I use a silicone spatula to transfer the crystalized honey into a wide-mouth canning jar where it's easy to use by the spoonful. This jar becomes my honey supply for hot beverages and cooking. If I need a more liquid form of honey, it's easier to heat some as needed. 

Want more kitchen tips like this one? Check these posts.

Sweet additions for your stews and soups

A great tip for fish chowder

Variations on a soup theme

How to keep artian bread fresh

Begin all your Amazon shopping at BostonZest to support the site and keep information, like this, coming your way. 

   

Details:

Writer: Penny Cherubino

Photos: © 2010 Penny Cherubino

Where are These Profiles? Attention to Detail

Where in the Back Bay would you find the carving of these profiles?

As you wander around Boston, we want to inspire you to pay "Attention to Detail." To play our visual scavenger hunt, we give you a clue and then, when you're ready, you can scroll down or click through to find the answer and learn more about this Boston detail.

"Attention to Detail" is also a weekly newspaper column that Penny writes for the Independent Newspaper Group. 

Here are three great books for learning more about the art and architecture that surrounds us in Boston.

 

Details:

Writer: Penny Cherubino

Photos: © 2008 Penny Cherubino

Scroll down or click through to find the answer to this quest.