BostonZest

Lady Liberty Backlit By An Autumn Elm

Taken at the Collins Memorial, Commonwealth Avenue Mall, Boston, MA.

I just started reading, and highly recommend Judith Jones' latest book, The Pleasures of Cooking for One. It is also a good read for fans of Julia Child since Jones was her long-time editor and friend. The recipes will work perfectly for one, but they'll also help any small household.

Get Your Thanksgiving Pies from "Pie in the Sky."

 
In Greater Boston, Community Servings' "Pie in the Sky" program turns your Thanksgiving pie order into a good deed. We've made "Pie in the Sky" our Friday link.

"Now entering its 17th year, Pie in the Sky is the World's Greatest Bake Sale! Last year, the sale raised $380,000 to support Community Servings' meals and nutrition program for the critically ill, and we can't wait to do it even bigger and better this year!"

Here's how it works.

More than 150 of your favorite Boston area chefs and bakers donate their time and talent to bake more than 10,000 apple, pecan, pumpkin and sweet potato pies. While you can't order a pie from a specific baker, the organizers say, "we assure you that all the pies are made with love."

And, they're baked by the folks at places we recommend to readers. On the list we spotted some of our old favorites like the Bristol Lounge, Hamersley's Bistro, La Morra, Lala Rokh, Lineage, Party Favors, Petsi's Pies, Russell's Orchards, Sel de la Terre, Sofra and Upstairs on the Square.

Hundreds more individuals, community groups, businesses, and social organizations volunteer to sell and distribute those pies.

It was our friend Leah Dyer who told us about "Pie in the Sky" last year. And, we see that she's selling pies again this season. A big cheer for Leah and her team, "House of Pies, Back Bay." It's fun to look through the list of sellers and find a friend and buy a pie to help them reach the goal they set for themselves. If you don't find someone you know, click here and buy your pie from Leah!

People, like you, order their holiday dessert through this effort. The money raised is used by Community Servings.

As they say on their webpage, "Each $25 pie you purchase will provide a week's worth of free, home-delivered meals for a man, woman or child in Eastern Massachusetts who is battling a critical illness such as HIV/AIDS, cancer, diabetes or MS."

On the day before Thanksgiving, Wednesday November 25, 2009, you pick up your pie at the location you selected when you place your order. There are more than 40 pick-up sites in the Greater Boston area.

Head over to the "Pie In the Sky" website. The site is beautifully prepared, well organized, and will answer all your questions– whether you want to order a pie, sell pies, volunteer or make a donation minus the pie. You'll also learn about some special events scheduled to promote "Pie in the Sky."

The Line for Halloween Costumes Is Long

The line for Halloween Costumes at Dorothy's Costume Boutique grows longer each day. Today future witches, goblins and vampires were strung along Mass Ave and around the corner.

This is an outdated Post view our new resource page for costumes at this link.

Anyone have a report from the The Garment District over in Cambridge?

Here's this year's wrap-up on where to buy or rent your Halloween duds, make-up and accessories in the Boston area.

http://www.bostonzest.com/2009/10/where-to-find-a-costume-in-the-boston-area.html

 Visit the Costume Store At Amazon

 

Speed's Grilled Pastrami

We were having lunch at the Boston Speed Dog truck last week, when Chef Gregg Gale tempted our already full bellies with his newest offering-- Grilled Pastrami. He's been trying to find the right alternative for that one person in a group who really doesn't want a hot dog.

We think he found it. "Speed's Grilled Pastrami" is to pastrami sandwiches what a Speed Dog is to an ordinary hot dog.

Imagine excellent pastrami, placed on the flaming wood grill and tossed to let the flames melt some of the fat and crisp the edges into bacon-like goodness. Alongside, a roll spends a few moments on the fire toasting lightly.

Then, if you're smart enough to follow Gregg's guidance, a streak of his special mustard blend and a spoonful of fresh-made barbeque sauce is added to the bun. Finally, when the chef is happy with the melting, crisping and warming, the pastrami is piled on top.

It was a 26-year Speed Dog veteran, Mario (shown with his son Mario in the photo above) who finally convinced us that no matter how full we were, we had to try the pastrami. Watching him enjoy his sandwich, pushed us over to the window to place our second order of the day.

 

Chef Gregg let us take photos of our sandwich's creation, and he filled us in on some details. He said, "The pastrami is Boston's Best. Boston Brisket makes it right here on the property. It's a lot more enhanced than a regular red pastrami. It's between a red and a black, but a little more spicy- not hot spice, but a bit more flavor."

Support BostonZest and keep tips and news coming your way by beginning all your Amazon shopping from here.

Details:

Boston Speed Dog
42 Newmarket Square, Roxbury, MA‎ (map)
(617) 839-0102‎

http://www.bostonspeeddog.com/

Click here to learn what the Chowhounds are saying about it.

Flu Shot Information update for 2010

UPDATE: Latest Flu Vaccination Information ... Boston Area Resources to Find a Flu Shot

 

It's been fairly quiet on the flu front, with Massachusetts health officials saying that the H1N1 vaccine is widely available. While the level of flu-like illness reportedly is low, the state still advises everyone to get vaccinated.  

 

We'll update only if conditions change. 

 

Here's the latest...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This Flu Vaccination information was Updated by Ed Cherubino  - 3/09/10 

 

 

 

Massachusetts health officials report on flu and flu vaccinations

 

Link to state H1N1 Blog and full report.

Learn more at www.mass.gov/flu

 

Where can I get a flu vaccination in Boston?

 

The upcoming listings on the flu vaccine calendar in Boston say, "Clinics are now open to the General Population." Check here for details. http://www.bphc.org/programs/infectiousdisease/infectiousdiseasesatoz/influenza/Pages/FluClinics.asp 

Where can I get a flu vaccination in the surrounding area?

 

Go to this google map and put your zip code into the search box provided.

Or try,  http://flu.masspro.org/clinic/MassPRO_Flu_Clinics.html

Is MGH holding flu vaccination clinics, and where can I get that schedule?

 

For the latest on H1N1 swine flu vaccine availability, contact the Mass General Hospital's flu information line (1-877-733-3737). 

 

For further flu info, go to www.massgeneral.org/flu

 

 

 

 

What is the level of flu activity in our area?

 

 

Google flu trends calls activity in our area "Low." http://www.google.org/flutrends/us/

More on regional flu activity at http://www.flu.gov/whereyoulive/healthmap/

More details below..

 

• If you haven't checked lately, this might be a good time to consult with your primary care physician for updated supply information.
• We've confirmed that the list of flu vaccination clinics in Boston is still active.
• Pay attention to exactly what vaccinations they have. We recommend that you call the location directly before going. Here's that link again.
  

http://www.bphc.org/programs/infectiousdisease/infectiousdiseasesatoz/influenza/Pages/Home.aspx

• Outside of Boston, this link does provide clinic locations in some cities and towns, http://flu.masspro.org/clinic/MassPRO_Flu_Clinics.html
• The CDC and Google have teamed up to put information on www.google.com/flushot.

 

Many Pharmacies now have vaccine

 

For example, as of this update, some CVS Minute Clinic locations report having H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccine.

Here is a link to the Minute Clinics

http://www.cvs.com/CVSApp/store/storefinderresults.jsp?_requestid=103748

If you subscribe to the comment feed for this post, you'll be notified of updates. Or, follow us on Twitter where we'll send out tweets on updates to this article.

 

 

 More information below the ad

With the Amazon Kindle, you can order books from anywhere, even in line waiting for your flu shot. Or, if you do get the flu, you can add new books from your sickbed!

 

 

Official Information Resources
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on the 2009-2010 flu vaccine

This is the big resource that should be consulted for links to other flu shot resources. Their "locate a clinic link" is serviced by the American Lung Association.

 

Here is the CDC overall reference site for the latest flu information.

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/flu_vaccine_updates.htm

 

 

You may be able to find both H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccine by visiting the American Lung Association locator at www.flucliniclocator.org, or by contacting your primary care physician." 

 

The MassPro site below has a list by city and town in Massachusetts. Again, if you find a clinic listed here, read the restrictions and call before you go.

http://flu.masspro.org/clinic/

 

Here's the latest from the State

http://publichealth.blog.state.ma.us/h1n1-swine-flu/

 

Here is the latest news from the City of Boston

http://www.bphc.org/programs/infectiousdisease/infectiousdiseasesatoz/influenza/Pages/FluClinics.asp 

 

 

Cafe Jaffa– A Good Value in the Back Bay

A BostonZest post on Cafe Jaffa is long overdue. When we meet people new to the Back Bay, Cafe Jaffa is always one of the neighborhood dining options we recommend.

On Saturday, we worked on a project for most of the day. When we finally raised our heads, it was 3 o'clock and we needed something to eat. Cafe Jaffa was the perfect answer. It's nearby, casual, open long hours, and a great value. What's more we could choose to eat there or order take-out. Either way they'd feed us quickly. 

We decided to eat there. We ordered falafel to stave off starvation. Then followed that with chicken kabob and schwarma salads. We ate our fill and still had half a salad to take home for an evening snack.

If you ever need a quick meal around the Prudential Center and Hynes Auditorium, check-out the Middle Eastern fare at Cafe Jaffa.

Once you taste the flavors at Cafe Jaffa, you may want to make Middle Eastern food yourself. This book by Claudia Roden is on my wish list. She's a great teacher, storyteller and an all around inspiring food author.

Remember, when you start your Amazon shopping from here, you keep recommendations like this one for Cafe Jaffa coming your way.

 

Details:

Cafe Jaffa-  48 Gloucester Street, Boston, MA 02115 (map)

(617) 536-0230

www.cafejaffa.net

Other opinions:

Google links

Here's the yelp

Meet Fast Eddie, Our Sunday Rescue Dog

Meet Fast Eddie. He spent a bit of time in the Back Bay with a young man who's fostering Greyhounds until they're placed in forever homes.

Eddie has been a great neighbor, and we'll miss him as he heads off to become a member of a family.

If you have the time, patience, space, and a big heart, being a foster family for a rescue dog is very rewarding. It's also a wonderful way to find out if a dog will fit into your life or if a second dog is right for your family.

 

(This photo is by Barbara Agnew and is used under a Creative Commons License. The pups name is Bertie. Click the link to see more of Barbara's work. http://www.flickr.com/photos/hockadilly/ / CC BY-NC 2.0)

Donate Your Old Linens to Rescue Groups

Since Eddie is from a rescue group, we also wanted to remind you that spring and fall are wonderful times to clean out your linen closet and donate any gently worn towels, blankets, comforters, bath mats, bathroom rugs, and other linens to an animal shelter or dog rescue group.

In Boston, both the MSPCA and The Animal Rescue League of Boston will be happy to take your donations.

Thinking of adopting? This is a great book from the people at Petfinder.com who help shelter and rescue groups put people and and pets together.

Details:

(Top photo of Fast Eddie ©2009 Penny Cherubino)

MSPCA at the Angell Animal Medical Center
350 South Huntington Avenue, Boston MA 02130 (MAP)
(617) 522-5055

www.mspca.org

Animal Rescue League of Boston
10 Chandler Street, Boston, MA 02116 (MAP)
(617) 426-9170

www.arlboston.org