Boston for grownups. BostonZest is your guide for enjoying a full-flavored life in an unbeatable city. We'll show you that there is life in Boston beyond the "club kids" and students.
Whether you live in Boston, plan to visit Boston, or you are moving to Boston; we'll help you locate great food, fun events, and reliable resources.
Look who we met the other day – a friendly little guy named Guinness! This year old Colorado transplant has arrived in Boston just in time for the wearin’ of the green. And, with a name made for celebrating, he’s going to fit right in.
Besides being one of Penny’s Favorite Irish Whiskies, Connemara is also a style of step dancing. We mention this because Guinness is already displaying some very intricate paw-work that definitely has potential.
All we know is that this impressive pup makes a great first impression. Guinness was polite with Poppy and passers-by, has his Boston license, and is already well-trained – he sits on hand signals even from strangers.
Here’s to you, Guinness! Enjoy our city, you’re a great addition!
Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.
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The MeMail App is something I use all the time to turn random thoughts, promises, and ideas into a list that will appear in my email program the next time I sit down at my computer.
As I sent myself an email to do a post on something else I had just recommended to a friend, I quietly laughed at myself because I was using MeMail to get the job done, just as I often do many times a week. But I had never done a post recommending that readers invest $1.99 in this clean-cut, simple, productivity tool.
In the Apple App Store the description says, "Featured in TED Blog: '25+ apps to make your everyday life easier' (2014-09) Capture a thought, to-do, or scrap of information, FAST! MeMail does one thing exceptionally well: send quick emails to a pre-set address. Email yourself reminders or notes? Just launch, type, and send — that's it ..."
It really is that simple. You set it up with your email address when you get it and keep it handy on the front screen of your phone. When you want to remember something, you open it, type (or in my case dictate) what you want to remember, and hit send.
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Details:
Words: Penny Cherubino Screenshots courtesy of Apple App Store
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Most of us have passed or viewed the former Riverbank Court Hotel without a second thought about its history.
Here it is as the Riverbank Court Hotel in the early 1900s. (This photo by Leslie Jones is courtesy of the Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection. Dated: 1934 - 1956 approximate)
Here it is today as Fariborz Maseeh Hall, an MIT residence located at 305 Memorial Drive.
This property found its way onto our "Then and Now" list because a photo of it from American Architect and Building News (January 1, 1901) keeps showing up on eBay labeled Charlesbank.
MIT has owned the building since 1937. In 1969, the building was included in the Historic American Building Survey. From that survey we know the history of ownership based on the Middlesex County Registry of deeds.
"1900 J. Whitman Bailey buys land at 305 Memorial Drive from Embankment Land Co. for the use of Samuel Carr, Francis Peabody, Jr., and Benjamin P. Hyde as trustees of the Riverbank Court Trust, established January 1, 1900. Deed Book £798, p. 220."
"1905 Albert S. Apsey and Hales W. Suter acquire land and buildings after foreclosure of Riverbank Court Trust's mortgage to Mercantile Trust Co. Deed Book 31*43, p. lUo."
"1905 Riverbank Court Hotel Co. acquires land and buildings and in 1906 registers property. Deed Book31^3,P-lW;Land Reg. Book6,p.593."
"1937 Massachusetts Institute of Technology purchases land and buildings. Land Reg. Book 28U, p. 197.:
It also listed the architect as H.B. Ball and set the date of construction at 1900.
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This would make a great brunch dish for a group because you can prepare all the components and then assemble the servings on a big platter or tray.
We sliced the sausage on a diagonal and piled on lots of it. (This was another item Penny bought because the TJ's Crew was offering samples. She found it tasted just like the sausage on your pancake or French toast plate when they mingle with the maple syrup poured on the main course.)
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Imagine my smile as I walked into Trader Joe's on Boylston and saw this adorable little guy sitting in the upstairs corner of the entryway where Poppy usually waits with Ed as I shop.
I only had to pick up a couple of things so he and his person were still there when I returned. While I loaded my backpack, I learned his name is Max. I asked if I could take his photo to show Poppy that she's not the only TJ's dog.
Hope I run into you in the waiting area again, Max! Maybe someday you and Poppy will share the space.
Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.
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All products featured on BostonZest are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
All products featured on BostonZest are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Cooking meals on a daily basis can be daunting or it can be relaxing depending on your approach. I recently discovered the book The Kitchen Ecosystem. Author Eugenia Bone helped me see why it might be easier for longtime cooks to prepare daily meals while the same task could be stressful for the occasional cook.
Having Stuff on Hand
One crisper drawer in my refrigerator is devoted to my cooking basics: celery, carrots, parsley, cabbage, lemons, and apples. With the stocks in my freezer and the onions and garlic in my pantry, I have the beginning of many soups, stews, braises, and salads.
The Kitchen Ecosystem is arranged by 40 common ingredients. For each one, the author provides recipes for dishes that star that ingredient and follows with ideas on what you can make to add to your pantry with not only the leftovers, but also the scraps. (e.g., Who knew that apple peel stock could be handy to have when you need a bit more pectin in a jelly or jam?)
Preserving foods by fermenting, canning, and freezing are part of the author's repertoire. But even if you're not ready to make your own sauerkraut or can chicken, you can make stocks to freeze and prepare a dish that will let you turn the leftovers into a sequence of meals.
Tired of Leftovers?
If you or your family quickly tire of the same food after a day or two, think about preparing a basic version of something and then creating variations on a theme. I do this all the time with chicken soup. I’ll make a big pot of simple chicken soup and then serve it at future meals with different starches like rice, pasta, noodles, dumplings, barley, grains, cubes, etc. In the photo above, I used polenta cubes.
Whenever I have leftover, falling apart, tender meat from a pot roast or braised lamb shanks, I’ll shred the meat and turn it and the braising liquid into a chili by adding beans, chilies, and seasoning then simmering until the flavors blend.
Repurpose
When I make chicken soup, I use enough chicken to have extra poached chicken. This can become the curried chicken salad you see above. That's a cool, crisp, spicy change of pace.
Every few weeks, I make a big batch of homemade dog food for my Westie Poppy. The recipe I use calls for a wide assortment of vegetables and there’s always half a cauliflower, half a cabbage, and a few other things left when I’m done. These become a soup for the human members of the family. One version is the cabbage and kielbasa soup shown below.
If you shy away from buying a whole head of broccoli, cabbage, or cauliflower because you’ll only eat part of it and waste the rest, consider soup on day two. It can be vegetarian or you can add meat or sausage to the mix. You might even consider making the soup on one burner while you’re cooking the meal that will have cauliflower as a side dish on the others. Most soups taste better on day two when the flavors have had an opportunity to harmonize.
The Boston Public Library has a copy of The Kitchen Ecosystem that you might want to borrow to start thinking about cooking on a continuum. The book is also available in an ebook format.
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from here to support this site!
helped me see why it might be easier for longtime cooks to prepare daily meals while the same task could be stressful for the occasional cook.
that you might want to borrow to start thinking about cooking on a continuum. The book is also available in 
. 