November 28, 2016 Welcome to Boston Eataly!
I was fortunate to be invited to the media preview of Eataly that will be opening tomorrow, November 29th! I wasn’t sure what to expect, I have been to the Eataly in the flatiron district in New York, but there has been a lot of skepticism going around about this location. I was pleasantly surprised when I walked in the front door off of Boylston Street. Guests are greeted with a large coffee bar and crepe station before they head upstairs for the full Eataly experience, perfect if you just want to pick up your morning cup of coffee. There’s nothing worse than going to let’s say Ikea, knowing exactly what you want and then having to walk all the way through the store to get it anyway.
We patiently waited until Mario Batali came down the stairs to greet us. He was accompanied by Oscar (top right) and Nicola (top left) Farinetti. Oscar is the Founder and Creator of Eataly and Nicola, his son, is the CEO of Eataly USA. Both father and son are charismatic and you can tell they are passionate about food. Mario explains to us that at Eataly, they don’t just want to sell you food, they want to teach you how to make it – taste some delicious pasta at one of their restaurants but then go and replicate it at home.
There are certainly a lot of products that are imported from Italy, but to them, it didn’t make sense to import seafood when we have some of the best, freshest seafood right here in our backyard. Eataly has partnered with a number of local companies to keep everything local. They are even implementing a frequent buyer program with their fish department. When you choose eligible fish, lesser known local catch, you get a stamp – collect 9 stamps and you will receive 10% off of your next purchase.
Eataly has partnered with Island Creek Oysters (bottom) and they even buy meat from CJ (second from left), Red’s Best and Wulf’s. The gentleman on the top left is Andrew Morgan of Cape Cod Shellfish, a boutique shellfish company – we tried some fresh (raw!!) scallops with just a drizzle of olive oil and it was so delicious, it melted like butter – and as Mario said, “it’s like candy!”
GIVE.ME.ALL.THE.CHEESE! Eataly will make fresh mozzarella daily and will get their curds from Narragansett Creamery over in RI (bottom right). Lourdes Smith, formerly of Fiore di Nonno, will be joining the mozzarella making staff!!
Eataly will sourse their meat from sustainable farms where the animals graze in open pastures and are humanely handled. They have chosen to work with VT99 Meats and Stillman’s Quality Meats. The lamb on the right was so tender and delicious, it just melted in your mouth (and it wasn’t gamey at all).
Mario told us a story that when he first opened Eataly in New York, his kids thought that the pizza ovens were made of real gold…and they still do! Pizzas here are made in 90 seconds using the finest ingredients and the fresh mozzarella that they make in house. You can buy dry pasta but you can also watch fresh pasta being made daily (and buy it!). Top right is a photo of the cooking school at Eataly, La Scuola di Eataly. There will be free live demos and ticketed hands on classes. They partnered with Valcucine kitchens to design the “classroom” and let me tell you the space is beautiful! I wish my kitchen at home could look like this!
Here is a little sneak peek at the retail areas.
Let me hit you with some quick numbers:
3 floors
45,000 square feet
4 restaurants
10 eateries
2 cafes and 3 bars
10,000 products
5 fresh production counters
7 retail departments
500+ employees
Check out the videos below for an inside look at the cheese and fish counters!
Give me all the cheese!!!
The seafood selection is amazing!
I highly recommend you stopping in to check out Eataly tomorrow (or whenever) when it opens – it is amazing and just something you need to experience!
Disclaimer: I was invited for a media preview of Eataly. I was provided with complimentary samples of food while in attendance. All opinions are my own.
Tags: back bay, casual dining, celebrity chef, local, local artisan, market, restaurant
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November 24, 2016 Happy Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving from my ‘hood to yours! Hope you are all enjoying time with your friends and family and of course, eating delicious food.
These turkeys rule our neighborhood and watch out, they bite!
Tags: holiday
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November 22, 2016 Entertaining with Brothers Marketplace
Brothers Marketplace in Weston just underwent a major renovation. I didn’t even recognize it when I walked in. The store has huge windows in the front that let in all the natural light. You’re greeted by beautiful fresh flowers before walking towards the bakery case full of house made treats. Next your eyes wander over to the fresh produce and the specialty goods.
My mom decided to let me handle my dad’s surprise birthday (with two days notice) and with little ones at home, I had no time to make anything. Here’s where Brothers came in. They have a great prepared food case where I bought all of my sides: asparagus, roasted potatoes, squash and cranberry salad, pesto pasta salad, and of course Brussels sprouts with bacon! If it wasn’t my family, who knows I don’t have time to cook, I’m sure I could have passed all of this off as home made! I’ll share photos of the party soon! Let’s get back to the market for now.
Pictured above: Brothers Marketplace has two cheese cases, one for imported cheese and another for local cheese. They have this great policy, you can try before you buy – just ask someone behind the counter for a taste! Oh and did I mention that they make their own mozzarella? I posted a video of it below! Don’t have time to make lunch, come in and grab some fresh fruit already cut up for you (and have you ever tried their raisins on the vine?!?! A little on the pricey side, but you’ll never go back to boxed raisins again!) Guests can get baked goods at the counter and help themselves to some complimentary fruit infused water (bottom left). Pies, cupcakes, muffins, bagels, cappuccino, you name it, they’ve got it!
What’s great about Brothers Marketplace is that in the front they have these communal tables you can hang out at. So grab your laptop and pick up an espresso and a muffin from the bakery and you’re on your way to a productive morning!
Here’s what I loved about the market, they cut some of the fruit in half (and covered it in plastic wrap) so that you could see what the inside of a lesser known fruit looks like. For instance, I’m not a huge fruit and veggie person, so I had never seen the inside of a pummelo (bottom left) just look at that beautiful color! The market even has signs on the produce that tells you where it came from. Another feature I loved were the bulk bins. Half the time you need to make something is spent doing the prep work. Need some sliced onions, they’ve got you covered. You can buy lettuce and other produce from the bulk bins and pay one price per pound so you can mix and match.
I was telling you before about the prepared food case – just check out how colorful everything is! Before being invited here for the tour I was here weekly buying sides for lunch and dinner. The Brussels sprouts are popular in our house along with the bean and corn salad. But I’m going to check out those shrimp skewers next time I go since we’ve just put away our gas grill. They have an amazing selection in the meat case with responsibly raised beef and other meat products. My go to place for flowers has always been Whole Foods, they just have the nicest looking “market” flowers, but now that I’ve started shopping at Brothers, I’ll be picking up flowers here. People will think that you went to the florist! Pick up a bunch on your way home for the kitchen table or have an arrangement made (they do have a few arrangements for sale as well).
How beautiful is the stuffed squash here? OK so no one would believe I made these myself, but I’m sure they’d be a hit at any party!
Check out Connor making some mozzarella. Cool thing about Connor is that he started out working part time for the company and has worked his way up the ladder – stop by and see him at Brothers Marketplace in Weston!
Disclaimer: I was invited to attend a media tour of Brothers Marketplace. We were provided with complimentary light bites and a swag bag of local goodies. All opinions are my own.
Brothers Marketplace
41 Center Street, Weston, MA
Check out their website here.
Tags: entertaining, prepared foods, supermarket, weston
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November 20, 2016 Thanksgiving with the National Dog Show
Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post.
Whether you’re rooting for the Steelers or the Colts, the Redskins or the Cowboys, you can all agree on one thing, it’s dogs until 2pm! There’s plenty of time to watch football on Thanksgiving, but dog lovers, hold on to that remote until 2pm! The National Dog Show took place yesterday, the 19th, in Philadelphia and will be aired on NBC on the 24th, nationwide, from 12pm – 2pm. So that means you can watch the Macy’s parade, the dog show immediately afterwards, and STILL have time to watch football to your hearts content afterwards.
John O’Hurley and David Frei are back again to host this year’s 15th anniversary show. In attendance will be over 2,000 dogs from 180 plus breeds all vying for that top dog spot of “Best in Show”. You may recognize O’ Hurley from his role on Seinfeld or from his championship win on Dancing with the Stars. Frei is America’s foremost expert on all things canine and was the former host of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.
This is the first major TV showcase for two new AKC-certified breeds, the American Hairless Terrier and the Pumi. The pumi is a Hungarian breed that possesses terrier like qualities such as quick movements, alert temperament, and a lean and muscular body type. Their coats are thick and curly and do little or no shedding. In contrast, the American Hairless Terrier is just that, hairless. They are small, energetic dogs that are generally graceful and elegant.
So enjoy the memes below and tune into NBC on Thanksgiving day from 12pm – 2pm to see the National Dog Show presented by Purina, After all, it’s dogs until 2pm!
Tags: dog show, events, philadelphia
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November 17, 2016 Girls Day Out in North Fork
I needed a day off to regroup and have a little “me” time. I woke up at the crack of dawn and drove in the dark to pick up Kim to head over to New London, CT to catch the 9am ferry. She made the mix tape and I brought the snacks and we took route 395 all the way there (trust me, way better than taking 95!). The trip took just under two hours and we pulled into the parking lot with plenty of time to spare. (Parking is $10 a day in New London) We were getting ready to board the Sea Jet, the fast ferry that takes you to Orient Point, Long Island. The trip takes about 40 minutes and you’re there before you know it. If you’re taking a car over, the trip takes about an hour and 20 minutes. We get on the ferry and I have time to unwind and enjoy a little time to myself – we have a full day ahead of us. The boat itself is super clean and has tables so you can get some work done if you choose. Feeling a little hungry? No worries, the cafe on board has you covered. Once we arrive in Orient Point, we are picked up in a cute little bus and Vintage Tours takes us to our first stop. Our guide today is owner Jo-Ann Perry who is such a sweetie. Her company provides tours of local wineries. She knows the area and has personal relationships with the owners of the wineries, so you are sure to have a great trip. On the weekends, tours cost $99, which includes 4 wineries and tastings and a box lunch.
Our first stop is Sep’s Farm, a family run farm that goes back 5 generations. We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day in North Fork, just look at the lighting! We were able to go out into the fields and see where the food comes from. Sep’s grows over 50 varieties of fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers. They have a great little road side farm stand where you can get a carrot or a pepper that has just been pulled from the ground earlier in the day! How cool is that?
They have great barn where we had a little snack – but it would be perfect for a summer dinner party. Do you see the vibrant colors of the cauliflowers? The top and bottom right are peppers at the farm and the third photo from the top are tomatoes.
It’s amazing how different food tastes when it is fresh from the farm! Sep’s also carries a variety of delicious jams (pictured left middle) and they make these amazing zucchini pickles (bottom right).
Sepenoski’s wife Katie pulled this fennel up from the ground while she was telling us about their farming practices. Have you ever smelled fresh fennel??
How beautiful is this purple pepper? Although, when you cook it, it doesn’t keep the bright color.
“Sep” treated us to some delicious striped bass that he had caught the day before, it was light and so delicious. Simple, fresh ingredients really make a difference.
You can find Sep’s Farm located at 7395 Main Street in East Marion. http://www.sepsfarm.com
Next stop is Old Field Vineyards, a small family owned vineyard, in fact, it is the only mother/daughter winery on Long Island. Perry, the 5th generation to work on the vineyard, lives here as well with her family. Her brother comes back east frequently to help out with the vineyard. They hand pick all of their grapes and hand cork all of their bottles. They raise chickens for fertilizer and they have a few pet ducks that prefer the kiddie swimming pool to the pond. We arrive in time to watch the punch down of the wine. While wine is fermenting, it is important to keep the fermenting wine and skins mixed – it is also important to break the cap that forms on the top several times a day to increase the color and flavor of the wine and to keep the cap from drying out. To do the punch down, they use a long tool that looks a little like a potato masher – it makes for a great arm work out! We get to taste a little from the giant vat, it tastes sweet like juice! We were able to sample 3 wines and chat with Perry about the history of the vineyard, the wine making process and the wines.
The Old Field can be found at 59600 Main Street in Southold, Long Island. http://www.theoldfield.com
Next stop is Little Creek Oyster Farm and Market. Ian and Rosalie have this cute little shop/restaurant with all things oysters. Cute t-shirts, locally made goods and of course, oysters. If the weather is nice, you can grab a seat outside on the hay bales that act as couches or a spot under the umbrella. We head inside and they show us how to shuck our own oysters.
You can “shuck yourself” for a discounted price (don’t worry, they’ll show you how!), 6 for $9, 12 for $16 or 24 for $30. If you don’t feel like working…grab 6 for $15 or 12 for $30. Never shucked an oyster before, me either. It’s a little trickier than it seems, but once you get the hang of it, it’s smooth sailing. Rosalie made it look so easy, it certainly took me a few tries to get my first one open!
In addition to oysters they have some other light bites. The pickle plate is not to be missed folks, the smoked pickles are super delicious! Also not to be missed is the chowder – creamy but not thick, flavorful, and they slice the potatoes ever so thin so that you don’t feel so bad when you’re eating them!
Little Creek Oyster Farm and Market can be found at 37 Front Street, down bootleg alley, in Greenport. http://littlecreekoysters.com
If you have a chance, make sure to stop over at the nearby carousel. It’s 100 years old and housed in an ultra modern glass house. Bring back memories from your childhood by riding the flying horses and grabbing for that special brass ring. Rides are $2 per person. Find out more information about the carousel here.
Full from lunch, we jump back on the bus and head over to Kontokosta Winery. The views are breathtaking and the tasting room is picturesque, a perfect place for a wedding. Owner Michael Kontokosta was there to greet us and give us a tour of the property. A corporate finance lawyer by trade, Michael has no formal training, but you’d never know it! The property is fairly new, with the first grapes planted in 2002.
They were still picking grapes this late in the season, so it was cool to have the chance to see the beginning of the wine making process. We were asking all kinds of questions, one of which was, “what was one of your biggest hurdles when you first started making wine?” His answer, faxing. When you go and visit, ask for the story! The winery is 62 acres and the tasting room is about 9,00 sq. ft. I loved their rosé, just trying to hold onto every last bit of summer I suppose, but seriously, for me, it could be rosé all year round! Kontokosta also owns the Harborfront Inn nearby.
Kontokosta Winery can be found at 825 North Road in Greenport, on Long Island. http://www.kontokostawinery.com
Every trip has to have a sweet ending – this was no exception. Our final stop before heading to the ferry was The Candy Man, a small homemade candy shop that has been operated by the Heins family for four generations. On the left you can see the rum balls being made and on the right, the popular hollow turkeys.
The Candy Man can be found at 22350 Main Road in Orient, on Long Island. http://www.orientcandyman.com/
We arrive at Orient Point with minutes to spare and board the Cross Sound Ferry’s “Mary Ellen”, an auto ferry. We sit with Stan Mickus, Director of Public Affairs and Marketing for the Cross Sound Ferry. Stan tells us about the tours that the ferry offers and about all the great things the company is doing.
The Cross Sound Ferry offers a lighthouse cruise (check out my post here), a “lights and sights” tour that features view of spectacular mansions (ahem, Taylor Swift) and historic hotels in addition to the light houses, and two great packages for those traveling from Orient Point to New London to the casinos. A coach bus meets passengers in New London and takes them to either Foxwoods (where you get $10 towards food or a free festival buffet and $20 in a bonus slot play) or Mohegan Sun (where you get a $15 meal credit two $10 free bets and one $5 free bet).
For more information about the Cross Sound Ferry, check out their website here.
After a very full day, we grabbed a bite for dinner before heading home. I had such an amazing day with some good friends – I can’t wait to go back, maybe next time with my family. There was so much more to explore than what we squeezed into one day – cute shops in town, tons of wineries and breweries, restaurants, and of course the carousel. A special thanks to Stan and the folks at the Cross Sound Ferry for a wonderful afternoon.
Disclaimer: I was invited as a guest of the Cross Sound Ferry to tour the North Fork. All transportation, parking, meals and tastings were provided complimentary. All opinions are my own.
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November 15, 2016 Tiger Mama
Tiger Mama is Tiffani Faison’s newest restaurant in the Fenway/Kenmore area, just steps from her other restaurant, Sweet Cheeks. Tiger Mama pays tribute to the Southeast Asian cuisine that Faison had on her many trips to the area.
I stopped in a while back for lunch (they are only open for dinner these days) after I had my fill of City Target. Lunch service wasn’t particularly busy, which is probably why they moved to just dinner service. Better for us, we had a great table to ourselves and we were able to have a leisurely afternoon meal.
I love the decor here, oversized chandeliers, a live plant wall, neon signs, and a tin ceiling.
The best piece of all might be the disco ball elephant in the front entrance! Have you seen it for sale at Home Goods? Because you could have one of these babies at your house!! (I also saw that they have an enormous yellow rubber duck for sale for the low price of $800)
Even the non alcoholic beverages are delicious: the grapefruit palomita with grapefruit, lemon, salted agave nectar and soda and the pineapple shrub soda with pineapple, vinegar, lemon and soda.
While it’s not very adventurous, I had to try the pad thai: kway teow 1942- rice noodles, peanuts and bean sprouts. Really light, super flavorful – a great dish.
They have a daily special fried rice – this one was vegetarian to boot. YUM!
All the dishes were delicious and bold in flavor. There wasn’t a thing that we ordered that we didn’t like!
Check out a sampling from their menu:
COLD/FRESH
Nam Prik
spicy green chili garlicky dip,cucumber & pork cracklin’
Southern-Style Pork Laap
fish sauce & lime-spiked hand ground pork, thai chili, mint
Chili Spiced Short Rib Crudo
rich chili seared short rib, herb “salad”,black vinaigrette, charred leeks **
Pea Pod Stems
garlicky wok roasted greens, black vinegar
Lobster Fresh Rolls
charred lobster, bright veggies,spicy silky peanut dipping sauce
Tuna Tom Kha
silky coconut lemongrass sauce, avocado, cilantro
Papaya Salad
green papaya, tomatoes, peanuts, hot hot chilis
Grilled Spanish Octo
sour tomato salad, seed jam, mint
RICH AND EARTHY
Issan–Style Sausage
lemongrass, kaffir & garlic sausage,banana ketchup
Yu Shiang Eggplant
stolen chinese sauce, chilis, mint, chinese sausage crumbles, cilantro
Milk Jam Roasted Bone Marrow
herb & onion salad, tom ko & lime vinaigrette, sticky rice
Coconut Marinated Mini Chicken
marinated & char-grilled hen, spicy ginger-tamarind sauce
Mala Mushrooms
numbing & spicy mushrooms, smashed garlic, mustard greens
Lamb Roti
brickfields spiced & braised lamb, crispy roti, holy basil raita, mint cilantro jam
Pad Gra Pow
rich & spicy ground chicken, chilis, thai basil, purple choi, fried egg
Tiger Mama
1363 Boylston St., Boston, MA
http://www.tigermamaboston.com
Tags: asian, casual dining, celebrity chef, chinese food, fenway, kenmore, restaurant
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November 10, 2016 Oath Craft Pizza
Another post about another pizza place? Oath Craft pizza isn’t just another pizza place, they make delicious craft pizza that cooks in 90 seconds. You can get a whole pizza (11″) or a half pizza, pick from their craft pizzas or make your own “selfie” pizza. Some of my favorite pizzas that I tried were:
The Dougie (middle left): mozzarella, roasted potato, smoked bacon, ranch drizzle and scallion
Mexican Meatball (middle right): cilantro garlic sauce, mozzarella, meatball, rose pickled red onion, jalapeno relish, parmesan
Muffled Mushroom (bottom middle – top half): truffle sauce, mozzarella, roasted ‘shrooms, ricotta, parmesan
They even make dessert pizzas, a “triple chocolate cookie” pizza (bottom left) with chocolate chip cookie dough, ricotta and powdered sugar and the “Sweet Melissa” (top left) with New York style cheesecake, ricotta, strawberry drizzle and powdered sugar.
The crust is thin and light, almost flaky like a croissant and crispy.
The restaurant has Stubborn soda on tap, along with my favorite, Izze soda. Stubborn soda comes in unique flavors like agave vanilla cream soda, classic root beer, lemon berry acai, black cherry with tarragon and orange hibiscus. Oath Craft Pizza just started serving breakfast, which I will definitely go back to try. They have egg and cheese flatbreads that you can customize as well as things like a french toast pizza (YUM!!!)
What would you put on your customized pizza?
Disclaimer: I was invited as a guest to sample pizzas at Oath Craft Pizza. I was provided complimentary slices. All opinions are my own.
Oath Craft Pizza
210 Boylston Street, Chestnut Hill, MA
Tags: casual dining, chestnut hill, eat in, gluten free, pizza, restaurant, take out, vegan
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- Posted under Restaurants
November 8, 2016 Little Leaf Farms
This weekend I had the opportunity to head out to Devens, MA to check out Little Leaf Farms. So what is a girl who doesn’t like eating vegetables doing at a lettuce farm? Right?!! Well it turns out that I was just waiting for the right vegetables. Little Leaf Farms may have just converted me into being a salad eater! You can taste the difference – but more on that later. Let me start from the beginning: you’ve heard of Backyard Farms tomatoes – the year round greenhouse grown tomatoes. If you haven’t, check out my post here. Backyard Farms founder Paul Sellew and former EVP of Sales and Marketing Tim Cunniff have started a new venture, Little Leaf Farms.
Little Leaf Farms is a 3 acre greenhouse that grows baby lettuce hydroponically. They use recycled rain water and solar energy. When there isn’t enough natural sunlight, the LED grow lights come on, which use 40% less electricity than conventional grow lights. The lettuce grows for about 25 days and there is a 24 hour period from when it is picked to when it reaches the grocery store. This is what makes them so different than the other lettuce that you get in the grocery store which mainly comes from California. The competition’s lettuce has already been sitting on a truck for at least a week before it gets to your local store – and at that point, it’s probably getting a bit soggy, has wilted, or is getting a little brown and slimy in the bag.
Little Leaf Farms has 4 products that come in 4 – 5 oz. bags:
Savory Spring Mix: a delicious mix including their red and green leaf lettuces, arugula and red chard (look at how beautiful it is in the photo above)
Super Crisp Green Leaf
Spicy Arugula
Lively Red and Green Leaf Blend
Now let me say that I have generally not like arugula every time I’ve had it. I tried the arugula at Little Leaf Farms and I actually liked it. It is a little spicy and gives you a real kick at the end.
Check out their state of the art greenhouse – this lettuce is 25 days old and is being moved out to the cutter!
After our tour of the facility we came back to the table to eat lunch and do a little blind taste test.
Can you spot the difference between the green leaf lettuce? Which one looks more appealing?
Which arugula looks better? After all, you eat with your eyes. And let me just say that not only was there a huge difference in taste, but there was also a difference in texture. The competition had a chemical, waxy mouth feel where as the Little Leaf Farms arugula felt clean and crunchy.
After the taste test, we sat down to an amazing lunch made by Paul’s wife and her sister. The steak was made using the Momofuku recipe which can be found here. SO flavorful and delicious! It was served with the Little Leaf Farms arugula.
The chicken salad was her mom’s recipe. I’m hoping that recipe shows up on the Little Leaf Farms website soon.
Vietnamese fresh rolls with peanut sauce featuring Little Leaf Finstar.
A delicious salad, made with the red and green leaf mix and topped with Bubba’s vinaigrette (so simple and yet so delicious!):
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 clove garlic
Salt and pepper
Pour olive oil into a small bowl or jar. With a garlic press, press garlic clove into olive oil, including crushed pieces of garlic in the oil as well. Add rice vinegar. Whisk all ingredients together, it will thicken slightly. Add salt and pepper to taste.
A special shout out to Richard Auffrey, The Passionate Foodie, for organizing this field trip and for choosing some great local wines and ciders to go with our tasty lunch.
Disclaimer: I was invited to be a guest at Little Leaf Farms. I was provided a complimentary lunch and a swag bag with lettuce. All opinions are my own.
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- Posted under Products
November 4, 2016 Boston Christmas Festival
Ever since I was a kid, my mom and I would go to the Christmas Festival. We would do some light shopping and then go out to the now closed Anthony’s Pier 4.
The Christmas festival, now in its 30th year, has a wonderful gingerbread house display every year. The houses are judged and sold, with proceeds going to Housing Families, a non profit dedicated to ending family homelessness.
This year my mom and I started a new tradition. We brought my kids to the festival and they were able to judge the gingerbread houses!
The gingerbread houses were amazing! Check out this Finding Dory gingerbread house – look at all the detail.
A Wizard of Oz themed gingerbread house made by Café Escadrille.
Chef Maria Cavaleri’s house.
I loved the Candy Land themed house by Jennifer Pearson Luna, Executive Pastry Chef at Ostra and Sorellina. She won best tasting – which was my vote – and boy were those cookies tasty!
Here’s a close up.
This Main Street Disney gingerbread house was made by Cupcake City and took home top prize!
This house won the Best Decoration award.
Ginger Betty’s had adorable Dory cookies.
The festival has 300 exhibitors so you’re sure to find some holiday gifts!
I love these ceramic koi fish made by Maine artist, Tyson Weiss. Check out his website www.fishinthegarden.net
There are so many things to choose from: scarves, mittens, jewelry, kids clothing, holiday goods and more!
I love these birdhouses.
The food aisle is always the best to go down, that’s why I always save it for last. I picked up some really tasty toffee from Ye Olde Toffee Shoppe out of New York.
How cute are these hot chocolate balls? If you can’t make it to the show, check them out online.
I loved Carrie Wagners whimsy illustrations. She’s a first time exhibitor and is based out of Rhode Island. I picked up two of the most adorable ornaments – an octopus and a fish. You can find her shop, Sepia Lepus on Etsy if you can’t make it to the show.
The festival is open this Saturday 10 – 6 and Sunday 10 – 5. For more information, check out the Boston Christmas Festival’s website: http://bostonchristmasfestival.com/
Disclaimer: I was invited to bring my family to the festival to judge the gingerbread house contest. We were compensated with free tickets to the festival. All opinions are my own.
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November 3, 2016 Happy Birthday Leah
One of my good gal pals, Leah, was having a birthday so I thought I would surprise her with a little party! I decided to have a brunch for her, and kept it pretty simple. No birthday would be complete without a birthday cake from Party Favors (in Brookline) of course. I opted for the yellow cake with vanilla frosting.
I adore our new dining room table from Saltwoods – perfect for entertaining a great group of ladies. I picked up these great Kendari placemats from Crate and Barrel and used my Pottery Barn “Great White” serving dishes and dinnerware.
I’m a big fan of helping yourself, so I set up some options on the buffet – this way you can sit and enjoy your company!
OMG! Bagels delivered some super fresh bagels for the event! Let me give you a little background on OMG! Bagels: The company is owned by Ana Maria and Jorge Vinha. Ana Maria used to live in the house down the street from me and a few years ago she moved back into the house she grew up in. My dad was chatting her up one day and he told her that I was a food blogger. To be honest, I had never heard of OMG! Bagels before but once I did some homework, I realized that they were everywhere. I was probably eating them all along and didn’t even know it. They are in Whole Foods, Bfresh, Flat Black, Espresso Love, Peet’s Coffee & Tea, and Verrill Farm to name just a few of their locations. You see, the company was born out of the need for a great wholesale bagel. Jorge and Ana Maria ran a commercial bakery and they just couldn’t find a wholesale bagel that actually tasted good. So Jorge spent 9 months perfecting the recipe for their New York style bagels. Now they come in 21 varieties. Check out their website to see where you can buy their bagels, or catch them at a Farmer’s Market during the season. Check out my previous post about OMG! Bagels here.
One of my favorite things to put together for a brunch event is a yogurt bar, I just think they are so fun! I used Stonyfield yogurt – plain and strawberry, and had some fresh fruit, granola and key lime curd on hand to mix in.
While I love cake, it’s important to have a variety of sweets. I picked up these lovely fruit tarts from Roche Bros. From left to right, sour cherry (Leah’s favorite flavor), peach and mixed berry.
In addition to the Party Favors cake, I went with some mini cupcakes in flavors like carrot cake, coconut, creamsicle, pink lemonade, german chocolate and Oreo (just to name a few). Another thing I love about Roche Bros. is that they have a biscotti case – I mixed and matched flavors like pistachio, lemon poppy, almond and chocolate chip.
The muffins are from Roche Bros. as well. Not as good as the old version, (they swear it’s the same recipe) they tell me that the only thing that is different is that they bake them in the paper instead of straight in the tins. Anyway: coffee cake, chocolate chip, double chocolate, corn, cranberry and blueberry.
I knew that I wanted to do a little party favor and with the guests being food bloggers, I thought that giving OMG! challahs was a perfect idea. The challahs are pretty darn delicious, I ate mine straight out of the bag, but I love using it to make French Toast as well – for some reason, this challah is just perfect for French Toast! I challenged the other ladies at the party to take their challahs home and make something with them, can’t wait to see what they made!
So cheers Leah to a wonderful birthday, this is going to be a great year! Thanks for your friendship and your thoughtfulness, you are truly one of a kind! Check out what Leah is doing on her blog: Leah’s Life: Pearls and Oysters.
Tags: bagels, entertaining, party, stonyfield
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