Boston, Finally!

So, we went to Boston over the 4th of July. Which, was a long time ago. However, after we went, we had visitors through July, went home for a week, and just in general, I was busy. And just kind of hate editing photos. I like taking them, it's the whole post processing that I just really could do without. Hence, it took me 800 years to get through these photos.

Anyway, so, Boston.

Alex and I went over the 4th as kind of a fun belated anniversary gift to ourselves and had a great time. We took the Bolt Bus from New York, which was highly awesome. Clean, efficient, on time, and wi-fi the whole way. So much easier then flying even actually as there's no hassle of getting the airport and such.

We arrived on Friday afternoon and found our hotel right by Boston Common. Our room was huge and had a balcony with a nice view of the city.



We spent most of Friday wandering through the park, made our way down to the water and walking along admiring the boats and enjoying the view. We made sure to stop for some New England clam chowder and a brew and had a overall relaxing time.













That night we had reservations at a place called Ten Tables a little ways out from central Boston, but easy to reach on the T. As an aside, why does every single city manage to have a clean subway system aside from NYC? I really will never understand. Ten Tables was fantastic. It was adorable little bistro, with literally only 10 tables. All the food they use was locally grown and all their meat is local, pasture raised and certified cruelty free. We also had a bottle of Portuguese wine which I'd never had before which was mighty tasty. After dinner the waiter also brought us two glasses of Port on the house. I usually am not a big fan of the stuff, but this was really nice and not too strong like others I've had.

Saturday we spent most the morning and afternoon walking along the Freedom Trail, it was the 4th of July after all, and seeing all the history Boston has to offer. I'm not big on this stuff usually, but I had fun walking around the city.













And walk we did. At the end we decided we were going to climb to the top of this monument, and we got halfway up before realizing the line was too long. After climbing back down, both Alex and realized we literally couldn't walk anymore. Our quads had cramped up something awful. Shoot.


The monument that caused the pain...

After that we headed back to the hotel to relax a bit before the fireworks. We knew we had to get to the promenade early, but there were approximately 1 million people there when we arrived around 6, and the people just kept coming! We got lucky and managed to snag a spot on the grass, but I haven't seen that many people in one place in quite some time. We brought books and enjoyed the people watching until the music started later that evening.



Now, overall, the fireworks themselves were great. One of the longest fireworks displays I've ever seen. However, the other part of the show was awful! Not only were there several commercial breaks, but the Boston Pops didn't even play during the fireworks! They played awful pre-recorded country music instead! Not even good country music, in addition to other random selections like Grease Lightning. What? Alex and I were very confused. Oh well.

They still made for some pretty photos though, even if I had no tripod.








On Sunday we went over to Cambridge and enjoyed the campuses of Harvard and MIT, and then strolled back along the river.

For Licorice

For the past 14 years, Licorice has been a beloved member of our family. She brought an infinite number of smiles and laughter into our home and was the most mellow, loveable dog one could hope for.

Unfortunately, a week ago, her little body gave out and we had to put her to sleep.

She meant the world to my family, and it was incredibly difficult to let her go. She will truly be missed for a long time to come.

Some quick pasta dishes!

Last week Alex was out of town at the APA conference, so I was on my own in the kitchen. Or, basically, just cooking for one. I managed to eat pasta most days of the week. I'm not quite sure why, but it ended up being tasty and pretty quick and easy!

I made pesto pasta for myself twice, and it was great! Super healthy, easy, and most importantly, quite tasty!



Pesto Pasta with Zucchini and Cherry Tomatoes! All fresh from the market!

Pasta of your choice
Olive Oil
Fresh Garlic Cloves (4-6)
Fresh Basil
Parmesan Cheese
Cherry Tomatoes
Zucchini

Prepare your pasta normally.
Make up your pesto. I do this by adding fresh basil leaves, a healthy dose of olive oil, a garlic clove or two, and freshly grated parmesan, or other similar cheese to a food processor. Blend until smooth. (Yes, I know you are supposed to have pine nuts in pesto. I never have them in the house. I'm ok with that.)

As your pasta is almost nearing the point of being done, add some olive oil to a skillet, and a few pressed garlic cloves. Saute them up until nicely fragrant. Chop up some zucchini, however much you please, and add it to the skillet. Saute another two minutes or so. Add your chopped tomatoes, saute another minute.



Strain your cooked pasta into a saucepan over low heat and add the the pesto and veggies from the skillet. Add another few dashes of olive oil. Mix well. Serve topped with freshly grated cheese.



Yum!

Dish Number 2

Pasta with Sausage and Veggies



Alex met me during my lunch break at the greenmarket today. A word to market vendors, if you give me a free sample, it is highly likely I will buy your product. This is tripled if the husband in tow has also not eaten lunch and just come from the gym. Just saying.

We walked by the turkey farm stand and the vendor was giving away free samples of turkey sausage. I'm going to go ahead and say it was about the bestest sausage ever. I'm not really a sausage fan, that's more Alex's realm, but this stuff was pretty fabulous. Hence, it came home in our shopping bags.

Upon sitting the rest of the day at work, I decided I would make some sort of sausage and peppers dish for dinner. Well, it sort of turned into that. Only better.

This is a great light summer pasta dish that was perfect for the hot summer night with a nice glass of wine!

Pasta with Sausage and Veggies

Pasta of your choice (though I'd say something penne-ish is a good fit)
Sausage, we used 1.5 lbs of turkey sausage, sold not in links (if yours comes in links, remove the casings)
A good handful or two of Arugula
A handful of fresh basil
Green pepper, sliced into thin strips
Cherry or grape tomatoes (chopped in halves or quarters)
Garlic Cloves
Olive Oil
Freshly grated cheese (which I forget to get which would have made this so very awesome)
a dash of salt, dried basil, and whatever else suits your fancy
1 chopped shallot
Zuchinni

Prepare your pasta normally

While your water boils, start browning your sausage. I added a few pressed cloves of garlic, a few shakes of basil and oregano, and 1 chopped shallot to the pot.

When the pasta is nearly complete and your sausage is about done, throw some olive oil in a skillet and saute up a few more pressed garlic cloves until nicely fragrant. Add your chopped zucchini, saute a minute or two, add your green pepper, another minute or two, then toss in your tomatoes, and very lastly the arugula. (The arugula is optional in this step, you can also just add that straight to the hot pasta.)

Strain your pasta from the water and add it to your sausage. (Drain any excess grease from the sausage before this step if you're into healthy things) Add the sauteed veggies atop the pasta, throw in some torn basil leaves and mix well, adding olive oil as necessary to make sure things mix well and a dash of salt or pepper to taste.

Serve with freshly grated cheese if you remembered to pick it up at the store!

A few quick bites.

So with all the fresh zucchinis at the farmers market lately, I've been planning on making some zucchini bread. I had seen some fancy recipes on the kitchen sink but didn't have any flax seed so I found this awesome recipe instead.


Zucchini Bread

I didn't need two loaves so I halved the recipe, using 2 eggs and 3/4 C chopped almonds with 1/4 or so of the walnuts. I also sprinkled a bit of sugar over the top before I baked it. This was delicious! Super moist and perfect for breakfast!

After finishing the bread, Alex and I were off to a week in lovely Minneapolis! It was SO great to be able to see family and friends and spend some time by the lakes. I never realized how quiet Minneapolis was until now! Thanks to everyone for spending time catching up with us and making for such a fantastic trip home.

We got back to the city late last night. Today it was pouring rain all day and I had no intention of leaving the couch. Our refrigerator was nearly empty, but we had to find something for dinner. We had a pizza dough, some cheese, and surprisingly a few vegetables had survived the week. But, no sauce to be had. I wanted to cook something new, and then remembered the Pizza Sauce recipe I had seen on Annie's Eats. Now, I admit, I thought Annie a little crazy at first for crafting her own pizza sauce. How she has time for that, I will never know, but I decided to give it a try anyhow as we had a can of diced tomatoes in the cupboard.

YUM! This was so worth it, and so easy! I only made a half batch and had more then enough for a pizza with some leftover. I will certainly be making this again!!

Cooking African Style

So I've gotten quite behind in my blogging as of late. Apologies, July has been very, very busy!! Alex and I went to Boston over the fourth, posting soon to come!, then Alex's dad was in town, then Emily, then Megan and Laura. Sheesh, more visitors in two weeks then we had in two years in Minneapolis! I guess that's what we get for moving to the Big Apple.

Lots of fun, just lots of busy!

Anyhow, when Emily was in town, I knew I wanted to cook up some African. (Emily and I travelled in Senegal and Morocco and Emily spent oodles of time in Senegal among other fun African countries for those unacquainted with her fabulousness) I have this beautiful cookbook, seriously I could just gaze at the pictures all day and plan travelling excursions, that I received from a dinner I was at for my old job.



I've looked at it lots, but never actually used it. It has recipes from across the continent, and I figured who better to share them with then my fellow travel lover Em!


Thus, for no other reasons then they looked tasty, kind of easy, and would require a relatively short shopping list... (I did not plan ahead and had to make a grocery run at like 7pm that night) I selected Grilled Fish-Avocado Soup and Vegetable Samosas.

Also, thanks to Alex for being the photographer of the night! My hands were much too messy to be working with the camera. All photos here are courtesy of him!

Grilled Fish-Avocado Soup
Adapted from The Soul of A New Cuisine By Marcus Samuelsson

This recipe hails from the region around Lake Victoria in the East.

Ingredients:
Olive Oil
Juice of 3 Limes
1 TBS Chopped Cilantro
Garlic Cloves (4-6)
2 tsp green curry paste
The recipe calls for eight 4 oz Tilapia fillets, we subbed in Mahi-mahi, as that's what was in the freezer. I would actually say I preferred the taste of Mahi mahi to tilapia, but then it's probably not authentic, oh well.
2 avocados
1-2 jalapeños seeded and chopped (Technically, it calls for Scotch Bonnet chilies, I have no idea what those are, nor did my grocery store.)
1 medium to large red onion
4 C chicken broth
2 C dry white wine
4 tomatoes chopped (I think we may have had only 3)
1 C cooked black beans

Combine 2 TBS of olive oil, juice of one lime, chopped cilantro, garlic cloves (2-3), and 1 tsp of curry paste in a food processor and blend until smooth. Brush the puree over the fish and sliced avocado.



Heat 2 TBS of olive oil in dutch oven or large pot. Add some chopped garlic, onions and jalapeño, saute about 5 minutes.

Add the chicken broth and wine, bring to a simmer and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, the rest of the lime juice, cilantro, a dash of salt, and black beans. Simmer gently another 10 minutes.







Meanwhile, add some olive oil to a saute pan and cook the avocados and fish. After the fish is cooked through, cut it into small pieces along with the avocado. Add the avocado and grilled fish to the soup mixture. Simmer a few more minutes, and serve!




Vegetable Samosas

Cape Town, South Africa

Dough
(I made a half batch)
4 tsp ground tumeric
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1.5 C all-purpose flour
2 tsp salt (I nixed this)
2 tsp oil
1 C water
Juice of 2 lemons

Mix together the flour and spices in a large bowl. Pour the oil, water, and lemon juice into the center. Slower stir the flour into the liquids until all the liquid has been absorbed.

Turn dough out onto a floured work surface and knead until it is smooth and elastic and begins to form into a ball. About 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cover with a damp cloth and let rest in a warm, draft-free place for 20 minutes.


This dough was SUPER sticky!

Filling
2 TBS olive oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 small yukon gold potatoes
1 TBS green curry paste
1 carrot peeled and cut
2 garlic cloves
1/2 head cauliflower (we subbed broccoli as the store had no cauliflower)
1/2 C coconut milk
1/2 C water
Juice of 1 lime



Heat oil in a saute pan. Add the onion and potatoes and saute about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low, add the curry paste, carrot, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally about 10 minutes.





Add the cauliflower, coconut milk, and water, bring to a simmer and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in the lime juice, transfer to a bowl to cool. Mash the filling with a fork.

Divide the dough into equal pieces. ONe at a time, roll out each piece into a 6 inch circle. Place a TBS of filling into the center and fold over. Let rest for 30 minutes. (This last step got skipped.)



Heat enough oil in a deep pan to fry the samosas. Fry for about 10 minutes.






Both items were very tasty. I especially liked the soup quite a bit. The samosas, well, didn't really turn out like samosas. There was no light pastry feel to these at all. In fact, the dough was very sticky, and then quite heavy when rolled out and when I was stuffing them. They ended up looking pretty funky, but, the flavor was good. Just pretend they look pretty! It's all about the taste anyhow right??

Shakshooka!

A few weeks ago, Alex and I were wandering around the Hell's Kitchen area in search of something to eat. We were looking for a place that looked tasty, cute, and not expensive. Our 3 general requirements for a good find.

Luckily, after a few blocks we came upon Hummus Kitchen, and it fit the bill exactly! This place was super tiny, but very cute on the inside. Upon looking over the menu, I immediately noticed a dish I had never heard before, Shakshooka. What in the world is that?

Alex decided to be brave and ordered it up. A short while later his dinner came out sizzling in a skillet and looking mighty tasty. I quickly became pretty jealous I hadn't ordered the same! It was delicious! It turns out Shakshooka is a middle eastern dish, Israeli by most website accounts... though some will disagree and say it's Pakastani or Syrian.

After we got home, I googled a bunch of recipes, and discovered this Shakshooka stuff wasn't hard to make and that I would definitely give it a shot! Mostly, I was just looking for any excuse to say Shakshooka as many times as possible, because, for real, how fun is it to say!



I had bought some eggs fresh from the farmers market last week, so decided this would be a good meal to showcase them. I started with this recipe I'd found online, as it sounded the closest to what we'd had in the restaurant, and went from there!


I followed the cooking directions pretty much exactly but my ingredient list was as follows:

Ingredients:
1 red pepper and 1 green pepper
A bit of olive oil
1 medium yellow onion
3 cloves of garlic
6 ripe tomatoes (I used smallish medium ones)
5 eggs
1 jalepeno chili, seeded
2 tbs (about) of tomato paste
1/4 cup fresh basil chopped
1 tsp. of sweet paprika
Salt and pepper (according to taste)
A bit of garlic powder



Overall this was a fairly simple and extremely healthy meal. The flavors are delicious and it made just the right amount to fill Alex and I both up. I had wanted to make my own pita bread as well, but that would have been too time consuming. Just make sure you have some sort of bread to go along with it!



YUM!