Thanksgiving 2012!

Stuffing, mashed, turkey,
chocolate chip and apple
pie, family.  Smile.

Sugar Baking Co. & Restaurant, Roslindale

Earlier this week, my good amiga and I ventured out into the brisk evening to enjoy dinner and drinks in my awesome hood of Roslindale.  As I'm sure I have mentioned before, Rozzie and the surrounding areas have some really tasty joints to sample.  My friend and I decided on Sugar Baking Co. & Restaurant, located on Washington Street in Roslindale Square.  (http://www.sugarbakingcompany.com)  We both wanted to try something new and after we perused the on-line menu, we were sold.  The hubs and I had gone to Sugar's bakery for a take-out, late and light breakfast way back when.  I had taken a mental note to return for lunch and/or supper and so happy I did.  

The restaurant was dead with only two other people seated in the small dining area on a Thursday at 6pm.  This made me kind of sad because I love to see small area businesses thrive.  So fingers crossed, people  The host was friendly and directed us to sit wherever we'd like. There was a tiny bar and the small dining area to choose from, and the bakery's located in the rear of the building.   I picked a four person table, as I knew we'd be putting a hurting on some tidbits and would need the extra room.  Our waitress (and I assumed part owner by my eavesdropping), was friendly and informative about the wine, the small but diverse menu, and the special of the night, which happened to be some form of duck.  

We put in an order for the crab cakes and each ordered a glass of vino. Other appetizer and salad options included baby octopus, French onion soup, and Vermont goat cheese salad, etc.   I adored the Garnacha - Vina Borgia Campo de Borja and mi amiga really liked the Malbec - Domaine Bousquet Tupungato.  The soft, fresh, and warm bread was delivered right away, accompanied by an olive spread.  Unfortunately, both of us despise olives so we opted for some butter.  No biggie.  When our crab cakes arrived we decided to order our dinner selections.   The cakes could not have been more scrumptious.  The nice sized patties were jam packed with rock crab meat,  nicely blackened and crispy, served with a zingy citrus mayo and homemade potato chips to die for.  Give me a big old plate of those with some onion dip made from scratch and I'd be ecstatic.  Sooo good.  

Not long after we devoured our fabulous seafood selection, our dinner entrees were served.  Mi amiga que buena LOVED her pan seared salmon with baked smoked white bean and chive oil.  And my grilled steak frites with bordelaise sauce was the bomb diggity.  The steak was totally cooked to my liking which is medium well.  Yes.  Medium well.  It was served with crunchy shoestring fries and a light salad.  Delish but way too much for me to eat so the hubs scored big time on the leftovers.  He totally dug the dish.  

Of course we could not leave without getting our fix of chocolate and more spectacular wine.  We both ordered our own chocolate lava cake drizzled with more chocolate and a super delicious raspberry sauce.  OMG.  Decadent fo sho.  

In addition, the dinner menu includes choices such as lobster mac n cheese, veal, burgers, chicken, seafood, pasta dishes, and vegetarian.  Each option looked fantastic and the prices and portions are just right.  They serve some pretty funky, local beers and various wines, too.  And they give each table their very own bottle of water so you can refill at your convenience which I totally likey.  Also note they serve breakfast all day, lunch every day, brunch on the weekends, and dinner every night.  Check out Sugar Baking Co. & Restaurant asap!  You will be very happy.  

 (photo borrowed from Sugar Baking Co. & Restaurant's website)

Election Day Supper!

Hot roast beef, Bisto
corn, creamy mashed, crescent rolls
tasty leftovers

Angela's Coal Fired Pizza, Saugus

Confession:
Feeling kinda bad for totally slacking on my dope hobby.  I've enjoyed all sorts of food over the summer by my design, or take-out, or dining out, or bbqing, or etc.  And I have totally neglected to share the LOVE of my life with you on a regular.  MY B.  What can I say?  I am a busy girl, blessed with a fantastic family and a fabuloso, close group of friends.  We like to do fun stuff together which of course includes food and a healthy amount of beverages.  :)

Last night, my family and I headed from C-town over the Tobin to Route 1 in Saugus.  Our tasty destination for this spectacular evening out was Angela's Coal Fried Pizza (http://www.angelascfp.com/).  There is one other location in Tyngsboro.  The restaurant came super highly recommended by mi madre who was sitting co-pilot for our short voyage via that rickety old bridge that scares the bejesus out of me.  Our gathering for this particular dinner was to celebrate my bro's awesome girlfriend's birthday.  A wee bit late but that's how we roll.  And score.  They brought me a bottle of red sparkling wine!  We had discovered the red sparkling vino on our trip to New York City in May.  Can't wait to sample a nice big glass of it.  :)

It was on the early side which was cool because we were seated immediately by our soft spoken, attentive, waitress, Jackie.  The staff was friendly, efficient, courteous, and cordial even when the hubs knocked my sangria all over the joint.  HA!  The family owned and run establishment is decorated with black and white family photos and neat vintage artwork of former musicians and actors.  It has an open kitchen which you know I likey.  They cook the pizza and wings on Anthracite coal, a type which burns clean.  There's a medium sized dining room and a small/medium bar, too.  Frank Sinatra and other legends blared from the speakers.  It was such a chill setting.

The menu consists of three food groups:  fresh garden salad, wings to die for, and pick your own topping or signature pizzas cooked perfectly and so dang tasty.  OMG.  That's all they ever need to offer and they know it.  There was a steady crowd in and out to dine there, or for take-out, and I am pretty sure I saw a delivery dude.  They serve good sized pitchers of Sangria served with fresh fruit and it is muy bueno.  We opted for a red and a white to start and they were both yummo and went down quite nice.

Shortly after our drinks were served, our family sized salad arrived.  The Italian vinaigrette style dressing blended in perfectly on the classic, crispy garden salad topped with chickpeas, hard boiled eggs, and olives.  They also offer Caesar salad and you can add chicken to either.  The thinly sliced celery and the fresh Focaccia style bread was my fave part.  While munching on our salads, the wings were served and devoured.  The tasty, dry, oniony/lemony rub was delish and the meat literally fell right off the bones.  Combined with more bread and the caramelized onions...MMM!  And the servers give you plenty of napkins and wet wipes so you don't look like a hot mess while chowing down.  The sangria continued to flow and our pizza was soon delivered.

We ordered a small Pollo Alfredo, homemade creamy Alfredo sauce, chicken, broccoli, mozzarella, and Romano cheese, a small with roasted hot peppers, and a large cheese.  Each sensational slice was addicting.  The hubs and I always forget how much we love white pizza and it was the bomb.  The spicy pepper had a nice kick to it and the cheese was the classic.  The flavorful sauce, crispy thin crust, and the various cheeses rocked.  And we totally had plenty left over including one or two wings which I am about to inhale once this bloggggg is complete.  Their website states that the food is cooked with love.  And it is true in every delicious bite.

There is one complaint.  Only two measly desserts which were not even homemade are offered.  BOO!  But other than that, our food was superb and the prices are very reasonable.  I highly recommend Angela's.

Because we all yearned for a sweetie and some coffee drinks, we cruised down Route 1 to a little Italian joint called Caffe di Calabria that the hubs searched on his phone.  It was a quaint, European, bakery kind of set up.  And besides a friendly, elderly Italian gentleman and the woman who worked there, the five of us were the only ones in the place at first.  The cannolis were grand central and per usual, the fam and I had some good laughs and a great time together.

Bombastic Banana Bread Recipe from Simply Recipes Jazzed up by Yours Truly :)

• 3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

METHOD

No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

In addition, I added 1/3 cup of light brown sugar, 6oz of semi-sweet chocolate chips (half of the bag), tons of cinnamon, a bit of nutmeg, couple squeezes of lemon juice, and I totally meant to throw in some walnuts but I forgot.  I sprinkled a good amount of sugar and cinnamon on top before baking.  You may want to leave the delectable treat in the oven about 15-20 minutes longer than directed above.  And I used baking PAM not butter.   YUM!

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/banana_bread

Not just because I am Irish...

What is UP???

Hope you have been enjoying my wicked awesome Haiku from the heart.  HA.  But, really.  Don't hate on them.  They are fun and easy to write and usually convey in one way or another, my message on the topic at hand...FOOD.

Dang.  Where do I begin?  So much to say and not enough recall.  The summer has surely flown by.  I hope you all made some happy memories.  Vacations, hanging with family and friends, getting color, bbqing, gardening, and relaxing are some of the many things I will miss as the days grow shorter and Autumn approaches.  Harvested our first pumpkin this morning and it is a beauty.  Totally makes me yearn for a nice, cool, crisp, Fall afternoon.  Sipping cocoa with Bailey's on the back porch, watching the dog spaz out in the yard over nada, while waiting for the homemade apple pie baking in the oven.  In the slow cooker, simmers deliciously, spicy, and tender pulled pork and onions.  WHOAH.  Tangent.  But you get my point.  I really do heart the fall months.

We recently returned from a fantastic two week holiday at my in-laws' villa, as I like to refer to it, in one of my favorite places on God's green earth, Ireland.  Gorgeous and breathtaking are words that come to mind when looking around at the landscape and ocean views of Donegal.  Over the years, I have visited different areas of the motherland and I would often joke with the hubs and family that I bring the sun to Ireland.  And, when I leave the country, Ireland cries.  Well, after this trip, it is a joke no more.  It is fact.  We couldn't have asked for better weather.  Most days the sun was beaming down on us while at the beach or walking or hanging with the wee ones.  I even got a sunburn.  Believe that.  I can count on one hand how many times I actually saw rain.  Summer in Ireland is beautiful.  And we were lucky enough to experience Giant's Causeway this time around.  It should definitely be a Wonder of the World because it is that cool.

If you have never been to Ireland and when I say Ireland, I mean the most northern part of Donegal.  Malin Head.  Way, way up there.  Put it on your bucket list.  Like on a very clear day, from Banba's Crown, you can see straight across to Scotland.  Amazing.  The countryside's hills and valleys are various shades of green, dotted with colorful flowers, lambs, sheep, cows, donkeys, chickens, horses, remnants of thatched houses, modern homes, sheds, and tractors. The air is so clean, makes you sleep like a baby.  Don't get me started on the clear nights with the millions of stars that light the sky.  Constellations so close you swear you can reach out and grab one.  Mesmerizes me every time.

The locals are more than welcoming and cordial.  They are hysterical, generous, intelligent, and most importantly patient with us Yanks.  :)  The brogue is brilliant and at first, a bit difficult to understand.  Their words are poetic and their stories are legendary.  Their music is historical, rebel like, beautiful, folky, religious, and awesome, all rolled into one.  The random sessions that break out in pubs are fantastic.  One dude plays the guitar as another sings from his heart, others join in with various instruments and voices.

When you hear someone say the Irish love their meat and spuds.  Believe it.  The potatoes are so fresh and delicious.  They don't even need butter or salt.  But, come on.  When given the choice of Kerrygold, you can't deny it.  And I love me some salt.  Fresh Daniel Doherty bread is my fave.  Lathered with butter and raspberry jam, my snack of choice with our many cups of Lyons Irish tea.  Sweeties, cakes, breads, chocolate, and other goodies were always in abundance.  The tasty bangers and rashers with Galtee cheese fried up with some onions accompanied by more bread and butter...to die for.  The hubs' favorite was the authentic fish and chips from the local chip van.  The chips (fries) are so yummy doused with vinegar and salt.  Can you say STARCH?  My total favorite food group everrr.

During this trip the hubs and I enjoyed a lovely date night at a local restaurant called the Butterbean,(https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Butterbean-Restaurant-Carndonagh)   in a neighboring town, Carndonagh.  YUM.  I ordered Merlot and a glass of water to wet the whistle.  We shared the bruschetta for our starter.  It was surprisingly delish, even with the small pieces of black olive.  The tasty vinaigrette drizzled over crusty bread, piled with fresh tomatoes and mozzarella.  MMM.  I had the tender, boneless, chicken breast with garlic butter and crispy garlic potatoes with a small salad.  Hubs devoured his tasty slab of sirloin beef and chips.  For dessert, I enjoyed a warm piece of moist chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream AND whipped cream and the hubs inhaled the apple pie with the same.  The staff was friendly and efficient and the prices weren't bad at all.  Dos thumbs up.  After our supper, we ventured out to the Clonmany Festival where we enjoyed The High Kings at an outdoor venue whilst drinking Smithwick's.  Fantastic.  And Butterbean was so good, we returned with the hubs' sister and husband for another tasty evening out on the town.  Good times.

With Ireland as my subject, I could go on forever.  My heritage and my husband's leads back to the very places we visit on a regular.  We are blessed to have a home to stay in when we visit and a wonderful family to welcome us when we arrive.

Umgall, Doherty's, Anthony's or the...

Guest house for Smithwick's
Walkers cheese and onion crisps
cool, random sessions