Boston in September

 I think it's time to talk about my trip to Boston in September. Because I'm pretty sure it's my dream city and maybe I want to live there forever and ever. It was one of my all-time favorite trips, and it conveniently knocked off one of my New Years resolutions.

The reason I was in Boston is in this picture. My beautiful friend, Megan, got married! She freaking glowed the whole weekend I was there. It was a wonderful thing to see.

I also met up with my friend, Laura. We grabbed brunch a few blocks from our hotel at Metropolis Cafe. Our waiter totally thought I was someone else and greeted me like he knew me. My thoroughly confused face must've tipped him off. Oh well, mimosas! I had the grapefruit.

And the huevos rancheros. Good LORD did I have heuvos rancheros.

I spent most of my first day walking around downtown and the South End. I probably walked a few miles then and more the next day with Laura. Which is good because of the aforementioned brunch and  everything else we ate.

     

Like cannoli from Mike's Pastry. We would've stopped at Modern too to compare but we didn't have the patience to wait in that kind of line again. Next time!

But let's not act like I didn't have the best cannoli of my life. Does it make me pretentious that I wanted to write "cannolo" because that's what the singular form is even though I speak not a lick of Italian and no one really cares if I use the plural? Whatever, I'll just hold it like a Marx brother holds a cigar.

Let's pause a moment and consider this sticky bun. If you know anything about Boston's baked goods, you've probably heard of Flour Bakery and its outrageous sticky bun. Toasty pecans. Copious amounts of caramel. Buttery brioche dough. I. Died.

We had a picnic over by the Esplanade. The Charles River sported super-puffy clouds.

For some reason, the one thing I wanted to be sure to see was the Old North Church. Look, a lantern! It's really a neat landmark. Instead of pews, the church has boxes because it got so dang cold in the winter that they needed to hold in the body heat. And it's still an active church!

My next house better have wrought iron gates. 

The last night I was there I had dinner by myself at Coppa, a little place a few blocks (again) from my hotel. Boston is so freaking walkable and I swear there's good food on every corner. This crispy, cheesy arancini inspired me to make my own at home from mushroom risotto. Bomb.

I saw burrata on the menu. That was all it took.

I adored the flowers at Megan's wedding. The purples and greens were simply...gorgeous. 

I'll leave you with a picture of the happy couple. And truly, I've never seen two people more clearly in love.

Muscadine Syrup

We are solidly in fall and, more importantly, fall TV. Scandal turned me inside out, The Mindy Project  and New Girl make me giggle, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine is pleasantly surprising me. I should probably be a little ashamed of how much TV programming I watch, but I'm just gonna own it. I'm much more apt to binge-watch a new show than watch a couple of movies, even if they take the same amount of my time. I just... I like short-form media. Is that a thing or did I just make it up? (I totally made it up.)

I did not make up muscadines. They are beautiful Southern grapes. With very large seeds. And they make some sweet, sweet wine. Not that I know anything about that.

I do know about the beautiful syrup they make. 

It couldn't be easier. Muscadines, a little sugar, and some allspice. 

Break down the muscadines in a pot with a little water. I used a hefty wooden spoon and a potato masher alternately. I think they both work just fine. The skins are thicker than on your average grocery store grape, so it can take a little work. Bring the muscadines and water to a boil and then turn the heat down to a simmer for 10 or 15 minutes.

Strain the juice from the solids with a fine mesh strainer. This is a good time to use that wooden spoon or potato masher to get all the grape-y goodness.

It's a beautiful, fragrant juice, and you could stop here if juice is all you want.

But me? I want syrup. So in goes the little bit of sugar and the allspice. The allspice isn't strictly necessary, but I love the warm feeling it gives me. Return the juice mixture to the pot you used earlier. Bring it to a boil then turn the heat down and let it reduce by about half. 

It thickens a little as it cools, and you're left with a sweet, fruity syrup.

It's pretty divine over bleu cheese. I think you can use this just about anywhere you'd use fig preserves. If you made a crostini with goat cheese and walnuts with a drizzle of muscadine syrup...well I could never be mad at that.

Muscadine Syrup (makes about 1/4 cup)

1 lb muscadine grapes

1/3 c water

1 tbs sugar

1/4-1/2 tsp allspice

• In a medium saucepan, break up muscadines with a wooden spoon. Make sure all the skins are broken. Pour in the water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and let it go for 10-15 minutes. 
• Strain the liquid into a bowl with a fine mesh strainer. Get all that juice! 
• Return the juice to the pot and add the sugar and allspice. Bring to a boil and stir until sugar dissolves. Reduce the heat to a simmer and let the mixture reduce by about half. Pour into a heat-proof glass or dish to cool.
• Drizzle over cheeses and serve with crackers. Or heck, mix it into a cocktail!

Summer Vacation 2013

Summer vacations are different as an adult. For one, I actually have to go somewhere to be on vacation. Growing up in a vacation area means you say snarky things about all the visitors causing the traffic and their terrible driving. Living in Columbia means I have to be one of those people. And y'know, I don't mind it much.

Will's parent have a condo in Panama City because they spend a fair amount of time there. We stayed there for a week earlier this month for our vacation. One evening was spent sitting on the dock of the bay.

Of course we ate our faces off. Few things are more pleasing than a plump oyster swimming in a seasoned butter sauce. Add crispy, buttery bread on top of that and you'll have all I've ever needed in life.

I'm a fan of statement jewelry. Go big or go home. One of my favorite Pure Barre instructors, Mollie, is the new co-owner of a Copper Penny here in Columbia. Copper Penny is a Charleston retailer that carries high-quality fashions (think Trina Turk) for Southern ladies. I stopped in and got a fun necklace for my vacation.

This essentially became three meals for Will and me. I ate it for dinner, and then we both ate it for lunch one day.

So.  We saw a shark. And not a little one either. He (or she) could've easily taken a limb. Evidently it just wasn't in the mood because it just moseyed on around the shore and left. We also saw turtles swimming, which is 10034382 times less scary.

Have you seen this? It's some new-fangled thing the kids are trying. It's like a jet pack on your feet and you fly up in the air and can swim like a dolphin with wings.

I freaked when I saw these. They're grown-up lunchables! And not half bad either. We got one of the salami & cheese and one sun butter meals. We found them at Target, but I hadn't seen them in mine. I'm going to check my Target because these are perfect for the beach or any emergency eating situation.

We can't visit PCB without stopping by Montego Bay for some gumbo. It's better at the tiny, original location.

Dogfish Head beers are finally making their way south. This is one thing I've missed about Delaware. But now I don't have to miss it anymore!

We had two great sandwiches at Liza's Kitchen, which Will refers to as the "hippie place" because...well they were kind of hippies in there. I love the placemats they had - each had a "recipe" from a child. Dinosaur soup was mine.

Going to Captain Anderson's is like taking a step back into the 80's. In a good way. You get lots of super-rich, stuffed seafood, and the carpeting is plaid. Oh and you also get perfectly grilled fish in a lemony, buttery, onion sauce. Crab on top is optional but always a good idea. And we get the peanut butter pie. This time we got it to go.

Annnd speaking of dessert, if you're in Florida you might as well get key lime pie. Do yourself a favor and make sure it's not green before you get it. Key lime pie isn't supposed to be green. The filling should be yellow because lime juice is yellow. Even this pie isn't strictly traditional - it's more of a frozen pie, which is still delicious and a little unexpected.

I made us drive in torrential rain for donuts. For 2 years I've been wanting to get donuts from this place, and we finally made it over there. The cake donuts were fluffier and more tender than I've ever had (especially moreso than that place that begins with a D) and the yeast were melt-in-your-mouth. It was a good choice, and I'm officially donutted out. For a few more days.

It really was a lovely vacation. Could those clouds say otherwise? I think not.

Blueberry Waffles

Waffles are for sunny mornings, or mornings I wish were sunny. Blueberries make waking up a little easier, and flaxseeds make me feel better about pouring maple syrup over everything. Omega-3s, y'all.

My breakfast simply isn't breakfast unless I have coffee. If I don't have coffee, it's naptime at precisely 2:00PM. My breakfast is a better breakfast if it has crispy-tender-fruity waffles.


Real. Maple. Syrup. It's the only way. If I'm going to pour liquid sugar over my breakfast treat, I want it to come from a tree.


Waffles can be easy. Flour, buttermilk, eggs, ground flaxseed (optional), sugar, baking soda, salt, blueberries, melted butter, and vanilla extract.


Dry ingredients get a gentle mixin' just to distribute everything.


I really love egg yolks. For realz. I just think they're really pretty. And the fresher the egg the prettier the yolk. Which reminds me that I need to go buy some farm-fresh eggs ASAP.


I also love the way milk and eggs mix together. Is that weird? I'm going with no, but I'm probably not the best gauge.
 
We're so close to having waffles! Gently mix the wet and dry ingredients together. Lumps are totally acceptable in this situation.


And the real star: blueberries. Just fold them in a bit. Heat your waffle iron and brush with a little vegetable oil. I like to use a 1/2 cup as a scoop. I took pictures of this step, but quite frankly I didn't like the looks of any of them. There's no big secret to this. Scoop the batter into the hot waffle iron and close the lid. Like really close it. I didn't have the top down all the way on my first couple of waffles and they came out a little soggy. So just make sure it's on there tight.


And a few minutes later you have a crispy waffle with a tender middle. The blueberries might make a little mess, but what's life or breakfast without a little mess?

And for that matter, what's a waffle without syrup and butter? It's a sad waffle, that's what it is. That waffle you see there? A happy waffle. A supremely happy waffle.

There may have been a time I would've been concerned that I give waffles feelings and share that with the world. To be clear, I've always ascribed human feelings/traits to inanimate objects and most especially food. That's not new. I just don't mind y'all knowing about it. The Internet lowers inhibitions, y'all!

Blueberry Waffles (amount may vary depending on your waffle maker ---I got 6 from mine)

Adapted from Better Homes & Gardens

1 3/4 c all-purpose flour
2 tbs sugar
1-2 tbs ground flaxseed (optional)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 c buttermilk
1/2 c butter, melted and cooled
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 pint blueberries, rinsed and picked over
Vegetable oil, for brushing

• In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, flaxseed, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 
• In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs just to break them up a bit. Stir in the buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla extract.
• Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in egg mixture. Gently stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until dry ingredients have been moistened by the egg mixture. The batter will be lumpy and that's just dandy. Gently fold in the blueberries.
• Heat your waffle maker according to its instructions. Brush with oil and pour in between 1/3 and 1/2 cups of batter. Don't overfill the waffle maker, so if you need to use less, use less. Firmly close the waffle maker and cook until golden brown. Repeat with the remaining batter until you have a mound of beautiful waffles. 
• Serve with pure maple syrup or a dusting of powdered sugar. Bacon is recommended.