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Category: Friday Links

  • Boston Ethnic Markets Is Our Friday Link

    Adventurous Boston food lovers are fortunate to have a great resource in the website Boston Ethnic Markets. 

    Boston Etnnic Markets Website

    This may look familar to you because it’s an updated version of the information that was once on the Boston Museum site. 

    Dan Brody, who maintained the roster there, has created a new home for it and is looking forward to working with the Boston food community to keep it up-to-date. Please think of him and this resource when you notice that a new place has opened or a listed place has closed.

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    If you’re looking for a Kosher butcher, the list will link you to the Butcherie of Brookline.

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    Want Middle Eastern food? Arax will come up as one of many choices in Watertown.

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    Look for a place to buy nuts and Fastachi will show up listed twice. Once for the Watertown shop and again for the one on Charles Street in Boston. 

    With the click of a header, you can sort the list by any of its headings including the name of the shop, what type of store it is, what region of the world it covers, what ethnic cuisine, or by the town where you hope to shop. 

    Nice work, Dan. And we understand how hard it can be to keep information like this current so we hope all our readers will send you tips to help out. 

     

    What’s on your Food Lover’s Shopping List? Shop Amazon for all your kitchen & dining needs and support this site!

    Details:

    Words: Penny Cherubino
    Photos: ©2010-2014 Penny & Ed Cherubino with top screen shot courtesty of Boston Ethnic Markets.

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  • Massachusetts Trial Court Law Libraries: Our Friday Link

    Most of us need legal information from time to time and the Massachusetts Trial Court Law Libraries are a great resource. And, thanks to a recent improvement in their services, you can obtain an ecard without visiting a library branch.

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    Here's the message sent out on a recent blog entry:

    "Massachusetts residents can now get Ecards for remote access to various legal databases without visiting one of our 17 locations.  The new service started on November 19th, and to date we have had about 60 requests for cards.  With your new card number, you can search RetrieveLaw for researching cases and statutes for Massachusetts and the federal government. You can also search HeinOnline for law reviews and a variety of other unique databases, as well as newspapers, self help law books from Nolo and more.

    This page has the online form to apply for a card.  You need to be a Massachusetts resident.  Your card will be issued within one to two business days.

    Databases are listed here.

    What are you waiting for?"

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    For a running update on topical Massachusetts law information or changes as they take effect, follow the updates with an RSS feed of their blog or on Facebook or Twitter.

    Now with a free ecard, we can research any topic we choose without the need to rent a car and go to a location outside of Boston. Thanks for the change!

    Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photography: Photo of law books by Woody Hibbard used under this creative commons license. Screenshot of Law Library page courtesy of Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

  • A Busy Season Resource: Our Poached Chicken Links

    A barely shimmering pot of poaching chicken will always put a smile on Ed's face. He loves having a big bowl of poached chicken in the refrigerator. Back in 2011, we told you that we consider Poached Chicken a Cook's Treasure. We are going to be our own Friday Link today and direct you to some of the ways to enjoy this basic preparation.

    Ed doesn't enjoy cooking, but he'll slice some cooked chicken to top a salad. (He's the household salad maker.) And, he knows that this healthy protein can also be turned into some of his favorite dishes. 

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    Dishes like this Curried Chicken Salad. We don't use mayo, so we look for lighter ways to add moisture and flavor to salads. 

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    If you buy a good quality chicken, poach it carefully, and don't overcook it, you'll have nice, moist chicken meat when you finish. I usually pull it out a tad undercooked and let carryover cooking finish the job. You can use a fast read thermometer to be sure you've reached the food safe temperature.

    I learned to poach chicken years ago from a chef that hired me to do some design work for him. He treated our staff to a beautiful tray of sandwich makings one day while we worked on one of his projects. I was so impressed with the lovely, moist slices of chicken, that I asked him to teach me to make it, and he did.

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    Naturally, you can poach a chicken or two in stock and make a very rich chicken soup when the weather outside declares it Chicken Soup Week. 

    When I do that, I usually pull the chicken from the pot, strip off the meat, and return the bones to enrich the broth. Then, I'll strain the broth, reserve some for future use, and add fresh vegetables to the rest. When the carrots, celery, and onions are tender, I'll add back some of the chicken meat to complete the soup. 

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    This time of year, it really pays to spend one afternoon (preferably a rainy or snowy one) cooking to wind up with food in your refrigerator and freezer that will help get you through a busy week.  

    What's on your Food Lover's shopping list? Shop Amazon for all your kitchen & dining needs and support this site!

     

    Details:

    Words: Penny Cherubino
    Photos: ©2008-2014 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

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  • North Bennet Street School Open House in Their New Facility

    We've told you about the open houses held at North Bennet Street School in the past. This Boston treasure trove is a place that turns dreams into reality. We have November 14 & 15 marked on our calendars because we can't wait to see the new facility at 150 North Street.

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    They say:

    "Aspiring furniture makers, bookbinders, carpenters, jewelry makers – or those merely curious about the process of making beautiful things by hand – are invited to a special behind-the-scenes look at one of America's oldest schools of craftsmanship during a two-day open house at North Bennet Street School’s new facility at 150 North Street in Boston's historic North End."

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    We say:

    This is a great way to spend some time meeting people who have gone after their dreams. Who knows, a door may open for you and you'll become a student. Or, perhaps you'll decide to explore one of the fine crafts they teach at a workshop or short course.

    Or, you may decide to put someone's feet on the path to their dream with a North Bennet Street School gift certificate as a holiday gift.

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    Everything You Need to Know to Visit

    As always, when the school provides us with information for an upcoming event, they think of all the little details that make it easy for our readers to get there and enjoy their visit.

    Who: North Bennet Street School

    What: Annual Open House and Open Studios

    Where: 150 North Street, Boston, MA 02109 (North End, just off the Rose Kennedy Greenway) 

    When: Friday, November 14, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm; Saturday, November 15, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm

    Cost: FREE

    Handicap Access: Yes

    Parking: Limited street parking (metered) and discounted parking at the Parcel 7 garage – http://www.nbss.edu/about/the-boston-area/visit/index.aspx#  

    Nearest T stop: Haymarket (Orange, Green lines)

    Directions: via Google maps – http://goo.gl/maps/97sY4

    More Open House details: www.nbss.edu/openhouse

    More about NBSS full-time programs and workshops: http://www.nbss.edu

    Contact: 617-227-0155 and admissions@nbss.edu

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    What's on your Artistic Shopping List? Shop Amazon for all your arts & craft needs, and support this site!

    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photos: by Maureen Cotton, Courtesy of North Bennet Street School

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  • The Book “Dirty Old Boston” Is Our Friday Link

    Thumbing through our review copy of Dirty Old Boston: Four Decades of a City in Transition, one of the first photos I spotted was one we had used recently right here on BostonZest for our post: Where Is This Lion? Fun with Historic Photos!

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    If you love our posts that include photography from Boston's rich history, you could fill a rainy afternoon paging through Dirty Old Boston. We used this photo as a clue to one of our Attention to Detail searches were you have to try to remember where you saw an architectural detail. 

    Dirty Old Boston author Jim Botticelli used it as one example of the faces and places of Boston in the 1950s. His caption:

    "All he wants are his two front teeth. Posing with the Stowe Lion on Columbus Avenue. South End, 1950s. Photos by Leslie Jones."

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    The book is divided by decades from the 1940s to the 1980s and is full of the people, places, events, and changes that left their mark on each era.

    Here's Part of the Publisher's Description

    "Rich and compelling, Dirty Old Boston chronicles the people, streets, and buildings from the postwar years to 1987. From ball games to dive bars, and amidst an ever-changing skyline, Dirty Old Boston captures some of the city’s most dramatic and tumultuous events including the wholesale razing of neighborhoods, Boston’s busing crisis, and the continual fight for affordable housing.

    Photographs—assembled from family albums, student projects, institutional archives, and professional collections—reveal Boston as seen from the streets. What emerges is a narrative of a city tearing down and rebuilding, protesting and celebrating, fading and thriving. Illuminating Boston’s singular tenacity and spirit, Dirty Old Boston presents our proud moments and doesn’t shy away from our growing pains. Raw and beautiful, this book is an important and evocative tribute to the city and its people."

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    The Hancock Tower is shown under construction on one page and after (photo above) with the caption,"Slabs of plywood already plague I.M. Pei's design. Back Bay, 1973. Courtesy National Archives"

    A Book to Share

    My copy already has page after page tagged with Post-it flags marking sections I want to share with others. In fact, there are so many photos that I want to share with my friend Linda Cox, that I'm going to have to plan a long coffee hour just to talk about them. We both love historic photos.

    Sharing the fun of exploring this book with others who love this city and learning from some of the people who have lived here through these decades will be half the fun of having it. It contains many photos from private collections that even a historic photo geek like me has never had the opportunity to view. 

    Some pages will hit emotional hot buttons. I found myself running my finger across the photo of Max Kaiserman at his newsstand in Copley Square where I used to buy my morning papers. It's that kind of book – one that will bring back memories for some and show others what was here before they were. 

    Dirty Old Boston: Four Decades of a City in Transition will also make a wonderful holiday gift for any fan of this city and its history. 

    Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

    Details:

    Words: Penny Cherubino
    Photography: Courtesy of Union Park Press and Dirty Old Boston: Four Decades of a City in Transition.

  • Discussion on Teaching Life Skills, Like Cooking – Our Friday Link

    I had already clicked over to National Geographic to read their post, Bring Back Home Economics: Three Food Writers on Teaching People to Cook, when I saw that one of the food writers taking part in this brainstorming session was Boston's own maven of many things food, Jacqueline Church. That gave the discussion great credibility. 

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    Once upon a time, students at Boston schools learned life skills like cooking. The photo above, from the Boston Public Library Collection, is of girls at the Everett School in th 1890s. (I loved the old home economics photos in the National Georgraphic piece, so I went hunting for some local versions.)

    Today, we have many adults who don't know how to feed themselves and resort to buying highly processed food and fast food that damages their health.

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    With each successive generation, fewer people have the skills these eight young women were gaining in the Boston Public Schools. (Photo from the Boston Public Library Collection.)

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    Or, this group of boys identified as being part of "An experiment of Miss Fuller's: boys' cooking class." (This is from the City of Boston Archives and is circa 1898-1899.)

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    Here's Jacqueline Church, a modern woman with a modern approach to teaching cooking skills. 

    If you cook, how did you learn? Are you a confident shopper? Are you feeding yourself in a way that is keeping you healthy or that addresses the health issues that concern you?

    If cooking and feeding yourself is a goal you'd like to set for yourself, consider consulting with a professional like Jacqueline. Here is a link to her site where she explains how you can gain Kitchen Confidence. 

    Just as you might want to consult with a personal trainer to learn proper exercise techniques to achieve your fitness goals, you can turn to a cooking coach to "learn the skills you'll use for a lifetime," as Jacqueline says.

    By the way, here is Jacqueline's own follow up post to the National Geographic conversation with a cooking lesson!

    What's on your Food Lover's shopping list? Shop Amazon for all your kitchen & dining needs and support this site!

    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photos: Boston Public Library and City of Boston Archives used under this creative commons license. Jacqueline Chruch photo courtesy of www.jacquelinechurch.com

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  • More Ways to Save Money by Linking with the Boston Public Library

    At the beginning of the summer, we received a press release from the Boston Public Library (BPL) full of great information. With lots of new residents joining the BostonZest readers each September, we decided to save this list of resources until now. We're turning the keyboard over to our friends at the BPL for today's Friday Link.

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    (These photos are from the BPL App-see #5 below.)

    "Boston Public Library’s collections can be easily accessed from home, a local coffee shop, or even the beach. Anyone who lives, works, or goes to school in Massachusetts can have a Boston Public Library card. Many residents of the Commonwealth start with an e-card, available online at www.bpl.org/ecard, which grants immediate access to the BPL’s digital resources.

    Here are seven ways to sync with the Boston Public Library’s collections and services – all while on the go:

    1. Download e-books. Search for e-books – including Kindle titles – and audiobooks in the Boston Public Library’s catalog alongside printed books. Watch a brief tutorial about how to download the books to your e-reader, computer, or mobile device via www.bpl.org/collections/downloadable.htm.

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    2. Stream music, movies, television shows, and audiobooks. Use your library card to borrow videos, music, and audiobooks for your tablet, smartphone, or laptop. Get started via www.bpl.org/collections/hoopla.htm.

    3. Read digital magazines. Enjoy more than 170 popular consumer magazines in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Portuguese via www.bpl.org/collections/zinio.htm. Find titles like Cosmopolitan, Us Weekly, Rolling Stone, and Newsweek.

    4. Learn a new language. Boston Public Library offers free access to online language-learning tools such as Powerspeak and Mango, which includes a language-learning tool for children called Little Pim. Learn more via www.bpl.org/electronic/language.asp.  

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    5. Use the BPL app. Renew books, place hold requests (and have them delivered to any BPL location), browse new items, view hours, and more. Download the app via www.bpl.org/mobile. 

    6. Discover electronic databases. Find newspapers, journal articles, classical music scores, and more. Electronic resources include everything from the archive of the Sunday Times (London) to National Geographic’s virtual library. Go to www.bpl.org/electronic/. 

    7. Get social. Follow the BPL via social media channels like Twitter, Instagram, Flickr, and Facebook for information on the latest library happenings and to view digitized images of the library’s collection. Boston Public Library’s Twitter and Instagram handle is @BPLBoston."

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    Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino and the BPL staff.
    Photography: © 2014 Penny & Ed Cherubino with screenshots from the BPL app.

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  • Lighthouse Lovers Resource from Boston Harbor Beacon, Our Friday Link

    If you love lighthouses and would like to explore those around Massachusetts Bay, the site Boston Harbor Beacon has a guide for you.

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    A recent post, titled Lighthouses Along Massachusetts Bay, takes you on a tour that begins with, "The twin lights of Thacher Island sit about a mile off the Coast of Gloucester," and ends with, "Long Point: The end of the Cape!"

    In all, 20 lighthouse views are covered in this piece. Photos and bits of information about each light are included. And, since this is a boating blog, the photos are often taken from the water which offers those of us who don't have regular access to a boat a new view of even a familar lighthouse.

    We have awarded a previous Friday Link to this site when a collection of the boats you are likely to see in Boston Harbor were compiled and explained by the same crew.

    Boston Harbor Beacon, Our Friday Link Takes You Boating

    What's on your Summer Fun shopping list? Shop Amazon – Get Ready for Summer – Everything You Need and support this site!

    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Screenshot courtesy of Boston Harbor Beacon

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  • Universal Hub for Local, Local, Local News

    When I enter the letter U into my Chrome browser, UniversalHub.com is the top choice on my list of websites beginning with that letter. It's where I go when I want local news. 

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    I have shortcuts to get to UH, as many fans call it, on both my iPhone and iPad. It's usually the first site I visit each morning. And, when I want to know what's going on, why traffic is stopped on Storrow Drive, or why I'm hearing non-stop sirens, I call up Adam Gaffin's @universalhub timeline on Twitter. 

    Mainstream Media Failure

    Every night, I wind up clicking away from local newscasts because, instead of local news, they offer up international coverage or some viral video from Los Angeles. Rather than out doing their jobs, they just take the feed from the network to fill the time. If I want local news, I have to turn to sites like UH. 

    Support Universal Hub

    As with many other sites, Universal Hub is supported by advertising, affiliate programs, and contributions. 

    Adam recently added a link that asks readers,

    "Help keep Universal Hub going. If you like what we're up to and want to help out, please consider a (completely non-deductible) donation."

    You'll find the place to click by scrolling down in the right hand sidebar. The next time you get a great, timely, local answer to your question, "What's going on right now in Boston?" click the link and drop a few coins in the UH tip jar. 

    Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

    Details:

    Words: Penny Cherubino
    Screengrab from Universalhub.com 

  • Universal Hub for Local, Local, Local News

    When I enter the letter U into my Chrome browser, UniversalHub.com is the top choice on my list of websites beginning with that letter. It's where I go when I want local news. 

    Universal hub

    I have shortcuts to get to UH, as many fans call it, on both my iPhone and iPad. It's usually the first site I visit each morning. And, when I want to know what's going on, why traffic is stopped on Storrow Drive, or why I'm hearing non-stop sirens, I call up Adam Gaffin's @universalhub timeline on Twitter. 

    Mainstream Media Failure

    Every night, I wind up clicking away from local newscasts because, instead of local news, they offer up international coverage or some viral video from Los Angeles. Rather than out doing their jobs, they just take the feed from the network to fill the time. If I want local news, I have to turn to sites like UH. 

    Support Universal Hub

    As with many other sites, Universal Hub is supported by advertising, affiliate programs, and contributions. 

    Adam recently added a link that asks readers,

    "Help keep Universal Hub going. If you like what we're up to and want to help out, please consider a (completely non-deductible) donation."

    You'll find the place to click by scrolling down in the right hand sidebar. The next time you get a great, timely, local answer to your question, "What's going on right now in Boston?" click the link and drop a few coins in the UH tip jar. 

    Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

    Details:

    Words: Penny Cherubino
    Screengrab from Universalhub.com