Category: We recommend!

Emerald Necklace Conservancy, Our Friday Link

Living in Boston, you think you know all about the Emerald Necklace, the glorious string of parks created by Frederick Law Olmsted between 1878 and 1896. But, how many of these parks have you explored? This spring, we suggest you pick a section of the necklace that you haven't visited and spend some time there.

The Emerald Necklace Conservancy site has a wealth of information about the parks. Explore their site and then get out and see the parks in person.

Slowly, even these treasured places are being destroyed by special interest groups who insist on having passive areas and natural open spaces chopped up to create dedicated spaces for one type of park user.

Enjoy them while you can before every inch is filled with playgrounds, ball fields, tennis courts, statues, memorials, and special gardens. Olmsted knew the value of passive places and time spent with nature. It's sad that many who admire his work today don't understand that concept.

What's on your outdoor shopping list? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often those add a great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.

March 23, 2012
Saint Patrick’s Day All Year Round, Adams Village Dorchester
Anytime you feel like wearin' the green or enjoying a taste of Ireland, you can visit Adams Village in Dorchester. Since we prefer our celebrations to be low key and without the crowds, we went last weekend.

Our visit began with an Irish Farmer's Breakfast at Sonny's Pub & Restaurant. Unlike many Irish pubs where Irish breakfast is a weekend brunch special, Sonny's serves it all day, everyday.

Two eggs (the way you want them), 2 slices of brown bread, beans, potatoes, grilled tomato, black pudding, white pudding, sausages, rashers, and a slice of orange overflowed the large plate. Ed proved himself to be a hearty trencherman. He finished his plate, and then went after Penny's leftover brown bread and potatoes.

Sonny's looked like the neighborhood pubs and bars Penny remembers from a childhood with Irish relatives…

…right down to the separate entrances for the bar and dining room and lots of "everybody knows your name" welcomes as regulars moved in and out of the place.

As we reported on Thursday, we stocked up at Greenhills Irish Bakery.
And, we made a stop at the Butcher Shop Market for some Rashers/Irish bacon to take home. The quality of the meat they were offering looked outstanding and this will be a stop to shop for meat, cut to order for us, anytime we're in the area. You can take a peek at the meat cases by clicking on the thumbnails above.

We took a Zipcar and found parking to be very easy. There's a large parking lot behind the bakery and butcher shop, but we just drove up the hill where there was plenty of on-street parking. Our spot didn't even have a time limit.

What's on your Amazon shopping list? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:
Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often those add a great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.
March 17, 2012
MBTA Apps Our Friday Link

We love knowing when the bus or train is coming and have used those iPhone apps for awhile. Recently, we noticed that the MBTA has added a page for Apps to its Rider Tools section.

And, don't forget that Google Maps also give you live transit updates.

We've used Catch the Bus for a long time but would like to hear what you are using and how well it works.

What's on your green living shopping list? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:
Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often those add a great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.

March 16, 2012
Greenhills Irish Bakery, Adams Village Dorchester
A visit to Greenhills Irish Bakery was one stop on our Saint Patrick's Day shopping run last Saturday. This time of year, we like to have a supply of soda bread and brown bread on hand.
With many places, this is the one time of year they make it. Greenhills has it all the time, and even late on a Saturday afternoon our breads were still warm. Click on the thumbnail views (above) to see more of their soda bread with caraway, brown bread, and scones– blueberry and raisin.

The service was warm and friendly, like we walked in there every day. The staffperson explained they only had soda bread with caraway seeds. We said that was the way we wanted it and other customers joined in the seeds vs no-seeds discussion.

In addition to fresh baked goods (and they do have far more than breads), they had a small display of favorite products for Irish ex-pats and those who love to try things from other lands.

What's on your Amazon shopping list? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Greenhills Irish Bakery

780 Adams Street, Dorchester, Massachusetts 02124 (map & reviews)

617-825-8187

greenhillsirishbakery.com

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often those add a great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.
March 15, 2012
Irish Truffles From Burdick Chocolate for Saint Patrick’s Day
Did you know that Burdick Chocolate makes special truffles and shamrock cookies for Saint Patrick's Day?

We were walking by yesterday and stopped in to ask about the prospective opening date for the cafe part of the new shop on Berkeley Street. While waiting for the staff to take care of other customers, we noticed a bit of green.

Need to make some Irish eyes smile? How about:
- Irish Coffee Bonbons made with dark chocolate, coffee, cream, and Irish Whiskey coated with dark and white chocolate to look like an Irish coffee.
- Irish Whiskey truffles made with Black Bush Bushmill's Irish whiskey
- Baileys Irish Cream Truffles dusted in cocoa powder
- Shamrock cookies– pistachio-orange shortbread cookies dipped in chocolate.
Ah, the joy of having our own Burdick shop in the Back Bay. We took home a small box of chocolates and are diligently trying to choose our favorite of the three flavors.

Related Post:

Boston, Say "Welcome" to Burdick Chocolate on Valentine's Day

What's on your Saint Patrick's Day shopping list? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Burdick Chocolate

Back Bay Boston Chocolate Shop & Café

220 Clarendon Street, Boston, MA 02116 (map)

www.burdickchocolate.com

617-303-0113

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often those add a great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.
March 13, 2012
Irish Whiskey Taste Off: Redbreast vs Tullamore Dew

A while back, we did an Irish whiskey tasting as the dessert course with a BBQ supper. The results still hold for us and this seems the perfect week to repeat the findings.

Our favorite Irish whiskey had been Redbreast. We stopped at Marty's where they have a good spirits selection. We picked up a bottle of 12-year-old Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey and did a blind tasting against the Redbreast.

The two are so alike, we nearly had a tie. After sipping and sniffing, we decided we like both but gave the Redbreast a lead for a hint more sweetness.

They both come from the same distillery and really are very close. So, if cost is a factor, you can feel safe saving the difference and buying the one with the lower price.

Here's a great Guide to Irish Whiskey from our friends over at Serious Eats.

What's on your whiskey tasting shopping list? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site! If you'd like to learn more about spirts, here are a couple of our favorite books and a link to the glasses we love for tasting them.

Related Posts:

Squealing Pig for Irish Breakfast

For St Patty’s Day, corned beef on rye!

Food & Drink

Food: Wine

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2008 Penny Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often those comments add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads out of comments.

March 12, 2012
Riley’s Coat from Blue Ledge Farm, Vermont

Blue Ledge Farm's Riley's Coat is another of those cheeses we buy whenever we see it. Recently, on a walk home from a meal in Central Square, we stopped into Central Bottle Wine + Provisions and there it was again!

Somehow a lovely, raw goats milk cheese that was named after a dog sticks in our memory banks. In additon to talking about this cheese, cheesemonger Anne Saxelby suggests it would be great to be reincarnated as a dog at a cheese farm since those pups often get to eat the test batches!

Riley's Coat is a bit different each time we taste it. It's flavored by what the goats are browsing. Buying each new piece brings back memories of the last. And, even though we know the cheese and know it will be very good, we can't resist having a taste right there in the shop. Often, that nibble increases the size of the wedge we take home.

Related Posts:

Here's our Cheese Collection!

Here are a few of our favorite books on cheese. But, click here for many more choices over at Amazon.

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often those add a great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.

March 8, 2012
If Rainy Days Make You Crabby, Get Cracking!

With a few days of rain last week, we needed a reason to smile, so we braved the rain to get a supply of Dungeness crab from James Hook & Company.

These two pound beauties waited in the sink while the big crab pot started to steam.

They really are beautiful when you look at the details of the shells.

We keep it simple. Some slices of lemon and a big scoop of Old Bay Seasoning goes over the crabs as we layer them in the pot.

Then, we enjoy the pleasure of a rainy afternoon cracking crabs, picking out the luscious meat, chatting, and sipping fine wine. Rainy day or sunny day, this can be a wonderful way to relax and spend time with friends.

Related Posts:

Crab Feast will tell you how we prepare the crabs for the table.

Crab Claws are Wonderful Leftovers!

James Hook & Company- A Holiday Tradition Continues

What's on your seafood cooking shopping list? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site for All-Clad Stainless 12-Quart Multi Cooker, Old Bay Seasoning or Crackers with Picks.

Details:
Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often those add a great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.

March 7, 2012
Plan Pégau 2009 “Baby Chateauneuf du Pape”

A couple of bottles of Plan Pégau 2009 were sitting in our wine rack. This wine had been introduced to us as a "baby Chateauneuf du Pape" by Howie Rubin at Bauer Wines.

A few nights later, Gretchen Jones (@moralbeast) mentioned a great Cote du Rhone that she was enjoying. That sent me to the rack to pull the Plan Pégau and plan a meal around it.

As students of wine, we learn by researching the wines that come our way. We had already been told that this was from one of the great Chateauneuf du Pape winemakers, Laurence Féraud from Domaine du Pégau. Her wines can run four to five times the $14.99 price tag on this one.

The importer, Hand Picked Selections (HPS) says the 2009 Plan Pégau, "offers a true and loud echo of the flavor and style of Domaine du Pegau Châteauneuf-du-Pape. A perfect illustration of the HPS mantra of quality, character and value, it always seems to have a bit of that magic Châteauneuf funk!"

We paired it with a rib eye after reading a comment from Wine & Spirits Magazine that this wine was, "…a red to sink your teeth into…mouthfilling and delicious, the vinous equivalent of a good aged steak."

From the moment we opened the screwtop, Plan Pégau made an impression. Photographing it was torture. It has a big presence and was sending out enticing aromas that made us want to get straight to tasting.

From this one we learned about rapé.

Blogger Edmonton Wine Host ran a post on Plan Pégau and reported that it might contain some rapé from Pégau. He explained, "Rape means left over juice, skins or crush from a previous harvest. Also can be a winery way of 'disposing' of extra juice from an excellent harvest."

We knew about second labels, like Oregon superstar producer Owen Roe Winery's O'Reilly's line. Now we know about another way to hunt for unexpected quality at a great price. Find out if it is the baby sister in a great family.

We plan to buy more!

If you see this wine at a good price, grab it. We loved it and expect it will be just as good over the next couple of years.

What's on your wine shopping list? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:
Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2012 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often those add a great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.

March 6, 2012
March for Zeppole di San Giuseppe!

We launched our Zeppole di San Giuseppe season on Friday with freshly-filled examples from Maria's Pastry Shop in the North End.

Where do you buy your Zeppole? Let us know. We have a couple of weeks of tastings ahead! Here's a 2010 discussion of where area chowhounds march to for zeppole.

"Traditional?" was the question when we requested two Zeppole. "Yes, traditional!" we replied. We'll let the folks at Maria's describe what they mean by tradition when it comes to Zeppole.

"Saint Joseph Day (March 19th), Zeppole — Beginning the end of January, Maria prepares this Sicilan speciality known as the 'Zeppola di San Giuseppe.' A light egg dough fried to a soft shell filled with either ricotta cheese, whipped cream or the traditional filling of vanilla custard cream and amaretta cherries. You won’t be able to get enough, but beware. Once March 19th, passes…they’re gone!"

Normally, we recommend eating these goodies on the spot. After all, Maria's takes the time to put them together fresh for each customer. But, we needed to walk off some of our lunch before indulging. Since they were so fresh, we knew they would still be outstanding by the time we reached home.

Maria's had not failed us. The zeppole arrived home in outstanding condition with a crisp, flakey pastry shell and nice layers of custard and cherries. A careful carry home by Penny had even protected the lovely pastry bag swirls in the custard.

Here are our Zeppole chronicles from past years:

It's Zeppole Day!

Zeppole from Modern Pastry

What's on your March shopping list? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Maria's Pastry Shop

46 Cross Street, Boston Ma 02113 (Map and reviews)

617-523-1196

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: © 2012 Penny Cherubino

Related articles

March 19th Is Zeppole Day!

A Weekend of Irish Whiskey and Zeppole!

March 5, 2012