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A Hand Warmer Has Been Added to My Boston Winter Equipment

It took a few days of walking the dog in the recent chill, but I finally broke down and bought a hand warmer to tuck in my pocket and use when my fingers begin to go numb.

This is my EnergyFlux Rechargeable Double-Sided Hand Warmer. It's being shown with the iPhone because, in addition to warming your hands, it can also charge your phone.

That was the tipping point for me to purchase one. I knew I would only use it as a hand warmer a few times each winter. But I'll carry it all year long as a backup battery for our phones.

Warming Hands

Hand warmers are a product that I've considered before, but I've always been reluctant to buy the disposable kind and didn't want one that had to be filled with lighter fluid. This one is rechargeable from a wall outlet or USB.

It has two warming settings. The lower setting makes the charge last longer and so far that's fine for me. My gloves are stretchy so I tuck it inside my palm and wrap my hand around it. A couple of minutes of that, with my hand in my pocket to boost the effect, and I can feel my fingers again.

Charging Phones

I have not used it to charge my phone yet, but an Amazon question brought a response that it charges about as fast as a wall outlet. And, I've used other types of backup batteries to charge phones, so I expect that this will work the same way.

It would make a great gift for someone who suffers from cold hands, walks dogs, pulls off gloves to take photos, or uses a cell phone in cold places. Or, you could order one for yourself and be your own valentine!

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2015 Penny Cherubino

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February 12, 2015
Sherry, A Trending Drink and a Great Book

In a recent newspaper column on food trends, sherry was one of my picks. Not only am I seeing it on more menus outside of tapas bars, but a fabulous new book on the subject Sherry: A Modern Guide to the Wine World's Best-Kept Secret, with Cocktails and Recipes has been getting rave reviews.

I've been a lover of dry sherry for many years. I remember sitting in the Bristol Lounge in the early days of our Boston life sipping sherry from lovely glasses and feeling pampered. Back in December, we were at Brix on Broad for a champagne tasting, and they had a few bottles of sherry that we added to our order.

That made it possible for me to sip this Gutierrez Colosia Sangre y Trabajadero Oloroso while I enjoyed learning more about this fortified wine through the research, writing, and tasting notes from author Talia Baiocchi.

This book is a virtual tour of the three towns in Spain where sherry is a way of life. You'll learn how and where it is made, visit the bodegas, and meet some of the people who devote their lives to this wine.

Besides tips for serving and storing sherry, Baiocchi also covers the history of this beverage, glassware, tapas traditions, and lists her essential sherries in each of seven sherry categories.

Finally, there are recipes for sherry in cocktails and at the table. We'll be adding this book to our list of essential books for wine lovers.

Want to learn more about wine? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site! Here are three of our favorite wine books.

The Food Lover's Guide to Wine

The New Wine Lover's Companion

The Wine Bible

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Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography: © 2015 Penny Cherubino with cover art courtesy of the publisher.

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February 5, 2015
What’s Happening Around Boston in February 2015

Okay team, it's time for us to share some of the pastimes and events that we're looking forward to this February.

Abolitionist Lucy Stone gazes at slave Phillis Wheatley on the Boston Women's Memorial on the Commonwealth Avenue Mall.

Black History Month

This month has a theme, Black History Month, that fits into Boston's historical culture. The people of Boston were an important part of the abolitionist movement. We have a wonderful Black Heritage Trail and this year the Museum of Fine arts has some exceptional offerings like the Gordon Parks exhibition. In a city with so much history, it can be good to focus on one aspect like this, from time to time.

Abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison sits two blocks away on the Commonwealth Avenue Mall.

February Events

If you're a visitor to Boston, you should know that we have a long weekend on February 14-16 to celebrate Presidents' Day.

That weekend is also Valentine's Day so restaurant and hotel reservations may be a bit tighter. And, Valentine's Day is an event where many restaurants have special prix fixe menus offering less choice, higher prices, and often lower quality. Here's a link our post: Where to Dine Valentine's Day 2015 – Ideas for Romantic Dining in Boston.

On the other hand, some hotels will be offering special romantic packages since this is not the busiest month of the year. Locals might consider a staycation weekend tucked into a romantic hotel in the city.

Few Conventions This Month

On the convention front, there are just two events that might impact hotel prices. One in the seaport area, where it will have much less impact on the lives of Bostonians and visitors, is projecting about 16,000 visitors from the 4th to the 6th. And, at the Hynes in the Back Bay, 5,000 conventioneers are expected on the 26th and 27th.

Penny has started this same conversion over on the Trip Advisor Boston Forum to give some background for visitors to our fair city and for the locals who volunteer on that forum to trade ideas with one another. You'll find additional ideas at this link.

Your Turn

We hope you'll join in and make this a conversation here. Add your comments below or follow us on Twitter and send your ideas to us there. Just put @BostonZest in your message and we'll get it.

Who's next?

What are your favorite February pastimes?

What events are you planning to attend this month?

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!

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2015 Penny & Ed Cherubino

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February 2, 2015
Join Us as We Toast February 2015 with Charles de Cazanove Champagne
On this snowy first day of the month, we’ll pop the cork on a bottle of Charles de Cazanove Champagne and raise a glass with high hopes for the next 28 days!

We admit to being happy hedonists, proud of our achievement to date, hoping to spread the word far-and-wide. What achievement? Read on …

Our Sparkling Resolution

As we clinked our flutes of sparkling wine at the stroke of midnight to welcome 2008 – and promised to repeat the toast at the start of each month throughout the new year – we had no idea we would actually keep that resolution to this day!

While it seemed like a frivolous pledge at the time, we found ourselves looking forward to the first of every month. Searching out a bottle of cava, prosecco, cremant, or maybe a grower champagne for repeated celebrations during that year, always made us smile. Besides being an easy and pleasurable way to keep a resolution, it gave us a fresh way to start a new month, complete with a hopeful toast to whatever might lie ahead.

Join our Sparkling Resolution and reset your mojo by raising a glass of bubbly to greet each and every month. Salut!

Now, a bit about this month’s wine …

Charles de Cazanove Brut is a nicely balanced Champagne. We think it delivers a pleasant, yeasty, toastiness that works well with or without food. This sparkler can sit proudly next to some of our favorite Champagnes, including Bollinger and Piper-Heidsieck.

Others Say …

“The fine bubbles form a large string against a golden background. A fruity nose and delicious, persistent barley sugar and brioche flavours. A very lively wine.” (Charles de Cazanove)

This Champagne … “has a great, open nose of sweet butter and even a touch of orange peel. On the palate it is clean and refreshing.” (Gary Westby, K&L Champagne buyer)

Champagne Charles de Cazanove Brut … “offers an array of flavor, including toasted brioche, Gala apple, lemon zest, graphite and ginger, with a touch of honey. Elegant … good intensity … a moderate, nut-tinged finish.” (92 points, Wine Spectator/K&L Wines)

Specs:
- 60% Pinot Noir, 30% Pinot Meunier, 10% Chardonnay
- Alcohol by Vol: 12%
- Price range: 30 to 35 dollars
Here’s to a spectacular February (with a little less snow)!

Take a Look at Our Sparkling Resolution Winner’s List

And, our Sunday Dog feature will return next week.

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!

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2015 Penny & Ed Cherubino
February 1, 2015
Boston Ethnic Markets Is Our Friday Link

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

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.

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

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

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!

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

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January 23, 2015
Great Read or Listen – The American Plate: A Culinary History in 100 Bites

Last month, you would have found The American Plate: A Culinary History in 100 Bites on both my bedside table in audiobook form and beside my reading chair with the Boston Public Library's (BPL) hardcover edition.

I do audition books with my card. And, some of the those make it onto our bookshelves, into my Kindle, or Audible libraries. This one is a great audiobook that I know I'll listen to over and over and that may be good entertainment for both of us on long car trips.

Bites Range from Jello to Bagels and Bialys to Frozen Foods.

If You Love Learning New Food Stuff …

The book is divided into timeline chapters and within those chapters bites or tidbits of interesting information about the food we often take for granted, like celery.

Who knew that the celery stalks that we chop and toss into so many dishes today were once a luxury item. Or that Kalamazoo, Michigan was once dubbed, "the Celery Capitol of the World." Or why you see celery dishes and celery vases in antique glass collections?

Author Libby H. O'Connell tells how one Michigan farmer began to pile up dirt around his celery plants to blanch the stalks and make them sweeter and less fiberous. From there she explains:

"With the advent of refrigerated railroad cars, celery was shipped all over the country. It was just exotic enough, a somewhat pricey but not outrageous treat, not beyond the means of many Americans but still aspirational. Celery became hugely popular, and the development of special dishes for its presentation illustrates its status during the Gilded Age."

This book will fill in some blanks in your pantry of food knowledge. It will enhance your appreciation of what we enjoy today when you learn more about the past and how our current foodways evolved.

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

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Words: Penny Cherubino
Photos: ©2015 Penny Cherubino with cover courtesy of Amazon.

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National Cheese Lover's Day – Tuesday, January 20, 2015

January 22, 2015
National Cheese Lover’s Day – Tuesday, January 20, 2015

The Massachusetts Cheese Guild sent us a reminder that today is National Cheese Lover's Day. The BostonZest team is made up of cheese lovers, so today is a day for us! We even have a separate category, Food: Cheese for our cheese coverage.

Because we live a freelance lifestyle, we often eat our main meal of the day in the afternoon and enjoy a plate of cheese with a bit of something else and a glass of wine for our evening bites.

We also find ourselves shopping for great cheese in Boston's wonderful ethnic markets. Above is a collection of foods we purchased in Watertown's Middle Eastern neighborhood. A trip there will always include string cheese and feta.

Smith’s Country Cheese at the Brookline Farmers' Market

Crystal Brook Farm goat cheese lunches at the Copley Farmers' Market

We love supporting Massachusetts cheeses at area farmers' markets. Both of those above are members of the Massachusetts Cheese Guild. Here's a link to the other local cheese artisan producers who have joined to provide mutual support and education about our state's cheese products.

Artisan Cheese Trail

The guild also has created their Artisan Cheese Trail, a map for you to explore the possibilities in person. We highly recommend that you pop over and explore the guild's site. You'll find cheesemakers to visit from Westport to Williamstown and beyond.

Explore New Cheeses

One of the truly great things about cheese is that a good shop will let you taste a bit before you buy. If you avoid the precut and shrink wrapped, you will not have to be afraid to try a new cheese.

You might discover that there are some blue cheeses you love and some you don't. We had that happen with a friend who didn't think he'd like the blue cheese his partner adored. Until our cheese tasting adventures put one on his plate with a slightly different flavor note.

If this day speaks to your soul, set out from here to explore more Massachusetts Cheeses in particular, and different cheeses from your current favorites in general.

Here are other posts from our Cheese Collection!

What's on your Cheese shopping list? Here are some great books about cheese. These make wonderful gifts for a cheese lover. And, when you shop Amazon from here, they put some coins in our tip jar.

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Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography: © 2008-2015 Penny & Ed Cherubino, Cabot Clothbound Cheddar photo courtesy of Cabot Cheese.

January 20, 2015
Gordon Parks Exhibition & MFA Open House for Martin Luther King Jr. Day

A very special and timely exhibition, Gordon Parks: Back to Fort Scott, will open tomorrow at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston (MFA). In addition, the MFA has announced a free open house on Monday in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

The MFA Says:

Gordon Parks: Back to Fort Scott (January 17–September 13, 2015) traces Parks’ return to his hometown of Fort Scott, Kansas and then to other Midwestern cities, to track down and photograph each of his childhood classmates. On view in the MFA’s Art of the Americas Wing, the exhibition’s 42 photographs were from a series originally meant to accompany a Life magazine photo essay—but for reasons unknown, the story was never published. The images depict the realities of life under segregation in 1950—presenting a rarely seen view of everyday lives of African-American citizens in the years before the Civil Rights movement began in earnest.

We Say:

This has been on our calendar since we first read about it. We have so much to learn from this multi-talented man.

Make this exhibition more enjoyable by doing your homework before attending.

The MFA gives you some tools for learning about an exhibition like this on it's website. We often rely on the press releases they send out to understand why a particular subject was selected and about the people and organizations that make an exhibition possible. Here's a link to the press release for Gordon Parks: Back to Fort Scott.

For each of its exhibitions, the MFA sets up a page that gives the details and often adds some resources that allow you to learn a bit about the topic before you attend. For this exhibition, they have a slideshow that lets you preview a few of the images and a short video by the curator, Karen Haas.

The museum has also announced the publication of the book Common Wealth: Art by African Americans in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

And, if you want to attend the exhibition at a time when there is something special scheduled around the topic, you'll find a "More Events" button near the top of that page.

We've also taken advantage of the Boston Public Library's resources on Gordon Parks and are reading some of his poetry and his memoir.

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!

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2015 Penny Cherubino, And screenshots courtesy of the MFA

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January 16, 2015
Where to Dine Valentine’s Day 2015 – Ideas for Romantic Dining in Boston
Start early if you want to plan a Valentine's Day meal that your loved one will remember.

This year, February 14th falls on a Saturday.

That gives you the opportunity to plan a romantic weekend or one day with your true love and a couple more meals with friends close to your heart. A quiet dinner at home on the big night and a lovely Sunday brunch at a favorite spot is another option.

Some of you enjoy trying the special holiday menus at your favorite spots. Others avoid dining out on days like this unless they can order off the regular menu. And, this year, we noticed more places offering that alternative.

This is one of the busiest nights of the year for restaurants, so expect many special prix fixe menus. Also, don't be surprised if you have to leave a credit card to guarantee a reservation and a cancellation fee.

Have a Chocolate Lover to Impress?

Consider a visit to the Café Fleuri Chocolate bar where you can offer your love a choice of 25 different chocolate desserts.

A perfectly ordinary afternoon turned into a romantic memory when Ed and I shared this giant profiterole at Petit Robert in the South End.

When a Valentine's Day Lunch or Dinner Is on the Menu…
- Open Table has a list of restaurants, and note if they have a special menu or if their regular menu is available.
- Boston Chefs has a list with some information at this link.
- Most Romantic Tables In Town from UrbanDaddy
Reservations at wonderful, romantic restaurants go quickly. But, we have lots of ideas for all types of celebrations for budgets of all sizes. Today, we'll address where to dine. There are more ideas on some of our past Valentine posts. These are from other times, so check for details with the places mentioned.

Updates will appear here as we find lists of ideas from reliable resources:

From last year, here's The Cambridge Day guide to an Interesting Valentines Day

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Your Special Place, Free Romance for Valentine's Day

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Romance at the Gardner Museum – Valentine's Weekend Destination

Romantic Dining in Boston with a Foreign Travel Theme (Some of our favorite restaurants offer an authentic taste of the cuisine they serve. A place where the decor, music, and food all bring you to another land.)

Beacon Hill Hot Chocolate and Ice Skating on the Common (A Romantic but inexpensive date.) And, now you can also skate at the Boston Harbor Hotel and slip into the bar for a glass of champagne after that hand holding exercise.

Need some Valentine's Day gift ideas? Click over to Amazon and do some planning, and if you do buy something there, they'll put a few coins in our tip cup.

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Words: Penny Cherubino
Photo: top photo from iStockphoto.com, Chocolate Bar photo from Cafe Fleuri.

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January 13, 2015
Loving that Landaff Cheese: Welsh Style Flavor from New Hampshire

You know how we love to discover a local cheese that is in wonderful condition at a local store.

We've recently enjoyed a piece of Landaff Cheese produced at Landaff Creamery in Landaff, New Hampshire and aged at The Cellars at Jasper Hill in Greensboro, Vermont.

The Cheesemaker says:

"Made from our own high quality raw cow's milk, Landaff Cheese is a mild, semi-firm cheese with a delicious combination of flavors, tangy with a clean finish. The open and buttery texture comes with a natural, cave-aged rind. It melts beautifully for cooking, and makes a wonderful addition to any cheese plate."

The experts at Murray's Cheese say:

"Taking a cue from the Welsh history of New Hampshire, cheesemaker Doug Erb has based his Landaff on Caerphilly. The Erbs' herd of registered Holsteins is renowned for milk quality, another reason to leave the milk unpasteurized; that, and Doug spent two years training before bringing this cheese to market."

We say:

"We'll add Landaff to our cheese order often when we find it at our local shops. Many times, we prefer sheep and goat cheeses to cows milk, but this is one that has won our hearts."

And, here are other posts from our Cheese Collection!

What's on your Cheese shopping list? Here are some great books about cheese. These make wonderful gifts for a cheese lover. And, when you shop Amazon from here, they put some coins in our tip jar.

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2014 Penny & Ed Cherubino, top photo courtesy of the Cellars at Jasper Hill Farm.

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