Category: We recommend!

Best Bite: Patata Dolce Pierogi at Coppa Enoteca

Patata Dolce Pierogi at Coppa are sweet potato, taleggio & cippolini stuffed pierogi sautéed until golden and al dente then served with more onion, cheese, chives, and roasted Brussels sprouts. Thank goodness our server warned us there were only three orders left.

We told him to grab one for us but we soon wished we had snagged at least two of the three. This best bite was so good we would have ordered a second round if they had one available.

We love the tradition of serving caramelized onions with pierogi, but of course Coppa took it to another level with the selection of ingredients. This dish has inspired us!

After reading a lot of reviews and watching videos, Penny ordered this pierogi tray
and we'll be experimenting with it to make our own fillings and combos. Naturally, we'll report any success stories.

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: ©2013 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 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 and links out of comments.

October 16, 2013
Best Bite: Patata Dolce Pierogi at Coppa Enoteca

Patata Dolce Pierogi at Coppa are sweet potato, taleggio & cippolini stuffed pierogi sautéed until golden and al dente then served with more onion, cheese, chives, and roasted Brussels sprouts. Thank goodness our server warned us there were only three orders left.

We told him to grab one for us but we soon wished we had snagged at least two of the three. This best bite was so good we would have ordered a second round if they had one available.

We love the tradition of serving caramelized onions with pierogi, but of course Coppa took it to another level with the selection of ingredients. This dish has inspired us!

After reading a lot of reviews and watching videos, Penny ordered this pierogi tray
and we'll be experimenting with it to make our own fillings and combos. Naturally, we'll report any success stories.

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: ©2013 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 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 and links out of comments.

October 16, 2013
Charlie Cards, Pass It On…

These are the two extra, empty Charlie Cards that I carry with me as I travel on the MBTA. I've noticed how elusive Charlie Cards have become so I picked up some extra ones. Now, when an MBTA attendant tells someone, "We actually don't have Charlie Cards at this location," I have a solution.

I can hand over one of these with a request that the passenger pass on the kindness to someone else by picking up an extra card when they are at a station where the cards are available. I write, "Pass it on… " with a Sharpie so I won't give out my loaded card by mistake. It may also encourage the recipient to pay it forward.

If you can find an attendant, they are supposed to have Charlie Cards at these locations. I have found the booth between the westbound tracks at Park Street usually has them. But note the hours, 7 am – 7 pm. For some locations, the hours are shorter.

This post was inspired by a conversation over on Universal Hub. At the 5th comment down, the conversation changes to Charlie Cards. I shared my solution there but figured I should pass it on to the BostonZest community as well.

Even if you're not going to use a Charlie Card all that often, you should have one in your card collection because each year there is a book full of discounts you can have for flashing your Charlie Card. Those discounts are particularly good for visitors since they included attractions and museums.

Our household also has a guest card that we mail to friends coming into Boston or let them use while they are here. If they can't find a card at the airport or train station, we have them covered. We started it off with $5 and our guests have kept it filled for us. That one is marked with "Guest Card" on the front.

What do you know about Amazon Prime? We use it and love it. You pay once a year for free 2-day shipping delivery charges. Amazon throws in access to instant streaming movies and TV shows and they let you borrow a free ebook each month. They will even give you a one month free trial. Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Join Amazon Prime – Watch Over 40,000 Movies

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 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 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 and links out of comments.

October 15, 2013
Charlie Cards, Pass It On…

These are the two extra, empty Charlie Cards that I carry with me as I travel on the MBTA. I've noticed how elusive Charlie Cards have become so I picked up some extra ones. Now, when an MBTA attendant tells someone, "We actually don't have Charlie Cards at this location," I have a solution.

I can hand over one of these with a request that the passenger pass on the kindness to someone else by picking up an extra card when they are at a station where the cards are available. I write, "Pass it on… " with a Sharpie so I won't give out my loaded card by mistake. It may also encourage the recipient to pay it forward.

If you can find an attendant, they are supposed to have Charlie Cards at these locations. I have found the booth between the westbound tracks at Park Street usually has them. But note the hours, 7 am – 7 pm. For some locations, the hours are shorter.

This post was inspired by a conversation over on Universal Hub. At the 5th comment down, the conversation changes to Charlie Cards. I shared my solution there but figured I should pass it on to the BostonZest community as well.

Even if you're not going to use a Charlie Card all that often, you should have one in your card collection because each year there is a book full of discounts you can have for flashing your Charlie Card. Those discounts are particularly good for visitors since they included attractions and museums.

Our household also has a guest card that we mail to friends coming into Boston or let them use while they are here. If they can't find a card at the airport or train station, we have them covered. We started it off with $5 and our guests have kept it filled for us. That one is marked with "Guest Card" on the front.

What do you know about Amazon Prime? We use it and love it. You pay once a year for free 2-day shipping delivery charges. Amazon throws in access to instant streaming movies and TV shows and they let you borrow a free ebook each month. They will even give you a one month free trial. Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Join Amazon Prime – Watch Over 40,000 Movies

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 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 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 and links out of comments.

October 15, 2013
Charlie Cards, Pass It On…

These are the two extra, empty Charlie Cards that I carry with me as I travel on the MBTA. I've noticed how elusive Charlie Cards have become so I picked up some extra ones. Now, when an MBTA attendant tells someone, "We actually don't have Charlie Cards at this location," I have a solution.

I can hand over one of these with a request that the passenger pass on the kindness to someone else by picking up an extra card when they are at a station where the cards are available. I write, "Pass it on… " with a Sharpie so I won't give out my loaded card by mistake. It may also encourage the recipient to pay it forward.

If you can find an attendant, they are supposed to have Charlie Cards at these locations. I have found the booth between the westbound tracks at Park Street usually has them. But note the hours, 7 am – 7 pm. For some locations, the hours are shorter.

This post was inspired by a conversation over on Universal Hub. At the 5th comment down, the conversation changes to Charlie Cards. I shared my solution there but figured I should pass it on to the BostonZest community as well.

Even if you're not going to use a Charlie Card all that often, you should have one in your card collection because each year there is a book full of discounts you can have for flashing your Charlie Card. Those discounts are particularly good for visitors since they included attractions and museums.

Our household also has a guest card that we mail to friends coming into Boston or let them use while they are here. If they can't find a card at the airport or train station, we have them covered. We started it off with $5 and our guests have kept it filled for us. That one is marked with "Guest Card" on the front.

What do you know about Amazon Prime? We use it and love it. You pay once a year for free 2-day shipping delivery charges. Amazon throws in access to instant streaming movies and TV shows and they let you borrow a free ebook each month. They will even give you a one month free trial. Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Join Amazon Prime – Watch Over 40,000 Movies

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 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 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 and links out of comments.

October 15, 2013
Tips for Zipping around in Rental Cars with Your Dog

Poppy is ready to go in the back seat of a Zipcar. Both she and the car are protected.

This is a wonderful time of year to take day trips or weekends away that include your canine pals. I know we love to take Poppy along when we have adventures. But, we also need to keep the rental car or Zipcar clean. And, if you have your own car, these tips will work for you too!

Zipcar is very specific on what they require if you take your dog in one of their vehicles. The rules say,

"Can I take my pet in a Zipcar?

Yes, but only when it's kept in a locked pet carrier. Many members are allergic to pet hair so if any happen to escape the pet carrier, please clean it up before your reservation comes to an end.

Service animals used by disabled members or passengers with disabilities are an exception. These animals are allowed in the car without a pet carrier."

Traditional rental company's each have their own statement on this. We use Budget and here is what they say at the time of this writing.

"Do you permit pets in the rental car?

Answer: Housebroken pets are invited to travel in your rental car, just as they do in your personal car. Although Budget doesn't assess an extra fee for pets, pet owners will incur an additional charge for any damage caused by animals, or any special cleaning required as a result of shedding or accidents."

Poppy Loves Car Rides

Poppy loves going with us for car rides. But, we have had other dogs who suffered from motion sickness and in the past have transported rescue dogs we didn't know well. We learned that a few layers of protection and a couple of precautions were smart.

Protective Enclosure

A crate or pet carrier snugged in place with the car seatbelt will help keep your dog safer in a sudden stop or accident. It will also keep your dog from distracting the driver. We didn't take it on the short trip with Poppy (shown in the photo), but we have a great water cup that clamps on to the crate
and won't spill easily.

Protect the Car

A waterproof mat
under the crate will protect the car from water spills or any other puppy problem. We still add a disposable puppy pad
to the front of the crate from years of traveling with a car sick dog.

Do you have a tip for traveling with a dog? Please share in the comments below.

Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.

Here are a few of our favorite car travel items that are available on Amazon.

Thanks to everyone who Hops over to Amazon from here to do their shopping. We appreciate your support.

Details:
Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 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 great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.

October 13, 2013
Tips for Zipping around in Rental Cars with Your Dog

Poppy is ready to go in the back seat of a Zipcar. Both she and the car are protected.

This is a wonderful time of year to take day trips or weekends away that include your canine pals. I know we love to take Poppy along when we have adventures. But, we also need to keep the rental car or Zipcar clean. And, if you have your own car, these tips will work for you too!

Zipcar is very specific on what they require if you take your dog in one of their vehicles. The rules say,

"Can I take my pet in a Zipcar?

Yes, but only when it's kept in a locked pet carrier. Many members are allergic to pet hair so if any happen to escape the pet carrier, please clean it up before your reservation comes to an end.

Service animals used by disabled members or passengers with disabilities are an exception. These animals are allowed in the car without a pet carrier."

Traditional rental company's each have their own statement on this. We use Budget and here is what they say at the time of this writing.

"Do you permit pets in the rental car?

Answer: Housebroken pets are invited to travel in your rental car, just as they do in your personal car. Although Budget doesn't assess an extra fee for pets, pet owners will incur an additional charge for any damage caused by animals, or any special cleaning required as a result of shedding or accidents."

Poppy Loves Car Rides

Poppy loves going with us for car rides. But, we have had other dogs who suffered from motion sickness and in the past have transported rescue dogs we didn't know well. We learned that a few layers of protection and a couple of precautions were smart.

Protective Enclosure

A crate or pet carrier snugged in place with the car seatbelt will help keep your dog safer in a sudden stop or accident. It will also keep your dog from distracting the driver. We didn't take it on the short trip with Poppy (shown in the photo), but we have a great water cup that clamps on to the crate
and won't spill easily.

Protect the Car

A waterproof mat
under the crate will protect the car from water spills or any other puppy problem. We still add a disposable puppy pad
to the front of the crate from years of traveling with a car sick dog.

Do you have a tip for traveling with a dog? Please share in the comments below.

Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.

Here are a few of our favorite car travel items that are available on Amazon.

Thanks to everyone who Hops over to Amazon from here to do their shopping. We appreciate your support.

Details:
Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 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 great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.

October 13, 2013
Tips for Zipping around in Rental Cars with Your Dog

Poppy is ready to go in the back seat of a Zipcar. Both she and the car are protected.

This is a wonderful time of year to take day trips or weekends away that include your canine pals. I know we love to take Poppy along when we have adventures. But, we also need to keep the rental car or Zipcar clean. And, if you have your own car, these tips will work for you too!

Zipcar is very specific on what they require if you take your dog in one of their vehicles. The rules say,

"Can I take my pet in a Zipcar?

Yes, but only when it's kept in a locked pet carrier. Many members are allergic to pet hair so if any happen to escape the pet carrier, please clean it up before your reservation comes to an end.

Service animals used by disabled members or passengers with disabilities are an exception. These animals are allowed in the car without a pet carrier."

Traditional rental company's each have their own statement on this. We use Budget and here is what they say at the time of this writing.

"Do you permit pets in the rental car?

Answer: Housebroken pets are invited to travel in your rental car, just as they do in your personal car. Although Budget doesn't assess an extra fee for pets, pet owners will incur an additional charge for any damage caused by animals, or any special cleaning required as a result of shedding or accidents."

Poppy Loves Car Rides

Poppy loves going with us for car rides. But, we have had other dogs who suffered from motion sickness and in the past have transported rescue dogs we didn't know well. We learned that a few layers of protection and a couple of precautions were smart.

Protective Enclosure

A crate or pet carrier snugged in place with the car seatbelt will help keep your dog safer in a sudden stop or accident. It will also keep your dog from distracting the driver. We didn't take it on the short trip with Poppy (shown in the photo), but we have a great water cup that clamps on to the crate
and won't spill easily.

Protect the Car

A waterproof mat
under the crate will protect the car from water spills or any other puppy problem. We still add a disposable puppy pad
to the front of the crate from years of traveling with a car sick dog.

Do you have a tip for traveling with a dog? Please share in the comments below.

Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.

Here are a few of our favorite car travel items that are available on Amazon.

Thanks to everyone who Hops over to Amazon from here to do their shopping. We appreciate your support.

Details:
Words: Penny Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 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 great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you.

October 13, 2013
Where is human nature so weak as…

"Where is human nature so weak as in the bookstore?"

Henry Ward Beecher – US abolitionist & clergyman (1813 – 1887)

This customer brought his own seat. He didn't realize that he could have stacked up a pile of books as a seat or a table.

Henry Ward Beecher also said: "Books are not made for furniture, but there is nothing else that so beautifully furnishes a house."

If books are one of your weaknesses, you should make regular trips to the Brattle Book Shop on West Street (map) near the Boston Common. These photos were taken in their outdoor bargain book annex.

What shops and stores are your weakness? What products do you find hard to resist? We added seven books to our Boston reference shelf in the past month. Yes, we are weak!

What do you know about Amazon Prime? We use it and love it. You pay once a year for free 2-day shipping delivery charges. Amazon throws in access to instant streaming movies and TV shows and they let you borrow a free ebook each month. They will even give you a one month free trial. Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Join Amazon Prime – Watch Over 40,000 Movies

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 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 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 and links out of comments.

October 8, 2013
Where is human nature so weak as…

"Where is human nature so weak as in the bookstore?"

Henry Ward Beecher – US abolitionist & clergyman (1813 – 1887)

This customer brought his own seat. He didn't realize that he could have stacked up a pile of books as a seat or a table.

Henry Ward Beecher also said: "Books are not made for furniture, but there is nothing else that so beautifully furnishes a house."

If books are one of your weaknesses, you should make regular trips to the Brattle Book Shop on West Street (map) near the Boston Common. These photos were taken in their outdoor bargain book annex.

What shops and stores are your weakness? What products do you find hard to resist? We added seven books to our Boston reference shelf in the past month. Yes, we are weak!

What do you know about Amazon Prime? We use it and love it. You pay once a year for free 2-day shipping delivery charges. Amazon throws in access to instant streaming movies and TV shows and they let you borrow a free ebook each month. They will even give you a one month free trial. Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Join Amazon Prime – Watch Over 40,000 Movies

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 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 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 and links out of comments.

October 8, 2013