bostonzest

Category: We recommend!

  • Check Out The Trustees Calendar of Places to Go & Things to Do!

    For our Friday Link today, we're sending you to a spring and summer of fun places to go and things to do with the Trustees of Reservations, now going by the simple title of The Trustees!

    Screen Shot 2017-04-03 at Monday April 3 20178.57.58 AM

    As members, we keep our seasonal copy of Special Places around.

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    It contains a calendar of events that are handy for times when a beautiful day tempts us to get outdoors or a rainy day would be perfect for taking in a Trustees event at The Kitchen inside the Boston Public Market.

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    While all this information is available on the site, we like this format because we can highlight things of interest and add them to our calendars.

    Joining this great organization is your ticket to new adventures in the months ahead.

    And, remember dog lovers, this is one organization that has worked to arrange access for you and your dog at some of their properties. Here are some of their Tail Wagging Destinations.

    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
    Screenshots courtesy of The Trustess

  • Check Out The Trustees Calendar of Places to Go & Things to Do!

    For our Friday Link today, we're sending you to a spring and summer of fun places to go and things to do with the Trustees of Reservations, now going by the simple title of The Trustees!

    Screen Shot 2017-04-03 at Monday April 3 20178.57.58 AM

    As members, we keep our seasonal copy of Special Places around.

    IMG_7890

    It contains a calendar of events that are handy for times when a beautiful day tempts us to get outdoors or a rainy day would be perfect for taking in a Trustees event at The Kitchen inside the Boston Public Market.

    IMG_7889

    While all this information is available on the site, we like this format because we can highlight things of interest and add them to our calendars.

    Joining this great organization is your ticket to new adventures in the months ahead.

    And, remember dog lovers, this is one organization that has worked to arrange access for you and your dog at some of their properties. Here are some of their Tail Wagging Destinations.

    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
    Screenshots courtesy of The Trustess

  • Tips for Important Photos and Videos of Your Dog or Cat

    Last week we suggested some uses for your phone beyond fun photos and videos for you pets to put on social media or share with family and friends. (Dog Lovers, Use Your Phone for More than Photos)

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    You should always have one great picture of your dog that you could share if your companion is lost or separated from you. Beyond that, we suggested using photos to communicate with your veterinary team, dog walkers, pets sitters, and other caregivers.

    Tips For Photo & Video Communication

    ● Practice your photo/video skills before you need them.

    ● Set up an online account with services like Google Photos, iCloud, or YouTube and learn how to use them to upload your photos and videos, send links to someone who needs the information by email, or show it on your phone in person.

    ● If movement is part of the symptom, try to take videos with the animal walking towards you, away from you, and across the screen to give the doctor more points of view

    ● Create an album for specific ongoing issues. For example, if your dog is showing signs of seasonal allergies with goopy eyes, take photos of them for a few days and after treatment is underway. After surgery or a procedure take an initial photo of the scar or wound so you can compare it as days go by to be sure healing is taking place and redness is diminishing. 

    ● Do your best in stressful situations. We don’t know if we would have been a great videographer when our first Westie Sassy was having seizures. However, we know it would have been wonderful to have been able to show the veterinary team exactly what her seizures looked like.

    ● Ask your veterinarian if they would like to be sent a video of a symptom prior to a visit and what they would charge for that type of consultation.

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

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

    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photos: ©2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

    (Adapted for BostonZest from one of our City Paws newspaper columns.)

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  • Another Way to Explore History, Follow a Historic Recipe for Bread Pudding

    For our Friday Link today, we're sending you over to the Massachusetts Historical Society's blog as they follow a recipe for bread pudding that was found in their collection.

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    Now you know we love bread pudding, so this caught our attention. 

    Bread Pudding: an experiment with Mary Channing Eustis’ recipe book

    Screen Shot 2017-03-31 at Friday March 31 20171.29.55 PM

    If you've ever read an early cookbook, you'll see that measurements, as we know them today, were scarce. At least this one called for weights of some ingredients. 

    Screen Shot 2017-03-31 at Friday March 31 20171.29.12 PM

    While you're there visiting this page, take a look at this blog. You may find that you'll want to add this organization's social media updates to your own collection. 

    Here's a link to the blog's main page. We get updates on our RSS feed.

    Here's their facebook page.

    And, their twitter feed.

     

    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
    Screenshots: Courtesy of Massachusetts Historical Society.

  • Another Way to Explore History, Follow a Historic Recipe for Bread Pudding

    For our Friday Link today, we're sending you over to the Massachusetts Historical Society's blog as they follow a recipe for bread pudding that was found in their collection.

    6a00e54fc42bb8883401a73d7e4bd6970d-800wi

    Now you know we love bread pudding, so this caught our attention. 

    Bread Pudding: an experiment with Mary Channing Eustis’ recipe book

    Screen Shot 2017-03-31 at Friday March 31 20171.29.55 PM

    If you've ever read an early cookbook, you'll see that measurements, as we know them today, were scarce. At least this one called for weights of some ingredients. 

    Screen Shot 2017-03-31 at Friday March 31 20171.29.12 PM

    While you're there visiting this page, take a look at this blog. You may find that you'll want to add this organization's social media updates to your own collection. 

    Here's a link to the blog's main page. We get updates on our RSS feed.

    Here's their facebook page.

    And, their twitter feed.

     

    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
    Screenshots: Courtesy of Massachusetts Historical Society.

  • More Cookbooks that Are Great to Read Beyond the Recipes!

    Last week we posted Reading Cookbooks Can Be Simply for Pleasure. Here are a few more books that fall into that category.

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    Try These!

    Here are few great reads to recommend if you would like to begin reading cookbooks for pleasure. “A Mediterranean Feast” by food historian Clifford Wright will give you great background on foods you may think you know. “Marcella Says…” by Marcella Hazan is like taking an informal cooking class with the great master. 

      

    Diana Kennedy’s “The Art of Mexican Cooking” was my first exposure to authentic Mexican cuisine. “Hot Sour Salty Sweet” by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid told me the stories of Southeast Asia recipe-by-recipe.

      

    “The New Portuguese Table” by David Leite gave me updated insights to a food culture I only knew from a Rhode Island Portuguese immigrant population, while “Dishing up Maine” by Brooke Dojny taught me more about the culinary roots of an often visited state.

      

    “Pok Pok” by chef Andy Ricker is in my ebook collection. That makes it handy when I visit a Thai restaurant and want to remember details of some tidbit he taught me about this cuisine in its pages.

     

    If you love food culture, add a few cookbooks to your reading list. They are relaxing and educational. Audition before you buy and add to your collection by borrowing, either in physical or ebook format. And don’t forget Boston’s great used bookstores and library book sales. I check out the cookbook section every time I visit one.

    What's on your Food Lover's shopping list?

    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photos: ©2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino (Adapted for BostonZest from one of our Fresh & Local newspaper columns.)

  • More Cookbooks that Are Great to Read Beyond the Recipes!

    Last week we posted Reading Cookbooks Can Be Simply for Pleasure. Here are a few more books that fall into that category.

    IMG_7708 copy

    Try These!

    Here are few great reads to recommend if you would like to begin reading cookbooks for pleasure. “A Mediterranean Feast” by food historian Clifford Wright will give you great background on foods you may think you know. “Marcella Says…” by Marcella Hazan is like taking an informal cooking class with the great master. 

      

    Diana Kennedy’s “The Art of Mexican Cooking” was my first exposure to authentic Mexican cuisine. “Hot Sour Salty Sweet” by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid told me the stories of Southeast Asia recipe-by-recipe.

      

    “The New Portuguese Table” by David Leite gave me updated insights to a food culture I only knew from a Rhode Island Portuguese immigrant population, while “Dishing up Maine” by Brooke Dojny taught me more about the culinary roots of an often visited state.

      

    “Pok Pok” by chef Andy Ricker is in my ebook collection. That makes it handy when I visit a Thai restaurant and want to remember details of some tidbit he taught me about this cuisine in its pages.

     

    If you love food culture, add a few cookbooks to your reading list. They are relaxing and educational. Audition before you buy and add to your collection by borrowing, either in physical or ebook format. And don’t forget Boston’s great used bookstores and library book sales. I check out the cookbook section every time I visit one.

    What's on your Food Lover's shopping list?

    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photos: ©2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino (Adapted for BostonZest from one of our Fresh & Local newspaper columns.)

  • Reading Cookbooks Can Be Simply for Pleasure

    One of the great pleasures in writing about food is reading a lot of cookbooks. I’m not talking about choosing a recipe and cooking from a book, but rather sitting in a comfy armchair and letting a great writer and storyteller take me to another place, another time, or another culture through their love of the food.

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    I also read cookbooks to learn more about a particular food, technique, or cuisine. Many of these are stored in my Kindle Fire ebook reader. They offer the perfect alternative reading material when waiting for an appointment or putting in miles on the treadmill on a stormy day. Often essays open chapters or sidebars and tell a story about a recipe’s origin, ingredients, or the person who taught the writer to make the dish.

    CHE_5944 (1)

    Acquiring Great Cookbooks

    My first choice for acquiring a cookbook is the Boston Public Library (BPL). Buying cookbooks is expensive and storing them requires more space than I have. Therefore I audition potential purchases.

    Many times I enjoy the BPL copy and use it to inspire a piece of writing or make notes for future reference. I can borrow it again if I need it.

    However some books are so addicting that I will refer to them often, and so popular that I may have to wait to have the library copy longer or borrow it again.

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    These go onto my wishlist. A recent example is, “My Kitchen in Rome: Recipes and Notes on Italian Cooking” by Rachel Roddy. After reading a few rave reviews by colleagues I respect, I borrowed the ebook from the library. ( I have since purchased the Kindle version)

    I read and reread this book in a weekend. Roddy took me to her neighborhood in the Testaccio quarter of Rome and introduced me to the neighbors, vendors, streets, sights, sounds, and aromas she discovered. She tempted me to make the food she learned to make and to enjoy the culture.

    It went on my wish list. At that time, the ebook price was not much less than the hardcover price. When the price finally dropped, I added it to my Kindle collection.

    More of my favorite cookbooks like this one will be in upcoming posts.

    What's on your Food Lover's shopping list?

      

    Details:

    Words: Penny Cherubino
    Photos: ©2012-2017 Penny Cherubino  

    (Adapted for BostonZest from one of her Fresh & Local newspaper columns.)

    Related articles
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  • Reading Cookbooks Can Be Simply for Pleasure

    One of the great pleasures in writing about food is reading a lot of cookbooks. I’m not talking about choosing a recipe and cooking from a book, but rather sitting in a comfy armchair and letting a great writer and storyteller take me to another place, another time, or another culture through their love of the food.

    Unspecified

    I also read cookbooks to learn more about a particular food, technique, or cuisine. Many of these are stored in my Kindle Fire ebook reader. They offer the perfect alternative reading material when waiting for an appointment or putting in miles on the treadmill on a stormy day. Often essays open chapters or sidebars and tell a story about a recipe’s origin, ingredients, or the person who taught the writer to make the dish.

    CHE_5944 (1)

    Acquiring Great Cookbooks

    My first choice for acquiring a cookbook is the Boston Public Library (BPL). Buying cookbooks is expensive and storing them requires more space than I have. Therefore I audition potential purchases.

    Many times I enjoy the BPL copy and use it to inspire a piece of writing or make notes for future reference. I can borrow it again if I need it.

    However some books are so addicting that I will refer to them often, and so popular that I may have to wait to have the library copy longer or borrow it again.

    516z-k8iql-_sx413_bo1204203200_

    These go onto my wishlist. A recent example is, “My Kitchen in Rome: Recipes and Notes on Italian Cooking” by Rachel Roddy. After reading a few rave reviews by colleagues I respect, I borrowed the ebook from the library. ( I have since purchased the Kindle version)

    I read and reread this book in a weekend. Roddy took me to her neighborhood in the Testaccio quarter of Rome and introduced me to the neighbors, vendors, streets, sights, sounds, and aromas she discovered. She tempted me to make the food she learned to make and to enjoy the culture.

    It went on my wish list. At that time, the ebook price was not much less than the hardcover price. When the price finally dropped, I added it to my Kindle collection.

    More of my favorite cookbooks like this one will be in upcoming posts.

    What's on your Food Lover's shopping list?

      

    Details:

    Words: Penny Cherubino
    Photos: ©2012-2017 Penny Cherubino  

    (Adapted for BostonZest from one of her Fresh & Local newspaper columns.)

    Related articles
    Bun Thit Nuong: A Fresh, Cool Summer Dish from Vietnam
    March 19th Is Zeppole Day!

  • Go on a Good Food Hunt with Edible Boston’s Spring 2017 Issue

    Forget the Easter Eggs that are already on store shelves! Hunt down this edition of Edible Boston. It's full of the people, places, flavors, recipes, and products that you will want to add to your shopping list or make for dinner. 

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    In her Letter from the Editor, managing editor Sarah Blackburn hits a welcome note when she writes, "Put your feet up, turn off the news and read about ice cream, bagels, a beer-making farm and a lesson in historical cooking at a living museum."

    She continues to encourage us not only to "Eat Local," but also to join the Edible team and use the hashtag #EatLocalMA on social media. 

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    We have Post-It notes marking pages with articles on making cheese at home, celebrating spring with a picnic, and recipes for using those wonderful first greens of spring.

    Read with Shopping List in Hand

    As much as we think we may know about the local food scene, our preview copy is already dog-eared to return to articles and advertisements for local food suppliers. We've learned to read this publication with my shopping list in hand. 

     

    Support the Talented Edible Boston Team

    First, pick up a copy of Edible Boston at one of these locations. In fact, pick up two copies and share one with a food-loving friend or leave it where someone might discover it among lesser publications and become a new fan.

    May we suggest that you let their sponsors know you saw them in the magazine and grab an extra copy and get it to someone else who cares about supporting the local food movement. Also, if you have a blog, twitter account, or facebook page, write about them, link to them, follow them, retweet their tweets, like them on facebook and, in general, spread the word about this great asset to our community.

    And, to be sure you never miss an issue, you can subscribe over on their website!

    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
    Covershot & photos: Courtesy of Edible Boston

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