Category: Resources

Make Your Spring Reservations, Here Are Reasons to Do It Now!

Do you have a special occasion like a birthday or anniversary that you'd like to celebrate at an area restaurant in the next couple of months? Or, do you have family or friends coming to Boston who need hotel and restaurant reservations? Were you hoping to dine out on Easter Sunday or Mother's Day?

If so, put "Make Reservations" at the top of your to-do list this week.

Why?

Because Boston is expecting a lot of visitors between now and mid-June. Here are some of the dates when you will be competing with big crowds here for graduations, conventions, or events.

Graduation Season

Each year, we publish a calendar of the area's major college commencements and graduations. Here's a link to this year's edition.

Boston Area Commencement Dates, Spring 2014

This list runs from May 4th to June 6th with a blockbuster weekend hosting eleven commencements between May 17-19th. Many visitors are shocked at the price of hotel rooms during our commencement season and are having difficulty reserving tables for family meals during this time.

Events

March 15-17, Saint Patrick's Day Weekend – If the questions over on Trip Advisor are any indication, visitors from the UK come to Boston to join in our festivities. As always, this is on March 17th when a strange holiday called Evacuation Day was created that just happens to coincide with a desired date for celebration. With the 17th on a Monday, plans for a long weekend of green beer are on more than a few calendars. (Plus two conventions noted below.)

April 18-21, Patriots' Day Weekend will host the largest Boston Marathon in years with an official field of 36,000 runners and an estimate of twice the traditional half-million spectators.

This is also a weekend of other BAA races as well as sporting events elsewhere in the city. Some locals look forward to this annual happening, others will leave the city until it's over. Oh, and it's also Easter Sunday this year!

May 11, Mother's Day is always a day with a shortage of reservations since it happens during our graduation season. There are five schools holding commencement that weekend.

May 24-26, Memorial Day Weekend is a traditional time to open summer homes and perhaps enjoy a first summer weekend away. If you want the best choice of hotel, Zipcar, or to be assured of a table at your favorite restaurant in places from Portland, Maine to Provincetown, reserve soon.

Move-Out Season – Many of the two hundred thousand plus students will be moving out of Boston in late May and early June. In some neighborhoods, this is a major event impacting traffic, parking, and trash collection.

Conventions

Spring is also a time for large conventions in Boston. Here are a few dates when 10,000 people or more will be added to the city's population. Fortunately, many of these large events are out in the Seaport District and will not impact most residents. A few are at the Hynes Convention Center in the Back Bay and will be more noticeable.

March 16-18, two conventions in the Seaport District are expecting 26,000 attendees. This is also Saint Patrick's Day Weekend so it will make a difference throughout the city.

March 21-23, the Anime Boston event at the Hynes will have colorful characters roaming the Back Bay and scattered throughout Boston. There is also a a smaller convention in the Seaport District for a total of 25,000 attendees.

April 3-5: 20,000 in the Seaport District

May 1: 16,000 in the Seaport District

May 8-10: 15,000 in the Seaport District

May 18: 11,000 in the Seaport District

June 8: 13,000 in the Seaport District

Then, we switch to summer tourists with the next big convention in October.

Don't Forget

You may need reservations for a pet sitter or childcare so get that underway too.

If you travel on the MBTA, use UBER, or taxis, some of these events will have a big impact on those means of travel with crowded trains and shortages of cars and taxis.

All these visitors will also give you a wonderful opportunity to meet people from around the world. If you see someone who seems to be in need of help or looks lost, be a good host and offer a hand.

When you see a group posing for photos, offer to take one of the entire gang. It only takes a minute, but gives the visitors a great memory of both the photo and the friendly Bostonian.

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: (Crowd scene iStockphoto), (Marathon & Tourists © 2012-2014 Penny Cherubino), (Anime photo from the Weekly Dig used under this creative common's license.)

Related articles

Boston Area Commencement Dates, Spring 2014

Mother's Day Dining 2013, Reserve Now for May 12th!

6 ways to cure the winter blues this March

March 10, 2014
Make Your Spring Reservations, Here Are Reasons to Do It Now!

Do you have a special occasion like a birthday or anniversary that you'd like to celebrate at an area restaurant in the next couple of months? Or, do you have family or friends coming to Boston who need hotel and restaurant reservations? Were you hoping to dine out on Easter Sunday or Mother's Day?

If so, put "Make Reservations" at the top of your to-do list this week.

Why?

Because Boston is expecting a lot of visitors between now and mid-June. Here are some of the dates when you will be competing with big crowds here for graduations, conventions, or events.

Graduation Season

Each year, we publish a calendar of the area's major college commencements and graduations. Here's a link to this year's edition.

Boston Area Commencement Dates, Spring 2014

This list runs from May 4th to June 6th with a blockbuster weekend hosting eleven commencements between May 17-19th. Many visitors are shocked at the price of hotel rooms during our commencement season and are having difficulty reserving tables for family meals during this time.

Events

March 15-17, Saint Patrick's Day Weekend – If the questions over on Trip Advisor are any indication, visitors from the UK come to Boston to join in our festivities. As always, this is on March 17th when a strange holiday called Evacuation Day was created that just happens to coincide with a desired date for celebration. With the 17th on a Monday, plans for a long weekend of green beer are on more than a few calendars. (Plus two conventions noted below.)

April 18-21, Patriots' Day Weekend will host the largest Boston Marathon in years with an official field of 36,000 runners and an estimate of twice the traditional half-million spectators.

This is also a weekend of other BAA races as well as sporting events elsewhere in the city. Some locals look forward to this annual happening, others will leave the city until it's over. Oh, and it's also Easter Sunday this year!

May 11, Mother's Day is always a day with a shortage of reservations since it happens during our graduation season. There are five schools holding commencement that weekend.

May 24-26, Memorial Day Weekend is a traditional time to open summer homes and perhaps enjoy a first summer weekend away. If you want the best choice of hotel, Zipcar, or to be assured of a table at your favorite restaurant in places from Portland, Maine to Provincetown, reserve soon.

Move-Out Season – Many of the two hundred thousand plus students will be moving out of Boston in late May and early June. In some neighborhoods, this is a major event impacting traffic, parking, and trash collection.

Conventions

Spring is also a time for large conventions in Boston. Here are a few dates when 10,000 people or more will be added to the city's population. Fortunately, many of these large events are out in the Seaport District and will not impact most residents. A few are at the Hynes Convention Center in the Back Bay and will be more noticeable.

March 16-18, two conventions in the Seaport District are expecting 26,000 attendees. This is also Saint Patrick's Day Weekend so it will make a difference throughout the city.

March 21-23, the Anime Boston event at the Hynes will have colorful characters roaming the Back Bay and scattered throughout Boston. There is also a a smaller convention in the Seaport District for a total of 25,000 attendees.

April 3-5: 20,000 in the Seaport District

May 1: 16,000 in the Seaport District

May 8-10: 15,000 in the Seaport District

May 18: 11,000 in the Seaport District

June 8: 13,000 in the Seaport District

Then, we switch to summer tourists with the next big convention in October.

Don't Forget

You may need reservations for a pet sitter or childcare so get that underway too.

If you travel on the MBTA, use UBER, or taxis, some of these events will have a big impact on those means of travel with crowded trains and shortages of cars and taxis.

All these visitors will also give you a wonderful opportunity to meet people from around the world. If you see someone who seems to be in need of help or looks lost, be a good host and offer a hand.

When you see a group posing for photos, offer to take one of the entire gang. It only takes a minute, but gives the visitors a great memory of both the photo and the friendly Bostonian.

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: (Crowd scene iStockphoto), (Marathon & Tourists © 2012-2014 Penny Cherubino), (Anime photo from the Weekly Dig used under this creative common's license.)

Related articles

Boston Area Commencement Dates, Spring 2014

Mother's Day Dining 2013, Reserve Now for May 12th!

6 ways to cure the winter blues this March

March 10, 2014
Make Your Spring Reservations, Here Are Reasons to Do It Now!

Do you have a special occasion like a birthday or anniversary that you'd like to celebrate at an area restaurant in the next couple of months? Or, do you have family or friends coming to Boston who need hotel and restaurant reservations? Were you hoping to dine out on Easter Sunday or Mother's Day?

If so, put "Make Reservations" at the top of your to-do list this week.

Why?

Because Boston is expecting a lot of visitors between now and mid-June. Here are some of the dates when you will be competing with big crowds here for graduations, conventions, or events.

Graduation Season

Each year, we publish a calendar of the area's major college commencements and graduations. Here's a link to this year's edition.

Boston Area Commencement Dates, Spring 2014

This list runs from May 4th to June 6th with a blockbuster weekend hosting eleven commencements between May 17-19th. Many visitors are shocked at the price of hotel rooms during our commencement season and are having difficulty reserving tables for family meals during this time.

Events

March 15-17, Saint Patrick's Day Weekend – If the questions over on Trip Advisor are any indication, visitors from the UK come to Boston to join in our festivities. As always, this is on March 17th when a strange holiday called Evacuation Day was created that just happens to coincide with a desired date for celebration. With the 17th on a Monday, plans for a long weekend of green beer are on more than a few calendars. (Plus two conventions noted below.)

April 18-21, Patriots' Day Weekend will host the largest Boston Marathon in years with an official field of 36,000 runners and an estimate of twice the traditional half-million spectators.

This is also a weekend of other BAA races as well as sporting events elsewhere in the city. Some locals look forward to this annual happening, others will leave the city until it's over. Oh, and it's also Easter Sunday this year!

May 11, Mother's Day is always a day with a shortage of reservations since it happens during our graduation season. There are five schools holding commencement that weekend.

May 24-26, Memorial Day Weekend is a traditional time to open summer homes and perhaps enjoy a first summer weekend away. If you want the best choice of hotel, Zipcar, or to be assured of a table at your favorite restaurant in places from Portland, Maine to Provincetown, reserve soon.

Move-Out Season – Many of the two hundred thousand plus students will be moving out of Boston in late May and early June. In some neighborhoods, this is a major event impacting traffic, parking, and trash collection.

Conventions

Spring is also a time for large conventions in Boston. Here are a few dates when 10,000 people or more will be added to the city's population. Fortunately, many of these large events are out in the Seaport District and will not impact most residents. A few are at the Hynes Convention Center in the Back Bay and will be more noticeable.

March 16-18, two conventions in the Seaport District are expecting 26,000 attendees. This is also Saint Patrick's Day Weekend so it will make a difference throughout the city.

March 21-23, the Anime Boston event at the Hynes will have colorful characters roaming the Back Bay and scattered throughout Boston. There is also a a smaller convention in the Seaport District for a total of 25,000 attendees.

April 3-5: 20,000 in the Seaport District

May 1: 16,000 in the Seaport District

May 8-10: 15,000 in the Seaport District

May 18: 11,000 in the Seaport District

June 8: 13,000 in the Seaport District

Then, we switch to summer tourists with the next big convention in October.

Don't Forget

You may need reservations for a pet sitter or childcare so get that underway too.

If you travel on the MBTA, use UBER, or taxis, some of these events will have a big impact on those means of travel with crowded trains and shortages of cars and taxis.

All these visitors will also give you a wonderful opportunity to meet people from around the world. If you see someone who seems to be in need of help or looks lost, be a good host and offer a hand.

When you see a group posing for photos, offer to take one of the entire gang. It only takes a minute, but gives the visitors a great memory of both the photo and the friendly Bostonian.

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: (Crowd scene iStockphoto), (Marathon & Tourists © 2012-2014 Penny Cherubino), (Anime photo from the Weekly Dig used under this creative common's license.)

Related articles

Boston Area Commencement Dates, Spring 2014

Mother's Day Dining 2013, Reserve Now for May 12th!

6 ways to cure the winter blues this March

March 10, 2014
Time to Make Sure Your Dog Is Licensed and Counted
Sometime this week, you should see the renewal package for your Boston Dog license in the mail. Whether you get that or not, we want to remind you to get a shiny, new, dog license to add to that collection of tags on your dog's collar.

Click here for a copy of this schedule of Low Cost Dog Licensing and Rabies Vaccine Clinics around the City of Boston.

It's the Law

The law says that by April 1st of each year, all dogs in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts must obtain a new license from the city or town where they reside.

A Few Tips & Links
- You can download the forms on the city website
- Those who mail in their applications should be certain to include copies of the requested neutering and rabies vaccination certificates, a check payable to animal control, and a stamped self-addressed envelope.
- That envelope will be used to return your dog’s license and tag to you.
- Once your dog is registered with the city, Animal Control will provide a business reply envelope for you to mail in your application, and you will only have to pay the postage one way.
- Boston has a two-tiered price structure for dog licenses.
  - It costs $6.00 per year to license a neutered male or spayed female dog.
  - That fee jumps to $17.00 if the animal is intact
- If you happen to be near city hall, you can bring everything you need and pick up the forms and obtain a dog license in room 811.
- Only checks are accepted for payment, in person or by mail – no cash or credit cards.
- You can bring the same items to the City Hall To Go truck at one of its regularly scheduled locations around the city. The truck's schedule is at that link.
Why Should You Get a Dog License?

A license is proof that your dog has had a rabies shot. That's important to anyone who might have to help you find a lost dog or treat a hurt one.

It's really important to let the city know how many dogs live here and should be considered when the politicians do their planning and spend our money. Getting everyone to license their dogs will send a message. So, stand up and be counted!

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

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
Poster: Courtesy of Boston Animal Care & Control
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.
March 9, 2014
Time to Make Sure Your Dog Is Licensed and Counted
Sometime this week, you should see the renewal package for your Boston Dog license in the mail. Whether you get that or not, we want to remind you to get a shiny, new, dog license to add to that collection of tags on your dog's collar.

Click here for a copy of this schedule of Low Cost Dog Licensing and Rabies Vaccine Clinics around the City of Boston.

It's the Law

The law says that by April 1st of each year, all dogs in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts must obtain a new license from the city or town where they reside.

A Few Tips & Links
- You can download the forms on the city website
- Those who mail in their applications should be certain to include copies of the requested neutering and rabies vaccination certificates, a check payable to animal control, and a stamped self-addressed envelope.
- That envelope will be used to return your dog’s license and tag to you.
- Once your dog is registered with the city, Animal Control will provide a business reply envelope for you to mail in your application, and you will only have to pay the postage one way.
- Boston has a two-tiered price structure for dog licenses.
  - It costs $6.00 per year to license a neutered male or spayed female dog.
  - That fee jumps to $17.00 if the animal is intact
- If you happen to be near city hall, you can bring everything you need and pick up the forms and obtain a dog license in room 811.
- Only checks are accepted for payment, in person or by mail – no cash or credit cards.
- You can bring the same items to the City Hall To Go truck at one of its regularly scheduled locations around the city. The truck's schedule is at that link.
Why Should You Get a Dog License?

A license is proof that your dog has had a rabies shot. That's important to anyone who might have to help you find a lost dog or treat a hurt one.

It's really important to let the city know how many dogs live here and should be considered when the politicians do their planning and spend our money. Getting everyone to license their dogs will send a message. So, stand up and be counted!

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

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
Poster: Courtesy of Boston Animal Care & Control
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.
March 9, 2014
Time to Make Sure Your Dog Is Licensed and Counted
Sometime this week, you should see the renewal package for your Boston Dog license in the mail. Whether you get that or not, we want to remind you to get a shiny, new, dog license to add to that collection of tags on your dog's collar.

Click here for a copy of this schedule of Low Cost Dog Licensing and Rabies Vaccine Clinics around the City of Boston.

It's the Law

The law says that by April 1st of each year, all dogs in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts must obtain a new license from the city or town where they reside.

A Few Tips & Links
- You can download the forms on the city website
- Those who mail in their applications should be certain to include copies of the requested neutering and rabies vaccination certificates, a check payable to animal control, and a stamped self-addressed envelope.
- That envelope will be used to return your dog’s license and tag to you.
- Once your dog is registered with the city, Animal Control will provide a business reply envelope for you to mail in your application, and you will only have to pay the postage one way.
- Boston has a two-tiered price structure for dog licenses.
  - It costs $6.00 per year to license a neutered male or spayed female dog.
  - That fee jumps to $17.00 if the animal is intact
- If you happen to be near city hall, you can bring everything you need and pick up the forms and obtain a dog license in room 811.
- Only checks are accepted for payment, in person or by mail – no cash or credit cards.
- You can bring the same items to the City Hall To Go truck at one of its regularly scheduled locations around the city. The truck's schedule is at that link.
Why Should You Get a Dog License?

A license is proof that your dog has had a rabies shot. That's important to anyone who might have to help you find a lost dog or treat a hurt one.

It's really important to let the city know how many dogs live here and should be considered when the politicians do their planning and spend our money. Getting everyone to license their dogs will send a message. So, stand up and be counted!

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

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
Poster: Courtesy of Boston Animal Care & Control
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.
March 9, 2014
Bread Pudding, Sweet or Savory

Bread pudding is a wonderful way to use up stale or surplus bread. Since this household has a habit of buying too much bread when wonderful choices are in front of us, we need to make bread pudding more often than most people.

Sweet

The dish above is a sweet version made with Apple Pie bread we bought at the Wayland Winter Farmers' Market. It didn't need any additional sugar or spice in the custard mix, just a couple handfuls of raisins and a sprinkle of sugar on top to make a lovely, crunchy crust.

While you can make bread pudding from any leftover bread, we do love the batches made from specialty loaves from cinnamon swirl to more exotic offerings. And, these sweet versions can use up any fruit that might be in your larder. Apples, pears, bananas, and stone fruit all add their sweetness and nutrition to the mix.

We love adding dried fruits like raisins, apricots, or figs. You may want to layer those in the middle of the pudding or at least poke them down into the mix because they do tend to burn quicker than the custard cooks.

Savory

You can also take this cooking technique to the savory side and make a great breakfast or brunch dish or a supper that can be waiting in the refrigerator when you get home.

Specialty breads from a place like When Pigs Fly Bakery give you an easy way to go savory. Their Sicilian Green Olive & Hot Cherry Peppers bread just needs a bit of cheese and custard to make a quick meal.

Or, toss together any ingredients that you might put in a frittata. You could sauté onions, peppers, and sausage or ham then let it cool. Mix in some grated cheddar cheese, pour on the custard mix, and sprinkle the top with more cheese. Bake, and you have a wonderful, savory bread pudding.

We also make bread puddings from the sweet versions of breads from When Pigs Fly.

Recipes

Penny doesn't follow a recipe for bread puddings. She uses a ratio like the one offered by Michael Ruhlman in his wonderful book Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking. It's twice as much milk as eggs. For example, two cups of milk to 4 large eggs (about 8 oz). Adding seasoning such as: salt, sugar, vanilla, or spices depends on the ingredients.

If you prefer to follow a recipe, here are a couple that seem popular and proven.

From AllRecipes.com Bread Pudding II - this has a very good video for someone new to the technique.

Maya Angelou's Bread Pudding from Epicurious.

Both sites have dozens for variations that could use up any spare ingedients you might have on hand.

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: ©2014 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Related articles

The Apple Lover's CookBook by Amy Traverso

The Proof is in the Bread Pudding

Chocolate Brioche Bread and Butter Pudding

February 25, 2014
Bread Pudding, Sweet or Savory

Bread pudding is a wonderful way to use up stale or surplus bread. Since this household has a habit of buying too much bread when wonderful choices are in front of us, we need to make bread pudding more often than most people.

Sweet

The dish above is a sweet version made with Apple Pie bread we bought at the Wayland Winter Farmers' Market. It didn't need any additional sugar or spice in the custard mix, just a couple handfuls of raisins and a sprinkle of sugar on top to make a lovely, crunchy crust.

While you can make bread pudding from any leftover bread, we do love the batches made from specialty loaves from cinnamon swirl to more exotic offerings. And, these sweet versions can use up any fruit that might be in your larder. Apples, pears, bananas, and stone fruit all add their sweetness and nutrition to the mix.

We love adding dried fruits like raisins, apricots, or figs. You may want to layer those in the middle of the pudding or at least poke them down into the mix because they do tend to burn quicker than the custard cooks.

Savory

You can also take this cooking technique to the savory side and make a great breakfast or brunch dish or a supper that can be waiting in the refrigerator when you get home.

Specialty breads from a place like When Pigs Fly Bakery give you an easy way to go savory. Their Sicilian Green Olive & Hot Cherry Peppers bread just needs a bit of cheese and custard to make a quick meal.

Or, toss together any ingredients that you might put in a frittata. You could sauté onions, peppers, and sausage or ham then let it cool. Mix in some grated cheddar cheese, pour on the custard mix, and sprinkle the top with more cheese. Bake, and you have a wonderful, savory bread pudding.

We also make bread puddings from the sweet versions of breads from When Pigs Fly.

Recipes

Penny doesn't follow a recipe for bread puddings. She uses a ratio like the one offered by Michael Ruhlman in his wonderful book Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking. It's twice as much milk as eggs. For example, two cups of milk to 4 large eggs (about 8 oz). Adding seasoning such as: salt, sugar, vanilla, or spices depends on the ingredients.

If you prefer to follow a recipe, here are a couple that seem popular and proven.

From AllRecipes.com Bread Pudding II - this has a very good video for someone new to the technique.

Maya Angelou's Bread Pudding from Epicurious.

Both sites have dozens for variations that could use up any spare ingedients you might have on hand.

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: ©2014 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Related articles

The Apple Lover's CookBook by Amy Traverso

The Proof is in the Bread Pudding

Chocolate Brioche Bread and Butter Pudding

February 25, 2014
Bread Pudding, Sweet or Savory

Bread pudding is a wonderful way to use up stale or surplus bread. Since this household has a habit of buying too much bread when wonderful choices are in front of us, we need to make bread pudding more often than most people.

Sweet

The dish above is a sweet version made with Apple Pie bread we bought at the Wayland Winter Farmers' Market. It didn't need any additional sugar or spice in the custard mix, just a couple handfuls of raisins and a sprinkle of sugar on top to make a lovely, crunchy crust.

While you can make bread pudding from any leftover bread, we do love the batches made from specialty loaves from cinnamon swirl to more exotic offerings. And, these sweet versions can use up any fruit that might be in your larder. Apples, pears, bananas, and stone fruit all add their sweetness and nutrition to the mix.

We love adding dried fruits like raisins, apricots, or figs. You may want to layer those in the middle of the pudding or at least poke them down into the mix because they do tend to burn quicker than the custard cooks.

Savory

You can also take this cooking technique to the savory side and make a great breakfast or brunch dish or a supper that can be waiting in the refrigerator when you get home.

Specialty breads from a place like When Pigs Fly Bakery give you an easy way to go savory. Their Sicilian Green Olive & Hot Cherry Peppers bread just needs a bit of cheese and custard to make a quick meal.

Or, toss together any ingredients that you might put in a frittata. You could sauté onions, peppers, and sausage or ham then let it cool. Mix in some grated cheddar cheese, pour on the custard mix, and sprinkle the top with more cheese. Bake, and you have a wonderful, savory bread pudding.

We also make bread puddings from the sweet versions of breads from When Pigs Fly.

Recipes

Penny doesn't follow a recipe for bread puddings. She uses a ratio like the one offered by Michael Ruhlman in his wonderful book Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking. It's twice as much milk as eggs. For example, two cups of milk to 4 large eggs (about 8 oz). Adding seasoning such as: salt, sugar, vanilla, or spices depends on the ingredients.

If you prefer to follow a recipe, here are a couple that seem popular and proven.

From AllRecipes.com Bread Pudding II - this has a very good video for someone new to the technique.

Maya Angelou's Bread Pudding from Epicurious.

Both sites have dozens for variations that could use up any spare ingedients you might have on hand.

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: ©2014 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Related articles

The Apple Lover's CookBook by Amy Traverso

The Proof is in the Bread Pudding

Chocolate Brioche Bread and Butter Pudding

February 25, 2014
What’s Open or Closed on Presidents’ Day in Boston 2014 & MBTA Schedule Changes
Here's a rundown of what's open and what's closed in Boston on Presidents' Day and the MBTA schedule changes, plus information on Boston trash pick-up and parking information for – February 17, 2014.

This is an old post. Here's the 2015 information on this topic.

(The Emancipation Statue of President Abraham Lincoln and a newly freed slave in Park Square from the Boston Public Library Collection.)

We publish these resource pages early to assist you in planning your holidays. We'll keep updates coming as new information is published. Follow us on Twitter to learn about updates.

UPDATE 02/015/14: Here is the information box from the city of Boston site.

Restaurants, bars: Open

Convenience stores: Open

Supermarkets: Open

Retail stores: Are allowed to open if the owners choose

Liquor stores: Open

City, Town, State and Federal offices and facilities are closed: This includes Schools, Libraries, and the Postal Service (express mail will be delivered). Only emergency services are available.

Financial Services: As the British would say, this is a Bank Holiday with both Banks and the stock markets in the United State closed. Some international markets are open. In recent year's, we've notices some banks keep some branches open at unexpected times so check with your own bank.

Parking, Boston trash, and MBTA after the ad.

This weekend is a great time to start your tax preparation. Step one, order your software by following this link to Amazon. You can even download some versions right from the Amazon Download Store. Shopping Amazon from here keeps information like this coming your way.

Boston Parking: You don't have to feed the meters. Other parking rules apply.

Boston Recycling and Trash Collection:

"Presidents' Day Week, Monday, February 17, 6am – Saturday, February 22, 2014, 5pm"

DETAILS: "No delay of trash or recycling pick up in Back Bay, Bay Village, Beacon Hill, Charlestown, Chinatown, Fenway, Leather District, Mission Hill, North End, Roxbury, South Boston, and the South End

Allston/Brighton, Dorchester, East Boston, Jamaica Plain*, Mattapan, Roslindale, West Roxbury and Hyde Park, delayed a day

*If you live in Jamaica Plain and your trash is picked up 2 times per week, do not delay.

Report Missed Pickup"

Here's the source of the recycling and trash information.

MBTA Schedule for Presidents' Day, February 17, 2014:

For a short time before the holiday a complete list of schedule changes with appear at this link.

Briefly:
- Blue, Orange, Red, Silver, and Green Lines will operate a Saturday schedule.
- Commuter Rail trains will operate a Saturday schedule. So, the Fairmont, Greenbush, Kingston/Plymouth, and Needham lines will not operate.
- Buses and trackless trolleys will operate a Saturday schedule. Check this link for bus routes that will not operate. (Note: this link will only work up until the holiday.)
- Hingham and Charlestown Boat Service will operate a regular weekday schedule.
- THE RIDE will operate a Saturday schedule, but contact your local RIDE contractor for details.
For more information on routes, schedules, and fares, contact the MBTA at 617-222-3200, TTY 617-222-5146), or log onto the MBTA’s website www.mbta.com.

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Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: From the Boston Public Library Collection.

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February 7, 2014