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Home Made Summer by Yvette Van Boven: Cookbook Recommendation
Somehow the cookbook, Home Made Summer
by Yvette van Boven keeps popping up to the top of my mind and my books to review pile.

I was invited to events surrounding this book by my friends at KitchenWares and Jacqueline Church. Unfortunately, I couldn't make any of them, but I was able to sneak in a lunch with Jacqueline and she presented me with a copy of this tantilizing book. Scanning it on the way home, I was so engrossed that I almost sat through my station on the subway and had to hustle myself off the train.

Last In, First Out

As always with new books, I spent some time reading it that evening and put it in my "read and possibly review" pile. Then, raves for the book started arriving in my social media feeds and I would pull it out again to check out a recipe or look at a larger version of a photo. The photography by Yvette's husband, Oof Verschuren, is fabulous and one more reason to get the book.

Here are a few of the pieces that had me pulling out Home Made Summer and dropping it back on the top of the pile.
- Tammy Donroe over on one of my favorite food blogs, Food on the Food, featured the book and then her version of Yvette's Summertime Crab Cakes.
- That inpired Jacqueline to create a virtual pot luck, "It’s a Summer Solstice Party – Homemade Summer Style," using posts about the book from all over. This was a fun idea!
- Next, I came upon theKitchn's review.
- Then, I found praise for the dessert recipes on Serious Eats.
Before long, I found myself moving Home Made Summer into today's spot in our editorial calendar. I want our readers to have the opportunity to use this book for the rest of the season. Flip through it when you make out your list for the farmers' market and pick it up again when you come home with your seasonal treasures. That's what I've been doing!

This is more than a cookbook. It has the feel of a travel journal through a summer in Europe. It has the warmth of a handwritten letter from a friend. The recipes are honed to include exactly what is needed to deliver the delights of the season without overwhelming the ingredients meant to shine.

The feeling that you have a friend in the kitchen with you tempts you to try your hand at making: "Home Made" Goat's Milk Ricotta, Negroni Fig Pops, or those wonderful preserved lemons on the cover.

I'm seeing figs around town this week so here's a recipe to try.

Negroni Fig Ice Pops
For 4 to 6 Ice Pops

½ cup plus 2 tbsp (150 ml) red vermouth
2 ½ tbsp (40 ml) gin
½ cup (125 ml) freshly squeezed orange juice
3 fresh figs
1/3 cup (75 ml) golden syrup or clover honey
- Put everything in a blender and blend until completely smooth.
- Pour through a sieve into a bowl with a spout and then pour into 4 to 6 ice pop molds.
- Place in the freezer and push wooden sticks in after 2 hours.
- Freeze for at least another 4 hours, but ideally for 1 day.
- Run the ice pops under hot running water for 3 seconds to unmold them.
What else is on your Food Lover's Shopping List? Shop Amazon for all your kitchen & dining needs and support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny Cherubino
Cover Art: Courtesy of the Yevette Van Boven

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.
July 9, 2013
Home Made Summer by Yvette Van Boven: Cookbook Recommendation
Somehow the cookbook, Home Made Summer
by Yvette van Boven keeps popping up to the top of my mind and my books to review pile.

I was invited to events surrounding this book by my friends at KitchenWares and Jacqueline Church. Unfortunately, I couldn't make any of them, but I was able to sneak in a lunch with Jacqueline and she presented me with a copy of this tantilizing book. Scanning it on the way home, I was so engrossed that I almost sat through my station on the subway and had to hustle myself off the train.

Last In, First Out

As always with new books, I spent some time reading it that evening and put it in my "read and possibly review" pile. Then, raves for the book started arriving in my social media feeds and I would pull it out again to check out a recipe or look at a larger version of a photo. The photography by Yvette's husband, Oof Verschuren, is fabulous and one more reason to get the book.

Here are a few of the pieces that had me pulling out Home Made Summer and dropping it back on the top of the pile.
- Tammy Donroe over on one of my favorite food blogs, Food on the Food, featured the book and then her version of Yvette's Summertime Crab Cakes.
- That inpired Jacqueline to create a virtual pot luck, "It’s a Summer Solstice Party – Homemade Summer Style," using posts about the book from all over. This was a fun idea!
- Next, I came upon theKitchn's review.
- Then, I found praise for the dessert recipes on Serious Eats.
Before long, I found myself moving Home Made Summer into today's spot in our editorial calendar. I want our readers to have the opportunity to use this book for the rest of the season. Flip through it when you make out your list for the farmers' market and pick it up again when you come home with your seasonal treasures. That's what I've been doing!

This is more than a cookbook. It has the feel of a travel journal through a summer in Europe. It has the warmth of a handwritten letter from a friend. The recipes are honed to include exactly what is needed to deliver the delights of the season without overwhelming the ingredients meant to shine.

The feeling that you have a friend in the kitchen with you tempts you to try your hand at making: "Home Made" Goat's Milk Ricotta, Negroni Fig Pops, or those wonderful preserved lemons on the cover.

I'm seeing figs around town this week so here's a recipe to try.

Negroni Fig Ice Pops
For 4 to 6 Ice Pops

½ cup plus 2 tbsp (150 ml) red vermouth
2 ½ tbsp (40 ml) gin
½ cup (125 ml) freshly squeezed orange juice
3 fresh figs
1/3 cup (75 ml) golden syrup or clover honey
- Put everything in a blender and blend until completely smooth.
- Pour through a sieve into a bowl with a spout and then pour into 4 to 6 ice pop molds.
- Place in the freezer and push wooden sticks in after 2 hours.
- Freeze for at least another 4 hours, but ideally for 1 day.
- Run the ice pops under hot running water for 3 seconds to unmold them.
What else is on your Food Lover's Shopping List? Shop Amazon for all your kitchen & dining needs and support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny Cherubino
Cover Art: Courtesy of the Yevette Van Boven

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.
July 9, 2013
Wollaston Beach and Quincy Shore Drive: Then and Now

Wollaston Beach and Quincy Shore Reservation are a perfect destination when you want to grab a Zipcar and spend an hour or two at the shore. We like to go on weekdays when the crowds are moderate and we can relax and enjoy the views back to Boston and out to sea.

Just like in days of old, we pull into one of the angled spaces that line the beachside. (This postcard is from the Boston Public Library Collection.)

The state undertook the creation of this park in 1899 and opened it to the public on May 30, 1908. It was part of the historic Metropolitan Parks System designed to preserve open and natural spaces for Boston area residents.

A Quick Beach Escape

We sit on the seawall and "people watch." (We are not allowed on the beach in summer because we take our dog with us.) We join the constant stream of locals walking the wide 2.3 mile seaside walkway.

And, we have lunch at one of the seasonal beach restaurants across from the beach. The photo above is from Tony's Clam Shop. If the wait for a table on the patio is long, we'll order our meal to go and take it back to the seawall or if we're lucky, dine on a shaded bench.

Here's another postcard view of the Squantum and Wollaston Yacht clubs.

While it is very busy in summer, you'll find people drawn to this place all year long in good weather and on downright nasty days when surf pounds the seawall.

It's just 8.5 miles from downtown Boston. Without a traffic jam, you can be there in 20 minutes. And, if you are willing to walk a bit, it is only a mile from the Wollaston station on the MBTA Red line.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a birthday or wedding gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Ed Cherubino with postcards from the Boston Public Library and a private collection.

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.

July 8, 2013
Wollaston Beach and Quincy Shore Drive: Then and Now

Wollaston Beach and Quincy Shore Reservation are a perfect destination when you want to grab a Zipcar and spend an hour or two at the shore. We like to go on weekdays when the crowds are moderate and we can relax and enjoy the views back to Boston and out to sea.

Just like in days of old, we pull into one of the angled spaces that line the beachside. (This postcard is from the Boston Public Library Collection.)

The state undertook the creation of this park in 1899 and opened it to the public on May 30, 1908. It was part of the historic Metropolitan Parks System designed to preserve open and natural spaces for Boston area residents.

A Quick Beach Escape

We sit on the seawall and "people watch." (We are not allowed on the beach in summer because we take our dog with us.) We join the constant stream of locals walking the wide 2.3 mile seaside walkway.

And, we have lunch at one of the seasonal beach restaurants across from the beach. The photo above is from Tony's Clam Shop. If the wait for a table on the patio is long, we'll order our meal to go and take it back to the seawall or if we're lucky, dine on a shaded bench.

Here's another postcard view of the Squantum and Wollaston Yacht clubs.

While it is very busy in summer, you'll find people drawn to this place all year long in good weather and on downright nasty days when surf pounds the seawall.

It's just 8.5 miles from downtown Boston. Without a traffic jam, you can be there in 20 minutes. And, if you are willing to walk a bit, it is only a mile from the Wollaston station on the MBTA Red line.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a birthday or wedding gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Ed Cherubino with postcards from the Boston Public Library and a private collection.

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.

July 8, 2013
Wollaston Beach and Quincy Shore Drive: Then and Now

Wollaston Beach and Quincy Shore Reservation are a perfect destination when you want to grab a Zipcar and spend an hour or two at the shore. We like to go on weekdays when the crowds are moderate and we can relax and enjoy the views back to Boston and out to sea.

Just like in days of old, we pull into one of the angled spaces that line the beachside. (This postcard is from the Boston Public Library Collection.)

The state undertook the creation of this park in 1899 and opened it to the public on May 30, 1908. It was part of the historic Metropolitan Parks System designed to preserve open and natural spaces for Boston area residents.

A Quick Beach Escape

We sit on the seawall and "people watch." (We are not allowed on the beach in summer because we take our dog with us.) We join the constant stream of locals walking the wide 2.3 mile seaside walkway.

And, we have lunch at one of the seasonal beach restaurants across from the beach. The photo above is from Tony's Clam Shop. If the wait for a table on the patio is long, we'll order our meal to go and take it back to the seawall or if we're lucky, dine on a shaded bench.

Here's another postcard view of the Squantum and Wollaston Yacht clubs.

While it is very busy in summer, you'll find people drawn to this place all year long in good weather and on downright nasty days when surf pounds the seawall.

It's just 8.5 miles from downtown Boston. Without a traffic jam, you can be there in 20 minutes. And, if you are willing to walk a bit, it is only a mile from the Wollaston station on the MBTA Red line.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a birthday or wedding gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2013 Ed Cherubino with postcards from the Boston Public Library and a private collection.

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.

July 8, 2013
Attention Boston Dogs! State Issues a Parvovirus Alert

This little terrier is bringing important news. Yes, we know, none of our canine pals likes to get shots but sometimes it's better than getting very, very sick.

Parvovirus Alert

The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) has issued an alert for dog guardians about an outbreak of Parvovirus in Berkshire and Worcester Counties, “Dozens of dogs have been affected in these two areas, and several have died or had to be euthanized due to severe illness caused by the virus.”

Many BostonZest readers travel to those areas and dogs from there visit Boston. Given the highly contagious nature of the disease, we're devoting this week’s Sunday Dog post to this topic.

Parvovirus

In the alert, MDAR explained, “Parvovirus primarily infects puppies, but any unvaccinated dog can be susceptible. Dogs usually exhibit symptoms of gastrointestinal illness, including vomiting and diarrhea. Although dogs can recover from the disease if it is detected early and treated aggressively, it can be fatal. The virus is typically spread directly from dog to dog, but it can persist in the environment for several months. Dogs that have been infected and recover can remain infectious for several months.”

What to do

You should confirm with your veterinarian that your dog is protected from parvo infection. And, in light of this alert, you should also act quickly and seek emergency treatment if Parvovirus symptoms appear.

Titer Testing

To avoid over vaccinating their dogs, many people opt for titer testing after initial immunity to a disease like parvo is established. But, you have to be careful that your veterinarian specifically requests a “vaccine titer test” and gives you those results. Titer tests are also done to check if a dog has a disease and the two can be confused by a laboratory.

Be sure to ask if your animal hospital is following the current protocol established for vaccinating dogs. The American Animal Hospital Association publishes the current guidelines on their website.

As for the little guy up top, he has a vivid imagination. The needle is certainly not that big!

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 birthday or wedding gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Artwork: istockphoto

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.

July 7, 2013
Attention Boston Dogs! State Issues a Parvovirus Alert

This little terrier is bringing important news. Yes, we know, none of our canine pals likes to get shots but sometimes it's better than getting very, very sick.

Parvovirus Alert

The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) has issued an alert for dog guardians about an outbreak of Parvovirus in Berkshire and Worcester Counties, “Dozens of dogs have been affected in these two areas, and several have died or had to be euthanized due to severe illness caused by the virus.”

Many BostonZest readers travel to those areas and dogs from there visit Boston. Given the highly contagious nature of the disease, we're devoting this week’s Sunday Dog post to this topic.

Parvovirus

In the alert, MDAR explained, “Parvovirus primarily infects puppies, but any unvaccinated dog can be susceptible. Dogs usually exhibit symptoms of gastrointestinal illness, including vomiting and diarrhea. Although dogs can recover from the disease if it is detected early and treated aggressively, it can be fatal. The virus is typically spread directly from dog to dog, but it can persist in the environment for several months. Dogs that have been infected and recover can remain infectious for several months.”

What to do

You should confirm with your veterinarian that your dog is protected from parvo infection. And, in light of this alert, you should also act quickly and seek emergency treatment if Parvovirus symptoms appear.

Titer Testing

To avoid over vaccinating their dogs, many people opt for titer testing after initial immunity to a disease like parvo is established. But, you have to be careful that your veterinarian specifically requests a “vaccine titer test” and gives you those results. Titer tests are also done to check if a dog has a disease and the two can be confused by a laboratory.

Be sure to ask if your animal hospital is following the current protocol established for vaccinating dogs. The American Animal Hospital Association publishes the current guidelines on their website.

As for the little guy up top, he has a vivid imagination. The needle is certainly not that big!

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 birthday or wedding gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Artwork: istockphoto

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.

July 7, 2013
Attention Boston Dogs! State Issues a Parvovirus Alert

This little terrier is bringing important news. Yes, we know, none of our canine pals likes to get shots but sometimes it's better than getting very, very sick.

Parvovirus Alert

The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) has issued an alert for dog guardians about an outbreak of Parvovirus in Berkshire and Worcester Counties, “Dozens of dogs have been affected in these two areas, and several have died or had to be euthanized due to severe illness caused by the virus.”

Many BostonZest readers travel to those areas and dogs from there visit Boston. Given the highly contagious nature of the disease, we're devoting this week’s Sunday Dog post to this topic.

Parvovirus

In the alert, MDAR explained, “Parvovirus primarily infects puppies, but any unvaccinated dog can be susceptible. Dogs usually exhibit symptoms of gastrointestinal illness, including vomiting and diarrhea. Although dogs can recover from the disease if it is detected early and treated aggressively, it can be fatal. The virus is typically spread directly from dog to dog, but it can persist in the environment for several months. Dogs that have been infected and recover can remain infectious for several months.”

What to do

You should confirm with your veterinarian that your dog is protected from parvo infection. And, in light of this alert, you should also act quickly and seek emergency treatment if Parvovirus symptoms appear.

Titer Testing

To avoid over vaccinating their dogs, many people opt for titer testing after initial immunity to a disease like parvo is established. But, you have to be careful that your veterinarian specifically requests a “vaccine titer test” and gives you those results. Titer tests are also done to check if a dog has a disease and the two can be confused by a laboratory.

Be sure to ask if your animal hospital is following the current protocol established for vaccinating dogs. The American Animal Hospital Association publishes the current guidelines on their website.

As for the little guy up top, he has a vivid imagination. The needle is certainly not that big!

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 birthday or wedding gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Artwork: istockphoto

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.

July 7, 2013
Shopping at the Copley Farmers’ Market: Photo of the Week

Penny spotted our neighbor Bob Oppenheim shopping at the Copley Square Farmers' Market and started taking photos before he noticed her.

We introduced readers to Bob last year when he had a one man show of his artwork at the Trustman Art Gallery.

We submitted this photo to the editors and it was selected for the covershot in this week's Back Bay Sun.

You can read some of the stories at the newspaper's website www.backbaysun.com and download a copy of the paper by clicking on the "Full Print Edition" icon in the left hand column. The new issue is usually on the website by Wednesday of each week.

Disclosure:The Independent Newspaper Group, owner of 12 local papers: Back Bay Sun, Beacon Hill Times, Charlestown Patriot-Bridge, Chelsea Record, East Boston Times Free Press, Everett Independent, Jamaica Plain Gazette, Lynn Journal, Mission Hill Gazette, North End Regional Review, Revere Journal, The Logan Times, and Winthrop Sun Transcript. This company is one of our freelance clients and you'll see our photographs, columns, and articles in their publications.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a Birthday or Wedding gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed 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. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

July 6, 2013
Shopping at the Copley Farmers’ Market: Photo of the Week

Penny spotted our neighbor Bob Oppenheim shopping at the Copley Square Farmers' Market and started taking photos before he noticed her.

We introduced readers to Bob last year when he had a one man show of his artwork at the Trustman Art Gallery.

We submitted this photo to the editors and it was selected for the covershot in this week's Back Bay Sun.

You can read some of the stories at the newspaper's website www.backbaysun.com and download a copy of the paper by clicking on the "Full Print Edition" icon in the left hand column. The new issue is usually on the website by Wednesday of each week.

Disclosure:The Independent Newspaper Group, owner of 12 local papers: Back Bay Sun, Beacon Hill Times, Charlestown Patriot-Bridge, Chelsea Record, East Boston Times Free Press, Everett Independent, Jamaica Plain Gazette, Lynn Journal, Mission Hill Gazette, North End Regional Review, Revere Journal, The Logan Times, and Winthrop Sun Transcript. This company is one of our freelance clients and you'll see our photographs, columns, and articles in their publications.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a Birthday or Wedding gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed 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. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

July 6, 2013