FOR THE LOVE OF "SMALL BITES" or "TIDBITS"

As far back as I can remember, before we knew what "Tapas" were, we, that is my friends and family, were always more enamored with appetizers, grazing on small plates, or casually noshing on small "bites"....

We preferred it to the large holiday dinners, and for many years on Christmas Eve, we looked forward to our favorite Christmas treat, which was an evening filled with different appetizers and Champagne....We always had too much food, as my Mother would always point out, but it never went uneaten as we all headed home with small bites of "this and that" to nosh on for a few days to come...

I had dinner out last night with a couple of my oldest friends...We have known each other since High School, and have what seems to be a million years of memories. We don't get to see each other as often as we would like, but when we do, there is nothing that we cannot share with each other, as though we had just seen each other.

As we perused the menu, we had so much to catch up on, that we could not be bothered with devoting much attention to what we wanted to order. The THIRD time that the waiter came by the table, he suggested the sharing of a small plate of marinated Mediterranean Olives, which was accompanied by almonds and garlic rubbed grilled toasts.....The pairing of this small bite with my lovely glass of light Chardonnay was perfection.

I have been working like a DOG for the last couple of weeks...(Why do we say working like a "DOG", when all I ever see most dogs do is sleep?)

I greatly looked forward to my few days off this week to sleep late, read, and try some new recipes or make them up....These activities always relax and please me (especially the part about sleeping late, because I am now getting up at 4AM!!! to go to work...)

Now that I AM working very steadily, I grocery shop, but don't do a lot of cooking because I am not around as much. Hence the need to buy smaller quantities of food that is good for on the go..

Now when I refer to food like this, I mean sumptuous Goat Cheese, French Feta Cheese, Marinated Greek and Green Olives, Peppers, loaves of Rosemary Seven Grain Bread, Sourdough small loaves, good Olive Oil, Garbanzo Beans and Tahini for Hummus, Greek Yogurt and English Cucumber for Tsatziki, Cans of my Favorite Tuna, Lemons, Garlic, Greens, Chicken Breasts, and all sorts of fresh Herbs....

With these fresh ingredients in the kitchen, I can whip up just about anything that I might be interested in making, or grab a quick snack so as not to have to make a "big deal" out of a meal...

This morning I wanted to take something over to my parents house for them to enjoy....Maybe something that they have never eaten and hopefully would find to be delicious...

Out of the refrigerator I grabbed log of Chevre' (natural goat cheese), a small amount of some French Feta, and a bit of Cream Cheese....I also pulled out the last of some walnuts, toasted them, and in the veggie drawer grabbed the herbs that I had on hand, some Dill, Tarragon, and Italian Parsley.....At this point I settled on a jar of "Party Olive ANTIPASTO" a product made in Greece and manufactured by the "PEPLOPONNESE" company...It contained olives, green peppers, cauliflower, carrots, and red peppers...PERFECT...(Believe it or not, this jar was found in the Grocery aisle where the olives are at my local KROGER...Really! Just gotta look for these goodies....)

I decided that a great cheese spread made with this Antipasto could be very delicious, and absolutely divine on some homemade CROSTINI....So easy....

I happened to have a loaf of small rounded Sourdough bread, as well as the end of a Rosemary Seven Grain Loaf bought at La Madeline....The Bread slices were the perfect size, but had they been too large, they could have been easily sliced in half....More about the making of the Crostini later.....For now back to the.....

"MEDITERRANEAN WING IT CHEESE SPREAD"

In your food processor, clean and throw in a handful of each and every fresh herb you have or want to use (be sure to take off any stems...)...Throw in a peeled garlic clove or two...Dash a bit of Extra Virgin Olive Oil in and process until it is finely chopped.

Add all of the cheese, room temp, and process until combined. Add about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of the Antipasto along with a little marinade (but not a lot, as it is quite salty)....Grind some pepper into the processor bowl, as well as a bit of cumin, smoked paprika, and cayenne (if you have it, which you should since it is FAB in just about everything but chocolate cake....)

Turn on the processor and process until really smooth almost like a "mousse"....After this is done, add the toasted walnuts (I used about 1/4 to 1/2 cup)....Turn the processor on and off a couple of times or so, as you want the nuts to still be intact, though not large....

TASTE...

ALWAYS taste your food...What does it need? Too salty? Add a bit more cream cheese...Bland? I doubt it will be, but if so, you could add some additional marinated olives, or just regular green or Kalamata olives....(Again, these are very salty, so go easy...)

Fill a crock jar with the spread and if giving away, tie a pretty ribbon around it...(this is a great idea, and some day I will buy ribbons just for this very reason....As for now, the jar will remain naked....)

THE CROSTINI

Oven preheated to 350 degrees...

Take your largest cookie sheet and line it with parchment...Place the small sized bread, (Sourdough, French, or Italian is best), on the sheet....Cut larger sized bread in half if you wish, though I think that the smaller rounded "toasts" are the most attractive...

Sprinkle or brush each piece with Olive Oil....Bake for around 7 minutes or so, but watch carefully after 5 minutes...They don't have to be brown in color, just toasted like a large crouton....

As you pull the crostini from the oven, and while they are still warm, rub each piece with a peeled garlic clove....

Put them on a wire rack to completely cool, then store them in a large plastic ziploc until ready to serve....

I hope that you will try this Spread, as it is quite tasty, or at least gather some inspiration from the recipe, and give it a try yourself with your own choice of cheeses, herbs, and other ingredients....You could do a roasted pepper one or do one with the roasted tomatoes that you have made yourself....(i.e. see post before this one...mine were all gone!)

This is the kind of cooking that I love to do, and find to be the most creative...A bit of this, a bit of that, and who knows? You might be the creator of something amazing! I think that one of the keys is to keep you refrigerator stocked with the freshest of ingredients, the best that you can afford in terms of quality, and items that you and you family/friends like....

As Summer shows its heated little head, especially here in Texas, glasses of Chilled Wine, Lemonade, and "Small Bites" sound more and more the answer to mealtime...

I hope that you will enjoy this addition to your favorite "Tapas," or as my sister and I called them growing up, "Tidbits"....

DELICIOUS Oven Roasted Tomatoes (or how working brings out the Culinary in me...)

Feels great to work again...As I told my son, I missed taking care of my "Peeps"....

I am working so much (PRN, alas no full time position yet), at two different hospitals....I have to be careful not to "overbook" myself, as I did last week...This was my first day off for over a week...

After sleeping for most of the morning, I emerged an energy filled woman, ready to watch a couple of films that I recorded awhile ago, and cook at the same time...(have always loved to do this...)

I am feeling SO much happier since I am back to work, and when I am happy, I always feel like cooking...I also HATE anything frozen and/or basically anything less than wonderful....I have been known to cook, as I did last week, 6 different things in one day, just so we would have good things to eat in our fridge..

My son has been on a "working out and only eating healthy things" regimen for awhile now, so I do try to keep this in mind when I am planning what I will prepare...

I made a recipe today that was not only completely delicious, but easy and fairly economical...It filled my apartment with the smells of an authentic Italian kitchen, and that in itself was lovely....
You can make this all year long, and would be especially helpful in the winter, when tomatoes are really tasteless....

Oven Roasted/Dried Tomatoes

You can do this with big tomatoes, cut into quarters, but I like doing it with cherry tomatoes....They could be put on top of a pizza, scattered on top of a salad, used as a topping on a sandwich or panini, tossed with pasta, used with mozzarella, goat cheese, or French feta cheese for a great bruschetta, or just on their own...They are seriously addictive and versatile....

Oven 225 degrees

Use parchment paper on a big sheet pan...(If you don't use parchment, just make sure that you spray the pan or coat with olive oil, but parchment makes it so easy...)

Wash, dry, and half the cherry tomatoes...(about 2 pints or more if your pan will hold it..)

Place on large baking sheet, and scatter unpeeled garlic cloves around the tomatoes...

Drizzle all with olive oil (extra virgin is best, but the regular would do...)

Sprinkle with Kosher Salt (don't overdo that), and cracked pepper...

Take whatever dried Italian spices that you have and mix them together...(I used basil and oregano...Fennel would be nice if you had it...)

You will need 2 teaspoons of very fine spices, so take more than that, and with clean hands, use your fingers and turn the spices into a very fine powder...(If you have a mortar and pestle, it would be perfect for this, but I do not...)
Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of the finely ground spices over the tomatoes...(I used a little cayenne as well for a kick...)

Bake these for about 3-4 hours, checking them after 3 hours, as you do not want them black all over...I cooked mine for 3 1/2 hours, but it will depend on their size...If you were to half and cook the grape ones, it would take less time....

These will keep for a few days, kept in a covered jar or container, covered in olive oil....Not sure that it will last that long though...The roasted garlic can be stored right along with the tomatoes...
These are perfect to make on your next day off...Make more rather than less....Enjoy

Let's get all dressed up and go shopping!!!

Dont' you just love to shop? Oh, I don't mean a crowded mall with sale tables overflowing with unrecognizable items, (it reminds me of my laundry room, you almost have to hire a detective to find that ONE pair of red pants...)

No, I speak of practically vacated malls, like during the weekdays, where you feel like a million bucks and EVERYONE working asks if you need help....Of course my favorite kind of shopping is in small intimate shops that are rather antiquated in form, and lie on Cobblestone Streets with Gas Lamps...That would be Charles Street in Beacon Hill in Boston...Lovely...Another great shopping memory lies in the heart of the historic district of Charleston, South Carolina...Blocks and Blocks of antique shops, perfume shops, and basically everything "girly"...You gotta love it...Not to mention the incredibly restored mansions with their perfectly furnished pieces that are an art form in themselves...My very favorite places to shop are Art Museum Shops, where they go out of their way to provide unique and hard to find items, from art and jewelry, to music and even furniture...Even when I cannot afford to buy much, these places give a breath of fresh air, and I rather enjoy fantasizing what I would buy if I could...Of course sometimes when I am doing well, I DO buy, mostly jewelry, great stuff that is one of a kind....Hmmm..Just thinking of it puts a smile on my face......Yeah, this pup's in for a great day!

"Pimento Cheese Fit For A Queen" and Tzatsiki Sauce that's "Fit" and Fabulous

You all have probably wondered what a "once again" unemployed girl, who is on the verge of yet "another" nervous breakdown, (yawn...) does at 2:30 in the morning..




Sleep? Heavens no! Way too predictable. and I just can't afford that kind of a reputation at this point in my life....


The answer is...I'm cooking! But of course....



I'm either crying or cooking, and tonight it's
cooking.... (well SOMETIMES I laugh...last night at 2:30 in morning, I was watching the recent remake of "The Importance of Being Earnest", and cracking up at lines like, "When I'm sad, I refuse everything, except food and drink"....As you
all know, I adore Oscar Wilde...(See previous post from way back...)



Actually I've had quite the productive day where the culinary arts are concerned...

(too bad it doesn't pay, but then a girl can't have everything...)


I made some delectable Tzatsiki sauce today, and felt that I needed to balance that low fat

regimen by following it with a high fat recipe tonight...hence the:


"Pimento Cheese Fit For A Queen"


1/2 Lb Sharp White Cheese
1/2 Lb Cheddar
Shred cheese by box grater....
Mix these cheeses together...

2-7 oz cans pimentos (drained)
Put those on plate and mash with fork to a pulp
Add to cheese

1 to 2 Jalapenos with ribs and seeds (depending how hot you want it) minced finely
Add to cheese mixture

Add small amount salt, and small or larger amount garlic powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper, dry mustard-"Coleman's" is best...(all to taste, go small then add more as desired)

Add Mayo (Hellman's or homemade) to bind...Will take at least one cup or more...(should
be spreadable and NOT stiff)
Do not skimp on this...

(Reminder...This is not a low fat recipe, as no respectable Southern recipe is....)
Best mixed with a fork....

Will require a bit of mixing and patience...
Want everything very incorporated...

Finish with shots of Tabasco and a little Worcestershire sauce...
Mix well...

Put in crocks or covered dish in Refrigerator, and let it stay there for at least 3-4 hours or overnight before serving....(of course, that is after you get yourself some!!!)

Makes two really good sized pint sized crocks (I like to use the pickling jars with lids)

Consider giving one away and keeping the other...(to some lucky friend/family...no foes, unless you want them to become friends...)

Good for one full week refrigerated... So good, you're gonna have to find someone to SLAP...
(I, for one, never thought that "YO MAMA" was a good choice...just say'n)

Notes on Recipe...Of course you could add some finely chopped Italian Parsley, Smoked Paprika, Onion, Juice from the Pimentos or Dilled or Bread and Butter Pickles, finely minced Garlic..

Actually just the original recipe is best, I think

Could leave out the Jalapeno and Tabasco....(pity, though)

Serving Suggestions...On crackers, ripe tomato slices, top of burgers, stuffed celery, or traditionally, which is on white bread (the kind that nobody buys anymore...)


Now for the Tzatsiki Sauce....

Hard to believe that it's healthy and low fat because it's just too good for that!


My Tzatsiki Sauce

2 cups of plain yogurt ( If you can afford the Greek Yogurt you do not have to drain)

I used regular plain yogurt and put it in a couple of coffee filters in a stainer over a bowl in
the refrigerator and left it there to drain overnight... (doesn't actually take all night)

In the morning it is nice and thick like the consistency of thick Sour Cream...


2 regular cucumbers, peeled, seeds removed, grated, and squeezed dry with some
kitchen towels to remove all moisture (just as you would do with defrosted spinach)


Combine these two ingredients, then add 2-3 cloves of finely minced garlic, a bit of salt and pepper, about a tablespoon or two of finely minced fresh dill, the juice of 1/2 a lemon, a dash of white or red wine vinegar, a dash of cayenne pepper, and enough extra virgin olive oil to suit your consistency preference....

You can replace the dill with fresh mint if you desire...Both are wonderful....


Serving Suggestions..

Great with pita bread, cut up veggies, as a healthy substitute for sour cream in a baked potato, drizzled over roasted potatoes and other veggies, and any grilled lamb or chicken breasts (marinate lamb and/or chicken first in extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, garlic, salt, and pepper, and only about 1/2 hour before you grill in the case of the chicken breasts, or they will cook in the lemon juice...can marinate lamb longer...)

"Lamb Burgers" are wonderful with topped with Tzatsiki....

Think that I might have that recipe posted either on this blog or on foodbuzz.com under "sautegrillfryfunnygirl"....

This sauce is so versatile, I'm sure that you will come up with delicious ways to eat it...

Well...Happy Eating.

Hope you enjoy these recipes...

When I come out with a recipe for sauteed acorns garnished with crisp fried crickets , you'll know I'm in trouble...


See you in the "Soup Lines"...(bet they won't have any Tzatsiki or Pimento Cheese there...)

Hmmph...

Oh and why the cowgirl picture?

Just a rare occasion when the Texan in me shows her true roots, which reminds me...

Roots look horrifying when you're unemployed....

If my hairdresser saw me, he would pretend that we weren't acquainted...

Uh oh....here comes the crying again...

How Boston can save a girl's life

I suppose that's overdoing it a bit...It seems to be my chosen haven for when everything is great and when everything is not so great. Yes, here I am several months later, so terribly sporadic concerning my entries, and I do apologize for that. I will say, though, in my defense,that I just woke up last week for the first time in 7 months.

I had NO IDEA until I was forced to resign from my full time night shift job a little over a week ago, that I had been living and walking around in a "zombie state" (somewhat reminiscent of those I encountered in the Salem zombie walk awhile back...hopefully, those that have been avid readers of this blog do recall one of my finer moments around a year ago....)

It was not until about a week after from the day that I was asked to resign from my position, (experiencing large doses of anger, shock, resistance, horror, outrage, and sadness), while trying to initially recover for a few days in Boston, that I realized one afternoon that I had this very foreign, yet positive feeling coming from inside of me...It was something I could not initially put my finger on...

In no time at all, I realized, that in fact, it was that I was AWAKE!

For those of you that have smoked, and then quit, it was exactly what one goes through soon after you quit smoking...Suddenly you feel so much better...Why, you didn't even know that you felt badly! What a surprise...Well, that's how being awake felt...So nice for a change...

My struggles with this job were made possible by not only experiencing a completely new hospital/staff/and work that I didn't normally do (intensive care for brain injuries), but I could have survived that and eventually thrived. I knew that, and I suppose that is what hurt a great deal...The anger and outrage portion was brought on by the fact that my newly promoted manager, who had never managed before, and didn't care for me before the promotion, spent the last 8 weeks of my job, "mentoring" me in the ICU policies and procedures. It's interesting that you get to a point in life where you tell yourself that people aren't really evil, as surely there is just a communication breakdown that can be remedied...

WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!

I won't go on and on and belabor this point, let's just say that what we had on hand was a little "Hitler" that had been physically abused by his Daddy as a boy, and also didn't particularly like women that spoke up for themselves when being tortured and emotionally abused....(uh...that would be me...)

So, that would be it, in a nutshell, as they say...It didn't take a few days in Boston for me to realize that this was seriously for the best, as I was beginning to wear down quickly as the last few weeks went by...

It was WONDERFUL for me to spend a few days in Boston again...Helped me put things into some perspective...I needed to get away from home, from the constant calls (especially those "well meaning" friends? from work, who I'm sure wanted all the gory details...I did not answer the phone...No one there got the "gory details"...)

So....Now here I am...A second time in the last 12 months without a job...A girl who has kept a full time steady job for 29 years and does not get used to being unemployed...Why I can't even apply for "unemployment" because I "resigned" (which I had to do because of my License or I would not work again in Texas...)....

I know that I will find something or maybe a couple of things at some point...As much as I thought that I enjoyed working nights, I had no idea how much better I felt when I came off of them...Definitely a love/hate relationship with night shift work...Money is so much better...Don't have to deal with the problem of not being able to get to your patient due to a multitude of others around you (physicians, OT, PT, etc)....Quiet on nights, I like that....Like being awake also....Don't like not being able to wake up on my days off....I have done NOTHING but either work or sleep for the last 7 months...Even when I went out for town, which I did often, I could hardly stay awake...My God, I have almost seen nothing that is up for the Academy Awards this year! That in itself tells the story, as I am a film freak....(Did see "An Education" while in Boston, and "A Single Man" last night....both marvelous....)

You can imagine the state that I was in while in Boston....Trying to get away to my favorite place and "chill" after what has been probably the worst 7 months of my life...(and that includes my last marriage...yeah...THAT'S how bad it was...)

Here I am, gleefully happy, as I have just stepped out of "THE TRIDENT BOOKSTORE", one of my favorite places in Boston....I have spent a couple of hours inside, roving through the most interesting books, books that one cannot find at Barnes and Noble, etc. There are also very interesting and happy people inside, some browsing as I was, some meeting socially for a meal and/or a snack at the Trident restaurant that serves decadent looking desserts, smoothies, soups, etc. It is a PERFECT January day (for a Texas girl anyway)...Earlier that morning I am walking, eating, and mostly window shopping in my beloved Beacon Hill on the cobblestone streets, with the gas lamps glowing, when all of the sudden, the beautiful and graceful flakes of snow begin to fall....I am inside having lunch at this very quaint little shop, and as I look out on the snow coming down, every so gracefully, I have to take a deep breath, as I am overcome with happiness (a feeling somewhat foreign to me at this time...)

Walking in the falling snow up and down those streets is like a perfect dream...Only problem is, eventually your hair is so wet, you have to duck inside somewhere....This brings me back to walking out of the Trident Bookstore. I've had probably the best day I've experienced for too long to remember...All of my favorite things in one day....As I walk out to stand under the awning to wait for my ride, I immediately see a little woman, humped over, on the phone, and she eyes me up an down quickly, and tells her caller that she must go, and that she will call her later...This little bent over, dark stringy haired, crooked nosed woman, is a shoo-in for the part of Hansel and Gretal's witch....I'm looking away, because I SO don't want to be bothered, but NO, not gonna happen....She comes towards me, extends her hand, and introduces herself. As she is still looking "around me up and down", she exclaims that "I MUST do a reading for you".....I decline and tell her that I'm sure that there are many others that would appreciate a "reading", but she tells me, "NO! I will NOT do readings on just anyone...My Grandmother, my Mother, we all have the "gift" and we do not abuse it! You don't understand, you NEED a reading, and I MUST do one on you"...I SO wanted just to give this woman money and say bye bye, but instead I told her that I didn't want a reading, as they tended to scare me, and I did not feel like being scared today.....She succumbed to my wishes, and we shook hands and she told me "God Bless You", and I said, "God Bless You Too", and sighed that it was over...She walked a few steps to the Trident door, opened it up, and then turned her twisted little body around, and spoke in an ominous tone as she warned.....

"BEWARE...THERE ARE THOSE THAT WANT TO INVADE YOUR LIFE...THERE IS TERRIBLE JEALOUSY.....EVIL MEN WILL COME.....BEWARE...." Immediately I told her, "I know, I've already met a few..Gotcha though...."

I bring this little incident up, because I think that it is important to note, THAT IT'S ALWAYS SOMETHING, ISN'T IT? I'm certain that someone else would've come out of the bookstore, happy as a little clam, and been left the hell alone...Not me...NEVER ME! It's as though I have a sign on my head that says...."HEY...FEELING A LITTLE TOO HAPPY/SECURE...COME BUG ME..."

Never a dull moment...Story of my life...

Later...

ESCAPE TO BEACON HILL

I got back this week from a wonderful week in Boston

I fell in love with Boston last year.

(remember my blog on the "Zombie parade" in Salem?)

As usual I knew no one where I was going...

I had just always known that I would love the place.

It was MY kind of place, and was certainly "love at first site" before we ever laid eyes on
each other...

Some things you just KNOW, maybe by movies you've seen, possibly by books read....

Not the least of which, those gorgeous photographs you've always seen...


The beautiful Golden Dome on top of the State House...(my hotel this time was right next to

it...what a gorgeous sight!)



The Cobblestone Streets of Beacon Hill...Gas lamps lining the streets...( lingering in the
precious antique, wine, specialty food, gift, clothing, jewelry shops...both up and down Charles Street...This is where I stayed this time...Nirvana...)


Architecture that has except for upkeep, simply has NOT been changed since the 1700s!!!


Beautiful Back Bay with the bells ringing from the Trinity church, the oldest Episcopalian church in America...Both inside and out, it is almost overwhelming...There are no words to describe this kind of beauty...


Let us not forget those that are more the "Rodeo Drive" type of shoppers......
Newbury Street in Back Bay is your paradise...



Statues of Paul Revere, Henry Adams, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, President Kennedy, and many others surround you....


The Boston Common (oldest park in America)...The public garden...Swans gracefully set upon the water in the summer, and in the winter covered in ice for an outdoor skating rink...This is wonderful to watch, because in Boston, as in New York, people actually know how to skate and skate well....


SO MUCH HISTORY SURROUNDS YOU...


The kind of history that one doesn't probably appreciate as a kid...One of the joys of getting older...that love of history...and to see it right in front of you...To hell with history classes, this
is the way to learn and love history (I know, unrealistic, but too bad)


Sipping tea where Louisa May Alcott used to sip her tea, as she wrote "Little Women"...


I could go on and on...(and probably will...)


Beautiful and exciting Cambridge...(where the very best restaurants are..more later)

Cambridge is literally one of the best places in which to observe people...Very interesting

types of people...Intellectual, attractive people...Love it...



Speaking of people, I have now spent two week of my life in Boston and never met a rude

person...I have ONLY encountered either polite or downright friendly people...Sorry to

bust yet another "myth" about people up north...east....



The Boston Symphony Orchestra...(my second time, where once again, I landed a seat on the 6th row, close enough to actually view the genius virtuoso that inevitably performs during the concert. This time it was a 21 year old "child"....She was obviously gifted beyond reasonable comprehension...Mozart as a child came to mind, as I watched her fingers produce literal "magic" on the piano keys....I had to try to keep my mouth from falling open...As previously stated, drooling in public is simply not an option for me....)


The Isabella Gardner Museum...

I am so passionate about this "museum" (it was actually her huge mansion), that I will try to
hold myself back from 3 paragraphs of explanation...


Let's just get to the major points...


Point number one...If at all possible, you must do what you need to do to see this stunning
museum before you die....


That said....


Point number two...There is a massive "Garden Courtyard" in the house that literally has to be seen to be believed...She loved her courtyard and poured herself and her love of art (not to mention a lot of money) into this garden and every space of this mansion....It is 3 or 4 stories, and probably contains about 30 or more rooms that contain precious art from all over the world....This is place where the horrific art burglars around 1990 got away with some Picasso, Matisse, and many other priceless paintings...They have NEVER found the paintings or the criminals...Their frames lay vacated on the walls...Mrs. Gardner left a will specifying that NOTHING ever be changed in the museum and it has not...Even when a painting is stolen, the frame remains just as it was...Wow...


Point number three... There is a precious little tea room/lunch room inside the museum if one gets "the vapors" or any other malady while trying to take it all in...


Point number four...For those that adore Museum Gift Shops, THIS is your place...I would say that next to the gift shop at the MOMO in NY, this is my favorite museum gift shop...Last year I bought the CD that was playing while I was in the shop, a collection of charming French tunes sung by well known contemporary French artist...(not well known by us, of course)
It is still one of my favorites...
I put it on when I am particularly irritated, and it seems to help.....

I digress...

Point number five...On first Thursday evening of the month, and on Sundays at 1:30, they have small and interesting "concerts" by musicians from all over the world...I attended one this time while in Boston, and while it wasn't exactly my kind of musical preference, I really enjoyed the whole "private" affair held in one of Mrs. Gardner's "concert rooms"....(It was an "experiment" in Classical and Synthesizer music, that had its exciting moments, I must admit)


So that you don't think that I am just waxing on about nothing...do check out their website if you are more interested...I feel that it is my duty to share this incredible place with the world...

www.gardnermuseum.org/


There are many wonderful things in and about Boston...Much more than this, and I might as well write a guide book (hmm...think this has been done already...but not by me! Note to self...think
about this later...)

I know that most of my followers are foodies...so I would be remiss if I didn't tell you that this
is one of the best places for foodies in the country...Seriously, it's right up there with San Francisco, you just have to know where to go....


I do think that there are some wonderful places in Boston itself, "Hamersley's Bistro" being one of them, but most of the really special and deliciously different ones, I have found, reside in Cambridge....

I was there for a week, and I must say that it was difficult for me not to revisit my favorites, which I did, but I managed to try two new ones....(I did go to my very favorite twice though...)

I will provide you with a list of not to be missed places for foodies...(but I must say that I do it out of love for my fellow foodies, because it is VERY difficult at times to share one's researched and favorite "gems"....)

Okay...here goes....(oh, and of course, nothing is cheap, because organic, quality, fresh and farm grown sent immediately to restaurant, type of food, never is...Foodies simply cannot be bothered with that silly detail anyway...)


In Boston...

South End:
Hamersley's Bistro http://www.hamersleysbistro.com/

B & G oysters http://www.bandgoysters.com/


North End:
This is their "Little Italy"...many good Italian ones here...I am not particularly as huge a fan as others of Italian, though I understand that "Mama Maria" set in a century old farmhouse and right across from Paul Revere's home is suppose to be quite special


The North End is where one could find some authentic and cheaper food...I understand that
"Mike's Pastry" is also wonderful for the best pastries....(note Mama Maria NOT cheap)

I did do a foodie tour here last year, but never made it back to dine here...One of those, need to
do my next visit deals....


Many of these restaurants that line Hanover Street are Mom and Pop and may only take cash, so be prepared...


Special mention for "Neptune's Oyster" in North End...People rave about their "Lobster Rolls"


Cambridge:

"Oleana" (my favorite restaurant ANYWHERE)

(Vegetarians take note...I have been there three times now, and have never tasted meat, because the Vegetarian dining option is so incredible, it is what I always get...It is different every
night...)


"Craigie on the Square"

This chef won the James Beard Award...

I did the after 9Pm on Sunday night "Chef's Whim"

You have to be adventurous, because you do either meat or veg, and then it's up to his

"whim" at the moment as to what your 4 or 6 course dinner is plus dessert....

This is the first time I have ever eaten "sweetbreads", a Hannibal Lector favorite, and I must
say, I probably will not seek them out again, but I got through it and it was quite delicious...I don't know...think I have seen "Hannibal" too many times to appreciate this....

The rest of the course were too complex to even describe, but all very special and delicious...

I sat next to a woman who was also by herself, doing the "whim" and even she got different
things than I did...(interesting woman, on business in Cambridge...A physician recruter for an infamous hospital in Memphis, who meets with soon to be graduate Medical students from Harvard and Scientist from MIT....Great job...."I get excited talking about Science"...She was also a serious foodie...)

It was fun, a great experience, and I will do it again...

They also had a "cocktail whim"...4 Mini cocktails of their choosing, from light to dark, in the cutest little miniature cocktail glasses that you have ever seen. If Ken and Barbie had "cocktail hour", this is what they would drink out of....
Okay, Okay...maybe not that small....


"Hungry Mother"...

Excellent Chef living in Cambridge, who saw a need for "gourmet" Southern fare...I have eaten it in Charleston, some of the best ever, and his take, although quite different, was no less delicious and I highly recommend it....
He had me at the "pimento cheese" starter and it just got better and better...
Anyone who can make "greens" taste that delicious, has my vote....(and no bacon it seemed)


All three of these are "foodie heaven"....


All of these places must be reserved, and Craigie probably a bit ahead of time...
I'd do it at least a week in advance, maybe longer..

All are very, very popular....

Those folks in Cambridge love the good stuff....and I'm right there with them...

Oh and don't let me forget to mention the really cool bookstores and poetry slams that they
have in Cambridge...

Great jazz as well....

I could do at least 3 or 4 days in Cambridge alone...


My hotel is different every time, but never anything less than remarkable...This time it even came with a chauffeur...I used him about 3/4 of the time, and he had to be booked, as it was a small hotel and everyone wanted service....(Boston is a great walking city though....)

XV Beacon was my hotel....

Other great hotels...The new "Liberty hotel" in Beacon Hill, The Fairmont Copely in Back Bay,

the Charlesmark ( very reasonable), Beacon Hill Hotel and Bistro ( somewhat reasonable), the

Charles Street Inn (bed and breakfast with incredible rooms named after famous Bostonians, expensive but seasonal like most of them)....The Elliot Hotel in Back Bay...These would be my particular picks....


So, I had another adventure in Boston, and plan on many more...

Some choose to "Escape to Witch Mountain"...that's so ordinary....

I'd much rather "Escape to Beacon Hill"

okay, alright, I'll stop now....

DREAMING HER LIFE AWAY

I'm so out of touch

With the Poet in me...

With the Daughter,

the Mother,

and the

"Comic Wanna Be"...

You see

I've been

around here

More than

half a Century long..

(Though the Piano Music's gone

with the Girl

that sang the Songs...)

Such a Shame that I'm

Dreaming My Whole Life Away...

While the World is still Spinning,

I'm Asleep Night and Day...

Won't SOMEONE

Awaken Me!

(Time is so Dear...)

Before ALL of my

Todays

and

Tomorrows

DISAPPEAR....

Nicole (10/6/09)