Written by Kat on July 27th, 2010
I’m ‘catering’ a BBQ for my mum this weekend in Maine. How does this sound for a menu? Any suggestions?
Apps/nibbles: Mini-crab cakes with caper-garlic aioli, spanikopita triangles, caprese, antipasti (marinated mushrooms, olives, artichokes, peppers) all with baguette.
Main: letting Dad man the grill [grin]; thankfully not my department
Sides: Swabian potato salad (no, not ‘German’, no, not ‘Bavarian’… Swabian!), 2 types of pasta salad (pesto-jalapeno-goat-cheese and the other summer-veggie pasta salad), cucumber-ribbon salad
Dessert bites: vanilla custard-filled, chocolate-dipped mini-profiteroles and mini-lemon tarts with raspberry garnish (from their raspberry patch)
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Written by Kat on July 14th, 2010
Bergamot is the new restaurant that has opened up in the old EVOO space here in Inman Square (by The Wine & Cheese Cask and Dali). While I was sorry to see EVOO move, they are just down in Kendall Square, so not to worry… it hasn’t shut the doors. Anyway, Bergamot moved in more or less straight away and it’s been getting great reviews. Last night I had the chance to try it out and the reviews are right: it’s definitely one of the better newcomers to the Boston/Cambridge restaurant scene; right up there in my mind with TW Food and Craigie on Main — given Craigie on Main’s prices, Bergamot is downright inexpensive! (Note: Bergamot is in the $25-35 for mains range so still a little in the ’special occasion’ category; check out the menu)
After a great little amuse bouche of local crab meat wrapped in celeriac on a fresh cucumber, I had the pea-greens salad (pea shoots, scaled/shocked english peas, finely diced berkshire ham, pecorino cheese, truffle vinaigrette and the most amazing “fried egg”. I think they must have soft boiled it, carefully pealed it, then rolled it in panko crumbs and flash fried it. The center was still runny like a poached egg and when you cut into it, it combined with the dressing… lovely). My main dish was a lovely cut of halibut on new potatoes, baby carrots and a perfectly caramelized entire thick slice of vidalia onion, with a touch of herb sauce. Really, really excellent and just the right amount of food. All the desserts sounded wonderful but I was good and stayed away (very tempted but that bride’s maid dress fitting is coming up).
And you know a restaurant is good when they have the Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban on the menu. Again, scotch is off limits for me presently, but it is unusual to even see it on the menu.
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Written by Kat on July 10th, 2010
It’s another sunny and sweltering day here in the city and it is the usual weekend for the Portuguese holy goat festival in my neighborhood. It is, of course, actually called the Holy Ghost Festival, but last year, they typo’ed the sign that hangs over Springfield Street (doh!) by forgetting the S, so it read Ghot, which to me is pronounced the same as goat, so forever and ever (ahem), I will call it the Holy Goat festival.
What is the Holy Goat Festival? Well, there is the traditional ‘opening ceremony’ where the local Portuguese marching band walks up and down my street a few times on a Friday night. All day Saturday, they close down the street and it is your basic block party with the Portuguese-American society selling some yummy smelling grilled stuff and sweets (which, despite having lived here a while now, I have never tried), a beer-prison (seriously uptight as usual about the alcohol; sad really) and a big tent with a huge array of music playing throughout the day. Tomorrow, Sunday morning, there is a parade (again, really just up and down my street) and they crown the Goat Queen. She probably has a better title than that, but usually it’s some gangly-looking teenager that got roped into participating by her parents out of tradition. She usually has braces and gets to wear an overly-poofy prom dress.
I made fun of all this, of course, but the funny thing is that it is ‘old country’ enough that it reminds me of the little stadtfeste in Germany so whatever. It’s part of July my Julys now.
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Written by Kat on April 14th, 2010
Every once in a while when you download the images from the Canon, you come up with totally unexpected results. This is a completely unedited picture; no brightness or contrast editing at all. Straight off the camera.
When I was up in Marblehead a few weeks ago, someone had some pussy willows in a vase, right next to their very white front door (blue house). I guess the sun was just right — and super bright — behind the vase when I made the photo and so the pussy willows almost seem to strangely glow.
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Written by Kat on April 9th, 2010
Every once in a while, apparently I can’t speak English. At least a few dozen times this week (and I am not sure why particularly this week), I have:
1. completely forgotten the English word for something, yet know it in German and just blurt it out without realizing it is in the middle of an English sentence
2. have gotten completely tongue-tied with the whole accent thing, stumbling over Th’s, F’s V’s and W’s.
3. spoken English however used German sentence structure…
Oh well.
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Written by Kat on March 27th, 2010
I had to get out of the house this morning, so up I went to Marblehead (35-40 minute drive). I went for a walk from the neck to the lighthouse point and then drove into town. It was very empty, which I guess is to be expected in late March, before the summer crowds arrive. Don’t let the bright sunshine fool you — it was freeeeeeezing and I needed to sit in a coffee shop for a while once in town so that my fingers and nose would warm back up!
A few more pictures are up on Flickr too
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Written by Kat on March 23rd, 2010
I’ve completely misjudged this week and have bitten off more than I can chew, I’m afraid. Ever have one of those weeks?
Here’s a run-down, not counting work related items (which are massive this week) and the fact that I am feeling under the weather (allergies? a spring cold? Who the hell knows….)
1. a sewing project, that while small, needs to be complete by Friday morning and hasn’t been started yet (should take about 2-3 hours)
2. a baking project that has three sub parts, needs to be complete by Friday morning as well; only one of which is started (and ultimately may get dropped; we’ll see)
3. a writing project with no concrete deadline, but I would love to spend all day working on
4. Spring cleaning, both apartment and Ludwig von Volkswagen; April 1 deadline
5. the sweater project; April 30 deadline and about one-third complete. Goal is to have one more piece done by Sunday
6. Need to run to the framing shop to have two large photographs matted and framed; One has a deadline of April 23 and it often takes 3 weeks without incurring rush charges, so I should get on this; Might have to push to weekend.
Seems like less when I write it down, but good thing that I am an insomniac and can actually knit or write all night. Maybe then I’ll get it all done.
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Written by Kat on March 21st, 2010
View to the South (Boston’s Customs Tower)
View to the North (The Old North Church)
Bubbling Beets
Yummy Voignier
Salad Craving on the first Day of Spring
Dinner Chez Liz
The Hostess with the Mostest
Posted in Posts with Photos, Through the Eye of my Lens | 1 Response »
Written by Kat on March 19th, 2010
So, the Slingbox is up and running again. After the meltdown of my Tivo in January, I disconnected it, but with things on US TV that some people can’t get overseas (like University of Maine hockey games, right Jean?), I hooked the whole deal up again. If anyone wants access (both to live US TV, broadcast in Eastern Time zone) and stuff that I record on Tivo (happy to take requests), let me know and I’ll send the details.
The only caveat, of course, is that you don’t delete my entire library of shows. [grin]
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