A & J King's Bakery

It's almost the weekend, so I thought I'd better get to telling you about last weekend before it's too late!  Sunday was a wonderful day spent eating donuts, visiting the ocean and roaming around Salem.  By far my best discovery was A & J King's Bakery.  Which surprisingly was not the source of the aforementioned donuts! Yes, I am the kind of girl who visits TWO bakeries within three hours.  A & J King's is one of those lovely spots where you wish you could spend your entire day hanging out, drinking coffee and reading.  The sandwiches and bakery were stellar and this is the first place I've found on the east coast that has Fougasse, much like my dearly missed Batch Bakehouse.

So, yeah, this is most definitely love.

Spring at Drumlin Farm

It's spring!!!  Our new springtime tradition is a visit to the Drumlin Farm in the beautiful countryside of Lincoln, Massachusetts.  The farm was full of new life, both plants and animals, including kid goats that were only a couple of hours old! What a wonderful place this Drumlin Farm. 

Repentance

As I sat down to think about what to share with you from the last month, what kept coming to mind was food.  Always with the food over here, right? In the past few weeks, I've found not one but two new favorite restaurants!  First, I enjoyed a wonderful birthday dinner at Ten Tables Cambridge which can be summed up in three words: braised short ribs.  Enough said.  And Saloon, a great new 1920s styled bar and restaurant in Davis Square.  We also invited some friends over for a "Taste of Wisconsin" this weekend, which was great fun.  For you non-Midwesterners, if you're wondering what would be on the menu at such a gathering: scrumptious cheeses from Dodgeville WI (thanks Formaggio!) Potters Crackers, deviled eggs, cranberries (yep, Wisconsin is the nations leading producer of cranberries), soft pretzels, Bookbinders mustard, beer bratwurst served with mashed potatoes, sauerkraut and applesauce.  Oh and that's not even all of it!  For dessert there was Heavenly Hash, and if you've never had it, you must google a recipe for it right now.  And be amazed at its existence and enduring popularity.  Two other items you may not have known have Wisconsin roots: Jelly Belly jellybeans and Andes chocolate mints! Oh and to drink?  Brandy old fashioneds and ofcourse, beer: Hinterland, Leinenkugel, Schlitz, Pabst, and Lakefront Brewery.

Long story short (well, not really) I feel like I really need to reacquaint myself with vegetables.  So, for dinner tonight I've cooked up some braised collard greens.  Sure, I cooked them with bacon, but it's a start...

Weekend visit

This past weekend was spent touring my lovely sister around Boston.  The stops: the Russell House in Harvard Square, the Museum of Fine Arts (ofcourse!), Mike's Pastry and Carmen in the North End, Tuck's Candy in Rockport and Helmut's Strudel House on Bearkskin Neck, Halibut Point State Park, Ipswich (but the Clam Box was closed!), Woodman's in Essex (lobster rolls!), and it all ended where it began-in Harvard Square-with lunch at Crema Cafe on the way to the airport today.

It was such a great weekend and I miss her already :(

Egg-A-Go-Go

You know how sometimes all of a sudden it seems like every woman you've ever met is pregnant?  Welcome to my world. I am well prepared for many a baby gift now though!  How adorable are these clever little onesies from Sarah Coyne of Egg-A-Go-Go?

And how fun is the shop name Egg-A-Go-Go?

Newburyport and Plum Island

Is it possible that I haven't posted about Newburyport yet?  I kind of can't believe it.  I first visited within my first couple of weeks of living on the east coast and it still holds a dear place in my heart. This past weekend, I was able to enjoy the unseasonably warm temps out on beautiful Plum Island and at Oldies Marketplace in downtown Newburyport.  And I took a lot of photos of the ocean.  Yeah, again.

Farmstands in Fall

More fall goodness!  One of my favorite things about Massachusetts is all of the quaint farm stands.  These two, the Bolton Spring Farm and Derby Ridge, are in a beautiful area about 40 miles west of Boston.

P.S.
I must admit...I had actually taken these photos LAST fall.  Oh how time flies!  I can still taste the fresh cider donuts like it was yesterday though...

Fall? Fall!

I didn't even notice it was Fall until I started looking at it through the viewfinder today.  It turns out, it's here!  Time to bring out the hot cider...

I heart carbs

I LOVE bread.  Really, I blame it on my parents for getting me hooked, growing up there was always fresh bread in the house.  If my mom hadn't baked it, then my Dad had bought it from the grocery store bakery. Every day there was bread.  And we ate it with everything.  Pot roast and mashed potatoes?  Bread.  Roasted chicken and baked potatoes?  Bread.  Bread, bread, bread, bread bread.

One of my favorite vendors at the Arlington Farmers Market is Mamadou Bakery.  The Mamadou folks are absolutely lovely and the bread is incredible.  My favorite creation: Cranberry walnut bread, peppered goat cheese, sliced apples and fresh arugula.  Mmmmmm.

Burdick Chocolates

My latest discovery in Cambridge, L.A. Burdick Chocolatiers.  The French macarons are amazing! Especially the lavender one.  And not just because I love all things lavender, I swear! 

As you might have guessed, the chocolates were absolutely delicious as well.