Hooray, it's Local Gems time! Today's Newton recommendations come from my friend Sharon Reilly, mom of three, blogger at ViolaCay, and cofounder of the Newton Kitchen Tour. Thanks for sharing these 11 local gems, Sharon! And be sure to check out the Arlington Center, Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Coolidge Corner, Huron Village, Easton, Jamaica Plain, Lexington, Medford, Natick, Watertown, and Wellesley features!
It's apparently Bake Cookies Day. For real. Get on it! Now, about the title of this post. During the holidays, for me cookie perfection isn't about fanciness or uniformity; instead, I want to make cookies that: 1) are delicious; 2) are easy to make; 3) yield generous batches (i.e., work well for gifting); 4) can be made in small bite-sized portions (i.e., make for happy sampling); and 5) freeze well (so you or your recipients can save leftovers for a less cookie-saturated time). Here are 10 cookies that fit that definition of perfection for me.
I love cookies. Truly love them. And from the reaction I received on Instagram and Facebook when I posted this picture, clearly y'all love cookies too. On Thursday I'll share more cookie inspiration, but first, here are two amazing cookies I brought to a cookie party on Sunday. They're classically holiday (in the buttery goodness sense) and worked well as small bites for the sampling party. Many people asked for the recipes/sources, so here they are:
I'm all about food delegation, especially around the holidays, and I'm always looking for new inspiration. I asked a few of my favorite food blogger friends to share their go-to (culinary freak out inducing) holiday recipes, whether they're bringing a dish for potluck, making something for an open house, or want to serve a family favorite at home. I also included a couple of personal favorites. Happy cooking!
One item on my minimalist holiday manifesto was about creating opportunities for together time projects. The girls and I had such an awesome time working on clutter-free kid-crafted gifts last weekend that I'm fired up for more this weekend! Following an earlier post on 10 easy DIY food gifts, I wanted to share 15 more easy DIY food gifts, spanning sweet to savory. Click through the links for recipes, more photos, and further creative inspiration!
Hooray, it's Local Gems time! Today's Natick recommendations come from my friend Jodi Grundig, mom of two and editor of Mom's Favorite Stuff and Family Travel Magazine. Thanks for sharing these 10 local gems in Natick, Jodi! And be sure to check out the Arlington Center, Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Coolidge Corner, Huron Village, Easton, Jamaica Plain, Lexington, Medford, Watertown, and Wellesley features!
Goodness, it's been too long since I've shared a Local Gems feature! Today's Coolidge Corner recommendations come from my friend Sheri Gurock, mom of 3, co-founder of the award-winning toy/gear store Magic Beans, food blogger at Unbageled, and longtime Coolidge Corner dweller. Thanks for sharing these 12 local gems, Sheri! And be sure to check out the Arlington Center, Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Huron Village (Cambridge), Easton, Jamaica Plain, Lexington, Medford, Watertown, and Wellesley features!
It's been so fun to run this Eat Seasonal feature! I've garnered so much cooking inspiration, as have many of you! However, today's feature on cranberries (in season in Massachusetts September to November) will be the last for 2014; I'll resume the series next year when the spring produce starts popping again! Enjoy this 12-item roundup, largely focusing on off the beaten path recipes!
Around this time of year, pears seem to sit in the shadows of their apple cousin. But this delicious fruit is in season from September to mid-November in Massachusetts and is amenable to all sorts of creative usage, aside from raw snack form. Today's Eat Seasonal feature offers 11 ways to incorporate your market or orchard pear bounty. Like my recent apple recipe roundup, I wanted to share recipes a bit further off the beaten path. Enjoy!
Celery is one of those really-good-for-you vegetables that largely gets relegated to the role of peanut butter vehicle. And while there's no knocking that snack (which I enjoy with some regularity!), today's Eat Seasonal feature hopefully will change your perspective on what you can do with these fine stalks. Celery is in season from August to October in Massachusetts; here are 8 ways to enjoy the vegetable across the mealtime spectrum.
I'm thrilled to share another Local Gems post today (be sure to check out the Arlington Center, Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Easton, Jamaica Plain, Lexington, Medford, Watertown, and Wellesley features)! Today's Huron Village recommendations come from Leah Klein, blogger at Leah's Life, mom to Henry and Isabelle, and Boston Expert for the app and online magazine Mommy Nearest. Thanks for sharing these 15 local gems in Huron Village, Leah!
Violet is not the most diverse of eaters, so when she recently decided that she liked cantaloupe I did a big 'ol happy dance inside. Sweet, juicy, loaded with vitamin C, and a good option to send in the lunchbox, cantaloupe is in season in Massachusetts in August so you'll likely see good prices right now. This week's Eat Seasonal feature includes 10 recipes that offer creative inspiration that goes well beyond fruit salad.
Like strawberries, blueberries, and peaches, summer is an awesome time for raspberries. Just this past weekend I picked up a couple of large boxes at the market and they were quickly devoured (toddlers, btw, love sticking their fingers in the raspberry holes)! Raspberries are in season in Massachusetts July to September and this week's Eat Seasonal feature includes 8 recipes that offer good inspiration to consume these beautiful berries.
Hooray for seasonal peaches! Like strawberries and blueberries, peaches are wonderfully sweeter and more affordable right now...I love when they become abundant at the market! Peaches are in season in Massachusetts mid-July to mid-September and this week's Eat Seasonal feature includes 12 recipes that will allow you to incorporate this tasty stone fruit all the way from breakfast to dinner to condiments.
I find that green vegetables especially improve in flavor when they come in season and green beans are no exception. Green beans are in season in Massachusetts July and August and this week's Eat Seasonal feature includes 8 tasty ways to incorporate green beans into your meals, in some instances thinking outside the box -- even for breakfast and as a tart!.
As with strawberries, I love when blueberries come into season -- they're sweeter, more affordable, and I love watching Laurel and Vi gobble up all those nutrients. It's National Blueberry Month and blueberries are in season in Massachusetts July and August -- hooray! This week's Eat Seasonal feature includes 10 tasty ways you can incorporate seasonal blueberries into your day, all the way from breakfast to dinner.
Peas. They're nutritious, delicious, colorful, great for snacking (I've been consuming large quantities raw thanks to the heat), easy to grow in a home garden, and -- notably in my book -- one of the few vegetables Violet will eat. Green and snap peas are in season June through September in Masschusetts, and this week's Eat Seasonal feature offers 8 ways to breathe new life into peas, whether as a snack, side, or main dish: