the best store-bought ice cream?

Turkey Hill makes some amazing flavors of ice cream, but there is one in particular that takes the cake.  I'm not talking about their Party Cake flavor-- way too sweet.  I'm talking about Double Dunker.  Just thinking about it makes me want to buy it tonight.  The description Turkey Hill gives of this delectable flavor is "mocha ice cream swirled with chewy cookie dough and crunchy chocolate cookie swirl." Mmmm, that's a lot of swirling and cookies and chocolate and perfection.  When I get an ice cream cone from a shop in the summer, I always change it up.  If I'm being really indecisive, I usually go for a vanilla soft-serve and cherry-dipped if possible.  What's your favorite flavor?

So my sister had one of these parties which I would describe as a tupperware party minus the tupperware and plus delicious food.  I thought it'd be old ladies sitting around ordering snacks ( there was definitely a little bit of that), but it was awesome.  I ate so much great food and it was all free...until I wanted to order all of it.  They have this infamous beer bread...wow, it's amazing. I can't even handle it...I would eat a whole loaf if no one else was invited.  I ordered a mix for that and also a mix for "warm onion dip" which is essentially this packet of spices that you add to a brick of cream cheese, mix it up with a half-cup of swiss cheese and bake it in the oven for 10 minutes, topped with french  fried onions.  It's kind of like heaven, I think.  Especially when you have the beer bread to dip in it.  And the best part of the beer bread (besides the fact that it's delicious) is that it is literally just the mix inside the box plus a can of beer. SO easy! I would definitely recommend attending one of these parties if you know anyone who throws one.  It's definitely not lame...unless you think free delicious food and wine is lame, I guess!

sometimes

my store carries cooler mens items than womens...

...more Pendleton and other cools brands...better winter gear.

But, we do have this Penfield jacket that I'm kind of interested in:

Decisions, decisions. What's the best winter coat (brand) you've ever owned?  We carry some Northface stuff and I might just jump on the bandwagon even though I've hated on it forever.

More Breakfast!

I had some really great pancakes this weekend.  They were in New Hampshire though...sigh.  They were blueberry/chocolate chip and I could hardly eat any more than three bites because I had already devoured the rest of the meal: two eggs (sunny side-up), bacon (it was amaaaaazing), homefries, AND a homemade stickybun to enjoy with my coffee.  There's a bakery underneath the restaurant where all the breads are made.  So this place is in Woodstock, NH, where I spent the weekend, and it's called The Station.  There's the Clement Room, for breakfast, and the Station itself, as a bar and restaurant.  They also have a brewery in the building.  The best part about my breakfast was the homemade corned beef hash.  It had beets and carrots in it! Sounds weird, right? It was probably the best hash I've ever had.

I also ate at the station the night before for appetizers.  There was a live band and the place was crowded.  I had an amazing pulled pork sandwich and delicious sweet potato fries.

If you're ever in the area, check this place out. Woodstock is a smaller town near the more well known Lincoln, NH.

http://www.woodstockinnnh.com/

socks+heels/booties

Yep, I love it. One of my favorite fall looks.

the best of both worlds

cheeseburger pizza.

Nope...it doesn't get much better than this.  I had it for the first time at this amazing pizza place in Falmouth for the first time last summer.  First of all, the restaurant is called Stone L'oven...um, amazing. (http://www.stoneloven.com/) If you're ever in the Cape, please go there.  The sweet potato/bacon pizza is seriously to die for. To DIE for!
So anyways, I made cheeseburger pizza a few times in my own kitchen because it's just that good and worth it to attempt replication.  I knew the sauce was just ketchup and mustard, which sounds like...ew...at first, but trust me, it's perfect.  So you've got the dough, spread that out, cover it in ketchup and mustard, then sprinkle cheese on it.  I think I used cheddar jack or monterey jack, but I mean, all cheese is beautiful, so whatever you want to use is fine.  I cooked the hamburg meat with some chopped up onions in a frying pan and once that was done, i threw it on top of the cheese along with tomatoes and pickles (claussen dill, of course).  The pickles kind of make it.  You can improvise and add whatever you want, but this is all it really needs.  I could eat cheeseburger pizza every day and be totally okay with that.

BREAKFAST

One of the best things in life is...breakfast.  I think I love breakfast so much that Ron Swanson would marry me for that reason alone.  If you don't watch Parks & Rec., you should.

(Wednesday morning's breakfast from Off Broadway Diner; my favorite hometown spot in Taunton)

Quick Cooking

I feel like there are so many quick meals out there...I mean, there's your typical frozen entree or grilled cheese, mac&cheese...the list goes on and on.  Once in a while, I like to have fun with these kinds of meals.  Instead of just provolone on two slices of wheat, I'll grab two slices of Challah bread (my favorite) and a slice a provolone along with either muenster or swiss (or whatever else I have).  It won't stop there because I'll either cook up some bacon or slice an avocado and/or tomato.  YUM.

Today, I was craving mac&cheese (Annies of course), and I also had some asparagus.  I wanted breadcrumbs for the asparagus but I didn't have any, so here's what I used instead: oil, crushed up croutons, garlic salt (grinder), adobo.  I threw this all in a frying pan with the asparagus and cooked it for a few minutes while the mac was cooking.  it came out SO good.  I think I'll crush up croutons in place of breadcrumbs more often.  Oh yeah, I drizzled some balsamic vinaigrette on there as well.  While it looks neat and lovely on the plate, I ended up cutting the asparagus and mixing it in with my mac&cheese...best decision I've made today.

What are your favorite "quick meals"?

Too soon for another sushi post?

It's one of my favorite spots in Boston for a cheap yet delicious meal.  Teriyaki House, located on Boylston Street, is a great place for Asian food that doesn't leave you feeling disgusting and greasy or penniless.  The sushi is pretty good, and the udon noodle stir-fry is a great choice.  They have their infamous rice bowls which are massive and chock full of anything from veggies to orange chicken to pepper steak, usually accompanied by some vegetables and rice of course.  The scallion pancakes are under $3 as well as the crab rangoons--both are great appetizers.  Their bubble tea is fabulous, too!  They have a second location in South Boston on West Broadway, but for some reason I prefer the Boylston location.  The menu is a bit larger and the vibe is better.  I would definitely recommend it to anyone in the area looking for a new spot.  Oh, and they're open late which is always convenient.

UGH

...it's that time of year again, and I'm sorry if this offends you (oh wait, I'm not sorry) but Uggs are back and they are disgusting, horrible, fashion-backward, etc.  I actually wrote a paper (An evaluative argument) on how terrible they are. It was a great paper.  Here it is:

...Uggghhhhh

Hideous.  Despicable.  The feet of a camel costume.  I am speaking of the terrible pieces of footwear that are Ugg Boots.  A good pair of shoes should be fashionable, functional, and worth their price.  Uggs are horrendous, useless, and any money spent on them is wasted money.

Some Ugg owners argue that they’re just so darn comfy.  If footwear was being judged on the sole purpose of comfort then perhaps Uggs would have something going for them.  Slippers would also have a high standing on the list.  But when it comes to aesthetics and even functionality, Uggs as well as your favorite bunny slippers don’t quite cut it.  Footwear is more than just comfort-- it’s about style and purpose.

On the fashion side of things, Ugg Boots give a frumpy and sloppy look and they are not very flattering.  They certainly don’t attract males, and are the opposite of a classy pair of heels.  Although I never thought I’d be quoting a fifteen-year-old pop star, Justin Bieber is a fellow Ugg critic and says, “I will not even look at you if you’re wearing Uggs, even if you’re Beyonce!” (Popstar 2010). That’s a pretty strong dislike, especially for a kid who admits to having a crush on Beyonce.

There is a trademark outfit that Uggs tend to be a part of which consists of the boots, leggings, a teeshirt, and a black North Face jacket.  You’re most likely lying if you say you have never seen the combination.  Hundreds of thousands of inflicted teenagers have a sheepskin covering over their eyes which makes them see this outfit as amazing; as a staple in their wardrobe.  I wish showers of recognition and eye-opening epiphanies on their poor souls.  This outfit is terrible and Uggs have made their way into having their very own ensemble.

One thing that immediately comes to mind when I see these fashion-backward boots is a camel.  I imagine a low-budget middle school play that requires animal costumes (camels in particular), and the feet are shaped in the exact heinous contour of Uggs.  Their chunky and awkward structure is available in a variety of colors such as black, grey, tan, and brown; gorilla, elephant, camel, and bear.  There are more ridiculous hues such as coral and royal blue, which are miscellaneously...unicorn.

A pair of shoes, and boots in particular, should be able to withstand the elements especially if it costs over a hundred dollars.  I can’t imagine walking through the snow, rain, or slush in a pair of Uggs without having a couple frostbitten toes or a full cup of water surrounding my feet.  Suede and sheepskin are not the best materials to have as your winter foot-coverings.  The Ugg website tells the backstory of the boots and traces the fashion back to surfers.  They used sheepskin boots to warm their feet after a day on the waves (Uggaustrailia.com).  Their use has been transformed, but the lack of functionality is the same.

Ugg Boots are way too expensive.  If you’re going to pay over a hundred dollars for a pair of porous sheepskin feet, why wouldn’t you just buy a pair of nice boots?  Although fashionable shoes can indeed be pricy, Ugg Boots are not fashionable, and therefore should not be so expensive.  Think back to your old bunny slippers-- are those worth over $140?  Absolutely not.

A fashionable shoe should first be pleasing to the eye, and if you take a look at a pair of Uggs, you should look no further.  That money could be much better spent on a pair of quality boots in the shoe area of L.L. Bean or even The North Face.  But please don’t get distracted by their fleece zip-ups because you may feel obligated to complete the outfit with a pair of camel feet.

First home-cooked meal

My roommate/long-time friend, Marina, is living with me for a few months. She is half Puerto Rican and half Japanese.  Imagine the culinary possibilities! So, we just had our gas turned on in the apartment and decided to make a basic Puerto Rican rice and beans dish.  Marina definitely headed this project...and I helped!

We first filled a pot with oil and added sofrito (tomato base) and recaito (cilantro base). Then, packets of jamon y sazon.  These are basically the flavors for the rice.  Once this was simmering, corns and black beans were added.  This mixture was then brought to a boil and then the rice was poured in with water.  While the rice cooks, chicken seasoned with adobo and some more sofrito is baked in the oven.  That's about it. Wait...you're wondering why there's a photo of a spoon standing up in the middle of the rice, right? That would be Marina's (grandmother's) trick to tell if the balance of rice and water is just right.  This meal was delicious. Leftovers for DAYS.

Shag

So this sort of has to do with fashion, because hair and makeup are a HUGE part of that realm, but I was a model for a photoshoot yesterday.  It was for SHAG Salon in South Boston (http://shagboston.com/) where my best friend, Liz, is a stylist.  So I wore a beautiful Dolce Vita lace dress with some printed tights from Anthropologie and my triple fringe Minnetonka moccasins.  Another best friend, Maribeth, did my makeup, which was intense, as you can see. But then again, so was my hair...and outfit. But I feel like that's always "in" at some time or another-- edgy and loud. Here's a photo from the salon shoot:

and my purple-haired (people-eater) friend making fishtail braids

Pickles Comma Fried

Who doesn't like pickles? Get off my blog. Oh, you like pickles but only sweet ones? GROSS, leave, please.  Dill pickles are a wonderful creation and even better when fried...yes, fried. If this is weird to you, maybe you should get out more often and go to a fair or even Redbones once in a while.  I have been a long time consumer of said snack, and I started making them myself a couple months ago.  Wait, I forgot to mention that Claussen pickles are really one of the only brands of pickles that is actually worth your money.  "Always chilled, never heated"..I mean, really, that's their motto.  Of course that means that Claussens are a special breed, stocked in a refrigerated area of every supermarket they are sold in.  But, in this instance of fried-ness, the pickles are indeed heated.
Here's what I did:

start with your pickles- if the store you get them at has slices, do that, but if not, get wholes and slice them yourself.

luckily my mother is an amazing woman who owns a 1977 "Fry Daddy" (awesome, I know) and so that's what I used to heat the oil it, but you can use a deep pan or fryer of any sort.

picked some spices that would taste good for the batter; you can use your best judgement. If you don't have that, just use what I used.

I mixed the spices in with some flour- I used whole wheat, but APF works just as good if not better.  I also added some seasoned breadcrumbs into the mix for flavor.

This is a beaten egg with a splash of milk in it.

So, I took the sliced pickles (after drying them with a paper towel- you want them dry for frying!) and I dipped them from egg to flour mixture, twice.

dropped those babies into the hot oil, let them fry for a couple minutes, took 'em out..

and there you go, fried goodness in the form of a sliced pickle.

For a dipping sauce, which is a must-have, I used Marie's chipotle ranch. It was amazing to say the least, but honey mustard, ketchup, ranch, and other sauces are frequently used to compliment the fried pickles. These were also gone in minutes. Followed by "Double Dunker" (Turkey Hill) ice cream in a fudge dipped cone. Yup.

The Pilot

Since this is my first post, it's definitely going the be about the sushi I enjoyed at Sake in Mansfield, MA on  Monday.  Let's verify this with some food porn, shall we? Ahem:

(started with some shumai; steamed shrimp dumplings)

(ordered $35-worth of sushi)

(delicious)

(amazing)

(shrimp tempura sushi- my favorite)

I'm no sushi connoisseur, but I definitely crave it at LEAST once every couple weeks.  I tried this new (to me) spot in Mansfield and it was pretty great.  My friends and I ordered: california roll, shrimp tempura roll, avocado roll, sweet potato roll, and crazy roll (crispy, crab, etc), as well as an order of shumai.  For all my city-dwellers, there's no need to be discouraged; Boston is obviously full of great Japanese restaurants and sushi bars.  My go-to spot is on Boylston Street (walking distance from Hynes) and it's called Teriyaki House.  There's also a second location in South Boston by Andrew Station.  It's cheap AND delicious...does it get any better than that? Not Really....