by Sam Tackeff | Jun 16, 2013 | Meal Planning, Restaurants, Shopping
A Sunday night with no new Game of Thrones? What will we do? Oh, that’s right, the new season of True Blood starts tonight. Thank goodness for HBO. It’s been quite a long week, but this weekend I spent some time busying myself around the house, plenty of time out doors, and eating a few special meals out. On Friday night we had our usual Friday night dinner date at the Cottage. I went for the chicken tortilla soup, and a side of mashed potatoes. I don’t know. It was cold, a little rainy, and I just really wanted mashed potatoes. Potato police, just leave me alone.
Last night, we ended up at Gustazo in Belmont, for a Cuban dinner. We shared pork chicharrón with guacamole and mango salsa, Devon had the churrasco steak with chimichurri, and I went for the picadillo – ground beef with stuffed olives, tomato, topped with a fried egg, with buttery rice and sweet fried plantains. And then there was dessert. Gustazo has no liquor license (b.y.o.b.), but my goodness do they have good coffee. I went with the Cafe Bonbon – the Cuban equivalent of Vietnamese coffee, strong espresso with sweetened condensed milk – and the flan con coco. “That’s one hell of a flan!” Devon said to me, and I’d have to agree. Not too sweet, and the absolute perfect quivering creamy texture.
To balance these meals, I’ve been an active bee. Last week I mentioned my participation in the Runner’s World Summer Running Streak – I’ve really been enjoying the momentum that running a mile a day gives me – it eliminates the stress of choice, and I’m just so excited to get out and run. It’s also given me confidence to run longer distances – a few weeks ago I ran the Newton 10k and PR’d, and yesterday I ran the Heartbreak Hill Running Company’s Firehouse 10-miler. 10 miles – that’s a good 4 miles longer than I’ve ever run before. I wouldn’t say that I trained for it, but the goal was just to run and finish, and finish I did. (Actually 10.88 miles. We got a little bit lost.)
Here’s a snapshot of last week in fitness:
Sunday: Kayaking on Lake Waban, 1 mile run + 2 mile walk on the Charles
Monday: 3 miles of walking (to and from work), + mile run
Tuesday: Rest day (drove to work) + mile run (in rain boots!)
Wednesday: 4 miles of walking + mile run (in flip flops!)
Thursday: 2 miles of walking, mile run (in the pouring rain!)
Friday: Mile run, work meeting walk (with a work dog!)
Saturday: Firehouse 10 miler! (10.88 miles)
Sunday: 1 mile run, an hour of Open Platform at CrossFit
The Meal Plan: Meal planning! I still do that. Except when I don’t. Lots of comfort food for this week, because I set off to the store without actually planning out my meals or consulting any one of my million cookbooks. Today I ended up at four grocery stores to get everything I wanted. Well, actually, I wanted matcha and glutinous rice flour to make these, but I couldn’t find the rice flour at any of the four stores, and I didn’t really feel like spending $20 on sub-par matcha. First stop was Russo’s, then a brief pit-stop at Stop & Shop, specifically for some Goya Black Bean soup, because, while it isn’t particularly healthy, I crave it enough that I cave in once and a while. And man, the entire Goya aisle makes me tingly and excited. Then Trader Joes, because, even if I don’t need anything at Trader Joe’s, I always need a sample. And finally Whole Foods, because on Sunday night I like to get some good fish for dinner.
Sunday: Copper River Sockeye salmon, black bean soup, rice, and avocado.
Monday: Spaghetti and Meatballs (i.e.: convenience food from Russo’s), and tomato basil salad.
Tuesday: Shakshuka (a.k.a. Eggs in Purgatory) with feta and salad
Wednesday: Pancetta, peas and orzo (from Nigelissima)
Thursday: Turkey chili with cheddar dogs and fried egg
Friday: Out to dinner
See that crispy salmon skin? Nobody ever wants to eat it except for me. What will you be eating this week?
Have a great Monday everyone!
by Sam Tackeff | Jun 11, 2013 | Blogging, Books, Photography, Restaurants
All of a sudden we had a flash of heatwave out east, and summer is officially here. This weekend was my college reunion, and I made my way out to Wellesley to participate in the best way I know possible: as Class Dinner Chair. Instead of formal catering, Saturday’s dinner was Redbones barbecue – plates of brisket, ribs, grilled vegetables and their creamy mac and cheese – and Sunday we had some very good sandwiches from the Linden Store. My dear friend Caroline flew out from Houston, and we had a grand time having ladies lunch, touring the arboretum, the greenhouses, and taking kayaks on lake Waban. I managed to escape Wellesley Books with only three new purchases in tow: ‘The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry‘, by Rachel Joyce, ‘Beautiful Ruins‘ by Jess Walter – both good summer reading. And for good measure, ‘Wreck this Journal‘ – a journal with some aggressive prompts. I have a Kindle which I use almost daily, but nothing beats a good paperback in the summertime.
A few weeks ago I signed up for Pathfinder, a five week journaling course led by Karen Walrond of Chookooloonks, a vibrant and delightful human being. I was having trouble writing – expressing myself freely and creatively, and this seemed like a good moment to seize the opportunity to learn something new. Last month, after a year of dreaming, I finally got a new lens for my camera, so I no longer am limited to macro food shots. Another great thing about this course is that it’s inspiring me to actually shoot. (Including all the photos in this post.)
I’ve been spending a lot of time outside lately. I have a half hour meandering walk to work in the morning, and back in the evening. I’ve taken to walking on the waterfront, which is always a little bit longer, but always cheers me up. Maybe it has to do with growing up on the ocean, but whenever I’m tired, anxious, or sad, walking next to all the blue and the boats will always put me in a good place. In addition to my walks, I’ve been running. I started with the Runner’s World Summer Running Streak – a mile every day from Memorial Day to July 4th – fully expecting to have given up by now, but I’m still going strong.
There has also been food! This week we also took out the grill for the season, and I ceremoniously cooked up some hot dogs, and Copper River Sockeye salmon for the occasion. We typically have our date night on Friday night at the Cottage in Wellesley. it first became a thing with the brownie sundae and the lamb burger with paprika aioli (seriously, it’s all about the paprika aioli), and then remained a thing as they are one of the most accommodating restaurants for both Gluten-free and food allergy folks in the area when I was super strict for my gym challenge. Nobody looked at me twice when I’d order the Chicken Cobb minus the blue cheese, and sub lamb burger for chicken. It was a miracle I tell you.
Last week we ventured further out to Somerville to try our luck at Posto. A change of venue! I ordered a cocktail, which, since I’ve become an accidental tee-totaler over the past few years, might be surprising (I can count the number of adult beverages I’ve had this year on my two hands) – I needed to make an exception for this glorious beverage: the Italia 75 (with Campari, Prosecco, and fresh grapefruit juice). It was well worth it.
For our meal, we shared a Caesar salad with white anchovies, which was perfectly dressed. Also, anyone who serves me white anchovies immediately wins a prize. The marinated little fish are vastly superior to their salty shriveled cousins most often topping a Caesar. And then we made a point to get the rosemary sea salt bread, which they bake to order in their large pizza oven.
For our meal, Devon got the rigatoni bolognese, and I got the mussels with fennel, pernod, and butter. The last time I actually ordered mussels in a restaurant was in Napa at The Girl and the Fig three years ago. Three years ago! I remember this well because they were delicious then, and I spent half the meal berating myself for not ordering (or cooking) mussels more often. And yes, I ended up doing that again during this meal. Not only were they absurdly good – a little smoky from the fire, plump and juicy and reminiscent of the sea – but I would bathe myself in the sauce if I was any less proper a lady. Lesson learned, I’ll have to get them again soon.
Over the next couple of days, I’ll be writing up my summer to do list. It’ll involve a good deal of books, barbecue, frolicking in the sunshine, and time at the sea. I’ll be in my kitchen – I’m meaning to try the Banana Ketchup from the new Adobo Road Cookbook. I’ve been curled up lately with Dinner, A Love Story and Canal House Cooks Everyday, Nigel Slater’s Kitchen Diaries II, and Yotam Ottolenghi’s Jerusalem, to name a few. I hope to travel to a few good restaurants – Farmstead in Providence is at the top of my list right now. I have some home improvements (a.k.a. more bookshelves) in mind, which will require a trip or two to IKEA. And strawberries. I’ll be eating plenty of those.
by Sam Tackeff | May 5, 2013 | Candy, Chocolate, Pantry Staples, Random
Like that rule that I should eat wholesome foods, and eschew items with ingredients I can not pronounce. Most of the time, I wholeheartedly agree with Michael Pollan’s edict.
Occasionally, some demon from within takes over my motor functions and puts products with “chocolate flavor” in my basket, like this “Chocolate Flavor Spread with Caramel Candy Pieces”. In my defense, it seems much more wholesome in Swedish: “Chokladkrokant Bredbar“. And IKEA sells it in other English speaking countries as “Chocolate Butterscotch Spread” which, if I use my imagination, is something that Nigel Slater would recommend that I spoon on some warm snacking cake on a lazy Sunday morning. And then there is the usage suggestion: “Use when baking, in home-made ice cream, in a glass of warm milk for breakfast or enjoy as it is directly from the jar.” Directly from the jar, you say, IKEA? I do believe I will.
If you find yourself near an IKEA with a similar demon inside of you, I encourage you to let it be in control when you walk past this item. Happy Sunday!
