Photo: jonseidman1988/Flickr

LOCAL BITES

Celebrate, Donate
Ongoing until Dec. 18th, Panera Bread is staying true to its name (bread for life) and giving back to the greater Boston community by holding its Cookies for Kids fundraising campaign. When you buy a molasses- and warm spice-filled gingerbread fella’, Panera will donate a portion of the proceeds to either Children’s Hospital Boston or South Shore Hospital. They’re on-track this year for donating over $100,000! Help them out by run, running as fast as you can to catch that delicious gingerbread man.

Make Your Cake and Eat it Too
Come improve your baking skills and learn how to create a festive Holiday treat as the Culinary Underground School for Home Cooks is inviting any and all to come out to their Buche de Noel (Yule Log) Workshop, Dec. 18, 10-3pm.

One Man’s Garbage…
Still bummed by that ugly sweater you got as a gift a few years ago? Finally, put it to good end-use! For one night, The Haven in JP is embracing all the terrible gifts of the world in their Boxing Day Crap Present Swap, Dec. 26. Put yours in a box then swap it with someone random. Everyone receives a Scottish Tunnock’s Snowball and a chance to sip on mulled wine or Scottish beer. For more information, call Jason at 617-792-9092. Continue reading →

Photo: VRoig/Flickr

PRK reader In the Kitchen with Eva pinged us recently about her exploration into paella. Curiosity, passion and a need for great paella took her to Dalí Restaurant and Tapas Bar, a culinary mainstay in Somerville, for an interview with Dalí’s owner and a cooking demonstration right in the restaurant’s kitchen which she posted on YouTube.

For you Spanish cuisine enthusiasts out there, here’s the real deal, straight from local blogger In the Kitchen with Eva and, of course, Dalí.

Photo: courtesy of We Are Not Martha

It’s that time of year again.  Lights are strung, the air is cold and crisp, the Holiday cups are out at Starbucks and I am… locked in the library studying for finals.  I go home for winter break in a week and I can’t really say I’ve gotten into the spirit of the season just yet.

It’s not that I’m not excited about this month. It’s just that I can’t really get excited with the mound of work I have to complete before I board the plane home. However, while trying to stay focused and productive, I stumbled upon We Are Not Martha and their homemade Peppermint White Chocolate Latte (with rum, if you feel so inclined). Just the incentive I need to get myself in the Holiday mindset!

I can now say with certainty that I have not thought about my philosophy paper in over 30 minutes and have instead been listening to my Christmas playlist and scrolling through pictures of my dog in front of our family Christmas tree, dreaming of sipping this festive drink while lounging on my couch in front of the fireplace.

I like to think this is healthy. I’ll get productive later. For now, break out the footie pajamas and Christmas TV specials!

P.S. My dog, being cute and Christmas-y:

Photo: courtesy of Sprinkle Bakes.

For many years,  my mother would give my brother and me coal in our stockings –presumably to remind us both that we were more on the “naughty” side of the spectrum than the “nice” one. The message was tempered somewhat by the coal itself — it was actually chewing gum, albeit this rather foul-tasting brand. I can’t imagine that chewing on coal would have been any less pleasant, to tell you the truth.

A better fake-out might be this candy from Sprinkle Bakes — not only does it actually look like coal, but it’s apparently quite tasty and refreshing, too. Not a bad stocking stuffer for the naughty — but lovable — kid in your life.

Photo: courtesy of Buttercream Blondie

Buttercream Blondie has out-done herself again.

Yes, that’s candy you’re looking at, in the form of juicy gumdrops. But the real substance of the gorgeous, edible tree above is none other than frosted mini cupcakes stuck onto a styrofoam base with toothpicks.

Read Buttercream’s straightforward account of how to make and assemble a Holiday Cupcake Tree — utterly kid-friendly — and you’ve got one heck of a centerpiece that, well, isn’t going to last too long.

Photo: Dave-F/Flickr

So clever!

how2heroes has published a culinary ‘take’ on the 12 Days of Christmas.

Here’s a peek:
Turkey Leg Confit for those 12 Drummers Drumming
Buttermilk pie for the 8 Dairy Maidens
French crullers for those 5 G-o-l-d-e-n R-i-n-g-s!
Potato Nests for…you guessed it

Here’s the link.

Photo: iwona_kellie/Flickr

I was having a conversation the other day with a group of friends about “comfort foods.” Generally, the dishes mentioned followed a similar pattern – hotdogs, hamburgers, dinners made by loving grandparents, mothers or fathers from childhood days, etc., which included bowls of soup and juicy slabs of meat.

When it was my turn to speak, I took a deep breath, preparing for the inevitable judgmental stares, before saying timidly, “Well, you see, there’s this Mexican restaurant a few minutes from my house…”

I get it. It’s not healthy, it’s probably not authentically Mexican cuisine, and it’s probably regarded as less than “comfort” worthy. But I can say with full assurance that I would send back my parents’ stew for a delicious taco any day (sorry, Mom and Dad).

Isn’t the point of ‘comfort food’ to make us feel nostalgic? Aren’t comfort foods supposed to be the dishes that we have some sort of attachment to, in some way or another — dishes that make us feel good inside? As a child, the place most popular with my family was a small local chain of Mexican restaurants. At least every other week my parents, older brother and I loaded into the car to feast on chips, salsa and burritos. That’s what I remember: those dinners filled with laughing, great conversation and full stomachs.

Now that I live in Boston, which is far from home and those beloved Mexican feasts, I often find myself craving the same flavors. Eat Well with Janel’s recipe for Soft Taco Burritos brought me home– floury tortillas stuffed with the familiar ingredients that are my favorite comfort food.

Photo: Ollie Crafoord/Flickr

Ok, I’ll admit it: there’s something intimidating about a recipe that starts with “Begin the soup 2 days in advance.”

But on cold December days (ignore the 60 degree weather we’re seeing right now), could there be anything more lovely than this Sienese-style ribollita, “a porridge, of bread, vegetables, and beans ” stewed under some perfectly dark and spiraled onions? It’s even vegetarian — rare indeed for an onion soup, but perfectly hearty and rich nonetheless.

It sounds so good it doesn’t deserve to be called healthy — but it’s that, too, especially compared to other comfort food at this time of year.

Waiting for the Big Cheese (photo: courtesy of Chris Lyons Communications)

A 400-lb. wheel of Italian cheese billed as “The World’s Largest” arrived in Concord, MA, yesterday. It was a red-carpet, flag-waving reception, replete with cheese tossing dancers from Concord Academy (no kidding about the tossing) and a Naples-born soloist named Alfredo who serenaded the crowd.  There were samples handed out, of course, but this was after a public decree was read, the cheese was rolled off its truck, down a ramp, through the crowd and heaved onto a table set outside The Cheese Shop — its temporary home before it gets parceled out to expectant customers for approximately $20 lb. Continue reading →