No Sweat

First of all-TODAY'S MY LAST DAY OF WORK AT MY "OLD" JOB!! :) It's not that I'm so excited to get away from this job and the people b/c I'm not-I'm just looking forward to less travel time, less gas and tolls and traffic and more money...I start the new job on Tuesday.

After yesterday's rally, I ventured over the the Phantom Gourmet's Barbecue Beach Party in City Hall Plaza. I was planning on going to dinner here but since I was in the area for lunch, I figured, why not? For $5 you can venture into a BBQ battle that'll make your taste buds dance.

There were so many choices...

Wait a minute! Butch?!? THE Butch? As seen on Food Network?? I know it's cheesy (and I don't even like Bobby Flay) but when I watched this episode my mouth WATERED and I actually walked down to the local BBQ place near my house to get some (sub par) food to quench my craving. Naturally, my mind was made up. Butch's it was!

Butch himself...I wanted so badly to ask for a picture with him (see, I really am a geek) but I was for some reason, too shy. (Not usually a problem for me in this sense.) He even walked out from behind the booth and was standing right next to me (on his cell phone). It would have been perfect... Pulled Pork Sandwich with Butch's mild BBQ sauce.
It was honestly the best pulled pork I've ever had. It lived up to it's reputation and I'm glad I picked it. I do wish that I had some more cash on me though, because I would have loved to compare it to others-but that would have also required some friends to share the food with, and I was by myself. If you're in the Boston area, I high recommend that you stop by the Beach Party for some tasty treats.

In other news I'd like to report on my miracle spray that I got in the mail the other day. Though I can't say 100% that it works yet (because I've only been using it for 3 days) I can tell you that I do see a significant difference. Yesterday for instance, turned out to be very hot. It was cool when I left the house and I had on the only green I had-a light sweater-and jeans. I also had my hair down (which I did later put up). While standing in the crowd I felt warm and in normal circumstances, I'd have a slick face.

I had nothing.

I started testing it out too-I faced the sun, kept my hair down for a bit, walked the long way to the bbq place-and I only got a tiny bit clammy. It wasn't until I ran to the T that I sweat a little more-but even that wasn't as bad as it usually would be. I'm giving it a week like they suggest and by then, I hope it'll be in full effect.

It does make my face tingle when I put it on at night and sometimes if I'm warm it stings a little. And in the morning when I wash it off, it's really bitter if the water runs into your mouth in the shower. The bottle is also very small-but in my opinion, it's worth it.

Like I said, I'm not 100% ready to say it works, which is why I haven't named the product yet. Hopefully by the end of the weekend I'll be able to share it with confidence and everyone who has the same problem will get relief too....

Shhh...Don't Tell!

But....a few of the girls from work convinced me that I was feeling sick today. :) Why? Well, don't you know I live in BOSTON!?! Today was the Rolling Rally for the Celtics and being that this is my first year as a Bostonian and I'm a sucker for excitement and parades, I just had to be there. (Plus, tomorrow is my last day at the old job and I have virtually nothing to do there anyway.)

Take a look-I went to the beginning of the parade route b/c I knew it would be less crazy than the end-boy was I right!! Looking at pictures on Boston.com makes me realize that I made the right decision. Enjoy the show! (Roll over the picture with your mouse if you want to read the notes.)

I have to admit that I did not follow the basketball season-I generally don't even though I really like basketball (I'd say it's my 2nd favorite sport to watch). However, I do have lots of pride for my city and am happy that I went. I got a little choked up when they passed too. I get that way at concerts too, when the band comes out for an encore-it must be the greatest feeling on earth to have that support and appreciation for what you do. It's kind of inspiring. :)

Randomivity

It is possible to suck at Marco Polo. :)

There are many things I know about Megan, some of which revolve around Dave Matthew's. What I did not know about her is that she has the loudest whistle known to man-really, it's so loud that the government should hire her to warn the people about tornadoes.

For once, I did not get an extra tap on the ass when being frisked.

DMB sounds exactly like he does on his Cd's.

"Oh Yeah" is a great response to the question, "Are you OK?"

Having a bedroom made of cinder blocks is sometimes a good thing.

My (hopefully) magic potion for my face came in the mail the other day. Today the 2nd day of usage-keep your fingers crossed!! (I'll let you know how it goes.)

Sometimes doctors appointments take you by surprise. Even if you knew what they had to say is true.

Fasting sucks. So does getting a shot because the next day your arm hurts like hell.

I hope you find your dot...

I may not have made a ton of Boston friends yet, but the one I did find, I really like.

Even if you don't like Boston sports teams, you have to admit that it's got to be awesome to live in this city.

On the way home last night (in a 1 mile drive) I saw 27 Boston Celtics shirts-all on their way to a pub or bar or house party.

I am glad I have a private parking spot, especially on nights like last night.

Why is it so hard to find a simple pair of black flip flops? No glitter, no wedge heel, no polka dotted padding or velvet lining. Just plain old fashion black flip flops. They don't seem to exist.

Wordless Wednesday: My City RAWKS

While waiting in traffic, I snapped this photo near the Garden

High School

This weekend I recieved a letter (sent to my parent's house) for a high school reunion. We've never had one and it's because our class sucked. Our class president was elected just because he was popular and he didn't do any of the things that all of the other class presidents did. So now two girls from my class are taking initiave and trying to get contact information for people who are interested in having a reunion.

I threw the letter out.

I think I've told you before that I went to a very small school-I only had 94 kids in my graduating class, and that was 3 towns put together. I think I've also told you that I didn't really like 99% of them. When it came time for me to go to college, I left the state and pretty much never looked back. While I sometimes wish that I had friends from high school, I don't ever think of the actul kids I went to school with. I wish about the idea of those friends-but the people themselves were spoiled rich kids who thought they could do no wrong. So why would I want to go back to see them now?

Part of me is curious, sure. And part of me wants to go back to show them the person they missed out on. I'm proud of where I've been and how far I've come and I would love to show people that-but they wouldn't see it. What they would see are the things society sees as bad and nothing else.

So I threw it out. If I run into someone from school on the street one day and we strike up a converstaion-fine. But I am not going to force myself to sit in a room full of people who I couldn't stand back then. Especially because the people I know now are way cooler than any of them could ever hope to be.

Toosdae ?'s

You've got personality! So, tell me about it...

1. If your personality was a smell, what would it be?

2. If your personality had to be summed up as a sandwich, what kind of sandwich would you be?

3. Which personality trait has gotten you into the most trouble?

1. I think I would smell like a lemon. Fresh, classy, juicy and it brightens the recipes it's added to.

2. I would be a fresh mozzarella, tomato & basil sandwich on a fresh ciabata roll. Mild and creamy, sweet and spicy with a little bit of a hard outer shell.

3. For sure the trait that's gotten me into the most trouble is my jealous streak. I try to hide it often, but when I can't, it just makes me look stupid.

Manic Monday: Will

Manic Monday's are brought to you by the letter M.  Go see Morgen for more Manic Monday Madness!

 

It's always so hard for me to get inspired to write after a great weekend.  Maybe it's because I want to remain in my dreamy state of fun times a little while longer-but whatever it is, it's hard for me to come up with anything worth reading...(I had a great weekend.)

 

I recently commissioned someone to redesign my catering website.  I bought a .com for it and hope to start marketing myself a little bit so that I can cater dinner parties and weekend luncheons or things like that.  I don't see myself being able to afford to ever work in the industry full time-I wish I could, but I just can't.  I'm toying with the idea of working towards opening up a small cafe or something-much like the one I worked for when I first moved here-only better.  I don't know the first thing about running a business though, and I'm not entirely sure I would ever have enough credit to be able to do such a thing.  In any case, it's in my head and is always a possibility.

 

Part of starting the ball rolling on the catering part of this idea is creating menus.  I just don't seem to have the will power to start this long, tedious project.  I know that you might be wondering why it's a long process-perhaps you think I should just be able to pick a few things and slap 'em on a menu for a party.  And I can.  If the customer doesn't want to know how much it will cost.  Costing out recipes is boring and is a lot harder than you would think.  I have a special spreadsheet that helps me do it, but I still have to find the current market cost of each ingredient and then figure out how much of it I will be using then how much it will cost based on the current market price.  Being someone who is not really good at math, I always worry that I'm doing it wrong which causes me to double and triple check things.  It's just a LOT of work.

 

Then there's the worry that the menus aren't diverse enough, or that people will want something completely different than what I offer.  There are so many people out there who cater these days, that one small little thing could send a potential client away.  So many people are self proclaimed foodies too-and they think they know everything.  (Which always leads me to wonder why they are hiring a caterer.)  So, it's a long process and one that I don't enjoy. 

 

Why don't you share some of your ideas with me.  As (pretend) potential clients, what would you like to see on a dinner party menu?  Try to give me an idea of an appetizer, main course and dessert.  It'll help me figure out what people want so I can have a few diverse menus to start with.

 

So...will you help me out?

What's Cookin'? Mesculn Salad w/ Warm Goat Cheese & Cherries

This salad may have a few ingredients that you aren't used to having mixed with greens, but I assure you the flavor combinations are well balanced & compliment each other nicely. (Especially the slightly warm goat cheese with the tart cherries!)

2 T. Olive oil
2 T. Finely chopped shallot
2 T. Chopped fresh tarragon
1 T. Fresh lemon juice
3/4 t. Finely grated lemon peel
3/4 C. Sliced almonds (about 3 ounces)
1 Large Egg
1 T. Water
1 11 oz log Soft goat cheese, cut into 6 rounds
6 S. Mixed baby greens or baby spinach
1 C. Halved pitted fresh Bing cherries or other dark sweet cherries (about 7 ounces whole unpitted cherries)
1/2 C. Strips fresh fennel bulb

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2. Whisk first 5 ingredients in small bowl. Season dressing generously with salt and pepper.
3. Spread almonds on plate. Whisk egg and 1 tablespoon water in small bowl; sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper. Turn goat cheese rounds in egg mixture, then coat with sliced almonds, covering all sides. Place on rimmed baking sheet.

DO AHEAD: Dressing and goat cheese rounds can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover separately and chill. Bring dressing to room temperature and whisk before using.

4. Bake goat cheese rounds until cheese is warm but not melted, about 10 minutes.
5. Combine greens, cherries, and fennel in large bowl. Add dressing and toss to coat. Divide salad among 6 plates. Place 1 cheese round on each plate and serve.

Recipe & photo from Epicurious.