I went to there

Major thanks to a dodgeball friend who swiped me a ticket to the most amazing event. Because of her I got to spend close to 3 hours eating bacon and drinking various beers while unwinding from an INTENSE Saturday. (Morning was spent presenting a major school project)

The foods were tasty. I tried as much as I could handle. By far my favorite food was actually a cupcake that had a bacon topping on the frosting. Yuummmmmm.

Fingers crossed I will be working at the Lobster Party again. I almost promise I will take pictures next time. (There is no way I am really promising, as I tend to just stuff my face at these festivals, no time for pulling out a camera!)

Bacon Risotto

If we are friends in real life, or were at some point and are still friends on facebook, you may recall that I recently posted the picture above. I decided I wanted to go beyond my comfort zone and cook things that real people would want to eat. (I have learned that eating a can of baked beans for dinner is a bit odd)

Bacon Risotto sounded like a good place to start. I already knew how to make risotto the lazy way (with Uncle Ben's Rice instead of Arborio), but never added anything extras - just simple risotto. So I went online and realized that most people just throw in the extras at the end, well I can do that too, gosh darn it! Out of fear that the bacon flavor wouldn't be strong enough, I opted to incorporate the grease. Additionally, to make veggie health people happy I added in some fresh tomatoes too!

I wanted to share the recipe with the world, I don't really know if the measurements are absolutely correct, since I don't measure much (accept the rice) so, I would suggest you use this as guidelines. When it comes to the wine, feel free to have fun with it - I honestly probably use at least 1/3 of a cup if not more.

Bacon Riscotto

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound bacon, diced (totally used breakfast bacon chopped up)
• 5 cups of chicken stock (you may use more or less - just be mindful)
• 3/4 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
• 4 tablespoons butter (may use more like 6)
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese
• White wine - preerably Riesling
• S&P
• 2 mid-sized tomatoes (fresh)

Directions

1. Cook the bacon in a large skillet (skillet should have high sides) over medium heat until browned, about 10 minutes. Drain the bacon and reserve some grease (yum)
2. Bring chicken stock to boil in a saucepan over high heat; reduce heat to low to keep the stock hot
3. Heat 2-4 tablespoons of butter in the same bacon pan over medium -high heat. I recommend leaving some grease in the pan for flavor.
4. Add onion and garlic; cook and stirl until the onion begins to turn clear, about 2 minutes
5. Pour in the rice and stir until the rice is coated in butter and the rice starts to toast
6. Bring on the wine! Splash some into the pan, listen for the sizzle. Make sure to cover the rice thoroughly. Once the wine reduces, reduce the heat.
7. Start stirring in the chicken stock (I ladle it in to help keep the mess under control) - I would advise putting in 1/4 - 1/3 of the broth in at a time. As the broth gets absorbed, add more until tender, yet slightly firm. Roughly 15-20 minutes.
8. Remove the risotto from the heat and add the remaining butter, Parmesan cheese, and the bacon.
9. Chop up tomatoes (best to squeeze out the seeds first) and throw them into the mix too.
10. Season with salt and pepper.
11. Dig in!
    

Next Time it's 8 Layer Dip

The Superbowl is tonight. I will be watching with some great friends. We have arranged for wings, pizza, beer, dip, pigs in a blanket, and cake. My personal responsibility is to bring a little beer and buffalo chicken dip. Nom nom nom.

I love making this dip, it is super easy, and it is super yummy. Honestly, why mess with a good thing, right? But after watching Snoops video, I would be interested in making 8 layer dip for next year.

Local Bacon Treats

The New England Candy Co is diving into the bacon as dessert market. Based on their website (via etsy) there is more than just the basic chocolate bar with some bacon bits. I mean there are reese's cup type treats with bacon. Oh wait, did I say bacon? I meant applewood bacon.

You know, my birthday is coming up and they have a "Bacon Lovers Gift Pack". Hint hint. It might be $45, but it is over 2 pounds of bacon and chocolate. Don't bat an eye, totally worth it.

Another Fast Food Conquest

I can proudly say, I have eaten a McRib, and it as glorious. Ok ok ok, I ate half a McRib because it was midnight just didn't have it in me to chow down. Either way, it was pretty damn tasty. The pickles were a nice touch, but I would suggest holding the onions, they didn't add anything.

Girl Date!

My professor let us know a few weeks ago that our class this week would be canceled. She had suggested that everyone work on their group projects as everyone should now have 7-9:30 free. Well, two of the members of my group saw the free night as a way to earn more money and agreed to work late, which meant free night for me! I mean, it would have been rude to work on the project myself, I wouldn't want anyone to feel bad about not pulling their own weight.

So instead, I thought why not have a girl date with one of my best friends. We agreed to enjoy a feast at Redbones. Thanks to a groupon that I had burning in my pocket, we were able to enjoy three different types of meat (sausage, ribs, pulled pork), sweet potato fries, cold slaw, beans, and of course some pie. Once we got to the point that another bite could not even be considered, let alone executed, we saw that it was almost 9 pm and time to head over to the movie theater to see The Town.

Let me tell you, this movie was amazing. As you may know, many scenes we re shot here in the Boston area. My friend and I had a great time picking out areas that we frequent.

Early on, Ben Affleck's character eats lunch with Rebecca Hall's. They are sitting on the patio of Grendal's Den. How do I know that? Well, first if you have ever walked in the area, you can tell based on the surroundings. But the main reason is that I stood in the park area for my entire lunch hour the day it was filmed hoping to see someone famous. Sadly, no one came out and I had to return to my office sad.

Later on there is a large sequence that was shot in the northend right by Bacca's. We had eaten there during restaurant week together, so of course we made a little girly shrill of excitement when the location was on the screen. I won't spoil the ending, but I will say, it was disappointing after about 2 hours of awesome.

Even taking into account the ending, this movie gets my stamp of approval, and I urge you all to go out and see it. I mean, come on, it's a Ben Affleck movie.

Triumphant return to the kitchen

For the last three months my experiences in the kitchen have been limited to microwaving, toasting, and the occasional nachos or buffalo chicken dip in the oven. As Harry Truman said, "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen". Personally, I can't during the summer, so I try to keep my distance from that very small room in my apartment.

With the arrival of Earl, the temperatures have dropped to a much more comfortable level and I am more inclined to consider the idea of using my stove top. Tonight, I decided to make my triumphant return by making a pasta sauce. I had some canned tomatoes and sauce that were begging to be put in a frying pan. As I began tossing in spices and cheese, I remembered a recipe that my friend sent me for sauce that involved a stick of butter. It sounded weird to me too, but being high of the smells of freshly made dinner, I just let my hands work and in went a few lumps of butter. Holy moly, so tasty! I highly encourage you all to try it next time it is pasta night, the butter really did make a difference.

Seriously, is there anything butter doesn't make better?

I do(ughnut)

First it was 7 tier cakes, then cupcake towers, and now doughnuts? Whenever my day gets a little slow at work, I will begin to peruse through my favorite wedding blogs. I like to see what is out there and often pass on cute ideas to friends. Recently I came across a couple who thought of using doughnuts as their dessert. I would have never thought to incorporate my favorite sweet morning treat with martial festivities, but who am I to judge?

In fact, this might be another detail to the wedding that my future self will have to plan out. I mean who can say no to a doughnut, especially since dessert always is paired with coffee!

100 Layer Cake

Tater Tot Spokesmen

The people behind Despicable Me are awesome. The movie was hysterical and their partnership with IHOP is brilliant. The minions, who are Gru's helpers and assist him in carrying out his evil plans, are now being used to advertise IHOPs new tater tot platters. These guys are shaped awfully like this tasty potato treats, so basically, a match made in heaven.



After seeing the movie, I went to the movie's website (something I never do) and played the Minion Dominion activity. You can tell the little guys to jump, dance, fight, wave, etc. It is pretty fantastic and if you have some downtime I suggest playing around with this duo.

Summer Fun

I can't believe I haven't blogged about the best thing that has happened to summer. Yes, I am referring to Dunkin Donuts' new summer doughnuts. Below is my first love, it is called a Beach Ball. They are munchkins with pink, orange and yellow little circle sugar things cover them. Just looking at them makes me smile.

When I first saw them - the morning I saw Eclipse - I bought a couple just before getting to the theater. I couldn't wait to show my friends in person, so I took a picture and quickly nommed them down.


There is also a regular sized doughnut that pairs with these munchkins rather nicely. It is essentially the chocolate frosted doughnut with these same sugar things covering the chocolate. Oh man, now I need a doughnut. STAT

Why I love Friendly's

The new sandwich at Friendly's looks amazing. I have seen and heard advertisements for the past few weeks and need to find time to try it myself. Who doesn't love grilled cheese? No one! (except maybe lactose intolerant people) Who doesn't love burgers? No one! (except maybe vegetarians). Therefore, any omnivore who has a love of cheese should be all over this monster of a sandwich! I cannot wait to find time to get to a Friendly's!

Sizzle Sizzle Sizzle

Fourth of July weekend is over. This was the best three day weekend ever. Now that I am back at work, life is just so ordinary, less magical, and hot as hell - well outside it is, inside our a/c makes it feel like I work in a meat locker which is definitely ok in my book! Let's recap all the sizzle...

Friday - I left work and drove straight home, well small detour to have a snack and a beer at a friend's, but home in time for dinner. Let me tell you, that dinner was perfect - swordfish steaks on the grill (sizzle sizzle sizzle), baked potatoes, and broccoli. Yummo. As a child I didn't like fish, as an adult, I still don't like most fish, but will admit that swordfish steaks on the grill have totally grown on me. Especially, when there is some lemon to squeeze on.

Saturday - I got up, went to the beach for a few hours (not yet ready to go all the way into the ocean, just made it to my thighs), and then came dinner. Regular steaks on the grill (sizzle sizzle sizzle), baked potatoes and fresh green beans. Oh man BBQ two days in a row! Can this weekend get any better???

Sunday - Whoa, it is getting hot up in here - wake up and again decide to get to the beach immediately out of fear that the parking lot will fill up. This time I go straight into the water and go under. It was cold at first and then I just didn't want to get out. The heat got to me (as did my fear of sunburning) and we went home. What was for dinner? Oh that would be hamburgers and saugies (sizzle sizzle sizzle), potato salad, and corn on the cob. LOVING THIS. I did not make it to fireworks, meh, I'll live.

Monday - I had to get up super early to drive my parents to the airport, but that meant that I was on the beach at 8:20 with my iced coffee and toasted bagel in hand. Great way to start the day. I was gone by noon which suited me just fine after 3 hours of swimming, walking, and reading. At this point the sun was super hot and my skin needed a break (sizzle sizzle sizzle).

I was home in MA in time for kickball, which sadly ended up getting canceled due to forfeiting. Oh well, the weekend couldn't be perfect. It was pretty sweet that my air conditioner was ready and waiting to be put on to deal with the heat. Hopefully I don't melt now that the temp is supposed to hit 100.

I Scream, You Scream, Boston Screams

For the Celtics win in game 2 of the NBA Finals and, of course, ice cream. Game 1 was miserable on Thursday, it was an embarrassment. Game 2, however, was intense, amazing, and ended with a well earned win for C's. I wanted to celebrate the win. Since I decided last week to limit my weekly alcohol intake, ice cream was the next logical option.

Normally, I stay away from the stuff (being an ice cream scooper in high school turned me off of it) but ever so often I fall back in love. I recently found the best black raspberry ice cream that can be purchased from the grocery. It is by Hood, and called "Martha's Vineyard Black Raspberry". The part that seals the deal is that it has swirls of raspberry sauce - sooooo good. I highly suggest it to anyone who likes fruity flavors.

I bet you were afraid this post was going to be about sports, don't worry, I wouldn't do that to you.

Don't eat gummy fried eggs

This afternoon I went with a friend to Sugar Heaven on Boylston St. Oh man. How have I not been there before??? I am not the biggest chocolate fiend, but I love gummy candy like no other. Specifically I have a special place in my heart for green frogs.

The shop has two walls of candy that you can buy by the pound. It is a little more pricey than other candy places I have frequented in the past, but considering the shop is in the city, I get it. One particular perk is that the employees let you taste the different candies! Most of the candies we tried were very tasty, the one that I would urge you to stay away from is the fried egg gummy.
The girl told me it was like circus peanuts, which made me a little concerned. First, I sniffed the candy and detected that buttery scent...eeep. Then as soon as I popped it in my mouth I was disgusted. It was a painful chew. The two employees felt bad for me so they gave me a fancy peach candy to cleanse my pallet.

In the end I walked away with a great bad full of green frogs, grapefruits, peaches, clown fish, raspberries and peachy penguins (yes they are as adorable as they sound). I think a night of leftovers, gummies and movies are in my near future.

Nah, I just love Tots.

I stopped at the grocery on the way home from work. I needed lemons and limes so I figured I would be in and out in 30 seconds or less. Of course, that didn't happen.

As soon as I stepped into the store I got a craving for chips and dip. Since I was already there, why not grab some salty treats. By the time I got to the register I had a very strange array of products including a package of tiny tater tots. They had been a last minute grab, I mean how do you say no to tots that are on sale??

I was so excited about the idea of making my own tater tots that I must have been grinning like an idiot. The woman bagging up my groceries saw my smile and said "oh you must have a really good paying job because you look so happy". I immediately responded "no I don't make much, I am just really excited to eat some tots!" She looked at me like I was crazy, and well, I can understand that...

Can't wait to eat these mini tots. Now if only I had popcorn chicken bits to go with them!

PS - While looking for an image of tater tots for this post, I came across a recipe for tater tot casserole! I think I might have to give this a whirl

Summer Sun in April? I'll take it.

The day was beautiful today. I think it hit 80 degrees at some point. As soon as it hit 1 pm I hopped on out of the office to take my hour lunch in the quad. Thankfully I stayed in the shade because even then, I began sweating in my new summer work dress. I knew right then and there that I would be heading back to my apartment for homemade nachos and margaritas on my balcony.

If you are in the market for a new type of guacamole, I would suggest you try out Santa Barbara. The company is genius, the guac is packaged in an air-tight plastic bag so you can squeeze out as much as you want and left the rest in the packaging. None of the unused guac turns brown, which happens whenever I have purchased a style that comes in a tub. There are some red peppers in the mix and I only like guacamole with a kick. Prior to about 8 months ago, I would have refused to try the stuff because avocado has a butter like texture and I prefer crunchy.

Also, this company makes a great pico de gallo. Just the right combination of veggies and spice. After baking my nachos I scattered a few spoonfuls over the pile. Delish!

Honestly, I hope to have many more afternoons filled with this Mexican themed snacks in the late sun. This apartment and I get along quite well.

Age Old Question

Pi or Cake?*

When choosing desserts off a menu, I always check first for pie and then settle down for cake if need be. I think it is the crust that I like the best. And to be honest, I am not a huge fan of super sugary frosting. When I found The Sweet Science: Proof that Pie Trumps Cake I almost busted a gut laughing. The diagrams are spot on. Pie really is the best. Maybe it is simply because everyone gets a chance to eat the best part, there are no sugar flowers!

In honor of March Madness** jezebel.com is having a bracket of pie vs cakes. I have been voting fairly regularly, and only just noticed today that cheesecake is on the pie side! The dessert has "cake" in the name! I guess there can be a small graham cracker crust, but I really don't think pie when I think about cheesecake. Seeing this dessert as the number two seed in the pie bracket caused me more distress than I would like to admit to... Seriously?? I hope it doesn't go to the finals, I don't think I would feel comfortable with cheesecake representing my favorite dessert!

*I totally own this nerd shirt. I got it from shirt.woot.com
** Munch Madness is also being hosted by boston.com, a race of local restaurants

Good Day for Pastry

Happy St. Joseph's Day!!

At this point I have already eaten 1.5 zeppolis and will probably continue on this trend through the weekend.

Don't Mess with a Good Thing

One of my favorite food memories is getting New York System weiners after CCD on Sundays with my mom and sister. We got them pretty much every week. Once I was in high school I got it into my head that hot dogs were foul and should never been consumed. I became a big pain in the house, especially considering beans and franks had been a crowd pleaser for so long.

In college my parents even tried tempting me with Saugies recently. Saugies are known for the crunch and crispness of the shell. (for other state specific hot dogs look over this wikipedia article) Oh man, I can't believe I tried to fight my family on this. All changed my senior year of college. A group of students decided to fundraise for a trip by selling hot dogs during spring weekend. I devoured two of them so quickly that afternoon. Ever since then, I get these hot dog cravings that are so intense. The craving overtake my thoughts.

So recently I saw an article that the hot dog might get redesigned! Like my parents, many other mothers and fathers find that the hot dog is a great dinner or lunch food. Sadly, it is also the perfect shape to cause a child to choke. I don't know how I feel about this redesign, although I do like the one that has a trough for condiments. That feature could make the hot dog slightly less messy because I like to pile on the toppings.

Happy National Margarita Day!

Somehow this holiday did not make it onto my calendar. Hopefully, my friends and I will find time to celebrate later this week as the 'rita is a favorite of ours.

I would also like to thank iGoogle yet again for providing a fantastic how-to in honor of this magical drink. Can't wait to try the different ratios/recipes. Drink up my friends, drink up!