Yet another I'm-still-here-but-too-busy-to-write type of post.

Upcoming...eventually:

• Review of Foundry on Elm
• Review of Pizzeria Posto
• Guinness Beer Dinner at Back Bay Social Club
• Opening Party at Dumpling Cafe
• Trying out my new ice cream maker!
• Valentine's Day post? Nope, probably not. I don't feel like copying the gazillion press releases I received for fancy shmancy overpriced prix fixe specials around town, and there's already a major surplus of blog posts on 'aphrodisiac' recipes, chocolate stuff, heart-shaped things, etc. No need to add another one to the collection. 
• Aaaand a bunch of other random posts that have been half-done for awhile.

In the meantime, why not check out the mac & cheese and cookie recipe indexes I've been building over on Boston Food Bloggers?

This post really just serves to tell you that I'm still here even though I haven't been posting frequently. The music stuff has been going full speed ahead recently, so blogging is inching its way down my priority list for now. If you're curious about the music, you can listen to our debut album streaming here:



If you feel so inclined, you can go here to get a free download of Amylee (if you sign up for the mailing list), and you can also buy the whole digital album at that link. The physical CDs will be released locally at the end of the month at our sold out (!!!) CD release show at the Middle East downstairs on 2/26, and they'll be released nationally in May. If you missed out on getting tickets to the Middle East show, we'll be playing again on 4/20 at Brighton Music Hall.

Please let me know what you think of the music! We're in kind of a strange genre, I think, so it's hard to predict who will enjoy it. We've been described as folk, baroque pop, indie rock, and a variety of other things. If you're into it, you can 'like' us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. If you're not into it, well, thanks for taking the time to listen!

There's a really vibrant local music scene around here, and it's great to be a part of it. I'll be highlighting some of my favorite local bands in future posts, but if you're looking to hear local stuff, you should definitely check out Boston Band Crush, a blog where you can download tons of new music from Boston-area bands, check out show schedules, and a lot more.

Any other food blogger/musicians out there? We should start a blogger band!

Masochistic Mac and Cheese

I'm in the process of putting together a Boston Food Bloggers macaroni and cheese recipe index, much like this under-construction cookie one. I've been adding to it bit by bit over the last week or so, and this task unsurprisingly triggered a massive mac and cheese craving. (Update: Here's the link!)

As a kid, I'd only eat Kraft mac & cheese - especially the fun shapes! - and it had to be the stove-top version. Easy Mac is disgusting. Here's the weird thing, though: I wouldn't touch homemade macaroni and cheese. Once I hit college, I branched out ever so slightly to Annie's microwaveable mac and cheese. It was quick and easily do-able in my dorm room microwave, and it didn't taste too bad. But I still wouldn't go near homemade. I just didn't like cheese enough.

Now, though, I'm finally turning into a cheese fiend, so putting this index together inspired me to try my own homemade mac & cheese. It was also my first time making a roux, and I thought it was going to fail epically, but the end result was actually pretty awesome.

Why "masochistic"? Ghost chili powder. And a little bit of hot sauce, too.

Masochistic Mac and Cheese
These measurements yielded four medium-sized portions. Tasted great as leftovers!

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 3/4 cups milk (I used 2% - probably best not to use skim.)
• 3/4 cup flour
• Salt and pepper
• Bread crumbs (I used store-bought regular ones. You can make your own if you feel so inclined.)
• Generous drizzle of truffle oil (I used white. I don't know much about truffle oil, so I can't really tell you if black or white would taste better here. It's a pretty subtle addition anyway.)
• Ghost chili powder (or your choice of a spicy addition: chili powder, cayenne pepper, etc. I bought my ghost chili powder here.)
• Hot sauce of your choice
• Cheese (I used 2 cups cheddar - Cabot's "Seriously Sharp", 1/2 cup Gruyere, and 1/2 cup Romano. I thought about using Asiago, which is my favorite cheese, but it melts kind of strangely so I wasn't sure it'd work well.)
• Pasta (I used about half a box of mezzi rigatoni.)

First step: get some water boiling for the pasta. Pre-heat your oven to 375F.

While the water was heating up, I grabbed a giant pot and melted the butter in it. Once it was melted, I whisked in the flour. This didn't go so well...I ended up with a couple giant chunks of flour, and not much liquid. Next, though, I started slowly adding in the milk, and it started getting saucier. (Note: warm your milk before adding it.) This part requires some vigorous whisking. Keep going and going and going until you have a thick, bubbling sauce. (Meanwhile, is your water boiling yet? Put the pasta in!) Lower the heat on the saucepan and add your seasonings, followed by a good portion of your cheese - about two-thirds. Keep mixing until everything is nicely melted and mixed. Taste it. Adjust the seasonings until you're happy. This is where I added a ton of ghost chili powder. Woohoo!

When your pasta is about 2-3 minutes away from the doneness recommended on the package, take it off the heat, drain it, shock it in some cold water, and drain it again.

Once you've got your pasta and your sauce, mix them together.

Pour the cheesy pasta mixture into a greased casserole dish. Top the whole thing with breadcrumbs, the rest of the cheese, a big drizzle of truffle oil, and any other seasonings. (I added more ghost chili powder here, for good measure.)

Stick it in the oven for about 30 minutes. Mine was done in about 25; my oven runs hot. You want the breadcrumbs nicely browned (but not burnt) and the cheese wonderfully melted. Most recipes say to let it sit for a bit. We were too hungry.

We drizzled a bit of hot sauce on top after taking it out of the oven. You can never have too much spice!

I was shocked that this turned out so well. When making the roux, I couldn't get the flour to fully incorporate, so I was worried I'd end up with little chunky flour pockets. Fortunately they disappeared into the mix somewhere!

5K on a whim: I need to stop adding things to my schedule.

Couch to 5k in less than two months when I'm insanely busy with work, food stuff, and music stuff? Sure, why not?

I just signed up for the Ras 5K (Davis Square, St. Patty's Day) on a whim. Do I have time to train? Nope. But I'm going to make this work somehow.

The obstacles:

1. Time. I work weekdays 9-5:30 with a commute that's usually an hour, so I'm out of commission from wake up until generally 6:30pm or so. In this weather, the MBTA has been royally failing, so sometimes I get home later than that. A lunch workout is not possible (no showers, no time), and I don't think I can wake up any earlier to squeeze in a morning workout. I'm devoting a lot of time to Boston Food Bloggers, so between events, updates, and catching up on emails, I tend to put in several hours each night. Also, my band is having a release show February 26 (please come?), so until then, I'll be tied up several nights a week with lengthy rehearsals (plus neat promo stuff like radio shows and photo shoots! Super exciting!) Something's gotta give. I'm guessing it'll be sleep.
2. Ability. I ran track all through high school, but I'm using the word "run" pretty loosely here. Although dedicated and determined, I was consistently one of the absolute slowest on the team. Officially a sprinter but occasionally testing out the distance workouts, I was pretty bad at both. The longest run of my life was 13.5 miles the morning after a drama-filled high school party. I hadn't eaten breakfast, I was hungover, I was depressed, and I had mono but didn't know it yet. I figure if I survived that, I can survive any run, but the fact remains that I'm still a pretty bad runner. I've jogged off and on through the years, and I've finished a couple 5Ks along the way, but I'm fairly out of shape at the moment. Since 1/1, my only exercise has been to walk up and down the Porter T station stairs rather than taking the escalator. I've stuck to this resolution faithfully, but I still emerge from the station wheezing, bright red, and lightheaded. As for my other resolutions...well...never mind.
3. Snow. Yeah, yeah, I ran winter track for four years. I'm still not a fan of winter running. The burning, tight lungs, the slushy grossness, the slippery ice...not so fun. I've already slipped and fallen several times just walking.

So I need to make a training plan. What can I accomplish in six and a half extremely busy weeks, starting from a pretty low fitness level? Based on my prior running experiences, I think I could probably complete a 5K at about a 12- or 13-minute mile pace on absolutely no training. I might be selling myself a little short, but I don't know. If I can squeeze in some training, I'd love to end up in the 10- or 11-minute mile range for the actual race.

Aside from continuing to shun all escalators in favor of stairs, particularly the 200+ at Porter, what other pseudo-exercises can I sneak in? There might be one or two ski trips in the next six weeks, so there's that (but I'm a horrible skier - just started last year and honestly not really looking forward to trying again this year!) Realistically, I can probably fit in one long jog each weekend and one shorter jog on a weeknight. (When training for a 5K, what's a good distance for a "long" run?)

This race is right in my neighborhood. Is it good to run the course a few times during training, or will the novelty of an unfamiliar course boost my adrenaline on race day? (I'm leaning towards the latter.) 

Any other tips for a sort-of-experienced-but-still-pretty-bad-plus-busy-and-out-of-shape runner? Anyone else running the Ras 5K?

Tomatoes Times Two

Subzero temperatures? Whatever. Nothing will stop me from attending a tomato tasting! While I can't claim to know much of anything about tomatoes - heirloom? What does that even mean? - I do know that they're pretty much my favorite food ever. The bulk of my diet is composed of tomato soup, pasta in a variety of tomato-based sauces, and salads made solely of greens and tomatoes.

Anyways, I spent this frigid evening at Garden at the Cellar at a promo event for Muir Glen organic tomatoes. Chef Will Gilson was one of five chefs chosen around the country to showcase Muir Glen's 2010 Reserve Tomatoes by creating recipes featuring these flavorful gems, and for the love of tomatoes, I braved the cold and met up with fellow bloggers Megan (Delicious Dishings), Meghan (Travel, Wine, and Dine), Elizabeth (Free Food Boston), Katie (The Small Boston Kitchen), and Brian (A Thought For Food) to indulge in a variety of apps and entrees showcasing the Muir Glen tomatoes. (I also got to say a quick hello to Glenn of Wine Dine With Us, and I saw Jen of Tiny Urban Kitchen from afar, but I have yet to meet her. If you haven't heard, Jen is totally representing the Boston food blogger community on the national front; she vanquished hundreds of competitors in Foodbuzz's Project Food Blog competition and took home the gold! Woohoo!)

This was only my second visit to Garden at the Cellar; my first was very enjoyable. (I had also previously tasted Chef Gilson's food at a fair trade event in October 2009, where he smoked meat using a bong. That technique was learned in the culinary school dorms, apparently.)

After a frustratingly long commute, I stumbled in cold, hungry, and disheveled, but I was warmly greeted with wine, blogger buddies, and apps, which I neglected to photograph very well. I tried tomato soup shooters with cheddar sandwiches (best. combination. ever.) and slow cooked pork belly with sweet and sour tomato jam (fatty, tender manna from heaven). Also available: grilled bruschetta with tomato, eggplant, and smoked feta and flatbread pizza with smoked tomatoes and roasted cauliflower.

We sat down to enjoy three entrees family-style:

Local Seafood and Tomato Stew

Braised Lamb with Tomato and Curry Leaf Confit

Pasta with Grilled Sausage and Parmesan

Rich and rustic, with little hints of spice, all three were quite enjoyable. A glutton for any carb-and-meat combo, I was a big fan of the pasta and sausage. The tomatoes really shined in every dish, bringing up memories of sun-warmed late summer tomatoes from farmers' market stalls, bursting with juice, a sweet/tart balance.

We left with a gift box containing four cans of Muir Glen tomatoes, plus a booklet of recipes created by the five chefs on the Muir Glen Tomato Vine Dining Tour.

Silly me, making new year's resolutions about walking up the 200+ Porter Station stairs. Tonight was no exception. I dragged this box up about 14 flights.

Worth the effort! Totally looking forward to trying out some of the recipes.

Tonight was fun - and worth the walk in the cold!

On the topic of tomatoes, back in September, I was invited to a five-course heirloom tomato dinner at Bistro 5 in Medford. I remember every course being fantastic, but I sadly never got around to blogging about it. I just hooked up ye olde external hard drive to resurrect my photos from the event so that I could share the photos and menu with you. Since it was so long ago, I won't comment on the courses except to say that I remember finding the tomato creme brulee very odd (although everyone else seemed to love it), and I was pleasantly surprised by the tomato dessert. (Tomato's a fruit, after all!)

All the tomatoes were from Kimball Farm, and each course was paired with a different type of basil from Soluna Garden Farm.

Lobster Bisque: Pineapple Tomato Bisque, Lemon Basil, Saffron Bubbles and Brioche (paired with 2009 Domaine Felines Jourdan, Picpoul de Pinet, Languedoc)

EVOO Fried Green Tomatoes: Copia Tomatoes "In Carrozza", Buffalo Mozzarella and Opal Basil Pesto (paired with 2008 Larochette Manciat, Macon Les Morizovittes)

Heirloom Tomato Risotto: Red Brandywine Tomatoes and Queso Leonora Goat Cheese with Crispy Prosciutto and Lime Basil (paired with 2008 Lancon, Domaine de la Solitude, Cotes du Rhone Rose)

Duck Confit Strudel: Smoked Speckled Roman Tomato Brulee, Sweet and Sour Kuri Squash, Port Poached Seckle Pear with Thai Basil and Pickled Ginger (paired with 2008 Vigneti Zabu 'Il Passo', Nero d'Avola Blend, Sicily)

Tomato...Sweet Tomato: Organic Peach Tomato Napoleon, Cinnamon Basil Yogurt Gelato, Vanilla Bean Creme Anglaise and Pistachio-Estevia Pesto (paired with 2009 Sarocco, Moscato d'Asti)

I can't wait until tomatoes are back in season! In the meantime, though, I'm looking forward to trying out these Muir Glen cans that I lugged home. Maybe I'll even branch out and make something other than pasta!

Disclosure: Both of these meals were provided to me free of charge. While on occasion I accept food and product samples and meals, my acceptance of these things does not obligate me to write a positive review - or any review at all. Regardless of cost or lack thereof, all opinions expressed in this blog are my full and honest opinions.

My First Piece of Food Writing Ever (and Other Things Related to Iguanas)

No, my first piece of food writing doesn't involve eating iguanas. I've never eaten iguanas, in fact, but I've seen them for sale at Savenor's. Although an enthusiastic meat eater, I'll never eat something that I've had as a pet...except for fish. That's different somehow. Here's me looking super awesome at some point in the mid-nineties, hanging out with Iggy!

Anyway, a top secret band project sent me digging through pieces of writing from my childhood, and I resurrected a bound and laminated fifth grade writing book which included many assignments from the year. Towards the end of the book, I found what must be my first piece of food writing ever, a review of the now-defunct Iguana Cantina. (Actually, the place was already defunct at the time I wrote this.)

Wow. I'm particularly fond of the fact that I used the phrase "wonderful restaurant" three times. Also, "I try not to eat fries"? Who was I?? My favorite part is how I tell the reader, hey, this is a great restaurant...but it doesn't exist anymore! (Picture almost-eleven-year-old me sticking out my tongue at you here.)

In this same binder of fifth grade writing, I found an amazingly horrible poem called...Iguana! I might have been a little bit obsessed. Nearly everything in here was about iguanas or cats. My very first AOL screenname was IguanaCat! (The best part of this booklet is the short story entitled The Day my [sic] Stuffed Cats Came Alive, an epic adventure taking place in the Cattalachians, in which I battle dogs, who have allied with fish, mice, and birds to take over Catland.)

Anyways, enough about Catland. I have to share this iguana poem with you. (By the way, I think the assignment was to imitate the structure of an existing poem. Any ideas what this could be modeled on? I can't remember, and now it's driving me crazy!)

Poor defenseless iguana. Your toothless bites don't hurt at all.

And now for one last iguana-related item: my aforementioned band, The Michael J. Epstein Memorial Library, has recently been awarded a $2000 grant from the Passim Iguana Music Fund! This will allow us to finish our debut CD without artistic compromise.

In that vein, I'm going to sneak in a bit of self-promo spam here. Our CD release show is at The Middle East (downstairs!) on Saturday, February 26th. We currently have a great deal going on where you can buy a ticket for the show, plus our CD, plus a digital download of the CD, plus an extra special surprise gift from band! If you're interested, please visit the following links:

• Buy a show ticket + CD (presale) + other goodies for $15!
• Skip the show but order a CD (presale)
• Oh, you want to hear us before showering us with money? Yeah, that's understandable. We have a few demos (partially mixed, not yet mastered) for you to check out:

I'm playing flute, oboe, and piccolo (plus some background vocals, rain stick, and hand claps!)  By the way, my lovely food friends, there's a rumor that we might be playing a set at the Somerville Winter Farmers Market at some point. I'll keep you updated.

Don't forget...