When he asked me if WANM had a “killer” guacamole recipe, I said “mayyybe” in an effort to see what he was getting at. He told us about an event he was throwing called Guacaholics Anonymous. And would we like to participate by making our own guacamole? We obviously said yes without hesitation.

And then we started freaking out a bit. After all, it was guacamole for 100 people! 100! But after learning a serving was simply a chip-full, we calmed down a bit. The event consisted of Boston restaurants (like our favorite Poe’s Kitchen at the Rattlesnake!) and some local “amateurs” making their own guacamole. Oh, and a whole lot of people eating it. All of the money raised (tickets were only $10) went to Lovin’ Spoonfuls, Share our Strength, and Community Servings; 3 fabulous organizations.

So, what did Chels and I make? Come on, you know us. We made a bacon guacamole! It was a pretty traditional guac consisting of avocados (obviously), chopped tomato, finely diced red onion, lime, salt and pepper, and red chili flakes. Then we chopped up some bacon and stirred it in.

Neither of us have ever had bacon in our guacamole before, but we knew it HAD to be good. We also decided to leave our guac pretty chunky since neither of us really love super pureed guacamole. We tested it before tonight’s event and decided it was a definite go.

We got a really awesome response to our guacamole and lots of people even told us it was the best they had. Yay! Of course, we really have to thank bacon. Because bacon can do no wrong (unless you’re a vegetarian, of course). But this was definitely a guacamole we’ll be making for events in the future!

The turn-out for the event was great and the Fenway Cantina was the perfect space to hold it.

We wore our aprons, of course

Another decision we made was to prep all our fixings at home and then make the actual guacamole when we arrived; right before the event started. We wanted it to be as fresh as possible! And we kind of felt like we were preparing a dish on TopChef while we were doing it!

A HUGE thank you to Aaron of @EatBoston for asking us to participate in Guacaholics Anonymous and for throwing another amazing event.

He also informed us that he has lots of fun food event planned for the future, so definitely stay tuned

I don’t know why that made us so sad… Also, I was sure I looked super sad in this photo; but I really just look weird.

Oh, you’re probably wondering about the feta, right? While we seriously considered adding feta to our guacamole (it’s kinda close to cotija, right?!), we decided not to. Though I have a feeling it could have been awesome.

But for lunch I made a tuna salad with feta. I actually made the tuna with simply Greek yogurt and Athenos feta cheese. No mayo! And really, you couldn’t even tell there was no mayo.

I toasted some bread and made an open-faced sandwich with it, putting the tuna on top of some tomato. Greek yogurt and feta may be my two new tuna salad go-to ingredients! And of course, I put celery in the salad too, for a little crunch.

Oh, and for anyone who met me at Guacaholics Anonymous and thought, “wow, that’s not what I pictured her to sound like,” I swear I usually don’t sound like an 80-year-old smoker (or Lindsay Lohan as Chris so kindly told me later this evening). I came down with an awful cold (obviously on the week I’m moving!) and woke up this morning with no voice. I rested it all day and managed to have it working albeit in a super raspy way for tonight’s event.

I definitely talked too much (and too loudly) all evening long, so I need to finish my hot tea and head to bed. Here’s to hoping I’m all better by Friday!

Don’t forget, you can still enter our giveaway for a Gap jeans gift certificate (up to a $69.50) value through Friday! I could use any last minute moving tips you have up your sleeves

Do you have a favorite guacamole add-in?

[Sues]

I didn’t end up taking a ton of photos at the wedding mainly because a) I was busy being in it and b) there was a professional photographer and all. But I did take a few (especially of the food!) and the location and decor were so pretty, I just have to share.

The wedding had a literary theme to it (there’s your first clue as to why Kyle and I were such good friends from the start!) and everything fit so well, without any kind of overload at all. The reception was held in the MIT Student Center, which was such a wonderful location.

First of all, check out the room for the bridal party. Cheese and Shakespeare? Nothing makes me happier:

Everything was beautiful.

Even the flowers just reminded me so much of Kyle. They were beautiful wildflowers, with lots of herbs intertwined (Jeff loves cooking!):

Everywhere we went in the building, we had an AMAZING view of Boston and the Charles. It was incredible.

Of course, the table centerpieces were old books!

And our place cards were “this book belongs to” stickers. I loved this creative touch!

I’m still kind of proud of my speech during my sister and adam’s wedding, but I have to say both Kyle’s sister’s speech and Jeff’s brothers’ speeches were some of the best I’ve ever heard. All were amazing!

The food at the reception was also really fabulous. I loved the strawberry/goat cheese salad.

And I’m obsessed with the fact that we had a mango sorbet (pallet cleanser!) in between the salad and the entree.

We didn’t choose a meal ahead of time, so I was wondering what the entree would hold… Both beef and fish! So much better than having to pick one or the other.

And instead of a cake, we had an awesome dessert trio. How fun is this?? I especially loved the little mug of chocolate mousse, but the the mini strawberry shortcake was also delicious.

The bride’s dress was BEAUTIFUL:

And the groom was looking quite dapper too!

I don’t know why the only photo of me and the bride is kind of blurry and of us cracking up. But I guess that describes our friendship pretty well.

We couldn’t stop talking about how perfect this wedding was… And how “Kyle and Jeff” it was.

By the way, I was planning on doing my hair myself. But when I heard it was going to be 94 degrees, I made a last minute appointment for a blow dry at Eve Michael Salon. I told Ana not to bother curling it because there’s no way it would stay curled. But she said she could make it work. Somehow my hair stayed pretty perfectly curled the entire day and night! It was amazing, considering my hair barely even stays curled in no-humidity weather with tons of hairspray.

Also, if I do say so myself, the bridal party was pretty fabulous. It’s difficult (I think) to find a group of girls that just gets along, gets the bride, and agrees on most things. But Lindsay, Kim, and Janet were joys to plan with. We might actually have to plan another party for Kyle soon just so we can work together again… I didn’t get any shots of all of us together at the wedding, but here we are from the shower last month:

Oh, and the night before was pretty fabulous rehearsal dinner, too. For some crazy weird reason, I’ve never been to Dante before (most likely because it’s tough to get to on the T). But I LOVED it. The deck was beautiful and food wonderful. I’m sure the company didn’t hurt either.

I can’t for the life of me remember what this drink was called, but it involved orange, prosecco, and St. Germain. And it was the most refreshing, delightful drink for a hot evening.

I loved that we had a special menu with options:

I always enjoy a salad that’s filled with delicious leafy greens.

I ordered the veal scaloppini for my meal and it was tender and nearly perfect.

Chris got the grilled grass fed bavette steak and it was seriously the most tender juicy steak ever. I’m not even a huge steak person, but I would gladly devour this entire thing.

We shared the desserts- lemon creme puff and blueberry profiteroles:

And vermouth-soaked chocolate gateau with amarena cherries and salted caramel. SO SO SO good!

It started downpouring when we were eating dessert, so the waiter pulled a bunch of umbrellas together. It wasn’t until after the bride left that I realized I had no people pictures (just plenty of food ones!). So I snapped one of me and bridesmaid Kim.

And me and Chris, of course.

Overall, it was a splendid weekend and a wedding that I’ll definitely remember forever.

Congrats Kyle and Jeff! And I reallyyy hope you don’t mind that I just wrote a whole blog post about your wedding It was too good not to!

What’s the best touch you’ve seen at a wedding?

[Sues]

Cambridge, of course, is right next to Boston and super easy to get to. But for some reason, I don’t get over there as much as I’d like to. It takes forever on public transportation and parking can be a bit tricky, so dining on the “other side of the river” doesn’t happen as much as I’d like it to. Because, heaven knows they have a TON of amazing restaurants.

The Taste of Cambridge was the perfect opportunity for us to try samplings many of them. And the Charles Hotel was the PERFECT place to hold an event like this.

The more of these types of events we go to, the better we get at navigating them. It’s seriously an art! There’s so much food and it’s easy to get really full, really quickly. We generally like to hit up the restaurants we haven’t yet had the chance to visit. We try to stay away from chains and we take it slowly and pace ourselves. And stay away from too much alcohol near the start of the event– Not only for obvious reasons, but because it’s seriously difficult to hold a plate and full drink, while trying to eat, take photos, and navigate the crowds!

Tory Row is one of those restaurants I’ve been hearing about forever, but have never stopped by. But when I tasted the chilled asparagus soup with poached lobster, I fell in love. It was thick and creamy with generous pieces of lobster. This would be a fabulous start to a meal and fitting that it was the first thing we indulged in for the evening.

As you can see, Tory Row serves breakfast 7 days a week, too. I kind of want to try the jalapeno chicken sausage.

Next up? We spotted lobster rolls from the West Side Lounge and I knew I couldn’t pass them by.

This was a pretty fabulous lobster roll! I have to say it was a tad bit salty, BUT I loved that it didn’t have a whole lot of mayo in it and was pretty much pure (and delicious) lobster meat.

And, we learned about West Side Lounge’s Monday night special. All summer long, you can get 2 lobster rolls, house-made chips, and slaw for only $12.95. Yes, $12.95! I definitely need to make it there very soon. Who’s coming?

And yes, the house-made chips were awesome.

Next up? Basha Cafe. I’ve been to Basha before, but it’s been a while and their offerings looked pretty tasty.

Chels and I split a beef kebab and some rice. I definitely could have eaten more, but I knew it would be smarter to save room. Guess I’ll have to return to Basha for more!

I’ve actually never heard of Amelias Trattoria and their dish looked quite interesting.

It was a type of arancini with basil, fontina cheese, and panko. I loved the presentation; it reminded me of something fun you’d get at the fair! It was delicious, but a tiny bit dry. However, I always remind myself it must be nearly impossible to cook food for events like this… SO much food that you have to transport. It can’t be nearly as good as it would be in the restaurant, hot from the kitchen!

Amelia’s menu looks pretty interesting, so I’d love to get there some time in the future.

Oh, Harvest. I’ve only had the pleasure of dining at Harvest once as an adult, but it was an amazing experience. And one that I’d like to repeat over and over again. I’ve been pretty obsessed with all things lamb lately, so I was immediately drawn to the lamb sausage slider.

Yup, it was awesome. In fact, I seriously wish I had a full-size sandwich for lunch right now. I highly recommend dining at Harvest if you want a really wonderful experience in Harvard Square. The restaurant is kind of tucked away, dimly lit, quiet, country-like and romantic. Basically everything I want after a crazy day in the city.

Right after Harvest, we headed to Bambara’s table, where I indulged in some sort of bruschetta with figs and proscuitto, which is pretty much a dream come true for me. I love the salty/sweet combination! I also noticed they have warm lobster sliders on the menu, making Bambara a future must for me.

Then we spotted Grafton Street! The first thing I said was, “there’s no way I could eat corn on the cob at an event like this.” And it’s true. I’m one of those brats who needs my corn cut off the cob for me (thanks Dad!). And if I chowed down last night? I wouldn’t have been able to smile for any photos.

But I still had to take a couple photos because Grafton Street is where Chris and I first met And so, it will always have a very special meaning to me. I think it’s our goal to go back for all our anniversaries.

Plus, the corn was just so pretty! And if the employees working the table had offered to cut it off the cob for me, I totally would have indulged.

From these photos, it doesn’t look like the Taste of Cambridge was too crowded, but it really was!

We spent a good amount of time hanging out with the lovely Julia Rappaport and her hilariously awesome friend Jon.

East Coast Grill is one restaurant I CANNOT even believe I still haven’t been to. My dad talks about it all the time as he’s a huge Chris Schlesinger fan and I’ve heard nothing but awesome things about it. I tried to make reservations for the restaurant’s last “Hell Night,” but they filled up amazingly fast, so I’m looking forward to making it to the next one (I hope!).

For now, I was content trying their pork tacos, which were pretty delicious and super flavorful. I could definitely eat a plate-full!

We were wandering by Hungry Mother’s peanut butter sorghum sandwich cookies and I had to grab one. OMG. These were like the Girl Scout’s Do-Si-Dos cookies, but about a million times better. And so satisfying. I NEED the recipe. Or I just have to go to Hungry Mother for a few more. Delicious!

Of course, we stopped by to see our good friends over at the How2Heroes table. I didn’t even take any photos of their beautiful dessert display because we were immediately bombarded by shots. Jello shots. Alcohol-free jello shots, at that. So, why was How2Heroes forcing jello shots upon us??

Well, they were 5-alarm ghost pepper jello shots. In case you don’t know, ghost peppers are otherwise known as the hottest peppers in existence. Not ones to turn down a challenge, Chels and I signed the waivers (yes, waivers!) and prepared to down the jello shots. How2Heroes took this shot of us looking thrilled (and semi-nervous) for the challenge:

OK, yeah, we were pretty nervous. And yes, I’m double fisting (Chris loves anything super spicy, so I grabbed one to take home for him). Thank you so much to Megan of Delicious Dishings for catching some fabulous action shots of us!

OK, let’s go!

Well we downed, part of them anyway. These were HOT. Like one of the hottest things I’ve ever eaten, and I love spice. But really, it was more of a pleasant type of hot… Which I’m obviously saying after the fact. Check out my expression in the below photo.

I guess that says it all. By “pleasant” I mean, it was kind of cinnamony-tasting. But our mouths were BURNING and Lynne kindly handed us frosting shots and milk. Yes, a good chaser for too hot jello shots is a frosting shot. Who knew? Now you do.

Now can I get my invitation to East Coast Grill’s Hell Night, please?

By the way, Julia’s friend Jon downed the entire shot without flinching. It made me feel like kind of a wuss.

We wandered around a bit more after that excitement and checked out a huge dessert display. The cupcakes from Lyndell’s looked absolutely scrumptious, but I was too full.

Too full for a cupcake? I can’t even believe I just said that. Kind of regretting it today.

But Chels did grab a super cute, super mini ice cream cone!

OK, I lied. I wasn’t too full when I saw the beautiful-looking strawberry rhubarb crisps from Henrietta’s Table– another Cambridge restaurant I really, really need to make it to.

Especially after hearing from Julia how delightful these desserts were.

We could not turn them down. And I’m SO glad we didn’t. This might just be the best “crisp” I’ve ever had. I wanted to snag the whole table. Even though I was incredibly full at this point.

I’ve always known that Cambridge has an absolutely wonderful dining scene, but last night proved it to me even more. And made me want to head across the river for dinner every night. We had so many amazing dishes and really, I’m not sure which restaurant I want to make my first stop!

Do you have a favorite restaurant in Cambridge?

[Sues]

Seriously. We consumed A LOT of beer. But not even close to everything the fest had to offer. Let’s be honest, there’s no way I could have tried all the beers I wanted to (I’d need a good 2 weeks and several gallons of water). But I’m going to tell you about a bunch of my favorites that I did get the chance to try.

I’ve been to Cambridge Brewing Co. a few times and have always loved their beer. But I never tried the Colonel. It’s definitely one I’ll be ordering the next time I’m there… It was almost a bit barley wine-ish (which I love!). I mean, how could I not be obsessed with a beer claiming to have “farmhouse funk”? Maybe that doesn’t sound appetizing to everyone, but to me? Heaven!

Pretty Things is one of my very favorite brewers (and local too!). I absolutely love Baby Tree and Fluffy White Rabbits, but had never tried Field Mouse’s Farewell, their goodbye to spring beer. I’m definitely a fan. I love that it’s described as being full of grains- “Rye, Oats, Wheat and Barley. Like what a mouse would eat.”

Pretty labels, delicious beer, and the best beer names… What’s not to love?

I feel like everyone is drinking Allagash White this year. Well, what about Allagash Black (Bourbon Barrel!!)? We were a little disappointed not to get the Fluxus 2010 chocolate stout, but this was an awesome substitute. It was still super chocolatey and a great beer to sip on and slowly enjoy.

Another one of my top brewers is Ommegang. I absolutely love their Three Philosophers and couldn’t bring myself to try something new at their booth. It had been a long time since I last had it and was dying for another sip. This beer has the fabulous combination of dark chocolate and cherry cordials. Yum!

Another longtime favorite brewer (and may have won for having the longest line that I saw on Saturday) is Dogfish Head.

I went for something I had never tried – My Antonia (also, an excellent book!). It’s described as a “continually-hopped imperial pilsner” and it’s actually way up there with my Dogfish Head favorites. Though not quite as high as the Sah’tea I first tried at last year’s Beer Fest.

I’ve never really been a huge fan of Rock Bottom Brewery as a restaurant. I guess it’s just that if I’m in that area, I’m going to go to one of the billion other amazing restaurants before I’m going to get chain-like food there. BUT they just introduced me to what might be my favorite beer EVER! Shocking, I know.

It’s called Cinco de Mayo Lager and it’s actually brewed with fresh jalapenos!!! Amazing! So, this beer isn’t for anyone, but if you’re a lover of all things spicy, you will be obsessed with this. All I could think about was getting a huge plate of nachos and sipping on this beer sitting somewhere in the sun. And being in absolute heaven.

Can this be bottled and sold?? Does Rock Bottom do that?? I don’t know, but they should. Actually, they need to because I can’t live without it!

Chris and I are here in love with with our newfound favorite beer!

Beth and Adam are enjoying some beer as well

But wait. Here’s another brewery I thought i knew everything about. Harpoon Brewery. But check out their summer beer. It has candied ginger in it!!! Hello. As you probably know, this is a dream come true for me. The beer they poured me was a tad bit warm, but if it had been colder, it would have been AMAZING.

Of course, you could put ginger on anything and I’d probably love it. But I just find it so refreshing and fabulous. Perfect for summer.

I’m super happy to have a beer with ginger!

Rogue Brewery is another long-time favorite of mine. I really, really wanted to try the Chipotle Ale listed in the book, but they didn’t have any when I got to their table. So, I settled for the Hazelnut Brown. But settled is the wrong word because I really, really enjoyed it. It almost tasted like dark iced hazelnut coffee, which is absolutely delicious.

Right when we got to Southern Tier’s booth, we ran into the lovely Elina of Healthy and Sane. It was great seeing her as always and isn’t her dress adorable??

I’m a long-time fan of Southern Tier Brewery and I love pretty much everything I’ve had from there. Ever.

But I never tried their Back Burner before. This was definitely one of my favorites of the day! Of course, I’m a sucker for barley wines and I could definitely see myself spending an evening with this. I can’t wait to get my hands on a bottle.

Chris and Adam enjoyed Southern Tier as well.

Cisco Brewery, in Nantucket, is a brewery I’ve known about and seen forever, but I don’t know if I’ve actually ever tried anything from them. It was fruity and summery and while it was lighter than beers I usually go for, I really enjoyed it.

From one island to another, Offshore Ale Co. is located in Martha’s Vineyard.

And they offered an awesome barley wine (do you see a theme here with me? When I’m given the opportunity to try new beers, I often go for the barley wine).

We made sure to stop by Goose Island’s booth since they’re from Chicago (Adam’s home and Beth’s for many years!). The Bourbon County Stout was another one of my favorites. This ACBF definitely helped me discover I have a love for bourbon beers.

Blue Hill Brewery had a watermelon beer that was right up there with 21st Amendment’s watermelon beer. In other words, so so good and absolutely perfect for sipping in the summer.

After we were done with all our tasting, we stopped for a photo opportunity! I love having such a fabulous family… and a brother-in-law who gets along so amazingly with my boyfriend.

We headed straight for the North End where Chris and Adam recreated the same exact photo they posed for last year.

By this point, were absolutely starving, so we stopped at Ristorante Fiore in the North End to get some appetizers. We had the Antipasto Rustico (and gobbled up the delicious cheese and meat before I even thought to snap a photo). The seafood platter was also out of this world. I could have eaten 4 of them myself. The roofdeck at Fiore is amazing and it was the perfect day to sit up there (almost a little too hot!).

Then we headed over to one of our favorite spots in the city, Giacomo’s! We had to wait over an hour in line (not the first time we’ve done it), but we were well-rewarded when we finally sat down. The fried calamari at Giacomo’s is to die for. Definitely some of the best in Boston.

I had one of the specials for my meal. It was lemon tagliatelle with shrimp, sundried tomatoes and escarole. The pasta was SO fresh. Actually the whole dish was. And I had plenty to take home with me.

Chris and Adam both had the lobster ravioli, which are a definite favorite.

And my sister had the lobster with homemade fusilli special.

Fabulous beer, awesome food, and the best people. What else could I ask for? A good night’s sleep. Which is exactly what I got when I got home from the crazy day. Sunday was definitely filled with relaxation, too. OK, and a Sassy Coworker cocktail and lamb sliders from Coolidge Corner’s Regal Beagle (both HIGHLY recommended!).

I’m always up for trying new beers, so tell me what your absolute favorites are and maybe I’ll pick some up to try this summer!

And don’t forget to book your appointment at Salon Marc Harris for a massage and/or facial. If you mention WANM, you get 20% off… You won’t regret it and you’ll feel like heaven for days after

[Sues]

Entering EVOO was like a breath of fresh air…

To get started, we went around the room for a quick round of introductions then Gary got right into his talk. It was extremely interesting to hear his story about starting Stonyfield, which was founded 27 years ago. He grew up outside of Manchester, New Hampshire where his family had their milk, butter, and cheese delivered each day. In his stories you can hear his delicious passion for good and real food.

I’m big into the facts and Gary dished them like it was his job. Well, I guess it is his job. Some interesting things he pointed out:

• 41% of Americans will develop some sort of cancer. (a percentage that is way too high)
• 1 in 3 children after 2000 will develop type II diabetes.
• Organics make up 3.7% of the US food supply.
• Cows on non-organic/conventional farms have an average lifespan of 4-6 years. Cows on organic farms have an average lifespan of 12-20 years (!!!)
• Eating organics is a win for all. Farmers are supported, animals are treated fairly and have longer lives, and we have more nutritious foods in our system.
• Gary also did a really great job of acknowledging the fact that organics typically are more expensive than non-organics and he understands that organic and non-organics are on two completely different playing fields. Hopefully with time and more education things will level out. The biggest message he left us with was by even purchasing one organic product during your weekly trips to the grocery store know that you’re changing the world and making a change to better yourself and your health.

As Gary spoke we hungry bloggers started to eat while still taking notes and photographs. Multitasking at it’s best

All of the food prepared at EVOO is “eclectic New American cuisine” and uses as many homegrown ingredients as possible so the decision to pair Stonyfield with EVOO was perfection.

We started with some bread (which I devoured, hence the lack of a photo) and a nice dish of oil… how tasty does this look?

I chose a salad that contained Asparagus, Peas, Fiddleheads, Radish and Arugula with Great Hill Blue Cheese, Herbed Yogurt Dressing and Course Crumb Crunch. I felt like I was eating out of a garden… everything was so fresh, crunchy, and clean-tasting.

My main course was the Seared Misty Knoll Farm’s Chicken Breast with Red Fire Farm’s Spring Dug Parsnip Manicotti, Shaved Fennel, Orange Segments, Arugula, Parmigiano Reggiano, and Garlicky Chicken Jus. I could have eaten this all day long and was tempted to lick my plate but I’m a lady

Since Sues was traveling I invited my friend Tarryn to come along. I’ve known Tarryn for a few years now and I know that she secretly wants to be a farmer so I figured she’d love to hear Gary speak and share in the experience with me! For her main course she ordered the Seared Atlantic Golden Tilefish Fillet with Organic Potatoes, Fiddlehead Ferns, Wild Ramps, Cilantro, Curried Potato Broth and Minted Carrot Salad.

And then, the gates of Heaven opened when this darling plate was put in front of me. Stonyfield Organic Yogurt Tart with Balsamic Basil Glazed Strawberries. Balsamic, Basil, Strawberries… my little heart can’t take it. The only way to appropriately describe this is to say it tasted beautifully.

We were also given a container of Stonyfield’s Oikos Caramel Greek yogurt. HOLY DESSERT. This was the perfect amount of sweet and smooth… and I’m buying them out of stock the next visit I make to the grocery store.

Once we were all finished eating and ooo-ing and ahhh-ing over the wonderful meal, the Chef of EVOO, Peter McCarthy came out to talk to us a bit about local ingredients and the reasoning behind using organics at the restaurant. It’s always nice to see the face behind the food!

Along with a slew of coupons for Stonyfield products, we were also given autographed copies of Gary Hirshberg’s book Stirring it up: How to Make Money and Save the World. I’m really excited to start reading it just based on the quote from Robert Redford on the cover:

“Gary Hirshberg dared to dream new ways of doing business based on respect for customers, employees, and the earth. And, it worked. If you buy or sell anything, or simply want to feel hopeful about the future, this lively and legitimately optimistic book is worth every minute.”

Gary was so down to earth it was unbelievable. When I got home and told my roommate I had lunch with the CE-Yo of Stonyfield she asked if I was nervous. The funny thing was, I wasn’t at all. I don’t think any of us bloggers were! Gary just seemed like such a normal guy who was sharing his absolute biggest passion in life. It was really neat to be able to dine with such a powerful and brilliant person.

You can learn more on the Importance of Organic Farming on Stonyfield’s website.

Also, be sure to visit The Organic Center which is peer-reviewed scientific studies on the benefits of organic farming.

[Chels]

Here’s the thing about Healthworks. I’m not really a gym kinda gal but a few years ago I decided to suck it up and go on the hunt for my perfect gym. I was working downtown Boston and knew that Healthworks was around the corner from the office. I went in, went on a tour, fell in love and signed up immediately. So much for the “hunt”. The gym was gorgeous and didn’t smell like a typical gym (or boys, hehe) which is pretty much what sold it. The staff was all friendly, the club was so clean, and the locker rooms had flowers and spelled like a spa. Oh, and they had state of the art equipment and all that important stuff too So that’s my Healthworks story… I love the gym and what they stand for. It’s a judgement free zone and a place where women of all shapes and sizes are encouraged to be their best and be STRONG.

Last night Healthworks hosted one of my favorite blogger meet-ups! We all gathered at the Healthworks location in Back Bay for some light snacks (popchips, my favorite!), mocktails, and a spin class! I’d never taken spin before because it sort of intimidated me! I’d always walk by the dark rooms with music blasting and these ladies just cranking on the bikes! So when Judith, of Healthworks, told me they were thinking of doing spin for the blogger event I thought it was a great idea… It’s always nice to try something for the first time with a group of people you know and can have fun with!

There was a table set up with RIPE, my newest obsession…

… and popchips. An obsession that will last a lifetime.

We all headed to the locker rooms to get ready and put our stuff away before the spin class started. I’m so glad Alicia and Julie were there! Love when blogger friends turn into real friends!

Alicia and I starred and watched Julie fiddle with her key-card for a while before deciding to help her

The Back Bay location is 2 levels of cardio goodness…

We all met in the lobby before heading into the spin studio…

“Before” shot of all of us nice and clean. We refused to take an “after” photo of all of us dripping sweat. Not internet appropriate

Post workout coconut water thanks to Vita Coco!

Healthworks also has a full cafe featuring some healthy wraps, sandwiches, and salads!

And also a work station with some macs set up!

After the workout we all hit the showers to get ready for a night on the town at one of my favorite places to hang out, Alibi at the Liberty Hotel. I realized last night that I’ve actually been to Alibi three times in the past three weeks. Awesome. Quick side story about The Liberty Hotel… it used to be a historical prison and when they remodeled it the architecture and design teams kept a lot of the original parts of the prison in tact… which is why you see all the bars and other prison paraphernalia floating around! And they played on the prison idea by hanging celebrity mug shots all around Alibi, too! It’s fun!

Some more of the ladies who weren’t able to make it to the spin class met us out at the hotel so it was nice to see lots of familiar faces! I think there was close to 20 of us total!

This portion of the evening was sponsored by Double Cross Vodka and RIPE. They mixed their deliciousness to create three refreshing adult beverages for us ladies to try! A Strawberry Collins (which had basil, yum!), a Bloody Mary, and a muddled raspberry drink. Check out Double Cross Vodkas site for some interesting and creative cocktails!

Alicia’s in the clink!

And hello Bill Gates mug-shot!

The men from both RIPE and Double Cross spoke to us about the drinks they created for us, too!

And then there was food! Mozzarella, tomato and basil pizza…

Caprese Salad

Artichoke, prosciutto, and pear pizza

And tuna tartare. Check out all the drinks in the background HA! Thank goodness for cabs and public transportation, sheesh.

Kind of think whatever I burned off in that spin class I quickly gained back by eating and drinking so much… and it was worth every last bite and sip!

Since Sues is away I invited Kate to join in on the fun “Susie the Second” is what she is called in these situations

With the lovely ladies of Healthworks Hannah and Judith. They’re so much fun And I’m gonna assume Judith was the one making me laugh which required us to try the photo again

At the end of the night I dug through my completely awesome Siggis swag bag! In it I found a gift card to Healthworks for a 50 minute massage (YES!), popchips, a City Sports Boston t-shirt (I have a huge crush on City Sports!), Mad Hectic Oatmeal, a NUX sports bra, Siggis coupons, gift certificate valued at $65 for a spray tan at SkinHealth Centers (will be re-gifting this one, hehe), complimentary hair makeover from Rocks, Paper, Scissors Salon, along with some other fun stuff!

If any of you are interested in giving Healthworks a trial run they’re offering We are not Martha readers a special 3-Day Pass! Just click here and fill out your information to receive your pass! They have locations in Chesntnut Hill, Brookline, Boston, Cambridge, and Salem MA. Have fun!

Thanks so much to Judith, Hannah, and everyone else at Healthworks, RIPE, Double Cross Vodka and Alibi for putting on such a terrific event for some very grateful bloggers!

Happy Friday!

[Chels]

Sues and I set up a little bar on the counter with different types of glasses depending on what the girls wanted to drink.

We were sent two bottles of all natural RIPE cocktail mixer. One was a sour mix and the other was a margarita mix. The RIPE was a huge hit… lots of “mmm’ing”, “ahh’ing” and “I think I’m going to have another”. From RIPE’s website:

“We’re serious about freshness and committed to providing the very best natural-tasting products, hands down! In fact we purposely design our cocktail mixers to be as simple as possible to let the natural flavors of the ingredients do what they do. You will never find anything anything phony in our mixers. No artificial colors, flavorings, additives, high-fructose corn syrup, GMO’s, stabilizers, preservatives, sticks, rocks, starfish… you get the point, nothing but pure, natural ingredients from mama nature.” hehe, mama nature, I love that Also, quite please to report back that we didn’t notice any sticks, rocks, or starfish in our RIPE

We mixed the RIPE with the Cruzan rum we were sent. The two flavors of Cruzan we used were pineapple and coconut; we actually only ended up using the pineapple… we’ll have to save the coconut for another party All of the drinks were a HUGE hit… “huge” meaning everything was gone by the end of the night!

Our pizzas from Uppercrust obviously did not disappoint! We ordered a large MGH which is feta, spinach, and broccoli (we got half of it with pepperoni!), then a half pepperoni pizza and the other half Buffalo Chicken! DELICIOUS. We’ve always loved Uppercrust!

Erin and Sues at the “bar” mixing some drinks!

Have you guys ever played Times Up?! It’s SUCH a fun game! Everyone gets into teams of two. The same set of cards with famous names is used for three rounds. Some of the famous names are obvious while others are out there! In each round one member of the team attempts to get their teammate to guess as many names as possible in 30 seconds. In the first round you can give almost any clue (without saying the name, obviously), in the second round you can only use one word to describe the famous person, and in the third round no words are allowed at all only sounds and gestures. It’s hilarious and it was so much fun to play with these girls since we’ve all known each other our whole lives…

Sues reading the directions… Nina thinking about how she’s going to attempt to win

Me with Kate

Libby giving clues in the third round where words aren’t allowed! She was too funny!

We also ordered a beautiful batch of cupcakes from MixBakery. Kelly, the owner of Mix, helped me select a creative variety of flavors. We got the Peanut Butter, Red Velvet, Banana with Peanut Butter frosting, and Carrot Cake, which was my favorite… check out the baby carrot on top, hehe!

I couldn’t help myself and tossed into the order 6 mini Vanilla/Vanilla Pretty Preppy cupcakes. GAH… how pretty!? Just in time for Spring

The birthday girls blowing out their candles!

Happy Birthday to Katie and Erin! We’re so lucky and blessed to have had you ladies in our lives since we were wee little children Here’s to many more years! We love you!

What’s your favorite game to play at a party? Any other game suggestions for our next girls night?

[Chels and Sues]

First of all, we had NO idea Stella was so huge. There’s a really cute, decent-size private space in the back of the restaurant where the event was held. Everything was decorated so nicely, with lots and lots of eggs, of course.

We all got a filled swag bag, which included this little stuffed egg. So cute! It also contained the hugest umbrella I’ve ever seen in my life. AND a bag full of hardboiled eggs. AKA the perfect snack.

The private room in Stella had a bar where they served us bloody mary’s and mimosas. Why? Because this evening was all about breakfast for dinner! As you’re probably already well aware, I am a HUGE fan of breakfast for dinner (especially where bloody mary’s are involved) and this party only made me more passionate about it.

More “egg-celent” table decorations (sorry for my bad egg jokes).

And our table full of bloggers!

We started with a couple salads, including a fruit salad… And Stella’s chop salad with hard boiled egg, of course. Honestly, I could have eaten a huge bowl of this and been totally fine. And I promise I’m not simply saying this, but the hard boiled eggs were SO fresh and delicious. Aren’t they pretty, too?

Then Stella and Eggland’s Best inundated us with egg-filled entrees! My personal favorite was the duck omelet with duck confit, crumbled goat cheese, mushrooms, and baby spinach. I never cook with duck in the home, but I seriously want to try to recreate this dish now.

But the french toast was also delightfully eggy and delicious.

And then we had the most amazing linguini “carbonara” with poached egg, smoked bacon, and parmesan. Another dish I could have eaten an entire bowl of.

And then they brought out even more food! Grilled sirloin steak and eggs. Wow. I wish this hadn’t come out last because I would have loved to eat a platter full of it, but I was already getting stuffed. The sirloin was perfectly cooked, as was the egg.

And then dessert came. Sadly, Chels and I could barely take a couple bites of the chocolate torte with vanilla gelato and chocolate sauce. But this is definitely my kind of dessert.

While we were eating, we learned a ton about Eggland’s Best eggs… Like the fact that they’re fed all-natural, all-vegetarian feed because, you know, what goes in, goes out. Eggland’s Best eggs have more vitamin E, 100 mg Omega 3, 25% less saturated fat, and more goodness that makes them superior to other eggs. They also only have 175 mg of cholesterol, compared to the 215 mg in a regular egg. Those reasons are most definitely enough for me to start buying Eggland’s Best!

This was one of the best events I’ve been to in a long time because so many of our favorite people were there and it was just so fun to have everyone gathered in one place. Here we are with Will from Boston Foodie. It took so long for us to actually meet Will at an event, but now that we have, we see him everywhere!

We had no idea our friends Susan (Transient Travels) and Petey (Petey Pumpkin) were coming to the event, so we were pleasantly surprised!

We posed with our stuffed Eggland’s Best eggs with Petey, Susan, Megan (Delicious Dishings), and Alicia (The Clean Plate Club).

And with the lady of the night, Mary Kate from Kitchen Belle! She has a little one on the way and we’re soo happy for her! And we think she should name the baby Martha if it’s a girl since she had her last sip of wine before finding out she was pregnant at our WANM party

Thank you so much for inviting us, Mary Kate. And a huge thank you to Eggland’s Best for throwing a wonderfully successful event and teaching us all about your beautiful and tasty eggs. And Stella, we’ll definitely be back to try some of your regular menu!

Don’t forget to follow Eggland’s Best on Twitter!

Stella
1525 Washington Street

[Sues]

There are few things in life that make me really happy where I can’t control my excitement. Which, now that I’ve just typed that confession, is sort of sad. But bacon is one of those things that makes me absolutely giddy. When we first heard about the 2010 Boston Bacon and Beer Festival hosted by @eatboston and SoWa Sundays, we immediately bought our tickets. Between my love (err, obsession) with bacon and Chris’ knowledge and love of good beer, we knew it was going to be an event made in Food and Adult Beverage Heaven! Plus the event logo made me crack up so I wanted to support it It was being held in the Historic SoWa Power Station (The Trolley Barn) in the South End of Boston, one of my favorite parts of the city. All of the proceeds went to Community Servings, Share our Strength, South End Youth Baseball, and The Juniper Fund. There was much anticipation leading up to Saturday. I couldn’t stop wondering what kinds of bacony goodness nearly 30 of Boston’s most creative chefs would create! To me, it felt like the night before Christmas when you can’t sleep because you’re waiting to see if you can hear Santa! mmmm, bacon.

As I met Sues and Chris at our T station the first thing they said to me was “awww, I can’t believe you didn’t wear your bacon t-shirt!” Grrrr. Why didn’t I think of that?! I dwelled on it for a while (probably too long) and was so tempted to head back home to get it. Guess I’ll have to wear it next year!

The Trolley Barn is a great space. It’s pretty much a covered warehouse with lots of opened windows, which on a nice day, creates a nice little breeze throughout the whole building. Thankfully, Saturday was a nice day… not a cloud in the sky. We’re also thankful for the good weather because we waited in a line that wrapped around the building approximately 12,000 times! Kidding. But the line was long and proved to me that the people of Boston do not mess around when it comes to bacon… or beer.

As we entered the space we were welcomed by the sweet and soulful sounds of East Coast Soul. I highly recommend them if you’re getting married! They got the crowd moving, dancing, and singing. Or maybe that was the beer, but either way, East Coast Soul sounded wonderfully funky and were so much fun! We couldn’t help but shake our groove thang with them!

We started with “The Snack” by The Gallows, which is opening soon in the South End. It was a chex-mix with freshly popped popcorn and bacon… and I think there was some mention that it included bacon fat, too! There’s really nothing wrong with that at all

The Whole Foods table featured Black Forest Bacon, In-Store Made Southern Pimiento Cheese served with peppered chips. The Pimiento Cheese was divine… I can’t wait to get my hands on some!

Garden at the Cellar had Bacon-Wrapped Dates with goat cheese…

Yeah. By this point my head was about to explode.

Oh wait, no… my head was about to explode when I saw this huge bowl of bacon. Rocca Kitchen & Bar had Bacon “Chips” with Narragansett “Dip”. Ahhh.

Chef Tiffani Faison fishing around for some more bacon. Whistling while she works, like any happy chef should do

Rialto had a very springy display and was serving Fried Oyster, Braised Bacon and Kimchi Sandwich.

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The Wicked Kickin’ savory cheesecakes were creative and tasty. Oh my. There were two different Bacon Cheesecakes with mushrooms, scallions, loads of cheese and lots of other mix-ins. These would be perfect to purchase for an appetizer at a party. Each mouthful bursted with more flavor.

Check out the crowd!

Little bits of bacon from Happy Pig Salumi. They deliver fresh sausage, bacon, and dry-cured meats. Between the new MixBakery and Happy Pig Salumi I could probably sit on my couch and just have my favorite foods delivered to me for the rest of my life, hehe.

The South End Buttery had Bacon and Beer Cupcakes with Black Chocolate Stout Cream Cheese Frosting. I obviously nibbled on that piece of bacon first.

We visited our friends from The Fireplace, who were serving Crispy New Hampshire Bacon over Hot Mash and Cool Succotash. Mmmm… this was like a little meal and it, of course, did not disappoint. The Fireplace definitely had the most elaborate set-up, too! We were impressed but not surprised at all cause they’re our favorites!

Something we found to be very interesting was the Bacon Hot Sauce. It had a nice little kick to it but not overwhelming at all. It would be a wonderful addition to eggs! Might need to purchase some for myself!

Personally, I was more interested in the bacon goodies (are you surprised?), but Chris and Sues sampled a good amount of beers from Brooklyn Brewery (Brooklyn Dark Matter was real good!), Cape Ann Brewing Company, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Pretty Things Beer to name a few.

We bumped into some of our favorite blogging buddies, too! Peter is a riot, extremely fashionable, and was sun-kissed from his recent trip to Miami so we caught up with him a bit We also saw Pam of Cave Cibum but didn’t snap a picture with her. She’s a lovely blogger who we’ve known for a while and she makes some meaaaan candied bacon!

Peter snapped a photo of us with the man himself, Mr. BostonTweet. Apparently, we’re all amused by something?

Us with the one and only Julie!

This is what a day filled with bacon and beer does to us… makes us loco!

I’m actually thinking this event needs to happen every month (or every day?) because I’m not sure I can wait an entire year for it to happen again. We had an insane amount of fun! And knowing all of the proceeds went to charity made every bite of bacon and sip of beer taste that much better.

We decided to walk back to Copley to catch the train and had to snap some photos of the tulips out in front of Trinity Church. I had bacon and Spring has sprung in Boston which makes me, quite simply… happy

[Chels]

“As a community of savvy consumers and responsible businesses, we can effect major change. And that’s what D2E is all about. Our sponsors, exhibitors and advisory board are committed to exploring how we can live well for ourselves and our planet.” (www.d2eboston.com)

We attended the Friday night session of the expo which is called Local Bites. It features many green certified restaurants offering samples of some of their most delicious foods.

Boloco, which is one of my favorite burrito spots in Boston, was in attendance and they shared their newest creation… a mini burrito! Which was still quite filling!

The Yucca Gnocci with Braised Lamb Ragu, from Taranta in the North End was also another favorite!

We spotted some extremely unique and creative gifts and homegoods as well. Two of our favorites were Shara Porter, who hand paints found objects and sold a slew of wonderful clutches, wallets, and handbags, and Acero Studio, who has been featured on Design Sponge and the front page of Etsy over 36 times in the last year!

Sues bought Chris one of the bee mugs, which are adorable and quite sturdy!

I loved the “everything is going to be okay” mug and was tempted to purchase it buuuuut I own an excess number of mugs already, so I held off But please feel free to buy it for me, though And definitely check out Shara Porter and Acero Studios websites if you’re in the market for a unique gift!

Another very popular little product we saw throughout the expo were these snack and sandwich pouches. My favorites were by ReSnackIt, they were created by moms! Apparently they’re all the rage! It’s a reusable and washable cloth sack of sorts, that comes in a variety of designs, patterns, and colors. It’s a great idea if you bring a lunch to school or work everyday. Instead of tossing a paper bag or a plastic baggie after every meal you can bring this home and wash it or wipe it out as needed. No lead, BPA, phthalates, or PVC. I’m in!

My favorite beverage last year was by Flavrz Drink Mix, and this year it is Honest Tea. YUM! Last summer I got a free one while I was walking around Boston and I’ve been hooked ever since. They’re so refreshing and come in a bunch of different flavors, too. So tasty

Obviously Cabot Cheese was in the house! One of our favorites, always! As I type this I’m actually gnawing on Cabot’s Seriously Sharp Cheddar.

Olivia’s Organic was also in attendance and they shared their newest product line of pre-made salads. Don’t forget to download your coupon!

We also met a wonderful woman by the name of Lisa, who owns a sole (sustainable, seasonal, organic, local, ethical) food catering company called joie de vivre cuisine. We chatted for quite a bit and learned she even teaches some classes. We’re hoping to take a knife skills course with her!

Upon exiting the expo we saw a gorgeous installation in the hallway. We walked up to get a closer look and to talk to the artist, Christine Destrempes. From a distance it looked like thousands of white shells, but as you got closer, they were clear bottle caps. The artist explained that the total number of clear bottle caps (13,699) represents the people who die every day from unsafe water. Viewers are encouraged to take a step inside of the structure to take get a better look. The piece is appropriately titled 13,699.

Doesn’t this just blow you away?!

Happy Earth Day to everyone! Are you doing anything special to celebrate?

What are some of your favorite green products, restaurants, or companies?

The Hip Hostess Apron Giveaway results:

CONGRATULATIONS to Erica of Itzy’s Kitchen who won the giveaway! Erica, please contact us with your shipping information and the definite apron you’d love to own

[Chels]