Website to Check Out: Guidespot

Some of you may know that I write for a site called Guidespot. Guidespot is a fabulous resource for the various restaurants and activities your city has to offer. While the guides can feature pretty much anything to do with a city, many of them are featured around food. And no matter what type of cuisine you're looking for in your city, chances are you'll find it on Guidespot!

• Here are all my guides for all you Bostonians. I obviously write a lot about food in Boston, but also have some guides featuring some other fun touristy things to do in the city. I'm pretty much an expert on Boston's nachos and so I pride myself on my guide to the best nachos.
  


• My favorite New York Guidespotter. She has a fabulous guide on where to get the best candy in NYC.
  


• A fabulous writer of Los Angeles guides. I'm LOVING his hilarious guide to the best sushi in LA.

Don't worry, I think Chicago guides are coming soon! The site is growing everyday and now we're starting to think about how to make it even better.

That's where you come in. It would be fabulous if you could give me your feedback and let me know what you like about the site, what you don't like, and what you think could be improved. Be honest! We've got everything from a city's best nachos to cupcakes to hangover cures, but is there something you'd like to see that we're missing? Is the site search-friendly for you? Do you just hate it altogether? We really want to work to improve the site. Plus, if you give me your feedback, I might win a little ahem, cash prize. So, the more the better :)

Check out the guides for your city and the site as a whole and let me know what you think by leaving your comments or e-mailing me at Anderson.SusanM@gmail.com. Thank you so much and I hope you all enjoy Guidespot!

[Sues]

Beer-battered onion rings (and beef burgers)

I'm a huge sucker for a great burger and some onion rings. So when I saw the July edition of Martha Stewart Living I drooled when I saw the glossy (beautifully layed out!) spread titled Burgers Above... & Beyond I had to whip something up! Each burger in the article was featured with a perfectly paired side dish. I was mostly interested in the onion rings and decided to do my own spin on the basic burger. With a few simple ingredients and some spare time, this dinner really turned out to be worth it!

Beer-Battered Onion Rings
• Combine 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon coarse salt, and a pinch of cayenne pepper in a medium bowl, then whisk in 3/4 cup buttermilk, 3/4 cup beer, 1 large egg, and 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest


• Heat oil in a heavy sauce pan over medium-high heat. The recipe says to use about 4 cups of vegetable oil... I used about 2-2.5 cups and I was fine.


• Dip several slices of onions in batter and generously coat.
• Gently place coated onions into the oil and cook, turning once for about 2-3 minutes, until golden brown. Remove onions from oil and place on a paper towel.



Beef Burger:

For this I just did my own thing, but took bits and pieces from the Beef Burger recipe featured in Living this month. I just seasoned the beef with salt and pepper and grilled like I normally would. I did, however, decide to use whole wheat mustard like the recipe called for. I bought Maille old style whole grain dijon mustard, which was really good, and I'm not normally even a huge fan of mustard!


I toasted the burger bun until lightly browned, then I topped it with some sharp cheddar cheese, grilled onions, bacon, Boston lettuce, tomato, and a little ketchup.

-I'm almost positive if you click on these images, you'll be able to taste it! ;)

I think if you can get the timing right, the onion rings would be great for a party too... serve them when they're nice and crispy. The recipe suggests heating the oven to 200 degrees and placing the onion rings on a baking sheet to keep them warm, which I clearly didn't need to do since I was eating them right away :)

[Chels]

Mushroom and Asparagus Risotto

By now you're probably thinking I have a serious thing for risotto; and you're totally right. And considering I just found a recipe for apple and walnut risotto with gorgonzola, I probably won't be stopping soon (um hi, is that not the most amazing thing you've ever heard of??). Risotto is just such a great, "I'm super busy but need to eat an actual substantive dinner and this lasts all week" type meal. And I'm a big fan of that.

After another trip to Russo's I had a bunch of asparagus I needed to use before I left on vacation at the end of the week (yay!). And since this week was also super busy work-wise, I wanted to make something I could eat a couple nights, so I decided on asparagus and mushroom risotto.

I was clearly so into chopping the mushrooms that I forgot to take a picture of them. I bought the "exotic variety pack" at Trader Joe's and it consisted of 3 different types including oyster, cremini, and porcini. I removed the stems from all of them and then cut the mushrooms into small pieces, and then chopped about a third of those.

I didn't have dried porcini mushrooms, so for the broth I put the mushroom stems in some chicken broth, just to make sure it had enough flavor. You can do whatever you want, but I thought this was quite tasty. Make sure you bring the broth to a boil and then let it rest over low heat.


Now chop the stems of your asparagus and cut the rest of it into little pieces. Boil them (separately) for about 2 minutes each, just to make them nice and crispy green.

In a saucepan with some olive oil, add your chopped onion and one clove of chopped garlic and cook, stirring for about 2 minutes.

Now add the arborio rice (2 cups) and stir. Add a cup of white wine with the heat on medium-high, put in some salt (2 t), an d stir until the wine is almost evaporated. Now you're ready to start adding the broth. Add it half a cup at a time, stirring frequently and waiting until the liquid is mostly evaporated before adding more. It's not as hard as some people say, but if you forget to stir it, the rice is going to stick to the bottom of the pan, so be careful.

Repeat this step several times and then add the mushrooms that you chopped up and throw in some pepper too. Keep adding the chicken/mushroom stock 1/2 cup at a time and stirring.

Take the 2/3 mushrooms you have remaining and cook them in a skillet in some olive oil for about 2 minutes, until they're golden brown. Then add the asparagus tips and cook another minute.

Now stir the little pieces of asparagus into the risotto and add some butter and 1 cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese (honestly, freshly grated is SO much better than Kraft or whatever you get pre-grated. Once you're used to it, you'll never be able to go back. It's SO different). The recipe also calls for 1/4 cup of olive oil, but I really didn't think it was necessary so I didn't add it and didn't miss it.

Now you're ready to serve the risotto and top it with the mushroom and asparagus tip combo you've got going on in your pan. It was deliciously creamy and sooo fresh with just the right amount of crunch from the asparagus. The perfect pre-vacation week meal!

[Sues]

Salmon served with Black Bean Puree and Corn

I recently had dinner at Stephanie's on Newbury Street and had a reallyyyy great dinner... I cleaned the plate, which is sort of rare for me since my stomach can't fit much in it. I ordered the ancho chile and honey glazed salmon served with black bean puree and warm corn salad. It was phenomenal and needless to say I got quite a craving for it the other night and since I was already in for the night I attempted to make my own version (minus the honey, since I actually forgot about that until now!)

After washing the salmon off, I seasoned it with some garlic salt and pepper, cooked it in a pan until golden brown. For the black bean puree I used just a basic can of black beans then mixed it in a blender with some red pepper flakes to add some heat, salt, pepper, and some extra virgin olive oil so it wouldn't be as thick. I then cooked the fresh corn quickly in a pan to warm it up.... simple enough and veryyyy tasty!




Now I'll have to go back to Stephanie's to compare! And to try their out their killer brunch especially the egg's benedict which Sues swears by!

Stephanie's on Newbury
190 Newbury Street
Boston, MA
617.236.0990

Avocado Snacks

Avocados are quickly becoming my second favorite food... right behind bacon (and the two of them together? Don't even get me started!). I've been craving them all week so I did a search on Martha Stewart's website and found some nice (and simple) little avocado snacks ...

(avocado sliced lengthwise)

Lemon Tuna Avocado Snack
1 ripe avocado
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 six-ounce solid albacore tuna
1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
salt and ground pepper to taste


• cut avocado lengthwise and remove pit. Scoop 2 tablespoons of avocado flesh from each half.
• Mix the avocado flesh with lemon juice and olive oil until you have reached a (semi) smooth consistency
• Mix avocado, tuna, sunflower seeds, lemon zest and add salt and pepper
• Fill avocado shell with the mixture

Avocado Halves Stuffed with Tomato and Feta
• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 small ripe tomato, diced
• 1 tablespoon crumbled feta cheese
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon snipped fresh chives
• 2 teaspoons raw pumpkin seeds (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste


• Cut avocado lengthwise and remove pit.
• Fill each half with tomato and feta
• Drizzle lemon juice and garnish with chives and pumpkin seeds

(I actually left the pumpkin seeds out since the grocery store didn't have any and this was still great!)


I particularly love recipes like this in the summer since I'm always on the go and don't normally have a huge appetite in hot, hot weather... quick, easy, and satisfying... which ultimately leaves more time to enjoy the weather! :)


[Chels]

Cinnamon Bread

Instead of searching everywhere on the Internet for recipes, I now know I can just pay a visit to my good friend TKTC's blog and I will likely find something or several somethings I NEED to make. Such was the case with the peanut butter blondies. And such was the case with last weekend's treat: Cinnamon bread. TKTC found the recipe on a blog called Closet Cooking, where author Kevin describes being bored with his meals and deciding it's time for a change. And change he did. Now he publishes a new post with absolutely beautiful looking food pretty much every single day (a success I totally envy). But first things first, before I go crazy stealing every idea from his website, I had to make his cinnamon bread, which is more of a cinnamon cake or a really ridiculously good cinnamon coffee cake.

Here's what you need:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup butter (room temperature)
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 heaping tablespoons ground cinnamon

First I mixed the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl.

In a bigger bowl, I creamed the butter and white sugar. Then I added the eggs, vanilla, and lemon zest into the mixture

Now comes the adding of the flour mixture and the buttermilk. Add and mix in 1/3 of the flour mixture, 1/2 the buttermilk, 1/3 the flour mixture, the rest of the buttermilk, and the rest of the flour mixture.

Now in another bowl mix together the brown sugar and the cinnamon.

Grease a 9X5 loaf pan (I used a glass one and it worked great) with butter and pour 1/3 of the batter mixture in it. Then pour 1/3 of the cinnamon mixture on top of this.

Repeat, pouring another 1/3 of the batter and another 1/3 of the cinnamon mixture.

Repeat one more time with the rest of both mixtures.

Now put it in the oven for about an hour, baking at 350. It rises a bit so be careful...mine was almost touching the burners in my oven, which caused a bit of burning!

Once it cooled, I ran a knife around the edges and removed it from the glass dish.

It's best eaten warm with a little bit of butter. But you know what? It's also pretty amazing eaten at room temperature with absolutely nothing on it. Again, you could totally eat this for breakfast and just play it off as a coffee cake, which it essentially is. The crumbly cinnamon sugar top is absolutely scrumptious.

Right after it came out of the oven, I whipped up another one. I brought one to my friend Kerry's house and I brought some home to my parents. And ate some myself, of course. Now I'm off to check out the rest of the recipes on Closet Cooking.

[Sues]

Spinach and Brie Chicken with Tomato Orzo

I love spinach. I love brie. Oh, and I also love orzo. When I see Spinach and Brie Chicken with Tomato Orzo on Martha Stewart's website, I really want to make it. So I do.

This recipe was actually a whole lot easier to make than I thought it would be. I basically made it, only half paying attention to what I was doing and half engaging in conversation with Sara who came over for dinner. Multi-tasking at its best.

First you'll want to put your chicken on a foil covered baking sheet. I couldn't find "thin chicken cutlets" like the recipe calls for at Trader Joe's, so I just bought chicken breasts and pounded them to flatten them a bit. Basically, all you're going to do is spread the cutlets with dijon mustard (2 T total), top with thawed frozen spinach (10 oz total), and then brie cheese (4. oz cut into 8 slices). Season with salt and pepper to taste.



Now just roll the chicken up, seam side down. At first I thought I'd need to involve toothpicks, but really, the chicken stayed rolled quite nicely. Yay.



Put some more salt and pepper on the chicken. And pop in your oven set to broil (with rack 4 inches away from heat) for about 8-10 minutes, or until the tops are nice and brown. I'm always amazed by how fast chicken cooks in the broiler...LOVE it and need to utilize it more often.


Now for the orzo (also WAY too easy), cook 1 C in a pot of boiling water until al dente, drain it, return to pot and add tomatoes (2 plum...um, or maybe wait until tomatoes are safe to eat again. We are not Martha will not be held responsible for any tomato-caused illness), parsley (1/4 C), butter (1 T), and lemon juice (1 T). Throw in some salt and pepper and serve it all up.


The chicken was so, so good. It was basically one of the quickest, tastiest dishes I've made in a long time. The orzo, while good, seemed to be lacking a bit something. I think next time I'd throw in more lemon juice, and more parsley. And I'd probably add a bunch of garlic too because, you know, garlic makes pretty much everything better.

[Sues]

Mint Chocolate Brownies

I recently made these Mint Chocolate Brownies for some company I had visiting. I wanted to whip something up quickly for them to snack on right when they got into town. These are pretty basic and quick to make but with they're gooey and minty center they hit the spot!

Line an 8" square baking dish with aluminum foil then butter the foil.

Put chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a saucepan of simmering water. Gently stir until melted; remove from heat and mix in sugar and salt.

Gently whisk in eggs, cocoa powder and flour until smooth.

Pour and spread 1/3 of the batter into the dish.

If you're lucky, like me, to have a great roommate, they'll offer to unwrap the peppermint patties :)

Arrange peppermint patties on first layer of batter

Pour remaining batter over peppermint patties, bake for 45-55 minutes at 350 degrees.

[Chels]

Oatmeal-Raisin Cupcakes...Or Probably Muffins

Now, I'm no fool. I know a cupcake when I see a cupcake. And though Martha Stewart calls these cupcakes, I don't believe her for a second. They're clearly muffins. You're probably thinking, "Boo! Muffins are not as fun as cupcakes!" But here's where you're wrong. Because, you see, if it's called a muffin, that means you can eat it for breakfast. Without feeling completely guilty.

Sara and I baked these Oatmeal-Raisin Cupcakes (but really, if we're being honest, muffins) the same evening we made the peanut butter blondies (if you're wondering, yes, we skipped dinner in lieu of filling up on desserts). First, pre-heat the oven to 375 and line your cupcake (muffin) trays. Then whisk together oats (2 C), flour (2 1/2 C), baking powder (1 1/2 t), baking soda (1/2 t), salt (1 t), oat bran (2/3 C), and cinnamon (2 t) in a medium bowl.

Then, at medium/high speed, mix together (with electric mixer) unsalted butter (1 1/2 C = 3 sticks), granulated sugar (1 C), and light brown sugar (1 C) until light and fluffy. Mix in the 4 eggs 1 at a time and the vanilla (2 t). Reducing the mixer speed to low, add the flour mixture and mix until it's combined. Mix in the sour cream (1 C) and stir in the raisins (1 1/2 C).

Now it gets a little complicated, but it makes perfect sense. Put 2 3/4 C of the batter into a separate bowl and stir in the rest of the oats (1 3/4 C). Also stir in some coconut (1 C). This batter is going to be used for the muffin top (See! More evidence of their being muffins!). Now we're ready to fill the muffin (ahem) tins. First spoon in 2 1/2 T of the plain (coconut-free) batter. Then top it with 1 1/2 T of the extra oat and coconut batter.

Bake the muffins for about 18-20 minutes and they're ready to be devoured. If you love oatmeal raisin cookies, you will go crazy over these. I brought some to the Jessi's Cape house and we ate them for dessert and breakfast.

And now- gratuitous muffin pictures:

If you would rather eat a cupcake than a muffin (I really don't blame you), I think these could be made a lot more cupcake-like with some frosting. Perhaps Martha Stewart's Maple Cream Cheese Frosting (because cream cheese still equals breakfast, right?) or maybe a Rum and Vanilla Bean Buttercream (can rum equal breakfast? It depends who you are, I suppose).

Whatever you call them and whenever you eat them, you'll love them. And really, that's all that matters. As long as you're taking it easy on the rum at 7 a.m.

[Sues]

Middle Eastern Feast

Falafel. I became obsessed with it in high school. I ate it every Tuesday, in between track practice and piano lessons. When I got to college, there was thankfully an amazing falafel place next to my dorm (Pauly's Pocket). Soon though, I was on a bit of a falafel overload. I needed a break. It wasn't until this year that I re-discovered falafel. Thanks in part to living in Brookline, home to many delicious Middle Eastern eateries (Rami's=amazing) and hanging out with Sara, another falafel fan. So after traveling around Boston and surrounding areas, testing out falafel, we decided we needed to make our own. Sara found a fairly simple, healthy falafel recipe from Martha Stewart and we threw our own little Middle Eastern night.

First on the menu was the falafel of course. One important fact Sara and I discovered- chickpeas are also known as garbanzo beans. This may come in handy when you're searching for chickpeas. Anyway. You're going to need a little food processor to make this, though I'm sure if push comes to shove, a blender could do the job. Put in half the chickpeas (1 1/4 C), onion (1/4 C chopped), lemon juice (2 T), water (4 t), zucchini (1/4 C peeled and grated), cayenne (pinch), cumin (1/2 t), coriander (1/4 t), baking soda (1/2 t), salt (1/2 t), and pepper (1/8 t). Whew. What was that, like all the ingredients? Pretty much.

Process the mixture until it's smooth and then move it to a separate bowl. Now put the other half of the chickpeas in the food processor (1 1/4 C) and pulse it a bit, leaving it lumpy. Combine it with the smooth mixture. And add any herbs that you want (parsley, mint, cilantro, etc.).

Now, using your hands, form 12 little patties. The recipe says they should each weigh 1 1/2 oz., but if you know what 1 1/2 oz. feels like, then you are a far better chef than I. I just made 12 patties. Then put them on a wax-paper lined baking sheet and put in the fridge for about 30 mins. This will make them easier to cook up. Oh and make sure you don't open the fridge quickly when you hear a noise and let the whole tray fall out. Ahem. Close call.

Now you're ready to cook them. Spray a skillet with some Pam or other cooking spray and put over medium heat. Cook a few patties at a time, for 3-5 minutes on each side until golden brown. Clearly, we did not keep ours in the fridge long enough as they were falling apart a bit.

But they looked delicious nonetheless.

We decided that it was a must to make the tzatziki as well, though we weren't quite ambitious enough to make our own yogurt. We peeled, seeded, and cut the cucumbers (3 medium) and mixed them with some salt (1 t). We weren't sure it was necessary to "drain" them, so we pretty much skipped that step, just pressing them a bit to extract excess liquid. Then we Put them in a bowl with the yogurt (2 C), garlic (2 t), dill (2 T), mint (1 T), extra-virgin olive oil (1 T), lemon (1 T), and salt (1 t).

You're supposed to let the yogurt mixture sit in the fridge for an hour so the flavors can blend, but as usual, we had no time or patience for that. No matter because it was still fabulous. Oh, and I just gave you the whole recipe (makes 4 cups), but we cut it in half and it was more than plenty.

We even went a step further and whipped up some tabouli. We weren't quite sure where to purchase bulgur, but we managed to find quinoa at Trader Joe's, which we discovered was a fine substitute. Nina chopped up the parsley (it calls for 3 bunches, but use however much you want). And then we mixed the quinoa (3 T cooked), chopped tomatoes (1), chopped onions (1/2), fresh lemon juice (1/4 C), and salt and pepper (to taste) in a separate bowl. We added the the parsley to this mixture and extra-virgin olive oil (1/2 C, but that seemed like a lot, so we just added how much we felt gave a nice consistency).

Then we cut up some whole wheat pitas. And put all the food out so we could create our own falafel pockets. If you prefer to use lavash bread, I'm sure that would be fabulous as well.

We also thought it would be nice to include a little hummus (no, we didn't make our own this time). So we spread a little hummus in the pita, added the falafel, tzatziki, lettuce, and tomato and put some tabouli on the side (though it's just as good inside!) and dug in.

Who knew we could make our own falafel that's almost as good as what you can get in a Middle Eastern restaurant (and a whole lot healthier!). We were extremely pleased with our group effort and declared the Middle Eastern feast a success! However, next time, I think we'll make a double batch of falafel because really, the three of us went through all of it and probably could have eaten more (But then, I'll only speak for myself).

[Sues]

Peanut Butter Blondies with Chocolate Ganache

About a month ago, I saw these beautiful creations on the blog of TKTC. She had found them on the blog of my achy bakey heart (cutest name ever). I think I instantly started drooling as anything with peanut butter and chocolate is apt to make me do. I knew I had to make them, but I was waiting for the right occasion as I didn't really want to be sitting in my apartment with a platter full of peanut butter chocolate blondies and nobody to eat them with. Because, trust me, I would have eaten them. Luckily, the perfect occasion came along in the form of an invite to TKTC's house on Cape Cod.

TKTK and me, the only time we weren't stuffing sugar into our mouths.

Sara, friend and fellow peanut butter addict, came over to help me bake. The recipe was super easy and these things were seriously amazing. I think I'm an even bigger fan of peanut butter now...if that is even possible.

Start by putting parchment paper in your 13x9 baking pan and buttering it. Beat together the butter (2 sticks softened) and sugar (1 3/4 cups) until it's nice and fluffy. Then add and beat in the peanut butter (1 cup). I'm sure whatever kind you use will make your blondies taste a bit different. I used the cheap grocery store kind (equivalent to Jiffy or Skippy) and it worked well so I'm thinking you'll want to use some kind with salt in it.

Beat in the eggs (2), egg yolk (1), and vanilla (2 t). Then mix the flour (2 c) on low until it's combined. And mix in the chocolate chips (2 cups)! Spread the batter in the pan making sure it's super smooth and bake for about 45 minutes. That sounded like a way long time to me, but it really did need that long to turn a bit golden and cook through.

Now, you're supposed to let the blondie cool for about 1.5 hours, but Sara and I are incredibly impatient when it comes to baked goods, so we probably only gave it about 20 minutes (can you blame us??). We probably would have given it even less, except for the fact that we needed to make the ganache.

This was probably one of the easiest ganaches I've ever made and it came out really well. Just put the chocolate chips (1 1/2 c) in a heatproof bowl. Then put your heavy cream (1/2 c) in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate chips and let it stand for a minute. Whisk in the butter (1 T) and keep whisking until the chocolate is all melted and smooth.

Then spread the ganache on the blondies and let stand for about 15 minutes. It might help if you put them in the fridge too. Our ganache didn't quite harden on top, likely because the blondies were still hot when we poured the ganache on.

All I'm going to say is if you love peanut butter and chocolate, you really, really need to make these. Sara and tested them immediately when they were ready and were extremely happy with how they came out. And judging from the empty tupperware, it seemed like TKTC and family enjoyed them as well.

To be honest, I can't wait for the next event I'm going to where I can bake these again. And in the meantime I'm trying extremely hard not to make them before I actually have somewhere to bring them to. We'll see how long that lasts.

[Sues]

New Foodie Website: Zeer

I love discovering new websites that are fun and helpful in everyday life. Zeer is a brand-new website (based out of Boston!) that features consumer reviews of food. As in, basically every product you can buy at the grocery store is on this website. It's the kind of website that makes you say, "why didn't anyone think of this before??"

Since they're just getting started, the products don't have tons of reviews (most none at all), but eventually, this site is going to be an amazing database. You can use it to see what people are saying about new (and old) products, find out what products people are enjoying (and can't stand), and get all kinds of nutritional information. I guess you could think of it like a Yelp for groceries. I'm obviously big on trying new foods and I'm psyched that now I can see what other people are saying before I buy.

According to the Zeer team:

Today, modern technology has given you hundreds of thousands of food and beverage products. While having an abundance of choices can be nice, it's still hard to discover what's best after figuring in all of your needs plus seemingly endless amounts of information. When faced with so many details, it's easy to feel completely overwhelmed and unorganized.

Imagine instead that you could whittle the world down to a store section build just for you, with all of your friends hanging out, experts available to answer your questions, and all of the products you like and need in one place.

I've played with the site a bit and written a bunch of reviews and I definitely see its potential. So go check it out and "friend" me. Yes, there's a social networking aspect to the site; why wouldn't there be, right? Let me know what you think of it and if you can see yourself using Zeer as a food reference in the future.

[Sues]

Made from Scratch Funfetti Cupcakes

Remember back in elementary school when everyone would bring in cupcakes on their birthday? How psyched were you when a kid brought in funfetti cupcakes? They were THE BEST. My friends and I still make and eat them on occasion. But I'm pretty anti- cooking from a box when doing it from scratch is so easy, so I decided to try and make my own funfetti cupcakes. I was going to a little gathering for the birthdays of two of my friends, and I decided it was the perfect occasion to make them, considering I've been friends with both birthday girls since elementary school.

I loosely followed a recipe I found on Baking Bites, making a few changes of my own. First whisk together the milk (1/2 C), egg whites (3 large), vanilla extract, and almond extract together. I find almond extract a bit overpowering, so I used the full 1/4 t the recipe called for, but then used a lot more than the 1 t of vanilla extract it called for. I'm a big vanilla extract fan!

In another bowl, combine the flour (1 1/4 C ), sugar (1 C), salt (1/2 t), and baking powder (2 t). Cut in the butter (6 T) at a low speed until the mixture is coarse. Add the milk mixture and beat at a medium speed for 1 1/2 minutes or so. Then stir in the sprinkles (2 T). Important note: If you use the little round sprinkles, the colors will likely bleed into the mixture. It's best to use the long sprinkles, or what we here in New England call jimmies.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes.

Now you're ready to make the frosting. I didn't have a metal bowl like the recipe said to use, so I used a saucepan. Stir together the sugar (1 1/2 C), egg whites (2 large), water (1/3 C), light corn syrup (2 t), and cream of tartar (1/4). Put whatever bowl or pot you used over another saucepan filled with simmering water, but don't let the pan on top touch the water. Using a handheld mixer, beat on medium speed until the mixture "resembles soft marshmallow fluff" and then on high until it's nice and thick.

Take bowl off the heat and add vanilla extract (1 t, but I added more!) and beat another 5 minutes, until the mixture is cool.

Frost the cupcakes and add more sprinkles. This time, I used the round ones.

I popped them in my cupcake carrier, whipped up a few more treats, and went off to the party.

They ended up looking adorable and tasting delicious, though not quite like the original from-the-box funfetti. I really liked the marshmallow-like frosting and will definitely be using that recipe in the future. They really do look like the perfect birthday cupcake!

The girls enjoying the birthday celebration pre-going out!

[Sues]

You Need to Go to: BerryLine

I have one very important piece of advice for you. If you're in Boston, run to Harvard Square. Or whatever, you can walk; that's what Sara and I did today (LONG walk!). Or you can even take public transportation. Just yourself there and to 1 Arrow Street as soon as possible.

Why? To get to BerryLine. BerryLine is officially my new favorite place. It's a frozen yogurt place, but you know how most frozen yogurt tastes pretty much like ice cream? This actually tastes like real yogurt. Amazingly good, creamy yogurt. Of course, the best part is the toppings. They offer tons of different fruits, candies, cereals (Fruity Pebbles!), etc.

Or maybe the best part is that the yogurt has 25 calories/oz. So a small yogurt has 125 calories. A medium, 200. Wow. I'm seriously in love.

Finally. BerryLine is Boston's answer to PinkBerry. Now if only there were one just a little bit closer to my apartment, I think I might move in.

Sorry, we couldn't really wait to take pictures before we started eating!

[Sues]

San Francisco bound...

I'm off to San Francisco today :) The GPS is packed and I'm hoping to do lots of exploring around Northern California so I can bring back some goodies. One place I'm super excited to check out is Kara's Cupcakes. Check out the flavors... That alone could be worth the trip!

Can't wait to report back :)

In the meantime, some pictures from my last trip...

[Chels]

Greek-Stuffed Chicken

While shopping in Trader Joe's with my mom the other day, I decided that I wanted to make Greek chicken. So I figured I'd buy all the ingredients and find a recipe when I got home. But when I got home, I couldn't find a recipe that made me happy, so I decided to just make something up on my own with the ingredients I had. And I made Greek-stuffed chicken.

I basically threw all my ingredients in a bowl. They included:

• half of a red onion, chopped
• a bunch of sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• a lot of feta cheese, crumbled
• a bunch of kalamata olives, halved
• a huge handful of parsley, chopped
• a splash of balsamic vinaigrette
• some pepper

So scientific, right? But I was just experimenting and I figured I'd throw it all in a bowl and mix it up.


Then I cut slits into the chicken breasts and stuffed them full of the mixture. I put A LOT of the mixture in the chicken because I wanted to, but you can do as much or as little as you'd like.

Then I put the chicken on a pan covered with foil and baked it at 350 for about 30 minutes.

I made a little spinach salad with some fresh tomatoes and served it. I probably could have cooked the chicken for a bit less time, but I really liked how some of the filling got a little crispy. And the chicken was still nice and tender.