Reminder!!!

This is just a quickie...I want to remind everyone of the vegetarian food festival coming up this weekend. It will be this coming Saturday and Sunday at the Reggie Lewis Athletic Center on tremont street.
On Saturday the hours are 10-6 and on Sunday 10-4.
There will be all things vegetarian and most of them free, so why not start off your Halloween day with some good, healthy habits?
http://bostonveg.org/foodfest/index.html

A tribute to spontaneity

There is nothing more thrilling than a night out on the town guided by nothing more than the seat of your pants...you know, those nights where you just go with the flow, no itinerary, no expectations.
A couple of nights ago, a good friend of mine and I did just this.  Shortly after a social event we attended at the Back Bay Hotel, we found ourselves milling about with no particular plan other than our general feeling of not turning in for the night. As the designated foodie, I usually feel somewhat responsible for getting us to the next drink/nourishment spot.  Lucky for me, all I had to do was look up and there, shinning like a beacon of hope, was the sign for FLASH's Cocktails, a bar I had always wanted to go to, especially seeing as it was the home of a secret beverage made with...bacon! http://www.flashscocktails.com/
Before we knew it we were in Flash's with menus ordering our first round...it's hard to start right off the bat with a cocktail that involves molasses, bacon and maple syrup!
They are famous for their inspired and original cocktails and after tasting their fiesty princess which was a vamped up margarita, thair bloody mary type martini and their chambord featured lesbian fizz, this was clear. Before too long though, it was time to get down to business and out came the Pigshake - vanilla ice cream, molasses, maple syrup, Captain Morgan Rum, bacon fat and bacon all blended together to make a surprisingly delicious cocktail.
We split it four ways, because by this time, out little party had grown by an unsuspecting other.
He was a great sport, not many would willingly join a group of people armed with pigshake, but I think that he, like us, knew that the night was destined for over-average adventures. I don't think you could really justify a bacon cocktail any other way.

Vegetarians unite!

For all you vegetarians out there, I have great news for this weekend.
On Saturday and Sunday, (30thrd and 31st) a whole food festival is set to be dedicated solely to the vegetarian movement. The Reggie Lewis State Athletic Track in ROxbury Crossing will be hosting the 15th annual Boston Vegetarian Food Festival.
This event is free admission, and boasts of food demos, food samplings and other vegey related lectures and promotions. I am no vegetarian, but I do like my veggies and hopefully, rehearsals for Boston Ballet's La Bayadère, I will be able to make it!
In case you are luckier than I, all the information you will need can be found at the following site:
http://www.bostonveg.org/foodfest/index.html

New England in its prime

Around this time of year, when the leaves start to change colour, it's really time for a trip outside of the city. Although Boston is reputed as a relatively tree-y city, only once you are on the roads towards a more remote part of the state can you truly behold the beauty of fall in new England.
Just yesterday, the Sunday of a beautiful autumn weekend, my friends and I packed into a car and went off to Stow, MA, home of Shelburne Farm.  I am sure you can guess what was to be found on this farm...apples, apples and more apples...oh, pumpkins, cider donuts and a hay ride of course!
We were smart to get out there early, because by around 1 oclock the place was quite busy.  What I was most impressed with was the variety of apple species available.  There were cortland, empire and macintosh, all your ordinary apple picking varietals, but then there were jonagold, mutsu (my favorite!) and northern spies. They also had their stock of antique apples, but I didn't try any of those. 
We chose to go for the large bag of apples which holds about 40 on average, but when you are really good, you can squeeze in a few more, and that doesn't count the number of apples you eat while you are picking...:) At 25 dollars for the large bag, we ended up each paying 4 dollars, not bad considering the size of some of these apples, especially the mustus, was considerable.
Now my fridge is stocked with delicious hand picked, sun-kissed apples for eating, or being more creative with...I may decide to bake an apple crumble, or make some apple sauce...who knows!?
Regardless of what I do with them, the beautiful views on the way down, the pumpkin fudge and the fun with friends made the trip invaluable!
http://www.shelburnefarm.com/