Restaurant Review: Bella Luna

Instead of letting everyone in the house abandon me and leaving me to stalk the aisles of Whole Foods for dinner (not necessarily a bad thing, really), my mom invited me to her dinner date with a friend. And then put me on restaurant-search duty as the resident foodie of the fam. I was more than happy to oblige :)

I had read about Bella Luna, a funky restaurant/lounge in Jamaica Plain in a feature in the [Boston] Globe. It  was described as "satisfyingly groovy" and had a menu to match, so we figured, why not??

I couldn't have described it better myself.  You walk in to a somewhat dimly lit space, most of the light shining out of big paper mache star lamps. The decor was funky, just shy of kitsch, and the service was great. Our waiter had an impressive knowledge of the wine list, too. Best of all, they have outdoor seating under bright red umbrellas. I love sitting outside. I think it totally ups the atmosphere and makes for an even lovelier evening meal.

If we weren't charmed yet, each seat had a different plate with its own hand-drawn design:

Clearly designed by some aspiring artists. TOO cute!

And I loved the bottle the water was served in:

A restaurant I just went to recently did this too...maybe this a becoming a trend in the US restaurant scene?

To start, we 3 split an order of some seriously awesome fried calamari. For all you skeptics out these, I usually don't like fried food because it tends to make me violently ill, but I couldn't resist one golden, crispy bite - and it was SO good. Some of the best I've had.

We also split the Mediterranean Duet, warm pita bread with raw veggies and 2 dips: classic hummus and a spicy eggplant dip:

The hummus was only so-so, a little too creamy-chickpea-y for me. What can I say, I need my tahini and GAHLIC! But the eggplant dip was ca-razy good! Heavy on the ginger and with quite a kick of spice, and really tasty. The other two helped, but I pretty much dominated this plate.

For my entree, I just got a big salad - love me some arugula!

The shrimp was lovely and fresh, and the cheese was deliiisssh. Arugula and sharp cheeses like prmeggiano were basically made for each other. It also had pumpkin seeds, which I totally loved! Such a fun extra flavor addition. It was in a very simple lemon vinaigrette, which I felt needed a little work - it was a little too much like straight lemon juice. I think just a spice or two added to it could really make it incredible. But I was a very happy leaf-eater with this salad.

Mom got this beauty:

Arugula, goat cheese (!), cherry tomatoes, red onion and garlic oil.

Ok, I don't know what kind of crack they put in their crusts, but this pizza was one of the best I've had. And I've had what I consider the best - fresh from the oven, in Italy, after making it myself. But this was up there. The crust was that perfect thickness and the arugula + garlic oil made it herby and delicious. I had a slice and then a couple more teeny tiny slivers when we brought it home. Whoa.

And Mom's friend Barb (and just in case she reads this...HI!!!) got the wild mushroom ravioli:

I had half of a bite of my madre's bite because it's me and I avoid all things involving peas like they're mosquitoes (and, actually, ravioli...but that's another story), but the bite I had was some seriously phenomenal ravioli. The earthy mushrooms + creamy sweet cheese filling flavors were just spot on.

Dessert came in the form of lemon sorbet and tiramisu. Now, I will say that this is one restaurant where the "judge a restaurant by their desserts" rule does not work. We had great appetizers and wonderful entrees, but I was quite disappointed in the dessert. The sorbet, although refreshing and lemonade-like, had a very odd texture. It was almost like freezer burn-icy on the outside (which had a watery flavor) but then oddly chewy on the inside. Sorbet, to me, is supposed to be smooth and almost creamy, at least easy for a spoon to dig in. This was almost gummy, and there was nothing inventive about the flavor. The tiramisu was even more of a disappointment - I mean, I realize I'm horribly biased, but still. The sponge in the middle was watery and weak tasting, and the whipped cream on top tasted very artificial. And the chocolate syrup was no better than Hershey's out of a bottle - not that that doesn't have it's place, but come on. That place is not tiramisu! I tried [multiple times] to take a picture, but the sun had long since set and LuLu wasn't having it. Clearly they should just hire me to be the tiramisu chef! Haha, jk jk (sort of ;).

Dessert aside, it was a lovely meal with great conversation and company, and that is what a meal is supposed to be.

~Namaste~

Restaurant Review: Sagra

Thank goodness I have a family who can eat Italian food any day of the week.

Tonight, we decided to try out a brand new restaurant tht's just opened up in my town (Dedham, Mass): Sagra.

[For anyone who lives farther away in Mass, there is another one in Somerville!]

Now, not gonna lie, part of the reason we went was so I could look into job opportunities - I want so badly to work in an Italian restaurant! If nothing else, to talk to patrons and use all my food-talk to explain the wonderful dishes. And wonderful they are!

No good Italian restaurant lets a table be without bread.

This was goooood. Garlic bread, light on the garlic. I actually liked that - it makes it more versatile, so anyone opposed to having garlic-breath (or just someone on a date) won't have to worry. It was very much like focaccia, although the texture seemed a little denser to me than usual. Maybe it's just their way of preparing though. The beauty of bread is that the same 4 ingredients can make SO many different things!

Oh, and also, that it goes with cheese.

This is not just any cheese. This is ricotta spiked with parsley and orange zest in a ring of olive oil. The olive oil was very light in flavor, which I didn't totally dig, but this ricotta was pretty incredible. The orange and parlsey combo gave it such a wonderful, fresh flavor! It meshed really well with the creaminess of the cheese. Forget cream cheese - I will have this on a bagel, please!

To start, we ordered my absolute favorite - bruschetta tradizionale. I have been craving it lately - honestly, I'm surprised I haven't made it sooner myself! Bread + olive oil + fresh veggies. Hard to go wrong.

And Sagra's was no exception. I loved the grilled bread, and the added arugula underneath (I always eat the garnish!). Could have used a little basil, but that's my only issue. I love the funky-shaped plate it came on, too! At this point, I was starting to worry that I wouldn't have any room for my dinner...

But I can generally make room. Especially when goat cheese is involved.

I was feeling some greens, so I ordered the Spinaci Caprino salad - spinach, radicchio, goat cheese, Turkish apricots in a raspberry vinaigrette. I added grilled shrimp to it, because...well, it's shrimp. That's just a given.

This made so happy. Unlike SO many restaurants, the amount of dressing was perfect - enough to taste it and, well, dress the salad, but not so much that it was overwhelming [or caused soggy spinach....serious pet peeve of mine.]. The goat cheese was good goat cheese, and the sweetness of the apricots and raspberry complemented the bitter radicchio very well. It was massive, but I ate most of it :)

My mom ordered a verdi misti (mixed greens salad) to start [she needs her greens too]:

A truly excellent simple salad. The dressing was just a balsamic + oil, also very well proportioned. And the best part was the addition of fennel! LOVED it. Really added a nice crunch and fresh flavor (yup, I stole several bites ;).

Her entree was too pretty not to show off:

The special risotto: Golden Beet risotto

The risotto was very well done, with a very strong parmesan flavor - very much like mac & cheese with rice instead of pasta. You couldn't really taste the regular beets - but you sure can see them! That yellow thing would be a bog ole roasted golden beet - and it was de-LISH. We've already decided to look for it at the Farmer's Market (which opens next week - I'm.SO.excited.). It was a little sweet, with a nice smokey flavor from the roasting, and went so well with the strong cheese flavor and rich creaminess. On top are "hen of the woods" mushrooms - I'd never heard of that type of mushroom before, but they sure were tasty! I just love that deep, earthy tasty of mushrooms. Again, a perfect addition to this dish. A little fresh parsley and black pepper, and my mom was quite content. As was I to steal a bite or three.

My brother got a rigatoni pasta dish with broccoli rabe (which I always forget how much I like, but I do!), red peppers, and sausage. He was unimpressed, but I loved it - took my right back to Florence. AND, our waitress studied abroad in Rome when she was an undergrad and, well, I get really excited when I meet someone who's had a similarly amazing experience in Italy. We bonded over mutual loves of Nutella.

Speaking of Nutella....

Nutella Bread Pudding. Boom.

I'll be honest, it wasn't as hazelnutty as just straight chocolatey, but that did not stop me from helping my brother polish the plate clean. This was lick-the-plate good (I refrained...but it wasn't easy.). Although I have one teeny tiny criticism - that white scoop was supposedly "hazelnut semifreddo," but it was really gelato/ice cream. Semifreddo is much more mousse-like, light and airy. It was definitely hazelnit though - it had big chunks of what tasted like caramelized hazelnuts in it and was heaven on a spoon. As was most of this. Cakey, chocolate, melty, moist...if you go and just get this, that would be acceptable. My cooking professor always told us that you judge a restaurant by its desserts - and in this case, Sagra gets a big fat 4 stars.

Why have I never made bread pudding before? Hell if I know, but I think it's high time that changed. Mission: Bread Pudding is ON.

~Namaste~

Mango-Pesto-Choco-WHOA!

You know you're a blog-addict when: you don't update for one day and it feels like forever!

Ok, so that exciting something I mentioned last post?

Drum roll please....

I HAVE A CAR! With four wheels and an engine and everything. SO EXCITING!!!! Pictures to come, of course (it rained cats and dogs pumas and St. Bernards today). Still thinking of names - need to drive her around a little more. YAY!

Saturday was blissfully uneventful, starting with this:

Fage yogurt + applesauce + some random apple cinnamon granola I found, with a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Ok, actually, this wasn't too good. The applesauce totally killed the wonderful thickness of the greek yogurt and only left the tang, and...well, one of my less enjoyable creations. Live and learn! And it was rather pretty :)

 Unfortunately, my brother's Saturday didn't begin quite as happily. The lucky devil had to be awake and alive at 7:30 AM for his SAT. EW with a capital E. He was very much in need of sustenance when he returned from the ultimate brain drain, so we went off to...

First of all, love the slogan. So true.

When I was in high school, my biffle (BFFL, in word-form) and I discovered this place when we took the T into Boston to go shopping for sweet prom dresses and were hooked. They have some A-MAzing fries, and for a looong time they were the only place I knew in Mass. that had sweet potato fries!!! One of my faves :)  They also have great burgers (you can get beef, turkey, homemade veggie, or chicken breast!) and yummmmy smoothies. I wasn't too hungry, but I did steal several fries of both varieties and sip a yummy mango smoothie.

I have to tell you about my improvised dinner!

I just mixed some tuna with dijon mustard and tabbouleh, threw it on some greens/slaw, and drizzled with some olive oil and herbs - SO good! Tuna and tabbouleh make a truly wonderful combo - I highly suggest trying this ASAP. (Works with salmon, too!)

Today was pretty fun, minus the random thunderstorms that lasted for 2 minutes at a time. I like thunderstorms - just not the kind where rain pours down onto your new car whose windows you may or may not have forgotten to roll up. Keeps a girl on her toes!

My dad makes either pancakes or waffles every Sunday morning (my brother's request), but I usually sleep too late to partake. This AM, I was feeling a pancake, so I whipped one up myself. We usually have Bisquick, but today he had used Fiber One's pancake mix. Just add water and go:

I halved the amount for 3 pancakes to make just one big one and try out the F1 mix - and I'm glad I did. It was, well, not good. It was really dry and unpleasantly crumbly, and even cinnamon and maple syrup couldn't fix it. Sad. I need to make Jenna's or Kath's p-cakes, pronto. Real food is always better anyway :)

Breakfast also included a bunch of melon (I could seriously eat a whole melon a day in this humidity) and this guy, in honor of the end of yogurt week:

Meh. If I liked cherries more, I would have liked it more. The flavors are dead on though - the cherry and vanilla and very present and well-balanced. And - no fruit-on-the-bottom! Although the few I have had recently, like other Stonyfield and Chobani flavors, don't bother me as much as I remember. Probably because it's fake-ingredient-free - it just tastes like jam that I often just add myself!

Took my new baby for a test-drive to the gym for some ellipticalling - btw, Glee + NSYNC make some of the best gym music ever. In fact, I'm waiting for Glee to do a 90s episode - boy bands, Britney, Spice Girls, oh my! Tell me that would not be epic.

Unfortunately, I did not eat enough before the workout; I was definitely lacking in energy today. I usually go later in the afternoon, and I think it makes a biiiig difference. I don't like eating too close to the workout, but it's really hard to get the timing right sometimes. We made a pit stop and Whole Foods and my madre and I got lunch, including this:

What is that odd yellow thing in my sushi? MANGO!!!! This was mango+salmon+cucumber+cilantro. Ohmygod, genius in a box. The flavors were just perfect together - and some of my favorites! Sweet citrusy mango, fresh cool cilantro and cuke, and the tasty sweet salmon = to.die.for. Would be pretty easy to make on your own, too!

My parents hired me as personal chef tonight (no complaints here, I've been itching to cook!), and I made one of my favorite pastas from my cooking class: trofie al pesto e pescatrice!

-400 g fresh pasta (trofie is that particular twisted shape, holds the flavors better in this dish)

-300 g cherry/grape tomatoes, de-seeded & cubed

-500 g monkfish - I used swordfish both times I've made this and it is de-LISH.

-1 spring onion (or leek)

For the pesto:

-20 g fresh basil

-20 g ricotta cheese

-10 g pine nuts

-1 garlic clove

-1 Tbs parmesan

-4 Tbs cold water

Start your water aboilin' for the pasta. It takes a while.

I made the pesto first - you can use either a blender or food processor. Throw it all in with a little salt and blend 'til it's a sauce. (Add more water if it's too thick - although in my experience, 4 T is plenty!)

Deseed & cube your tomatoes now. If you want, you can add the seeds to the pesto to make it even creamier and get all that healthy lycopene :)

It's probably a good idea to cook your swordfish before the rest begins. It's not important how you cook it - pan, grill, broil. When it's done, cute it into cubes and keep it near your stove.

Chop up the onion. I used a leek, and if you do - only chop up the bottom white part! The green outer layers you can puree and make vegetable stock/soup with.

Saute the onion (or leek, or whatever you're using!) in some oil, then add the swordfish. The recipe says to cook for 3 minutes, but I didn't wait that long (didn't want the fish to overcook). Go with your gut - that's what cooking is all about anyway!

Is your pasta water boiling yet? Good - throw in that trofie!

Now add your tomatoes with a little S&P to the onion-fish saute pan.

After a couple minutes, check your pasta. If you used fresh, it's probably very close to done. Throw it in the pan and "quickly saute" - just toss it around and show it a good time ;)

Add the pesto sauce, mix, and plate into a perty bowl. Serve and watch as everyone bows to your sick-nasty-ill Italian culinary skills!

My mom made a nice green salad to go with it - can't get enough green!!

I also made dessert - feeling ambitious today! I have been wanting to try Dreena's Triple Layer Chocolate Cream Cake for a while - tofu frosting? This sounds too interesting to not try!

Because it was my first time and I wasn't sure how much it would make, I decided to halve the recipe. I made two layers instead of three, also - rather thin layers at that. I also added some chocolate chips to the cake batter (had a tablespoon or two left in the old bag). Well, it wasn't a total success aesthetically-speaking...

Oy. But, my mom helped me patch it back together:

Nothing a little strategically-placed frosting can't fix!

Can we just talk about how amazing this cake is? Oh yes. And the frosting - WHOA! I love tofu, but I love it even more now that I know it can turn into deep, fudgy ganache goodness. When I was making the frosting (for which I used vegan chocolate chips and damn those are good!!), I kept tasting it and here is what I added:

-a good couple of tablespoons of cocoa powder

-a hefty tsp of instant espresso (coffee will make chocolate flavor much more intense - I do it in my oats all the time!)

-cinnamon ---but this I regretted. Didn't like it as much as I expected.

-fresh mint leaves - YUM!

It was a hit. Even my brother enjoyed it - and he would run the other direction of anything with vegan or tofu in the title. If you never make another cake again in your life, make this!!!

I'm not gonna lie - I had quite the breakdown today. I felt gross, my cake was falling apart, and that evil ED voice in my head was screaming about how fat I was. And I just snapped. All I want is for it to not matter so damn much. I know I'm healthy, and I'm just so tired of fighting against that stupid voice in my head. It's so stupid that it can put me in such an awful mood so fast. I think this is another big part of why I am so focused on learning to east intuitively: I feel like if I can do that, I'll be more connected with my body inside and out. I just don't understand why I tolerate the negative self-talk - it REALLY pisses me off. Somedays it just feels like such an uphill battle. 

That said, I think this week will be Project: Positive Self-Talk. And I would love others to join me! At some point during the day, look in the mirror and be grateful for your awesome self - whoever you are right now. We all have flaws - they're a pretty important part of being human! But, I know I'm pretty disrespectful of my flaws, and that's just silly. They're just as much a part of who we are as our talents, and they deserve a little more respect. Yes, sometimes they trip us up and get in the way. I'm such an obnoxious perfectionist, I've had many a sleepless night spent worrying about a test the next day or that paper due next week. But, it's part of what makes me me, and I've accepted it. So, I look into the face of negativity and say: try me. It's on.

Thanks for letting me rant, y'all. It helps to just get it out, ya know? I'm very interested to see how this project ends up...I'll letcha know;)

In other news, I'm thinking of taking my blog in a new direction - still food and lots of it of course, but maybe a little more travel-centric? Well, I have lots of brainstorming to do.

~Namaste~

Happy Holiday Eats

Whoo! I just wrote my [massive] About Me page. Check it out...if you have, like, an hour. Ok, slight exaggeration, but seriously...us English majors can ramble!

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!!!!

Remember these? I couldn't quite decide what I thought of them. 

Well, I was feeling some carbs last night, and took advantage of my mood to try one of these babies - naked!

I LOVE the whole flaxseeds - they add great texture! This waffle crisped up pretty nice, but was still good 'n gooey in the middle. Yum. I do kinda wish the flaxseed were ground up - the body doesn't digest it in whole seed form...but it does make for a fun texture! Just sayin'. Still, yummy nutty flavor. I can't wait to try the Red Berry flavor. Mmmm!

Holiday-eve eats also included:

Luna Blueberry Bliss

Another ex-Luna Sunrise flavor to show up in the regular line. Tastes pretty much identical - blueberry-y with vanilla frosting on the bottom and oats sprinkled liberally on top (my favorite part - surprise, surprise ;)

I do caution people with light sweet-tooths--this could very easily be too sweet for a lot of people. Luckily for me, I have a sweet-tooth the size of the Duomo, so that's often not a detractor for me.

I miss you, Duomo-dear!

Speaking of bars of the Clif variety, I tried another new one today when I waited too long to eat and was in danger of having a hypoglycemic attack:

I haven't been thrilled with the Clif bars I've tried - the texture is a little odd and they are usually waaay to sweet for me (see above to see why that is a problem!). But, mint+chocolate is one of my favoritest combos EVER, so I figured this was a safe bet. And it was. Very similar in taste to the Luna Choc. Peppermint Stick, which is my favorite Luna flav, just with the slightly chewy texture of Clif. I enjoyed. My hypoglycemia is a big reason why I'm such a fan of bars - they provide an instant blood sugar boost when you're desperate! Love 'em.

The 'rents took advantage of the gorgeous weather New England is treating us to and went off sailing on Sunday, so my brother and I went to dinner. At Whole Foods. Yes, I love it that much. Their salad bar = my Cloud 9.

I should get better about this - as in, wandering around both sides, looking at all the offerings, and combine different ones to make a fabulous, cohesive salad. But alas, that is a battle I have yet to win - I always walk out with a little of everything! Kind of my favorite way to. Lots of different, fun flavors. This was heavy - in weight and in fiber! Sat in my tummy like a rock.

I also picked up this guy (gal?):

Hint is totally unsweetened water that is flavored with the essence of various flavahs. I've had the honeydew hibiscus before and loved every sip. I just love that it's not sweetened, yet still so flavorful! Super refreshing.

Despite all that fiber, my aforementioned massive sweet tooth was still acallin'...and whaddyaknow, but there is a JP Licks right in the same shopping center! It's a Mass. ice cream chain that the most amazing soft serve ice cream ever, in the craziest flavors. And it's fat free. Hard to argue.

I went for the Chocolate Chip Cookie flavor:

It was literally a cookie in softserve form. I could taste the buttery brown sugar of the dough. Perfect way to end the meal. I drove home very happy, belting out Glee between licks.

Today was pretty low-key. We had a lovely Memorial Day dinner with out neighbors - and MAN was it yummy!

We started out with a lovely appetizer spread of cheese & crackers and chips & salsa/guac. In fact, last summer (after I had gone back to school, sadly), they held a "guac-off" - one neighbor's homemade guacamole against our other's. Yes, I love on a 3-house "street" that is really a hill. Most people drive by and think it's a driveway for the house in front ours. Nope! It was actually a really fun place to grow up. Like an extended family!

ANYway, dinner was goo-oo-ood.

Quinoa salad a la me:

As with many of my grain salads, I just kind of threw stuff together. But this one came out quite well!

-Cook one cup of quinoa (just follow the directions on the container - I used Bob's Red Mill.). When it's done, put it in your salad bowl.

-Rinse one can of black beans and throw in your salad bowl.

-Boil a couple ears of corn (or grill, if they're still in the husk!). Cut it off the cob and throw it in the bowl.

-Add chopped grape tomatoes, grilled baby bell peppers, fresh cilantro.

-Saute a clove or two of garlic in a little olive oil and add it to the mix.

-For the dressing, I mixed lime juice, red wine vinegar, and olive oil. I seasoned it with garlic salt, a little pepper, chili pepper, ginger, curry, and cumin. 

Feel free to add whatever veggies to this you want, and experiment with spices. 

It will be better the next day, after all the flavors have melded together more. I also prefer these things chilled, so try to make it early and keep it in the fridge for a while before serving (this doesn't always happen...no biggie!)

It was pretty tasty, if I do say so myself! I looove grain salads (hence the WF's salad bar obsession). I love that you can do so many different things - they never have to be the same twice!

Our neighbor made these shrimp pizzettas:

The green one has cheese and fresh pesto (!!!), and the other is a "shrimp scampi" pizza, a little creamy with diced tomatoes and cheese. Yum yum yum!

My dad made some delicious, juicy BBQ chicken, but it paled in comparison to the main attraction:

LOBSTAH!

Yup, I'm a hardcore Boston chick - love me some of this shellfish. So good. I don't even need the drawn butter...just a hefty tail, and maybe a little claw meat. One of the main reasons I could never go totally vegetarian. Just.so.delicious.

This beautiful meal was eaten under the [manmade] stars (aka, their table umbrella):

with a little canine accompaniment:

She likes lobster too. And chicken, and pizza, and appetizers, and...well, pretty much anything we eat. She finds it very upsetting when she is not included in the enjoying of the food. And she makes this known. But how can you resist that face????

[Answer: You can't. She very happily accepted chicken bites from the table, and a couple crackers. Spoiled rotten.]

Ok, I have a confession: this week happened to be a certain time of the month in which I eat everything that passes my nose with very little thought as to whether I really want/need it. It's quite frustrating after a while, but after I accept that my hormones must sometimes be catered to and up the exercise a bit, I feel better. So, this week is Project: Conscious Eating. I know how eat intuitively, despite it being much harder than it seems it should be, but I'm going to try harder. It just feels so much better when you east when you're hungry and stop when you're not. I feel like I was getting really good at it in Italy, but it got harder, as it always does, when I came home to a full-size refrigerator and an endless supply of cereal and snackage. It's a new month, a new day, and it's never too late to start. So, I'm starting. Wanna join me? GO TEAM!

Happy June!

~Namaste~

Restaurant Review: Gran Gusto

What to do when you've just returned from a semester in Florence and are itching to go right back?

Go to one of the best Italian restaurants nearby.

Enter: Gran Gusto.

Located in Cambridge, Mass., Gran Gusto is owned and run by native Napolitani. Chef Giuseppe Castellano was generous enough to bring a taste of his home country to my home state, and boy am I grateful. Everything is homemade - from the focaccia slices brought in classy metal conical baskets, to the pasta and pizza, to the classic Italian dessert offerings. Oh, I was home!

After reading the menu and listening to our waiter (who spoke to me in Italian - I wanted to hug him!) list the specials with a certain flair that can only be described as veramente italiano, my parents each started out with a salad - and I stole plenty from each of their plates.

This is baby spinach, fresh asparages, roasted red peppers and a slice of what I am mostly sure was an aged pecorino (but might have been a good parmegiano reggiano...my tastebuds' memory is failing me). It was all dressed up in a light oil-and-vinegar dressing and drizzled with a touch of balsamic. It was just lovely. The freshness and different flavors of the veggies, the sharp pungent taste of the cheese, and the sweetness of the balsamic was Italian simplicity at its finest. 

I should also mention the wine - my parents ordered a really nice red from Montalcino and gave me sips. YUM! Oh, I miss a glass of wine with dinner. It really makes the whole thing more satisfying.

For our entree, my parents and I ordered the same thing - boring, yes, but it sounded SO good!

Fresh fettuccine with morel mushrooms (some of the best funghi in the world), spinach, and baby squid called calamarelle. I heard squid and I was there! None of us were sorry, either. The pasta was perfectly al dente. The sweetness of the squid melded beautifully with the earthy mushrooms flavor, and I was just so happy. There's just something about a wonderful plate of fresh pasta that gets me grinning every time.

No picture, but my brother ordered a pizza with ham, mushrooms, olives, artichokes, and the mandatory fresh tomato sauce and bufalo mozzarella. Though I'm quite sure no slice will ever top the pies we made in cooking class, this was as authentic as it gets. My dad said it really took him back to his childhood, when he could wander down to a pizza place that used the fresh tomato sauce and mozz. The boys at the table were quite satisfied :)

When dessert time rolled around, the words of my beloved cooking professor resonated in my head: "The true way to judge a restaurant is by its dessert list. The way the chef chooses to finish the meal is very important."

Couldn't agree more.

My brother went with the tiramisu - one of our mutual favorite desserts. The thing I love about tiramisu is that it's always a little different every time I taste it. This was no exception. Though I still prefer our rendition, this was good with a thicker than usual layer of cocoa, giving it a really nice deep cocoa-y flavor. 

My parents, hankering for something lighter and fruity, went with the delizia limone:

A wonderfully light lemon sponge cake with a chilled lemon cream in the middle and a couple big fat slices of strawberries hiding!

I ended up helping them out a lot with this - I love that it was chilled! It turned the tart lemon, sweet cream and airy cake into a light lemony cloud of dessert perfection. And the strawberry slices in the middle were like finding buried treasure!

If you live anywhere in the vicinity of Cambridge and have a hankering for bell' Italia, or even just want to brush up on your Italian language skills, take a trip to Gran Gusto. It certainly helped this homesick Florence-sick chick!

~Namaste~

ColorFULL

I just love salads. Fun textures, yummy fresh flavors - and such pretty colors!

My mom stopped at a little cafe called Baker's Best in Newton (Mass) that is a cafe as well as a kind of take-away place - lots of prepared foods like salads and hot pressed paninis. She grabbed three different salads, and I threw a little of each on a bed of spinach. I love eating this way - light, fresh, and a little bit of everything.

There was an orzo salad with feta cheese, asparagus and roasted peppers in an oil-and-vinegar dressing - probably my fave! Another was a noodle salad, a little spicy with chili, shrimp, cilantro and asian veggies like bell peppers and snap peas. Probably my least favorite - too oily and the noodles were a little mushy, plus I'm not big on spicy foods. The last was a red quinoa salad with veggie strips and mandarin oranges - this I loved as well. The fun thing about salads like these are they're super easy to duplicate - and even play with and improve upon! Pick a grain, pick some veggies, maybe a little cheese, and spices and BAM! super yummy, quick, homemade salad ready for chowin'.

As much as I have been thoroughly enjoying my time on the elliptical jamming to my newly-downloaded Glee tunes, today was not a gym day (let's just say, sometimes it sucks to be a girl). The weather was beautiful, and it was the perfect day for a walk around the neighborhood with the dog - and LuLu!

Love that natural light :)

A baby!

I think she was feeling a little shy :)

I love this tree. Every time I walk by it, I say that to myself. Doesn't it look like a woman stretching her arms up and out? Very free. Beautiful.

Dogs will be dogs!

Lean on me...

I love walks. They're like free therapy.

Tippy likes them too ;)

~Namaste~