Caroline Dines

We awoke this morning to find that winter was about to hit Boston hard. A huge storm was making its way up the east coast and was predicted to hit us by 9 p.m. tonight. We are slated to get anywhere from 7-15 inches of snow over the course of the storm which should end mid-day tomorrow.You can imagine the excitement/panic that was going through my mind. On the one hand I am so excited to be getting snow in Boston but since it is the last weekend before Christmas and we have LOTS to do still, there was no time to be wasted! I made us each some cinnamon sugar toast which I drank with a mug of candy cane green tea. This breakfast reminded me of being a kid, every now and then you need that! Also, we didn’t have ANYTHING else in the house so toast was it!

After finalizing our list, we set out to the stores. The malls were crazy of course but we managed to get some things accomplished. The first thing on our list was eating lunch out! I wanted to get a few things “in the bag” first but Darin was hungry and I was easily talked into starting our trip off with a meal. We stopped by Chili Duck on Boylston Street which we had both been to before, but not in a long time. It was a very spur of the moment decision but I was quite pleased with the way it turned out. Chili Duck is located in the basement and so has no windows but ends up feeling rather spacious and cozy due to the decor and mirrors on one side of the wall. I was so bummed when I realized that I forgot my memory card inside my computer at home! I had to rely on my iphone which isn’t as high quality but got the job done I guess.

While looking around, I caught sight of a “specials” board which was advertising “Jungle Curry: A healthy curry made without Coconut Milk”. I was immediately intrigued and knew that I had found a healthy alternative to my typical noodle dish or heavy curry concoction. I was not disappointed with my meal when it came out, in fact I was overwhelmed when they lit the whole thing on fire! It was quite exciting and just added to the enjoyment of it all.

The curry flavor was not very strong since I asked for it to be mildly spiced. Basically the dish was a light broth with strips of chicken, bamboo shoots, peppers, basil, ginger, and other veggies. I ate mine over rice. It ended up turning into more of a soup than anything but I was happy I opted for something light and healthy. I left the restaurant feeling vibrant rather than like I wanted to take a nap!

After we were all “fueled up” we hit the Prudential and Copley Malls. We split up for awhile since Darin had shopping to do for yours truly. Since I was all done with my shopping I browsed and people watched. It didn’t take him all that long (he must have had a plan!) and before I knew it we were walking back home. Since it had warmed up a bit, we opted to walk rather than taking the train. Later on this evening we poured ourselves some wine (with ice, it was warm!).

And had some crackers and cheese. These are the TJ’s Triscuit variety (reduced guilt) and they are delicious with a slice of light havarti.

Since lunch was really dinner and the food is sparse around here, I decided to make myself a little hot dog n’ beans dish. Baked beans are one of my favorite foods that I don’t eat that much anymore because of all the sugar. I treated myself tonight though…oh I am so wild, eating baked beans and hot dogs!

The hot dogs I used were the following:

Just a dollop of mustard on each “dog bite”.

By the way, it would be wrong of me not to mention the fun night out I had with Meg C. We ended up going to The Border Cafe in Harvard Square (Veggie Planet will happen at some point but last night it was just too crowded!). We enjoyed drinks and…

…salsa and chips hot from the oven!

I had a great time talking with her about everything under the sun. It’s so fun when you find someone that you really click with! I can’t wait for our next outing and hope to include Kristine from Purple Pinky Toes and Meg’s sister Anna from Blue Plate Special who will be home from Kenya!

This morning I woke up still full from last night’s office party. The food was a little “too” good (if that’s possible) and I didn’t feel hungry for breakfast. Just before leaving for Hingham, I had a clementine and literally two bites of cottage cheese. This with a big glass of water was enough to fuel me up for some serious shopping! We hit the Derby Street shops in Hingham which are both overwhelming and really exciting at the same time. I was pleased to find some fabulous Christmas presents and also a few items for myself on major sale! Just as I was starting to fade with hunger pains, we moved over to Whole Foods which is actually at the same complex as all the retail stores (such an awesome concept!). As I was perusing the salad bar for lunch, I sampled this spicy chutney. I love free samples.  

It was tough to make a decision since the soups, hot bar, and deli looked very enticing at this particular Whole Foods. I ended up going with the salad bar which turned out to be a “fruitful” decision. The stars of this bowl were the following:

• Red Quinoa with Roasted Almonds, Feta and Dried Blueberries
• Shanghai Dumplings
• Sweet and Sour Tofu
• Cabbage Crunch Salad

I really enjoy salad bars, since I am so into mixing flavors together. The quinoa was definitely the best (blueberry and feta?!), followed closely by the sweet and sour tofu. Everyone made fun of me because my bowl was the “heaviest” of the salads that were purchased. It was under a pound so, whatever, I was hungry!

After this filling lunch, we continued shopping in downtown Hingham. Both my parents grew up here so we did a little cruise through the neighborhood which stirred some emotions and brought up happy memories for all. After such a long day of shopping we were all beat and decided to retire early to my Uncle’s house for some munchies and wine. My aunt offered me a glass of this lovely Cote du Rhone from France and I eagerly accepted.

The scene for the rest of the evening looked something like this. Here is my cousin Meg and Nana enjoying some “cozy time” on the couch.

My Nana is famous for her cheese dip which made a BIG appearance at the gathering tonight. We polished off the dish fairly easily. 

There also may have been a log of cranberry goat cheese that somehow disappeared within 40 minutes. My family likes cheese, what can I say.

After all these snacks, I wasn’t that hungry but I made room for my Aunt’s Aprciot Lamb Tagine and Cous Cous. The lamb had been simmering in the Crock Pot all day so it was so literally falling apart.

We also had my Mom’s Local Beef Lasagna (kind of a random combo, but it worked) which was heavenly.

A fresh salad made with apples and blueberries was the perfect addition to get my green fix.

And the final piece de resistance, my Mom’s Texas Sheet Cake which she makes every time we are together. It was particularly fudgy tonight though.

Since the main reason for our gathering was to celebrate my Uncle Rob’s birthday, I thought it suitable to include a picture of him in his favorite get up. He kind of thinks he’s Napoleon, don’t ask. Happy Birthday Robbie!

EDITED FOR A VERY IMPORTANT UPDATE! It’s SNOWING for the first time! We all just ran outside and threw a couple snow balls around. It’s quite wet and will most likely be gone by morning but we took it as a “festivus miracle” and enjoyed every minute of it!

As a recent member of the Slow Food Boston organization, I have been trying to find a sponsored event that I could attend here in the city. The problem for me is that most of Slow Food’s dinners are held on weekday evenings when I work. They have a list of “like-minded” events on their website and when I saw the new lecture series being put on by B.U.’s Metropolitan School I was interested and wanted to attend. I pictured it as a true lecture, complete with desks and a teacher at the front of the class. I was pleased when I walked into the “Food Demonstration Room” and found a spread of fresh bread, cheese, grapes, nuts, olives and wine. I helped myself to a small plate.

I also grabbed a glass of the white wine (times this picture by 2 for the evening).

After some small talk with the other attendees it was time for the lecture to begin. The lecture was given by Warren James Belasco of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and author of Appetite for Change: How the counterculture took on the food industry. The title of tonight’s lecture was “The Ethics of eating: Can a clean plate really save the planet?”His lecture was very objective and not exactly what I expected. I thought that he would be focusing on eating locally sourced foods and paying homage to figures such as Alice Waters, Carlo Pettrini and Michael Pollan. But he didn’t. He discussed these people and presented them for what they have contributed to the food world but didn’t idolize them or suggest that there way is the way to be eating.

Some of the points that really hit home:

• Distancing. This is basically the argument for eating local. The distance between us and our food sources is far too great and leaves us disconnected with how our food was grown, produced, transported etc. If we want to eat a “clean” plate morally speaking we need to be more connected with where our food comes from.
  
• Backlash. Belasco discussed his fears for the future because he predicts a severe backlash in America in response to this movement being seen as an elite issue. For example the opening of the Farmer’s Market only a stones throw away from the white house. This is a great victory for Michelle Obama to get the word out but as she drives up in her shiny limo, is handed her basket by one of her attendants, selects the 5.00 arugula and then gets back in the limo and drives two blocks home to the white house, is this going to create a resistance from the American people who are so far away from this they can’t relate?
  
• Oblivious. It’s far easier to be oblivious about food issues than it is to be engaged. The more you know the  more you should care about what your eating but it’s more comforting to just be in the dark for many Americans that can’t afford to make the change.
  

The lecture left me thinking which is exactly what I wanted. It also left me full which I wasn’t expecting. The students of the Culinary school here cooked us a fabulous Spanish Paella loaded with seafood! Free dinner=unexpected bonus! I was wondering though where all this food came from?