Formaggio Kitchen

So Formaggio never made it to the Bucket List because I knocked it off the list as soon as possible. Imagine the most beautiful gourmet food store you can think of... And now know that it is not nearly as great as Formaggio. The brand has a few stores, two in Boston and one in NYC. I visited the Cambridge one, and while she may be small she is fierce. It is three-made-into-one store front, one with the meats and cheeses, one with the pastries and chocolates (!) and one with bread, produce, beer and wine. The whole store was beautiful, filled with local cheeses and beers as well as imported ones. The staff goes on a trip to their purveyors each year, the cheese people go to the cheese farms, the wine people go to the vineyards. It sounds like an immense amount of fun. If I didn't already have two jobs, I would apply there. I sort of just want to live there. Forever. 

Alas, I am out of words for how wonderful this store is, so I will just leave you with a picture of its beauty. 

Boston Bucket List

I have recently moved to Boston, and my new goal for this blog is to add to and review as I accomplish items off my Boston (mostly food related) Bucket List. Here is the list thus far:

Eat and stage at Deaxave Boston. I have been new-age personally invited by the chef to stage here, aka he "tweeted" at me. Ha, kids these days...

Drink at DBar Boston. Owned by the same chef as Deaxave, the cocktail list looks AMAZING.

Brunch at the Blue Room

Wine at the BELLY Wine Bar

Puritan and Company

Sibling Rivalry

Steel & Rye

Ashmont Grill Sticky Toffee Pudding

Hops n Scotch Bar

Saloon Davis

Harpoon Brewery Tour

Drink

i'm back!

"When frosting a cake, throw your diet out the window."

I really suck at blogging.

BUT I MADE ICE CREAM!

My daddy got me a kitchen aid Ice Cream Maker attachment. And I was literately jumping for joy the entire time this was spinning.

Passion fruit sorbet. :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

2 (¼-ounce) envelopes active dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees)

2 eggs, at room temperature

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons coarse salt

1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried)

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

3 cups flour, plus up to 1 cup more

Olive oil, for greasing bowl

2 tablespoons melted butter

Sprinkle the yeast over the water in a large mixing bowl and stir to dissolve. Using a wooden spoon, beat in the eggs, pumpkin, soft butter, sugar, salt, thyme and cayenne. Add 3 cups of flour and beat until smooth, gradually adding more flour as needed to make a soft, sticky but still manageable dough. Make sure the dough is well mixed. Oil a larger bowl and scrape the dough into it, turning to oil all sides. Cover with a dish towel and let rise in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in bulk, about 1.5 hours. Punch the dough down, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

     For round dinner rolls, grease 2 (8-inch) cake pans with melted butter. Punch the dough down again and shape into round rolls, arranging them in pans with about one-half inch between each. For cloverleaf rolls, butter a 12-cup muffin tin, tear off tablespoon-sized balls and place 3 in each muffin cup. (If the dough is too sticky to handle easily, lightly butter or oil your hands.) Cover the rolls with a dish towel, and let rise in a warm spot until doubled in bulk, about 30 minutes.

    Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake the rolls until browned, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve hot or warm.

these rolls are delicious! and amazingly easy. they also have a warm heat at the end that will leave your guests wanting more. :)

finally something exciting to share!

my pretzels are on the cover page of the LA times today. 

you can also see my step by step and the recipe here:

http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-step-by-step-pretzel-baking,0,6909328.photogallery

:D