Monday, April 23, 2007

I scream for ice cream?

I scream for Ice Cream? Dude, I almost wet my pants. It's the first day of decent, no, even NICE weather here in Boston, so to celebrate I dusted off the ol' ice cream maker and churned out a butter nut crunch that is so good it's hard to put into words. I guess 5 C. of whole milk and cream couldn't possibly be a bad thing, but add almonds, walnuts and pistachios to the mix and that stuff is off the hook. I also used a really corse salt when I cooked the nuts in butter (oh yeah), and I love the outcome. The salt doesn't melt into the ice cream but isn't quite crunchy, so you get a delicious salty sweet mix. You can't even imagine. Seriously.

Sunday, April 8, 2007

Happy Homespun Easter, Nip-Hunters

images Start old school: the whole family colors Easter Eggs the night before, and then the adults hide them around the lawn the next morning.

The nip hunt, however, brings the fun back for the adults. Side Bar: For those that don't know, a "nip" is not something dirty (for shame!), it’s one of those baby bottles of booze tucked on airplanes and in minibars. In New England they're called "nips," and that just sounds fun. Back to the hunt. Go out and bought assorted nips, quality ranging from Day-Glo flavored schnapps all the way up to a good single malt and a tiny replica of the Chambord bottle.

After the kids find their eggs, give them the nips and had them hide them on us. Nothing says “Easter” like the a flock of 10-12 year olds running around the lawn in their finest toting handfuls of booze. (Your neighbors will really love this. Especially if you do it in the halls of an apartment building.) Even our mother, who is a teetotaler of the highest degree (recurring quote “I don’t see why you girls think you need to drink to have fun,”) was turning over large piles of leaves to score that tiny Chambord.

The kids loved turning the tables on the adults, the adults loved the hunt and the after-hunt. It’s just like being a kid again - only with the adult reward of a beautiful cocktail

Saturday, April 7, 2007

The $27.95 meal for only $5!

Everyone loves to get something for nothing, or at least something for cheap. In the New England area there is a grocery store called Market Basket that's known for being really cheap, especially in the meat department. In fact, the best part of the meat department at MB is what's called the "Primal Cut"- basically a side of animal for under $30, or close to that. The latest take at the MB was one lamb shank. I cooked it down with some red wine that had been open for too long, carrots and celery, balsamic vinegar and some broth and served it over mashed potatoes. I love the "slow and low" style of cooking, and if I saw that entree at a nice restaurant, I'd order it and probably pay in the $20 and up range (at least in Boston). However:

Shank: $2.37
Potatoes: $.75
Broccoli side: $.79

The sweet satisfaction of a great meal for damn cheap: Priceless