I'm thrilled to share another Local Gems post today (be sure to check out the Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Lexington, Medford, and Watertown features)! Today's Arlington Center recommendations (East Arlington + Arlington Heights are forthcoming separately) come from reader Justine Uhlenbrock, a birth doula, minimalist mom of two girls, and writer who shares about motherhood, building a family legacy, and the intersection of food and family. Thanks for sharing these 11 local gems, Justine!
Today, Judy shares 7 great suburban spots for date night (hey, did you know it’s Date Your Mate Month?):
When I was pregnant, I fully expected that after the baby arrived my husband and I would still enjoy date nights at fancy restaurants in the city. In reality, three years into parenting, it’s proven a real challenge for us to get out, particularly since we both work full-time, want to spend our non-work hours with our little man, and feel uncomfortable overtaxing my parents (our only babysitters at present).
Happy May everyone! Among many random holidays (seriously, there are a lot this month!), it’s National Salad Month. And I'm totally on board with NSM for many reasons (hello seasonal produce! yay, roughage!). I thought I would use this holiday to round up 18 awesome salads from the archives. And now I'm hungry and want to make them all right now (I enjoyed #18 yesterday). Enjoy!
Following the fun features on Medford and Beacon Hill, today’s Local Gems spotlight is on Lexington, a pretty town 11 miles northwest of Boston. I’m grateful to my brilliant friend and colleague Morra Aarons-Mele (mom of two adorable sons and a digital tour de force via Women Online and The Mission List), who shares her Lexington faves today. Thanks, Morra!
I'm so excited to kick off the Local Gems series this morning and am doing so with nine local gems in Medford. This town is fast on the rise given its strong community, lightning fast access to Boston, and various amenities (including commuter rail access and visions of Green Line expansion). If you have other favorite Medford gems, feel free to share in the comments below!
Does your fruit and veggie intake plummet during the cold months? Yeah, me too! And I find that this time of year I especially need veggies to counterbalance the uptick in comfort foods and sweet treats. After finding myself in a state of culinary sloth post-holiday, I was determined to up my veggie intake and have found bliss in warm winter salads. When I served this salad (which I now eat daily, sometimes twice daily!) during a recent design consult with Paige, she said, “YOU MUST POST THIS RECIPE!” So here goes.
Today, Katy shares a tasty family-friendly recipe:
Last summer, two amazing, unusual things happened. First, while visiting my in-laws, I actually had time to relax and read a magazine. Second, I clipped a recipe out of said magazine. I typically don't like to follow recipes and find that many "quick" magazine recipes are heavy on overly processed ingredients. But the enchiladas verde recipe I clipped looked tasty, healthy, gluten-free, and also easy to make vegetarian. Here's my modification (read: simplification) of the recipe, morphed into our new family favorite: Magic Mexican Casserole.
I had such fun pulling together the 12 chocolate cupcake recipes post last week (research, right?) that I decided to round up another dozen incredible looking cookie recipes in these fleeting days of October (which, apparently, is Cookie Month). Whoever is making up these holidays, I love you! I'm super excited to try all of these recipes -- perfect for fall/winter baking inspiration! Which recipe will you try first?
Hey, so apparently tomorrow (October 18) is Chocolate Cupcake Day. I don’t know who makes up these random holidays but I'm on board, are you? I love chocolate. I love cupcakes. I love cute little wrappers. I love piping bags. So in honor of this delicious random holiday, I assembled a collection of 12 chocolate cupcake recipes via Pinterest. Now, to decide, which recipe to try first?
I'm a huge fan of slow cookers (aka crockpots). In fact, I think crockpots are downright sexy. Well, perhaps we won't agree on that, but what we likely will align on is how incredibly handy slow cookers are for simplifying mealtimes. When faced with a slew of CSA tomatoes (that we were told were best for sauces), I recently whipped up a batch of slow cooker marinara that made the whole family insanely happy. Here's the how-to (awesome spoiler: no blender required!):
Ever since becoming a parent, summer is a completely different ballgame. And while I could do without the transition woes and calendar juggling, I do appreciate how Laurel and Vi's summer schedules force me to think about blocking out down time and trying new things (both good things!). So when Starwood Hotels & Resorts invited me to participate in their My Summer Story campaign -- in which they're encouraging people to reflect on their summer stories and make the summer worth talking about -- I was like, yes, I am on board with this!
One great thing about summer? Salad. And it doesn't need to be boring salad. Today, Jules (also of In The Kitchen Catering & Food Delivery) shares the next installment in our Meals Made Easy series. Enjoy this unique farm stand salad (and be sure to try these zucchini, ricotta & tomato frittata, roasted shrimp with veggies, balsamic orange chicken, and coconut lime cod recipes too!):
Wrestling with the mysteries of Violet's allergies has helped me develop a whole new level of appreciation for label reading and anyone dealing with food restrictions in general. I was surprised when Violet tested negative for celiac at her two-year well-visit and while we're slowly testing food options for her, we're still largely operating gluten-free (especially when it comes to anything she might eat in considerable quantity, e.g., pasta). A visit from my sister Jenn last week (thanks, Jenn!) reminded me that I wanted to share a great gluten-free find with you.
Raise your hand if you want something that's easy and yummy to knock together for dinner tonight. Yeah, me too! Today, Jules (also of In The Kitchen Catering & Food Delivery shares the next installment in our Meals Made Easy series. Enjoy this simple and delicious recipe for coconut lime cod with sautéed spinach and oranges (and be sure to try these zucchini, ricotta & tomato frittata, roasted shrimp with veggies and balsamic orange chicken recipes too!):
In a meal rut? Need some lightning fast inspiration? (I feel like I've been eating a lot of salads and quesadillas these days...) Today, Jules (also of In The Kitchen Catering & Food Delivery shares the next installment in our Meals Made Easy series (be sure to give this easy roasted shrimp with veggies dish a try if you haven't already!). Enjoy this simple and delicious recipe for balsamic orange chicken:
I'm thrilled to announce a new blog post series that I've crafted with lovely (and long-time!) contributor Jules. Jules is a mother of two with credentials in social work, personal training, and catering; here's the gist of the Meals Made Easy series: Meals Made Easy recipes represent what all busy moms need: quick and easy dinner solutions that don't require a special trip to the store at 5:30pm on a weekday with two tired kids who both need to go potty. Awesome, no? Today, Jules shares a simple and delicious recipe for roasted shrimp with veggies:
When ONE asked me to share a recipe in honor of Sweet Potato Day -- an effort to raise awareness about world hunger -- I immediately thought of a recipe I enjoyed one Thanksgiving in Maryland. Jon and I were away from our families and our dear friend Joe invited us to his mom Chris's house. It meant so much to me to be welcomed in for the holidays, and the food -- including Chris's sweet potato casserole with bourbon and marshmallows -- was insanely good.
I love when I can be the chill mom who doesn't care about another snow day. But the reality is that that is not where I'm at right this second; my work load is very heavy and Violet hasn't been sleeping well (cue zombie mom music). Given that everything in Massachusetts seems turned upside down today, I'm skipping the Weekly Blueprint and instead present you with what offered a wonderful source of cabin fever relief this weekend: a recipe for ridiculously easy and yummy gluten-free peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. Seriously, 5 ingredients, 10 minutes of prep time, and 10 minutes of baking time is all that stands between you and a dose of happy.