Posted by Juliette Kopecky on Mon, Mar 07, 2011 @ 10:15 AM
My friend Dan recently turned 30 and his girlfriend Heather threw him a fantastic surprise party. He was shocked to say the least. He probably stood in the doorway for about 30 seconds before he realized that the party was for him!
He's a fireman in Meford, and Heather got him this wonderful cake from
Lyndell's Bakery in Somerville. I always love walking past their window when I go to
Soundbites, which is right down the street from them. I loved this cake, and how perfect for the party!
Posted by Juliette Kopecky on Tue, Dec 14, 2010 @ 12:56 PM
Happy birthday to my wonderful friend Lauren today!
Lauren and I have been friends for most of our lives now - both a testament to our friendship and how old we are getting. We've been friends since our high school days in Buffalo, NY and both live in Boston now.
To celebrate her birthday, a group of us went to Henrietta's Table in Cambridge MA for their Sunday brunch buffet. I would have to say that brunch buffet is an understatement - when I typically think of a brunch buffet, I think of those deals you get at hotels with overcooked eggs, soggy bacon and fruit that looks like it came from a can.
While Henrietta's Table *is* actually located in a hotel (The Charles Hotel in Harvard Square), that's where the similarities end. The brunch buffet at Henrietta's Table includes a raw oyster bar, a variety of pates and terrines, eggs benedicts, homemade pasta, fresh cheese platters, a carving station, grilled vegetables, a omellete station, bagels and smoked fishes as well as a full dessert bar. It's pretty unbelievable. I will say, however, that you do pay for it. The brunch is $45/person, which is pretty steep. However, someone like Lauren can eat that price tag alone in raw oysters. :D
It was an amazing brunch, and such a great time with friends. I would definitely recommend this place if you've never been. But come on an empty stomach and don't make any strenuous plans for the rest of the day! Wish I had more pictures to post, but I was too busy eating!!
Henrietta's Table One Bennett St
Cambridge, MA 02138
(617) 661-5005
www.henriettastable.com
Posted by Juliette Kopecky on Sun, Nov 14, 2010 @ 06:15 PM
My brother recently wrote a post about the Best Burger Ever on his Cook or Go Out DC blog. I have to admit, he does cook a mean burger. Who knew that it was so easy?? Definitely check out his recipe.
Michael and I were in the car the other day talking about his post, and how we needed to try out his recipe. While we love to grill as well, I have to say that when the topic of burgers comes up, we typically choose to go out rather than cook. We have a number of favorite burger places in Boston, and recently made a new addition to the list which will be the part 2 to this post.
So last night we decided to head over to R.F. O'Sullivan in Somerville, which is probably my favorite burger joint. It's a little bit of a dive bar, but they have one of the best burgers around. The burgers here are some of the thickest, juiciest and messiest burgers ever - I would definitely not recommend this as a first date spot. By far my favorite thing about the place is their onion rings, which they hand-batter and then deep fry. If you love onion rings, then you have to check this place out.
3 things to note before you go here: 1.) The burgers take about 20 minutes to cook. So don't expect to stop here for a quick bite. 2.) There are no free refills on soda. 3.) Always order onion rings. Or at least half onion rings, half fries. You'll thank me.
I have to say that last night I was a little bit disappointed with the service here. The hostess told us there was about a 20 minute wait for a table. No big deal. We grabbed a couple of drinks at the bar while we waited, and even managed to grab a couple of seats there. About 30 minutes passed, and it became clear that she forgot about us - she was seating people that came in after us and then started seating people as they came in the door. No big deal. We had seats at the bar, so we just decided to go ahead and eat dinner at the bar. We placed our orders with the bartender, and had a couple more drinks. As I mentioned above, the burgers take about 20 minutes to cook, so we knew we had some time. After about 30 minutes, the bartender came over and asked us if we had indeed placed an order. We went over what we had ordered with her. She flipped through her pad, and saw that she wrote it down, but I guess she had never actually placed the order. She apologized, put our order in and comp'ed us a round of drinks, but we were starving at this point with at least another 20 minute wait ahead of us. And to make matters worse, we were sitting right near the kitchen, so we could see everyone else's burgers being cooked and sent out. Talk about torture!
In the end, we finally got our food and the burgers were delicious, as always. I ordered the Creamy Blue Cheese Burger and Michael had the Boursin Burger. I probably had about 3 beers in me by the time we got our food and I was ravenous by that point, so I probably would have eaten anything. I was a little bit disappointed with the service, but I will say that the bartender was extremely nice about it. I suppose I don't go to R.F. O'Sullivan's for the service, and I'll definitely be back for their amazing burgers.
R.F. O'Sullivan282 Beacon Street.
Somerville, MA 02431
617-492-7773
www.rf-osullivan.com
Posted by Juliette Kopecky on Fri, Nov 12, 2010 @ 06:23 AM
My brother Dave is an amazing cook. He recently decided to start up his own food blog, CookorGoOutDC.com. (I wonder where he got the idea for that name!) He truly loves to cook and entertain. And, he makes cooking seem so effortless - most of the recipes he uses are incredibly easy, but things I would never think to make. His place is essentially my test kitchen - I steal his dinner party ideas and then re-create them for my friends!
When we recently threw a baby shower for him and his wife, things were no different. We decided to have it as their house to make it easy for their friends in the area to get there. We wanted to have a relaxed party where people could sit around, talk and nosh on some delicious food.
We made a number of different appetizers for the event, as you can see from the photo. One of my favorite appetizers he makes are Smoked Salmon and Creme Fraiche Crostinis. I love the way the saltiness of the smoked salmon plays off the creaminess of the creme fraiche.
Smoked Salmon and Creme Faiche Crostinis
1 french baguette
1 package smoked salmon
1 lemon, juiced
1 8-oz. package of creme fraiche (available at Whole Foods in the cheese section)
fresh chives, chopped
Slice the french baguette into thin slices and toast until golden brown. Slice the smoked salmon into roughly 1" squares and place in a bowl. Mix in the lemon juice. Put a couple pieces of the salmon atop each baguette slice. Garnish with some fresh chives and dill. Place a dallop of the creme fraiche on top.
This recipe isn't an exact science by any means - you can use larger or smaller pieces of salmon and certainly mix in the chives if you like.
Posted by Juliette Kopecky on Fri, Oct 29, 2010 @ 11:35 AM
My friend Joe is far more daring than me. He recently went to Hell Night at the East Coast Grill in Cambridge, MA and gave me a detailed rundown of the event. For those of you not familiar with Hell Night, it's an event where the make the absolute spiciest dishes in hopes of wrecking havoc on your digestive system. Here's Hell Night in Joe's words:
Went to Hell Night last night, here is the rundown of what we ordered, along with a fairly long recount, though it wouldn't be any longer than if I were to tell you about it in person, words just look longer.
Beers
Tidewater Cole Slaw
Cornbread
Udang Rica Rica & Gado Gado (Indonesian Sweet n’ Sour Grilled Shrimp & Vegetable Salad (4 Bombs)
Wings with Aromatic Herbs, Nuoc Cham & Ghost Chile Pepper Jam (7 Bombs)
Pasta From Hell with Sausage Bolognese & Naga Bhut Jolikia (9 Bombs)
(There's even a disclaimer on the menu stating "Please Take Us Seriously When We Say DO NOT Order This Dish")
A quick review of the food: We saved the pasta for last, which is the hottest thing they have. The sides were to help with the pain. The shrimp was good - what I would call very spicy for normal fare at a restaurant. The wings were also pretty hot, hotter than the shrimp.
I learned a couple of things about spice last night, things that perhaps I just never took time to realize before.
1. First is that spice has a cumulative effect almost more than a hard strike effect. The wings were spicy, but the spice was not at all prohibitive to eating a wing. It wasn't until I had about 3 of them that I noticed I was starting to burn, badly. I threw down some of the slaw and cornbread, and then I had to step outside for some air; in about five or six minutes it subsided. When I returned we ordered the pasta, which the waiter was really urging us not to do, and we had to sign fake waivers, blah blah blah. Anyway, this stuff looked like a bunch of molten peppers sautéed and mixed together and served over pasta. Really not spice so much as pure fire. Nat, my friend I was with, was shit scared at this point. I didn't know what to expect, but I wasn't scared at all.
2. That's when I learned my second lesson of the night: There is spicy hot, and then there is white hot. We both took the first bite of the pasta and it didn't taste like anything except for what I call white hot. I've tasted it a few times in my life, where my mom has given me peppers to taste and you don't taste anything but you feel your taste buds just go from normal to 100 degrees. I took a big bite, realized it wasn't causing a gag reflex or a straight pain sensation or anything, and then immediately took another. I wanted to get as much of it down as I could early, because I knew I wouldn't be able to eat much and there were some people looking on, manhood, etc. At the third bite it hit me, kind of like pumping back shots of hard alcohol, you don't notice at first. These kinds of peppers hit your stomach hard, and I could feel them ravaging it.
3. I guess that is a 3rd lesson: Don't swallow peppers to attempt to bypass your taste buds. I sprinted outside for relief, I was 3 beers deep as well, so at this point really woozy, and took a short walk, wondering if I had to throw up. I saw someone else's puke on the ground. I think one more bite and I would have vomited. I slowly came back to normal in a few minutes, went in, had ANOTHER bite to prove a point to myself. It was horrible, and then I just calmed down.
A woman named Rita (she was in in her late forties who talked like she was 23 yrs old) was nearby and started asking us about it. She then started bragging about how the heat of the drink she had (we were at the bar) didn't touch her, and that she lived in san Antonio for awhile. She then asked to taste the pasta, which she did by scooping a little with a mixed drink straw, basically having the smallest taste possible. Her ego got checked so hard. She didn't recover from it for like 10 minutes, wiping herself with napkins and icing her lips. Also she said she does the morning drive on 92.5 the River from 6-9am and said she would be talking about it.
Anyway, the ensuing indigestion I had that night was the worst I’ve ever had, and I had to eat a full meal along with a few swigs of Pepto before bedtime to put out the fire.
Posted by Juliette Kopecky on Tue, Oct 19, 2010 @ 06:33 AM
Michael and spent the weekend in Manchester NH recently for the International Chili Society World Championship. We were invited by Michael’s father, who many years ago, placed 3rd with his “Out of This World Chili.” It was an amazing time – we even got to be preliminary judges for the Chili Verde and traditional Red Chili competition. Michael is going to be doing a guest post to tell you all the details, and hopefully post his dad’s famous recipe. Here are a couple of pictures from the event until then:
In front of the judging tent, with my official judging medal.
Contestants take booth decoration very seriously.
And of course, have different themes.
Posted by Juliette Kopecky on Tue, Oct 12, 2010 @ 09:36 AM
I can't believe it's October already. The leaves are starting to change, and I love the crispness in the air. This time last year, Michael and I went to Munich, Germany to celebrate Oktoberfest. It was an amazing trip, filled with food, site-seeing and, of course, plenty of beer. We went with a group of my classmates and spent a couple of extra days there to do some site-seeing on our own.
Oktoberfest was nothing like I imagined. We really don't have an equivalent to it in the U.S. The festival is celebrated in a huge fairgrounds area. There's carnival rides, food stands, games and of course, the beer tents. There's about 10 different beer tents in varying sizes, the largest holding about 10,000 people. We spent the day in the Schottenhamel beer tent, which was filled with plenty of locals, many dressed in the traditional garb of dirndls and lederhosen. Beer was certainly flowing, and served up in 1 liter mugs.
In the Schottenhamel tent, enjoying some early morning beers.
The view in the Schottenhamel tent.
Cheers!
1 liter v. .33 liter beer
More beers at Hofbrauhaus.
Pork knuckle. An interesting choice.
Traditional German meal.
Posted by Juliette Kopecky on Sun, Oct 10, 2010 @ 09:17 PM
I will whole-heartedly admit to loving ice cream. I can’t resist picking some up when I’m at the grocery store. And honestly, most often end up picking up 2 pints of it just because I can’t decide on what flavor to buy. My recent favorite brand has been Ciao Bella, but I will stick by Ben and Jerry’s Coffee Heath Bar Crunch, Breyer’s Mint Chocolate Chip and Turkey Hill Chocolate Peanut Butter Butter. And for actual ice cream shops, I love Toscanani’s Burnt Caramel. And the best ice cream I’ve EVER had (well, it was gelato actually) was in Italy. It’s a bit of a hike, but I will make it back there some day.
Last night was such an occasion at the grocery store. Went there to pick up some milk, and ended up walking out with pints of Ciao Bella Key Lime Pie. As I was eating a spoonful, I was remarking to Micheal that I wish it had a little bit more punch – more limey tartness and more graham cracker bits. Which is really how I decided that I should experiment with making my own ice cream.
I did a little bit of research, and it seemed like the clear favorite for automatic ice cream makers was the Cuisinart ICE-20R based on the reviews I read on Amazon and America’s Test Kitchen. At under $50, it was certainly a steal. Reviewers liked it for its value, quality of ice cream produced, speed, noise, etc. I loved the red color it came in and the design of it. Since it’s the event that sparked the purchase, I think the inaugural flavor will have to be Key Lime Pie – I’ve already started researching a couple of recipes to test out. If you have any great ice cream recipes, I’d love to hear them!
Posted by Juliette Kopecky on Wed, Sep 22, 2010 @ 06:43 AM
Hi All,
My apologies for being a little behind on posting. It's been a hectic couple of weeks for me with work and doing some traveling. Wanted to send out and update to let you know that I haven't forgotten about this blog.
I've been compiling some posts that I'm really excited about. Michael and I went to NYC to celebrate my birthday a few weeks back. We made it our own personal mission to discover NYC pizza. Although we didn't get as far as we hoped with it, we definitely found a clear winner.
While we were in NYC, we also went back to one of my favorite restaurants - Babbo. I'll be writing up a post on the amazing experience we had there eating our way through their pasta tasting menu. Lots of pictures with that one!
And, I just finished a great book that I wanted to share with you. I picked up "Born Round: The Secret History of a Full-Time Eater" by Frank Bruni at the recommendation of my sister-in-law. Fantastic book on Frank's relationship with food - from his upbringing in an Italian family that equated love with food, his struggle with his own weight and his journey to becomming a restaurant critic for the New York Times.
That's all for now. Look forward to catching up soon.
Posted by Juliette Kopecky on Sat, Sep 11, 2010 @ 03:59 PM
My friend Kristin loves to cook as much as I do, so I invited her to do a guest post for my blog. Enjoy!
As the hot days of summer come to a close, I wanted to finally make good on my promise to Juliette to write a blog post about a highlight of this season: the Oreo & Fudge Ice Cream Cake originally featured in "I Heart Summer BBQ at Kristin's - Great Lunch Recipes." This cake truly stands for some of my favorite things about summer: ice cream, nostalgia for favorite childhood treats, and delicious desserts that don’t require turning on the oven when it’s 90 degrees outside.
The idea of this recipe is to build an impromptu ice cream cake by stacking vanilla ice cream sandwiches layered with delicious fudgy goodness, then finishing it off with a whipped topping “icing.” What a treat to make and eat!
I was even able to make it a little less dangerous by using reduced fat ice cream sandwiches and light whipped topping, without sacrificing taste (ask Juliette – I’m sure she never knew!). One other tip: if you don’t want to buy an entire package of Oreos, look for the smaller single-serve packages near the grocery store check-out.
Here’s a photo diary of how it came together:
After mixing up the fudgy filling, I was ready to assemble! Here you see the first layer of ice cream sandwiches getting their first layer.
It was fun to stack the sandwiches and imagine how beautiful the cake layers would be to cut through later.
The once everything was stacked, the entire cake got a whipped topping coating.
Voilá! After a few hours chilling out, the cake is ready to enjoy!
The finished product!
Oreo & Fudge Ice Cream Cake (Adapted from KraftRecipes.com)
1/2 cup hot fudge ice cream topping, warmed
1 tub (8 oz.) frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided
1 pkg. (3.9 oz.) Jell-o chocolate instant pudding
8 Oreo cookies, chopped (about 1 cup)
12 vanilla ice cream sandwiches
Pour fudge topping into medium bowl. Whisk in 1 cup whipped topping. Add dry pudding mix; stir 2 min. Stir in chopped cookies.
Arrange 4 ice cream sandwiches, side-by-side, on 24-inch-long piece of foil; top with half the whipped topping mixture. Repeat layers. Top with remaining sandwiches. Frost top and sides with remaining whipped topping. Bring up foil sides; double fold top and ends to loosely seal packet.
Freeze at least 4 hours, or until firm. Enjoy!