From the category archives:

Friends

Fancy Schmancy!

by agirlandhermutt on February 7, 2011

For the past few weekends The Scientist and I have been fancy eating it all around town. We have had a lot to celebrate (work, birthdays, its Friday, etc). It was finally time to take a step back and EAT AT HOME.

Since we were both used to a particular level of fancy schmancyness (real word…look it up!), I decided to amp up my regular dinahs.

First up…Casablanca Cocktail! This drink is just a few ingredients that (almost) anyone can enjoy.

Start with a sugar cube.

Add in a dash or two of bitters…

Top with some super cold sparkling wine.

Make sure you don’t stir or mix it together. Just let it fizzle up!

I felt all classy and fancy sipping on my drink. You know, wearing my pj pants and tank top.

Then dinner…did you forget about the food? Don’t worry, I did a little bit too when I started sipping on the Casablanca Cocktail.

Dorry mentioned making Hasselback potatoes the other day and I had an instant craving. Paired with maple-pecan crusted salmon and some green beans…it was done and DONE.

I’m happy to report that this hit the spot for fanciness at home. Noting better than some solid home cooking.

Have a great day kids!

PS. Over the weekend I also celebrated my friend Jess’s birthday! You can’t find a more giving and caring friend than Jess. She is a great mom, wife, friend, co-worker and I’m so glad that we were able to meet each other through work so that we could be buddies in real life. Plus, I always get a good ab workout when I’m around her from laughing so hard. Thanks for letting me enjoy some of the sushi boat! Happy Birthday Jess! Smile

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A little slice of college…

by agirlandhermutt on January 16, 2011

Wow. That photo of me in my face mask has been on the top of my site for a bit too long now. Time to get some fresh funk out there!

I got a bit caught up with all the snow brewhaha that I totally forgot to tell you about my fun little weekend last week! One of my college roomies, Stacey, came to visit!

Stacey and I met my sophomore (her freshman) year of college in Astronomy. We *might* have been the best nappers in that class. Despite our attempts to sleep through that whole semester, we managed to become friends and somehow or another we decided to move in together. Junior year was the Stacey & Erin Show!

She now lives in Denver, where I visited her back in 2007. We haven’t seen each other since so this visit was a long time coming.

After an eventful trek from Florida to NYC to Philly, Stacey arrived into Boston safe and sound. It was so fun to show her some of my fave places in Boston but also try a few new places I’ve had on my “To Do” list.

Dinner in the North End at Ristorante Saraceno.

Drinks at one of my fave bars, The Green Dragon

Dim Sum in China Town at China Pearl

A visit to the Harvard Museum of Natural History

*All of these flowers were made over a century ago out of GLASS*

A walk through Harvard Sq and Grendel’s Den for a few drinks

Traditional lobster meal (Stacey’s only request when visiting Boston!) in Faneuil Hall at the oldest restaurant in America, Union Oyster House.

Exploring Faneuil Hall on the search for a Blood Mary.

Found one at Goody Glovers!

As every meal must end, so should Stacey’s visit. And just like a good meal, we ended our visit with a coffee, courtesy of Café Vittoria.

I waved good-bye to Stacey and we made promises to see each other SOONER rather than later. Our friendship has spanned almost 11 years now and I’m looking forward to our visits for many more years to come!

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1.11.11!

by agirlandhermutt on January 11, 2011

Fun with numbers kids! 1-11-11. January 11, 2011. Despite the fun with numbers, what really hit me that it was already 2011.

Seriously?! Where did 2010 go?! I promise this won’t be the last time that I ask these questions. I’m fascinated at this phenomenon of time just flying by!

In addition to being completely thrown off that it is officially a new year, today also brought the birthday of my wonderful tea party friend, Karen.

Several of the girls and I met up at Russell House Tavern in Harvard Square to celebrate the birthday girl’s big day. I’ve had a few run-ins with RHT and have enjoyed each experience. Great food, great service, and EXCELLENT DRINKS!

Past visits:
Martini Monday
Taza Chocolate Tour

In additions to the good eats and drinks, I love that RHT makes attempts to stay local as often as possible. This type of thinking is right in line with my food philosophy.

I started off my meal with a rose pinot noir right out of Westport, Ma from Westport Winery. This wine is considered their “on tap” wine and comes in at great price of just $5/glass!

I went back and forth between what I was going to order. I’ve made a goal for this year to really try to plan ahead when going to a restaurant in order to make the best decisions, whether it be to fit a healthy, budget, or craving need. This time I decided to stick with the choices I made ahead of time to meet my budget and craving needs. What?! Healthy isn’t always the frontrunner all of the time. Winking smile

My choices for the evening…

Dirty Caesar Salad (which was ENOURMOUS!)

and a side of mashed potatoes. Ha! No worries…I took most of these babies home to enjoy the next day.

I enjoyed getting a glimpse of my neighbor’s Jonah Crab Cakes. This was my second choice. Mmm…next time!

The birthday girl went all out and got the burger with pommes frites. Go big or go home!

I enjoyed my fun cheap wine, but dined on a mixture of soda water and tap water for the rest of the night. Getting those ounces in where I can!

I caught Karen in a moment of sheer happiness with a touch of crazy. Winking smile

For dessert Karen immediately gravitated to the Flourless Chili Chocolate Cake. Chocolate and chili? YES, PLEASE!

The cake had a nice heat at the end of the bite that combined with the ice cream and honey just was the perfect little morsel of food.

We also had a Layered Ginger Spice Cake, but honestly…not my fave. A little *too* gingery for me. It looked lovely though!

Around this time in our meal there might have been some singing that went down. Lets just say that Karen was embarrassed, the other patrons were embarrassed, and we made ourselves laugh till our stomachs hurt.

RHT was a great place to celebrate a birthday. From the ambiance to the food to the service, everything was spot on. They even gave Karen a fun little birthday card.

As the rest of Boston was gearing up for a snow day, the girls and I were chowing down and keeping hydrated. Not a shabby way to spend a birthday, Tuesday night, or 1-11-11!