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My Boston Valentine

Let's Make a Heart by thefleeg From Flickr

Overly expensive pre-fixe meals? Ridiculously huge heart-shaped boxes of chocolates? Unnecessary amounts of red roses? I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a fan of the hoopla surrounding Valentine’s Day. Therefore, in the spirit of celebrating Boston’s simple pleasures, I’ve decided to share a few of my top picks for quality vendors, nibbles, and more that will brighten up your Valentine’s Day in the city, without costing too much. From romantic, to indulgent, to DIY, these places, treats and ideas are special throughout the year, but are also Valentine’s Day appropiate. Please consider this my Valentine’s Day gift to you. Mwah!

BOSTON, ENTERTAINING, RECIPES

Cocktail Club: Spiked Sparkling Cider

Spiked Sparkling Cider, Mood Lighting Optional!

Thanks to my lovely roommate and her friends, I’ve been inducted into a cocktail club. Each month, a group of ladies get together at someone’s home to try a unique drink paired with a delicious nibble. The best part? The host takes care of the food/drink, allowing the guests to relax. How often are you a guest at someone’s home and are told to bring nothing, except for your delightful self?

A recent cocktail club introduced me to a delicious new drink that’s a play on sparkling cider. Ripped from the pages of Real Simple Magazine, this drink pairs my love of prosecco with two very unexpected ingredients – apple juice and goldschlager. Sure, you could purchase store-bought cider and add alcohol to it, but this drink feels and tastes slightly more sophisticated. From the fizzy prosecco, to the not too sweet combination of apple juice and goldschlager, this cinnamon scented cider has become a go-to winter cocktail in my apartment.

For a cocktail club or dinner party occasion, serve with roasted pork tenderloin, green beans and a mushroom risotto.

Spiked Sparkling Cider – Serves 20

4 bottles chilled Prosecco
6 cups chilled Apple Juice
3/4 cup Goldschlager

Mix, clink glasses with your friends and enjoy!

For more of my recipes, click here.

RECIPES

Home Cookin’: Parmesan-Dijon Lentils with Veggies

Parmesan-Dijon Lentils with Veggies

My workweek meals must be simple, healthy and fast. I’m always on the go, so whipping up a quick, yet flavorful dinner is a must. Plus, any chance to add extra veggies and protein into my diet is a big bonus.

While lentils take awhile to cook, the rest of the ingredients in this dish make it a snap to prepare. You’ll need the following items:

RECIPES

Home Cookin’: Fresh Raspberry, Cucumber, Feta, Green Bean and Chickpea Spinach Salad

Looking for a healthy lunch or dinner that can be whipped up in ten minutes? A fantastic dinner party salad that’s sure to wow your friends? Look no further.

Incredibly simple, this fresh salad does not require actual cooking! If you can select good ingredients and chop bite sized pieces, then you can prepare this meal.

I’ve listed the ingredients below as a serving for a six to eight person dinner party. For one person, it should result in several lunch or dinner sized portions. If you’re cooking for one, I would put all of the ingredients into separate tupperware containers and combine them specially for each meal so that the lettuce does not wilt. By making the salad that way, it’s easy to customize the meal to your preferences, and you can mix and match serving it as an entree salad, versus adding a piece of chicken or salmon on the side.

Salad Ingredients:
– 1 bag of baby spinach
– 1 large cucumber
– 1 bag of green beans in a microwaveable bag
– 1 can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
– 1 container of crumbled feta cheese (or less, depending on your preferences)
– 1 pint of raspberries
– Olive oil
– Crushed black pepper
– Whole Foods fat free balsamic vinaigrette

Puncture holes into the bag of green beans and steam in the microwave according to the package directions. Remove green beans in the microwave and place in an empty bowl to cool.

While the green beans are cooling, chop the cucumber into bite sized pieces and set aside. Once the green beans are cool, chop them into bite sized pieces and toss with one tsp of olive oil and season with crushed black pepper. Rinse the canned garbanzo beans with water in a strainer and allow to dry.

Pour the entire bag of spinach into a large bowl. Add in the chopped green beans and cucumber. Toss. Add in garbanzo beans and crumbled feta cheese. Toss again. Add in raspberries and carefully toss.

Serve with a tangy, fat free balsamic dressing, like Whole Foods Fat Free Balsamic Vinaigrette, Trader Joe’s Fat Free Balsamic, or Newman’s Own Lighten Up Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing. Buon Appetito!

For more of my recipes, click here.

RECIPES

Home Cookin’: Cranberry-Apple Chutney

Cranberries & Sugar by Jessica Gioglio

This Thanksgiving, I’m introducing a delicious new side dish to our menu: homemade cranberry-apple chutney. Sweet yet tangy with hints of cinnamon and ginger, this chutney is fantastic when paired with turkey. It’s also a lovely addition to a turkey sandwich – think Iggy’s whole grain bread, dijon mustard, spinach, leftover turkey and chutney.

To make the chutney, you’ll need the following:
– 1 lb cranberries
– 1 cup water
– 1/2 cup sugar
– 2 green apples, peeled, diced in 1/2 inch pieces
– 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
– 1/4 cup lemon juice (e.g. one to two lemons)
– 1/3 cup sugar
– 1 tbsp cinnamon
-1/4 tsp ground cloves
-1 tbsp fresh ginger

Start by combining the cranberries, one cup of water and 1/2 cup of sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat and simmer for ten minutes. After ten minutes, remove from heat, but keep the saucepan on the stove.

While the cranberry and sugar mix is boiling, chop two green apples and toss with red wine vinegar, juice of two lemons, 1/3 cup of sugar, cinnamon, ground cloves and fresh ginger. Pour mix into another medium sauce pan and cook on medium heat until the apples are soft.

Once the apples are soft, combine with cranberry mix and heat until the chutney forms. You’ll want it to be the texture of a thick cranberry sauce with chunks of apples. Allow to cool and then pour into three empty jam jars (I hoard jars of Bonne Maman preserves for this very reason).

Buon Appetito!

For more of my recipes, click here.

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