Flavor Buffet
Cheers to the weekend! What have you got cooking up for the next couple days? It’s beautiful here in Boston so my plan is to GET OUTSIDE! And enjoy some great food, too.
From mindful eating to cooking in Italy (but really your kitchen), this week’s selections have a fun undertone in that most seem to encourage gathering while eating, which, to me, is the best way to eat in general. With your people! Plus, there’s a silly bonus. :)
Note: each article is available via the button/link below the corresponding description.
Enjoy!
1. Do you allow phones/screens at the dinner table? Or when you’re out with friends? How about when you’re out at a restaurant?
We try very hard, and make a decent effort, to say “no phones” during meals and for the most part I think it’s so important that we actually follow that unspoken rule. There’s no need for screens - just talk to your dinner companion(s)! While I sometimes snap quick photos of the food, I try to then quickly put my phone away for the rest of the meal.
But how about the practice of mindful eating? I’m definitely taking a few of these tips to our table and hope you’ll consider some of them as well. You never know what kind of fun conversations you’ll have, or how relaxed you’ll feel, after some “no screens allowed” time at the dinner table.
2. No matter your feelings about Chrissy Teigen and her famous family, word on the street (or the Internet, really) is that her cookbooks are pretty great. Her second one debuted this week! It’s in my Amazon cart and I am seconds from ordering it...
Packed with comfort foods and all sort of options for entertaining, what I admire about the books is the real-ness she has inflected in them and isn’t just showing off pages of salads. And in this article she discusses the more personal side to this book’s creation. Her candidness is appreciated - we are all human!
As soon as my copy arrives we will dive right in! Stay tuned...
3. The brunch scene in Boston is very much alive and thriving. And while we don’t have those “bottomless mimosa bars” that may dot other cities, we do offer some pretty incredible menus with dishes (and drinks) to satisfy every diner’s weekend preferences.
Check out the latest edition of “Ask the Editor” which is part of Boston magazine’s online dining section. She provides a pretty comprehensive list of brunch spots - many of which I can’t wait to check out!
4. While we may be ways away from actually getting ourselves over to Italy, we might as well cook like we are already there! It’s “Italy Week” over at Food52 and this awesome illustrated guide to the foods of Italy is perfect for making authentic cuisine from each region.
I can’t wait to select a few of our favorites and feature them during a weeknight meal plan. This guide is essentially a “thumbs up” to having fresh pasta and Italian desserts every night of the week! 😎 Hooray!
5. I’ve mentioned my passion for decor before, right? Well, while I fawn over well-presented dishes in restaurants, I get pretty excited about a restaurant’s overall interior design, too.
But who creates these stunning visions? How does the look of a restaurant go from idea to full-blown construction project to finished product: a dining experience that’s completely unique and all-consuming as soon as you walk in the door.
This piece introduces you to a restaurant architect who not only loves creating stunning interiors in which to eat amazing food, but he loves the food just as much! Now that’s who I want designing my restaurant. Love of food is most definitely a job requirement. 😉
Bonus!
We are all familiar with those fabulous Snickers commercials that indicate “you aren’t you when you’re hungry,” which is a very accurate statement for most people, myself included! But what about all those other funny times involving food?
Here’s a set of silly food situation gifs that are hilariously accurate. Especially #14, for me... 😂