jenblossom's Profile

I use boneless beef short ribs in my favorite chili recipe: http://www.food52.com/recipes/7880_short_rib_chili

For seafood, I'm a huge fan of Mercato del Mare in the North End (http://northendfish.com/). They have a small but well-curated selection of fresh and frozen seafood, prepared dishes and ancillary items, and owners Liz and Keri are just wonderful.

I'll put in another vote for Dave's Fresh Pasta in Somerville. It was on my route home when I lived in the neighborhood, and I still miss it.

In the South End, you can't go wrong with any of Barbara Lynch's places (Plum Produce and Butcher Shop are favorites for provisions), and Lionette's Market (http://www.lionettesmarket.com/) is, for me, worth making a special trip up from RI.

Brix is a favorite for wine and spirits (http://www.brixwineshop.com/)

Favorite cheap eats are Ernesto's in the North End for delicious pizza by the (huge) slice, Boston Kebab House for falafel and Middle Eastern salads, and 163 Vietnamese Sandwiches for banh mi.

Finally, the Boston Public Market is a real gem (http://www.bostonpublicmarket.org/). I love walking there on my lunch break or stopping off on my way to South Station in the evening.

This looks great. Sardines are one of my favorites, and I'm always on the lookout for new ways to eat them.

This basic buttermilk dressing from Food and Wine mag is a huge favorite in our home, particularly with crumbled blue cheese mixed in:

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/buttermilk-dressing

We generally have buttermilk left over from batches of fried chicken and/or biscuits, so those are other (obvious) suggestions. And I recently made some tasty pancakes using this recipe:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/109480

I'm not a fan of sweets so these were perfect for my palate, and easy to assemble.

I've had my eye on these for a while now - I think it's finally time to break down and buy one.

My husband and I both have the 24th off as well as Christmas Day, so we've planned lots of good things to eat for both days, starting with breakfast.

On the 24th, we'll begin our day with a breakfast skillet - breakfast sausage from Flying Pigs, potatoes, onions and whatever else I decide to toss in, with some eggs cracked in as well.

On the 25th, it'll be "bagels and bloodies" as we open our gifts. My husband is going to make a batch of his famous Bloody Mary mix ahead of time so the flavors can blend, and he'll shake some up to go alongside a spread of bagels and toppings from Russ and Daughters.

Happy Holidays, everyone!

Tonight my husband and I are splitting a gorgeous grass-fed ribeye, with my spicy red onion rings and wedges of butterhead lettuce with homemade buttermilk blue cheese dressing.

We have no plans for Saturday yet, though we'll probably just do something low-key.

Then Sunday is all about duck. We have a whole duck plus two extra legs in the fridge which my husband is going to take apart. He's going to confit the legs, then I'll take the carcass and wings and make stock, which will then go into a duck and sausage gumbo. We're reserving the breasts for stovetop smoking later in the week.

I'm easily bored, so I rotate the following throughout the course of the work week:

one egg, cheddar and tomato on toasted multigrain bread
Greek yogurt with walnuts and honey
cottage cheese or a hard boiled egg and a glass of vegetable juice (I prefer Knudsen Very Veggie, but V8 will do in a pinch)
ricotta with apricots, pine nuts and a drizzle of balsamic
baguette with butter and cheese
multigrain Wasa with ricotta and jam

I love oatmeal and I generally only eat it during the cooler months of the year. I usually dress it up with blueberries and almonds, or butter and sea salt, or a few dashes of hot sauce, or a little grated sharp cheese.

On the weekends, anything goes - we go out for brunch more often than we do for any other meal, but if I cook at home, I'll do soft scrambled eggs with fresh herbs, or eggs baked with feta and tomato, or eggs over easy with toast and bacon or chicken-apple sausage on the side.

I got an inexpensive one from Crate and Barrel last year and I love it. I hang it from our pot rack when not in use so it really doesn't take up much space at all.

I love grilling my vegetables for salsa - tomatoes, tomatillos and chiles get such a wonderful smokiness when you char them over hardwood.