Food + Wellness

Move Over Chai. Hello London Fog.

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london_fog_latte

To me, there’s nothing endearing about the cold. Except the warming up. What better way to warm up than with a steamy hot drink?

I’m all about the hot cider, hot chocolate. Of course hot coffee. And as the first leaves start falling from the trees, I stock up on multiple teas.

Chai tea is a favorite. I love the sweetness and spice with either soy or almond milk. Generally that’s the only tea that I drink with milk. But recently, I read about a different way to drink Earl Grey tea.

According to a Tasting Table article, a hot drink called London Fog is all the rage on the West Coast — though first created in Vancouver. Apparently since I am way over on the East Coast, I had never heard of it. Or I’m just out of the loop.

To make it, you steam milk, add to Earl Grey tea, then add vanilla. Have you tried it?

I did a very quick version of my own when I got home from work tonight, but I also added honey. I liked it and will definitely make it again.

You can also order the drink on Starbucks Secret Menu. So if you don’t want to make it at home, grab some while you’re out on the go.

Cheers!

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Al Fresco Dining at Novara Restaurant in Milton

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Views of outdoor seating at Novara restaurant.

Didn’t make it to Italy this summer? Neither did I. But while dining at Novara Restaurant recently, it felt like I was transported to Italy for a mini-vacation.

I took another mini-vacation in July when I was in Connecticut for a couple of days to see Maxwell in concert. The concert ticket price included Maxwell’s new CD blackSUMMERS’night, but you had to get it later via mail.

My friend received our CDs and asked if she should send mine or if we should get together. Get together of course! I suggested dinner at Novara and we enjoyed a wonderful summer night dining al fresco.

Starting off, the service was great. Full disclosure*, I was invited to visit Novara. However, I have been invited to visit other restaurants over the years and been shocked by less than stellar service and disorganization. Thankfully Novara’s staff was friendly, professional and organized.

My friend and I were both pleased with the delicious bread. Our cocktails were tasty, refreshing and strong.

Bread basket at Novara restaurant.

Cocktails at Novara restaurant.

Novara is the sister restaurant of Abby Park, which I wrote about on Craving Boston. It was a very warm evening, but we did get a quick rain storm out of the blue.

Because the tables have umbrellas over them, it wasn’t even a problem. A perfect summer night.

Entrees and dessert at Novara restaurant.

For my meal, I had the Special, which was lobster gnocci. So good! My friend had zucchini parmesan. She loved hers too!

Like its sister restaurant, Novara has a wonderful menu. I love Italian food, so I basically wanted to eat everything. I noticed people picking up food to go, so the take-out menu is a great option as well. Of course I had dessert. The chocolate mousse was the perfect ending to my meal.

I definitely recommend Novara and will return. Having a good restaurant so close to home makes eating out easier. Parking was not a problem and it’s often an issue in Boston.

Logo for Dine out Boston aka Restaurant Week Boston.

Restaurant Week, now called Dine Out Boston, is coming up in just a few days. Even though Novara is located in Milton, they have joined in as well.

You have two opportunities (August 14 -19 & August 21 – 26) to participate. If you want to start adding restaurants to your list, start with Novara!

 

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Disclosure* Thank you to Novara for the  complimentary dinner for two!

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The Resurgence of the Ice Cream Sandwich

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Stack of ice cream sandwiches on a plate.

The ice cream sandwich never totally disappeared from the dessert scene. Vanilla ice cream between a chocolate cakey wafer is a classic American childhood summer treat.

It was good, but not that exciting. We grew up and the novelty wore off. But things have changed.  There’s been a lot of innovation since we were kids.

A few months ago, I tried Stop & Shop’s Limoncello flavor and became rather obsessed with them. They are so good! But they are around for a limited time only. Sadly, I couldn’t find them the last time that I looked.

Ciao Bella makes Gelato Squares in flavors like Key Lime Graham and Sea Salt Caramel. A cold, creamy treat for those of us who have not seen our teen years in a while. Actually, some teens and younger might like these too.

Now for those of us in Massachusetts especially, Hood ice cream takes us back to our childhoods. Hood has stepped up their game with some new limited time only flavors as well.

Pictured above is S’mores. Which I ate right after photographing. Because it was melting. I couldn’t be wasteful could I?! 😋

I also bought the Cookies ‘n Cream, but haven’t tried them yet. Looking forward to it! July is National Ice Cream Month and we are now in the heart of summer. I’m looking forward to trying out more variations. Especially since it’s in the food blogger job description — that I just made up!

Today is also National Ice Cream Day, so you can get going on your summer consumption too!

Lunch: Dragon Roll & Grill Food Truck

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Dragon Roll & Grill Food Truck
Yesterday I didn’t have time to make my lunch and I needed something quick.

Being a food blogger, if I’m going to buy food, I prefer that it be bloggable. Luckily, just steps away from my office,  I spotted a new to me food truck — Dragon Roll & Grill.

I got a chicken and shrimp teriyaki bowl with rice noodles. It was really good. Although, I only planned to eat half, I ate the whole thing! The portion is quite large and you get a lot of chicken and shrimp for your money. It’s not mostly noodles.

There could have been a little bit more sauce, but that’s just my preference. I definitely recommend them, so catch them when you can!