dessert

Subway Stories: Girl Scout Cookies

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As I left work last night, I was considering baking this weekend. When I walk, I find my mind creating recipes and the idea of rosemary shortbread was swirling in my head. Then I arrived at South Station to catch the train and saw a table with Girl Scout Cookies.

Talk about a mind shift! I literally stopped in my tracks and frantically started rummaging through my pocketbook to see how much cash I had. I hadn’t made it to the bank, so there wasn’t much. Was I only going to be able to get one box of Girl Scout Cookies?!

Luckily, the Girl Scouts have evolved with the times and they take bank cards now. I got three boxes of cookies: Lemonades, Shortbread and Thin Mints. G and I devoured the Lemonades yesterday. They are so perfect!

Today, I need to lay off the cookies and burn some of those calories off. But I’m looking forward to eating the rest. Maybe I’ll pick up some more as this cookie season continues. The Girl Scouts hit the jackpot of locations being inside the T and certainly helped make my commute much sweeter!

Happy Weekend to you!

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Screenshot: Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts

Sweets of the Season

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seasonal sweets gingerbread menToday our building had a holiday party for the tenants. It was such a pretty display that I couldn’t resist taking a few pictures.

Jules Catering put together the festive event and arranged everything so beautifully. What a wonderful treat! I enjoyed some eggnog and carrot cake. Delicious!

WBUR + Legal Sea Foods = Dinner!

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Legal Sea Foods dessert with dinnerMaybe a month or so ago, I was driving and listening to WBUR, a local NPR station. They were fundraising and giving out Legal Sea Foods gift cards for donations. A great idea for dinner!

I’m already a sustaining member, so I didn’t think I’d be eligible for anything. Then they said that even a tiny increase in the monthly amount would be enough to get a gift card. Since that fits my budget, I thought it was a nice excuse to do some good and go to Legal Sea Foods.

Last night, my mom and I went to dinner at their new Braintree location. It had been a while since we went out to dinner together, so it was real treat for us. The service was excellent and so was the food.

We both enjoyed our seafood dinners, but I was focused on dessert from the beginning after reading that they were featuring a cognac pumpkin cheesecake. It was delicious! The size was rather small, which was both good and bad. I wanted more, because it was so good. But I also didn’t feel as guilty eating it since the portion was quite reasonable.

My mom ordered the Boston Cream Pie and I had a taste. Okay, a few bites. I loved it too! Trying Boston Cream Pie at different locations, like Bostonia Public House and Parker’s Restaurant, is becoming a thing with me. I wonder what place prepares it the best? That will take some diligent research and remembering to order when it comes time for dessert when I’m out at dinner.

I like seeing the different variations of our official state dessert here in Massachusetts. Earlier today there was a nice segment on CBS Sunday Morning about Boston Cream Pie, which is actually a cake. I’ve never made it myself. Maybe that will be a thing at some point too.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Pear Crisp: Breakfast For Grown-ups

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Pear CrispBreakfast or dessert? I’ve asked this question before. Since I’m a grown-up, I’ve decided that it’s breakfast.

When I was a kid, I remember looking forward to being one of the grown-ups and being able to make my own decisions about things just like this. Because in the greater scheme of life, shouldn’t I be able to eat what I want for breakfast? Now is certainly the time to reap the benefits.

Last Sunday, I salvaged some subpar pears by baking with them. The inspiration for the crisp came from the apple crisp recipe shared by Amy Traverso. I made several changes, but her recipe served as a nice framework.

I cut the ingredient amounts in half, so it worked for the amount of pears that I had. I left the skins mostly on, but removed some of it because of brown spots. I changed the sugar to half brown and for the other half decided to finally use this coconut sugar that I bought about a while ago. I was a bit concerned that it might taste like coconut, but I didn’t notice it.

I used regular salt instead of kosher. Instead of all cinnamon, I used some cardamom too. For the flour, I keep a mixture of all-purpose and wheat in a container that I use for everything. It’s not measured, but it’s mostly all-purpose.

The crisp was really good and G loved it. He said, “That’s what grown-ups eat!” I happen to agree.

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Pear Crisp
(4 servings)

INGREDIENTS:

  • 3 cups pears (cut up)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup flour
  • 3/4 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup coconut sugar
  • 1/4 cup butter (melted)
  • 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp. cardamom

INSTRUCTIONS:

Place the pears in an ungreased baking dish, then set aside.

In a medium bowl, add the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugars. Combine ingredients, then stir in egg. It will be crumbly. Spread the mixture over the pears. Drizzle the melted butter over the top. Then sprinkle the cinnamon and cardamom.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. You should probably let it sit and cool for a few minutes before cutting it. But we were hungry and watching CBS Sunday Morning as we were waiting for the crisp to finish baking.

Once it was done, I took a few quick pictures and we ate it. Because sometimes grown-ups are as impatient as kids!

Happy November to you!

Hanson Farm + Sugar Hill Dairy in Bridgewater, MA

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Hanson Farm Sugar Hill DairyThe last few days have felt like fall and now it’s official. Autumn arrived today. While summer is probably my favorite season, there is a definite beauty to fall and a certain coziness that comes with a bit of chill in the air.

Last week, my mom and I enjoyed one of those precious last days of summer by visiting Hanson Farm, which is about 25 miles south of Boston in Bridgewater. The farm has a dairy, so we decided to treat ourselves to some ice cream.

My mom had the frozen pudding, which she said was the best that she has had in years. I couldn’t pick just one, so I combined some seasonal favorites, apple crisp and pumpkin patch. They were delicious! Besides the wonderful flavors and texture, the portions are big, so a small ice cream was still a lot.

If you’re in the area, stop by and enjoy some scoops at Hanson Farm!