Taste of the Nation Boston 2009- Oh, What a Night!

 

Photo Courtesy of MenuPages Boston Blog

A few weeks ago marked the BIGGEST tasting event in Boston – Taste of the Nation Boston. My delay in blogging about it is unforgivable, I know, however many of my other blogging buddies that attended wrote some incredible posts on the event. So incredible that I don’t know how I can add to it. Here are a few buds and their thoughts on this year’s event at the Hynes Convention Center:

• MenuPages Boston Blog – College reporter Lena Chen interviewed almost every spokesperson (including Billy Shore, executive director at SOS) at the event and captured the above picture from Gargoyles table (one of my personal picks for best dish of the night)
• The Bostonist – Reviewer Ann Woody tasted and conquered this event and wrote a flavorful post of the tastes, sites and sounds of the event.
• Transient Travels – Blogger Susan Forshner captured the international influence of Taste of the Nation’s cause to end child hunger and included a nice recap of her wonder through the event. (Not to mention that she rushed to the event after a full work day!)
• Besotted Gourmet – Food writer, Jessica, who gives the event a foodie thumbs up and includes pics of some of her favorite eatable finds.

To sum it up: We came, we ate, we enjoyed some great music, we got to meet the chefs behind the foodie magic, and we teetered around the VIP area with some delicious Bombay Sapphire drinks.

The best part was that all proceeds for the event went to battle child hunger. Parent organization, Share Our Strength should be proud of an event well planned and executed. Word on the street has it that even despite the troubled  economy, they raised some well needed funds. Congratulations to all who came and hopefully we’ll see you all next year!

Don’t Give Up that New Year’s Resolution Yet!

Each January 1st, we make those lofty goals of bettering ourselves called “New Year’s Resolutions” in order to start the year with a clean slate and “this will be the year” attitude. One of the number one resolutions is getting in shape/losing weight, however after about January 10th, many already start reassessing their goals. Maybe I’ll aim to lose 10 lbs instead of 20. Maybe I’ll just cut out Hershey bars instead of all chocolate. Of course we can be a tad unrealistic with our goals and need to keep some perspective, but giving in quickly is no good either and creates a habit of giving in when workouts/fitness goals get tough.

So don’t give in. Many people make the mistake of trying to change too much too fast. Start with the small things and gradually build up. Here are a few small changes to make to your workout/health routines during the first weeks of a fitness resolution:

• Start with short workouts - If you’re starting from scratch, don’t think you need to do hour long workouts five times a week right off the bat. You’ll get burned out fast. You need to establish the frequency habit first, then you add time to your workouts to further challenge you. Start with 20-30 min workouts four times a week and build from there to establish a routine
• Mix it up - Variety is the spice of life, and your workouts. Doing the same routine over and over again, will bore you fast and cause you to ditch. Keep it interesting by changing the order you do things, the types of activities, and where you do them to keep it interesting especially as you’re starting up on your fitness program.
• Join a community – There are a number of online fitness communities you can join to give you the group support and ongoing tips that you’ll need to get started and keep motivated. Try NeverSayDiet’s Community Challenge or Discovery’s National Body Challenge. 
• Add music to your diet - I know there are some debates on whether music serves as more of a distraction or motivation in a workout, but I find it really helps. So get creative and compile a workout playlist to pump you up (Fitsugar has some suggestions for you). Think your playlist is especially motivational or inspiring? Then enter the New York Times’ Well blog”Create a Soundtrack for Health” contest to help others battle through illnesses with music.

You have any other tips or tactics that have worked for you? Share them!

Battle the Holiday Bulge

I love the holidays for all the wonderful parties and food, but of course have had to learn to take some extra steps during this festive time of year to prevent adding holiday pounds as I add events to my calendar. It’s easy to overeat at the company party or enjoy too many of those themed little cocktails people love so much (I mean come on, chocolate in a martini just sounds too good to pass up on). You don’t want to be the freak that is standing in the corner gazing longingly at the buffet and won’t eat or drink anything. So what do you do to stop overindulging? Check out these tips I’ve compiled from some favorite sites and past experience:

1. Plan Ahead – If you know you’re going to a party or something during meal time, have a healthy snack before you go to the party to ensure you’re not ravenous and diving on the first fat packed snack you see.
2. Track Your  Eating Habits – I’m a big fan of food journaling as a beginning step for any diet improvement plan, but during the holidays keeping track of what you eat serves to discourage you from forgetting about those four extra drinks and the sample tray of desserts you devoured at your friends’ holiday celebration. Even if you want to just track your eating habits on weekends and special events, actually seeing what you eat will help motivate you from overdoing it again and again.
3. Sip Slowly – A trick I red in the book French Women Don’t Get Fat and that I still try to follow is to linger over your drinks. If you want to have a special cocktail or glass of bubbly, don’t worry about drinking too many and just limit yourself to one or two going in. Sip slowly and make the drink last longer. You’ll still look sociable and still get to enjoy your drink, but you ensure you won’t swig down too many calories by making each glass last longer.
4. Work it Out – You don’t need to have a gym or a lot of time, but you NEED to workout whenever you can during the holidays. So many of us use the excuse that we’re too busy, but there are a few basic and very effective exercises that you can and should be doing for maximum impact. About.com has more on the five exercises you need to be doing here.

Find Your Inner Wino- How to Taste Wine

Do you find yourself wondering what all these winos are talking about? What is the big deal? How can you taste the difference between a Merlot and a Cabernet? How the heck do you taste tobacco or grapefruit from a drink made out of grapes?? 

Well Susan at Transient Travels explored her inner wino recently and provided a great overview of how to taste wine. Yes, there is an art to it and like many things, practice makes perfect. Just keep in mind that no matter how much of an expert you are, everyone’s tastes are different and might not end up tasting the exact same thing.

If you’re new to wine tasting though, try tasting it with different foods. It’s almost magical how the wine will taste different depending on the food you eat. Even the food tastes better with the right wine! Here’s a crash course in food and wine pairings by Food & Wine expert Ray Isle (it’s an older article, but a good breakdown of things). Some of his food/wine pairings are:

 

•  Plain Roasted Chicken and Beaujolais
• Dark Chocolate Desserts and Madeira
• German Whites like Gewurztraminer or Riesling with Spicy Food

Spinning Away – Have you tried it?

For anyone who has tried spinning before, you know what is entailed – 45 to 60 minutes of sweat dripping, hill climbing, sprints and jumps that leave you so exhausted afterward you gimp out of the room to find the nearest chair to collapse into. I ventured forth at 5:45 this morning and tried a class for the first time in probably three years. The result? I’m totally addicted. I can’t move my legs right now, but burning up to 450 calories in 45 minutes is one heck of a workout.

Don’t get caught up in the stress of not being as in shape as you’d like when it comes to spinning though. The instructors are there to push you, but it’s your call on the resistance and speed you decide on. Still doubtful? Here are some tips that will ensure you know what to expect and prepare for:

• First, ask around and find out the best classes in your area or gym – Other people can give you honest feedback on which instructors are worth tyring. The instructors make the class, so find out who’s the hardest, friendliest, or pushiest to fit what you’re looking for.
• Second arrive early – Most spinning classes require sign up and you need at least 5-10 minutes before the start of class to adjust your bike. Arrive 15 minutes early and get a good seat (in the back if you are a beginner and don’t want to be font and center, or in the front if you like the interaction with the instructor)
• Bring a towel and bottel of water and be sure to wear shorts or tight fitting pants (to prevent them from getting caught up in equipment)
• Be sure to adjust your bike so that your legs extend when pedaling but aren’t completely straight or your too high (you’ll notice that your hips will move up and down if you’re too high up)
• Start at a lower resistance and don’t worry about matching the instructor, just focus on challenging yourself and pushing yourself a bit out of your comfort zone.
• Be prepared for some loud music as it’s often turned up for most or all of the class and can range from pop and punk, to heavy metal and rap.
• Have fun!

Start Your Day off Right

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day for a reason. It jump starts your metabolism, helps keep your appetite on track over the day, and gives you lots of great energy to get going. Many of us overlook this meal however, and if we eat anything at all, it’s a breakfast bar or bowl of cereal. While that is better than nothing, do yourself a favor whenever you can afford 20 minutes in the morning, especially on weekends, and whip up a wholesome breakfast.

Sues at We Are Not Martha has an incredible dish that is perfect for a Fall morning, pumpkin pancakes. Here delicious recipe will warm you up and get you going. She matched the pancakes with some pumpkin butter and maple syrup, but also consider using a spiced version of apple sauce as a pancake topping (make it yourself if you want to be ambitious). Pair the pancakes with some fruit topped with some yogurt or cottage cheese and you’ve got wonderfully balanced breakfast!

I’ll be including the spiced apple sauce recipe soon, so keep a watch out for it!

Morning Workouts – Should you give it a go?

It’s a question that I’ve asked myself a thousand times – Should I work out in the morning or in the evening? Which is better? Is it worth getting losing sleep for? What to do?!?!?!?

Fitsugar recently explored this question and I think they have the best answer so far. The answer being, workout whenever you will. Your schedule will impact this, being a morning person will as well. Even seasons can effect when you will be more able and willing to workout.

For me – I have a full time job, and summer seems like the only time when I can muster up the energy to workout after a 9-10 hour workday. Come Fall, an internal switch goes off and I have no chance in making the regular p.m. workouts. That leaves mornings as my only option. It’s what works for me.

So give yourself a break and realize that there are a lot of personal factors that are at play in what will be best for your own workout schedule. Do yourself a favor and for one week try mornings. The next try afternoons. Aim to get to the gym at least 3-4 times each of those weeks, on similar days. Go with what FEELS right and forget what everyone else says.

Hidden Treasures in Gloucster, MA

The best weekends are those that happen without effort or lots of planning. This past weekend was just that for me. Following a rather event-less Saturday, I traveled over to Gloucester, MA with my Mom for a Ladies’ Lunch. Feeling especially spontaneous, we didn’t go with a restaurant in mind. Thankfully my mother pulled out some tremendous advice for finding some grub, “always ask a local for a tip.”

Our designated local pointed us to Passports, which turned out to be well worth the trip! Located right on Main Street, Passports delighted us with a quaint feel created by the local art hung on walls, intimate little tables, and quick and polite service. Splitting their Fried Goat Cheese Salad (fresh mixed greens, tomatoes, pears, goat cheese) and their Smoked Salmon Sandwich on Rye bread turned out to be the ideal balance for us and though we regretted not trying their house Sangria, we left relaxed and incredibly satisfied.

We followed a delicious lunch with walk up Main Street to the Pleasant Street Tea Co. where our barista pointed out a couple yummy tea drinks for us to try. A cup of Pumpkin Tea Latte and Earl Gray Vanilla Tea later, and we decided to chalk this day up to one heck of a success! If only every unscheduled weekend could turn out so well! 

Food Genious Comes from the Most Surprising Places

Photo - Courtesy New York Post

Have you heard about the 13 year old chef from East Hampton, NY? According to the New York Post he’s whipping up red wine reductions, pan seared scallops, and souffles for catered events! Greg Grossman has been delighting the palates of parents and friends since he was 10according to his mother and father. I think I had mastered the art of the omelet and brownie at that point, but that was about it.

I like to think that I’m a reasonably young foodie, but this kid takes the cake (and could probably make one in his sleep). No doubt his Hampton upbringing helped educate his young taste buds a bit sooner than the rest of us, but still… WOW. How old were you when you developed a lust and appreciation for food?

Can’t even imagine what his taste will be like in ten years if he’s already giving chefs three times his age a run for their money. Expect to see more from this boy!

One of Greg's creations - Courtesy of The New York Post

Boston’s Restaurant Week Ends, Good Food Rolls On…

I’m a foodie, so obviously Boston’s Restaurant Week is like Christmas-come-early to me. I made it to a couple tasty restaurants this year including Rocca and Icarus. Thankfully both had some incredible seafood dishes on the menu, so even this picky diner was pleased.

Rocca impressed with some exotic dishes inspired by the Italian Riviera such as their fish stew that I practically licked out of the bowl (you would have done the same, trust me). Icarus was a bit more intimate, but their polenta with goat cheese and red beets just about made me melt under the table. I only wish I had had the chance to pilfer the wine list that night… It’s not too late though, Icarus at least has extended their Restaurant Week offerings until August 31st!

Of course good food is not limited to Boston. I took a little trip down to Newport, RI this weekend for a friend’s bachelorette celebration and stumbled across Loca, a cute little Mexican restaurant on Long Wharf with tummy pleasing dishes and soul-satisfying Sangria. We had a fabulous surfer-girl waitress that took wonderful care of us and even gave us a round of shots for the road! Gotta love it. I would definitely recommend it if you are looking for a bite after touring the mansions in Newport some weekend.

I’d share some of the other tidbits from the weekend, but I’ve been sworn to secrecy… bachelorette party and all, I’m sure you can use your imagination.