Sunday, February 22, 2009 at 09:49 AM
Bread pudding is my favorite! 
Using some of the leftover whole wheat bread from yesterday’s chili party, I made a French toast-inspired bread pudding this morning.
I topped my portion with banana slices and maple syrup. Holy, holy, holy yum! 
My portion may look small, but this bread pudding was soooo filling! It is sitting like a rock in my stomach right now. I hope it digests before I hit the Y for a workout later this morning. 
How to:
- Preheat oven to 325*F
- Cut bread 2-3 thick slices of bread into small cubes and place in a greased baking pan
- Combine in a small bowl:
- 1/3 cup liquid egg whites
- 1/2 cup vanilla hemp or soy milk
- 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
- Cinnamon and nutmeg to taste
- Pour liquid mixture over bread cubes, coating throughly
- Bake (uncovered) for 15-20 minutes
- Allow to cool for 2-3 minutes before enjoying
Makes 2 servings
Isn’t this polka-dot bowl cute?!? Heather gave it to me for the Valentine’s Day swap. I love it!
With iced coffee…
Happy Sunday, bloggies!!!
Posted by: Tina
Posted in: Uncategorized, recipe
Tags: bread pudding
Thursday, February 19, 2009 at 12:25 PM
Sabrina described our Boston Blogger Meet-up perfectly: “Small Plates, Big Mouths!” The 13 of us talked non-stop while at dinner! We all had so much in common and our conversation flowed naturally for nearly 3 hours. Our mouths were chatting so much, I’m surprised we were able to eat at all! 
The chatting began almost immediately as people arrived to dinner. Our poor server must have been so annoyed with us because she tried to take our orders a number of times before we finally took a break from talking to look at the menu.
I started with a glass of Raymond Chardonnay Reserve. I drank two glasses over the course of the evening.
The tapas menu at Small Plates was seriously to die for! Even with recommendations from our server, I still had such a difficult time deciding what I wanted to eat for dinner. I honestly wanted to try everything on the menu!
The first tapas that I chose was the Warm Squash ‘Fettuccine’ with Tomato Romesco. When it was served to me, I was immediately impressed by the colors. I never expected squash to look so vibrant and the presentation to be so beautiful! (I was expecting a plate of spaghetti squash.) The serving was topped with fresh basil leaves and a crostini. The visual aesthetics added so much to this dish!
The flavor and texture of the Warm Squash ‘Fettuccine’ was wonderful, too. The ‘fettuccine’ was basically long, soft ribbons of different kinds of squash, and its consistency was very much like actual pasta. The tomato sauce actually had a little kick to it, which was a nice flavor contrast to the more mild squash. Both the tomato sauce and squash tasted extremely fresh.
My second dish was the Blue Cheese Raclette with Seared Tomato and Fingerling Potatoes. The cheese was basically blended into a soft “patty,” which was topped with a breadcrumb-like crust and a thick slice of seared tomato, surrounded by thinly sliced baked fingerling potatoes and drizzled with a thick balsamic dressing. The blue cheese raclette had an intensely rich flavor, which was AMAZING! I slowly savored each and every bite.
I spread the soft cheese onto the tomato as well as the potato slices before smearing them in the dressing for a number of different flavor variations. The Blue Cheese Raclette was easily my favorite tapas of the evening. Delish!
When it was time for dessert, I didn’t have trouble deciding (1) if I wanted dessert; (2) what to order for dessert. The tapas portions were obviously small, so they left room for a sweet treat at the end of the meal, and I absolutely LOVE bread pudding, so the decision was easy. Katie and I split the Ginger Apple Bread Pudding with Southern Wild Turkey Sauce.
The Bread Pudding was a heavenly dessert! The thick bread was perfectly firm-on-the-outside and soft-on-the-inside and covered with a sweet, slightly sticky sauce. Bits of apple and a subtle ginger flavor were infused throughout, and the dessert was finished off with a pair of strawberry slices and a fresh mint leaf on top.
My portion… 
I love this quote that was on the bottom of the Small Plates dessert menu:
“Who is to say that ‘bigger is better’?
I’ve often wondered that.
Can you not fit more kumquats in a jar than you could, say, spools of twine?
Flavors are similar.
Give me small plates any day & an extraordinary bottle
of wine and I will be happy forever.”
Nanthida Bernardeau, 1946
Boston bloggies! We totally forgot to snap a photo until the very end of the night, and by then, some of our crew had already headed home. Here are the remaining ladies!
(l – r) Elina, Shannon, Bridget, Kelly, me, Sabrina, Sarah, and Lauren
Missing from the photo: MacDuff, Karley, Sue, Inna, and Katie
It was so, so, so nice to meet these lovely Boston bloggers and readers. I love knowing that so many intelligent, friendly, and beautiful women live right here in the same city. I can’t wait to get together soon. Ladies, perhaps a potluck dinner is in our future?
Posted by: Tina
Posted in: Uncategorized, restaurant
Tags: bread pudding, tapas
Wednesday, November 26, 2008 at 04:05 PM
Thanks to a wonderful restaurant recommendation from our friend, Matt, Mal and I ended up eating one of the most amazing sushi dinners of our lives! Almost everything about Blue Ribbon Sushi was outstanding! (We’re still talking about it days later! 
) Thanks, Matthew!
The only “negative” part about our dining experience was our wait for a table. We were told beforehand (by our hotel concierge) that Blue Ribbon Sushi Bar & Grill did not take reservations, so Mal and I were prepared to wait. Our plan was to have a drink at the bar and just relax. When we arrived, we were told that the wait for a table was about 15-20 minutes. Unfortunately, this time estimate turned into more than an hour! Mal and I were super hungry, but because of our vacation state of mind, we really didn’t mind waiting that long.
While chilling at the bar, Mal and I each ordered a glass of Sauvignon Blanc.
The host at Blue Ribbon felt terrible about our long wait, so he immediately sent a complimentary appetizer to our table. In my opinion, free food makes just about any dining out experience better!
Bonsai Tree
Crabstick, Avocado, Masago & Kaiware Wrapped in Cucumber
The Bonsai Tree appetizer was so unique! The cucumber surrounding the crabstick, avocado, masago, and kaiware was incredibly cool and refreshing– sort of like summer sushi!
I wish I had taken more photos of the decor inside of the restaurant, but it was really crowded, and I always feel like people think I am photographing them!
The Blue Ribbon’s decor was stunning! Dark, solid wood dominated the ceiling, walls, and furniture, and the lighting was mysterious, but also kind of romantic. Mal and I had the option to sit at the large, glowing sushi bar, where we could watch all of the sushi-making action happen, but we opted for a booth in the dining area instead.
For dinner, Mal and I ordered 3 maki rolls to share.
Yasai Maki
Mixed Vegetables
Spicy Tuna
with Tempura Flakes and Cucumber 
I never snapped a shot of our 3rd roll by itself, but it was a California roll with Blue Crab (upper right roll on the sushi board).
The sushi was easily out-of-this-world, but the dessert that followed was the food highlight of my weekend! I’m so glad that I let Mal finish off the last few pieces of sushi because I needed plenty of room in my stomach for this divine piece of heaven! 
Warm Gingerbread Bread Pudding
with French Vanilla Ice Cream and Caramel Drizzle
This was the BEST dessert that I’ve eaten in a long time! The gingerbread was thick, warm, sweet, and slightly spicy, and the melty ice cream and caramel drizzle were the perfect compliment. Oh my gosh, it was incredibly delectable!
More from NYC
Posted by: Tina
Posted in: Uncategorized, restaurant
Tags: bread pudding, gingerbread, sushi
With iced coffee… 
