friday links

Happy Friday!

We survived another massive storm and we still have power.
I'm really happy for having power. Last year we lost power for 4 days in 35 degree days and 18-20 degree nights!
Not fun, and our house stayed at 43 degrees (yes I monitored it as I was afraid of pipes freezing).
This storm-around, the sustained winds weren't as high as the February 2013 blizzard; winds gusts were 65 mph - 75 mph, and the sustained was at 35- 45 mph!
As I write this, it's 2pm and I have the worst case of cabin fever!
I haven't left the house yet, been stuck inside for about a day and half; hubby is still digging out the driveway.  He started at 11am....
So with these friday links you'll see a lot of links!  Sorry, I got a little bored.
No beach or storm photos...
But I have this one and it's pretty spot on:


Cookbook that I'm loving right now: Baking Sourdough Bread by Goran Soderin/George Strachal.
If you're a homemade sourdough bread lover AND you want to learn how to "kick up" your homemade sourdough breads a few notches, then this is exactly the book for you.
Not only does it show you how to start a good, healthy sourdough starter at home, but it also shows you the chemistry process, ingredients, and the golden rules of sourdough dough, and most importantly how to properly store sourdough which myself included don't know how to do the right way.
Inside you'll find recipes for sweet and savory sourdoughs: rye, wheat, spelt, oat, potato, lentil, wild yeast, crackers, hazelnut bread, beer bread, carrot bread, levain, russian sweet bread, wheat buns, and so many more variations.
I highly recommend Baking Sourdough Bread if you want to learn how to take your homemade breads up a notch.

Baking Sourdough Bread


Rye Ciabatta bread pg. 42

I had the most amazing greek salad at a local pizza joint, that I shall now call my pizza joint here on the cape.  Zoe's Pizza in Mashpee, makes the best salads I've seen in a long time.  It's hard (if you don't live in the city) to find a good greek salad.  And this one was made with real salad greens not that horrid iceberg, and obviously they give a nice hefty amount of feta.


What I'm reading now:

Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin.
"...one Sunday afternoon, as she unloaded the dishwasher, Gretchen Rubin felt hit by a wave of homesickness. Homesick—why? She was standing right in her own kitchen. She felt homesick, she realized, with love for home itself. “Of all the elements of a happy life,” she thought, “my home is the most important.” In a flash, she decided to undertake a new happiness project, and this time, to focus on home.  And what did she want from her home? A place that calmed her, and energized her. A place that, by making her feel safe, would free her to take risks. Also, while Rubin wanted to be happier at home, she wanted to appreciate how much happiness was there already.
So, starting in September (the new January), Rubin dedicated a school year—September through May—to making her home a place of greater simplicity, comfort, and love.
In The Happiness Project, she worked out general theories of happiness. Here she goes deeper on factors that matter for home, such as possessions, marriage, time, and parenthood. How can she control the cubicle in her pocket? How might she spotlight her family’s treasured possessions? And it really was time to replace that dud toaster.
Each month, Rubin tackles a different theme as she experiments with concrete, manageable resolutions—and this time, she coaxes her family to try some resolutions, as well.
 With her signature blend of memoir, science, philosophy, and experimentation, Rubin’s passion for her subject jumps off the page, and reading just a few chapters of this book will inspire readers to find more happiness in their own lives...."
Happier at Home is really good, written with thoughtful research, not just personal opinions from afar.


Ham on Rye, remember this one?  Did you read this in grade school?
I always loved reading Charles Bukowski; he is a brilliant writer.
What are you reading?


Do you suffer from SAD (seasonal affective disorder)?
I tend to get a hefty touch of it by January & through February.
Last year I finally bought, after reading all the high reviews, the Philips goLite Blue Light Therapy device.
It worked so well last year, I already have mine out for January & February.
I cannot recommend this enough. And I bought it from this retailer on Amazon, safely & soundly.
If you do get it, don't set the light too high in the beginning, start off slow, as it's a strong light.
This works far better than those white, giant, boxy lights; this one mimics the blue sky of summer.
And it's portable!

Around the web:

more benefits of drinking coffee!  YAY!
personalized prize ribbons (brilliant!)
how to 'knock on wood' and why it helps
big sur cabin spray in a bottle (love this, send samples please!)
the dictionary of american regional english is done (charting under-the-radar regional language nationwide)
broccoli beef recipe
easy garlic broccolini
worlds biggest ship graveyard
what is chromium and why do you need it?
most searched diets of 2013
cozy reading nooks
seasonal affective disorder: bring on the light
christmas tree shaped snack cakes! (so cute)
tips for baking oat-porridge bread
creative food art
Mmm dan dan noodles!
3 ways we sabotage ourselves + how to stop
have you been following the ship rescue in Antarctica? 
create a jar of "awesome" for 2014
finding your niche
an apple a day....
exercise & the brain: mental conditioning
the origin of the candy cane
how to make golden brown pizza crust
worst customer service horror stories
cinnamon can help lower blood sugar: which variety?
how to fall asleep when your mind won't shut off
adding years to life & life to years
london artist ron mueck creates real-life sculptures
cabbage patch inspired hats for kids (adults?)
cinnamon roll pound cake
6 year old break-dancing star
must friends, trust friends, rust friends, and just friends
38 haunting abandoned places on earth
most miserable time of year
bourbon sea salt caramels
michelangelo's handwritten 16th century grocery list
how to scald milk
slash your risk of stroke by eating (real) vitamin C
how to clean/repair a sluggish toilet (very handy)
miracle healing wonders of carrot juice
flourless brownie cookies
best & worst places if you had to shop at one store
the teacher fit program
peanut/tree nut allergy lower among children whose mothers ate them during pregnancy
I love love love this!  The joy of cooking with Samin!
raw vs. cooked? (excellent analysis)
lemon marshmallow cookies (heavenly!)
paleo diet manifesto
the BEST selfie ever!

Have a wonderful weekend!

friday links

Happy Friday!

Our cape cod sunsets have been so beautiful lately; I try to catch as many as I can. All of these are taken with my trusty iphone.  This photo (below) that pink is just stunning.

west dennis beach

sandwich marina. sandwich, ma

clam diggers in chatham, ma

my kind of dinner. never tire of steamers.

chatham fish pier, chatham, ma (with tern island in the distance)


chatham fish pier, chatham, ma

around the web:

homemade vanilla creamer (no junk) from what's megan making
are you making these sunshine mistakes? from mercola.com
very inspiring health & fitness mantras from greatist.com (LOVE these!)
DIY jeweled heels from honestlywtf.com
ultimate guide to protein supplements from greatist.com
the semi-origin of gym machines? from theatlantic.com
relationship between exercise & inflammation from marksdailyapple.com
I love this ad for the van gogh museum cafe from hyperallergic.com
buttered grits cookies! from dessertfortwo.com
how to make candy sugar hearts from crunchycreamysweet.com
influenza sorbet (for real) from jeni's splendid ice cream
be a better cheese buyer from thekitchn
buckwheat: the new baking star from thekitchn
sea-salted choco-toffee rods from the moon blush baker
how to spot fake sriracha from foodrepublic.com
DIY healthier tortilla chips from thekitchn
DIY gluten free all-purpose mix from glutenfreegirl
sloppy tempeh-joe from chickypea
cooking salmon: minimizing that weird white stuff from thekitchn
beyond chicken noodle soup from thekitchn
rundown of 5 fitness apps from foodrepublic.com (I'm getting the yoga stretch one)
chinese mushroom soup from vanillabeanblog
leftover champagne: make vinegar from thekitchn
baltimore crab pretzel sticks from foodrepublic.com
fried pizza sandwiches from diethood.com
rice krispie treat snowballs from chocolatemoosey.com
thai turkey burgers from howsweeteats.com
swedish dream cookies from saveur.com
DIY single serving choco chip cookies from number2pencil.com

And finally a big thumbs up to one of the best places on cape cod to have breakfast: Keltic Kitchen
in west yarmouth, ma.
Should you plan a trip to cape cod, this is the best place to get a homemade breakfast.
Whether you want Irish or not, their food is amazing, prices are very reasonable and the portions are huge.
This is definitely not a tourist trap where they soak you for every dollar and give you a small
meal.  They do get very crowded on the weekends, so come early.
I promise they will take good care of you--plenty of friendly waitstaff who will gladly tell you about their homeland of Ireland.


I had the Keltic Benny with a side of bacon.  Huge right?  The best breakfast I've had in a long time on cape cod.

friday links

There is a new hot spot on cape cod!
I'm so excited.
Rarely do we get good pizza joints here.
Finally one opened up:  Wicked.
The actually have 2 locations in massachusetts, and one of them is on cape cod: mashpee.
They have the best pizza crusts I've had in a very long time.  Organic piza dough too. And they use as much local produce as possible. Sure they have a lot more than just pizza, but to be honest all my friends raved about the pizza, so my first time there we got pizza.  Next time I go I will try a few of the daily specials. Daily specials designed by the chefs of what's in season and local.  Excellent. The ambience of the restaurant is so comfy.  I know that is a popular word, but it's true.  The furniture, the chairs, the half booths were so cozy and comfy. The best part?  The tables were NOT on top of each other; room to breathe, with a hint of privacy.  And they have these high chair tables with half booths over at the bar as well.  Super comfy.  There is also a glass wall that looks into the kitchen, so you can watch what's going on behind the scenes.
If you come to cape cod, please make a trip to Mashpee. Prices are very reasonable.
The only thing they need to change?  The menu should really have more photos of their own creations. I mean their creations are insanely gorgeous and tasty.


Arancini:  risotto croquettes filled with pancetta, fontina cheese and natural Italian sausage.
Served with marinara sauce. These were definitely homemade. The filling was so light and so flavorful. Chock full of sausage, rice and just the right amount of fontina.



Fig and Prosciutto pizza.  Prosciutto de Parma, Fontina cheese, fig purée, baby arugula, diced poached pears and balsamic glaze. HEAVENLY!


Wicked mini donuts with creme anglaise and belgium dipping sauces.  And these were so fresh, so tasty, plus that creme anglaise was exactly like you'd find in any french restaurant.

Another yoga site: yogadork.com

Homemade milky ways!

(my weakness? homemade egg rolls) Chicken Egg Rolls

quick & easy crockpot baked beans

one question to guide your life (LOVE this, very powerful)

felix baumgartner: this is what skydiving from the edge of space looks like


note me: write & erase pillow


doggie water bowl

11 athletes share their favorite meals

Is your brain making you fat? (interesting, what do you think?)

Happy books: inspirational reads to make you smile

Increase serotonin with 21 foods for a better mood

6 natural ways to prepare for cold & flu season (some of these I've never heard of!)

Which meditation style is right for you?

Desk stretches! ( I love these--the 2nd one works)


These are new at Trader Joe's.  Really good, but pricey.

Here is a recipe for DIY kale chips at home.


I have arthritis in my knee.  Was recommended this all natural product.  Didn't want to try it because I always thought, all natural meant won't work as well.  Boy, was I wrong.
If you suffer from joint pain, tendon pain, arthritis, etc...please look for this: Topricin.


This all natural honey is all the rage now.  But it's like $27.00 per jar!  Ouch.  Have you tried this?


Pumpkin spice coconut milk. This is good!  I found it at Whole Foods.


Sparkling sake?  Oh yes please. (I found this at the larger whole foods; this one hails from Dedham Whole Foods). 


These were not good.  Nothing at all like the Starbuck Via's.  Very bitter.


A huge congrats to Jenny of Picky Palate on her first cookbook: Picky Palate Cookbook.
So proud of you!

To read list (click on image for more info):

I miss the sun! (photo from corporation beach, dennis, ma)

Have a wonderful weekend!

PB Boulangerie Bistro - S. Wellfleet, MA

Instead of the friday links I'd like to share with you one of my favorite places to nosh on french pastries, breads and croissants. I'm thankful we have this place, as the bakery scene on cape cod is not that great. PB Boulangerie on cape cod (S. Wellfleet, ma) is owned by Philippe Rispoli and Boris Villatte. Opened in March of 2010. Two friends, one a baker, one a chef. Both hail from France, with extensive culinary backgrounds. Rispoli working at many Michelin-star restaurants in France like Pierre Orsi and Paul Bocuse. He also worked with Daniel Boloud, and Charlie Palmer. Villatte also worked in france, alongside Eric Kayser and Alan Ducasse.
It’s no secret their culinary talents show through in the foods in the bakery and now the newest addition the bistro. A bistro serving up authentic french bistro fare.
The two have been lifelong friends, started working together at the Wynn Resort in Las Vegas. Villate was the head baker for the Wynn Resort and Rispoli was in charge of the opening of Daniel Boloud’s Brasserie.
What brought them to cape cod, was Rispoli’s wife and her family have a summer home on cape cod. Eventually Villatte followed to cape cod, and the rest is history.
As of recently, there are plans for Villate to open another bakery in Falmouth.
PB Boulangerie located on cape cod, in south wellfleet, ma on 15 lecount hollow road, just off route 6. Not to be missed by any means, and if you see lines, it's worth the wait. They do have off off-season hours, but are limited, so check website before you go. And remember to take home a few baguettes (they freeze nicely!).





And when they first opened there were lines. A small place as this, in the middle of nowhere cape cod, there were lines. Amazing. But deep down I knew it would be busy. People, locals crave good food. They crave real bread, real croissants and the occasional pastry.
This is an authentic french bakery/bistro, with some of the best croissants outside of paris.
Finding a good croissant is impossible, unless you live in a big city. What's also nice is the prices aren't too high, reasonable for good food.








They grow all their own herbs.








Some of the best bread in the world paired with an excellent assortment of cheeses. Perfect.


The real reason I come here: the croissants.




The croissants are so good you should not use any jam on them; you need to savor the taste of the croissant all on its own.






The chocolate used in that tart was so rich, so deep--it left such an impression. I still remember that taste.


A chocolate-chocolate eclair. No words. Just no words. That chocolate cream was so clean, so fresh. The eclair had just the right amount of 'crunch' to it. Amazing.


Flaky croissant with a nice chunk of chocolate in the middle.


Even candies from france. I just adore this statue.