farmers market at harvard

I was delighted about being able to check out the farmers market at Harvard this afternoon. Since our office is now located in Somerville, it will be really difficult for me to get over to the campus during the daytime, so I'd probably be stuck with slim pickings by the time I got there right before they close up shop.

Here are some pics I took with my camera phone of some of the goodies:

I was tempted to buy a new basil plant today since ours has pretty much run its course (hey, it lasted nearly a whole year so not too shabby!). Maybe next time I'm at the market (or if my husband reads this post on his way home today after work ... lol).

Okay, so this photo title alternative could be: "the table that caused Candice to run to the bathroom" ...

I think I started feeling itchy just looking at these beauties!

So what did I end up bringing home, you ask? A bunch of wonderful finds. Fresh green leaf lettuce that was just picked this morning (the woman described how tender the leaves were as she bagged the head for me); a freshly baked baguette to go with dinner tonight; a tomato that weighs one whole friggin' pound (no kidding! I think I jumped back a little when I saw the guy put it on the scale); a 3/4 pound yellow squash; 3/4 of a pound of organic snap peas; a large bag of lavender; and a quart of beautiful strawberries.

The downside is that I can't eat half these things but I hope my husband will enjoy them! I'm thinking about making a nice salad out of the tomato, snap peas, and a can of chick peas. You know, served cold, maybe with a chopped up red onion and some sort of vinaigrette. Have any suggestions on the vinaigrette? It would be really nice to make this later in the week to take up to my in-laws' house for the 4th of July holiday, but I'm afraid the fresh vegetables won't make it that long. Hmmmm.

Oh and more pictures. :)

If you get the chance to stop by the farmers market at Harvard: it happens each Tuesday from 12:30 to 6:00 pm from June 16th through October 27th ,and it's right outside Harvard Yard (close to the Kirkland Street side). What's neat is that you can sign up for their newsletter here and you'll get an email the day before letting you know which vendors will be at the market and what they plan to bring from their farms.

Can't wait to have that bread with a light salad tonight! I'm going to try a recipe I saw Giada make on the Food Network the other day. It's called "cheesy baked farro" but I'm going to make a couple of substitutions since I don't know what farro is and/or if I'm allergic to it. Will definitely post the results here later. :)

street and company in portland, maine

During our trip up to Portland, Maine for our anniversary weekend, we had dinner with a couple of friends at Street and Company. It's a really nice seafood restaurant tucked away on Wharf Street in downtown Portland.

Our friends ordered the fonocchiona and mortadella with olives, peppers, artichokes, fresh mozzarella, and nuts appetizer (kind of like an antipasti plate) which was interesting to say the least. There certainly were a lot of things on the plate! They also ordered the Maine crabmeat stuffed piqillo pepper which I heard was delicious.



One of our friends and I had the grilled yellowfin tuna which came cooked perfectly medium-rare: just a touch of pink in the middle and so tender. It was served with a zucchini and squash mix on the side, along with a couple of little potatoes, which rounded out the plate quite nicely.

Tony enjoyed the calamari with linguine and red sauce, and one of our friends had the sole Francaise.

Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the entrees and we ordered three of their desserts to top it all off.

I have to say that I was a tad disappointed by the chocolate cake dessert because it was served cold. I think if it was warm and gooey vs. cold and cakey then it would've been the perfect ending to the dining experience.

I would definitely recommend this restaurant if you're looking for a romantic place to dine at in the Portland area, or if you are celebrating a special event. It's probably a bit too pricy to go for just a casual night out, but definitely worth it if you do!

duckfat in portland, maine

One word: duckfat. Yum-o!! I read about this place in a travel magazine, so when we planned our trip up to Portland, Maine, I knew we would have to stop in to try these famous fries. It's a cute little shop at the end of Middle Street in downtown Portland that serves up wonderful panini sandwiches and these yummy fries. (P.S. Click on the photos to enlarge.)



It's really cute and cozy inside, plus they offer seating outside. They have a really long magnetic board along one wall where there is bar/stool seating so you can play with the words while you wait for your food to arrive.

And believe me, you will know when the food arrives.

They're so delicious by themselves because you can really taste the duck fat flavor in them. So nice and hot right out of the frier. But the garlic aioli is also yummy. As is the ketchup (see last photo below).

And then the panini sandwiches! Goodness gracious. We fell in love with the bread that they use, which we found out comes from Standard Baking Company.


Tony had the turkey, avocado, and cheese panini and said it was excellent. I had the ham and cheese panini (without the cheddar) and it was awesome. I would highly recommend stopping here for lunch if you're in the Portland area. I know we'll definitely go back the next time we're in town!