My memere

This post isnt going to be a review about a food I ate or a place I went, but instead...the reason I'm a foodie.

Today I was doing my norm; cooking without a recipe, for a dish I have never made before, with flavors I had never brought together before. And my mother tells me for probably the millionth time a weird compliment that she always seams to bring up when I'm in my perfect element. She told me that the only other person in the family that could cook like me was my memere (grandmother). She said that we have this gift to be able to taste the food before its together and know if it will or will not be ok. That she was amazed and again wished she could cook like us. And as I went through our pantry picking up cans and putting them down and being able to taste the end dish in my head without even adding that item I knew I had to write about her.

Now her name is Emma and she is still alive and in a nursing home now. Sadly her gift isnt being used anymore. She had a stroke a few years ago that left her unable to leave her bed and with all the meds they put her on, she just isnt the same. But thats not the women I remember...

She was never famous, never anything special to anyone but just the people that know her. But she had some amazing talents. The obvious one...she could cook...oh and bake. Actually I cant really bake that well. I can follow a recipe for baking and it can come out, but she could change the recipe and make it that much better. In our family, we still use her recipes. Especially the homemade bread...YUM!

She was the BEST seamstress. She couldnt read a pattern but instead would look at a magazine or a catalog and BAM she could make it in a few hours. All my school pictures of when I was young is of me in her homemade dresses. And even though I'm starting a lil late in this hobby I'm really good at sewing too. I can just see what I want and without making a pattern or drawing anything out I can make it. I'm still stuck at simple designs so dont look for any of my fashions yet!

And the last I'm gonna mention which is kinda humorous is that we have the same high pitched voice. I can remember throughout my childhood that I had a laugh that was so high pitched my mom had to cover her ears cause it hurt her. Well, I got that from my memere. When something bad, or actually anything would happen and she wanted an audience she would scream. But because it was so loud and so high it went through walls (I swear you can hear it next door) everyone would come running. I dont scream for any reason like she did but I still have that voice.

She might have not made it into the history books or been remembered for anything great by everyone. But because of her genes I'm who I am, I guess being a foodie does run in your blood. Naw...my blood is more like red wine, I mean I use it enough when I cook!

Cape Cod...great food, beaches, shopping and more

I live in Massachusetts, so that means every once in a while going to the cape. We indulge ourselves in fantastic food (usually seafood), shop until we drop, and burn to a nice lil crisp out on the beach. I did all 3!

Now I wont bore you with some of my awesome shopping deals ($2 shirts!) or tell you that when getting a tan to make sure to get BOTH sides of your body! Cause I'm here about my other love...food. 

FRIDAY

Our first stop when we made it onto the cape, well besides our hotel, was to eat at a place that turned out to be my favorite of the whole weekend! That must be why its the only place I actually took a picture of my plate of food but even now thinking about it...ok...I must write! Its called the Lobster Boat and its right on rt 28 in West Yarmouth. 

Its a simple place and we had past it a bunch of times and never really thought twice about it. But this time we decided to stop in...well ITS HUGE inside...and i mean HUGE. Its right on the water so you can overlook when some locals come in and out and its just beautiful. Its casual dining which is perfect for me, I would rather eat amazing food and be comphy then eat just OK food and be all dressed up. 

That picture really doesnt show how big the inside was. And yes, thats part of a boat to the left side...lol. So prices, right? Well for being mostly a seafood place and being right on the water, it wasnt too bad. Most dishes ranged from $14-$25, the higher end being more lobster related. You would think I would get lobster right? Well I watch a ton of cooking shows and had been craving calamari and they had a plate for only $14.95. And as described in their menu it was "lightly battered rings and tentacles deep fried to a golden brown", it also came with homemade onion rings, french fries and coleslaw.

Now that picture REALLY does not do justice to the taste. I will say it was the best calamari I have ever had. You can tell everything was homemade and the cooks completely knew what they were doing. Even the coleslaw which I am usually not a fan of, I loved. I have to say it was the batter they fried it in that made everything so delicious. It didnt overpower the seafood and it wasnt so thick you had to search for whats inside.


I didnt go to the cape by myself so I did get to try my friend's dishes as well. So I got to try the award winning clam chowder, the lazy man's lobster, and the fisherman's seafood platter. I could write another paragraph on each of those but just trust me...everything there was to die for.


SATURDAY


The next day we went to Nantucket. It was my first time there and this for people wanting to know, is where I ended up getting my sunburn. Nantucket is nice, but its not what I expected. Its kinda snobby and full of very rich people. I am not a very rich person. I saw t shirts for over $100 a piece, please someone explain to me whats so special about it? I still dont understand. But we ended up getting hungry and after a pretty long Iphone search of "cheap, good places to eat" we came across The Brotherhood of Thieves. I wish I could say this place didnt look kinda sketchy but it did. We actually walked right past it the first time and didnt even realize it! It looks just like you would think it does, an underground tavern where thieves and pirates come to drink and eat. This sign is the only thing that gives it away.

We went to go eat outside behind the building and it was actually full so instead we ate inside. Inside is decorated again, just like you would think it should be...but clean. The service was very good and everyone was very nice. They had an interesting selection of items...even for vegetarians. I got the Chicken Caesar Wrap for $13.95 (not bad for Nantucket!), it was very warm outside and we were walking. I wanted something cool and light. It was again, delicious! I had so much chicken in my wrap I had a hard time finishing it! I had curly fries and they were so good as well. I know this weekend I gained weight! 

The friends I was with had a Turkey Burkey and the California Burger. The turkey burger ended up being her favorite thing she ate all weekend and she is still talking about it. It was so juicy and they had a special sauce they put on it that added a flavor you just didnt expect. The California burger had avocado, pea shoots, onions and jack cheese. He got it without onions (he isnt a fan). But even his burger was delicious. The pea shoots we joked looked like grass so if you are more of a visual person, stay away from them. But they do taste good. 

SUNDAY

Back in Hyannis on the main strip there is a lil place that we have now eaten at twice. The Duck Inn Pub is a nice place to eat outside and people watch. The first time we went there it was because they had a special and it was everything on there menu was 1/2 off, except for drinks. It was a slow weekend for the cape and since I'm a sucker for deals I said, well...why not?

I have eaten a few things there so I will tell you whats good. The lamb gyro, the cuban, the clam chowder, the big ham and cheese, and the lobster roll. Things they can improve, the lobster deviled eggs, the grilled buffalo chicken panini, and the duck burger. Why does it need improvement? Well the eggs needed a lil more lobster, there were chunks in there but tasted too much like egg and combined it tasted off. The buffalo panini was just that, cheese, chicken and buffalo sauce...it was good but I needed some veggies inside it. And the burger was cooked a lil too much, it didnt have the juicy inside that we craved from a good burger. Now just so everyone knows, I didnt eat all those things listed above. Me and friends share :-)

The one major issue with the Duck Inn Pub is service, they are slow. The prices are good and when we eat there its cause we know we are just killing time and resting. But expect to sit for a good hour just for a regular lunch meal. Would I eat there again? Probably, because like I said...its downtown Hyannis and its really good prices. Everywhere surrounding there is a lot more expensive. So its depending on how much of a rush you are in and being a lil more choosy with some food items. 

WEEKEND WRAP UP

So all in all I gained at least 10lbs, turned red, and bought some clothes. But I had a blast and isnt that all that matters?

SlimCado

So today I had the experience to try a SlimCado for the first time. Now I LOVE LOVE LOVE avocados. I seriously can sit there with a knife and just eat a whole one by myself. I know, kinda weird. But to each our own right?

So I wanted to try what is marketed as being a healthier, less fattening version of one of my favorite fruits.

First some interesting back story on the avocado...did you know that depending on where its grown, that it will look different? Be as tiny as a lil over 2 inches tall to over 4 inches or bigger? Also that its skin will feel and look different? The avocado is also known as the alligator fruit because of the weird skin it has. Now that we had that lesson...off to try this soft, large, light green fruit...

So this thing was pretty big and I shared it with my boyfriend cause I wasn't that ambitious...lol. The peel is thinner and as you can tell its light green and smooth. There is an outer layer over the "nut" inside the fruit so when i cut it and sliced into it some stayed on the edible parts. Now for the surprise ending...it doesn't taste like an avocado! The texture was pretty much there, but it kinda tasted like a sweet pea. No...I wasnt nuts, even my boyfriend said so. I swear to god that if I mushed it up and mushed up sweat peas I almost wouldnt be able to tell the difference.

So what do I have to say about the SlimCado? I honestly dont know...if you dont care for the strong avocado flavor but like the texture...go for it. But if you really like avocados, dont try it. You will be sadly disappointed.

First Post

It was pretty hard to really decide what I was going to talk about for my first post but I thought about it for a while and decided it was better to just start typing. My boyfriend likes to call me a foodie. I like to refer to myself as a foodie on a budget. I can find that even a simple can of spam is delicious if used the right way. Dont get me wrong, I drool like everyone else over the thought of lobster or the perfect cut of steak but cant even the best chefs make the worst food taste great? Isnt that what the show Chopped is all about?

So a lil background story about me, I am half Canadian and half mutt. I live in central Massachusetts and was also born here. My boyfriend was born here as well but is Puerto Rican. So knowing all that...I eat some interesting foods. Before I met my current boyfriend I had never tried some of the things I will describe in this blog that I have grown to not only love, but pretty much require in my cookbook. 

Something that Canadians NEVER EVER eat is plantains. 

Ok...whats a plantain? Plantains are just a different type of a banana that has to be cooked. Its bigger and has tougher skin. 

Now...plantains are used to make my FAVORITE food that his mother makes...tostones and mayo ketchup.

Tostones are plantains fried in oil and smushed flat. OMG...I drool for them now. Bananas that everyone is used to has an almost light, sweet, sugary flavor and plantains are more heavy, starchy, and are like the potatoes of the bananas to me. So almost picture a really thick potato chip with a slight banana flavor and thats kinda what a tostone is. Now the sauce you dip it in...she makes it from scratch but you can buy it from Goya. Its literally mayo, ketchup, and some Spanish spices. If you have ever had real Spanish food i bet you can taste it in your head but if you haven't think of having a taco...that seasoning they use on the meat. Its a mix of tangy (from the ketchup), the Spanish spices, and honestly...you can hardly taste the mayo. The mayo is more there to make the ketchup a lil more mild and not so in your face. But those 2 dishes together is by far some of my favorite foods.