Food

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I’ll be donating any affiliate income this month to Boston’s Forgotten Felines to help with the crisis of abandoned and feral cats on the streets of Boston. There are LOTS of them!

 

I’m excited to be working with Just Add Cooking again for the next couple of months to review their meal delivery service. I first tried Just Add Cooking in October and absolutely loved it, so I was excited when they contacted me to work together again. As part of our partnership I received three meals for two this month as well as an affiliate code for my readers to order. Scroll to the bottom to find that!

It was actually hard to find a week in April that I would be home for dinner for three days, between our trip to Maine, family visiting from Ireland, events, and general busy-ness, but I did it! Though my husband doesn’t think it’s dinner without meat involved,  I am trying to help us live longer and be kinder to the planet, so I went with one vegetarian meal (Lentil and Mushroom Shepherd’s Pie), one meat meal (Sliders and Gorgonzola Salad), and one fish meal (Cod with Broccoli and Orange).

Just Add Cooking

Just Add Cooking has much better photos than mine.

Just Add Cooking

I was excited to see our Just Add Cooking box when we pulled up to the house (Placed in the shade, thank you, delivery person!) and tucked right into to see what was inside. As I mentioned in my past post, the packaging is minimal and is recyclable or reusable. The cold bag it came in is even compostable! It’s mixed in with my compost as we speak. And I am using the paper bags and little cheese cups for planting seedlings. The box itself is a cat hideaway.

  Fresh Box Farms

One of the most fun things about digging through the Just Add Cooking box is seeing what local farms provided ingredients for that week’s meals. I love recognizing names like Fresh Box Farms for my greens and Vermont Creamery for my butter, and I was thrilled to see Red’s Best fish in there as well! I have been a huge Red’s Best fan ever since I went to an event they held years ago.Vermont Creamery

First up was the cod, which was a “hard” recipe. It basically had three components, prepping the couscous, broccoli, and fish separately, but I didn’t find it difficult. I love how Just Add Cooking times the recipe for you so everything is ready at the same time. I also loved that they definitely listened to my feedback. Last time I mentioned that I wish there were more vegetables, and sure enough, we had tons! I even had broccoli left over for an omelet the next day. The orange sauce was so yummy, and I loved the couscous in yogurt with chives. So easy and flavorful! The cod, of course stole the show. It was fresh and perfect.

Red's Best Cod Next up were the Sliders on a Gorgonzola Dressed Salad. This was a very easy one and also provided leftovers. The gorgonzola sauce was heavenly, and I loved the greens and addition of black beans for fiber and even more protein. The only downside in the recipe was that the burgers needed more of a dry binder, maybe some panko crumbs or something, to hold them together. I was really full from this dinner, which was great, because I wasn’t rooting through the cabinets at 10:00 pm looking for a snack!

sliders recipe salad

The third dinner was the easiest of all. We love Shepherd’s Pie, and this lentil version definitely gave the traditional meat option a run for its money. Mushrooms and red wine added an earthy, heartiness to the lentil mixture, and the mashed potatoes had goat cheese from Narragansett Creamery in them. How good does that sound?!

I’m obsessed with asparagus this time of year and loved the simple lemony preparation. Side note: did you know that Hampshire County in Western MA has the world’s best asparagus?

lentil shepherd's pie

This meal also left plenty of the pie behind for leftovers and was even better the next day.

Having three meals already planned and proportioned out made my life a lot easier and took one worry off my list this week. I love that the company is Boston-based (Dorchester shoutout!) and that the food is so good.

Ready to try Just Add Cooking? They’re offering special pricing for your first box, starting at just $39 for a 3-meal, 2-person box! To claim your trial box, create an account on Just Add Cooking and enter TRAVEL in the coupon code field.

 

About Just Add Cooking

Voted Boston’s Best by the Improper Bostonian, Just Add Cooking is Boston’s only

LOCAL meal kit delivery company. They make home-cooked weeknight dinners fun,

easy and delicious. Every week, Just Add Cooking offers seven different recipes,

including vegetarian and gluten-free options. You log in, pick your recipes and they

deliver all the ingredients you need, right to your door.

Tags: Food, Just Add Cooking, meal planning, meals

I say it all the time, just how lucky we are in Boston to have access to so many beautiful New England locations for weekend getaways. There are SO many beautiful areas to explore, and I want to see them all.

This past weekend we did a getaway in Camden, Maine with some friends, and I can’t recommend it enough. On the way up we stopped at the outlets in Freeport, Maine for some L.L. Bean action (and Sperry and Bass and Vineyard Vines. . . ). I had never been to the Freeport outlets and was overwhelmed by great stores and deals. The outlets are an easy two hour ride from Boston and totally doable for a day trip.

LL Bean

The friends we traveled with visit Camden every year and have their own set of stops they make, including Red’s Eats, a lobster shack in Wiscasset, Maine. It’s cash only, with a few outdoor tables and a long line, but it is so worth it!

Red's Eats Maine

Lobster rolls are served naked, an entire lobster stuffed into a buttered, toasted roll, and served with butter and mayo on the side, just the way I like it. We also shared fried scallops, the best I have ever had.

Red's Eats lobster roll

Camden was a short drive away; breaking it up with a few stops made the drive more bearable and definitely more delicious! We stayed at the Hartstone Inn in Camden, which I will cover in a separate post.

Our first order of business, after some wine and snacks, was a walk down to the harbor, which is quintessential New England.

Camden, MaineWe got some gorgeous weather over the weekend, and it felt SO good to wear flip flops and a dress. Being outdoors and by the sea makes me positively giddy, especially with the whole summer stretching out ahead.

Camden, Maine

  Because the weather was so nice, we got to spend a lot of time outdoors, including a hike up to the top of Mt. Battie. It was a fairly easy 1.4 mile hike up, and the views were outstanding. Having a mountain that close to the sea is just about perfection for me. Hike in the morning, and boat in the afternoon!

Mt. Battie Mt. Battie  Camden, Maine

Mt. Battie Isn’t it stunning?

 

The Drouthy Bear, Camden

Post-hike, we did some wandering around Camden, including some shopping and indulging in deliciousness offered by local pubs. The Drouthy Bear was just across from our inn and the perfect place for a Pimm’s Cup, hand cut fries, sausage rolls, bacon butties, and live Celtic music, which brought my husband back home for a couple of hours. Such a sweet bar!

 Vintage Lounge Camden Maine

Our wandering also included the newly opened Vintage Lounge at 16 Bayview, a new luxury hotel right on Camden harbor. Cocktails and local smoked salmon filled us up, while the lounge vibe made us cozy and relaxed. 16 Bayview, Camden Maine

Half of our group works in hospitality, and we ended up taking a site tour of the hotel, including checking out the stunning roof deck, which I could sit on for days, just staring out at all that blue. Seriously, I may have some mermaid in me.

16 Bayview Camden

Camden Harbor

The suites at 16 Bayview were gorgeous and so impressive. I especially loved the giant soaking tubs in them! We definitely are bookmarking the hotel for a future stay!

16 Bayview

All in all, Camden is a place you could easily fill a weekend, with cute boutiques, plenty of restaurants, spas, outdoor activities, and more. I could even see spending a week and exploring other neighboring towns like Rockport.

Stay tuned for my review of the Hartstone Inn, coming soon!

Tags: cocktails, Food, Maine, New England, Travel, travel blog, weekend getaways

Our home base in Old San Juan was exactly what we wanted in terms of location (and everything else). It was so close to many restaurants and beautiful spaces that it encouraged us to walk and explore all over, burning off some of the rum drinks that we enjoyed while relaxing in Luquillo.

rum tasting in old san juan

Casa Melaza was the cute rum bar just around the corner from our hotel. It was a lovely space with door open to the street and a healthy selection of rum. We enjoyed all of the rums we tasted, but we weren’t thrilled with the service. There was no menu or tasting list with prices, and when I asked the staff member got an attitude. I’m not sure what it was, maybe a little arrogance, that just got to us, and we agreed we would hesitate to go back.

 

Mallorca sandwich

Aside from that, everything was perfect, with delicious food and lovely people.  One of the staples of my Puerto Rico diet (and half the reason I need a real diet now) was my love for Mallorca Paninis, thin pressed sandwiches stuffed with ham and cheese and sprinkled with delectably messy powdered sugar. The salty ham and cheese paired with the sweet? Heavenly.

Anam Spa and Cocktail Lounge

Also heavenly? A salon/spa/cocktail lounge in one. We discovered Anam Cocktail Spa in the evening as it was about to close and had a quick cocktail on their terrace in a beautiful, dusky setting overlooking the city and the sea.

And we vowed to return the next day for cocktails and spa!

al fresco drinks in Old San Juan

Massages were $1/minute, and anything above $20 included a glass of sangria.

Anam Spa Old San Juan

Our massages were done side-by-side in an airy room with light music playing in the background, and I swear I would fly to San Juan just for this massage. It was blissful. I was in a sleeping/awake state the whole time, and then gazed out the door with a strong and delicious sangria after.

Anam Spa

 

 

El Convento

We spent a good chunk of our time in Old San Juan visiting El Convento, an iconic spot in the city, and for good reason. This was one of the only places we visited on our brief layover on the way home from Grenada, and we knew we wanted to go back. It was our first stop, for a morning mojito in their gorgeous courtyard.

mojitos at El Convento

 

mojitos And then we went back later to El Picoteo, a practical tapas institution that was recommended by many people, including Molly.

We had rum drinks and a couple of tapas, followed by a long walk for the sunset.

san juan sunset

Followed by another walk and then a return to El Picoteo for more rum drinks and tapas. It actually felt really good to stretch out the meal and drinks with some movement and fresh air.

el picoteo

We loved the bartender at El Picoteo, who had moved from Michigan (or Wisconsin?) with his fiance, gotten married there, and stayed. It made me want to pick up my life and move there too!

We had some amazing sausages in wine and classic gambas al ajillo, in addition to Manchego with truffle honey. Yum.

cheese and truffle honey

And we loved El Convento so much we returned for breakfast the next day, and you guessed it, a Mallorca Panini (with mimosas).

Mallorca sandwich

Our final day in Puerto Rico was super hot (even for me), so in addition to lots of wandering, we also sought cool breezes in shady courtyards with cold drinks. You can’t go to San Juan without a trip to Barrachina for a Piña Colada where they were created!

original pina colada

We talked cocktails with the fun bartender while sipping slushy, coconutty deliciousness and loved it. The only downside of that experience was the arrival of throngs of cruise ship passengers in town for the day. They basically fit the stereotypical American tourist bill; loud, pushy, rude, unwilling to try new things. We had a chuckle and bushed it off, too happy with our cocktails and relaxation to let their takeover bother us.

ceviche

empanada

All good things must come to an end, so before we left for the airport we had one last taste of the flavor of San Juan. Nono’s was another open-air spot with a huge menu, and we went for a tangy ceviche and lobster-stuffed empanadas. Delicioso!

San Juan has so much to see, do, and taste, and we only got started on making our way through this magical little city. We fell in love with Puerto Rico, and I hope someday that you get to as well.

Tags: cocktails, Dining out, Food, Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, rum, Travel, travel blog

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