Wollaston Charms

Wollaston is a quaint neighborhood located in the city of Quincy, Massachusetts boasting a beach on Quincy Bay with distant views of the Boston Skyline and a small downtown area with friendly shops and historic nuances. Quincy is known as the city of Presidents (where it all began!) as well as Adam's hometown. Obviously, I've been to the neighborhood more times than I can count, but this weekend while we were dog sitting combined with warm temperatures conducive to long walks and explorations, I took a few photographs and decided to share.

Setting out to Wollaston Beach with Buddy.

We actually walked the beach twice - on an overcast Friday afternoon... ...and then a longer stroll on a sunny blue skied Saturday morning. (We were up at 8:30 which is pretty early for us on a Saturday, believe it or not!)

Coffee in one hand, dog leash in the other, it was a perfect morning.

The strolls continued around the tree lined residential neighborhood streets.

I love this dog! The edge of the neighborhood is defined by a vast stretch of marshland area.

We definitely tuckered Buddy out after all these long walks.But apparently not ourselves, we only worked up an appetite and were back out a couple hours later in search of breakfast.

Newcomb Farms at 31 Beale Street did the trick. It's not fancy food, just your basic breakfast and brunch fare served at a reasonable price.

Their weekend special menu displayed a healthy dose of Red Sox pride!

Hot coffees were delivered promptly.

I ordered the New England Breakfast ($6.75) of French Toast, Scrambled Eggs and four sausage links. I half expected this plate to have home fries accompanying but I ordered pretty quickly without fully scanning the menu listings.

And four sausage links is a bit much for me, but this meal got the job done.

Across the street is The Wollaston Theater, which closed down a number of years ago. Adam recounted dollar movie nights and expressed a fondness for the single screen theater venue that once housed live performances and motion pictures.

It's too bad the cinema closed down, it would definitely be a welcome addition to the neighborhood if it were re-opened.

Peering in the windowfront, the antique ticket booth still stands among an abandoned looking space.

Speaking of abandoned buildings, the one pictured below just up the street holds quite a significance in terms of popular culture icons.

This building, as evidenced by a small "HJ" orange logo embedded in the stonework of the front stoop, was the first ever Howard Johnson's.

It wasn't a motor lodge as we know them today but simply a corner drugstore operating a soda fountain.

I thought that was pretty cool.

I also liked this vintage Mobilgas pump that sat at on display at the auto body shop next door. The last sale clocked in at $4.40, probably from as long ago as when the HoJo's was alive and kickin'.

Flash forward to present time, the current pop culture trend of cupcakes sees business booming at the locally owned Babycakes.

At 163 Beale Street, it was our last stop before heading back. I ordered four signature cupcakes to-go and later enjoyed the Boston Cream (front right.) It was an excellent cupcake!!

Also pictured is the Peanut Butter Cup, Tiramisu, and "The Babycakes". The cupcakes are baked fresh daily using ingredients from local suppliers. Each day of the week features different flavors. Daily specials can be found here.

One last photograph of a building with historical significance to end the Wollaston montage. The picturesque Josiah Quincy House, the country home of the revolutionary war Colonel, sits tucked away on Muirhead Street.

Hope you enjoyed the tour!

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork n Beans

Hi guys! Hope everyone's having a lovely weekend so far. It's a wonder what 63 degrees and sunny can do for the spirit. My Friday night and Saturday day were spent dog-sitting Adam's parents Greyhound, Buddy. Buddy is a rescue dog who used to race. He's 11 years old, sheds like it's going out of style, loves long walks on the beach (actually, he much prefers the pavement over sand) and is docile as can be. Adam and I took full advantage of his parents back deck while we were there and grilled up some sirloin steaks.

More on our weekend in Quincy a bit later. I still haven't had the chance to share this meal from last weekend - what with quite an inundation of restaurant reviews the last couple weeks, you probably think I eat out all the time! I don't though. I swear. Sometimes I go to cooking classes and sometimes I even cook for myself. If you count cooking as adding pork shoulder, chopped onion, coke-a-cola and BBQ sauce to a slow cooker and turning the dial up to "high" then yep, I've been a maverick in the kitchen. Literally, that's all it took for this recipe! Well that + 7 hours of cook time.

As per usual, I can't take credit for this one. I got the recipe from Iowa Girl Eats as she tends to be my go-to gal for slow cooker / awesome recipes in general. I'm sure this isn't the first time I've mentioned her blog. And I'm sure she wasn't the first one to invent pork simmering in coke+BBQ sauce. I've definitely seen a few other blogs where this goes down and let me tell you, incredible! The measurements can vary, the recipe post I followed didn't have an exact list. Here's a rough idea of what I used (listed in order of how I added it into the crock-pot):

-2 lbs pork shoulder

-1/2 cup of your favorite BBQ Sauce (we like Stubbs!)

-enough coke to cover the pork

- 1/2 a large onion, chopped

Stubb's knows his BBQ sauce.

You could probably get away with using any type of cola. (Or coke zero, diet coke, you get it.)I served the pork for dinner on fluffy bulkie rolls with a side of beans two ways!

You've got spice and smokiness from the BBQ sauce and a sweet zing from the coke-a-cola. The depth of flavors that develop over time are incomparable to those of any other meals I make. I'm obsessed with slow cooking!

Oh and when's the last time you had baked beans? Or green beans from a can for that matter?

Honestly, IGE's sides looked so good I went all out and mimicked the entire meal.

For lunch the next day I added some kosher dill pickles to liven up my sandwich. On the side we've got leftover beans, salt & vinegar chips and a Miller High Life. (Hey, it was a weekend lunch!) Tender, sweet, smoky and spicy, the pork definitely benefits from the juicy, salty crunch of a few pickles.

What's your favorite meal to make in a slow cooker? Recipe links appreciated!

10.10.10: Oh What a Night

The first Wedding to grace the pages of III. St Ann's Church in Quincy. Just Married!Fairmont Copley Plaza, BostonCocktail hour in the Ballroom Foyer The Bride & I. Under The Sea themeOpen Bar & Raw BarThe above photo taken after the 250 guests devoured oysters, shrimp cocktail & crab claws.Little Mermaid ice sculpture

The Harp player was magnificent. So were the bartenders dirty martinis.

Reception in the Grand Ballroom. Old Hollywood theme. I've never seen a more romantic, more stunning wedding reception.

Leah & Tray were invited to attend, meeting Adam's family for the first time this evening. Place cards and seating arrangements were based on Old Hollywood couples. I was seated at Orson Welles & Rita Hayworth.Tables alternated between metallic gray linens with tall feather flower arrangements and white with black designed linens with short wide flower arrangements. All the tables were elegantly covered in rose petals and crystalsAnd set in preparation for a 3 course meal.

At one point I had a dirty martini, a glass of white wine & a glass of champagne in front of me. My kind of wedding indeed.

Glamorous and magical would be understatements. Awe-struck would only begin describe my feelings on the atmosphere created in the Grand Ballroom here tonight.

The band was absolutely phenomenal. They played a variety of hits new and old. Something out of a fairy tale, something out of a movie, an Old Hollywood movie...After the wedding party was announced and the bride and groom entered after a 2 minute picture and movie montage (made by Adam, he did an incredible job) on the projection screen, we started the evening off right - on the dance floor. The night was orchestrated so that dance and food were intertwined. This formal atmosphere did not include a structured meal in the sense that in the middle of a bite of food, if a fabulous song was playing that you felt the urge to hop up and dance, you did so. The courses were paced with plenty of time in between to allow for conversation, mingling and oh did I mention dancing?!Admittedly, I have a lot more pictures of food than pictures on the dance floor. So let's get to that meal, shall we?Appetizer: Tartlet of Creamed Leeks, Smoked Bacon, Wild Mushrooms, Fresh Farm Egg with Vermont Cheddar Crisp. The star of the meal, without a doubt. An appetizer to go down in history regardless of the event.Salad: Seasonal Greens, Shaved Parmesan, Grilled Artichokes, Roasted Tomatoes, Sun Dried Tomato Dressing. The greens were tightly wrapped in a thin slice of cucumber which I thought was an elegant touch to the presentation. The dressing was plated as the salads were served. The white wine option was a CK Mondavi Chardonnay. The bubbly was a Codormiu Brut from Spain. I on my RSVP chose the Surf & Turf. Entree: Grilled Filet Mignon, Bordelaise with Lobster Tail, Lemon Beurre Blanc. Whipped potatoes as well as asparagus and red peppers wrapped in carrot and a slice of acorn squash accompanied the meal.

The Cake!

Dessert: Customized Wedding Cake with a drizzle of Raspberry and Mango Coulis with Chocolate Dipped Strawberry.

Flourless Chocolate Cake. Above: the twins. Below: the dance floorSisters & Cathy (Maid of Honor) after a long night of dancing and drinks.
Me being artistic with the table settings.

Leah & Tray in the lobby wheeling the ferns & flower arrangements out on a luggage cart.

Post reception drinks in the Fairmont Oak Bar A stunning bride & handsome groom, fabulous food & drink, non stop music & dance, a family that knows how to throw one hell of a party, pure romance, sheer elegance, true love. Congratulations Kirsten & Phil.