Event Recap: A Tasty Lunch Meet-Up

I work in the Longwood Medical Area, and lunch options range from fast food to...more fast food. Kind of disappointing. I recently met Kerstin from Cake, Batter, and Bowl - turns out we work on the same floor! - and she knew that Shannon from Tri to Cook also works in the neighborhood, so we planned a lunch expedition to Tasty Burger, a new-ish burger joint nearby in the Fenway area, for December 3rd. Some other bloggers' schedules permitted them to join us on this bitterly cold day as well: Brian (The Gringo Chapin), Penny and Ed (BostonZest), Molly (Cheap Beets), and Elina (Healthy and Sane and Russian Bites).

Hot sauce on the table = thumbs up from me!

Kerstin (Cake, Batter, and Bowl) and Brian (The Gringo Chapin)

Molly (Cheap Beets) and Shannon (Tri to Cook)

Elina (Healthy and Sane, Russian Bites), Penny and Ed (BostonZest)

50/50 Fries and Rings: Both delicious!

My burger, the Big Kahuna, with pineapple, grilled red onion, and teriyaki sauce. A common complaint was the soggy buns; these buns just aren't made to withstand saucy toppings.

Group shot - we're all very full!

It was wonderful to see Molly and Kerstin again and to meet Brian, Shannon, Elina, Penny, and Ed for the first time! Do you work in the Longwood or Fenway area, or does your schedule permit you to get to this area for a weekday lunch? Leave a comment here or email me - we might plan another outing soon!

Be sure to check out Penny and Ed's recap as well!

Fenway Lunch Meet-Up

Do you work in the Longwood area, that sad Bermuda triangle of inedibleness? Well, a few of us Longwood folks are making a workday expedition to the slightly-yummier Fenway neighborhood for lunch this coming Friday, December 3, at noon.

We've decided on the fairly new (and optimistically named) Tasty Burger. I've got my eye on the Big Kahuna!

Feel free to join us even if you don't work in the area! If your schedule permits you to get there, we'd love to dine with you.

(Please note that this is an informal, self-organized meet-up rather than a restaurant-sponsored event, so if you have any questions, direct them at me, not at the restaurant. We're just a group of hungry people meeting up for lunch!) Leave a comment here if you're planning on attending so that the first arrivals can get the right size table. Hope to see/meet some of you soon!

Attending (or tentatively attending) so far: Kerstin (Cake, Batter, and Bowl), Shannon (Tri to Cook), Rachel (Fork it over, Boston!), Brian (The Gringo Chapin), Elina (Healthy and Sane), Penny and Ed (BostonZest), Molly (Cheap Beets)

12/3 Update: In case we haven't met in real life yet, I'm wearing a shirt with vertical black and white stripes. It's kind of obnoxious looking, so I should be easy to spot!

On a more general note, do you want to organize a meet-up in your own neighborhood? Let me know what you have in mind and I'll post the info on the site as well as on our Twitter and Facebook pages. I'll also put up a recap post if you send me info/photos.

Recipes of the Week

Today's Recipes of the Week features some nice seasonal goodies to break out at or after your Thanksgiving feast! As always, you can use this form to nominate posts (your own or other bloggers') for any of these weekly features, and use this other form to give me permission, in advance, to use your photos in future features (with proper linkage/credit of course). This week's winners:

Crustless Turkey and Spinach Quiche
Shannon ~ Tri to Cook 

Doesn't this look so lovely, especially with those sliced apples on the side? This seems like a great use of leftover turkey. "This quiche could serve as a quick portable breakfast or even a light lunch/dinner alongside a green salad," writes Shannon. "Not a dense quiche, the lighter texture might be appreciated in the days after the big feast ;)"


Sweet and Spicy Bacon Wrapped Butternut Squash
Jen ~ Beantown Baker 

I'm of the opinion that (nearly) anything wrapped in bacon is delicious, and this recipe has a bit of a kick to it as well, which makes it doubly delicious. "Basically, this is awesome," writes Jen. "It would make a great appetizer year-round."


Sweet Potato Pecan Cinnamon Rolls [Vegan]
Lauren Zembron ~ Healthy Food For Living

I'm always curious about vegan versions of pastries that are typically loaded with butter. Some are phenomenal; others not so much. At least appearance-wise, this one seems worth a try! "These cinnamon rolls are made without any animal products, but vegans and omnivores alike are sure to love them" writes Lauren. "Serve the rolls as part of a special Thanksgiving brunch, or for breakfast on just about any day of the week."


Kolokithopita
Pam Aghababian ~ Cave Cibum 

Pam returns from a brief blogging hiatus to bring us this Greek masterpiece, which includes pumpkin puree and feta. "I ended up making this twice in one week because it was so good," writes Pam. "The first time, I could barely hold myself back from cutting into it - I wanted to wait until dinner, but instead I declared it an appetizer (hours early?) and just dug in."

Still hungry? Check out last week's featured recipes!