Cheesecake for a cold winter's day

When the mercury is going no higher than zero the only two things a person can do is wrap themselves in a duvet. And make a nice cheesecake.

A sentimental favorite, thanks to my dad. The recipe and a 'taste' of his subtle humor follows:

BROOKLINE FINE WINE & GOURMET

One might think that Brookline Village has just enough liquor stores - but when those stores seem to be either barely holding on by a thread with dusty, empty shelves or constantly changing ownership maybe one more wine shop isn't such a bad thing.

Ever the Nosy Parker, I happened into Brookline fine wine & gourmet earlier today. Formerly the home of Le Strada (the weird shoe store that always had a shoeless mannequin in the window) I was happily welcomed in. Amidst the construction and hammering, co-proprietors, Doug Gordon and Carrie Anne Martin greeted me with warm smiles.

Because of my own particular interest of owning and operating a specialty food store, I was eager to know specifically what sort of inventory Brookline fine wine & gourmet would carry. I learned that BFW&G will carry "gourmet chocolates", bread from Clear Flour Bakery, "pre-packaged smoked meats and salmon", and charcuterie (my word, not theirs) as well as freshly cut flowers, "infused oils", along with the obvious domestic and international craft beers, wine, and cigars. Weekly beer and wine tastings will be hosted every Thursday and Friday nights, with store hours open from 9am to 11pm, Monday-Saturday.

My guess is that it will be less South End Formaggio and more Marty's Liquors in Newton - perhaps filling a need in Brookline Village, maybe not. Either way, Doug and Carrie seemed enthusiastic about their prospects and their future here in the Village. According to Carrie, they will focus on "service, quality, and price". Like all businesses in the Village, we wish them well.

So, no scratch tickets. Instead, a place to grab a Cuban tobacco product (which seems a little 1996 to me), a locally fresh baguette, flowers, and a bottle of wine. "One stop shopping" as Carrie and Doug stated.

•BROOKLINE FINE WINE & GOURMET •
27 Harvard Street • Brookline Village
www.brooklinefinewine.com
617.734.5400

Miracles of Beauty

Wilson Bentley loved snow. He loved snow so much that at the age of 19, in the late 19th century, Wilson was resourceful enough to figure out a way to capture these ice crystals on film.

Here are just a few of some of the over 5,000 images he took. I find them stunningly beautiful. And so remarkable that this man, so long ago, was able to capture these uniquely intricate and tiny frozen sculptures.

You can read more about Mr. Bentley *here* and his museum.

In his local town of Jericho, Bentely's fascination with snowflakes earned him the nickname Snowflake Bentley. A museum there is dedicated to his life's work, housing 2,000 of his vintage prints. A book of his photographs, Snow Crystals, was published in 1931. The same year he died walking home in a blizzard. (from the guardian.co.uk)

One Girl Cookies

You've seen it before, I'm sure. The cloyingly sweet, done-to-death, cutesy-overload cupcake bakery?

Pastries and goodies that are almost too precious to eat -

-with vintage this and retro that....


-with cookies that all have their own names, like Penelope, Susanna, and Juliette.

But I'm not exactly that cynical (yet) or quite tired of the beloved or darling cupcakery.

One Girl Cookie is all that but it's still a pretty nice spot to pick up treats.

or sit at the bar and enjoy a dessert -

or stare straight into the face of a pumpkin whoopie pie.

Not everything is sweet. These savory biscotti are the perfect alternative to a
tray of Lana chocolate sandwich cookies.

Dressed in whites and baby blues and adorned with black and white photos of
real family members

I thought One Girl Cookies was pretty spectacular.

One Girl Cookies
68 Dean Street
Brooklyn, NY

(photos either procured from onegirlcookies.com or from my lousy iphone camera)

Dine in Brookline Village and travel the world

Take a walk around Brookline Village and you'll find that you can eat from nearly every continent around the globe. Twenty-five restaurants adorn our little Brookline Village. 25 eateries that range from your standard delicatessen to authentic Persian to borscht-y Russian.

Brookline Village is such a richly diverse community. I often forget that just steps out my door what options lay before me....a complete list with links to sites (where available) are below.

Please add to comments any thoughts or experiences you've had with Brookline Village restaurants.



Baja Betty's - California-style Mexican
3 Harvard Street

Bottega di Capri - Italian
41 Harvard Street

Brookline Spa - Delicatessen
75 Harvard Street

Cafe' Stoli - Russian
213 Washington Street

Cutty's - American (and not yet open)
248 Washington Street

Family Restaurant - Turkish
305 Washington Street

Japan Village Mart - Japanese (and my experience *here*)
200 Washington Street

Kookoo cafe' - Persian/European cafe'
7 Station Street

La Morra - Northern Italian
48 Boylston Street

Mangia - Italian Pizzeria
8 Cypress Street

Martin's Coffee Shop - American-style diner
35 Harvard Street

Matt Murphy's - Irish Pub (and my experience *here*)
14 Harvard Street

Minsok - Korean
92 Harvard Street

New Paris Bakery - Bakery
10 Cypress Street

Olecito - Mexican (not yet open)
6 Cypress Street

Oriental Pearl - Vietnamese
220 Washington Street

Orinoco - Venezuelan (and my experience *here*)
22 Harvard Street

Pomodoro - Italian
24 Harvard Street

Sandwich Works - American delicatessen
195 Washington Street

Sichuan Garden - Chinese
295 Washington Street

Tashi Delek - Himilayan/Nepalese/Tibetan (read my experience *here*)
236 Washington Street

Village Fare Pizza - Pizzeria
387 Washington Street

Village Pizza House - Pizzeria
312 Washington Street

Village Smokehouse - American BBQ
1 Harvard Street

Virginia's Fine Foods - European-American cafe' and catering
8A Cypress Street

Yokohama - Japanese
238 Washington Street

Zen 320 - Japanese/Sushi
320 Washington Street



**POST UPDATE**
The total count is actually twenty-seven restaurants, with the recent addition to this list of the pizzerias that reside on Washington Street.

Eddie Izzard plays Boston

Mr. Izzard will be appearing tonight, January 12, at TD Banknorth.

(and I'm going)





"...a couple of sandwiches short of a picnic...."

The Dog Days are Over

Love the song....love the video. Even with the creepy clown make-up.

Unbridled fun and joy. For you to enjoy.

Cheerful Money

I'm an avid reader. Always have been. But my days of reading books ended with either the candy-like Harry Potter series or more likely, the well known, albeit tired series, "Becoming a Mom, Vol. I - Infinity".



Instead, I've morphed into the avid online reader or the avid mag reader.

Avid.





And I rarely ask for books for Christmas or birthdays, unless it's a gorgeous one that I want to display on a table or shelf. Or one that might inspire some fantastic evening or meal or athletic feat.





I love giving books...and usually I give them with that sort of longing a mediocre runner might have with a marathon: love to get to that some day or good luck with that! But I do some mighty thorough research on books for my father-in-law (of the conservative, Fox-watching ilk) and my sister-in-law's husband (of the impossible-to-buy-because-of-endless-financial-means ilk).

This year for my birthday or Christmas I generously received three books:

• Mastering the Art of French Cooking,
• Born to Run, and
  
• Cheerful Money.
  

Something on food, sport, and insightful humor. All very key to my state of well being...and getting me through the Boston six months of insufferable winter.

I've thumbed through Julia's tome, I've got the book on running right on my bed stand, but Tad Friend's memoir and clever commentary on all things Wasp has me hooked.

I've always enjoyed reading Tad Friend's contributions in the NYer. I have found his style to be wicked smaht, self-deprecating, and perceptive. I relate. And a book that pokes fun at a family history that's a little like mine is worth my focus and energy.



(photo from the New Yorker)

My background, I would say, is probably more Wasp than not Wasp. To be Wasp also requires a certain economic status that my heritage hasn't really enjoyed.....my disclaimer is that we're more indentured servant-y, farming, laboring drones Wasps as opposed to the money-ed, entrepreneurial Industrial Age Wasps.

While the Vanderbilts, Rockefellers, Carnegies, and Astors were creating wealth my people were probably standing in an open field with earth under their finger nails. Or actually, probably more likely talking about what pig should be slaughtered for dinner. And how the potatoes will be mashed.

(A non-relation Colonial Farmer from flickr)

My DNA goes back to something like 1630 and Anthony Colby getting New Hampshire land from King George. That's my mom's side. On my dad's side, the Halls came over in the early 1700's. Both families owned land and farmed. We are hearty, chatty, and we love nothing more than having a good laugh at ourselves. And farming is the one constant throughout these dozens of generations. Maybe that would explain my dad's ambition to raise his kids in Kansas?

Mr. Friend's anecdotal story weaves you through his background to present day, explaining the whys and the wherefores of his and general Waspiness. I've always thought I had a handle on Wasp. I get the blue blood thing. I know about American Nobility and the Social Register. But I wasn't aware of the Wasp Code of Conduct necessarily, which Mr. Friend chronicles throughout this book. A brief sampling:

"Wasps name their dogs after liquor and their cars after dogs and their children after their ancestors." (‡)

"Waspiness is an overlay on human character, like the porcelain veneer that protects the biting surface of a damaged tooth." (‡‡)

-and

"Life is a scavenger hunt run backward as well as forward, a race to comprehend. But with Wasps, the caretakers lock the explanatory sorrows away, then swallow the key." (‡‡‡)

I am thoroughly enjoying this book. I find it brilliant and funny. And personal. The personal part not exactly Wasp. I'm half-way through and don't wish it to end when I'll just have to go back to ezines.

You may never see me post a book recommendation again, unless it's Tintin or the latest Newbery Medal winner. I heartily endorse this book. Cheerful Money. It brought me back from the no-I-don't-read-books world to the hunched-over-my-book-I-can't-hear-you world.

‡, Tad Friend, Cheerful Money, page 144.
‡‡ Ibid, pg. 86
‡‡‡ Ibid, pg. 20

It's all so vaguely familiar....

I definitely would not say that our winter break was anything like a shipwreck. Nor did we ever feel like we were on a three hour tour. On the contrary, it was mostly a controlled sail through the bay. With a couple of very knowledgeable, seasoned captains alternating at the helm.

Although on occasion I did feel a little like Gilligan, the Professor, and Mary Ann. Did not feel like Ginger. Or Thurston Howell. No, no, not really.

Lovey, on the other hand, came to me on the first day back after vacation was over. Kids back to school, husband back to work....and me.....like a fury, I cleaned, scoured, chucked, heaved, moved, rearranged. Like a woman possessed....

No, really more like Lovey on radioactive sugar beets!



The famed episode, in it's entirety, for your viewing pleasure:

Gilligan's Island/Pass the Vegetables.