On the Road

Jane was on the road!

Yes, Boston, I cheated on you over Spring Break. I got some sweet little love notes from your brother on the other side of Connecticut, and spent some time getting to know Brooklyn, midtown... even downtown. But no trip would be complete without some serious food indulgence, so here I document some of my tummy's fave highlights of the trip.

Champion Coffee Shop
Greenpoint, B-lyn.

Ok, so my sister lives directly above them. But they are still have the sweetest staff around, and boast a kick-ass back patio with plenty of sunshine, trees, and birdies.

AND, this massive cup of fresh fruit/greek yogurt/amazing granola that kept me full for hours was just blissful when enjoyed in the morning sunshine in the backyard. Their coffee is also pretty addictive - shots of espresso, no coffee maker in sight - so that this morning in Boston, I mourned the fact that I had to settle for Dunkin' on my way into the city. Cambridge needs a place like this!

5-Leaves
Greenpoint, B-Lyn
www.fiveleavesny.com

Holy heck, I am full on cray-cray obsessed with this place. It started innocently enough over 4th of July weekend this past year. My sis and I strolled down for a little brunch, coffee, no big deal. Uhh, Big Deal indeed. We sat outside near their take-out coffee window and people watched on the sidewalk, and the egg sammy w/cheddar and sage was so out of this world scrumptious I made it at home three weekends in a row. I literally have been dreaming about corner gem ever since. So on St. Paddy's, we hit it up. And my tentative toe-in-the-water vegetarian side went screaming away from the shore after splitting the 5-Leaves burger w/sis. Pickled beets, fried egg, and grilled pineapple. YES. We also split a huge salad with radicchio & butternut squash that was quite lovely. Also, it was 2-fer-1 Guinness.

Happy St. Paddy's, indeed!

Sunshine Chips!

Just two weeks ago, the sun started shining it's brightest for the first time in what felt like truly forever. I feel like I was still suffering windburn, frostbite, and soggy socks after the lovely winter we had on Appian Way. So, a few weeks ago, yellow happy rays coaxed me, huggable dogs, too-cute babies, and some of my fellow grad-slaves to bathe in Vitamin D and nosh on some snackies next to the Charles River. It was a necessary excuse to wander out of the library and blink into some happy sunlight! Even though it was a leeeetle windy by the Charles, and there were a few close-calls with the frisbees and our *ahem* heads, the fresh air and warmth was totally cathartic. I packed along some homemade rosemary pita chips & hummus, and they disappeared so fast, I had to share how so incredibly simple & easy it was to throw together such a yumtastic snack. They went so well with fresh-air lounging, I've forever renamed them my "Sunshine Chips". They're awesome alone or with some hummus for dipping. Enjoy, sunshines!

Sunshine Chips

Day-old pita bread
Olive oil
Salt & peps
Dried rosemary

Pre-heat oven to 400.
Mix together olive oil, s+p
Cut pita into triangles, separating at "seam"
Very lightly brush olive oil mixture on top of pita triangles and arrange in a single layer on cookie sheet
Sprinkle on dried rosemary
Bake for about 6-8 min, but watch these chippies carefully so they don't burn

IMO, best enjoyed outside. Pack in a reusable bag with some hummus, and take them into the sunshine.

Photo from janezlifeandtimes.wordpress.com