Calamity Shazaam in the Kitchen

This was an impulse order at the Dumpling Cafe on Washington Street in Boston. (True story: when I was telling my Mom where it was, I used the Naked i as a point of reference.) I'd actually gone for the xiao long bao (broth filled dumplings) also known as "Juicy Buns", which they are famous for apparently. Hey, better late to the party than to not party at all, right? Because I did my homework, I knew to load one on to the spoon and then to nibble a little hole and suck out the piping hot broth. That is a tip that you will thank me for later, I promise you. There is no time that biting down enthusiastically into a bun filled with scalding hot filling and broth will reward you in any way. Also I knew from my homework that the key was to order everything at once while the waitstaff was near you. So in a panic I ordered the braised chicken meatballs. What a treat! They come with baby bok choy and a plate of rice. I totally think you should go eat them righ...

Did you know that you can buy wine made in Vermont from grapes GROWN in Vermont? Incroyable! Back in December I was at the fantastic Eat Boutique event and was given a taste of this wine. My first taste was less than appropriate - I puckered up like a toddler who'd just had her first taste of a lemon. In fairness I am not a big wine drinker usually, and I'd just eaten a delicious maple and bacon donut from Union Square Donuts (you know the one I am talking about) so my tastebuds were all hopped up on sugar. Not ideal for wine tasting. But then I tasted the Vinu Jancu and all of a sudden I totally got it. It's the wine of my people. No seriously, my Meme was from the town of L'Etoile in the Jura and her people were wine people, vin jaune people: bakers AND wine makers. One taste of the vinu jancu (Sicilian for orange wine) and the French DNA in me lit up like sparklers. Fortunately I was able to share this moment with the maker, a marvelous woman by the name ...

This is how our tongues taste cardamom: Cardamommmmmmm     Cardamommmm          Cardamom            WTF IS THIS SOAP? Yes, this lovely spice is lovely only sparingly. Too much of a good thing ends up tasting like you ate a small cake of Crabtree & Evelyn hand soap. Use it lightly and make Mor's Boller as often as possible. Mor's Boller - recipe from Food52