offering great coffee and a relaxing place to rest your weary bones
since sometime in the future

Check out the progress of our kitchen remodel.

There's a bookcase in the corner of my kitchen that my brother made me. It is full of cookbooks - old, new, thick, thin, hardcover and paperback. It seems every month a new cookbook finds it's way into my house. They get pulled out in search of inspiration for a weekly dinner with friends, week night dinners for my boyfriend and I or just random reading. I love food and I love to cook.

There also a three ring binder in the bookcase in my kitchen. It is full of recipes I tried and like, drew inspiration from or just enjoyed the way they sounded. Many are pulled off various websites on the Internet; links to some of my favorites can be found below.

The recipes listed below are favorites that have been developed over time. I'm sure they all started with a base recipe gleaned from somewhere which over time has been forgotten. If you enjoy them so much the better. Food is meant to be shared.

• Glop aka Spicy Brie Dip - a hit at parties.

• Crab cakes - I've found this to be a fairly simple to prepare appetizer that appears to be very elegant. They are especially tasty when served with this equally simple variation on a remoulade sauce.

• Something I make fairly regularly is chili. There's also a vegetarian variant.

• Green Beans + Walnuts - a simple side dish

• Mashed Potato Casserole - not even close to low fat

• Banana bread - a great way to use up those well ripened bananas you meant to eat because the doctor said you needed the potassium.

• Chocolate Bread Pudding - a variation on a fairly standard recipe.

• Warm Soft Chocolate Cake - oh so tasty

This is a combination of sites I visit looking for recipes or info and sites with products I like or want to own.

Recipe sites

• Epicurious Food - a great site with tons of info, recipes and definitions.

• Williams-Sonoma recipes - check out the Linzertorte Squares - so much yummy goodness.

• Emeril's online recipe database from Chef Emeril Lagase. Some really interesting recipes on file and a neat recipe wizard to help you find a recipe based on what's in your pantry. Note - you need to register with the site before you can access the recipe database.

• The Food Network has an extensive recipe section that's just a click away. Be warned though, some of their content disappears after a while so if there's a recipe you like (or think you'll like) save it or it might be gone the next time you go looking.

• My dad found a copy of Saveur magazine at his dentist office. He thought it was interesting, I agreed and we've shared a subscription since. They only keep a few recipes online. If you are interested in a variety of food styles I highly recommend a subscription. I don't think you'll regret it.

Kitchen Equipment

• KitchenAid - appliances large and small. I have a KitchenAid stand mixer that is at least 20 years old. It belong to my parents. It is still going strong.

• Keurig single-cup coffee maker - I first learned of these from my boyfriend. Hot coffee, freshly brewed, at the push of a button.

• There are so many chooses available in high end kitchen appliances. Here's a list of some of the ones I'll be considering when I eventually remodel and expand the kitchen.
  • Viking Appliances
  • Thermador Appliances
  • Sub-Zero Refrigeration
  • Wolf Cooking

Food Vendor sites

• Penzeys Spices - because there's more to flavoring than just salt & pepper
• Ben + Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream - you actually have to ask what this is?
• Godiva Chocolatier - when only the best will do
• King Arthur Flour - use their flour, get their catalog
• Tabasco - goes with everything, really!
• Salsas, Etc! - some like it hot. Try the Ass-kickin' Corn Bread.
• Coca-Cola - accept no substitutes.
• Boston Beer Company - the makers of Sam Adams.
• Guinness - straight from Ireland.
• Viansa Winery - I visited this winery in 1999 when I visited San Francisco. The wines were excellent and they also have a marketplace with food stuff and winery related items. It was a nice place to visit at lunch time.

Restaurants

These are places I've visited and had a good time. That doesn't necessarily mean it's gourmet food or the place to be seen. They're simply establishments I enjoyed patronizing.

• Escargot, Marlboro, MA. This store front restaurant at the edge of Main Street offers pleasant mix of Thai and French cuisine. Last time I visited we enjoyed a wonderful meal of pad thai + masamann curry and followed it up with a superb chocolate shouffle. A wonderful way to spend a quiet evening.

• O'Connor's , Rt. 12, Worcester, MA. Think of the Irish Pub straight out of the movies and make it twice as good. A popular place, busy late into the evening. Bring your appetite and plan on having dessert.

• My friend Kathy introduced me to the wine dinners at the Stonehedge Inn (located in Tyngsboro, MA). Each month a different winery is featured and the executive chef prepares a meal to enhance that winery's offerings. The dinners have introduced me to wines and dishes I probably would never have tried on my own.

• Tatnuck Bookseller Restaurant, Chandler Street, Worcester. They've got books, they've got coffee, they've got great food. How can you go wrong? Located inside the Tantuck Bookseller's building the menu is a mix of traditional items and things you just don't expect to find (try the seafood rissoto, you won't be sorry.)

• I visited Emeril's in December 2000 while in New Orleans for a conference. A Imagine, if you will, 10 computer geeks all dressed up and having a fancy dinner. Shocking, I know. Excellent food, presentation and service.