A long overdue visit to my cousin was on tap this weekend. She asked for some bakery items from Standard (if you haven't been there, please go!!! Especially in the morning to get an fresh and warm almond croissant, morning bun, pain au chocolat and just about everything else...)
Thursday morning I decided to try out a new bakery to see if it was a better choice than Standard. Little Bigs is nothing fancy inside but their creations blow you away! I pondered the choices and ended up with a box o' rando' donuts. I got a plain glazed, a glazed with lemon curd in the core, a maple bacon cruller, a chocolate chip cookie and a tart with a potato crust and egg/bacon/cheese filling. And I ended up eating it all within two hours. Lord they were good! The plain glazed was ever so slightly crunchy on the outside and full but fluffy on the inside. I was thoroughly satisfied with these donuts and will definitely hit this place again but went ahead with Standard and Two Fat Cats choices to bring to Vermont.
Friday morning I worked a kindergarten program (they really don't appreciate the beauty of an eagle flying overhead...) and then went to the bakeries before heading out. I used the same box as the donuts the day before (yeay for reusing!!!) and chose two morning buns from Standard and cookies from Two Fat Cats: lemon shortbread, chocolate chip and frosted sugar. The first one is the best thing they have on their menu, aside from the most spectacular maple scone.
It was a hella long drive but I was rewarded with a long walk in perfect weather, a homemade cocktail and a burger with onion rings ON IT!
To make the cocktail: mix tequila, mango lemonade and lemon seltzer in a glass with ice and a lime wedge
The burger was magnificent, with barbecue sauce, the much loved onion rings and cheddar cheese. It's dangerous and perfect.
The next morning, we ate a light breakfast of Grapenuts (don't knock them!) to prep for our farmers market visit. I knew at least a tart was in my future as we hung out with the bakers the night before. It was the most perfect tart as it was flaky and sweet. If you are ever in the Burlington area, find them at SlowFire.com. That was one of the best parts of my day. But then came the free ice cream from Ben and Jerry's! Hazed and Confused is as close to perfect an ice cream can get! As if I needed more sugar, I also found a strawberry rhubarb snow cone. Luckily, to balance out all this amazingly naughty food, we found a juice/smoothie shop and ordered a carrot/beet/ginger juice blend. Super healthy and super tasty!
After a little window shopping and people watching with our three-legged dog friend, we found lunch (and love) at Stacks Sandwiches. Gwen got the Porchetta: slow roasted pork with provolone, broccoli rabe and mayo. I went for something of my own creation and went with smoked turkey, extra sharp Cabot cheese, cranberry sauce, lettuce, carrots, cucumber, tomatoes and broccoli rabe. The rabe is an odd thing to put on a sandwich but it worked and now I want to put rabe on everything (I even had it in my breakfast burrito for dinner tonight). The tastiest part of the sandwich was the sesame baguette it came on.
Dinner, after dog swimming and a cat nap, consisted of cheesy polenta, freshly harvested fiddleheads, farmers market kale, pork sausage, onions and garlic. It was a simple but complex and everything came together so well. See recipe below.
Sunday brought an omelette and a 40 mile bike ride. It was intense and difficult but it built tons of character! And I got my first wicked sunburn of the year. Gwen, her friend Shay, and I climbed a total of 1,991.5 feet along the entire 38.5 mile ride. It ended with a beautiful view of a very cold lake surrounded by mountains and a giant roadside waterfall. Totally worth the horrific uphills...
Now, the food!
1 cup polenta
3 cups water
1/4 cup cheddar cheese (shredded or cut in cubes)
1/2 cup chopped onions
2 cloves garlic
1 sausage or other protein
10-ish fiddleheads
1/2 cup kale
salt and pepper
Olive oil
Put 3 cups water on to boil while you sauté the onions and garlic in olive oil. Set aside when they have browned slightly. Cut up and sauté the sausage, fiddleheads and kale until done (sausage slightly browned and greens wilted).
When the water is boiling, pour in polenta and stir. Add the cheese after a couple minutes and stir again. Only cook as long as it takes the water to absorb, much like cooking rice. Don't overcook! Add the a little salt and pepper, onions and garlic and stir one last time.
Serve in a bowl with polenta on the bottom and pile sausage, fiddleheads and kale on top. Salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!
Thursday morning I decided to try out a new bakery to see if it was a better choice than Standard. Little Bigs is nothing fancy inside but their creations blow you away! I pondered the choices and ended up with a box o' rando' donuts. I got a plain glazed, a glazed with lemon curd in the core, a maple bacon cruller, a chocolate chip cookie and a tart with a potato crust and egg/bacon/cheese filling. And I ended up eating it all within two hours. Lord they were good! The plain glazed was ever so slightly crunchy on the outside and full but fluffy on the inside. I was thoroughly satisfied with these donuts and will definitely hit this place again but went ahead with Standard and Two Fat Cats choices to bring to Vermont.
Friday morning I worked a kindergarten program (they really don't appreciate the beauty of an eagle flying overhead...) and then went to the bakeries before heading out. I used the same box as the donuts the day before (yeay for reusing!!!) and chose two morning buns from Standard and cookies from Two Fat Cats: lemon shortbread, chocolate chip and frosted sugar. The first one is the best thing they have on their menu, aside from the most spectacular maple scone.
It was a hella long drive but I was rewarded with a long walk in perfect weather, a homemade cocktail and a burger with onion rings ON IT!
To make the cocktail: mix tequila, mango lemonade and lemon seltzer in a glass with ice and a lime wedge
The burger was magnificent, with barbecue sauce, the much loved onion rings and cheddar cheese. It's dangerous and perfect.
The next morning, we ate a light breakfast of Grapenuts (don't knock them!) to prep for our farmers market visit. I knew at least a tart was in my future as we hung out with the bakers the night before. It was the most perfect tart as it was flaky and sweet. If you are ever in the Burlington area, find them at SlowFire.com. That was one of the best parts of my day. But then came the free ice cream from Ben and Jerry's! Hazed and Confused is as close to perfect an ice cream can get! As if I needed more sugar, I also found a strawberry rhubarb snow cone. Luckily, to balance out all this amazingly naughty food, we found a juice/smoothie shop and ordered a carrot/beet/ginger juice blend. Super healthy and super tasty!
After a little window shopping and people watching with our three-legged dog friend, we found lunch (and love) at Stacks Sandwiches. Gwen got the Porchetta: slow roasted pork with provolone, broccoli rabe and mayo. I went for something of my own creation and went with smoked turkey, extra sharp Cabot cheese, cranberry sauce, lettuce, carrots, cucumber, tomatoes and broccoli rabe. The rabe is an odd thing to put on a sandwich but it worked and now I want to put rabe on everything (I even had it in my breakfast burrito for dinner tonight). The tastiest part of the sandwich was the sesame baguette it came on.
Dinner, after dog swimming and a cat nap, consisted of cheesy polenta, freshly harvested fiddleheads, farmers market kale, pork sausage, onions and garlic. It was a simple but complex and everything came together so well. See recipe below.
Sunday brought an omelette and a 40 mile bike ride. It was intense and difficult but it built tons of character! And I got my first wicked sunburn of the year. Gwen, her friend Shay, and I climbed a total of 1,991.5 feet along the entire 38.5 mile ride. It ended with a beautiful view of a very cold lake surrounded by mountains and a giant roadside waterfall. Totally worth the horrific uphills...
Now, the food!
1 cup polenta
3 cups water
1/4 cup cheddar cheese (shredded or cut in cubes)
1/2 cup chopped onions
2 cloves garlic
1 sausage or other protein
10-ish fiddleheads
1/2 cup kale
salt and pepper
Olive oil
Put 3 cups water on to boil while you sauté the onions and garlic in olive oil. Set aside when they have browned slightly. Cut up and sauté the sausage, fiddleheads and kale until done (sausage slightly browned and greens wilted).
When the water is boiling, pour in polenta and stir. Add the cheese after a couple minutes and stir again. Only cook as long as it takes the water to absorb, much like cooking rice. Don't overcook! Add the a little salt and pepper, onions and garlic and stir one last time.
Serve in a bowl with polenta on the bottom and pile sausage, fiddleheads and kale on top. Salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!