You Get What You Need

It's 5:30, Sunday morning. I shouldn't be awake. I'm wide awake. I try, but can't go back to sleep. You can't always get what you want.

At 6:13, I'm out of bed, pulling on running tights and sneakers. Why not run? I pause at my front door and press play on my shuffle. The first song? Countdown by Beyonce. I'm truly in love with this song. And I love that it came up first. Sometimes you get what you need.

Boston is quiet. I run through Chinatown, past delivery trucks and crates of chickens (feathers still on). There are certain things that you can only see in the very early morning.

In the Financial District, the bars are closed, the streets are mostly empty and the sidewalks are all mine. The arch of Rowes Wharf frames a perfect sunrise... a blue harbor and a blue sky, layered with white clouds and apricot-hued light. Sometimes you get what you need.

Overheard in Back Bay

At the Burberry store:
"Have an amazing day, ladies!"
"I fully plan on it."

At L'Aroma:
"Excuse me, are you really taking that table? I was walking over here."
"Yes, I was just talking to this man and he said I could have it."
"Are you seriously taking this table?!?"
"Are you coming over here and seriously challenging me?!?"
"Yes. I'm challenging you."

I'm That Girl

I wear 4-inch heels when there's snow on the ground and the sidewalks are slippery. 

(Image from www.endless.com)

I bring biscotti to happy hour at Tico. And lemon squares to an afternoon at the Aquarium. My friends really aren't surprised anymore when I arrive with dessert.

I stop and stare at the copper panels and arched windows of the Puffers Building on Cambridge Street. Don't mind me. I'm just in love with architecture.

From Almond Biscotti to Lemon Squares

I'm trying to make the perfect almond biscotti. I keep tweaking recipes -- a little less baking soda, a little more almond extract -- but I'm still not there yet.

One recipe called for amaretto liqueur. Definitely not something I keep on hand. So, in the middle of day, I went to the liquor store. The guy behind the counter said that Disaronno was my best bet and, since I only needed 2 tablespoons, he found a nip for me. And then he looked a little wistful... "You said you were baking a cake?" "Cookies." "Ohhh... cookies..." He doesn't deal with too many bakers. And he'd really like a cookie. Maybe I could barter for champagne?

But, when I couldn't find ground anise at the grocery store, I put biscotti on pause. I sat down with Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies (I read cookbooks the way some women read romance novels...) and I picked out a recipe, purely based on what ingredients I have in my kitchen.

Lemon squares. Bingo.

There's a sweet and tangy lemon filling on top of a buttery, crunchy crust. I can't really elaborate further. They're just... stupid good. Good enough to make me forget all about biscotti.

[Alice Medrich's Very Tangy Lemon Bars 2.0 recipe from Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunch Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies]

A Damn Good Breakfast: Blueberry Pancakes

Stack 'em up, knock 'em down.

These Are the Things That Make Me Smile

My new speakers. God help my poor neighbors. Music makes me smile.

Being asked to be a bridesmaid in S's wedding. Love makes me smile.

Brunch plans at my place Sunday morning. The anticipation of blueberry pancakes makes me smile.

Saturday. Saturday always makes me smile.

Very Chocolate Cookies

In my world, there are pajama brunches. I didn't choose the theme. But, let's be honest, I'm so into themes. I put on my prettiest pair of pajamas, slapped an apron on top, and made pancake batter. So, when the guests arrived and they weren't wearing pajamas... well, about five minutes later, everyone was stripping off their jeans and putting on pajamas. If we're going for a theme, we're going all the way.

In my world, there's always ice cream. Even when it's twenty-five degrees outside. Because a good dinner with a good friend should always be followed with ice cream from Christina's.

In my world, there are a million excuses to bake. Birthdays. Holidays. Celebrations. Or seeing two kinds of Valrohna chocolate at the grocery store.

Hence the birth of Very Chocolate Cookies. They're dense. They're serious. There's milk chocolate... there's white chocolate... all rolled into a dark chocolate cookie.

Doesn't your world need some chocolate cookies?

Very Chocolate Cookies

1 1/2 stick unsalted butter
2/3 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup coarsely chopped white chocolate pieces
3/4 cup coarsely chopped milk chocolate pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream together the butter and sugar with a fork until fluffy. Add the eggs one by one and the vanilla extract, mixing well after each addition.

Sift together the cocoa powder, flour, and baking soda in a separate bowl. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture all at once and mix well. Add the chocolate pieces and stir to combine.

Scoop out two tablespoonfuls of batter at a time and form into a cookie shape. Place each on the baking sheet. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the sheet for 3 - 4 minutes then use a spatula to lift them off the sheet. Makes approximately 20 cookies.

First Run of 2012

I'm running up Beacon Street towards the State House -- tall hill, cold air, tired legs. But suddenly I hit the right cadence and I have a perfect moment of running, of physical effort... or, I should say, effortlessness.

I'm sprinting down on State Street when I nearly collide with a tall man in a heavy, wool overcoat. He says, "Go," I say, "Go," and then he urges me on: "Go, go, go!" So I do.

I run through the Seaport and turn around when I reach Temazcal. And there's Boston, spread out for me and all lit up. This view never fails to impress. Hey there, Boston. How you doin'.