I think that the greatest part of living in a suburban oasis such as Canton, is the fact that you are allowed to have grills on your first floor patio. Grilled food always tastes fantastic and the clean up work required is minimal. Sick of the same 'ol barbecued chicken/hot dogs/steak routine, I experimented with grilled pizza (it tastes very similar to Bertucci's). Places like Figs in Chestnut Hill charge an arm and a leg for grilled pizza but it's honestly not that hard to make at home. Here's how to do it:
Grilled Shrimp, Garlic, and Basil Pizza
For this recipe you will need:Pizza dough (you can find it pre-made at most supermarkets), tomatoes, fresh basil, fresh mozzarella or shredded cheese blend, shrimp, garlic
Step One: Roll out a small amount of pizza dough thin - if it's too thick it won't cook properly. Keep in mind that if the diameter is greater than 6" that it may be kind of hard to work with. If 6" isn't enough pizza for you, make another pizza.
Step Two: Chop tomato, basil, garlic, cheese, and shrimp. Set aside
Step Three: Turn grill up to medium-high
Step Four: Brush the pizza dough with olive oil and set on grill
Step Five: Cook the dough just enough that it's done on the bottom and easy to remove from the grill (the top doesn't have to be cooked). Once you've achieved this, move it off the grill.
Step Six: Brush the cooked side of the dough with olive oil. Add your ingredients to this side.
Step Seven: Put your pizza back on the grill. Cover grill.
Once the cheese is melted and it looks cooked, it's probably ready to eat.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Confessions of an American Girl
Monday, June 11, 2007
Restaurant Review #2 - Stephanie's on Newbury
Restaurant: Stephanie's on Newbury
Address: 190 Newbury Street, Boston MA
Website: www.stephaniesonnewbury.com
Rating: B+
Wow - I can't believe that I didn't discover this restaurant sooner! USG and I were trolling around the Back Bay, trying to find somewhere to eat when we stumbled upon this hidden gem. Sure, I had heard of Stephanie's before, but with all of the wonderful restaurants to choose from in the Back Bay, it never dawned on me to give this place a shot.
The goal of the evening was to find a good restaurant with outdoor seating, which as you may know is not always the easiest task when the temp soars above 70. We had a 30 minute wait for patio seating, which wasn't unreasonable for Friday prime time.
The crowd at Stephanie's is mostly young urban professional and the cocktail and dinner menu certainly reflects that. They have a great selection of signature drinks, beer, and wine as well as a decent scotch selection. Drink and menu prices are reasonable for the upscale area and the service that we received was excellent.
We started with the tuna sashimi appetizer which was out of the world fantastic. In fact, the whole appetizer and salad section of the menu was rather impressive. However, selection for the main entrees was weak. While my ravioli was very good, I was somewhat disappointed by the lack of options.
I am definitely eager to return to Stephanie's, though I'll probably just stick to drinks and apps. Parking is a bit tricky in the Back Bay so I would be very inclined to (gasp!) take the T into town. Stephanie's is conveniently located between Hynes and Arlington on the Green Line.
Address: 190 Newbury Street, Boston MA
Website: www.stephaniesonnewbury.com
Rating: B+
Wow - I can't believe that I didn't discover this restaurant sooner! USG and I were trolling around the Back Bay, trying to find somewhere to eat when we stumbled upon this hidden gem. Sure, I had heard of Stephanie's before, but with all of the wonderful restaurants to choose from in the Back Bay, it never dawned on me to give this place a shot.
The goal of the evening was to find a good restaurant with outdoor seating, which as you may know is not always the easiest task when the temp soars above 70. We had a 30 minute wait for patio seating, which wasn't unreasonable for Friday prime time.
The crowd at Stephanie's is mostly young urban professional and the cocktail and dinner menu certainly reflects that. They have a great selection of signature drinks, beer, and wine as well as a decent scotch selection. Drink and menu prices are reasonable for the upscale area and the service that we received was excellent.
We started with the tuna sashimi appetizer which was out of the world fantastic. In fact, the whole appetizer and salad section of the menu was rather impressive. However, selection for the main entrees was weak. While my ravioli was very good, I was somewhat disappointed by the lack of options.
I am definitely eager to return to Stephanie's, though I'll probably just stick to drinks and apps. Parking is a bit tricky in the Back Bay so I would be very inclined to (gasp!) take the T into town. Stephanie's is conveniently located between Hynes and Arlington on the Green Line.
Thursday, June 7, 2007
We'll Always Have Paris
"The judge says that it's going to be a no-frills thing and that is ridiculous. She is totally going to get special treatment. As a matter of fact, I heard that to make her feel more comfortable in prison, the guards are going to paint the bars to look like penises. I think it's wrong, too. I just worry that she's going to break her teeth on those things." - Sarah Silverman, 2007 MTV Movie Awards
After spending three days in the slammer, Paris Hilton was authorized by the LA Sheriff's Deparment to serve out her sentence in her 4,000 sq ft LA mansion. To put it in perspective, 4,000 sq ft is about 400 times the size of the digs she lived in while a wearing a prison jumpsuit.
Paris, that's so hot that you're going to be sporting a monitoring device on your ankle. Of course part of the deal is that you can't leave your palatial compound. Perhaps Daddy will simply build a nightclub on your property. Or better yet, a full-blown Hilton Garden Suites. After all, Miss Hilton pleaded to a judge that her mere existance makes all of our lives more interesting. If that's true then I'm off to get a prescription to treat what will surely be an onset of severe depression. I just don't know how else I will deal with the fact that Paris is incapable of adding value to my life if she's stuck sitting at home for the next 40 days and 40 nights.
Paris Hilton is a very, very lucky girl. You can bet your bottom dollar that if one of us has violated a judge's order that we'd be serving a full sentence of The Simple Life at Norfolk MCS. I wonder if I could even get a job at the Hilton chain if I was convincted of drunk driving and violating parole. I can only hope that Paris Hilton's rap sheet won't prevent her from getting a job at the front desk of DoubleTree someday.
After spending three days in the slammer, Paris Hilton was authorized by the LA Sheriff's Deparment to serve out her sentence in her 4,000 sq ft LA mansion. To put it in perspective, 4,000 sq ft is about 400 times the size of the digs she lived in while a wearing a prison jumpsuit.
Paris, that's so hot that you're going to be sporting a monitoring device on your ankle. Of course part of the deal is that you can't leave your palatial compound. Perhaps Daddy will simply build a nightclub on your property. Or better yet, a full-blown Hilton Garden Suites. After all, Miss Hilton pleaded to a judge that her mere existance makes all of our lives more interesting. If that's true then I'm off to get a prescription to treat what will surely be an onset of severe depression. I just don't know how else I will deal with the fact that Paris is incapable of adding value to my life if she's stuck sitting at home for the next 40 days and 40 nights.
Paris Hilton is a very, very lucky girl. You can bet your bottom dollar that if one of us has violated a judge's order that we'd be serving a full sentence of The Simple Life at Norfolk MCS. I wonder if I could even get a job at the Hilton chain if I was convincted of drunk driving and violating parole. I can only hope that Paris Hilton's rap sheet won't prevent her from getting a job at the front desk of DoubleTree someday.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Switching to Sprint
I called T-Mobile AGAIN this morning and they swear up and down that there is nothing wrong with my phone. It works when I'm out and about but not in my condo. I told them that they could either a) give me an ETA on when I can expect to receive service again or b) give me the unlock code for my phone so I can take it to another service provider. They were obviously unable to deliver either so I'm switching to Sprint. It may take a few hours to port over my phone so try e-mail me if you need to get a hold of me. The good news is that with Sprint you can hit "1" when you get my voicemail to skip my entire outgoing message.
It turns out that I can't use my Blackberry with Sprint so I am going to get a Moto Q phone. If you have T-Mobile and would like a free Blackberry 7105t, let me know.
It turns out that I can't use my Blackberry with Sprint so I am going to get a Moto Q phone. If you have T-Mobile and would like a free Blackberry 7105t, let me know.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
A ironclad contract that not even Michelle Lee can get you out of
When it comes to cell phone providers, I've tried them all: Cellular One, Voicestream, Value Telecom, Cingular, Nextel, and T-Mobile. Over the years, phones have certainly evolved. While I once sported a Nokia that was almost 8 inches long, today's cell phones are smaller than an index finger and sport cameras, video downloads, musical ringtones, and e-mail. For all of the break-throughs happening in today's telecom market, I still can't figure out why they can't make a phone that simply receives coverage everywhere, all the time.
I've been on the (landline) phone all day with T-Mobile. Since last night, my service has been down. No phone calls. No emails. No text messages. I've already called them twice today to figure out what the problem is and how long I can expect to be without service. Apparently a tower is down in Belchertown (2 hours away), which is affecting the Boston area. I find it hard to believe that I am the only T-Mobile customer without service that hasn't been jamming their customer service lines. If I were T-Mobile, I would definitely get cracking if thousands of pissed off Bostonians were berating my customer service reps.
True to their training, the most recent customer service rep I spoke to read everything off her queue card, word for word. She assured me that I would be up and running within 21 hours. That will make my total time off line approximately 26 peak hours. Since I pay approximately 43c per peak hour to use my phone, I figure that T-Mobile owes me $11.18. I have a feeling that despite my inconvenience that I'm not going to get a credit on next month's bill.
Mobile phone companies fit into the same category as Comcast, Verizon, and your ISP when there's a problem: "hey, we'll get to it when we get to it". I think as consumers we expect the stuff that we pay a lot of money for to work all the time. Unfortunately for all the money we pay on our monthly utilities, we lack real options, especially when the cell phone companies lure us into extended contracts by offering us cheap mobile phones. I refuse to sign a two year cell phone contract because in my mind, that's a committment. I can't even keep a boyfriend for two years, never mind the same Blackberry. The cell contracts you sign are pretty ironclad, and impose huge penalties and fees if you try to back out early, even if you're annoyed about their lack of cellular coverage. Hopefully T-Mobile will be up by tomorrow afternoon, otherwise I'm switching to Sprint.
I've been on the (landline) phone all day with T-Mobile. Since last night, my service has been down. No phone calls. No emails. No text messages. I've already called them twice today to figure out what the problem is and how long I can expect to be without service. Apparently a tower is down in Belchertown (2 hours away), which is affecting the Boston area. I find it hard to believe that I am the only T-Mobile customer without service that hasn't been jamming their customer service lines. If I were T-Mobile, I would definitely get cracking if thousands of pissed off Bostonians were berating my customer service reps.
True to their training, the most recent customer service rep I spoke to read everything off her queue card, word for word. She assured me that I would be up and running within 21 hours. That will make my total time off line approximately 26 peak hours. Since I pay approximately 43c per peak hour to use my phone, I figure that T-Mobile owes me $11.18. I have a feeling that despite my inconvenience that I'm not going to get a credit on next month's bill.
Mobile phone companies fit into the same category as Comcast, Verizon, and your ISP when there's a problem: "hey, we'll get to it when we get to it". I think as consumers we expect the stuff that we pay a lot of money for to work all the time. Unfortunately for all the money we pay on our monthly utilities, we lack real options, especially when the cell phone companies lure us into extended contracts by offering us cheap mobile phones. I refuse to sign a two year cell phone contract because in my mind, that's a committment. I can't even keep a boyfriend for two years, never mind the same Blackberry. The cell contracts you sign are pretty ironclad, and impose huge penalties and fees if you try to back out early, even if you're annoyed about their lack of cellular coverage. Hopefully T-Mobile will be up by tomorrow afternoon, otherwise I'm switching to Sprint.
Monday, June 4, 2007
No Self Respecting Southerner Would Eat Instant Grits
After promising for almost two years, I hopped on a plane on Friday bound for Charlotte, NC to visit Josh and Adina for the weekend. They hot-footed it out of Boston a while ago in search of better weather, affordable housing, and a Waffle House on every corner.
I am not usually a big fan of places that can't be accessed via MBTA-owned tracks but I did enjoy Charlotte. If you've never been, Charlotte is a pretty generic city, surrounded by new houses and strip malls as far as the eye can see. Over 500 people a week move into Charlotte, many of them swapping Manhattan high-rises and sophisticated cocktail parties for shirtless neighbors and NASCAR. I'm sure that it takes a bit getting used to but since it doesn't snow and housing is a third of what it is in the northeast, I can understand the attraction that is the Carolinas.
On Saturday we went to the Taste of Charlotte held in uptown Charlotte. Surrounded by two or three sky-scrapers, I got to try food that nobody in Boston would be caught dead eating, such as shrimp and grits. Actually, the shrimp and grits weren't too bad. Any type of food that contains shrimp and about a pound and a half of butter I'm generally a fan of. I also got to drink lots and lots of beer, since it's sold just about everywhere that soda is, which includes, but is not limited to, beer carts on the streets, hotel lobbies (next to the vending machines), gas stations (drinking + driving = convenience), and 7-11's.
It being the deep South, Charlotte is a friendly place. Adina actually stopped to say hello to complete strangers when we were taking our walk (to a strip mall, naturally). That was kind of tough for me since I'm used to either staring down or straight through a person headed my way. The first night I was there, her four year old neighbor actually ma'amed me. I almost corrected her, so as to inform her polite ass know that I'm not that old, but her parents were standing right there and they likely would've had an issue with that. Even uptight Yankee bitches can go along to get along if they have to.
If you haven't had the opportunity to go to the Carolinas, I'm sure you will soon. After all, it seems like everyone is fleeing the Hub of the Universe for the southeast so you're bound to know someone down there. While it was a rather enjoyable weekend, you certainly wouldn't catch me moving down there even on the coldest day in February. Thanks for reading, y'all.
I am not usually a big fan of places that can't be accessed via MBTA-owned tracks but I did enjoy Charlotte. If you've never been, Charlotte is a pretty generic city, surrounded by new houses and strip malls as far as the eye can see. Over 500 people a week move into Charlotte, many of them swapping Manhattan high-rises and sophisticated cocktail parties for shirtless neighbors and NASCAR. I'm sure that it takes a bit getting used to but since it doesn't snow and housing is a third of what it is in the northeast, I can understand the attraction that is the Carolinas.
On Saturday we went to the Taste of Charlotte held in uptown Charlotte. Surrounded by two or three sky-scrapers, I got to try food that nobody in Boston would be caught dead eating, such as shrimp and grits. Actually, the shrimp and grits weren't too bad. Any type of food that contains shrimp and about a pound and a half of butter I'm generally a fan of. I also got to drink lots and lots of beer, since it's sold just about everywhere that soda is, which includes, but is not limited to, beer carts on the streets, hotel lobbies (next to the vending machines), gas stations (drinking + driving = convenience), and 7-11's.
It being the deep South, Charlotte is a friendly place. Adina actually stopped to say hello to complete strangers when we were taking our walk (to a strip mall, naturally). That was kind of tough for me since I'm used to either staring down or straight through a person headed my way. The first night I was there, her four year old neighbor actually ma'amed me. I almost corrected her, so as to inform her polite ass know that I'm not that old, but her parents were standing right there and they likely would've had an issue with that. Even uptight Yankee bitches can go along to get along if they have to.
If you haven't had the opportunity to go to the Carolinas, I'm sure you will soon. After all, it seems like everyone is fleeing the Hub of the Universe for the southeast so you're bound to know someone down there. While it was a rather enjoyable weekend, you certainly wouldn't catch me moving down there even on the coldest day in February. Thanks for reading, y'all.
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