the newspaper

April 19, 2011 No comments

boston globe logan airport flight to nc

I’m trying something new tonight on my flight to North Carolina (going to see two sisters and six nieces and nephews). I didn’t bring any books! Well, I didn’t bring any printed books. I borrowed Tim’s Nook, which marks my first experience with an e-reader. The downside, of course, is that I can’t use it during takeoff and landing. So I figured a $1 Boston Globe purchase was in order. Every now and then I get a craving to read a newspaper cover to cover, and airports/flights are the perfect opportunity to do so.

the accordion serenade

April 18, 2011 Comments: 3

boston marathon monday patriots day

Happy Patriots Day! This Massachusetts holiday is a pretty neat one. It celebrates the commencement of the revolutionary war, and the day is jam-packed with fun — 5 a.m. battle reenactment in Lexington, Red Sox game during the day, and the Boston Marathon, of course. We live right on the race route, so it was fun to walk outside and watch for a few minutes when I needed a little break from work. I rode the T to the office around 1 p.m. and had a great time watching through the train windows. The T was moving painfully slow because of the crowds, so the runners were moving faster than the train. I took this photo around mile 24, and I was amazed at how many of the runners appeared to be in top form. I had actual tears in my eyes watching them and thinking about how capable our bodies can be.

But enough of that emotional stuff. On to my dollar find. Since it is Marathon Monday, we felt it was fitting to have dinner in the North End. A perfect time to carb load, you know? Tim’s aunt and cousin are in town, so we met them for pasta at La Famiglia Giorgio. While we were there, a genuine Italian accordion player made the rounds, serenading the crowd. He stopped by our table and played a lovely number, so we felt it would be appropriate to tip him $1. I nearly snapped a photo of him, but he was off rather quickly (maybe because we only gave him $1). So instead, let’s all enjoy a picture of me and Tim.

north end dinner la famiglia giorgio

the raisin bran

April 16, 2011 1 comment

raisin bran cvs dollar

I have been known to keep an excessive selection of cereals on my shelf at any one time. I like variety in the morning. My options have been dwindling as of late (down to Honey Bunches of Oats, Trader Joe’s Os, and Kashi Go Lean Crunch), so I paid a visit to my neighborhood CVS when Tim informed me that cereal was on sale. Raisin Bran was marked as $1.66 and I had $0.50 in ExtraCare Bucks, so my total for one box was a whopping $1.16. Pretty close to a dollar, if I do say so myself.

the cheese fries

April 15, 2011 No comments

eagle's deli boston cheese fries burger

For our celebratory Friday dinner, we decided on Thai food. I realize the food in the above image is nothing near the Thai genre, but hear me out for a minute. We wanted to try Rod Dee, since we’ve heard great things about it and I was in a Thai kinda mood. So Tim called in an order while I was at the gym. I was instructed to pick it up on my way home, then we’d dine from the comfort of our apartment while watching a documentary. But things didn’t quite go as planned. I walked into the restaurant already a little bothered after driving up and down the street looking for a parking spot. And then I saw the dreaded “Cash Only” sign. My wallet was empty. I started to walk out, then saw an ATM right inside the restaurant. Perfect! But actually, not perfect — the machine was out of cash. An employee directed me to a bank down the street. So I braved the cold (it was legitimately cold today — and windy!) and walked a block to a locked bank. No go. And that was when I decided to ban Rod Dee and never return. I’m sure I could’ve found another ATM, but I suddenly had no interest in supporting a business that makes it difficult to purchase the desired product.

So we ended up at Eagle’s Deli. Tim is always ready for a burger, and it’s mere minutes (walking) from our house. And really, how can you go wrong with a place that has been featured on Man v. Food? I went with the Cowboy burger — grilled onion, barbeque sauce, bacon, and cheddar — and since today was the one time per year that cheese fries sound appetizing, I upgraded the included fries to the cheese variety. The cost for such an upgrade? One dollar.

the donation

April 14, 2011 No comments

homeless woman park street

If you have spent any amount of time entering and exiting the Park Street T stop, you have seen the many interesting characters who have claimed their spots in that area of Boston Common. This woman has prime real estate and she makes great use of it. You can almost always find her sitting in her chair on the corner of Tremont and Park, and when she’s not in her chair she’s usually poking through the various items she keeps in her nearby shopping cart. One day I saw her counting a pretty thick stack of dollar bills, so I guess she’s good at what she does. Today I added one of mine to her cup.

the italian ice

April 13, 2011 Comments: 4

italian ice maria's north end boston

Today was probably not the best day of my life — worked from about 5:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., spent an hour visiting with a woman from my church who is recovering from surgery (and while I was there, her dog jumped on my lap and sat there the whole time and I wanted to barf, but I knew I would offend her if I pushed the dog away), then came home and worked until about midnight. Also, it was pouring rain all day and cold, cold, cold.

So let us reflect on better, sunnier times, and watermelon Italian ice from Maria’s Pastry Shop in the North End. We first discovered Maria’s at Christmas time, because she is the only place in this Italian mecca where the panettone is homemade (not that panettone imported from Italy is a bad thing… we just wanted the freshest possible to bring to Tim’s grandparents in Arizona). Anyway, Italian ice is surprisingly hard to find in the North End. I want carts on every street corner. The two places we did see were selling the same brand, and one was double the price of the other. Luckily, Maria’s Italian ice fit nicely into my dollar budget (though it was a few cents over).

Also, please click on the link to the pastry shop and view the marzipan lambs in the first image. All the pastry shops here have those lambs in their windows at this time of year, and I think it is quite hilarious.

the tiny chocolates

April 12, 2011 1 comment

chelsea market baskets chocolat dolfin

I found a fun surprise in my bag the other day — three little chocolates I bought at Chelsea Market Baskets when I was in New York. The 0.16-ounce Belgian wonders were hidden in my mess-of-a-purse. Thank goodness I discovered them before they melted or met some other awful fate.

I first noticed them in the store because of their cute size, and I was further intrigued by the flavors. Since I could only choose three  — had to keep my purchase to $1, of course — I ended up with noir orange (intense dark chocolate with bits of crystallized orange peel), noir gingembre (the same rich chocolate combined with fresh ginger), and a classic noir 88% (it doesn’t get much darker/better than that). Now I’m on a search to find a store in Boston that sells this brand. I’m ready for more.

(Oh, and yes, the chocolates in the photograph are sitting in a Scrabble letter stand.)

the dishwashing brushes

April 11, 2011 No comments

ikea dishwashing brushes

I wish I was one of those people who actually enjoys cleaning. But I’m pretty sure I just don’t have it in me. Luckily, I have a roommate who has committed not only to love me for the rest of my life, but to wash my dishes as well. And so far, it’s worked out quite perfectly. The least I can do is purchase the necessary supplies, right?

The lovely color of these dishwashing brushes caught my eye at IKEA. And then I saw that they come as a set of two — for a dollar! I’m not sure how long they last, but I think I’ll have no problem buying more in the future!

the asparagus

April 9, 2011 1 comment

haymarket boston asparagus

I just realized the last week’s worth of posts have been about food. Guess we all know where my priorities lie.

I had to go into the office for a few hours today, so I decided to reward myself with a post-work visit to Haymarket. All of Boston was out and about (sunshine + temperatures above 50 degrees) and the place was pretty packed. But all it takes is a beautiful bunch of asparagus for $1 to make it all worth it. I’m always blown away by the variety and prices at Haymarket — so much better than the grocery stores in this town. The vendors are a real treat, too. They yell at the patrons who don’t follow proper Haymarket etiquette, so it’s like built-in entertainment. If you are ever in Boston and need a friend to guide you through the market, let me know — I’m always happy for a reason to load up on produce!

the cream cheese

April 8, 2011 Comments: 2

stuffed french toast cream cheese market basket

I’m crazy about cream cheese. I could eat it at every meal. Today, I had it for breakfast as the stuffing in my stuffed french toast. Tim and I both worked/studied from home all day, so we needed an out-of-the-ordinary meal to add some excitement to the day. I had a brick of cream cheese in the refrigerator that I bought at Market Basket for $1, so it became the inspiration for my breakfast creation.

Want to give it a try? Mix some softened cream cheese with the jam of your choice. Spread a nice, thick layer of the cream cheese/jam mixture on a slice of bread, and top it with a second slice to create a sandwich. Dunk the whole thing into your french toast batter — I used a mixture of two beaten eggs and a splash each of milk, vanilla, and orange oil. Then fry it up in a little butter on your pan. Top it off with cut strawberries and powdered sugar and you’ve got a breakfast that can’t be beat!

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