Starving Artist

So while I love my job, I’m definitely not a big fan of working late (who is?). I’ve come to realize that in advertising a 9 – 5 schedule just doesn’t exist, but some nights it’s harder to stomach than most! Speaking of stomach, I was incredibly hungry by the time I got home, and was so far from harboring any desire to even press “START” on the microwave. I walked down Newbury Street to my old stand-by, Bottega Fiorentina. I’m sure I’ll end up posting – oh a million times about this fabulous spot on here. From the friendly staff, to the quick service, to the a-m-a-z-i-n-g Italian food, it’s just a drool-inducing little spot that has quickly worked its way into my Boston favorites (and is it sad that they know me there by name??). Their to-go bag says it all, “Every neighborhood should have a place like this.” I completely agree.

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The one thing I like about working late on Thursday nights is that Thursday is Bottega’s “stuffed shells” night. Ohhhh boyyy is this the best dish you will ever eat in your life. While I would stick my fingers in my ears and start singing loudly like a 5 year old if you were to tell me the calorie count in this baby, it’s worth it. The meat sauce is to die for, the pasta al dente, and the ricotta is so fresh and creamy. Trust me, go here on a Thursday night and you will be one happy camper.

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Paired with a much needed glass of pinot noir, I was in heaven.

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Slipping into a food coma now. Goodnight! :)

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My parents came to visit this past weekend to check out the Boston Arts Festival that was taking place down by the Waterfront area. Unfortunately, Mother Nature decided we needed to come up with new plans, as the festival ended up being rained out on Saturday. That definitely didn’t stop us from having a lovely day in the rain.

We started the day with a sausage and mixed pepper strata that was so easy to make, yet packed a ton of flavor. I started by dicing up a French loaf into 1-inch cubes (I had wanted to go with a whole wheat loaf, but couldn’t find one at Shaw’s that morning!).

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I laid half of the bread cubes onto the bottom of a baking dish, and topped them with a layer of Jones All Natural Light Sausage, red/green/yellow peppers, rosemary, red pepper flakes, S + P.

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The rest of the bread cubes went on top of that, followed by the egg mixture (2 large eggs, 4 egg whites, 3 cups of skim milk, 1/4 cup reduced fat Parmesan cheese all mixed together). A layer of Cabot’s reduced fat sharp cheddar topped off the dish, and I baked it in the oven at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.  Aaaand we had ourselves some strata!

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After savoring our delicious brunch (complete with mimosas, of course!), we were determined not to let the rain stop us from seeing some art. We set off on a rainy walk down Newbury Street and ducked into some of the many small, unique galleries that are tucked among the restaurants and shops. One of my favorites was the DTR Modern Gallery that featured Warhol, Miro, Dali, Matisse, etc. Here’s a photo of one of the many spaces we visited that day:

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After braving the rain for a good 2 hours, a cappuccino and cantuccini at Bottega Fiorentina was completely necessary.

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It doesn’t get much better than that!  : )

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