Damp

I will forever think of Boston as the "Seattle of the East Coast." After my conference ended in Maine, Andrew picked me up (in the rain) and we spent one last day walking around Bar Harbor (in the rain). Then we drove down to Boston (in the rain), set up the tent (in the rain), and spent the next week sightseeing (in the rain). Except for the last day and a half, it rained/misted/poured more or less continuously. The title of the post refers to the state of us and all of our belongings. During the day, we'd wander around under the giant golf umbrella, spending lots of time having lunch or coffee in warm cafes. (Did I mention it was cold, too?) Then we'd come back to the campsite and crawl into our damp, and by the end, slightly moldy, sleeping bags. I can not tell you the joy I felt upon arriving home and sleeping in a dry bed.

In spite of that, it was a great trip. The camping wasn't all that enjoyable, but it's a choice I don't regret. Our lodging bill for the whole week? Less than a hundred dollars. That meant that we could blow the budget on food, which is what we did, with gusto. I made reservations at all the restaurants I could find with prix fixe vegetarian offers. Our vacation, therefore, was framed by three terrific meals. Rather than bore you with long menu lists, let me recommend these restaurants if you're in the Boston area: Craigie on the Main, Ten Tables, and Oleana.

Eating all this great food has inspired me to try new things in my cooking. Specifically, I have resolved:
1. To use more fruit in my cooking. I already include a lot of mangoes, strawberries, and apples in salads, but I want to use it other savory food. We had a great toasted cheese sandwich with quince jam served with a side of chilled melon soup. Another outstanding combination was a mango-beet salsa topped with avocado.
2.To eat more arugula. I love arugula - why don't I eat it more? (I know the answer to this: I can't figure out where to buy it.)
3. To remember that pasta doesn't have to have a sauce. One of my favorite dishes of the week was homemade orecchiette ("little ears") pasta tossed with browned, buttered breadcrumbs, bitter rapini, and a rather smooth feta cheese.

My first attempt to do this? On Sunday I made orecchiette and tossed it with Gorgonzola, spinach, and toasted walnuts. The cheese melted so it was sort of sauce-y, but it was at least a change from marinara. And homemade orecchiette needs to become a regular item at our house. I find the chewiness a pleasant change from homemade fettuccine, and they're big enough that they don't take too long to form into the little ear shapes.