Love that Dirty Water

You never fall as hard or fast as you do for your first love and for me that was Boston.  I've been visiting the city since I was 11 years old and lived just outside it for a short time in 2005 and yet my heart still has butterflies every time my plane lands at Logan, or my Greyhound drops me at South Station.  It has a special place in my history and as much as I've grown to love the incredible city that is NYC this last year, New York somehow still never stirs the same feeling inside of me as Beantown does.  There's nothing quite like the warmth I feel as I wander it's streets, as the sun hits the Common and as my hands freeze whilst clutching my french vanilla iced coffee from Dunks in sub zero temperatures.

When I heard the news on monday, via twitter, my initial reaction was shock.  Shock that anybody would want to hurt this city in particular "it's the friendliest city in the World", I thought.  Not that any city in the US deserves this kind of act of terror but the fact that it was Boston seemed to really confuse me.  After reading A Boston Food Diary's post, Boston: My Town, My Love, My Community, I realised why I was regarding this city as if it were a human being, because as this fellow blogger explained, "Boston...It's a personality."  And what a personality it is!

A lot has happened this week and as we all begin to rest our heads on our pillows in preparation for yet another monday morning in which the daily grind shall begin all over again, I just wanted to reflect on how much bigger and stronger my feelings have grown for my first love and it's people, some of whom I am  so lucky to call my friends.  Your spirit has been unfailing and your personality unfaltered.

Here's to meandering down Charles Street weaving in and out of boutiques and cafes, to Beacon Hill as you silently make your way through the elegant passages of brownstones, to the beauty of Boston Public Garden as it stands in unison with the more understated common, to the italian sausage stands parked as usual outside old Filene's Basement, to that golden dome that watches over us in confidence, to the Prudential tower as it smiles back at us whilst taking the red line across the Charles to Cambridge, to the twinkly lights, sparkling like magic at dusk on Newbury, to the hustle and bustle that is never angry or selfish on Boylston.  To Boston.

Movie Monday: I Don't Know How She Does It Trailer

What does SJP, Gregg Kinnear, Kelsey Grammer, Jessica Szohr and Pierce Brosnan all have in common?  Seems they're all cast in upcoming movie I Don't Know How She Does It, based on the book by Allison Pearson, which my mum says is fab.

This movie looks a hoot and I already have September 16th penciled in my diary as the release date.  I'm not the most put together or organised of women (not a particularly shocking confession) but I have a lot going on all the time, even without children, so I can already totally relate to SJP's character Kate, as I'm sure a lot of you can.  Plus it's set in Boson for some of the part, my home away from home.  *Sighs*

No deep movie analysis, I'll save that for the release. Just watch and anticipate it's release.


 

The Stove on Sunday: My Favourite Food Blogs

Diet deprivation has lead me on a downward spiral. I've fallen into some kind of baking obsession. I am consumed with the overwhelming need to make light fluffy cupcakes with extraordinary icings, melt in your mouth brownies and a whole hoard of other delectable delights. Instead I've signed up to like a million food blogs, most with a baked goods emphasis. There is a list the size of my arm of recipes I can't wait to try once I'm back from Marbella but I'm climbing the walls with desperation to start creating now!

In my baking rampage I have come across some superb blogs that I wanted to share with you in place of a recipe I've tried of late (because I haven't tried any...ugh).

So, in no particular order the baking beauties are as follows...

Bakerella

Just take a look at these super cute Easter cupcakes...

Need I say more?!

Baking Bites

Since clicking Google Friend Connect about a week ago I have been dying to try this Sour Cream Coffee Cake Recipe.

This kind of naughty treat reminds me of when I used to live in the States and for those that know me you'll also know that my coffee obsession runs just as high, so this is a must!

Beantown Baker

Fast becoming one of my favourite blogs full stop, no matter whether the recipe is savoury or sweet she seems to encompass all the things I love.

Molly Bakes

All things Cake Pops...

Confessions of a Chocoholic

I have been following Bianca's blog for some time, partly because she lives in Boston so it's like reading about my home away from home.  Not only does she blog about sumptuous meals she recreates from her dining experiences but also she relates back a lot to personal experiences and her family, in relation to food.  For that reason there is something so comforting about travelling with her on her food journey, that literally makes it feel as if you can hear her speak.



Bianca's French style scrambled eggs with truffles.  Divine.



The Cupcake Project

For the inventive baker.

The Busty Baker

I discovered this blog on Friday via the Beantown Baker and these pumpkin muffins have me in a tizz!

The Cupcake Blog

Posting pictures from other baking blogs means that not only do you grab some cute ideas but you also discover even more cupcake blogs.

Violet cupcake from the cupcake blog via la despensa del gnomo

Tiptoes in the Kitchen

Hayley was an American exchange student at my University.  She's a bit of a sporadic blogger like myself but when she does post it's the romance of her food writing that makes reading addictive.  I particularly loved her post entitled The Heart and Soul of a Little Bakery

The Boston Foodie

For his Doughnut of the Week posts alone, it's a must read.

Drooling...but must remember "No carbs before Marbs!"

*Images taken from the respective blogs unless stated otherwise

Way back when...

As I sit here with my Christmas pudding slice and my cup of tea on this chilly night, I am reminded of the saying on my Starbucks cup today..."Stories are gifts to share..."

I am so lucky to have so many wonderful memories, including much loved friends and family, many jovial laughs, heartwarming moments and overwhelming feelings of contentment.  I have decided to make Way back when... a regular piece that documents moments I keep close to my heart.

Today is Thanksgiving.  In 2005 I was studying at Bridgewater State College, MA and I shared Thanksgiving with my good friend Jen Corey, her family and friends. 

It was a bitter cold night and we had rehearsals for our Lab Theatre Project, the "Theatre on the Edge" Festival, that was to take place the following week.  As we wrapped at 10.30pm, myself, Jen, Jamie, Mike and Alison made our way to the cinema to see Rent the movie.  It had just been released at the cinema and my friends were dying to see it.  I wasn't bothered either way, as had never seen it on stage anyway.  We were the last into the showing and had to take seats at the very front.  It was a late showing, I was exhausted and ten minutes in I fell asleep, only to wake just in time to see the final scene.  We hugged and said our farewells to Jamie and Alison in the car park.  Mike dropped Jen and myself back to her house. 

I had visited Jen's once before but only sat in the car.  We bundled into her home with her massive bag of laundry.  Both her parents were still awake, their Christmas tree was up and their home smelt of freshly baked apple pie.  The cinnamon was intoxicating. They were beyond welcoming and I truly felt as if I was part of their family.   I even remember their distinct candied apple hand soap from Bath and Body Works, perfect for such a holiday. The following morning Jen and I headed out to Mary Lou's for coffee for everyone later and then prepared for the rest of the day.  A multitude of relatives arrived to a feast of turkey, mashed potato, meatballs, amongst other delicious foods. 

As the day drew to a close, numerous friends appeared for dessert.  Some bringing their own but either way Jen's mum had prepared enough for all.  Baklava, pumpkin pie, apple pie, brownies, cookies...the list goes on.  Us college lot headed down to the basment, ate, chatted and generally laughed until late.  Friends for dessert, since 2005, has been a Corey Annual Thanksgiving Event and every year, depsite the large ocean that seperates myself from all of them, I am still invited via Facebook.  Next year, I hope to attend.

Happy Thanksgiving!

You don't get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies

My current guilty pleasure is YouTubing The Social Network trailer due for release in October for both the UK and US.  The Screenplay has been adapted from Ben Mezrich's book The Accidental Billionaires (which I am making my number 1 priority to get a hold of and read) based on the creation of Facebook by Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg and all the controversy it received at the time, including accusations that the idea was stolen from fellow classmates.  The movie set for release later this year is enticing me for several reasons...

1.  I remember the hype of Facebook back in 2005 when I was on an exchange program to MA, USA.  You had to have a US college address to even sign up to the site and no one in Britain had ever heard of such a thing, nor did they understand the overwhelming capacity for it to take over your life and ultimately lead you to procrastinate from doing pretty much anything.  It was a huge part of my college experience in the US and therefore is very evocative of an amazing time for me, a memory that the current Facebook just can't manifest. 

2. Justin Timberlake is starring in it.

3.  The trailer.  There are a few knocking about on YouTube but I would be lying if I didn't say that it is this one (see below) that I watch over and over and probably one of the main reasons I am so hyped up for this movie.  The trailer is edited together in rather a dramatic form, of course but it is the music used that has really caught my attention and builds the intensity.  Scala and Kolacny Brothers have covered Radioheads Creep (not that I'm aware of what the original sounds like) and it is such a haunting track, one that I desperately need to download , if anything just to stop me from watching the trailer over and over.