buying local Archives - 2 Sisters 2 Cities

Posted by 2 Sisters 2 Cities on December 5, 2012

Still looking for the perfect gift for the sweet-tooth in your life? One of my favorite stocking stuffers ever is Taza Chocolate! Back when we used to get Boston Organics delivered in the city, you could do a Taza chocolate add-on service- so great! They are definitely one of my husband’s favorite things so I am planning on stocking up on a bunch to give to him (hope you are not reading this dear- haha!)

I received an e-mail from one of the Taza Chocolate employees letting me know about three upcoming holiday events they are hosting at their factory store in Somerville, MA. If you live in the Boston area, you have to check out this factory. I went a couple years ago to pick up T’s birth announcements from Albertine Press, which is in the same building as Taza. Let me tell you, the entire building smells heavenly! If you don’t live in Boston, I have something for you as well. I am hosting a Taza Chocolate Mexicana Sampler giveaway- go to the bottom of this post to enter!

Sat. Dec. 8th, 1-4pm: Liddabit Sweets Candy Sampling & Cookbook Signing

Come meet Liz Gutman and Jen King, the brilliant candy-crafters of Liddabit Sweets! Pick up an autographed copy of their brand new book, The Liddabit Sweets Candy Cookbook, and sample & buy their Taza Chocolate sea salt caramels and other delectable creations. Facebook invitation here.

Wed. Dec. 12th, 5-7pm: Bully Boy Distillers & Cocktail Sampling
Come sample libations from Boston’s first craft distillery! Try these locally distilled spirits both straight up, and mixed into cocktails. We’ll have plenty of chocolate samples on hand to explore pairing choices. Facebook invitation here.

Sat. & Sun., Dec. 15th & 16th, 11am-5pm: Holiday Fiesta

Join Taza Chocolate at our annual Holiday Fiesta at the Factory Store on Saturday and Sunday, December 15 and 16 from 11am – 5pm. Facebook invitation here.

Saturday December 15:
-FREE cocktail samples featuring Diabolique Infused Bourbon and Taza Mexicano Extract
-FREE samples of Counter Culture Coffee
-FREE cheesecake samples from 7ate9 Bakery, plus mini cheesecakes for sale

Sunday December 16:
-FREE samples of Oak Aged Mocha Stout from Peak Organic Brewing
-FREE samples of MEM Teas
-FREE sample of Night Shift Taza Stout Gingerbread from Sofra Bakery
Both days:
-The Taco Truck, selling authentic Mexican-style tacos plus a special Taza treat
-FREE Orange Cinnamon hot chocolate served up from the Taza Choco-cycle
-SPECIAL Taza treats for sale, including our new limited edition Spiked Eggnog Chocolate Mexicano
-FREE Chocolate Mexicano disc with any purchase of $50 or more

If you have never tried Taza Chocolate before, here’s your big chance. Taza has generously given 2S2C a Chocolate Mexicano Sampler to giveaway! The sampler contains a disc of each one of these flavors: Cacao Puro, Chipotle Chili, Cinnamon, Ginger, Guajillo Chili, Orange, Salt & Pepper, and Vanilla Bean. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Rules: Contestants must have a USA shipping address to be eligible for entry. No entries will be accepted after December 13th, 2012 at 12:00 am, EST. Entries that do not follow the entry requirements will not be considered. One winner will be chosen at random and will be announced during the December 14th, 2012. The chosen winners will then have 30 days to respond by e-mail to claim their prize. Please note that Taza Chocolate is sponsoring this giveaway. Void where prohibited.

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Posted by 2 Sisters 2 Cities on June 8, 2011

I went to the Southie farmers’ market for the first time that I have lived here for the past 5 years. It occurs from 12-6 every Monday, but in the past I had always worked during these hours. I picked up some additional plants for my porch, and also bought some asparagus and fresh eggs.

When I got home, I realized I had enough ingredients to make a whole meal out of my farmer’s market purchases…Bacon Asparagus Quiche! I love to make a whole meal our of my farmers’ market finds.

Ingredients:
-1 pie shell (I used a frozen one)
-1 bunch asparagus
-1 tablespoon olive oil
-6 pieces of bacon
-6-8 eggs (I used 8 as the fresh ones were on the small side)
-thyme (dried or fresh)
-1 and 1/2 cups milk and/or half & half (I used a 50/50 combo, but use any combination you prefer)
-shredded cheese (I just used a cheddar and monterrey jack mix I had from a previous recipe)
-salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Cover the pie shell (in a pie pan) with foil. Lay the bacon on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Bake both in the oven for 12 minutes or until done.

Meanwhile, wash and slice up the asparagus in 1-2 inch pieces. Heat a small skillet to medium and add olive oil. Add asparagus and saute 6-8 minutes. Add a small dash of thyme and cook for 1-2 more minutes.

Combine the eggs, milk/half & half combination, and shredded cheese in a large mixing bowl. Once the asparagus is done cooking and has cooled for a bit, add the asparagus to the egg mixture. In addition, once the bacon has cooled, break it up into small pieces and add it to the egg mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Lower the heat on the oven to 325 degrees F. Put the pie shell on a baking sheet. Pour the egg mixture into the pie shell (I originally put a little too much milk in the recipe at first so it overflowed, as seen in the picture below…recipe above adjusted for this!) Cook for 30-40 minutes, or until set. Let the quiche cool slightly before eating.

This recipe would be delicious with a mixed greens salad and a light dressing and a nice glass of white wine!

-m

Posted by Meaghan Barry on June 12, 2010

Photo courtesy of msandman via the flickr creative commons license

Last Friday afternoon, we decided to invite some friends over for dinner that evening. I had no meal plan for the night for even Husband M and I, so I had to quickly figure out what I was going to serve our group. Fortunately, the Copley Square Farmer’s Market was open so I decided to hit it up to see what I could think of.

For appetizers, I visited the Crystal Brooks goat cheese stand and picked up a tub of their mediterranean goat cheese. For dinner, I thought out best option would be BLTs. I picked up a pack of smoked bacon from Stillman’s Turkey Farm, some first-of-the-season tomatoes from the Stillman’s farm stand, and two types of bread from Breadsong Bakery (Rustic Italian and Sourdough). I already had lettuce at home from our Boston Organics delivery. As an alternative to mayo, I like to use step 1 of this recipe for Cooking Light for the spread (I used the sage from my herb garden…my first harvest of the year!):

Mayo/Mustard Shallot & Sage Spread

I cut up the tomatoes and washed the lettuce and put them all out on one plate. I cooked the bacon in the oven on a baking sheet at 400 degrees (approx 15-2o minutes depending on your oven). I then used the broiler to toast the bread on baking sheets right before we sat down to dinner. It was a great meal to serve to guests as I could get the majority of things taken care of ahead of time (washing the lettuce, washing and cutting the tomatoes, cooking the bacon, slicing the bread, and making the spread). I was able to enjoy the time on our roof deck watching the sunset. (Pictures of our revitalized deck coming soon…I just need a sunny weekend day to take the pics and for Husband M to make a few planter moves).

For dessert, I decided to go with my all-time favorite- strawberry shortcake. I picked up 4 pints of local strawberries from the market (I can’t remember which stand I ended up going to, but there are 4-5 stands which carry them this time of year). I had some leftover buttermilk from another dinner, so I used the recipe on the side of the carton to make buttermilk biscuits. Husband M picked up some heavy cream from the grocery store on his walk home from the bus stop (as well as a can of ReddiWip for himself…nasty!) Before our guests got here I made the biscuits and washed & cut up the strawberries. I then mixed the strawberries with a half of cup of sugar…it looks like a lot, but it tastes so good and they become really juicy after they sit in it for about an hour (or longer if possible). Right before I served the dessert, I mixed the heavy cream up with the KitchenAid to make whipped cream. The process goes a little bit faster if you put the mixing bowl and whisk attachment in the fridge for 30-60 minutes to get them nice and cold.

I really love the idea of skipping the grocery store and doing all my shopping at the farmers’ market. Not only does everything taste better, but I like to support local farmers and their awesome products. I have been going to the same market for a few years now (and grew up going to farmers markets in the upstate NY area), but it seems like it is more popular than ever. It would definitely be an interesting stat to see if farmers’ market volume have picked up at all within the past few years due to the green/local/organic movements. Granted, I did have to use some items that I had previously purchased at the grocery store and had to pick up one item that day, but I would really like to purchase as many things as possible going to the farmers market this summer.

What meals have you prepared using solely the market? Have farmers markets in your area become more popular recently?

-m