Franklin Cafe

We headed to the Franklin Cafe last night in the South End. I’ve been wanting to try this place since September but have never had the opportunity until now. The atmosphere is warm and cozy and the food was yummy. I ordered the steak frites and Zan decided to go with the duck. Delicious food. Mine was pretty standard, no surprises there. The duck came with a thin side of mashed potatoes and currants. We both enjoyed our food but decided by the end of the night that we would rather go back to Toro next time. Not that The Franklin Cafe isn’t good, because it is, but Toro offers a really fun ambience that is fun and different for a night out in Boston. The Franklin Cafe gets a 7 out of 10 from me. Good, hearty food. A great place for a cold winters night.

Classic Steak Frites
Port Demi Glace, Roquefort Butter

 

Crispy Hudson Valley Duck Leg Confit
Pomme Puree, Spiced Currants

Welcome to my breakfast

I basically eat the same thing for breakfast every morning. I’m one of those people that could live on a few staples and be perfectly content. For example, I ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich every singe day while I was in college. I’m not even kidding. I still eat it for lunch whenever I can. It’s such a classic it never gets old. Ever.

Recently for breakfast, I have been eating greek yogurt. I love the honey flavor. Drop some raspberries on top and you’re good to go. SO satisfying.

And my sister came home the other day with this cranberry green tea from Trader Joes. It’s REALLY delightful. Plus, the water turns pink when you put the tea bag in your mug. Pretty!

a Real Simple dinner.

Decided to make a chicken stroganoff recipe from Real Simple last night. It was really simple, and it was really tasty too!


There are a lot of ingredients, but most I already had lying around. Went to Whole Foods to pick up some fresh veggies and had some chicken in my freezer I laid out in the am to defrost. I followed the recipe pretty accurately (not super confident with my cooking skills yet), and the dish came out great and is definitely something I will make again.


Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced into rings

1 green pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

8 ounces (15 medium) button mushrooms, thinly sliced

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch-thick strips

1 cup dry white wine

1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

2 tablespoons barbecue sauce

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon hot sauce

1/2 cup sour cream

Served over: egg noodles


Here’s the easy-peasy recipe:

To start, gather your ingredients for a group picture

Chop the onions into rings

Get the green pepper ready

Chop those into small strips

The chicken also gets cut into small strips

Cook the onions for about 8 minutes in a tablespoon of olive oil (until softened)

Add peppers and mushrooms
(and 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. of pepper)
Cook approx 6 minutes, until mushrooms give up liquid and are tender

Remove veggies and place in collander (save the liquid)
Cook chicken (seasoned w/ 1 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper)
Pour the wine, chicken broth and veggie liquid into pan and bring to a boil

Add the BBQ sauce, mustard, Worcestershire, and hot sauce
Whisk until smooth
Bring to a boil and let the liquid reduce by half

Reduce heat and whisk in the sour cream

Return chicken and veggie to pan
Simmer until heated through

I put this dish over egg noodles
(but you can choose any type of pasta or rice)
YUM!

The Help

It seems appropriate I finished this book on Martin Luther King Day. It’s an absolutely wonderful story about 3 women in Jackson, Mississippi during the civil rights movement. I fell in love with each of the characters, so much that I didn’t ever want the book to end. Miss Skeeter, Aibileen and Minny: Beautiful woman who pull at your heart on every page. It’s a long book, but worth every minute you spend reading. I promise you, you will love this book– It’s brilliant.