Please ignore my absurd attempt at homemade guacamole and take a moment to really inspect the chips in the photo. Wait a minute?! Is that a … surfboard? Yes, my fellow party dip makers, those are in fact “Longboard Chips” made by the funky folks at Trader Joe’s. These organic tortilla chips are tasty, and must only be served while channeling Matthew McConaughey. All right…All right…All right…

Now, who wants to share their top secret recipes and tips for making really awesome guacamole? CK, Melissa, and I had the best guacamole I’ve ever had a few weeks ago at Ole Mexican Grill in Inman square. Unfortunately I was too busy socializing and sipping a super strong margarita to notice how they made the guacamole. Did I mention they make it tableside? It’s all in all phenomenal. We polished off our whole bowl with gusto. Next time I’m not going to take my eyes off the server while they prepare it.

My friend Melissa and I have a long running complaint about the state of walkable lunch spots near our office. While the hands down favorite is definitely Brown Sugar Cafe, a girl cannot survive on Masaman Curry alone (as much as we might like to). So for the most part I bring my lunch and once a week venture out to one of the very few places that doesn’t require me to get back on the T. Almost all of these locations are chain restaurants like Bertuccis or TGI Fridays. Sometimes, if I get hard up enough, I’ll just get a Skinny Vanilla Latte and some Fruit & Nut mix from Starbucks and call it a day.

Last week though Melissa talked me into going to Boloco. A place I’ve avoided for years because for some unknown reason I’d convinced myself that it was gross and that I didn’t like burritos (what?!) and no way was I going in there. In hindsight this is all completely ridiculous. The line spilling out the door every day of the week and blocking my Starbucks addicted self from getting around them, would probably cue a sensible person into the fact that this little establishment offered up some fine lunch treats.

So with much suspicion and trepidation I ordered their “Summer Burrito” with Tofu. The “Summer Burrito” consists of black beans, mango salsa, melted cheese, cilantro, and rice, all folded up neatly in a flour tortilla. In the interest of full disclosure my first bite of this purchase was not good. The tofu was shockingly tough and pretty much inedible, but after removing it from the other ingredients (and also hiding it from view–yes it was that unappetizing in appearance) I happily finished the entire thing.

I’ve been on a mango kick recently, and I loved the flavors of the mango and cilantro combo so much that I instantly wanted to recreate the filling at home. Below is my attempt at doing so. I did run into a puzzling incident while I was making this dish. I literally opened five cans of Goya Black Beans and they were all spoiled. Three of the cans were newly purchased. After I vetoed the contents of those (since they were really revolting, sort of sludgy and foamy and very broken) I sent CK out to pick up more at the little store at the end of our street and I kid you not, those cans were bad too. Unfortunately, I had to ask poor CK to get in the car and go to Whole Foods where we at last found cans of black beans that didn’t look like a science experiment in fermentation. Has this happened to anyone else? Was there a huge Goya recall that I missed, because these beans were practically alien life forms living incognito in tin cans.

Anyway, after the bean debacle I finally threw everything together and served the dish with white corn chips. We both really enjoyed it. I hope you will too!

Boloco Summer “Burrito” Knock-Off at Home

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 onion, diced
1 package of frozen mango, thawed
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Juice of one lime
3 cups of cooked rice (replacing water with chicken broth)
1 can of black beans (15.5 oz), rinsed
Sour Cream
Cheddar Cheese
Tortilla chips or burrito shells

Heat the oil in a skillet and saute the onion until softened but not browned. Add the mango and cilantro and cook until heated through.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan warm the beans over medium heat. Squeeze the limes over the mango and onions. Layer individual bowls with rice, beans, and the onion and mango concoction. Top with grated cheddar and a dollop of sour cream. Serve with tortilla chips, or you can also roll all of the fillings into a burrito shell.

Sally Sampson’s newest cookbook, Recipe of the Week: Ice Cream, is going to get me into a lot of trouble.  Specifically, trouble with buttons not closing, pants not fitting, and no-doubt many a ruined appetite for dinner.  Ice cream is my Achilles heel.  I walk by the neatly frozen pints in the freezer case with a hangdog expression of thinly concealed lust.  I know I shouldn’t have it, but everyone has to break the rules sometime and that’s where SaIly comes in.

I admire the simplicity of this book on so many levels.  Sampson finds no need to wax poetic on the merits of ice cream — we, as her consumers, know that ice cream is phenomenal on an inherently addictive level so on with the show.  And oh what a show it is!  All of the frozen treat bases are covered from custard based ice creams to gellatos, sorbets, and granitas.  If that isn’t enough to peak your interest, how about the thought of one of these tempting flavors waiting for you in a big cold bowl: Graham Cracker Malted Vanilla Ice Cream, Triple Coconut, Molasses Ginger Snap Gelato - do I even need to continue?  Sampson also has a number of unusual flavors to peak your curiosity.  Have you ever wondered what Balsamic and Black Pepper Gelato might taste like?  How about Avocado Gelato?

My first foray into ice cream making was a given. I’m a cookie dough kind of girl.  I was also doubly excited to test out my new KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker attachment and also to have “permission” to make an entire bowl of cookie dough just to snack on.  After whipping up my favorite Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie batter I followed Sally’s straightforward instructions and watched with excitement as ice cream started to take shape on my counter.  To make us all feel slightly better about our new dependency I should point out that the recipes in this book are lower in sugar and fat than most commercially prepared ice creams.

To celebrate the release of Sally’s Sampson’s supremely summer appropriate cookbook, local ice cream legend Gus Rancatore (who also gave Sally ice cream making lessons and advice during the preparation of this collection) will be hosting a book party.

Monday June 16, 2008
6:00PM - 7:30PM
at Toscaninis in Central Square
899 Main Street
Cambridge, MA

So please stop by to meet Sally, get your book signed, and also enjoy a free scoop of ice cream!

Cookie Dough Ice Cream
Available in Sally Sampson’s cookbook Recipe of the Week: Ice Cream published by Wiley Press

1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/4 sugar syrup (Note: Per Sally - Place 1 cup white sugar and 1 cup water in a small saucepan and cook, over medium high heat, until the sugar has completely dissolved, about 3 minutes.  Set aside to cool, cover and refrigerate up to 1 month).
1 teaspoon vanilla (Note: I recommend using a really good quality, expensive vanilla. I rather lazily used the McCormicks in my cupboard and I really wish that I had picked up a bottle of Nielsen-Massey.  Next time I definitely will).
1 1/2 cups of your favorite raw cookie dough, such as chocolate chip or oatmeal

Place the milk, cream, sugar syrup, and vanilla extract in a bowl and whisk well.  Transfer to an ice cream maker and proceed according to the manufacturer’s instructions.  When the ice cream is just beginning to come together but has not hardened completely, add spoonfuls of the cookie dough and process for about 5 more minutes.

Because I don’t have enough useless tools and strange boxed mixes in my kitchen, Williams-Sonoma has gone and tempted me with the notion that I can make Animal Crackers at home. I just don’t think I could possibly be happy until I have a herd of lions, tigers, and bears prancing on my snack plate.

Remember when you were a kid and you’d watch Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and practically hurl during the scene when the snakes and chilled monkey brains were served at the sinister banquet? Well if you’re into movie nostalgia and the nasty bits you might want to check out this auction on eBay for an authentic monkey head prop from the film. It’s got a pretty steep price, but I guess it would be quite the conversation piece to serve ice cream in [link via Cinematical].

Once upon a time, for about 5 days I tried to be a vegetarian. I bought 10 pounds of books on the subject at Barnes and Noble and than proceeded to crave meat like it was my job over the next few days. On the fifth day I made CK take me to Boston Market where I promptly ate a Chicken Pot Pie. While my vegetarian attempt was a complete and utter failure I really do admire people who are able to follow through with it. To that end there’s a really excellent essay over at Slate you may want to check out. It’s a vegetarian’s take on what it’s like to be ostracized and misunderstood by your meat eating acquaintances [link via Herbivoracious].

I’ve been reading John Grisham novels since 7th grade. At that time I was convinced that I was going to be a lawyer. Obviously I was temporarily insane at that time in my life. Recently, one of Grisham’s latest books, Playing for Pizza, has been optioned to be made into a film. The story revolves around a down and out quarterback for the Cleveland Browns who takes a spot on an Italian football team in Parma, Italy. The book is full of incredibly vivid descriptions of the food and wine of the region so I’m sure the movie will have plenty of mouth watering shots of decadent dishes [link via Cinematical].

Proof that you really can have chickens in the suburbs. I guess there’s hope for us all to have “grammy eggs” of our own some day.

I like macaroni and cheese just as much as the next girl, but I definitely have to draw the line at macaroni and cheese in a can [link via Newlywed in Dubai].

I’ve never really been big on recipe cards, frankly what I like to use the most to cook with is my Macbook, but these extremely cheerful, colorful cards are so cute I might just have to invest in a few [link via Crafterbation].

A new cupcake shop has opened in Boston. Sweet is apparently charging $3.25 a piece for a regular cupcake. Obviously I am in the wrong business. Do you think I have enough experience to be a cupcake salesperson? Either way I’ll be heading on over soon to test out the sugary goods. [link via We Are Not Martha].

Top 5 Recipes I’m Dying To Try

Zucchini Faux Pasta with Italian Sausage from Elle at Elle’s New England Kitche
Erin’s special Peanut Butter Nutter Butter Birthday Cake at Two More Seconds
The Brown Sugar Banana Apple Monkey Bars made by Sharon at Culinary Adventures of a New Wife
Tiramisu Macarons from Weeva at Weevalicious Recipe
The serious snack of Peanut Butter Popcorn from Francie at Ramblings of a Frantic Home Cook

I went to my first Red Sox game last night with CK and his co-workers. No, not of the season. This was my first Fenway Park experience ever! Yes, I’ve lived here for three years now and I’d never been to a game. And boy did I live it up. I ate and drank everything in sight from Fenway Franks to French Fries to Cracker Jacks, but the best food moment of the night was having a Sausage and Peppers sandwich from the infamous Sausage Guy. I did a double take when I saw the man behind the cart though as he looked uncannily like my Uncle Eric. Unkie Eric did you get a new job? If so then thank you for the best sandwich ever!

The other highlight of the evening (other than slowly succumbing to hypothermia over the course of three hours in the freezing cold weather) was finding out that Mike Lowell’s walk-up music is Iron Man by Black Sabbath. That was pretty hot!

In the end we won dramatically thanks to my old Portland Sea Dogs buddy Kevin Youkilis and after walking all the way to Copley, to avoid the insane crowds at Kenmore, I arrived home by 11:00 PM and fell into bed utterly stuffed. So CK…when can we get tickets again?!

My Boston Organics order was waiting for me when I got home from work.  I was looking forward to it all day.  When I opened the bright green box I found the following items inside: Bananas, Green Bartlett Pears, Honey Tangerines, a Kent Mango, Pink Lady Apples, Plums, Valencia Oranges, Fingerling Potatoes, Romaine Lettuce, Snow Peas, Sweet Onions, and Zucchini.  So far I’ve used one zucchini to make a pasta dish for dinner.  What should I do with the rest of my bounty?  Suggestions are welcome.  I’m really looking forward to eating that Mango tomorrow evening. I can’t wait to see what I’ll get next week!