2023 New to Us Restaurant #1 of 5: Buono Bistro

 As a sort of New Year's resolution, I vowed to visit (at least) five "new to us" restaurants this year. What better time to start than my birthday?

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Buono Bistro- North Andover, MA

Italian cuisine is generally not my first choice when choosing a restaurant. I like it but don't love it as much as I love Thai, Chinese, Tapas, etc... However, for my birthday, I wanted my mom to come to dinner and she'd recently had dental surgery, so I was looking for places that had softer food, such as risotto. I asked in my local Facebook group, "Merrimack Valley Eats" for places that had the best risotto. Buono Bistro's name came up many times. I narrowed my choice down to three restaurants, a "safe" choice (one we'd been to before), and two other "new to us" restaurants. In the end, I am SO GLAD I chose Buono Bistro- it was amazing! (My mom didn't end up coming with us, but we'll definitely bring her there in the future!)

Interestingly enough, the website where the photo above comes from is a restaurant review blog and the first sentence of the Buono Bistro review is, "It was a bit confusing trying to find the entrance to Buono Bistro in North Andover." YES- exactly! It's in an unassuming industrial/strip mall type building (you can kind of tell from the photo above.) We went at night, so it was unclear where to turn in and where exactly in the building the restaurant was. When we saw the type of building it was in, I think both John and I said to ourselves- "what will this place look like inside?"

Amazing. It looked amazing inside! The lighting was perfect- dark but not too dark. It had a nicely lit bar and a very large dining area with both tables and booths. We had a table, but I think next time I make a reservation, I'll ask for a booth, as all of the booths are cozily tucked against a wall.

We started with a Blueberry Limoncello martini (for me) and Italian red sangria (for John).

Both were very good! I am a big fan of blueberry lemon drop martinis, so I thought this would be similar. It was and the Prosecco added a little "something." 

We were pretty hungry, so we decided that an appetizer would be a good idea. We chose the Margherita flatbread. 

It was good, but not the "star of the show." Also, bread is served, so this was a double dose of carbs! Funny story about the bread. As soon as we sat down, we were served water and then bread with a balsamic vinegar/oil mixture. We were both dipping in it and going on our merry way eating when all of a sudden, balsamic caught me the wrong way and I basically couldn't speak. I was coughing, gasping, wheezing. Of course, right at that moment, our server came to take our drink order. I'm trying to mime to John what I want and trying to grab the drink menu to point it out. Finally, I was able to whisper my order. Awkward!

There were a handful of specials that our server shared with us (I don't remember them- only the one that I ended up getting.) John chose Pappardelle a la Bolognese (beef and veal with sweet Italian sausage in a fresh white wine tomato sauce and mozzarella.) I was originally planning on getting Butternut Squash ravioli, but once I heard that swordfish was a special, I knew that was the winner!

John said the Bolognese was the best he's ever had and the pasta was very fresh. The swordfish was very tasty. It came with a crab risotto, broccolini, and a corn salad type topping (for lack of a better description.) It was amazing! (No pics of the Bolognese- I let John eat in peace.)

We had looked at the dessert menu online prior to going and weren't wowed by anything in particular, but since it was my birthday, we decided to look one more time in person. Turns out it was a different dessert menu than online. We ended up with tiramisu and it was great! (Can't go wrong with tiramisu.)

All in all, the atmosphere, service, and food scored an A in my book. We'll definitely be back!

Riding the Wave of Grief

Last week I was driving home from some errands and started thinking about my dad. I don't even remember what prompted me to think of him, but I caught myself smiling.

I started to reflect on how far the wave of grief has taken me since his passing on May 11, 2021.

I vividly remember the morning of May 11, 2021. John and I were on our way to Florida, as my dad went into hospice the day before and we knew it wouldn't be long before he passed away. My Mom called me while we were in the airport and told me that hospice had called her and told her to come right away. In hindsight, her telling me this was likely her way of preparing me from the inevitable. We boarded our flight, and I cried off and on during the two-hour journey. 

As the flight landed and started taxiing toward the gate, I turned on my phone. Almost instantaneously, it rang. It was my mom telling me that my dad had passed away. 

At that moment, I remember a distinct feeling of time stopping- but just for me. Passengers on the plane were chatting and looking out the windows. They were carrying on with their lives. Performing normal acts of "being." I thought to myself- how can they do this? Don't they know that a great man is no longer on this Earth? I kept looking around expecting everything and everyone to stop, pause, and acknowledge this unimaginable loss, but it didn't happen. It seemed like I was somewhere between being underwater and having an out of body experience. 

That feeling was SO deep. And it lasted for a day or so. It was so strange. I've never experienced anything like it.

Now, almost two years later, I can look around and see people going about their business and living life and not be resentful or angry. I'm still angry it happened to him. I'm still sad. I still miss him. But I can now smile when I think of him and if you know him, you'd know that's what he'd want me to do. 

Also, I don't want to be the jinx, but I think it's the Bruins' year and I really wish he was here to see it.

Don't Try a New Recipe on a Holiday

Leading up to Christmas, some friends/co-workers and I were talking about what we would serve/eat on the big holiday. One of them related that her husband felt she shouldn't try a new recipe on a holiday. 

I started thinking about that, as I was planning on breaking that "rule." 

I'd been craving stuffed mushrooms and as John doesn't care for mushrooms, I thought I'd make them when I had a wider audience. I started searching for recipes in Pinterest, with the key qualifier, "easy." 

Let's stop here for a moment, shall we?

Apparently, I have lived 50 years (gasp!) only knowing one kind of stuffed mushroom. A mushroom with bread crumb stuffing. Plain and simple.

Pinterest was giving me recipes for mushrooms with cream cheese stuffing (not for me!), sausage stuffing (maybe?), and seafood stuffing (possibly?). I was overwhelmed and slightly annoyed that I couldn't find a "regular" stuffed mushroom recipe.

Then, all of sudden and randomly, I came across this one.

Stuffed mushroom recipe from a Chinese food blog? YES!

I was a bit reticent at first, but this was the simplest, most straightforward recipe I could find for what I wanted.

Prep was easy/straightforward. If you've never made them, do pay attention to the "do not soak the mushrooms" instruction. (My mother reinforced this while I was wiping mine off.)

I will say that I ended up with a fair amount of extra stuffing, so depending on whether you have extra mushrooms to stuff or not, you may want to cut back on that.

I only got a pre-cooked photo, but you can see they are stuffed generously.

They came out GREAT! Cooking time/temperature was just right. Texture/flavor was great. 

They were a crowd pleaser (even John had one!) and I would definitely make them again. Even on a holiday. 😀 I guess I proved that adage wrong!

Thank you Woks of Life blog for coming through!

Consumer Report: January 2023

Hello and Happy New Year! I'm trying to start the year off right by blogging within the first week (it's a Christmas/New Year's miracle!)

Here are some items that I've tried for the first time recently (well, recently as in "within the last six months.") 😉 and my opinions on them.

First up, Cinnamon Crunch Pop Corners:

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I absolutely love Pop Corners. Spicy Queso and White Cheddar are two of my favorites. They're "never fried," so in my mind, I'm eating a healthy snack! (I'm sure they are healthy, but my mind might think they're healthier than they actually are...lol.) I was in BJ's (New England's local version of Costco) and saw a gigundo bag of the Cinnamon Crunch Pop Corners and thought I'd give them a try.

My verdict- they are good! It's rare (for me at least) to find a crunchy snack that satisfies a sweet craving, which this does for me. Not enough to buy a gigundo bag (which I ended up throwing out probably 1/2 of because they got stale). If you can find a normal sized bag, give them a try. However, if you're looking for another opinion, here's what John had to say- "they still taste like cardboard." 🤣 (They're definitely no Doritos or potato chips!)

Continuing the purple item theme (not on purpose!), next up is Tostitos Restaurant Style Salsa.

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I have never been able to find a jarred salsa that isn't chunky. I don't like chunky salsa (neither does John). I like thin (is that the right word?) non-chunky salsa. I saw this in the grocery store but didn't try it until mid-last year. It's several steps in the right direction towards Mexican restaurant salsa. It's not quite there, but honestly, I'll take it. (It prevents me from thinking about blenderizing chunky jarred salsa- no extra step!)

Moving along to other colors of the rainbow...

Next up are some very tasty, canned spirits.

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Cranberry Island Cocktail and Blueshine Lemonade by Maine Craft Distilling.

I absolutely positively love both of these! If I was held at gunpoint and asked which was my favorite, I'd have to say the Blueshine Lemonade (but only by a hair.) They're both refreshing, light and not overly syrupy sweet. These are perfect for the summer, but honestly, they're great year-round. 

Continuing the boozy theme...

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Blake's Triple Jam Hard Cider. This was a bit of a random find for me. Since I live in Massachusetts, I saw the Maine Distilling drinks in liquor stores in Mass and grocery stores in NH, so they were familiar to me. I was looking for another fruity hard cider and started doing some Googling. I stumbled upon this, but once I saw it was brewed in Michigan, I thought I wouldn't be able to find it nearby. Wrong! I found it less than 2 miles from my house, ran out, and scooped it up. LOVE it. Probably love it slightly more than the Maine Distilling drinks. I was really worried this would be overly sweet and heavy, having three fruity flavors. Wrong again! Sweet, but not too sweet. Tasty and refreshing. If you like fruity hard cider, you must try this! (Plus, the can illustration is fabulous!)

I really thought there was one other thing I wanted to review, but at my advanced age, it's not surprising that I've forgotten it. 

Have you tried any of these? Thoughts?

Happy eating and drinking!

Are You Good at Being Busy?

Let me go first at answering that question.

NO.

Perhaps I should re-phrase it. 

Do you like being busy? 

Again, I'll go first.

NO.

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The last few months have seemed extremely busy here. Out of the ordinary busy. The kind of busy when at the end of the day, I look at John and say, "Do you want to run away with me? I know we have to come back, but can we just run away to get a short period of 'doing nothing'?"

I look at others I know- friends, acquaintances, and coworkers, and see how busy they are on a regular day-to-day basis and all kinds of emotions are stirred up. I feel awe, wondering how they can possibly keep up with such a schedule and wonder if they have time to eat, sleep, or shower. Occasionally, I feel jealous and wonder why I can't be the Energizer Bunny and like it. Mostly, though, I feel lucky that I don't live "on the go" daily. I'm just not cut out for it. And that's OK. I'm happy there are others that fill that role. 

The holidays are coming, so I fully expect this period of busyness to continue. 

I'll just keep swimming and occasionally sit alone in the dark in silence (even if it is in the bathroom!)

50 States? 50 Blogs!: Idaho

 

Lindsay Is a Lifetime Member

First let me start by saying that it's been SEVEN AND A HALF YEARS (!) since I wrote the last "50 States? 50 Blogs! post." How is that even possible? I feel old yet I also feel somewhat proud that I've kept the blog alive for that long (even though it was definitely on life support at some points!)

Time to get back on the Blogwagon!

I've been reading Lindsay Is a Lifetime Member blog for a while now...at least a few years. I don't have a recollection as to how I came across it, but I have enjoyed the content.

Lindsay lives in Boise, Idaho and is an emergency dispatcher. She frequently mentions her husband Kenyon and their travel adventures (mostly cruises!)

The "Lifetime Member" part is related to Weight Watchers (WW). She has been a member for over 10 years and has lost over 100lbs. Once you reach your goal, you're considered a "lifetime member."

I've done WW before (and have blogged about it). It definitely works if you stick to it- I lost 20lbs at one point. This blog post is actually good timing, as I'm considering re-joining. I'd really like to lose 10 or so pounds and keep it off.

Lindsay details her ups and downs with the program (keeps it real!), which I really appreciate. As mentioned, she travels and goes out with friends, and shares how that fits with WW. 

Things that caught my eye about this blog:

• I like the header at the top of the homepage that leads to different sections. (I think I've said I liked this about other blogs, as well.)

• The fun background.

• The photos on the right side.

Things on this blog that I'd like for my blog:

• See above

• POSTS! She's great at posting frequently.

• See above

Next Up- Illinois! (But don't hold your breath...since it took so long for me to write this one!)

We're Goin' to Jackson...Look Out Jackson Town!

 

For our 19th (!) wedding anniversary in September, we had a quick (but lovely) two-night trip to Jackson, NH. Jackson is just north of North Conway, NH, which is a very popular New England destination for tourists.

My Mom volunteered to watch Murray so we wouldn't have to put in him in a kennel (thanks Mom!), so that was comforting knowing he was at home and with someone he knew. My Mom came over on Sunday, September 11th and brought with her the Boston Globe. Interestingly enough, in the Globe Magazine, there was an article entitled, "Perfectly Picturesque New England Destinations." One of the destinations featured? Jackson, NH!

The next day, we drove to Jackson. That's one of the nice things about New England- you can drive to another state in a reasonable amount of time and "get away." It took a little over two hours to get to the area. We pulled over at a  "Scenic Outlook" on the way but honestly? It wasn't that scenic, so no photos.

Since we couldn't check into our room until later in the afternoon, we stopped for lunch at Moat Mountain Smokehouse & Brewery in North Conway, which was recommended by a friend. It was a beautiful day out so we sat outside. We knew we'd have a big dinner that night so we got two appetizers- Long Horn Nachos (smoked brisket) and Moat Mountain Potstickers. Both were delicious but the nachos? Amazing!

(That's a watermelon martini in the photo. Let's just say you didn't want to light a match near my breath after that... 😆)

Next, we drove up to the Christmas Farm Inn in Jackson, where we stayed (and incidentally was featured in the Globe article!)

They have a variety of types of lodging- rooms in the Main Inn or the Barn, standalone cottages, and suites with porches. We had a suite with a porch. While it was somewhat old-fashioned looking, the little porch was nice (and would be great during foliage season) and the electric fireplace was awesome! I sat in front of that reading and staying toasty while John napped.

And if there was any question we were in Northern New England...

(Yes, this was in our room, along with the tourist brochures...lol)

That night we ate at the restaurant at the Inn. It was our anniversary dinner (even though our anniversary wasn't until the next day) and it was great! (The restaurant in the Inn was not open on Tuesday night, so we decided to have our "fancy" dinner the night before. That's something that I noticed- many places we wanted to try to eat at were either closed the entire time we were there and only open at the end of the week or closed Tuesday, not open Monday, etc... All that to say- research these things ahead of time!)

I didn't take any pictures as I wanted to be as free from my phone as I could be, but I'll describe. John had Sangria and I had a Cosmo to drink- both good. For appetizers, we got Grilled Brie (delicious!) and Bacon-Wrapped Scallops (also delicious!). John had Veal Schnitzel (which he said was excellent) and I had the turkey dinner. OK- I know that sounds weird, but that area is known for turkey farms and can I just say that was THE freshest/most delicious turkey I've ever had? We had Tiramisu for dessert, which frankly pushed us both over the edge- we were SO FULL! (Luckily we made it up the hill back to our room!)

The next day we did some sightseeing- we went to Diana's Baths Waterfalls in North Conway and Cathedral Ledge State Park in Bartlett. Both beautiful places (again, I bet they're amazing during foliage season) at which we enjoyed nature and the surrounding vistas.

We had lunch at Horsefeathers in North Conway, which was OK. It's a local pub with sandwiches, etc... We did a little shopping while we were in downtown North Conway and picked up some goodies at one of the many old fashioned general stores.

Next we headed back to the Inn, as we were scheduled for foot soaks and foot massages at the spa. I have to say I was somewhat disappointed with this. The foot soaks were in regular pedicure tubs (vs. fancy bowls with rocks in the bottom, which I've gotten at foot spas). On top of that, one of the pedicure chairs was broken, so no massage and the jet was broken in the other pedicure tub. (I will say that they gave us a 10% discount because of that.) The masseuse was basically like- want me to throw some oil in there? (Again, I'm used to choosing a specific soak.) The foot massage was decent, but again, not what I envisioned.

That night we ate at the Red Fox Bar & Grille in Jackson. It was good (but not as good at the first night's meal).  We had frozen margaritas with raspberry puree (I loved it, but John not so much- and it was the cause of frequent brain freeze!) He started out with French Onion Soup (which he said was one of the best he's ever had) and then I had Mediterranean Haddock and he had ribs & shrimp. The entrees were just OK. We also split maple bacon Brussels sprouts, which again- just OK.

Wednesday morning we packed up and headed out, but not before a visit to White Mountain Puzzles headquarters right down the street from the Inn. There were so many to choose from, but we walked away with these two:

All in all it was a wonderful vacation to celebrate 19th years of wedded bliss!