Settling into Massachusetts

Hi everyone. I made it Massachusetts! Two of my roommates were so kind to meet me at the airport and ride on the “T”, the Boston area’s subway system. My landlord met two of us at the stop and drove us to the apartment. He set me up with a bed, dresser and Wednesday brought in a desk. I’ve been treated very well.

For those of you who don’t know, I’m here for a three-month internship with America’s Test Kitchen in Brookline, Mass. It’s my first time living on the East Coast, so each day will be part of a new adventure. I’m slowly learning how the “T” works and have taken the bus.

Of the 15 meals on Massachusetts soil, five included fish. Canned salmon mixed with mayonnaise went into 1 1/2 sandwiches for two lunches. Two haddock fillets stretched into two dinners and a snack-size lunch. The white-fleshed haddock was meltingly moist and flaky. It cooked in a 425-degree oven with kosher salt and black pepper for, about 14 minutes.

I’ve tried to keep the breakfast routine – Kashi Go Lean, granola and oatmeal. Oh, I look forward to granola and apple halves topped with peanut butter! The crunchy oat clusters with hints of coconut and raisins, with the creamy peanut butter spread from Harry & David on apples is pure delight. They have Empire apples in the store! For oatmeal, I have raisins, cinnamon, brown sugar and walnuts. Today’s rendition was heavy on milk and raisins and a bit too much brown sugar.

I had a bad headache Tuesday. It could be caffeine withdrawals. I haven’t had coffee since setting foot on Massachusetts soil. I broke down Wednesday afternoon and microwaved some water for green tea. And today I bought a coffee pot. Take that, headaches!

I’ve eaten out three times since Saturday. My roommate and I went to a pizza, sub place for lunch Sunday after church. The chicken souvlaki in pita/flat bread was delicious and a mouthful. It was packed with lettuce pieces that fell out with each bite. Chicken chunks, onions, tomato, a light dressing, just enough crumbled feta, all in a soft flat bread, coalesced into one fine lunch.

And today I had a tabbouleh, hummus sandwich from a shop in Cambridge near Harvard Square. It was more like a wrap with flatbread and came clothed in paper maybe shy of two minutes after ordering. I took a bite on the “T” and ate the rest sitting on a bench in the shade of a tree. The crunch of parsley leaves prevails with little bits of chopped tomato, a thin smear of hummus, and romaine pieces. The fresh filling hits the mark even if the bread is a tad tough. The sun bathes the Boston area with warmth. The coffee pot will be brewing its own warmth Friday morning.

Hmm…dinners down the line might be an egg frittata with zucchini and parmesan with wheat English muffins and apricot preserves and caramelized onions with bits of broken spaghetti in beef broth. It’s about simplicity at this point. Take care and please let me know what you’re cooking.