parties

Chicken Spring Rolls {a movie}

by Jill Chen
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Superbowl Sunday is imminent and if your menu needs a little something crunchy and fun, these Chicken Spring Rolls from Jill will hit the spot. She even created a quick dipping sauce and a wonderful how to motion photograph to take you through each step. Thank you, Jill and Jill’s hubby, for showing us the

Sparkling Cocktail: Violet Ombre

by Maggie Battista
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We’re in the midst of one of my favorite weeks of the year! The anxiety of Christmas has passed and the peaceful days leading up to the new year are just plain lovely and party-filled. Everyone seems to be in a good mood, perhaps because we’ve bid adieu to family, and my afternoons are filled

Sparking Cocktails in Progress

by Maggie Battista
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It’s December 1st and, certainly, it’s busy. We’re in the final planning moments of our second local market, a Holiday Local Market taking place next week. I’m sourcing ribbon to wrap your market food gifts, creating hang tags for those gifts, speaking to food makers about final details and even signing on some wonderful last

Fall Cheese Plate and Cider

by Shelby Larsson
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A few years ago, I met up with a few friends at one of the girls’ home in New Hampshire. It was a beautiful fall weekend, and we took full advantage of the gorgeous setting and great company. After a long hike in the woods, we headed to a nearby orchard to pick apples and

Eat Boutique Local Market: Martha’s Photos (Recap #2)

by Maggie Battista
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To further showcase the awesomeness of the food community, I wanted to share Martha’s photos of our first Eat Boutique Local Market on September 24th. The most popular question from our event was: “When will you host the next Local Market?” Well, thank you for asking! The simple posing of the question is a huge

Maggie’s Summer Regrets and Remedies

by Maggie Battista
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It’s August 18th and I have yet to go to the beach this summer. I believe that’s a serious mistake because, guess what? My garden tomatoes are exploding on the vines and summer is over in about four weeks and, sadly, I can already smell Fall in the air. I love Fall, so I’m not

Classic Ice Cream Sandwich

by Jill Chen
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As a kid, one of my all-time favorite summer treats was the classic ice cream sandwich. Remember the ones that came out of a bell-ringing tricycle cart? The jingle-ling from the Good Humour or Dickie Dee guy sent us all running home begging for change. Because July is National Ice Cream month, and because it’s

Whim: A Dinner Party at Smolak Farms

by Maggie Battista
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Last week, I followed one of my favorite chefs to the country. Chef Jason Bond of Bondir restaurant in Cambridge, Massachusetts, launched the Whim dinner series at Smolak Farms, a weekly Wednesday night event that places amazing urban chefs in the bucolic setting of a remote country farm. Imagine green garden soup with fresh summer

Panna Cotta & Strawberry Jam

by Maggie Battista
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As I type this, stars are blazing overhead in a thick dark sky, unlike any stars I see in the city, and I hear absolutely nothing drifting in through the open windows. I whizzed up to Vermont for a quick weekend away and I’m grateful for the silence after what’s been a very busy few

Our Favorite Birthday Cakes: Cinnamon Syrup Cake

by Meagan Micozzi
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I wish I could offer you a tale of the perfect birthday. I was hoping to delight you by recounting an amazing celebration complete with pony rides, pointy hats, and presents. Oh man, the presents. Lots and lots and lots of presents. Of course, the party peak would be the presentation of a cake of

Chocolate Espresso Cake

by Shelby Larsson
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My favorite birthday cakes always came out of a Duncan Hines box. My mom, while an excellent cook, never really saw a reason to go beyond a mix, which was fine with us. I preferred “yellow cake” with chocolate frosting, and for years, that was definitely my go-to request.  I do remember one year, however,

Our Favorite Birthday Cakes: Vanilla Cake with Buttercream Frosting

by Jessica Merrill
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I was one lucky kid. I grew up with a grandmother who was a darn good baker and gifted with a cake decorating tip. From year to year, whatever I was into, Strawberry Shortcake or Wonder Woman, my grandmother brought it to life on cake. For my first birthday, she made a baby lamb –

Lemon Curd Crepe Cake

by Christine Tobin
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The Eat Boutique Team has wanted to showcase our favorite birthday cakes for a while. We don’t want to knock professional bakers – we totally aspire to be you! – but we think homemade cakes are pretty wonderful too. They may be messy and somewhat lop-sided, but homemade birthday cakes are what most of us

Homemade Fried Dough

by Maggie Battista
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As a kid, I had a long list of foods that made me take notice and instantly salivate, luring me away from whatever game I had imagined lately. I often played “shopping” with whoever would have me, turning my parent’s house into a store where everything had a price tag and I had a huge

Impossible Pie: A Riff on the Classic Chess Pie

by Maggie Battista
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Though the northeast will forever be considered my home, I spent my high school years in the south, basically learning how to adjust. A Jersey girl through and through, I just tried to blend anyway I could. I was too busy sneaking out to dance clubs in downtown Atlanta and cussing up a storm to

Mexican Hot Chocolate Brownies

by Meagan Micozzi
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I just love a good party. And I have found, over the years, that one of the keys to hosting a good party is to give it a theme. Establishing a theme for your celebration gives yourself and your party compatriots a common mission – you’re all in it together and you know exactly what

How to Make a Quick Asparagus Tart

by Maggie Battista
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Easter may someday usurp Thanksgiving’s reign as my favorite holiday. It’s easy and breezy, especially when the temperature hits an unheard of 70 degrees in New England and the sun manages to peer through the thin clouds, making for a gorgeous day. Thanksgiving is cold and sometimes snowy and always requires up to a week