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EATALY – A little Italy in the USA

April 23, 2018

EATALY – A little Italy in the USA

Have you been to an EATALY yet? If not, and you live within 50 miles of one, you need to plan a field trip after you read this. I promise it will be worth the drive.

I had never heard of EATALY until last weekend. We were in Boston, visiting our daughter who goes to college in the city. We literally stumbled across it, and it was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. I was honestly SO excited about this place that after wandering around for nearly a half-hour taking it all in, I told my husband I had to go back through and take pictures, because I knew I needed to share this with fellow “foodies” who have not yet experienced it. (I put as many as I could in this post.)

EATALY is a bit hard to categorize. Yes, it’s a store. You can browse and purchase things, but you can also eat there, enjoy happy hour, take a class, or just enjoy the environment they’ve created. I would have to call it more of a “shopping experience”. Think Disney World/Epcot for Italian food crossed with a Whole Foods store. Very cool!

EATALY is an Italian company whose name was created by combining the words EAT and ITALY. Their first location in Turin, Italy was opened in 2007 and they now have 13 “shops” across the country. There are currently five EATALY shops in the United States one each in Boston, Los Angeles and Chicago and two in New York City – Flat Iron and Downtown. The company currently has plans to open a sixth location in Las Vegas later this year. Their tag line is “Eat Better. Live Better” and their goal really seems to be to bring the experience of Italian food and the Italian way of life to the rest of the world.

EATALY Boston is located in the Shops at the Prudential Shopping Center located on Boylston Street and it is H-U-G-E. They have created smaller shops within the larger store for fresh produce, meat, fish, pasta, salad, wine, desserts and more. In addition they have take away counters so you can grab prepared food and find a small table to eat it in store or take it with you. Finally, they have at least five restaurants where you can sit down and be served some of the freshest Italian food you have ever had. It’s great for lunch, happy hour and dinner with the family, friends or large groups.

Now, all that being said, as someone who grew up in Boston, I would still have to go to the North End in Boston if I wanted to have a romantic Italian dinner and some much needed authenticity. EATALY and the North End are totally different. EATALY is a bit upscale, modern and a great place to visit. There were far too many people there when we went back around dinner time for it to be a romantic dining spot (although it was the weekend before the Boston Marathon, so it may have been extra busy because of that.) The location, which is about 1.5 -2 miles away from the North End gives folks who work and live in Back Bay and South Boston a great local option for great Italian food and authentic Italian ingredients and groceries.

Since we were only in Boston for the weekend I didn’t have the need to buy groceries, but the foodie in me had a GREAT time looking at everything they offered. I spoke with a baker who told me the flour they use in their bread comes directly from a flour mill in Italy. The bread is prepared with the same materials and in the same way as they do it in Italy. That connection, and the thought that the bite I take here tastes exactly like it does in Italy, without having to take the trip, was a real lure for me. (Someone is a marketing genius in this operation!) I asked what the rustic chocolate bread they offered was like as I had never heard of a bread like that before. He promptly cut one open and gave us a sample…swoon. It was amazing! I immediately bought a loaf. We left it with our daughter to share with her friends. I’m sure if he put the rest out as samples everyone who tasted it bought a loaf. I wish I had some right now.

I took the pictures of some of the restaurants below at about 10AM Saturday when we wandered through. When I tell you it was packed when we came back at 5:30 PM I mean you could hardly move. The wait for most of the restaurants was an hour. Again, it was Marathon weekend, so a regular weekend might not be as bad. Call ahead and check on the wait.

In addition to groceries, wine, take away food and happy hour they also host daily events. A quick look at the EATALY BOSTON CALENDAR finds things like “Sip and Savor” a wine and cheese event, “How to make spring Risotto” and “Wine and Dine”. Each event gives an overview and the cost associated with it. I can tell you that this week’s events are already sold out. If you want to attend something at EATALY check their calendar early and plan ahead.

I hope someone at EATALY Corporate is planning an EATALY shop for Atlanta;) Maybe Atlantic Station? Or Avalon? It would really add to either of these destinations and provide some new Italian dining experiences for the south.

I hope you enjoyed this little taste of EATALY – sorry couldn’t resist;) Check out one of their locations if you find yourself within driving distance or staying in a city that has one. I really think you’ll love it!

Kate’s Breakfast Cookies

March 19, 2018

Today I want to share my original recipe for Kate’s breakfast cookies.

Did I say breakfast cookies?

Yes. I. Did.

When my kids were little we always joked about how they wished they could eat cookies for breakfast. I toyed around with recipes I found, or was given, but if they were actually healthy, they never really tasted very good. Or if they tasted good, they were not actually very healthy. The eternal conundrum.

Fast forward a “bunch” of years.

If you read my blog, you know both my kids are now in college (sniff…sniff…I miss you guys!) Last month I sent them each a few dozen shortbread chocolate chip cookies for Valentines Day. A few weeks later I was talking with my son at OU. He said he liked them so much he’d been eating them for breakfast – and had just finished his last two. I literally burst out laughing! Some things never change.

So, I decided maybe it was time to give breakfast cookies another try. There are so many healthy ingredients readily available in the grocery store these days, and I’ve discovered healthier alternatives and new techniques over the years. I created a recipe this past week that I think they – and you – will love! I’m going to send some to the kids at school…and get their brutally honest opinions. The husband gave me a two thumbs up;)

Now…this is not a Toll House chocolate chip cookie. This is a healthier, higher fiber, protein packed treat! And, honestly, I think it tastes awesome (but of course I’m a little biased.) The key to these cookies is the ground oatmeal and the brown sugar. I’ve found a few recipes over the years that use ground oatmeal and only brown sugar seem to allow baked goods to keep their “softness”.

These are super easy to make! The only ingredient that may be difficult to find is the wheat bran. If they don’t have it at your local grocery store make a Whole Foods run – that’s where I get mine. Or get it online – Amazon also sells it.

Grab two of these for breakfast on the go. They’re great with milk, tea or coffee. (I’m eating one right now with a cup of coffee from Rev Roasters – will tell you about them another time.) Or pack a few in a baggie and throw them in your purse or backpack with a water bottle. I packed two of them in my purse for a snack while my friend and I walked around the American Craft Council show last Friday. They were delicious and they kept my hunger at bay.

Because of the oatmeal, wheat bran, cranberries and pecans, this is also a great way to get some much needed fiber into the diets of kiddos (or grown ups) who…shall we say…need a little extra…ummm….help. Let them eat one or two a few days in a row and they should feel better. The best part is they will have no idea that the delicious cookies they ate were what helped.

Please give this recipe a try and let me know how you like them.

Kate

4.5 from 13 reviews

Kate's Breakfast Cookies

Save Print

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

12 mins

Total time

27 mins

I hope you will love these!

Author: Kate Wittschen - managedbymom.com

Serves: 24 cookies

Ingredients

1 Cup Quaker "Old Fashioned Oats" - ground into powder in your food processor
1 Cup Wheat Bran (I use Bob's Red Mill Unprocessed Miller's Wheat Bran)
1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1.5 teaspoons of baking powder
1.5 teaspoons of baking soda
½ teaspoon of salt
½ cup of butter ( 1 stick) softened
½ cup of brown sugar firmly packed
2 teaspoons of vanilla
2 Eggs
orange zest from one orange
1 Cup of chopped pecans
½ Cup of dried cranberries (I used the lower sugar ones )
1 Cup of mini chocolate chips

Instructions

Put the 1 cup of Quaker "Old Fashioned Oats" into your food processor and run it for about 3 minutes or until the oatmeal no longer looks like oats, but is a slightly grainy powder - like flour;) Leave it there for now.
Put the ½ cup of softened butter and the 1 cup of brown sugar into a large bowl and mix for several minutes - until light and fluffy.
Add two eggs to this mixture and continue to mix for another one to two minutes.
Add 2 teaspoons of vanilla and mix until well incorporated
In a separate bowl add the ground oatmeal powder from your food processor, then add the wheat bran, the whole wheat flour, the baking soda, baking powder and salt. Use a whisk to mix them all together well.
Add the orange zest to this mixture of dry ingredients and whisk well to distribute.
Add the dry flour mixture to the large bowl containing the butter/sugar/egg mixture and mix well to incorporate. Scrape down the sides if using a stand mixer to make sure you get it uniform.
Add the 1 cup chopped pecans, the ½ cup of dried cranberries and the 1/ cup of mini chocolate chips all at the same time and mix just until incorporated - about 30 seconds.
Put parchment paper on your baking sheet and roll dough into small balls - approximately 1.5- 2 inches in size. Place 12 balls onto the cookie sheet and press down balls with your fingers or the bottom of a floured glass to make 12 flat disks about 3 inches wide;).
Bake in 350 degree oven for approximately 12 minutes - just until bottoms of cookies start to look golden...not dark brown please;)
Cool and enjoy with a glass of milk or a cup of coffee or tea! SO YUMMY right out of the oven!
Makes approximately 24 cookies. Leave out what you will eat in a day or two. Put the rest in a zip lock bag, seal and put in the freezer. Take them out when the first batch is gone. Voila! Fresh cookies at your fingertips!

5 Fun And Easy Ways To Use Decorative Paper from Paper Source

February 12, 2018

5 Fun And Easy Ways To Use Decorative Paper!

I’ve been looking for a piece of decorative paper to add to the black and white gallery wall I’m putting together. I found this great printed piece at The Paper Source for $4.95 on Friday. It is a pressed handmade paper, with a cotton-like consistency. The piece was very large- 20X30 inches. I really only needed an 8X10 piece and I was thinking, gosh, I hate to waste it. What else can I use if for? So, I challenged myself over the weekend to find other ways to put it to good use and I easily came up with five fun and easy ways.

First, I cut the 8X10 piece that I needed and put it into the white frame you see here at the very left. I took a wider shot so you can get the idea of where I’m going with this. I’m using a combination of printed paper, fabric, and watercolor that I’m doing in black and white. It’s definitely a work in progress.

I had a gift to wrap this weekend, and I thought, why not? I only needed a small piece. I wrapped it up, added a gold bow, and viola! My second use is as a super high quality gift wrap!

When I cut the paper to wrap the gift I ended up cutting off some smaller pieces. So, I decided for my third project to play around with slicing some additional thin pieces and burying them in some layers of encaustic medium for a 3 dimensional effect. This piece isn’t finished yet. I only put it in this frame to get an idea of what the finished product will look like and I definitely think it needs some additional interest. I put it aside to work on when I have more time. Art is definitely an iterative process.

The fourth project required me to break out my stamps. I made a 5X7 decorative placard with some watercolor paper as the background and the decorative paper. I used a stamp (I already had) and embossed it with gold embossing powder which you can read more about here. (I am totally addicted!) I added some metallic gold around the edge of the stamped paper with a Gelly Roll pen, let it dry, and put it in an inexpensive frame (Home Goods $7.99) I think this would look cute in a dorm room, don’t you?

For my fifth project, I thought I’d try the paper on some greeting cards. Again this is just water color paper and decorative paper, stamps, ink…and of course…the glasses are embossed;) I like the yellow borders on the first card, and although it doesn’t translate quite as well here, it really pulls out the gold in the decorative paper and makes the card look “happy”. I was going to make the outer edges of the second card in black, but I liked the way the gray looked -just a little softer. After trying to make some valentine cards for the guys a few weeks ago, I though this could be a good card to send to a fella’!

Here is a bonus project. (I bet we can easily come up with five more ideas!) I used a small piece behind a photograph I had in a modern picture frame. I like it the way it gives the photo a more defined framed look. I still love the pattern, but it might be a little busy for my family room. Oh, no…it might be time to go back to Paper Source to find another piece of decorative paper. Hmmm….I’d better put that on the calendar for next month…or I might never stop this challenge.

This was so much fun! What projects have you done with decorative paper that you enjoyed? Please share:)

Kate

Valentine’s Day 2018

February 1, 2018

I can’t believe it’s already February! Valentine’s Day is just around the corner…

I know there are two camps of people when it comes to this holiday, but I honestly love Valentine’s Day. I always have. I don’t believe February 14th is just about romantic love. While it can be about romantic love, for us it’s also about the love we have for our family and our children. It can also be about celebrating the love you feel for your best friends, and don’t we usually do something special for our child’s teacher on Valentine’s Day? I think it’s so much fun to have a day to celebrate the love we feel for all the special people in our lives.

Our family has always celebrated Valentines Day at dinner with our favorite little valentine’s – who are now definitely not so little anymore. They are pretty much adults, and this year they are both very far away at college. So, another first this year – my first valentine’s day in 22 years without any kids at home:( Yeah. I know what you’re thinking…stop that.

Our tradition has been to make a “fun” dinner that everyone agrees on and try to shape some part of it into a heart. Heart shaped pizza became our staple. Maybe it is at your house too? And dinner has always, always, been followed by a decadent chocolate dessert. Because I also fall into that camp – Valentine’s Day must include chocolate. This year I already know dessert will be a chocolate mousse pie by yours truly. I’ll share the recipe and some photos in a future post.

So, without any kids at home I’m planning a little further ahead this year. Since our kiddos will be enjoying their day at school, I’m putting together some Valentine care packages to mail so we can be with them in some small way. I hope they’ll enjoy their treats from home and share with friends.

As I’m sure you’ve noticed, I’ve scattered some simple card ideas throughout this post. If you like one of them I hope you’ll find some time to make your own version – and please share if you do:) I just used card stock, scrapbooking paper, stamps, a punch and a glue stick and got creative for an hour. These are my favorites so far. I had so much fun I’m definitely going to be making a few more! I think I need to work on a few more “guy” cards, don’t you?

I hope you have a wonderful Valentine’s Day! And I hope it includes chocolate;)

Kate

This little guy has been our whole family’s valentine for the last 13 years:)

Taking the plunge…my first post!

November 4, 2016

OK…honestly…this is a little nerve wracking. My first official post to Managed by Mom. (Yikes!) This past New Year’s my resolution was to “Make A Difference”. Yeah, kinda vague, I know. And once you get to know the OCD part of me you’ll find out how truly out of character this really was. As an ex-corporate mom I know better. Goals are supposed to be SMART – specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely – and overall this was none of those things. But… I kept thinking about it. As the year progressed the idea of starting my own blog was planted and has kept creeping into my thoughts. Let’s get real, I blame Pinterest:). This summer I finally decided I needed to listen to the little voice inside my head and give this a go.

I’ve been inspired by so many wonderful people in the past few years, some of whom I’ve never met in person, to care more and learn more and color outside the lines. I’ve been following the blogs of bright, insightful and creative women, of all ages, who are doing inspiring things with their lives outside of a 9-5! They have motivated me to do more as well..but it’s been a one sided relationship with my virtual friends doing all the giving. So, I’ve decide it’s time to take the plunge and contribute…to make a difference. I hope you like what you find on my little spot on the internet. I also hope it will inspire you just as others have inspired me to connect and share!