Tiny Urban Tidbits #13

Tiny Urban Tidbits is where I share with you some insights, "tidbits", or just random encounters from the week. I carry my camera with me everywhere I go, and I love capturing photos of interesting things that I discover. These may include new dishes from a restaurant that I've already reviewed, updates on what's going on locally, or encounters I've had in the kitchen. It could even include a beautiful sunset, a funny sign, or just stuff I find amusing. Think of it as snapshots (literally!) of my weekly experiences with food - intertwined with stories, of course.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cooking Tidbits

"Il Panino"-inspired Caprese Sandwich

Summer is a time for refreshing sandwiches. This is inspired by one of my favorite sandwiches from Il Panino Express, an outpost of a North End establishment which used to be right near my home until they were essentially pushed out by the landlord with high rents. It's a bit unusual because I did not have normal bread lying around, just these whole wheat hamburger buns from Nature's Pride. What's in the sandwich? Arugula, proscuitto, tomatoes, and fresh mozarella. Perfect for a hot summer day.

We got just a few pattypan squashes in our CSA farm share last week. I love these squashes. Not only are cute and look like tiny UFOs, they have a wonderfully creamy and nutty taste that I absolutely love. You can mix them up with almost any other root vegetables to make a beautiful medley of roasted vegetables. My favorite way of preparing them is to roast some garlic on the side and mix it all together. You can click here for a more in-depth post that I wrote last summer about this.

I prepared a huge batch of frozen garlic logs this weekend. This is a great way to always have chopped garlic on hand. You can click here for the detailed tutorial on how to make these logs.


Dining Out Tidbits

What are these? They are called Spinach Squares, which we ordered at Upper Crust Pizzeria. Who would have thought a pizza place would carry something like this?

They taste like creamed spinach but are pan fried. They're not bad, but I found them to be rather cheesy and I kept thinking how I like Chinese Turnip Cakes (luo buo gao) so much better. It's worth noting I don't really love creamed spinach, so I am quite biased here.

Did you know at the freshman dining hall at Harvard University you can make your own waffle emblazoned with the Harvard crest? How awesome is that? We never had anything like that at MIT . . . .

I need something Sweet!
We were wandering in Harvard Square after our lovely meal at Mr. Bartley's Burger Cottage when we stumbled upon Sweet, a very cute bakery in Harvard Square. I thought the middle cupcake looked so sad yet cute at the same time.

He looks like he's ready for a nap, which is how I feel often!

We were too full from the burgers to actually get any dessert, but one of these days I'll actually try a cupcake at Sweet!

Wrap Up
I guess that was a pretty random set of tidbits this week. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Coming up next week: my fantastic dinner with NYC food bloggers at a new 1-star Michelin Italian restaurant in NYC. Also, refined Afghan food, trendy European food, and maybe some organic sushi. Stay tuned!

Disclaimer: Time to time I receive products, meals, etc. for free. I do not receive any payment for these posts/reviews. The views expressed in the posts are completely my own. For this post, Nature's Pride sent me some hamburger buns to try.