Congratulations on the World's Best Coffee!

It has become a personal goal of myself and Laura to find some of the best coffee the city has to offer- Ok within a two mile radius of our work in Cambridge. Our favorite has been 1369 or is it 1634? Anyways, our journey brought us inside of MGH to Coffee Central. We poked around on Yelp and found "Coffee Central." We were not disappointed. After one sip I shouted "We've found it! The World's Best Iced Coffee!"

Laura Loved It! She shouted in joy!

The Hazelnut flavor was dancing in my mouth with happiness! I'm also excited that we got coffee in a hospital. Prime place for spotting some good looking doctor's men. Plus there is an outdoor patio for basking in the sun while enjoying your mouth watering coffee.

You get the point.. that coffee was great! Will we switch the search to "Best Tea" in the area when we pick our coffee winner?

Following the best Hazelnut Iced Coffee I've ever had (ok it's the only one), I went to Yoga in the Park on the Esplanade with Christine and Kim. We had some good, old fashioned, stretching fun!

Christine just sat in Shavasana.

Kim worked on her back bends. Flexible gal like Gumby!

I practiced some cobra instead.

It was a great day and evening of coffee and yoga. They should be best friends!



Lesson of the day: All good things come to those who wait. This not only applies to life and love. It also applies to coffee. While the search will continue for the next best one, we will always remember Hazelnut Iced Coffee from Coffee Central in MGH.

Loving and Lusting over Turkish Delight

It was an average Tuesday except I'd been waiting a month for this day. Why you ask? I was having dinner with 3 of my favorite ladies. These are not average ladies. These are amazing and lovely ladies that I met through work and realized that even when two of them left... I couldn't possibly live my life without them. We decided to start having dinners together a couple times a month to catch up on gossip and life in general. We pick a new restaurant and dive in. We also share the bond of loving food to the 100th degree and I feel that food really brings people together. (Hellooooo-Thanksgiving!)

After going back and forth about where we would eat- this entailed about 143 emails back and forth between places- we picked Turkish food to indulge in. I love Mediterranean food. It is so delicious and fresh. I could drink a gallon of hummus and  not think twice about! We picked Istanbul-lu in Teele Square. It was amazing!

We decided to split 7 tapas. It was a feast! We had hummus, eggplant, roasted red peppers, zucchini, fresh cheeses and fresh baked bread.

Amazing hummus in the front and a red lentil and yogurt dip.

Followed by roasted eggplant and tomato in the back and grilled zucchini, fresh cheese and roasted red peppers in front. It was to die for!

We then packed it up and headed to PJ Ryan's. We had a beer and talked about life. It is always a favorite topic. 4 women living in the city and in different places in life. We also talked a lot about dating and where they think this blog should go. They offered up some great advice on where my journey should go from here. They even offered up men that they know!

The best part of meeting with friends is catching up on life and hearing a bit of gossip at the same time. Each of us is so different but we can all relate to each other. This post is a bit sappy but tonight I really realized how much I adore all three of these ladies in their own way.

This post is dedicated to amazing friends. If you are lucky to have really great friends like I do- Count your blessings. I am so lucky to have people to lend an ear, offer the best advice and ask for little in return. Here is to you Emily, Katie and Laura. Can't wait for City Girl Cafe.

The Polenta Princess

After a busy Monday back at work that included my favorite coffee around with Laura-

 I decided to spice things up in the kitchen... by myself of course!

I am obsessed with Polenta and if you haven't had it- You are missing out! I also eat at least two eggplants per week so tonight I decided to combine their awesome powers and make what could be a great meal for two. However, it was for one tonight. I made Polenta and Eggplant Lasagna! I also decided to boost the meal with a side of spicy roasted broccoli. Check it out:

1-Turn on your broiler my friends.
2- Cut the eggplant up and spray with cooking spray (you can use olive oil if you want) Salt, pepper and garlic those babies up!

3- Broil both sides until a little brown.
4- While the Eggplant is cooking- cut your Polenta. I buy mine pre-made from Trader Joe's. It's cheap and convenient. But Polenta is really easy to make and just takes 20 minutes if you have time. I'm already starving by the time I get home.
5- Cut up that Broccoli! Put the small trees in a pan and spray with cooking spray. Salt, Pepper and Red Pepper flakes will do the trick. I also like to put a little bit of garlic powder.
6- Take the Eggplant out and turn oven down to 450. Let's get layering!
7- Layer the Polenta, sauce, Eggplant, cheese and repeat. I also put a little bit of bread crumbs on the top to jazz it up. ( I also like to add my own spices to the sauce to give it a little more a fresh taste. Oregano is a great choice as well as Italian herbs and extra garlic. Also- add meat or more veggies if you want. Zucchini is a great addition!)
8- Bake it! Put the lasagna and broccoli in the oven.
Here is the before-- yeah the color isn't exactly screaming excitement but it will make your stomach scream with happiness!

9- Bake until brown. The broccoli will also start to get a little crispy.
10- Enjoy!

Now I realize this isn't a difficult recipe but it gives you a quick meal that maybe you wouldn't have thought of. Especially if you don't eat Polenta! Go buy some... you'll thank me.

Happy Monday! Cooking a healthy dinner starts you off on a good note for the week. I'll also be eating my leftovers for lunch tomorrow... and for the entire week :)

A farmer's market with Irene

This weekend was all about Irene. I find it a bit obnoxious since I dis-like people that make everything about themselves. Friday I left work early to take the necessary steps to prepare. This meant getting cash from the bank and stocking the fridge with my favorite foods. Then I further prepared by going out downtown to celebrate her arrival. It was an eventful night. There were some nice looking fellas and a few came to chat until I rudely interrupted them and began dancing and getting my crazy legs on (sometimes you just wanna dance!). But I did hear a few good lines that I'd like to share and hopefully never hear them again.

1- "Woah. What color are your eyes because they are beautiful." The issue with this is that we were in a dark bar. Impossible to see anything. But he was funny and pretty clever.

2- "I'm just trying to get to know you. Want to go outside and chat?" This could have worked except you don't start a conversation with this. Usually you introduce yourself with your name. Maybe make a little small talk first. I could be wrong but I have a feeling there are better ways to pick up girls/guys.

Me and Jillian dancing the night away!

Saturday rolled in and we rolled into the apartment a few hours after. I awoke and realized I should start my day off on a good note. I headed to the farmers market. I swear by the farmers market and not just for the fresh veggies. It is the prime place to spot attractive and healthy men. I should have been shopping more instead of eyeing a man. We walked in circles around the market- ok mostly I was walking in circles and he was picking out veggies. I watched him and what he was picking out. Then I watched him get on his bike and peddle home. (Yeah I was a little creepy but I kept my sunglasses on so maybe he didn't notice my staring.) I'm sure he had a dog waiting and maybe a lovely girlfriend he was cooking dinner for. If you find a man that cooks you a delicious meal- never let him go. I'd actually like to date a chef. It would take a lot of pressure off me to have a live in cook. It's on my list of likes. Now I just need a personal trainer.

For lunch, while standing the farmers market, I decided to have subway. You might find this weird since I could have had fresh veggies but I instead took the cheap road and decided I'd rather have subway make me a salad while I drink my light lemonade. Look how delicious this looks! All for the low price of $7 for lunch and $1.50 for the 2 white peaches fresh from the orchard.

I made an additional venture out for dinner to Trader Joe's. Joe's had been wiped out so it was slim pickings for dinner. Another salad it was! Don't worry- I proceeded to make homemade peanut butter oat bars after to snack on while getting ready.

Jillian and I ventured out again last night. Irene was waiting for us out there. But we made the best of it and kept it low key with some drinks. No crazy legs tonight! We visited Rattlesnake, The Pour House and finished the night with a drink at City Bar. It was a good way to end the night. I had a peach Bellini. YUM!

Here is me and Jayson at the Pour House enjoying our night.

Today is all about cleaning and being healthy. I am going to squeeze in some sort of workout since the gym is closed due to Irene still hanging out.

Hope you all had a great weekend! Go visit your local Farmer's Market! XOXO

The Beginning

Hello new readers! Can you believe it? I've finally started that blog I've been talking about for months. It was a process to narrow down topics and blog names. I finally settled on two of my loves- eating and love/lust. I should start from the beginning.

My parents named me Kandi. I was already doomed. I love sweets. All kinds of sweets. I love chocolate, cookies, cakes, pies, ice cream, fro-yo, jelly beans and the list goes on. I was four when my mom first gave in. I looked at her with my blue eyes and gaping smile and said the only thing I could eat for breakfast was chocolate cake. Guess what? She gave in. So I started on a bad foot and the addiction continues. I'm not complaining because there are certainly worse things to be addicted to. I was five the first time I chased the ice cream truck waiving my dollar in the air. I finally caught up and purchased the strawberry shortcake. I always wished I had enough for the Choco Taco but alas, my parents only gave me and my brother $1 each.

Now, the other love in my life. Boys. That started in kindergarten when I met Shaun. He stole my chocolate milk and my heart. I cried but on the inside I was bursting at the seams! I think he kicked me and pulled my hair for the next 6 months. He must have really liked me! I believe as girls we are born with the ability to love and love and love. And that love has not ended. I've been with the good, the bad and the not so great. Yet, I still love and lust on a daily basis. Maybe an hourly basis.

So stick with me. This isn't Sex and the City and I'm not Carrie Bradshaw- although I'd love her shoes. I'm not an English major- my writing isn't perfect and I might forget or miss-use a comma here and there. Don't judge me. So join the journey as I blog about life in the city as a single 25yr old trying to find the best restaurants and the best men.


xoxo Kandi