Archives: Know-How

Not Quite Home For The Holidays

Laura Ciampa, Kitchd
Laura Ciampa, KITCHD

We asked Laura Ciampa, owner of KITCHD and longtime customer, to share some of her thoughts about enjoying the upcoming holidays in a challenging year—she was excited to do so! 

KITCHD helps cooking enthusiasts fall in love with their kitchens by curating a personalized selection of housewares and appliances tailored to an individual’s needs and interests. Using data, research and experience, the KITCHD team sources and suggests the best cookware and products to help customers create the optimal culinary environment for their lifestyle and aspirations. 

Not Quite Home for the Holidays 

Ordinarily, for me, Thanksgiving planning is a satisfying ritual that usually begins in September. My family’s traditional celebration consists of dear friends, immediate family, and other nomadic guests lacking a festive option. A small group of us orchestrates this annual gathering, from menu planning to meat carving. In all the years we’ve been doing this, we like to mix it up by introducing new dishes to complement the timeless family favorites: poblano chili cornbread stuffing rubbing elbows with mom’s homemade cinnamon applesauce. 

Each year, we begin perusing notes from the previous Thanksgiving, deciding which recipes to keep and which to retire. And then we brainstorm about what new dishes we should introduce to our ever-food-curious guests. Once settled, we move to the logistics: ordering the turkey, planning the appetizers, coordinating the side dishes, and determining the desserts. We then distribute the cooking and preparation tasks across many cooks in many kitchens, ensuring that everything shows up at the table at right time, in the right amount. 

But this year, as we all know, is different. Even if “home for the holidays” right now conjures up some anxiety, stress, and uncertainty, we have to make a concerted effort to keep it special. Many of us will not be able to travel. Some have sadly lost loved ones. And dining inside together in large groups is considered a dangerous option, especially for guests of advanced years. But celebrate we will. And for my geographically scattered group of loved ones, it will be a much different, pared-down version of our traditional feast. 

So right here and now, let’s commit to finding joy in the face of these challenges and unusual circumstances! In addition to giving thanks, why not seize this opportunity to reflect, reimagine, and hope? 

Celebrating one of the biggest holidays away from family and friends doesn’t have to be sad when you creatively infuse it with elements with intention and meaning. 

Here are a few things to consider for making your Thanksgiving a bit brighter: 

To feel closer with those who are far away or no longer with us: 

  • Use a family heirloom at the table, perhaps a serving piece, vase, candlestick holders, tablecloth, or something passed down, given to you, or borrowed—a lovely way to remember special people 
  • Make a treasured recipe that may or may not be specific to the holiday 
  • Play music that was special to them 
  • Select a favorite color theme 
  • Burn a scented candle that reminds you of a particular time together 

To melt the miles away: 

  • Connect with friends and family for a virtual toast or blessing at a designated time 
  • Create a holiday cocktail and share the recipe with family and friends 
  • Invite new guests, especially those living alone, to share in your virtual toast or blessing 
  • Send those not able to attend a bouquet of flowers or a small gift for entertaining to use at their table 
  • Write a short note or card telling them that you are missing them at your table 
  • Drop off a card, flowers, plant, or small plate of Thanksgiving goodies to those in assisted living or the hospital who are able to eat but not able to visit 
  • Mail a special note, photo, or poem for them to share at their table 

In your home:

  • Treat yourself to a new serving piece, vase, or linens that you love and will look forward to using
  • Plan the meal around a special bottle of wine or pick up a special bottle to compliment your meal 
  • Give yourself permission to reshape, innovate traditional staple dishes, or try new dishes to expand your culinary repertoire (you’ll be ready to use them next year!) 
  • Set up your table in a different location from where you normally eat 
  • Make it a family affair, involve children by enlisting their help with food planning, prepping, cooking, making table decorations, and setting the table 
  • Remember that most recipes can be halved or quartered, adjusting accordingly except for baking cakes (but really, an abundance of cake is probably not a problem) 

Most of all, be kind to yourself. We’ve all been doing a lot more cooking this year. Permit yourself to keep it simple and smaller. It won’t be any less delicious. 

How will you make your Thanksgiving special in this most unusual time? However it feels right to you. 

From our family to yours, have a healthy, safe, and delicious holiday!

Laura Ciampa

Kitchd

 

 

 

You can follow KITCHD at kitchd.com or on Facebook or Instagram @kitchdco  

Gluten-Free, Vegan, and Delicious – Onesto Foods

Onesto Foods_Gluten Free Onesto (OH-NEST-OH) means “honest” in Italian. 

After having children, Jane Ciccone and her husband, Jesse, wanted to continue the same Italian tradition they both grew up with: gathering in the kitchen as a family around 5 o’clock and sharing an antipasti platter before dinner. However, their young daughter at the time seemed allergic to gluten. Rather than give up the delicious combination of crackers, cheese, olives, and roasted veggies, Jane began searching for gluten-free crackers that her daughter could eat. Discouraged at the amount of overly-processed and preservative-filled options on most grocery store shelves, Jane began tinkering with her own recipes and promised to never use less than honest ingredients.

Because food that is made with the best possible ingredients not only tastes better, but also makes one feel better, Jane began creating her own “honest” recipes and the seeds of Onesto Foods were planted.

Onesto Foods will never sacrifice taste. Just like you, we care about what we eat. Each cookie and cracker recipe starts with simple, real ingredients. Every hand-crafted batch is baked with the promise of being gluten-free, vegan, and non-GMO. We strive to make food that we want to eat and feel good sharing with others. We think eating honest has never tasted so good.    

Onesto Foods is also passionate about doing its part to protect our environment. Did you know that…

  • our bakery is solar-powered?
  • our packaging is printed with sustainable vegetable and soy dyes”
  • 90% of the waste generated during the printing or our cookie packaging is recaptured and reused in a Waste to Energy Program?
  • our cracker packaging is printed with 100% wind energy?
  • we participate in the Forest Stewardship Council?

  “There is nothing else that can nourish your body and soul more than sharing delicious, healthy food with family and friends. It doesn’t have to be fancy or overly complicated. Slowing down and enjoying good food, a glass of wine and laughing with good people–always fills my cup!”     – Jane

—

WINNER: 2019 BEST ACCOMPANIMENT by CULTURE MAGAZINE

WE’RE ECO-MINDED!

We’re proud that our cookies and crackers are baked using solar power. And, our packaging is produced using 100% wind energy, printed with 100% vegetable dyes, printed on recycled cardboard and is 100% recyclable. 

“…make amazing food, as responsibly and mindfully as we can.”

 

Surf & Turf for the Changing Seasons

surf and turfThere’s something about the Fall in New England that makes us live more in the moment. Knowing that the change of seasons isn’t far off, we want to squeeze every ounce out of each day: spending more time outside, soaking in the sun, hiking the trails,  or playing catch until the air turns chilly. These are the days that make us fall back in love with our region and the mouthwatering seafood we are known for.

What better meal for outdoor dining than surf and turf? While the classic steak and lobster likely comes to mind first, there are plenty of sea-meets-land combinations to choose from.

Here are a few ideas for dinners at home: 

Try one of our date night favorites, filet and scallops for two. One of the best things about scallops is the simplicity in cooking them. A quick sear on both sides is the perfect companion to a sizzling steak.

Sirloin and shrimp are another classic pairing with easy ingredients and succulent flavors. Similar to scallops, you can also control the portion. Cook up four to six shrimp for lighter fare, or up to ten for bigger appetites.

A light and fresh dinner can be created with a sliced sirloin and shrimp Caesar salad, which includes a twist on a traditional favorite. Make the salad your own with any fresh vegetables or marinate the shrimp before cooking them for an extra burst of flavor.

Bring a taste of the Caribbean to your backyard with these spicy steak and shrimp kabobs with pina colada sauce. Butcher Boy carries great cuts of meat that make it easy for you to prepare scrumptious kabobs at home.

Finally, you can go all out gourmet with steak and lobster tail. It looks fancy but is easier to prepare than you might think.

Don’t forget that you can pick up the best selection of quality meats and seafood at Butcher Boy Marketplace. When you’re finished shopping for your beef, sides, and beverages at Butcher Boy, pop in next door to Lobster Tail Seafoods for both fresh and cooked fish, shellfish, and sauces.

What are your favorite surf and turf combinations? Show us your culinary creations by sharing photos on our Facebook page or tagging @ButcherBoyMarket on Instagram.

Navigating Butcher Boy Gluten Free with GFSavvyMama

By Jamie Norris

GF Savvy MamaThose of us who eat Gluten Free are on a constant mission to find new and improved GF products that allow us to avoid gluten while enjoying great tasting food! Did you know that Butcher Boy carries some amazing GF products? In addition to high-quality meats, fresh produce, and fine cheeses that are naturally gluten-free, Butcher Boy stocks quite a large selection of Gluten Free specialty items, many from small local companies, as well as some of the more recognizable mainstream GF brands.

You can shop Butcher Boy for GF Italian pastas, breads, artisan crackers, sauces & marinades, and some pretty decadent gluten-free desserts. Even some of Butcher Boy’s convenient prepared foods are Gluten Free**.

Here are some of GFSavvyMama’s favorite GF finds at Butcher Boy*:

Pasta

Butcher Boy has a great selection of GF pastas, both dried and fresh/frozen. You can find several brands of traditional dried GF pasta on the endcap of the mainstream pasta aisle. My family recently enjoyed the Rustichella D’Abruzzo Gluten Free Corn Spaghetti, imported from Italy and made from 100% organic corn. Bionaturae is another great Italian GF pasta brand, made from a blend of rice flour, potato & rice starches, and soy four. Try the Penne Rigate!

Check out the freezer case for these Pasta goodies:

Taste Republic: this gluten-free fresh pasta (yes I said FRESH!), is frozen to maintain freshness and cooks in 2-3 minutes!  Perfect for busy nights when you need food on the table fast. Both delicious and convenient. This is a staple in my freezer. Pasta Goddess (Nantucket, MA) GF Ravioli in Mushroom & Goat Cheese, Butternut Squash and Sei Fromaggi varieties.

Breads

Julie's Z Breads Gluten FreeIn addition to Aleia’s (Branford, CT) bread and Udi’s tortillas, bagels, hot dog and burger buns (located in the freezer section), look for half loaves from Woburn-based Something Sweet Without Wheat (freezer) and Julie’s Z Breads (Ashland, MA) Gluten-Free Zucchini bread (located with the fresh bread in the bakery section). You can also find GF bread-based staples like gluten-free bread crumbs from Aleia’s and gluten-free Panko from Ian’s Natural Foods (Framingham, MA) in the packaged bread aisle, top shelf. Add the perfect crunch to your salads with Aleia’s GF Croutons – try the Parmesan flavor!

Crackers

Onesto Crackers Gluten FreeButcher Boy stocks several varieties of gluten-free crackers for your snacking and entertaining needs. My current favorite is Onesto Hand Crafted Crackers (West Newbury, MA), Everything flavor. These crackers are divine!  Perfectly crafted to hold up with your favorite toppings (no crumbling), crisp and savory enough to devour them plain.  The Rosemary and Sea Salt is also excellent. There are many gluten-free spreads and toppings available in-store. I like the Mt Vikos products which are 100% GF. Try the Kalamata Olive Spread paired with cheese on a crisp GF Cracker like Onesto.

More great GF Frozen Finds

Pineland Farms (New Gloucester, ME) GF Meatballs and Against The Grain (Brattleboro, VT) Three Cheese Pizza (gluten-free & grain-free). Choose from a full line of Bell & Evans Gluten-Free Chicken Products: Breaded Chicken Fingers, Nuggets, Patties, Cutlets, and Chicken Burgers.

Sauces, Marinades and Dressings

Gluten is often hidden in these types of products, but Butcher Boy carries many great Gluten-Free options. I love using a high-quality GF BBQ sauce (No HFCS), like Stubbs Original or Bone Suckin’ Sauce in GF Pulled BBQ Chicken and Pork, as a marinade for grilled chicken, or simply as a condiment. Have you tried Gotham Greens Dressing? This is so much more than a dressing and can be found in the fresh produce section above the lettuce. The Vegan Lemon Basil is my favorite! It’s a great marinade for grilled chicken and makes a zesty GF pasta salad!

Gotham Greens Gluten Free Dressings

Don’t Forget Dessert!

Butcher Boy does not skimp in the GF dessert department! Some of my family’s favorites are the Maine Pie Co (Biddeford, MA) gluten-free pies. The apple and wild blueberry pies taste like homemade. The dark chocolate tart is, well, you will just have to try it for yourself!

My Dad's Cookies Gluten Free DessertsMy Dad’s Cookies: Black & White, Linzer and Sprinkle cookie varieties will remind you of old fashioned NY bakery-style cookies. Perfect for any GF cookie platter or to pop in a lunch box.

Have you ever needed a small cake to accommodate a GF guest at a party or for your GF kiddo to take to a birthday party? Check out Sweet Sense (Plymouth, MA) Sweet Sense Gluten Free CakesGluten Free Baked Goods. Butcher Boy stocks the Chocolate Obsession, Very Vanilla, Carrot Cake and Vegan Cupcakes in their refrigerated case beside the bakery counter. So good!

*Not an exhaustive list – there are plenty more gluten-free products available at Butcher Boy. Please check labels as ingredients may change.

Prepared Foods:

Most people that follow a Gluten-Free diet cook the majority of their meals at home. Finding Gluten Free prepared foods is a huge win and can provide a much-needed break from the kitchen! Butcher Boy now has signs posted in their cold prepared food cases that list Gluten Free** items. In addition, their hot, juicy Rotisserie Chickens are also GF – so many possibilities!

Need a GF meal that involves zero cooking for a busy weeknight?

No-Cook Summer BBQ: Pulled pork sliders with coleslaw and baked beans. Grab a container of Butcher Boy’s pulled pork. Warm it up and serve it over toasted Udi’s burger buns with a side of their housemade coleslaw and baked beans

Easy Fiesta Dinner: Chicken & Cheese Quesadillas.

Use a container of Butcher Boy pulled rotisserie chicken, shredded cheese, and Udi’s tortillas to make GF Chicken & Cheese quesadillas. Jazz them up a bit by adding pre-cut peppers & onions from the produce section (pan saute), ready-made guacamole, and one of the many available GF salsa brands available at Butcher Boy.

As you can see, Butcher Boy has a wide variety of Gluten-Free products for you to choose from. From easy meals to entertaining, they’ve got you covered.

**While they are not a dedicated Gluten-Free kitchen, Butcher Boy takes precautions to avoid cross-contamination.  If you have questions, be sure to ask a friendly associate for help.

Jamie Norris is the owner of GFSavvyMama, a Gluten-Free lifestyle blog, a personal Gluten-Free diet consultant, and Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, who inspires people to live their best GF Life. Follow Jamie at www.gfsavvymama.com or on Facebook and Instagram @gfsavvymama

How to Tell if Your Steak is Done

how to tell steak is doneSome home cooks are a little intimidated by preparing steak. With various levels of doneness, how can you be sure to meet the personal preferences of your guests? Since there’s nothing quite like a good steak cooked to perfection, and we have some advice to make sure you hit the mark every time.

We’ve shared a “handy” trick for testing a steak’s doneness without a thermometer. Sometimes, just feeling the steak will tell you the internal temperature, from rare to well done. Still, the most efficient way to check is with a meat thermometer, but you don’t want to check it too often while the beef is cooking. Probe thermometers that can stay in the meat as it cooks avoid the risk of juice leaking out.

When you’re using a grill or hot cast iron skillet, you should hear the beef sizzle when it goes on. Many chefs prefer either of those methods to best develop a delicious crust. Avoid flipping the steak in the pan or on the grates too much – perfection takes patience. If the steak is stuck to the surface when you try to move it, it’s not ready.

On the grill, it’s a good idea to have a slightly cooler area to set aside steaks that might be cooking too quickly at any point. Then they can continue cooking at a gentler, slower rate.

Remember that no matter how you cook your steak, the temperature for each level of doneness is always the same:

  • Rare, with a cool red center should read 110-120°F
  • Medium rare, with a warm red center is 120-130° F
  • Medium will result in a warm pink center at 130-140° F

Have you heard you should give your steak time to rest? It’s true that steaks will continue cooking once they’re removed from the heat, and flavorful juices that had been previously pushed to the center of the steak will be redistributed throughout the meat. Experts say to cook the steak about five degrees under your desired doneness temperature, then let it rest only about five minutes so it stops cooking when you cut into it.

Feeling more confident about how to know when your steak is done? Come into Butcher Boy and let us help you choose the best steaks for a delicious meal. We also have a selection of ready-made sides and fresh vegetables to go with it.

 

grills perfect match

What’cha Got Cookin’? Enter To Win a Smoker and Gift Card

What’cha got cookin’ this summer? Starting August 5th, show us your best meal on the grill, in the oven, on the stovetop, over the campfire, or anywhere else you cook. Simply submit a photo that highlights the food being prepared, or it can be plated and ready to eat.

What’s your culinary specialty? If you’re the boss of burgers, sultan of steak, prince of pork, or chief of chicken we want to see it! Maybe no one makes ribs look as delicious and appetizing as you do. The menu makes no difference, as long as you’re cooking it.

Upload your photo to our contest page on Facebook, and we’ll ask our community to vote for their favorite. Encouraging your friends and family to vote for you to rack up your votes is fair game! If your meal gets the most likes, you’ll win a Traeger Wood Pellet Grill and a $100 Butcher Boy gift card to shop for the delicious meats you’ll cook on it.

The photo with the second-highest number of Facebook likes will win a $200 Butcher Boy gift card, and third place (with the third-highest number of likes) will win a $100 Butcher Boy gift card.

Click here for all the contest details.

Just Add Ice! Food Shopping for Your Summer Getaway

Food Shopping VacationWelcome to the long, lazy days of summer, when families look for a break from the routine, take a chance to relax, and enjoy a change of scenery.  This year, you may be more inclined to bring your own food, and there are plenty of great ways to plan and prepare simple meals, regardless of your location.

Whether you’re visiting a remote cabin, taking an RV road trip, heading to a quiet campground, or arranging any other kind of summer excursion away from home, one key to a successful summer getaway will be planning and shopping for your meals in advance. Being prepared offers another advantage, too — wouldn’t it be great to pull up to your vacation spot and not have to worry about picking up food and necessities? Before you run to the store, here are a few tips to make your shopping list and vacation as efficient as possible.

Gather your coolers and note how much room you have in them to pack perishables. There are some smart strategies for packing a cooler, which will help you maximize space and keep food dry. Organize your coolers in a way that makes the most sense for your trip – perhaps designating where the meats, vegetables, fruit, and drinks will be stored according to the size of the cooler.

Keep it simple. Your relaxing week away may not be the ideal time to try out new recipes that require a lot of ingredients or risk that the rest of your family may not be impressed. Stick to the tried-and-true meals that you know everyone will love, such as burgers, steak tips, chicken, sausages, pasta salad, and corn on the cob. With a few different sides and marinades, you can create something new and unique within the limits of your cooler or RV-sized refrigerator.

Along those lines, stick to essential ingredients so you can avoid spending a lot of money on items you’ll have to bring back home or won’t use more than once. Lemons, olive oil, garlic, and fresh herbs are the perfect staples to mix and match in seasoning meats, veggies, and salads.

Consider the shelf-life. Marinated meats in vacuum-sealed packages stay fresh for days and freeze well (Butcher Boy offers a wide variety), and hot dogs will typically last further into the week — or even weeks — ahead. You can still stock up on a few favorites that might not stay fresh longer than a few days; just be sure to cook them early on in your stay.

Plan for a rainy day or two. You may not be able to use the grill every day, so be sure to have some alternative options on hand.  Simple pasta dishes, sandwiches, quesadillas, or tacos are a few good options, in case you need to toss something together indoors.

Don’t forget breakfast, snacks, and dessert. Muffins, cereal, yogurt, berries, and granola can pull double- and triple-duty on vacation.  Bring bags of chips, a couple of pies or brownies, and pancake mix.

Butcher Boy can make your meal planning easy as your one-stop shop for all your vacation culinary needs. Chose from our large selection of vacuum-sealed marinated meats, including chicken, steak tips, and lamb. They’ll stay fresh until you’re ready to open them up for cooking. Our bakery has breads and pastries to satisfy the sweet tooth of everyone in your family. We also have all the produce you’re looking for, as well as other grocery items, wine, beer, and spirits.

Travel safe and enjoy your summer!

A Sizzling Backyard Fourth of July

backyard fourth of julySummer is in full swing, the grills are sizzling, vegetable gardens are starting to bloom, and the sound of splashing in backyard pools and sprinklers can be heard throughout the neighborhood. The Fourth of July is finally upon us, and even though we won’t make our usual treks to see the fireworks this year, we can still celebrate. Here are a few ideas for your festivities:

Bring the Boston Pops to your backyard! Keith Lockhart and the Boston Symphony Orchestra won’t be on the Esplanade this summer but the show WILL go on. The Pops are live-streaming a ‘Salute to Our Heroes’ concert that you can display on a screen in your own yard. Here’s a DIY screen courtesy of HGTV you can make from basic bedsheets. If you’re in the market for a projector, outdoor mini models are available starting under $100, but you could also simply play the music through speakers connected to your phone or other device and forgo watching the video.

Fireworks displays are canceled in many cities and towns, but you can light up your own sky with festive lighting. String up patriotic red, white, and blue paper lanterns or multicolor twinkle lights above your deck or patio.

Adjust your barbeque menu with social distancing in mind. Burgers, hot dogs, and corn on the cob make a great contactless meal — pull them off the grill with tongs or a spatula and everyone can take their own. Butcher Boy carries our own burgers and natural casing hot dogs, as well as marinated meats that you can grill any way you’d like. Instead of putting out the usual bowls of chips, consider providing individual bags for your guests to choose from. For dessert, check out the great selection of single pastries and cupcakes in our bakery case, ready to enjoy with no prep.

What’s a summer holiday without a festive and fruity beverage? These Raspberry and Lemon Rose Sparklers are easy to make and require no contact – everyone can mix their own. For a non-alcoholic version, use club soda, lemonade or a light juice in place of the rose. Make Butcher Boy your one-stop shop, where you can pick up all of those meats, sides, sweets, and refreshments at once.

Don’t forget to keep wipes and hand sanitizer available throughout the day. We’d love to hear how you plan to celebrate this year. Please share ideas with our community on Facebook or tag @ButcherBoyMarket on Instagram.

Keeping Butcher Boy Stocked For Our Customers

meat shortage butcher boy stockedThere has been a lot of news coverage recently about the challenges facing the nation’s supply chain of essential products, including the meat industry. As a family-owned business, Butcher Boy is proud to have direct relationships with hundreds of vendors of all sizes.

With a strong knowledge of the market, we can skillfully manage our inventory to meet our customers’ needs. And because we have in-house butchers, we can work with whatever cuts of meats and sizes are available.

We will get the best product for the best price available. We will do our best to wait on our customers but be aware time and staff constraints may prevent us from having some products, freezer wrapping, separating packages, or some other services due to COVID-19 restrictions and guidelines.

If you shop with us on a day when we happen to not have the exact meat you’re looking for, you may be able to adapt your recipe to the many varieties we do have on hand. On our blog, you can find ideas for swaps and substitutions for many different meals.

Butcher Boy also values its connections to our Merrimack Valley vendor partners who provide dozens of fresh, homemade, and locally produced grocery items.  We have introduced you to many of them and why shopping locally matters to us. Supporting those businesses means sustaining the local economy and stocking our shelves with products we trust.

Grilling For Father’s Day

Like many holidays, birthdays, and other special occasions over the past few months, Father’s Day is sure to feel and look a little different than we’re used to. But if you’re with your family – either at a safe distance or online – a backyard barbeque on a (hopefully) sunny, early summer day might help make this year’s celebration as close to “normal” as you can get, despite any restrictions related to the current public health crisis.

Why not cook Dad a steakhouse meal of your own? Butcher Boy has a variety of cuts available. Some of our favorites for a special dinner include tender filet mignon and flavorful New York strip.

father's day grillingWe’ve shared some delicious recipes in the past that are worth another look for your Father’s Day menu. For more inspiration, try this Steak au Poivre with Cognac Sauce or Bistecca alla Fiorentina, which is really just a fancy Italian name for a porterhouse dish but not any more difficult to prepare.

Need some advice for fool-proof grilling? We provide that, too, with our steak grilling guide and tips on techniques.

If it’s not possible to spend the whole day with your father, grandfather, or other special male figure, consider bringing him your homemade meal to go. Drop it off or set up a picnic on the lawn for you to enjoy together. No matter what, memories will be made this Father’s Day, and we wish all you a safe and healthy one.

Don’t forget Butcher Boy is open to serve you. Please visit and shop with us, following our current guidelines.

 

grills perfect match