New Thing #214: Peach Ice Cream

When I was a kid, I loved strawberry ice cream. It wasn't chocolate, it wasn't vanilla - but it was often a third choice available.

And I guess I figured it would be good to try something other than the two main flavors.

Similarly, when I would buy iced tea, I'd usually wouldn't go directly to lemon-flavored.

Often, my choice was peach.

I love peach flavorings...but now that I'm writing about it, I don't know if I can think of instances where I've tried something peach-flavored other than iced tea.

But last weekend, I had some peach ice cream.

I feel like I MUST have had some peach ice cream at some point in my life....but after tasting it last week, I don't think I have.

I ordered the peach ice cream, but I was afraid the peach was going to taste too strong. So what I did was I ordered it with chocolate sprinkles (or "jimmies", as they - but not I - say in these parts) to dilute some of that taste. Then I started eating the cone before my wife suggested I could write about the peach ice cream as a New Thing. That's why there are no chocolate sprinkles on the bottom part of the ice cream. (I like to lick my way up the ice cream, so that it's not dripping down the cone. It looks weird in a picture like that, but it's very practical. And you don't notice how weird it looks while you're eating it.)

So, setting the scene a bit - this is another New Thing coming off of our Cape weekend - we went to the ice cream place 'Sundae School' in Harwich. They had a wide selection of flavors...and for what it's worth I'm pretty sure I saw a sign pointing to another Sundae School shop (shoppe?) nearby. You can not swing a stick on the Cape without hitting an ice cream shop.

Anyway, my strategy was effective. As I worked my way through the sprinkles I was telling my wife that the peach ice cream didn't taste any different from anything else. Then, once I got through the sprinkles and it was just ice cream I did taste the peach. It was really good.

Usually when I get ice cream these days I don't get too adventurous - my all-time favorite is chocolate fudge brownie, and if that's not available I'll go with chocolate chip or cookies 'n' cream...maybe Snickers if that's offered.

But now I'll have to start noticing whether or not peach is on the list of flavors...because I think I'm adding it to the rotation.

New Thing #209: Kream N' Kone

I told you the last time I was on the Cape that we were coming back. Well, that was this weekend.

Turned out to be a rainy first day, when I was hoping to hit the beach again.

But my wife and I were able to do some other fun, relaxing activities.

And eat a lot of food.

Our first stop for lunch on Friday - the Kream N' Kone Restaurant in Chatham...where we had nothing either kreamy nor in a kone.

What we were really looking for was something to hold us over - it was late for lunch and we were going to have a nice dinner, so we just needed a quick bite.

This place looked like it was going to fit the bill.

But before I go ahead and tell you about it, let me flash back once again to Montauk -  I told you the last time I wrote about the Cape that everything I do there gets measured up against Montauk...which, by virtue of being where I spent so much time growing up, I view as my ideal vacation spot.

One of my favorite things, food-wise, in Montauk was the fried seafood. Fried clams, fried shrimp, forms of fish 'n' chips...that was always my go-to meal whenever I was unsure what to get.

Especially at Gosman's Dock.

At Gosman's there was an outdoor stand where you'd get your food at a window and then sit on the water and battle the seagulls while you ate your food. Once in a while it would be tasty to get a burger or something grilled there, but 99 times out of 100 I got something fried in a basket with french fries.

And that's what I wanted on Friday.

And that's what I got.

It's been years since I had something that looked like this...and was also this good. And it brought me back to my Montauk vacations...which is always a good thing. The only thing missing was the seagulls swooping nearby.

New Thing #207: Sweet Spot Frozen Yogurt

I didn't think we'd be trying any more frozen yogurt places as part of '365 New Things In 2013.' After the last one I came to the conclusion that these places aren't all that different.

But we were out earlier this week and we decided to treat the girls to a dessert, and my wife convinced me to try Sweet Spot Frozen Yogurt.

And there's enough about this place to set it apart.

First of all, it's the most convenient of all the new places we've been to this year. It's located on Route 9 East at the Edgell Road exit, which is about two and a half miles from our house. So that's a bonus.

The frozen yogurt itself is not any better than the frozen yogurt at the other places...but it certainly isn't any worse. And there's the usual assortment of toppings - that's become pretty static from place to place too. So the product itself doesn't really set it apart.

The price does - this place was not as expensive as the others. (And for what it's worth they gave us a card where you get a free frozen yogurt for every 10 you buy. Since we did 4 in one shot, we're already almost halfway there!)

It's also across the street from Framingham State University, so they seem to want to be kind of a hangout -  there was a shelf with board games, there was a lot of seating, and there was a TV. (It was tuned to one of those A&E shows when we were there, though - something like 'Storage Wars' maybe. But this was when there was a Red Sox game on. So that seemed like a poor decision.)

My biggest gripe with the place is that the floors were terribly dirty. I chalked it up to the fact that it's still a pretty new place and maybe there is further construction or flooring to be done...but it was pretty gross. It was also a rainy day, now that I think about it. I'll have to check the floors the next time I'm there.

Speaking of the next time I'm there...the chances of a return visit are high. A few weeks ago I had a late-night urge for some dessert. I drove around and settled on an ice cream place where I hadn't been in years. I think I would have been happier had I gone here.

It's so close...making it pretty convenient for frozen yogurt at the drop of a hat.

New Thing #202: Shake Shack

Over the All Star break, my wife and I tossed around the idea of going to the Mets-Phillies game on Saturday. We really enjoyed taking the family to Citi Field last year and wanted to re-create that experience.

We called around and it looked like my parents and siblings were also going to be able to make it.

Then there was some rain in the forecast, and we started to second-guess a 3-hour ride into 90-degree temperatures and a rain delay.

We cancelled the trip.

But my wife suggested that in honor of Citi Field, we check out the new Shake Shack in Chestnut Hill.

We've had Shake Shack at Citi Field - it's the only place we have, actually. (There are 10 locations in New York State, a few in Florida, a couple in Connecticut, and the one in Massachusetts, which opened up just this past March.) And the first time I realized Shake Shack extended beyond New York City was a year ago at this time, when I was in Washington, D.C. I saw there's one at Nationals Park - that's one of three Shake Shacks in the DC area.

Anyway, as many food options as there are at Citi Field, it's a credit to how good Shake Shack is that there's always a really long line there - by far the longest concession line in the park. And we'll usually wait in that line too. The burgers are so good. And the fries are excellent too.

Saturday night my wife and I got burgers, the girls had hot dogs, and we got an order of regular fries and an order of cheese fries, figuring the girls might not like the cheese fries. They ate almost all of them. (Next time it'll be two orders of cheese fries.) And then, of course, we topped it off with some shakes. (My wife had ice cream, actually, which she thought was better than the shake.) At some point I'll have to try their 'concrete', which is ice cream with toppings blended in. It looks like a dessert you have to eat with a spoon, though, and Saturday night I was only interested in a shake.

If you're familiar at all with the Chestnut Hill Mall (and The Mall at Chestnut Hill, which are two separate things, as far as I know, on opposite sides of Route 9 in Chestnut Hill), there's a whole lot of work being done in that area. They're building a Wegman's and there's a whole bunch of other construction there too (the Wegman's is the only site that's labeled), and the Shake Shack is part of a stretch that's completed, called 'The Street'. It's next to Legal Sea Foods, there's a City Sports and a Sports Club LA there, a Pottery Barn, a couple of other restaurants, and a movie theater that we couldn't tell was open or not yet.

It's a pretty hopping area right now. We went for Shake Shack and discovered a whole lot else was happening.

Which is good. Because it's only about a 30-minute drive to have a little bit of New York City here in my current home state.

And it sure is worth the drive.

New Thing #198: Broccoli Fritters

I think it's the smell of the oil that gets me salivating. I'm like Pavlov's Dog with the oil in the pan - once I get a whiff of that smell, I don't think it matters what's being cooked in the oil, I'm already conditioned to like it.

That was the case last week when my wife cooked up some broccoli fritters.

That's the early stages of the cooking process pictured above. (Also shown, but not featured, is our new frying pan. As part of our kitchen work recently we bought a few new pans. New Things! There is nothing quite like a new non-stick pan.)

The cool thing about this fritter recipe is that it came from our farm share - they linked to it in their weekly e-mail newsletter, which came in tandem with the broccoli that came in last week's box of veggies. Here it is if you're interested.

The recipe yields 9. As you can see, my wife made 10. She's so great.

I liked my fritters with a bit of salt, but they were tasty even without it.

The kids liked them too, which is always a bonus. And, despite my belief that my wife made these so I could experience another New Thing, she says getting the kids to eat the broccoli was her inspiration for doing this.

New Thing #195: Odwalla Food Bar

Last week I needed to grab a lunch on the way to work. I stopped by the supermarket and picked up a pre-packaged sandwich but decided I needed something else.

I wasn't feeling like potato chips - I wanted something a little more healthy...like a granola bar.

But I didn't want to buy a big box of them.

And then I came across the Odwalla food bar stand.

As you can see in the picture, the bars were two for $3. So I got two. I probably should have tried two different ones, but I got two of the same.

And actually, I meant to get the 'super protein' one. Because, you know, I recognize the importance of protein and all.

But I got the 'superfood' one - it says original on it. I think that might have been what swayed me - I figured if I'm trying something new I should start with the 'original.'

It has 500mg of spirulina! (I don't know what that means!)

But then, when I opened it...it. was. green. Green!

(I apologize for the blurry picture, but I took multiple pictures and they all had trouble focusing. It seems even my camera had trouble accepting the color.)

My stomach turned instantly. I just wasn't expecting green snack food.

But, being 2013 (New Thing!) I pushed through it. I took a teeny bite. It wasn't bad. It kind of tasted like other types of nutrition bars I've had. So I nibbled my way through it and finished it. I just didn't look at it.

I had the second one the next day. They were good. And they held me over pretty well, which was the whole point.

There's certainly a wide selection of the Odwalla food bars, as you can see in that top picture - I wonder if they're all green. Just in case, next time I might go for one of the chocolate ones.

The chances are slim I'll nibble anything with chocolate.

New Thing #190: Na'an Pizza

I was the beneficiary of my wife trying out a New Thing a week or so ago. The genesis, she says, was seeing some na'an in the grocery store.

She walked by it and thought, "That would make a good pizza crust."

And that night she made na'an pizza.

It was very good.

I should tell you, right off the top, that I love na'an. Usually when my wife makes na'an it's with a chicken tikka masala dish she makes.

So this was different - and I knew something was afoot when I saw the na'an in the closet but knew we weren't having chicken for dinner.

It took my wife no more than 10 minutes to prepare - from sauce and cheese to cooking time in the oven. She made four total - and those four went a long way.

It not only fed us (we're a family of five) - but I was able to take a full na'an pizza with me for lunch the next day.

A brilliant idea by my wife, and a New Thing food for me that I can actually make myself.

New Thing #183: Cape Cod Potato Chip Factory Tour

I love Cape Cod Potato Chips. When I brainstormed a list of possible New Things for '365 New Things In 2013', the Cape Cod Potato Chip Factory Tour was on that list.

If you've ever eaten Cape Cod Potato Chips, you know that on the back of the bag there's always a little map of how to get to the factory and it says if you're ever in the area you should come by for a tour!

So when my wife booked the Cape Cod vacation I suggested we check out the factory.

And so we did.

And it sucked.

There are signs all over the place as you head in for the tour: "No Photos", "No Video". I thought this was so you don't accidentally send off any top-secret information to competitors.

Turns out, I'm pretty sure it's because if you put up pictures or video, other people would see how terrible the tour is and not turn out.

It started out really promising - the tour is self-guided. I LOVE self-guided tours, because I don't much love having to be grouped with people I don't know and be led by a guide who I also don't know. Self-guided is just my speed.

But it turns out the tour was self-guided because all it involves is walking down a long (medium-sized, really) hallway and looking into some windows.

There's information posted on the walls along the way, but you don't really see any of the good stuff. You see a bunch of potatoes go into a machine. You see a whole bunch of potato chips on conveyor belts. You see a bagging machine, though you don't see the actual bagging. You see a bunch of people inspecting chips and putting bags into bigger bags and think that they must either really love Cape Cod Potato Chips or really hate their lot in life.

And then you open a door and you're in the gift shop. The tour might not have been what I was hoping for, (What was I looking for, you ask? Well, I thought we'd get to put on lab coats and goggles and walk through and see machines in all their glory and touch stuff)  but I still love Cape Cod Potato Chips. So I loved the gift shop.

My in-laws spotted a chip clip with the Cape Cod Potato Chips logo on it. Sold. My only problem with the chips is when they lose their crispness because the bag isn't sealed tight. Not a problem anymore. And then I got a Cape Cod Potato Chip magnet.

We also got free samples. They let you take two of the small bags of potato chips on your way out. I took a new flavor (New Thing!) - roasted garlic and red pepper. I tried them later that day on the beach - they were a little too roasted garlicky and red peppery.

I was a little disappointed by the tour overall, but I'm glad we did it. It was just about 15 minutes from our hotel, so it was worth checking out. I couldn't imagine some chip enthusiast, though, from the west coast, say, coming all the way out just to walk down a hallway. I imagine that has to happen once or twice a year. I wonder if they complain to management and if anything is done to accommodate those folks.

I probably would have been furious if I had driven the 1 hour, 45 minutes from my house to check out the factory.

But I only drove 15 minutes. And they gave my daughters free potato chips. So we're cool, Cape Cod Potato Chips.

New Thing #180: Jamba Juice

I guess there was a part of me, deep down in my subconscious, that was missing my alma mater after spending time at my wife's reunion. Because last week I had some time to kill between doing some work at school and needing to be back at the school to pick up my daughter from day camp.

So I decided to spend that time near Boston University, going for a run along the Charles River.

And as I drove there I developed a plan which worked out so well for me it's almost unbelievable.

I left work at about 12:30. I intentionally didn't bring anything for lunch, figuring I'd grab something near BU after my run. But as I drove from Belmont to Boston I couldn't think of anything healthy enough to not negate the workout I was driving all this way to do.

My mind kept coming back to burgers and pizza - two of my favorites, for sure, but not what I was really in the mood for on this particular afternoon.

I thought about what I would be having if I was doing lunch at home, and my mind went to smoothies. It was perfect - I convinced myself then and there that somewhere on BU's campus was going to be a smoothie place (you know, catering to the health-conscious college students) where I could grab something healthy after my run.

I kept an eye out as I looked for parking. Nothing. I walked to the Esplanade and looked up and down Commonwealth Avenue where there might have been a place. Nothing.

I ran from behind Marsh Chapel, down about a mile to a turnaround point, and then ran back until I exited near the School of Education. (I give these specifics for the BU readers. They'll know what I'm talking about.) I walked up a part of Commonwealth Avenue I hadn't checked out before...still nothing. Then I crossed the street in front of Warren Towers, and lo and behold, in the last place I would have expected to see one, there was a smoothie place.

It was a Jamba Juice, which I had never been to before. As much as I fully expected to find a smoothie place, I was taken aback when I finally did. This little storefront is located on the ground floor of one of BU's signature dorms. When I was there it was a little sandwich/bagel/coffee place, and I think it has also been a burrito place. It has never been a recognizable franchise like Jamba Juice, as far as I know.

I looked at the menu, but I wasn't really registering what I was seeing. I feel like I settled - I wish I had a chance to re-order. My smoothie was fine, but it was nothing extraordinary. I want to go back and get something a little different from something I could easily create at home.

I ended up having an "Orange C-Booster" smoothie. It was essentially a fancier, thicker orange juice. It's advertised (right there on the menu!) as a Vitamin C and zinc boost as well as an antioxidant boost, and it's made with orange, peach, and banana. (On this day 'peach' served the same purpose for me as 'avocado' on a food menu - it looks so good to me that whatever I ordered had to have that in it.) It was refreshing enough, and it held me over until dinner time, and I did feel healthy having it. So it served its purposes.

The smoothie was 350 calories. They sell 3 sizes of smoothie - "sixteen" (16), "original" (22), and "power" (30). I had original and I'm not sure I needed anything bigger.

I'm not sure how familiar you are with Jamba Juice, but they also have sandwiches. I'm not sure if I'm in the market for a sandwich that this would be my first stop, but it's nice to know it's there.

I can easily see myself swinging by Jamba Juice on my way to Fenway Park the next time I head to a Red Sox game and grabbing a smoothie.

Maybe it'll make me feel a little better about shoving my face full of crap at Fenway if I have a smoothie first.

New Thing #178: Gatorade Energy Chews

I saw that Kevin Durant - Dwayne Wade Gatorade commercial about a million times before I watched it for content rather than story. I liked the circular idea of it the first time I saw it...and then shortly after saw it start with the opposite point of view.

Then I started ignoring it.

Then during the NBA Finals I watched the commercial and realized it wasn't just about the energy drink.

I thought I saw one of those guys pop something into his mouth.

And then I went to a sporting goods store and I saw the energy chews.

I had to at least try them.

The chews come 6 to a pack and they cost $1.99.  I went with the strawberry, since if there are flavors offered of something I haven't tried I usually try to go red for my first taste.

This was a day that I was going for a run at around lunchtime, and I figured I'd pop a chew right before I worked out. Then I read the directions.

"Eat 6 chews 15 minutes prior to exercise or competition."

I was taken aback. Before I had even read the directions I was thinking about eating all six - I wasn't sure for a second if I was just reading it the way I wanted it to read.

But no, that's what it said - go ahead and eat all six. (Six pieces is a serving size, and there's 100 calories per serving, in case you're wondering.) So I ate all six. And I waited 15 minutes, and then I went for my run.

It was a good run. I'm not going to sit here and tell you it was great because I had a handful of energy chews beforehand.

But I kind of like the idea of acceptably having a form of candy before working out.

Although, as my wife cautioned when I told her it was "only $1.99!": "Watch out - $1.99 can add up fast."

Maybe I'll just stick to the usual, free, water before I run in the future.

New Thing #177: Caked By Kate

I'm no expert in the kitchen. (Well, there are a lot of places I'm no expert. The kitchen is just one.)

But I'm not jealous of people who are experts in the kitchen.

Interestingly, and I'm just coming to this realization as I write this, this is one of the few instances where this is true.

Sometimes I watch certain people who are in a different profession than me (like broadcaster, say) and jealousy creeps in: "I can do that," I think.

But bakers? Chefs? Cooking hobbyists? I support their work and appreciate it tremendously.

Such is the case with my friend Kate.

Within the past year Kate has begun a little baking business - and I can't even begin to tell you about the amazing artistic ability she has in designing and making cakes and cupcakes.

But I'll try.

First I should tell you that we ordered a cake from Kate for our youngest daughter's second birthday last week - we ordered a rainbow cake with chocolate icing. You see the outside of the cake in the picture above. As for the inside:

Pretty cool, huh?

And believe me when I tell you that probably falls into the 'easy' category of cakes Kate has made.

I've seen Goodnight Moon-themed cupcakes for a baby shower, birthday cakes ranging from Spongebob to race cars to baseball diamonds to Legos.

They're all amazing.

'Caked By Kate' is based in Sudbury, so if you're within driving distance, it's definitely worth checking out. (She delivers all her cakes.) Her Facebook page features all of her creations, so you can see the designs I told you about and get an idea of pricing and such.

And, oh yeah - the cake tasted pretty good too. But I feel like that's almost secondary when you get such a good-looking cake. But we enjoyed it and, if it's possible, liked it even more the next couple of days as we had leftovers from the party.

We'll be repeat customers...my other two daughters already have thoughts on what kind of cake designs they want for their birthdays in the fall.

New Thing #173: Vicki Lee's

I met a friend for lunch the other day. She suggested a place which, as it turned out, we had both heard a lot about, but had each never been.

It's called Vicki Lee's, and it was delightful.

Vicki Lee's is located at the corner of Common Street and Trapelo Road in Belmont, Massachusetts. That also happens to be the town in which I work, but this restaurant is in a further south part of the town from where I work. It's not a spot where I spend a lot of time.

It's a really great little establishment.

We got there at about 11:30am, grabbed a table, had a couple of sandwiches, and were able to chat. Even when the place got pretty crowded it never got too loud. (I had my back to the door, but it did get crowded after 12 as the lunch crowd arrived. We didn't linger long after we finished eating so as to make sure we didn't take a table from someone.)

It's open, though, seven days a week through dinner time. Not necessarily for dinner, but through dinner. They have a good dinner menu, but the menu states that there is only so much of a given item, so once they run out they're done serving that item for the night.

It's an interesting place - it's like a hybrid cafe/breakfast place/lunch place/sit-down restaurant.

It's kind of hard to describe. (Here's their website if you're interested.) But I'm interested in what dinner would be like there - lunch was very good.

Next time I'm staying late at work for a meeting or something I might have to swing by and see what's left over from the dinner menu.

New Thing #167: Vegetable Tofu Cream Cheese

I accidentally did a New Thing on Thursday morning. Before the funeral, my brother was responsible for bringing some bagels by my parents' house.

When I got out of the shower, there was quite a spread of bagels and spreads.

There was butter, plain cream cheese, and veggie cream cheese.

Or at least, so I thought.

Turns out what I thought was veggie cream cheese was vegetable tofu cream cheese.

I spread it willy nilly on my bagel thinking it was your run-of-the-mill veggie spread, and then my brother slapped me on the back. "Hey! Good for you for trying the tofu!"

"The what?"

"Don't you read labels?"

I had read the label. All it said was 'Brooklyn Bagel' - you may remember I wrote about that place before. I love it. (But it turns out they could do a better job of labeling their cream cheese containers.)

I didn't love the veggie tofu. It was OK, but it wasn't as flavorful, I guess, as the regular veggie cream cheese.

It was probably healthier, though. And the bagel was good.

I guess next time I'll take a closer look at not just the label, but the consistency of the cream cheese as well.

New Thing #162: Back To The Farm Share

After a year off, we're back to having a farm share. We had one for a few years - maybe five - and took last summer off...because they're expensive.

But we got back on the wagon this year.

And Monday was our first pickup of the year.

It's a farm in Sudbury called 'Siena Farms', and it's not more than 20 minutes away. (That means it's within bike riding distance for future pickups.) We pick up on Mondays, and the boxes are kept in a little corner under an overhang. Once you convince yourself no little animals are going to jump out at you, there's really nothing to picking up the vegetables.

You check off your name, grab your box, and you're on your way.

Monday afternoon we enjoyed some fresh lettuce in a side salad with our dinner. It just feels healthy when you eat it. It's amazing how you can even tell the difference between the quality of this lettuce versus something from the store.

The pickups continue through November, and this time, unlike two years ago, in August and September fruit and corn will come with our regular vegetable box.

There's another change at the farm compared to two years ago - you used to pull up to a lot that faced a pasture with a calf. Now that pasture is totally fenced off and you can't see any animals.

I'm looking forward to a non-rainy day to pick up the vegetables - that's when the farm workers are all out cleaning the vegetables and there are different farm machines set up to sort and clean them - I like checking that out.

And it occurs to me I'd better get over there with my bike in the next few weeks, before they start giving us two boxes in August. Because I'm not even sure I can pedal back home with one box...let alone two.

New Thing #159: Glazed Donut Breakfast Sandwich

You've probably heard by now that Dunkin' Donuts debuted a new sandwich this week. It's a glazed donut breakfast sandwich - a pepper fried egg and strips of bacon sandwiched between a glazed donut.

I have to admit - as much as I love all things Dunkin' Donuts, this did not sound appealing to me.

But I had to try it.

And today I did.

Here's the story of when I first heard about the new sandwich:

My wife told me about it. I said that does not sound very good. She said, "Kevin will love that!" I clarified, "I think you mean that he will like that I don't like a New Thing [he's been trying to get me to write about a week of New Things I don't like, because apparently I like most things], but you should also know he'll probably also like the sandwich." (Kevin likes Dunkin' Donuts sandwiches. For some reason I thought he'd like this.)

When I texted Kevin to tell him of this exchange he wrote, "I think that sounds amazing!"

I understand the appeal - what's not to like about a glazed donut (love glazed donuts!) and a bacon and egg sandwich (love bacon and egg sandwiches!)?

Well, I'll be honest - to me, they're not the best mix.

The sandwich was fine - it's not that I didn't enjoy it. I liked it well enough. But if I'm getting a bacon and egg sandwich, I'll get it on a bagel. And if I'm getting a glazed donut, well, I'll get it without the bacon and egg in the middle.

The most amazing thing about this sandwich to me is that I'm told it has less calories than the turkey sausage sandwich, which I wrote about in January. My wife suggests that's partly because this one doesn't have cheese.

There's some more new stuff to try at Dunkin' Donuts this summer - they have a new line of chicken sandwiches out. I enjoyed their chicken salad sandwich, so I'm  looking forward to trying one of the breaded chicken sandwiches.

I've mentioned this before, but all things being equal I prefer Dunkin' to Starbucks. (Here's why 'all things being equal' makes sense as a saying there: Starbucks has the hazelnut macchiato I like. Dunkin' has the sandwiches I like. But if it came down to plain coffee - all things being equal - I give the edge to Dunkin'.) So I like that Dunkin' Donuts keeps adding options - they're working to keep themselves fresh, and I like that. And I like living in an area where there are plenty of options to get Dunkin' Donuts.

Last Sunday in the Boston Globe, they mapped out in Massachusetts a town-by-town breakdown of Starbucks versus Dunkin' Donuts. And on Boston.com they lit up the United States with orange dots and green dots to show where the two shops are located.

Which leads me to believe that if I was President of the United States, one of my first priorities would be getting some more Dunkin' Donuts down in the D.C. area.

But it wouldn't necessarily be because they have a glazed donut breakfast sandwich.

New Thing #156: Brooklyn Water Bagels

A new bagel place opened up in town. We knew it was coming for a little while, and I for one was pretty excited about it.

I don't like to be a New York snob all that much (OK, yes I do), but you really can't find good bagels in Massachusetts.

Dunkin' Donuts bagels are kind of like fast food bagels. (But the bacon and eggs and steak and eggs and stuff they put in them make up for the sub-par bagels.)

Other bagels? There's always some kind of flaw.

*Sigh* Not like the bagels I used to have at home.

But that's why this new place was so encouraging to me - it's called "Brooklyn Water Bagels". Brooklyn! That's New York! They make great bagels there!

And I've heard this before - but what supposedly makes New York bagels better than elsewhere is the water.

So, it's no surprise that Brooklyn Water Bagels goes by the slogan, "It's All About The Water!"

Whatever they do, it works. These bagels were pretty close to the good bagels from back home.

But while we're on the subject, let me tell you about a similarly named place back home that has the best bagels you'll ever have in your life. It's called "Brooklyn Bagel and Coffee Company". (But we people in the know just call it 'Brooklyn Bagel'.) If you're ever in Astoria - it's worth checking out. (Hm. I just now realized that the only locations of Brooklyn Bagel that I know about are in Queens and Manhattan. Not Brooklyn.)

My brother reported recently that they just opened a new location in midtown Manhattan, near his work. So you have some options. And if you're reading this in New York, appreciate what you have.

Good bagels are truly hard to find.

New Thing #148: A Shake For Breakfast

I did something pretty healthy Monday morning. After I went for a run (they're getting shorter, though I'm trying to build up some stamina...but that's a story for another day), I had a shake for breakfast.

I've thought about having shakes for a long time, but I knew I needed to set aside the proper time to think about it, execute it, and then decide whether it was filling enough.

That couldn't be a school day.

So Monday - a day off - was the perfect day to give it a shot.

My wife's been doing these lately, so she guided me through the process:

-one yogurt

-some frozen strawberries (we had some fresh ones, but she encouraged me to use the frozen ones to make it taste a little colder)

-a banana (we had an old one that was turning brown and mushy sitting around that was one impetus for me to make a shake - I figured I could just throw it into the blender)

-a little bit of milk

-one scoop of protein powder

I should say, I've come to appreciate the value of a good breakfast in the past couple of years. (Forgive me if I'm repeating myself - I feel like I must have written about this before. But maybe not.) For a variety of reasons, my lunch period at school isn't until 1:15pm. We know it's late - we always tell the students they need to eat a good breakfast to help them get through the day.

But I never used to follow my own advice. I had to hit the road in the morning and I didn't take the time to fix myself something healthy.

The past couple of years, though, I've driven to school with my daughter - and that forces me to leave later, and that forces me to eat breakfast before we leave. So for two years I've been eating a good breakfast every morning consisting of eggs and English muffins. (OK, sometimes I'll still hit Dunkin' Donuts on the way in - but far, far less frequently than I used to.)

So I recognize the importance of the protein in the eggs helping me make it through a long day. I no longer feel starved between 11am and noon - I actually make it through 1pm (with the snack provided by the school in late morning). And if I don't have my good breakfast, I get a headache mid-day that I just can't shake.

So all this is to say I know the difference between a good breakfast and a bad breakfast. And this shake was pretty good.

It was my wife who suggested the protein scoop - and I bought in 100% because of my eggs experience. (See how I resisted writing eggs-perience there? I'm maturing.)

Bonus great thing about the shake? Well, besides the cool blending of all of the ingredients? The souvenir cups I collect from my ballpark visits are the perfect size for what comes out of the blender. I used my Nationals Park one for this test run.

There were a couple of things my wife suggested that I didn't include: one was some chia seeds. My wife uses those...I might include them next time, but I wanted to keep things simple this time around. She claims they add some protein and fat too. Same with the frozen blueberries and raspberries - I only had strawberries in my mind this time, so that's what I did.

But there will be other opportunities for other ingredients, because this will be something I do again.

It certainly won't replace my eggs as an everyday breakfast...but with summer vacation coming up I can see a breakfast shake coming into play once or twice a week.

(Note: Is this technically a smoothie? Should I have said smoothie instead of shake? Is this a regional thing like frappe and shake? Are those even the same things? I don't remember. I think I'm saying shake because of the old Ultra Slim-Fast commercials. OK. End of note.)

New Thing #146: Orange Leaf

One of the new places in the Wayland Town Center is a frozen yogurt place named Orange Leaf. I had never heard of it - my wife told me they were opening one up there and it meant nothing to me.

But maybe it should have.

According to their website, Orange Leaf is 'America's Frozen Yogurt'.

And there are more than 250 stores open across the country, with 130 more coming soon.

One of those 'coming soon' locations is Belmont, where I work, so there's something to look forward to.

The frozen yogurt is fine - I think I'm coming to the conclusion that frozen yogurt is frozen yogurt.

Two things, though, in my early findings, set Orange Leaf apart.

First, and I haven't noticed this at other frozen yogurt places, but I'll sure start looking for it: they have brownie bits as a topping. That's not something I've seen before. Fudge brownie ice cream is my favorite, hands down. And it's not something you see automatically at every ice cream spot. (I have a couple of go-to spots where I know they have it on the menu.) But if I can get some chocolate frozen yogurt and mix in some brownie bits...watch out.

The other thing is the spoons. I don't really like the Orange Leaf spoons. The interior of the store has all of this odd-looking (modern-ish) furniture. It's like they're going out of their way to make things look different - even if it's not in their best interests.

I think the spoons fall into that category. Different for the sake of different. They're shaped in such a way that it makes it harder to eat.

I don't know that anyone has ever said, "You know, this frozen yogurt is OK, but this spoon is giving me too much of a bite at a time. I really need a spoon shaped like a guitar so that I don't get as much frozen yogurt with each scoop."

I do not like the spoons.

But if there are brownie bits on that spoon...well, I'm willing to make a sacrifice.

New Thing #141: Beer At John Harvard's

Historically I haven't been much for the places that brew their own beer. But on Saturday evening we went out to dinner at one of them - John Harvard's.

There are a few John Harvard's locations - it looks like a couple are in upstate (?) New York - but there's one here in Framingham and another in Harvard Square.

We eat there (or, more accurately, get takeout from there) quite a bit, but I haven't had a beer there in years.

I don't think I liked it.

But on Saturday I did.

I had what they call a Bushwacker IPA (pictured). My wife had the Pale Ale. Both were really good.

I think my taste in beer has changed over the years. Matured, maybe. Or maybe I just have a better idea of what I like in a beer so I'm ordering more wisely.

I love Belgian whites. I don't know if I know exactly what that means...but I think I can pick something off a menu that seems like a Belgian white.

I'm not even sure the Bushwacker is the closest thing to a Belgian white they have - but I think I also like IPAs. (I don't even know what IPA stands for.) But I wanted to try it...and then I was glad my wife was trying the Pale Ale so I could have a taste of that too.

It was such a good experience I'm kind of looking forward to going back and trying some of their other brews - they have a nice page on their website showing the types of beer they offer. (I like the looks of the Kolsch.)

They also have jugs - primarily of the Pale Ale, but I wonder if there are other choices - to take home. I'm willing to explore that as well.

It's also opened my eyes to the possibility that I'll enjoy other breweries' selections. For a long time I didn't really like the beers at Boston Beer Works. Apparently, that's a chain. And there's a brand new location opening here - Framingham Beer Works.

Stay tuned for that New Thing...because I will be trying it out.

New Thing #132: Gratin

Before there were the beet burgers, there was beet greens and rice gratin. This was another of those healthy New York Times recipes that my wife cooked up, shortly before the beet burgers, that was met with much more success than the beet burgers.

I liked this dish a lot.

It's kind of like a quiche. And, actually, I'm not really sure what the difference is between a gratin and a quiche. Maybe the gratin is thicker.

As it says in that link, it's a Mediterranean gratin, bound by rice and eggs.

What intrigues me the most about it is the fact that the article says it is just as good cold as it is hot.

I had it hot - but I'm looking forward to having it again and trying it cold.

And that's about the extent of what I can write about gratin. Although now that I think about it, I was going to say I had never heard of gratin. But isn't there a thing like potatoes au gratin? I wonder what the connection is there. I don't know that there's any relation to what I've written about here.