Lifestyle – Shopping – Page 5 – Leah's Life: Pearls and Oysters

Join the Club: The Gifts that Give and Give and Give

Once upon a time there were “gift of the month” clubs. They were expensive, unique, somewhat personal, but the food itself was nothing to write home about. It was more about the novelty of a monthly gift, and beautiful packaging. We’ve come a long way from the original “gourmet” gift of the month clubs. Here…

Join The Club: You’re Such a Ham!

Formaggio Kitchen‘s Charcuterie Share is like having your very own cellar filled with beautifully hand made meats. Formaggio’s award-winning charcutière Julie Biggs transforms locally and humanely raised meats into pâtés, sausages, terrines, and cured delicacies. She sources rabbit, pork, duck, and other meats from small family farms across New England, and maintains the highest standards…

Join the Club: I Love You Because You are Cheesy

Formaggio kitchen is more than a majestic cheese cave, but I think you know that already. Of course there is a cheese of the month club. Each month, Formaggio hand selects three cheeses with a special focus on seasonal cheeses, and what is looking its best at that time. Each monthly selection will include a…

Join The Club: Beer-cause I Love You That Much

Beer is not just a passing trend. Beer in our fair city and country has grown up over the past decade. From pairings to offerings beer is no longer wine’s plaid wearing, “hoser” like, scraggly bearded younger sibling. She’s all grown up! But like wine, it’s not easy to know what you like and why…

Your Monthly Bread: A Gift from Hyannis to Your Door

As you might have seen recently in the Wall Street Journal, Pain D’Avignon has a bread-lover’s dream come true with their bread of the month club. There is a choice of :three months ($150), six months ($275), and twelve months ($500). Click here for a full list of what each month entails (from January’s Winter…

Time to Put the Pope’s Nose to the Grindstone: Thanksgiving To Do List

It’s the official culinary countdown for Thanksgiving. The house is kind of, sort of organized and clean. I have a good idea of who is coming when. We have plans for an early dinner out with the first set of family arriving at Puritan and Co. today. We have plans to take out Bon Me…

Boston Ballet’s Nutcracker: Dewdrops, nutcrackers and 4,000 crystals

As I sit outside class, rack after rack of beautiful hand-stitched costumes roll by. They will soon be coming to life on stage in dress rehearsals making the renderings of the newest production of the Nutcracker come to life. The dewdrops fairy’s bodice and tutu alone has 4,000 crystals set on it. Each one done…

Five Differences between Monopoly Money and Bitcoins

Sometimes I want to laugh and other moments my stomach is full of knots when I hear about Bitcoin. It’s totally new to me so here is what I found. Five ways Monopoly Money and Bitcoin differs. 1). Bitcoin seems to have no borders or language barriers. Monopoly money is printed in 27 languages and…

After School: Snacks and Challah

Our favourite challah in town is definitely Hi Rise’s challah (Cambridge ). If you like a but sweeter and cake-like then the winner has to be Cheryl Ann’s from Brookline.

Christmas Festival Opens Today: Off to Judge a Gingerbread Contest

Today the 27th annual Christmas Festival opens at the Seaport World Trade Center. The children have been so excited to be official judges this year with several others. For months they have been trying to imagine what the chefs will create. We’ve even looked at some photos from past years including the impressive Fenway gingerbread…

Over the River and Onto the Cape: Thanksgiving Vacation

I love the tradition of American Thanksgiving. Even though I grew up in Canada we never celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving until this year (in Cambridge, MA USA). In Canada Thanksgiving isn’t really a holiday. We learn about the pioneers and we talk about the harvest, and maybe colour in a horn of plenty or two in…