I am always looking for easy one-day trips to take around Boston. I have heard about the Boston Harbor Islands for a long time, but I was never motivated to go.

Finally, we decided to take the ferry and visit them.  http://www.bostonharborislands.org/

There are a bunch of islands to visit, the closest one is Spectacle and we decided we should go there for our first time.

It was a perfect summer day, not too hot, not too humid. The ferry was super easy and come very often. There was live Jazz music on the day we went and there are events on the islands throughout the summer.

You get fantastic view of Boston from the ferry ride

We decided to just take some snacks (though in hindsight, a real lunch would have been a better choice), we brought some water and wore sneakers.

Spectacle Island used to be garbage dump, but with all the dirt from the Big Dig, it was filled over and plants were imported and took hold. Now Spectacle Island is a lush and green place with 5 miles of super easy trails and amazing views of Boston

Coming over the north hill, you feel like you are on the edge of world

We sat up here and had our snacks, laid in the grass and relaxed

Apparently, many islands have campgrounds, but they get booked 6 months in advance. Next time I would love to visit the other islands and (if I can remember to book 6 months out) go camping!

We came here to celebrate a birthday and it was amazing!!

Getting a reservation was the tricky – you have to go online at 10am 10 days before the date for dinner or 14 days before for lunch and pray that no one has taken your time slot. They only have 2-3 time slots available for their 16 course lunch and 10-course dinner, with 1, 2, or 4 person reservation options.

The trickiest part is finding the place. It is a nondescript door with a little peach on it.

We got the 8:40 dinner reservation, which was perfect.

They have a strict no-food-picture policy, which was sad for me as I love taking photos of my food, but it made you focus more on each dish and enjoy your time with your dining partner.

Thus there are only a few pictures available, but I will go into GREAT detail describing most dishes. At the end of the meal they give you a menu card with the dishes on it.

The first thing I noticed was how clean and quiet the place was. It is small, about 200 square feet. The kitchen is open, and along the kitchen is a bar, set for the 12 seats they have.

We were promptly welcomed and seated. The host and hostess (Jenna) were wonderful! The pace of food was perfect, not too fast or too slow.

The amuses were: first,  sunflower seed panna cotta with freshly ground black pepper and dill flowers – it was amazing! You could taste every layer of flavor, it was the perfect start to the meal. Next, we got a lobster morsel with Thai flavors – it was good, nothing too exciting. The last amuse was a flaxseed cracker with soft tofu that was lovely and worked really well with the sake I was drinking.

Then the real meal started. Every dish was beautifully crafted. And each chef described the dished perfectly.

I didn’t love the raw scallop, though the tomato-basil liquid was amazing and I wanted to drink from the plate.

Next was my favorite dish of the evening – Slightly cured mackerel with pickled watermelon and a duo of sauces – black sesame and kimchi. Holy crap was that good! I could have had 3 more o them!! I usually hate mackerel, but this dish has totally changed my mind.

The soup dish was a cold honeydew melon soup with raw spot prawn, avocado, cucumber and macadamia nuts. The nuts really made the dish, otherwise I thought it was too sweet and lacked texture.

When the egg came out, I squealed like a little girl and yelled “YES!” I made the hostess (Jenna) laugh from my reaction. I was so excited! I had heard a ton about it and it totally lived up to expectation. It is a 60 degree egg with caviar, house-made potato chips and a vinegar drizzle that cuts through the rich-fatty goodness of the egg yolk.  They also serve it with warm bread and probably the best butter I’ve ever had. It was amazing.

The tortellini was fine, but not great. The halibut was perfectly cooked and delicious. The foie gras was just ok – the pine nut brittle and lychee were strange and the foie gras was cooked, frozen and grated on top which then melted in your mouth – a weird sensation but not totally unpleasant.

The beef was nice, but the puree was a bit tacky for me.

And finally the desserts: (1) celery sorbet (surprisingly delicious and refreshing) paired wonderfully with blueberries, sweet rice and the sake foam; (2) deconstructed carrot cake with white chocolate and slightly picked shaved carrots was a perfect end to the meal.

This place is amazing and I highly recommend it!

(the only bad thing is their wine/beer/sake list which is crazy expensive!)

One last thing – they have AMAZING books in the bathroom! I wanted to spend time in there and flip through all of them! Luckily my partner-in-crime also felt the same way and snapped some photos!

What could be better than the smell of baking bread? How about baking banana bread? With chocolate?

I always have bananas that are just too brown to eat, so I put them in a zip-lock bag in the fridge until I’m ready to use them. I find they last just as long in the fridge as they do in the freezer.

I’ve been making this banana bread for years and it’s always a hit! It has a great crust and the center is always just a bit gooey. It’s delicious! It’s even better the day after (though just try not to eat it straight out of the oven!)

Chocolate Banana Bread  (click here to print recipe without pictures)

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp fine salt
1/2 tsp kosher salt (secret ingredient
2 large eggs, at room temp
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temp
1 cup sugar
3 very ripe bananas, peeled and masked with a fork (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips, tossed with 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/3 cup toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour, baking soda and salts in a medium bowl, set aside. Whisk the eggs and vanilla together in a measuring cup, set aside. Spray a 9 x 5 x 3-in loaf pan with cooking spray (i.e. PAM) or line with parchment paper, set aside.

2. In a stand mixer, fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually pour the egg mixture into butter until incorporated. Add the bananas and remove bowl from mixer. It will look curdled so don’t worry.

3. With a rubber spatula, mix in flour mixture until just incorporated. Fold in chocolate and walnuts (if using) and pour into prepared pan.

4. Bake for 55-60 min or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool on wire rack in pan for 5 min. Turn bread out and let cool completely on wire rack. Enjoy!

My first real Day Off Adventure was my trip to Croatia during the summer between 1st and 2nd years of medical school. I went with 2 friends from school to explore the ‘other side’ of Europe.

We started our trip in Dubrovnik. At that time most people hadn’t heard of Dubrovnik and were surprised we were going. My friends mother kept asking if there was running water in the apartment we were renting and even offered my friend a new car to stay home (luckily he declined and come along on the trip). This is after she told us she was ‘worldly, but doesn’t cross the big pond.

Dubrovnik is now better known due to Game of Thrones, as it is the inspiration for Kings Landing. The old city was a fortress surrounded by high walls, still standing today. You enter the old city through a bridge/gate which opens up to white marble streets that are cleaned nightly.

From the main street, the alleyways take you up the walls, literally. Our apartment was 100 steps up, so leaving the apartment called for double and triple checking that you had everything.

There is a ton to do in the area, including a kayak trip around the small islands in the bay

We also got the chance to visit Mostar, a city in nearby Bosnia/Herzegovina. The bus ride was relatively short and our tour guide was from Mostar and extremely informative. There was still evidence of the war in the 1990s and you could see bullet ridden buildings and shrapnel throughout the city. One of the major landmarks that was ruined was the Old Bridge, but it was fixed shortly after the war ended. It is about 80 feet above the river below and people jump off it (into very shallow waters)!

Because it is right on the water, we had some of the best sunsets

If you are looking for an ‘off the beaten  path’ sort of place, I highly recommend Dubrovnik.

The only thing that wasn’t great was the food.

Shakshuka is my go-to dish when I don’t really feel like cooking or I haven’t thought ahead and defrosted anything.

It’s basically eggs poached in tomato sauce. You can make your sauce any way you like it, but I go the Israeli route and make it spicy with shrug, a middle eastern spice mix. (I buy mine at the Butcherie in Brookline, but you can find it in most middle eastern markets). Or you can make your own (see below)

Shakshuka  (click here to print without pictures)

4 tbsp oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
1-2 tbsp shrug, depending on you spice preference  (or use a combination of crushed red pepper and garlic to taste)
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 bunch hearty greens (spinach, kale, chard), chopped, optional
4-8 eggs
Crusty bread

1. Heat the oil in a large deep skillet and add garlic, saute for 30 sec. Add tomatoes and seasonings and cook for 15-20 min over low heat, partly covered.

2. Add tomato paste (and greens if using), cover and simmer for 2-3 min or until greens are wilted. Adjust seasoning

3. Break eggs into a small dish and slide onto tomato sauce, one at at time.

4. Turn heat to low and cook until egg whites are set (about 5-7 min), longer if you don’t like runny yolks. Partly cover to prevent sauce from spraying around.

5. Serve with crusty bread. Enjoy!!!

Shrug (makes 1 cup)

2 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 cup hot red peppers
2 cups fresh cilantro
1 tbsp salt
juice of 1/2 lemon
spices: 10 cardamom seeds, 10 garlic cloves, 1 tbsp black peppercorns, 1 tbsp cumin seeds

1. Crush garlic, peppers and cilantro to a nearly smooth paste
2. Lightly roast spices in a dry skillet. When cool, grind them in a spice grinder or pulse in food processor
3. Mix the paste and spice and season with salt. Transfer to a jar and pour lemon juice on top. Store in fridge.

(adapted from The Book of New Israeli Food)