"I think I'll go to Boston..."

Remember the Augustana song "Boston"?  In the music video they are on the beach playing their instruments.  The water starts rushing over everything including the drums and piano...  Here it is in case you haven't seen it.  Anyways...

We decided to go to Boston to visit our friends Jonathan and Ashley in Boston last weekend.  This was our second trip to Boston so we were excited.  We took a bus on Friday night and stayed with them in their cute Boston apartment.  On Saturday, I went on a run with Ashley in the morning - she was so nice to slow down and run my pace:)  It was fun to run around their neighborhood.  Then they took us to a bakery to get blueberry scones for breakfast.  They were amazing!  We got cleaned up from our run and decided to do a tour of Harvard.  It was fun to hear stories and history of Harvard and some of the buildings.  The Hansen's showed us around different neighborhoods.  We got some lunch to warm up - because it was chilly that weekend.  We went by Mike's bakery of course to pick up some treats.  Then later that night we had our first experience with Ethiopian food.  It took a long time to get into the restaurant but it was worth it!  It was so good!  It was fun to try something new:)  In between all of this we got a lot of chatting time with the Hansen's.  We headed back to NY on Sunday morning.  It was so good to catch up, and they were the best hosts!  It was fun to escape NY for a weekend.   They will be moving back here soon and we are very excited!

Here are some pictures from Ashley's (Hansen, not me) phone.  Thanks Ashley!

Ooey Gooey Blueberry French Toast

I made this recipe on Saturday for a Relief Society Activity.  It turned out very good, so I thought I would share the recipe.  I originally got this recipe from a cooking class in college.  Just a warning this is not a low-fat recipe:)

Ooey Gooey Blueberry French Toast

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
14 slices home-style white bread, crusts discarded and bread cut into 1-inch cubes (I used french bread)
2 (9 ounce) packages cold cream cheese, cut into 1 inch cubes (I used 1 package regular, and 1 package 1/3 fat Neufchatel cheese since that's what I had)
1 cup blueberries, picked over and rinsed
10 large eggs
2 cups half-and-half
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice

Directions:
Butter a baking dish with the tablespoon of butter (I just sprayed the pan with cooking spray). Arrange half of the bread cubes on the bottom of the baking dish. Top the bread cubes with the cream cheese cubes and blueberries and arrange the remaining bread cubes over the blueberries.

In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, half-and-half, syrup, and orange juice. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the bread mixture. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.

Remove the baking dish from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature for about 20 minutes. Position rack in center of oven and preheat the oven to 350.

Bake the “French toast” with foil cover for 30 minutes. Using oven mitts or pot holders, remove the baking dish from the oven, remove the foil, and return the dish to the oven until toast is golden brown and puffed, about 30 more minutes. Using oven mitts or pot holders, remove the baking dish from the oven and allow to sit until slightly cooled, about 15 minutes.

Serve in bowls with blueberry sauce ladled over the top.

Blueberry Sauce - can be made in advance and kept refrigerated for up to one week.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons orange zest
1 1/2 cups blueberries, picked over and rinsed
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions:
In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stir together the sugar, water, orange juice, cornstarch, and orange zest. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the blueberries and simmer the mixture, stirring occasionally, until the berries have burst, about 5 minutes. Add the butter and stir until melted. Remove from heat and serve.