Greetings from New England! My Labor Day Weekend included a lobster bake, a stunning wedding, and thunder/lightning showers galore. There’s something so magical about a summer downpour. They’re incredibly peaceful and make me want to curl up with a great book and a tasty beverage.

Speaking of tasty beverages…today we’re visiting Pleasant Street Tea Company in Gloucester, MA! My brother, Adam, shares a mutual love for coffee (it’s definitely a family trait). He and his lovely wife, Lauren, took me to his favorite local hangout for breakfast and caffeine one beautiful summer morning!

Pleasant Street is nestled in the main part of town, within walking distance of a vinyl record store and an awesome vintage thrift shop – so everything about this is really my jam. Doesn’t the decor have such a fun yet comfortable vibe? The bright colors add such cheer, and I love how you can sprawl out on a couch!

I ordered a raspberry shortcake latte – so smooth and sweet! Hey, when in Rome…or Gloucester…
Hearty oatmeal is a regular staple in my breakfast routine!
Love these wise words.
A big thanks to Adam and Lauren for treating me to breakfast at one of their favorite stomping grounds!
If you’re ever in Gloucester, be sure to stop by Pleasant Street for some small town New England cheer! Then you can walk down to the harbor and grab some lobster for lunch!

Today is the last day of August, the last Saturday of summer, and, unfortunately, the day that our beloved local Trader Joe’s is closing for good.

A few weeks ago, I texted Corelyn and Jeff to let them know there was a sign in the Trader Joe’s that it was closing.

Corelyn: WHAT?!? Like for good? That is terrible!!
Jeff: What!?!?!?!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Forever? I think I missed a text did you send me something after Forever?

I was there shopping for GMS, and I ended up walking out without getting half the things I needed. I had to send Corelyn to Ralphs. I came home dejected.

Today, we headed back to say goodbye and to go grocery shopping at our favorite location one last time. Everyone in the store was sad, relieving their favorite memories of the store, criss-crossing aisles, forgetting what they came for, what they needed, looking around like they just couldn’t believe it.

Everyone was taking photographs of the murals, and the signs, and taking photographs with their favorite Trader Joe’s employees. TJ’s employees, meanwhile, were walking around with sad smiles, consoling the shoppers as they wandered aisle to aisle. We took photographs out front of families, and chatted with the TJ’s employees as they grilled up hot dogs, perhaps an effort to make the surreal experience a little more gentle.

This has been our TJs since we moved into our current apartment about five years ago. It’s been the source of supplies for countless Yankee Swaps, Pizza Nights, vacations for my family and Jeff’s, and where we’ve hatched many a GMS plan over a tiny cup of coffee.

So what will we do? There will no longer be a Trader Joe’s in between the GMS kitchens, and our new location options are not the best, but we will manage. The top two contenders are Hollywood and Vine (pros: near the farmer’s market) and Crescent Heights and Sunset (pros: large and organized well) but neither will compare to the location in West Hollywood.

We will miss this Trader Joe’s, and all of the memories it brought (because we go to the grocery store almost every other day, it’s fair to say it’s on the list of places I spend the most time.)

Thank you, TJs WeHo, for bringing us happiness and joy the past five years, and bringing the neighborhood joy for 30. We look forward to adventuring to new Trader Joe’s, but we’ll never find one as wonderful as you!

To our LA friends, which TJs do you prefer? We’d better start shopping around!

I got it in my head this month that I was going to rekindle my love with tomatoes. You see, the last couple summers, tomatoes and I were…rocky. I would think of how ripe, juicy tomatoes tasted on a sandwich, in a salsa, or in my salad, and they just disappointed. I’ve loved tomatoes since I was a little kid, popping cherry tomatoes in my Poppy’s garden on the sly, and I wanted to love them again.

We struck success with friend green tomato BLTs, and I thought we could certainly to the same with a tomato tart. And, I was so, so right.

This took no time at all to whip together, and reaffirmed just how freakin’ wonderful tomatoes are. Here’s what you do: whip up your dough, put a layer of fontina down, then tomatoes sliced thinly, then basil, then drizzle in olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Dough:

1 cup flour
1/2 tbsp baking powder
3/8 tsp salt
3 tbsp butter
3/8 cup milk

Topping:

1 large ripe heirloom tomato
3 oz fontina cheese
Handful of basil
olive oil
s/p

Bake it at 375 for about 30 minutes, or until browned. Then, grate some more fontina over the top, and devour. Pause to take a photo and instagram it to make your friends/family jealous.

This easy tart is a crowd-pleaser – make for a party appetizer, or for yourself on a Friday night while hanging at home. It’s simple. It’s delicious. It’s perfect.

What is your favorite kind of tart?

Happy news fellow celiacs and gluten-free eaters!  Until very recently, there has been no regulatory definition for labeling a food item with the term, “gluten free”, but now there is! Gluten-Free Labeling of Foods under the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004 (FALCPA) goes into full effect August 5, 2014 after 7 years of waiting for such a standard to be implemented.  FALCPA was a huge step forward for labeling for the top eight allergens; however, it had limited use for celiacs as rye and barley are not included within the top eight allergens, yet contain gluten.

Since the FDA has now set legal standards as to what it means to label a product GF, after August 5 of next year foods labeled gluten free are defined, and there will be penalties for mislabeling.  Unfortunately, unlike FALCPA, which makes labeling for the top eight allergens required by law, the gluten free labeling component is purely voluntary.  I am hopeful that food manufacturers will continue expanding their GF labeling, and I hope these newly defined standards will allow companies who were previously hesitant to participate to start labeling their foods, now that there are clear guidelines for them to follow.

Just a couple of things to bear in mind.  This rule applies only to food and dietary supplements that are regulated by the FDA and not other governmental organizations. Meat, poultry, eggs, alcohol, and malted beverages, which are regulated by the USDA and Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau respectively, and are not covered by this new law; though the FDA says it will work with the TTB to “harmonize” labeling across agencies.

Finally, this law also does not extend to the labeling of gluten in medicine, though there is a proposed Act HR 2003: Gluten in Medicine Disclosure Act of 2013 sponsored by Representatives Nita Lowey (D-NY) and Tim Ryan (D-OH), so this is something to definitely keep an eye on.

While there are some cavets to the new labeling I am greatly excited about this recent development that I am confident will have a positive impact on my shopping, eating, and general life habits!

For more information about the new laws:

Gluten Free Labeling of Foods – FDA
Federal Register Notice for the Gluten-Free Labeling Final Rule

Jennie and I made a triumphant return to the Hollywood Farmers’ Market last weekend, and we only had eyes for tomatoes! There was such a bounty, and we could not resist. We bought all shapes, sizes, and colors and let ourselves buy the most perfectly ripe, you-better-eat-this-today, juiciest tomatoes we could find.

I have been wanting to make fried green tomatoes for months, but green tomatoes are hard to find in the supermarket and I haven’t made it to the farmer’s market in quite some time. This was the day. So, we got ready to fry.

We were inspired by a recipe in Sheryl Crow’s cookbook, for these fried green tomato BLT sandwiches. The idea is to use your fried green tomatoes as the bread. Sheryl (and her personal chef, Chuck White) made a slightly fancier version with arugula, pancetta, and a garlic aioli. But we decided to keep it simple with regular old bacon, butter lettuce, and mayo.

Fried Green Tomatoes (a big batch)

Ingredients:
3 ripe, green tomatoes
flour
2-3 eggs
cornmeal
vegetable oil

Directions:
1. Slice your tomatoes into 1/4 inch rounds.
2. Pour about 1/2 inch of oil into your cast iron or dutch oven, and heat to about 350 degrees.
3. Set out flour, beaten eggs, and a mixture of cornmeal and flour that is about 2:1 cornmeal to flour.
4. Dip the tomatoes in flour, then egg, and finally the cornmeal mixture.
5. Fry the cornmeal-coated tomatoes in oil for about 2 minutes per side, and set on a paper towel lined plate to drain.

To Assemble BLT’s:
Lay one fried tomato on a plate, spoon a small amount of mayo on top, followed by a layer of bacon. Add a layer of lettuce or greens, and another layer of bacon, mayo and top with the second tomato. Serve with a tomato emulsion sauce for an extra tomato kick!