Brooks & Crowley - October 2020

Brooks & Crowley - October 2020

Review Brooks & Crowley

October 2020

781-277-7321

www.brooksandcrowley.com

439 Washington Street Dedham, MA 02026

*Services Throughout Massachusetts

LET’S TALK COOKBOOKS BUT FORGET THE RECIPE How These 2 Cookbooks Can Make You Improvise Like a Gourmet

When I was trying to learn how to cook, one of the things I used to do was prepare The Boston Globe’s recipe of the week in the Wednesday food section. I did that for a couple of years, so I must’ve done over 100 of them. I messed some of them up badly, so it helped that I wasn’t a fussy eater. Having experience with that many recipes certainly helps with cooking good food on the fly, but having a handy cheat sheet is always helpful. that I’d recommend to any home cook: “The Flavour Thesaurus: Pairings, Recipes, and Ideas for the Creative Cook” by Niki Segnit. Using it is almost cheating for the cooking game show I play nearly every night. I use it for quick reference, but the stories are good also. It’s serendipitous that it’s National Cookbook Month because I recently picked up a great book See, at my house, we like to play a game, but maybe it’s not really a game if it’s my whole life. Diane will pull out a few ingredients (things that are going bad or that she feels like having), and my job is to make a meal out of it. Adding to the fun is the usual weeknight time demands of kid pickups/drop-offs, sports games, homework, visits, etc. This turns meal-making time into a real life version of the “Iron Chef ” game show with real life time limits. The other night, for example, I had about 15 minutes to use a mysterious white fish that was removed from the freezer (we weren’t even sure what it was). When it defrosted, we realized it was tilapia! So, I diced some tomatoes and olives, added

capers and some parsley from the backyard herb garden and mixed them together in a stainless steel bowl. I cut some lemon, grilled the fish with it, and sautéed spinach on the side. I plated everything together, and it was totally delicious. Also, my wife has always gotten a big kick out of the fact that it doesn’t bother me at all to cook when I get home. It’s a relaxing activity for me, despite the, well, time pressure! It’s just a fun challenge at the end of the day to me. I’m the opposite of most people who like to cook. I enjoy cooking but don’t like to plan the meal. We have a pretty well-stocked cupboard with essential multiuse ingredients, so we have lots of options. The rest is just putting it together in the right combination at the right time. Now you can imagine why “The Flavour Thesaurus” is particularly useful for me. Everyone knows pork and apple go together, but the book uses 99 flavor pairings so you’ll know what to match with your leftover beetroot (goat cheese). The inspiration for the book was that the author who, despite a lot of experience cooking, always felt the need to follow a recipe. She longed for the freedom to be creative in her cooking but lacked the knowledge of flavor combinations. Now we can all benefit from her research. Another cookbook I recommend is called “The Drunken Botanist: The Plants That Create the World’s Greatest Drinks” by Amy Stewart.

It gets way into the weeds of the history of different types of booze as well as how to grow the ingredients. It’s not a light read and not something to sit down and read as a book. Looking to really impress your guests? Make them a few mixed drinks with the unique flowers and plants that Amy suggests in her book. She even covers some fungi — not exactly my cup of tea, or my glass of whiskey either, but fascinating nevertheless. Chemistry and cocktails have always gone together. Today there is more variety than ever before. At a restaurant where I used to bartend, they serve over 75 different flavors of vodka, including whipped cream and caramel! Thanks to science, the mixers are now infused into the spirits. This opens a wide range of creative possibilities. After all, these days, a strawberry vodka can mean two things: a strawberry-flavored vodka, or vodka in soda water with strawberry puree. They both taste like candy, but one has a much higher alcohol content. Younger or less- experienced drinkers should be careful to ask what is in their drink before imbibing. Anyhow, I hope these cookbook suggestions get you cooking something new and exciting this month. What cookbooks rock your world? Let us know the next time you chat with us! I’m always looking to up my game, and I’m still not a fussy eater.

–Neil Crowley

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How to Stop Procrastinating at Bedtime

And Get a Good Night’s Sleep

We all know a good night’s sleep is an important part of a healthy lifestyle, so how can we stop putting it off? A good place to start is by keeping track of your day. The human mind isn’t meant to internalize checklists and task reminders, so use your phone or journal as a scheduling assistant. However you decide to keep track, make sure to give yourself a set amount of time to accomplish your tasks, like letting yourself watch TV for just one hour or blocking out three hours to help your kids with their homework. It might even help to set alarms on your watch or on your phone to let you know when your time is up on any of your activities. Another big part is creating an environment that is conducive to a good night’s sleep, and that starts with turning your electronic

devices off well before you get under the covers. Smartphone screens, computer screens, and even some energy-efficient lightbulbs emit blue light, which reduces the production of melatonin, the hormone that tells your body it’s time to go to bed. Instead of looking at your phone, try reading a book before going to sleep. If your screens prove to be too big of a draw for you when bedtime comes, it might be a good idea to move your devices to another room so they’re out of sight and out of mind. Finally, don’t get discouraged if you don’t start getting better sleep right away. Setting up good bedtime routines takes time. But if you stick with it — and maybe have someone else in your house hold you accountable to your commitments — you’ll start to get better sleep and have more energy to take on the day in no time.

Though there are very real medical conditions, such as insomnia and sleep apnea, that deprive people of sleep, the reason most of us probably don’t get enough sleep is simply because we put off our bedtime. Instead of getting into bed, we opt to check off another item on our to-do list or watch another episode of our favorite show. This is sometimes called “bedtime procrastination.”

Never Feel Stranded: Get Uninsured and Underinsured Coverage

It’s true that insurance companies take plenty of our money already — but there’s a daily, potentially life-altering risk that we take almost every day. That’s driving. Worse yet? An estimated 30 million vehicle drivers in the U.S. don’t have any insurance, according to a study by the Insurance Research Council (IRC). That’s why you don’t want to be on the road without your new best friends: uninsured motorist (UM) and underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage. Why do you need it? Drivers who don’t have insurance typically can’t afford the cost, much less your medical bills, if they crash into your vehicle. However, many more only ever buy the minimum, which, in Massachusetts, is $20,000 per claim. That’s not actually enough to pay for the average costs of a nonincapacitating injury, which is $23,400,

and the average for an even more severe incapacitating injury is around $72,700.

aren’t stacked on top of your bodily injury coverage but are triggered when your UM/ UIM coverage exceeds the at-fault person’s coverage. So, if your own underinsured coverage exceeds the other party’s insurance policy, you can rely on your own coverage instead of theirs.

An auto accident is already often a tragic event — but, by paying for insurance to cover you (if you’re ever hit by these uninsured or underinsured drivers), you will prevent a potentially worse outcome. How much coverage do you need? We highly recommend

UM/UIM can make your life so much easier and costs far

less than your primary bodily injury coverage. Don’t forget to choose the right amount; it won’t break the bank, and although we hope it’s never needed, it just might save your bank in the future.

that you buy UM/ UIM coverage with the same limits as your own liability

coverage. Ideally, this means about $250,000 per claim and $500,000 per accident. It’s important to note that these

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Fall and Winter Sports Are on the Horizon Tips for Buying New Outdoor Gear

When was the last time you bought new ski pants or hiking boots? Now that you’re thinking about it, you might be realizing it’s been many years since you updated your most used athletic gear, which might explain why you’ve been colder than usual on the ski hill or why your feet ache after a short hike. If this sounds familiar, it might be time to consider investing in new gear. It can be very expensive, but you’re in luck — the holidays are just around the corner, which means so are the sales! Before you drop cash on new gear, sort through your current inventory and decide what to keep, sell, and toss. This might be hard and you may be tempted to skip it, but making these decisions can help you save money. If you have equipment or athletic wear that’s still in good condition but you no longer need, find a consignment shop where you can sell or trade

it. After all, your gear might be perfect for someone else and still give you some money to get a great upgrade for yourself. As you sort through your gear, see if any equipment is damaged and requires repair or replacement. Test flashlights and headlamps to make sure they work and inspect gear that’s been stored and forgotten, like backpacks and tents, that you might not notice the wear and tear on while out in the wild. You don’t want any equipment to malfunction when you’re in the middle of an excursion.

research which brands have the best ratings and reviews. Then, find which retailers tend to have the best prices. Shopping smart takes a little bit of preparation, but it can save you hundreds of dollars and lots of stress during those busy holiday weeks. So, dig through your closet or garage, take note of your current gear, and prepare to find some awesome deals for the whole family on new gear for the coming year.

Now that you know what gear you want to replace, it is time for the fun part.

Decide what outdoor activities you want to do in the upcoming months and in the next year. Adjust your inventory to your new needs and

LAUGH OUT LOUD

Canine Candy Corn Treats

Ingredients

Special equipment •

•

1 1/2 cup nonfat yogurt, divided

•

1/2 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

Preferred silicone molds or ice cube tray

•

1–2 small bananas

directions

1. Using 1/2 cup yogurt, fill molds 1/3 full. Place molds in the freezer and let sit for 2 hours. 2. In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup of yogurt with canned pumpkin. Pour pumpkin mixture over the frozen yogurt layer, filling each mold to 2/3 full. Leave enough space for a third layer. Return to the freezer for 2 hours. 3. In another small bowl, mash bananas and mix in remaining yogurt. Pour over the frozen pumpkin layer and fill remaining space. Return mold to freezer for at least 1 hour or until set. 4. Pop out treats as desired and serve frozen.

Inspired by 12Tomatoes.com

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PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411

439 Washington Street Dedham, MA 02026 Inside This Issue

1

2 Great Books for Any Home Cook

2

How to Get a Good Night’s Sleep

Never Feel Stranded: Get Uninsured and Underinsured Coverage

3

Tips for Buying New Outdoor Gear

Dog-Friendly Halloween Candy

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Good News in Boston!

Good News in Boston! 2 College Students Skate 900 Miles for Cancer Research

College hockey isn’t the most socially distanced sport, so players have been stuck home like the rest of us. But being stuck at home hasn’t stopped many compassionate people from doing what they do best — supporting their community. That’s exactly what University of Massachusetts Boston (UMB) teammates Jacob Adkins (21) and Andrew Walker (22) decided to do after buying a pair of in-line skates. At first, the roommates were skating a few miles at a time because of pandemic boredom — but then Walker asked Adkins how much money it’d take to skate to Los Angeles. That idea evolved into a plan to skate nearly 900 miles from Boston to Mason, Michigan (Walker’s hometown).

One thing that brought the two friends closer was the fact that cancer had touched both of their lives. Adkins’ family had struggled with cancer in every generation, but his mother is a Hodgkin’s lymphoma cancer survivor. Walker’s grandfather had died of cancer while his aunt is a brain cancer survivor, but cancer’s influence on his life went beyond his family. His hometown, Mason, had been “riddled with cancer affecting my classmates, friends, and their family members, as well,” Walker told CNN.

feat didn’t have picture-perfect beginnings, though. “The journey became very difficult rather quickly,” Walker said. “There were plenty of times where one of us would completely lose vision and would have to grab the other’s shirt for guidance.” Together, their painful, challenging journey was completed on July 22, and the trek is fully documented on Instagram. They have raised over $30,000 for the American Cancer Society. “Coming from backgrounds having dealt with cancer, it truly means everything to both of us and our families,” Adkins says. “We are hoping this shines a light on the things to be grateful for in life and that cancer hasn’t stopped, so neither should we.”

That’s how their 900-mile roller-skating trek became a fundraiser for cancer research.

Adkins and Walker called themselves “Men in Blades” on social media and departed the UMB campus at 4:30 a.m. on July 13. The incredible

But why stop there?

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