Perfect Savory Treat

I love empanadas.  I have made them at home a couple of times.  I made the filling and bought the wrapping.  They were still a lot of work.  They tasted good but it is so much easier if you can get someone else to make them for you.

I have always known that not all empanadas were fried.  I just thought that fried ones would be better.  It turns out that is not always true.  

I have discovered The Perfect Empanada.  Their words not mine.  But I have trouble denying it.  I have never been to the commercial kitchen in Warren, Rhode Island. I have always gotten mine at the Copley Square (Boston, MA, 560 Boylston Street) Farmer's Market.  You can find them there on Fridays from May to November.

There are usually four or five different flavors, one is usually a vegetarian option.  They are not the same flavors every week, so if you keep going back you can keep trying new things.  

The empanadas are Argentinian style.  I do not know all the differences between Argentinian and other empanadas but these ones are baked.  At the stall at the farmer's market you can get them hot and ready to eat or partially baked and then frozen so you can finish them at home and have them nice and fresh from the oven.  I have personal experience that they make a wonderful late night snack, dinner, or breakfast.  I have never had them for lunch but I'm sure they are good then too.

One of the things I was happy to see was that the dough is stamped with the name of the filling so if you buy more than one kind you can tell which is which.  They are $9 a piece and worth the price.  They are packed full of deliciously spiced and flavored fillings.  

The man who runs the stall, who I believe is Pablo, the founder of the company, is
friendly and informative and has great customer service.  He remembers us every time we go there.  

On the website there is a schedule of all of the markets they go to and when they will be there.  If you have ever enjoyed an empanada, and you are close by, I suggest that you stop and try it out.  I don't think you will be disappointed.  

It's All Greek to Me

In the mood for some Greek food?  

I was, so my husband and I went to Zo Greek in Assembly Row.  

I had been there several times before.  Once to sit and eat in and then a bunch of times to get take out.

There is a lot of food here that I like.  I almost always get the pork gyro.   The pita is soft and fresh, the meat is cooked nicely and the tzatziki is a perfect compliment the salty (but not too salty) meat.  You can get it with fires or a salad, both of which are good.

The fried halloumi cheese is wonderful as is the tomato soup and the spanakopita.  The kolokythekeftedes (zucchini and feta fritters) are one of my favorite things.  They are crispy on the outside, soft but not mushy on the inside.  And they are surprisingly flavorful.  

I have never been disappointed in any of the food.  

But...

The first time I ate in the restaurant the service was wonderful.  Friendly and attentive. I also had no problems all the times I got take out.  But the second time I ate in was a little different.  No one was rude or unfriendly but I ordered two pork gyros.  When the waiter went to put in my order he asked me if I had wanted the pork or the chicken.  I said pork again.  And we were still served chicken gyros.  They fixed it quickly without any problems but I was slightly annoyed since I had said pork twice.  And then when we were almost done with our meal and wanted to order a beer it was hard to get anyone's attention.  Even though the bar (where we were sitting) is not that long and we were the only ones sitting at it.  

It was just the once.  Maybe they were having a bad day.  There was nothing that convinced me not to go back.  I will give them another chance (maybe more than one).   The food is good so even if upon a revisit I am slightly disappointed in the service, takeout will still be on the menu.

A Better Mousetrap

Today (September 4th 2026) is National Wildlife Day.  I would say I like wildlife.  I watch nature shows and movies about animals.  I escort bees and spiders out of my house.  I enjoy watching the rabbits hop around my backyard.  I thought it was cool when I saw a family of skunks, all of the little ones following their mother around.  But I do not want to meet most wildlife.  I do not want to go on safari.  I do not (as cute as I think mice are) want mice living in my house.  I do not want to pet anything that can eat me.  But books and movies are good.  I like those.

Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by Mary Roach

All around the world, as the population (of humans) grows, people are coming face to face with wildlife more often.  For various reasons this does not usually go well for the animals or the humans.  This book takes a look at what humans do when faced with unwanted animal interactions.

Mary Roach travels the world to find out what happens in various places when humans meet wildlife.  I'm not going to lie, it is not usually good for the wildlife.  A lot of the accounts in this book are about killing large numbers of animals, animals that people have deemed pests.  Animals that eat crops, or ruin machinery or break into homes.  This book looks at ways people have tried to kill these pest animals, or scare them off, or move them to another location, or coexist with them.  There are lots of methods but few good answers.  It is interesting to see the different ways people have tried to solve this problem and all the different ways people react to the problems and all the solutions.  There are people on every side of this issue.  Roach writes with a lot of humor which lightens the mood even though she is talking about machine gunning birds, or poisoning opossums.  I found it all very interesting, from the sometimes crazy methods people have tried to the unexpected consequences of those methods to the times the animals won and the humans were forced to give up.  No matter what side you are on in this debate I think you will find something of interest here.