• About Holly

    The Story of Holly

    Told by Miz Emily

    Holly first introduced me to the concept of "caw-ing" almost 3 years ago. My life has never been the same. By day this crow works the office life but by night you will certainly find Holly (Party Pants) Stevens in her Jamaica Plain kitchen cooking and dancing the night away in true crow fashion. Proudly hailing from Maine's Old Orchard Beach, this wild one has figured out how to combine her love for New England- its history, its food, & its boozy dance parties- with her love of classic elegance. Holly's food is fresh, locally produced, healthy, and full of flavor. A self-described salt hound, no taste bud goes untouched by a meal at Holly's nest. By combining simple salads with rich pastas, fish, and soups, no visitor will leave unsatisfied. Moreover, no hangover goes uncured when morning walks with Holly are kicked off with a hidden stash of irish coffee, and finished off by a nice warm plate of oven potatoes and frittata.

    Glancing around her kitchen you will find a few staple items including a mini whisk (for perfect salad dressing), the classiest compost bucket I've ever seen, a kick-ass vegetable hutch, and most importantly a tasty beverage ready to meet your hand. Her home is cozy and warm, and her hospitality is outmatched by no one. On the bookshelves you will find recipes given to her by friends, and books like Omnivore's Dilemma and Salt: A World History, the later being one of the best book suggestion I've ever received, and the subject of her college thesis. Never missing the chance to make a dinner party a dance party, Holly is in constant motion, ready to motivate the group with classy tunes like Credence, Al Green, and GirlTalk. Unless, of course, Top Chef is on.

    http://crowsinthekitchen.com

    Mustard Pickles (Shout Out to OOB)

    by Holly • May 7, 2009 • Uncategorized • 0 Comments

    I’ve received a pickle recipe request from my fellow sour-taste-budded crow Emily (I’m pretty sure one night we almost took down a whole jar of pickles just the two of us!) This is the only pickle recipe I have- it’s incredibly easy, uses basic ingredients and the best part is they are ready in just [...]

    Read more →

    Flawless Frittata

    by Holly • May 5, 2009 • Cheese, Jamaica Plain, baking-savory • 2 Comments

    Weekends fly by so fast, especially the morning part because like most of my friends, I’m usually sleeping off the night before. If I wake up late, my first instinct is to throw on some clothes and crawl to one of the neighborhood brunch spots (Bon Savour, Dogwood, or Centre St Cafe-depending on the line). [...]

    Read more →

    Sweet Nectar

    by Holly • May 1, 2009 • Uncategorized • 0 Comments

    Tis the season for Summer Ales! Everyone has their favorite summer ales- they mostly correlate with the area you grew up. For those Jersey/New York folks it’s probably Brooklyn Summer, the New Hampshirans will grab a Red Hook Sunrye, for us Maniacs it’s that sweet nectar we call Geary’s Summer ale. I’m not sure if [...]

    Read more →

    Free World Wide Web Goodies

    by Holly • April 29, 2009 • cocktails • 0 Comments

    I haven’t lived in Maine since the Summer of 2007 but that doesn’t deter me from reading the Portland Press Herald every Wednesday. Why you ask- well Wednesday happens to be the day they feature a Food and Health section. It always features an article on wine, “on the lighter side” recipes which shows healthy [...]

    Read more →

    Brown Baggin’ It

    by Holly • April 28, 2009 • salad, vinaigrette/marinade • 0 Comments

    If you’re like me and work an office job with slim to no good food choices around then you’ll brown bag it- (actually I sport a blue lunch bag i got at the dolla store!) My favorite thing to bring is leftovers- pasta, soup, mashed potatoes you name it. I’m not really a fan of [...]

    Read more →

    Our First Beach Adventure-Singing Sands

    by Holly • April 27, 2009 • Cheese, salad • 1 Comment

    Sunday Morning we embarked on our first beach visit to Singing Sands at Manchester by the Sea (Take the Newbuyport commuter rail from North Station to Manchester) For once we actually brought enough food and bevy to sustain us all for the long haul. Some items included: Port Salut & Baguette- absolute staple for picnics [...]

    Read more →

    My Debut Caw

    by Holly • April 27, 2009 • Meat/Poultry, vinaigrette/marinade • 0 Comments

    I need to play some catch-up with these posts- great Intro VBAR! Lemon Thyme ChickenRiane and I first made this for a BBQ a month back when the weather wasn’t as warm but the food was just as tasty. We got the recipe from a Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, but i will modify it in my [...]

    Read more →