If you live in or around Boston and haven’t visited one of Formaggio Kitchen‘s two locations (244 Huron Ave. in Cambridge and 268 Shawmut Ave. in the South End), you’re missing out on foodie heaven. One could spend an entire afternoon browsing their selection of gourmet imports, wines, small production specialty foods (like Taza Chocolate), baked goods, delicious prepared foods, and most mouth-wateringly, their deli case of fine cheeses and charcuterie. The friendly and expert staff is always more than helpful in assisting customers navigate their well stocked deli case, making shopping at Formaggio something of a learning experience. They’re so good in fact, that they offer fantastic classes in wine, cheese, and charcuterie geared towards novices and aficionados alike. The popular Cheese 101 course always books up quickly. Of course, the only way to learn about food is to try it, so as much as these classes are educational, they all take the form of tastings that more than justify Formaggio’s nominal fees.

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Contributed by Hairee Lee

Laura's spread of winter pear salad, cornbread, carrots and fennel, and cheese-crusted squash

For this late February dinner party, we prepared a delicious meal featuring winter vegetables (read the recipes here) at our friends’ Jim and Page’s beautiful Cambridge home. See more pictures on our Flickr.

February is ghastly month. It’s cold without the heart-warming effect of Christmas. There’s the memory of January and the dread of March (and April, and probably May) ahead. There’s Valentine’s Day that brings out the Vitamin E deprived anti-Hallmarkers. There’s the post January get-fit frenzy leaving off and the pounds from comfort food going back on. February is miserable. Or it can be miserable.
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