pimblr.com

Outside the sky is a deep shade of cerulean, just right for Lydia Shire’s new restaurant, Blue Sky on York Beach. Inside Shire stands in front of the pizza oven as she trims fat globe artichokes and describes new dishes to her waitstaff.
Blue Sky is Shire’s first venture outside Boston, where her fame grew as chef and owner of Locke-Ober, the former Biba, and Pignoli. Blue Sky, which opened last winter, is gearing up for its first tourist season.
“We cooked bacon, and use the fat to cook garlic and onions,” she says of the meatballs that accompany whole milk ricotta cannelloni. She stops to answer a question about the pink meatballs. They’re pink because they’re made of veal and pork, she explains as she continues to ready the artichokes for the evening meal. The staff samples the cannelloni and meatballs as she talks, the better to be able to explain the new spring dish to customers.
Shire is no slacker. She opened Scampo in Boston’s Liberty Hotel in April, only months after the year-round Blue Sky started up. Yet, on this sparkling spring day, her energy in showing off her new place is impressive. The second-floor restaurant in the Atlantic House Hotel, a once-decrepit place converted into a sleek retail and condo development, is flooded with light. Across the street, the area around Short Sands Beach is still quiet, ice cream stores and shops shuttered. But couples stroll the rocky beach and seagulls circle overhead. York Beach, like Blue Sky, is anticipating summer, when its population will swell from 14,000 to more than 60,000.
“In January of ‘05 when I walked into the basement,” Shire says of the renovated building, “there were skunks living there.” Now she points out the dining room walls and ceiling of poplar, washed with white. She found the antique quilt displayed on one wall in a nearby antique shop, its pale, sunwashed greens and graphic design appealing to her artistic sense. The snazzy Italian espresso maker is in her favorite red, with red and orange espresso cups stacked around it. A Canadian furniture maker crafted the dining chairs, dubbing them the “Lydia chair.” An old chandelier graces the women’s room; Shire polished its 668 crystals herself.

boston.com

If Massachusetts is a key state in the upcoming fall presidential campaign and Barack Obama is looking to make an impression, he might think about putting Ray Allen on the ticket.
I made a visit to Boston last week to catch Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals, and the big impression was just how much love the crowd in the new Garden has for the struggling veteran Celtic guard Allen.
Yes, he played his college ball at nearby UConn, but that was years ago.
Yes, Allen possesses substantial personal class and style, but, hey, this is Boston.
I have a confession to make. Back in the late ‘80s I wrote and produced a fan guide for five seasons called the Celtics Greenbook. I used to love games in the smelly old Garden, with its chipped and aged parquet floor, with all those banners, with all that history.
I loved watching those Larry Bird Celtics move the ball and find the open man.
Just as I loved watching those Magic Johnson Lakers with their pressure D and their up-tempo game and passing brilliance.
See, I’ve never been a pure partisan. I just love pro basketball, and I love to see it played well, whether it’s Los Angeles or Boston or Chicago or New York. Well, maybe not New York. I do have certain limitations. But I do love pro hoops and I do love to see it played with a high degree of integrity. The integrity is critical to pro basketball, because it either has tremendous integrity or it quickly devolves into something about as useful as pro wrestling. Which helps explain why I have such deep admiration for Tex Winter, because he is a great guardian of the game (more on this at another time).
Anyway, the days in the old Garden were magical. I’ve often described those battles between Larry and Magic as pro basketball’s Age of Camelot. I treasure every moment of that era. It’s one of the reasons I so much enjoy collecting pro basketball history, interviewing anyone from that era. I have hundreds of interviews recorded on tape from and about those days. When I get a little bored, I get that stuff out and listen to them all over again.

sportshubla.com

Looking for some fun activities for your family that are nearby and won’t break the bank? Look no further than the Internet. The city’s Web site now has an interactive calendar with listings for young and old.
The Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start to summer, and it kicks off with a free “EarthFest” concert at the Hatch Shell on the Esplanade.
Check out what else is happening on the city’s calendar at www.cityofboston.gov/calendar/. You can look at events by day, month, neighborhood, type of event, you can even send an event to a friend, subscribe for weekly updates, get message reminders and much more. Plus, we’re always looking for our nonprofit partners to post their events, so there is truly something for everyone.
We in the city know how important it is for our young people to have safe and positive programming to keep them busy this summer. Last summer, I kicked off Boston ROCKS!!! “Recreational Opportunities for City Kids,” a coordinated summer programming campaign aimed at connecting Boston’s youth between the ages of 8 to 14 years old.
This summer, we will continue Boston ROCKS!!!, and have a database and a dedicated phone line for parents to access hundreds of programs for Boston’s youth, including arts, sports and educational activities.
Boston is committed to the safety and development of our youth and the wealth of activities and programming being offered this summer underscores this commitment. From jobs to sports to camps, the young people of Boston have an incredible range of opportunities to continue to grow and learn and have fun all summer long.
This summer, Boston has again reached out to our nonprofit and community partners to ask them to join the effort in bringing a wealth of programs and activities to youth. There are exciting and simple new ways to find a program perfect for you through a new online database and helpline. These programs complement the many existing programs for Boston youth.

wickedlocal.com

DENVER (April 9) — Possibly the story of the weekend at the Frozen Four will be Notre Dame making its first appearance in school history on college hockey’s ultimate stage. No team has made its Frozen Four debut since 1998, which Ohio State reach the pinnacle for the first time.
One thing that will help the Fighting Irish, though, is their coach. Third-year bench boss Jeff Jackson has more than been through this before. He led Lake Superior State to the NCAA tournament in all six seasons he spent in Sault Ste. Marie, including three straight Frozen Fours between 1992 and 1994 and two national titles (’92, ’94).
His experience, he hopes, can be the beacon that guides the team through what is one of the craziest weeks of their lives.
“Until they actually see it themselves, it’s difficult [for them to understand] ,” said Jackson. “But it’s big.”
He said that every level of play — whether it’s the league playoffs, the NCAA regionals or ultimately, the Frozen Four — the attention, the microscope watching these players increases.
“This scrutiny, the press coverage, the bandwagon, it all loads up and the distractions become immense,” said Jackson. “The family, friends, professors, classmates, other athletes — everybody makes an effort to distract you, though not intentionally.”
Jackson’s advice to his team, then? Treat this like a business trip.
“It’s about focus. It’s about approaching this in a very business-like manner,” said Jackson. “If you get all wrapped up into everything that’s going on around you, then what you really are here for becomes less of a factor.
“In my opinion, it’s about forgetting all of that and remembering what’s important and what put us in the position to be here.”
If you’re looking for any sympathy from Notre Dame’s opponent, Michigan, don’t hold your breath. The Wolverines are making their NCAA record 23rd Frozen Four appearance.

uscho.com

Between fans of the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, even over the winter the sniping never really ends, it just becomes a little more muted than during the regular season.
This year in particular, the offseason seemed more bombastic than usual, what with members of both organizations getting involved and ratcheting up the noise. First, A-Rod stepped on Red Sox toes with the ill-timed World Series announcement that he was opting out of his contract. He says it was his agent’s idea and that he regrets the timing, but that was just the first volley anyway.
After that came Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon’s remark to a reporter that the Series-clinching ball, the one he supposedly had in his possession, had been eaten by his dog. The dog’s name? "Boss," of course, what else?
Move on to spring training, where Hank Steinbrenner railed against Boston’s "Red Sox Nation," much to the delight of Red Sox fans everywhere. Steinbrenner promised to restore order to the universe by beating the Sox, and everyone else, and earning a Yankee World Championship.
Finally, Boston management responded by enrolling Mr. Steinbrenner in Red Sox Nation and sending him a David Ortiz autographed hat as a peace offering. Needless to say, that peace offering went unaccepted.
From a Red Sox perspective, then, the Yankees are the hated enemy, the thorn in their side, the bane of their existence. As a kid born and raised outside Boston, I can testify to the truth of that statement, and undoubtedly the same thing is true of Yankee fans everywhere, who used to say, "You have to win once in a while for it to be a rivalry," in a not-so-subtle nod to the fact that while the Red Sox were going 86 years without a championship, the Yankees were racking them up with regularity. Well, now that the Sox have won a couple, it seems the rivalry has become invigorated and reached a renewed intensity.

msn.foxsports.com

Online video network Boston.tv reports it has struck a partnership with local sports radio station WEEI to webcast coverage of the Red Sox Spring training in Fort Myers, Fla.
To provide content, the online television station has dispatched camera crews to the Sunshine State to cover practices and send back player interviews by WEEI hosts.
Financial details of the deal were not provided.
The offering adds to Boston.tv's existing sports coverage, which includes the Celtics and regional high school sports updates. The company is also offering clips of last year's Whiney Awards, an annual event honoring callers to WEEI's afternoon talk show, The Big Show.
Boston.tv was founded last year by Eran Lobel — no relation to WBZ-TV sportscaster Bob Lobel — founder of the Boston-based production company Element Productions Inc. The site also includes content from around the city, focused on arts and entertainment, food, lifestyle and business. American City Business Journals, the parent company of Mass High Tech, has a media partnership with Boston.tv.
© 2008 American City Business Journals, Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of bizjournals.

bizjournals.com

Most of us think St. Patrick’s Day evolved when the Irish immigrants started arriving in America during the Potato Famine in the 1840s. But the first St. Patrick’s Day parade in the 13 colonies was organized by the Charitable Irish Society in Boston in 1737.
Imagine, Boston has been celebrating St. Patrick’s Day for 271 years.
In Boston, the holiday is closely tied to the day George Washington drove the British out of Boston in 1776. Boston was one of the most important ports in our new country. The Americans were able to drive off several thousand troops and loyalists with only a few warning shots and no loss of life. It also included a promise from the British commander not to burn the city when they left.
This was a major accomplishment and Washington’s first victory of the war. It was also a huge morale boost for the new country, as the city where the rebellion against England started was the first to be liberated.
Some of the soldiers who served under Washington were Irish Catholic. Many of these men, with no jobs, enlisted right off the boats, upon arrival to their new homeland. They had experienced first-hand British occupation and suppression in Ireland. Because of their courage and loyalty, George Washington allowed his troops a holiday on March 17. This event became known as The St. Patrick’s Day Encampment of 1780.

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Don’t toss those empty food cans in your recycling bin — use them to make today’s recipe, Boston Brown Bread. It is a quick bread made with rye and whole wheat flours and molasses. Other ingredients vary but today’s recipes call for cornmeal, buttermilk, baking soda, raisins and walnuts. And you don’t need any fancy equipment; just pour the batter into those empty cans and then place the cans in a large pot of boiling water. The heat and steam cooks the bread. The result is moist, dense and rich.
Today’s recipes are in response to a request from Joan Hardt of Hampton. We tested two. The first, sent by Len Sciullo of Freedom, we made as described above and the second, sent by Jenny Whitney of South Park, we made in a slow cooker.
Serve this bread warm or room temperature with butter or cream cheese — delicious.
3 16-ounce clean and empty food cans
1/2 cup rye flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Spray cans and 1 side of 3 6-inch square pieces of foil with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. In a large bowl combine rye flour, cornmeal, whole wheat flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Stir in walnuts and raisins.
In another bowl whisk buttermilk and molasses together until blended. Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients and stir until well mixed. Spoon batter evenly into cans. Place 1 piece of foil, greased side down on top of each can. Secure foil with rubber bands or kitchen string.
Place filled cans in slow cooker. Pour boiling water into slow cooker to come halfway up sides of cans, making sure foil tops do not touch boiling water.
Cover and cook on low 4 hours or until tested done.
To remove bread, lay cans on side roll and tap gently on all sides until bread releases.
Cool completely on cooling rack.
2 28-ounce clean and empty food cans
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup rye flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 cups dark molasses
Grease and flour cans. Grease two pieces of foil large enough to cover top of each can.
In large bowl mix all ingredients with a spoon or whisk until well blended.
Divide batter between cans. Tightly cover the top of the cans with the greased foil. Tie kitchen string around the foil. Place cans in a large pot.
Pour boiling water into pot to come halfway up sides. Bring water to a boil again then reduce the heat to low. Cover pot with a tight fitting lid and simmer until tester inserted into center of the bread comes out clean (about 3 hours).
Remove cans from pot and cool on a cooling rack (about 15 minutes). Run a butter knife between the cake and can then gently shake to remove the bread.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
Note: Bread can be baked in a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan following the same directions.
Suzanne Dillon of Raleigh, N.C., wondered if any of our readers remembered the chicken burger restaurant between Marianna and Lone Pine, Washington County, in the 1950s.
We received a response from Trudy Kosey of Canonsburg: “Read the request about the chicken burger stand. It was called Stouffer’s on Old Waynesburg Road/Route 19 south, toward Waynesburg. After many years of being closed it reopened in the basement of Millcraft Center (West Chestnut Street in Washington, Pa.) for a couple of years and is no longer open. There is a restaurant on Route 19 near the Meadows called The Finish Line that has the same burgers.”
Joanne Rovder, Johnson Johnstown, Pa.: “I would greatly appreciate getting the recipe for beef vegetable soup from Mimo’s Restaurant in Windber. Pa. My husband and I think it is the best soup anywhere, especially the broth! They make it once a week. A bowl isn’t enough,. I would love to make a pot of it.”
Calling all turtle soup lovers. Do you have a good turtle soup recipe? If you do send a copy to Kitchen Mailbox, c/o Arlene Burnett, 34 Blvd. of the Allies, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15222 or aburnett@post-gazette.com.SLOW COOKER BOSTON brOWN brEAD

post-gazette.com