Photo: TooFarNorth/Flickr

Sarah’s mom, Paula, is back in town. Both ladies of Boston Eats review Legal C Bar at Legacy Place, Dedham. “Fresh” seems to be the word of choice. Oh…and “however.”

Catch their review, and the meaning behind the C:

Photo: katerha/Flickr

Today on Here & Now resident chef Kathy Gunst culls through the best cookbooks to give and to get this holiday season, and treats us to a fail-proof, yuck-proof version of that traditional dish, creamed spinach with fresh nutmeg. Gorgeous.

Catch the report and watch Kathy cook.

Google “Area Four.”

When was the last time you read so many words strung together to describe a restaurant?  It’s a “Coffee / Bakery / Bar / Oven.” Officially.

How do you pull THAT off?

Pretty well, thanks. So says Boston Eats’ inimitable Sarah Kleinman (midwife / restaurant critic) in this review of chef Michael Leviton’s hip new eatery Area Four, located in the Area Four neighborhood of Cambridge.

Photo: Steve Snodgrass/Flickr

I have a confession: I was craving popcorn.

The moment I entered the dimly lit theater in the Museum of Science and took my seat to watch the critically-acclaimed documentary “Food Fight,” shown in celebration of National Food Day, all I could think of were those flimsy little paper bags stuffed to the brim with popcorn, topped with buckets of salt, and drenched in that fake butter that I have come to love as a compliment to a good movie. Call it conditioning, call it a societal ill, call it whatever you like – I just knew that all I wanted was that delicious sack of fake-food to munch on for the duration of the film.

I also knew that I, rightfully, was going to receive no such snack that day since I was there for the purpose of supporting ideals that counteract that very craving. The screening, sponsored by the Boston-based Let’s Talk About Food initiative, was free to the public and followed by a special commentary and Q&A session with the film’s director, Christopher Taylor. Before the film began, Taylor took to the podium to say a brief word about the documentary. “This film is a murder mystery,” he declared. “It’s about the murder of taste and who killed it.” With that simple statement, he stepped back and took his seat. The film began. More…

Photo: courtesy of Celeb Foodie

My school is pretty atypical. I constantly find myself in the middle of a hub of creative and out-of-the-box thinking that is not only encouraged, but required. It’s an environment that has traded having a large auditorium for three state-of-the-art theatres; a place that prides itself on having a football team that has gone “Undefeated Since 1880” (i.e., we don’t have one); and, finally, it’s an environment where “going to quidditch practice” is an acceptable and respectable use of time.

It was in this spirit that recent graduate Jillian Leff, the blogger behind “Celeb Foodie,” whipped up a batch of Yum Wand 3000s for the final installment of the long-anticipated Harry Potter saga a couple months back. While HP has said its final farewell, these unique treats live on: they make a superb and fetching Halloween snack.

What’s even better is that no magic is required to make these salty-sweet desserts appear. You only need several long pretzel sticks, milk chocolate chips and bags of your favorite candy. These family-friendly desserts look both delicious and fun to concoct. What’s more, you can channel your creative side and make your own version!

Personally, I suspect that whether celebrating an Emerson victory in the Quidditch World Cup (yes, it’s a very real thing) or ringing in Halloween in style, these unique and tasty treats will make the perfect October snack.

Photo: Parker Michael Knight/Flickr

In food news this week at WBUR, there were two on-air segments you’ll want to catch up with on your own time. The first may get your blood boiling; the second calls for boiling of the more conventional kind.

On Monday, Virginia farmer/activist/philosopher Joel Salatin was front and center at “On Point,” conversing with host Jayne Clayson and fellow guest Bob Stallman, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation. Salatin thinks America’s food culture and our attitudes about food “ain’t normal.” Organic certification, ingredients we can’t pronounce, government subsidies, consumers’ “knowledge gap”…it’s all there. Listen in.

On Thursday, “Here & Now” resident chef Kathy Gunst stirred up some goodness in her pot to share: mushroom soup. She’s got a new cookbook out called Notes From a Maine Kitchen: Seasonally Inspired Recipes, and for October she features mushrooms and apples. Listen here for a new technique on making mushroom soup, and how-to easy apple cider jelly.

City Farm in Chicago. Photo: Flickr/Linda N.

The line outside my neighbor’s house gets longer each week. He’s known as “The Basil Guy” and it’s no joke; some people think this elderly Somervillian grows the best stuff this side of the Mississippi. Well, Mr. Basil isn’t alone. Urban farming has taken on new meaning in cities across the country.

Host Robin Young takes a closer look at the trend on Friday’s Here & Now.  Listen here.

Beauty is often found in the most unlikely and overlooked places.

Artist Judith G. Klauser of Somerville finds her inspiration in small, everyday objects that easily recede into the background. In the past, she’s worked with insects, baby teeth and fingernails. She also works with food. Specifically, processed food.

In a series called “From Scratch,” Klauser uses Oreo cookies to make finely detailed cameos (she sculpts the frosting with toothpicks, pins and a sculpture stick); cereal, for her elaborate cross-stitch samplers; toast, as a base for embroidery and condiments, such as ketchup and mustard; and paint, to create wallpaper.

While the choice of medium is significant, there is a social and political current that runs through these works (on today’s broadcast of Here and Now, Klauser will discuss this with host Robin Young).

To complement that interview, PRK spoke with Klausner about the ‘ins and outs’ of playing with perishable items and the process behind making art with processed food. More…

(Photo: courtesy of Katey Tobin)

During the dog days of summer, few people can fathom standing over a stove.

Tremont 647′s Andy Husbands has an appetizing solution: ceviche! Today on Radio Boston’s Farm to Fork segment, Husbands schools co-host Anthony Brooks and producer Dan Mauzy in the art of cool at Captain Marden’s Seafood in Wellesley. We hear the final product was fantastic.

Listen to the segment on today’s show, or find it here (recipe included).

And now, a visit to a bakery in West Concord where bread is made…slowly, and a glimpse of how Pete Lowy and Jen Hashley raise their animals.

5.) Nashoba Brook Baking Company, 152 Commonwealth Ave., West Concord

Few things can beat the smell of freshly baked bread. At Nashoba Brook Baking Company in West Concord, this is no exception. What is extraordinary, however, is the company’s commitment to the slow-rise baking method. Because Nashoba bakers allow their dough to rise twice—sometimes three—times, their breads are often tolerable to those with gluten allergies. Extra hours of rising, in batches large enough to fit in trash barrels, allow enzymes to break down complex carbohydrates more thoroughly, easing digestion and our ability to access the bread’s nutrients.

More…