Get your fill of flatbread

It's hard to visit Massis Bakery in Watertown and not overfill your basket. The tidy spot, owned by the Ourfalian family since 1976, stocks decadent, oversize dates, spices, feta cheeses from a handful of countries, homemade hummus, tabbouli, grape leaves, and Middle Eastern flatbreads. Of all the breads, one from the family's native Armenia claims the most real estate. Lahmejune ($6.50 for a bag of six) is like pizza, but with a tender, flat dough that curls at the edges when heated. The topping is traditionally ground lamb or beef with tomato and spices, though Massis also offers vegetarian and chicken varieties. Lahmejune is eaten hot for lunch or dinner, explains owner Sarkis Ourfalian, often with a squeeze of lemon and some yogurt. Make room in your basket. Massis Bakery, 569 Mt. Auburn St., Watertown, 617-924-0537. -- LEIGH BELANGER

Custard comes to town

Frozen custard, popular in the South and Midwest, has been hard to come by in New England -- until now. The location isn't quite the same as the original spot that offered this dessert. South Shore Plaza is a far cry from the Coney Island boardwalk where the Kohr Bros. first sold their nickel cones. But the custard tastes just as good. Cream, sugar, and egg yolks are combined in a special freezer that beats in less air and creates a thick, creamy texture. (Soft-serve ice cream is airier and doesn't have custard's egg content.) Unlike most ice creams, the custard is prepared fresh and eaten immediately. Silky vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry can go into a cone with more unusual flavors such as peanut butter or banana, or they can be turned into smoothies or sundaes. The rich taste is deliciously deceptive; frozen custard actually contains less fat and calories than ice cream. A little virtue tossed in. Kohr Bros., South Shore Plaza, 250 Granite St., Braintree, 781-849-1937, or go to www.kohrbros.com . -- CAITLIN O'NEIL

Into the mix

Even in the midst of howling winds and stormy seas, you can put together Cindy Elder's Bristol Harbor Homemade baking mixes with relative ease. So the boating crowd was the first to catch on. Then busy moms weighed in. Before she knew it, Elder had a thriving business, now 18 months old. Each bag is individually mixed by hand in Bristol, R.I. Elder says her process is simple: She lines up 24 bowls and fills them with flour, sugar, and the other things that go into them. At home, you add one or two ingredients to produce delicious treats, chock-full of homemade flavor. You'll only have trouble picking a favorite among the possibilities, including ``dark 'n stormy" ginger cookies, butterscotch oaties, double chocolate cranberry nut cookies, and cranberry white chocolate scones. Available at Olive & Branch, 260 Arlington St., West Acton, 978-266-1500; Old Company Store, 5 Elm St., Wareham, 508-291-7871; and www.bristolharborhomemade.com . -- MARLISSA BRIGGETT

A juice revival

In Senegal, when hosts wanted to welcome people, they used to offer guests a glass of bissap, a blend of hibiscus and lemon. Visiting her native country, Magatte Wade-Marchand discovered that bissap had been almost completely replaced by soda. So Wade-Marchand teamed up with Odwalla juice founder Greg Steltenpohl to revive the traditional drink. The result is Adina World Beverages (about $2.49 for 14 ounces). Besides bissap, the company offers five other all-natural flavors. The basis for most varieties is the red hibiscus blossom, a strong antioxidant, which is harvested at fair-trade women's cooperatives in Senegal. (Adina means ``life" in Senegalese.) In their cheerful bottles and with juicy names such as Jamaican Gin-Jah, Spanish Sangri'La, and Turkish PoMagic, these drinks make you want to dance -- a good thing Adina also sells music. Available at Pemberton Farms, 2225 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, 617-876-2711; Cafe Zing at Porter Square Books, 25 White St., Cambridge, 617-491-2220; and www.adinaworld.com . -- IRENE DE VETTE