Food

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I folded this week. On a gray, dreary Tuesday, I headed into town for a meeting (another new project, yay!), and on my way back to my home office, got soaked by a chilly September rain. I knew then that I would have to admit that my beloved summer would be coming to an end. And I realized the 15 different types of tea I have stocked up will come in handy. I also knew I needed soup that day.

Enter the joys of a well-stocked house. I pulled out a bag of frozen butternut squash to thaw.

butternut squash

I also grabbed an apple (thanks, Mom!), a can of coconut milk, and a a piece of onion.

soup ingredients

To make the soup, I started by cooking down the onions in some olive oil in my beautiful Le Creuset French oven. I can’t believe it will be a year old soon!

 

onions

To the onions I added the diced apple, butternut squash, a shake of garlic powder and about a teaspoon of curry powder.

butternut squash

And some homemade turkey stock, the rich, flavorful result of my mom’s weekend turkey dinner. I love making homemade stock, and I am freezing much of this for my winter cooking and as a cure for those inevitable illnesses. This recipe could easily be made vegan by using veggie stock or water in place of the turkey stock, but I did love that extra bit of flavor.

turkey stock

To finish the soup, I used both my immersion blender and food processor. I was in the mood for a creamy soup, and the coconut milk definitely made it so. A few shakes of crushed red pepper, and we were good to go!

butternut apple soup

This soup would have been really great with some crème fraiche as well. It was the perfect combo of sweet and spicy, and it was definitely a good way to ease into fall. I am still expecting a few sunny boat days before it gets too cold though. Don’t let me down, Mother Nature.

Tags: butternut squash, coconut milk, Food, soup

I love finding new ways to use Fage 2% yogurt besides as a sour cream substitute, an addition to soups and dips, and of course scarfing it down by the cup every morning. I am obsessed with Fage, it’s thick, creamy consistency, its tang, and its versatility. When my mom gave my some baby bella mushrooms this past weekend, I instantly wanted to stuff them with Fage. . . and something else. But what?

 

Fage

I wandered around the kitchen, cleaning my mushrooms and readying my Fage. Cleaning mushrooms is the grossest task ever, I am convinced. Ick.

baby bella mushrooms

And then I saw this canned crab I picked up at Market Basket a few weeks ago. I like to keep canned crab on hand because it’s cheap, it tastes pretty darn good, and unlike the fresh stuff, doesn’t require a special trip to the store. And it’s really great in recipes.

 

crabmeat

To stuff the mushrooms, I made a quick mix of crab meat, spinach, shredded mozzarella cheese, and a splash of Girard’s Old Venice Italian dressing.

crab stuffing

Into the mushrooms the stuffing went, and they cooked at 405 degrees for 25 minutes.

crab stuffed mushrooms

They came out nicely golden brown, with soft, creamy centers. They were delicious!

crab stuffed mushrooms

It was fun to eat an appetizer for dinner, though I was hungry a couple of hours later. Nothing a sandwich thin slathered in Nutella and a glass of milk couldn’t fix!

Do you have any appetizer-like foods that you like to eat as a meal? I could definitely eat apps all day long!

Tags: appetizers, crab, dinner, Food, mushrooms, recipe

Jersey Shore

When you hear Jersey Shore, what do you think? Most likely, the MTV train wreck (that I watch regularly) crosses your mind. And there is definitely that side of the Jersey Shore. With all of the bad Jersey TV shows I watch (Real Housewives, Jerseylicious) and having grown up in NJ, I can definitely say I have seen some similarities in people from my home state. But obviously, not everyone (or even many people) are reality-TV ridiculous, and not all of NJ is a hot mess.

NJ has lots of beautiful parts, great restaurants, and clean beaches with big waves. And, of course, it has boardwalks like no other. This past weekend I went with my sister, brother in law, and niece and nephew to Point Pleasant, NJ for a seafood festival and some time on the boardwalk.

First we made our way through the festival, checking out all of the offerings. Stand after stand featured all sorts of seafood dishes from paella to oysters to fish and chips. There was pretty much any type of seafood you could want. There were also a ton of people.

Seafood Festival

I didn’t eat much before the festival and didn’t really choose my lunch wisely. I went straight for a lobster roll, which ended up being $14 and not very good. I spent most of the time picking out shells.

lobster roll

My sister was smarter, and once we got a table, she got crab legs. And she was nice enough to share the sweet, buttery meat. Isabella got fish and chips, and I had some of that too.

crab legs

Jersey Shore

The festival also included a band, a wine and beer tent, and lots of handmade crafts and jewelry for sale.

Point Pleasant

While the festival was fun for adults, it wasn’t as fun for the little ones, and we promised them a trip to go on some rides. It was blustery out, but the boardwalk was teeming with those sights and sounds that are summer at the Jersey Shore.

Point Pleasant Beach

Tacky as it may be, the boardwalk is a lot of good old fashioned fun, complete with really good junk food. We waited on snacks until after the rides.

Point Pleasant

Dippin Dots

boardwalk

boardwalk

Love, love, love.

IsabellaPointPleasant

boardwalk

We went on the train, and Isabella went on a few other rides while I enjoyed photographing the bright amusements against the cloudy sky. Despite being freezing, on our way our, I had to have one of my favorite Jersey Shore treats, a cone of Kohr’s custard. Richer, creamier, and more delicious than ice cream, Kohr’s is a must-eat on the boardwalk.

Kohr's Custard

Back in the car, thawing out and bundled up, my sweet 10 month old nephew and my niece both instantly fell asleep. Aunt Meggie was pretty close too. It was one of my most favorite moments in a long time. Years from now I might not remember everything we did that day, but I will always remember how I felt with these two little ones I love.

Have you ever been to the Jersey Shore? I know summer is almost over, but what’s your favorite boardwalk or fair treat?

Tags: beach, boardwalk, crab legs, custard, Food, Jersey Shore, lobster, New Jersey, seafood, Travel

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