Caprese Salad

September 5, 2015September 4, 2015

I didn’t know about Caprese Salad until I was an adult. Not something very common in the Portuguese household I grew up in. We had tomatoes, sure, but basil, nah… parsley, yes, couves (kale) yes, but no basil. And sure we had cheese, but not motzerella cheese, heck my parents even made their own white cheese in a little ring (which is totally delicious and totally off topic). But, I digress, the point it, this is not something I was ever exposed to… however, later on… sometime in my mid-20’s I think, I experienced this salad… Yes, I said experienced, because in my opinion, it is surely not like any other salad I had ever had… And I have been making this late summer salad ever since!

It’s a simple salad, just three main ingredients. The key to this salad is balance. The medley of flavors is something that can not be created with anything else in the world. Freshly grown tomatoes straight from the garden, hand picked basil leaves and good quality motzerella cheese topped with a simple drizzle of olive oil, aged balsamic vinegar and a dash of salt and pepper… could there possibly be anything better?

I have these lovely sweet cherry tomatoes. In season and perfect for any salad, but when tomatoes are the star ingredient, they are especially yummy.

Slice them up and place them right in your serving bowl.

Have you seen these cute little snack packs. Each pack contains three mini cheese balls.

This size ball matches up perfectly to the size of the tomato.

Slice each ball in half and add to the tomatoes.

Grab some fresh basil. You want to pinch it off right where you see the next leaves sprouting. That will ensure new growth.

I like to match up the number of tomatoes to cheese and leaves… but, just a torn leaf.

Tare each leaf to equal the number of tomatoes. This will ensure each bite has all three ingredients.

Mix together in preparation for dressing.

Start the dressing by sprinkling kosher salt.

Crack some fresh cracked black pepper.

Now drizzle with extra version olive oil.

A nice aged imported balsamic vinegar is key here, so you want to buy the nicest one you can afford… You should be able to get a decent one for under $20 and it will last a while…

Drizzle the balsamic.

Toss and serve.

I’m not sure if you noticed, but please take note, I made sure that each ingredient was exactly equal. That is to say there are an equal number of tomato pieces to cheese pieces to basil pieces ensuring that each and every bite will incorporate all three ingredients at the same time allowing them to join together in a wonderful burst of flavor in your mouth!

Recipe for Caprese Salad:

(serves 1-4)

12 cherry tomatoes, halved

12 mini motzerella cheese balls, halved

4 fresh basil leaves, torn into thirds

1 pinch kosher salt

4 cracks black pepper

2 Tbs. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

Directions:

Toss tomatoes, cheese and basil together in a bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar. Serve.

Enjoy!

*Note: this is a gluten-free recipe.

Stuffed Quahogs

September 4, 2015September 4, 20152 Comments

My godson, Preston, is a great kid! We were spending a little family day by the water earlier this week when the tide rolled out and I spotted what looked like a little collection of quahogs popping up from the muck. All I could envision was some beautifully stuffed quohogs with butter dripping down and a squeeze of lemon on top… I should explain we were at a sort of river mouth that spills out into the ocean, so although there is a sandy beach, it quickly gets quite mucky, for lack of a better word. Anyway, I asked Preston to check out the situation and report back on whether what I was seeing were actually viable quohogs. The kid didn’t hesitate. He put on some water shoes and marched on out there up to his knees in black muck.

Well, he discovered they were indeed quahogs, yay… But… he forgot a bucket and now he was stuck in the muck. So, he tried to turn around and get out and he lost his shoes somewhere in the far reaches of the blackness. Needless to say that lead to me getting all mucky myself! He was able to pull out 4 giant quahog clams and we placed them in the bucket I brought out… I did look for more, but it was honestly pretty difficult to navigate through it all, so we retrieved the shoes and after a little more looking we ended up with the original 4… However, I have to say, we had a good time doing it and lots of laughs! And anyway I got what I wanted, the base to a great local treat!

Quintessentially New England, the Stuffed Quahog is something everyone should experience at least once in their lives. Now if you have never heard the word quahog save for your experience watching Family Guy (based in the fictional “Quahog, RI”) let me explain a little about it. There are two basic types of clams, the steamer, which you will find in most New England clam boils and clam bakes and you get them any time you order a fried clam plate. And then there is the little neck clam. Quahog (pronounced koh- hog, and sometimes spelled quohog) is the giant version of the latter. You can see an example of a basic little neck in my post, Little Necks in Garlic Wine Sauce. There are any number of different types of clams between the two, but Quahogs, or Sea Clams as some refer to them, are always the largest of the breed and they never have a neck that comes out too far (hence the term little neck).

These 4 Quahogs that we collected, believe it or not, will be enough to stuff and feed 8 people! A traditional New England Stuffed Quahog has so much more than just the Quahog in it though, it is chock full of chouriço meat, onions, pepper, garlic and of course Portuguese Pop-secos (bread rolls). Let me show you how I make mine!

Here are 4 very large quohogs, these are 4"+ in width... If your quohogs are smaller, you'll want to use a couple more... All in all you will want to end up with about 1/2 cup of meat.

Here are 4 very large Quahogs, these are 4″+ in width… If your Quahogs are smaller, you’ll want to use a couple more… All in all you will want to end up with about 1/2 cup of meat. (To achieve this level of clean, you will want to soak in cold water and kosher salt for a good 10-20 minutes, after you’ve scrubbed them clean with something good and rough)

Add water into a pot just large enough to accommodate your quohogs.

Once your water is boiling, add in your quohogs.

Bring back up to a boil.

Cover your pot.

You will want to boil until they open.

If any of your quohogs do not open, you will want to toss them because they are not good. You need to reserve the liquid in the pot as you will need it.

Here is a cooked quahog.

You will need to separate the two halves of the quahog.

Remove the meat from the shell.

Don’t worry about that little connective tissue.

After they are cooked wash each one and be sure all the sand has come out. (Look how big that is!)

All washed up.

Chop up the meat… you should end up with a little more than a half cup.

Once you have your quahog prepared, you can start mixing up the stuffing mix…

If I had a large onion handy, I would have used it… but I didn’t so two medium onions it is.

Dice.

You will need half a stick of butter.

In a 10″ non-stick skillet add in 2 Tbs. olive oil and half a stick of butter over medium heat.

Add the onions to your pan and saute.

You’ll want to saute until translucent.

Find the nicest bell pepper you can… I like red, but any color you like will do, or whatever is on sale.

Dice.

Add you peppers to the onions and saute until lightly browned.

Add in a couple of cloves of garlic, minced.

Add garlic to pan and continue to saute.

Chop up a couple Tbs. of flat Italian parsley.

Slice and dice 1/4 lb. of chouriço.

You should end up with about 3/4 cup of chourico.

You should end up with about 3/4 cup of chouriço.

Add in chouriço and parsley to the pan and continue to saute.

Add pepper to the mixture.

Place a large bowl in your sink for easy use.

Add bread into the bowl. Tare it up into small pieces. (Day old bread)

Pour the reserved cooking water into the bowl.

Be sure not to include any of the remaining sand at the bottom of the pot.

Press the bread into the liquid.

Once the bread has sat in the liquid for a bit, drain.

Squeeze out most of the liquid and add back into the bowl.

Your bread should now be damp, but not soggy.

To the bread, add in your chopped quahog meat.

Now add in your sautéed mixture. Mix.

Add in about 1/4 tsp. Portuguese Allspice.

Beat one egg.

Add in and mix.

And here is the finished stuffing mixture.

Use the largest scoop you have to dish stuffing mixture into the prepared shells.

Add the mixture to each shell in a sort of mound.

Some people like to put another shell on top, I happen to like how crispy it will get to all the exposed stuffing.

Sprinkle with a bit of paprika. Place in a pre-heated 375°F oven for 45 minutes for large quohogs such as these.

You will know they are ready when they have firmed up a bit but are not hardened.

Recipe for Stuffed Quahogs:

(serves 8)

4 large quahogs

4 cups water

1 large onion, diced

1 bell pepper, diced

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1/4 cup chouriço, diced

2 Tbs. Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped

1/4 tsp. Portuguese Allspice

1 egg, beaten

1 Heaping Tbs. ground red pepper

5 Portuguese Pop-seco bread rolls (day old)

2 Tbs. olive oil

1/2 stick butter

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Scrub quohogs and then soak in salted water for about 10-20 minutes.

Fill a medium pot with water, bring to a boil. Add in quahogs. Add in a pinch of salt. Bring back up to a boil and cover. Cook until all have opened. If you find that one will not open, toss it as it was not a healthy clam. Reserve liquid.

In a 10″ skillet over medium heat add in oil and butter. To that add in onion and saute until translucent. Add in bell pepper, saute a few more minutes. Add in garlic, saute. Next, add in chouriço and parsley, saute. Allow to cool as you prepare the bread mixture.

In a large bowl tare bread into small pieces. Cover the bread with the cooking water used for the quohogs. Push bread down into the liquid completely submerging it. Allow to sit for a few minutes and then switch the soaked bread to a colandar. Drain out liquid. Then take handfuls of bread and squeeze out liquid and add back into the bowl.

To the bowl with the bread, add in the quahog meat. Then add in the sautéed mixture to the bowl. Finally add in the Portuguese Allspice and mix. At this point, taste for salt. Once the seasoning is just right, add in the egg. Mix until completely combined.

Bodo de Leite Parade

September 3, 2015September 3, 20151 Comment

This is my absolute favorite parade of the year… The Bodo de Leite Parade is a time to really see Azorean culture on display and celebrated! It’s like a party in the street, and when Portuguese people throw a party, we throw a party! There are costumes and music, livestock and floats, and food and drinks all around! The Great Feast of the Holy Ghost is held in Fall River, Massachusetts each August. The parade on Saturday starts at the “Portas de Cidade” (“Gates of the City” – a replica of the gates in Ponta Delgada, St. Michael, Azores) and ends at Kennedy Park where the feast itself takes place. This is only one of the many events that takes place each year, there is also a big Procession, which is a religious type parade, on Sunday where anyone who has held a Holy Ghost week in their home is welcome to participate whether through their church or a Holy Ghost Society, hence the name “The Great Feast of the Holy Ghost” (If you will recall, I wrote about the Holy Ghost Feast at my church earlier this summer.)

At most parades, kids love picking up the candy that is thrown out to them from parade floats, I know my kids do. And they loved doing that at this parade too… but, that is far from where the handing out of food stops. Onlookers at this parade can expect to be handed out sweet bread and milk which is where the idea for this parade really all started, like a sort of Portuguese Halloween to celebrate the harvest… But, it doesn’t stop there, this year we were able to sample beer and wine freely poured by several passing floats and servers that walk along the parade route too! As for food… that gets cooked as the floats pass by, grills are propped right onto the flatbed trucks that are carrying the beautiful displays of our heritage… We enjoyed grilled fish, chourico, cooked corn kernels, steak, and hot dogs and watermelon for the kids.

The Holy Ghost tradition is about giving back to the community and feeding the poorest of the poor, so all can enjoy the blessing of the Holy Ghost. This thought process is deeply rooted in the Portuguese mindset and is reflected in the works of the participants of this parade. Yes, it’s a great time, but it’s so much more than that, and it’s truly wonderful to see. When you are Portuguese, it is hard to forget your Catholic roots because it is all around you and events like this one really bring that home. When my parents and grandparents and parents before them grew up in St. Michael, wealth was far from plentiful, people made do, but community and that spirit of giving, I believe, was a big reason they did. I am so happy to share all of this beautiful history and heritage with my children each year and expose them to this spirit of giving and celebration of our culture.

Cold beer right from the tap!

Shared with friends and family.

Drinks… Beer, Wine and milk are served!

Wine

Milk.

The tradition of the bride and groom leading the procession.

Costumes

Beautiful

When my mother talks about attending the feast of the Holy Ghost in her village as a child, she lights up when she talks about this vendor... each village would have a candy vendor... Candy was not so readily available when she was a child and it was an expense they were not afforded very often...

When my mother talks about attending the feast of the Holy Ghost in her village as a child, she lights up when she tells me about this vendor… each village would have a candy vendor… Candy was not so readily available when she was a child and it was an expense they were not afforded very often… These handmade candies were a real treat for a child who was lucky enough to get one!

My two with my Godson enjoying the parade and having fun!

These people are marching with sweet bread as an offering to the Holy Ghost and all these baskets of sweet bread will be cut up once they arrive to the feast and served to all.

Some of the beautifully put together displays… you might find displays like these right in people’s homes when they host the Holy Ghost prayer sessions in their homes.

This is a very good friend of mine, MarkPaul has been in the Nosa Senhora de Luz Band since he was a kid (ahem that’s over 20 years now)

Can’t throw a party without music… This parade has marching bands and small music troups.

Dancing!

Animals of course play a big part in this parade… Dairy farmers are a big part of the economy in St. Michael, but animals were traditionally utilized for farm work and for transporting goods from village to village… I can remember being on a trip to St. Michael with my grandmother when I was 11 years old and hearing the fish vendor come through, then the bread etc… This was in the 1980’s, not so long ago.

Chickens and bunnies! This is very much an interactive event, children are encouraged to participate as they are encouraged to participate in all Portuguese events!

The sense of community and love is abundant as friends new and old get to see each other.

This is a replica of my father’s childhood church from Rabo de Peixe, his village in St. Michael.

This is not disimilar to the vendor carts that would troll the streets...

This is not dissimilar to the vendor carts that would troll the streets…

So many different societies and Portuguese groups come together on this day.

Dancers

Now onto the food!

Look at that grill right up there on the float!

Some fun!

Even the cars get dressed up and bring sweetbread to the feast!

And that’s all she wrote, it was a great time, we really enjoy it every year! Can’t wait to see it again next year! If you don’t already, you should think about checking it out!

Now onto the nighttime entertainment at the feast, the Marc Dennis concert!

\The Marc Dennis concert held on the feast grounds!

Thousands of people came out to see him well into the night.

You can buy one of Marc Dennis’ most popular albums here, Marc Dennis ‘Superman’

I don’t often let my kids stay up this late, but there are just some things they need to experience.

I hope you enjoyed my take on this wonderful cultural experience!

Shrimp Mozambique (Camarão Moçambique)

September 2, 2015September 2, 20159 Comments

Although this meal can feed a number of people, I decided to make this dish for my husband as a surprise dinner at home after the kids were tucked into bed. It was our Engage-aversary, 9 years since he popped the question, what better time for an elegant meal? But, it was a Tuesday night, he was working and I had charge of two toddlers all day and evening… so needless to say my energy was not at its peek. I needed a quick meal that was just fancy enough for my little candle lit affair… I had some shrimp in the freezer and everything else in the pantry… so, I thought why not? The dish was delish as always and we got to celebrate and have an adult date night right in our own dining room.

I grew up eating Shrimp Mozambique. And to eat Shrimp Mozambique is to love Shrimp Mozambique. In my family and in my little area of New England, Shrimp Mozambique is a mainstay. We serve it every Christmas and several times throughout the year for different gatherings and parties. Elegant in its presentation, exotic in its flavor and almost magical in its ability to transform a dinner into a party! All this and you might think this is going to be a long drawn out and expensive recipe that is hard to understand and even harder to follow… but you would be all wrong on all counts. In fact, Shrimp Mozambique is not only quick and easy, but pretty reasonable to make at home especially if you can pick up this size shrimp on sale for $6.99 for a 2 lb. bag like I did in the freezer section!

With under 10 ingredients, most of which you will be able to find in your pantry… onions, garlic, salt etc. it’s super easy to throw together. And from start to finish you can have this meal on the table in under 30 minutes. The two ingredients that are key in this dish are the Azafran (but this can be easily subbed out with saffron) and the crushed red pepper. Crushed red pepper is a wet jarred pepper that is usually ground and cured with salt. You should be able to find it in your Portuguese or Spanish section of your market.

Melt one stick of butter into a pot.

Finely dice 1/2 a large onion or one whole medium onion.

Add onions into your melted butter… you will want to get these started before you add in the garlic as they have a longer cook time than garlic and the last thing you want is burnt garlic!

You will need about 6 cloves of garlic.

Smash your garlic before mincing, it helps to release lots of the flavors on everyone.

Mince garlic.

Once the onions have started to soften, add in your garlic.

You will want to be sure to stir frequently.

Azafran seasoning is similar to saffron, but only about 1/5 the price.4

You will need one packet per pound and so in this case we are making two pounds, so we will need to add two packets.

Add in two packets of the Azafran seasoning.

Add in one heaping Tbs. crushed red pepper. (I think this photo is so cool… my pepper was in the fridge and the pot is really hot causing that white smoke you see around the pepper)

I’ve always been partial to this size shrimp for this recipe. If you like bigger shrimp, go ahead and use it, but this works well for parties, family dinner or anytime.

You can put them in the pot straight from the freezer, no need to pre-soak. I should mention that I leave the peel on, I feel like half the flavor of this dish comes from that peel… I know it can be a bit of a pain to peel while you eat, but it is sooo worth it… and hey, it will slow you down too! Take some time to enjoy your meal!

Stir to coat the shrimp with all the spices and color.

Add in one bottle of beer any run of the mill domestic will do. (If you are allergic to gluten, you could substitute about 1 1/2 cups of dry white wine or just a gluten-free beer)

Be sure the shrimp are coated. Add in a pinch of kosher salt.

Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, when it comes to a boil lower heat to a simmer and cook for 8-12 minutes and then immediately remove from heat.

The last thing you want is overcooked, mushy and mealy shrimp. Do not over cook this. Shrimp cook really quickly, the smaller the shrimp the faster the cook… I am allowing 8-12 minutes for larger shrimp and to cook off the alcohol in the beer.

There… perfectly cooked shrimp! Now, don’t forget to taste for salt, add another pinch if needed.

For a party, I like to keep white rice separate, but for a dinner party or meal at home, I like to plate my shrimp right onto a bed of cooked white rice.

Recipe for Shrimp Mozambique (Camarão Moçambique):

(serves 4-6, dinner —- serves 10-15 party)

2 lbs frozen, deveined, easy peel shrimp (do not remove peel)

1 stick butter

1/2 lg. onion, finely diced

6 garlic cloves, smashed and minced

1 Tbs. crushed red pepper, heaping

1 beer (12 oz)

2 packets Goya Azafran Seasoning

kosher salt to taste

Directions:

In a medium pot, melt one stick of butter. Add in onions, saute for about 5 minutes. Add in garlic, saute an additional 5 minutes. Add in a pinch of salt. Add in Azafran, stir. Add in crushed red pepper, stir. Add in frozen shrimp, stir to coat shrimp in sauce. Add in beer, stir, cover and bring to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, lower to a simmer and cook for 8-12 minutes. Taste for salt, add if needed. Serve over a bed of white rice.

Enjoy!

*note – Gluten-free adjustment, use gluten-free beer or white wine in place of beer.

Roasted Paprika Chicken and Gravy

August 31, 2015

Have you ever been to the grocery store and found chicken on a “Manager’s Special”? It usually means they want to move the chicken out of store because they have a sell by date that is that day or the next, so they mark it way down… That was the case with today’s Sunday dinner. I went to the market and found a big family size package of chicken drum sticks (10 in all) for $4.11. I mean, how do you pass up a price like that? That’s like a $1.50 per pound.

So, I decided to take it home and make it into a lovely meal. This dish is simple to put together with just 7 ingredients you probably have in your pantry already. This recipe will work with any cut of chicken… if you find thighs at a good price, use those, breast, use those… But, I have to warn you, you may start making this meal even if the chicken isn’t on sale because aside from being inexpensive, it’s also super yummy! With Crispy roasted skin that is pan seared first and a lush gravy over the top combined with melt in your mouth onions, mmmm. I chose to plate my chicken on a platter of plain white rice, but you could certainly whip up some mashed potatoes or cous cous, or even buttered noodles. I put it right on the platter mainly so it could soak up some of the silky gravy.

I should also mention that this chicken is on the table in under an hour and uses only one pan! Let me show you what I did…

Look at all this chicken!

Sprinkle with kosher salt.

Then sprinkle with Hungarian Paprika. Hungarian Paprika is one of my most favorite ingredients, it’s got a nice heat to it that isn’t overwhelming. However, if you don’t have Hungarian Paprika handy, just take some plain, run of the mill, sweet paprika and add a little cayenne pepper to it and you’ve got something pretty similar. (1 Tbs paprika + 1/4 tsp. cayenne)

In a heated skillet with about 1/8 cup of olive oil, place chicken seasoned side down.

Then repeat the seasoning process on the other side of the chicken as the first side is cooking.

Slice up a large onion… I have to tell you, I only used one onion, but you could definitely use two if you prefer, yum.

Slice up some garlic… My garlic was on some kind of steroids I think, so I just used one clove, but if you are using normal size garlic, you can use 3 cloves.

Turn the chicken in the skillet until each side looks lovely and golden brown just so.

Then add in your onions.

And your garlic.

Then just before you are ready to put it in the oven, drizzle with a bit more olive oil.

This is what you should see.

Now place a lid on it and place in an oven heated to 350°F for 35-40 mins. (I should note that if your skillet is not oven safe, you may want to transfer to a baking dish at this point, cover with foil)

When it comes out of the oven, you should see that the meat is ready to fall off the bone.

On a family sized platter, make a bed of rice (or mashed potatoes or cous cous or buttered noodles)

Place chicken on rice and tent with foil while you make the gravy.

When you remove the chicken from the skillet, you will have a good amount of liquid left… this will be the base for your gravy.

There is one additional ingredient needed for the gravy… a heaping spoonful of corn starch. That’s it.

Be sure the heat has been off and wisk the cornstarch in to incorporate into your drippings until there are no lumps left.

You should see a nice smooth liquid. Now turn the heat to medium and constantly wisk.

When your gravy gets to this consistency, you could either thin out with a bit of water or if its thickened to your liking, then serve.

I like to pour the gravy right onto the platter.

Recipe for Roasted Paprika Chicken and Gravy:

(Serves 5-6)

3-4 lbs. chicken drum sticks (or thighs)

1/8 cup olive oil

1 large onion, thickly sliced

3 cloves garlic, sliced

1 tsp. Hungarian Paprika

kosher salt

For gravy:

pan drippings

1 heaping Tbs. corn starch

1/2 cup water

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350°F.

Sprinkle one side of raw chicken with kosher salt and paprika. In a heated skillet add in 1/8 cup olive oil. Next add in chicken, seasoned side down. Once chicken is in the pan, season the other side that should be facing up. Allow chicken to crisp up and become golden brown on all sides turning as needed, but not too often.

To the browned chicken add onions and garlic. Drizzle with olive oil. Cover and roast in the oven for 35-40 minutes.

Once the chicken comes out of the oven, set aside and tent with foil.

Drippings will remain in your skillet. With the heat off, add in 1 heaping Tbs. corn starch. Wisk in until there are no lumps. Turn heat on to medium and continue to wisk until thickened. If too thick, add in water. Wisk another few seconds. Pour over chicken.

*note: This is a gluten-free recipe.

Surf’s Up Birthday Party

August 27, 2015

Following the party each guest got this image on a card thanking them for coming to his party!

(image by Picture People)

My baby boy turned 3 years old this month! I honestly don’t know where the time has gone. One day I was picking out fabric for the nursery and before you know it, he is a walking talking boy. For his first birthday, I created a giant Candy Land game that the kids could actually walk through like a little obstacle course for a one year old. For his second, it was all about his very favorite, Thomas the Tank Engine. We are lucky that his birthday is in August and we (knock on wood) have always had great luck with the weather. So this year, I decided he would have a Surf’s Up beach theme. In order to create this, I knew I needed two things… a beach and water.

At the center of my design is a hand-made beach. I approached the water on three fronts. My parents offered to host the party and they have a yard large enough for everything I wanted to do. They already have a pool, so that was water feature number one. BUt, this is a party for a 3-year-old and if I wanted him to have fun while we still were able to host the party we needed to have more than that. So we had a smaller scale kiddie pool as the second water feature. And for the third , we ordered a giant bouncer with a water slide attached! All of it was a hit.

But not only cool water activities does a party make. We also had a big spread of food. I actually kept it pretty simple for the food. We served hamburgers, hot dogs and Salsa Lime BBQ Chicken Skewers hot off the grill. We did a couple of super simple sandwiches… My mom made her Chouriço & Peppers sandwiches, and I made some super fun “Crab Stuffed Crab” sandwiches. On the side we served corn on the cob, Stacy’s Best Potato Salad, Shells Pasta Salad and Veggie Straws (my kids favorite). For dessert, cake and ice cream, Sand Dollar Snickerdoodles, a watermelon and blueberry salad inside a watermelon cut out into a shark and Shark Attack Jello.

In addition, we had some special activities for the little ones. You can’t have a beach without sand castle building. So I made a board for magnetic sand castles. We had an extra little bouncer with a ball pit for the under 5 crowd that was shaped like a castle. Instead of throwing a football on the beach, we had a football pinata. And lastly we had a magnetic fishing game.

Oh, and I don’t want to forget to mention that my husband made up a great playlist for the party of the Beach Boy’s Greatest Hits! Music is always important no matter the function!

I hope you enjoy taking a look at my party creativity…

To make the beach, I sewed 25 yards of fabric together and pinned it down with landscaping staples. I lined the beach with palm trees I made from pool noodles I wrapped in packing paper and green fabric mesh.

The kids loved it!

My sand castle board was a sheet of sheet metal a friend of mine procured for me. Then I grabbed a bunch of sand paper and some sparkly foam for fun and got to cutting. I backed each piece with some self stick magnets and walla.

Even some of the bigger kids had fun in the kiddie pool with the little ones.

Got to remember beach balls… this one is a giant!

The pool was a big hit of course… I neglected to take a picture of it, but with a party this size I though it important to make a “pool rules” sign. Mainly, no kids in the pool without adult supervision.

And there it is… the Bouncer/Water slide! The kids had a ball with this one!

And the little ones loved this one too!

This was the only thing I needed to cook during the party.

Chouriço & Peppers sandwiches

Crab Stuffed Crab sandwiches

Aren’t they cute?

All of m serving trays and bowls were beach themed.

We used sand pails for serving bowls where ever we could and conveniently they come with a little shovel to scoop out the goods… Here you see the Shells Pasta Salad, Stacy’s Best Potato Salad, and Veggie Straws. Also, decorating the table is original art work from my big 3-year-old! Painted shells and a lovely colored fish!

Shells Pasta Salad: Cooked large shells pasta, mini motzerella balls, grape tomatoes and fresh basil. For the dressing just a simple oil, balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper with a touch of dried italian seasoning.

Shells Pasta Salad: Caprese Style Pasta Salad – Cooked large shells pasta, mini mozzarella balls, grape tomatoes and fresh basil. For the dressing just a simple oil, balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper with a touch of dried italian seasoning.

Stacy’s Best Potato Salad

Veggie Straws served as “pool noodles”… if you will notice my card holder… it’s just three wooden dowels cut to varying sizes and tied with rope as though they are little dock posts.

Sand Dollar Snickerdoodles.

Yum!

My sister and brother-in-law were assigned with the task of creating this bad boy… I think they did a stellar job!

“Da da, Da da, Da da…” Shark attack jello… at the other end of that shark fin is a little spoon!

Did I mention we also had a snack table???

Fish as “Shark Bait”

"Chum" My own little Chex Mix... Chex Cereal with different gummie sea creatures mixed in!

“Chum” My own little Chex Mix… Chex Cereal with different gummy sea creatures mixed in!

“Beach Balls” Peppermint candies… the kind that are all puffy and melt in your mouth, yum!

"Surf Boards" aka sugar waffers... and I didn't get a good picture of it, but in the background you'll see I used Triscuits as "Rafts"

“Surf Boards” aka sugar wafers… and I didn’t get a good picture of it, but in the background you’ll see I used Triscuits as “Rafts”

Bring on the waves! Here is my 3 year old’s Wave cake!

This was the first year he understood how to blow out his own candles! Yay!

How to blow one of the party favors is another story LOL

Having a so much fun!

Football Pinata!

Woah!

Fishing!

This game is just simple fish cut out of foam paper with a couple of paper clips attached… then I secured a magnet to the end of some twine and tied that to the end on half a real fishing pole… You could use a stick 🙂

(image by Picture People)

Following the party each guest got this image on a card thanking them for coming to his party! (image by Picture People)

All in all, the most important thing is that my boy had a blast at his birthday party. It had been quite the build up… the entire month of July was filled with an excited almost 3-year-old telling everyone who would listen that his birthday was on its way! We made sure he had a nice long nap just before the event and off he went, he was the life of the party! I hope you enjoyed seeing all my ideas… I have to give a big thank you to my parents for hosting this fun day and my many helpful family and friends without whom it never would have all come together!

Stacy’s Blueberry Mojitos

August 27, 2015August 28, 2015

There is no more refreshing summer cocktail than a Mojito… Not too sweet, just a little tang and just the right amount of alcohol to, well, to not taste like alcohol. This blueberry Mojito was inspired by a local restaurant that was right on the water and charged me $10.50 for one drink… I had to try to recreate it… What I did was take the inspiration and ran with it adding in little touches that appealed to me. I love blueberries and this time of year is a great time to pick some up at farm stands everywhere. And an entire pitcher doesn’t come near $10.50!

Soon, I was serving it at parties and gatherings with friends and it became a frequently requested treat! My friend Jennifer recently hosted a girlfriend of ours, Virginie, from Paris and we had a little get together, so I made a fresh pitcher right at her house! Take a look…

I started off by making a simple syrup. Just one cup of white sugar and one cup of water.

Bring it to a boil and let it cool.

I brought over some freshly cut mint from my garden. Tear up about half of these leaves and save some for garnishing individual glasses.

Three fresh limes.

I cut up two of them into 8 chunks each… I saved one lime to slice into individual glasses as garnish.

This is my favorite Mojito pitcher! Isn’t it pretty with all the blue and green running through it? I gave it a quick wash and it’s ready… I mix everything right in the pitcher, no need to dirty a bowl… If you are making this for a party, i would suggest a large bowl so that you can refill… but, we are just having a small get together.

Plop the limes into the pitcher, squeezing them as they go in.

Jen didn’t have a wooden spoon handy, so I used a regular utility spoon to start the muddling process. To muddle, you are basically just squishing everything down.

Add in mint and continue to muddle everything together

Add in one quart of freshly washed blueberries and continue to muddle. You want to work it so that about half the blueberries are popped open.

Add in mint and continue to muddle everything together.

Add in about half of the simple syrup and continue to muddle.

Add the rum in with what you have muddled so far and stir. At this point, refrigerate for about an hour or so. Make sure you are using white rum, no spiced rum in these babies.

To finish off your mixture, add in sparkling water and stir.

To this mixture, add in a few cups of ice.

Add some ice to the glass and pour.

Recipe for Stacy’s Blueberry Mojitos:

(serves 6-10)

1/2 cup simple syrup

1 quart blueberries, washed

3 limes

1 bunch fresh mint, about 8-10 sprigs

1 liter lime sparkling water

1 cup white rum

Directions:

Prepare the simple syrup by bringing one cup of sugar and one cup of water to a boil and cooling. Also, keep sparkling water refrigerated until it is time to add in.

Cut 2 limes into 8 chunks each. Slice the remaining lime into circles for garnishing. Strip 3-4 sprigs of mint and tear the leaves. Reserve the remaining mint sprigs for garnishing.

In a pitcher muddle all the fruit and mint together with a wooden spoon. Add in simple syrup and rum, stir. refrigerate mixture for at least one hour or up to a day.

When ready to serve, add in sparkling water. Add 3-4 cups of ice and serve. Garnish with lime circles and mint and add in ice to each glass.

*This is a gluten-free recipe if using Cruzan rum.

Farmer’s Market Chicken & White Bean Soup

August 23, 2015August 24, 2015

I simply love this time of year. Harvest is starting to come in, we are nearing the end of the hot days and looking into Indian Summer. The farm stands are all stocked and Farmer’s Markets are booming! I had the occasion to visit a local Farmer’s Market today and I feel like I struck gold with the beautiful vegetables that made their way to my kitchen..

I love going to a Farmer’s Market with nothing in mind at all. I let the freshness of the produce sweep me into a frenzy of creativity. Today, I left the house with a fresh chicken stock cooling on the stove, so I did have a little bit of direction… cooked chicken and wonderful stock. When I returned home, I found that I had some gorgeous native carrots some almost red in color, others purple! I got some cool crisp green beans and a few other things that will be heading onto my dinner plate later this week.

As for today, both my son and my daughter each have a little case of the sniffles. So, I thought it appropriate to come up with a sort of chicken soup. They are both big fans of chicken, carrots and green beans and with a few more ingredients to include cannelloni beans for a little extra protein, yummy egg noodles for their velvety heartiness along with some onions, celery and some fresh and dried herbs and we were good to go. Let me show you what I did…

Aren’t they beautiful? Orange, purple and a deep orangey red… all of them are super fresh and super sweet.

A fresh basket of green beans, yum.

Look how gorgeous these are.

Saute in a little touch of olive oil.

Add in a diced onion.

Chop up some celery.

Add your celery into the saute.

Cut a few sprigs of thyme.

Add your stock to the pot along with a few of these sprigs of thyme.

Here are my farm fresh green beans.

Chop them up... I do a pretty small chip for my kids, you can cerainly chop to whatever size suits you.

Chop them up… I do a pretty small chip for my kids, you can certainly chop to whatever size suits you.

These egg noodles are considered a nice smooth starch.

Add in a pinch of salt, crack some fresh black pepper and add in your Herbs de Provence.

Add in your white beans.

Then cover.

I like to chop and then shred the chicken a bit.

Allow to simmer for a few minutes so all the flavors can really marry.

Recipe for Farmer’s Market Chicken & White Bean Soup:

(serves 6-8)

1 cooked chicken breast

2 native carrots, chopped

2 stalks of celery, chopped

1 medium onion, diced

1/2 cup green beans, chopped

3 cups dry extra wide egg noodles

1 can white beans, drained and rinsed 8 cups prepared chicken stock

.1/2 tsp Herbs de Provence

3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil for sauteing

Directions:

Saute onions, carrots and celery in olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add in a pinch of kosher salt. Once tender, add in chicken stock. Bring to a boil over high heat. Then add in green beans, beans, egg noodles, salt, pepper, thyme and Herbs de Provence, cover and reduce to med/low heat. After about 10 minutes add in the chicken. Continue to cook until noodles are tender and chicken is heated through. Taste for salt and pepper.

Sausage Stuffed Peppers

August 21, 2015August 21, 2015

Bell peppers and I have had a tumultuous past. As a kid I hated all of them, but someone once told me that every 7 years your taste buds change. In my case this is definitely true. I still don’t care much for the green bell peppers, but the red, orange and yellow ones are super sweet and really lovely. I think one of the reasons for my aversion to bell peppers started when I would try to eat the traditional stuffed bell pepper, over cooked mushy green bell pepper with some pretty bland ground beef, rice and tomato sauce… Now that I have an appreciation for this fine vegetable and we are in the time of year that they are popping out of people’s gardens across the nation, I decided to give the bell pepper the status it deserves. So, I created the Sausage Stuffed Pepper!

In this beautiful little pepper you will find not only lean ground beef, but hot Italian sausage, brown rice, onions, tomato sauce and my secret ingredient… Swiss cheese. I decided to keep the ingredients super simple and let the sausage do most of the work for me. It’s a super simple and delicious dinner to get on the table to spice things up. And as a mom, I have to tell ya, I love it when a fully balanced meal is all in one tidy package like this.

Now, my husband is still at odds with the poor little bell pepper, so I simply took some of the filling and placed it in an individual casserole dish for him. If you have pepper haters in your life or just want to try something different, this filling can be placed in a hollowed out zucchini, eggplant or ooooo spaghetti squash, yum. It’s super versatile and easy to work with. Give it a try!

The recipe I am going to go through with you is for my small family, so I am only making three peppers and a small casserole as I mentioned… but, you can absolutely double or triple without a problem… You could even double and freeze half if you like…

Start with some lean ground beef, the sausage will provide plenty of fat. I use half a pound. Start this sauteing in a large skillet over medium heat.

Then I used three hot Italian sausages… If you don’t care for spicy food, you could certainly use mild, it will be super yummy too!

I cut down the side to remove the casing.

Give one medium onion a medium dice.

This is a small can of plain tomato sauce. You will use half now and half when you bake and serve.

You’ll want to shred up about a cup for the filling.

then you’ll want to shred up some more for the topping.

Brown up your ground beef while breaking up and browning your sausage meat.

Add your onions right in while you are doing this.

Let them get all nice and brown and lovely in the pan.

Add in about a cup and a half of cooked brown rice. (this is great to do when you have left over rice from dinner the night before… you might even cook a bit extra if you know this is your plan… saves you a step)

Once all combined, I like to transfer to a bowl to cool it a bit. If you want to stick to the pan, that’s fine too, less dishes.

Add in half a small can of tomato sauce.

Combine.

Then add in your cup of cheese and mix in… if your mixture is super hot, you will have to work quickly here so that the cheese doesn’t all clump together.

Once combined, just taste for salt and add a pinch of salt and fresh cracked black pepper.

Here are my peppers, aren’t they pretty? Notice, I left out the green 🙂

You’ll want to cut off the top and remove the seeds from both top and bottom. I try and cut just the very top so there is lots of room for stuffing.

They are all ready, you don’t need to do anything to the insides other than remove those seeds.

Now to prepare the baking dish, I put in some olive oil. (This baking dish I am using is stone, if you are using a metal baking dish, be sure to really coat with a non-stick cooking spray or a bit more oil)

And about half of what is remaining in that small can of tomato sauce… I like to reserve some for serving.

Place the peppers in the pan standing up.

Fill each one evenly.

It’s great if you over stuff a bit.

Then top with your remaining cheese. Pile it on, don’t be shy.

Pop the top back on and it’s ready to go into your preheated 350°F oven for about half an hour. (I like my pepper a bit on the firm side and the filling is fully cooked so that’s just really getting heated through. If you like a softer pepper, go for 45 minutes, etc, until you get the pepper to the consistency you like)

And this is what you get when they come out of the oven… Still firm enough to stand up and hold the filling and heated to perfection.

Recipe for Sausage Stuffed Peppers:

(serves 3-4)

1/2 lb. lean ground beef

3 Hot Italian Sausage links, removed from casing

1 medium onion, diced

1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice

1 small can tomato sauce, divided

1 1/2 cups Swiss cheese, shredded

3 bell peppers, seeded

kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste

1 Tbs. olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a skillet brown the ground beef, sausage and onion over medium heat. Once fully browned and onions are soft, add in cooked brown rice. Combine and transfer to a mixing bowl for easier handling. Add in 1/2 can of tomato sauce. Combine. Add in 1 cup of shredded cheese. Combine.

Prepare peppers by cutting off the top and removing the seeds from the top and bottom. Prepare a baking dish by adding in the olive oil and 1/2 of the remaining tomato sauce. Spread.

Add filling to each pepper, overstuffing if possible. Top with remaining cheese. Add on the top of each pepper. Bake for 30-45 minutes uncovered.

Serve with remaining tomato sauce, Enjoy!

*This is a gluten-free recipe.

“UP!” Birthday Party

August 20, 2015August 21, 2015

I had the pleasure of attending this little girl’s second birthday party this summer. Her name is Kaedence and she and her mother and father are very good friends of our family. Her mother, my girlfriend Lisa, and I share a love for designing and throwing a detail rich party aimed at making sure that not only the adults at the party have a great time, but that the little guest of honor and all her little friends especially have the best time!

Lisa chose the movie UP! for her inspiration this year! She went to town on balloons and rainbows galore and added in special touches straight from the movie. Some of the touches were literal and some were a play on the theme… But, first she set the stage with making sure the backdrop of the party would go right along with things! Let me show you how she did it!

In keeping with the Up! theme, Lisa sent her husband, Carlos, up to the roof of the house with a helium tank and a bag of balloons to get started on this special project! (I think here is where I am supposed to give you a “don’t try this at home” or a “before attempting to scale your roof, speak with your doctor first” warning!)

A welcoming display as people cross the breezeway to enter the back yard. Lisa took Kaedence for a photo shoot before the party and painted an inexpensive frame to match!

She made sure that her landscaping and flower beds and pots were color coordinated with the rainbow theme!

Such interesting displays throughout the yard.

My daughter was checking it all out!

There was the “Spirit of Adventure” with a “Happy Birthday Kaedence” burlap banner moving across it.

A waterfall.

This guy.

Painted wine bottles were turned into "Grape Soda" centerpieces holding baloons.

Painted wine bottles were turned into “Grape Soda” centerpieces holding balloons.

I made a two tier cake designed by Lisa that contained two rainbows… as you can see the rainbows have pink in place of red… with some rainbow balloons atop the cake. The top tier was covered in butter cream, but she wanted the bottom tier with raw edges to show off the rainbow-colored layers. (psst… check out the squirrel hanging out by the cake! “Squirrel!…”)

Even the top tier that was covered was rainbow inside!

She wanted to make sure that each piece was served with all 7 layers!

Food was all set up atop a balloon printed table covering.

Fruit kabobs… super colorful!

Rainbow Popcorn!

There were fun activities to be had!

The girls had lots of fun with these hoola hoops! And check out the birthday girl’s cute outfit! Lisa made the tutu herself!

There was a picture booth setup with the waterfall behind it… Some of the props here are a wilderness sash and yellow ball cap, glasses and mustaches.

We had lots of fun with that!

Over at the gift table, there was a mailbox ready for cards…

And check out these favors! Each child got a little mailbox that Lisa hand painted with their name on it, they also got an adventure book and a candy bar… oh and a balloon!