Enjoyin the FALL!

Hey everyone!  So not only am I a long time coming at trying to post a new update for you...but I'm even late in my 'weekend wrap-up.'  Butttt I figured since we have another weekend staring straight at us, I thought I'd post this today to give you some ideas for this beautiful weekend headed your way!

So we started last Saturday as usual:  At the Farmer's Market.  But since we had gotten a late start (usually there by 8:10AM SHARP!), and it was JUST. TOO. GORGEOUS of a FALL day, we thought we'd hang out and have some lunch while we were in Collingswood.  And since I just COULD. NOT. BEAR the though of being stuck inside a restaurant, we headed over to one I had spied on one of our drives awhile back... 

photo source

Casona caught my eye not only because is it one of the few Cuban restaurants in the immediate area...but HOW GORGEOUS is that wrap-around porch???  Just PERFECT for enjoying the GLORIOUS FALL WEATHER!

Needless to say, we LOVEEED it!

And that's before even getting to the meal!  I had been eyeing Casona's menu for SO long, and still had a hard time narrowing down the 82 things I wanted to tryJ  But one entree ended up nearly SCREAMING out to me:  the Habanao Maduro (aka. stuffed sauteed plantain  sounded nearly identical to my beloved Mufungo (aka. MASHED fried plantain  from San Juan!  I knew it was a MUST TRY!

O.M.G and I was soooooooooooooooo glad I did!  Stuffed with pulled flank steak (aka-ropa vjeia)  and topped with chihuahua cheese, avocado sauce and chayote salad, this thing was PHENOMENAL!

Not only did the slightly spiced steak pair wonderfully with the slightly sweet plaintain, but the marinated & shredded chayote salad brought just the perfect amout on tang and sweet to pull everything together.  It was absolutly outstanding.  It took every ounce of effort I had to save a few bites for Scott to try.  But he just NEEDED toJ  It was awesomeJ

Speaking of Scott, he decided on one of his favorites:  the pork, ham & swiss Cuban sandwich sided with some plaintain chips...

Speaking of plaintain chips, I forgot that we had started with an appetizer of guacamole that was served with tortilla chips & plaintain chips.  We thought that the sweet plaintains were going to taste weird with the guac, but we ended up leaving the tortilla chips by the wayside in favor of them!  So good!

And while we're on the subject of sweet, we just HAD to finish our fabulous lunch with 2 of our favorites.  For him:  Dark chocolate mousse topped with vanilla ice cream...

Let's just say EVERYONE was excited to have a biteJ

Although Katie wasn't too impressed...

...Scott REALLY loved it!  It was SUPER creamy, rich & lucious .

But my heart will always belong to Tre Leche cake if it's on the menuJ

This took me RIGHT back to Costa Rica, sweet & perfect.  But truth be told, the ENTIRE meal reminded me of Costa Rica...or San Juan...or Key WestJ.  It was just SOOOOO nice on that outdoor patio.  And you're surrounded by trees and greens, so it even blocks out almost ALL of the traffic & noise whisking you blissfully away to somewhere else...even if it's just for an hour or soJ.  It was awesome.  If you're looking for a great meal & a REALLY great atmosphere, short of booking a plane ticket, check out Casona...you'll love it!  (I already can't wait to go back for Sunday BRUNCH...AVOCADO AREPAS anyone??)

And speaking of Sunday, it's been a HOT MINUTE since I've made a fresh, baked breakfast for our Sunday morning.  So I was soooo excited when I got in the kitchen on Saturday and made us a FALL breakfast treatJ

Chocolate Chai Loaf to be exact!

 Chocolate, spice and chia glaze....how could you go wrong??

Well that about wraps up LAST weekend...about 2 minutes before we're about to head into THIS oneJ  Hopefully I'll be able to post again sooner, as ALL I can think about lately is PUMPKIN and all of the things I want to cook & bake with itJ  Tis the season for cozy and ORANGE recipesJ hehehehehe...

Hope you have some great plans...have a great one!!

2 summer delights....

Hey everyone...hope you had a great weekend!  I CAN. NOT. BELIEVE. that it's the LAST week in August.  NOT that I'M complaining!  I couldn't be MORE excited that Saturday is SEPTEMBER 1st! (even if the forecast is "hot & humid"...bleh!)  But I thought I'd show you 2 dinners we had where I actually EMBRACED the beauties of summer....

Starting with last Saturday where we piled into the car and took Miss Katie on her first ever annual beach picnic...

And like last time, we make a quick stop to Jersey Mike's subs along the way.  Although this time we had someone to guard the bagJ 

This year I went with the grilled veggie wrap, which was made with grilled peppers & onions, along with provolone cheese, shredded lettuce & ranch dressing on a wheat wrap...  

This thing was SO. DAMN. GOOD!  I was pleasantly surprised since I felt like branching out from my usual tuna fish.  I will definitely get this one again!

So after out dinner and introducing Katie to the Atlantic...

....we made a quick stop before heading home.  One that is so very necessary, it's a crime not to goJ 

Hoffman's ice cream in Point Pleasant is TRULY some of the best ON. THE. PLANET!  On our car ride home, Scott & I tried to rack our brains to think of anyplace better and really couldn't come up with one.  (although Lake Champlain in Vermont, Flamingo Crossing in Key West & Berthillon in Paris rank right up there.  And no, for the record, Italian gelato is just in a category unto itselfJ)

Again, we gathered up our tickets.  (At least this time they were already on 37 when we got there!)

And I got my VERY favorite from there:  Chocolate Chip...and a scoop of a now NEW favorite: BROWNIE ALA MODE! 

For the love that is all good & holy, if you are in NJ...GET. TO. HOFFMAN'S!  The chip ice cream tastes like pure whipped CREAM, dotted with chocolate CHUNKS....while the Brownie, oh my the brownie, had chunks of brownie bites & swirls of fudge.  Just too die for!!

Even if SOMEONE was NOT impressed...J

Last night's dinner was another definite embrace of 'summer delights,' if I do say so myself...

It all started with these beautiful zebra tomatoes I found at the farmer's market on Saturday.  The end of August is certainly the peak of tomato harvest season in Jersey and I knew I had to give a new variety a try.. 

So while at the market, I also gathered up some fresh mozzarella... 

....a nice loaf of Italian bread... 

...and PLENTY of fresh basil. 

(and don't forget the sea salt & good quality olive oil to bring out all of the great flavors!!)

A quick roast of the sweet zebra tomatoes...

...and a chip chop of the rest of the ingredients and dinner was served!  (oh yeah...I tossed some sliced prosciutto on there for good measure tooJ) 

Load everything up on a slice of baguette and you have the perfect summer bites! 

I was so happy I had tried the SUPER SWEET zebra tomatoes even though they were not the ones I usually pick out.  The market is the GREAT place to find & try out produce you might not be familiar with.  And even better yet, you have plenty of farmers & workers there who will give you the 'insider tips' on what are great for different types of dishes.  (comes especially handy in the fall when you have 87 varieties of apples and someone there to tell you what's great to eat vs. great to bake!)

Alrighty...well after 2 summer-y posts, I better get back to this super gloomy day we're having today.  I only wish it was 65 and chilly hoodie weather rather than UBER humid.  SOOOOOOOOOOO ready for THAT!  hehehehehhehee...

Have a great Monday!J

Start with a warning...

OK...so before I start this blog, I gotta warn you:  the 'final' dish was none too pretty and I really couldn't see myself posting the photo on the blog.  THAT BEING SAID, the dinner was still SOOOOOOOOOOOOO good that I had to post for you the process to try for yourself.

This was a GREAT recipe to use up any remaining vegetables you have hanging out in your fridge.  I called it my GRILLED VEGGIE PLATE...

For our dish, I used:

• 3 ear of corn
• 2 zucchini
• 1 red pepper
• 1 red onion

I gave everything (except the corn) a quick slice & dice (I use a cheese slicer to create evenly thin zucchini slices....)

And loaded up all of the veggies onto our grill pan.  Give everything a quick coat of olive oil & salt and tossed them onto the grill until cooked.

Or burned as some of our veggies (ahem *zucchini*) would turn out...bummer!  Make sure you stay close to the grill and keep an eye on the prize or you'll risk burned vegetables and a lack of ability to post a final photo on your blog.

Or maybe that's just me.

ANYWAYYYYYY....I diced up the zucchini, red onion & red pepper and shucked the 3 ears of corn...

As well as 2 other ingredients that complimented the great grill taste:  Crumbled goat cheese & sliced prosciutto....

I topped all of the veggies with a quick dressing:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/2 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• salt & pepper

Give everything a whisk and pour over the veggies...

OK...so NOT photogenic, BUT SOOOOOOOO damn tasty and VERY healthy!  The flavor combo of the grilled veggies with the fresh garlic honey mustard dressing, tangy goat cheese & chewy salty prosciutto were SUPERB!  Try using ANY veggies you have on hand and whip up a quick no-lettuce 'salad.'  Who know...maybe yours will come out more photogenic then mineJ hehehehhehehehee...

Maybe next time we won't 'char' half of the plateJ

Here's to a more photogenic dinner tonightJ hehehehehhehe... 

A summer grilled cheese & soup combo...

Soooooo grilled cheese & tomato soup are BFF to the end, no?  But doesn't that combo remind you of cold & wintery days?

Well, here's a little spin for the PERFECT summer sandwich & soup combo that uses up some great seasonal produce:

CAPRESE BITES AND SKINNY ZUCCHINI SOUP!

Seasonal tomato, zucchini and basil paired with some farmer's market fresh mozzarella?  Lovely, no?J

For the 'caprese bites,'  I started by toasting up a few split English muffins and rubbing them with a peeled garlic clove...

Next, I got the rest of my ingredients ready for some layering...

• Fresh basil
• Fresh mozzarella
• Cherry tomatoes (roasted)

And I thought I'd add one more layer in there for some extra flavvvooorrrr...

I mixed a couple handfuls of arugula with some grated cheese and Scott & my current obsession..

LOVEEEEE capers!  I added a couple tablespoons of the capers AND some of the brine to bring everything together.

Then it was assembly time!

Tomatoes, basil, arugula salad and a topper of mozzarella!  A few more minutes under the broiler and WALLAH!

Cheesy, tangy, sweet & salty caprese bites!  A PERFECT use for all of the fresh tomatoes around this time of yearJ

And the soup could NOT be easier or more flavorful.  You will SWEAR there is cream & butter in this soup, but there is NOT ONE DROP!
Into a pot coated with non-stick cooking spray, I sauteed a red onion until it was soft...

Then into the pot went the zucchini & vegetable (or chicken) broth.  I let them boil together until the zucchini was soft and then hit it with an immersion blender to create a smoooooth soup...

And the secret ingredient for making this soup creamy without the calories??

BUTTERNUT SQUASH!

I added the squash & 1% milk and let it all warm up together for a few minutes and it was done.  How easy was that???

And the results are AWESOME!  You'd be AMAZED how much flavor is in this soup from just the onions, zucchini & squash.  Totally awesome, totally healthy and totally enough for lunch leftovers the next day!  Perfecto!

Skinny Zucchini Soup

Based on this recipe

Serves 2

• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• Nonstick cooking spray (preferably one with an olive oil base and propellant free!)
• 2 cups vegetable broth 
• 2 zucchini, chopped
• 6 oz. frozen butternut squash, defrosted
• 1/2 cup 1% milk
• Salt & Pepper

1. Saute the red onion in a pot covered with nonstick cooking spray until soft.
2. Add in the zucchini and vegetable broth (be sure the broth covers the zucchini) and boil until the zucchini is soft.
3. Use an immersion blender to create a silky soup.
4. Mix in the butternut squash, milk & salt and pepper (to taste) and heat until warmed through.

Try this one out ASAP, especially while zucchini are so CHEAP now!  It was especially great since it was a cloudy & rainy day yesterday...and 90 degrees or not, it still felt like a great preview for the weather aheadJ

ANYONE ELSE READY FOR FALL???????  Or do I have some summer-lovers out there?

Have a great Wednesday, everyone!