Category Archives: Food & Recipes

Caviar on a Friday

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All I know is that you can chop up all the onions and the whatevers you want and put it on top of caviar, but you still can’t disguise the fact that you’re eating fish eggs. Ugh!

— Carrie Fisher

UntitledThis quote really made me laugh! You might remember that for my husband’s 50th birthday a few weeks ago I gave him a variety of caviar. He loves the stuff. I can’t say I’m crazy about it. Yesterday he finally decided to try a bit and he pointed out that even though I say I don’t like it, I have never had good caviar, and I’ve never had the full experience with blinis and crème fraiche. 

I realized that he was right and he made both of us a little caviar snack before the kids got home from school.
 
This is Hackleback caviar. Hackleback Caviar (Scaphirhynchus Platorynchus), also known as Sturgeon Caviar, comes from the Shovelnose Sturgeon. This wild freshwater caviar is found in the Missouri, Ohio and Mississippi River systems in the U.S. The taste profile is said to be nutty and buttery.
 
Well, I decided to just pop the whole thing in my mouth without thinking about it too much and you know, buttery is absolutely the right description. It was so weird, but it really did seems like I was just eating a delicious mouthful of butter. The caviar was nowhere near as fishy as the other stuff I’ve tried. Of course, it makes sense — this is definitely “the real deal.”
 
Would I have it again? Hmm… probably not. It’s something I’m glad I tried, but I will let Drew enjoy the rest of his caviar himself.

A secret about the buttermilk grilled chicken…

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I had a few people ask me about how I prepare the buttermilk grilled chicken and I’m here to tell you… there’s really no recipe! I kind of make it different every time. Obviously, the key marinade ingredient is buttermilk, but aside from that it varies. I usually toss in some dried dill, and always lots of pepper and of course a little salt (which, of course you can omit). Sometimes I give a few shakes of herbs de provence. And sometimes I’ll drizzle in some pickle juice. 

This week I happened to have just enough homemade ranch (made with the buttermilk) that I didn’t want to toss it, so I just added more buttermilk and poured it over chicken breasts before I let them sit in the fridge for a few hours before tossing them on the grill. It’s all very scientific, right?

It just adds a really nice flavor to chicken breasts, thighs, or drumsticks and is great to make on a Sunday so you have leftovers for easy lunches during the week. Easy peasy! 

Boba tea

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One of the cool things about having kids is when they introduce you to fun treats. Like boba tea. Laura had a hair appointment this afternoon and then we had about an hour to kill before Mass, so we got a really good parking spot in front of the church and then walked down to the new tea shop in town. Now, of course, Laura has already had boba from the new tea shop but I have not so I was really excited to try it.

Boba tea

She got honeydew and I got matcha. Rhinebeck, tourist town that it is, can be a little pricey but I thought the cost for these drinks was totally fair. Less than $10.00 for the two of them. They were loaded with tapioca boba and really delicious.

Boba tea

I loved this treat! We enjoyed it outside on a bench while watching the traffic go by. The weather was perfect and we were just off of E. Market St. so it wasn’t too crowded. I look forward to trying more flavors in the future!

Favorite Old Magazines

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Favorite old cooking magazines At work, our Friends Group is in the midst of organizing our annual book sale, and although we are pretty specific in what types of donations we accept, people don’t always pay attention. We don’t sell magazines, for example, but we still get magazine donations. When that happens, we just put them out for free. Well it was my lucky day because someone had donated a small stack of “Quick Cooking” magazines from the early 2000s! When I saw them on the freebie table in Town Hall I scooped them right up.

I just love old Taste of Home magazines (actually, it is the only magazine I currently subscribe to), and when they published Quick Cooking, it was one that I made sure to pick up in the grocery store. There are so many good recipes in these magazines. I love that they are pretty simple to make and don’t usually require “boutique” ingredients. Don’t get me wrong — I love experimenting in the kitchen — but most days I just want to be able to put something tasty and filling on the dinner table! I am saving this stack to enjoy while relaxing this weekend!

What on the menu this week?

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  • Monday: Honey mustard pork chops, loaded mashed potatoes, green salad
  • Tuesday: Chicken with spinach & mushrooms, rice medley, salad
  • Wednesday: Burgers, oven fries, zucchini
  • Thursday: Chicken parmesan, steamed broccoli
  • Friday: Chicken quesadillas, black bean soup, fruit salad
  • Saturday: Pizza & salad maybe?
  • Sunday: Pot roast (bumped from last week), mashed potatoes, green beans

This Week’s Eats

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I don’t know about you, but I am looking forward to a much more structured week! It was a little chaotic here last week with the kids on vacation and having to drive them here and there. So things should be back to normal with our typical schedule, which makes meal planning much easier! Here’s what I’ve got down for this week (subject to change, of course!)

Sunday: Easter dinner out

Monday: Turkey taco salads

Tuesday: Grilled chicken, asparagus, salad

Wednesday: Turkey meatballs, red lentil rotini, salad

Thursday: Grilled sirloins, baked potatoes, broccoli

Friday: Out with a friend. Maybe pizza for everyone else?

Saturday: Burgers, cole slaw

On the Menu

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  • Monday: Turkey meatballs with gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans, cranberry sauce 
  • Tuesday: grilled chicken, rosemary roasted red potatoes, asparagus 
  • Wednesday: Date night! Restaurant week at Terrapin
  • Thursday: Crock Pot pulled pork, coke slaw, macaroni and cheese
  • Friday: Kale and chickpea stew, naan
  • Saturday: Grilled steak, salad

Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Squares

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Yesterday I had a work event in the morning and we all were supposed to bring something brunchy. I knew one of the people attending was vegan and I wanted to make sure whatever I brought was something she could eat. These breakfast squares checked all the boxes! They are compliant, delicious, and made with pantry staples. I may not be vegan, but I will definitely be making these again.

Print Recipe

Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Squares

Course: Breakfast, Snack
Keyword: healthy, vegan

Equipment

  • Stand Mixer

Ingredients

  • 2 bananas
  • 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup applesauce
  • 1/4 cup almond milk (I used unsweetened vanilla)
  • 2 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • pinch salt

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F and line an 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, Be sure to leave some of the paper hanging over the sides to help you remove the squares when they're done baking. Set aside.
  • In bowl of your stand mixer, use the paddle attachement to thoroughly mash the bananas. Add peanut butter, applesauce, and almond milk and mix until wet ingredients are well combined. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared pan and evenly spread. Bake for 25-28 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan at room temperature for about an hour and ten chill in the refrigerator for at least another hour (it is easier to cut the squares when they are cold).
  • Lift the parchment and bars from the pan and cut into 16 squares. Squares can be warmed in the toaster oven or microwave to take the chill off. Store leftovers in the fridge.

These were a big hit and I liked that they were not overly sweet.