Always looking for sunshine, figuratively and lite Always looking for sunshine, figuratively and literally. Sometimes we don’t have to look very far and it finds us. ☀️
It didn’t take much to get me to @mikespastasand It didn’t take much to get me to @mikespastasandwichshoppe when a friend texted me a screenshot of their cheese butter. Up until last week I had never even heard of cheese butter but just two days later, I’m driving an hour round trip to get some. 😂 I was never one to succumb to peer pressure (I didn’t have my first drink until I was 21!), but when it comes to food finds, I am very easily intrigued. After all, that’s how I’ve discovered some of my favorite bites over the years … lardo from @butlerandtheboard, a spicy Italian sausage, and my love of chicharron. If you haven’t visited Mike’s in Nutley, it’s worth a visit. While there, I also got a small tray of meatballs (a bargain at $10!) and a delicious mortadella sandwich that is worth a round trip. ✨
The long, dreary and grey months of the Winter nee The long, dreary and grey months of the Winter need a little bit of color, so here you go. 😍 Love this chest of drawers. Discovered it buried in a local shop and bought it specifically for the green color (one of my favorites). Vintage Coke crate was a $10 score from a garage sale place on Facebook some ten years ago. And the assorted markers in Roy G Biv order (natch) that aren’t used anymore because my kids have sadly left that phase. 🙃
Weekend Photos in Review, old school still photo s Weekend Photos in Review, old school still photo style, hope you had a good one! ✨
A friend was taking a trip to Ireland and asked if A friend was taking a trip to Ireland and asked if I wanted her to bring me back anything. Would you believe me if I told you I asked for salt? I love picking up different varieties, whether we’re traveling or I’m just visiting a new shop. Maddie grabbed me a super cute one from her trip to Paris last year, and the Magic Unicorn Salt I get locally is another favorite. What’s yours?
One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a serious case of FOMO on the daily, gets hiccups more than anyone we know and has perpetual bed head. She’s quite the unique roommate but may be exactly what our home needed. 💛
I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw th I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw that @njdotcom had picked six bagel shops at the “best in the state,” and one was reasonably local, all the sudden I needed one. I was never one to fall prey to peer pressure, but I’m very definitely a marketer’s dream. 😂 Alfa Bagels is on Route 10 in Randolph and has a good assortment of bagels, including all the usual suspects, but with a few others like rainbow, Asiago and French Toast throw in for good measure. Their bagels always seem to have a nice chew, which I appreciate and I love their sesame one. My go-to order lately is a double toasted flagel with lox spread and tomato. Their lox spread is a little ho hum, but the bagel is delish. Check them out next time you’ve got a craving (or get motivated by a local news story 😝). What’s your bagel order?
✌🏻 ✌🏻
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Sweetnicks

Food and Life

A Comfort Food Day

June 5, 2005 · Narrative

Woke up this morning hit with a massive cold, mostly residing in my chest and making it really painful to cough (which I’m doing a lot of, of course) and talk. Nicholas has had it all week, and well, he DOES like to share.

So, did a bunch of errands this morning, and then came home and napped off and on with Nicholas all afternoon. I really fought the urge to call and order take-out for dinner, and The Husband even offered to cook some burgers on the grill, but since I already had my meal planned out, and had gotten everything I needed, I got up and made dinner.

Dinner went as planned, except I didn’t make the salad. I did, however, make homemade croutons for it, but when I went to get the buttermilk for the dressing … well, let’s just say it wasn’t with us any longer. Buttermilk usually lasts quite awhile — not this one. So, although The Husband was all ready for a big salad (although he shuns all vegetables, him and Nicholas LOVE salad), it’s on tap for tomorrow.

I gotta tell you, making the Tortellini Soup with Ham and Peas, I really didn’t have high hopes for it. I mean, c’mon, with the sauce only being chicken broth, how good could it be? Well, it was REALLY good, in a comfort food sort of way, which worked out perfectly with me being sick. The Husband even ate the peas! The recipe really could not be simpler, and I hope you’ll try it.

The Salt and Pepper Shrimp were another hit for us. I actually didn’t have any of the shrimp myself since I just wasn’t up for it, but it left all this wonderful sauce behind, perfect for mopping up with a baguette. Now since it’s called Salt and Pepper Shrimp, the sauce was salty, but oh so good! I finished it all myself.

Both dishes will definitely be repeated in our household.

Going to a local street fair tomorrow and pretty psyched about it. There’s a vendor there that makes amazing Filipino food and we are kind of her groupies, making sure to attend the various fairs she goes to during the Summer and Fall. I met her a good 8-9 years ago when I was organizing a food court, and am really glad I did. Can’t wait to have her food.

Also, depending on how I’m feeling tomorrow, I’m going to try and go to a local Farmer’s Market.

Tune in tomorrow to see what’s for dinner. Who knows? Not even me! :) Until then…

Salt and Pepper Shrimp
1/2 teaspoon Five Spice Powder
2 tablespoons fine sea salt
4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
vegetable oil
approximately 1 lb raw shrimp, peeled, tails intact
baguette

Place the five-spice powder in a bowl with the sea salt and ground black pepper. Mix together. Add the shrimp and toss to coat thoroughly. Heat vegetable oil in a saucepan. When hot, add the shrimp in batches and fry until just changed in color. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Serve with baguette for mopping up the sauce.

Tortellini with Prosciutto and Peas
1 box frozen green peas
1 medium onion, finely sliced
1 tablespoon butter (more to serve)
1/2 lb of prosciutto, diced (ask the deli to cut it in one piece for you)
2 cups chicken broth
Parmesan cheese
Tortellini, cooked

Defrost the peas. Cut onion in half and finely slices. Fry onion in 1 tablespoon of butter on low heat until softened and starting to slightly brown (about 5-6 minutes). Add the prosciutto and chicken broth and bring to boil. Reduce heat, add the cooked tortellini and peas and simmer for 3-4 minutes, until the peas are heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide between 4 warmed bowls and add a little piece of butter to each. Serve with parmesan cheese.

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Posted In: Narrative

Comments

  1. linda says

    June 5, 2005 at 2:50 pm

    hope you feel better soon!

    Reply
  2. Cate says

    June 6, 2005 at 12:06 pm

    Thanks, Linda — going to break down and head for the doctor this morning. :)

    Reply

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Always looking for sunshine, figuratively and lite Always looking for sunshine, figuratively and literally. Sometimes we don’t have to look very far and it finds us. ☀️
It didn’t take much to get me to @mikespastasand It didn’t take much to get me to @mikespastasandwichshoppe when a friend texted me a screenshot of their cheese butter. Up until last week I had never even heard of cheese butter but just two days later, I’m driving an hour round trip to get some. 😂 I was never one to succumb to peer pressure (I didn’t have my first drink until I was 21!), but when it comes to food finds, I am very easily intrigued. After all, that’s how I’ve discovered some of my favorite bites over the years … lardo from @butlerandtheboard, a spicy Italian sausage, and my love of chicharron. If you haven’t visited Mike’s in Nutley, it’s worth a visit. While there, I also got a small tray of meatballs (a bargain at $10!) and a delicious mortadella sandwich that is worth a round trip. ✨
The long, dreary and grey months of the Winter nee The long, dreary and grey months of the Winter need a little bit of color, so here you go. 😍 Love this chest of drawers. Discovered it buried in a local shop and bought it specifically for the green color (one of my favorites). Vintage Coke crate was a $10 score from a garage sale place on Facebook some ten years ago. And the assorted markers in Roy G Biv order (natch) that aren’t used anymore because my kids have sadly left that phase. 🙃
Weekend Photos in Review, old school still photo s Weekend Photos in Review, old school still photo style, hope you had a good one! ✨

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Always looking for sunshine, figuratively and lite Always looking for sunshine, figuratively and literally. Sometimes we don’t have to look very far and it finds us. ☀️
It didn’t take much to get me to @mikespastasand It didn’t take much to get me to @mikespastasandwichshoppe when a friend texted me a screenshot of their cheese butter. Up until last week I had never even heard of cheese butter but just two days later, I’m driving an hour round trip to get some. 😂 I was never one to succumb to peer pressure (I didn’t have my first drink until I was 21!), but when it comes to food finds, I am very easily intrigued. After all, that’s how I’ve discovered some of my favorite bites over the years … lardo from @butlerandtheboard, a spicy Italian sausage, and my love of chicharron. If you haven’t visited Mike’s in Nutley, it’s worth a visit. While there, I also got a small tray of meatballs (a bargain at $10!) and a delicious mortadella sandwich that is worth a round trip. ✨
The long, dreary and grey months of the Winter nee The long, dreary and grey months of the Winter need a little bit of color, so here you go. 😍 Love this chest of drawers. Discovered it buried in a local shop and bought it specifically for the green color (one of my favorites). Vintage Coke crate was a $10 score from a garage sale place on Facebook some ten years ago. And the assorted markers in Roy G Biv order (natch) that aren’t used anymore because my kids have sadly left that phase. 🙃
Weekend Photos in Review, old school still photo s Weekend Photos in Review, old school still photo style, hope you had a good one! ✨
A friend was taking a trip to Ireland and asked if A friend was taking a trip to Ireland and asked if I wanted her to bring me back anything. Would you believe me if I told you I asked for salt? I love picking up different varieties, whether we’re traveling or I’m just visiting a new shop. Maddie grabbed me a super cute one from her trip to Paris last year, and the Magic Unicorn Salt I get locally is another favorite. What’s yours?
One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a serious case of FOMO on the daily, gets hiccups more than anyone we know and has perpetual bed head. She’s quite the unique roommate but may be exactly what our home needed. 💛
I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw th I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw that @njdotcom had picked six bagel shops at the “best in the state,” and one was reasonably local, all the sudden I needed one. I was never one to fall prey to peer pressure, but I’m very definitely a marketer’s dream. 😂 Alfa Bagels is on Route 10 in Randolph and has a good assortment of bagels, including all the usual suspects, but with a few others like rainbow, Asiago and French Toast throw in for good measure. Their bagels always seem to have a nice chew, which I appreciate and I love their sesame one. My go-to order lately is a double toasted flagel with lox spread and tomato. Their lox spread is a little ho hum, but the bagel is delish. Check them out next time you’ve got a craving (or get motivated by a local news story 😝). What’s your bagel order?
✌🏻 ✌🏻

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