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

Cold Zucchini Soup

July 3, 2005 · Narrative

Today was just one of those perfect days. The weather was great, we got a lot done without feeling like we were running around, had a nice relaxing dinner outside, and capped off the evening with fireworks at a local carnival. The poor dogs have been pacing for the last half-hour or so … they are not fans of fireworks.

Everyone had a beauty day today, right down to the dogs. They both went to the groomers to get bathed and trimmed. Nicholas got a hair cut and so did I. Nicholas has great curly hair, especially when it’s humid out. Unfortunately, The Husband is a fan of short hair cuts in the summer time. As he left, I reminded him “not too short.” Of course, he comes back, and Nicholas’ hair is pretty darn short. Yeah, I know, it will grow back, but in the meantime, I miss the curls. Wait ’till my Mom sees it though – she’s worse than me on hanging on to the curls!

Took Nicholas to a farm today for an afternoon outing. He had a great time feeding the goats, sheep and rabbits, singing “Old MacDonald” all the while. The farm also had great, inexpensive produce, freshly made pies and danishes, herbs, flowers and more.


Up close and personal


Feeding the goats

One of Nicholas’ main dinner requests is macaroni and cheese, followed closely by chicken nuggets and hot dogs. Although Kraft Macaroni & Cheese and Velveeta’s version has its place, I wanted to show him there were alternatives, so we made a homemade version today. We added a bowl of fresh watermelon, and had a great meal outside.


Sweetnicks’ Cheesy Macaroni

I’ve had a few recipe requests recently, and didn’t want them to get lost in the comments section, so I put one (the Cold Zucchini Soup) recipe below. The Summery Pasta Salad recipe will follow tomorrow.

Until then, I’ll leave you with a little factoid. Did you know that The Rock’s favorite snack food is a Dunkin’ Donuts glazed donut topped with more sugar eaten with ice cream? If it was that easy to keep in such fine shape, we should all be heading over to the donut shop now! Seems to be working for him. :)

Cold Zucchini Soup
4 young, dark green zucchini (6-7 inches long)
1 green bell pepper
3 medium onions
2 large garlic cloves
4 tablespoons butter
salt
freshly ground white pepper
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
6 cups chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
fresh chives or parsley, minced

Slice 3 zucchini, green pepper and onions. Mince the garlic. Saute the vegetables in 3 tablespoons of the butter over very low heat in a heavy pot. Cook, stirring often, about 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender but have not browned. Add salt and pepper to taste and thyme. Stir in the chicken broth and simmer, uncovered, for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, thinly slice (do not peel) the remaining zucchini and saute it briefly in 1 tablespoon butter until barely tender and still bright green. This should take about 3 minutes – stir and watch closely that it doesn’t overcook and go mushy. Immediately turn the sliced vegetables out onto a plate to cool quickly. Reserve. Cool the soup slightly and puree it in a blender. Stir in the cream and the sliced cooked zucchini. Adjust the seasoning – the soup should be rather highly seasoned as chilling intensifies the flavor. Chill covered for 24 hours and serve with a scattering of fresh herbs (chives of parsley).

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Posted In: Narrative

Comments

  1. Ana Cardia says

    July 3, 2005 at 2:53 am

    Thank you for posting the Zucchini recipe, it looks great!! Thanks, thanks!
    Ana

    Reply
  2. tulip255 says

    July 3, 2005 at 10:56 am

    I too have never really liked cold soups but plan to try this one very soon. Thanks for the recipe.

    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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