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

The Husband’s Birthday Kick-Off

September 1, 2007 · Friends and Family

The Husband’s birthday is on Monday and he’s started celebrating a bit early. The men in the family often chide that the women (and Nicholas!) manage to turn our birthdays into a week-long affair. It’s not intentional, usually it’s just scheduling. Well, The Husband is managing to eek out three separate days of celebrating, so methinks he’s catching on. Tonight we kicked off his birthday with dinner with The Neighbors. I was looking to plan a menu that was relatively simple, but that definitely encompassed a few of his favorites. I went with:

Fresh, homemade salsa (using this recipe) with chips
Mussel Salad (a tried-and-true concoction of mine)
Roasted Clams
Garlicky Mussels with crusty bread for dipping
Chicken Chimichurri Bites – love the salty dipping sauce
Creme Brulee

Both the Roasted Clams recipe and the Garlicky Mussels recipe were new and come from The New England Clam Shack Cookbook, which compiles recipes from a variety of food establishments in the Northeast. Both dishes were incredibly simple to make. I gave The Husbands the Roasted Clams recipe, since it was for the grill, and it was an interesting combination that worked. The recipe originally comes from The Place in Guilford, Connecticut.

The Garlicky Mussels were bordering on OMG good and I think the best part was mopping up the garlic butter sauce with the hot, crusty bread at the end. So.good.and.a.definite.repeater. This recipe hails from Tidal Falls Lobster Kettle in Hancock, Maine. The buttery sauce, not very Maine-like, was the addition of the restaurant’s French owner.

These were the first two recipes I actually made from this cookbook and if it’s any indication, we’re off to a good start.

All in all, a great meal with a spread that was not too filling, but just right. A perfect start to a long weekend.

P.S. With the herbs in the salsa, this makes a perfect addition for Weekend Herb Blogging, being hosted by Kalyn’s Kitchen this weekend.

Roasted Clams
Recipe courtesy of The New England Clam Shack Cookbook

24 littleneck clams
1/3 cup cocktail sauce
4-5 tablespoons butter
lemon wedges

Prepare a moderately hot hardwood or charcoal fire, or preheat a gas grill. Place the unopened clams on the grill, cover, and cook just until the shells begin to pop open, 5 to 10 minutes. Pry off the top shells, daub the clams with cocktail sauce, and top each clam with a small piece (about 1/2 teaspoon) of butter. Continue to cook on the grill until the clams are hot and the tops are lightly glazed with sauce and melted butter, about 5 minutes longer. Serve with lemon wedges and a small bowl of cocktail sauce for dipping, if desired.

4 servings, 6 clams apiece

Garlicky Mussels
Recipe courtesy of The New England Clam Shack Cookbook

5 large garlic cloves
1/2 pound (2 sticks) of butter
2 teaspoons salt
6 pound live mussels, rinsed

Peel the garlic and put through a garlic press or finely mince with a chef’s knife. In a saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the garlic and cook over very low heat for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside, covered, for at least 1 hour. (I skipped that part) (Garlic butter can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Reheat gently)

In a large stockpot, bring about 1 inch of water to a boil. Add the salt. Add the mussels, cover the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and steam until the mussel shells open, 5 to 10 minutes, depending on their size and the size of the pot. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the mussels to a large platter; discard any that do not open.

Meanwhile, reheat the garlic butter over low heat. Pour the warm garlic butter over the hot mussels and serve.

6 servings.

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Posted In: Friends and Family

Comments

  1. Kelly Savelkoul says

    September 1, 2007 at 2:31 am

    My husband’s birthday is Monday, also, and after tonights entry, I am feeling inspired to treat him to an entire day of fabulous food. Now, what to do for the cake? German Chocolate . . .

    Reply
  2. Kalyn says

    September 1, 2007 at 2:41 am

    Let me go on record as being fully in favor of a week of birthday celebrating. I say make it last as long as you can.

    Great photo of the salsa, and everything else sounds just delish too.

    Reply
  3. Kelly Mahoney says

    September 1, 2007 at 4:01 am

    Way to milk the birthday for all it’s worth :)
    How fortuitous, to have a birthday on a holiday.

    Reply
  4. Cynthia says

    September 1, 2007 at 2:23 pm

    Sounds like it’s going to be a grand celebration.

    Reply
  5. nicisme says

    September 2, 2007 at 11:45 am

    I love that salsa – it’s really colourful!
    Happy birthday to your husband!

    Reply
  6. Anonymous says

    September 2, 2007 at 12:55 pm

    Happy Birthday to The Husband! I thought you moved, Cate….do The Neighbors still live close?
    We used to have fun neighborhood gatherings til one of the neighbor women turned into a nut LOL…I miss those get-togethers.
    Val

    Reply
  7. Cate says

    September 3, 2007 at 3:48 pm

    Kelly S – That’s the problem with The Husband; he really doesn’t eat cake. Think I’m going with rice pudding and flan tonight, but we’ll see.

    Val – yes, we did move, but luckily for all, still in the same neighborhood. ;)

    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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