Storm Prep

First off, you may have noticed a few changes to the blog layout. I'm testing out a few different designs, so bear with me while I try some new things. I'd love to hear your feedback on the new header - leave a comment letting me know what you think!

So, in case you're living under a rock and haven't heard, we're expecting a huge storm here on the east coast. All the shore towns near us are being evacuated, schools are closed for the next few days and public transportation in NJ and NY have all been suspended. They're saying the eye of the hurricane will go right through our town. Yikes!

Hopefully we won't have any issues at our house, but I'm kind of looking forward to holing up with my little family for a few days. In anticipation of the storm, though, we made sure to get some outdoors time in over the weekend. Friday night we headed over to our friends Heather & Kevin's house to hang out by the fire pit for the evening, which was a great time as always.

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Yesterday we had plans to be out for most of the day, so I wanted to make a nice breakfast for everyone before heading out. I had hoped to make pancakes, but unfortunately we hadn't gone grocery shopping yet, and had nada in the house except Kashi and bananas. Cereal on a Saturday? No way.

I dug through the freezer and came up with 2 Van's Light waffles, so figured I could scrape together something fun for me and Matt. I started by caramelizing some bananas with a little coconut oil, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice.

I spooned the warm bananas over the toasted waffles, then topped them with some fat free Greek yogurt for extra protein. I also found a few strips of soy "bacon" in the freezer, which served as a side.

After breakfast, we picked up MomMom and headed downtown to exercise our vocal cords with some big time cheering. Matt's mom was running her very first 5K ever!

She's been working so hard with her team at the gym, and it was so great to see her pumped up for the race and leading her teammates on. She had a goal of running the race in 40 minutes, and she beat it with ease!

It's been quite a while since I've participated in a race or fun run, and it gave me the itch to get back on the track.

We spent the rest of the day shopping and taking care of other errands to make sure we have everything we need in case we get stormed in. Including movies. I honestly hardly ever buy movies since it's so easy to just rent them from OnDemand or Red Box, but Matt spotted a huge sale at FYE in the mall, so we popped in to buy a few. Total oldies but goodies!

Lunch was the usual grocery day lunch - another big salad from ShopRite. Good as always.

We had originally planned to go to a party last night, but a babysitter isn't always in the cards. So instead, we invited MomMom and my sister and brother-in-law over for a family movie night, complete with homemade gnocchi, red wine, popcorn and candy.

You better believe we broke The Lost Boys out of its packaging to watch first. It's so cheesy it's amazing. Especially the soundtrack. Best 80s movie ever.

Now it's time to batten down the hatches and ride out the storm. Stay safe, east coast friends!

Week in a Day

The last few days have gone by in a blur - what's new? :) It's been almost a week since I've had a chance to post, but a lot of fun things have been going on around here. Here goes a medley of random happenings!

Matt's latest beer went on tap last weekend, and it's a good one. His famous Widowmaker IPA is smooth and drinkable with the perfect balance of hops. Love this brew! We drank the first few pints with my good friend Dana - who lives in north Jersey and I don't get to see often - sitting by a backyard fire burning my old shoe boxes. We're classy like that.

Peanut butter & banana stuffed french toast made its way onto the breakfast table, and maaaay become part of the standard weekend rotation. Delicious!

Switching gears...you all know my love for football season, but I'm having a love/hate relationship with the new schedule this year. 

Love that football is on a minimum of 3 days a week and we've been enjoying the games with friends, but hate that I keep forgetting to update my fantasy team on Thursdays. I can't get used to these Thursday night games every week.

I'm sorry, but how cute are these two little peanuts? All of us parents were hanging out in the bar watching the game, while these two sat at the kitchen island chattering on about who knows what and eating Matt's homemade hot wings. Love it. 

And in other big news, I got a new car this week! After 6 years, I said goodbye to my little silver Corolla. It was actually a little bittersweet. It was the first car I ever bought with my own money, and she served me well through the better part of my 20s. 

But all things must come to an end, and it was time to trade her in. The ridiculous amount of baby gear I carry around at all times called for something a little bigger. For posterity, I had to take a goodbye pic before I left it at the dealership for good, but I've been loving driving my new ride around all week!

In other news...

My review of Serenity Cafe is finally up on Jersey Bites. Check it out if you're local!

Recipe ReDux: Cumin-Scented Winter Squash Soup

This month's Recipe ReDux post is dedicated to the orange colors of autumn. What better way to celebrate the arrival of fall than with a warm, comforting bowl of winter squash soup? (And if squash soup isn't your bag, scroll down past the recipe - there are some other great fall recipes there from other bloggers.)

 

This soup is thick and creamy without any use of actual cream (it has less than 150 calories a serving!), and is so easy to make. The addition of a small amount of cumin, curry and ginger give it a great warmth as well.

A few weeks ago when I was home in Vermont, a family friend gifted me a huge Blue Hubbard Squash, one of my favorite fall treats. It was enormous!

I absolutely love Blue Hubbards for their creamy, thick consistency and deep flavor. Not to mention the great orange color.

When cooked, the flesh has a lot of body and can be even thicker and smoother than mashed potatoes. Unlike most potatoes, though, these babies are packed with vitamins and antioxidants. Blue Hubbards don't grow by me in New Jersey; I've only ever seen them at one farm here, and they were plucked when still tiny and sold as gourds. So if you can't find a Hubbard, a butternut squash will work just as well for this soup.

To cook the squash, just cut it in half, set it cut side down, and bake it for about an hour at 375, until it becomes tender. 

The skin then becomes almost hard and shell-like, so it's really easy to peel it away from the cooked flesh. Then scoop out the seeds and the flesh. At this point you can store the cooked squash in the fridge or freezer until you're ready to use it. 

To make the soup, you basically just sautee some veggies, then dump the squash and seasonings in the pot and let it cook for an hour or so. Done and done.

I served the soup alongside green apple & smoked cheddar paninis for dinner (and I bet it would go great with these chipotle, butternut squash and pepperjack cheese paninis too), but ate the soup all on its own for lunch the next day. Fall in a bowl!

Cumin-Scented Winter Squash Soup

Serves 6

Ingredients
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, chopped
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. mild yellow curry
6 cups cooked winter squash (Blue Hubbard or butternut)
6 cups water or vegetable broth
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. ground ginger
Dash crushed red pepper flakes

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add onions and carrots. Sweat for a few minutes until the onions become translucent, but not brown. Add the garlic, salt, cumin and curry, and cook for one minute more.

Add the squash, water or broth, black pepper, red papper flakes and ginger, stir well until combined, then bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low, and let simmer for 1-2 hours. Taste soup for seasonings. Using an immersion blender, standing blender or food processor, puree soup until smooth.

Eat immediately, or store in the freezer for 2-3 weeks.

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