A Successful Thanksgiving...

Our wood-fired brick oven in our backyard.

This year marked the first time we were hosting our families for Thanksgiving in our (relatively) new house. Last  Sunday, we did a "dry run" of our Thanksgiving meal to make sure we could pull it all off--we were planning to cook most of the meal in our wood-fired outdoor oven that Kev built over the summer. We invited friends over to watch the Patriots game and help us eat the practice turkey. I actually felt pretty relaxed and confident making my trial meal, which was a sign that I would be completely overwhelmed come Thanksgiving day.

Kev and I both worked a half day on Wednesday and then fired up the outdoor oven again. I threw our butternut squash and sweet potatoes into the oven to roast so that all I had to do the next day was puree. Kev tossed in a few loaves of bread to bake. We had put money down for a turkey (free-range, organic) back in April from our friend Jeff over at New Roots Farm. The turkey was slaughtered about a week before Thanksgiving and delivered to us fresh. On Wednesday night, Kev fussed over the turkey like it was a newborn baby. He scoured the internet for brine recipes and carefully concocted the briny goodness and doused the bird and let it sit for approximately 16 hours. In my many years with Kevin, I have found that he takes the roasting of meat very seriously. I have never actually cooked a whole roast- bird, beef or pork- in my life. And you know what? He's so good at it, I don't miss the personal experience at all.

Thursday came much too quickly and we started up the outdoor oven around 8am. The turkey went in around 11am for a show time of 2:00.  Kev and I handled the cooking of the main meal while our families brought assorted goodies-- artichoke dip, crap dip, deviled eggs (my fave!) and desserts. People started showing up around noon and I was woefully behind on making all of the sides. Thankfully, everyone went outside to check out the oven and I was left to my devices.

The rest of our menu included a new and improved braised kale recipe, sweet potato ginger soup, pureed butternut squash, mashed fingerling potatoes, two kinds of stuffing and homemade cranberry sauce. It was a feast and I couldn't help but feel pleased with the outcome. My father in law kept gushing about the food and we felt like we'd pulled it off.  All in all, it was a good day and a rousing success!

Blog Better Boston Food Summit

I recently had the privilege of attending the Blog Better Boston Food Summit at Stonewall Kitchen. The event was phenomenal and featured so many bloggers from the greater Boston area.

The day at Stonewall Kitchen was magical- I learned so much and had an amazing time in a beautiful location. There were four primary sessions throughout the day: restaurant reviews, recipe writing, food styling and staging, and photo editing. Each of these sessions contained gems of information that will be invaluable to me as I set out to reinvigorate the blog. 

I learned how to gray balance my camera to take optimum pictures and which photo editing software is worth the money for the beginning blogger. There were quick tips on how to edit pictures to make the most impact visually. The restaurant review session gave me ideas on how to tell better stories about my experiences. The recipe writing session showed me how to avoid common pitfalls when developing and writing recipes. 

We were also treated to a fabulous fall meal cooked by Patty Roche, who is one of the chefs at the cooking school at Stonewall Kitchen. There was a luxurious acorn squash soup, a scrumptious chicken entree with roasted veggies and an out-of-this-world fig and pear cobbler.

Also, I want to give the BBBos ladies a big thanks for putting together the awesome swag bag. There were all sorts of goodies including wine tags with Oliver Wilde quotes, blueberry juice and chapstick from Wyman's, a chocolate bar from Lake Champlain Chocolates (sooo good!), coasters from Chilewich and an immersion blender from Wayfair! I now own three immersion blenders, so if anyone has been looking to buy one and would like one for free, please email me.

Best of all, I walked away with a myriad of resources, a killer swag bag and many new blogs to follow! I'm looking forward to putting my new skills into practice and attending the next BBBos event.

Recipe: Lentil Chili and Spicy Polenta

I was inspired to make chili by the lovely peppers I picked up from New Roots Farm at the Portsmouth Farmer's Market on Saturday. I hadn't cooked in a long time and I was ready to get back in the kitchen!

Peppers and onions- the base of the chili

I have been experimenting with a chipotle polenta also and I figured I'd give it another shot while I was concocting my chili. The first time I made it, the polenta came out dense, flavorless and way too spicy. However, this time around, the polenta came out fabulous with the right amount of seasoning, herbs and spice. The polenta serves as a nice base for the chili, but I've also used rice and quinoa as a starchy component to serve with the chili in the past.

Polenta bubbling away

This is a really nice dish that yields plenty of leftovers. The chili can be dressed up with sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt), a little cheddar cheese, guacamole or tortilla chips. The chili and polenta are easily transformed into vegan dishes if the dairy garnishes are omitted as well as the butter and cheese in the polenta.

Red and green lentils simmering

Lentil Chili

3/4 cup green lentils
1 and a 1/4 cup red lentils
4 cups water
4 medium bell peppers, chopped
2 carrots, diced
1/2 medium onion, chopped
4 tablespoons cilantro
1/2 bottle beer
2 chipotle peppers, minced
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ancho chili powder (can substitute an extra tablespoon of chili powder)
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons cumin
2 tablespoon cocoa powder ( I would recommend using organic cocoa powder to prevent off flavors)
Dash of cinnamon
1- 28 oz can of tomatoes (Muir Glen Fire Roasted is my favorite)
1 teaspoon tomato paste
Veggie broth
Olive oil

My apologies- it's hard to make chili look sexy in pictures

Cook lentils with 4 cups of water for approximately 20 minutes or until slightly softened and drain water. While lentils are cooking, add onion, peppers and carrots into a deep pot with a little olive oil and salt and pepper. Cook until all the veggies are softened. Add the 1/2 bottle of beer to the mixture and let reduce by about half. Once reduced, add the chipotles and cilantro. Take the drained lentils and combine with the vegetable mixture. Add in about a cup of veggie broth, the spices and tomatoes. Mixing occasionally, cook the the chili for about an hour or until all the spices marry together beautifully. Feel free to add more veggie broth during the cooking process to make a more loose chili.

Spicy Polenta

1 cup dry polenta (I prefer Bob's Red Mill brand)
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup water
Fresh cilantro, minced
1 chipotle pepper, minced
Salt
Pepper
Butter (optional)
Cheddar cheese (optional)

The finished product! Yummy chili over polenta!

Cook the polenta with two cups of veggie broth and 1 cup of water according to package directions. About 5 minutes before the end of the cooking time, add in the cilantro, salt, pepper, butter and cheese. Stir together and allow the polenta to finish cooking. Once done, pour the polenta into a pie plate and let set until cool.

Serve a scoop of chili with a slice of the spicy polenta, cheese, guacamole, yogurt or sour cream and some tortilla chips. YUM!

Happy eating! 

Tourist in Our Own Town

My apologies for the lag in posts! The hazy, busy days of summer have gotten the better of me for the last few months. Despite the lag in posts, many fun things have been happening in the Allgood Eats world and I've got a whole lot of posts lined up.

Kev and I had the opportunity last weekend to attend a marriage retreat at the Holiday Inn in Portsmouth, which is quite close to home. The retreat itself was illuminating and extremely helpful in reminding us to take the time to work on our relationship, amidst the house craziness, job craziness and all the other extracurricular craziness. However, the best part of the retreat was the Saturday "date night".

Because our hotel was right in Portsmouth and we were out of the retreat by 4:30 that day, we were able to walk to downtown and do all the fun, touristy things that we don't usually get to do on a typical trip to Portsmouth. We went to Atrezzi for the "life-changing cheese" and free wine-tasting (you'll love the burly Irishman serving the cheese and wine- check it out if you haven't before). We went to Corks and Curds for more free wine tasting, where we tried a delightful rose. We went down to the decks where we stood watching bait fish and huge striped bass circle each other for a while.

When we got tired of the crowds, we escaped the heat and went into Two Ceres Street for a drink, where Kev got a glass of malbec and I got a fabulous ginger pear martini (for $5! Check out Two Ceres Street for happy hour). When asked what he thought of the drink, the bartender replied that it was "rugged" and a good way to start the night. It tasted pretty much like pure pear vodka to me with some candied ginger pieces at the bottom. But hey, we were on "vacation" so we just went with it. As we are wont to do, we befriended two ladies at the bar and learned that one of them was celebrating the 20th anniversary of her heart transplant. What an amazing story!

We bid our new friends adieu and headed to Cava for dinner. In our years of living on the seacoast, we had never been to Cava, even though our friends always raved about the place. We sat in a cozy, almost private corner on the patio and fawned over the menu. Kev and I love tapas and, since I force him to share all of his meals with me anyways, tapas are a good way for each of us to get something we like. We split a celebratory bottle of cava (we figured we'd celebrate our three-year wedding anniversary a few days early) and started to plan our meal.

We started dinner off with roasted medjool dates, manchego cheese and serrano ham. The dish came with six dates, stuffed and wrapped, and I couldn't help but save one for dessert because it was so heavenly. What followed was a parade of Iberico and serrano ham dishes, a flank steak with roasted corn dish, patatas bravas, croquettes, scallop ceviche (the perfect intermezzo between dinner and dessert), the triple creme cheese plate with raspberries and, the crowning glory, the hot chocolate churros. Each bite was exquisite, topped with bubbly cava and kissed with camaraderie from our spectacular night together. The staff at Cava was wonderful and our server Patrick was helped solidify the perfect evening.

We walked back to the hotel that evening hand in hand. The next day, everyone at the retreat talked about their date night and we raved about ours. When asked afterwards what our ideal date would be like the other couples replied "a Nascar weekend" or a trip to a Star Trek convention, or heading down to Foxwoods for a weekend. When it came to our turn, Kev replied, "pretty much exactly what we did last night".

After the retreat ended around noon on Sunday, Kev and I geared up and went for a run along the beach. We parked at Rye Harbor State Park and ran north past all the beaches, lobster restaurants and Odiorne State Park. The run itself had breathtaking views and the time spent together was priceless. At the end, we jumped in the water, ate lunch and headed home, salty, sweaty and happy.

So, the moral of the story is to get out there and be a tourist in your own town. Rediscover why you love where you live and, if you can, make a staycation out of it. Staying in a hotel only 15 minutes from where we live was so much fun, but gave us the freedom to have a few drinks and walk back instead of worrying about who would be driving. We already live in a beautiful area and exploring the restaurants, shops and ocean-side scenery is not a bad way to spend a weekend.

Field and Spoon Dinners

ReRootEd is a great program through Seacoast Local that is focused on promoting the local food community. This summer, ReRootEd has put together some unique fundraising events- the Field and Spoon dinner series.

The Field and Spoon dinners pair area chefs with farmers to create amazing, local meals that will be served in a beautiful farm setting. The Field and Spoon series kicks off next weekend on June 3rd at Tuckaway Farm in Lee, NH.

Get your tickets now! Space is limited. Trust me, these events will be absolutely fabulous. These events are a must for local foodies.

Snacks!

My sister recently asked me what I eat for snacks during the day. I wrote her a lengthy Facebook post on the matter and I figured that information would be beneficial here!

I snack throughout the day to keep my blood sugar levels constant and to stave off cravings. Kev can tell when I'm hungry because my mood starts to change and, to that end, I keep snacks in my purse and in my car. My mother also maintains that I starved in a previous lifetime, due to my need to have food around me at all times. 

One major snack criteria for me is that they are easily portable. I can't have food spilling all over my purse!

A rare look at the inside of my purse and my snack collection.

• Fresh fruit
• You can't beat how easy it is to throw an apple or banana (or both, in my case) into your bag.  

• Popcorn

• My friends know that I am absolutely addicted to popcorn since I serve it whenever people come over to the house. A recent study found that popcorn is packed with healthy antioxidants, making it a healthy snack. I pop my kernels in oil, but then I douse my popcorn with some yummy chili-garlic vinegar and sea salt- my healthy version of salt and vinegar chips. Check out my previous popcorn post for fun topping ideas!
  

• Smoothies 
• Smoothies can be a meal unto themselves, but I will usually take a smaller portion to work with me to have around 3pm when my energy starts to fade. There are many variations of smoothies in my repertoire- check them out in this previous post! 

• Cheese sticks

• I choose low-fat cheese sticks. Cheese sticks have a good amount of protein (to promote fullness) and a good dose of calcium. 

• Applesauce 
• Individual, unsweetened applesauce cups are the way to go. I will usually snack on cheese sticks and applesauce at the same time to get a combination of protein, fat and carbs all in one sitting. 

• Greek yogurt
• Greek yogurt packs more protein than regular yogurt (upwards of 14-17 grams per 6 oz serving!). I prefer Chobani brand yogurt because it has less of a cottage cheese taste that some other Greek yogurts have. These yogurts have about 20 grams of sugar per serving, but it comes from the fruit and agave syrup. If this is the only sugar you're eating in a day, don't worry about it. Grab the plain yogurt cups and add your own toppings if you want to avoid the sugar.

• Roasted almonds
• Almonds are so addictive and they are so easy to keep around. I buy almonds in bulk and roast them myself. Feel free to buy pre-roasted almonds if you don't want to buy in bulk.

• Carrot sticks
• Yup, it may seem like rabbit food, but carrot sticks are yummy with a little bit of hummus or other fun dip.

• Granola
• A handful of granola goes a long way to staving off hunger for me. Granola is incredibly simple to make at home and you can sprinkle some in plain yogurt for a super yummy treat. I'll be posting a fun granola recipe soon- stay tuned!

When I polled my Facebook friends, I found out that one of my mom's favorite snacks are "brussell sprouts, roasted with a touch of olive oil, lemon juice and black pepper left at room temp". I am intrigued by this, since we never ate these growing up, mostly due to the fact that my father referred to brussel sprouts as "brussel farts". I'm happy to see that she's embraced these now :) 


I also learned that my friend Kerrah is addicted to ak-maks with hummus. Ak-maks, which are crackers, were unfamiliar to me, but I'm ready to check those out now! 


Anyone else have some favorite snacks you would like to share?

Letter Carriers Food Drive!

It's time for the National Association of Letter Carriers' Food Drive! Tomorrow on May 12 you can leave a bag of non-perishable food items near your mailbox and your letter carrier will pick it up to distribute to a local food pantry. This is the program's 20th year in operation and over the lifetime of the program 1.1 billion pounds of food has been donated and collected. Drop a bag off at your mailbox before heading out to the farmer's markets tomorrow!

For more info on the program check out these links:

http://www.helpstampouthunger.com/

http://www.nalc.org/commun/foodrive/index.html

https://www.facebook.com/StampOutHunger