Today we are thankful for you…Happy Thanksgiving!

It’s been almost three weeks since I last went on a run.   Gasp!  But sometimes your body needs rest, especially after running an Xterra trail 1/2 marathon race.  If you missed my post, here’s a recap.  So, this morning I started with my very own Turkey Trot around the neighborhood.  Great weather for a run if you ask me.  After my run, it was time to get cleaned up and start cooking our usual sides for Thanksgiving lunch at Grandma Parke’s.

I’m thankful my husband enjoys cooking.  He makes the best cranberry sauce ever.  Pretty simple too.  Just add fresh cranberries, water and sugar.

Stir and continue to stir until the cranberries are broken and it looks like jam.  Yum!  Some recipes call for a splash of orange juice or cinnamon sticks.

I prefer it this way.  Just cranberries and sugar. 🙂  Once he was done with the cranberry sauce, I made pan seared asparagus topped with crumbled blue cheese.  You can read about it here.

Thanksgiving at Grandma Parke’s is always so festive.  She really does a great job setting the decorations around the house.  I also like the fact that we celebrate one holiday at a time.  Her Christmas tree doesn’t go up till after Thanksgiving.

There are also great little reminders of how the family has grown.  This was a drawing made by Jordan Parke back in 2006.

Today, we are thankful for family.  We are also thankful for you, our customers, who in a way are family too.  Your continued support is greatly appreciated.  Happy Thanksgiving!

 

 

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Fast Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

With cold season in full swing, one of my favorite things to make is homemade chicken noodle soup.  There’s just something about all the colorful veggies in a steamy broth that makes me smile.  For my version of homemade chicken noodle soup, I start with the “Holy Trinity Trio” of onion, celery and carrots.  Saute the veggies for a few minutes with a little olive oil.

Onion, celery and carrots: “Holy Trinity Cooking Trio”

What makes my chicken noodle fast, is that I use chicken stock/broth instead of water.  After working a full day at the market, I don’t have time to make my own stock for the soup.   Sprinkle the chopped chicken breast pieces with Everglades Seasoning.

Japanese Rice Noodles

Here’s where I like to get creative.  You can add any kind of pasta for your “noodles” or even rice.  This time, I decided to use some Japanese rice noodles I had in my pantry.   Add the noodles and cook for a few more minutes.

This is definitively one of those meals were everyone wants more.  Cold or not, I enjoy having eating soup anytime of the year.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup:

1 medium onion

2 carrots, peeled, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

2 chicken breasts, diced

Everglades seasoning

44 oz chicken broth/stock

noodles

Start by sauteing the veggies with some olive oil.  Season chicken  with Everglades Seasoning.  Lightly brown the chicken pieces.  Add chicken stock and simmer for about 30 minutes.  Add noodles and follow package instructions.  Enjoy!

Are you a “soup person”? What’s your favorite soup?

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100% Fresh Pressed Apple Cider from PA available now…

For the past month, I’ve been pestering asking my husband for apple cider.  You see, eight years ago, we visited Connecticut in the fall for our friends’ wedding.  While we were visiting, we ventured to a local apple orchard and had the best apple cider ever.  This was our first time at an apple orchard.  Needless to say, we came back home with a ton of apples!

 

Now every October, when our friends celebrate their wedding anniversary I also remember our visit to the apple orchard and that wonderful apple cider.  Our new apple guy has been bringing us some amazingly fresh apples from Pennsylvania.  As luck would have it, he was able to get us some of this wonderfully fresh 100% pressed apple cider.

 

100% fresh pressed Apple Cider from Country Acres, Waynesboro, Pennsylvania.

 

Have you ever cooked with apple cider? Me neither.  Until I found this recipe from Rachel Ray.  The recipe calls for making your own apple sauce.  I skipped that step.  Instead, I just used two small containers of already made apple sauce.  I warmed it up with minced ginger and sprinkled it with nutmeg and cinnamon to taste.  Rachel Ray’s recipe calls for apple juice to deglaze the pan.  I chose our apple cider instead! And of course, I used our Troyer real butter.  Instead of salt and pepper, I used our Everglades Seasoning.

 

I served the apple sauce on the side for dipping, and pour the pan sauce over the pork chop.   I’ve never been a real fan of the pork and apple sauce combination until now.  The pan sauce was delicious.  It was salty and sweet and very flavorful.  The mixture of real butter and fresh apple cider in the pan sauce made our dinner taste kinda like apple pie!  But in a good way.  A very savory apple pie.

P.S. In case you are wondering, the salad is from ABC Pizza.  They make a great Greek salad. 😉

 

Have you ever cooked dinner with apple juice or cider?

 

 

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