Hey Guys! This past week Brian and I spent some time relaxing on the sandy beaches of the Outer Banks in North Carolina! I’m still working on a vacation recap, but all you need to know was that the beaches are amazing and the ocean water is a perfect temp! Being a life long New Englander, we are used to FRIGID water. I recall the days when I was younger we’d have to “get numb” before we could play around in the water…yeah I don’t do that anymore ;) So this water felt AMAZING.
For now this beautiful sight
Another beautiful sight was this one that I saw when I walked in the door Saturday morning after an awesome run.
Oh yes, he did! I ran about 3.8 miles around Lexington (part of which I did on the Minuteman Bike Trail!) Then when I walked in the door I discovered a beautiful breakfast was minutes away!
We had a bag of red potatoes leftover from the trip and Brian mentioned something about home fries but I didn’t really think much of it.
He made home fries with fresh oregano and thyme from our garden.
Then made delicious Caprese style breakfast sandwiches with egg, fresh mozzarella, and tomato and basil from our garden!
I added some sliced banana and strawberries to round it out.
It was just the thing to re-fuel after my run and it was delicious!! A big THANKS to my awesome husband :)
The rest of the weekend consisted of re-organizing, errands, and more delicious food!
It was surprisingly cool and rainy today (which is actually a welcome change…maybe my lawn will turn back to green soon!), and it totally put me in the mood to cook and bake!
Also brought up a craving for a hot cappuccino…mmm foam
A compromise of a soup for a cool day but summer fresh ingredients were found in this Cooking Light recipe: Summer Squash and Corn Chowder
The actual recipe in the magazine had this soup served with bruschetta which I also made. 
The bruschetta was simple:
- mix chopped tomato, basil, a little bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and a sprinkle of salt
- toast bread/baguette on a baking sheet in the oven at 425 for 6 minutes.
- after removing from oven, rub a fresh garlic clove on each slice
- then top with tomato mixture
The soup had a fresh sweet flavor that was brought out by the corn! I used mostly fresh corn off the cob as opposed to frozen.
The blended corn + milk gives a great creaminess without any actual cream.
The best part is of course the toppings of sharp cheddar, bacon, and scallions :)
I also baked up some tasty apple walnut muffins based on the Moosewood Muffin recipe, but I am not liking how the pictures came out (still working the new camera when there’s no natural light). So, I shall do another muffin photo shoot in the morning with the sun shining in :)
It’s great to be home, but I am not looking forward to work tomorrow…boo! At least I had muffins to look forward too!
Enjoy your last hours of the weekend!
Everything looks delicious! Good luck at easing back into work. . .
ReplyDeletewe go to the outer banks for two weeks every year!! where'd you stay?
ReplyDeletesweet dreams loviee
becca xo
What a delicious spread. The man really made an incredible looking breakfast (love those home fries). And your dinner looks equally as good. I love corn chowder (especially with a little hot sauce on top). And every good soup requires bread, so the bruschetta was a great pairing. Hope your Monday is a breeze
ReplyDeleteWhat a delicious weekend. That's a beautiful breakfast. Question for you. I noticed that you were able to post multiple pictures under one post. I am on blogger also and use picaso and it only lets me post 4 pictures for each post. Could you let me know how you do that. Thanks
ReplyDeleteYou can email me at staceyhealthylife@gmail.com if you want.
Welcome back! I hope your vaca was wonderful. When we were down in the Outer Banks a few weeks ago, I was tempted to hang out in the lovely ocean water, but we were told by numerous credible sources that it is a highly shark-populated coastline. Yikes!
ReplyDeleteYay for husbands making breakfast! I think John needs to read this post & take some tips from Brian ;) The Caprese egg sandwiches look incredible - great idea!
Lauren, now you in the Outer Banks. I'm so jealous :)
ReplyDeleteYay for Brian making breakfast. Adam would never even THINK of doing something like that. Maybe I should forward him this post for ideas. hehe
We have a rainy week here in Boston. :(
What a great husband you have :) Thanks for posting the corn and squash soup link -- I have been thinking of making something similar. Love Cooking Light!
ReplyDeletewww.acambridgestory.com
I've been wanting to travel to that area. It looks beautiful!
ReplyDeleteYour man is a keeper. What a spread!
I'm so jealous you were somewhere where the water was actually warm! Lucky duck! And that sandwich looks absolutely amazing :)
ReplyDeleteSues
Yum. Those all look like fantastic eats. I cannot decide which sounds better! I have to say, water seems to be warm everywhere but new england. Now living in Chicago I've been shocked at how much warmer the water here is than in NE! It is lake water though.
ReplyDeleteAs a sidebar, I have a small favor to ask. I'm in the running for a recipe contest and would SO love your vote. To vote all you need to do is click the following link to view my video entry: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCkllXlndi4
And click the button that says you 'like it.' Note that if you don't have a youtube account yet it will prompt you to open one although I PROMISE it only takes a minute. If nothing else you get the amusement of seeing how awkward I look on camera.
and now I remember that I totally forgot to write back to your email about Greek dinner ideas. So sorry! But I have faith you came up with something fabulous, can't wait to read about it :)
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