Veteran Built and a side of Apple Pie

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Veteran Built and a side of Apple Pie

So on to that side of Apple Pie…what could be more American than serving in the military and loving apple pie?! :) Matt saw the bowl of red local macintosh apples that were waiting for our boys to eat them and asked when were we going to have apple pie?? Done. I used the salted caramel I recently made from Jane Soudah’s cookbook, ‘Delightful Desserts’ and baked the Salted Caramel Apple Pie for dessert. Our whole family so enjoyed this apple pie, that Matt has already requested it as our dessert for our Thanksgiving with our extended family. We did serve this pie warmed with a scoop or 2 of Steve’s Bourbon Vanilla and a Salted Caramel ice cream. YUM!!

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Polenta Portabellos

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Polenta Portabellos

Rainy days make me want to eat, oh heck, all I think about is eating. This blogging venture can prove to be a challenge with all the food I am making plus the colder shorter days - yikes, I better start blogging about lemon, sea salt and water. Anyways, our sea salt harvester, Matt took a much needed break away (it’s been a good 2 and a half years of non-stop small biz) to take a road trip with his brother, father, and best friend to visit his grandfathers’ alma mater and see a football game at the University of Notre Dame. It was 5 days of good times with the ‘boys’ and major food enjoying. ;) Matt just returned to Newport on Monday and I had made a comforting corn chowder and next up was this dish ‘Polenta Portobellos’ from Erin Gleeson’s Forest Feast cookbook. When people ask about possible recipes to go along with our sea salt I like to have a few I can mention for each season and this is definitely a keeper. The aroma of the portobello mushrooms with olive oil and minced garlic with our rosemary and thyme sea salt roasting in the oven was fantastic. Scroll to the end of the post for the recipe and if you prepare it let me know what you think….Bon Appetit and stay salty!

I will leave you with a few photos from Matt’s weekend away

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Salted Caramel Sauce and a Story....→

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Salted Caramel Sauce and a Story....

Fall in New England welcomes the most gorgeous colors of orange and red to our foliage with cooler temperatures and the need to stay cozy with comfort food. From hearty lentil and vegetable soups to pumpkin muffins, bread, coffees, well pumpkin everything to apple pies and crumbles - Ooooh, I want it all! (Good thing, we have a spin bike in our basement and running shoes ready at the door!) I have been perusing cookbooks for inspiration to fill our growing boys’ growing appetites for all things Fall and delicious. As this past Sunday was a total wash-out and so was our 12-year-old’s State Cross Country Meet, it was the perfect day to get cooking/creating. Matt got an early start with a slow simmering meat stew. I wanted to make an apple pie with a salted caramel sauce, because every Sunday dinner needs a dessert, right?! However, we were running out of time as we were taking our boys to Jane Pickens Theater to see ‘To Kill a Mockingbird"‘. I was going to cheat…yup, you heard me, I was going to cut a corner and buy salted caramel ready to go, but I resisted the temptation for convenience and fear..more on that fear later and decided to make my own.

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Moules Frites - My Favorite Summer Meal

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Who am I kidding…this is my ALL-time, all-season favorite meal! Mussels, white wine, onions, garlic, shoestring french fries, and a baguette to soak up all that lovely, super flavorful broth - HECK YEAH!!!

Recently, we had been on a crazy juggling exercise of business and family schedules and throw in our 12 year-old Connor’s all-star game travel series for good measure. ;) We were so looking forward to relaxing at his Sunday early evening baseball game at the picturesque Marine Field overlooking the Newport Harbor when the gray ominous clouds rolled in and the skies opened up to a deluge of torrential rain. Well, there went that game. In place, we set up our newly acquired and freshly painted mini picnic table (Thank you, Sass) with a mussel spread that would make a nostalgic New Englander proud! I seriously cannot get enough of these beautiful navy blue bivalve mollusks with a pearly blue shelled interior….and they are so inexpensive to buy. For a couple pounds that can feed our family of 4 - they come in at $10! So think twice when you order them at a restaurant as they are so easy to make at home and serve al fresco on a porch like we did. Enjoy the summer friends!


Moules Frites a la Mullins

Ingredients:

  • 2 lb. mussels, de-bearded and scrubbed

  • 1/4 cup of Olive Oil

  • 1/2 cup dry white wine

  • 2 tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed

  • Sliced garlic - 2 cloves

  • Chopped Parsley

  • Cherry tomatoes (gave a pop of color!) - handful or 2

  • 1 medium sliced shallot

  • A splash of seafood broth

  • Crusty baguette!!

  • Shoestring Fries

  • Rosemary and Thyme Newport Sea Salt Co.

How-To:

Well, our how-to as there are so many many ways to ‘Moules-Frites’….

  • Shortcut: Take freezer shoestring fries and pop them into a pre-heated oven…meanwhile have all your ingredients ready to go.

  • First, heat olive oil and butter in a 12” high-sided skillet over low heat.

  • Take chopped shallots and throw it into the skillet, the aroma will envelop your kitchen…

  • After approx. 6 minutes, add sliced garlic and lightly sea salted tomatoes to skillet…

  • Let “marry” for a few minutes, then add white wine (that you enjoy) to the skillet, take a sip of your own and chat for a minute, and then add a splash of seafood broth…still with me???

  • Add scrubbed and de-bearded mussels, season with a sprinkle of sea salt, bring up to medium-high and COVER your skillet…

  • Cook, occasionally shaking skillet, until all mussels are opened, about 5 minutes.

  • Open the lid….and smell the DIVINE aroma waft out of the mussel heaven pan…..Divide mussels, only if you want to share between 2 large bowls or if you want to save some dishes just serve from the pan and throw those fries in, baby! I sprinkle our shoestring fries with our Rosemary and Thyme Sea Salt and serve with a mustard aioli…let me know if you would like that recipe…;)

  • Add friends and family around your picnic table and enjoy! OH>>>>>and serve chilled white wine or beer…it completes this meal!

    CHEERS!

Strawberry Bruschetta to welcome Summertime

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Strawberry Bruschetta to welcome Summertime

Oh my, it has been a very long time since I have posted any recipes. I take the photos, share them on Instagram, but then stop the creativity train there. Matt told me it doesn’t have to be perfect, and that kind of released me from the blog paralysis…well sort of. If I could only talk in pictures then everything would be great in my world - words do not come too easily to me. So, let me stumble through this post. However, I get to talk about food here and friends and that is enjoyable.

Speaking of enjoyable, our Krause friends are back in town for the summer from Colorado. We love when Jillian arrives with her family as one, we know summer is finally here, and two, Jillian loves to talk recipes, create, lets me take heaps of photos, and she doesn’t mind our super teeny kitchen space. Our kids hang well and so do we! Last summer, Jillian brought over a tray full of freshly picked beautiful red juicy summer lovin’ strawberries and ingredients to make a berry bruschetta AND wait for it….strawberry margaritas. We seriously have some of the most awesome friends!

We are already planning for another al fresco recipe night with Jillian. There is talk of clam chowder and lobstah’s. Stay tuned!


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May Awakening

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Hello from Newport Sea Salt Co.!

I am happy to report that with the arrival of the month of May, our City-by-the-Sea is starting to knock off the winter sleepies and extra layers. Well, we may be in less layers, however Matt is still tugging on his waders during collection time. Not shorts weather yet, friends - although very soon!

Two things I have realized:

1. I went into blog hibernation (sorry) .

2. I missed writing and taking pictures for our small business.

As the Spring season helps awaken mother nature, I am feeling a little bit awakened too! So, I will see you on here a bit more.

New Location!

I was able to join Matt on some deliveries today. The Cheese Wheel in Tiverton has welcomed us to their shelves. You can find a large array of high quality artisan cheeses, as well as an assortment of charcuterie, jams, and accompaniments and a multitude of local provisions like our sea salt and Beth Bakes Gluten Free Crackers and their own eggs….aren’t they lovely looking???!

Happy Spring and Stay Salty!

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with a Side Story

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Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with a Side Story

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Parmesan Crisps

It has taken me a long time to write this as this recipe has quite the story attached to it. 

In New England, it has been a winter of frigid cold temperatures followed with short dark days where I feel like bears have it right with this hibernating thing. Wake me when spring is here. 

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And that's a Wrap to 2017!

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And that's a Wrap to 2017!

Hello there and Happy delicious and inspiring New Year to you! I know I have said this before in other posts, but I will say it again - Whew! It has been a whirlwind of activity both personally and professionally for our Newport Sea Salt family. During our first small business Christmas season, we moved into our old home in Newport from military housing. This was our first move ever that did not involve moving out of state, across country or across the ocean - but just across town. It was the shortest move we have ever made, but not the easiest. As snow came down as well as the cold temperature, we watched as box after box came into our home marked ‘nick nacks’ and books waiting to find a cozy spot in our extra small home. Matt and I just looked at each other with a bit of bewilderment, but smiled and started to unpack - and decorate for Christmas. Did I mention that between the move and the crazy holiday season that it was business as usual?! And not usual by any means, as we had vendors calling us with replenishing requests and new orders to stock their shelves. It was AH-MAZING.

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