The first Friday in 
The first Friday in March was a day we've had circled on our calendar since October. It's the day that Penguin's Snoballs on Little Creek, in Norfolk, opened back up again for the season. Penguin's was our summer 2016 hangout with friends, and when it closed it felt like that episode of 90210 when the Peach Pit is in danger. What would we do without it?

But luckily Penguin's is back and just as great as ever, with the same fluffy New Orleans shaved ice, the dozens of interesting flavors (red velvet cake? cherimoya?), and delicious toppings (condensed milk! Chili lime!) The staff is so friendly and will gladly let you taste test to find the perfect flavor combination. We were so surprised that they remembered us and all of our little munchkins (or maybe we just really did go there all. the. time.)

In any event, we are looking forward to another spring and summer full of deliciousness.

The Sunday before Gus was born, wayyyyy back a whole two weeks ago, we met up with friends in Mathews for the annual Mathews Market Days celebration. It was the perfect way to get ready for the fall season (and to walk a baby out, apparently). Even if it was still almost 90 degrees, the Middle Neck is looking gorgeous this time of year, there are definitely hints of autumn all around, from the beginning-to-brown corn fields to the early morning mists to the fishing and crabbing boats on the rivers and marshes. Plus there is just something fall-like about spending an afternoon in a picturesque small town, where everybody seems to know each other and are glad to welcome you and show off the best of what they have to offer.

Market day highlights: The kids' play area (new this year!), lunch at the Southwind Cafe, browsing the stellar book sale at the Mathews Memorial Library, and watching the dads play the hit-the-anvil strong man game (hubba hubba).

There are a few more local(ish) fall festivals coming up that we have penciled in on the calendar -- I don't know if our baby schedule will allow us to make most of them, but I'm posting them anyway because they really sound too good to be missed.

West Point Crab Carnival (October 2-3) | Fall Festival of Folklife (Newport News, October 3-4) | Phoebus Fall Festival (Hampton, October 10) | Chippokes Harvest and Halloween Festival (Surry, October 17) | Virginia Thanksgiving Festival at Berkeley Plantation (Charles City, November 1) | Urbanna Oyster Festival (November 6-7) |

Am I the only person who is completely taken in by the idea of a crab carnival? It sounds so deliciously festive. The name is a draw in itself, good job West Point tourism board!

Locals, have you been to any of these? What did you think?

Anouk doesn't remember our first food truck dining experience way back in 2012! But she has been fascinated with the idea of food trucks lately and asking to have a food truck feast all summer (it's on our Not Bummer Summer list ... stay tuned for another update later this week). I'm not exactly sure what she expected she would find but I think it was probably something Willy Wonka/Hansel and Gretelish, like giant vehicles made of food? With donuts for headlights and bananas for fenders?

What we actually did find when we visited the Hub, the Hampton Roads area's first permanent food truck park: Four of the area's best food trucks (there's a rotating roster each day) parked in a little green space between 7th and 8th streets at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront. Music being played on a patio, picnic tables set up under colorful umbrellas and people playing cornhole under twinkling lights strung through the trees.

We tried to sample something from every truck. Our faves were the bibimbap and fresh mango juice from Seoul757Taco and the BBQ pizza from Bodacious. YUM! Some of the trucks we were really looking forward to seeing weren't there the evening we visited, but that just means we'll have to go back soon.

So yes, no donut-mobiles but still pretty awesome and a great place to hang out on a Saturday night. Would love to see more permanent or semi-regular food truck parks spring up around the area (Town Point Park, Ocean View Beach Park, I'm looking at YOU).

Way back when, I did an internship with the DC area food bank and one of the tasks I was given was coming up with easy, healthy recipes that people who came to the food bank could make with the food they were given. The recipes had to use ingredients from the boxes they received, and they had to involve minimal cooking (since many of our customers didn't know how to cook or have access to stoves). One easy recipe that could provide a nutrient punch? Trail mix.

In the years after my time at the food bank, I worked as a camp counselor, student teacher, and now a mom, and have had plenty of time to refine my trail mix recipe. And I learned: there's a formula for making the perfect trail mix and it looks something like this:

3 cups grain (think pretzels, puffed rice, cereal, cheerios)
1 cup nuts
1 cup dried fruit
1/2 cup something sweet (think mini marshmallows, white or dark chocolate chips, m&ms)
1/3 cup seeds (pumpkin and sunflower are our faves)

Trail mix is one of mine and A.'s favorite things to make at home, it involves no real cooking but lots of measuring and stirring (which feels like cooking to a little kid). And she can pick the ingredients she prefers, within the parameters of the recipe, which is also big deal for my independent "I'll do it myself!" toddler on the cusp.

The trail mix we're currently snacking on is 3 cups pretzel chips, 1 cup pistachios, 1 cup dried cranberries, 1/2 cup white chocolate chips, 1/3 cup sunflower seeds. Yum!

Do you have a favorite trail mix recipe?

One of my biggest pregnancy cravings this time around has been for salads, which is strange because I am definitely not a salad kind of person. But nowadays, I want to make them for dinner almost every night. The only problem is getting everyone else to agree to salad night (In James land, salads are appetizers and in Anouk land a bowl of leaves is ehhhh...). This tortellini salad pleases everyone, it's fresh and green enough for me but filling and substantial enough for everybody else.

Arugula and Tortellini Salad (very, very slightly adapted from Mama Miss)

16 oz bag frozen tortellini
1/3 cup pesto
1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
8 oz bag arugula
fresh Pecorino, shaved (the original recipe calls for parmesan, which is also delicious)
salt and pepper to taste

Cook and drain tortellini according to package instructions. In a bowl, combine pesto and yogurt and stir. Rinse and dry arugula and add to large bowl, add cooked tortellini and pesto/yogurt sauce. Toss to combine, top with cheese, add salt and pepper to taste.

I am always looking for ways to spice up (literally) our dinner rotation that are quick and easy to make and I think I found it in this flavorful Mediterranean stew from 365 Slow Cooker Suppers, my favorite cookbook ever. At first the combination of ingredients sounds weird (tomatoes? chickpeas?) but it is strangely addictive and there is literally nothing like it I've ever tasted. Not to mention that we are huge fans of green olives, and there don't seem to be too many recipes that use them as a focal point, so double bonus!

I REALLY can't say enough about 365 Slow Cooker Suppers, while a lot of slow cooker recipes can be boring or bland, this features tons of creative and easy recipes inspired by world cuisine. We really love it and use it almost every day and so far I've bought the book as gifts for three people. (If I know you IRL, you might be next...)

Ingredients:

6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 14.5 ounce can of fire-roasted tomatoes, undrained
1 15 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup pitted green olives (we like more -- maybe 3/4 cup)
3 cups chicken broth
1.25 cups rice*

*the original recipe calls for 2 cups quinoa but we prefer the rice

Directions:

Place the chicken into the insert and add all the spices. Top with the tomatoes and chickpeas. Add the olives, and stir in the broth. Cover, and cook on low for 6 hours or on high for about 3 hours. When the cooking time has elapsed, carefully remove the chicken from the pot and set aside. Pour in the rice and stir well. Cover, and cook on high for 30-40 minutes or until the rice is bite tender. Let side with the lid off to release condensation before serving with the chicken.

If you don't fool with slow cookers, you can make this the same way we do on nights where dinner is a last minute affair: by chunking the chicken and then throwing everything into a stewpot over medium heat until it's cooked through (about an hour, start to finish). I love one-pot wonders.

Next up: scheduling a date night to sample some of those pizzas.



^^ My thoughts exactly, little B. Thanks for summing it up.

We heard the news that a Duck Donuts was coming to Virginia Beach a few months ago. Last week, we drove by and saw the Virginia Beach Boulevard location had finally opened, so we went in and got breakfast. Talk about starting the day off right!

With this latest spate of rainy days, things are really greening up around town and it seems spring is officially in full swing. Which also means that a lot of local farmers markets are opening for the season! We are big fans of buying local produce whenever we can, and so this time of year is a little like Christmas for our family. Below are some of our favorite markets in the area but we're always looking to add new ones. What are your favorite #HRVA farm markets? And what do you buy there?

1. New Earth Farm: Out Pungo way in Virginia Beach, this organic farm sells some amazing fruits and vegetables in season, some of which you would be hard pressed to find even on a Whole Foods shelf! In years past, we visited New Earth Farm for heaps of watermelon radishes, sunchokes, and tatsoi, fresh eggs, and even seedlings and seeds to start our own garden. It helps that the people are so nice, too. Thats New Earth Farm in the header photo -- look at that Baby A., so happy at the thought of eating some New Earth veggies. Open: Saturdays, 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. 

2. Tidewater Community College Greens on the Green: I love this market because it's right smack dab in the middle of downtown Norfolk on the TCC campus. It's a smaller market but so convenient! Open: First and third Thursdays, 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM. 

3. Suffolk Farmers Market: The Suffolk Farmers Market is having its grand opening for the season this Saturday and everybody will be out to help celebrate, from the Suffolk Art League to the Teeny Tiny Petting Zoo. In addition to eatables, this market also features local handmade crafts, well worth the drive if you're farther away. Open: Wednesdays from 3:00 to 6:00 PM, Saturdays from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. 

4.  Five Points Farm Market: Five Points feels more like a general store than a traditional farmers market, but I'm including it on the list because it really is a gem. In addition to local meats and produce, honey, breads, and desserts, there's a great little library with books on all sorts of healthy-living topics and there's also the Get Fresh Cafe, one of our favorite places to grab a quick lunch. Open: Thursday and Friday, 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM, Saturday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and Sunday, 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM (year round!)

5. Williamsburg Farmer's Market: The Williamsburg Farmers Market is truly a CW attraction in its own right with an impressive list of vendors. There's often local music and bonus! offerings from local vineyards, too. This Saturday, they are hosting their Children's Day. Open: 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM. 

Over at Fun and Free Hampton Roads, I also wrote about the Atlantic Coast Kite Festival coming up at the Oceanfront this weekend. It's perfect kite-flying weather, so click on over. Have a great weekend, everybody!

On our snow-day-before-last (? they've all started to blend together), when boredom was setting in with a vengeance, I learned how to make bagels at home. This might sound really stupid, but I'm not sure I ever really knew that you could make bagels at home. I mean, I guess I knew ONE could, but not an average person like me. I think I thought you needed special training or equipment or something like that.

Turns out -- you can make bagels at home! You make the dough, you let it rise the appropriate number of times, and then you boil your bagels in water before baking them in a very hot oven. It's all a lot simpler than it seems it should be (although once you get going things move pretty quickly, which is why we have only iPhone photos to mark this post, sorry about that).

And yes, I will admit that ours are not the most attractive bagels ever but you have to trust me: they are so, so good. I never had had a fresh, just out-of-the-oven bagel before and now that I have, I don't think I can ever go back.

We've sampled several different recipes over the past few weeks but keep coming back to this one for New York Style Bagels by the Sophisticated Gourmet because 1) it's tastiest and 2) you don't have to let the dough proof overnight, which I hate because I am impatient. We like this recipe so much that we've been making up a batch every Sunday. A. really loves the whole play-dough aspect of this recipe and I really love having my family together in the kitchen baking for the week ahead, it seems like such a wholesome (read: generally unlike us) thing to do. And James really loves these bagels with butter, and he's not a carb guy, so that's saying something.

Happy Thursday!

I was going to post today about the St. Patrick's Day parade on Saturday and our after-parade party at our house. Our first year living on the parade route, a big deal! Sadly, James and I came down with the flu Friday night and spent the weekend in bed while A. went to the parade (and then home) with my folks. So we have no parade photos (though it sounded fun, judging from the ruckus on our street).

Instead, I thought I would share one of my favorite sick-day recipes, which also happens to be a traditional Irish recipe, a happy coincidence. I whipped up a batch of champ yesterday, as soon as my appetite came back. It's one of those comfort foods that can't help but appeal to you, no matter what else is going on. Simple and hearty and good.

Ingredients:

4 lbs potatoes, peeled
3/4 cup milk (we used soy)
1 bunch spring onions
5 tbsp butter
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Boil potatoes in salted water until fork tender. Mash thoroughly (I like to use my Kitchenaid for this, with the paddle attachment). Slice the spring onions thinly and simmer in saucepan over low heat with the milk (do not let the milk boil). Add hot milk and scallions and salt and pepper to mashed potatoes. Top with more butter, and serve.

We're feeling much better but still taking it easy today. I'm going to curl up with Anouk and watch Darby O'Gill and the Little People (young Sean Connery! Singing!) Happy St. Pat's, all.

 

When my friend Molly first told me about Zeke's Beans and Bowls, out by the Oceanfront in Virginia Beach, I wasn't quite convinced. A coffee shop -- that also serves Hawaiian food? How do those two things even remotely go together? But after our visit last month, I was more than willing to admit I was wrong. It works. It just does.

We arrived on a snowy afternoon with three kids (one of them our very own Zeke) and a hankering for lunch, and ordered up smoothies and PB&Js and poke bowls, mounds of raw tuna served over rice and smothered in green onions and wasabi peas. You can see the photo, above -- it looked so pretty in person that when I saw the waiter coming toward our table with it, I actually said out loud, "Oooh, I hope that's mine!" Each bite was a burst of flavor and the latte that I ordered with it was strong enough to make me forget about a morning of toddler antics and fortify me for the afternoon ahead.

I haven't come across anything quite like it anywhere else in the area, which is saying a lot (if you follow our 12 in 12 project, you can see that we also ♥ eating out). But the food, despite how good it is, was only one of the great things about Zeke's. The other was the atmosphere -- laid back and quirky. The kids really enjoyed exploring Zeke's vintage decor -- looking at the painted signs, poking through the stacks of vintage record albums and playing with the "analog computer" (aka old-school typewriter).

Thank you everybody at Zeke's! And thank you, too, guy at the neighboring table, who didn't side eye us once despite our very enthusiastic (and vocal) kid contingent.