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broccoli | virginia is for hunter-gatherers
Showing posts with label broccoli. Show all posts
Showing posts with label broccoli. Show all posts

Saturday, November 24, 2012

We had a full house this Thanksgiving. Brent's mom, Kathy, did an amazing job decorating the table for us.
Hey everyone!

We hope you've enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving and are recovering from the food comas with rest and relaxation this weekend. ;) Having successfully hosted our first Thanksgiving, I (Heather) am feeling a bit sentimental.

Friday, September 7, 2012


This recipe was a bit of an experiment, as we had the cedar planks left from an earlier cooking adventure, and it felt like the right time to break them out.  Most directions recommend soaking them for at least an hour, but we only soaked them 30 minutes and lived to tell the tale.

You'll need:
  • 2 pork chops
  • 2 cedar planks
  • roughly 1 cup chopped of each:
    • mushrooms
    • red onion
    • broccoli
  • tbsp olive oil/coconut oil
  • 2-3 tbsp Koops Horseradish Mustard
While the planks soaked in the sink, we placed the pork chops in a bag with the mustard to marinate.  We probably used 2-3 tablespoons, but feel free to add/subtract to your liking of mustard.  We cooked the chops at 350ºF, so if you'd also like to preheat your oven now, that's not a bad thing.


If you don't already have an egg slicer, do get one.  I'm pretty sure I got mine at the dollar store.  They're great for the obvious slicing of eggs for salads and the like, but also amazing for mushrooms, as you can see.  More uniform cuts, less fuss, less muss.  Ok.  Informercial done.


Once your oven is ready to go, place the planks in a baking dish (or create a pseudo-baking dish with foil on a cookie sheet), and add on the chops and assorted vegetables.  We then drizzled the vegetables with olive oil and sprinkled some sea salt.  


And into the oven they went for 30 minutes.


Afterwards they looked great.



And tasted greater.

On an unrelated note, we will be doing our FIRST EVER GIVEAWAY next week, so keep your eyes here (or on twitter and facebook) to get more details.  Sorry for the ambiguity and build up, but I can't help it!


Sunday, August 26, 2012


Yesterday we completed our first Spartan race: The Mid-Atlantic Super Spartan 2012. It was 8 miles with over 75 obstacles (that's a world record!), and we loved it. We're both a bit sore and we have some scraps and bruises, but we feel great. We finished in under three hours and next year, we're determined to do it in less than two. ;)

Anyways, to celebrate, we got nice New York Strip steaks for dinner tonight. We enjoyed these delicious cuts of meat from Whole Foods with a side dish that Brent dreamed up while we were wandering through the Costco.

While he grilled the steaks, I created this simple, sweet and savory sauté per his suggestion. (Woo, check out that little bit of alliteration! ...sorry, word nerd alert, haha.) We hope you enjoy it!

Broccoli-Mushroom Sauté

Thursday, August 16, 2012


Hearty and savory, we think you are going to love this stuff!

Brent aptly pointed out that it is very reminiscent of split-pea soup. But we agree, it's so much better than that! It's thick and rich... First, you taste that bold broccoli. Then, a hint of asparagus, quickly followed by a smokey, salty, bacon-y goodness. Last, but not least, a warmth from the red pepper flakes rounds out the flavors on your palate.

Warning: this recipe makes A LOT of soup. How much is A LOT? Four quarts. Or 16 cups. Or 3.78541 liters. Yea... it's A LOT. We froze one quart immediately. I'm excited to have it on hand once the weather chills out a bit. 

Asparagus, Bacon and Broccoli Soup 

Sunday, May 13, 2012



Yesterday we hosted our first BBQ since moving into our new home. We love entertaining and it's so great to have a huge backyard and a full-sized grill. Plus, our new house is plenty big and not all of our "living space" furniture is crammed into one room anymore! I think last night's BBQ was a great success--everyone seemed to really enjoy the food, beverages and conversation. YAY! 


We had burgers, brats, a veggie platter, a fruit platter, and our friends each brought a little something to share. There were crackers and olives stuffed with anchovies and wine and these OMG-to-die-for-sweet potato fries baked with pumpkin pie spices (Thanks, Nicole and Brian--you two are brilliant!). Are you drooling yet? Well, if not, I think you will be soon because I'm finally going to get the point of this post...


Coconut-Dill Veggie Dip