Jersey Exploration: Alstede Farms for Fruit Picking

Our little guy has become quite the gardener thanks to working in our yard every day with his grandpa.  He loves carefully watering all the flowers and checking our strawberry plant, blueberry bush, and cherry tree each morning for ripe fruit.  So when we heard strawberry season had started at Alstede Farms, we knew he'd get a kick out of being surrounded by rows of berries prime for the picking.

It was actually a lot of fun for all of us!

And as we planned the trip to the farm, Mel realized that she had never actually had strawberry pie.  At first, this seemed inconceivable... but she really couldn't recall ever tasting it!  So of course, we had to pick one up from the farm's market. 

As our favorite fuzzy pal Daniel Tiger (who also enjoys strawberry picking) would say: it was deeeee-licious and yum-yum-yummy in our tum-tum-tummies!  

Zachos Inspired by Cookie Monster and Gonger

So for those who don't know, Cookie Monster for this generation now runs a food truck with his buddy, Gonger.  He promotes healthy eating and speaks of cookies as an "occasional treat."  Sometimes he'll invite celebrities to cook with him. 

Recently a segment with Ellie Kemper popped up on Mel's Facebook feed and, being a fan of both Cookie and Ellie, she decided to check it out.  Lucky decision because it turns out they were making zachos, a.k.a. zucchini nachos, a.k.a. our new favorite not-so-junky junk food!

Cookie's recipe seemed cool, but Mel googled for one that had a bit more spice to it: Best Zucchini Nachos.

 

As you can tell, it's not really rocket science to make.  And you can riff with it any way you please to include flavors you enjoy.  So we started with the basic seasoning of the zucchini as recommended in the recipe:

Once they were in the oven for about 5-6 minutes to slightly soften, we layered on shredded chicken (pre-cooked from Fresh Direct), black beans (our addition because we like nachos with beans)...

and a bag of "Mexican blend" shredded cheese. 

Since the chicken and beans were already cooked, the whole pan only had to stay in the oven for about 15 minutes until the cheese was melted to our liking.  Once out of the oven, we topped each plate with fresh avocado and salsa and it was FOODIE HEAVEN.

It's one of those things where the concept is so simple you wonder, "Why have I never thought to throw this together?"  You get all the fun flavors of nachos, a satisfying crunch from the zucchini, and absolutely zero guilt for indulging.  The best of all worlds!  We'll for sure be making zachos regularly.

Rotisserie Pulled Pork a la Grill Master

Grill Master DJ's new favorite hobby is experimenting with different cuts of meat on our rotisserie.  At the moment, he's starting to try out the method of slow roasting at a low heat like the real pitmasters.    

Stats for the First Slow Roast Attempt:

Heritage Pork Shoulder

2.3 lb

Grill Temp: 200-250 degrees

Time: 4 hours

End result:  AMAZING!  The smokiness from the wood chips totally penetrated the meat so you get that incredible flavor in every single bite.  Not to mention, the pork remained super juicy and tender through and through.

The only downside is that a very small cut of meat took a pretty long time.  DJ's dream is to get a huge pork shoulder and roast it for a party, but at the rate of 4 hours for only a 2-pounder we're not sure it can happen.  In the meantime, we'll certainly enjoy these smaller cuts for ourselves with a yummy side of veggies.  #NOMNOMNOM