Parsley is back!

Hey Everyone,

It’s great to be back! I’m returning to Parsley and Pom Poms pretty much the same person as when I left, except happier and a whole lot busier with our daughter Vanessa and a new home to look after. A lot has happened over the past year and a half. Mostly all great stuff that gives me a lot to share and talk about. I look forward to again channeling my passions and creativity through Parsley and hope you’ll follow along with anything and everything that you too find joy in.

Here’s the update.

Motherhood has been lovely. We have a very happy and healthy little girl that lightens up every room with her brilliant smile. She’s pippy and smart and so darn cute. She loves the beach and broccoli, trash trucks, dresses, running, and Ethel. Yes, Ethel is still here. Vanessa keeps us on our toes and makes us laugh with her comedic personality. I look forward to sharing all the fun kiddo stuff that has come into our lives in the Nord household. Crafts, snacks, little girl fashion, you name it, it’s happening and I’ll be sharing. Just look to the new “Family” tab on the homepage and it will all live there.

We plan on decorating our new home room by room as we wear it in day by day. Two months in and we haven’t gotten beyond getting our feet wet with Vane’s room and a kitchen that required little to no help. Stay tuned for much more to come with our 1960’s South Florida home. Just a hint…there will be wallpaper.

As for everything else going on in our day to day, I still bake a lot, decorate, and have an obsession with shoes. We moved off Miami Beach, but continue living in Florida and remain a bike ride away from the beach. I still love to travel when given the opportunity or something is going on with the family back in NJ. I sure do look forward to a visit there again in the (hopefully near) future when it’s safe to do so. For now, I’m giddy to get back into the grind of documenting my favorite and real moments in life right here at home. So, thanks for stopping by and now let’s get this Parsley started!

xo RCN

Quinoa Corn Chowder

I decided to start the year off right with making some hearty home cooked meals. Food Network Magazine is by far one of my favorite sources for recipes. After all, its a compilation of recipes and ideas from all my favorite Food Network stars. The first issue this year features Trisha Yearwood's Quinoa Corn Chowder. It turned out to be relatively easy to make and not so bad to clean up after, either. The flavors are delicious, filling, and blend for a perfect mix of sweet and savory. Link to recipe direct at Food Network HERE or see below (with slight alterations from me).

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons salted butter

1 medium onion, finely chopped (I used a medium-large size onion)

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 cup Quinoa

2 cups frozen whole-kennel corn, thawed

5 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 bag baby Yukon potatoes, about 2 pounds, cut into 4-6 pieces each

2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning

8 slices of bacon, cooked and broken up into bits + more for garnish

3/4-1 pound medium shrimp peeled and deveined (I used frozen, cooked shrimp and thawed before adding to chowder)

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped, additional sprigs for garnish

3 scallions chopped finely

Prep by baking bacon on cookie sheet at 375 degrees F until crispy. Remove from oven and let cool on plate layered with paper towels. Set aside until grease has dried off, then crumple into bacon bit pieces. Set aside a few additional bacon slices for garnish. Thaw frozen corn and shrimp (if frozen). Chop onions and garlic. Rinse potatoes and quarter or chop into 4-6 pieces each.

Heat large stockpot on medium heat, about 2 minutes. Add chopped onion and garlic. Saute until tender about 7 minutes. Add quinoa and corn, saute for another 3 minutes. Add stock, heavy cream, potatoes and Old Bay. Increase heat to high and bring mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, incovered, until the quinoa and potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes. Add shrimp to chowder and cook until they are pink and opaque, 2-3 minutes. Add parsley, scallions, and bacon bits just before serving. Be sure to include a 1/2 bacon slice and sprig of parsley for garnish. Enjoy!

Holiday Apps

Shrimp Cocktail: Shrimp Cocktail does not need much explaining. After all, it's really just some fresh shrimp and cocktail sauce. The fun factor in serving shrimp cocktail is in the presentation. For our holiday party last night, I served it up with a touch of simple Christmas spirit. All you need is, shrimp, cocktail sauce (we bought a pre-made one from Fresh Market- very good!), crushed ice, cranberries, rosemary, margarita glasses, and a small serving dish for the sauce. The cranberries and rosemary are for garnish only. First, put some cranberries in the margarita glass to fill the neck of the glass, then add crushed ice to keep the shrimp chilled. Place the shrimp hanging over the edge of the glass. Then, add a couple sprigs of rosemary along with cranberries in the center of ice, for final touch.

BLT Bites: Last night, hands down, the absolute favorite of apps was the bread-less BLT bites. This is an easy recipe, looks cute, and people LOVE! All you need is one bag of pre-shedded lettuce (or shred yourself), 1lb of bacon, about 1 cup of mayo, 2-3 packages of campari tomatoes, and salt and pepper to taste. Cut the tops off the tomatoes and scoop out the insides. Cook the bacon and chop or break up into small bacon bits. Mix the lettuce, mayo, and bacon all together. Taste, and add salt and pepper as needed. Lastly, stuff the tomatoes and top with a sprinkle of the bacon crumbles. You may want to add a little more mayo depending on how much mayo you like. You will have enough filling for about 22 tomatoes. 

Cream Cheese Roll Ups: Cream cheese roll ups have been a favorite in the Bernard house for a long time. Another, very simple recipe to make. You can add more ingredients to this recipe to doctor it up a bit' more, but usually we stick to using a few ingredients. You need 1 package of cream cheese, one bunch of scallions or green onions (chopped small), 1 lime for juice only, and a pack of 8 large flour tortillas. Mix the cream cheese, lime juice, and chopped green onions all together. Spread over entire surface of tortilla and then roll tortilla. Cut the tortilla into about 3 or 4 pieces, then serve with side of fresh salsa. So easy!

Pasta Salad: Pasta salad is an easy app or side dish, year round. At Christmas, it is fun to make with holiday pasta. You can usually find at grocery stores, or even Homegoods, packs of tri-color festive holiday pasta. For this recipe you will need 1 bag of pasta, 1 bottle of Italian dressing, 1/2 green pepper, 1/2 red pepper, 1/2 yellow pepper, 1 cup of halved grape tomatoes, 3/4 cup of finely chopped parsley, 1/3 lb of chopped Genoa ham, and 1 package of mini mozzarella balls quartered. After pasta is cooked and chilled, mix all ingredients together. Serve cold. The kids will love the Christmas tree or Santa pasta. It adds color and punch to the table of food. 

What is your favorite app to serve at the holidays? Would love more ideas for Christmas Eve!?? xo RCN