Honey & Herb Roasted Chicken with Autumn Squash

This Honey & Herb Roasted Chicken with Autumn Squash recipe is a delicious way to usher in the fresh & warm flavors of the fall season...

This recipe first appeared on the Bridgeport Farmers Market Let's Get Fresh site.

I am on a mission once again this outdoor farmers market season to show you all how you can create a delicious recipe purchasing mostly locally grown & raised produce and meats at your local farmers market. I started this locally inspired recipe series in the summer of 2017, and I am thrilled to be continuing the series this year as well. Each month I will be sharing a recipe here to the blog inspired by and featuring some of my own personal favorite fresh & local finds from my local market. 

For the month of September, I am sharing my last recipe post of the outdoor market season- this juicy and flavorful Honey & Herb Roasted Chicken with Autumn Squash. This roasted chicken recipe is a delicious way to usher in the fresh & warm flavors of the fall season. 

I am going to share a little secret with you all that I just recently learned myself- if you roast a chicken upside down, you will end up with the most moist & juiciest chicken breast that you have ever tasted. I know it seems weird to roast a chicken with the breast side down, but do trust me on this one, folks. Give it a try with this recipe. I guarantee that you won't regret it. 

The Best Places to Eat & Drink in Delaware County, Ohio

From locally owned restaurants, to breweries, & everything in between, here are my top 7 recommendations for the best places to eat & drink in Delaware County, Ohio...

This post was created in partnership with Destination Delaware County Ohio. As always, all opinions & thoughts expressed below are 100% my own.

If someone would have asked me at the beginning of May what my recommendation would be for a good travel destination in Ohio for foodies, Delaware probably would have not been the first Ohio city that would have come to mind for me. Having lived in the Columbus area for over 8 years, I was familiar with the Delaware area but didn't venture that way much when I was resident of Franklin County. I knew Alum Creek State Park was up that way, but that was about the extent of my knowledge of Delaware County.

That all changed when the kiddos & I visited the Delaware, Ohio area at the end of May earlier this summer. Over the past 10 years, the historic downtown area of Delaware has grown by leaps & bounds. And with this growth has also come the birth of a vibrant local restaurant & brewery scene. 

While we definitely didn't get to experience all of the deliciousness that Delaware County has to offer during our stay, we did get a good enough taste of the area. From locally owned restaurants, to breweries, & everything in between, here are my top 7 recommendations for the best places to eat & drink in the county... 

20 Farmers Market Inspired Recipes for Spring

From breakfast recipes to appetizers to desserts & everything else in between, these 20 Farmers Market Inspired Recipes for Spring will have you racing off to your next local farmers market ASAP...

One of my favorite things about spring is that everything comes alive & my local farmers market starts to brim with fresh garden goodness again. Everything from asparagus to ramps to bright leafy greens & sweet strawberries. 

Springtime is also when my local farmers market goes from a once a month thing to a weekly happening, so I am always on the lookout for more market inspired recipes to use those locally sourced & harvested veggies, herbs, and berries in. 

Once again, my food blogger friends did not disappoint when I put out the call for their favorite farmers market inspired recipes for springtime. I literally combed through hundreds of recipes to narrow it down to just these twenty. From breakfast recipes to appetizers to desserts & everything else in between, these bright & fresh recipes will have you racing off to your next local farmers market ASAP...

Where to Eat & Drink in Fort Wayne, Indiana

From ice cream stuffed donuts to pizza by the slice to locally brewed beer, here is Where to Eat & Drink in Fort Wayne, Indiana... 

This post was created in partnership with Visit Fort Wayne. As always, all opinions & thoughts expressed below are 100% my own.

When my family & I visited Fort Wayne, Indiana this past summer, I wasn't sure what to expect from this Midwestern city. It hadn't necessarily been a destination that had been on our radar for a family getaway. After spending 3 days there exploring the sites & the local food scene, I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that Fort Wayne was a pleasant surprise- definitely a family friendly destination that far exceeded my expectations. 

Even though there is much to do in and around the city (think baseball games, art museums, science centers, zoos, kayaking, & more), I was most excited to discover & dig into the some of the best local food & booze that the city had to offer. And Fort Wayne certainly did not disappoint, folks! ;) 

We got to experience a true taste of Fort Wayne during our 3 day stay in the city. From kid friendly to pizza by the slice to decadent sweet treats, Fort Wayne's local food scene ended up being way more diverse & delicious than I could have ever possibly imagined prior to our a little family road trip to the Midwest.

Where to Eat in Gettysburg

Gettysburg isn't just for history buffs! This city also offers its visitors a very delicious and vibrant local food scene making it the perfect getaway for die hard foodies as well...

This post was created in partnership with Destination Gettysburg. As always, all opinions & thoughts expressed below are 100% my own.

(Updated May 2023)

Food happens to be a big part of our family travels. I genuinely believe it is one of the best ways to get a true feel for the flavor & local vibe of any new city or area that we visit. We do have a few rules in place when dining out while we are traveling though...

1. No fast food restaurants or national chains, aka nothing that we can eat back in our hometown on any ole day of the week.
2. Locally owned & operated. Bonus points if most or all of their menu happens to be locally sourced as well.
3. And they must be family friendly (a decent kids' menu, friendly atmosphere), but still appeal to the adults (aka, the hard core foodies) and the almost adult in the family. ;)

During our recent visit to Gettysburg a few weekends ago, not only did we get to immerse ourselves in the rich history and Civil War heritage of the city, but we also got a taste of the city's local food scene largely thanks to our friends at Destination Gettysburg. 

From local coffee spots to dining in buildings where history was created to locally crafted brews, Gettysburg is not just for history buffs, folks. Gettysburg also has a very delicious and vibrant local food scene making it the perfect getaway for die hard foodies as well...

Sand Pail List 2012- Canning! (And a Recipe For Chipotle Salsa)

I am starting to sweat a little now when I look at our Sand Pail List for the summer.  My son starts back to school on August 21st, so our summer days are all too quickly dwindling by.  And even now that I can cross #2 off the list, we still have five more activities left to do (in less than 15 days!).  I am starting to come to grips with the reality that we may just not get everything crossed off.  But a few of them could be extended into the fall (like Kennywood, the Civil War site visits, and the 5K ;) ).  

But wait.  I did say that I can now cross #2 off the list- learning to can!  :)  I canned for the very first time this past week.  It was a little small batch canning.  Definitely nothing to survive the zombie apocalypse on, but I am proud of my two little jars nonetheless...

I bought one of those nifty Ball Home Canning Discovery Kits.  Except it was not as nifty as I had hoped.  Because it was missing it's Beginner Guide and Recipe Booklet.  (Oh, so not cool...) So I did a little research on Google and MacGyver'ed my own small batch recipe for some salsa.  

I wasn't willing to call Ball and wait for a new booklet when I had all of these beauties from my garden, the neighbor's garden, and my local farmers market sitting on my kitchen island...

I am proud to say that my salsa was about 98% all local!

I still had some chiles in adobo sauce cubes in the freezer (what are those, you ask?  Click here to find out. ;) ), so I decided to make a chipotle salsa to can.  Now the following recipe is for a very small batch.  It made one 12 ounce jar and one 8 ounce jar.  Of course, you could just divide it up into two 10 ounce jars.  Or double it and make twice as much.

I will warn you that this makes a medium-hot salsa.  If you would like less heat, then I would leave out the jalapeno or just use one chiles in adobo cube instead of two.

What you will need:

8 medium tomatoes, chopped (you can seed them if you would like, but I just left the seeds in)

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 of a large green pepper, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped

1/4 cup apple juice

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1/2 tsp salt

2 chiles in adobo cubes (or 2 tbsp of jarred chiles in adobo, pureed)

1 tbsp of sugar

After chopping the tomatoes, process half of them in a blender or food processor until mostly smooth.  Pour into a large sauce pan.  Add in the rest of the chopped tomatoes and all of the ingredients through the 1/2 tsp of salt.  

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Then add your 2 cubes of chiles in adobo, cover the pot, and boil for another 10 minutes.  Add in the tablespoon of sugar and boil uncovered for a final 20 minutes.

Baby girl getting in on the canning action too. ;)

Since I was missing that handy beginner's guide, I used the Intro to Canning Guide on the Ball website to get me through the actual canning process.  I could get into all the steps in this post, but their PDF was so simple and illustrative I would encourage you to just go ahead and click their link above.  They are the experts after all, and I possibly couldn't do a better job explaining it than what they have on their site.  It was pretty simple.  Even for this canning novice. ;)

* I will say that I processed my jars for about 20 minutes in boiling water.  The processing times can vary according to what you are canning and how much you are canning.  20 minutes was perfect for my two jars of salsa.

Tah-dah!  The fruits of my labor. 

This will be the first of many more canning ventures to come... :)

To see all our adventures from our Sand Pail List 2012, click here.

Small Batch Chipotle Salsa

by Frugal Foodie Mama

Prep Time: 12 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes + 20 minutes processing

6045040

Ingredients (20 oz)

• 8 medium tomatoes, chopped (you can seed them if you would like, but I just left the seeds in)
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 of a large green pepper, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
• 1/4 cup apple juice
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 chiles in adobo cubes (or 2 tbsp of jarred chiles in adobo, pureed)
• 1 tbsp of sugar

Instructions

After chopping the tomatoes, process half of them in a blender or food processor until mostly smooth. Pour into a large sauce pan. Add in the rest of the chopped tomatoes and all of the ingredients through the 1/2 tsp of salt.

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Then add your 2 cubes of chiles in adobo, cover the pot, and boil for another 10 minutes. Add in the tablespoon of sugar and boil uncovered for a final 20 minutes.

I will say that I processed my jars for about 20 minutes in boiling water. The processing times can vary according to what you are canning and how much you are canning. 20 minutes was perfect for my two jars of salsa.

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For Nutritional Info on this recipe, please CLICK HERE.

Foodie on a Budget- Italian Marinated Flank Steak with Fresh Herbs

During my most recent visit to the local farmers market, my husband and I purchased flank steak from a local cattle farm.  Flank steak is not usually the most desirable cut of beef, I know.  But it is extremely affordable and with the proper marinating, can be just about as tender as a filet mignon.  The farm we purchased our steak from raises grass-fed cattle, free of growth hormones and antibiotics- what I like to call the “good stuff”. 

In a prior visit to the market, I had picked up basil and parsley plants from a local greenhouse and a jar of local honey. 

So what can I make with grass-fed flank steak, my own basil and parsley, and local honey?  An amazing Italian Marinated Flank Steak with Fresh Herbs.  This flank steak has a great flavor (no steak sauce needed) and is so tender that a steak knife is not required.  Just in time for the summer grilling season. 

To make my Marinated Flank Steak, you will need:

• 1.5 lb flank steak
• 1 small shallot (or 2 cloves of garlic), finely chopped
• ½ cup olive oil
• ½ cup of red wine (or balsamic vinegar)
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• ¼ cup local honey
• 7-8 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
• Small handful of fresh parsley leaves, chopped
• ½ tsp of black pepper
• Salt & pepper, to taste

Whisk together the shallot (or garlic), olive oil, red wine (or balsamic vinegar), soy sauce, honey, basil, parsley, and black pepper in a small mixing bowl.  

Pierce both sides of the flank steak repeatedly using a fork.  Place the flank steak in a gallon size freezer bag.  Pour the marinade mixture over the steak in the bag and seal.  Massage the marinade into the steak, and then place in the fridge.  I marinated my flank steak for 8 hours, but you could marinate it anywhere from 2 hours to overnight.  Once the steak is marinated, take it out of the bag and season it with salt and pepper.  Cook over a hot grill for about 4-6 minutes on each side.  It is best to cook a flank steak medium-rare to medium.  Cooking it more done than medium will result in a tougher steak.  When the flank steak is cooked to your preference, let it rest on a cutting board for about 10 minutes before slicing.  This will ensure that that the juices stay put where they are supposed to be- in the steak.  Slice the steak in ½ inch slices diagonally against the grain of the steak, and serve immediately.