Anniversary Beach Day

We decided to hit the beach for our anniversary this year.

Last year we went to Italy (see our trip here), this year Jersey baby!

I got some beautiful flowers from the hubs.

Got my "beach uniform" on for the drive.

It was so empty at the beach, we basically had it to ourselves.

A weekday after Labor Day and the weather was perfect.

A beach day wouldn't be complete without my favorite beach coffee.  

A blast from the past!

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{Recipe} Chick Pea "Tuna" Casserole-Vegan

 This is a comforting, easy to make dish that satisfied my tuna casserole craving. 

I wasn't a big tuna casserole fan when I did eat tuna but I loved the idea of a chickpea "tuna" casserole.

Ingredients:

(Serves   4-6)

3 cups bowtie pasta, dry

1 cup frozen peas

2TBS vegan butter (or olive oil)

1 small onion, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1/4 cup flour

1 1/2 cups vegetable broth

1-2 tsp mushroom seasoning (optional)

3TBS nutritional  yeast

1 tsp Old Bay Seasoning

1 tsp celery seed

1/2 sheet nori, cut into small pieces

1 cup shredded vegan cheese

2 cups non dairy milk (I used almond)

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/2- 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs (you could sub crushed saltines or potato chips)

To make:

• Preheat oven to 375ºF
• Cook pasta according to package directions for al dente.   Put peas in with  pasta  once it's al dente and heat through, drain and set aside

• Melt butter and sauté onions and celery until onions are translucent
• Add flour and stir, add some water or broth to loosen flour if needed and allow to thicken
• Add remaining broth and mix to incorporate the flour mixture

• Add mushroom seasoning (this is the one I used)

• Add nutritional yeast, Old Bay, celery seed, nori and vegan cheese

• Once the cheese melts, add the almond milk and heat though until thickened, taste and adjust seasonings if needed

• Flake chickpeas with a fork, leaving some whole

• In 9x13 dish add cooked peas, pasta and chickpeas, add sauce and stir to combine. (Or add pasta, peas and chickpeas to sauce,  mix then add to 9x13 dish.

• Add breadcrumbs to the top

• Bake uncovered  for 30 minutes

• The top should be golden brown and bubbly
• Remove and serve

Enjoy!  I served ours with some roasted asparagus. Leftovers were great too!

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{College} Drop Off 2020

It was quite the different college drop this year but the car was still packed to the max.

I think this year's car was the fullest because we were moving College Girl into an apartment.  Not only did she have the usual clothes, bedding, school supplies and toiletries but also had a mattress, bed frame, table & chairs, dishes, a trunk a chair and more! Mr. Click has impressive packing skills!

We were able to move her in early and it was a pretty quick  and easy move!

Lunch at a favorite outdoor spot after the move.

It was a bit rainy on day two but we still had a lot to do.

 We were were able to take her shopping and go to lunch.  Ran into her boyfriend and walked back with him.

We had an extra day and went to Salem to explore the town.

Yummy brunch!

We didn't take the museum tour but enjoyed walking around town.

Another outdoor restaurant meal.

Enjoying strolls through the neighborhood and ...

..more strolls, dinner in her apartment  too!

The last morning...

Our favorite quick breakfast place was open for take out/outside dining so we grabbed that before we left.   Then it was time to hit the road!

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{Photography} Tom Sawyer/Huck Finn Photoshoot

This was my last photo shoot of summer and it was a dream come true.

I've always wanted to do a Tom Sawyer/Huck Finn inspired photo shoot.

The  boys' mom was also on board with doing this type of photo shoot and they got into as well, picking out their outfits and props.

You might recognize this guy from a shoot we did a few months ago at the  park.

This time his brother got in on the modeling too. They certainly are naturals!

I have so many great images from this shoot, there might be a Part 2 to this when I finish editing them.  

 It was kind of magical when I look back and see shots like this!

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Costco Finds Lately

It's been awhile since I've shared some Costco finds.  I don't go as frequently as I used to so I don't always see what's new.  I did go to a Costco in Boston while we were  dropping College Girl off so I got some new (to me) things.

A 5 pack of Banza chickpea rotini is such a good score!

We only found this at the Boston Costco, I'm not sure if it's available everywhere. It's so good!

This huge bottle of hand sanitizer has been great for refilling our smaller bottles that we take with us when we're out.

This was another great find. These dark chocolate minis are vegan and not too sweet.

This was a fun find at the Boston Costco (ours does not carry alcohol).  I can save them for next summer but I did put a few in the freezer to try them out.

I love Costco's loungewear and this set of Jane and Bleeker tanks caught my eye. I can wear them for exercising, to bed or just "lounging" around the house. They are so soft and cool.

This is the colors of the set I picked up.

Have you had any great Costco finds lately?
 

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