Beach house
4th of July Week with my Girlfriends
Hingham, MA
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| Our sunset view from one of the balconies. |
Because I love them dearly, I decided to cook for my girlfriends on our first evening in the beach house during the week of 4th of July 2014. I modified a recipe for summer seafood stew that I heard about on NPR just days before.
Once we were over the shock and awe of the beautiful, all white interior (reads intimidating) home on the water that one of my lovely clients loaned me for the week, we hit Trader Joe's and Ralph's Wine & Spirits Shop to prepare for the week of eating, imbibing, and enjoying each others' company to the max!
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| After a bite at Wahlburgers Hingham |
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| Who can resist a man in a uniform??? Not I! |
I purchased all the seafood (mahi, jumbo shrimp, scallops, and steamers), veg (heirloom potatoes, tomatoes, corn, shallots, garlic, summer squash, and asparagus), chicken sausage, and herbs (dill and basil) from Trader Joe's. The white wine for the base (along with veggie broth) I purchased from Ralph's. The shopkeeper helped me pick a pretty nice Pinot Grigio for my stew.
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| My Summer Seafood Stew |
PREP
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| Shallots and purple potato |
For the days leading up to 4th of July, we ate and drank extremely well!
Everyone else in the house took turns with breakfasts and grilled dinners. We laughed and bonded over delicious food and the sound of high tide. We sunbathed in peace and went out on the water on a neighbor's boat. It couldn't have been a better week to relax and enjoy your girlfriends!
Here are a few shots of the week:
We focused a lot on breakfast, snacks, booze, and sun!
Trader Joe's Cold Brew Coffee was quite amazing. I am a bitter-palated girl all the way and eventually drank mine without adding water to the concentrate...just ice and soy creamer!
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| So, agave syrup turns into candy in iced coffee...this should not be a surprise, but it was pretty |
Time in the sun and on the water in a neighbor's boat was priceless!
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| Bulleit bourbon...it doesn't get more "Merica that that! |
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| My version of "Lunch atop a Skyscraper"- the iconic photo of ironworkers lunching on a steel beam of the unfinished RCA building (now the GE tower) at Rockefeller Center, NY, NY. Mine is the 'staycation version'. |
The Original
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| Lunch Atop a Skyscraper |
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| Some of us were too adventurous with combining land and sea...I'd make a fab "paparazzi in a bush" |
More yummy pics...Grilling on the 4th...Rain? What rain? Let's just roll out the awning on the lower balcony...
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| Michelle's prep for the pasta salad, |
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| Summer squash with coarse black pepper and smoked Spanish paprika |
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| Final product: grilled squash "steaks" |
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| Imagine whiskey-soaked grilled peaches! Never got around to placing them on the grill, but it will go down one of these days! |
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| Finished product: bbq chicken marinated overnight, pasta salad with tuna and summer veggies, grilled salmon, grilled summer squash |
Great times with great friends! Can't wait to do it again!
