Jennifer Fontaine

[Food Series] Roasted Garlic and Broccoli Soup with Goat Cheese Crostini

Posted on October 10, 2013February 24, 2016 by Jennifer Fontaine

When I’m making soups that feature one particular vegetable, like broccoli soup, I generally prefer to keep the soup fairly simple, so that I can actually taste the vegetable that I am highlighting. The fewer the ingredients, the easier the prep, the quicker wholesome food gets to the table for us to savor! This recipe is so comforting and delicious, I always make a big batch to ensure we can enjoy it for days after! I hope you enjoy it, too!

Roasted Garlic and Broccoli Soup with Goat Cheese Crostini

Ingredients
3 heads of Broccoli
1 brown Onion
3 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 tablespoon fresh Lemon Juice
5 Garlic Cloves
1/8 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon Thyme
Salt
Pepper
Crostini
1/3 cup Goat Cheese
1/4 cup raw Hazelnuts
Water
1/2 cup Half and Half

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Take the outer skin of the garlic bulb off, slice off the very top drizzle with olive oil and wrap in aluminum foil. Place it on the bottom rack of the oven and set the timer for 15 minutes. Chop your broccoli into florets, toss in olive oil, salt and pepper, place in a large roasting pan and place it in the oven when the timer goes off. Set the timer for another 15 minutes. Dice the onion and throw it into a deep pot on the stovetop with a little olive oil and saute for about 5 minutes on medium heat. When the timer goes off, take out your garlic and stir your broccoli. Place the broccoli back in the oven and set the timer for the last 15 minutes. When the broccoli is done, place it in the pot with the onions, 5 cloves of the roasted garlic, nutmeg, thyme, salt and pepper and enough water to just cover the ingredients. On a low heat use your emulsifier to puree your soup in the pot. Add hot water in small amounts to bring it to the desired consistency (I added about 2 cups), then add your cream. Allow it to simmer for another 5 minutes. Thinly slice a baguette and place in the broiler for about 3 minutes. Keep a close eye on them to make sure they don’t burn! When they become a nice golden brown, take your crostinis out of the broiler, spread with goat cheese and sprinkle with crushed, raw hazelnuts. Once the heat is turned off under the soup, add the lemon juice and serve! Enjoy!

[Guest Blogger Series] The Grand Hiking Views at Grand View Park San Francisco by Melissa Avery

Posted on October 7, 2013February 24, 2016 by Jennifer Fontaine

This week’s Guest Blogger Series welcomes fellow California Mommy Hiker, Melissa Avery of Chasqui Mom! Like me, she is fairly new to the blogging world, but she is surely carving out a niche for herself in the Outdoor world and her kids are reaping the rewards!

Living in the suburbs of the San Francisco Bay Area, I always try to find an excuse to go into the city of San Francisco. Whether to visit family, friends or just a to visit my husband on his lunch break, I’m always willing to visit the “City by the Bay.” A part of me desires to live in “The City”, another part of me loves the suburb life, and another part loves the solitude of “The Outdoors”. I’ve been able to find a happy medium with our “Urban Hikes” in and out of San Francisco area.

My family and I decided to start our Labor Day weekend with a hike up to Grand View Park, which is in the Sunset District of San Francisco, the west side of the city and south of Golden Gate Park. It’s a 1-acre park that has fantastic 360 degree views of San Francisco and beyond, if there’s no fog! We lucked out and arrived on a perfect clear afternoon.

There are two park entrances (no fees), the back steps on 14th Avenue and the famous steps called “The Moraga Steps”. Most of the hike is all up hill on either entrance with The Moraga Steps being the longer hike uphill. My original plan was to hike up The Moraga Steps and watch the sunset but we got a little turned around and found the backs steps on 14th Avenue first. We later visited The Moraga Steps and I was just blown away with the detailing on the steps. I think if we would have hiked up The Moraga Steps it would have taken us twice as long because our toddlers would have wanted to touch each tile.

The kids were itching to get out of the car and “climb the mountain” so we parked, packed our sweaters and jackets and started up the stairs on 14th Avenue. My two year old daughter was determined to walk up the stairs herself so my husband patiently walked up 100 ft of stairs with her, while my son and I raced to the top of the stairs.

My son found enjoyment playing in the little sandy dirt trail that wrapped around the top of Grand View park, while we waited for the rest of the family to make it to the top of the stairs. My daughter was coaxed to make it to the top after my son yelled, “Hurry up there’s sand up here!”. She scrambled to the last step and happily started playing in the sand with her brother, while us parents enjoyed the grand views. My kids don’t like to hike up a hill but if there are a set of stairs in front of them they will surely go up every step themselves!

We still had not made it to the top but we could see almost all of San Francisco’s iconic landmarks: The Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate Park, de Young Museum, Academy of Sciences, Twin Peaks, Downtown and the Marin Headlands. After our little break we circled around on the trail to the top, which in my opinion had better views of the Pacific Ocean then the very top of Grand View Park.

My kids were very excited that they had “climbed the mountain” and they could see the ocean and huge cargo ships going under the Golden Gate Bridge. When we reached the top of the hill, the wind was so strong we knew we weren’t going to be able to stay for another hour and a half to see the sunset. We let our boy climb on the rocks and our daughter happily played in the dirt before we headed down the stairs to find The Moraga Steps.

Our hike up the hill was a little less than half a mile and even if we had gone up The Moraga Steps, this is a very family-friendly 1-mile round trip hike, enjoyable for all. San Francisco is only 47 square miles but you can find lots of family friendly hikes along the Pacific Coast, The Presidio, Golden Gate Park and up the hills. Grand View Park sure does live up to its name and is a great little hike for the family in San Francisco!
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About the Author

Melissa Avery is a San Francisco Bay Area wife, stay at home mom and lover of the outdoors. Her blog, Chasqui Mom is about her family adventures loving nature through hiking, backpacking, and anything outdoors.

[Food Series] Sesame Soba Noodle Salad

Posted on October 3, 2013February 24, 2016 by Jennifer Fontaine

Ok, so in an effort to be more mindful of what I put in my body, I decided to give buckwheat (soba) noodles a try. Buckwheat isn’t derived from a grain, it’s actually a seed that is hulled in the same manner as wheat, then milled into flour to make soba noddles. Not only does it have way more protein than plain old pasta, it also sits very low on the glycemic index, which keeps your sugar levels more even and it’s packed full of unique amino acids, minerals and vitamins. So, needles to say, saying goodbye to traditional pasta was a no-brainer for me! This pasta salad takes a flat 10 minutes to make, is chocked full of nutrition and keeps in the fridge for days! Enjoy!

Ingredients
1 8oz package of 100% Buckwheat Soba Noodles
1 cup raw Shredded Carrots
2 cups raw Sugar Snap Peas
2 tablespoons Sesame Oil
Juice of 2 Limes
1/4 cup of freshly chopped Cilantro
Salt and Pepper

Watch how easy this is….cook the soba noodles per the directions on the package. Drain them and rinse them very gently in cold water until they are cool to the touch. Gently toss the soba noodles in a bowl with the shredded carrots, sugar snap peas, sesame oil, lime juice, cilantro and a dash of salt and pepper. Enjoy it all week! That’s IT!