Exciting News!

My dearest and loveliest friends. It is with a heavy heart to announce the ending of Abbie and Erica's Coast to Coast Adventures. Abbie has retired from the blogging world, but that doesn't mean the adventures will stop. I've decided to branch out on my own and continue to share my food, life, and fun on a different platform! I'm really excited about this transition and hope you continue to follow along as I grow and explore. 

My new blog will have the basically the same premise, my life adventures, food projects, meal prep, some books, some vacations, and some stuff in between, but  just me, solo! 

It's name, well, it's Everyday Erica. 

You can sign up for email alerts when I post something new HERE. 

All my social media pages are the same, but in case you need a reminder you can follow me by using these links:

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Pinterest

I'm still transition all the post from this blog over so it is an easy on stop shop, but some links will bring you back here if that's not done yet.

Thank you all for your love, dedication, and feedback. Hope to see you soon!!

Cheers,

Erica

Roasted Kabocha Soup with Chicken Sausage and Spiced Pepitas

I just got back from vacaaation! It was so.much.fun. I ran a bucket list marathon and the husband and I stayed in NYC for the rest of the week and explored. We had a blast, but that's a whole other post though!

Before I left for NYC I was going through the taper phase of my marathon training. I call it taper madness. For all my non-runner friends out there, it is a time in training where runners have to...well, taper. Basically slow down and let your muscles repair and rest for the big day. Ugh, its terrible. I had to stop lifting weights, stop doing my strength training, and had to cut back on my mileage. I have a real issue with taper time. All of a sudden there are extra hours in the days and I'm not as tired as I usually am...sounds like a good thing right?! But, after 6 months of training and going non-stop, adapting can be rough. My activities tend to shift from running related to cleaning, organizing and cooking related.

IFBC Roundup: Days 2 & a wee bit of 3

Ok! I'm ready to share the rest of the conference with y'all. It was a packed schedule, but the gals and I were super excited to get started and learn/eat all the things that we're being offered. 

Spaghetti Squash the Easy Way (Microwaved!)

Hey there, squash season. Good to see you again! 

There are so many beautiful, delectable squashes out there and tis' the season to eat them all. I'm a huge fan of spaghetti squash, but I have a serious pet peeve about how people describe it. People actually try and claim it tastes like pasta.  Let's not make ourselves a fibber and say it tastes anything like or even comes close to pasta. I mean, if it makes you feel better to think that way, that's cool. But don't try and convince someone else that it is the same thing. Just tell them this stuff is tasty and good for you. Make some this week and share it with a friend. Every one should get on this band wagon. 

Even though I think it is cruel to compare it to pasta, it is great to use spaghetti squash like you would pasta. I love it with traditional meat sauce, olive oil with lemon, salt and pepper, or a little sauteed spinach and garlic. Add some grilled chicken, sausage, or shrimp and you've got yourself a meal.

I usually roast my spaghetti squash in the oven, but hot damn, it has been blazing outside this week!! There is no way, no way at all, I plan to turn on my own until these temps come down. So cooking this squash this way not only saves time, it also keeps the kitchen cool on these hot October days. 

Now that it's Fall, spaghetti squash is every where. Buy one and try it out! Maybe you are lucky enough to 1. have air conditioning and don't mind using your oven (lucky) or 2. actually are experiencing the fall season right now and it is pleasantly cool outside. Where ever you are. Get one cooking...!

Microwaved Spaghetti Squash

Take 1 medium spaghetti squash and carefully pierce it all over with a sharp knife. Place in the microwave and cook on high for 6 minutes. 

Then open the microwave and rotate the squash. Cook again, on high, for another 6 minutes until squash is tender to the touch. Add another minute or so if the squash is big and isn't quite tender at this point.

When it is done, let it cool for a few minutes then cut the ends off and cut the squash down the center.

Scoop out the seeds. 

You'll see the stringy fibers of the squash underneath the seeds. 

Take a fork and scrape the squash. Season and add toppings to your liking.

Cheers!

Erica

IFBC Roundup: Day 1

I took a little break from training last weekend and scooted up to Seattle for a quick visit with my dear blogging bests and also to attend the International Food Blogger's Conference put on by Zephry Adventures. I've only been to one other food blogging conference before and I have to say, they were pretty different in comparison. They were both good, just different. Food Buzz seemed to be more focused on the food part, stuffing your face, and networking whereas IFBC had tons of delicious food, but also had several breakout sessions all related to either food, tech, or writing. I was actually really excited about the breakout sessions and eager to learn some new things to help grow the blog and improve my writing in general. There were pluses and minuses about the presenters and the content, but overall, I think the information I learned was pretty useful for my future blogging efforts. 

So, here's a bit of the weekend, mostly my favorite parts, in a few words and lots of photos (I took over 300!).