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Midwest winters can seem endless. The payoff? Perfect summer temperatures! Each year I vow to savor every minute of the warm weather. Although I can’t put everything on hold, I...
Planning your family vacation can be overwhelming--where to go, what to do, how to get there, you name it. There are a lot of details to planning a summer vacation....
Summer vacations for some families mean active adventures, while for others the summer is a perfect time to start exploring college campuses. Imagine being able to do both in one...
Air travel can be stressful nowadays with long lines, flight delays and cramped seating. Add luggage, children, strollers and even pets to the mix and you have a veritable powder...
“’Cause down the shore everything’s all right.” ---Tom Waits, JERSEY GIRL Some see the Jersey Shore as a travel destination, a place to take the family for a couple of...
This month we are hosting our first Traveling Moms Instagram meme and we would love to have you join in the fun!
Thomas Jefferson advised the we should have a revolution every 20 years. He meant government, but the idea applies to anything: If we don’t continually rethink how we do what...
Teens sometimes get a bad rap. People think they’re hard to please and harder to travel with. But the key to traveling with teens—and keeping the whole family happy—is to...
Summertime's almost here – time to start planning your summer travels! We've taken the guesswork out of your planning by seeking out advice from top family travel writers from across...
There’s a reason “Follow the Honey,” in Cambridge, Massachusetts is not just a simple honey store. For founder and owner, anning, traveling the world on her personal journey led her to open a shop filled with honey stories to tell, and products with a conscience.
In Search of Healing an [ ... ]
Must we trade brunch dates and Bloody Mary’s for barely edible pancakes and sippy cups once we have kids? Hardly. Chicago restaurateurs, many of whom now claim the title of parents themselves, know how to host a good brunch which welcomes us and our progeny. Unlike some downtown areas which only [ ... ]
For those living in the middle of Missouri, there are only a few options for hitting the "big city" -- St. Louis, Mo., or Memphis, Tenn. Last spring, my gal pal Jessie and I chose to visit Memphis for the first time.
Our trip to Memphis might be one of the most unorganized trips I've ever take [ ... ]
I’m a sucker for an old-fashioned candy shop. I just love the candy-filled bins, the drugstore-feel complete with a bar and soda jerk…it makes everyone feel like a kid. With unique treats like Elvis Bark and chocolate-covered bacon, the Big Top Candy Shop in Austin, Texas is a fun treat for any [ ... ]
When planning out your summer road trip don't overlook Devil's Tower, Wyoming. It is one of my favorite side trips and possibly one of the most overlooked National Parks.
The first time I drove through Wyoming was in the summer of 1981 on a road trip with my my Mom. Somehow, in a pre-Internet [ ... ]
Vegetarian travel gets easier in the summer, when farmers markets and their bounteous produce draw tourists and local chefs. Summer is also know for outdoor eating, and New York City has one of the best (I’m slightly biased) eating extravagnzas, orgasburg. Actually, make that two. Smorgasburg ha [ ... ]
You could visit South Florida without paying homage to the Everglades, but why would you want to? And paying proper homage to the Florida Everglades requires an airboat ride.
I brought conch home from the store and laid them out on the cutting board. My husband, Kevin, and I inspected the species that looked a cross between slugs and scallops.
I pointed out the conch penises, which are rather large compared to their body sizes. Kevin made a face and diligently cut that partoff. I protested explaining that he was wasting good meat.
“No way,” Kevin retorted, “We’re not eating that!”
Grand Cayman and the Cayman Islands is the homeland of the conch. It is a popular part of the Caribbean diet and culture. It’s healthy; high in protein and low in fat and there are many popular conch dishes including conch fritters, chowders, salads and ceviches
I decided to make conch chowder.
I had found this snail-like mollusk at an Asian superstore. This place was huge. It had everything from Peking duck to durian. Best of all, it had fresh seafood and not the kind you see at your local grocery store. It had large fresh crab, eel, many different kinds of fish and they had live conch.
I grabbed a basket and tongs and helped myself. That’s what you do in this Asian supermarket: you fish out what you want from the tanks and then put your find in a basket to be weighed. The Chinese woman who weighs threw the conch in a bag and handed them to me. I handed them back. I had read that extracting the conch from its shell can be hard laborious work and that you don’t simply want to boil the conch to get them out of their shell because it might ruin the taste of the meat.
I tried to explain all this to the Chinese woman who spoke no English. I somehow got my point across. The woman grunted, grabbed the bag from me and walked away. I then heard very loud banging and she came back with just the conch and no shells.
At home I made the conch chowder with leeks, carrots, onion, potatoes, garlic and cream. It was delicious. Everyone loved the soup. While I ate the conch I dreamed about going to the Caribbean and eating them plucked right out of the ocean.
I decided that I would make this chowder again. Next time I may not even cut that part off.
Conch Chowder
1 lb chopped conch
1/2 leek, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely diced
1 onion, finely chopped
2 potatoes, cut into small cubes
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups fish stock (I used chicken stock )
2 cups water
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 TBSP butter
1/2 tsp corn starch dissolved in a little water
Marjoram
Cumin seed
1 bay leaf
Nutmeg
Salt and pepper
A few drops of Tabasco
Heat the butter in a skillet, sauté the leeks, carrots, onions and garlic for two minutes. Then add wine, cream, water and fish stock. Then add the potatoes, conch and seasonings. Simmer until potatoes are cooked. (I read that one must tenderize the conch meat by pounding it with a mallet. I didn’t do this and my conch meat tasted fine).
There is nothing like casting your line in and fishing away your worries….okay, I seriously can’t say that, because I am not much of a fisherman. Yes, I go fishing, but mo [ ... ]
Rhode Island may be a small state, but it celebrates summer in a huge, family-friendly way.
One of the best known free warm weather events is the annual Waterfire celebration, [ ... ]
As the price to fly continues to rise, and the inconveniences rise, more and more people, and especially families, are turning back to the good, old-fashioned road trip.
My pa [ ... ]
