If you have been shopping at the Kittery, Maine outlets you have probably driven by Bob’s Clam Hut. Hopefully you stopped in for a bite to eat but if you haven’t you are really missing out! Let’s face it shopping and good food…nothing better!
Bob’s Clam Hut is open year round everyday from 11 am – 8:30 pm and they are located at 315 US Route 1 in Kittery, Maine. Bob’s has been open since 1956 and they serve traditional Maine fried seafood. They have their clams delivered fresh each day and make many of their own sauces! Bob’s has been featured on Food Network Diners, Drive-in’s and Dives with Guy Fieri and has won several awards including one from Forbes magazine for being one of the “most favorite restaurants in the U.S”!
This is my favorite time of year to visit the Kittery outlets and restaurants as its a little early for all of the tourists that visit our area. So, after doing some shopping I was ready for some delicious food and Bob’s Clam Hut was it! I arrived at Bob’s right at 11 am and I am glad I did as it filled up quick with shoppers and businessmen all looking for some great seafood. Clearly the locals all know! It got crowded so fast that they even have a parking attendant helping to get everyone in and out.
Bob’s has a fairly big menu with everything you would expect from a Maine seafood place! Soups, sandwiches, rolls, fried baskets, dinner combination plates and salads topped with fried seafood. Some of the customer favorites include New England clam chowder, lobster stew and of course the fried clams. But don’t worry if you have a non seafood lover with you they have plenty of other things to choose from including hamburgers, hot dogs, grilled cheese and fried mozzarella sticks!
I ordered the baby fried shrimp basket for $17.95. This comes with fries and coleslaw. It was a warm day so I also had a bottle of cold water, but they have tea and soda to pick from as well. The baskets are a smaller portion than the dinner plates. The dinner plates also include a roll. I have loved baby fried shrimp for as long as I can remember, but this is really one of the best shrimp I have had. They have a very light crispy batter and are cooked just right! Their house made tartar sauce is just the right thing to go with the shrimp. The fries also cooked to my perfection and well seasoned. I can’t leave the coleslaw out as that was light and refreshing complimenting my entire lunch. The portion size is large. There was no way I was finishing that basket, but thankfully they have to go containers! I should also mention the outside seating is perfect for a spring or summer day. The tables and benches were well kept and very clean. They also have indoor seating for those cold winter days so no matter what time of year you go to Kittery stop by Bob’s Clam Hut for some fresh fried Maine seafood!
Enjoy!
Another great recipe from Taste of Home Magazine! This became an instant favorite of mine so much that I made it twice in two weeks! The recipe calls to make the chicken in a slow cooker, but this would be great with grilled chicken as well. I served this with a choice of ranch and blue cheese dressing and that worked out very nice. This would also make a great pocket sandwich too. My husband will put anything on bread and this is a great recipe for that too! The only ingredient that I left off was bacon, but feel free to add that to yours!
INGREDIENTS (6 servings)
1 bottle (18 ounces) of your favorite BBQ sauce
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
12 cups chopped romaine
3 plum tomatoes chopped
2 avocados peeled and chopped
2 small carrots, diced
1 medium red or green pepper, chopped
3 large hard boiled eggs, chopped
6 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled (optional)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Blue cheese and/or ranch dressing
DIRECTIONS
In a greased 3 quart slow cooker mix the BBQ sauce, brown sugar, garlic powder, and paprika. Add the chicken breasts and coat with the sauce. Cook covered on low 3-4 hours until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken from the slow cooker, cut into bite size pieces. Add back into the slow cooker and coat with the sauce.
Place romaine on a large serving platter, arrange chicken, vegetables, avocado, hard boiled eggs, bacon and cheese. Drizzle with dressing or let everyone add their own dressing.
Enjoy!
I have two great Taste of Home recipes for you this week. This recipe was simple and fast to make, not to mention very good with ingredients you probably already have on hand! This recipe is very good as is, but when I make it again I may add a handful of Parmesan cheese to the sauce at the end of the cooking time. Maybe even some crispy bacon bits on the top just before serving!!
INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup butter, cubed
2 Tablespoons canola oil or vegetable oil
8 ounces uncooked thin spaghetti
2 1/2 cups frozen peas (about ten ounces)
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup half and half
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
In a large skillet add the butter and oil over medium heat. Break the pasta in half and add to the pan cooking 2-3 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir in the peas, broth, half and half, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer and cover. Cook for 10-12 minutes or until noodles are tender. Stirring occasionally. Serve warm.
Enjoy!
Spring is here and Summer is just around the corner! This is a great time to think about a visit to Applecrest Farm and Bistro! Applecrest farm is located at 133 Exeter Rd (Rt. 88) in Hampton Falls, NH. They are open daily from 8 am to 6 pm. But check out their website as they have a lot going on! http://www.applecrest.com/
My friends Rosalie, Gail and myself all went to lunch at the bistro and it was fresh and fantastic! Talk about farm to table! They source all of their products as locally as possible and boy does it show!
I have to jump right into this 
post and tell you about the apple and roasted beet salad that Gail had to start us off. ($8.00). It arrived at the table and we were all silent for a moment taking in how gorgeous this salad was! It really was one of the most beautifully plated dishes I have ever seen! Just gorgeous and can I tell you it was delicious too. This salad had roasted beets, apples along with mixed greens and an incredible creamy goat cheese along with pistachios and mint. Rosalie and I were like hungry vultures looking at Gail’s salad! Lucky for us, Gail did not mind sharing! There were three very happy women sitting at that table! What a way to start the lunch!
For Gail’s main course, she ordered the classic flatbread ($14.00). The flatbread was perfectly cooked with crushed tomatoes, mozzarella and fresh basil! Another very mouthwatering dish!
Rosalie had the Turkey Panini ($9.00) with house made fries. The panini was on a ciabatta roll with turkey, pesto, arugula and sharp cheddar cheese. You know that Rosalie is a frequent dining companion and we share. Today was no different, I can
attest, the panini was full of great flavor, the fresh Pesto and the peppery arugula combined with the turkey and cheese made a great lunch! But before I forget she had fries on the side! Those were super yummy too. They were thin and crispy and seasoned with plenty of salt and pepper! I love a good dose of pepper on crispy fries. So yes, her lunch was mighty tasty!
Are you wondering what I had? Well, before we ordered, Gail mentioned how delicious and juicy the burgers were…well, with that already in my head, I just had to give it a try. I had the grass fed burger ($14.00) with sharp cheddar cheese, lettuce and pickles with an herb aioli. Gail was right! This burger was exactly what a burger should be! Juicy with lots of great flavor. I really enjoyed the herb aioli with it! I also ordered the cabbage and apple slaw with walnuts for a side. The cabbage apple slaw was slightly disappointing. I did not find it to have much flavor. I shared this with Rosalie and Gail, and we all felt the same. It was not a bad side dish, but we felt the flavors were just not there. Next time I’m sticking with those tasty fries and beet salad! We all wanted to skip dessert to start shopping in the market! The market is just filled with so many delicious and local flavors, not to mention everything they grow on the farm!
One of my very favorite things in the world is apple cider donuts and they make them here and they are so freakin good! I tried to behave and only bought six! Thankfully for my waistline, our son Robby loves them as much as I do so when I got home and was not in the kitchen, Robby found them and ate four of them! I really am trying to be thankful Robby ate them but now I am left dreaming for more and planning another trip to get some for ME!
Back to the market! They have so many amazing products and produce to choose from! When in season, they have 40 variety of apples people! Yes 40! They also have peaches, nectarines, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, corn, pumpkins and other seasonal veggies!!
I told you about the apple cider donuts, but they also have hand pressed apple cider, local honey, jams, maple syrup and cheese! I honestly can’t begin to tell you everything this farm has to offer. Local dairy, cheese, meats and seafood not to mention a large variety of pies and pastries!
That’s not all!! They have a creamery too! Local ice cream! Yes, please! This is on the same property and open in the Spring and Summer from 11 am to 9 pm. 7 days a week. They also have “pick your own” when in season, farm shares and gift packs! Check out the website for more info, they have a huge variety!
Another one of my favorite places is just down the road a couple short miles! Churchill’s Garden Center is located at 12 Hampton Rd. in Exeter, NH. This is one of my favorite garden centers and always make a stop in when I am in the area!
Church
ill’s is open daily from 9-5 and has a huge variety of annuals, perennials, home accents, plant and flower containers, house plants and outdoor living! I find Churchill’s to be a little on the expensive side but even if I don’t purchase anything, I get terrific ideas! Stopping by in the spring is great; all of the beautiful colors, accents and combinations are so exciting to see!
Although our kids are older they also offer a great kids club where the kids can make various crafts. Check out their website for the calendar of events! http://www.churchillsgardens.com/
These are two more of my favorite places. If you are in the area or looking for a road trip check these places out. I know you will enjoy them as much as my friends and I do!
Enjoy!
That’s some title, right? I was at a loss for a good name for this recipe but it definitely falls in the delicious category no matter what it’s called! This recipe does take some time and does use more pots and pans than I typically like to use, but when you take a bite you will agree it is worth the effort! This recipe would also be very good with fresh mushrooms added to the veggies. I did not add them as I am not a fan of ANY mushroom no matter how they are cooked, but if you like them feel free to add them!
INGREDIENTS
1 bunch of fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into bite size pieces
12 ounces (one small container) of cherry tomatoes, halved
Salt
Pepper
2 Tablespoons olive oil
3 Tablespoons of butter, divided
3 cloves of garlic, finely diced
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup of 1% milk
Pinch of nutmeg
3/4 cup freshly grated Asiago cheese
1 large egg yolk, beaten
3/4 of a sleeve of buttery round crackers such as Ritz, crushed
1 box of penne pasta, cooked to al Dante
DIRECTIONS
Cook pasta in salted water until al Dante. For roasted vegetables turn your oven to broil and leave the oven door slightly open. On a sheet pan, add the sliced tomatoes and asparagus, drizzle with the olive oil, add a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix well, being sure to coat all the veggies with the oil. Place in the oven still leaving the door slightly open. Broil until the veggies are tender and just starting to char. Remove from oven and set aside.
To make the sauce, combine the 1 Tablespoon of butter, nutmeg, garlic, heavy cream and milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring sauce to a simmer and remove from heat stir in the Asiago cheese and the egg yolk whisking constantly to prevent egg from scrambling. If the mixture is too thick add a little more milk. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. To assemble combine your cooked pasta, veggies and alfredo sauce mix well to make sure everything is coated with the sauce. Pour pasta into a 9 x 13 dish. Top with crushed crackers and 2 Tablespoons of melted butter. Bake for about ten minutes, just long enough for the crackers to slightly brown. Remove from oven and serve warm.
Enjoy!
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