Tucker’s Restaurant just came to Dover, NH and I am excited to tell you about this new breakfast and lunch restaurant! Tucker’s has three other locations that my adorable niece Kelly and her guy Jack have been to. They love it and before the Dover location opened they were telling me about their favorite dishes. Kelly’s favorite dish is one of Tucker’s specialties, the banana bread French toast, house baked banana nut bread grilled in French toast batter and topped with fresh bananas, honey maple glazed walnuts and whipped cream! How amazing does that sound?This is definitely on my need to order list!
Jack’s favorite breakfast is also one of their specialties, the Southwest Sunrise Skillet with two fresh eggs scrambled with onions, piquante peppers, pepper jack cheese, herbs and spices served over crispy hash browns topped with fresh sliced avocado and a drizzle of chipotle sauce. This is served with gluten free bread or the bread of your choice! After hearing all of this I could not wait for the Dover location to open! Thankfully it was only a week till the opening, and I was able to go for their grand opening event that they had prior to the official opening day to the public.
I went to the pre-opening event with my good friend Leanne. We arrived at about 10 am to a crowded parking lot so we knew everyone had already heard about this gem! Tucker’s was certainly buzzing with activity when we walked in. We were each promptly seated with a menu. Every pre-opening is a little different but this opening allowed you to order anything off the menu all free of charge! I have to say it did take us some time to decide as everything looked and sounded amazing. I am a sucker for a good Benedict because I don’t make them at home. To my surprise they had my all time favorite Benedict, a Sausage Benedict. Once I saw that my choice was made! It’s a pretty straight forward dish…English muffin, all natural sausage patty, poached eggs and of course that creamy delicious Hollandaise sauce! It was absolutely cooked perfectly and the sausage had some really great flavor. I most definitely will be back for that again! Let’s not forget those crispy hash browns on the side, those were just as tasty!
Leanne had a cup of coffee and the “Mitch” breakfast sandwich. This sandwich is made with north country smokehouse Canadian bacon, hash browns, fried egg, melted Vermont cheese on grilled sourdough. Delicious, right? I think our conversation slowed way down at this point as we were loving our breakfast. Leanne and I both liked the fiesta dish ware they have as well.
Tucker’s has some other great breakfast choices, some of the usual menu items and some a little different. They have a Brisket Benedict with chimichurri sauce or how about a Mediterranean Omelet with mushrooms, piquante peppers, tomatoes, grilled spinach, feta, cheddar and calamata olives. I told you about a couple of the specialties that Kelly and Jack love but another option are their homemade biscuits and gravy. That’s another dish I don’t make at home but one that Jim enjoys now and then! They also have many gluten free options as well as gluten free toast.
Although we went for breakfast, they are open for lunch as well and after checking out that menu I know we will be going back for lunch as well. Lots of great sandwiches, wraps, soup and salads to choose from, not to mention mac and cheese and couple different types of grilled cheese. If you are looking for something a little healthier they have a couple of quinoa bowls to chose from as well.
Find them online or on Facebook where you can see all the menu options, locations throughout NH and times of operation. If you have a location near you, get there you will not be disappointed! Thank you to my breakfast date Leanne and of course to Kelly and Jack for all of their input and sharing their favorite dishes with me!
https://tuckersnh.com/
Enjoy!
These meatballs came together fairly quickly and the sauce was delicious, creamy smooth and full of flavor. Although Jim and I both agreed the meatballs were very good, the next time I make this I am going to roast some shrimp and add that to the sauce instead of the chicken meatballs. I served this over rice keeping it gluten free for Robby, but you can certainly serve this over pasta as well.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup roughly chopped carrots
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1/2 to 1 Tablespoon dried cilantro (I used 1/2 T)
Juice of one lime
2 Tablespoons fresh basil
1 Tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon ginger
1 clove garlic
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
Salt
Pepper
1 pound ground chicken
SAUCE INGREDIENTS
1 can coconut milk
1 Tablespoon red curry paste
1 Tablespoon almond butter
2 Tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Rice or pasta to serve
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place all of the meatball ingredients except the ground chicken in a blender or food processor and pulse until chopped. In a large bowl add the ground chicken and the ingredients from the blender, mix until combined. Roll the meat mixture into about 1 1/2 inch balls and place them on a lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, roll the balls over and continue baking for an additional 10 minutes.
For the sauce – in a large skillet over medium heat add the coconut milk, add the rest of the sauce ingredients and simmer for ten minutes stirring constantly. Add the meatballs to the sauce coating them and serve over rice or pasta.
Enjoy!
This recipe can be found at www.thebewitchinkitchen.com
This hamburger casserole was so easy and you can add whatever condiments you want just as you would a hamburger. I added some pickles and both Jim and I thought it was just what this dish needed for that little extra flavor. I also added dairy free cheese for Robby because of his ongoing belly issues as he is currently not eating gluten or dairy. You can add whatever cheese you like. And use any gluten free pasta you like. If I did not tell anyone this was gluten free, I’m not sure anyone would have known.
INGREDIENTS
1 pound ground beef
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 small white onions, chopped
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
8 ounces tomato paste
1 can diced tomatoes (15 ounce)
3-4 cups gluten free pasta, cooked al dente
2-4 Tablespoons yellow mustard
Pinch of salt
Pinch of pepper
1/4 cup cheddar cheese or your choice of cheese
Any condiments of your choice
Pickles
Additional cheese
Tomato
DIRECTIONS
In a large saucepan on medium heat add olive oil, brown the onion and garlic. Add ground beef and cook until ground beef if cooked through. Drain any grease from pan. Add tomato paste, diced tomatoes, cooked pasta and stir until heated through. Stir in mustard, cheese, salt and pepper. Add your topping and serve warm.
Enjoy!
This recipe can be found at www.veggiebalance.com
Recently Jim and I took the train into Boston with our niece Becky and her significant other Adam. We planned to spend the day eating and drinking our way through Boston. Both Becky and Adam love food and great places as much as we do. Becky and Adam have been to Haley.Henry a number of times as Haley grew up with Adam! They love it so they could not wait to take us there, and boy are we glad they did!
I think this is going to be one of the strangest restaurant reviews I have ever written so stay with me. Are you wondering why a restaurant review would be strange? Well, let me tell you, this was an amazing place, but it took me way out of my normal comfort zone! Haley.Henry has some things we all enjoy at a wine bar and some other not so traditional foods that will keep your taste buds guessing! I’ll start with the easy part! The laid back comfortable vibe is a great welcome into the restaurant; the music and rustic decor make this easy to settle in and get the afternoon going.
When we arrived Haley was there to greet all of us and once the introductions were done, we were seated. Becky ordered the cheese and charcuterie board (you can order the boards separately and you get a choice of 3 or 5 options for each board). This board was just amazing. The choice of cheeses and paper thin sliced meats were so tasty. There were some sweet and salty nuts and a hazelnut butter that was insanely good…lick the plate good! All of this was served with a side of various kinds of warm bread.
I’m so excited to tell you about Haley.Henry. I’m getting ahead of myself already! We ordered wine, that was recommended for each of us. Becky and Adam shared a bottle of red wine. I had that beautiful pink wine you see and Jim was the “party pooper” of the bunch and order a beer at a wine bar! We still love him!
Jim and Adam also shared a few oysters before the cheese and charcuterie board came out! Becky and I held out for all the delicious meats and cheeses to come! Sounds pretty good right? Nothing too strange or out of the box? The next couple plates that came out I will have to say I have never tried before, so this is where it went out of my comfort zone, in a good way! Don’t be scared!
Next up was the smoked eel in olive oil with tender sweet rolls, salt, aioli, lemon and ruffled chips. Yes, ruffled chips put it all together and oh my, sweet, salty, crunchy and bring me back for another one! So good, I was not sure what to expect but it was absolutely delicious. I would order that again any day, but like I said it was far out of my usual food zone! We also had the smoked oysters. I did not try those as I found myself going back for the eel and the amazing cheese board!
We had such a fun time meeting Haley and her staff and enjoying the impeccable food and service, we smiled and laughed all afternoon while enjoying so many flavors and tastes! As we were starting to slow down and think about walking back to the train station, Haley came out with some lamb tartare for us to taste as she was making it to post on Instagram. How could we possibly refuse more amazing food? Not this group… even though we were all stuffed, we could not help but try it. Sadly I missed the picture but lamb tartare with capers, garlic, harissa and mint? Come on…of course it was soooo good!
Before we left Haley, brought us each a small bottle of bitters, again something I have not had except in a mixed drink, never straight. It’s unique and packs a little punch! Jim really enjoyed it. I’m on the fence with that one! What an experience we had at Haley.Henry Wine Bar. Check them out at 45 Province Street in Boston, on line at http://www.haleyhenry.com/#home, Facebook and of course Instagram.
Haley.Henry is closed on Sundays so be sure to check out the hours and times so you can enjoy some amazing flavors. I can’t leave without mentioning Haley.Henry has been rated one of the top new restaurants in Boston in 2016, a couple weeks after we were there. Haley was going to be doing an event for the James Beard Foundation.
Don’t be intimidated by tinned fish, embrace something new and get to Haley.Henry!
Enjoy!
Summer is getting started and all of the amazing fresh vegetables are starting to show up at all of the grocery stores and farmers markets! This was a simple fresh pasta dish using using some of those amazing veggies with a little bit of heat coming from the jalapeño! I don’t make many of Rachael Ray’s recipes, but I have to say I enjoyed this pasta dish, it was something totally different for us.
INGREDIENTS
3 ears of fresh corn
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 jalapeño pepper, chopped
1 bunch of scallions, white and light green parts, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
Salt
Pepper
2 pints cherry tomatoes, I used heirloom tomatoes
Hand full of basil leaves, torn
1/2 cup Mascarpone cheese
1 pound penne pasta
Juice of 1/2 lemon or lime, I used lemon
Grated Parmesan cheese, I used about a cup to a cup and a half
DIRECTIONS
Bring six quarts of water to a boil for pasta. Invert a small bowl into a large bowl and stand the corn on its end on the small bowl and scrape kernels from the cob with a knife, repeat with the remaining corn. Heat a large skillet with a lid over medium high heat with extra virgin olive oil. Add corn, jalapeño peppers, scallions,garlic, salt and pepper. Sauté 3 – 4 minutes, add tomatoes and basil, cover pan and cook 7 – 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
While the tomatoes cook, cook pasta in liberally salted water for 1 minute less that the package directions call for. Reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water, then drain the pasta.
Stir in the Mascarpone into the sauce, then add the pasta, the reserved pasta water and a couple handfuls of grated Parmesan. Toss and serve warm.
Enjoy!