Ag Field Day / Rutgers Day

On Saturday, April 24th, Rutgers will hold their event-filled day all over their campuses. Head on over to New Jersey Outdoors to read more about the events surrounding the day, including nature hikes at Helyar Woods and Rutgers Gardens.

Of course we'll be talking all about the food! The big lawn on Cook/Douglass campus will once again host the NJ Folk Festival, which is accompanied by a huge food vendor marketplace. In a brilliant tactical maneuver, food trucks will surround the fields with the smells and sounds of deliciousness.

A variety of cultures and cuisines will be represented, including Italian, Greek, Egyptian, Lebanese, and many more! Of course American cuisine will also be prevalent, with all the spring time classics.

Last year during the events we feasted on flavorful pit beef sandwiches with vinegar fries.


For dessert we watched as our strawberry-banana-chocolate crepes were made.


And then we dug in!

There's something for everyone. Go ahead, ask my little sisters Emma and Sarah!


Don't miss out on a great day in central NJ filled with fun and food!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

This was our second time having this version of a southwestern style soup, and we just couldn't deprive our readers any longer! The recipe we started with for this particular soup came from Real Simple, but there are a ton of different variations and you can tweak things here and there to make it your own. For example, we added corn and cheddar cheese (added on top when serving) and ditched the sour cream.

Here's the ingredient list:

• 1 12-ounce jar salsa verde
• 3 cups cooked chicken pieces (1 small rotisserie chicken or leftovers)
• 1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup sour cream
  
• tortilla chips
• 1 can of corn, drained

Start off by emptying the salsa into a large saucepan. Cook it for 2 minutes over medium-high heat, and then add in the chicken, beans, broth, and cumin. Bring all of that to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and cook it for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. You can add another cup of chicken broth (4 total) to make the dish soupier, but 3 cups really is plenty. It's not overly thick.

Top each bowl with a sprinkling of onions, a dollop of sour cream, or some tortilla chips. We decided to put some shredded cheddar cheese on top as well.

The salsa verde really makes this a unique dish, and you get a bunch of fun textures and flavors with each bite. Careful, though, as you can easily go through an entire bag of tortilla chips while eating dinner. We know from experience.