Sweet Saturday morning scene in my kitchen...

The taste of Autumn officially arrived in my kitchen this morning...

... in the form of Harvest Oatmeal for my boy!  

Find the recipe HERE.

Hidden Gem: A new Eckert's in Manchester!

Hey, hey fellow West County friends...

A trip to Eckert's just got a lot easier for you!  My haul. 😊

At Manchester and 141, in the abandoned Office Depot, now sits an Eckert's seasonal pop-up market...

I apologize for the dark photos!  I stumbled up the store yesterday morning under stormy skies.  

While nothing beats a fun day trip to Eckert's mega store in Belleville or their fun farm in Millstadt, this location does carry the best of the best:  Fresh and juicy in-season peaches, fresh farm-grown veggies and fruit galore, ciders, homemade baked goods and pies, gift items, select meats and cheeses, and a selection of their lovely condiments from apple butter to salsa...

Nitty Gritty:

ST. LOUIS SEASONAL MARKET
79 NATIONALWAY SHOPPING CTR
MANCHESTER, MISSOURI  

Open 9-6 every day until late-August.


(618)233-0513

More Info: https://www.eckerts.com/st-louis-seasonal-market

→→→ See some of my other local "Hidden Gems" HERE.←←←

In The Kitchen: Harvest Oatmeal recipe

Rain, glorious rain brought lovely Fall temperatures to St. Louis over the last 24 hours.  High of 66 today! As soon as the weather begins to turn, Casa de Nenonen goes into full-on Autumn mode.  Apple season is underway and gorgeous produce has flooded local orchards and markets recently, inspiring a return of one of my favorite breakfast recipes.  Harvest Oatmeal is simple and quick, yet delicious... this recipe is the perfect hearty start to a cooler September day!

🍁 Harvest Oatmeal 🍁

(serves 4)

1.5 cup apple cider
1/2 cup water
1 cup old fashioned oatmeal (not the quick cook)
1 large apple (or 2 small)- diced (I leave the skin on)
1/4 cup of pecans 
Teaspoon of Pumpkin Pie Spice
1/2 Teaspoon of Cinnamon
Tablespoon of Brown Sugar
Dash of Salt 

Bring cider, salt, water, brown sugar, spices, and diced apples to a boil on high.

Bring heat down to medium high and add oatmeal, stirring occasionally.  Cook for 5 minutes, remove from heat, add pecans, stir, and let sit for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with cinnamon or cinnamon sugar and serve.

NOTE: Oatmeal will thicken as it cools, so if "watery" upon removing from heat, do not fret.

------> See other Nenonen recipes HERE.

St. Louis Memorial Day Weekend 2016 Happenings: May 27 - 30

The long holiday weekend is almost here, St. Louis!  As usual, the city will be buzzing with family-friendly activities. Here are a few of my favorites...

2016 Art Outside at Schlafly Bottleworks 

Schlafly Art Outside is a three-day-long alternative art fair featuring art from over 50 artists based here in the St. Louis area. Come and show your support for local art and local beer.

Art Outside is not an ordinary fair, but one that features quality art, music, and plenty of tasty food and drink from Schlafly Beer. Hosted at the brewery’s Bottleworks location in Maplewood, Missouri, Art Outside draws approximately 15,000 visitors each year.

5.27.16 - 5.30.16
Friday:  5-10 PM
Saturday: 10AM-10PM
Sunday: NOON-4PM

Schlafly Bottleworks in Maplewood
6260 Southwest Avenue

http://schlafly.com/events/calendar/2016/05/27/art-outside/


2016 St. Louis County Greek Fest in Town & Country

Whether you're of Greek decent or just love ethnic cuisine, the Greek Fest is a lively environment destination in which you can experience the Greek community's deeply rooted traditions, heritage, and delicious cuisine!

5.27.16 - 5.30.16
Friday-Sunday: 11:00 AM-9:00 PM
Monday: 11:00 AM - 8:00 PM

Assumption Greek Orthodox Church
1755 Des Peres Road

http://stlouisgreekfest.com/

Eckert's Farm Memorial Day Festival

Eckert's Orchards in Belleville is celebrating Memorial Day with a three-day festival complete with music, food, wagon rides and special kid's activities.

5.28.16 - 5.30.16
10-5 pm

Belleville Country Store
951 Green Mount Road Belleville, IL 62220

http://www.eckerts.com/events/memorial-weekend-festival-8/


44th Annual Gypsy Caravan at the Family Arena

Junkers, antiquers, and Pinterest fans... welcome to heaven!!  The St. Louis Symphony Volunteer Association presents the 44th annual Gypsy Caravan, one of the largest antique, craft and flea markets in the Midwest. Proceeds support the STL Symphony and Education Concerts that reach and inspire upward of 40,000 students from 1,000 area schools each season.

Monday, 5.30.16
Early Bird (7:00-9:00 AM): $20
General (9:00 AM-5:00 PM): $10
Free at all times for children under age 13.

The Family Arena
2002 Arena Parkway
St. Charles MO, 63303

https://www.stlsymphony.org/gypsycaravan/

St. Louis Weekend Happenings: May 15- May 18

14th Annual Art on the Square in Belleville

Friday 5 - 10 PM
Saturday 10AM- 8 PM
Sunday 11AM. - 5PM

Ranked the #1 fine arts show in the nation by The Art Fair Source Book 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012... Art on the Square is 3 days of art, food, and entertainment in historic Downtown Belleville.

Shuttle: St. Clair County Transit will run a free shuttle every 15 minutes between Scheel Street MetroLink station (starting 10 minutes before festival opens) and East Main and Jackson (ending 20 minutes after festival closes).

Information: Visit www.artonthesquare.com or call Kathy Kaiser at 618-444-3802


Taste of Maplewood in Historic Downtown Maplewood
Saturday, May 16 from noon-9 pm

During this food-centric festival, held in the heart of Maplewood, vendors compete for titles like Best Sweet Tooth, Best Unexpected Flavor, and Best Overall Taste of Maplewood. Plus, enjoy live music on two stages.

Information:  http://maplewood-chamber.com/taste-of-maplewood-event-page/ :


Bark in the Park on Cricket Field in Forest Park
Saturday, May 16 from 8AM-1PM

Join the Humane Society of Missouri at this family- and dog-friendly event. The day includes a 5K race, 1-mile walk, pancake breakfast, the Purina Incredible Dog Team, an agility course, pet contests, and more. Proceeds benefit animals at the Humane Society of Missouri.

Early registration is $30 and kids 12 and under and dogs are free.

Information: 314-951-1565 or hsmo.org/bark.


Strawberry Festival at Eckert's in Belleville

Saturday, May 16 from 10AM-5PM

Take the family to Eckert’s for a day of strawberry-themed entertainment. The kiddos can hitch a wagon or pony ride, visit the petting farm, and pick their own strawberries. Before you leave, stop at the bakery for homemade desserts. Free. 951 Green Mount, Belleville, Ill., ,

Information: 618-233-0513 or http://www.eckerts.com/

In The Kitchen: Cider Glazed Chicken with Browned Butter Pecan Rice

Beloved Fall has finally arrived with its cool damp mornings and beautiful harvest fruit.  Most notably... apples!  Heading over to Eckert's to pick apples is one of our favorite family activities, regardless of how old the boys get. 

I stumbled upon this Cooking Light recipe for Cider-Glazed Chicken with Browned Butter Pecan Rice last week and found the perfect opportunity to finally make it for my family last night when our neighbor gifted us with apples and cider from a local Farmer's Market. 

Hands down, this recipe is a must share-   DELICIOUS!  It incorporates wonderful flavors for the Fall season and is super easy to execute.  Sure winner.

Hint: I replaced 1 cup of water when making the rice with cider.  I also added diced tart apples to the rice during Step #3 and doubled the Cider Dijon glaze as it cooks down and caramelizes significantly. Once we laid the chicken atop the rice, I added a small drizzle of glaze over both.

Enjoy!

Just For Fun: Grilled Peach Salad with Spinach & Red Onion Vinaigrette recipe

Peaches are currently in peak season and are gorgeous this year! This Grilled Peach Salad with Spinach & Red Onion Vinaigrette recipe via Eckert's Country Store & Farms and Schnuck Markets would be a fabulous usage, don't you think?! 

Click image to enlarge.  Schnuck's "peachy" blog entry can be found here.

Weekend Happenings: It's Strawberry Season, St. Louis!

Man oh man, Mother Nature is full steam ahead!

Thies Farm and Eckert's just announced that pick-your-own-strawberries is officially underway almost a month earlier than last year!   At Thies Maryland Heights location, pick-your-own is $1.50 per pound, while already-picked strawberries will be available for $2.50 per pint.  At Eckert's -Belleville, pick-your-own is $2.50/pound this year.

While I love both Eckert's and Thies Farm equally and visit BOTH regularly... Thies Farm is only 5 minutes from my office so super convenient.  If you have never been strawberry picking, the fruit straight off the vine is simply amazing.  It is a fun family adventure and delivers the best strawberries that you will ever taste, as they have never been refrigerated. 

Here is a teeny peek at our strawberry-picking adventure last year:

NITTY GRITTY:

Thies Farm (posts from our previous visits HERE):
3120 Maryland Heights Expressway
Maryland Heights, MO 63146
(314) 469-7559

http://www.thiesfarm.com/

Monday-Saturday 9am-6pm
Sunday 10am-4pm


Eckert's (posts from our previous visits HERE)
951 Green Mount Road
Belleville, IL 62220
(618) 233-0513

http://www.eckerts.com/index.htm

 8 am – 8 pm daily

Apple season is here!

A teeny peek at our annual family trek to Eckert's. This year we hit the Belleville location for Golden and Red Delicious time...


NITTY GRITTY:

Eckert's Web Site for Apple Season: http://www.eckerts.com/apple.htm

Eckert's Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/eckertfarms?ref=nf

Eckert's Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/eckertfarms

Signs of Fall...

Last year, around this time, I admitted my love for this beloved season to Blog World.

Love it, love it, love it!

I have to say, I am starting to feel the fever again. The leaves are slowly starting to fall from our trees, our windows have been open more than closed, we have made our first seasonal pilgrimage to Eckert's to pick apples, the boys are starting to debate costume ideas, and my allergies are driving me insane! Ha!

Anyways, besides my autumnal makeover of the ol' blog and Twitter, there are several other signs of Fall around Casa de Nenonen ...

Fun time for a great cause...

I bike quite regularly at Creve Coeur Lake. It's one of my favorite ways to clear my head and get outdoors. Last week en route to the trails, I passed an "attraction" that I haven't seen in years past?! After a bit of research, I am super excited to check it out with my family this month!

As my kids have grown older (now 10 and 7), they have started to outgrow a lot of our local Harvest favorites like Eckert's Fun Farm and Thies Farm Pumpkinland. We are always on the prowl for new seasonal activities that celebrate the season while still holding their interest. This activity not only sounds like fun for the entire family, but proceeds benefit one of my favorite local charities: The Stray Rescue of St. Louis.

Bunker Farms Corn Maze

LOCATION:

GolfPort in Maryland Heights-

#1 Golfport Drive St Louis MO 63146

314-878-4653

HOURS:

October 2nd- November 1st

Fridays : 4 p.m. - 12 a.m.

No tickets sold after 10 p.m.

Saturdays : 9 a.m. - 12 a.m.

No tickets sold after 10 p.m.

Sundays : 9 a.m. - 10 p.m.

No tickets sold after 8 p.m.

NITTY GRITTY:

This enormous 10 acre Corn Maze boasts over 2 -1/2 miles of twist and turny corn trails. It is sure to keep your family entertained and guessing for hours as you try to make your way through 8' high corn stalks.

If feeling brave, they also offer a Night Maze with over 1 mile of winding trails. Flashlights are required to enter this maze.

PRICE:

$8.00 ~ Adults

$6.00 ~ Kids (5 to 11)

FREE ~ Under 5

PROCEEDS BENEFIT: The Stray Rescue of St. Louis

LEARN MORE HERE: Bunker Farms Corn Maze

Last call for apples...

We enjoyed one of the last apple picking days of the season at Eckert's- Grafton with friends...