CSA Week #9

Here's what was picked this week at the farmer's market. Two cucumbers, six ears of corn, some pattypan squash (those weird looking yellow/green things), and one eggplant! My husband is excited to start cooking and eating.

By the way, how is it already July 31st? Where did the summer go?

They Weren't Leeks

Remember those tall green things with a white bulb at the end? Those things I said were leeks? Well...they weren't leeks. They were onions! Who knew onions had tall green stalks?! They definitely don't look like that at the grocery store. Anyway, I didn't realize they were actually onions until after I found and made Mark Bittman's recipe for Pasta with Leeks and Parsley. Luckily, leeks and onions have similar flavors, and since these onions were rather young, they didn't have too much of an oniony taste. So basically, it didn't make much difference in the dish.

Not leeks.

This pasta dish was really easy to make - the onions and parsley gave it a fresh flavor. It was a nice alternative to tomato sauce, which can be very heavy. This is definitely a dish I would make again, and Mark Bittman is one of my favorite food critics. He has a really interesting philosophy on eating healthy and enjoying all food in moderation - you should be a vegan for breakfast and lunch, and at dinner, you can eat whatever you want. His reasons are for both environmental and physical health benefits. I want to read his book to learn more about this lifestyle and see how easy it might be to make some of his suggested changes. Maybe it will be my first book review on this blog? 

Red Potato Salad

These next few posts are going to be on the shorter side - I've done lots of cooking but very little blogging, so it's time to cut to the chase and just quickly give an update on what's been going on in my kitchen.

Red Potato Salad

served alongside a veggie burger - yum!

This was a really simple recipe to make and required very few ingredients. Here's how it was made:

Ingredients:

• potatoes
• salt and pepper
• parsley
• mayo
• any other add-ins you like, such as onion (which I took a picture of but didn't end up using), hard boiled egg, or celery

Directions:

1. Boil 2 quarts of water in a medium pot. Wash and scrub potatoes, if leaving skin on. Otherwise, peel potatoes. Cut into bite sized pieces. Place potatoes in boiling water, allowing to cook until soft but not mushy, 15-20 minutes.

2. Remove potatoes from and drain. Season with salt and pepper, add mayo to taste (I like creamier potato salads!), and parsley. 

3. Cool in the refrigerator and enjoy - will last for 3-5 days in the refrigerator.

R.I.Peas

The first casuaity of the CSA - snap peas. I waited too long to find a use for them...and so they shriveled up in the refrigerator. Snap peas - you looked so delicious over a week ago. I'll never forget you!

CSA Week #8

It's getting harder to keep track of the weeks - I can't believe it's been 2 months since this whole CSA thing started! Here's what we picked this week:

Even though I hate tomatoes and peppers...I picked them up from the farmer's market. Stay tuned for fresh tomato sauce, fennel risotto, and green pepper/black bean/sweet potato burritos!

Toe Mah Tee Yos

Toe mah tee yos...that's how you pronounce the star of the following dish: tomatillos! When I saw these at the farmer's market, I knew I had to have them. Tomatillos look like mini green tomatoes, but they are wrapped in husks, which make them look like little tomato gifts. Now, let me remind you in case you forgot, I HATE tomatoes! However, there was something about the tomatillos, and their cute little husk, that made them irresistible. So I snatched them up, without any clue on what to do with these tomato relatives. Thankfully, there's this thing called the Internet (maybe you've heard of it?), so it was easy to find some recipes. I settled on salsa verde; after all, there's nothing quite as good as chips, salsa, and a cold margarita on a hot summer day. 

Salsa Verde

Adapted from: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/tomatillo_salsa_verde/ 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lb tomatillos
• 1/2 cup chopped white onion
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
• 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 2 Jalapeño peppers (seeds and membrane removed, to reduce heat, if desired)
• Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Remove papery husks from tomatillos and rinse well.

2. Cut the tomatillos in half and place cut side down on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place under a broiler for about 5-7 minutes to lightly blacken the skin.

3. Place tomatillos, lime juice, onions, cilantro, chili peppers, sugar in a blender or food processor and pulse until all ingredients are finely chopped and mixed. Season to taste with salt. Cool in refrigerator. Serve with chips or as a salsa accompaniment to Mexican dishes.

In the future, I might add ONE jalapeño....and then add another if it needs more heat. The salsa is really good...but a little too spicy!

And here's the finished product:

Appetizer Things

Have you ever made of one those dinners that's just a mix of everything you have left in the refrigerator/freezer? We had one of those types of meals this past week. It's always fun to figure out what to make with the random assortment of foods you find lying around. Here's our hodge podge dinner, featuring cauliflower and zucchini:

We had marinated chicken, buffalo cauliflower, and zucchini fries. The buffalo cauliflower was surprisingly delicious! We are big buffalo chicken fans, and I was a bit skeptical when it came to buffalo cauliflower. There was a flour/water/garlic powder batter that gave the cauliflower a really nice texture...and you can never go wrong with Frank's Red Hot Sauce. 

Zucchini fries...before the oven

Zucchini fries were another easy side to add to our random dinner. I didn't have buttermilk (not a staple in this kitchen) or eggs (expired a few days prior yet still sitting in my fridge...), so the zucchini were dipped in milk, then in breadcrumbs. Baked in the oven for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

These two random sides would make really good appetizers for a party! They are both very easy to make and are healthy alternatives to some of the more popular appetizers. I would definitely make these again the next time I have a party. Or the next time I crave junk food!

CSA Week #7

Here's what came from this past visit to the farmer's market:

Leeks, snap peas, potatoes and lettuce. Stayed tuned for more recipes!

Winnie update: She has started to adjust to her new home! Our neighbor said he didn't hear her at all yesterday while we were at work - wahoo! Whatever we're doing is working. Maybe it's time to quit my job and this whole blogging thing and become a dog whisperer?

CSA Week #5 Recap

Alright, so this post is lacking in pictures. Things have been a bit busy over here @ lizzilnthings! It turns out that super cute and excited behaviors Winnie was exhibiting were signs of separation anxiety :( Poor puppy! We're trying to figure out what is considered "normal' separation anxiety for a dog who was just introduced to a new home, and which behaviors may be not "normal". Any thoughts or suggestions? We've been doing some behavioral adjustments and reinforcing positive behaviors...but Winnie keeps on incessantly howling and crying when we leave. I've been spending all of my free time researching all variations of canine separation anxiety, so I haven't had much time to take pictures or post. I hope this is a good excuse for the delay.

Beets

The beets were delicious - baked in the oven and eaten on salads and with goat cheese. I never had made beets before (confession: I buy them in a can!), so I was not sure how they'd turn out, but it was very easy to bake beets! Wrap in foil, bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes (longer for bigger beets), until a fork can pierce the beet. When cool, peel, slice and enjoy!

Spinach

Pretty boring preparations - on salads, sautéd with garlic, in wraps. Nothing too exciting or exotic here.

Overall, week #5 was pretty great. All the produce was delicious and I made some new foods (pickles!). Looking forward to picking up my next share tomorrow...and finding time to finish posting about week #6. Yummy recipes to be posted soon...promise!

I Made Pickles, hey hey hey hey!

Cucumbers are one of my favorite vegetables. I love to eat them plain, with a little salt, in salads, or with ranch dressing. When I saw these guys at the farmer's market, I knew it was going to take a lot of strength, on my part, not to eat them immediately. As hard as it was, the cucumbers lasted long enough to be turned into pickles!

A little lesson in pickles: there are two primary ways to make pickles. The first way, which is the method by which the pickles found in groceries stores are made, is much more complicated and is best for making large batches of pickles. This involves pre-soaking cucumbers in brine, and makes pickles with a stronger taste and a longer shelf-life. However, it is worth the time and effort if you find yourself with a large quantity of cucumbers. 

The second method, which I used, is often called "quick pickling" or "refrigerator pickling". Pickles are made by pouring heated pickling liquid (vinegar/water/salt) over cucumbers in a jar, along with various spices. The jar of pickles are then placed in the refrigerator, and in a few hours, you have crunchy and delicious pickles! Unfortunately, refrigerator pickles won't last more than 2 or 3 months, but once you try these, there shouldn't be any problem finishing them before they expire.

Pickling Ingredients

The recipe that was used to make these pickles came from Ted Allen - it was really simple and did not take very long at all to make. It was a little hard waiting for the pickles to cool so that we could eat them, but it was well worth the wait. Pickles, in my opinion, are a great addition to a summer barbecue - so bring on the burgers and dig in!

CSA Week #6

Another huge selection at the farmer's market this week! It's gotten to the point where I can no longer keep track of what I don't pick - there was even an extra table added for the all the produce the CSA had to offer this week. Here's what we came away with:

CSA Week #6

From left to right: zucchini, cauliflower, tomatillos, and buttercrisp lettuce. Looking forward to the delicious meals these veggies will make!

In case you have noticed that this post is a little later in the week than normal, you are right. It's taken me two days to write this post because things have been a bit busier this week than normal. This past weekend, we adopted a dog! Meet Winnie:

Winnie - official mascot of lizzilnthings

She's a 5 year-old Airedale Terrier mix (according to the vet) and is the sweetest dog in the world! All she wants to do is be around us and she follows us wherever we go...even in the kitchen! Needless to say, I've been a bit preoccupied with the cutest addition to our family!

E is for Eggplant

When I was in graduate school, my cohort and I would often have potluck dinners as an excuse to stop studying and be social. Potlucks were easy - maybe it was because we were poor grad students - and everyone always made delicious food. To spice things up, we always tried to come up with different themes for our potlucks - favorite comfort food, traditional cultural/religious dish, etc. One of our more "creative" themes was make a dish that either starts with the first letter of your name or a dish with a main ingredient that starts with the first letter of your name. My name, if you did not know by now, is Elisabeth...so I chose a dish with eggplant. Enter baba ganoush:

Baba Ganoush

Ingredients:

• 1 medium/large or 2 small eggplants
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 Tbl olive oil
• 1/4 cup tahina
•  dash of cumin
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions
1. Slice eggplants vertically and rub with olive oil. Place face down on a baking sheet. Roast eggplants for 20 minutes in an oven heated to 350 degrees, or until soft.

2. In a food processor, chop 1 clove of garlic with 2 Tbl of extra virgin olive oil. Add roasted eggplant, and chop. Transfer to a bowl.

3. Add 1/4 cup of tahina (sesame paste), salt and pepper to taste, a dash of cumin, and the juice from 1 half lemon. Stir well and enjoy - more lemon juice, salt, pepper, or garlic can be added based on personal preference.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Prep Time!

Our CSA share came with 3 small eggplants - the first two were used for baba ganoush, and the third one was grilled, with a balsamic vinegar marinade. A marinade was made using equal parts olive oil and vinegar, oregano, garlic, salt, and pepper. The eggplant was sliced, and then grilled on our grill pan for about 7 minutes on each side. We ate it with baked chicken and sautéed spinach and garlic. Delicious!

Grilled Eggplant

Adventures in Scaping

Below is a guest blog post from my friend/cousin Annie - she picked up our CSA share the week we were on vacation. She has an adorable 3-year old who is featured below!

My sous chef Carter was also a big helper. Just to recap we had cauliflower, garlic scapes, turnips and squash. 

Garlic scapes and Cauliflower

We pan seared the cauliflower in a few tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper until browned and then threw in the chopped up garlic scapes- including the bulb at the end for the last few minutes. The friendly farmer had told me they are good in anything stir fried that you want to taste like garlic- he had said to use the whole thing. The scapes have a mild garlic/onion flavor, similar to scallions but just more garlicky. They were good!

In the pan!

Then we sliced up the squash and turnips and tossed with olive, oil, salt and pepper and roasted in the oven at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. Nothing too exciting but the roasted veggies tasted good.

Roasted zucchini

Carter tasted a garlic scape (nothing else) and said he liked it. Garlic scapes are 3 year-old approved!

Sous chef Carter, hard at work adding pepper!

Thanks for the post, Annie! Glad to hear Carter was able to help and enjoy some of the produce!

Of Mice and Muggles

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy

This past week, my husband and I went on vacation with my parents to Orlando, Florida. Ever since the rumors started about The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios, my parents have said they'd take me as soon as it opened. Well, it took about 3 years, but we all finally were able to coordinate our schedules and plan a trip! We spent two days at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure and two days at Epcot and Hollywood Studios at Disney World.

I was a little nervous to go on vacation with my parents, considering the last time we traveled together I was still in high school. However, our trip was really great! Highlights included:

• drinking Butterbeer in Hogsmeade (yum!)
• getting soaked on all the water rides at Universal - Jurassic Park, Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls, & Popeye and Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges
• all-you-can-eat German buffet at the Biergarten in Epcot
• meeting Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, & Goofy
• my two favorite rides: Tower of Terror and Rockin' Roller Coaster!

The best part of the trip was when we went on Living with the Land in Epcot, a boat ride through the greenhouses in Disney World where not only some of the produce that is served in the restaurants is grown but also where agricultural research is conducted. This was one of our first rides that day, and we had already had a game plan as to what rides to wait for vs. what rides to Fast Pass, all based on the assumption we'd have no hiccups in our day. Fast Passes are a basically special tickets that allow you to skip the lines to the most popular rides by assigning you a one hour window for you to ride. They are free and every Disney guest is able to obtain them, but you can only get another Fast Pass once your ride time has passed.

As our boat approached the end of the ride, all of the boats lost power. We were stuck in the greenhouse for close to a half hour, waiting for power to be restored. Of all the rides in Disney World, this is probably the best one to get stuck on - after all, you are surrounded by lots of food! We were finally rescued by some lovely college intern who was doing botany research at Disney for the summer, and all the passengers on the boat were escorted onto dry land through the greenhouse. The best part: as compensation, Disney staff members gave us Fast Passes that were good on a number of rides in Epcot to be used at any point in the next 3 days. Somehow, my mom, dad, and husband snagged 13(!!!!), so needless to say, we did not wait for any other rides the rest of the day.

The view once we got off our broken down boat

Disney World and Universal Studios are a lot of fun, but also very tiring! On our last day, we just sat by the pool and relaxed and read. A much needed vacation from vacation.

CSA Week #5

Wow - I was shocked at how much produce was available this week at the Farmer's Market!  What a difference a week makes! I have not seen this many options since our CSA began. It's definitely prime picking time at the farm...3 types of squash, eggplants, kohlrabi, beets, spinach, broccoli, collard greens, 2 types of cucumbers, lettuce...and much more. Here's what I picked on my first week back:

I already have LOTS of idea for what to make with these veggies! Recipes to be posted soon :)

For those of you keeping track, last week I was not able to pick up the produce because we were on vacation. A dear friend picked up our share as to not let any food go to waste....and she picked cauliflower, yellow squash, turnips, and garlic scapes. Her updates will also be posted at a later date!

Happy 4th of July to all my readers from the United States! Hope you have a great celebration full of BBQs & fireworks!