Cranberry Apple Sauce

I have never been a cranberry sauce fan. That gelatinous stuff that comes out of the can has never looked appealing. But this...this was really good. I know it's well past Thanksgiving, and this is technically a Thanksgiving recipe, but it was so tasty I have to write it down here. I'm thinking of using it again at Christmas.

Cranberry Apple Sauce

1 cup apple cider (I used regular apple juice)
1/2 cup sugar
1 Braeburn or Gala apple, peeled and grated (I used Gala)
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Pinch of ground cloves
1 12 oz. bag fresh or frozen cranberries (I used fresh)
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
salt to taste

Boil cider, sugar, apple, cinnamon, and cloves in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add cranberries and simmer 10-12 minutes, or until berries burst and sauce thickens. (I had to constantly "pop" the cranberries as they were cooking. It took about 15 minutes for it to thicken) Stir in vinegar, season with salt, and chill at least 2 hours before serving.

Can be made up to 2 days ahead.

What Santa's Workshop looks like in these parts...

So, my addition to Arlene's fab blog this evening is not healthy. No way to sneak veggies into this recipe, no wheat germ mixed in. Pure unhealth.

And it is on the brain tonight because every year, I make huge quantities of this to put into gift bags for my husband's coworkers.

White Chocolate Peppermint Bark

1 bag white choc. morsels
1 cup Rice Krispees
3 candy canes

1. Put candy canes in plastic bag and crush with cooking mallet, rolling pin, or hammer.
2. Melt choc. (50% power)
3. Stir in Krispees.

Spoon choc/Krispees onto wax paper (on tray) and spread out with large spoon. Pizza trays work well. Add crushed candy after this is spread out- sprinkle around and mash in. Chill ~half an hour. Break into brittle/bark pieces.

Easy & fun!

Jen McCarthy

Kabocha Squash Soup

This recipe is actually from my friend, Shauna's, so I can't take the credit. She helped me make it today. It was so easy and so tasty. (It helps to have a good squash.)

You could make this with a different type of squash, or a pumpkin. I got a Kabocha squash in my farm box three weeks ago and used that. (Yes! 3 weeks ago! Gotta love squash!)

I was very excited when I realized this type of squash is what I used to eat often when I lived in Australia. There is it just called a pumpkin, or a Japanese pumpkin. All these years I've been searching for it here in the states and all this time it was called something else. (Terribly common, really). It is tasty just roasted with a bit of butter.

So, here's the simple soup recipe:

1 Kabocha Squash, cut in half, seeds removed
1/2 large yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
4-5 cups chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
cream to add rich flavor

1. Roast squash in a baking pan or jelly roll sheet, cut side down in a bit of water. (You want the water to not evaporate during roasting, so keep adding as necessary.) Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.

2. In soup pot, saute onions and garlic in small amount of oil or butter until translucent, about 10 minutes.

3. Scoop roasted squash out of it's skin and add to onion and garlic. Cover with broth and bring to a gentle boil.

4. Simmer for 20-30 minutes.

5. Puree soup using food processor, blender or hand blender. Add salt and pepper to taste.

6. Can add a touch of cream.

Serve hot. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Huli Huli BBQ Chicken

Now that it isn't really BBQ season anymore, I'm posting one of my favorites from the summer. I was originally drawn to this recipe because of it's name: Huli Huli is Hawaiian for something. Possibly Tasty Tasty. Really...it's that good.

I made a coconut-lime rice to go with this chicken dish, but I didn't find it fabulous enough to pass on. This recipe comes from Cuisine at Home, which happens to be my favorite recipe magazine that I subscribe to.

The original recipe calls for drumsticks, but I don't really like drumsticks, so I used boneless skinless chicken breasts instead. The recipe I'm posting is actually double the original.

Whisk together:
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
4 TBS ketchup
4 TBS dark soy sauce
2 TBS garlic, minced
2 TBS fresh ginger, minced
2 TBS vegetable oil
salt and pepper to taste

Marinate; Grill:
6-8 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Whisk all ingredients (except chicken) together in a bowl.

Marinate chicken in half the pineapple juice mixture in a large resealable baggie for at least 1 hour, refrigerated. Reduce remaining mixture in a saucepan over medium-high heat until thickened, 5 minutes; set aside for basting.

BBQ chicken on medium-high grill. Baste with reserve glaze while cooking, or save glaze and pour it over your chicken when it's served.

Corn and Pepper Salsa...or something like that...

I haven't made much lately that I feel is worthy of posting, which is why I haven't posted in a while. Sure, sure...I've tried new things. Just last night I made this risotto recipe and this roasted eggplant and tomato stacks recipe, both of which I served with a salmon fillet that I baked in foil for 25 minutes, but neither were super fabulous, especially if you already have a risotto recipe you like (I had never made risotto until last night) or a eggplant dish that you prefer (like Eggplant Parmesan...much tastier when the eggplant is fried!).

But I'm totally losing you now. Let me get back on track.

I did make something a few weeks ago that I feel is worthy of posting. I got it off my farm box newsletter, and as with every recipe, I adapted it for what I had had what I liked. I served it with salmon (again, oven baked in foil) and it was a great combination. The original recipe is more of a pepper salad with a little bit of corn. I made the peppers and corn equal in amounts. The peppers were sweet, not spicy, and they balanced with the balsamic and basil very well. And really, it wasn't large enough in quantity to be called a "salad." It was more of a topping or salsa or chutney. Whatever you want to call it, here's the original recipe from the Fullbelly website and in italics are my adaptations.

Jimmy Nardello Roasted Pepper Salad

3/4 lb. Jimmy Nardello Roasted Peppers (1/2 of that amount, plus some yellow sweet peppers)
3 ears of corn with kernels removed (I quickly boiled the corn before removing the kernels)
3 T white balsamic vinegar (regular balsamic vinegar)
3 T olive oil
1/2 salt
1/4 t black pepper
2 T chopped fresh basil

Jimmy Nardello peppers are a wonderful balance of sweet and savory. They are simple to roast or grill: Remove the stems and seeds. Preheat the broiler. Put the peppers, skins up, in an oiled, shallow baking pan. If you wish you can lightly oil the peppers as well. (I oiled them.) Broil them 2 inches from the heat until softened. You do not need to remove the skins after roasting. Cut the peppers lengthwise into 1/4 inch strips. (I chopped them). Add the corn kernels. To complete the salad, toss together the remaining ingredients and let stand, covered, 1 hour for flavors to develop.


Even though summer and it's sweet corn is now a thing of the past, I imagine that this recipe would work well with a frozen sweet corn, like the frozen white corn at Trader Joes. And you don't have to use these particular peppers. I think any sweet roasted peppers would be fine.

Besides salmon, I think this would pair well with chicken or steak (especially in a taco or fajita).

Onion Soup

I know, I know...you are thinking, "Why the heck would I want to make soup when it's so stinkin' hot outside?" I had the same thought...but then I made it anyways. It was a combination of having all the right ingredients, wanting to use my Walla Wallas before they went bad, wanting to make something new, and...well, boredom.

So last night, after the girls went to bed, I decided to make this soup. I had ripped the recipe out of those original Everyday Food magazines, and it had been in that stack I told you about before. It's a very simple recipe, and it only took about an hour from start to finish. I halved the recipe since I only had four good onions. The original recipe calls for serving it with Cheese Toasts, but I just poured it over some toasted Italiano bread that I had left over from the night before.

I'm giving you the whole recipe, which claims to serve 8. I would guess from how much I left from my half recipe, that that would be 8 small servings. If you are going to serve this as your main dish, I would guess that you shouldn't expect more than 6 healthy servings out of it.

2 TBS butter
2 TBS olive oil (I actually forgot the oil)
4 lbs onions (about 8), halved and thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 cup port or Marsala wine (I used port)
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) beef broth
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) chicken broth

1. In a heavy 5 quart pot, heat butter and oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions have softened, 12 to 15 minutes.

2. Uncover and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are dark golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes more. If bottom of the pot gets too dry, add about 1/4 cup water and scrape up browned bits with wooden spoon. (I had to do this twice...I think I probably added about 1/8 cup of water at a time. But then again, I forgot the oil, so that might explain the need for the water.)

3. Add the port and cook until syrupy, about 3 minutes. (I'm not sure what "syrupy" is supposed to look like. It never looked syrupy to me...just purple. I waited until it didn't seem watery.) Stir in broths and 2 cups water, season with salt and pepper, and bring to simmer. Serve with or over bread or cheese toasts.

Initially, I thought the soup had too much liquid to onion ratio, but I realized that when I poured it over the bread, every bit of liquid was sopped up. So, I guess the ratio is ok. And it was really really tasty.

Enjoy! (But I understand if you don't want to be a freak like me and make this in the summer. Go ahead and wait until the weather turns cooler!)

Pesto Pork Chops

Last week I found myself with an abundance of fresh basil leaves. I didn't complain-I LOVE tomato, basil and fresh mozzarella with a touch of oil olive. But those few leaves I used everyday were not going to get me through the bunch of basil before it went bad. I needed something else for the basil.

I had found a pesto recipe that J really likes a month or so ago, so I made that again. The trouble was, I didn't want it with pasta again, and we had just had pizza, so I didn't want to make that. I had thin cut pork chops thawed, but the idea of pesto with pork chops didn't sound fabulous.

As always, I looked to the Internet first. I searched "pesto pork" and sure enough, there were hundreds of recipes out there. So, I decided to take a risk. I pan cooked the pork chops in a bit of olive oil, and when they were just about done, I spooned pesto on each one, covered it, lowered the heat, and cooked it for another 5 minutes or so.

They were delicious. And the summer squash with caramelized Walla Walla onions I served with them paired well. (Of course, I did also have tomato, basil and mozzarella as another side dish, because really...I can never get enough.)

One note of caution...as always with pork chops, it's easy to over cook them. One of mine was thicker than the other two, so it was perfect and the thinner ones were a tad on the dry side. Still good, but could have been a bit more moist.

Here's the pesto recipe I used:

2 cups fresh basil leaves
1/4 grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons pine nuts
3 cloves garlic, minced

In food processor, pulse together basil and nuts 3 or 4 times quickly. Add garlic and pulse again. While processor is on, pour in olive oil. Add Parmesan cheese and mix until blended.

Chocolate Summer Squash Bread

I've been getting a lot of summer squash in my farm box lately. I'm not complaining...I love it. Especially when sauteed up with some caramelized onions...super tasty. But I wanted to try something different, and specifically something that my children might eat. (Summer squash is definitely one that they turn their nose up at.) I figured they'd eat the squash if it was hidden in a baked good, so I started looked for Zucchini Bread recipes. Then I stumbled across this chocolate summer squash bread recipe and the search was over. I found the original recipe here. The first time I made it, I followed all directions, except I substituted white whole wheat flour for regular flour. You couldn't tell the difference at all.

Now, I have to be honest. The word "bread" is misleading. This isn't bread. It is cake. You will feel guilty eating this for breakfast. That didn't stop me from eating it then, but I did feel guilty. But if it makes you feel better, you can keep calling it "bread."

Even with the whole wheat flour, I was still feeling badly about the amount of oil and sugar that was in the bread/cake. So today, I added a few more chocolate chips for sweetness, took out 1/2 a cup of sugar, and substituted 1/2 a cup of apple sauce for some of the oil. Since I'm not eating the two side by side, it's too hard to tell if this one is as moist or as sweet. I can tell you that it's still delicious and will be great with vanilla ice cream, so I'll stick with this recipe since it makes me feel better.

2 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 applesauce (I used unsweetened)
2 cups grated summer squash
2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans. In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave chocolate until melted. Stir occasionally until chocolate is smooth.

In a large bowl, combine eggs, sugar, oil, grated summer squash, vanilla and chocolate; beat well.

Sift in the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon; stir to blend. Pour batter into prepared loaf pans.

Bake in preheated oven for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a loaf comes out clean. Do not overbake.

Peach Basil and Fresh Mozzarella Salad

I know, I know...it sounds really weird. But trust me-it's amazingly good. Shockingly good, really. And super simple. If you have an abundance of peaches and basil, this is the side dish for you.

I doubled the recipe I found on-line, so you may want to make a smaller batch. I'd say this makes 6-8 decent sized servings.

6 ripe peaches, cut into bite size pieces
1-2 cups basil, torn into pieces
8 oz fresh mozzarella, cubed
1-2 TBS olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 pepper

I didn't peel the peaches, but you could if you don't appreciate the fuzziness. Amounts certainly don't need to be exact. Just throw the ingredients together right before serving.

I don't know if this will keep well. We did not have any leftover, but I imagine that it would not stand the test of time in the fridge. I'd plan on only making as much as you think will be eaten.

Enjoy!

New Kitchen, No New Recipes

For the last few weeks we've been redoing our kitchen. That means I have been unable to cook. It's difficult to create new things when your kitchen is in your living room. I just got most things moved back in a few days ago, so hopefully, there will be something new to read here soon. Hang tight.

Spicy (Not Really) Carrot Coconut Soup

Apparently, this recipe came from Whole Foods, but I got it off my friend, Heather. We double the original recipe so there is enough for freezing or leftovers. One thing to note that I noticed this last time-it seems to get more peanut buttery with time. Strange, yes. Or, I just used a different peanut butter this time. Either way, it's a fabulous soup. It's even better topped with the Sea Salt Pita Chips from Trader Joes. The annoyance factor of making it is a bit high, seeing as how you have to puree it all and I always end up with soup all over my counter, but it's worth the mess in the end.

I'm giving you the doubled version.

4 TBS vegetable oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped (or 2 medium onions)
2 celery ribs, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped fine
2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into one inch chunks
2 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced thinly
pinch or 2 of hot red pepper flakes
6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
3 TBS soy sauce
3 TBS creamy peanut butter
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 can coconut milk

In large heavy saucepan, heat oil (med-high) and cook onion, celery and garlic until soft. Add carrots, ginger, red pepper and broth. Bring to boil.

Lower heat and simmer until carrots are very tender; about 45 minutes.

Off heat, add soy sauce, peanut butter, sugar and sesame oil. Stir and let cook slightly.

Puree in turns in blender or food processor.

Return to pot and add coconut milk.

That's it. Enjoy.

Asian Peanut Slaw

Has it really been almost a month since I posted anything? Pathetic, really. Hopefully this will make up for it...

I made this Asian peanut slaw tonight to go with our BBQed sausage and tri-tip. When I first tasted it right after mixing, it was too tangy and I thought I'd have to go back to the drawing board. But, sitting in the fridge for a few hours before we ate it mellowed it quite a bit. it was definitely a hit with our guests.

Like more things I make, I first looked on-line for "peanut coleslaw." . I didn't want anything mayonnaise, so that ruled out many in my Google search. But I did find a few that looked promising and combined their ideas. Here's what I came up with:

1 large head of cabbage or 2 small heads
1 TBS salt
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 TBS smooth peanut butter
2 TBS sesame oil
1 tsp grated ginger
1/2 tsp garlic chili paste
2 tsp chopped cilantro
4 medium carrots, grated
5 green onions, chopped
3/4 cup peas
1 cup dry roasted peanuts , chopped
juice from 1/2 a lime

1. Shred cabbage and rinse in colander. Toss with salt and let sit for 15 minutes. (This apparently pulls some water out of the cabbage, helping it stay crisp.)

2. Whisk together vinegar, soy sauce, peanut butter, sesame oil, ginger, chili paste, and cilantro.

3. Toss all ingredients together. Let sit for at least an hour before serving. Squeeze lime juice on right before serving.

So, overall, I'm very happy with this side dish. I would have enjoyed it a bit spicy, but all my guests preferred it this way.

The lime was a last minute addition. I had seen it mentioned in a few recipes and I forgot to add it to the dressing initially. But, it worked adding it at the end, and who knows what it would have done to the taste if it had sat on the salad longer. I might have ruined the whole thing!

As we move into summer, I'll share more of my BBQ ideas. Anyone else have a good BBQ side dish to share?

Tortilla Soup in the Crock Pot

Angie's comment about everything she makes in the crock pot all tasting the same made me want to share with you my tortilla soup recipe. It is definitely one of our favorite meals. I got this originally from Shauna about two years ago and since then, I probably make it every other week in the colder months, and not quite as often in the warmer times. It is SOOO easy, and SOOO tasty, that I always have the fixins for it in my pantry.

The basic recipe...
1 28oz can diced tomatoes, with juice
2 cups chicken broth
1 can black beans, drained (or any beans you like)
1 can corn, drained (or frozen corn)
1-3 small cans of diced green chiles, depending on your taste (I usually use 2 is I have them)
2 or 3 chicken breasts (you can put them right in there FROZEN!)
1 small onion, diced and sauteed
salt, pepper and cumin (add as much as pleases you)

Other items you can add during cooking...
sliced carrots
sliced celery

Optional Toppings
chips
cheese
avocado
cilantro
sour cream
olives

Instructions...throw everything in the pot and cook on low for 5 to 7 hours!
Put chicken breasts WHOLE in crock pot, thawed or frozen, and cover with diced tomatoes (with their juices), chicken broth, chiles, and drained corn and beans. Season with salt, pepper and cumin.

If you've already sauteed the onions, you can add them now, but I usually forget and add them closer to the end. You would also add any other veggies you are putting in now.

Seriously, that's it. When you can easily shred the chicken with a fork, it's done. Top with all your favorite things.

I find a add a bunch of salt to this at the end, so don't be shy with that seasoning.

I've tried cooking it on high when I'm short on time. That works, too, but occassionally the chicken is not quite as moist. Same thing...it's done when the chicken is easily shreddable.

Best part...one of my children actually eats it!

Disappointing Crock Pot Recipe

I've been trying to find good crock pot recipes that do not include cream of mushroom soup (or chicken, or celery) in their list of ingredients. I found a crock pot recipe for Soy Ginger Chicken one of my old editions of Everyday Food. I was so excited to try it! It looked very promising-lots of fresh ginger and garlic, soy sauce, brown sugar, fresh cilantro, and a touch of balsamic vinegar. Rich dark meat simmering for hours in the tasty marinade...

Yea, not so much. It was bland. And not interesting. And boring. And any other adjective you can come up for "not worth making this again."

But the combination of ingredients has such potential. I will eventually try again (because I'm a sucker like that). Next time I think I'll cook it for less time and add some chili garlic and more sugar. And no carrots.

I'll let you know what I come up with.

Green Garlic

I got green garlic today in my farm box. I had no idea what green garlic was. Is it immature garlic and that's why it's still green? Is it a different breed from the garlic we ordinarily consume? Is really garlic? (At first glance, I thought it was a leek.)

Thanks to this website, I learned something new today. The Penne with Ricotta and Green Garlic Sauce sounds nice. I'll let you know if I make it.

Fava Bean Pesto

I got more fava beans this week, and since I hadn't used mine from last week yet, and Kendra didn't want her share (as she was in the same predicament) I had A LOT of beans. I found this fantastic fava bean pesto recipe on the Food Network's website. It's from the show "Melting Pot."


I probably had about 1 1/2 pounds of fava beans...possibly 2 pounds. I didn't weigh them, but I can tell you it took a good 30 minutes to shell them all. I followed the prep suggestions on the Full Belly Farm website. They say to quickly boil the beans, pods and all, for 2 to 3 minutes, then submerge in cold water and cool completely. Once cooled, you can peel away the pods and pop the little green beans from their inner shell. It's not hard...just time consuming.

Oh, and all those beans? They only netted 1 cup of beans. One measly little cup. Not much reward for such a task. But the pesto? It was a-tasty. Here's the recipe (I mostly followed it to the tee) with my suggestions in italics.


Fava Bean Pesto
1 cup fava beans, cleaned
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoon pine nuts, toasted
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil (a bit too much-maybe only 3/4 cup)
1 tablespoon mint
6 leaves basil
1 teaspoon salt (possibly less)
1 teaspoon minced garlic (I used two cloves, and that was plenty)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup Parmesan (I think this was too much-the pesto was a bit saltier than I liked)
8 slices round Greek bread (I used pugliese instead)
4 ounces manouri, shaved (didn't use)

In a blender, puree all ingredients, except the Parmesan, bread, and manouri, until all ingredients are smooth. The pesto should be thick. Season with salt and black pepper. (It DID NOT need anymore salt and pepper.) Fold in the Parmesan cheese. Brush the bread with olive oil and grill or toast. Spread the pesto on the toast and top with manouri.

At first, we ate it alone on toasted bread, but that proved to be too salty. Next, we topped it with fresh tomato sliced on the bread...that was MUCH better. The tomato cut much of the salt, and added a nice fresh burst to it. Lastly, for a real meal, I spread a thin layer of the pesto on toasted bread, topped it with tomato, then topped that with left over rotisserie chicken covered with melted fresh mozzarella. THAT was great.

The only drawback of this stuff is it makes almost 2 cups of pesto. I'm not sure if I can freeze it or not. I may try it with some pasta later in the week. That should use more of it up than spreading it on toast.

My last suggestion would be don't leave out the mint. You'll be tempted to, like myself, but trust me, it's worth forking over the $2 for a little bunch. The mint was such a lovely little surprise in each bite. The pesto will still be good without it, but I think the mint really sets it apart.

Fava and Edamame Salad

I did not have many fava beans in my last box as I split them with my friend. And I really didn't have many after I double peeled them. Fortunately, I had a bag of frozen Edamame in the freezer, and the two beans, while not quite similar in taste, look almost identical, so they made a pretty (and tasty) little salad. Well, I liked it, anyway.

Fava and Edamame Spring Salad

fava beans, boiled and shelled (I removed the outer and inner shells)
frozen, shelled edamame, thawed
diced red onion
lemon juice
olive oil
feta cheese
salt

I didn't give amounts because you'll have to figure out the right combination for your taste buds. Be careful with the onion; it can easily over pour the whole dish. Determine the amount of feta based on your feelings about the crumbly little cheese. You only need a splash of olive oil, and a bit more lemon juice. A touch of salt just finishes the whole thing off.

What Happened to the Turnips?

First, I apologize for neglecting this blog for the past 10 days. I've been out of town and not cooking very much, so I had very little to write about. I'll try to make up for that over the next few days...

Ok, so remember I said I got turnips in my farm box and I wasn't sure what to do with them?

First, I have to clarify that they were Tokyo Turnips. They were about the size of radishes and very white. A bunch of them was not very many, so I had to mix them with something else to prepare a decent size dish. I looked up so many recipes on-line, and I ended up creating a gratin that combined a few recipes. I added Butternut Squash (brought pre-cut) to bulk it up, and instead of onions, used those leeks that also came in my box. I ended up with this:

Turnip and Squash Gratin

1 bunch Tokyo turnips, thinly sliced

about 1 1/2 cups cubed butternut squash (I brought a little bag at Safeway. I was probably equivalent to 1 medium sized squash)

2 small leeks, carefully washed and thinly sliced (as diced as you can get leeks)

1/3 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup plus 1 TBS grated Parmesan cheese

2 tsp cornstarch

(I'll tell you how I prepared it, then write suggestions for improvement in italics)

1. Quickly boil squash until just softened. (I don't think this was necessary. I think I could have sliced them up and mixed them raw with the turnips.)

2. Mix squash, turnip slices, and sliced leeks with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. cornstarch and salt and pepper to taste.

3. Pour mixture in 9 by 9 glass baking dish.

4. Drizzle cream over the mixture.

5. Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan cheese over the top.

Bake at 375 for about 25 minutes, or until browned and bubbling.

Next time, I will saute the leeks before mixing them with the turnips and squash. They were a little too crunchy and strong in the gratin.

This was surprisingly tasty for how easy it was. I believe it could be quite versatile. You could use potatoes or any type of squash and onions would be an easy substitute for the leeks.

And the added bonus? That left over heavy cream is fantastic in my morning coffee.

Farm Box Goodies

This week I starting receiving a farm box. It's a box of fresh, just-picked, seasonal veggies from a local (semi-local) farm. Each Saturday morning they get delivered to a house in town and we go pick them up. A friend and I are splitting the box each week while we try it out. I didn't want to be getting all these fabulous vegetables and throwing some out due to my family's inability to consume them all. It's not like the girls are going to eat much of them. My friend is in a similar situation, so we'll be sharing the bounty for the time being. What makes the whole thing really exciting (or worrisome) is that you really aren't sure until the day before your delivery what will be in the box. That's how "just-picked" they are...

Our first week brought us chard, fava beans, radishes, turnips, leeks, fresh sage, salad greens and asparagus. I've already cooked the chard (sauteed with a little olive oil, sliced garlic, pinch of red pepper flakes and some chopped bacon to top it off). I know the salad greens and asparagus will not be a problem. I think I can handle the leeks and radishes, but what I really am not sure what to do with is the turnips and the fava beans. In fact, I don't think I've ever eaten turnips or fava beans before. I've looked on-line at a number of recipes and while some look quite tasty, I just haven't decided what to do yet.

Any suggestions? Come on...someone must have a terrific recipe for these things. Help me out here.

I'll keep you posted.

Lingering Scent of Fried Tortillas

I made tacos for dinner tonight, which surprisingly was a big hit with Payee. She had a bean, cheese and avocado taco. She ate the whole thing...unbelievable.

But here's my problem...my kitchen now smells like fried oil, and will continue to smell that way for a number of days. How do you get rid of that? Is there any possible way?

Chicken with Lemon and Mustard Sauce

I'll try almost anything that has mustard in it. I adore mustard. We have at least five different kinds on the door of our fridge...

This dish comes from the Everyday Food magazine (sorry, I don't know the publication month). It's one of the ones I tore out and stuck to my bulletin board. It is supposed to be served with seared radicchio, but I didn't have radicchio, and that didn't sound so fabulous to me anyway. Later I realized I could have served it over seared romaine, which I did have. Too late. I'll record what I did, then add what I think could have happened with the romaine for future reference.

2 TBS all purpose flour
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 1/2 pounds chicken cutlets (I used 1 lb of breasts and cut them into strips)
1 TBS olive oil
2 TBS dijon mustard (I used Grey Poupon)
2 TBS capers, drained and rinsed
2 TBS fresh lemon juice (I used 1 TBS fresh and 1 TBS bottled)
2 TBS butter, cold, cubed

1. Season flour with salt and pepper (either in shallow bowl or plastic bag. I use left over produce bags). Dredge chicken in flour mixture, shaking off excess flour.

2. In large skillet (I used my cast iron pan), heat oil over medium-high heat. Add half the cutlets; cook until lightly browned and cooked through. Transfer chicken to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Cook remaining cutlets and add to plate. Set aside.

3. Add 3/4 cup water to skillet; boil over medium-high until liquid is reduced to 1/2 cup, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and whisk in mustard, capers, lemon juice, and any accumulated juices on the plate from the chicken. Add butter and whisk until creamy, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Serve chicken drizzled with sauce.

The sauce was a nicely tangy. It was plenty for one pound of chicken, but I would have wanted more if I served it with rice or over the seared lettuce.

The girls didn't like the sauce, but because you drizzled it on, I had some plain chicken left for them. They gladly ate that.

I learned that you should keep the sauce warm if you are not serving it right away. It was still tasty, but not as wonderful as if it had still been warm.

So, my thought with the lettuce-I think you could sear romaine heads that have been cut in half lengthwise. You'd want one half per serving, so 2 heads of romaine should be good for this amount of food.

This dish would serve 4 with no leftovers.

I would make this again, possibly trying to serve it over the romaine.

Almond Accents

I just discovered these tasty little devils made by Sunkist last week. Ostensibly, they are to put on salads, but I ate a whole baggie full of them as my "snack" the other day. Truth be told, I could not stop eating them. I think they might be addictive.

I've only had the "original" kind, but I'm not a fan of messing with perfect. They are just the right balance of crunchy, salty, and roasted...fabulous for my salt-craving mouth.

Mini Chip Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

I was inspired to create these after seeing Naia chomping on an oatmeal raisin cookie. I do not like raisins, but I like cranberries, so I went searching for a recipe. Wouldn't you know, I found one on the back of the craisins bag. I made a few changes to better suit my needs and my pantry stock...I substituted whole wheat flour for regular flour, mini chocolate chips for white chocolate, and more baking powder, cranberries and chocolate than originally called for. Oh, and I added vanilla. I mean, really...who makes a cookie without vanilla extract? I'm giving you the recipe that I made up, not the one on the back of the bag.

2/3 cup unsalted butter, soften
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup mini chocolate chips (Nestle)

Preheat oven 375°. Grease cookie sheets.

In mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs one at a time until well mixed.

In separate bowl, combine oats, flour, baking soda and salt. Add to butter mixture in several additions, mixing well after each addition.

Slowly mix in cranberries and mini chocolate chips.

Roll dough into one inch balls. Place about 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Gently flatten a bit with a fork.

Bake about 10 minutes. The size of the cookie will not change drastically, and it might not looked cooked on the top. If the bottoms are brown, they are DONE!

Other notes-Keep the cookies well sealed. These cookies don't seem to last many days, so either freeze some or pass them onto your friends. Ideal shelf life seems to be about 3 days.

Careful...you'll want to eat 7 instead of just one!

What's Cooking...

I love food. Actually, it would be more accurate to say that I love eating. That doesn't mean I'm not picky...there are definitely foods I avoid, and some I would even go as far to say I hate. (My wonderful husband would tell you I'm afraid of them.) So, even though I've never cooked brussel sprouts or lima beans, and I refuse to put anything in my mouth that has an essence of banana in it, I love cooking. Love love love it. I love trying new recipes and tweaking old ones. (The tweaking doesn't carry over as often into the discipline of baking, but then again, I was never very good at chemistry. With baking, you can't add a little of this and dash of that. You'd end up with an exploding cake or a tasteless cookie.) I have good size recipe collection, but I'm not very good about writing down changes I've made or new ideas I've had. Hence, I'd make something once, decide to do something differently, and the next time I went for the recipe, I had no clue as to what I had wanted to change. I'm sure this never happens to you. I'm hoping that with this blog I can keep track of some of the changes, for better or worse, that I make, and in the meantime, write about something I love.

Originally, the idea of a food blog grew from my desire to better control my eating habits, thereby feeling more in control of my body shape. I thought about writing down everything I'd eaten in a day...but who would want to read that? It might help me maintain my weight, but it sure wasn't going to be interesting to share with friends and strangers.


At about the same time, I began to get bored with the meals I was preparing. I felt like we were always eating the same things (and eating out at the same restaurants.) The rut was only made deeper by the two little mouths that get fed at our table every night. I found I was continually feeding them the same things over and over and over again. How were they going to be better consumers of food (especially the 2 year old) if I keep their diet the same?

At the same SAME time, I received four old copies of "Everyday Food" from my grandmother. I love the format of the magazine and how every recipe is one page, and usually has an accompanying photo. I began to rip out the recipes I wanted to try, and soon I had a stack about an inch thick. I clipped them together and hung them on my bulletin board with the intention of trying at least one new recipe a week.

So far, it's mostly working. I'll have to back track a bit to chronicle the ones I've tried, but hopefully by combining new recipes and writing about them, the dynamic of meals in our home will be elevated.

And hopefully, you'll find something useful here as well.

That's the goal, anyway.