Thanksgiving: Maple Pecan Tart

Alright...I can explain! Its officially been THREE whole months since I've posted. I'm so sorry! What can I say, life is time consuming. Since I last blogged I've just finished a enormous grad school project, Joe and I hosted our first Thanksgiving dinner, AND Joe and I got engaged!! So hey, I think I deserve some slack :)

Anyways, back to the food. Like I said, Joe and I were so excited (and nervous) to host our very first Thanksgiving. We bought a 19 pound Heritage breed (aka fancy pants) free range turkey from Greenbranch Farms, where we get our CSA. It was well worth the time and effort. But, the most important part of our meal (and the only part I really got to do hehe) was of course, dessert. In our holiday Eating Well magazine I found two recipes that I just had to try. The first was a maple pecan tart. Instead of using corn syrup, this recipe calls for maple syrup. Seeing as Joe is from Vermont, we have more maple syrup in this house than we know what to do with, so this recipe was perfect.

Maple Pecan Tart


1 egg yolk
3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp water
2 c. pecan halves
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1 c. plus 2 tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 lg. eggs
1/2 c. pure maple syrup
1/2 c. dark brown sugar
1/3 c. dried cherries, chopped

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat a 9 in. tart pan with cooking spray. Combine egg yolk, 2 tbsp. melted butter and water in a bowl. Process 1/2 c. pecans and sugar in a food processor until fine. Add flour and 1/4 tsp. salt and combine. Add the egg yolk mixture and mix. Spread the mixture into the pan, pressing firmly to create a crust. Place on a baking sheet and bake until the edges are beginning to brown, 12-14 minutes.

Whisk eggs, syrup, brown sugar, 1 tbsp butter, and 1/4 tsp salt in a bowl. Transfer 1/4 c. of the mixture to a small bowl. Chop 1/2 c. pecans and add to the medium bowl. Stir in cherries. In the small bowl mix in the rest of the pecans. Toss to coat.

Remove the tart from the oven and reduce the temperature to 350 degrees. Spread the mixture in the tart crust. Arrange the maple coated pecans on top and drizzle with remaining mixture. (Take the time to make  it pretty. It's easy and very worth it!) Bake the tart for 25-30 minutes or until the middle no longer jiggles. Let cool.

This was a very easy, very tasty recipe. I was worried the tart was going to be sickly sweet like pecan pie, but the cherries added a great tartness. The tart looked so pretty, when it really did not take a lot of time at all. The maple syrup and cherries added a very fall flavor to the tart. Next time I might add cranberries instead to make it more Thanksgiving-like. Happy holiday baking!!

Side Note

On a big side note, check out my friend's running blog. She's obsessed with running in an awesome, be jealous way.
http://greenmountainrunner.com/

The Best 2 Bean Salad Ever

This is honestly the best salad Joe has ever made. I tasted it and it just blew me away. We had gone to the store and Joe saw a pre-made chickpea salad and edamame salad. He used his phone to take a picture of the ingredients. I came home one Saturday and he had made this whole recipe, just by looking at the ingredients (how talented is that).

Joe's Awesome 2 Bean Salad (just too cool for the third bean)


fresh cilantro/basil/oregano/parsley (chopped)
1 lb. edamame (frozen)
1 lb. corn (frozen)
1 lb. (13 oz. can) garbanzo beans, drained
2-3 red/yellow peppers, diced
1 lg. onion, diced
6-7 ribs of celery , diced
7-8 green olives, chopped
several tbsp. of oil
1/2 - 3/4 c. apple cider vinegar
3 tbsp. lemon juice
coriander, cumin, turmeric, salt, pepper to taste
dash red pepper flakes

Boil the frozen corn and edamame for 15 minutes, then drain and cool. Mix everything together. That's it! Super easy. The most time intensive part of the recipe is dicing the veggies.

This is an amazing, amazing salad. It's full of protein, so it's good for you, but it tastes so good it's hard to believe it's healthy. It's refreshing and light yet packed with flavor. It's a very big recipe of we were able to eat it with several different meals, plus we each took it for lunch a few times. If you like summer salads this is a must try!

Spaghetti Squash Fritters

For the past few weeks, our CSA has been filled with hardy squash, making it very clear that autumn is here to stay. I've been mystified by our spaghetti squash. It's my first time ever cooking with this type of squash, and it truly does come out looking like spaghetti. We've even used it like pasta and covered it with tomato sauce (a sneaky way to eat more veggies). Joe decided to take the squash, make a batter, and turn them in to squash latkes. As usual, he looked up several recipes for potato latkes and then based his own recipe off them.

Spaghetti Squash Fritters


4 egg whites
1/2 c. flour
garlic, minced
1/2 c. pepper, diced
1/2 c. onion, diced
3 c. cooked spaghetti squash (about 1 large)
salt/pepper to taste
fresh parsley, chopped

Whip the egg whites and flour together until combined. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Once melted drop spoonfuls of batter in to the pan (just like making pancakes). After a few minutes flip the fritter over until browned on both sides. Let cool on a plate covered with a paper towel.

These fritters actually came out wonderfully! It was a great mix of sweet and savory, between the squash, pepper, and onion. These would be a great side dish with pretty much anything. They were light and fluffy, like a pancake, but packed with flavor. If you have access to spaghetti squash I would highly recommend trying this recipe. Instead of pepper and onion you could add celery and carrots for the same crunch. Cheers!

P.S. Sorry for the lack of picture of the finished product, we were too busy pigging out!

Chocolate Souffle Torte with Raspberry Sauce

I cannot believe that I am saying this but...I actually made a souffle...from scratch! Well actually it's a souffle torte, which I'm guessing is easier than an actual souffle but I don't care, it says souffle in the title. We had found raspberries on sale, so I needed a recipe quickly before they went bad. I love raspberries and chocolate together, so this recipe seemed great. I had some time and was feeling adventurous so I decided to go for it. I went out and bought a springform pan and gave souffles a try. The silly thing is, before this recipe I'd never even tasted souffles. Now the recipe sounds complicated, but once you get started it's not bad at all, I promise!

Raspberry Sauce

1 c. water
1/2 c. sugar
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
1 package frozen raspberries (I used 2 pints of fresh)

Combine the water, sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium saucepan. Whisk over medium heat, until boiling. Cook 2 minutes. Stir in raspberries and cook for 4 more minutes. Take off heat and chill for 1 hour.

Torte

3 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
3 tbsp. butter, softened
3/4 c. sugar
1 lg. egg
1/4 c. milk
1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa
2 tbsp. cornstarch
4 lg. egg whites
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1/8 tsp. salt

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Melt the chocolate with a tbsp. of water over low heat until melted. Stir frequently. Place butter and 1/2 c. sugar in a medium bowl. Beat with a mixer for about 1 minute. Add 1 egg and beat 1 minute. Gradually add the milk and beat at low speed. Add the melted chocolate, cocoa, and cornstarch, beating until combined.

In another bowl combine the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt. Beat at high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add 1/4 c. sugar, 1 tbsp. at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. GENTLY (it has to be gentle) fold the egg white mixture in to the chocolate mixture. Pour the mixture in to a 8 inch springform pan coated with cooking spray. Bake for 45 minutes. Loosen the sides of the torte then allow to cool on a wire rack. The souffle will fall a little. Serve with raspberry sauce.

It actually turned out wonderfully!!! I was definitely expecting it to completely fail. The egg whites made the torte fluffy and light. The chocolate flavor was extremely rich and the raspberry sauce complimented it well. I'm so excited to try another souffle recipe. Remember, don't be afraid, it's totally worth it.

Butternut Squash and Leek Gratin

Now that fall is here, our CSA is full of loads and loads of squash. My favorite type so far has been butternut squash. It is full of flavor and has a ton of "meat" inside. Through the CSA I've also discovered that I love leeks. When looking for a butternut squash recipe I found one that also used leeks, which sounded almost too good to be true. The recipe suggested making individualized portions, which was convenient (and gave me an excuse to use my cute ramekins that never seem to have a purpose). 

Butternut Squash and Leek Gratins

1 (2 lb) butternut squash (halved and seeded)

1 tsp. butter

4 c. chopped leeks (about 4 large)

1 tbsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground pepper

4 large eggs (lightly beaten)

1 lg. egg yolk (lightly beaten)

1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Put the squash on a cooking spray covered pan, cut side down. Roast the squash for 45 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes, then scoop out the squash and mash in a bowl. Set the oven to 325 degrees. 

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter in the pan. Add the leeks, cover, and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Make sure the heat isn't too high because I almost burnt mine. Reduce the heat, uncover , and cook for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. 

Combine the sugar, salt, pepper, eggs, and egg yolk. Whisk together then add the squash and leeks until well combined. Divide the mixture into 6 ramekins coated with cooking spray. Place in a 13 X 9 pan and add 1 inch of boiling water to cover the bottom of the ramekins. Cover the pan with foil and bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes. Uncover then bake 15 minutes to finish. Take the pan out and put 2 tbsp. of cheese on each gratin. Melt the cheese under the broiler until the cheese is brown, about 2 minutes. 

This recipe came out so well, I'm thinking of baking it for Thanksgiving this year. The egg and boiling water bath combine to make the gratins like custard. Our entire meal was delicious and all organic. The green beans and squash were from our CSA. The chicken was all natural and hormone-free. To save money we decided to buy a whole chicken and have Joe break it down. Joe did an awesome job (what guy doesn't like using a sharp knife). It worked out so well we're still doing it. Overall it was a very satisfying, tasty meal!

Dilly Beans

We finally did it!!! We finally made a batch of pickles that tasted exactly like they were supposed to! For anyone who hasn't tried to make pickles, it sure seems easy to do. Let me tell you that is all a big fat lie! So far this summer, Joe and I have made at least 3 different batches of pickles and this is the very first recipe to turn out just right. Pickling is an art; a very difficult, finicky art. So to say I am proud that we made delicious pickles, is an understatement.


I've always loved pickles, but dilly beans are my all time favorite. I first had dilly beans (which are simply pickled green beans) at my grandmother's house. Once my grandmother stopped making them, my parents and I were always on a search for dilly beans. We found them several times in Amish Country in PA but they were few and far between. This year I told Joe we HAD to try to make my beloved dilly beans. The food blog Food in Jars has been a lifesaver, helping us not just with how to can but also providing our first successful pickle recipe. 


Dilly Beans
(makes 4 pint jars)


2 pounds green beans, trimmed to fit your jars
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 teaspoons dill seed (not dill weed, learned this the hard way)
4 cloves garlic
2 1/4 cups white vinegar (5%)
2 3/4 cups water
1/4 cup pickling salt (use a bit more if you’ve only got kosher)


Wash a trim green beans to fit your jar. Sanitize the jars for about 5 minutes in the boiling water bath. In another pan heat the vinegar, water, and salt until the salt is dissolved. In each sanitized jar put 1 garlic clove, 1 tsp dill seed, and 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper. Pour the vinegar mixture over the beans until only 1/2 inch of headspace is left. Use a chopstick or knife to run along the edge of the jar to remove air bubbles. Put the lids (already heated in boiling water for 15 minutes to soften the seal) on tightly but not too tight. Process the jars in the boiling water bath for 5 minutes. Let cool for 24 hours before readjusting the lids. 


The canning part is daunting at first but after a few times you get in to a rhythm. Let the beans sit and mellow for at least 2 weeks, then open and enjoy! I still cannot get over how much our beans taste exactly like my grandmother's recipe! Now our cabinets are filled with 8 jars of dilly beans just waiting to be eaten!! If you decide to try pickling on your own, try to make small batches and don't get discouraged! It takes several times to find the recipe right for you! Refrigerator pickles would be a good place to start since they don't involve the canning process. Happy pickling!

Rocky Road Ice Cream Our Way

Towards the beginning of the summer I mentioned that I wanted to get an ice cream maker. In my mind I was of course thinking of an old manual crank machine like my parents had when I was little. Once we started getting watermelon from our CSA, we took the plunge and bought one. Now of course Joe couldn't have just any ice cream maker; we had to buy the expensive (not too expensive but still) one versus the cheap Walmart version I was planning on buying. It's turned out that Joe was right, I now love our "expensive" ice cream maker, especially once we made this ice cream.

The amazing thing about an ice cream maker is...you can make ANY ice cream or sorbet or frozen yogurt that you can imagine. It's Cold Stone Creamery only you get the whole pint! We used a basic chocolate ice cream recipe and added marshmallows, chocolate pieces, and pretzels. How could it go wrong?

Rocky Road Ice Cream (our way)


1/2 c. cocoa powder
1/3 c. granulated sugar
1/4 c. dark brown sugar
pinch salt
2/3 c. whole milk
1 1/2 c. heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
marshmallows (cut up)
chocolate chunks
pretzels (crushed)

In a medium bowl, mix together the cocoa, sugars, and salt. Add the milk using either a whisk or hand mixer on low speed. Mix until combined. Stir in the cream and vanilla. Refrigerate for several hours or up to overnight.

Pour the mixture in to the ice cream maker (yes, you need to have one) and let mix for about 15-20 minutes. Add the marshmallows, pretzels, and chocolate pieces a few minutes before it is finished.

* Sorry there isn't a picture of the finished product, we were too busy eating to take a picture!*

This is an incredibly delicious dessert. If you hadn't already guessed from the heavy cream AND whole milk, it is a very rich ice cream. Next time I might try the same ingredients with a vanilla ice cream to make it a little less sweet. If you are going to use the pretzels try to eat the ice cream relatively soon as they tend to get a little soggy over time.

I'm so excited to keep experimenting with flavors, because honestly even ones that don't turn out the way we want are still going to taste yummy. My goal is to have a special ice cream ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas this year!

Eggplant Fries

Between our CSA and our garden, we've been getting a lot of eggplants this summer. This would be wonderful...if Joe and I could figure out what to do with it! We haven't tried making eggplant parmesan yet, because we want to highlight the eggplant's flavor instead of cover it up with cheese and tomato sauce.  It's been quite a challenge. I finally found a recipe that I enjoyed, though that may be because it involves frying. The tricky thing with eggplant is that it truly doesn't have a distinctive flavor, your recipe has to add all the flavor.

Eggplant Fries


1 large eggplant
rice flour (I used pasta flour which is also very fine)
frying oil (I used vegetable)
curry powder
salt
pepper


Cut the eggplant in to about 4 in. long fries, about 1 in. wide. Chill in ice bath for an hour or two. Heat the oil over medium heat until about 325 degrees (when you flick drops of water on it, it will sizzle). Mix the dry ingredients together to coat the eggplant. Go heavy on the curry powder. Fry the fries for about 3-4 minutes, making sure to flip halfway through. Only fry about 5-6 at a time and let the oil heat back up after each batch. Let the fries drain on a paper towel covered plate. Season with lemon juice and salt.

Overall these were a great side dish. The curry powder wasn't strong enough when I made them which is why I suggested going heavy with the curry powder. I dipped the fries in a curry ketchup which was the perfect pairing. The fries were crispy and light on the outside, while soft and sweet inside. Enjoy!

If there are any eggplant lovers out there, any yummy eggplant recipes would be much appreciated!

Gazpacho

Tomato season has started, and it's come in with a serious bang. Looking at a large pile of tomatoes can be intimidating since not many recipes have tomatoes as the main ingredient besides soup. We have had a horrible heat wave, so a cold tomato soup sounded perfect. I'd never eaten gazpacho, let alone made it, so I was a little nervous. I figured no matter what it would taste like fresh salsa.

Gazpacho
1 1/2 c. chopped, seeded peeled cucumber
1 c. chopped onion
1 c. chopped yellow pepper
6 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 lbs. chopped, seeded tomatoes (about 6 large)
1 garlic clove

Mix all of the above ingredients in a large bowl. Add the mixture to the food processor one-third at a time. Process until pureed. Cover and chill.

And that's it...it really is that easy! The original recipe called for white wine vinegar but red wine vinegar worked well. This soup was definitely better the next day, after the flavors had mixed. The onion and vinegar add a kick to the refreshing soup. You do not have to chop any ingredients well since it will be pureed. You can leave the tomatoes skin on or off, up to you. I would not recommend using small cherry tomatoes because they have a lot more skin than regular tomatoes. Make sure you have toasted bread (we used a baguette) to soak up all the yummy tomato juice! This recipe is everything you want in a summer dish, easy and quick to make, refreshing and cool!

Maizie's Tabouli

I have to start by saying how sorry I am for how bad I've been about blogging what Joe and I have been cooking. Trust me, we've definitely still been cooking! I blame it on vacation and graduate school! On a happy note, tomato season is finally upon us! For 2 weeks now we've been getting big, juicy local tomatoes from our CSA. Plus we've been having trouble keeping up with the number of yummy cherry tomatoes coming out of our garden.

Whenever I see a big bunch of ripe tomatoes the first thing I want to make is my friend Maizie's Tabouli. I first had this recipe my senior year of college when Maizie brought it to a BBQ at our advisor's house. A few years later (more than I'd like to admit) Maizie finally wrote down the recipe for me and I've been addicted ever since. Tabouli is a traditional Middle Eastern salad made with bulgur wheat, tomatoes, and herbs. You probably have seen a box at the grocery store saying it's a tabouli kit and you simply add the tomatoes. Please do not buy them! It just does not taste the same! This recipe is so much better and just as easy to make.

Maizie's Tabouli
3/4 c. bulgur wheat
3 lg. ripe tomatoes, chopped finely
a lot of fresh herbs (mint, parsley, and chives according to Maizie, we added basil this time)
1 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. lemon juice (go heavy)
cumin, cinnamon (go light)

Soak the bulgur wheat for 2-3 hours. If you're in a time crunch just make the water warmer for less time. Then just add it all together. Go very heavy on the herbs, trust me it's hard to mess up! Add just a dash of cumin and cinnamon at the end. Let the flavors marinate together for awhile in the fridge before you serve it.

As mentioned before traditionally mint, parsley, and chives are a great combination. This time we only had basil and chives so we used that. It turned out just as good as usual. This is the perfect summertime salad. Refreshing, light, and easy to make! Cheers!

P.S. Thanks Maiz :)

Swiss Chard Pesto

Anyone who reads our blog already knows how I feel about greens. If you're a first-time visitor, all I can say is I'm definitely not their biggest fan. Poor Joe has tried and tried to prepare greens in a way that I like, to no avail. Even my beloved bacon did not work. But (drum roll please) I'm excited to say Joe has finally done it. I willingly ate swiss chard...and enjoyed it thoroughly! Joe turned our CSA basil, arugula, and swiss chard in to a delicious, vibrant pesto.

Swiss Chard Pesto
swiss chard (one bunch)
arugula (one bunch)
basil (2 bunches, we used a regular Italian basil)
2 c. grated Italian hard cheese (like Romano)
3/4 c. nuts (we used mixed nuts)
5 cloves garlic
olive oil
2-3 tbsp. lemon juice

Combine the garlic, nuts, cheese, and greens in the food processor. Add the greens a handful at a time. They take up a lot of room at first, but process in to much less. Once all the greens are incorporated stream in oil until a smooth pesto is formed. Add the salt, pepper, and lemon juice.

Joe was spot on with this recipe. The arugula and swiss chard add a rich, peppery flavor to the already flavorful basil (my new favorite herb). This recipe makes A LOT of pesto so be prepared to use it in a variety of ways. We tossed some of the pesto with a fresh fettuccine pasta and the heat really brought out the flavor of the pesto. Later in the week we used it as a rub on roasted chicken. Joe used it instead of basil on a caprese salad. We even had enough left over to freeze. I separated the pesto in to portions before I froze it so I could thaw just enough for a dish without thawing it all. A friend of ours freezes her pesto in an ice cube tray, which naturally portions the pesto. This recipe is an easy, sneaky way to add vitamins and minerals to a deceivingly delicious dish. Cheers!

Kohlrabi Apple Slaw, Sesame Broccoli Salad, and Cucumber Salad with Creole-Mustard Chicken Thighs

Joe came home this week with an extreme amount of vegetables. From our CSA we got arugula, lettuce, potatoes, beets, swiss chard, basil, and summer squash. On top of that Joe bought 2 bunches of kohlrabi, a cucumber, and broccoli. We went even further by going to our local farmer's market, where we couldn't resist buying green beans, mushrooms, sweet corn (my favorite local veggie!!) and cute little patty pan squash. Needless to say last night we had an overwhelming amount of produce to turn in to a meal. Since it's summer time (I'm sitting on the deck at our new table and chairs as I type) I decided to make several summer salads so we could eat them throughout the week.

I was most excited to see the kohlrabi, but also most intimidated. I was told this crazy purple vegetable was similar to a turnip. I had seen it used on a popular cooking show in an apple slaw so I decided to try it. The actual vegetable is pretty hard so next time I would cook the kohlrabi before adding it to the salad so it would be a bit more tender. I also would use a sweeter apple to get more flavor. Adding some more herbs would give it more color and flavor.

Kohlrabi Apple Slaw
1/2 c. heavy cream
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. coarse grain mustard (ours was horseradish mustard)
3 tbsp. fresh chopped parsley
1/2 tsp. sugar
2 bunches kohlrabi (peeled and cut in to matchsticks)
1 Granny Smith apple (peeled and cut in to matchsticks)

Whisk the cream until soft peaks form (yes I did this by hand, just ask my arm the next day). Whisk in the lemon juice, mustard, parsley, sugar, salt, and pepper. Stir in the kohlrabi and apple until well mixed. Let sit in the fridge to combine flavors for a few minutes before serving.

The next salad was a sesame broccoli salad, inspired by the amazing broccoli slaw from Whole Foods. When Joe brought in the broccoli I was very surprised to see only 3 small heads. I was expecting to see the same size heads of broccoli I see in the store. Now I'm a little nervous about what farmers do to create such giant broccoli when I know it doesn't naturally grow like that. The dressing could easily be used as a marinade or salad dressing.

Sesame Broccoli Salad
2 lg. broccoli heads (I halved the recipe to use our 3 small heads)
2 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. rice vinegar
2 tbsp. honey
2 tbsp. sesame oil (very strong so go easy)
sesame seeds

The recipe doesn't call for it, but I steamed the broccoli until tender. Whisk the dressing ingredients together then mix with the cooked broccoli. Add sesame seeds. That's it, super easy!

I grew up eating my mother's sweet/sour cucumber salad. I never realized how much I crave it during the summer until I see cucumbers at produce stands. It appears to be so easy but the first time I tried to re-create it, it was an epic failure. First you MUST peel the cucumbers so the skin doesn't bitter your recipe.   Next slice the cucumber and put it the fridge or freezer for a few minutes to keep them crisp.

Mom's Cucumber Salad
apple cider vinegar
sugar
salt
1 lg. cucumber, peeled and sliced

Drain the cold cucumbers, leaving about 1 inch of water in the bowl. Add enough vinegar to just cover the cucumbers. Add sugar and salt to taste, more sugar than salt. This recipe is all about taste. If it seems to vinegary just dilute with some water. If it's too sweet add more salt and vice versa. Let chill in the fridge for at least an hour or two before serving.

Joe is a big fan of chicken thighs, usually because they are so much cheaper than chicken breasts. I've learned to tolerate the dark meat but this recipe makes me not care either way as long as it's covered in this mustard sauce. It's an easy recipe that I picked to complement the mustard and honey in the prior recipes.

Creole-Mustard Chicken Thighs
1 pkg chicken thighs (4-6)
1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
3/4 c. orange juice
3/4 c. chicken broth
1/4 c. coarse grain mustard
1 tbsp. honey
1 tsp. hot pepper sauce (I used sriracha)

Salt and pepper the chicken. Heat the oil in a medium to large skillet. Add the chicken and saute about 6 minutes per side. Add the orange juice and broth. Simmer the chicken in the liquid for about 15 minutes, flipping about halfway through. I used to a lid to trap some of the steam in there. Take out the chicken and add the honey, pepper sauce, and mustard. Increase the heat and boil until the sauce thickens, about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken and heat through.

This sauce is AMAZING. I had Joe practically licking his plate. It's packed with flavor and has a hint of heat. I was very scared adding the hot sauce but it did not make it too spicy. The flavors work so well together. It would be awesome on pork and possibly even a tuna steak.

Curry Chicken Potato Au Gratin

Now that I'm off from school for the summer, I suddenly have a lot more time to fix dinner during the week. We've been experimenting a lot with gratins (what I consider a baked cheesy casserole) so now that we had potatoes from the farm we wanted to try a basic potato au gratin. I was also making curried chicken tenders, so I decided to combine the two and create our main entree. Now I'm sure the combination sounds a bit odd, but Joe is great with adding curry to meat, so I decided to try. I knew that chicken, potatoes, and cheese would work well together so I hoped the curry would just add more flavor.

Before cooking the chicken, I marinated it in a mixture of salt, olive oil, and curry powder. I let it sit in the fridge for about 30 minutes before sautéing it for about 2-3 minutes per side. It's ok if the chicken is completely cooked since it will have time to cook in the oven.

Curry Chicken Potato Au Gratin
1 lb. cooked curry chicken tenders (cut in to cubes)
6-8 sliced potatoes (make sure to make the slices uniform so they cook at the same rate)

1/2 c. chopped onions
1 tbsp. flour
2 c. milk
2 tbsp. butter
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground mustard
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Layer the potatoes in a casserole dish. I used a deeper small casserole dish and regretted it. Next time I would use a bigger, shallow baking dish. Cook the onion in the butter until softened. Add mustard, flour, salt, and pepper. Cook on low heat, stirring constantly, until smooth and bubbly. Take it off the heat and add milk and cheese. Put back on the heat and stir until boiling. Boil for another minute. Pour the cheese sauce over the potatoes and put in the oven, uncovered. Bake the casserole for 1 hour 15 min. to 1 hour 30 minutes.

I really enjoyed the addition of the chicken to the dish. I definitely have a soft spot for one-pot meals (something I inherited from my father). The curry flavor complemented the cheese, but next time I would add even more, probably to the cheese sauce. The potatoes cooked a bit unevenly since the dish was so deep, but next time that can be fixed by using a different pan. This would work well with any potato like vegetable (turnips, parsnips, possibly radishes). Don't be afraid to add a protein. I couldn't find a single recipe online that added chicken to a gratin but it turned out fine. Ham would be another good choice; my grandmother always made scalloped potatoes with ham. Cheers!

Simple Caprese Salad

If you've never had a chance to have a caprese salad, run to your grocery store right now and buy tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and basil. This salad is one of my very favorites and is so easy to make it's ridiculous. It's incredibly refreshing and always a crowd-pleaser. I'm sure many of you have had or even made this dish before but I couldn't help blogging about it because we used our own basil from OUR GARDEN!

Simply slice ripe tomatoes, mozzarella cheese (the kind in a ball) and harvest (or buy) basil leaves. Layer the 3 on top of each other. Sprinkle with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and lots of salt.

If you look at the picture above, Joe is picking basil out of our little basil jungle. We went a bit crazy with as many different types as we could find. We have some regular Italian basil, lettuce leaf basil, Thai basil (licorice flavor), purple basil, lime basil (yes it's very lime), and on our deck we have a white variegated basil. For our salad, Joe used Thai basil, purple basil, and lettuce leaf basil. It was wonderful to have the different flavors to add complexity to such a simple salad. This is the kind of food that just makes me happy, in case you haven't already noticed. I could eat this all summer! Can't wait until we are using our own tomatoes as well. 

Swiss Chard Pasta with Bacon

Week 5 came and brought with it some challenges. Our share this week was swiss chard, 2 types of lettuce,  radishes, and beet greens. Joe was going out of town for SAVOR, a beer/food event in Washington DC which meant I was going to have to eat all these greens by myself! Shew! Not only am I not a huge greens fan but I'm only one person, who doesn't always love leftovers either. The first night Joe left I have to admit, I chickened out and bought Chinese take out. I know, I know, shame on me! The next night I knew I just had to do something. Some of the greens were already wilting. I looked up recipes online and found a pasta recipe that combined my beloved bacon with my not-so-beloved swiss chard.

Bacon Swiss Chard Pasta
spaghetti (any long thin pasta would work, change the amount based on how many you are cooking for)
3 pieces bacon (I used our local bacon from the farm)
Parmesan cheese
1 lg onion
1 bunch swiss chard (de-stemmed and chopped in to small pieces)
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Cook the pasta according to the package. Drain, but reserve 1 cup of pasta water. Cook the bacon in a large pan until the bacon is crisp. Remove the bacon and put on a paper towel to drain the fat. In the bacon drippings add the chopped onion and lower the heat. Saute the onions until softened, about 7 minutes. Add the chard, salt, pepper, and the pasta water. Toss for about 4 minutes until the chard is wilted. Add the vinegar and cook for about a minute. Add the pasta and oil to the pan to heat through. Sprinkle the cheese and bacon pieces on top.

Overall I was happy with the results. The bacon is always a great addition to cooked greens. I'm enjoying more oil sauces on pasta rather than heavier tomato sauces. Once again I wish I had chopped the swiss chard in to smaller pieces. Next time a little garlic and more spices would be a nice touch.

Turnip Au Gratin

After several weeks of greens, turnips are becoming a treat. For our fourth week, our CSA contained turnips, strawberries, scallions, swiss chard, radishes, lettuce, and napa cabbage. I didn't think turnips would be that great, but they have a surprisingly nice flavor. I adore potatoes, and turnips seem like a more flavorful, somewhat healthier alternative. We had much success with our turnip home fries so this time we decided to try a rather traditional turnip preparation. As many people do with potatoes, we made a turnip au gratin. We only got a small bunch of turnips this week so make sure to adjust your recipe if you have a more substantial amount.

Turnip Au Gratin


4 medium turnips (cleaned)
1 small onion
salt/pepper
dill
thyme
2 tbsp. butter
3/4 c. heavy cream
about 1 c. shredded asiago cheese

Using a mandoline or knife thinly slice the turnips and onion. In a small baking dish, take turns layering the turnips, onion, and spices. Put the butter on top. Put in a 450 degree oven covered for about 15 minutes to brown the turnips. Then add the cream and bake covered for 20-25 minutes or until the turnips are tender. Remove the cover and sprinkle the cheese on the top. Cook for about 10-15 minutes to melt the cheese.

As with our past turnip experience, the dish had a lot of flavor. To be honest anything tastes good with cream, butter, and cheese on top. The turnips were delicious but it was definitely a heavy dish. Next time we plan on using less cream and cheese. I think that will make the dish a bit more refreshing and light. For all you potato au gratin fans I would definitely suggest spicing up your usual recipe by adding turnips.

Almond Cake Bread Pudding

A week or so after I had made the Almond Cake to eat with our CSA strawberries, Joe looked in the refrigerator and commented that we needed to do something with our leftover cake. The cake was dry and stale; not at all appetizing. Bread pudding has always been a family favorite (mine without raisins) so I was quick to take Joe's advice to make it with our leftover cake. The only problem was that it was nearly impossible to find a recipe for using leftover cake instead of leftover bread. Now most people would not see this as a big deal, but I am a strict recipe follower. Baking is different than cooking since the measurements need to more exact. We only had a little bit of cake left so I decided to just bite the bullet and give a recipe I found online a try, making adjustments as I went. Now I had to halve the recipe since we did not have a lot of cake left. Make sure to adjust your own recipe for the amount of cake (or bread) you have.

Almond Cake Bread Pudding


3 1/2 c. stale almond cake
1/2 c milk (I used skim because it's all I had)
1 c. heavy cream
1 1/2 eggs (try your best but if 2 slip in it's fine)
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tbsp. vanilla

Spray a 9 x 9 baking dish with cooking spray or cover with butter. I used cooking spray and then parchment paper so the clean-up would be easier. Cut the cake in to small cubes and cover the bottom of the dish. Whisk the other ingredients together and pour over the cake. Make sure each cube is coated/covered with liquid. Bake at 325 degrees for about 40 minutes.

I was so surprised and happy to discover that not only did the custard set, but the dessert actually tasted good. It was even enjoyed by my non-sweet loving boyfriend. It was great to turn an old dessert in to new; a "recycling" of cake.

Fish Tacos, Asian Slaw, and Green Rice

At our favorite local beer bar, The Pickled Pig Pub, Joe and my favorite appetizer is the fish tacos. I'm not a huge fish eater, but these tacos are the exception. We decided to re-create them at home, and use our CSA produce to create condiments and side dishes. After looking at several recipes, we decided to use pollock. Other choices would have been haddock and cod since they hold up well with frying. To top our tacos we made a Mango-Radish Salsa from our CSA radishes and pico de gallo. We used our CSA Napa cabbage to create an Asian slaw and our CSA Russian kale to create green rice. We used small corn tortillas for our tacos.

Beer Battered Fish


1 lb. pollock (cut into 2 inch pieces)
1/2 c. flour
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg
1/2 c. beer

Heat oil in a deep pan. Have about 1/2 inch to an inch of oil in the pan. Peanut oil is the ideal for frying but we used vegetable oil. Have extra flour in a dish. Dust each piece of fish with flour then cover with batter. Put the fish (a few at a time) in the oil and fry for about 3/5 minutes on each side. Try one out first to check your temperatures. When done put the fish on a towel-covered plate and continue until all the fish is fried.

Mango-Radish Salsa
(from Eating Well In Season cookbook)

3 c. diced mango (2 large)
1/4 c. chopped cilantro
1 tbsp. lime juice
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. diced radishes (about 1 small bunch)

Mix the mango, cilantro, lime juice, and salt in a bowl. Add the radishes just before serving.

Pico de Gallo

12 oz.  fresh ripe tomatoes

1/2 med. onion

3 tbsp. lime juice

1/2 tsp. salt

handful of cilantro

dash of cumin 

salt/pepper

Dice the tomatoes and onion very finely.  Chop the cilantro. Mix all the ingredients 

together. Let it sit for a few minutes before serving so the flavors can meld together.

Asian Slaw with dressing

1/2 tsp. fresh ginger

3 tbsp. rice wine vinegar

1 tbsp. lime juice

1 tbsp. soy sauce

1/2 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 c. oil

1/2 tsp. sesame oil

1/2 head of napa cabbage (cleaned and cut in to ribbons)

1/2 carrots (cut in to matchsticks)

Whisk the first 8 ingredients together in a bowl. Toss with the cabbage and carrots. Add scallions and cilantro to taste.

Green Rice 

(from My Father's Daughter cookbook)

1/2 lb. kale (cleaned and cut in to small ribbons)

1 1/2 tbsp. vegetable oil

2 cloves garlic (minced finely)

3 large scallions (chopped)

2 1/2 c. cooked brown rice

1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. soy sauce

Steam the kale for about 7 minutes. Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Raise the heat to medium and add the kale and scallions, cook for about 2 minutes. Add the rice and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the soy sauce and cook for about a minute. Then serve. Make sure to stir the whole time you are adding ingredients to the pan so they do not burn. You can get away with using a bit more soy sauce. 

I have to be honest with you; when Joe and I sat down to eat this meal we high-fived (seriously). We were just so happy with the way everything turned out. The entire meal was light and refreshing. The fish was crispy and the pico de gallo had just the right amount of spice. The mango-radish salsa was the most surprising, as it was very refreshing. The sweet mangoes balanced out the peppery radishes. This would be a perfect meal to create for dinner guests. Everything but the fish can be made ahead of time and guests could build their own tacos based on their own tastes. Joe and I were very proud that everything was made from scratch (except the tortillas) and three out of the five parts of the meal utilized produce from our CSA. Summer dinner parties here we come!

Turnip Homefries and Beet/Turnip Greens

Turnips are a food I've only heard my mother, aunt, and grandmother talk about eating. I always thought I just wouldn't like turnips if I ever had the chance to eat them. So I must say I was not the least bit excited when turnips showed up in our CSA.  They were beautifully white but I still was wary of eating them.

All the recipes we looked up treated turnips just like potatoes. Most recipes involved either mashed turnips, or turnips cooked in a similar fashion to potatoes au gratin. Joe knows how much I love home fries, so he thought turnips would work well prepared that way. One morning this weekend he cooked brunch for us; an omelet, sauteed greens, and turnip home fries.

 Sauteed Beet/Turnip Greens
 2 pieces organic bacon
 beet greens
 turnip greens
 1 tsp. sugar

Cook the bacon in a saute pan to render the fat. While the bacon cooks, clean the greens well and tear in to small pieces. Put the bacon to the side. Wilt the greens in the fat for about 5-7 minutes. When finished, mix in the sugar and diced cooked bacon.

Turnip Home Fries
turnips (cleaned and chopped in to cubes)
butter
small onion (chopped)
minced garlic
dried rosemary

Boil the turnips until tender, then drain. Heat butter in a saute pan. Add the onion and garlic until the onion is softened. Saute the turnips with the onion and garlic until the turnips are browned. Add about 1 tsp of dried rosemary.

Well I have to admit, I was wrong about turnips. The home fries were the star of the brunch. They had a wonderful flavor; like a mix of a potato and a radish or parsnip. The greens were the best I've had so far from the CSA. The beet greens had a sweeter flavor and I love anything with bacon in it. My favorite part of Joe's brunch was that each vegetable was prepared in a way to highlight, not hide, its true flavor. With so many of the turnip recipes we looked at, it seemed that people were trying to mask the turnip flavor. The home fries definitely tasted like turnip. Turnips are no longer just an older person food.

Almond Cake with Strawberries

The third week of our CSA brought us radishes, russian kale, lettuce, beet greens, turnips, and more strawberries! I was expecting to get more strawberries so I already knew I wanted to do a dessert. I first thought it would be nice to make a classic strawberry shortcake, but once I started looking at recipes I wanted to try something different. On Epicurious I found a Toasted-Almond Cake with Strawberries recipe that looked delicious. Joe doesn't really like sweets but he's a fan of almond desserts so I thought it would be perfect. The recipe calls for rose water for soaking the strawberries. Joe had just made a Rose Water Wit beer that I thought would pair perfectly with the dessert. 
For cake:

• 3/4 cup whole almonds with skins (1/4 pound), toasted and cooled
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature 30 minutes
• 1 1/4 cups superfine granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1/3 cup whole milk
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds (2 ounces)

For strawberries and cream:

• 2 cups water
• 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
• 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 lb strawberries, trimmed and quartered lengthwise
• 1/2 teaspoon rose water or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, or to taste
• 1 1/2 cups chilled heavy cream

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour cake pan, knocking out excess flour. (To make it easier to remove the cake from the pan I would line the pan with parchment paper.) With blender motor at high speed, add half of toasted almonds through top hole and finely grind (be careful not to grind to a paste). Transfer to a bowl and grind remaining almonds in same manner, transferring to bowl. Add flour, baking powder, and salt to ground almonds and whisk until combined well.

Beat eggs in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until foamy, about 15 seconds, then add superfine sugar a little at a time, beating. Continue beating until mixture is thick, pale, and forms a ribbon when beater is lifted, 7 to 8 minutes in a stand mixer or 10 to 14 minutes with a handheld. (This seems like a really long time but it's necessary to get the cake light and airy). Add butter in a slow stream, beating, then add milk and almond extract and beat until just combined. Reduce speed to low, then add flour mixture, mixing until just combined.

Spread batter in pan, smoothing top, then sprinkle evenly with sliced almonds. Bake until top is golden, cake begins to pull away from side of pan, and a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack 30 minutes, then run a knife around edge to loosen and invert onto rack. Turn cake right side up on rack and cool completely, about 30 minutes more.

For strawberries in syrup, bring water, sugar, and lemon juice to a boil in a 2- to 3-quart saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Then boil, uncovered, until reduced to about 2 cups, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer syrup to a bowl and cool completely. Stir in strawberries and rose water (I used vanilla instead) and macerate (which means soak) at room temperature 30 minutes.

Beat cream in a large bowl with cleaned beaters until it holds soft peaks. I added about a tablespoon of superfine sugar and a splash of vanilla to make the cream sweeter. 

The dessert definitely had a lot of steps to follow. I was happy with the end result but would make some changes for next time. The cake burned a little around the edge and was hard to get out of the pan. Lining the pan with parchment paper would help. The strawberry syrup was delicious and since I had some left over I used it on my waffles the next day. I would make this dessert again, especially for a bigger group of people since it does get a little dry after being in the fridge for a day or two. This reminded me how different baking is than cooking, since baking measurements need to be exact. I look forward to more baking this summer. Cheers!

Pickled Radishes

This year Joe and I have been determined to make our own pickles. Growing up my Grandma's pickled green beans were my favorite treat. My parents said I loved pickles from the first sour bite I took when I was little. Earlier this year we attempted to create pickles, but were quite unsuccessful.

When we saw 2 bunches of radishes in our CSA, we were a little unsure what to do with them. Yes radishes go great on salads, but there are only so many salads you can make in a week. The radishes were beautiful pinks, purples, and white. They were much bigger than store bought radishes, which gave them a much stronger peppery taste. Joe brought up the idea of turning them in to to pickles, which would mellow the strong flavor, preserve the gorgeous colors, and provide us with some pickling practice.

Pickled Radishes
3 lg. carrots (peeled and sliced)
6 lg, radishes (sliced)
3 c. water
2 tbsp. raw cane sugar
3 tbsp. white vinegar (rice vinegar would be preferable)
2 tbsp. pickling salt
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
3 stalks lemongrass
1 bayleaf

Mix the salt, sugar, ginger, lemongrass, bayleaf, and water until boiling. In a separate pot, sanitize the jar by putting it in boiling water for several minutes. In the sanitized jar layer the sliced radishes and carrots. Cover with the boiled salt/sugar mixture. Close the jar. Let cool down to room temperature for about 24 hours then refrigerate.

We plan on letting the pickles hang out in the fridge for at least a week. The longer they sit the stronger the flavor. Once opened most recipes say that the pickles will stay good for at least a month or two. We're very excited to try them. If nothing else, between our garden and now our pickles I am definitely getting a big lesson in patience!

Our recipe was based on several we found on the internet. One recipe that especially help was on another food blog. Cheers!