Deck the Halls and Fa La La

For the past 9 years, I have thrown a Holiday Cocktail party.  It all started sophomore year of college when my roommate and I bought fancy dresses and needed some place to wear them.  We decided to throw an "adult" party.  No beer, only wine and cocktails.  A select group of friends which was by invite only.  Everyone HAD to dress up.  And a spread of food.  We, of course, had a blast! And I discovered how much I love planning parties, especially the food spread.  Since then, with the help of friends, I have thrown the party every year.  And really, the rules haven't changed much. 



My lovely balsam

 
Well, this year, I had 2 friends that helped me with the decorating so I could focus on the food.  I was quite proud of it all. 

AVOCADO, POMEGRANATE, AND ORANGE SALSA from Skinny Dips by Diana Morgan
- I liked this because it was a wintry version of guacamole.  It was both juicy and spicy.

1Tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp ground pepper
3 large navel oranges
1 pomegranate
2 large avocados, halved, pitted, peeled and cut into 1/2-in dice
2/3 cup diced red onion
1 jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, minced
2 green onions, including green tops, cut on the diagonal, into thin slices
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

In a large bowl, whisk together the lime juice, salt and pepper until the salt dissolves.
Working with one orange at a time, cut a slice from the top and bottom to reveal the flesh.  Stand the orange upright and slice away the peel from the sides in wide stripes, cutting downward, following the contour of the fruit, and removing all of the white pith.  Holding the orange over a bowl, use a sharp paring knife to cut along both sides of each segment, releasing the segments and allowing the juice and segments to drop into the bowl.  Discard any seeds.  Drain the juice into a measuring cup and set aside.  Cut the orange segments into 1/2 in pieces and add to the bowls with the lime juice.
Extract seeds from pomegranate (I recommend watching a demo on YouTube) and add the seeds to the bowl with the segments and lime juice.
Add avocado, red onion, jalapeno, green onions, and cilantro to the bowl.  Using a rubber spatula, gently fold  the ingredients together, being careful to not mash the avocado.  Add the reserved orange juice, 1 Tbsp at a time, until salsa is moist but not soupy.  Taste and adjust the seasoning.  Transfer to a serving bowl, cover, and set aside for at least 1 hour.


 
PICKLED MUSHROOMS -- from Chef Francesco Mangano
-I recently went to a cooking class taught by a local chef.  When I saw these on the list of recipes, I was a little scared but they ended up being my favorite item he made.  They are sweet and vinegary with a hint of garlic.  A great accompaniment to a cheese plate or relish tray.

2 lbs wild mushrooms, cleaned and stemmed
20 fl. oz water
20 fl. oz apple cider vinegar
a few sprigs of fresh herbs, such as rosemary, thyme, chives, oregano
a couple cloves of garlic
1 1/2 cups sugar
salt

Bring the water, sugar, vinegar and salt to a bowl in a deep pot.  Drop the mushrooms in, and turn the burner off.  Cover the mushrooms with a towel (the towel actually touches the water/vinegar mixture), and let stand for 12-15 minutes, depending on how sturdy the mushrooms you have on hand are.  Drain the mushrooms and pat them dry gently.  Put them in a container alternated with vegetable oil, the herbs and garlic.  Make sure the oil covers the mushrooms all the way.  Use within a week.

Patting the mushrooms dry

BACON WRAPPED DATES -- from Avec in Chicago
- B and I have recently discovered how amazing stuffed dates are.  Our first experience was the ones from Avec, a restaurant in Chicago.  Luckily I was able to find the recipe online so I could recreate.  I ended up having to go to Whole Foods to get the correct dates.  Also, the recipe calls for Spanish Chorizo.  I found a sausage that was just called chorizo at my grocery store.  Not sure if it was technically Spanish or Mexican but either way it was delicious.

http://timeoutchicago.com/restaurants-bars/62734/avecs-bacon-wrapped-dates


CRANBERRY CHILI MEATBALLS
- Usually I make cocktail wienies which are always hit but I decided to change it up this time and have meatballs.  I wanted something sweet and spicy and maybe just a little different.  Though not many people named it their favorite thing at the party, they were gone before the night was done --Making the recipe a keeper for future parties.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Cranberry-Chili-Meatballs


GRILLED PEAR, BRIE AND HONEY CROSTINI
- Crostinis are my go-to for any cocktail party.  Any easy concept but you can change them up so much.  This year I wanted to include a little fruit so I grilled pears that had been brushed in honey.  Put them on top of pieces of bread with melted brie and sprinkled it all with some fresh rosemary.

http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/grilled-pear-brie-and-honey-crostini-recipe/

VEGETABLES AND RANCH DIP

- Always great at any party.  It is healthy and any picky-eater will enjoy it.  I like making my dip from scratch with fresh herbs so that the platter is refreshing.  Here is my favorite dip recipe.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Ranch-Dip-with-Vegetables-109001

SPICED NUTS

- Unbelievably addictive!  I think I am going to make another batch to give away as gifts.

http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2008/12/sugar-and-spice-candied-nuts/

 

MELTING MOMENTS (AKA Butts)

-My mom is the cookie queen each Holiday season.  She makes 11-13 kinds each year and gives them out to friends and neighbors.  Melting Moments is one of our family's favorites.  First of all, because we call them Butts.  I guess when my brother was little he said they looked like butts and the name stuck.  Second, they are a nice bite size cookie that literally melts in your mouth.  And finally, I love them because there is almond extract in the frosting.  Num!

1 cup salted butter

1/3 cup powdered sugar

2 cups sifted flour

Cream butter with sugar.  Blend in flour until satin smooth.  Chill several hours or overnight.  Roll rounded half-teaspoons of dough into marbles.  Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes.

Almond Butter Cream:

1 ½ cups powdered sugar

3 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp cream

¼ tsp almond extract

Blend ingredients until smooth.  Tint half pink and half green with food coloring.  Put between two marbles.



ROLLED GINGERBREAD COOKIES

- Again, this is my mom's recipe.  I like to make my cookies fairly thick so they stay chewy.  I also put red hots on my gingerbread men to make eyes and buttons which I personally think are needed to make the cookies complete but I love red hots.

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark molasses
1 egg

Mix flour, salt, soda, baking powder and spices.  Cream butter, add sugar and molasses gradually and cream until fluffy.  Add egg and mix.  Add sifted ingredients and mix.  Chill thoroughly.  Roll dough about 1/4 inch thick on floured board and cut with desired cutters.  Bake on ungreased baking sheets in a pre-heated 350 degree oven about 10 min.  Let cool on pan For a few minutes before removing.



Cutting out some men



Starting at the bottom going clockwise-- Peppermint Cookies from Lands' End, Gingerbread Men, Melting Moments, Avocado Salsa, Pickled Mushrooms, Bacon Wrapped Dates, Meatballs, Cheese plate, Crostinis, and Veggies with Dip

My pride and joy!

I can't believe that next year will be the 10th year of this party.  I probably need to start planning now to make sure its the party of the year!  HAPPY HOLIDAYS and Cheers!

Gobble Gobble

This year for Thanksgiving we went up to Sheboygan, WI to spend the time with my in-laws. It's always so interesting to compare other's Holidays to your own. Growing up, Thanksgiving was small for us. Just my immediate family. It was always a challenge for my mother since I had one brother that was fully vegetarian and another that would only eat poultry. We would basically watch the Macy's parade, snack on cheese and such and then eat around 5p. Now B's Thanksgiving is quite different. First off, they are huge. He has two celebrations, one for each side of his family, and they both have about 15 people. Also football is the main event, which is fine by me because I love watching it. With so many people and 2 full dinners, it makes it easier and more fun to do something different. I decided this year to introduce some of my favorite dishes into their family.

This salad is easy to please everyone. Reading there recipe, it may seem a little strange but it comes together well.

FALL SALAD

Salad Greens:
1 head red lettuce
1 cup chopper celery
2 green onions with tops, chopped

Dressing:
1/2 tsp salt
Dash pepper
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp vinegar
1/4 cup canola oil
1 Tbsp snipped parsley
Dash Tabasco

Topping:
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp sugar

Other:
1 can Mandarin oranges

Prepare salad dressing and refrigerate.

Cook almond sliced in sugar over low heat until sugar melts and coats the nuts. Place on waxed paper and cool. Break apart.

Combine all salad greens and refrigerate overnight.

Before serving, combine salad greens, salad dressing and Mandarin oranges. Toss. Sprinkle with sugared almonds before serving.




I love my mom's stuffing. It's not some recipe that has been passed down for generations or anything like that. But after not having it one Thanksgiving I realized it is what defines the holiday for me. Waking up that morning I always remember the smell of the onions, celery and sausage cooking.  We halve this recipe and stick it in the oven in a dutch oven instead of the the bird.

CORN BREAD STUFFING

2 pkgs (10-12 oz size) cornbread mix
1 lb sausage meat
4 cups chopped celery
3 cups chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped parsley
1 1/2 tsp rubbed savory
1 1/2 tsp dried sage
1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 Tbsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 can (13 3/4 oz) chicken broth, undiluted
3 eggs, slightly beaten

Make cornbread mix as package label describes. Cool.
In large skillet, saute sausage meat, stirring, until lightly browned.  Lift out with slotted spoon.  In drippings in skillet saute celery, onion, and parsley until tender, 8-10 minutes.
Meanwhile, crumble cooled cornbread into large bowl.  Add sausage, vegetables, herbs, salt and pepper.  Gradually add broth and eggs, tossing lightly with a fork. 
Baked covered at 350 degrees for 30 -40 minutes or until warm.  Remove cover and bake 10 more minutes.




After raving about turnips to everyone, I decided I needed to bring my signature dish. Here is the recipe again.

TURNIP GRATIN from Epicurious

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 1/2 pounds medium turnips, trimmed and left unpeeled

1 tablespoon chopped thyme

1/2 tablespoon chopped savory

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

Rounded 1/8 teaspoon cayenne

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (use a Microplane)

Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in middle.

Melt butter in an ovenproof 12-inch heavy skillet, then cool.

Slice turnips paper-thin with slicer, then arrange one third of slices, overlapping tightly, in skillet, keeping remaining slices covered with dampened paper towels. Sprinkle with about a third of thyme, savory, kosher salt, and cayenne. Make 2 more layers.

Cook, covered, over medium heat until underside is browned, about 10 minutes. Add cream and cook, covered, until center is tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

Sprinkle evenly with cheese, then bake, uncovered, until golden and bubbling, 10 to 15 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Now in to the main event...DEEP FRIED TURKEY!!! Over and over again we have heard how delicious it is. And since we had two meals, B and I wanted to try it at one of them. Luckily we knew someone that had the fryer and I had to buy an obnoxious amount of peanut oil. We started with brining the turkeys in large tubs of water, brown sugar and salt. We let them sit overnight.

Turkey taking a bath in sugar and salt

Around 3p we were ready to start our first turkey. I let the boys be in charge. They heated up the oil and VERY slowly lowered the turkey in. The oil was not very happy about it. Almost instantly the turkey smelled and looked delicious.

Heating up the oil -- FAR away from the house

Lowering the thawed, dried off turkey

The oil was angry

Already it looks delicious



We fried the turkey for close to 40 mi and it came out beautifully! Super juicy on the inside. Crisp and brown on the outside. Now I don't love turkey. It's fine but its not something I usually want to eat often. But this turkey.... THIS turkey I could eat all day. So moist! So flavorful! Salty and sweet. And the skin! It was like bacon. I have now become one of those people who rants and raves about deep fried turkey.  I highly recommend it but please please PLEASE be careful and read all the instructions to make sure you don't start a fire.

Here are the instructions and recipe we used.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/deep-fried-turkey-recipe/index.html

Out of the fryer!

Finally, I brought some delicious pumpkin cookies to snack on all weekend.  Reading the recipe I thought they sounded good, but they were so much better!  Almost like little cakes, they were great to get your fix of something sweet without eating a whole piece of pie.

http://www.marthastewart.com/318741/pumpkin-cookies-with-brown-butter-icing

Well, I know this post is late but I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  And you all aren't freaking out too much about Christmas being 13 days away!

Wrapping Up for the Winter

Wow.  I have been a delinquent blogger.  I have been trying to figure out why it has taken me over 3 weeks to write this blog post.  Maybe because I have been very busy between work, working out and such.  Or maybe because I have been lazy.  Or maybe because I don't have another share coming, so I'm not trying to get through the food as fast.  I think it is probably a little bit of all 3.  But I think the biggest reason I have been putting this off is I know its the end.  I didn't really know how to wrap this all up.  The CSA was such a big part of my life for 20 weeks.  I had to plan my whole week around it.  Planning out recipes that could either be eaten that week or frozen.  Finding the time to cook it all up before the next share comes and fills my fridge.  Now that it is over I am both sad and relieved.  I am of course sad to not be getting amazing fresh, organic vegetables each week.  I will have to make more of an effort to make sure I get enough vegetables each day.  I am relieved that I will have a little more freedom week-to-week with my meals.  Especially since with the colder weather I am craving comfort food.

In the last newsletter from the farm, they recapped the amount we got for a few of the crops for the whole 20 weeks.  I thought you would find it interesting...

Beans: 10.29 lbs

Carrots:  9 lbs

Sweet Corn: 3.8 dozen

Tomato Slicers: 21 lbs

Tomato Cherry: 10.8 lbs

Zucchini:  46

Can you believe it?  I basically ate all of this since Bryan is travelling most of the time.  Its crazy to think about!  The farm also offers a Holiday Share which gives you two big shares; 1 before Thanksgiving and 1 before Christmas.  I would consider signing up for it if we cooked these meals ourselves but since we celebrate at our families homes, it would be too much food.

So as we move into Winter and Spring, I am planning on still writing entries time-to-time.  I love trying new recipes and I would love to share the outcome with everyone.  Of course, I will post about my foodie vacations and my upcoming Holiday Party.  If you don't want to check back every couple weeks, you can sign-up to get e-mails that tell you when I have posted.

AND finally I want to end on the food.  Below are some of the recipes I have made with the last couple weeks of shares.  I still have potatoes, acorn squash, shallots, garlic and onions left.  I think the best part of all of this is what I got in my last share....TURNIPS!!  How ironic!  I end right where I started. 

FINAL SHARE

Leeks, Shallots, Sugar Pumpkins, Butternut Squash, Brussel Sprouts, Garlic, Carrots, Potatoes and TURNIPS!





LEEKS

As I said before, I have been craving comfort food.  Meals with cream, fat and richness!  For the leeks, I found an awesome recipe for a pasta sauce that included cream, bacon, leeks, cheese and mushrooms.  It was very fast and easy and delicious served over cheese tortellini. 

http://dadscookbook.blogspot.com/2011/02/tortellini-with-creamy-leek-bacon-and.html?m=1

Horrible picture!  but delicious.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH

I have two favorite recipes for butternut squash and I was so happy to see that I had enough to make both recipes.

First I made a Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce.  The squash is roasted with garlic and sage and then pureed with cream.  The sauce is amazing on cheese ravioli or on short pasta like rigatoni with Italian sausage.

BUTTERNUT  SQUASH PASTA SAUCE

1 medium butternut squash (about 1 ½ pounds)

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ teaspoon dried rubbed sage

Coarse salt and ground pepper

5 garlic cloves, peel on

1 cup half-and-half

Pasta (such as cheese ravioli or any short pasta), for serving

1.       Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Using a large, sharp knife, trim ends; halve squash crosswise to separate bulb from neck. Peel with vegetable peeler. Cut both pieces in half lengthwise. With a spoon scoop out seeds; discard.

2.       Cut squash into 2-inch chunks; transfer to a small rimmed baking sheet. Toss with oil and sage; season generously with salt and pepper. Scatter garlic around squash. Roast until squash is very tender, about 40 minutes, tossing once halfway through. Remove and discard skin from garlic.

3.       Transfer squash and garlic to a food processor; puree. With motor running, add half-and-half through the feed tube; process until smooth. Add 1 to 2 cups water; continue to process until smooth, adding water to thin if necessary. Season again generously with salt.

4.       Cook pasta according to package instructions. Pour sauce over pasta; toss to coat. Serve with desired toppings such as Parmesan cheese, toasted walnuts or fresh sage.

 

Finishe sauce!

Second I made a Butternut Squash Soup.  I specifically love this one since it has curry powder in it.  It is packed with vitamin A with the squash and carrots and fairly low in fat.  I love taking this to work for lunch each day.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

1 butternut squash (about 2 pounds), quartered lengthwise and seeded

1 large yellow onion, peeled and quartered

2 carrots, halved horizontally

olive oil for brushing, plus 1 Tbsp

1 whole garlic bulb

3 cups vegetable stock

1 tsp curry powder

1/4 cup dry sherry

1 Tbsp packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

2 tsp minced fresh oregano, or 1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 cup milk or half-and-half

salt to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil

2. Place squash segments, skin-side up, on the prepared baking sheet.  Surround with the onions and carrots.  Brush all surfaces lightly with olive oil.  Gently remove the loose papery skin from the garlic bulb.  Trim off the top stem and about 1/4 to 1/2 inch of the garlic bulb, exposing the cloves but leaving them intact; brush lightly with olive oil.  Wrap the garlic in aluminum foil and place on the baking sheet.

3. Roast the vegetables in the center of the oven for about 40 minutes, or until they are very tender.  Set aside until the squash and garlic are cool enough to handle.

4. Squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins; scrape the flesh from the squash; remove the outer layer from the onion.  Add half of the garlic, squash, onion and carrots to a blender.  Add about 1 cup of vegetable stock and puree until smooth; repeat.

5. Heat the 1 Tbsp oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add the curry powder; stir for about 30 seconds.  Pour the soup into the pan.  Stir in the remaining 1 cup of stock, the sherry, brown sugar, pepper, oregano, and cinnamon.  Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes.  Add the milk and stir until heated through.  Taste and adjust the seasoning.

6. Garnish each serving with a dollop of creme fraiche and a sprinkling of nuts and fried sage.



After roasting the garlic, carrots and squash

Container of soup for work

SPINACH

A few weeks back we got a large bag of spinach.  I knew I wanted to make a salad but at first I didn't know what kind.  Then it hit me!  A classic Spinach Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing. (Again comfort food).  I specifically loved this salad because it had you saute the onions and mushrooms which is a great contrast to the fresh spinach. 

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/06/the-best-spinach-salad-ever/

DELICATA SQUASH

Actually not too much to say here except I really didn't like it.  I don't know why.  I just sliced and roasted it like Epicurious.com said.  I think for me it was just a texture issue.  Sometime the mushy thing really bothers me.  Oh well...until next year!

PUMPKINS

I had all intentions of making pumpkin ravioli but after reading the recipe a few times, I decided it was just too much work for the time I had.  Instead I roasted all of the pumpkins and popped the puree in the freezer for another time.  I may still make ravioli but it will need to find a different recipe.  I also may try to make some chewy pumpkin cookies from Martha Stewart.  My mom tried them last week and said they came out beautifully.  Please see the link to read about roasting and pureeing pumpkins.  I would highly recommend putting the puree in a mesh sieve lined with paper towel before storing.  After about an hour, I had over 1 cup of water in the bowl.

http://smittenkitchen.com/tips/2012/10/05/how-to-make-your-own-pumpkin-puree/



Cooked Pumpkins

TURNIPS

I am so happy I get to end on turnips.  With big turnips my favorite thing to make is Turnip Gratin.  Turnips have a little bitterness that I love compared to the richness of the cheese.  This recipe has a little heat as well with a few dashes of cayenne.  I can't wait to bring this to Thanksgiving and make everyone have their first taste of turnips!   

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Turnip-Gratin-240249

Thinly sliced turnips layered in the pan

1/2 gone!

Well, I guess this is goodbye for now.  I want to thank everyone who has read my blog from the bottom of my heart.  I had no idea how much support I had and I wouldn't be able to continue to write if I didn't know people were reading.  I hope I have inspired at least one person to get out to their local farmers market and try something new.  You may never know what you are missing!

Week 17 & 18: Fall is Here!

Wow! It has gotten cold. I am sure it happens this quickly every year but this seemed like it happened overnight. All of the sudden I had to turn the heat on, where socks to bed and basically always be wrapped up in a blanket. (The third one I secretly love.). Along with the cold brings totally different vegetables and totally different meals. Comfort Foods! Meals that make me think of home. Now for me, I usually make things from my own childhood. But this week, I realized that I have started to create my own home with my own comfort food. I asked B to pick his absolute favorite meal for Sunday's dinner since he hasn't been home in 3 weeks. He picked Braised Short Ribs. This recipe is not from my childhood, not from his childhood but something of our own. It is just so comforting and warm feeling to know that we are starting to create our own little home. And I can't wait to see in the many years to come to see what else we make our own.

Week 18!
We will start with this week's picture since I used food from both. Definitely a very fall box this week.

Napa Cabbage, Delicata Squash, Onions, Cherry Tomatoes, Kale, Potatoes, Carrots, and Garlic

Week 18

Kohlrabi and Beet Chips
I was a little lost on what to do with so much kohlrabi and so many beets all by myself. Then it popped in my head...chips! I found a lot of recipes for baked chips. Fairly simple with a little olive oil, salt and parchment paper. A mandolin is definitely essential for thin slicing. Only problem is I think I sliced mine too thin because all of my chips burned. I was able to try a few good ones, and they were great but sadly most had to go straight to the trash.

http://www.marthastewart.com/312807/beet-chips

Tossing the slices in olive oil -- such pretty colors

Partially burnt chips  :-(

Spinach, Mushroom, and Gruyere Quiche
I love Gruyere cheese. So tangy and melty. I think the cheese makes this quiche. And it used up all of the spinach! The general recipe is very easy to modify with whatever fillers you want. I like adding mushrooms to it to give it a little more substance. This recipe doesn't say it, but you can make the quiche ahead of time and reheat when you want to serve. You just need to put it in the oven for 30-40 min at 350 degrees. I have made this quiche several times for work and showers and it is always a huge hit!

http://www.marthastewart.com/336904/spinach-and-gruyere-quiches

Sauteeing the mushrooms, spinach and shallots

Pretty quiche right out of the oven -- please ignore my horrible crust primping job

Braised Short Ribs
Honestly, I love any meat that is braised. Slow cooked. Served in its juices. Falling off the bone. It is just so comforting and rich. This recipe is great because it goes in the crock pot for 6 hrs but there is about an hour of work up front. The awesome thing is it used up a lot of our veggies; onions, garlic and carrots!

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/m/recipe/braised-short-ribs.html

Onions, carrots, garlic and beef all in the crock pot -- just waiting for the sauce

Nummy meal!  Short Ribs and taters

Buca's Garlic Mashed Potatoes
The perfect accompaniment for the short ribs; ultra garlicky mashed potatoes. If you have ever been to Buca's, I am sure you have had the mashed potatoes. They are to die for. The two secret ingredients are a lot of garlic and grated Romano cheese. You can't skip or substitute the cheese. Trust me. They won't taste the same. Usually when I make these, I don't use as much butter as the recipe but I do mix in some sour cream to smooth them out.

BUCA'S GARLIC MASHED POTATOES

2 pounds small red-skinned potatoes, with skins on
1/4 cup finely chopped garlic
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
1 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1/2 cup butter, semisoft and cut into pieces

Wash the potatoes and place them in a large pot.  Cover with cold water and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and cook until the potatoes are tender.  Drain the potatoes and transfer to a large bowl.  Add the rest of the ingredients and mix with a mixer, using the metal whip attachment, until all of the ingredients are incorporated.

Serves 4

 

 

The potatoes take A LOT of garlic

 

 

Potatoes all whipped up!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hope everyone stays warm this week and makes some of their favorite comfort foods!

Week 16 & 17: A Cooking Marathon

I am pooped!!  This past weekend was my first weekend at home in 6 weeks! Ridiculous.  It was so nice to be here though.  I got to do things that I wanted to do...but it ended up being a lot.  On top of it being the most gorgeous fall weekend ever!  75 degrees, bright sun, not a cloud in the sky and beautiful trees.  I am glad I got to take advantage of it.  I finished off my weekend with a marathon.  No, not a running marathon.  I can't run...at all.  I had myself a little cooking marathon.  My fridge has been overflowing with vegetables and I decided I needed to attack it.  Aggressively.  I made 3 soups, chimicurri, applesauce and egg rolls.  Sad thing is even after cooking for 7 hours straight, my fridge is still packed full!  UGH!  I may need to give some stuff away.  We will have to see.  This week I am going to set up my entry a little differently.  Instead of listing each item and what I made, I am going to list the meals and recipes and talk about what I used since I have pictures of everything.

Egg Scrambler

Nothing better than an easy scrambler on a Saturday morning.  For this one, I started with a little melted butter and quickly sauteed some cherry tomatoes.  I added chopped chives with the eggs and milk.  At the end, I finished if off with cheddar cheese.  Paired with toast with raspberry jam, it made the perfect breakfast!

Scrambler with chives and cherry tomatoes

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

I really needed a recipe that used up a lot of cherry tomatoes.  I know I could just freeze them or cook them down into a sauce but I wanted to feature them.  Luckily, I ran into a Caprese Salad recipe with a twist on Pintrest!  Basically, you toss cherry tomatoes in olive oil and herbs.  The recipe called for coriander, which I don't really like so I used thyme.  Once coated, you have to spread them on a baking sheet with the cut side up, then roast in a 225 degree oven for several hours.  They came out delicious!  Sweet little morsels.  I roasted 1 lb of tomatoes and was able to eat all of them in one sitting!  I will definitely do this again if I run into an overload of tomatoes.

http://eatrepeat.blogspot.com/2011/07/slow-roasted-tomato-caprese-salad.html

Coating the tomatoes in olive oil

Roasted morsels! -- with some roasted garlic

Cheese Tortellini with Cherry Tomatoes and Pesto

Even after roasting 1 lb of tomatoes, I still had a lot left.  This time I just threw together an easy pasta dish.  I roasted the tomatoes for a little bit to get the juices hot and tossed them with cheese tortellini, fresh mozzarella, basil pesto, and Parmesan.  Simple, fast and tasty.  I had the basil pesto in my freezer from last summer.  It was surprisingly still good.  I just needed to add a little olive oil to it to add some moisture.  I was disappointed I never got around to making more pesto this year.  I was holding out to make some with my own basil but my plants were a little finicky this year.  I will still post the recipe I usually use.  It is fairly typical.

http://www.marthastewart.com/314321/basic-basil-pesto

Cheese Tortellini with Cherry Tomatoes and Pesto

Deconstructed Fajitas

I knew I needed to eat a lot of bell peppers this week and the best meal for that is fajitas, of course!  But I wanted to be more creative.  I also wanted the meal to be based more around the vegetables and less around the tortillas and other toppings.  I basically got everything together that I usually put on fajitas and then ate it with tortilla triangles.  It was good, but I think next time I will go back to the normal way.  Why mess with a good thing?

Deconstructed Fajitas

Roasted Bell Pepper Bisque with Romano Cheese

Guess what takes more bell peppers than fajitas?  SOUP!  I didn't even think about making this until my friend suggested it yesterday.  Of course this was supposed to me only red peppers but I used red, yellow and green.  I decided to use this specific recipe from Epicurious because it had Romano cheese in it -- which makes anything delicious!  The recipe does call for shrimp which I think would be good but is not necessary.  I am really excited to eat this in the upcoming weeks and months.  For now it is sitting in my freezer.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Roasted-Red-Bell-Pepper-Bisque-with-Shrimp-and-Romano-Cheese-103119

Final product!  Creamy, cheesy, slightly spicy bell pepper bisque

Garlic Fried Rice

I have never made fried rice before.  And after making it this week, I'm not sure why.  So easy and nummy.  A nice variation to my typical stir fries.  This recipe also used up so much of the items in my fridge!  The only thing I had to buy was ginger.  Carrots, cabbage, garlic, onions and I added red bell pepper.  For the brown rice, I used frozen rice from Trader Joe's.  May sound strange but it is very good and super quick.  3 min in the microwave.  I do recommend having soy sauce with this.  It definitely adds a little salt and umami that is missing right out of the pan.

http://pinchofyum.com/skinny-garlicfried-rice



Frying it up!

Great dinner!  Skinny Garlic Stir Fry

Egg Rolls

I was getting VERY adventurous this week.  I would never consider making egg rolls.  It just sounds like a lot of work.  Sauteing, rolling and frying.  But they were a lot easier than I expected.  Still a little time consuming compared to just popping one out of your freezer but I am sure these will be delicious.  I ended up frying them and putting them in the freezer in hope that I will be able to warm them up in the toaster oven like the ones I buy at the store.  The recipe says to freeze them before frying but I didn't want to have to heat up oil every time I wanted one.  Also, the recipe calls for ground pork which I couldn't find at my grocery store, which I found odd since they have sorts of nasty offal. So I had to improvise with ground chicken.  Also, this recipe makes A TON of small rolls.  Instead, I made only a few large rolls.  I was so pleased with how nicely the rolls fried up.  I haven't tasted one yet but each of the elements were good so I am cross my fingers that the final product comes together.

http://steamykitchen.com/13029-my-mothers-famous-chinese-egg-rolls-2.html

Prepping the cabbage and carrots

Making the rolls

Frying up the rolls

Guacamole

I love love LOVE guacamole.  Seriously one of my favorite things ever.  I try to make it whenever avocados are $1 or less.  And this time, not only were avocados cheap but I also had tomatoes, garlic and cilantro sitting in my fridge.  I have come to the point that I don't measure anything so each batch comes out a little different.

GUACAMOLE

2 avocados

Juice of 1/2 a lime

Salt, to taste

1 clove garlic, diced

1/4 cup red onion, diced

1 tomatoes, cored, seeded and diced

1 small jalapeno, diced

2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped

Mash avocados with lime juice and salt.  Stir in remaining ingredients.  Garnish with cilantro leaves.

Nummy guacamole

Chimichurri

SO much cilantro.  The only thing I could find that would use up a large amount is to add to the chimichurri I already have in the freezer.  I love the fresh and tangy sauce on steaks, shrimp and pork.  Now I just need to buy some meat!

http://eclecticrecipes.com/cilantro-chimichurri



Getting everything into the food processor

Chimichurri!

Week 17:

I am putting this picture in the middle of the post because the remaining recipes used more of the vegetables from this week's box instead of last week's.  This week is really going to be a challenge.  Things I have never had before like fava beans and turnip greens along with things I don't really enjoy like fennel.  We will see how this goes.

Fava Beans, Beets, Leek, Spinach, Turnip Greens, Carrots, Fennel, Peppers and a Jalapeno.

Week 17

Carrot Ginger Soup

Oh, what to do when you get 2 lbs of carrots?  Make carrot soup!  Again, I didn't even think of this until I talked to my friend.  She had great suggestions this week with soups!  Maybe someday when I have kids I would be thrilled with 2 lbs of carrots.  Every kids loves them and you can make baby food.  But for me, it was a little daunting by myself.  If B was around, they would have easily been devoured in a matter of hours but I just can't do it.  I only eat a couple at a time so this soup was perfect.  Very easy besides having to peel around 30 smallish carrots.  I definitely learned a technique by the end.  I will admit, when I tried the soup before I put it in the freezer I was a little uncertain.  It tasted a little too much like baby food for me so I added a little bit more ground ginger and some curry powder.  I may add more curry powder when I serve as well.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/all-american-festivals/ginger-carrot-soup-recipe/index.html

Carrot Ginger Soup

Potato Leek Soup

Whenever I see a leek, all I can think about it Potato Leek Soup.  And even better, I had potatoes lying around from the CSA a couple weeks ago.  The recipe I used starts with bacon.  And as we all know, bacon makes everything better.  I also liked this recipe because I didn't need to peel the potatoes.  When pureed, it made it a little more rustic.  The final product was good but I do think it is missing a little something. I think when we have it, I will serve it with a little cheddar cheese and bacon or many some sour cream. 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/potato-and-leek-soup-recipe2/index.htm

Taters

Leeks sauteing with bacon and butter

Final product!  Topped off with chives!

So even though I didn't get apples in my CSA, I wanted to leave you with some pictures of my applesauce.  My mom always used to make homemade applesauce in the fall.  It was something that we all looked forward to.  To this day, if I have jarred or store bought applesauce, I always have to throw it in the microwave for a minute to make it warm, just like it is when fresh off the stove.  With my mom's method, you need to own a food mill.  Though it is a very old kitchen tool, it definitely comes in handy at times.  Hope everyone is enjoying fall to its fullest!  For me, it is applesauce, apple pie, apple cider, donut holes, bonfires, football, and crunching through the leaves!

Cooking up the apples.  1 Tbsp of water for every lb of apples

Putting the cooked apples through the food mill