Hi everyone! I'm back to share some delicious things we've cooked recently, featuring fresh fruits and veggies from peak Farmer's Market season. We even grew some of these ourselves!
Time is flying here-- it's hard to believe we're coming up on five months of quarantine. When I revisit blog posts from early on, it's amazing how much has changed since then. It turns out, people are very adaptable. But the feelings still come in waves. I miss the casual ease of getting together with friends. And meeting new people. I've made a renewed effort to connect with folks outside of my routine circle, and it is helping some (If we haven't seen each other in awhile-- please do say hi!). On the other hand, we've already hit our summer average of days over 90 degrees, and we're only at the beginning of August. It's seriously swampy out there, and not needing to commute means no longer doing the summer "how many layers should I wear?" dance. There are some upsides, I suppose.
Another upside is that I've been diligently tending my little porch garden. Lots of herbs, a "superhot" chili plant, and three tomato bushes with a small crop of exciting still-green fruit. It is very fun to pull herbs fresh off the plant, and work them into dinner. For tonight: some of those chilis and the Thai basil that I propagated from a bunch that I got at the Vietnamese market several months ago were gorgeous and ready. I used them to riff on an eggplant stir fry from Woks of Life.
Greens on a Pizza
Jeff designed Friday's pizza to clean out the fridge, and it had two types of greens: spinach and garlic cooked with lemon zest, and the last of the bacon/red onion/swiss chard mixture we had with grilled chicken earlier in the week. The remainder of a carton of whole milk ricotta added a creamy edge. So good!
Shrimp Rolls and a Cucumber Salad
Time is flying here-- it's hard to believe we're coming up on five months of quarantine. When I revisit blog posts from early on, it's amazing how much has changed since then. It turns out, people are very adaptable. But the feelings still come in waves. I miss the casual ease of getting together with friends. And meeting new people. I've made a renewed effort to connect with folks outside of my routine circle, and it is helping some (If we haven't seen each other in awhile-- please do say hi!). On the other hand, we've already hit our summer average of days over 90 degrees, and we're only at the beginning of August. It's seriously swampy out there, and not needing to commute means no longer doing the summer "how many layers should I wear?" dance. There are some upsides, I suppose.
Another upside is that I've been diligently tending my little porch garden. Lots of herbs, a "superhot" chili plant, and three tomato bushes with a small crop of exciting still-green fruit. It is very fun to pull herbs fresh off the plant, and work them into dinner. For tonight: some of those chilis and the Thai basil that I propagated from a bunch that I got at the Vietnamese market several months ago were gorgeous and ready. I used them to riff on an eggplant stir fry from Woks of Life.
I basically followed the recipe, using pretty little shooting stars (or maybe graffiti?) eggplants from Deep Roots Farm, subbing ground pork for the chicken, and adding the sliced, seeded chilis to the garlic/green onion step. It turned out delicious, and we ate it over warm jasmine rice.
Shakshuka
As we left West Virginia last week, Janie, our Air BNB host, suggested we stop by her farm to take some veggies for the road. They fed us all week! Breakfast this morning was no exception; I threw together a batch of shakshuka sauce last weekend to take care of some of the many Swiss chard leaves. I used a recipe that included caraway seed and hot smoked Spanish paprika. It made for an easy meal, as I re-heated the sauce, cracked in some eggs, sprinkled with feta, and served with reheated corn tortillas from last night's takeout from DC pop-up Muchas Gracias.
As we left West Virginia last week, Janie, our Air BNB host, suggested we stop by her farm to take some veggies for the road. They fed us all week! Breakfast this morning was no exception; I threw together a batch of shakshuka sauce last weekend to take care of some of the many Swiss chard leaves. I used a recipe that included caraway seed and hot smoked Spanish paprika. It made for an easy meal, as I re-heated the sauce, cracked in some eggs, sprinkled with feta, and served with reheated corn tortillas from last night's takeout from DC pop-up Muchas Gracias.
Greens on a Pizza
Jeff designed Friday's pizza to clean out the fridge, and it had two types of greens: spinach and garlic cooked with lemon zest, and the last of the bacon/red onion/swiss chard mixture we had with grilled chicken earlier in the week. The remainder of a carton of whole milk ricotta added a creamy edge. So good!
Shrimp Rolls and a Cucumber Salad
Our leftover vacation hot dog buns, toasted with butter, held a cold shrimp salad, served with spicy oven fries (from frozen). Jeff riffed a vinegary cucumber and dill salad, with a dash of Szechuan chili oil for kick. The shrimp salad generally followed a recipe from Bon Appetit, subbing a dab of dijon for horseradish, and included chives and parsley from our porch. It reminded me of a New England summer, and was delicious accompanied by a crisp beer.
Stuffed Giant Patty Pan Squash
Stuffed Giant Patty Pan Squash
These squash made a tasty vegetarian entree, that I actually ate for several lunches this week, too. Into the squashes went a summer sautee of garlic, green onion, red bell pepper, corn, and kale, tossed in cilantro vinaigrette (leftover from a bagged salad) and mixed with a healthy dose of queso fresco. The squash, onion, and kale came from West Virginia, and the other items were left in our fridge and needed using.
The stuffed squashed baked for 40 minutes at 350, and turned out tender and delicious. It was my first time having a patty pan-- it tasted like chayote to me.
Throwback to Vacation: Birthday Dinner and Dessert
The stuffed squashed baked for 40 minutes at 350, and turned out tender and delicious. It was my first time having a patty pan-- it tasted like chayote to me.
Throwback to Vacation: Birthday Dinner and Dessert
This is holdover from while we were on vacation, but I had to share because both dinner and dessert turned out so well! The house we stay in has a marvelous kitchen, but it took some creative planning to go without taking a ton of ingredients with us.
After a bit of thought, I settled on the idea of strawberry shortcake for birthday dessert. This cream biscuit recipe was ideal: it only needs the dry ingredients plus cream. We mixed up a (half) batch of the mix at home-- plus a Tbsp sugar to make it sweet, and packed the plastic baggie in for the ride. Rather than use California strawberries, it turned out that local peaches were gorgeous and sweet, and we threw in some big, juicy blackberries for good measure. The fruit macerated while the shortcakes baked, and then we whipped up a softly sweetened batch of cream for a delicious topping.
After a bit of thought, I settled on the idea of strawberry shortcake for birthday dessert. This cream biscuit recipe was ideal: it only needs the dry ingredients plus cream. We mixed up a (half) batch of the mix at home-- plus a Tbsp sugar to make it sweet, and packed the plastic baggie in for the ride. Rather than use California strawberries, it turned out that local peaches were gorgeous and sweet, and we threw in some big, juicy blackberries for good measure. The fruit macerated while the shortcakes baked, and then we whipped up a softly sweetened batch of cream for a delicious topping.
Pasta al Limone & Grilled Chicken
If you're going to buy cream, why not... have a lot of it! Jeff followed this simple but indulgent pasta recipe to a T, while I grilled some chicken thighs that had marinaded over night in lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and some herbs we brought from a pre-trip porch harvest: oregano and thyme. The smoky char was a great accompaniment to the creamy, lemony pasta. Chives and parsley (also grown by us) finished the plate, and Jeff served it with a crisp and tasty rose. It was a wonderful meal, and I would highly recommend if you're looking for a decadent treat of a meal!
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