Fried Smashed Potatoes

Included this week in our share were purple &  pink outside!  For real!

Look how cool these babies are! I decided to make Giada's fried smashed potatoes

theses were fun to make because you get to use the palm of your hand to smash them.

just don't press too hard

oops! No worries, we still ate it:)

I got to use my new non-stick frying pan :)

and my new pepper mill 

life is good ♥♥

These taters came out really great. I needed to cook them in two batches so that they didn't overcrowd the pan which would have made it more difficult to get that wonderful golden crust. 

This was a simple dish (that could be made with any baby potatoes) that was very impressive. 

xoxox

♬♬ Bikinis,zucchinis, martinis, yeah!♬♬

Ok, I know.. not the REAL lyrics of this summer's most overplayed song, but this week, in my house, it works!

This week at CSA was very exciting ( actually, they are ALL exciting),  but this week we got to pick flowers!!

Here is a picture of my favorite BIG girl, Leah..  Her mommy likes orange flowers, go figure? Just kidding!

this is my basket of Flowers & greens... we also received corn on the cob!! 12 ears!!  Of organic straight off of the stalk sweet summer corn.  ♬Heaven♬

In addition to this, my own zucchini plants in my garden have produced beautifully. I welcome any zuck recipes that anyone has to share..

I made Paula Deen's Chocolate chip zucchini bread

Ryan rolled his eyes when he heard zucchini bread, but let me tell you.. he was the first to DEVOUR this bread!! It is so tasty.  The chocolate chips seemed to sink, so I think that when I make it again I will use that blueberry trick where you roll them in a bit of flour first.

 I drizzled melted chocolate on top just because I thought that it needed it.  There are an additional 8 mini muffins that are already missing form this picture (everyone enjoyed them).  They were perfect for make-ahead form Scott's breakfast for the week. I'll be making these again and often!

Next I made stuffed zucchini. I just kind of made up my recipe as I went along based on what I had.

I took leftover whole grain bread from the CSA & crumbled it in a bowl & added milk until the bread was absorbed. Then I drained excess milk.

I brought a large stockpot of water to a boil & salted it. I boiled the zucks whole for about 5 minutes. Drained, cooled, halved the long way & scooped out the center with a melon baller. I cut them into 3 inch zucchini boats

I heat a skillet with olive oil, added a chopped onion, garlic & squash innards. I sauteed for a few minutes, seasoned with salt & pepper, let cool & added to the bread mixture. I added 2 eggs, scrambled & some parmesan cheese.

I filled each boat with filling them sprinkled a bit more cheese. I cooked them in a 375 oven until the tops were  bubbly & brown, then drizzled a bit of EVOO on top.

VIOLIA!

I usually try to make these a bit healthier, but I was feeling all wild, so I went with it. They were so light and delicious!


I'm sure that I'll be posting more squash recipes.. I've also been just slicing & grilling them.

And now, teenie time!!!

I made cucumber martinis. It was so hot this week that the thought of a cool, crisp cucumber martini just sounded SO good!!

I peeled, seeded & pureed 2 small cucumbers with about 1/3 cup of water & a tablespoon of agave syrup ( if you don't have agave, you can use honey or make a simple syrup, the idea is just to add a bit of sweetness)

Then I strained it over ice, pressing the pulpy mixture through a fine sieve..  I added a healthy shot of vodka, then strained into a chilled martini glass, & garnished with a cucumber slice.

this was pure refreshment in a glass...

perfect at the end of a very hot July day :)  AHH!!

now sing me out...♬♬♬♬♬

oxoxo

 ( you didn't think that I'd post the bikini shots here, did you?? This is a family show :)

Escarole!!

One of the many things that Scott & I were excited about with joining the CSA was trying foods that were new to us. Last week we had the garlic scapes & kohlrabi... this week we had escarole!



I forgot to take a picture of how beautiful the 2 heads of escarole were before I cooked them. I'm hoping for more in this week's share so that I can add a picture.

Escarole looks a little bit like leaf  lettuce ( in my opinion) but Debra from Plato's Harvest Organic Farm
told us that it can be bitter.

A friend of a friend of mine told me that I just HAD to make escarole & beans!

I spent awhile researching recipes & reading reviews & chose this one here from all-recipes.com

Escarole & Beans

I was a little wigged out about not draining the cannellini beans.. I actually almost used another recipe because of that, but I'm so glad that I chose this one.   WOW!  This was amazing!

The bread here was from the CSA as well
The Artisan Kitchen

Ingredients :

King Arthur Flour
Grain Mix (rolled oats, flaxseed, cracked wheat, rye flakes, steel (can't read the word), millet, sesame seeds barley)
Whole wheat flour
Durum Flour
Seed mix ( flaxseed,sunflower seeds, millet)
Water
Salt
Yeast

One bite of this bread assures me that I could NEVER eat low carb.  I lightly grilled a few slices with a bit of olive oil then spread a thin layer of goat cheese. Yum!!


xoxox

And so it began....

This year my husband, Scott & I decided to join a CSA.. What is a CSA? It has nothing to do with a crime scene as some have asked... it stands for Community Supported Agriculture.

What does that mean? A local farmer will offer pre-paid 'shares' of that years' food crop to a pre-determined number of families. In exchange, once a week the families go to the farm & pick up their share of that week's crop. More CSA information  I had heard this through friends so I did some research & we picked Plato's Harvest Organic Farm.  Dave & his wife, Sasha  clearly have a passion for what they do.

We are into our second week of the 2010 season & I am beyond thrilled that we chose to join. The produce that we receive is amazing.  The picture above is what we received week one.  There is an optional bread share that we did choose to join as well. The strawberries pictured were not part of the share, but purchased from his neighbor, organic & delicious!

We have received foods that we have never tried before, which is really exciting for me! These are garlic scapes. I sauteed  them with a little bit of butter & olive oil, seasoned with salt & pepper, and boy, were they a hit!!

Many things of the farm are Pick your own  (PYO). The first week was herbs.  I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to have a jar of fresh herbs in my fridge!!!

My main intent of this blog is to post recipes & the information that I've research about the new new-to-me vegetables... The first few posts may not have a lot of information, but I promise to come back & fill in more information!

xoxo