Neither from Israel nor Artichokes

Jerusalem Artichokes, or sunchokes as they are sometimes less confusingly called, look like knobby potatoes, or perhaps tumor ridden turnips. Choose your imagery. Surprisingly, or un-surprisingly if you've been watching me cook with the weird veggies all year, these knobby ugly things, like most root vegetables, seem to have only 2 or 3 successful and suggested methods of preparation. You can roast them. You can boil and mash them. You can make them into chips or fries, or pancakes. Boring Boring Boring. Tubers are Boring. There isn't much I can say about that. However, the Sunchoke does have one unique trick that the other tubers do not. They take very well to being stir fried. Almost like a water-chestnut but more bendy. And although I find stir fry's to be as un-original a way to get rid of veg as making a salad, I realize I had not yet created one for you on this blog. Also, I found a recipe with some pretty interesting techniques. So who am I to resist. Let's get stir-crazy.

Week 20, Box 20 and an Appology

So for the first time in 20 weeks it looks like I honest to god missed a recipe post. The truth is last week was just about the worst week thus far luck wise. I was sick, The Husband then got sick and then over the weekend I had to take my grandfather to the hospital. So over all even though I got The Box, took pictures and even cooked and took pictures of two full recipes, I just never got around to posting. I apologize. If you were wondering I made 2 dishes, the first was Macaroni and Cheese with Swiss Chard, which was a variant of THIS recipe. To modify it I gave the chard a quick chiffonade, blanched it and squeezed the water out. I then mixed it in with the final product just like the recipe calls for mixing in the broccoli. It was a little bit of a cheat recipe, we wanted comfort food, and when that comfort food is mac and cheese you always feel better adding some green to it.

The other recipe I made was baked potato soup. I followed the recipe found HERE to the letter. It was easy, delicious, didn't require an excessive amount of milk fat and exactly the thing The Husband needed in his sickness. Also a fantastic way to use up a TON of potatoes. Yum.

This week I am hopeful that things will go more smoothly. I am pleased with the ingredients that came in The Box. They will prove some challenges but also some comfort items. Let me show you:

Week 18, Box 18 and G*d Damn It

Last week I happily looked forward to the delivery of The Box. You see it's fall, and fall means butternut squash and I had this feeling that this week The Box would contain at least one of the big fat orange veg. I went about my day with a skip in my step, researching recipes making grandiose plans and greeted The Husband joyfully at the top of the stairs eager to break into the box and start cooking away. When I saw that sly smile on his face, the one that indicates he knows he is about to bring my day to a screeching halt, my heart dropped low in my chest and with a sudden sense of foreboding. This is what the box contained with in it:

• Butternut squash
• Fava Greens
• Two decorateve Pumpkins
• three cippolini Onions
• Six apples
• Four Tomatoes 
• And wait... WTF are those black things marring up the Far right corner of The Box?

As American as Apple Pie

It's day 10 of the Federal Government shut down and although I was doing well, I dropped the ball again. BOOOO on me, but in fairness congress is doing far worse then I am and keeping thing running so I don't feel so bad. Anyway, since I've been feeling less then patriotic these past 10 days and I am sure you folks (at least my USA readers which I am assuming most of you are) are looking for a little bit of a reminder as to why AMERICA is awesome. I did the only logical thing when  The Box gave me apples. I made apple pie. Actually Apple Hand Pies.

Week 17, Box 17

This week's box was brought to be by The Husband for the first time ever after 9:30PM. It finally happened, we both had a conflict and since my hearing could have taken me to midnight to complete it fell to him to stop by the MIL and bring The Box home. From the contents of the box you can see we are well into the fall harvest.

Squash as Spaghetti

As I said in my last post, my initial research on Spaghetti Squash indicated that it's a squash not really worth the time and energy into eating unless, for either health or craziness, you decide that the only thing you liked about spaghetti was that it was stringy and therefore this would be an acceptable substitute for that stringy sensation you miss. However, since this blog is about taking what comes to me, I took it upon myself to find an acceptable dish that promised enjoyment without missing the spaghetti. I also figured that since I was being "healthy" in a crazy pasta denying, weird substitution kind of way, I might as well find the least healthy dish I could. And, despite nearly every instinct I had that this was not a good idea, I found that in spaghetti squash 'n' cheese, (like Mac 'n' Cheese but absolutely nothing like it).

Week 16, Box 16

This week I drove the hour in traffic to pick up The Box, only to find out 3 hours later that The Husband was also heading over to the area where we pick up The Box to give something to MIL. The location of course is completely out of my way, but on his way home from work. Nothing like bad coordiantion, darn. Anyway, we are starting to get some of the fall veggies and I am very excited. This week The Box looked like this:

The Whole Enchelada

This week The Box provided me with 4 tomatillos. Tomatillos are related to the husk cherry, and are not, despite the similarity in their name,are not tomatoes. Prior to creating my most recent creation, described below, I had never worked with them before. Tomatillos are frequently found in native Mexican cuisine, and being Italian and Jewish and The Husband being Irish, we don't usually eat a lot of Mexican food, and we certainly rarely choose to dive into that cuisine for cooking. It requires ingredients not typically found in our kitchen, and a taste palette that we are unaccustomed to balancing. However, the whole purpose of this little exercise is to expand our culinary horizons by dealing with the ingredients that appear on our doorstep. So, I made enchiladas.

Week 15 Box 15

This week The Box was lovingly delivered to me by The Husband and I had about 5 minutes to look it over, take a picture of it and then run out to a hearing that lasted till 12:00am. Wonderful. Not to mention that I then did the exact same thing on Tuesday, quick PB and J dinner and then back out to a hearing that didn't end till 10:00pm. Welcome to my life. I'm exhausted and in desperate need of a full day of TLC but I don't want to pull a last week and forget to post anything about this week's box so here it is:

Bonus: It's Peanut Butter Jelly Time

So last week's box gave me these:

Concord grapes, about 13 oz of them. Now here's the thing about concord grapes, they are NOT grapes which are made to be eaten. This is not your lean back on a chaise lounge while a scantily clad brawny young man feeds them too you while fanning you with a palm leave. These grapes are extraordinarily difficult and rather disgusting to eat.

First, there is the skin in all it's thick and chewy glory, then there are the pits which are not meant to be consumed and are surrounded by the only truly edible part of the grape the pulp which clings to the pit like it's life depends on it in some sort of embryonic sac. To eat successfully you need to pop the grape out of it's skin into your mouth, and then trap the pits on the outside of your teeth while you suck strongly on the pulp to get it to release. Then swallow. Like I said, not good eats.

But the flavor, oh the flavor, it brings you right back to child hood. Sweet, heavy and heavenly. Smelling like the first day of school or the end of a really long hike. Something about that flavor tells you it's peanut butter jelly time. And so, come hell or high water I was going to turn those grapes into jelly.

Week 14 Box 14: Spicy Fun Arugala

Because of the way my day job works we are getting into the heavy season at work. Which means my posts are going to start condensing because I don't have nearly as much time to work on them as I would like too. Sorry folks. I'm going to try to get better at spacing them out, maybe get on a regular schedule like The Husband recommends. We shall see. Anyway last week The Box Contained the following:

• Red Potatoes
• Many tomatoes of the red and heirloom variety
• Yellow Onions
• Celery
• Concord Grapes
• and Two Bunches of Arugula

Since, of course, Arugula is one of my favorite greens due to it's spicy fun flavor and I had an excess of tomatoes I went looking for a good old fashioned quick pasta recipe for a Tuesday night dinner.

TWO TAKES

Last week I made a couple of dishes for the blog, went through the whole taking pictures process, but they seem repetitive from prior posts. So I've mushed them together for you here.

Happy New Year!

For those of you who may not be aware, this week was the Jewish New Year. It's the time of year where we eat a big meal, and dip apples in honey in hopes of evoking a sweet new year. Weirdly, because of the way the Jewish Calendar works, this year's "Leap Year" brings the holiday almost a full month earlier than it usually is. Apples, therefore, are barely in season, and peaches, which showed up in The Box this week, are at the very end of the season. I wanted to create something for our New Year meal that combined peaches and honey. A little bit of time on The Google Machine yielded a Honey Peach Upside Down Cake. I decided to make two.

Week 13, Box 13

Last week was a disaster, not only was The Box unforgiving minimal, forcing me to work with Beets (ick), but that week, my kitchen also made the untimely decision to FALL INTO A MILLION PIECES. First the dishwasher, then the sink, and of course I was on a mini-break visiting my two very good friends and trying to get some culture/history. Meanwhile The Husband was dealing with the mess that was my kitchen appliances circa 1967. Luckily between himself and my amazing uncle, things were, for the most part, fixed by the time I got home. and BONUS, new dishwasher!!!!!!

Anyway, for what lacked in The Box last week, this week more than makes up for it. I guess you could say I have an over abundance of.... interesting:

OOOO WEEE OOOO Killer Tofu!

For the most part, I am NOT a fan of Beets. They look funny, taste funny and tend to dye any dish they are paired with bright red. So when the farm box gave me beets my first instinct was to throw them back. However with the pickings being so slim this week, I felt compelled to use the only interesting item in some way for this blog. I tried to remember if there was ever a time I ate beets with abandon, or noted them in an interesting culinary technique. I recalled a meal The Husband and I enjoyed on our honeymoon in Iceland. We were in Vik (which by the way means "village"), we had just spent the day hiking glaciers and seeing ice floes. It was 7:00 at night, the sun wouldn't be setting for another 5 hours, we were exhausted and hungry and we stopped in this little place with "puffin" in the name for dinner. One of the appetizers we ordered was cured horse meat with pickled beets. I remember the horse meat being delicious, and I know I cleaned my plate, I'm even positive I said something like "hmmm I don't usually like beets but these are good."  Of course all this could have been the Icelandic air, romantic atmosphere and general jet lag, but if I liked pickled beets once before, I may just like them again. 

Week 12, Box 12

I don't know if it's because we are between growing seasons a little bit, but the box has been kinda scarce lately. Maybe I am just spoiled from when I got all of The Rabbi's share while he was on vacation, but still, this week's box was a little depressing. Oh and I'm starting to get overrun by peppers again.

Dinner for One

The Husband works in retail and while I am of course grateful that in this economic climate he has a job, his work schedule often requires me to eat alone. This requires a lot more ingenuity then cooking for two or more because I don't really want to use any produce that might come in handy for future meals, I don't want to dirty too many plates and I don't want to be slaving over a stove just to please little old me. In the bad old days I often fell victim to the over processed, rubbery food that was the low-calorie frozen dinner. However, since we started getting The Box every week The Husband and I have been trying to cut back on on foodstuffs that can't fairly be called "food."  So on the days when he has a late shift, I think back to my years in law school and pull those fast, easy, one person recipes I invented that allowed me to let loose some creativity and still get back to the books in a reasonable amount of time. This week, when I saw the Fava Greens beginning to wilt in their bag, I knew exactly what to do with them.

Feeling Corny

I don't eat a lot of corn. I have what I would call in polite company a "corn intolerance."  This intolerance has led to a lifetime of slowly removing corn products from my diet because I feel better when I refrain from eating them. This is, of course, incredibly difficult because 1) Corn Syrup is in everything and 2) Corn, in its truest and most natural form is G*d Damn delicious. The Husband, is also a big fan of the devilishly tasty kernels. His favorite way to consume this evil overgrown weed is in the form of cornbread. So when two ears of sweet Corn showed up in the box this week, he begged for Cornbread and I willingly complied, even though I knew my consumption of said evil but delicious result would be limited to a single piece, maybe.

Week 11 Box 11

Let it be known that the Rabbi has returned. This of course means that I no longer get the benefit of a full and fruitful box. Ah well, I'm back to my half share and it's probably better for the environment (less veg going to rot) and for this blog (splitting the share with the MIL results in me getting the weird stuff). However, we are coming into the Fall (even though it is still August) which means the "harvest time" is coming. I'm excited for the bounty of new veg that are coming into the season. And this week The Box is starting to reflect it. Here's what we got:

Fried Green Tomatoes!

I couldn't come up with a catchy title for my plans with the Green Tomatoes. It seems so natural, and happened to be the only "Green Tomato" option that arises on The Goggle Machine besides the movie itself (which I've never seen). Needless to say the process for making Fried Green Tomatoes does not change much recipe to recipe. Most use either Panko Bread Crumbs or (more traditionally apparently) cornmeal for the breading of the tomatoes. Some add paprika or cayenne to the breading, some leave them unseasoned, or with a little bit of salt and pepper. Almost all of them suggested buttermilk instead of an egg wash for the binder. Having said all that, what to dip them in varied widely from the simple mix of hot sauce and mayonnaise to the more complex remoulade. Either-way after a little bit of research I soon felt confident enough to start frying sans recipe.

Millions of Peaches, Peaches for Me!

If anything was going to convince me to pick up a blade with a still injured finger it was going to be the pleasant surprise of seven juicy ripe peaches appearing in The Box this week.  I cannot quite impress upon you, dear sweet reader, just how fantastically peachy these peaches were. I probably could have just sat and consumed all 7 one after another until The Husband walked in to find me in a peach-induced stupor with 7 pits lined up in front of me and inevitably covered in peach juice.

It would have made a good blog post for sure when they let me out of the loony bin finally. So for my sanity and the sake of keeping this blog from such an indulgent unnecessary hiatus (not to mention all the incoming boxes from going to waste) I ran the options through my head.

And oh there are options. There are the savory applications, grilled peaches, salsa, salad etc. And then the sweet delights, jam, ice-cream, sorbet, cake, crisp, buckle, pie and....cobbler. Oh yes cobbler, that odd dessert that is neither pie or crisp, nor anything else, but goes hand and hand with the word peaches.

Week 10 Box 10

Many of you have been asking about the status of my finger. Well I'm sorry to say it had to be amputated.... Naw just joshing. It's fine. The Husband and  I went  down the shore as planned which was a lot of fun except for the fact that I had to wear a rubber glove on the beach and couldn't go in the water. Lots of little kids stared trying to figure out what exactly that crazy lady was doing and I am sure lots of parents worried that I had some horrible skin disease. I just tried to relax and keep my hand out of the sun (apparently rubber gloves trap heat).

The Glue they used peeled off a day early and unfortunately the wound hadn't healed all the way. It wasn't gushing or anything just still a little exposed. So of course it has become infected and I'm on antibiotics. Nothing is ever easy, is it? However, I expect to heal acceptably from now on and it cannot come fast enough. I'm sick of the pain every time I forget and hit "l" with the finger while I am typing. Apparently I can compensate on all the other letter but "l" is ingrained as "hit with right ring finger" unless I am paying close attention.

Anyway this week I picked up The Box again. It just happened to coincide nicely with the end of my doctor's appointment.

Here's what we got:

Womp Womp

Because The Husband and I have plans to go down the shore this weekend. I took some time last night to make a little something for the blog. I have been watching a lot of America's Test Kitchen lately and they just made a delicious looking scalloped potato recipe. A perfect use of the potatoes recently blessed to me by The Box. So with the ingredients I needed secured, and The Husband getting home for dinner around 7:30. I was well on my way to turn this:

Into bacon-y, onion-y goodness. Or at least that was the plan.

Week 9 Box 9

We had a very productive weekend. Not only did we bake Zucchini Bread, we cleaned and organized our office which it desperately needed. See, when we moved in we unpacked, but we didn't really think about where things were going. It was kind of a, let's just get everything AWAY so we don't have to look at it any more and we will deal with it later. Now, 1 year later, we've dealt with it, the office feels neater and my life less chaotic. Bonus: organizing the office freed up the giant tea storage box we had been using as a junk drawer and suddenly we could condense the 5 boxes of wedding gifts into one box, getting rid of the clutter! Think of all we could do if we just put in some shelves (hint hint).

In addition to the cleaning, we took apart the old entertainment stand in preparation for a Brand New (also ordered this weekend) Wall Unit. We drove the old broken down Subaru up to the MIL house for final disposal,  opening up the garage for our needs. We watched Identity Thief, drank way too much Port AND, to top all that off spent a wonderful morning with our Friends Amy and  Ben, breaking in their new home. It was busy, busy, busy but HEAVEN. I love when The Husband has weekends off.

In the Chaos The Husband, who does so much so that I don't have to and who loves me and is amazing, brought me home The Box. I was very excited and hopeful after last week's berry surprise. However, there wasn't too much exciting in this week's box.

Let me walk you through it:

Baby It's Cold Outside

 Ok so It's 79 degrees instead of 85 but MAN does that make a difference in my kitchen. Suddenly cooking isn't just something to be done as quickly as possible with as few steps over heat as possible. I can actually breathe, relax, and enjoy it. The added benefit of the decrease in heat is I am no longer shy about turning on my oven, which of course means I'm baking again. It's not quite cold enough to go full-on yeast-based bread factory, like I did in the days after Sandy when we had no power, no heat, and nothing to do but watch bread rise. But it is cold enough  to activate those "go into hibernation" fat cells enough to crave the warm yummy goodness of a bread-y, dough-y dessert.

And so, when the box gave me what had to be the worlds biggest Zucchini, my stomach told me exactly what to do with it...

Zucchini bread. Duh!

Berry Delicious!

Sometimes I browse the culinary internet just to browse. When I find something that looks delish it often gets linked to The Husband and when I get a positive response I hit "print."  That recipe goes into the big folder of ideas marked "too make." OK, not really. I'm not that organized. In honesty they either disappear into some dark corner of my personal desk at home before eventually being tossed along with other mess. Or, if they are lucky, pushed between the leaves of a cookbook for future "oh I should make that" commentary before I get to the recipe I was really looking for.

But every now and then a recipe actually makes it past that phase. It usually involves some combination of fate and luck. And this week, while I was contemplating The Box, I happened to look up and notice, peaking out from under some mail, a recipe I had printed off from just last week. A recipe that, with a little modification, could make this:

Into a fantastic, moist, cake.

Week 8 Box 8

The Husband and I are getting into a nice little rhythm. I guess we've moved into that sweet spot after the wedding where we start just being comfortable with each other and our roles. Not that we didn't have the sweet spot before the wedding, just that planning a wedding tends to mess with the natural equilibrium of things. Now we are just fat, happy and trying not to stress over the unplanned expenses that arise, and furniture shopping. It helps that the heat has subsided; I woke up this morning to 67 degrees and sunny. BEAUTIFUL. Now if we can make it through August without the heat rising above 90 I will remain a very happy girl.

This week's box arrived unceremoniously with no terrifying surprises, but again, no immediately clear cooking ideas came to mind.  Here's what we got:

care to guess?

The Number of Hot Peppers in The Box is TOO DARN HIGH

As I said in a previous post Hot Peppers are an interesting but dangerous ingredient. Usually I will add them in small quantities to various recipes of the Spanish/Mexican variety. But when The Box gave me 7 Hot Peppers I was honestly stumped. What exactly do could I make with that much spice that won't kill The Husband by taste-bud overload.

Even I was a little frightened and for lack of a better plan I was going to simply slice and pickle them, saving them to top off sandwiches when the mood arises, maybe add them to a Martini for an interesting flavor twist.  But, although I've been wanting to pickle something for the blog for a long time, I just couldn't bring myself in this case. It felt a little bit like a cop-out. Too easy. So after some time on The Google Machine, and the purchase of a brand new canning kit, I decided to turn this:

Into a sweet and spicy relish. Yum!

This is NOT my Eggplant Parmesan Recipe

If you know me, in real life, and IF you've ever eaten my food, and IF you've ever asked me what my really, truly best dish is that I make. I will tell you that it is my Eggplant Parmesan. I will tell you that this Eggplant Parmesan has been painstakingly molded into the BEST Eggplant Parmesan anyone has ever made and it only took me 6  years. It started with a day of Food Network watching back in college back when the Food Network was all cooking shows (do you remember that?) I was watching somebody, somewhere make Eggplant Parm and I thought to myself, I can do that better, and I did.

Over the years the recipe was perfected, mostly benefiting my beloved roommates on days when I would skip out of class and just cook because I felt like cooking. I break it out only when begged and I have enough time (can't play hookey from work just to cook). It takes at least 2 full days of cooking. I am PROUD of that recipe and there is no way, NO HOW, NOT EVEN A SINGLE CHANCE that I will give it away.

But, beloved reader, I am not cruel and when The Box gave me Eggplant I could think of nothing better to do then make Eggplant Parmesan. And so, today, for the very first time I am writing down an Eggplant Parmesan recipe, and I will tell you that this recipe will produce a decent Eggplant Parmesan. In fact this Eggplant Parmesan will likely be better then the vast majority of Eggplant Parmesans out there. But rest assured, this is NOT my Eggplant Parmesan Recipe.

If you want that you will have to find a way to extract it from my brain after death.

Week 7 Box 7

After the disaster that was The Box last week. I was anxious to replace the rotting produce in my fridge with a fresh clean start. This week The Box was delivered to me by The Husband while I was at my Parents' house waiting for our wedding photographer to bring us our pictures (EEEEEEEEE!) and it was, un-ironically, delivered  in a box, which, because of my experience with the sp-sp-spider, I promptly made The Husband remove from the apartment as soon as we got home.

I have to honestly say this week The Box is giving me a little bit of a head scratch-er. This is not because there are any particular ingredients in it that are unusual or difficult to work with, but for precisely the opposite reason. It is going to take some thought to try and make the ingredients interesting.

Play your guessing game before looking at the list below:

Sigh

Well, a week has passed since that bountiful box landed in my lap. I had plans for it. OH I had plans for it. I was going to make a pasta dish with the Fava beans, try my hand at Kohlrabi fries, maybe make zucchini bread. I had PLANS I tell you PLANS. But my grandfather always said, we plan, God laughs. And this week God laughed hard at me and my plans.

If you live in the Northeastern part of the United States you know that God laughs a hot, sweaty heat. The Husband and I live in a second floor apartment of a house that only has window air conditioners in three of its four rooms (the room without the AC being the kitchen) and this means that 98 degrees (feeling like 110) outside means we were lucky, LUCKY if the temperature dropped below 86 (Fahrenheit that is). We didn't use the kitchen once this week and we spent way too much money eating outside the home, in air-conditioned restaurants.

And so my dear beloved readers, I have to apologize, the beautiful produce I drove 45 minutes for on Monday has gone to waste. By the time the heat broke last night and temperatures began to be reasonable outside and in, the Fava Beans rotted, the Tomatoes got soft and mushy, and the Kohlrabi... well that's just fine I think the only way to kill that thing is with fire.

I did have time to make one dish for you today, because once we COULD cook I felt like we SHOULD make something for you. And so, continuing reading for this week's installment of "What the Frack* do I do with All this Kale?"

*not the actual word

The answer? Quesadillas!

Week 6 Box 6

With The Husband and the MIL relaxing away at Cape Cod this little plebeian slaved away in the summer heat. She also found herself alone this Monday and the only one able to pick up The Box. This requires a 40 minute trip north (thankfully not in traffic this time) at top speed trying to make it to the Temple by 6:30.  I made it at 6:20 and picked up my abundance. 

If you've ever wondered what a full farm share box looks like in comparison to the 1/2 a box I get every week, this is your chance. When I got it all laid out on the table, needless to say it did not fit nicely into the big bowl:

I apologize for the cruddy picture, The Husband has the good camera with him on The Cape. So what are this week's contents? I'll tell you, but feel free to guess before reading the list.

Blackjack!

Sometimes you just need a break. It's hot, it's sweaty, and your feet are exhausted from a day spent in heels. That was my night last night. There is nothing quite like forgetting to set the timer on the air conditioning in a second floor apartment. The last thing The Husband and I wanted to do was cook. We wanted to collapse on the couch in front of the air conditioning in minimal clothing (get your mind out of the gutter).  That's what we wanted to do... but we had all this mint, and Chocolate Mint at that... what to do... what to do.... and then... Inspiration struck. Do you know what I came up with? I'll give you a hint:

Kitchen too clean? I can fix that.

Eggs Benedict, for those of you who have only seen it on restaurant menus but never ordered it, is this wonderful breakfast dish that you can find at most "brunch-y" locations in New York City and likely around the country (although I have never found good Eggs Benedict outside of the city... still looking). It consists of a poached egg, on top of a piece of Canadian Bacon, on top of some sort of starch (traditionally an English muffin), covered in hollandaise. Essentially it's a little packet of cholesterol that is decidedly yummy in the tummy.

Now why am I talking about Eggs Benedict? Well, when I saw the blue (yes blue) potatoes in The Box this week I spent some time thinking really hard about all the times I had eaten potatoes in my life and my favorite  kinds of preparations and the thing I landed on was... Latkes (or potato pancakes for the Non-Jews out there). Now, although Latkes are amazing and can certainly be consumed willingly by themselves, not only did I not have enough blue (yes blue) potatoes to make a batch big enough to satisfy two people (there probably  aren't enough potatoes in the world to do that), but also it's 90 degrees and humid. Adding hot oil to the problem for an extended period of time seemed like a bad idea. So I concocted a plan. I was going to turn this:

Into a delicious base on which I would build a meal of Eggs Benedict.

Week 5 Box 5

This week I had a nice little change of pace when it came to picking up The Box.  It was not sinister-ly delivered to me by The Husband.  The Husband was working late so... I went. I took the 45 minute trip north through the traffic (and I HATE traffic) to get to my MIL's house where the abundance of veg was waiting for me. Once there my MIL and I lazily divided the contents in almost-half, chit-chatting and catching up, then we went out for a delicious pizza dinner where we discussed the various uses of the various veg we received.  It was delightful and made the following a little less of a conundrum.

I Scream You Scream We All Scream for.....

LEMON BASIL ICE CREAM! YAY!!!!!

Two posts ago I wondered aloud what exactly to do with Lemon Basil. I spent a full hour on The Google Machine trying to find a recipe that was actual "Lemon Basil" not Lemon and Basil, which is completely different. I learned that Lemon Basil is popular in Laotian cooking and curries. But recipes for a Laotion Curry were not to be found. A little more diddling around and I discovered that Lemon Basil is very similar to Thai Basil. This changed everything. Suddenly I had a term that The Google Machine could recognize and it didn't take me long to find This. Ice Cream! Ice Cream... genius. Now all I needed was an ice cream machine to turn this:

Into a delectable summer treat.

Pea and Potato Samosas!

The thing about Peas is that they have to be one of the most versatile vegetables in the culinary universe. They show up in all kinds of cuisine and, thanks to the wonders of modern refrigeration and the frozen bag of peas, are easily added to any dish should the desire arise. That is why The Husband and I keep a bag of them on hand at all times. Pasta dish need a little splash of green? Add peas. Making fried rice? Add peas. Want a slightly sweet and refreshing frozen snack? Grab a handful and munch (try it... You'll thank me later). So when peas showed up in The Box I already had a million and one ways to use them. But because dear reader, I love you so and don't want to bore you with another pasta dish, I put my mind into finding a recipe that was a little bit more of a challenge. Besides it was still too hot for risotto. 

So I sat, and sat and sat and strained my brain, browsing on The Google Machine and skimming the cookbooks until, like a flash of lightening, I found my inspiration in the only Indian food I ever order at an Indian restaurant ... Samosas! 

One quick phone call to The Husband with a grocery list later, I was on my way to turning this:

Into those deliciously little pockets of curry love.

Week 4 Box 4

Yesterday  my worst nightmare occurred: I got stuck in traffic.

On a normal day my commute back and forth from my job is 20 minutes. On a fantastic day I can do it in 15. Yesterday it took me 1 hour and 20 minutes to get home. I tried multiple routes, all had traffic. I sat at the world's worst planned intersection for a total of 5 light cycles and then sat in more traffic all the while calling and complaining at The Husband. I get terribly whiny when I get stuck in traffic.

Thank goodness for The Husband who loves me and  was patiently waiting for my arrival with more Garlic Scape Pesto, a bottle of Prosecco left over from our wedding night and the contents of this week's Box.  That and a pound and a 1/2 of mozzarella from the Italian Deli who always gives you a 1/4 to 1/2 pound more mozzarella then you ask for... and charges you for it (not that you would complain, the stuff is delicious).

I broke into the Prosecco before I addressed the contents of the The Box.

(Doesn't it look like a face?)

Kale Chips!

So I talked about Kale Chips two posts ago and then I couldn't get them out of my head. A little research on the net proved that they weren't exceptionally difficult and didn't take too long. So with some time to kill and the Kale getting old in the fridge. I took on the task of turning this:

into a healthy, crispy, snack.

When Life Gives You Collard Greens...

Just add bacon! or at least that's what The Google Machine told me, and the almighty Mark Bittman, and that wonderful convicted felon Martha Stewart, and the old faithful Joy of Cooking. Apparently, Collard Greens are so horrific and awful that the only way to consume them is sauteed with enough bacon to drown out the flavor. 

Now I disagree. I like Collard Greens. Whole Foods makes an excellent ready-to-eat Collard Green "side" that I used to eat a big pint of for lunch when I found myself with one of those "never ending" days of school where I never left campus for longer than 15 minutes from 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. Granted, it had bacon in it, but bacon was the supporting actor in the dish and those wonderful bitter greens defiantly took the lead.

However, the one time I brought home that delicious mix of Collards, vinegar, crushed hot pepper and bacon to The Husband (while he was still The Boyfriend) his reaction was lacking the pleasure I found in the dish. I think he probably thought I was trying to poison him.

So when the Collard Greens showed up in The Box this week, I was excited to try and find a non-traditional recipe that did them justice while The Husband, on the other hand wanted to drown it with bacon fat and call it a day. 

Fortunately (after about 7 pages of search results in) I found THIS recipe which met the happy compromise of being different from the Collard Green consensus, but still had bacon. Pleased with my discovery, I set about prepping and modifying the recipe to fit my needs. 

Week 3 Box 3

This week's box contained no major surprises. It was actually a nice sigh of relief after the funeral followed by a wedding weekend The Husband and I had just gone through. The Box Yielded the following:

Kohlrabi!

This is the post you have all been waiting for... Kohlrabi!

When The Husband first brought this monstrosity home with his manic laughter at my general fear, I went straight to The Google Machine and got myself an education. The Google Machine brought me to the ultimate provider of knowledge on the internet, Wikipedia, which informed me of the following:

Kohlrabi (German turnip) (Brassica oleracea Gongylodes group) (Ulkobi in Assamese and Bengali) is a perennial vegetable, and is a low, stout cultivar of cabbage. Kohlrabi can be eaten raw as well as cooked. 

Informative, but not extraordinarily helpful. I didn't really need to know that it came about from genetic selection on the part of farmers who liked the way the fat ugly thing looked. I needed to know what the heck to do with it. Fortunately two items down on The Google list was a New York Times article usefully titled Discovering Kohlrabi (It's a Vegetable). 

In this perfectly helpful  and mildly entertaining article were 5 recipes of varying difficulty: Kohlrabi Home Fries, Kohlrabi Spring Rolls, Kohlrabi Risotto, Kohlrabi Puree and this: A Greek Style Kohlrabi Pie. 

• Me: It's too hot to make and eat risotto
• The Husband: What about home fries?
• Me: It looks way too easy, how about the pie? Kinda looks like Spanakopita, I can handle that. (famous last words, I know) 

So we set to work.

Veggie Burgers?

The Husband and I had a very long week but I knew that if we didn't use the greens TODAY they were going to go bad, and quickly (not to mention that in all likelihood we will be getting MORE greens on Monday). The thing is we had Turnip Greens and Spinach and no real idea of what to do with them. The Google Machine seemed to suggest that the only way to treat greens was to saute them with garlic or bacon or both. Now, don't get me wrong, bacon makes the world go 'round but the idea of eating sauteed greens ALL summer was making me bored already. So I hit the books, literally. I pulled EVERY SINGLE cookbook on my shelf and began to pore through them. I looked up turnip greens, and spinach, and just general greens...the options were barren to say the least.  Joy of Cooking: "saute with garlic," Martha Stewart: "saute with bacon," Mark Bittman.... "veggie burgers."

• The Husband: Veggie Burgers? Ick.
• Me: It's the first recipe that didn't just say "saute"
• The Husband: Still...Ick.
• Me: We're doing it

and I set to work. 

The Recipe called for 2 cups cooked and chopped greens. So I piled all the greens on the board and got to chopping. 

Week 2 Box 2

***Before this post went live, The Husband and I received the sad news that his aunt had passed away. We will be attending the funeral on Thursday but it requires some travel. Unfortunately that means that this week's cooking adventures will have to be put on hold.  Thank you for your support.***

I was at work when I got the call from The Husband that he was picking up The Box.

• Me: Really? What did we get?
• The Husband: Do you really want me to tell you or do you want to be surprised when you get home?
• Me: Tell me.
• The Husband: Are you sure?
• Me: No.... don't tell me. I'll end up frantically researching the remainder of the day and will never get any work done.
• The Husband: See you when you get home.

That last comment sounded way more sinister on the phone then it looks in writing. I spent the remainder of the day worried. VERY worried. And as it turned out, I was right to be concerned. 

This week The Box provided the following recognizable items:

• 1 Tomato (not nearly as beautiful as last weeks but still delicious I am sure)
• 1 bunch of spinach 
• Oregano
• More Garlic Scapes

The Following less-recognizable items:

• Turnip Greens (The Google Machine told me to just add Bacon)
• Tokyo Bekana (which I learned was "great for salads and stir fry)

and THIS:

Adventures in Jam

The second item in this week's box to cause me a mild heart attack was the Rhubarb. The only things I knew about Rhubarb was that it was red, it looked like celery, was technically a veggie, but tasted like a fruit. I also knew that Strawberries were its natural mate. The Husband and I stared at the bunch for a bit when the box first came in and tossed around ideas:

• The Husband: Pie?
• Me: I don't want to make a pie this week. That takes too long.
• The Husband: What did Becky say?
• Me: She said she doesn't really like rhubarb.
• The Husband: That's not very helpful, is it?
• Me: Nope. To The Google Machine?
• The Husband: To The Google Machine.

So I did a Search:

Having never in my entire life made JAM before I decided that this was CLEARLY the best idea. The Husband and I were going to make the jam, jar the Jam and can the Jam. How hard could it be (famous last words, I know)?

After a little more research we found a recipe we felt we could handle, and that didn't require that weird food science product called "pectin." The Husband brought home 6 beautiful Jamming Jars the next day and we set to work.  (Recipe credit goes to Marisa McClellan from Food in Jars  and can be found HERE on Food52.com)

Garlic Scapes!

I had heard of Garlic Scapes before. Mostly on NPR or in the New York Times as this random food item that shows up on fancy NYC restaurant menus and over which the Foodies go all Gaga. The thing is I had never seen them before. So when they showed up in The Box they elicited a lot of confusion. This is the item I had to bite into in order to determine what it was and, as a result, the cause of my indigestion in the morning.

After that not-so-pleasant experience and the formal determination of its genus, species and culinary classification, the next step was to determine how I was going to use them. Once again I took to The Google Machine which informed me they were good in salads and in other culinary applications where a less garlicky flavor might be required. After a half hour of research and some deep probing of my internal culinary desires, which included my desire NOT to slave over the stove in this god - forsaken heat,  I went with BFF Becky's suggestion: Pesto.

To start this task I broke out Tyler (the name for our Food Processor) and, being new to this whole "take pictures as you cook" part of blogging, I promptly forgot to take a picture of the Scapes before I chopped them into little pieces. So here are the Scapes after Tyler did his thing :

Now I think you should know in advance of the remainder of the blog that I am Italian, and, as an Italian, I do not measure when I make pesto. Pesto literally means paste. So when I make pesto I kinda just grind everything up until it looks/tastes right and then serve. However, since The Husband voiced concerns that blog readers may not like a food blog without recipes, I've tried my best to estimate amounts for you after the fact.

Introduction

The Husband and I, being happy go lucky newlyweds who love to cook, decided that we were going to invest in a CSA Farm Box. OK, maybe it was more like I decided I wanted a Farm Box.  I had had the privilege of consuming some of the amazing foods my BFF Becky created from her box the year before, and it looked like fun and simple enough. So when I heard that my MIL's temple had a Farm Share with Catalapa Ridge Farm I made a deal to split a weekly box with my MIL and convinced The Husband that this was a great idea.  In fairness to Former-Me, it seemed like a really good idea at the time.

Anyway, we received our first box last night and as The Husband laid out the contents before me:

• 1 Cucumber recognizable in shape and form, thank heaven
• 1 heirloom tomato, big and fat and glorious
• 1 bunch of red lettuce
• Onions with the greens still attached
• Rosemary
• Rhubarb
• Green Garlic
• Elephant Garlic Scapes

 I had a minor freak out. 

Now, in fairness to this first box, it wasn't much and the first five items I recognized easily enough but the last three items were totally new to me. What the HECK was I going to do???  The Husband MAY have laughed at me as I frantically began searching the net to figure out proper storage of the above items, and chomping into a random items to try and determine what manner of green they were. After exhausting The Google Machine and experiencing the worst garlic breath I've ever had,  I resorted to picking up the phone and calling the one person whose fault this really was: Becky's. 

That conversation went like this:

• Becky: Hello lovely
• Me: This is all your fault
• Becky: What?
• Me: I did something because I was inspired by you and now I have no idea what to do.
• Becky: What?
• Me: I bought a Farm Box and now I have Rhubarb sitting on my kitchen table and some other veg I don't recognize and YOU ... YOU MADE IT LOOK SO EASY.
• Becky: ::Laughter::

It took a bit to calm me down but with promises to provide me with recipes and resources Becky got my panic under control and, to her relief, got me off the phone.

I created this blog to document my adventures with the Farm Box. I'm sure this will be filled with lots of recipes that will most certainly go wrong and some that will go right. Inevitably some items will be deemed inedible by The Husband and others spoil in the fridge forgotten. But hopefully by the end of this year I will no longer panic when the box walks in the door. That is my goal and I'm sticking to it.

Now please excuse me, I have to go do more research on Rhubarb and Garlic Scapes.