Wednesday, July 31, 2013

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?

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

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!

Friday, July 26, 2013

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.

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

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:

Sunday, July 21, 2013

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!

Monday, July 15, 2013

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.

Thursday, July 11, 2013

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:



Wednesday, July 10, 2013

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.

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

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.


Monday, July 8, 2013

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.

Sunday, July 7, 2013

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.

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

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?)

Monday, July 1, 2013

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.