First Tomato of 2010
From left to right: scallions, cucumber, tatsoi, dandelion, red chard, cucumber.
Bok Choy and Beets with greens
Patty Pan Squashes
Lettuce and Broccoli
Peaches
Sunflowers!
Friday, July 9, 2010
Monday, July 5, 2010
4th of July
Happy Interdependence Day! It was 90+ degrees and a beautiful sunny day. My parents came to celebrate, and to enjoy some fireworks. Unfortunately, Macy's changed the location of the big display. We did not have a good view. Fortunately Mother Nature provided a brilliant sunset.
I planned a simple menu with minimal cooking. I mixed all of the vinaigrettes, syrups and sauces the night before. Also, Bill and I made the appetizers and dessert on Friday night. In the morning, I made the cacik, potato salad, coleslaw and put the chicken in the crockpot.
Appetizer: Cacik, Barnacle Baba with Crackers
Main: Pulled Chicken
Sides: Simple Coleslaw, Green Bean and Potato Salad
Beverages: Lemonade and Iced Tea
Dessert: Small Batch - Big Cookie, Watermelon, Coffee Float
Pulled Chicken
2 1/2 - 3 lbs chicken thighs, trimmed of fat and de boned
Potato rolls
Rub
1 T paprika
1/2 T brown sugar
1/2 T ground cumin
1/2 T granulated sugar
1 t kosher salt
3/4 t ground black pepper
BBQ Sauce
1/4 C rice vinegar
1 T brown sugar
1/4 t hot sauce (I used orange habanero)
1/2 t kosher salt
Mix together rub ingredients in a large zip top bag and add chicken. Shake the bag, and press the rub into the chicken pieces. Marinate for at least 3 and up to 24 hours in refrigerator. Place in a crockpot and cook 10 - 12 hrs on low or 6 - 8 hrs on high. Meanwhile, combine sauce ingredients in a jar and shake to combine.
Let rest for a half hour, still covered. Shred with forks and mix with barbecue sauce. Serve as a sandwich on potato rolls with cole slaw. Can be served warm or at room temperature.
Simple Coleslaw
1 head of bok choy finely sliced
1/4 C vinegar
1/4 C mayonnaise
1/2 t black pepper
1 t salt
Green Bean and Potato Salad with Blue Cheese
3/4 lb green beans, trimmed and cut into 1" pieces
1 1/2 lbs potatoes, cut in chunks
2 ounces red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, mashed
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 lb blue cheese, crumbled
Combine vinegar through salt in a jar, and shake to combine. Add oil, and shake. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, and set up a bowl of cold water. Cook green beans until bright then remove from boiling water with a slotted spoon. Drop into cold water until cooled, then drain. Add potatoes to the boiling water and cook until tender. Drain. Combine beans potatoes in a large bowl and pour vinagrette over all. Just before serving, garnish with blue cheese.
Lemonade
3/4 - 1 C sugar
1 C lemon juice
6 C Water
ice
Make lemon syrup: combine sugar and lemon juice in a large jar and shake to dissolve sugar. Store in the refrigerator. Before serving, combine syrup, water and ice in a pitcher.
Coffee Float
Brew a pot of your favorite coffee. Pour into mugs, and top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
The Verdict:
The chicken was spicy, tasty and literally fell apart when I stirred it with a pair of tongs. Potato rolls are essential: they absorb the sauce without falling apart. The coleslaw was very peppery, watery and needed a bit of sugar to balance. I think it was due to the bok choy. Next time I will make it with regular cabbage.
The potato salad was good, and I will make it again, but not with the chicken. It has a strong flavor that is a bit much to pair with the spicy pulled chicken. Next time I will make my grandmother's recipe.
The lemonade was too strong, and needed twice the water. The coffee float was a hit.
I planned a simple menu with minimal cooking. I mixed all of the vinaigrettes, syrups and sauces the night before. Also, Bill and I made the appetizers and dessert on Friday night. In the morning, I made the cacik, potato salad, coleslaw and put the chicken in the crockpot.
Appetizer: Cacik, Barnacle Baba with Crackers
Main: Pulled Chicken
Sides: Simple Coleslaw, Green Bean and Potato Salad
Beverages: Lemonade and Iced Tea
Dessert: Small Batch - Big Cookie, Watermelon, Coffee Float
Pulled Chicken
2 1/2 - 3 lbs chicken thighs, trimmed of fat and de boned
Potato rolls
Rub
1 T paprika
1/2 T brown sugar
1/2 T ground cumin
1/2 T granulated sugar
1 t kosher salt
3/4 t ground black pepper
BBQ Sauce
1/4 C rice vinegar
1 T brown sugar
1/4 t hot sauce (I used orange habanero)
1/2 t kosher salt
Mix together rub ingredients in a large zip top bag and add chicken. Shake the bag, and press the rub into the chicken pieces. Marinate for at least 3 and up to 24 hours in refrigerator. Place in a crockpot and cook 10 - 12 hrs on low or 6 - 8 hrs on high. Meanwhile, combine sauce ingredients in a jar and shake to combine.
Let rest for a half hour, still covered. Shred with forks and mix with barbecue sauce. Serve as a sandwich on potato rolls with cole slaw. Can be served warm or at room temperature.
Simple Coleslaw
1 head of bok choy finely sliced
1/4 C vinegar
1/4 C mayonnaise
1/2 t black pepper
1 t salt
Green Bean and Potato Salad with Blue Cheese
3/4 lb green beans, trimmed and cut into 1" pieces
1 1/2 lbs potatoes, cut in chunks
2 ounces red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, mashed
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 lb blue cheese, crumbled
Combine vinegar through salt in a jar, and shake to combine. Add oil, and shake. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, and set up a bowl of cold water. Cook green beans until bright then remove from boiling water with a slotted spoon. Drop into cold water until cooled, then drain. Add potatoes to the boiling water and cook until tender. Drain. Combine beans potatoes in a large bowl and pour vinagrette over all. Just before serving, garnish with blue cheese.
Lemonade
3/4 - 1 C sugar
1 C lemon juice
6 C Water
ice
Make lemon syrup: combine sugar and lemon juice in a large jar and shake to dissolve sugar. Store in the refrigerator. Before serving, combine syrup, water and ice in a pitcher.
Coffee Float
Brew a pot of your favorite coffee. Pour into mugs, and top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
The Verdict:
The chicken was spicy, tasty and literally fell apart when I stirred it with a pair of tongs. Potato rolls are essential: they absorb the sauce without falling apart. The coleslaw was very peppery, watery and needed a bit of sugar to balance. I think it was due to the bok choy. Next time I will make it with regular cabbage.
The potato salad was good, and I will make it again, but not with the chicken. It has a strong flavor that is a bit much to pair with the spicy pulled chicken. Next time I will make my grandmother's recipe.
The lemonade was too strong, and needed twice the water. The coffee float was a hit.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Bake Day
Last week was bloody hot. It was between 85 and 95 degrees and humid for 5 days straight. It's just plain wrong to use the stove or oven in this kind of heat.
I had joined Swapbot Baking Week #13, but just couldn't bring myself to turn on the oven. The weather finally broke but the next heat wave will hit on Sunday. So, this evening Bill and I are having a baking marathon. I made chocolate chip cookies, and Bill made baba ganouj (recipe follows) with gorgeous eggplants he bought at his favorite produce market for 39 cents a pound.
I decide to test a small batch recipe, adapted from Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Topped Cupcakes on the Not Eating Out Blog. Oh yes, you must check out the post. It's such a brilliantly evil idea to top cupcakes with cookie dough. Someday I will make it as intended, but tonight I pressed the dough into a large disc and slid it into the oven.
Small Batch - Big Cookie
1/4 C brown sugar
1 T sugar
1/4 C butter, softened
1 tsp powdered egg whites + 1 1/2 tsp water (1 heaping T of beaten egg)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 C flourpinch salt
handful of mini chocolate chips
handful of walnuts
Combine sugar through vanilla in zip top bag. Squish the bag to mix. Add flour and salt. Squish until it looks like cookie dough. Add nuts and chips. Squish to combine. Form into one Great Big Chocolate Chip Cookie (or 6 "normal sized" cookies). Place on a cookie sheet or small pan lined with parchment. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes (8 minutes for "normal sized") or until golden brown.
Prep Ahead: Combine all dry ingredients in a quart sized ziptop bag. Label it with "add 1/4 C butter, 1 1/2 tsp water, 1/4 tsp vanilla." Store in your cabinet until you are ready to bake a quick batch.
Barnacle Bill's Baba
5 medium eggplants
tahini
lemons
garlic
salt
Prick the eggplants with a fork and place in a baking dish. Roast the eggplants over a wood fire or in the oven at 400 degrees, until completely soft. Scoop the meat from the skin into a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients, and mash everything together with a potato masher. Serve with crackers, bread or matzoh. Yield: 4 1/2 cups. More than enough for company and a week of no cooking.
I had joined Swapbot Baking Week #13, but just couldn't bring myself to turn on the oven. The weather finally broke but the next heat wave will hit on Sunday. So, this evening Bill and I are having a baking marathon. I made chocolate chip cookies, and Bill made baba ganouj (recipe follows) with gorgeous eggplants he bought at his favorite produce market for 39 cents a pound.
I decide to test a small batch recipe, adapted from Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Topped Cupcakes on the Not Eating Out Blog. Oh yes, you must check out the post. It's such a brilliantly evil idea to top cupcakes with cookie dough. Someday I will make it as intended, but tonight I pressed the dough into a large disc and slid it into the oven.
1/4 C brown sugar
1 T sugar
1/4 C butter, softened
1 tsp powdered egg whites + 1 1/2 tsp water (1 heaping T of beaten egg)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 C flourpinch salt
handful of mini chocolate chips
handful of walnuts
Combine sugar through vanilla in zip top bag. Squish the bag to mix. Add flour and salt. Squish until it looks like cookie dough. Add nuts and chips. Squish to combine. Form into one Great Big Chocolate Chip Cookie (or 6 "normal sized" cookies). Place on a cookie sheet or small pan lined with parchment. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes (8 minutes for "normal sized") or until golden brown.
Prep Ahead: Combine all dry ingredients in a quart sized ziptop bag. Label it with "add 1/4 C butter, 1 1/2 tsp water, 1/4 tsp vanilla." Store in your cabinet until you are ready to bake a quick batch.
The Verdict:
The cookie rose a bit, but was crispy and chewy as a good cookie should be. You could really taste the butter in this recipe. It was delicious, and I will definitely make it again. It's the perfect size for dinner for 4. Prepping the dry ingredients ahead of time allows you to make a batch at the spur of the moment. I decided to mix it right in the bag because Bill's baba project needed a bit more space, and we have limited countertops. It really worked well though. Baking it as one big cookie is less fussy. I think I would make this for company. Serve it family style: place the cookie in the center of the table and let everyone break off pieces.
The Dish Bitch
Measuring cup
Measuring spoon
ziptop bag (yes you can wash and reuse!)
7.5" baking pan
ABOUT A BABA
Bill loves eggplant, especially baba ganouj, a roasted eggplant dip of Mediterranean origin. He makes it in large batches. He likes to make it over a wood fire, or by burying the eggplants in the coals of a wood stove. Since we do not have access to a wood fire at the moment, he roasts the eggplants in the oven at 400 degrees. He doesn't have a recipe, just adds things and keeps tasting until it's right.
It was late when we started, and I went to bed after taking this picture. Unfortunately, he was too hot and tired to snap shots of the eggplants after roasting.
Black Beauties ready for the oven.
Barnacle Bill's Baba
5 medium eggplants
tahini
lemons
garlic
salt
Prick the eggplants with a fork and place in a baking dish. Roast the eggplants over a wood fire or in the oven at 400 degrees, until completely soft. Scoop the meat from the skin into a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients, and mash everything together with a potato masher. Serve with crackers, bread or matzoh. Yield: 4 1/2 cups. More than enough for company and a week of no cooking.
The finished product.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Summer Veg Soup with Matzoh Balls
For the past week, the temperatures have been in the 90s. Brutal. Like the 9th circle of hell. Cooking is not an option.
BB and I try to live without the air conditioner. When we do turn it on, we set it at 78-80 degrees, unless it is just unbearable. The weather finally broke Tuesday night. What a relief. Last night the temperature dropped to 58. It was perfect for sleeping. Yesterday and today were comfortable, dry with bright blues skies and cotton candy clouds.
This evening Bill and I went for a walk at sunset. With the wind it was actually a bit cold. It felt like a September day. I made this soup for dinner.
Summer Veg Soup with Matzoh Balls
1 box of matzoh ball mix, prepared with 4 eggs, 1/2 C oil
2 T olive oil
1 garlic scape, minced
1 onion, Vidalia, chopped
bunch of peas in the shell sliced
2 large carrots, sliced
5-6 cups water
1 tsp salt
1 bunch of chard, sliced
1 potato, scrubbed and cubed
rind from romano cheese
shaved caciocavello cheese
Prepare the matzoh ball dough and refrigerate. Meanwhile, saute onions and scape until softened. Add pea pods and carrots, stirring to coat with hot oil. let cook a minute then deglaze pan with 1 C water. Add potato, salt and water to cover. Place chard on top, cover and simmer 20 minutes. After 10 minutes, stir the pot, replace cover and cook 10 minutes more. Stir in cheese rinds.
Meanwhile, place a second pot with water and salt to boil. Remove matzoh ball dough from the refrigerator. Divide dough into 8 large portions, and roll into balls. Drop into boiling water and simmer 15-20 minutes.
Ladle soup into a bowl, then place a matzoh ball in the center and garnish with caciocavello cheese. Serve hot or room temp.
The Dish Bitch
2 pots
spoon
ladle
slotted spoon
cutting board and knife
BB and I try to live without the air conditioner. When we do turn it on, we set it at 78-80 degrees, unless it is just unbearable. The weather finally broke Tuesday night. What a relief. Last night the temperature dropped to 58. It was perfect for sleeping. Yesterday and today were comfortable, dry with bright blues skies and cotton candy clouds.
This evening Bill and I went for a walk at sunset. With the wind it was actually a bit cold. It felt like a September day. I made this soup for dinner.
Summer Veg Soup with Matzoh Balls
1 box of matzoh ball mix, prepared with 4 eggs, 1/2 C oil
2 T olive oil
1 garlic scape, minced
1 onion, Vidalia, chopped
bunch of peas in the shell sliced
2 large carrots, sliced
5-6 cups water
1 tsp salt
1 bunch of chard, sliced
1 potato, scrubbed and cubed
rind from romano cheese
shaved caciocavello cheese
Prepare the matzoh ball dough and refrigerate. Meanwhile, saute onions and scape until softened. Add pea pods and carrots, stirring to coat with hot oil. let cook a minute then deglaze pan with 1 C water. Add potato, salt and water to cover. Place chard on top, cover and simmer 20 minutes. After 10 minutes, stir the pot, replace cover and cook 10 minutes more. Stir in cheese rinds.
Meanwhile, place a second pot with water and salt to boil. Remove matzoh ball dough from the refrigerator. Divide dough into 8 large portions, and roll into balls. Drop into boiling water and simmer 15-20 minutes.
Ladle soup into a bowl, then place a matzoh ball in the center and garnish with caciocavello cheese. Serve hot or room temp.
The Dish Bitch
2 pots
spoon
ladle
slotted spoon
cutting board and knife
Thursday, June 24, 2010
CSA Share Week 2
Today was the second week of our EOW (every other week) CSA share. It is quite a haul: spinach, garlic scapes, kohlrabi, bok choy, romaine, arugula, chard, radishes, 2 quarts of strawberries and snow peas. Tucked in with the romaine you will see a bit of white plastic grocery bag and a basil start.
We had arugula salad with chick peas and radishes for dinner, and strawberries for dessert. It is summer!
THE ROT REPORT
As of today, we used everything from last week, except a bunch of bok choy that rotted. I think that I didn't trim, wash and dry it well enough before putting it away. This week I took more care. Each vegetable was washed, trimmed and thoroughly dried before wrapping in kitchen towels, and nestled into a large plastic storage container. Hopefully this will work better.
At this point, the 1/2 share seems to be just right for the two of us.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Tortilla Bake
I made this for dinner last night. It was simple, included ingredients that needed to be used, and flavors that Bill enjoys. I was able to sneak a bunch of mizuna into the filling.
2 C cooked chicken, cubed or shredded
12 six inch corn tortillas
1 (16) oz jar of hot salsa
1/4 C water
16 slices pepper jack cheese, (about 1/4 lb) thinly sliced from the deli
2 tomatoes, sliced
sugar
salt
Preheat oven to 350. Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 T olive oil, and saute mizuna until wilted. Stir in chicken and cook just until it's heated through.
Pour 1T olive oil into 13x9 baking dish. Use a tortilla to coat the dish with oil. Arrange 6 tortillas on the bottom of the pan. Top with the kale-chicken mixture plus any juices from the pan. Pour salsa on top of the chicken mixture. Rinse the salsa jar with 1/4 C water and pour over the salsa. Top with 8 slices of cheese and remaining tortillas. At this point, you can refrigerate it for a couple of hours or overnight, if you wish.
Arrange tomato slices on top of the tortillas. Sprinkle with salt and sugar. Bake 25 minutes, then remove from the oven. Place 8 remaining slices of cheese on tomatoes, and return to oven until bubbling and the top looks golden with brown spots.
Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
The Verdict
Bill really liked it. It's totally guy food- cheesy and spicy. I was happy with it because it was easy, relatively healthy and tasted great. I used a modest amount of cheese, and it still had that statisfying gooey cheesy-ness. I will definitely buy the cheese from the deli counter again. The price was competitive, and the slices were paper thin. The tomatoes sprinkled with salt and sugar were an impressive topper. I will make this again.
Dish Bitch
knife
cutting board
skillet
baking dish
wooden spoon
spatula to serve
Tortilla Bake
2 T olive oil
1 bunch of mizuna, washed and cut in 2" pieces2 C cooked chicken, cubed or shredded
12 six inch corn tortillas
1 (16) oz jar of hot salsa
1/4 C water
16 slices pepper jack cheese, (about 1/4 lb) thinly sliced from the deli
2 tomatoes, sliced
sugar
salt
Preheat oven to 350. Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 T olive oil, and saute mizuna until wilted. Stir in chicken and cook just until it's heated through.
Pour 1T olive oil into 13x9 baking dish. Use a tortilla to coat the dish with oil. Arrange 6 tortillas on the bottom of the pan. Top with the kale-chicken mixture plus any juices from the pan. Pour salsa on top of the chicken mixture. Rinse the salsa jar with 1/4 C water and pour over the salsa. Top with 8 slices of cheese and remaining tortillas. At this point, you can refrigerate it for a couple of hours or overnight, if you wish.
Arrange tomato slices on top of the tortillas. Sprinkle with salt and sugar. Bake 25 minutes, then remove from the oven. Place 8 remaining slices of cheese on tomatoes, and return to oven until bubbling and the top looks golden with brown spots.
Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
The Verdict
Bill really liked it. It's totally guy food- cheesy and spicy. I was happy with it because it was easy, relatively healthy and tasted great. I used a modest amount of cheese, and it still had that statisfying gooey cheesy-ness. I will definitely buy the cheese from the deli counter again. The price was competitive, and the slices were paper thin. The tomatoes sprinkled with salt and sugar were an impressive topper. I will make this again.
Dish Bitch
knife
cutting board
skillet
baking dish
wooden spoon
spatula to serve
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Lion Heads
Lion Heads is a Cantonese dish comprised of ground pork and cabbage. The ground pork is shaped into large balls and cooked with shredded cabbage, which resembles a lion's mane. This version is something I came up with over the winter, after reading a few different recipes.
The first time I made this, I used a bag of shredded coleslaw mix, which was on sale, at a price that made it cheaper pound for pound than whole cabbage. I highly recommend that route if you are in a hurry.
1 lb bok choy, chopped
1 lb teriyaki meatballs (Aidell's Teriyaki & Pineapple Chicken Meatballs)
1/4 C dried shiitake mushrooms
1 piece kombu (seaweed)
2 C water
4T soy sauce
1 tsp powdered ginger
1 T cornstarch
1 T water
1 t sesame oil (opt)
accompaniments: chopped scallions or sesame seeds, chili garlic sauce, rice
Place mushrooms, kombu and 1 C water in the bottom of the slow cooker. Layer 1/2 of the bok choy, meatballs, and remaining bok choy in the slow cooker. Combine remaining ingredients in a jar and shake to combine. Pour over cabbage. Cover and cook for 8-10 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high. Stirring occasionally. Four generous servings.
Faster Version: Use 2 C chicken broth for the mushrooms, kombu and water, and 1 bag of coleslaw mix for the bok choy. The night before you want to serve this, combine the remaining sauce ingredients with the broth in a jar and give it a good shake. In the morning empty the bag of cabbage into the cooker, toss the (still frozen if you wish) meatballs on top and pour the sauce over all.
The Verdict
This is a favorite in our house. Next time I will chop the bok choy more finely. While rummaging through the pantry, I found a package of slow cooker liners. I can't recall from whence they came, but I have to say, clean up was much quicker.
The Dish Bitch
knife
cutting board
crockpot (used a cooking bag so it was easy)
half pint jar for measuring and mixing
wooden spoon
The first time I made this, I used a bag of shredded coleslaw mix, which was on sale, at a price that made it cheaper pound for pound than whole cabbage. I highly recommend that route if you are in a hurry.
Lion Heads
Lion Head Meatballs (Chinese Style Meatballs with Cabbage)1 lb bok choy, chopped
1 lb teriyaki meatballs (Aidell's Teriyaki & Pineapple Chicken Meatballs)
1/4 C dried shiitake mushrooms
1 piece kombu (seaweed)
2 C water
4T soy sauce
1 tsp powdered ginger
1 T cornstarch
1 T water
1 t sesame oil (opt)
accompaniments: chopped scallions or sesame seeds, chili garlic sauce, rice
Place mushrooms, kombu and 1 C water in the bottom of the slow cooker. Layer 1/2 of the bok choy, meatballs, and remaining bok choy in the slow cooker. Combine remaining ingredients in a jar and shake to combine. Pour over cabbage. Cover and cook for 8-10 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high. Stirring occasionally. Four generous servings.
Faster Version: Use 2 C chicken broth for the mushrooms, kombu and water, and 1 bag of coleslaw mix for the bok choy. The night before you want to serve this, combine the remaining sauce ingredients with the broth in a jar and give it a good shake. In the morning empty the bag of cabbage into the cooker, toss the (still frozen if you wish) meatballs on top and pour the sauce over all.
The Verdict
This is a favorite in our house. Next time I will chop the bok choy more finely. While rummaging through the pantry, I found a package of slow cooker liners. I can't recall from whence they came, but I have to say, clean up was much quicker.
The Dish Bitch
knife
cutting board
crockpot (used a cooking bag so it was easy)
half pint jar for measuring and mixing
wooden spoon
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