CSA Week Six

It is officially delicious fruit season!  I got a lot of little jewels this week, but I will be honest - where the heck are my cherries?  I am dying for them!  Here is what I got from CSA this week:

-Corn

-Fennel

-Dill

-Lettuce

-Basil

-Arugula

-Onion

-Cucumbers

-Zucchini

-Summer squash

-Plums

-Peaches

-Blackberries

-Blueberries

-Eggs

-Zinnias and snapdragons

Last night I got right down to business, and made a few things I could keep for later use.  I am going out of town this weekend with Murray's Cheese on their Summer Whey-cation trip to the Vermont Cheesemaker's Festival.  There are only a few spots left, so if you are interested in joining, click here to check it out!

Banana-Blueberry Sorbet

This Banana-Blueberry Sorbet from The Perfect Scoop is a piece of cake.  Throw everything into a blender, chill, put in ice cream maker, and your done.  Sweet and refreshing, perfect for a hot afternoon.

CSA Week Five

This weeks CSA, there was a lot of green!

Here is what I got:

-Napa cabbage
-Broccoli
-Zucchini
-Kirby cucumbers
-Lettuce
-Basil
-Onion
-Blackberries
-Blueberries
-Eggs
-Zinnias

I have been getting into a pattern of making black bean tacos with the lettuce and onion, mixed with tomatoes, cheddar cheese, and tons of hot sauce, and blackberries for dessert.  It is just so easy, mindless, and tasty.

I am tempted to make the Broccoli and Pesto Tagliatelle again, but this Summer Zucchini Pasta looks even better.  This Lemony-Zucchini Goat Cheese Pizza looks pretty tasty too!  And making pickles for real this time!  I am even thinking of making kimchi with the napa cabbage.

I made a blueberry-banana sorbet and some blueberry muffins, which I hope to share with you soon, but this week I am sticking to Blueberry Kuchen.

CSA Week Four

I cannot believe June is already over!  And this short week totally flew by.  This is what I got in my CSA this week:

-Curly endive
-Kohlrabi
-Kale
-Tat Soi (Click here to learn more about Tat Soi)
-Beets
-Basil
-Cucumbers
-Zucchini
-Broccoli
-Blueberries
-Blackberries
-Eggs
-Sunflowers

Wednesday night I used some of my lettuce and made black bean tacos, and had the blackberries for dessert.  By the way, they were the biggest blackberries I had seen in my life.

Last night, I made Jamie Oliver's Broccoli and Pesto Tagliatelle, which I hope to share soon (good bye basil and broccoli).

Today my friend is making these McClure's Garlic and Dill Pickles with our cucumbers (click here and scroll down for the recipe).

Later this weekend, I am going to try the Clinton St. Baking Company's Blueberry Muffins.  Roast some beets, toast some walnuts, and toss together with some goat cheese for a warm salad.  And maybe make this Zucchini Cake with Crunchy Lemon Glaze, click here for the recipe.  I found a stir-fry recipe in Jamie's Food Revolution cookbook, that I might tweak to use the tat soi, and I am making this Kohlrabi Salad.  Geez there is so much to make...I am completely forgetting about the kale and orzo salad from Super Natural Every Day and what about the curly endive?  So much to do, and in a very hot kitchen I might add!

CSA Week Three

This week at my CSA, I received:

-Spinach
-Dill
-Brocoli
-Scallions
-Kale
-Basil
-Zucchini
-Blueberries
-Raspberries
-Eggs
-Gorgeous sunflowers (not pictured)

Since I will be out of town 4th of July, I already gave a bit of my produce away, so it could be enjoyed during the festivities.

Last night I made blueberry pancakes with friends, and tonight I am planning to make a scape pesto pasta with spinach (still have my scapes from a while ago-whoops).

My friend plans on making this kale and white bean soup from Martha Stewart.

If you are looking for something to do with spinach, try these Spinach and Mushroom Enchiladas.

This Summer Zucchini Pasta is so easy and good, and perfect for leftovers throughout the week.

Raspberries are definitely going to be eaten as is, and same with the blueberries, but these are the perfect color combination for the Fourth of July.  I can't tell you enough, how I love this Blueberry Kuchen.  I might still make it and try to take it on the plane with me.

And if you are in the mood to use dill to make pickles, click here for McClure's Dill Pickle recipe, or here for other pickling ideas.

Baked Blueberry Oatmeal

I purchased Super Natural Every Day a while ago, but I have only made a few things out of the cookbook.  Hopefully with the start of my CSA, that will all change, because there are a ton of healthy recipes loaded with fresh fruits and vegetables in the Heidi Swanson's new book.  This past weekend I made baked blueberry oatmeal to go along with kale and potato gratin.

CSA Week Two

I am on to week two of my CSA, and I was very proud that I finished most of my produce from last week, except for the scapes, which I plan to make a pesto with.  Click here for the Scape Pesto recipe.

This week I received:

-Lettuce
-Arugula
-Kale
-Salad turnips
-Beets
-Cilantro
-Scallions
-Lavender
-Blueberries
-Strawberries
-Eggs

I have a loose idea of what I want to make:

-Black bean tacos tonight using the lettuce.
-Black bean salsa using the scallions and cilantro.
-Roasted beets and arugula salad with goat cheese.
-Kale chips (click here for the recipe) or this Kale and Potato Gratin.
-Blueberry Kuchen (click here for the recipe), or blueberry pancakes, or muffins, or this blueberry crumb cake!
-Strawberries are just to be eaten, or placed on top of homemade vanilla ice cream!  But you could make these Strawberry Greek Yogurt Pops.

Stewed Rhubarb and Berries

I meant to post about my stewed rhubarb and berries last week, but time got away from me.  If you have a hodgepodge of summer fruit, and you want to make something that can elevate a dessert or even breakfast, try this simple stewed fruit recipe, adapted from Jamie's Food Revolution, by Jamie Oliver.  You can use any berries or any summer fruit you like, just add or subtract the amount of sugar depending on how ripe and sweet your fruit already is.

Ingredients for Stewed Rhubarb and Berries:

-3 large stalks of rhubarb

-1 pint of strawberries, hulled

-1 pint of blueberries

-5 tablespoons of sugar

-1 teaspoon of cinnamon

-2 tablespoons of water

Place all the ingredients in a medium saucepan, and cook on medium high heat, with a lid covering.  

Once fruit has softened, remove lid, reduce heat to medium low, and cook until the juices reduce and you have a fairly thick compote.  The fruit will have melded together and created a lovely dark plum color.

Place your stewed fruit on yogurt, in your oatmeal, on a scone, or in ice cream, the list goes on.  This compote will keep for a week in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

For my frozen yogurt recipe, click here.

For a homemade vanilla ice recipe, click here.

And click here for a lemon curd recipe I made last year, or click here for this Sesame Pea Shoot Salad from the year before.

CSA Week One

I cannot believe it is already CSA time!  These last few months have totally snuck past me.  Anyways, yesterday was the first day of my CSA, and I was surprised by all the variety.  This is my third year as a member of my CSA and it just seems to be getting easier and more fun.  I know my first year was exciting, but overwhelming trying to figure out exactly what to make.  I think this year will be much easier.

Here is what I got:

-Rainbow Swiss chard
-Salad turnips
-Radishes
-Brocoli rabe
-Lettuce
-Braising greens
-Scapes
-Zucchini
-Rhubarb
-Strawberries
-Blueberries
-Eggs
-Lavender (I added weekly flowers to my share)

Last night I made a simple salad with lettuce, radishes, salad turnips, and Parmesan.  I also stewed some of my fruit.  I will be sharing the recipe tomorrow.  Tonight, I am making my favorite Brocoli Rabe Pasta (click here to view the recipe).

I plan to try to make a Swiss chard baked omelette this weekend, and Braising Green Tacos (click here for the recipe) maybe this Friday.  And maybe this Zucchini Spice Bread, click here for the recipe.

And if you are looking for something to do with your rhubarb and strawberries, try these Strawberry-Rhubarb Shortcakes.  Or try this Quick Strawberry Jam.

CSA Week Six

Here is what I got last week from my CSA:

-Cucumbers
-Swiss chard
-Half a head of cabbage
-Dill
-Beets
-Basil
-Lettuce
-Blueberries
-Cherries
-Peaches

My friend has been busy making pickled goodies with both the cucumbers and the beets.  I will share recipes soon.  I plan to make some pesto with the basil this week with some homemade pasta (it is really easy).  And even though it hard to resist just eating the luscious fruit, I actually turned on the oven this weekend and made some seasonal treats.  Sometimes I wonder how long it would take to bake something on my window sill - seriously.

I found this really delicious recipe for Dark Cherrie Crumble Cake with Cinnamon from a British food blog called Mowielicious.  I had to do some conversions from British to American measurements.  I don't own a food scale, but I tried to get as close as possible using measuring cups and spoons.  The recipe turned out great, but the cooking time took a bit longer.

Here is the converted recipe for Dark Cherrie Crumble Cake with Cinnamon from Mowielicious:

For the cake:
-14 tablespoons of unsalted butter, softened
-1 1/2 scant cups of granulated sugar
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-3 large eggs
-1 1/2 scant cups of all-purpose flour
-2 teaspoons baking powder
-1/2 cup milk (I used whole)
-1 1/3 cup cherries, pitted and stems removed, and cut in half

For the crumble:
-7 tablespoons of unsalted butter
-1/3 cup granulated sugar
-1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
-2/3 cup all-purpose flour

To begin preheat oven to 345 degrees and start making the cake batter.

Cream butter, sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time and mix until incorporated.  Gently fold in flour and baking powder.  Do not overmix.  Add milk and stir until just combined.

Pour batter in greased and parchment paper lined 9"x12" pan.  I used a 12 inch spring form and it worked fine.  Sprinkle halved cherries on top of batter.

To make the crumble, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, and butter with your hands.  Mix until it is about pea size crumbles.  Sprinkle on top of cake batter and cherries.  Place in the oven for 45 minutes or until golden brown.  Mine took about an hour, so just keep checking.  Serve warm or cold.  This lasts about a week in the refrigerator, although I don't know if it would actually last for that long.  It is so tasty.  For original recipe, click here.

Right after I finished the crumble cake, I set my oven for 375 and popped in individual peach-blueberry cobblers.  I didn't have another baking dish, so I just used my muffin tins.  These are very tasty too, I just wish I had time to make vanilla ice cream to go with it.  The recipe is from one of my favorite food blogs, Alexandra Cooks.  Click here to get the recipe.

Last year around this time, I made blueberry muffins.  Click here for the recipe.

Red, White, and Blueberries

Last week, I spent a few evenings making three different kinds of frozen yogurt to create homemade bomb pops.  I made sour cherry for the red, tangy lemon for the white, and blueberry for the blue - duh.  Overall, these gourmet bomb pops were tasty, but the blueberry frozen yogurt kind of fell flat.  I think my problem was that I let the yogurt mixture sit in the refrigerator a couple of nights before I made the popsicles, and it created a more vegetable-like flavor.  It was disappointing to say the least.  On the upside, the lemon and sour cherry frozen yogurt are very delicious and perfect for this hot weather.  I ended up marbling the two leftover frozen yogurts together.  It is a great sweet and sour combination.  I will admit that this took some dedication, but I am glad I did it.  It was perfect for the Fourth of July and I was happy to use my new Tovolo popsicle molds I received for my birthday.  All recipes were adapted from none other than David Lebovitz.  The sour cherry and blueberry frozen yogurt are from The Perfect Scoop, while I found the tangy lemon frozen yogurt in the Los Angeles Times.

CSA Week Four

Okay, so this is a much delayed post since I will be picking up my CSA goodies tomorrow, but I still thought I would share what I got last week.  This last week I had been super busy preparing for company and the Fourth of July.  I spent many nights working on different frozen yogurts to create homemade bomb pops, as well as making rocky road ice cream.  I am hoping to share the recipe with you soon!

Here is what I got last week:

-2 pints of blueberries
-6 peaches
-Broccoli
-Dill
-Nappa cabbage
-Swiss chard
-Summer squash/zucchini
-Cucumbers
-Lettuce
-Turnips

My friend made some bread and butter pickles and some quick pickles because we had so many cucumbers.  We just gobbled up the peaches (which were AMAZING), but I am saving the blueberries for blueberry kuchen or a peach-blueberry cobbler this week.  We also threw together some tostadas, salads, stir-fry and I am making the swiss chard and caramelized onions tacos as I type!  I still haven't used all the zucchini, but I am thinking of making this zucchini and ricotta galette from Smitten Kitchen.

Last year around this time I made blueberry kuchen and got some delicious treats at the Doughnut Plant.

CSA Week Three

This week I received a plethora of greens, which included lettuce the size of a baby!  Here is what I got:

-The mother of all green lettuce
-Swiss Chard
-Escarole
-Kale
-Snow Peas
-Turnips
-Parsley
-Blueberries
-Gooseberries
-Dozen Eggs

I am so excited to have my first batch of blueberries of the season.  I spent the majority of my time last night looking for something special to do with them.  Sometimes the best thing to do is to just eat them.  They are the perfect snack.  Tonight though, I am making blueberry pancakes.  I can't think of anything better than breakfast for dinner.  I was thinking of making blueberry kuchen, but I want to save that for the Fourth of July, so I have settled on trying blueberry frozen yogurt.  Hopefully I will get more blueberries next week so I can make more treats.

As for the gooseberries, I want to try my hands at gooseberry pie, but still searching for a good recipe and  I also need to stop by the Green Market and see if they have more.  One pint just isn't enough for pie.

I also see a lot of salads in my future!

Last year I made garlic scape pesto.  Click here for the recipe.

Blueberry Muffins

First off, sorry for the long hiatus. I have been traveling through Kansas for my friend's wedding as well as been very busy with work. While I was in Kansas, I made sure to stay a couple nights in Lawrence so I could get my favorite treats. I had to make stops at:

-Wheatfields for my favorite hash browns, cinnamon rolls, as well as their kalamata olive loaves and chocolate chocolate cookies.
-La Parrilla for their rice bowls and margaritas
-Free State Brewing Company for their fish and chips and of course beer!

I just wish I could have made it to Rudy's and Papa Kenos...I guess I will have to make another trip.

I also stayed in this adorable bed and breakfast called Glick Mansion, and Chris the innkeeper made a blueberry blanket for breakfast one morning.

So before I left I made blueberry muffins in my dark kitchen (my flourescent light bulbs are burning out - so I apologize for the dark images). I got the recipe from Martha Stewart and they ended up coming out fine, but they were definitely lacking something. I am sharing the recipe with you today, but next time I make it I will add a couple teaspoons of grated lemon zest or even make a streusel crumble to go on top.

Here are the ingredients for Martha Stewart's Blueberry Muffins (makes 12 muffins):
-6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for muffin tin
-3 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
-1 tablespoon baking powder
-1 teaspoon salt
-1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
-1 large egg
-2 large egg yolks
-1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
-1 cup milk
-1 3/4 cups blueberries

Some adaptations for next time:
Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of grated lemon zest for the batter for a little zip or make a streusel topping. For directions on how to make streusel click here. It is from the same recipe I made for Strawberry-Rhubarb Crumb Bars.

For the blueberry muffins, begin by buttering the muffin tins and preheating the oven to 375 degrees.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
In another bowl beat cream the butter and sugar on medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add egg, egg yolks, and vanilla to the mixture.
Reduce speed to low and alternate mixing by adding parts of the flour mixture and parts of the milk. I ended alternating about 6 times, starting and ending with the flour mixture until everything was combined.
Gently fold in blueberries by hand.
Divide the batter among the buttered tins and sprinkle generously with sugar. I ended up using natural sugar cane because the crystals are larger.
Bake until golden for about 30 minutes. Let cool in pan for 15 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
Enjoy these muffins at breakfast or even freeze them in a ziplock bag and take them out whenever you need them.

CSA Week Six

Here is what I received from my CSA this week:

-3 pounds summer squash
-1 pound potatoes
-1 bunch flat leaf parsley
-2 heads of garlic
-mesclun greens
-1 kohlrabi
-1 bunch red beets
-cherries
-blueberries
-3 peaches

This morning I preheated my oven to 400 degrees and chopped up my potatoes and tossed with olive oil, rosemary, chives, sage and two cloves of minced garlic. I roasted them for about 25 minutes until they were soft and had browned on the edges.My roommate and I had a BBQ last week so we grilled the squash, and I ate all the cherries and peaches already. I plan to make blueberry muffins today. Click here for the recipe. I used the parsley I had on a quinoa salad for a picnic on Friday. Click here for the recipe.

CSA Week Five

This week from my CSA, I received the following:

-2 cucumbers (one green, one white)
-4 yellow summer squash
-1 sunburst squash
-5 scapes
-1 head of green lettuce
-1 head of red lettuce
-1 head of escarole
-kohlrabi
-1 bunch of cilantro
-3 containers of blueberries

This week I am planning to make a lot salads, blueberry kuchen again, and a bunch of squash meals such as:

-lemony zucchini goat cheese pizza
-summer squash spolight

Blueberry Kuchen

Blueberry kuchen is one of my favorite summer time desserts. The dough is both easy to make and work with, and the filling is as simple as it gets: blueberries, sugar, and cinnamon. Kuchen (pronounced coo-ken) is a German word for cake, but comes in a variety of forms. When researching the work "kuchen" I came across a plethora of definitions including: coffee cake, cheesecake-like pastry, and pie-like pastry with cakey dough. I would consider this kuchen to be basically a blueberry tart, with maybe a slightly crumblier crust.