Wednesday, July 30, 2014

This Week's CSA Meal Plan

I seem to be in sandwich mode this week. Now that I look over my plan, I see lots of sandwiches and sandwich-like items. And bacon. I'm using bacon several times.

Even I get stuck in ruts, either with a particular ingredient or flavor style. There are some weeks I'm heavily influenced by my always intense desire for nachos (mmmmmm, nachos). Some weeks I'm clearly craving Chinese. Sometimes I'm all about beef while other times I'm only inspired by pork dishes.

Funny how the mind works.

Anyway, here's our CSA pickup list that I'll grab tomorrow. Hopefully I'll get just about all of it used this week:

Carrots
Beans
Squash - if this is zucchini again I'm totally making zucchini brownies
Cucumbers
Broccoli
Romaine Lettuce
Sweet Onions

    Thursday

    • Mac & Cheese. I know I said I'd keep meals simple on Thursdays this summer. But Gavin gets his check-up in the morning, and as I'm positive needles will be involved, I think he'll need some comfort food afterwards instead of "rabbit food."
    • Sliced cucumbers (CSA item)

    Friday

    • Pizza
    • Salad for me
    • Popcorn

    Saturday
    • BLT's
    • Leftover mac & cheese. While I normally use this as a main dish, I know it's also often used as a side. Time I experiment a little to see what variation my family prefers!

    Sunday

    • Meatball subs, using my Freezer Meatballs recipe (I'll make up a huge batch so I can stash some away for later)
    • Fresh carrots and cucumbers (CSA item). I think it's nice to balance a heavier main dish with something lighter on the side.

    Monday

    • Leftovers

    Tuesday

    • New Recipe! Chicken Club Lettuce Wraps (CSA item: lettuce)
    • New Recipe! Garlic Cheddar Beer Bread

    Wednesday

    • Freezer Find
    • Roasted broccoli (CSA item)

    Happy planning!!

    We are again supporting Lotfotl Farm by participating in their Community Supported Agriculture program. Interested in doing the same? Find farms in your area that offer CSA, or similar, programs!
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    Tuesday, July 29, 2014

    Honey-Lime Glazed Salmon

    Truly, I cannot blog this recipe fast enough. Because you have to know about this. You have to make this. Why?

    Because my Picky Eater likes it.


    My Picky Eater, who has always hated salmon, who barely eats any seafood at all unless it's a supremely mild whitefish and even then it's often questionable, likes this dish!!!

    I think I'm still in shock over that fact actually.

    Honey-Lime Glazed Salmon
    Recipe slightly adapted from Paleo in PDX
    Prep time: 5 minutes   Cook time: 15-20+ minutes (depending on the thickness of your filets)

    1/4 cup butter, melted
    1/4 cup honey
    Zest and juice of two limes
    4 salmon filets
    Salt and freshly ground black pepper

    1. Preheat oven to 400.

    2. In a small bowl, whisk together the butter, honey, lime zest, and lime juice. Set aside.
    Glaze takes all of 1 minute and 32 seconds to make.


    3. Line a 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper. Place the fish skin side down on the paper and season with salt and pepper.
    Fat may be flavor, but don't skip seasoning your salmon either!

    Mmmmmmmmmm....glaze.


    4. Spoon the glaze over each filet. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until fish is cooked through (internal temp should read 145F).
    I had THICK filets so mine baked more than 20 minutes.


    Ok so let's say that no one in your house is much of a seafood eater. Or you make this and decide the buttery sweet-tart flavor of this salmon isn't to your liking. That's ok! I want to make one point very clear when it comes to cooking for "selective tastes."

    Always keep trying

    I am constantly trying new ingredients, and new cooking methods. Because our tastebuds are constantly changing. And even if we continue to despise one thing over and over again, you never know when you might stumble across that One Special Recipe that doesn't just make that thing palatable, but makes it spectacular.

    That's why I keep pushing my sons. And my husband. And myself. That's why we participate in a CSA. That's why I will grudgingly cook up vegetables I have hated for 30 years in delicious oils and fresh herbs. And sometimes bacon if I'm really convinced I won't like it otherwise. Because I am always on the hunt for that One Special Recipe so that I can finally appreciate the goodness in what I once loathed.

    And while I will accept when my Picky Eater gives me two thumbs down, complete with a gagging frowny face and the "NEVER make this again" comment, that doesn't mean I give up on an ingredient. I keep trying. I keep pushing. I keep going.

    Because there's a massive world out there of delicious food, and I want all of us to enjoy it!

    Oh and p.s. Go ahead and bake extra filets. The leftovers are fabulous flaked onto a salad for lunch!
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    Wednesday, July 23, 2014

    This Week's CSA Meal Plan

    This last week has been an intense lesson in patience.

    As in, I need more of it.

    My son is recovering from his tonsillectomy, slowly. Oh-so-slowly. And while smoothies were going to be my main way of ensuring he got something remotely healthy into his little tummy, I skillfully broke my blender on Day 2 of his recovery. Good job Jeanna!

    I think we've reached that point where he has moments of mild discomfort, but is basically over the worst of it. So now I've got to re-teach him that meals are consumed at the table, that he can't whine to get what he wants, and no we are not going to watch "Frozen" every single day.

    Wish me luck in retraining my 3 year-old!

    Btw, here's what I'm picking up tomorrow:

    Squash
    Cucumber
    Beans
    Broccoli 
    Chard 
    Mizuna
    Parsley

      Thursday

      • Bread
      • Balsamic Kale Salad. Because I have two weeks worth of kale in my fridge I need to use up.

      Friday

      • Pizza
      • Salad for me
      • Popcorn, but only if Kieran's doctor approves it.

      Saturday
      • New Recipe! Grilled Balsamic Steak Skewers
      • Baked potatoes
      • Mizuna salad with fresh raspberries, nectarines, and a peach-herb vinaigrette (CSA item)

      Sunday

      • New Recipe! Honey-Lime Glazed Salmon
      • Roasted beans (CSA item)

      Monday


      Tuesday


      Wednesday

      • Leftovers

      Happy planning!!

      We are again supporting Lotfotl Farm by participating in their Community Supported Agriculture program. Interested in doing the same? Find farms in your area that offer CSA, or similar, programs!
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      Thursday, July 17, 2014

      This Week's CSA Meal Plan

      My 3 year-old had his tonsils out on Monday. And I'm pretty sure I've been running on coffee and adrenaline since then. He's been exceptionally clingy, and quite crabby about his incredibly sore throat.

      I don't blame him.

      It does make things interesting from a meal-planning and cooking perspective. I'll be keeping things extra simple as I'll also be blending smoothies, mixing pudding, and whipping up other soft-but-still-somewhat-healthy nibbles for Kieran. I've never been a fan of making multiple meals for one family dinner, but that's pretty much what I'm faced with for the next two weeks. So here it goes!

      To help with that healthy part, later today I will pick up:

      Squash
      Kale - This is totally getting smoothied!
      Cucumber
      Beans
      Broccoli OR Sweet Onion
      Beets
      Cabbage

        Thursday

        • Bread
        • New Recipe! Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Salad (CSA item)

        Friday

        • Pizza
        • Salad (my garden is really starting to burst forth)
        • My boys will share some kind of soft foods smorgasbord. Applesauce and pudding will play starring roles.

        Saturday

        Sunday


        Monday

        • Culver's. We want to help raise money for a local, all-abilities playground.

        Tuesday

        • Leftovers

        Wednesday



        Happy planning!!

        We are again supporting Lotfotl Farm by participating in their Community Supported Agriculture program. Interested in doing the same? Find farms in your area that offer CSA, or similar, programs!
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        Wednesday, July 9, 2014

        This Week's CSA Meal Plan

        We are now several weeks into CSA season. And already I'm doing better than last year! It helps that even though we're getting veggies weekly instead of every other week, it's a smaller amount of vegetables so it's more manageable. Plus I'm sticking to my plan on not buying any vegetables at the store, unless it's for a recipe featuring something from our CSA box.

        And we've added another vegetable to the "I Like This" Column (Swiss Chard). But, to be fair, we've also put one in the "Dear God Please Don't Make Me Eat This Again" Column (Bok Choy).

        I like to be fair.

        But anyway, tomorrow I will pick up:

        Broccoli
        Kale - I have breakfast/lunch intentions for this
        Cabbage
        Lettuce
        Squash - Likely to be roasted and pureed to "hide" in future soups and sauces
        Cucumber

        I will use these lovelies in a variety of ways this week:

        Thursday

        • Bread. Our CSA pickup is at a local bakery so I like to cruise their end-of-the-day sale selection. Since Thursday has long since been my most exhausting day of the week, and now I've added another hour of processing fresh veggies, I've decided that Thursday night meals will be as simple as possible during the CSA season.
        • Salad with radishes (from last week's box) and cucumber.

        Friday

        • Pizza
        • Popcorn
        • Salad (CSA item, plus I've got a bunch in my garden that needs picking)

        Saturday
        Mizuna
        This photo is courtesy of Lotfotl Farm; not sure my my watermark appeared.

        Sunday

        • New Recipe! Grilled Salmon & Pineapple with Avocado Dressing
        • Steamed rice

        Monday

        • Leftovers

        Tuesday

        • Crispy chicken tenders
        • Steamed broccoli (CSA item)
        • Applesauce

        Wednesday

        • Greek Tacos (this will use up any cucumber I have left)
        • Potato or KALE chips. Yup, I've tried the latter now and they really are tasty!


        Happy planning!!

        We are again supporting Lotfotl Farm by participating in their Community Supported Agriculture program. Interested in doing the same? Find farms in your area that offer CSA, or similar, programs!
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        Monday, July 7, 2014

        BBQ Riburgers on Cheesy Garlic Bread

        "Back to life. Back to reality."

        As I'm back from our Month of Insane Travel, this song seems to be running on a loop in my head. Can anyone else relate?

        Anyway, for anyone keeping track, I actually tried this recipe months ago. And it was fantastic! And I have several ways to make this a crazy quick meal! And then I forgot to tell you all about it!

        Forgetting seems to be a theme in my life these days.
        Not my clearest Final Product Shot but TRUST ME when I say this is good.
        And really tall.


        BBQ Riburger on Cheesy Garlic Bread
        Recipe from Jeff Mauro
        Prep time: 45-50 minutes  Cook time: 35 minutes

        Chipotle Pineapple BBQ Sauce:
        1 tbsp canola oil
        1 clove of garlic, minced or grated
        1/2 medium onion, minced (use a Vidalia if you've got it)
        2 cups ketchup
        1/2 cup crushed pineapple with juice
        3 tbsp molasses
        3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
        2 tbsp brown sugar
        2 tbsp Dijon mustard
        2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
        2 tbsp chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (remove the seeds before chopping if you don't want to melt your tonsils)

        Ground Pork Riburgers:
        2lbs ground pork
        Kosher salt

        Cheesy Garlic Bread:
        1 stick melted butter (1/2 cup)
        2 tbsp minced garlic
        One 32-inch French loaf, split and halved
        3 cups grated mozzarella (fresh is best if that works for you)

        Dill pickles for garnish, optional

        1. For the BBQ sauce: Heat the vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and saute another 30 seconds. Add the ketchup, pineapple, molasses, vinegar, brown sugar, mustard, Worcestershire, and chipotles. Simmer partially covered, stirring often, until thickened, 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat and blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Set aside.
        Unless you like cleaning spots off your ceiling, cover the pot.

        This smelled absolutely amazing.


        2. For the burgers: Preheat a grill top or griddle to medium-high to high heat (yup, screaming hot to get that good sear). You can also use an outdoor grill, weather permitting, or the broiler if you don't care for a splatter-y mess on your stovetop (see below).
        Cute little rectangles.


        3. Form the ground pork into long, rectangular patties that fit the shape of the bread, keeping in mind that there will be two patties per half of bread. Season the exterior with salt and place on the hot griddle for 3 minutes. Flip and cook another 3 minutes.
        The sear. Check out that SEAR!!


        4. Turn off the heat and baste generously with the BBQ sauce. Flip and continue cooking for a couple more minutes, continuously flipping and basting the burgers.
        Saucy!

        In the interest of full disclosure, I make a mess when I cook.
        All that white you see is grease splatter from cooking the patties.


        5. For the garlic bread: Place the rack in the middle of the oven and set it to broil. Mix the hot, melted butter with the garlic and brush on the cut sides of the bread. Top with the mozzarella and place under the broiler just until the edges are lightly crisped, about 2-3 minutes.
        Also full disclosure: I drink a little something when I cook.
        I also put on music and dance around my kitchen while things simmer. Doesn't everyone?

        Awaiting it's brush with garlic butter.

        CHEESE 
        It crossed my mind to just eat this for dinner and call it a day.


        6. Sandwich Build: Place two burger patties on each bottom half of bread. Top with some pickles, if using, and the top half of the garlic bread. Slice each portion in half, yielding four sandwiches. And if the patties aren't saucy enough, serve with the remaining sauce. Or you can save that sauce for another night of riburgers.


        Like so many other millions of high school students, I earned money for such essentials like green nail polish and future college textbooks by working at a local fast food restaurant. While there, they debuted a sandwich that is remarkably similar to this one. Except their version is revolting (my apologies to anyone who idolizes that sandwich). I remember holding my breath every time I had to walk past the container of hot BBQ sauce; yes, it smelled that nasty.

        But my husband likes that sandwich. So when I saw this recipe pop up, I knew I had to give it a try. Not only did it actually sound appetizing, but it would be a sort of nice compromise. He gets his rib sandwich, but a tasty (& healthier!!) one that'd I'd make. And HO BOY are these good!! I love, love, love every part of this sandwich. I love the smoky, sweet, tangy-ness of the sauce. I love the simplicity of the burger patties themselves (meat and salt...for real? That's it?!?). And I luuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhve the cheesy garlic bread. Oh. My. Word. Buttery, cheesy, garlicky deliciousness!! Put it all together with some good dill pickles and I'm literally drooling on my keyboard right now. Oops, sorry Computer.

        Now, for anyone looking at this recipe and thinking "no way on God's Green Earth am I going to deal with all those ingredients all at the same time after a long day at work. Are you kidding me Jeanna?!" Well, I have three words for you. Get Ahead Options:


        • Make the sauce ahead of time. Make it a day, a week, or six months ahead of time if that floats your boat. You can freeze it or, if your freezer is packed, can it. Personally, I think this one sauce recipe is more than enough for two nights of sandwiches. I canned the leftover sauce when I first made this and it has been sitting happily on my basement shelf just waiting for a night where I'd like to make this again. Easy peasy!
        • Make the patties ahead of time. Even though the patties don't require much time, this one can actually be a time and money saver. Buy the ground pork in bulk and make up the patties right away to freeze (wrap them individually in wax or freezer paper first). Then it's a simple matter to pull out the number you want to cook up to thaw while you're at work. Again, easy peasy.
        • Even if you're one of those "I make everything my family eats myself"/Martha Stewart-types, I still highly recommend buying your favorite French bread. For this, we bought several loaves of bread from our favorite Italian restaurant and froze them. So when I made this, I pulled out enough for our little family and quickly made up the garlic bread.
        Put all these Get Ahead tips together and you could seriously be eating these sandwiches in about 10 minutes. So what are you waiting for?!
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