Last CSA Box :(

This week we will have onions, pinto beans (dried), Jonagold apples, beets, carrots, sugar pie pumpkins, ornamental corn and gourds. Our last box. Sigh. Will miss it so much.

Nat wants to dry the pumpkin seeds. The Pioneer Woman made these yummy pepitas. Not sure her pumpkin butter would be a hit around here though.

One of Jim's co-workers gave us a big bag of fresh tomatoes yesterday. They are like candy to me! Just love them! So nice of her!

I guess I will attempt to make chili with the pinto beans, but I can honestly say that I have never used dried beans! It will be a new experience for me. I'll let you know how it goes.

Jonagold apples are one of my faves. So yummy! Might need to go up to the local apple farm and get a bunch more to make caramel apples. Shauna, Teri, Kimberly and I had a big caramel- apple-making day a couple years ago. We dipped them in homemade caramel, then in chocolate. To make them extra fancy, we drizzled them with white chocolate. Just sinful!

I'm off to run a bunch of errands, and to get allergy shots. Oh joy. Catch you later!!

CSA: Week 16

Just a couple more deliveries to go. Will miss it so much :(

This week we received onions, potatoes, acorn squash, tomatoes, Gala apples, peppers and carrots. The carrots are gorgeous with long green leaves. Will have to save some of those for Memo. I LOVE acorn squash, cooked with some butter and brown sugar on top. The apples look just perfect... it will be a struggle to decide to eat them plain or make an apple crisp. I swear, there is just nothing better than a garden-fresh tomato. I haven't made baked tomatoes yet this season... I cut them in half and add some bread crumbs, Italian seasoning or fresh basil, and some parmesan to the top. So delicious. I'm a big fan of tomato/basil bruschetta too!

This week so far we have had:

Tacos/rice/beans

Philly steak sandwiches/crash potatoes/nectarines

Tonight is chili/cornbread/salad. Will probably just wing it the rest of the week.

Still dealing with the aftermath of our trip. I think the washer and dryer have been going 24/7 and I'm still not done with laundry. Ugh. Today we will get all of Memo's stuff back to the barn and Nat will do a quick ride. We gave Memo a couple days of vacation to recover from the long trailer ride. I still have a bunch of "piles" sitting around that need my attention too. I really just want to crawl back in bed. Pretty darn tired still. We all worked so hard!!

Natalie worked on homework for probably 7 hours yesterday, trying to get caught up. Feel so bad for her. She still has a 3-5 page research paper for science due by Friday that she hasn't even started. Lots of late nights ahead this week, I'm afraid. She said that it was all worth it though :)

CSA this week

This week we will have summer squash, cucumbers, hot peppers, eggplant, melon, fresh beans, apples and/or bartlett pears, and onions. I thought this was week 13, but they claim it is 14. Lost count somehow. Only 4 boxes left :(

Here is what I fixed for meals last week:

Spaghetti/salad/bread

Tacos/fruit

Fried Rice/Gyoza/fruit

Chicken Fingers/oven "fried" zucchini/fruit

Fajitas/chips and bean dip

Homemade Pizza

Cheeseburgers/oven fries/fruit

Lots-o-comfort food. Everything was homemade except for the spaghetti sauce and gyoza. They were from Trader Joe's. It was a crazy week, and didn't have much time for anything extravagant.

This week I will be using what I can out of the fridge and freezer, and of course from the CSA box. Don't want to spend a bunch on groceries right before we leave.

Off to get Nat and then to the barn!! Can't wait to see Annie and Ben tonight!!

CSA: Week 12 *Updated w/Pic*

This week we should have summer squash, cucumbers, sweet peppers, fresh beans, onions, tomatoes, muskmelon, and Gravenstein apples and/or Bartlett pears. 

No potatoes. Sigh. Guess I will have to stop by the little produce farm store nearby that specializes in potatoes.

Haven't heard the term "muskmelon" for awhile. West Coasters usually call it "cantaloupe". A blast from my midwest past.

Will plan on making fajitas with the sweet peppers and onions. Always a hit. 

Shauna and I have walked the last 2 mornings. Go us! Tomorrow she has a ct scan so we will have to wait until Thursday to go again. So glad to get this back in my routine. I had so much energy yesterday.

We are living at the barn lately. Elise is back from Canada, and they had a great lesson with her yesterday. Funny story... there is a donkey at the barn temporarily. Memo is in LOVE with the donkey!! I think she wants to be his mother. His name is Abe and he is adorable and really LOUD!! They were neighing and braying back and forth. Hilarious. Memo could hardly concentrate on the lesson... she kept looking over at Abe. Luckily, when she was finished she got the paddock next to him. Adorable. We will have to get some pics. I'll try to get some today at Nat's lesson. For good pics, you will have to wait for Jim to get back to the barn ;)

Menu Planning?

Do any of you plan your menus for the week or just wing it? I seem to do a mix of the two.

I'd like to say that I scour the grocery store ads and plan my meals based on what is on sale. Not so much. Occasionally that happens, but that is not the norm.

I seem to have the same stuff that I stock in my freezer and pantry. I usually get my meat at Costco, as well as some other staples once a month. I shop at a grocery store or Trader Joe's at least once a week to get everything else. I count on my CSA box for veggies.

I keep a list of dishes that are part of my regular rotation. That helps to refresh my memory, especially when I get in a cooking rut. Every once in awhile, I just have to try a new recipe (or four!)!!

I thought I would start posting my menus. This week I will list the meals that I made this week. I didn't plan them, they just kind of happened.

Day 1:

Chicken Quesadillas

Rice and beans

Chips and Salsa

fruit

Day 2:

Cheeseburgers on the grill

Potato leek soup

fruit

Day 3:

Meatball Subs

Greek salad

fruit

Day 4:

Meatloaf

Oven fries

Green Beans

Day 5:

Chicken sausage & veggie kabobs

corn on the cob

homemade mac & cheese

Day 6:

BBQ ribs

Green Chili potatoes

sauteed veggies

strawberries

Day 7:

pork loin w/peach jam

rice

veggie/fruit

Let me know if you would like any of my recipes. I'm anxious to try the pork loin tonight... I got some really ripe peaches in my CSA box so made them into jam quickly or I would have lost them. I think the jam will be yummy as a glaze on the pork loin. Will make it on the grill.

Things are good here. Friday night, Natalie and I watched the Stand Up 2 Cancer program. Powerful stuff. Saturday Natalie and Hayley had a group jumping lesson with Janice. So nice to hang w/Robanne (twice in two days!). Last night we watched two episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. LOVE that show.  Today Nat is having a friend from school go along to the barn. They will work Memo, then give her a bath. Dad has barn duty today so I will be doing laundry and cleaning house. Fun... NOT. Nat is working on homework as I type this. Spent a fair amount of time on that yesterday too. The fun begins :)

Have a good week everyone! And thanks so much to all of you who have sent checks and given jobs to Nat. We leave for Nationals two weeks from tomorrow!! Wow!

CSA: Week 11

This week we have sweet corn, summer squash, cucumbers, new potatoes, fresh beans, Melrose apples, tomatoes, cilantro, and a salsa kit. 

Guess I will be making another batch of salsa!! Woo hoo! A girl cannot have too much salsa.

Just finished eating one of the apples for lunch. They are green and really sour. I think I will save the rest for making caramel apples or apple crisp. Definitely needs something sweet with them!!

I never did end up making potato salad last week. I made crash potatoes (AGAIN!!) and potato leek soup (AGAIN!!). Potatoes = goodness!!

I just finished a bunch of updates on my website. Added a gallery of sample brushes, as well as some pocket-size brushes I am now selling.

I also did a bunch of holiday ads for magazines. I will have ads in Horse Illustrated, Young Rider, California Riding Magazine and Horses Inc. I might have an ad in the local Flying Changes magazine too. Still working out the details. Please, Lord, bless my little business with a prosperous holiday shopping season!! Pretty please!

I am off to run errands. Need to hit Fred Meyer and Trader Joe's. Will pick up Nat after that, then we get to head home. I will go to my cancer support group tonight if all goes as planned. The next three days will be barn days. Nat is really working hard to get ready for Nationals.

And so far, so good w/school. Nat enjoyed her first day back. She was able to wear the official "first day of school outfit" today. I'll have to snap another pic ;)

One more thing... congrats to Nat's friend, Taylor! She had an amazing horse show last week... she won the Maclay medal, the OHJA Junior medal and placed really well in her other classes. WTG, Taylor!! These girls and their horses are on a roll... all their hard work is really paying off :) Nat and Taylor have been friends since they were babies... somehow they both ended up with the horse gene ;) Lucky us, eh, Darcie??

CSA: Week 10

This week we should have lettuce, fresh beans, tomatoes, summer squash, cucumbers, sweet peppers, egg plant, new potatoes, and some kind of fruit.  Yum. Can't get enough of the fresh tomatoes. Really don't know how I survive without them the rest of the year. The taste is just so much better.

Could live on the new potatoes too. This week I will make some kind of potato salad. We are not big into the mayo/mustard kind of salad, but prefer a vinaigrette base. Jim's mom has a great recipe for a Greek potato salad, and I cut one of out the newspaper awhile back for a Blue Cheese Rosemary potato salad. Will definitely make one of those.

Anxious to see what kind of fruit we get. Last week we got a honeydew melon. I'm the only one around  here who will eat that. I thought it was great. Would be so great to get some peaches or blackberries though.

After I finish my tea and get a shower, we will head down to Woodburn to go to the outlet mall. Natalie has outgrown over half of her clothes and most of her shoes. Yikes! Her friend Madie will come along to help us do some school shopping. Will do just the bare minimum as we are saving our pennies for Idaho. A girl needs t-shirts, jeans and shoes though!! They have an Aero Postale outlet down there with really good deals. Wish us luck!

It's Salsa Mania

Just made a batch of Sam's Salsa as well as a Black Bean/Corn/Avocado Salsa. Thought you might like the recipes!!

Sam's Salsa

3 cans diced tomatoes (14.5 oz. cans) (for one of these, I sub a can of tomatoes that has added green chilies)

1 large red onion, diced small (I subbed a sweet onion since they are in season)

1 fistful of fresh cilantro leaves

2 jalapenos (1 with seeds/insides; 1 without)

garlic salt to taste

garlic to taste

salt to taste

1 tsp. sugar

In a blender, pour the juice out of the tomatoes. Add jalapenos and liquify. Add tomatoes and seasonings and blend on low. Add cilantro and continue to blend. Add onion last. Pour into jars and keep chilled.

I also add the juice of 1/2 a lime to this.

Black Bean/Corn/Avocado Salsa

1 ripe but firm avocado, 1/4" dice

2-3 T. fresh lime juice

1 large ripe red tomato, diced

1 ear sweet corn, shucked and cut off of cob

3 T. diced sweet onion

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

1/4 C. chopped fresh cilantro

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

course salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and chill for up to 2 hours, covered.

We will be having these with enchiladas and margaritas for dinner. Muy bueno!

CSA: Week 9

Yesterday we got a kick-butt box: lettuce, bi-color sweet corn, Red Nordland new potatoes, fresh green beans, basil, tomatoes, summer squash, cucumbers, and melon. They also sent along the most beautiful bouquet of flowers. What a treat. My sister had given me a bunch of colorful sunflowers, so this bouquet really fills up the vase. So nice. Makes me smile whenever I look at it.

Did something fairly drastic yesterday... colored my hair back to my "normal" color. It is a lot darker than it has been in years. I'm hoping the grow-out will match so I no longer have to color my hair. Just can't keep up with it anymore. Not sure how I will handle all the gray coming in, but oh well. Too many other places for my money these days (places = horse... LOL).

Today we are off to the barn. Nat was quite ticked to see the pouring rain this morning. Put her in a really bad mood. I was actually glad to see the rain... I will make a big pot of vegetable beef soup and blueberry muffins today. I know, such the nerd.

Tonight I am hoping to go to the cancer support group. It is so hard to get there, but so good for me.

Tomorrow is registration and picture day at school. Hard to believe. Nat is in denial, but we did manage to get her school supplies yesterday. I think the hardest parts for her are the early mornings and not having as much down time. We will survive though ;)

CSA: Week 8

This will be in our box today: lettuce, sweet onions, fresh beans, French Horticultural beans, tomatoes, basil, hot peppers, blue potatoes, summer squash, cucumbers, and Trinity sweet corn. Corn, tomatoes, basil, peppers, potatoes... I'm in produce heaven ;)

Maybe I will get some fresh mozzarella to make a caprese salad with the tomatoes and basil. How cool would it be to make BLUE crash potatoes??!! That would turn some heads around here!! Maybe I will try this recipe with the peppers! 

Happy birthday to Elise! The big 21!! Elise is one of Nat's horse trainers, and used to ride Memo before Nat took over the reins. She is such a GREAT person, and an amazing mentor for Natalie. We are so lucky to have her in our lives. I made her a killer cake for her party tonight. Will post pics later.

Went to coffee with Shauna, Teri and Kimberly this morning! Just what I needed!! Love my friends :)

Off to the barn... again ;)

CSA: Week 7

This week we have lettuce, the last of the blueberries, sweet onions, summer squash, cucumbers, fresh beans, sweet peppers, and garbanzo beans. Will hate to see the end of the blueberries. I made blueberry muffins the other night and Nat had 5 of them with her dinner ;) She had the last 3 for breakfast the next morning. Guess she liked them or something!!

Nat is really obsessed with that potato/leek soup. We made another batch of it yesterday for lunch and had leftovers today. It is the ultimate comfort food!

I had never seen fresh garbanzo beans! They come in little fuzzy pods. I saw some artichoke lemon hummus in the New Seasons (like Whole Foods) ad this week... think I will search for a recipe to make some. Sounds bueno!

Last night I made fresh green beans sauteed in butter with some crumbled bacon and gorgonzola cheese on top. Oh man. Too delicious. I also made chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, but that is another post ;0 LOL Nothing from the CSA in those!!

Can't say enough good things about the CSA... will definitely sign up again next year. Everything has been so good and fresh. It has exposed us to new things. Has also stretched my cooking to new heights. I love that we still have a long way to go... can't wait for more goodies such as corn, tomatoes, apples, melons, pears... MMMM!!

Making GREAT progress on the brushes. Around 20 to go. Definitely on the home stretch. Didn't get much done today as we hauled horses to the Lake Oswego Hunt Club to school for cross country. Memo was a pretty good girl. Only refused one jump which is some kind of record for her ;) I also went to the cancer support group for friends/family. It has been so good for me, and I really love the interaction with others in the group. Have to say that it is so sad how many people are affected by cancer :(

Looking forward to our weekend, although it will be crazy busy. Nat has lots to do on Friday to get ready for Saturday's show... Memo needs a bath and we have to get all the tack cleaned and packed up. We will go back to Lake Oswego to walk the course Friday evening, then she is off to a birthday party. We will pick up her friend Hayley to spend the night, so she can wake up early with us and go along to the show. On Saturday night, Jim and I will go to a Georgian Low Country Boil at our friends' house. That will be a blast! Sunday we will be sleeping in, and I hope to finish up the brushes. Whew!

Prayers and thoughts going out to all who were affected by the plane crash in Gearhart. What a tragedy! Can't imagine. There are no words.

CSA: Week 6

In our box this week we have lettuce, fresh beans, cucumbers, summer squash, blueberries, Candy onions, and new red potatoes.

LOVING the new red potatoes. A couple of nights ago I made these. They were to die for and I cannot wait to make them again. Seriously good stuff.

Tonight we are having muffuletta sandwiches and potato leek soup. Here is the recipe from our CSA for the soup:

Leek and Potato Soup

3 tablespoons butter
3 leeks, thinly sliced
1 medium or large onion, chopped
6 - 8 red potatoes, thinly sliced (no need to peel)
3 1/2 cups chicken broth (or enough to barely cover potatoes)
1 cup heavy cream
salt to taste
fresh ground black pepper to taste

1) Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat then add onions and leeks. Cook, stirring, until onions are limp and just slightly brown.

2) Add sliced potatoes to saucepan then pour in enough chicken broth to just barely cover the potatoes. Continue cooking over medium heat until potatoes are tender. Using a potato masher, mash and stir potatoes until desired consistency is reached. As you mash the potatoes and the soup thickens, turn down heat and stir frequently with a large spoon to prevent scorching on the bottom.

3) Add one cup of heavy cream (or more if you desire) and salt and black pepper to taste. Cook 15 minutes more over low heat, stirring frequently, then remove from heat and serve .

I'll let you know how it is! We actually have rain today, so having soup is going to hit the spot.

I received a huge shipment of brushes today! Natalie and I made a huge dent in taking labels off of them. What a sticky, messy job. I was so thankful to have her help. Just waiting on final artwork, then I will be a busy brush-making momma ;)

Nat rode Memo today. She was really in "a mood". Maybe she doesn't like this weather we are having. Nat stayed at the barn and pulled her mane while I ran some errands. Memo enjoys her "spa treatments" so hopefully she will be in a better frame of mind for tomorrow's lesson.

Off to make soup...

CSA Box: Week 5

The summer is just flying by! Here is the box for this week: lettuce, pea pods, sweet onions, new red potatoes, blueberries, blackberries, cucumbers, leeks, and possibly, a surprise.

What could the surprise be?? Raspberries? Fresh basil? Tomatoes? Corn? Can't wait! For me, the potatoes and blackberries are really awesome. All of it sounds so good!! I have a zillion recipes that call for leeks but I have never tried them. I guess that will be our adventure for the week. Anyone have a good leek recipe?

Can't wait for a fresh cuke! Just in time to make our favorite Greek salad. First I cut up the cuke (usually peeled), a tomato, some green onions (will probably sub one of those candy onions) and sometimes a bell pepper. Drizzle with some olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper and toss together. Throw some kalamata olives and feta cheese on top. Yum!

The berries never last long around here. We go through them like crazy. Maybe today would be a good day to pick berries! It is overcast right now, and it is a non-barn day. Hmmm. Tempting to wake up the sleeping teenager to do that ;) I think Nat wants to see the movie Get Smart though. Maybe we will have time to do both. We want to sneak to the book store and reserve copies of Breaking Dawn and Brisingr. Hopefully we can meet Shauna for a coffee there too :)

So glad to have a break from the barn today. We will be living up there the rest of the week. Nat is still preparing for her rating retest, and will be working at the barn on Thursday and Friday.

For any of you dressage enthusiasts, check out Dressage at DevonWood this weekend. The musical freestyles will be Saturday night. I hope we get back from the rating in time to go. Janice and some other ladies from our barn will be showing too. This is one of the biggest shows of the year... last year there were Olympic riders there. Pretty darn cool.

CSA: week 4

This week our box will have: lettuce, rhubarb, summer squash, pea pods, cauliflower, and Bing cherries. 

Love cherries!! They are one of my favorites. I'm sure they will be gone tonight ;) Still have rhubarb coming out of my ears. Need to work on using more of that. Looking forward to the summer squash. Nat was excited at the prospect of more pea pods. The lettuce keeps getting better and better each week. Such a treat to have a yummy salad with each meal.

Today Nat tried riding a friend's pony... Toby is a cutey. He was so good for Nat. I think he will be perfect for the re-test rating. A huge thanks going out to my friend Diana for letting us "borrow" him :) 

Nat worked at the barn this afternoon. She always enjoys hanging with her friend Sarah, and it sounds like they accomplished a lot! Way to go, girls.

I got allergy shots. Oh, joy. Good news though... I didn't die and I didn't need an epi pen ;) My dose was reduced and it went just peachy. Glad to have that over with for a month.

Jim's parents left this morning. It was sad to see them go. We really enjoyed our time with them. They really got to experience our crazy lives. It was fun having Izzi along at the barn and at the beach. She is so adorable and so sweet. Memo loved her :)

Happy Tuesday

It is CSA day. I probably won't post a pic since things are so busy around here. But here is the contents of our box today: lettuce, cabbage, rhubarb, strawberries, beets, fava beans, and a mixture of dry beans. The cabbage and dry beans are the newbies. I think I will make pulled pork sandwiches with a slaw out of the cabbage. I'll probably soak the beans and make some kind of baked beans... always good with barbeque. If the strawberries are really ripe again, I will make more jam. Nat and I have been very hard on it! Yum. Shauna put fava beans into a pasta salad... I will definitely try that.

The signs are up for u-pick raspberries! My favorite! Nat and I need to find some time to go pick lots-o-berries for the freezer.

Nat has an ortho appointment this morning. Then I think we will run over to the other side of Portland to look for a riding coat for Nat. She has outgrown yet another one. I'm hoping we can find a consignment one since she is still growing. There are a couple of tack stores over there that have consignments. Far to go, but hopefully the prices will make it worth the drive.

Short and sweet... gotta run! Have a good day all!

CSA: week 2

Much more stuff this week: 3 boxes of strawberries, more rhubarb, chard, leaf lettuce, broccoli, Italian parsley and a marigold plant. Lots-o-green.

The strawberries were ultra ripe. Had to use them tonight or lose them. We each had a bowl of ice cream with the berries for dessert and used the rest to make a few small batches of jam.

Instant Berry Jam

1 1/2 cups berries, whole

3/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon butter

Wash berries, remove stems or hulls, and crush evenly in a bowl. You should have 1 cup crushed berries. In a 3 qt. casserole or pyrex bowl, stir together berries with remaining ingredients. Cook uncovered in microwave on high for 8 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes. Serve warm or cool. Store in covered jar in refrigerator.

Nat and I made one batch of the jam with just strawberries, and one with 1 cup of strawberries and 1/2 cup of finely chopped rhubarb. Yum. It will definitely be a PB&J day tomorrow.

My other plans for the week are to make an artichoke dip using the chard (subbing for spinach), and a salad with roasted beets, goat cheese and candied walnuts. I'm sure I will use the broccoli in a stir-fry of some kind, and the parsley in about everything (maybe a minestrone that will also use the chard?)! I cut the rhubarb into small pieces and threw it in the freezer so I can add it to recipes later on. Natalie is researching rhubarb recipes for me... I told her it had to be something that she would eat. I'm thinking rhubarb muffins would be good.

Really excited about this whole CSA thing right now. It is definitely keeping me out of the grocery store which is saving us money. It has really forced me to be creative and healthy with my cooking.

Must.Stop.Baking.

I swear the butter, flour and sugar just call out my name. I just can't stop. Especially with these amazing Oregon Hood Strawberries in the house. How can I NOT make shortcakes???!!! 

This recipe is super easy and really good! I came across it on a local Portland foodie website. It received rave reviews here... we topped it with the strawberries and whipped cream.

Easiest shortcake recipe ever, no rolling, no fuss:

2 cups all-purpose bleached flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
5 tablespoons sugar, divided
1/2 cup butter, frozen
1 egg, beaten
1 egg white (optional)
1/2 cup cold half-and-half (or milk, even evaporated milk will do)

Oven rack to lower-middle position, preheat to 425. Mix flour, salt, baking powder and 3 Tbs. sugar in a medium bowl. Grate 2 Tbs. of the butter on the coarse holes of a box grater into dry ingredients; toss to coat. Repeat grating and tossing with remaining butter. Combine egg and half-and-half; pour into flour mixture. Toss with a fork to form large clumps. Lightly press clumps into a ball; add a teaspoon more half-and-half to the bowl if dough won't come together.

Turn dough onto work surface; press into an 8-by-4- to 5-inch rectangle. Cut into 6 squares, placing them 1 inch apart on a small baking sheet. (Can be refrigerated up to 2 hours before baking.) Before baking, brush tops with optional egg white for a particularly attractive sheen. Sprinkle with remaining 2 Tbs. sugar. Bake until golden brown, about 12 - 14 minutes. Let cool until warm, 5 to 10 minutes. 

Notes: Instead of topping them with regular sugar, I often top them with turbinado sugar (larger crystals and I like the crunch). Also, I often make half a recipe and use the other half of the egg to brush on the shortcakes before baking. If you like your shortcakes sweeter add a bit more than 3 tablespoons to the dough...an extra tablespoon should do it and not ruin the recipe.

Recipe Reviews

Since I pulled the recipes in my CSA post off of the internet and had never tried them, I thought I better give you all the scoop how they turned out.

The risotto was good. Loved the fava beans. I used regular old bacon and it overpowered the dish. I would stick to the recipe next time. I also added more of the parmesan because cheese rocks ;)

The strawberry-rhubarb crisp was pretty darn good. I ended up doing the first part in the microwave as directed, but finished it up in the oven for about 25 minutes at 350. It wasn't the traditional crisp that I am used to but a nice, easy, healthy alternative. I probably ruined all that healthy part by adding a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream though ;)

The cashew chicken was easy. I added some low-sodium soy sauce. I think it still needed something for extra flavor. Next time I would add onions and garlic. Maybe some sesame oil. The pea pods from the CSA were so fresh and yummy! I served this over rice.

We have eaten everything from our CSA box already, except for the leaf lettuce. We will have that tomorrow. I'm hoping we will get a bigger quantity of items next week.

Totally looking forward to the weekend. Jim and I are going to the Nehalem River Inn to have a belated anniversary celebration. Nat will be hanging out with her grandma and grandpa. Memo gets a vacation standing out in the sun.

CSA: Week One

Here is the contents of our first CSA (community supported agriculture) box:

fava beans

pea pods

leaf lettuce

rhubarb

strawberries

calendula plant (edible flowers)

One box of the strawberries is GONE! They were incredible! The second box will be lucky to make it until breakfast ;)

Natalie and I have already shelled and blanched the fava beans. She had a real knack for taking off the skins of the beans once they were blanched. The real test will be to see if she will eat them. We will be making fava bean risotto for our dinner tomorrow night.

And for dessert: strawberry rhubarb crisp!! Yum!

Nat already had a stalk of the rhubarb for dessert. As kids, we always used to dip a stalk into sugar and eat it. Better than any sour candy out there. She thought that was just the coolest thing and now loves to eat rhubarb like that.

We will probably make some kind of Asian dish with the pea pods. Maybe Cashew Chicken with Pea Pods? 

Looking forward to a nice fresh salad with the leaf lettuce. Not so sure about the edible flowers though. Hmmm. Not to worry... I will probably kill the poor plant before it ever flowers anyway ;) I'll put Nat in charge of it!

I was kind of expecting more in the bag, but this was the first box and it is so early in the growing season. I'm predicting each bag will be fuller as the season goes on. Didn't help that it has been June-uary around here!

I'm really excited to be eating locally grown, fresh produce. It can't help but be a healthier way of eating, and it will be so fun exposing Natalie to new recipes and foods.

Grillin'

The sun finally came out this afternoon. Alleluia.

Time to do some grillin'. Here is what's for dinner on a busy weeknight after riding lessons:

Spicy Chicken Italian Sausages 

Grilled onions and bell peppers (I use one of those special pans used for doing veggies on the grill)

Serve on a grilled hoagie bun

Foil potato packet: I slice up some potatoes. Pop them in the microwave with a little bit of water and some onion for about 5-7 minutes to par-cook them. Drain the excess water. Spray some foil with cooking spray and add the potatoes. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder and some parmesan cheese. Add another layer of oiled foil on top and wrap it up.

Grill it all up until done. I like the sausages and potatoes to have some crusty stuff on them. MMM! Serve with some fresh fruit on the table. Don't forget some white wine. You're good to go.