It has been a busy week, lots of meetings and work related “stuff” to say the least. That means I'm late in posting my Wednesday market basket pic, sorry. We worked on a dinner for a special family most of the day on Saturday which included making a big batch of spaghetti sauce. We had 24 lbs of tomatoes to cook off - roasted 1/2 and made tomato soup and cooked down the other half into a wonderful tomato sauce. I've inserted a pic of the roasters because I thought they were just so darn beautiful!

You will see a "visitor" to the market basket pic - Organic Ginger Beer you can find in the refrigerated section at Stoneybrook - John gave out samples and it was really tasty!!

This week I thought I would share a dessert recipe rather than something savory from the market basket. We love cheesecake, but the more creamy type not the tall NY style, so I'm sharing a foolproof recipe we've used for years. I hope you give it a try – it is our favorite!

Will do our best to get a pick of week 12 up before we head out on vacation!!


Cheryl's Creamy Cheesecake

INGREDIENTS:

1 8 oz package cream cheese (full strength, low fat or non-fat works)
1 16 oz container sour cream (same goes as above)
1 whole egg
1 egg yolk
1 Teaspoon vanilla
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
¾ stick of butter melted
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 Teaspoon cinammon
1 deep dish glass pie pan.


HOW TO:
Preheat oven to 370 degrees

Graham cracker crust:
Combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar and cinnamon together, add melted butter and stir well with a fork. Add crumbs to pie pan starting with the bottom and then build up the sides compressing the mixture so it holds in place...make the thickness the same all 'round. Bake for 10 min and let cool while making the filling.

Filling:
Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature, put in stand mixer and beat till smooth and creamy. On medium speed add whole egg and egg yolk, vanilla, blend well. Add sour cream, blend well. Add sweetened condensed milk and blend well. Make sure you are scraping down the sides frequently to avoid any lumps.

Pour mixture into prepared graham cracker crust and bake for 13 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Move to refrigerator and allow to chill overnight for best results.

You can top with any favorite cheesecake topping – strawberries, blueberries, chocolate, raspberry sauce...

Options: in place of vanilla add 1 Tablespoon of Irish crème or any other favorite liquor or substitute with 1 Teaspoon almond extract.



ENJOY!!
Cheryl

Aubergine.....aka Eggplant

For the longest time I thought Aubergine was a just a color, but noooo it is in fact the other name for that funny looking veggie no one knows what to do with other than bread it/fry it and add the name ...Parmesan to it. However, eggplant is much more versatile than we give it credit for!

We had an abundance of eggplant from this week's CSA market basket and not sure what we were going to do with them. We didn't have a lot going on this past weekend as I had to work – so we don't usually stray too far from the home office. Since we had plenty of cukes and small carrots and some pita laying around why not go for some sort of finger food and watch movies?? Cue the choir “Ahhhhhhhhhhh” yes, its Baba Ghanoush time!!

If you haven't had Baba Ghanoush here is a wiki-pedia description:
“it is an Arab dish of eggplant (aubergine) mashed and mixed with various seasonings. Often, it is eaten as a dip with pita bread, and is sometimes added to other dishes. It is usually of an earthy light-brown color. It is popular in Egypt.”

We love the heady garlic flavor and smooth texture of this dish and it is something you can make and keep in the fridge for use over several days. It is also good as a spread in sandwiches versus mayo! So, let's get to it....

INGREDIENTS
3 small to medium eggplant
2 large cloves of garlic
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
4 Tablespoons Tahini (sesame paste found in the International aisle in most grocery stores)
3 Tablespoons lemon juice


HOW TO
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Place eggplant that have been rubbed with a little olive oil on a cookie sheet and bake 30 minutes, turning ½ way through the bake time. The eggplant should appear to be collapsing a bit and be soft when squeezed.

Move the eggplant to a cutting board and slice lengthwise. Scoop out the soft pulpy inside and put into a food processor. Pulse till smooth. Over a medium bowl, strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer using the back of a ladle to push it through then discard any seeds/membranes and set aside.

On your cutting board, roughly chop the garlic and top with the salt. Working your flat side of the knife (blade toward the surface) drag the knife repeatedly across the garlic and salt till you have a paste.

Stir the garlic/salt paste, lemon juice, tahini and chopped parsley into the eggplant mixture and chill.

Serve with fresh cucumber slices, carrots, pita bread – or one of our favs plantain chips!

Enjoy,
Cheryl

Gumbo...no need to say more.

This weekend has been full of making wonderful food with incredibly fresh ingredients. Today became Gumbo day and now that our bellies are full we can reflect on the steps it took to make this savory, spicy and delicious dish.

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup butter
¾ cup flour
½ large yellow onion, chopped
3 stalks of celery, chopped
3 small bell peppers (green, yellow, red)
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 cup sliced okra
1 can minced clams, with juice
3 cups chicken stock
1 ½ cups roasted tomatoes, with juice (slice up about 5 tomatoes on a cookie sheet, top with a little olive oil/salt/pepper and roast in a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes)
3 bay leaves
1 Tablespoon Cajun seasoning
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
1 Teaspoon thyme leaves
1 Teaspoon basil leaves
½ Teaspoon ground black pepper
1 ½ cups Andouille sausage, 1/4 inch sliced diagonally and cooked
2 pounds shrimp, cleaned and deveined – and no tails
olive oil


HOW TO:
You need a pretty large stock pot....preparing as follows....

COOK THE OKRA:
Start with 3 Tablespoons olive oil and 2 Teaspoons butter melted in a med-high heat. Add sliced okra and cook till sides are crispy brown, not burnt. Remove from pan and set aside.

COOK Onion, Celery and peppers in 3 Tablespoons olive oil till tender. Removed from pan and set aside.

MAKE THE ROUX:
Roux is cooked butter and flour used as a thickening agent to many dishes. In gumbo it is all about the roux being a deep brown, almost chocolate or brick red color. Just make sure to be quite attentive while it is cooking, cuz if you burn it you get to start all over again!

Over med-low heat melt butter and add the flour using a whisk. Stir often and allow to cook for 15 minutes (yes, please use a timer) and eyeball whether the color is rich and dark...if it is you are done, if not let it keep cooking for another 5 minutes or so. The end result is a very velvety smooth, dark brown, slurry. Keep this in the pan and get ready to finish the gumbo....

TO THE ROUX ADD:
Seasonings, all vegetables, stock, clams, tomatoes and simmer.

COOK the Andouille sausage in a skillet till the slices are browned on both sides and then add to the pot.

ADD the shrimp, stir well, cover and let simmer 30-45 minutes...done.

SERVE the gumbo in individual bowls (I think the ones used for spaghetti are best) over some steamed white rice. Garnish with a little chopped fresh parsley and serve with thick slices of crusty bread.

Enjoy!
Chery

Okra, it IS good - whoda thunk it???

I can admit when I am WRONG!
I can admit when I am WRONG!
I can admit when I am WRONG!

Yes, I admit it – Okra is not the bottom of the vegetable food chain as I previous stated in one of my posts – of course now I have to figure out what is!! It has been bugging me that I didn't follow through on my promise to Debbie at Stoneybrook that I would indeed cook up the okra in our market basket, so today was the day to make good. In my head I'm thinking, ok I will just make a tiny batch because I KNOW it will be wretched. (sorry, being honest here)

I've added a picture of the fresh okra next to the blog – you'll see the difference between the standard variety which is very slender to the size difference of the Star of David variety.

INGREDIENTS (for my small batch)
2 Yukon Gold potatoes
2 Star of David Okra (these are much larger than the counterparts I'm used to seeing in my Gumbo)
¼ of a vidalia onion
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Teaspoons butter
Salt/Pepper to taste

HOW TO:
Using a large skillet at medium heat I melted the butter in the oil. Using a mandolin I sliced the potatoes and okra (which do resemble stars once cut) into ¼ inch slices and put them in the skillet. I julienned the onion and added that on top of the potatoes and okra.

I cooked the potatoes and okra turning routinely so they browned evenly and once the potatoes were tender in the middle I took them out. Immediately sprinkle the vegetables with salt and some freshly ground pepper and you are done.

I think multiplying this quantity would be easy enough, however I would caution to not overcrowd your skillet so that you obtain maximum crunch factor on the outside of both the potatoes and okra. Probably easy enough to just do in batches, keeping the completed batches in the oven on warm till ready to serve.

RESULTS
I will admit it, I really enjoyed the okra. I think it absorbed a bit of the potato and onion flavors, but most of all it was not slimy! By turning the vegetables during the cooking process it kept them browning throughout and resulted in a nice crunch when you bit into it.

I can see doing this regularly with dinner or event at breakfast with a nice side of over-easy eggs!

Enjoy,
Cheryl

Fresh Basil Pesto n' Pasta Dinner

I realize that I post these wonderful recipes and merrily go about my way to enjoy meals with my husband and family totally forgetting to share how nice these dishes look!! My sincere apologies, because we all know we taste with our eyes as well as our palates. That being said, please see a picture, when available, inset to the right of the posts!

Last night we made fresh Pesto. Seriously people how much more simple can a dinner be than to throw a few crazy good ingredients in a blender, mix it up with some hot pasta and serve? All told I think it was about 10 minutes prep and blend time and 7 minutes to cook the spaghetti...and don't forget the 1.5 minutes to open the bottle of wine and pour a glass. Yes, it was the most vibrant green on the cool cream color of the pasta and the deep crimson of the wine – satisfying to the eyes to say the least. The garlic, citrus and piquantness of the fresh Basil provided a lightheaded feeling from the rich aroma....even before one drop of the wine was consumed. The taste – well humbly I say that it was delicious!!

If you haven't made pesto before, do not fear....it is really easy.


INGREDIENTS:
1 cup fresh basil leaves, washed, dried and stems removed
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/3 cup pine nuts
1 rounded teaspoon garlic, minced
1-2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/3 to 1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste


HOW TO:
Pull out your blender and put pine nuts, and pulse a few times to get them started. Add the garlic and basil, pulse a few more times. We add ½ the oil and blend really well then add lemon juice. While blender is on running, slowly add the remaining oil till you have a smooth mixture. Add cheese, ½ teaspoon salt and pepper – blend well. Taste – you may need to adjust the level of salt and pepper. We prefer our Pesto more sauce-like versus some of the recipes that feature a higher content of basil. Feel free to adjust according to your own likes! You can multiply this recipe up to cater to the size of your serving audience as this recipe can serve 2 very hungry individuals or 3-4 people as long as you are serving salad, perhaps a protein side and a yummy dessert :-)

SERVING:
Cook and drain the pasta and add the amount of Pesto you like and mix well – serve with a little more grated Parmesan on top!


OPTIONS:
Substitute Walnuts instead of Pine Nuts
Substitute Parsley in place of the Basil
Substitute your favorite oil
Try toasting the nuts in a dry pan on med-high heat just till they start to turn light brown (walnuts too)
Use as a marinade on fish, pork, beef or chicken before grilling or roasting


Enjoy!
Cheryl

1/2 Way Thru the CSA Season-ALREADY! Mashers on the menu...

Welcome to Week 10 – cannot believe we are half way through the Stoneybrook Farm 2010 share!!! The potatoes from our CSA market basket are getting more and more plentiful and the size has increased as the season is lengthening. A new item, to us anyway, popped into the box this week – Star of David Okra. It is larger than the “normal” okra we're used to seeing. My son suggested making Gumbo – and with the tomatoes and okra at hand...that's a great idea...stay tuned!

You may notice in this week's picture a cup of coffee – I enjoyed this rich and very aromatic cup of when I went to pick up my CSA share at Stoneybrook. I was really pleased to learn that the beans are roasted locally! Just one more reason to go visit!!

In the newsletter from Stoneybrook Debbie publishes her simple way to prepare okra saying they are crunchy not goopy – so I really need to step up and try it this week. Pretty easy dish – slice potatoes and okra thinly, stirfry in butter and/or oil until brown then sprinkle with salt...voila!

For our family mashed potatoes are some what of a religious experience....they go with just about everything and our kids love them. That being said, mashed potatoes seem to stump a lot of us because they can turn out lumpy or have a glue-like texture. Thankfully my Mother-in-law provided the cure for ever having less than stellar mashed potatoes! I did add my own tweak here and there, but really is a pretty simple method and since preparing them this way they turn our wonderful every time.

INGREDIENTS:
5 pounds redskin, yukon golds or russet potatoes (your choice)
Chicken Stock – (homemade is great, but if not on hand use 2 large containers of your favorite store brand)
Water
Sour Cream
Cottage Cheese (small curd)
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder (if you like)
Seasoned Salt
Fresh Parsley or Chives

HOW TO:
Prepare your potatoes by skinning ½ and leaving the skins on the other half of a 5 pound bag then cut them into quarters. Place in a large stockpot and add the 2 cans of chicken stock, if it doesn't cover the potatoes, then add water to top it off.
Boil potatoes till a knife stuck through the largest one slides in and out with no resistance. Drain well in a colander.

While potatoes are boiling mix in food processor or blender:
Approximately – 11/2 cup sour cream and 1 1/2cup cottage cheese with 1 TBLSP salt and 1 TBLSP pepper, add 1 Teaspoon garlic powder if you like. Blend them well and set aside.

When the potatoes are done and drained, while still hot put them into your mixer (use the paddle not the whisk) and start mixing the potatoes and your wet ingredients together a bit at a time. What you are looking for is smooth, but not totally lump free (because we like them with a little texture). If you don't think you have enough of the wet mixture, make more. If its not salty enough, add more...and so on.

Put in a serving dish and sprinkle a bit of Seasoned Salt on the top and if you like add a bit of chopped parsley or chives. These are great to make the day before - especially at Thanksgiving time when you don't have enough time to do everything you need to do anyway. Just cover and refrigerate in an oven-safe container, then just heat at 350 degrees for about 45 min to 1 hr and serve.

Enjoy!
Cheryl

Hi, I'm Cheryl and I'm a Carnivore....

No offense to my vegetarian, vegan or pescatarian friends and followers....but I love meat! My blog so far has really focused on the fruits of the field so I wanted to throw out a meat dish for those of us who do enjoy our carnivore status in this life. I'm really not TOO choosy when it comes to the protein of choice – chicken, pork, turkey, beef, venison (tenderloin only), lamb (chops only), etc. This is one of our favorite quick meals during the week, especially when you've had “one of those days” and just want to slap something quick, but yummy, together.

Today's recipe topic – Pork Tenderloin with Herb Marinade

INGREDIENTS:
Pork Tenderloin (normally 2 to a package)
Olive Oil
Herbs (your choice: rosemary, thyme, chives, basil, parsley, etc.)
Salt/Pepper
Garlic cloves (3-4)

PREP PORK:
Remove the tenderloin from their package and rinse, pat dry with paper towel. There is some membrane on the outside of the tenderloin, called silverskin, that you should remove. Use a sharp knife and separate the end of the silverskin and take hold – pull up a bit and run the knife closest to the silverskin and remove. Repeat as necessary.

MARINADE:
In a blender put ½ cup olive oil, 3-4 cloves of garlic and 1/4-1/2 cup of your herbs of choice, fresh of course. Add about a Tablespoon of salt and Tablespoon of ground pepper and blend well.

Place the marinade in a large ziplock bag and add tenderloins. Seal and refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes to 1 hour. You can leave marinating overnight to be ready for dinner the next day!

COOKING:
Step One: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees

Step Two: Sear the tenderloins. This can be done on your gas grill on your stove top. If using the grill put all burners on high for 15 min prior to searing the meat. Using your stove top use an aluminum or cast iron pan that is heated on med-high for a couple min (till a drop of water dances to evaporation quickly) add a little peanut or olive oil right before adding your meat.

Sear the meat rotating just till each side becomes golden brown and carmelized.

Step Three: Move seared meat to a cookie sheet (unless you seared in an oven safe skillet) and place in oven for 20 min. Remove and allow to rest for 10 minutes loosely covered with aluminum foil on a cutting board.

Step Four: When rested, with a sharp knife slice thinly on the bias and serve!


While this pork recipe is great all on its own with a couple of side dishes we like to pair it with a fresh fruit chutney, based on the season of course. It is a simple preparation with big reward in flavor!


Cherry Chutney

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups fresh cherries, pitted and roughly chopped in large pieces
1 cup cider vinegar
1 cup chopped onions
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup cran-raisins
2 tablespoon minced candied ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon each ground allspice, ground cloves, ground nutmeg and cinnamon


HOW TO:
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil covered for 3 min then reduce heat and allow to simmer uncovered till thickened...about 15-30 minutes – make sure you stir regularly during this time. Let cool and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator till ready to use. Serve at room temperature!


This is great with pork, chicken and can be used as a topping for brie, crackers or even pizza!


Enjoy!!
Cheryl