Baked Chicken with Savory

I had to look online to see what savory is served with, as it is not an herb I encounter normally.  Many recommend that thyme and rosemary can be used as substitutions for savory in recipes and that seems logical.  I used it in a pretty neutral use here and it came out well.  Notice that it is pictured with oven-roasted mini Yukon Gold potatoes and collard greens. (A note about the breading: I used my chopper to crush the crackers and chop the savory for this recipe.  It gives a nice uniform crumb. The chopper I like can be found here: KitchenAid KFC3100OB Chef Series 3- Cup Food Chopper, Onyx Black)

Serves 3-4

2.5-3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (3-4 breasts)
3 tablespoons fresh savory
1/2 sleeve saltines
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
Nonstick cooking spray

1. Pulse savory and saltines in a food chopper or food processor until all is chopped.  Add salt and pepper.  Pulse in short bursts until finely chopped and mixed.  Pour into bowl or onto plate.
2. In small bowl, beat egg with garlic salt until combined.
3. Coat baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.  Dip chicken breasts in egg mixture, then cracker mixture and place on baking sheet.
4. Bake in 350 degree oven for 1 hour.

Mint Sweet Tea

My grandmother used to always add sugar to her iced tea and I never really liked it that way.  My other grandmother made unsweetened mint tea, which I really did love.  It wasn't until I was an adult that I thought to combine the two.  I have made many different kinds of sweet tea, but mint is by far my favorite.  It's so refreshing on a hot summer night. (A note on heatproof pitchers: I have a fiestaware pitcher that I love to use for this recipe.  It looks nice, fits well in the refrigerator, and keeps the tea really cold.  The one I have, in the cobalt that matches my dishes, can be found here Fiesta 67-1/4-Ounce Large Disk Pitcher, Cobalt)

Serves 10 (8 oz servings)

6 cups water
1/2 cup mint leaves, still on stems
2 large or 5 smaller black tea bags
1 cup sugar
2 cups water

1.Place tea bags and mint leaves in a heat-proof pitcher.
2. Heat the 6 cups water until nearly boiling.  Pour hot water over tea and mint.  Set aside and allow to brew for 10-15 minutes or until very dark.
3. Using a slotted spoon, remove tea bags and mint.  Stir sugar into tea--it should still be hot enough to dissolve sugar quickly--before adding the remaining 4 cups water.
4. Refrigerate sweet tea until ready to drink.  Serve over ice.

Linguini with Broccoli and Garlic

 It was really hot here Saturday and I ended up being out in the heat pretty much all day.  After getting back late, I was in the market for a dinner that was fast and didn't require the oven to be on.  Bingo.

Serves 4-6


16 oz box linguini
1 head broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces
3 tablespoons butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried chopped basil
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
Salt, pepper, and garlic salt to taste

1. Bring heavy-bottomed saucepan, bring 4-6 quarts of water to a boil.  Salt liberally.  Once water is at a full rolling boil, add pasta.  About 4 minutes before the pasta is done, add broccoli to boiling water.  Cook pasta and broccoli until done. Drain well and set aside.
2. In same saucepan, heat butter until melted.  Stir in minced garlic.  Cook and stir, over low heat, until fragrant and garlic is cooked.
3. In large serving bowl, toss drained pasta and broccoli with garlic and butter.  Add basil and Parmesan cheese.  Toss again until all is evenly distributed.

Week 4 Box

We are starting to get what our CSA refers to as "3D" vegetables.  Not leaves, seems to be the idea.  Either way, it is always nice to get something different.  Though, I can't lie, I do miss the spinach when it is gone.

• Broccoli
• Cabbage (green)
• Collard greens
• Garlic
• Savory

Penne with Creamy Tomato Sauce

I am one of those people that is very food-suggestible.  Most food commercials are probably made for people like me because the second I see something like macaroni and cheese, all I can think about for dinner options until I break down and make it is "man, macaroni and cheese sounds really good."  I happened to catch a show on the Cooking Channel last night that showed someone making penne in a tomato sauce.  Tonight, I made this for dinner.  It was everything I hoped it would be.

Serves: 4

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 spring onion, chopped (or about 2 tablespoons regular onion)
1 cup chopped spinach
3 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
2 14oz cans petite diced tomatoes, drained
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon red wine
2 cups penne
4 oz cream cheese (I use the 1/3 less fat kind)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1. In heavy saucepan, heat oil over medium heat.  Add garlic and onion. Saute until tender, 1-2 minutes.  Stir in spinach and oregano until wilted.  Pour tomatoes over sauteed mixture and stir well.  Stir in bay leaf, sugar, and wine.  Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 1 hour or until tomatoes start to break down and any liquids are absorbed.
2. Once sauce has been simmering for 30 minutes, begin preparing pasta.  Prepare according to package directions and drain well.  Set aside.
3. Turn heat off below tomato sauce.  Stir cream cheese and Parmesan cheese into tomato sauce, mixing until smooth and melted.  Add penne to creamy tomato sauce and toss until evenly coated.

Tortellini with Sage and Brown Butter

During CSA season last year, I heard a lot about the virtues of the sage/brown butter sauce.  In the interest of full-disclosure, I'll mention that I did try to make it last year and ended up burning the sage.  Needless to say, brown butter cannot be used to brown bacon.  Try number two tasted a lot less like burned leaves.

Serves 2-4
Small bag dried cheese tortellini
1 cup snap peas, cut in half
1/8 cup finely chopped sage
2 garlic scapes, finely sliced
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese for garnish

1. Cook tortellini according to package directions.  In last 3 minutes of cooking, add snap peas and cook all until done.  Drain and set aside.
2. In heavy saucepan over low heat, melt butter.  Cook butter until it turns frothy and butter begins to brown, stirring occasionally.  Add garlic scapes and sage.  Cook and stir until garlic is cooked and sage is crispy.  Remove from heat.
3. Squeeze lemon half over pan to release 1-2 tablespoons of juice.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Stir well.  Add cooked tortellini and snap peas to brown butter sauce.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese for serving.

Week 3 Box

The amounts in this week's box were of a more-manageable size, which I appreciate. It has been extremely hot and humid here, so I would think the summer vegetables are growing early and the late-spring ones are probably dying early.  It also means that this week's box contained a lot of herbs.  Using those will be a special challenge.

• Spinach (smaller quantity)
• Snap peas
• Lettuce
• Collard greens
• Sage
• Dill
• Thyme
• Oregano

Lime Cilantro Grilled Chicken

The CSA provided me cilantro last week and the mojito cupcakes left me with limes, so I decided to figure out a way to use them.  We like to grill a lot in the summer, so I thought I would try to make a marinade out of them.  I was actually impressed with how well it grilled up and tasted.  I made this with chicken, but it would also probably be good on fish. (A note about making this marinade: I used my chopper to make this marinade and it took about 5 minutes. The chopper I like can be found here: KitchenAid KFC3100OB Chef Series 3- Cup Food Chopper, Onyx Black)

Serves 4
2 garlic scapes, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/3 cup cilantro leaves
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup lime juice
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
5 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1. In a chopper or food processor, pulse garlic scapes until chopped finely.  Add cayenne pepper, ginger, and cilantro leaves.  Pulse again, in short bursts, until cilantro is chopped.  Use a small spatula to clean sides and bottom of bowl.  Add honey, lime juice, olive oil, salt,and pepper.  Pulse just until combined.
2. Place chicken breasts in gallon plastic bag. Pour marinade over chicken, seal bag, and massage until marinade evenly covers chicken.
3. Allow chicken to sit, refrigerated, in marinade for 8-12 hours.
4. Grill chicken over medium heat until cooked through.

Mojito Cupcakes

There are few drinks that say "summer" more clearly to me than a mojito.  I'm not talking about the premade, bottled mojitos that are mass-produced now.  A real mojito, that hits the sides of your tongue with lime and white rum while at the same time making your mouth tingle with fresh mint and soothing with sweet, is a delicate balance in a glass.  This cupcake has the same balance, but in a different form.

Yield: 24 cupcakes

Cake:
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup mint leaves, torn
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
4 eggs
2 tablespoons white rum
Zest and juice of 2 limes
1/4 teaspoon mint extract
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Prepare 24 cupcake pans with paper liner or by greasing.  Set aside.
2. Combine buttermilk, white sugar, and mint leaves in small saucepan.  Over medium heat, stirring constantly, cook mixture until just simmering.  Remove from heat and set aside.
3.  Mix flour, baking powder, and salt together in a small bowl.  Whisk well.  Set aside.
4. Beat butter and brown sugar with electric mixer until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until blended.  Add rum, lime juice and zest, and mint extract.  Beat well.  Mixture will appear curdled.
5. Strain buttermilk mixture, now cooled, into a bowl with a strainer.  A spatula may be needed to force mixture through strainer, but at the end cooked mint leaves should remain in strainer while buttermilk strains into bowl.  Discard mint.
6. Add one-third of the flour mixture to the butter batter.  Beat well.  Pour in half of the buttermilk and mix.  Scrap bowl.  Add another third of the flour mixture and beat until smooth.  Add remaining buttermilk, mix, and then remaining flour mixture.  Beat just until combined.
7. Divide batter evenly between cupcake liners.  Bake in 325 degree oven for 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool completely.

Frosting:
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Zest and juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon white rum
Enough milk to thin

1. With spatula, mix frosting ingredients until desired consistency. 
2. Using a knife, spread frosting evenly over cupcakes.

Cupcakes can be stored in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to three days.

Moo Goo Gai Pan

Though I love snow peas, I only really know of about two ways to eat them and they are both stir-fry.  Since last week's stir-fry was beef with a dark sauce, I thought chicken with a white garlic sauce would be a nice change.  The box this week did not have too many snow peas, so I supplemented with frozen peas I already had.(A note on woks:I like to use a wok for this recipe because I think it heats more evenly.  Mine is nothing fancy, but it does a good job for smaller recipes like this. See it here Calphalon Commercial Nonstick 10-Inch Stir Fry)

Serves 2-4
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 tablespoon white wine
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/3 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup snow peas, stems removed
1/2 cup frozen peas
3 garlic scapes, diced
1 spring onion, diced
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
Pepper and garlic salt to taste
Rice, for serving


1. Mix cornstarch, wine, sugar, and chicken broth together in a measuring cup.  Whip until smooth.  Set aside.
2. Heat oil in wok or large skillet.  Saute snow peas, frozen peas, garlic scapes, and onion until bright and tender.  Remove vegetables from skillet, but strain well to leave as much oil as possible in the wok.
3. Return wok to heat with oil.  Saute chicken breast strips, garlic, and ginger until chicken is browned and cooked through.  Return vegetables to wok and stir.  Pour cornstarch-wine-sugar-broth mixture over chicken and vegetables.  Stir and cook until sauce is clear and thickened.  Season as needed with pepper and garlic salt.  Serve over rice.

Collard Greens

The CSA that I am part of loves their greens.  We were members of the same CSA last year and received greens every week for the full season, which here is about 17 weeks.  Don't get me wrong, I like greens too, but I find that I like them especially fixed this way.  Sadly, I neglected to take a picture of this one.

Serves 2
12-16oz bag Collard Greens, veins removed and leaves chopped
Salt to taste
2 strips bacon, chopped
Salt, pepper, and garlic salt to taste

1. Place chopped collard greens in a large saucepan.  Cover with water.  Salt the water liberally (about 1-2 tablespoons).  On high heat, bring water around greens to a boil.  Cover and reduce heat, keeping the water to a simmer.  Simmer for 10 minutes or until greens are no longer bright green.
2. Drain greens well.  Return to pan.  Return pan to high heat.  Once pan is again steaming, add bacon to pan.  Stir and cook until bacon is cooked through and enough oil is released to saute the greens.  If greens stick to the bottom of the pan, add a tablespoon of water to the pan and return cover for 2-5 minutes off of heat to loosen.
3. Season greens with salt, pepper, and garlic salt as desired.  Serve hot.

Faux Alfredo with Spinach

I'm not entirely certain when the idea came to me that sour cream might be able to double for actual cream in alfredo recipes.  It was probably some night when Husband or I really wanted alfredo, I didn't want to go to the grocery store, and I realized that I had sour cream in the fridge.  Either way, it's a fall back that I have made a number of times in many different manners.  Don't be fooled, it isn't as creamy and rich as real alfredo made with heavy cream.  But it does give a nice creamy finish to whole-wheat pasta and tempers strong vegetables well.

Serves 2-4
2 cups small whole-wheat pasta (I used rotini)
1 spring onion, finely chopped
2 garlic scapes, finely chopped
1 10 oz bag spinach, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup sour cream (I used light)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt, pepper, and garlic salt to taste

1. In medium saucepan, bring water to a boil.  Cook whole-wheat pasta according to package directions.  Drain and set aside.
2. In same saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  Saute spring onion and garlic scapes until soft.  Add spinach and cook until dry, about 3 minutes.  Remove from heat.

3. Toss pasta in saucepan with spinach-onion-garlic mixture.  Top with sour cream and Parmesan cheese.  Stir until pasta and spinach is evenly coated.  Season with salt, pepper, and garlic salt to taste.

Week 2 Box

Second CSA box of the year has arrived!  Our CSA is delivered on Fridays, so some weeks it might take me a bit to actually post what is in the box.  The contents of the boxes follow a slow evolution, so many of these items will be repeats from last week.

• Spinach (bigger leaves this week, really only good for cooking)
• Spinach (smaller leaves, courtesy of my mom's garden, for salads)
• Turnips
• Garlic scapes
• Collard greens
• Snap peas
• Snow peas
• Mint
• Cilantro

Beef, Snap Peas, and Asparagus Stirfry

This recipe is a bit of an adaptation, but it was such a hit that it only needed a few tweaks.  I would guess that any dark green vegetable would work here, but I'm listing what I had.  This is also another of those sneaky healthy recipes, since the majority of the stir-fry is vegetables and the rice has whole-grain.  The fact that it tastes good is just a nice bonus. A note on woks:I like to use a wok for this recipe because I think it heats more evenly.  Mine is nothing fancy, but it does a good job for smaller recipes like this. See it here Calphalon Commercial Nonstick 10-Inch Stir Fry.

Serves 2-4

1 lb asparagus, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup snap peas, stems removed
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 lb sirloin tip steak, cut into strips against the grain
4 garlic scapes, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
Pepper, and garlic salt to taste
Brown rice, for serving

1. Mix together rice vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce in a measuring cup.  Stir in cornstarch until smooth.  Set aside.
2. Heat olive oil in a skillet or wok.  Saute beef and garlic scapes in oil until seared and cooked through, about 3-5 minutes.  Remove from wok with slotted spoon.
3. Saute snap peas, asparagus, garlic, and ginger in beef leavings.  Cook and stir until vegetables are bright green but still crisp.
4. Mix beef back into wok with the vegetables.  Top with vinegar-soy sauce sauce.  Cook and stir until sauce is thickened and clear, about 1-3 minutes.  Add pepper and garlic salt to taste and serve over the brown rice.

Chicken Spinach Lasagna

I actually made up this recipe a few weeks ago, but it seemed like a good way to use up excess spinach.  Husband is not a huge fan of cooked spinach, but he likes it if I cover the taste with garlic so this has become a common practice in my house.  My absolute favorite thing about this recipe, other than the fact that it is tasty, satisfying, and relatively easy, is that it tastes a lot less healthy than it is.  Sneaky healthy food is always a winner, in my book.


Serves 4-6

12 lasagna noodles
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
10 oz spinach, chopped
10 garlic scapes, chopped
1 container ricotta (I use the part-skim)
1 cup Parmesan cheese, divided
1-2 cups mozzarella cheese (the amount is based on preference)
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
Salt, pepper, and garlic salt to taste

1. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions.  Drain and set aside.
2. Saute chicken breasts, seasoned lightly with some salt, pepper, and garlic salt.  I like to give them a nice sear in the pan and then cover them until they are cooked through.  Set aside on a cutting board to cool.
3. Using the drippings from the chicken, saute garlic scapes and spinach until the garlic scapes are tender and the spinach is dry.  While these are sauteing, you can cube the cooked chicken.  Cool slightly and transfer to a heat-proof bowl.  Stir in ricotta and 1/2 cup Parmesan.  Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.
4. Stir flour into milk until smooth.  In a saucepan, stir four and milk mixture constantly over medium heat.  Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce simmers.  Simmer for 5 minutes or until thick and smooth.  Stir in remaining Parmesan cheese and season to taste with salt, pepper, and garlic salt.
5. Grease a 9x13-inch-pan.  Pour 1/2 cup sauce into bottom of pan.  Top with three lasagna noodles (enough to make a layer).  Spread 1/3 of the spinach-ricotta mixture on top of noodles, then sprinkle with 1/3 of the chicken.  Place on desired amount of mozzarella cheese.  Create another layer of noodles, ricotta-spinach mixture, and chicken.  Pour 1/2 of the remaining sauce over this layer.  Top sauce with another layer of noodles, remaining ricotta spinach mixture, chicken, and a sprinkling of mozzarella cheese.  Place remaining noodles on top of this third layer and top those noodles with remaining sauce.  Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
6. Cover lasagna with foil and bake for 35 minutes in a 350 degree oven.  Remove foil and bake for an additional 35 minutes.

Week 1 Box

Box this week contained:

• Spinach
• Mixed field greens
• Collard greens (which for me is a blanket term that includes kale, just so you know)
• Rhubarb
• Garlic scapes (this might not be the real name, but it's what my CSA calls it when they cut the tops off garlic cloves; they are green shoots that look like scallions but taste like garlic)
• Turnips
• Butter lettuce
• Spring onions
• Snap peas

Introduction to CSA 2010

I am a bit late posting on Week 1, but I will attempt to catch you up.  First, a note about the structure here.

Since I receive one CSA box a week (for the record, on Fridays), I plan to update on Fridays with what the box contains.  As I make meals out of the produce I receive, then,  I will post pictures and recipes.  The posts with meal pictures and recipes will be labeled with whatever I used from the CSA box.  The idea is that if you have a bunch of, say, tatsoi but have no idea what to do with it, you can find it in the labels and bring up the meal I made with tatsoi.

For the record, my mom also keeps an organic garden which she overplanted this year, so her stuff might appear on here as well.  My parents live on land that has wild black raspberries and gooseberries, as well as cultivated blueberries, so a lot of pictures and recipes for these objects might appear on here as well.  Consider yourself warned, the black raspberry images might be overwhelming; last year we picked 14 gallons of the little buggers.

I also love love love baking and making up baking recipes, so those might be thrown in.  Those will be labeled with something like baking: cookies and also be searchable.  I sometimes like to make cupcakes based on cocktails as well, which will be labeled with the term Drunken Cupcakes.

Questions?  Comments?  Concerns?  OK, here we go.