Tin Roof Ice Cream Sandwiches

It has been really hot here lately, so yesterday I kept thinking of how good ice cream sounded.  I wanted the peanut-chocolate treats that they have at Dairy Queen, but I also wanted an ice cream sandwich.  I decided to try ice cream sandwiches that were based on chocolate and peanuts.  The cookies themselves have a good peanut flavor, which gos well with the layers of chocolate fudge sauce.  (A note on making the sandwiches: working with the cookies is a lot easier with an ice cream sandwich maker.  The cookies are pretty sturdy here, but they can still break while making the sandwiches.  I used a sandwich maker that is a lot like this: Kitchen Art Ice Cream Sandwich Maker Set.)


Makes 14 sandwiches

3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup whole salted spanish peanuts
1 quart vanilla ice cream
1 cup hot fudge sauce

1. Combine butter, peanut butter, sugar, and brown sugar together in a mixing bowl.  Beat until fluffy.  Add baking powder, baking soda, eggs and vanilla.  Beat until incorporated, scraping bowl as needed.  Beat in oatmeal and flour until a somewhat sticky dough is formed.  Add peanuts and stir to combine.
2. Prepare baking sheets by greasing them or lining them with parchment paper.  Spoon dough onto baking sheets 2 inches apart (my cookies were about 2-3 tablespoons of dough each).  Bake cookies for 12 minutes or until edges and tops are golden brown.  Remove to cooling rack and cool completely.  You should have about 28 cookies.
3. Pair cookies together, matching cookies for size.
4. Once cookies are cool, allow ice cream to sit at room temperature for 2-5 minutes or until softened.
5. Pull a 6-inch piece of plastic wrap off roll.  Line ice cream sandwich maker with plastic wrap or place plastic wrap flat on counter. 
6. Spoon a teaspoon of hot fudge sauce onto the backs of each cookie in the pair.  Place cookie, fudge side up, in sandwich maker or on counter.  Scoop about 1/3-1/2 cup ice cream on top of hot fudge sauce on cookie.  Top with other cookie, fudge side down.  Gently press top cookie downward to sandwich.  Bring plastic wrap up around sandwich and place sandwich in a larger air-tight container.
7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 until all sandwiches are made.
8. Once all sandwiches are made, store them in the larger air-tight container in a freezer.  They are better if you store them for 12 hours before eating and if eaten within 10 days of sandwiches being made.

Ziti with Roasted Tomatoes

I wanted to try some use for tomatoes other than the traditional sauce, especially since the traditional sauce takes more time than I typically have on a weeknight.  I had read a blurb about roasting tomatoes in a cooking magazine a while ago and decided to give it a try.  Adding other vegetables produced a pretty tasty sauce in about 20 minutes, which is much more my weeknight speed.

Serves 4

1 lb grape or cherry tomatoes, cleaned with stems removed
3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 small onion, quartered
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (1 tablespoon fresh minced thyme)
1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups ziti, uncooked
15-20 leaves swiss chard, stems removed and chopped (about 3 cups chopped)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1. Combine tomatoes, garlic, and onion in gallon-sized baggie.  Add salt, pepper, thyme, and olive oil.  Seal baggie and shake to coat vegetables in oil.  Place vegetables on a lipped baking sheet.  Bake vegetables at 450 degrees for 15 minutes or until tomatoes are popped and browned.
2. While tomatoes are baking, cook pasta according to package directions.  When there is 5 minutes remaining on the cooking time, stir swiss chard into boiling pasta water.  Drain completely when pasta and swiss chard are done.  Set aside.
3. After tomatoes are removed from oven and still very hot, use a wooden spoon to burst tomatoes.  Push on garlic cloves until they pop out of peels; discard peels.  Using wooden spoon, mash garlic cloves and onions into tomatoes.  This mashing should create a thick sauce on the baking sheet.
4. Return pasta and swiss chard to pot.  Stir tomato sauce into pasta, coating pasta and evenly distributing sauce.  Stir Parmesan cheese into pasta and sauce.  Serve hot.

Butter Horns

When I was younger, it seemed like my grandmother always had these rolls around for visits.  They were tasty rolls that were lightly sweet, lightly frosted, and lightly cinnamon-sugary.  Once my mother and I found the recipe--which mostly consisted of a list of ingredients and a couple of instructing words--I decided to try them for myself.  I adapted it for my KitchenAid mixer, which was about the only change I made other than adding instructions.  (A note on the rolling process here: I have a tile countertop, so I use a rolling mat to make these rolls.  My mat has circles to indicate diameter and grids that help me cut straight wedges.  A mat like mine can be found here: Conimar Kitchen 18 by 24-Inch Helper Pastry Mat, Non-Slip.)

Makes 32 rolls

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk, warm
2 packages active dry yeast
4-4 1/2 cups flour

1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2-3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/8 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon milk

1. In small heatproof bowl or two-cup measuring cup, melt 1/2 cup butter and shortening.  Microwaving for one minute on high will accomplish this.  Stir sugar into butter mixture and set aside to cool.  At this point, mixture will be separated.
2. In KitchenAid mixer bowl, whisk eggs and salt together.  Continue whisking until frothy.  Set aside.
3. Combine 1 cup warm milk and yeast in small bowl.  Stir with spoon until yeast dissolves.  Set aside.
4. Whisk butter mixture into egg mixture in mixer bowl.  Stir quickly until combined.  Whisk in milk-yeast mixture into eggs in mixer bowl as well.  Stir until smooth.  One cup at a time, stir 3 cups flour into mixture.  Each cup should be incorporated before adding the next cup.  Place mixer bowl on mixer that has the dough hook affixed.
5. Add 1/2 cup flour to the mixer bowl and process with dough hook until flour is absorbed.  Working in a little at a time, add as much of remaining cup of flour as necessary.  The dough has sufficient flour when it pulls away from bowl and climbs the dough hook.  Remove bowl from mixer, cover with plastic wrap, and place bowl in refrigerator.  The dough should be chilled at least overnight, though it can be chilled for up to 24 hours.
6. Mix together 1/4 cup sugar and teaspoon cinnamon in small bowl or custard cup.  Set aside.
7. Divide dough into four equal portions.  With a rolling pin, roll each dough portion into a circle that is 8 inches in diameter.  Spread 1 tablespoon of the room-temperature butter over the circle, then sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the sugar-cinnamon mixture evenly over the butter.
8. Cut circle into 8 equal wedges with a knife or pizza cutter.  Working from widest edge inward to point, roll up wedges like crescent rolls.  Place shaped rolls on greased baking sheet, spacing rolls about 2 inches apart.
9. Place rolls in warm humid place to rise for 30-45 minutes or until puffy.  Bake rolls in 375 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden. Immediately prepare frosting.
10. Mix powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk together in measuring cup.  Stir until smooth.  Use more powdered sugar for thicker frosting, less for thinner.  Using the spout of the measuring cup, drizzle frosting over hot rolls.  Spread frosting evenly over rolls, creating a thin layer on the top of each roll.  Serve warm or cool.  Rolls can be stored in an air-tight container for up to three days.

Green Beans with Bacon

I was looking for a new way to make green beans; some way that would make them taste like more than just green beans.  Not that I dislike green beans, but it's prime season for them where I live now and I have had them just steamed a lot of late.  The combination of flavors here worked out well.

Serves 2-3

2 slices bacon, cut into small pieces
1/2 lb green beans
2 tablespoons water
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

1. Clean green beans, remove stems, and break into bite-sized pieces.
2. In skillet with lid, brown bacon pieces over medium high heat.  Stir bacon to ensure that they brown evenly.  Remove bacon pieces from skillet and dump off excess grease.
3. Add green beans to skillet with bacon leavings.  Cook and stir green beans in skillet over medium high heat until bright, about 1 minute.  Reduce heat to low, pour water into skillet, and cover skillet with lid.  Let beans simmer for 5 minutes or until no longer crunchy.
4. Season green beans with salt and pepper to taste.  Remove from skillet to a serving bowl.  Top with cooked bacon pieces and stir before serving.

Cornmeal Biscuits

One of the first foods I remember learning how to bake is biscuits.  I remember helping my grandmother make them all the time, though have no idea how old I was at the time.  Probably really young.  I added cornmeal to my recipe a while ago, mostly to add interest to the texture.  I like the way it makes the biscuits raise and the color it gives them, as well as the texture.

Makes 12 biscuits

2 cups flour, plus more for kneading and rolling
1/2 cup cornmeal (I use yellow)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
3 tablespoons cold butter, cut in pieces
3/4-1 cup buttermilk

1. In mixing bowl combine flour, cornmeal, salt, and baking powder.  Stir with a fork to combine.  Scatter butter pieces over flour mixture in bowl.  With pastry blender or fingers, cut butter into flour mixture until mixture resembles course crumbs.
2. Note that, at this point, the biscuit "dough" can be placed in the refrigerator until ready to use.  To do this, place bowl in refrigerator.  Remove bowl to counter and stir before adding the buttermilk.
3. Push flour butter-mixture up onto the sides of your bowl with the fork, making a well in the center of the bowl.  Beginning with 1/2 cup buttermilk, add to the well in the center of your bowl.  Stir until buttermilk is absorbed.  Add more buttermilk as needed to make all the flour mixture create a soft dough.
4. Turn dough onto a floured surface.  Knead a few times with your hands until dough is no longer sticky, being careful not to overhandle the dough.  Pat dough out until it is between 1/2 and 3/4 inch thick.  Cut dough with a metal biscuit cutter for the cleanest cut (though I have used the top of a glass successfully, it just depends on what you have in your kitchen).
5. Place cut biscuits on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Ideally, biscuits bake in a 400 degree oven for 10-20 minutes or until the tops are brown and they are puffed.  However, I have been known to bake them at whatever temperature the rest of dinner cooks at, within reason (between 350 degrees and 425 degrees).  Lower temperatures will take longer than the time stated here.  Serve hot.  Can be stored in sealed container or bag for up to three days.

Pan-Fried Chicken

In my house growing up, fried chicken like this was about a twice-a-year occasion.  Somehow that holds true in my house now as well.  Even though it isn't hard to make, I somehow don't think to make it all that often.  To me, it is the perfect fried chicken.

Serves 4

4 lbs chicken pieces, skin-on and bone-in (I used breasts and drumsticks, but it's a matter of preference)
3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
3-4 tablespoons oil

1. In gallon plastic bag mix flour, salt, and pepper.  Shake to mix.
2. In large skillet or electric skillet with lid, heat oil.  You should only put in enough oil to thinly coat the bottom of the skillet.
3. Place a few pieces of chicken in flour bag and shake to coat.  Once they are coated evenly, place chicken pieces in hot oil.  Continue to shake chicken pieces in flour mixture and placing in hot oil until chicken pieces are all in skillet, each with good contact with the bottom of the skillet.  Do not flip chicken. 
4. Cook chicken on first side, uncovered, for 15 minutes.  Cover skillet and cook for 15 minutes more. Flip chicken pieces over, bringing browned side up to the top.  Cover skillet and cook for 15 minutes.  Uncover and cook for a final 15 minutes.  Remove chicken from skillet and place on platter lined with paper towels.  Serve hot.

Short-lived Chocolate Cake

This cake is so-called because I have not ever known it to last long.  It is just about the most perfect chocolate cake that you can ask to make; easy, not requiring a lot of dishes, fast, and absolutely delicious.  The cake itself is light with a good chocolate flavor.  The frosting is sweet and has about the texture and taste of fudge.  The recipe doesn't include how long it can be stored because, frankly, I have never had it last more than about 30 hours.

Makes 12-20 slices, depending on size

Cake:
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup room-temperature coffee
2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup boiling water

1. Grease and flour (or spray with a cooking spray made for baking) a 9x13-inch pan.
2. In mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until combined.  Add eggs and beat well.  Beat in coffee until incorporated.  At this point, mixture will appear very curdled.  Beat in flour, cocoa, baking soda, and baking powder.  Mix until incorporated, at which point it will look like thick cake batter,  Mix in boiling water, which will thin batter.
3. Pour batter into prepared pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until cake tests done.
4. Remove cake to cooling rack.  Allow it to cool until it is no longer hot to the touch, though it can still be slightly warm, before frosting.

Frosting:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
2 cups powdered sugar

1. In small saucepan place butter, cocoa, brown sugar, and milk over medium high heat.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and boil for one minute.  Remove saucepan from heat.
2. Stir in powdered sugar until no lumps remain.  Working very quickly, as frosting hardens as it cools, pour frosting onto cake and smooth it.
3. Allow frosting to cool completely before cutting cake into pieces.  Cover cake and keep at room temperature to store.  Frosting will soften somewhat as it is stored.

Week 8 Box

A massive storm hit here last Saturday, which caused some tree damage in my neighborhood and apparently caused a fair amount of damage to the crops at the CSA farm.  No greens this week, but the farm people seem optimistic they will spring back.  It has, overall, been exceptionally wet here this summer.  I hear this has been hard on potatoes and onions, which have so far been appearing in my box but not in great numbers.  It's still enough to work with, though.

• Onions
• Green beans
• Cucumbers
• Yellow squash (a very particular kind called Sunburst scallopini, though it cooks like regular)
• Garlic
• Beets
• Potatoes

Marinara

I had a lot of herbs left over, even after making pesto, so marinara was put on the menu for this week.  Whenever I have made marinara in the past--and it's been a while--I made it on a weekend and simmered it for hours to reach the right consistency.  On a weeknight, I don't really have hours and hours.  By putting it in the slowcooker, it simmered all day.  I saved myself even more time by chopping the herbs, garlic, and onion and browning hamburger the night before.  However you make it, it's very satisfying.

Serves 6-8

3/4 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/2 cup basil leaves
1/2 cup oregano leaves
7 cloves garlic
1 small onion
1 lb hamburger, browned (optional, but I used)
2 28-oz cans diced tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
1 1/2 cups water
2 teaspoons garlic salt
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

1. Finely chop parsley, basil, and oregano leaves.  I used my food chopper to do this.  Place herbs in large stockpot or crockpot. 
2. Mince garlic and onions.  I used my chopper for this as well.  Place with onions and garlic in pot or crockpot with herbs.  Mix in hamburger, if using.  Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, water, and garlic salt.
3. If using stockpot, place on medium high heat until it reaches a simmer and reduce heat to low to simmer for at least 2 hours.  For a crockpot, place sauce on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-6 hours.  Serve marinara with spaghetti, ravioli, or your choice of pasta.  If you have leftover sauce, it can be frozen for later use.

Almond Butter Cookies with Bittersweet Chips

A friend of mine mentioned a while back that she had had cookies somewhere made with almond butter.  Intrigued, I decided to try to develop a recipe using the ingredient.  I had never bought almond butter before--all the nut spreads in our house are peanut-based--but I was willing to give it a shot.  I tried to find the thickest almond butter that I could, ending up with something called "spread ready."  I decided to pair it with bittersweet chocolate mostly because I like bittersweet chocolate and I especially like it with almonds.  The cookies don't really taste much like almonds, but they are really fantastic chocolate chip cookies. (For uniform cookies, it helps to use a cookie scoop.  The one I used for these cookies can be found here: Oxo Good Grips Medium Cookie Scoop.)

Makes about 29 cookies

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup almond butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli)

1. In mixing bowl or bowl of electric mixer, beat together butter, almond butter, and sugars.  Scrap sides of bowl.  Add vanilla and egg; beat until combined.  Add flour, baking powder, and baking soda to bowl.  Mix until all flour is incorporated.  Stir in chocolate chips.
2. Prepare cookie sheet by either greasing it or covering it with parchment paper. 
3. Scoop cookie dough onto prepared cookie sheets, about 2 inches apart.
3. Bake cookies in 375 degree oven for 8-10 minutes or until edges are brown.  Allow to cool for 2 minutes on cookie sheet before removing to a cooling rack or other cooling surface.  Cool before storing.

Beef and Broccoli Stir-fry

I bought a bulk package of beef this weekend and decided that stirfry sounded good again for dinner.  There weren't many vegetables that could be included in the CSA box this week, so the broccoli for this came from the store.  I tried a different way of making the sauce this time, which seemed to help the meat a lot.  (Two things that will make this recipe a lot easier are a good chef's knife and grater that can finely mince your garlic and ginger.  For the chef's knife, I like one that is a single piece of stainless steel and a very thin blade.  A knife similar to the one that I have can be found here: Chicago Cutlery Insignia Steel 8-Inch Chef's Knife.  A grater like the one used for this recipe is invaluable in any kitchen.  It can mince garlic and zest a lemon with speed and cleanliness, then be cleaned by the dishwasher; it can be found here: Microplane Fine Grater).

Serves 3-4

1 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon finely minced fresh ginger
1 lb sirloin tip steak
1/2 cup beef broth
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/4 teaspoon finely minced fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon oil
3/4 lb broccoli flourets, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 yellow zucchini, cut in half lengthwise and sliced
Rice, for serving (I use brown rice)

1. In the bottom of a medium bowl mix together soy sauce, tablespoon oil, tablespoon honey, 2 cloves garlic, and teaspoon ginger. Whisk together marinade until combined.  With a thin sharp knife, trim the steak.  Slice steak thinly against the grain and at an angle; the knife should slice at about a 45-degree angle to the cutting board.  Place cut steak pieces in marinade and stir.  The steak should sit in this marinade for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator.  During this time you can chop your vegetables and prepare your sauce.
2. In measuring cup combine beef broth, 1 clove garlic, 1/4 teaspoon ginger, and 1/2 teaspoon honey.  Set aside.
3. Remove marinaded beef from refrigerator.  Drain beef very well, discarding liquids. Toss marinaded beef with cornstarch.
4. Heat tablespoon oil in wok or large skillet.  Stir fry beef in hot oil until outside is browned.  Toss broccoli and zucchini into wok with beef.  Stir fry mixture until vegetables are bright but still very crisp.  Pour beef broth sauce over vegetables and beef in wok.  Cook and stir until sauce is thick, about 2 minutes.  Serve over rice.

Limeade

When it's hot outside, I like to have something non-carbonated to drink on hand. I like lemonade, but lemons were hard to come by in my town this week.  This limeade is just as refreshing as lemonade is, but something nicely different.   I consider it Southern, though I'm not certain how accurate that is; I think my logic is that citrus fruits grow in the South.  Made as written here, it will have a nice pucker to it.  If you like your limeade a little sweeter, you might want to add an extra tablespoon or so of sugar.  (A note on the heatproof pitcher used in this recipe: I love to use my Fiestaware pitcher for recipes like this.  It is can handle hot and cold liquids, looks nice on the table, pours well, and is dishwasher safe.  The color also looks great with my dishes, but they have quite the variety of colors. You can see it here:Fiesta 67-1/4-Ounce Large Disk Pitcher, Cobalt)

Makes 8 cups

2 1/2 cups water
1 1/4 cup sugar
11-12 limes
4 cups cold water

1. In medium heatproof bowl, combine 2 1/2 cups water and sugar.  Heat in microwave on high for 2 minutes, then remove and stir.  If sugar does not dissolve completely after about 30 seconds of stirring, microwave for another 15 seconds or until sugar is dissolved.  Pour into heatproof pitcher and let cool for 15-20 minutes.
2. While sugar water is cooling, juice limes.  Empty juicer into a measuring cup, juicing limes until you have 1 3/8 cups fresh juice.  Do not be concerned with any seeds that the juicer might unearth.
3. Pour lime juice into sugar water through a fine strainer.  The strainer will remove all the lime seeds and most of the pulp, which will make the flavor of the limeade more consistent.  Discard seeds and pulp in strainer. 
4. Stir lime juice into sugar water in pitcher.  Pour the 4 cups cold water into lime/sugar water mixture and stir well.
5. Refrigerate limeade for 2-4 hours or until cold.  Limeade can be store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Peach Cobbler

Peaches grow fairly close to here (though south of here, since peach trees die in our winters), so during peach season we can get some pretty good peaches.  I like to make peach baked goods, but they are usually met with a lukewarm reception in my house.  I decided to make peach cobbler anyway and actually, it seemed to be unanimously enjoyed. So even people who don't like peaches apparently will eat this cobbler.  If you have never peeled peaches, there is an easy way that I learned as a child.  Dropping the whole peaches into boiling water for 1 minute, then removing and cooling allows the peels to slide off easily.  It works best with peaches that are a little firm, which these were.

Serves 6

1 cup flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Dash ground cloves
5 peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced (about 4 cups)
Vanilla ice cream or Cool Whip, optional, for serving

1. In mixing bowl mix together flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, and cinnamon.  Cut in butter with a pastry blender or rub between fingers until mixture resembles course crumbs.  Set aside.
2. In measuring cup, combine buttermilk and egg.  Beat until combined.  Set aside.
3. In medium saucepan, combine 1/2 cup sugar and cornstarch.  Mix in water, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.  Place peaches in saucepan with sugar mixture and toss to coat.  Place saucepan over medium high heat.  Stir and cook until thickened and bubbly.  Pour peach mixture into greased 2 quart casserole and set aside.
4. Pour buttermilk egg mixture into flour mixture in mixing bowl.  Stir until combined.  Drop spoonfuls of batter over hot fruit filling in casserole.
5. Bake cobbler at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.  The cobbler is done when topping is browned, filling is bubbly, and a toothpick inserted into the center of the topping comes out clean.
6. Cobbler can be served warm or cold.  It is good alone, with Cool Whip, or with vanilla ice cream.  Cobbler can be stored in refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Creamy Coleslaw

This coleslaw is good on it's own, but it's especially good with the shredded pork loin recipe that is listed here.  The recipe makes a coleslaw that is creamy and a little bit sweet, which is a good pairing with the spicy bitter shredded pork.  I had coleslaw like this in North Carolina visiting my friend and this recipe is close to what I had.

Serves 8-10

16 oz bag coleslaw mix (I just used a purple cabbage from the CSA, shredded)
2 tablespoon minced onion
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash ground black pepper
1/2 cup mayo
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice

1. Mix cabbage, carrots, onion, and salt.  Pour into strainer and let sit for 1-2 hours.  Discard liquids.
2. Mix remaining ingredients in the bottom of a bowl.
3. Toss with drained cabbage, carrots, and onion.  Refrigerate at least one hour before serving.
4. Serve with Eastern Carolina Pork either as a main dish or as a sandwich.

Eastern Carolina Shredded Pork Loin

http://fanaticalbaker.blogspot.com/2010/07/creamy-coleslaw.htmlMy best friend from college moved to North Carolina a few years ago.  On my first visit out there, she took me to a restaurant where I was introduced to this fantastic shredded pork that was spicy, sour, sweet, and bitter at the same time.  It came with a cold creamy coleslaw that was just a little sweet, which balanced it all perfectly. After I got back, I was obsessed with learning how to make it.  After analyzing recipes as many recipes as I could find, I combined a lot of them into one and I think I hit the nail on the head.  The especially great part is that it's made in the crockpot, which to me makes it the perfect summer meal.

Serves 8-10

Sauce:
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 T brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1. Mix together sauce ingredients and let stand in refrigerator overnight or up to 2 days.  Sauce is runny.

Pork:
3 lb pork loin
3 cloves garlic, chopped
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

1. Place in crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
2. Shred meat and return to crockpot.  Add sauce to taste (I use the entire sauce recipe for this much meat) and cook one more hour.  You will notice that the vinegar scent of the meat will decrease as it cooks.  Serve with coleslaw alone or as sandwiches.

Week 7 Box

The root vegetables are starting to show up in my box now.  Weird thing is that a lot of the root vegetables, like beets, that were in this box showed up in June last week.  The box here might seem sort of herb-heavy, but that's because those actually came from my mom's garden.  The herbs will likely be featured in a number of recipes this week.  Pesto has already been made.

• Cabbage (purple)
• Kale
• Swiss chard
• Beets
• Onions
• Potatoes
• Zucchini
• Green beans
• Oregano
• Basil
• Italian flat-leaf parsley
• Rosemary

No-Bake Peanut Butter Cookies

When I was in college, they served these fantastic peanut butter cookies with cornflakes.  They were vegan and therefore very popular in my school.  Years later, I still thought about the cookies.  This week I decided to try making them myself.  I think these are pretty close to what I remember, meaning delicious.

Makes about 30 cookies

4 cups cornflakes, slightly crushed
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup creamy peanut butter
Dash salt
2 teaspoons vanilla

1. Measure cornflakes into a large heatproof bowl.  Set aside.
2. In a small saucepan, mix together brown sugar and corn syrup.  Place saucepan on medium heat and stir until mixture bubbles consistently.  Remove from heat.
3. Immediately stir peanut butter into sugar/syrup mixture.  Stir until peanut butter is melted and incorporated.  Stir in salt and vanilla.  Pour over cornflakes and stir to incorporate.
4. Working quickly, spoon mixture into mounds on waxed paper.  I used a scoop that is about 3 tablespoons.  Let cookies cool before eating.

Baked Pesto Pasta

My friend had a pesto pasta dish at a restaurant that she swore was almost the best pasta she had ever eaten.  Pesto, creamy sauce, chicken, and pancetta.  Pancetta isn't really my favorite thing and I find that it is very expensive in my area, but the rest I could do easily enough.

Makes 4-6 servings

3 cups penne
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic
3 oz spinach, chopped
6 oz cooked chicken, chopped
Dash salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 cup Pesto
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk (I used 2%)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Cook penne in salted water according to package directions, undercooking by a couple of minutes.  Drain pasta and pour into a greased 9x13 inch pan.
2. In a small skillet, saute garlic in olive oil.  Add spinach and saute until wilted.  Stir in dash salt and 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt. Remove from heat.
3. Mix sauteed garlic and spinach with pasta.  Add pesto and chicken; stir well.  Set aside.
4. Whisk flour with milk.  In a medium saucepan, heat sauce over medium heat while stirring constantly.  Cook sauce until bubbly and thick.  Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan cheese, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt.  Stir until cheese is melted.
4. Pour sauce over evenly over pasta; do NOT mix.  Top sauce with mozzarella cheese.
5. Bake pasta in a 350 degree oven for 30-45 minutes or until top is golden brown.  Serve hot.

Pesto

The first time my CSA delivered a produce bag full of basil, I was a little dumbfounded.  I looked up how to make pesto and developed a preferred recipe very quickly.  I'm pretty happy with this one, which mixes up very quickly in a food processor.  (A note about food processors: research led me to this food processor a number of years ago and I have never been sad to have it.  It runs well, holds an ideal amount, and can be cleaned in the dishwasher.  See it here KitchenAid KFP750OB 700-Watt 12-Cup Food Processor, Onyx Black)

Makes about 1 cup

1/2 cup pine nuts
3 cups basil
4 cloves garlic
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/8-1/4 cup olive oil
Salt, pepper, and garlic salt to taste

1. Toast pine nuts.  They can be toasted in the microwave (place in a single layer on a microwave-safe plate and microwave on high for 30-45 seconds or until fragrant), on the stovetop (browned in a dry skillet) or in the oven (350 degrees for 5-8 minutes).  Set aside to cool.
2. Remove basil leaves from stems and place in bowl of a food processor.  Add garlic and pine nuts.  Place cover over and pulse until well chopped, scraping down sides with a spatula as needed.  Add Parmesan cheese and pulse in a couple of short bursts.  Add enough olive oil through the feed tube to loosen up mixture.  Add the oil a little bit at a time so as not put in too much.  Season pesto to taste.
3. Using a spatula, scrap pesto into snack-sized baggies.  There should be about 1/2 cup pesto per bag.  Pesto can be frozen in these baggies or can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Crepe aves Ganache et Conserves

This dessert might not look like much, but it is really really rich.  I made it in honor of Bastille Day, which was today, and because I made crepes for dinner.  The chocolate is pretty strong, so it is good for the super-chocolate-tolerant among us.  The crepes recipe I used can be found in this book (Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home) but you can feel free to use your own favorite crepes recipe or prepackaged crepes.

Serves 6-8

6 crepes
10 oz bittersweet chocolate
1 cup Cool Whip
1/2 cup raspberry jam
Cool Whip, if desired, for serving

1. Melt bittersweet chocolate in microwave-safe bowl.  This will take about 90 seconds, but stir every 30 seconds to check melting progress.  Once fully melted, stir in cold Cool Whip.  Mix until smooth.
2. Place a crepe on a plate or serving platter.  Spread crepe with thin layer of chocolate, then thin layer of jam.  Top with another crepe.  Repeat layers until all crepes, chocolate, and jam are used.  Be sure to end with a crepe on top. Set aside and allow to rest at room temperature for at least one hour.
3. Cut into wedges to serve.  If desired, top wedge with Cool Whip to serve.

Crepes aves Garniture de Viande

The translation of that was courtesy of Google Translator, so let me know if it's wrong.  Somehow it Crepes with Meat Filling just sounded better in French.  Either way, it's Bastille Day so it seemed like a good night to learn how to make crepes.  For the crepes, I used the recipe I found from Julia Child (the book I used is here: Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home).  Feel free to use whatever recipe you like or buy the prepackaged.  This recipe makes two kinds of fillings to give you a little variety. 

Serves 4

12-15 crepes
4 oz package smoked salmon, shredded
6 oz cooked chicken breast, diced
1 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic
5 oz spinach, chopped
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk (I used 2%)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Salt, pepper, and garlic salt to taste

1. Place salmon in one bowl and chicken in another. Set aside
2. In small skillet, saute garlic and spinach until tender.  Divide between the two bowls of meats. Set aside.
3. Mix flour and milk together with a fork.  Pour into medium saucepan and place over medium heat.  Stirring constantly, cook milk and flour until it starts to boil.  Boil for 3-5 minute or until smooth and thick.  Stir in Parmesan cheese and whisk until melted.  Divide sauce evenly between meat bowls.  Stir each filling well and season as needed with salt, pepper, and garlic salt.
4. Heat crepes, if needed.  Place a spoonful of chicken or salmon filling in a line down the center of the crepe.  Fold each crepe side up over the filling.  Serve immediately.

Grill Zucchini

Vegetables cooked on the grill just taste better, to me.  This recipe doesn't call for the zucchini to be cooked directly on the grill, but rather indirectly so it basically steams.  The accompanying onions have a nice caramelized taste, though.  Notice that there are no grill heat settings on these instructions.  I have a charcoal grill and it is all that I have ever grilled with, so heat settings for this would be difficult.  Whatever your meat is cooking at should be fine.

Serves 2
Oil or nonstick cooking spray
1-2 thin slices onion
1 small zucchini or yellow squash, sliced 1/8 inch thick
1/2 tablespoon cold butter, cut into small pieces
Dash salt and ground black pepper

1. Place a rectangle of aluminum foil on a flat work surface.  Brush with oil or spray with nonstick cooking spray.  Arrange onion rings on foil.  Top onion with zucchini or squash.  Sprinkle zucchini with cold butter, then salt and pepper.  Bring up sides of foil and seal around zucchini.
2. Grill foil package over direct heat for about 5 minutes, then move to cooler part of the grill for another 2-3 minutes.  Remove foil package from grill to a heatproof surface.  Empty grill package onto serving platter, drizzling any juices over vegetables, and serve hot.

Grill Potatoes

I really like to grill. I wonder if part of this is that grilling in my house usually involves grill potatoes and grill vegetables.  They are easy, fast, tasty, and--best of all--produce no dishes to wash!  Note that these instructions are written with a charcoal grill in mind, since that's what I have, so there aren't indicators of heat.  Potatoes aren't real particular, so any heat that adequately cooks meat will work.

Serves 2-3

Oil or nonstick cooking spray
1/2 lb potatoes, cubed into small bite-sized pieces
1 1/2 tablespoon cold butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1. Place a large rectangle of aluminum foil on a flat surface.  Coat inside with brushed oil or nonstick cooking spray.  Scatter potatoes over foil, centering on rectangle.  Cut cold butter into small pieces and scatter over potatoes.  Sprinkle salt, pepper, and garlic salt over potatoes and butter.  Pull edges of foil rectangle up and overlap as much as possible.  If edges do not meet or do not overlap, add a second piece of foil to better seal package.
2. Grill foil package over direct heat for 15-20 minutes (the cooking time will depend on how brown you would like the potatoes to be; I tend to like mine brown so I cook them longer).  Remove from grill to heatproof serving plate.  Unwrap package and pour potatoes onto serving plate. Discard foil. Potatoes are best served hot.

Honeydew Salad

I suppose this couldn't really be considered a salad if it only has one kind of fruit.  But it is a salad for lack of a better term.  Other melons can be added to this, as well as firm berries like blueberries or raspberries, and it will still taste fantastic.  There really isn't a limit to the creativity; I just used honeydew because I found a good one on sale.  Whatever you use, the dressing will make it lightly sweet and very refreshing.  Perfect for summer.

Serves 4-6

Juice of 1/2 lime
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon torn mint leaves
1 honeydew melon, cut into bite-sized pieces

1. In a large bowl with a sealing lid, mix lime juice and brown sugar until sugar dissolves.  Stir in mint.  Toss juice mixture with honeydew pieces until evenly coated (the mint will be a good indicator of this).  Chill fruit for at least 3 hours or up to 4 days (if keeping longer than 2 days, drain off juices after 2 days to prevent sogginess).

Banana Pudding

I have never been a huge fan of pudding.  As a kid I really like making the boxes of instant pudding and watching it thicken as if by magic, but I didn't really like eating it and I still don't.  It never seemed as smooth or as flavorful as it should be.  The thought of making homemade pudding didn't really occur to me until about 2 years ago and since then it's the only pudding I eat.  Call me a snob.

Serves 4-6


60 Nilla wafers
3 ripe bananas, sliced thin
4 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 cups cold milk (I used 2%)
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons butter
Cool Whip or whipped cream, for serving

1. In an 8-inch square pan, line up Nilla wafers.  You could just dump them in and smooth, but I lined them up in rows and made two layers of wafers.  Top wafers with banana slices.  Set aside.
2. In small heatproof bowl, beat egg yolks until smooth.  Set aside
3. In small saucepan, mix sugar and cornstarch together with a whisk until evenly mixed.  Pour in cold milk and whisk until smooth.
4. Place saucepan on medium heat.  Stir constantly and cook until it bubbles.  Allow mixture to boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
5. Working very quickly, whip egg yolks while pouring about 1 cup of the hot milk into egg yolks.  Beat yolk/milk mixture until smooth and whip back into hot milk in saucepan.  Return to medium heat.
6. With saucepan on heat, stirring constantly, return mixture to a soft boil.  Once it boils, remove from heat.
7. Stir vanilla and butter into pudding until vanilla is incorporated and butter is melted.  Pour hot pudding over bananas and wafers in square pan.  Gently tap pan against counter (lift an inch off surface and gently drop) to bring any air bubbles to the surface.  Place a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the pudding to prevent skin from forming.
8. Place pan of pudding in the refrigerator on a level shelf or surface.  Allow to chill for at least 4 hours before serving.  Can be stored in refrigerator for no more than 2 days (wafers get too soggy).  Serve with Cool Whip or whipped cream.

Sausage Gravy

My mom used to make sausage gravy for breakfast some Saturdays.  Making it for dinner is still fantastic.  I might have changed the recipe a bit from Mom's--I threw in a lot of the herbs I still had in the refrigerator from the CSA--but the idea is still the same and it's still delicious.

Serves 4

10 oz package sausage
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
2 tablespoons fresh sage, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, minced
2 cups milk (I used 2%)
Salt, pepper, and garlic salt to taste.

1. In a large skillet, brown sausage over medium heat until done.  Try to chop the sausage into the smallest pieces possible.  Leave on heat.
2. Toss flour with sausage until evenly distributed.  Stir in herbs.  Pour about 1/2 cup milk into sausage and stir to loosen.  Add another 1/2 cup and stir again.  Add remaining milk and stir well.
3. Stirring constantly, continue to cook and stir over medium heat until gravy is bubbly and thick.  If thinner gravy is desired, add more milk.  For thicker gravy, mix another tablespoon of milk with 1/4 cup milk and add to gravy. 
4. Once desired consistency is reached, serve immediately (gravy will thicken if left standing).  Pairs well with biscuits (as shown below), grits, or potatoes.

Cheese Grits

I love grits.  They aren't real common where I live, but at least once a summer I like to make them for dinner.  The instant ones are OK, but I always think that homemade are better.  These don't have eggs and aren't baked, so they are more dense and--I think--have a better texture.

Serves 4

1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups milk (I used 2%)
1 cup grits (they might be labeled polenta)
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

1. In small saucepan, bring water and milk to a boil over medium heat.  Stir in grits and garlic salt.  Still over medium heat, cook and stir grits for 5 minutes or until thick.  Remove from heat.
2. Stir in cheese and mix to melt.  Serve immediately. 

Southern Sundays

During the summer, it has become a ritual in my house to make a Southern (or, at times, Southern-inspired) dinner on Sundays.  It happens to coincide with the season of TrueBlood on HBO.  I don't live in the South--not even close, really--but it gets plenty hot here in the summer and I call that good enough.  The tags will tell you which recipes came out of this weekly experimentation.

Week 6 Box

More summer vegetables are appearing now in the box, which I appreciate.  I was especially excited to see the herb of the week, since it's an easy one to use up quickly.

• Garlic
• Onions
• Kale
• Swiss Chard
• Potatoes
• Zucchini
• Cucumber
• Beets
• Basil

Pizza Pasta

I had a lot of odds and ends in the refrigerator, which means casserole night.  This one came out well and, bonus, took some of the CSA ingredients I had floating around.  Anything that involves a topper of browned cheese, I like. (A note about the pictured bakeware: I love this baking dish.  It is the perfect size for casseroles, it heats evenly, it cleans easily, and it is pretty.  I have it in blue, since it matches my dishes, and it can be found at this link Le Creuset Stoneware 11-1/2-Inch Oval Baking Dish, Cobalt Blue)

Serves 3-4

2 cups pasta (I used mini wheels)
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 green onions, sliced
1/2 tablespoon butter
1 small can sliced mushrooms, drained
1 14 oz can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons minced fresh oregano
1/2 cup cut up pepperoni (I used turkey pepperoni)
1 cup pizza cheese

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, removing from heat and draining a few minutes before pasta tests done.  Pour into greased casserole dish and set aside.
2. Saute garlic and green onion in butter until soft.  Toss with pasta in casserole dish.  Add mushrooms, tomato sauce, oregano, and pepperoni.  Stir well and smooth top.  Sprinkle cheese evenly over casserole.
3. Bake casserole in 350 degree oven until bubbly and brown.  Let set 5 minutes before serving.

Raspberry Coffee Cake

I really like cake.  Any excuse to eat cake at any time is good for me, so coffee cake is great.  This cake went to work and didn't last long, even in my small office.

Serves 16

1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons cold butter
-------
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 1/4 cup sour cream
2 1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups raspberries

1. Mix together 1/2 cup flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon in bowl.  Cut in cold butter with a pastry blender or your fingers.  Set aside in refrigerator.
2. Grease 9x13 inch pan.  Set aside.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. Beat butter and sugar until fluffy.  Beat in eggs and sour cream, scraping bowl as needed.  Sift 2 1/2 cup flour, soda, baking powder , and salt into batter.  Mix until combined.
4. Dollop half of batter into prepared pan.  Smooth until even.  Sprinkle berries evenly over batter.  Dollop remaining batter over berries.  Smooth to cover berries and to distribute evenly.  Remove strudel from refrigerator and sprinkle evenly over batter.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 45-50 minutes or until it test done.  Cool completely before cutting into squares to serve.

Strawberry Raspberry Jam

For most of my jams and jellies, I just use the recipes on the inside of the pectin box.  The last week of the berry season, I didn't have enough berries for a full batch of anything.  I did, however, have a coupon for strawberries.  This came out well, for being merely convenient.  A note on the crushing: after years of making jam, I always crush my berries with a pastry cutter.  It does a better job of breaking down berries than a potato masher but leaves better berry pieces than a food processor.

Makes 9 1-cup jars

2 1/2 cups crushed raspberries
2 1/2 cups crushed strawberries
6 3/4 cups sugar
1 box pectin

1. Measure sugar into a bowl.  Set aside.
2. Prepare jars and lids.  Jars should set in hot water until ready to use (I use my sink, plugged, for this).  Sealing lids need to be soaked in boiling water (I heat 1 cup water in microwave, drop in lids, and let sit in microwave) until ready to use.
3. Measure the fruit into a heavy large saucepan and stir in pectin.  Place saucepan over high heat and stir constantly until it reaches boiling.  The fruit and pectin need to boil continuously even when stirred.
4. Pour sugar into fruit.  Heat to boiling again and boil one minute.  Remove from heat.
5. Drain jars and lids.  Line hot jars up on a towel.  Working quickly, ladle hot jam into jars and top with lids.  Seal jars.

Black Raspberry Pie

I can't even count the number of pies that I have made in my life.  Because of the number of berries collected, I usually make a number of black raspberry pies in a summer.  It was the Fourth, so there are stars on this one. (A note about pie pans: for pies like this one, I like to use a glass baking dish.  Glass browns better than most aluminum pans, so the crust doesn't tend to get soggy, and it also means that it can go in the dishwasher.  Deep-dish means more fruit and the larger lip means it's easier to take in and out of the oven.  The one I have is here 9" Pyrex Pie Plate)

Serves 6-8

8 cups black raspberries
Zest and juice of one-half lemon
1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons to 1/4 cup flour
Crust for one double-crust pie

1. Toss raspberries with zest and juice of lemon.  Toss with sugar and flour.  Set aside.
2. Mix up and roll out crusts.  Fit bottom crust to deep-dish pie pan.  Roll out second crust and ensure some kind of ventilation.
3. Pour berry mixture into bottom crust.  Top with top crust and seal edges.  Sprinkle top crust with sugar.
4. Bake in 375 degree oven for 35-50 minutes.  Serve warm or cool.

Raspberries!!

My parents own some land that has trees, wild roses--which are a lot less pretty and a lot more irritating than they sound--and a lot of black raspberries.  The first discovery of them was before a lot of the space between the trees was cleared, when we were walking around the edge of the tilled fields.  My mom concluded that she hoped there would be enough raspberries for a pie.

Once we ventured deeper into the tree area, we started finding more and more berry bushes.  This was years ago--about 6 now, I think--and since then there hasn't been a year when we picked fewer than 10 gallons of berries.  My mom and I split them, usually, and the majority of mine turn into canned goods.  Those that don't get crushed into jam or juiced into jelly get baked into other things.  The recipes that can be--meaning those I made up--are included here.

Week 5 Box

There was a warning on our box this week that all veggies should be checked for green caterpillars.  Boy were they right.  Probably because of these critters, I sense that this will be the last week for lettuce.  I had to be particularly careful about making that into salad.

• Lettuce
• Greens (chard and kale now)
• Potatoes
• Garlic
• Onions
• Radishes
• Rosemary