CSA week ???????

CSA food basket number five....or is it 6? I lost count.

Once I saw the sunflowers and the spring onions I was done! It didn't really matter what else was in the basket. I mean how gorgeous is this? It's a shame to take it apart. I just want to leave it all assembled like this and stare at it everyday. It brings a smile to my face.


We got more red peppers so I made sausage and peppers by sauteing them with some organic turkey and chicken sausage. Easy, quick and satisfying.

More basil. I have made more pesto in the last two months than I have in the past two years but gotta use it up and now that I know the citric acid secret and know I can freeze it there is no reason not to. Of course I made pasta one night with the pesto and, as always, a salad. I shaved some slices on Parmesan on the pesto pasta for a little added zing.

I used the spring onion tops to make some massive baked potatoes for dinner. Loaded them up with sour cream, the green onion tops, crumbled apple wood smoked bacon and lots of salt and pepper. It turned in to a meal.

Did I tell you about the cucumber soup? It was horrible. I've had cold cucumber soup before and I liked it but this was not good. The recipe I selected was just not right. My husband refused to eat it and I was not thrilled either so I dumped it. Another one hits the dust.

More summer squash called for a quiche. I used a frozen pit crust (shame on me! I have not done that in years!) Cut up the squash into bite sized pieces and saute in some olive oil with salt, pepper and garlic. Beat about 6 eggs with some cream or milk. Cook some apple wood smoked bacon. Chop the spring onions and shred some cheese. I had no recipe. I just layered it all in the pie crust and baked it for about 45 minutes and it came out perfect. Served it with a side green salad made with a pomegranate vinaigrette, with the lettuce from the CSA of course.

One item we got was a kohlrabi. I had never used one and had no clue what it was until I researched it. Then I had to figure out what to do with it and decided to add it to a stir fry. It's similar to the root vegetable that tastes slightly like broccoli but is very mild like a jicama. It was good.

The carrots were beautiful. Small little perfect specimens with dirt still on them. They were so cute. I was excited about making them for dinner one night but did not have enough and so mixed in a few carrots I bought at the supermarket. I cooked them all together in exactly the same way only to discover the flavor difference was unmistakable. I am sad to report that the supermarket carrots were so much better.

All the fruit has been wonderful. Peaches, nectarines, apples, grapes and plums. Really good. Oh yeah and melon too. My fav.

At this point I am more than half way through my CSA subscription. I think I only have a couple more. I have learned some things about myself along the way. One is that I support everything the CSA stands for. I am happy this has been a successful endeavor for South Coast Farms. They have a large following and when I go there on Wednesday to pick up my basket the place is busy with people excited to see what's in them that week. It seems there are lots of other folks who love this as much or more than I do. BUT, and this is a big but. I have missed having the options of what to purchase. I went to the farmers this week for the first time in months and I was in heaven. All that variety, and the beautiful tables filled with seasonal produce and I could pick and choose what I wanted. Wow I have missed that.

That being said I probably will not renew my subscription. I look forward to Saturday mornings at the farmers market. The act of walking around seeing all the foods offered, not just produce. The cheeses, eggs, coffee, baked goods. The quality of these products is high and the cost is well worth the taste and enjoyment that comes from these artisans and their products. One woman I visited makes her own goat cheese. I was given a taste of one with lavender and lemon. It was wonderful.

I am still a huge supporter of the CSA's and what they bring to the community. Perhaps if I did not cook as much or if I was so busy I did not have the time to pick and choose what I wanted it would be different. I see lots of working Moms at the CSA that don't have alot of time and so what they get in the food basket is exactly what their family will eat that week and they are thrilled to have it. I get it. But that is not my situation. Or maybe I am just too spoiled and don't want to give up the options presented here in Southern California.

So the end of my CSA experience in upon me, for now. It was great and I am thankful for having it.

The Simple Pleasures

I am a happy girl today. It is true that some of the simple pleasures in life can bring so much joy.



I am a frequent visitor of my local library. It's big, it's beautiful, and it's full of wonderful books. It's an adult candy store. I could spend hours in there, and sometimes do. It is specifically full of books about food. Cookbooks, books written about the food of other countries, books written by people who raise and grow their own food, food writer opinions, big picture books, historical stories. You can read a book that will teach you something or you can look at the pictures. You can try the recipes or simply enjoy the stories. You can hold the book in your hands, feel the paper, smell the musk. You won't get that on a Kindle.



When I go to the library I usually stand in the cooking aisle and look at each shelf, scanning the books to see what is new or what I have missed. I always find something. I have found books this way that I would never have known existed and would have never read. Some of the best and most enjoyable have been the books I just happened upon using this method. I also have a journal where I write down books I want to check out of the library. When I read a review or reference to something that I think I might enjoy I jot it down in my book journal and take it with me to the library.



Today was one of my library days. I checked out four new books, brought them home and laid them out on the coffee table, made myself some lunch and sat down to peruse and enjoy. I get a funny little excited feeling like I have a secret. It makes me so happy. It might seem like such a small thing but then if this small thing makes me so happy then I think it should be done, and often. To do things for oneself that bring contentment and joy is something we should all practice.



Today I got:

• Mozzarella. The pictures alone are just incredible but along with that there are recipes from some leading chefs that I plan to try. Oh boy!



• An Omelette and a Glass of Wine by Elizabeth David. Elizabeth David was a food writer who reached acclaim the 1950's in Britain. This book was first published in American in 1985. James Beard described her as a purist and perfectionist and intolerant of mediocrity.



• Is there a Nutmeg in the House, again by Elizabeth David. Insisting on authentic recipes and fresh ingredients she taught that food need not be complicated to be delicious.



• A Flummery of Food, Feasts for Epicures. A funny little book of stories collected over the years about never to be forgotten meals, moderation and overindulgence, fine wines, romantic places, grand banquets, proper and improper behavior of hosts and guests, and food for fantasy. Sounds intriguing.

I can't wait to start them all. I only have three weeks so I've got to get busy. Tonight I will continue the enjoyment by reading in bed, possibly with a nice glass of wine. After all, practice makes perfect!

Roasted Red Pepper Crostini

Roasted red pepper crostini.


A nice evening, an appetizer and wine on the patio, ahhhhhhh. Can you feel the gentle breeze in that picture?


The red peppers can be done fresh or a day or two ahead if you are entertaining. In fact, I suggest making them a little ahead of time so that the flavors are fully incorporated. You could make them in the morning for an evening meal.

You will need:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 red bell peppers
4 anchovy fillets
1 clove garlic minced
salt and pepper
4 slices bread


You will need to determine how much you want to serve and them decide how many peppers you are cooking. For 4 crostini I cook 2 peppers, using 1/2 a pepper for each, and this would serve two. If you are serving four use 4 peppers making 8 crostini, again 2 pieces per person. Simply double the recipe.


Start with the red pepper topping. I prefer to grill the peppers until good and charred. I think the grill gives them more flavor. If you prefer you can put them on the grate of your gas stove and simply turn them until they are charred well. Allow them to sit for a few minutes to cool so you can handle them. Peel off as much of the skin as possible but don't get too picky about it. I don't mind it in the finished product. Then slice them and set aside. Heat a saute pan with a couple tablespoons of olive oil and add the anchovy. Allow to cook slowly until the anchovy melts into the oil. Add the peppers and cook a couple minutes, then add the garlic and cook for one minute more. Turn off heat. Allow them to sit until ready to use. They should be a room temp to eat but if making ahead you can refrigerate and then bring them back to room temp for serving. I have made large batches of these for parties and for several servings over the course of a week and it works very well.

Now when it come to the bread I always use a good quality artisan bread. It makes a difference. I don't use white bread because I want it to have some nutritional value and because I like the mouth feel of a hearty bread. I buy multi grain. Slice the bread, baste it with olive oil, then toast it. You can do this in the oven or on the grill. Once off the heat immediately take a garlic clove and brush the bread which causes the garlic to kind of melt onto the bread. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and top with red pepper.

Now go out to your patio and sit down in the cool breeze and enjoy!

Lemoncello and Sorbet

Lemoncello. Ever had it?

It's that delicious Italian liquor from Southern Italy.

We keep it in the freezer because it is nice to sip however our favorite is a Lemoncello Martini. I have also used it in a cake recipe.







You can make lemoncello at home. It is simply lemon peel, vodka and sugar. That's it. Meyer lemons must be used so when they are in season I make a batch of lemoncello that lasts all year. I also make it for gifts. Fill a nice looking bottle and wrap some ribbon or raffia around the neck with a label and present it as a hostess gift. You can also put the lemoncello martini recipe of the label and the recipient is ready to go.

Having a bottle of lemoncello around the house over the last couple of years I decided I needed to find some new recipes. You know, don't want to get into a lemoncello rut or anything. I decided a sorbet might be nice. Escpecially for the summer months. It's light, refreshing, especially as a palate cleanser between courses for a dinner party. Of course I can just eat it for dessert alone with nothing else but I thought it might be somewhat impressive for guests.





To make lemoncello you need:

2 pounds lemons

35 ounces vodka

2 pounds sugar

35 ounces water







Peel all the skins off the lemons. Only the yellow part should be used.





I use Belvedere vodka for my lemoncello and so I saved an empty bottle to use exclusively for this purpose. Measure out 35 ounces of vodka and pour it into the bottle then stick the lemon peels into the bottle making sure they are submerged as well as possible. (I use a chop stick for this)Allow to sit in a cool place for 4 days. The vodka becomes infused with the lemon. After 4 days remove the lemon and strain the liquid to remove any bits.


Make a simple syrup by putting the water and sugar into a saucepan and heat over low heat until the sugar just dissolves. Allow to cool. Once cool put the alcohol and simple syrup back into the bottle and chill. You now have lemoncello.



I have experimented with the amount of sugar used. Some people think this is a little too sweet so you can use less sugar. Make the simple syrup and add only enough to your taste. I felt that by reducing the simple syrup it was not as good when used for martini's so I went back to the full amount.


If you want to make lemoncello sorbet you will need:

2 cups water
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/2 cup lemoncello
1 cup fresh meyer lemon juice

In a saucepan heat the water, sugar, and lemoncello stirring until dissolved. Remove and allow to cool. Add lemon juice. Chill. Put mixture into an ice cream freezer and freeze according to manufacturer directions. At this point you can hold it in the ice cream maker or put into a container and put in the freezer until ready to use.


Serving suggestions: garnish with mint leaves or lemon slice or fresh blackberries. Use a martini glass or some other pretty stemmed glass. It makes a pretty presentation.

CSA Food Basket - week two

Yikes more produce!

I picked up my CSA food basket yesterday and that means more good healthy food. I immediately set about cleaning the stuff and getting it put away. In the process I realized I still had a few things left from the last basket, and that was two weeks ago. Shame on me! We have eaten lots of vegies in the last two weeks so we don't feel like we are slackin' but seriously, using some of this stuff is like what the????

For instance I still had a bunch of celery and with yesterday's delivery I got another bunch. What does a person do with that much celery? I used one stalk in some tuna salad. Now what? I got on google for celery recipes and it was astonishing what came up. Tons of recipes and they all sounded disgusting, in addition to the fact that they used like one celery stalk. Hello. That is not much help. So here is what I am thinking. Cream of celery soup. That should use up a far amount don't you think?

Well yes and no. I made a puree of celery soup because I was trying not to use cream. The recipe used an entire bunch of celery, which was good, but the dish left something to be desired so we had one bowl and threw the rest of it out.

I made halibut wrapped in parchment and I added several stalks of celery to it thinking we would use up several stalks that way. Unfortunately the celery did not cook all the way through and it was a little too hard for me. I didn't want to cook it any longer because then the fish would have been overcooked. Other than the celery the dish was good.

These beautiful yellow starburst squash were put on the grill which is still our favorite way to cook vegetables during the summer. A little olive oil and salt and pepper. Simple.

Here is the list of what we received in the CSA food basket for week two: green beans, broccoli, lacto kale, 1 bunch basil, 1 bunch parsley, 6 heads lettuce, 1 bunch pink radishes, 4 cucumbers, 2 lemon cucumbers, 6 red bell peppers, 1 bunch celery, 6 potatoes, 1 onion, 1 grapefruit, 4 oranges, 4 plums, 2 nectarines, 1 melon and 14 small tomatoes. Quite a lot of stuff if you ask me.

I was surprised to get potatoes and so decided to make something special with them. After looking at lots of recipes I ended up making twice stuffed potatoes with bacon and cheese. So much for the healthy streak I was on. Guess I could have used that cream in the celery soup uh?

Now I hate to get on the cucumber issue again but, as I stated last week, my husband dislikes them and now I have four more I have to use. This is a major challenge. Maybe more of a challenge then I really want. If I am going to be rich in vegies couldn't it was least be something we like so we could just get sick of eating it? However, when you don't even like them it is hard to figure out how to use them. Oh well. Would my neighbors think it strange if I shared my cucumbers with them? I take them cookies and baked goods all the time, why not a nice cucumber salad?