New Poster

If you haven't seen it yet, head down to the ICA on the wharf in Boston and check out the Shepard Fairey exhibit. I saw it in the spring and it was pretty cool. He uses a ton of different media and there is something for everyone, even with varying levels of ability to appreciate art. I have a new icon for my blog. Check it out.

Tatsoi Salad and Kale for Breakfast

Good morning...

I have been eating very simple vegetable dishes lately, so I've had nothing to share. But today I have two ideas worth sharing. The first is a Tatsoi salad that I assembled for a dinner Friday night. It is taken from a New York Times link.

Tatsoi and Roasted Corn Salad with Sauteed Peaches

2 peaches
Couple handfuls of frozen corn
1 bunch of Tatsoi
juice from one lemon
Kosher salt

Sautee the peaches in canola oil until they of soft and a thick sauce has formed. Also cook the frozen corn. Let both cool,

Wash and chop the tatsoi.

Toss the peaches, tatsoi, and corn in a bowl and add the salt and lemon juice to taste.

It was pretty good I think...


The next idea is something I had for breakfast while traveling for work last year in Spokane, Washington.

Poached Eggs on Kale

Eggs
Kale
Toast

It's as easy as it sounds. Make toast. Saute Kale. Poach eggs. Top with salt and pepper and enjoy. I'd keep the yolks runny to add some moisture to the kale and toast.

Have a good weekend - what's left of it anyway.

Photos...

We were able to take some photos last night. Notice a begging doggie in the background of the strawberry photo.

She loves strawberries. We grow them in the garden as well and she eats them before they become ripe. In three seasons we have never eaten a ripe strawberry from our patch.



This is a pretty small sampling of what I'll need to cook this week. It is going to be challenging to find a vehicle for the tatsoi.

When I find something tasty I'll put the recipe/link up.

I still have some bacon left, which is good news for me. I love crisping bacon and wilting the greens in the same pan. That's a terrific way to eat kale and spinach.

Distribution and recipe

If I had a camera I would have taken a photo of today's bounty. But I don't - so I'll use words to describe it instead. So far - the CSA at Green Meadows Farm has been amazing. We get fresh looking and great tasting fruit, vegetables, and herbs week after week. The staff is extraordinarily helpful and friendly; and they care so much about each customer and want to make sure we are all satisfied by the produce they provide. It is a stark comparison to what we may experience at some of the standard supermarkets.

I first went out to the PYO fields in corduroys and flip-flops. Not the best idea. You see it was raining, and we kinda haven't seen the sun for a couple weeks, and I was walking around crops in mud. I was able to pick two quarts of strawberries - which was harder than you think. There were so many moldy strawberries. I feel bad that the weather can affect yields like this.

I then trudged over to the snap pea section for two quarts of snap peas (easy to pick). Then over to the snow peas section (still young and much harder to find) to pick one quart. I was soaked and filthy by the time I was done. Had I gone after work, dressed all business casual like, I would have not been very happy. But seeing as how I really don't have anything else to do, getting dirty is really no big deal.

So here's a quick synopsis of the CSA distibution from the farm stand:

• a bunch of radishes
• hakurei turnips
• garlic scapes
• 2 huge heads of lettuce (see photo in the last post)
• arugula
• kale
• spinach
• Pac Choi
• Tatsoi

We definitely have our work cut out for us this week. But I have already made a small dent. I cooked A Pac Choi sir-fry for lunch with a recipe that I half made up from a few things on the above list. I did find something on the web that I used for inspiration, but the final list of ingredients and the process I just winged (wung) it.

Here is the recipe...



Pac Choi, Snow Pea, and Chicken Stir Fry

1 garlic scape
1/2 chicken breast
5 Pac Choi leaves
2 handfuls of snow peas
sesame oil
sesame seeds
soy sauce

Because this is a stir fry it cooks pretty quickly so you'll want to prep all your ingredients before starting to cook.

Chop the garlic scape. Slice the chicken into bite size pieces. Separate the stems from the leaves on the pac choi and slice at a diagonal angle.

Pour some sesame oil around the pan and turn the burner to medium high. When the oil is hot, toss in the chicken and garlic scapes with some kosher salt and cracked pepper. Cook for about 5-10 minutes until you are comfortable that the chicken is cooked. It'll really depend on the size chicken slices you made.

When the chicken is just about ready, toss in the pac choi stems, they take longer to become tender than it will take for the leaves to wilt. After a few minutes, add a couple splashes of soy sauce, a few shakes of sesame seeds, the pac choi leaves, and the snow peas. Cook until the leaves wilt, which is about a minute or two.

That's it - pretty simple - and really tasty. Maybe add a squeeze or two of fresh lime juice when you serve it.

Newburyport Farmers' Market

Weather didn't keep us away from the farmers' market. We bought a heavy apple pie from Cape Ann Pies - which by-the-way - the slogan is absolutely correct. The pies are "simply stellar." We also bought a quart of strawberries from Applecrest Farms. Those are the best this season.


I wonder what our farm has in store for us this week...We have just a bit of lettuce left. Check out the size of what we got last week.

It's two feet tall (at least). Fine one foot. Whatever. It is huge.

Check out the bling on this girl's finger too. Jaja. She's taken.

Here is a video of Sophie playing with a toy. Watch your fingers.

Easy Recipe for Cilantro Rice

You have some cilantro but it doesn't seem to go well with your other greens and salad fixin's? Just make some cilantro rice.

Cilantro Rice

1 cup white rice
2 cups + a little more of stock
pat of butter
pinch of salt
a couple handfuls of chopped cilantro

Throw everything in your favorite pot you use to cook rice. Turn the burner on high and wait for it to boil. Give it a stir and cover. Turn to med/med low and cook for 15 minutes. Turn off burner, move off of the heat, and stir a couple times. Then let rest for five minutes.

FIRST post

Hey...so...I've got some time on my hands and am going to start a blog. It'll be about being unemployed, having a farm share, cooking, sharing recipes...maybe I'll throw in some wedding planning and a dash of food centric doggie.

How does that sound? Hopefully I keep it interesting, get some followers, maybe end up networking with the right person and get a JOB.

So bookmark me. I'll make it funny - I promise.

A.