2013 Christmas Recap

As promised, we've got a recap of our culinary adventures over this past Christmas.  Like most trips back to southern California, we hit up some of our favorite spots; El Burrito Jr., In-n-Out, and P.V. Palace Seafood for dim sum.  We also headed to Santa Monica to check out Josie.

In addition to all the meals we ate out, we also enjoyed some delicious home cooked meals, including some dishes we prepared during the cook off.  Justin and I faced off against my cousin, Lauren, and her husband, Gregor.  We were given 6 mystery ingredients and had to create an appetizer and a side dish.  We had access to everything in my aunt & uncle's pantry, and if we needed to go to the grocery store, we could only spend $25.

The mystery ingredients were sweet potatoes, mangoes, head-on prawns, bacon, kimchi, and turnips.  As soon as we saw kimchi and bacon, it took us a split second to decide on our kimchi brussels sprouts for our side dish.  Since turnips were a mystery ingredient, we just used those as the garnish in place of carrots.  That left us with mangoes, prawns and sweet potatoes.  We kept things light and went with a grilled prawn over mango salsa with a sweet potato chip.  Lauren and Gregor whipped up a delicious salad of apples, turnips, bacon, egg, and a mango kimchi  dressing to start.  For their side, they poached their shrimp in butter and lime with sweet potato shoestring fries.

It was a close competition, but we came out on top by 1 vote!  Both teams rose to the occasion and produced some delicious food. It was as close as possible, but we had a slight edge.  It was a huge hit with the whole family, and I think this will become an annual throwdown!

The day after Christmas, we gathered in Grandma's kitchen again to make joong ( 粽子) again.  It was a long day, but we ended up wrapping over 200 joong, and we now have a few bags in our freezer.  They're the perfect, cold-weather comfort food, full of delicious pork.

We also spent some time checking out the craft breweries around Torrance.  We ended up visiting Strand Brewing Co., Smog City Brewing Company, and Monkish Brewing Company.  All three offered delicious beers in a variety of styles.  Smog City was our overall favorite, and reminded us of some of the local breweries here in DC.

Overall, it was another wonderful trip to California.  Lots of food, lots of beer, and lots of family.  What more could you ask for over the holidays?

CSA Recap

I know we're a week early, but last week's share was to make up for the one we missed while on vacation.  Tomorrow we'll pick up our next share and get back on the 2 week rotation.  So, here's what we picked up...

And here's what we made...

• Balsamic Chicken with Prosciutto-Wrapped Asparagus
• asparagus
• Pecan-Crusted Salmon with Sorrel Sauce & Salad
• sorrel
• basil
• mixed greens
• celery tops
• golden delicious apple
• Garlic Scape Pesto
• garlic scapes
• basil
• Umami Burgers (like these) & Sweet Potato Fries
• ground beef
• bibb lettuce
• sweet potatoes
• Sausage & Spinach Frittata w/ Home Fries
• pork sausgae
• spinach
• garlic scapes
• potatoes

We still have some sorrel, celery tops, and the actual garlic bulbs left, but I'm sure we'll find a good use for them with the goodies we pick up tomorrow.

CSA Day!

Between the end of the winter share and being on vacation, it feels like forever since we picked up a share.  But we're back on track to bring you more delicious meals.  We're really excited to get fewer potatoes and squashes, and a wider variety of fruits and veggies as the weather warms up.

I'm really excited about the sorrel, an ingredient I've never cooked with before, and to have garlic scapes to work with.  Stay tuned to see how we use them!

CSA Recap

Helloooo!  Apologies to our loyal followers...I know we've been a bit silent over the last couple weeks, and that was not intentional.  Justin and I were over in China for the last couple weeks, and had been planning to post a few things while we were gone, until I was reminded that China blocks Google and blogs.  Whomp!  Whomp!  We'll have a recap of some of the delicious things we ate while we were traveling, but I still need to get settled back in first.  So let's pick up where we left off...our CSA recap...

And here's how we used everything...

• Chicken Marsala & Roasted Turnips
• shitake mushrooms
• oyster mushrooms
• turnips
• green onions
• Steak Frites
• sweet potatoes
• Roasted Chicken (like this one)
• whole chicken
• Kale & Bacon Frittata (sorta like this one, but with squash on the bottom)
• kale
• squash
• green onion
• Pork Chops with Mango Salsa
• green onion
• romaine
• watercress

We ended up just eating the peanuts while watching some basketball, and the potatoes were used for some home fries for a weekend breakfast.  We'll get back on track with our regular posts...promise!

CSA Day AND Chicken Marsala

That's right...you're getting a two for one deal tonight!  So let's get things started.

Here's what we hauled in today...

We're really excited about this whole chicken.  The peanuts and potatoes will be a little trickier since they are both off limits with the Paleo diet, but since we allow ourselves one cheat day, we'll find a way to incorporate them into meals then.

Now...for tonight's dinner, we whipped up some chicken marsala and roasted turnips.

We started by making a "marinade" for the chicken.  I use that term loosely since it wasn't your typical saucy marinade, but that's how the recipe phrased it, so that's what I'm sticking with.  We started by slicing and dicing some green onion (since we didn't have shallots), white onion, garlic, thyme, rosemary (our little twist), and sage, and adding in a bit of grapeseed oil.  Then we layered in our chicken, making sure each piece was nicely covered in the aromatics.

The recipe says to cut your chicken into chunks, but we went more with cutlets.  So I stacked them up, making sure to get the onions and herbs in between each piece, and let them sit for about 10 minutes while we prepped the turnips.  We kept them simple and just roasted them up, similar to how we did the cauliflower here.  Once the chicken had a chance to marinate, we browned them in a pan, and then popped 'em into the oven just to stay warm (so turn your oven no higher than 200).

Using the same pan, we added the remaining onions and herbs to the pan to soften, and then added in the mushrooms.  We used both the oyster and shitake mushrooms that we picked up in our share.

Once the mushrooms have cooked down, add in your marsala wine to deglaze the pan.  Be sure to scrape up all the delicious brown bits that may be stuck on the bottom of your pan.  If you use a non-stick pan like we did, you won't have to worry about those stuck-on bits.

Once the alcohol has cooked off, add in your chicken stock.  Give everything a good stir, and be sure to season your sauce with salt and pepper.  Then you just let it simmer and reduce for about 10 minutes.  Up until this point, it was Paleo-friendly.  But we had to add a tiny bit of cornstarch to thicken the sauce.  The recipe called for arrowroot as the thickening agent, but we didn't have any on hand.  Considering there was only about 1/2 tsp of cornstarch, I'm going to say this was still Paleo-friendly.

Once your sauce has thickened to your desired viscosity, you can toss your chickens in so they can absorb some of the sauce.  Then you're ready to serve!

CSA Recap

I know we've been a bit M.I.A. these last couple weeks, and we kind of fell off our Paleo wagon.  But with a new share coming our way tomorrow, we're ready to re-focus and get back on the Paleo train.

Here's what we made with our last share:

• Butternut Squash Soup & Salad
• Butternut Squash
• Bibb Lettuce
• Green Onion
• Granny Smith Apple
• Ode to Ray's Hell Burger & Sweet Potato Fries
• Ground Beef
• Bibb Lettuce
• Sweet Potato
• Whole Roasted Chicken & Baked Sweet Potato
• Sweet Potato
• Green Onion
• Brunch
• Kale
• Spinach
• Green Onion
• Fuji Apple
• Granny Smith Apple
• St. Patrick's Day Feast
• bacon
• potatoes
• Salmon with Spinach & Kimchi Brussels Sprouts
• spinach
• green onion

We still have an apple, a few green onions, and a couple potatoes left, but I'm sure we'll find a way to incorporate them into some upcoming meals.

Whole Roasted Chicken

Tonight we tackled a whole roasted chicken for dinner.  It may seem like a daunting task, but in reality, the oven does all the work.  We ventured over to Trader Joe's to pick up some groceries for the week, and picked up our bird.  The nice thing is that they have whole organic chickens that are already brined.  Whether you brine it yourself or buy a pre-brined bird, brining is the way to go.  It helps keep the meat really moist and delicious.

So once we got our bird home, Justin got to work on him, giving him a nice rub down with some butter and Kosher salt, making sure to get some of the butter under the skin as well.  Despite the brining, you still want to liberally salt the skin.  This too will help keep him moist.  And the butter helps brown the skin so it's nice and crispy.



While Justin was massaging the chicken, I got to work chopping up all the veggies to make a nice little bed for him.  We went with leeks, celery, half an onion, and some carrots.


I also got together the aromatics that we stuffed into the cavity of the bird.  These included a whole lemon, sage, rosemary, thyme, garlic, and half an onion.  Then you just stuff it all inside the cavity.

Once everything is stuffed inside, you want to close the cavity by tying the drumsticks together.  We'd consulted Ruhlman's Twenty prior to roasting to see what Mr. Ruhlman suggested, and to keep the meat moist, he recommended either stuffing the cavity or closing the cavity (he also recommended the liberal use of salt).  Doing so prevents the hot air from circulating through there and drying the meat out from the inside.  We figured we'd do both, to keep the meat moist, and add some additional flavors.

Once he was all tied up, we placed him on his bed of veggies so he was nice and cozy, and placed him in a 450 degree oven for about 45 minutes.  Justin has a convection oven, so he cooked a bit faster than if we were using my regular oven.  If you want to check your bird, the telltale sign of doneness is when the juices run clear.  After about 45 minutes, our bird was pretty much done.  We wanted to crisp up all of his skin, so we flipped him, and put him back in the oven for about 10 minutes.

Mmmm...look at that delicious, golden brown, crispy skin!  Just like any other meat, you'll want to let your chicken rest for a good 10 minutes before you start carving him.  So while our guy rested, I added a little butter, and some fresh thyme, sage, rosemary, and fresh cracked pepper to the veggies.  I also took a wedge of lemon that had been in the cavity, and squeezed some of the juice over them.  Then it was time to eat!

The meat was so juicy and moist, with hints of the lemon and herbs that we'd stuffed inside it.  The skin was perfectly crisp with just a hint of salt.  The veggies still had some bit to them, and were a perfect complement to the bird.  We also baked up a sweet potato and topped it with some pancetta and green onion.  So if you're looking for an easy, one pan meal, you should definitely try roasting a whole chicken.  Plus you'll have leftovers for later in the week!

CSA Day!

Woop! Woop!  It's that time again!  It's the last share of the season, and it's a good one!  We're happy to report we did not pick up another cabbage tonight.  Although with St. Patty's around the corner and our last cabbage dish turning out so delicious we wouldn't have minded. We did score plenty of greens though, and some great meats.  Take a look!

We were hoping for more sunchokes so we could make the kale and farro dish again, but we may have to make a special trip to the store.  We're working on planning out exactly how we want to use everything, so if you have any ideas, send 'em our way!

CSA Recap

It's that time again!  Time for our roundup of how we used all our CSA goods over the last 2 weeks.  Here's what we started with...

And here's what we made...

• Broiled Salmon, Turnip & Parsnip Puree, & Sauteed Red Kale
• turnips
• parsnips
• red kale
• Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Cole Slaw & Sweet Potato Fries
• pulled pork
• carrot
• sweet potatoes
• Chicken & Glazed Carrots
• chicken legs & thighs
• purple carrots
• thyme
• Eggs & Sweet Potato Hash
• sweet potatoes
• candy onion
• Gnocchi Fail
• potatoes
• Trout with Farro Hash
• trout
• green kale
• sunchokes
• Chicken & Shrimp Stir Fry
• spinach
• sweet potato
• broccoli
• candy onion
• Butternut Squash Soup
• butternut squash
• thyme

We had intentions to make some kind of baked apple crumble last night as our Super Bowl dessert, but we were too full from all the other food we made.  So instead, we each took one to eat for lunch.  Tomorrow's share is looking to be like another great bundle of ingredients, and we can't wait to share our meals with you!

CSA Day!

Yay Tuesday!  Yep, today was a CSA day, and boy did we pick up some treats!

So not only did we NOT get another head of cabbage or a spaghetti squash, but we got more of the pretty carrots, red kale, turnips, and sunchokes!  Plus, 3 different meats!  We're already trying to figure out exactly how we're going to use everything.  Got any ideas?

CSA Recap

Happy MLK Day, and Inauguration Day!  For as close as we both live to the Capitol, all we could hear were sirens all morning.  In preparation for our next share tomorrow, its time for a recap of how we used all the food from our previous share.

If you remember, here's what we picked up last time...

And here's what we cooked up...

• Thai Peanut Stir Fry
• purple carrots
• broccoli
• spinach
• sweet potato
• dill
• Spaghetti Squash (we spared you ANOTHER post about spaghetti squash)
• pork sausage
• Stuffed Pork Loin & Butternut Squash Polenta
• gold rush apples
• butternut squash
• Sausage Egg Scramble & Home Fries
• pork sausage
• potatoes
• Bison Steak & Kohlrabi Fritters
• bison NY strip steak
• kohlrabi
• spinach
• bibb lettuce
• romaine lettuce
• Turkey Burgers & Sweet Potato Fries
• dill
• sweet potatoes
• Pain Perdu (like fancy french toast) & Hash Browns
• pink lady apples
• onion
• potatoes

The only thing we haven't used up is the head of cabbage, though we have plans to try another kimchi recipe.  Fingers crossed we don't get another one in tomorrow's share.

Going Stir Fry Crazy!

Its Tuesday...Tuesday...gotta get down on Tuesday...

Ok, I guess it doesn't quite have the same ring to it as Friday, but it brings the same excitement since we finally had a CSA share to pick up.  It feels like an eternity since our last share, and we were both chompin' at the bit to see what we'd get today.  So ...without further ado...

Wouldn't it be our luck that we got ANOTHER cabbage!  We're really excited about our meat share...the bison NY strip steak and the pork sausages.  For the sausages we had a choice between ham with cider, or pork butt and pork bellies.  It was an obvious choice here.  I'm pretty excited about the purple carrots and the kholrabi as well.  I don't think I've eaten kholrabi, so it will be fun experimenting with it.

And since its been a while since we've whipped something up in the kitchen, we're bringing you tonight's meal...free of charge!

We thought ahead for once and defrosted some chicken overnight, knowing we'd need a protein to go with whatever veggies we picked up tonight.  To keep things simple, and since I scored a new wok for Christmas, we settled on a Thai peanut stir-fry.

So here's what we started wth...the purple carrots, broccoli, a sweet potato, spinach and some dill from the share.  The green onions and mushrooms were leftover from the weekend and needed to be used.  So  got to peeling and chopping the sweet potato and the purple carrots.

Look how pretty these carrots are!

While I finished chopping everything, Justin was busy cutting the chicken breasts into chunks.  Then he lightly coated them in some seasoned flour.  We used coconut oil to cook everything, so that went into the wok with a few cloves of minced garlic.  Once that was nice and aromatic, we threw in the carrots and sweet potatoes, since those would take the longest to cook, along with the chicken.

Once the chicken browned a bit, we threw in the broccoli.  As the chicken continued to cook, we threw in the mushrooms, spinach, and green onions.  We also threw in a bit of sesame oil for an added layer of flavor

Once the spinach wilted, it was time to make the sauce.  We started by adding the coconut milk.  Then came the peanut butter.  

We just kept mixing and stirring until the peanut butter had melted down and everything was coated in sauce.  To top off the dish, we toasted up some sesame seeds, drizzled on some sriracha, and sprinkled on some chopped dill.

It was a great way to kick off this week's share!

CSA Recap

I know its been a while since you've been inside our kitchen...we were out in California for the holidays...New Years happened...and then I had a friend visit this past weekend...we haven't been in our kitchens very much.  But we'll be picking up our next CSA share tomorrow, so you'll be seeing new meals from us before you know it!

So before we get to the new share, I wanted to give you a quick recap of how we used the food from our last share.  Here's a refresher of what we picked up:

And here's what we cooked up:

• Linguine with clam sauce and roasted brussels sprouts
• clams
• brussels sprouts
• Tortilla with kale
• kale
• green onion
• potatoes
• Oyster po' boys (we'd already posted about our 1st foray with them here, so we didn't post again)
• oysters
• Spaghetti squash with meatballs
• spaghetti squash
• Sauerkraut 
• cabbage

Justin and I split the apples to take for lunch during the week.  All that was left before the holidays were the butternut squash and sweet potatoes, so Justin took those with him down to NC for his family to use.  We figured by the time we got back from CA, they'd be mush, and I'm sure his family put them to good use.  The garlic was used for a few different meals since we love garlic on pretty much everything.  We were slightly disappointed that we missed a drop while we were in CA because it featured Jerusalem artichokes (and no cabbage either!), but we're looking forward to picking up tomorrow's goodies. We'll be back tomorrow to share our share with you!

Oh!  Before I forget.  For those of you that have been following along since the beginning, you may have remembered me referencing a picture of Justin with a giant bowl of cioppino from his dating profile.  It was one of the many things that initially caught my eye.  Well...here's the picture!

How delicious does that look?!?!

Mardi Gras-nukah!

Its a new holiday...like Festivus!  Since we got oysters in our share again, and we still had sauerkraut lingering in the fridge, we thought we'd make po' boys again.  We followed the same protocol as the first time around.  Justin took care of shucking the oysters again and we came across this little fellow

 

So you're probably wondering what this little guy is.  We thought it was a little worm that found its way inside the oyster.  With a little research we learned that its not a worm at all, but an enzyme complex that's formed by the oyster when its been actively feeding.  So really, this is just a sign of freshness.  As if we needed another sign.  I mean, when I opened the bag of oysters and clams, they smelled like the salty ocean.  Anyway...since this wasn't a worm, and just confirmation of how fresh our oysters were, we marched on!

One thing I forgot to mention last time was that when we started building our po' boys, I pulled out some of the bread on the bottom bun to form a bit of a trough.  This gave the oysters a place to nestle in the bun...as if the oysters and bun were cuddling.

It made it a whole lot easer to keep the po' boy together once we topped the oysters with the 'kraut and top bun.  The oysters didn't squish out when you bit into the sandwich, and everything just stayed in place.

So that's the Mardi Gras part.  As for the -nukah part, we decided to make some sweet potato latkes.  With the start of Chanukah this past weekend, we thought it appropriate, and a nice compliment to the po' boys.  I turned to my trusty friend, Gojee, for a recipe and found one for sweet potato latkes with chipotle sour cream.  It was a fairly easy recipe too.

The sweet potatoes were grated and mixed with the eggs, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, cayenne, some caramelized onions, baking powder, and since I didn't have cumin I used a little chili powder.  I covered the bottom of a pan with some oil and started dropping the latkes in for a shallow fry.

Just a few minutes on each side got them crispy and brown.  Once they were done I just placed them on a cooling rack over a cookie sheet, and kept them warm in the oven while the rest of them, and the oysters cooked.  This kept them from absorbing the oil, and allowed them to stay crispy!  The chipotle sour cream was super simple...all you need is chipotle and sour cream...duh!  Well, I couldn't find chipotle sauce (as the recipe called for), so I picked up a small can of chipotle peppers in adobo.  So I chopped up about 4 peppers and added that to the sour cream with some of the adobo sauce until it tasted perfectly smoky and spicy.  So the latkes got a dollop of chipotle sour cream and some cilantro and green onion.

And to cap it all off, we paired the po' boy with a Flying Dog Pearl Necklace Oyster Stout.  The beer is brewed with the same Rappahannock oysters we ate!  It turned out to be such a tasty and hearty dinner.  Happy Mardi Gras-nukah!

CSA Day!

Woohoo!  CSA day!  I'll keep this one short and sweet since its so late already.  Here's what we picked up today.

We were excited to get oysters and clams again, especially since the other meat choice was a stewing hen.  Just from the name it doesn't sound nearly as appetizing.  I'm also excited about the brussels sprouts on the stalk.  Did you know that's how they grow?!?!  We have a few things in mind for some of the food, but most of it will be on the fly.  Stay tuned!

CSA Recap

Tomorrow we pick up another share of food, so I thought I'd give you a quick recap of how we used all the items from our previous share.  As a refresher, here's what we picked up 2 weeks ago...

And here's what we made...

• Po' Boys, Clam Chowder and Sweet Potato Fries
• clams
• oysters
• sweet potato (from a previous share)
• half of the onion
• Beet Chips
• beets
• Lamb Chops with Roasted Cauliflower & Beet Greens
• lamb chops (from a previous share)
• beet greens
• cauliflower
• creasy greens (for salad)
• Gnocchi
• sweet potatoes
• butternut squash
• Spaghetti & Meatballs
• spaghetti squash
• ground beef (from a previous share)

The rest of the creasy greens were used for salads throughout the week too.  The cilantro is still in the fridge, waiting to be used, and we used the broccoli as part of a crudite spread for a party 2 weekends ago.  We haven't done anything with the cabbage yet, but we're planning on making more sauerkraut.  More to come on that.

We can't wait to pick up tomorrow's share and make some more delicious dishes.  Stay tuned!