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I am very behind in posting my recipe reviews of the meals I’ve prepared so that I can share them with you. Before blogging about recipes, however,  I am going to start with two recent dining experiences while they’re fresh in my memory.
 
Last Friday evening my husband and I had the most wonderful time at the Autumn Harvest dinner held at Beach Plum Farm in West Cape May, New Jersey. The farm was started in 2007  by Curtis Bashaw and Will Riccio. The farm uses regenerative agricultural practices and grows over 100 kinds of fruits and vegetables along with chickens, eggs and Berkshire hogs. Besides a market store, they have a kitchen that prepares a menu of breakfast and lunch items. However, there’s much more to this farm such as cottages to rent and a variety of experiences all year long whether at the farm or through the Cape Resorts, of which they are a part.
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Thank goodness this summer's heatwaves have been short lived, several days at most. Last week's weather was delightful as we were able to open the windows and enjoy the gentle summer breeze and cool nights.
 
Recently in our CSA box, we were given long hot peppers. I briefly worked in a butcher shop where they were stuffed with Italian sausage and garnished with shredded cheese. Expanding on this idea, I found a recipe for Stuffed Long Hots on a website called "Mangia with Michele." Her recipe calls for 8-10 long hot peppers (approximately 3/4 to 1 pound), Pecorino Romano cheese, plain breadcrumbs, chopped fresh parsley or basil, ground black pepper, Italian sausage (hot or sweet, your choice), shredded mozzarella, sun dried tomatoes (oil-packed), extra virgin olive oil and marinara or pesto sauce.
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​Last week’s quote on the art of eating brought my next thought, the art of cooking. After reading some of the quotes, one says it requires passion and practice. Another, talks about cooking being about people, how it brings us together or an art, but requiring knowing something about techniques and materials. The best one I found which would describe my love of cooking is “Cooking is the gift you give yourself and those you love.”
 
I have an audience of one 98% of the time, my husband. If I make something we adore but don’t want to have the leftovers in our house, I share with our neighbors. They, like my husband, are most appreciative of what I’ve prepared. As another quote stated “Cooking is an opportunity to learn and grow, to try new things and take risks.” What we receive in our CSA box has helped us to try new things. While some people are recipe book collectors and the internet provides access to a myriad of sources in which to cultivate new and exciting 
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“To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art.”― François de la Rochefoucauld
 
This is an interesting statement. When I look at the ingredients contained in my weekly CSA share, I focus on one or two  ingredients and find a recipe that will highlight its flavor.
 
Last week we hosted a dinner for the priest who married my son and daughter-in-law and baptized our grandson. Our son and his family and my daughter and granddaughters were also here. As I’m still watching my granddaughters on Thursday, the menu had to be easy to prepare and could be done ahead. Also, taking full advantage of the season’s  produce, I began to construct my menu relying on tried-and-true recipes.
 
For a starter, I made tomatoes and mozzarella purchasing tomatoes from Matt’s Farm Market & Garden Center in West Belmar and mozzarella from Antonio’s Gourmet Salumeria in Wanamassa. I selected large, Jersey beefsteak tomatoes paired with luscious, milky mozzarella dressed with Nocellara olive oil and fresh basil from my garden. 
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The weather so far this summer can be summed up as hot and steamy. What this weather does do is inspire me to find recipes that are either no cook, stove top cooked or can be grilled.
 
If you have not discovered them yet, you must find your way to Jersey Artisan Company whose retail store is located in East Hanover, NJ. Owned by Salvatore Pisani, he creates cheeses and dairy products using milk from Spring Run Dairy Farm and sour dough breads with grains from River Valley Community Grains. The assorted variety of cheeses are created in Whippany, NJ. If you can’t make your way to East Hanover this summer, you can find Sal and his products at farmers markets in Jersey City, Weehawken, Monroe Township, Parsippany, Sparta, West Windsor, Scotch Plains, Blairstown, Summit and Asbury Park. The hyperlink will direct to the specific markets for days, times and which months the markets operate. Although Sal brings a variety of cheese and baked goods to the AsburyFresh market, so far I’ve only tried his semolina and ciabatta breads, fresh burrata and mozzarella. ​
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It’s the start of the summer season, and my daughter and her family will be down every weekend until Labor Day. Although I’ve cooked up an assortment of items, finding time to blog, has been challenging. Here’s what was on last week’s menu: Swiss Chard and Bacon Grits Quiche from “Southern Living Magazine,” Stir-Fried Swiss Chard and Red Pepper by Martha Rose Shulman of The New York Times, Single Serve Berry Crostata by Joy Wilson from the website “Joy the Baker,” Peach and Beet Salad with Thyme Vinaigrette from the website “That Skinny Chick Can Bake,” (week 7 CSA flyer) and Blueberry Frangipane Loaf Cake from the website “Bake From Scratch.”
 
When I search for recipes, I first review the suggestions found in our CSA box. I look over the ingredients, review the website and its contents, consider our taste and then decide. This is how I selected the Peach and Beet Salad with Thyme Vinaigrette for trial. Other than the fruit and herb mentioned, you’ll also need baby spinach, crumbled blue cheese, toasted walnuts, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, Dijon mustard, honey, salt and pepper.
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We are in week six of our CSA and the greens have been plentiful; could it be the rainy spring helped? In our box was a head of cabbage that I turned into Buttery Caramelized Cabbage with Barley, Peas and Spring Herbs. This recipe is by chef Katie Reicher who owns Greens Restaurant in San Francisco; it appeared in The Wall Street Journal on April 5th.
 
Ms. Reicher’s recipe called for farro, but I substituted barley. For the recipe you’ll also need kosher salt, fresh or frozen peas, olive oil, green or Savoy cabbage, butter, an onion, water, soft herbs (preferably a mix of mint, dill and basil), lemon zest and lemon juice. Fortunate for me fresh peas were included in our box and I had both dill and basil growing in my garden. ​
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Writing a blog takes more time than I thought, how do full-time food bloggers do it? Do they have “people?” I’ve changed up my system so instead of posting an image on Instagram, I hold off until I have a link to both the recipe and its review. Let me know what you think…do you care to comment?
 
One-Pot Chicken Cacciatore is from The New York Times and was developed by Cybelle Tondu. For the recipe you’ll need bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, kosher salt, olive oil, waxy potatoes (Yukon Gold or fingerling), a sprig of fresh rosemary, anchovy fillets, fresh garlic, capers, dry white wine, white or red wine vinegar and fresh parsley.
 
I’ll start by saying my husband loved the potatoes in this dish and requested they be made on their own. However, they are cooked with the chicken which lends the rich flavor to the potatoes. The potatoes were cut into chunks and seasoned with rosemary, anchovy, garlic, capers, olive oil and salt. ​

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I’m winding down watching my second granddaughter one day a week. The weather has been most uncooperative this spring, and we’ve had more cloudy and rainy days than I care to remember. Last week, I thought it would be nice for her to decorate some sugar cookies. The recipe is from the cook book, “The Official Disney Parks Cookbook: 101 Magical Recipes from the Delicious Disney Vault.” My son-in-law was on a recent business trip to Orlando and picked up this book. We had taken my daughter’s family to Disney two years ago, so this was a nice remembrance. Thinking ahead, I planned on making Pop’T Art Sugar Cookies and have my granddaughters decorate them.
 
While you don’t necessarily need to follow the Disney recipe, you do need to prepare a sturdy sugar cookie base. Also, consistency in thickness is important too. I rigged up a system using a paint stirrer and a 12-inch ruler, which were approximately the same thickness, and rolled my cookies between the two. The recipe yields six cookies that are 3x-5-inches, but I opted to prepare half a batch. For the recipe you’ll need sugar, butter, an egg white, all-purpose flour and salt. The glaze consists of powdered sugar, milk, vanilla and food coloring. ​
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I think spring with its warmer weather has finally arrived. April and May were chilly to the point I was still wearing my flannel pajamas and turning the heat on early in the morning to take the chill off. This warmer weather also yields plenty of spring fruit and vegetables.
 
I had my granddaughters for a few days at the end of the last month.  Their hope was to swim in our neighbor’s pool, but no such luck. I was, however, able to take them strawberry picking at Battleview Orchards, in Freehold, NJ. In the spring they have strawberry picking with sour cherries, peaches and nectarines in the summer. The fall brings apple picking with over a dozen varieties.
 
With boots in hand, we were off to the orchard. It had rained the previous day so I was glad I had the girls bring their boots as the field was damp with clay  type dirt. It was $5 per person to enter  and they give you a cardboard tray to hold your strawberries. Once done, the fee is credited back to you and applied to your strawberry purchase. It cost approximately $5 per pound, but they were juicy, red throughout and delicious. Once we got home, I washed the berries in a mixture of white vinegar and water. This also helps the berries to last longer in your refrigerator. 


​meet donna

A former teacher, shop-a-holic, empty-nester redefining quick, family approved dinners.

​If you have questions or comments, click on the envelope icon above to contact me directly. 

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