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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. 
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Back in 2023 I took on the challenge to prepare a Turkey Porchetta from the cooking show
“America’s Test Kitchen.” Patience was the key to executing this recipe, but it turned out fabulous. I recently came across a recipe by Kay Chun, of The New York Times, for Porchetta-Spiced Roasted Potatoes. These potatoes were scrumptious. They had all the seasonings of a porchetta, minced garlic, fennel, dried thyme, fresh rosemary, fresh sage, freshly ground black pepper, red-pepper flakes with the baby potatoes (such as creamer, baby white or new potatoes) tossed with extra-virgin olive oil.
 
The pieces conveyed a taste similar to that of an actual porchetta roast, but without the hassle. The recipe takes 40 minutes from start to finish and crisped up very nicely in my oven.
 
I was looking for something different to make with ground beef when I stumbled upon Kevin Pang’s recipe for Loose Meat Sandwich. The sandwich is popular in Iowa and will remind you of Sloppy Joe. ​
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Where did spring go, it was here for just a short time. Nevertheless, Memorial Day weekend is early this year. I have my granddaughters coming to stay for a night so Nana better get the red velvet or lemon ricotta pancake batter going.
 
In the meantime, spring sport season continues. I recently made a recipe by Claire Robinson, Asian Beef Roll-Ups from her book “5 Ingredient Fix.” This delicious recipe was a snap to make perfect for weeknight meals when there’s an after-school practice or Mommy “just had a day.” For the recipe you’ll need the juice of two limes, 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 to 2 tablespoons chili sauce, or to taste (sriracha is recommended, which I used) and one pound of flank steak.
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​Mother’s Day is now in the rear-view mirror, onto another week of sports, spring cleaning and walking in the sunshine.
 
I hosted a brunch for my daughter-in-law on Saturday morning. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a photo of the table before everyone dug in. I prepared Creamy Baked Eggs with Leeks and Spinach, Home Fries with Onions and Chives, bacon and Whole-Wheat Bran English Muffins. As we were a small group of four adults, I picked up a fruit bowl from Delicious Orchards in Colts Neck and four pastries from Hey Peach Bakery in Bradley Beach. I selected Pain Suisse, chocolate croissant, all-butter croissant and a cheese Danish. Brunch was delicious if I don’t say so myself. The eggs were perfectly cooked and my husband toasted several English muffins on our gas grill so they were ready at the same time. A fruit salad is always lovely to serve as something light  and sweet. My husband and I shared the Pain Suisse, which was wonderful. There was a light custard filling with a bit of chocolate; all the proportions were perfectly balanced offering a slight sweet flavor. 
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Perhaps you’ve decided to celebrate mom at home this year. I’ll also be at home as I’ll let my son and daughter enjoy the day with their own families. If you’re someone that will be hosting mom and others, here are some suggestions to make the day enjoyable for you too.
 
Brunch is a great option for celebrating. Here are my suggestions for Mother’s Day.
 
If blood oranges are still available, Blood Orange and Grapefruit Juice makes for a wonderful switch from the normal orange juice. ​
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​My son-in-law enjoys sending me IG videos and recently he sent one of chef Christian Petroni preparing lemon pasta. In watching the video you’ll see him cook spaghetti in salted water. Next, he fills a large sauté pan with a ladle of pasta water followed by par cooked spaghetti. To the pan, he squeezes the juice of two lemon then adds them to the pan. A good amount of cheese (Parmesan?) followed by a knob of butter. Toss, toss, done! I couldn’t be that adventurous so I found a similar recipe, Pasta al Limone, on the website “Serious Eats” by Daniel Gritzer.
 
For his recipe you’ll need unsalted butter, finely grated zest of a lemon plus its juice, minced garlic, kosher salt, spaghetti, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and freshly grated black pepper.
 
Mr. Gritzer recommends cooking the pasta in less water so it becomes starchier and he recommends fresh pasta with this lemon sauce. I dove with both into this recipe by whipping up fresh spaghetti.


​meet donna

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

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