donna's daily dish

just a little rain

9/27/2023

What a miserable four days we’ve had with all this wind and rain. There’s not much you can do other than read or cook; I went for cooking. I have company coming this weekend and I wanted to stock up on some breakfast treats for my guests. One of the things I made is British-style Currant Scones from America’s Test Kitchen. They are similar to the tea biscuits that were available years ago at a local bakery. I’m not sure they still offer them. I also made Pumpkin-Ginger Oat Scones from Genevieve Ko from The New York Times.

Several months ago, I needed crystallized ginger for a recipe. It just so happens that this is the same ingredient needed for these scones and I had just the right amount left. You’ll also need all-purpose flour, old-fashioned oats, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice, cold unsalted butter, canned pumpkin and eggs. My luck ran out as I only had one teaspoon of pumpkin spice left and I needed 2. Fortunately, one of the comments contained a recipe to make your own mixture. It consists of cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves and nutmeg. I’ll include the proportions below. The recipe takes 45 minutes from start to finish. The dry ingredients are whisked separately in a bowl and then butter is cut into the flour with your fingers or pastry cutter. This is followed by adding finely chopped crystallized ginger. The eggs and pumpkin purée are mixed separately in a bowl then added to the dry ingredients. Make sure not to over mix; mix until there is no dry flour left.

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Here and Now - Third Quarter Newsletter

9/23/2023

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Spring and summer have flown by, how did that happen? By the end of June, our summer was in full swing. My granddaughters were down every week this summer for swim lessons at a local fitness club. They arrived Thursday mornings and sometimes were here through the weekend. It didn’t leave me much time to do my blog let alone write my quarterly newsletter. However, it’s almost the end of September and today a tropical storm is hitting our area, which means a good day to catch up.

It's hard to pick a favorite recipe as I initially selected almost two dozen. I’ve pared it down to a select few. The first recipe is one I developed, Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Herbs de Provence Pâté. The pâté is from Alexian Pâtés and Specialty Meats. It’s an easy recipe that can be served on a weeknight or elegant enough for guests.

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and then the weather changed, part 2

9/18/2023

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jump to recipe

In last week’s weekly CSA box post, the webpage administrator commented, “I just saw a recipe in NYT cooking for Creamy Corn Orzo. I am not able to link it, but it looks delicious.” As New York Times subscriber I was able to gift her the recipe which is Creamy One-Pot Orzo with Corn and Bacon and decided to give it a try myself. Beside the aforementioned ingredients you’ll also need chicken broth, kosher salt, basil, Calabrian Chile paste (or harissa or homemade chile sauce) and whole milk ricotta. Although the recipe calls for using a box grater to remove the corn kernels, I used a chef’s knife to cut the kernels off and then used the backside to scrape the corn liquid off the cobs.

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and then the weather changed, part 1

9/17/2023

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Thank goodness the heat and humidity are gone. Meals with warm flavors and the last of the summer vegetables can be made. From my CSA box I had a bunch of scallions that I wanted to incorporate into a main course. From Yewande Komolafe of The New York Times, I found a recipe for Sheet-Pan Gochujang Chicken and Roasted Vegetables. I enjoy the spicy and sweet flavor the gochujang imparts. For the recipe you’ll also need soy sauce, fresh ginger, a neutral oil, squash (butternut, acorn or delicata), turnips, scallions, kosher salt, bone-in skin on thicken thighs, radishes, rice vinegar, sesame oil and steamed rice (optional).

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capturing summer

9/9/2023

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Recently I received more tomatoes and peaches in my Dreyer Farm CSA box. In my search on the NYT Cooking app, I found a recipe by Alexa Weibel for Tomato and Peach Salad with Whipped Goat Cheese.

As crazy as the combination sounded, it was outstanding and perfect for a summer lunch, starter salad or as a bruschetta on top of grilled Italian or sourdough bread. For the recipe you’ll need extra virgin olive oil, sherry vinegar, whole-grain mustard, fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, small red onion, goat or feta cheese (I used goat cheese), heavy cream, 2 large heirloom tomatoes, 2 medium peaches, and, optionally, mâche or watercress. If you can’t find either, you can substitute arugula or baby spinach.

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ahh!

9/4/2023

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Take a breath, breathe, another summer season at the Jersey shore is in the books.

It was a busy summer at my home. My granddaughters were down every Thursday for swimming lessons at The Atlantic Club. Nana made pancakes and waffles for breakfast and made sure there were cookies and snacks available. When they weren’t here, I tried many new recipes incorporating the produce from my Dreyer Farm CSA box.

A couple of weeks ago, I dug out a recipe that I clipped from the July 2020 issue of “Southern Living Magazine” for Grilled Chicken and Corn with Charred Scallion-Lime Butter. For the recipe you’ll need, fresh corn (unshucked), scallions, unsalted butter, fresh chives, fresh flat leaf parsley, fresh lime juice, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, bone in, skin-on chicken thighs.

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