donna's daily dish

Donna's Daily Dish

Inspiring people to create every day recipes

it ain't over yet

11/2/2024

Our 2024 CSA box from Dreyer Farms is coming to an end soon, but there is still some produce coming from the farms such as apples, carrots and the last of the tomatoes.

Although I felt like making an apple galette with the apples I accrued from the CSA box, I opted for something healthier. On the website, “Smitten Kitchen,” Deb Perelman created Breakfast Apple Crisp Granola . Ms. Perelman likes to eat this cold with yogurt. I had a bunch of apples that needed to be used and I thought this vaguely sounded similar to the baked oatmeal I make for my husband. Upon my explanation of ingredients, he said he was game to try it.

I'm still here, part 2

9/22/2024

It’s been a busy start to September and I can’t believe how far behind I am in updating you on the wonderful recipes I’ve been making. I’m hoping that you can find some late season peaches to prepare Pork, Pistachios and the Perfect Peach recipe. Matt’s Farm Market in Belmar had sweet, juicy peaches from Idaho that were fabulous and Delicious Orchards in Colts Neck also had some peaches from out of the local area.

The recipe is from the “Financial Times,” which is a British daily newspaper. This past August, they published a recipe by Ravinder Bhogal (on Instagram @cookinboots). For the recipe you’ll need pistachios, panko bread crumbs, lemon zest, salt, pepper, an egg, Dijon mustard, pork loin steaks, olive oil, fresh sage and fresh peaches. One thing to note on their recipes, is that some of the measurements are in metrics. Not to fear, you can Google for conversion or use a digital scale switched from grams to ounces.

apples

11/4/2023

To use up some of the apples I received in my CSA share, I made a “vintage” recipe for Apple Coffee Ring. The last recipe I want to share is for Apple Coffee Ring. I found this recipe in a book from my late mother-in-law called “Grass Roots Cookbook,” by Jean Anderson (©️1977, 1976, 1975 1974.) The recipes in this book are from women across the country with contributions that reflect the flavors of their region. Apple Coffee Ring is from Mrs. Leroy Losey of Yakima County, Washington.

As you can see from the copyright dates, this recipe is old. In fact, after preparing this per the recipe, I found adjustments need to be made. The coffee ring is made with a sweet dough recipe that will make two 12-inch coffee rings. The recipe calls for 4 cups of apple that are peeled and coarsely grated. I would change it from grated to a combination of sliced and chunks and 8 cups of apples (4 cups per coffee ring). The recipe mentions that as the coffee ring rises after filling and shaping, juices will seep out. I decided to sauté the apples in the butter and drain some of the liquid before placing the apples on the dough.

The coffee rings came out great, but definitely needed more apple filling for more of an apple taste and texture. The dough was tender and had just the right amount of sweetness. The recipe is a keeper. Another note on the apples, is that Mrs. Losey used Golden Delicious apples. In 49 years since this booked was published, the variety of apples has exploded exponentially. Unfortunately, I forget the variety that was in my CSA box, but they weren’t Golden’s and they were extremely juicy when I grated them.

capturing summer

9/9/2023

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.

i'm in a pickle

6/24/2023

Bread-and-Butter Pickles

Apple Chutney & Prosciutto Melt with Gruyere Cheese and Pears

With the new CSA season well underway, my pickle is trying to find, delicious and easy to prepare recipes for the produce that’s coming in. Last week’s CSA box brought more pickles and a zucchini. I could have made Easiest Fridge Pickles from the website Smitten Kitchen, but where’s the fun in that? So, I turned to my favorite source, NYT Cooking, and found a recipe by Melissa Clark for Bread-and-Butter Pickles. For the recipe you’ll need Kirby cucumbers, coarse kosher salt, fresh dill, light brown sugar, cider vinegar, coriander seeds, black pepper corns and allspice berries.

Although an easy recipe to prepare, I did have a problem locating both coriander seeds and allspice berries. I was able to find the coriander seeds at a second food store, but no luck with allspice berries. I substituted ground allspice in the same amount as if I had the berries. (*Note: for difficult to find spices I suggest Penzeys.)

Mother's Day

4/17/2023

Mother’s Day is just four short weeks away, have you started planning yet? I am the mother of two children and grandmother to 3 and I prefer to stay home and not join the throngs of people dining out. In fact, I wouldn’t mind cooking if that meant my entire family would be together at once. I’ll take it a step further and host my children and grandchildren on Saturday. If, however, you prefer to take Mom out, consider other days besides Mother’s Day. Another suggestion would be to cater the dinner and enjoy it at home thus allowing younger children a bit more freedom.

Perhaps you’re sharing the cooking duties with family. I have some wonderful recipes for appetizers. If available by Mother’s Day, Garlic Scape Salad Dressing is decidedly different and delicious on a tossed salad. Marinated Beet Salad with Whipped Goat Cheese is also tasty. If you want to hit wider range of palates, create a charcuterie board using Alexian Pâté. If you’re not sure how to build a charcuterie board, I’ve provided a link to “Better Homes and Garden’s” website for instructions.

weekend roundup

7/17/2022

As you may recall, I have a wide variety of herbs in my yard this summer. My husband purchased four lemon scented herbs i.e., lemon grass, lemon thyme, lemon verbena and lemon balm. In the April 2022 issue of Charleston Magazine, they published an article called, “A Tasty Trio, Container Gardens.” Garden editor Joan McDonald had some wonderful ideas on how to use the herbs and some recipes. One recipe that caught my husband’s eye was Spring Citrus Salad Dressing made with a combination of the aforementioned herbs.

For the salad dressing you’ll need olive oil, white wine vinegar, fresh herbs (lemon balm, lemon thyme, lemon verbena and lemon grass (with leaves removed from any woody stems), fresh garlic, honey, Dijon mustard, shallots, salt and pepper to taste. What a flavorful dressing. The combination of ingredients made for a lovely creamy dressing, courtesy of the Dijon mustard that created an emulsion. The dressing was bright and had a light citrus taste, refreshing for a summer salad.

"Nana, can you make me blueberry muffins?"

1/20/2022

I was babysitting my granddaughters over the past weekend, when the oldest asked me to bake her blueberry muffins. I purchase Wyman Blueberries at my local ShopRite. These berries are wild grown in Maine and are delicious. They are smaller in size than New Jersey berries.

I don't know where I found this recipe, but it's different than one I posted in July 2016. CSA Farm-ily members, when you get your NJ blueberries this summer, try both recipes and see which one you prefer.

Blueberry Muffins 2
from the recipe files of Donna Walsifer
Source - unknown
Yield: one dozen
Prep time: 10 minutes
Bake Time: 20-25 minutes

1-3/4 cup flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt

csa week 23

10/29/2021

My recent CSA share from Dreyer Farms, brought me a new challenge, mustard greens. I also received an acorn squash and more apples.

Recently, I made Acorn Squash with Apples, but as a food blogger, I felt I had to find another tempting recipe in which to prepare this delicious squash. My search led me to the website "The Real Food Dietitians" and their recipe Herb-Roasted Parmesan Squash. This savory preparation offers you another option for a Thanksgiving side dish. Even better, is that it takes just five ingredients and preps in just 10 minutes. Besides the acorn squash you'll need, Parmesan cheese, fresh herbs, (suggested was thyme, sage, rosemary, oregano or a mix), butter, garlic powder, salt and pepper. As my garden is still doing well, I made a mix of all the suggested herbs and I used minced fresh garlic in lieu of garlic powder.

csa week 8

7/7/2021

The heat and humidity the past week has been miserable, though not as bad as for the northwest. In my CSA box for week 8, was broccoli, green beans, lettuce, sweet onions, cabbage, raspberries, mint and peaches.

One of the first ingredients I used was the green beans. I found a wonderful salad on the website, Lidia’s Italy, for String Beans, Capers and Basil Salad. This tasty salad can be served warm or at room temperature. Although my husband was nibbling on it while it was sitting out, he said he would prefer to eat it cold; into the refrigerator it went.