I started with small peppers stuffed with ricotta, chorizo, parmesan, parsley, -- the usual lasagna type filling. I got tired of stuffing the peppers before the filling was gone so I took some egg roll wrappers, filled them with the ricotta mixture, rolled them and dumped some tomato sauce on them. Both the peppers and the lasagna rolls took about 20 minutes in the oven at 350 degrees.
The salad is spinach leaves, parmesan, and onion topped with Tessemae's Lemon Garlic (dressing - marinade - dip). Added some cracked pepper and it was good to go.
The lasagna rolls were a bit starchy and could have used some hot sauce so I'll try them again using flat lasagna noodles instead of won ton wrappers.
I decided to spend the week in the Outer Banks of NC instead of joining Mark at Burning Man. I'm happy with my decision but had a few pangs of sadness/regret during the week. I cured one of those pangs with Seared Sea Bass topped with a yogurt dill sauce, sauteed spinach and garlic, and homemade rice-a-roni.
Oh yeah -- added a great glass of wine (Biale Zinfandel) and a good book (One Thousand White Women)!
I planted cowhorn peppers this summer. The guide said that they were 'medium hot'. I LOVE hot food and was afraid I would be disappointed by the milder cowhorns. Oh man, was I wrong! The best hot sauce I've made:
8-10 pineapple sage leaves
¼ cup diced red onion
1 clove garlic
¾ cup diced tomatoes
¾ T EVOO
2 cowhorn peppers
¼ cup distilled white vinegar
¾ t salt
¾ t white sugar
1. In a saucepan, heat EVOO. Add red onion, cowhorn peppers, and garlic. Let it go for about 3 or 4 minutes.
2. Reduce heat. Add vinegar, tomatoes, salt and sugar. Let that simmer for about 5 more minutes.
3. Add pineapple sage leaves and simmer another minute or two.
4. Put it all in a blender and whir until pureed.
5. Pour mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl.
6. Let cool and then pour into a small glass container.
7. Taste it and comment that it's not too hot.
8. Wait 20 seconds.
9. Comment on how it's got a little zing.
10. Wait 15 seconds.
11. Say, "Oh man, that's a nice burn!"
12. Cover and refrigerate.
Make a pesto of: Pineapple sage, walnuts, basil, garlic, S&P, and EVOO.
Roast: (in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes) Cherry tomatoes (green and red), zucchini (peeled, seeded, and chopped), garlic, S&P, and EVOO.
Boil: Bowtie pasta.
Combine: Ingredients above and toss in some capers. Top with grated parmesean.
Fight: Over the Final Category question on Kids Week Jeopardy.
The Answer: Of the 4 states that begin & end with the same vowel, the one that doesn’t begin & end with the same letter as the other 3 states.
The Question: What is ...
When the biggest problem in my day is the final category question on Kids Week Jeopardy ... life is good.
As always, I started with an existing recipe and then made it my own. Thanks to Giada for the start on this Bean and Garlic Soup.
Add a turn of olive oil and a couple pats of butter to a heavy bottomed pot.
Dice two shallots and add to pot. Saute until soft.
Add 2 sage leaves and 2 large cans of Cannelloni beans - drained and rinsed - stir.
Add 6 cups chicken stock and 4 cloves of garlic.
This is where it starts to vary - Giada uses only four cups but simmers for only ten more minutes. I like to let it simmer for an hour or so.
I also saute about 10 sage leaves in butter until crisp. Remove to paper towels and crumble for topping on soup.
When you are about 10 minutes from serving, turn heat down to low, break out the immersion blender and blend the soup.
Add about a cup of half and half, some ground black pepper, stir, and let sit for a couple minutes.
Ladle soup into shallow bowls and top with crumbled sage leaves.
I'm glad I went with the CSA medium share. It looks like just enough for two people. This box included: baby lettuce mix, broccoli, spinach, new red potoatoes, green onions, and strawberries.
The newsletter included this recipe and after reading it, wasn't sure if it would be wonderful or horrible. Decided to take the risk, and wonderful won. Whew. The recipe below reflects my changes, not the exact recipe I received.
Spinach Colcannon
1 bunch chopped spinach
1 cup chopped green onions
5 cloves garlic
4 bison hot Italian sausages - casing removed
8 cups potatoes - diced with skin on
1/2 cup milk
2 Tbls butter
Salt and Pepper
Mixed grated cheeses
Pre-heat oven to 350
Cook potatoes in water and salt until tender.
Drain and mash with milk, butter, salt and pepper
After mashed, mix in some of the green onion tops
Brown sausage in a pan -- do not overcook bison - stop before you think it's done because it will bake also
Add green onions and garlic - continue to cook a minute or so
Add all the spinach and cover the pan
Turn off burner and let spinach wilt
Butter a 9x13 pan
Add drained sausage and spinach from pan
Spread mashed potatoes over the sausage mix
Top with a mix of shredded cheese (I used a 4 cheese Italian mix and a Mexican mix)
Bake until cheese is melted - about 30 minutes
I like to move it to the top rack and broil on high until the cheese starts getting brown and bubbly.
