CSA Cooking - Roasted Tomato & Zucchini Flatbread Pizza

This past week's CSA presented me with tomatoes, tomatoes, and more tomatoes. Oh, and a few zucchini as well, but at this point I'll be surprised when I don't receive some sort of squash in the box. Not that I'm complaining though! I love zucchini! There's just been, well, a lot of it. But since it's been nearly an entire month since the last time I put vegetables and cheese on top of some sort of carb, I figured it's high time I do it again ;)

To make this flatbread, I roasted the vegetables in two parts - first the zucchini for a short amount of time at a high heat, then the tomatoes for a long time at low heat. I suppose that if you're in a pinch you could do both at the same time, but I like my zucchini to have a bit of a crisp to them - and there's nothing quite like a slow-roasted tomato. I also picked up a pre-made flatbread crust from the grocery store that was big enough to feed both J and I for dinner, which for me was a nice change from my usual personal-sized lunchtime pita pizzas. Finally, I substituted mozzarella cheese for ricotta and a sprinkle of parmesan. This kept the overall dish a bit lighter (it's still so hot out!) and allowed the flavors of the vegetables to really be the star of the pizza. 

For the squash:

Slice one medium-sized zucchini and one medium-sized yellow squash into thin slices and place evenly-spaced on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and a generous amount of salt and pepper. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes, flipping the squash halfway through the roasting process.

For the tomatoes:

If you're buying tomatoes specifically to roast, I suggest smaller-sized tomatoes - grape or small on-the-vine work best. However, if you're like me and are just trying to use up whatever's in your fridge, then by all means roast 'em if you've got 'em. Thinly slice the tomatoes (which may be a pain or impossible if you're using grape tomatoes, in which case just halve them) and lay them evenly spaced on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with a healthy amount of salt. Bake at 200 degrees for 60 minutes, flipping the tomatoes halfway through the roasting process.

For the pizza:

Brush your pizza crust with olive oil, or if you're lazy like me, use a non-stick cooking spray (like Pam) and blot the areas you accidentally overdid with a paper towel. Spread a thin layer of ricotta cheese over the entire crust, and then add the roasted tomatoes and squash. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and bake at 450 degrees for 8-10 minutes (and/or according to the crust's directions). Keep an eye on the pizza in the oven though - since your vegetables are already roasted, all you need to do at this point is brown the crust and melt the cheese. Cut into squares and enjoy!

Summer Stir Fry

I know I sound like a broken record, but a.) I love the influx of fresh veggies I've been getting from my CSA but b.) what the heck am I supposed to do with all these damn veggies?? So if you also a.) can't resist the siren call of fresh and colorful veggies but b.) don't know what the heck to do with all those damn veggies you just received, please allow me to remind you of the quick and tasty summer stir fry.

The beauty of this dish is that it works with nearly any combination of root vegetables you have on hand. I got the fennel and onions in my CSA, but due to the "July lull" of a few weeks ago, I had to pick up a few other veggies at the grocery. I will admit, though, that before this summer I never once willingly purchased, let alone eaten, a radish. But I put it on my radar (and my New Year's Res list!) to expand my palette and learn to love new food. And while sautéing a bunch of vegetables in oil and adding them to rice isn't the most innovative technique in the world, it's a great way to slowly introduce new foods into your diet while eating them right next to the familiar and comforting tastes you do know and love (here's to you, zucchini).

Ingredients
2 cloves of garlic, finely diced
1 small onion, choppped
1/2 bulb of fennel, finely chopped
1 medium zucchini, sliced into small cubes
3 carrots, sliced
5-6 small radishes, thinly sliced
5-6 mushrooms, sliced
3 tbsp olive oil
2-3 tbsp vegetable stock
2 splashes soy sauce
1 cup wild rice

How to
- In a separate pot, cook the rice according to direction.
- In a large frying pan, heat the oil. Cook the onion, garlic, and fennel until golden brown. Add the remaining vegetables and stir until tender; salt and pepper to taste. Add vegetable stock, soy sauce, and cooked rice, and simmer for 1-2 minutes or until all liquid has been absorbed. Serve immediately as a full lunchtime meal or as a dinnertime side dish.

CSA: for the love of tomatoes

The first handful of tomatoes showed up in my CSA last week - they were small, they were yellow, and they were delicious. I know I'll be singing a different song by the end of September when I'm up to my knees in tomatoes, but since I chose to plant herbs instead of vegetables in my balcony garden this year, right now I'm beside myself with excitement over these guys.

I kept it simple and used this recent Smitten Kitchen recipe as inspiration - warmed pita bread, a schmear of horseradish hummus (from TJ's),  two slices of fried provolone cheese, and lightly salted and sliced tomatoes. It's a strange combination that works - it's sweet, it's salty, it tastes of long summer days and local farm goodness. What's your favorite way to use up extra tomatoes?

Muddled Mary Blueberry Cocktail

Move over, Moscow Mule, because there's a new cocktail in town and it officially has my vote for Drink of the Summer (2015 edition). It all started (as so many of my adventures in drinking do) at the green market - I was wandering through on my way from one thing to another when I came upon the largest selection of cherries and blueberries I had ever seen. Utterly captivated, I immediately purchased a 1/2 pint of blueberries and did my very best to not inhale every last one of them before I even got on the train. I managed to make it home with most of them still intact, which was lucky for me because the remaining berries and some fresh rosemary from my balcony garden went directly into this deliciously refreshing, surprisingly fragrant, it's-too-hot-to-do-anything-but-fan-yourself-and-drink beverage. Combining muddled blueberries and rosemary-infused simple syrup (hence the name!), it screams of summer days on the shore. Or summer days in the middle of an smelly and overheated city, whichever is more applicable to you. I made this drink with vodka because that's how I roll, but you could easily substitute gin if that's more your fancy. Enjoy!

Ingredients
For the simple syrup:
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
For the cocktail:
- 5-6 fresh blueberries
- 1.5 oz chilled vodka
- 1.5 oz rosemary simple syrup
- 3 oz chilled club soda
- blueberries as garnish

How to
To make the simple syrup:
Combine water, sugar, and loose rosemary leaves in a stovetop pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes, then remove from heat and let cool. Don't strain leaves, leave the rosemary loose in the syrup.
To make the cocktail:
-Muddle the blueberries in the bottom of the glass (if you don't have an actual muddler, the backside of a spoon works just as well). Add the vodka, simple syrup, and club soda. NOTE: I made this drink without ice cubes because my chilled ingredients did the work (and I didn't want to worry about the melting ice watering down the drink). If you don't want to wait for your ingredients to chill (because sometimes a girl needs a drink like now!) then by all means, use a larger glass and add some ice cubes after you've muddled the blueberries.

Hawaiian Pita Pizza

It's a sad but real truth in my life - I can't stop making mini pizzas. I don't know if it's the summer weather, the ease and speed of putting together such a tasty lunch, or just that I like to be creative in the kitchen and making a tiny pizza allows me to experiment using different toppings without too many negative ramifications. Which brings me back to my original point - I can't stop making mini pizzas! They're my go-to lunch this summer, and I recently landed on my newest favorite - a Hawaiian Pita Pizza. Why Hawaiian? Because pineapples should go on everything, especially pizza. Why pita? Because it's cheaper than a pre-made pizza crust but tastes just as great, and my grocery store stocks fresh, locally-made pita on a daily basis. It's a total win-win!

How to:
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a 7" piece of pita with nonstick cooking spray. Spoon your favorite pizza sauce onto the pita (I'm an unabashed fan of Ragú Pizza Quick), and add the toppings: shredded Mozzarella cheese, fresh sliced mushrooms, thick-sliced ham (cut into 1/2" slices), diced/chunked pineapples, and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese just for good measure. Cook for 10 minutes or until the edges of the pita are crispy (I like my pizzas more on the well-done side, so make sure you check on your pizza after 8 minutes or so).

CSA Cooking - Bowtie Pasta Salad

The first few weeks of my CSA haul were nothing but greens, greens, and more greens. And while I was able to up my salad and smoothie game a bit, I wasn't too inspired to create anything too exciting. But thanks to whatever natural growing season that upstate New York is heading into (I'm totally a farmer, you guys), we're starting to see veggies of all shapes and colors (read: less leafy greens) - and I'm secretly really relieved. Granted, I'm sure I'll be singing a different tune come late August when I can't even look at another zucchini, but at the moment I'm loving it all.

So back to last week's box - amongst the romaine lettuce and swiss chard were zucchini, white turnips, baby kale, and fennel. And because my motto is "when in doubt, sauté it!" that's exactly what I did. And also because carbs are my jam, I cooked up a pot of bowtie pasta and mixed that into the veggies. Served cold, this is the perfect light and healthy summer pasta salad - no heavy sauces, just simple, fresh, locally sourced veggies. ;)

Ingredients
- 1 lb bowtie pasta
- 1 clove garlic, finely diced
- 1/3 fennel bulb, finely diced
- 1 large zucchini, cut into 1/4" cubes
- 2 white turnips, thinly sliced
- 2 large handfuls kale, roughly chopped
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp white wine (optional)
- 2 tbsp Parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper
- 1 small handful of fennel fronds, as garnish

How to
In a large pot, boil 6-8 cups of salted water. Add pasta, let cook to al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and let that get hot as well. Begin to sauté the vegetables, starting with the garlic and fennel. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until golden brown. Add the zucchini and turnips to the garlic and fennel, and cook for approximately 5 minutes or until soft. Fold the kale into the vegetables and let it soften. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, reduce heat to low.

When the pasta is al dente, remove it from heat. Using a slotted spoon, scoop the pasta into the skillet and on top of the vegetables. Add the white wine, 2-3 tbsp of the pasta water, and the Parmesan cheese to the skillet, and stir well. Cook the mixture for 2-3 minutes on low heat or until the pasta is done to your likeness. This can be served immediately as a hot dish, or place the pasta into a large container and refrigerated to serve as a cold pasta salad. Garnish with the fennel fronds before serving.

Porchetta and mozzarella pizza

This is a quick and easy recipe, because sometimes you're rushing around with too much to do and not enough time to get it all done before rehearsal starts and you're hungry because breakfast was a million hours ago but you also need to make enough food to take to work for dinner and you just really need something that's salty/savory/cheesy/delicious that can be made in the next 10 minutes because oh good lord I have to leave like five minutes ago.

Do make sure, though, to get high quality porchetta and fresh mozzarella from the deli, because life is too short to eat low-grade cured meats. Also make sure to get a pre-made pizza crust (I go with Boboli) because one day you'll figure out how to make your own whole-wheat-healthy-homemade crust but today is not that day because you're a working woman dammit and really really have to catch a train.

Ingredients
1 pre-made pizza crust
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs pesto
5 oz. fresh mozzarella.
5 oz. thinly sliced porchetta
2-3 fresh basil leaves
1 tbs parmesan/romano cheese

How to
Preheat your oven to the directions stated by the pizza crust - Boboli recommends 450 degrees. Brush or blot the entire pizza crust first with olive oil, then with the pesto. Make sure to get all the way to the edges of the crust with the oil, that will ensure a wonderfully browned and crispy slice. Unwrap the mozzarella and slice it to your desired thickness - I usually keep it to around 1/8 of an inch, otherwise it may not melt quickly enough. Add your toppings to the pizza - first the sliced mozzarella, then strips of the porchetta. Sprinkle on the basil and parmesan/romano cheese and bake for about 10-12 minutes, depending on your oven and your desired level of crispiness.

Sweet potato and bacon salad

I awoke the other morning with an odd craving (no I'm not pregnant). I wanted bacon. And sweet potatoes. Together. For the life of me though, I cannot tell you where this came from. I'm not one of those people who have a Pinterest board dedicated to bacon, and I've eaten sweet potatoes probably ten times in my entire life. But I fully support the indulgence of a craving every now and then, and I didn't really feel like unpacking the deeper meanings behind that day's craving (sodium deficiency? too much stress and too little sleep? daddy issues??). So I went to the grocery and bought myself a giant sweet potato and a package of thick-cut bacon. And then I bought a huge thing of fresh spinach, because I figured it couldn't hurt to add something from a different part of the color spectrum to my lunch. Because, you know, healthy and stuff.

Ingredients (yields 2 decently-sized salads)

1 sweet potato

4 slices thick-cut bacon

1 tbsp honey

2 tbsp olive oil

salt, pepper

2 large handfuls fresh spinach

2-3 tbsp each of cranberries, walnuts, and crumbled feta cheese

How to

*Wash, peel, and slice the potato into small cubes. Lay the cubes evenly on a foil-lined baking sheet. Cut the bacon into 1/4" pieces, and lay those amongst the sweet potatoes. Drizzle with olive oil and honey, sprinkle with salt and pepper (there's a lot of salt already in the bacon so don't go overboard here), and roast at 375 degrees for 20-30 minutes, or until the bacon is beginning to brown and the potatoes are soft. Halfway through the roasting process, flip the bacon and potatoes to ensure even cooking.

*Place the cooked bacon and sweet potatoes atop a large pile of fresh spinach. Add the cranberries, walnuts, and (if you're like me) just a bit too much feta. Feel free to toss the salad with your favorite oil and vinegar dressing, but honestly there was so much flavor from the rest of the ingredients that I didn't even use a dressing.

Roasted red pepper soup

It seems to me that after posting the "it's January so here's a healthy smoothie" recipe, one must then prepare a steaming cup of homemade soup in an attempt to conquer the nasty winter weather that is plaguing most of the country (except for you, San Diego. Tell me all your secrets now!!!) And as it turns out, a batch of soup was exactly what I needed this week. Still full from too many holiday parties but chilled to the bone from running errands all over the city, I cooked up a giant batch of this roasted red pepper soup and was able to enjoy it for the next three days. This recipe is also completely customizable - the roasted cauliflower acts as a base from which you can create almost any flavor profile you wish. Don't like red peppers? Substitute broccoli. Not a fan of spicy? Cut out the cayenne flakes. Cutting down on dairy? Omit the cheese completely.

Ingredients
- 4 whole red bell peppers
- 1 full head of fresh cauliflower
- 3-4 cloves garlic
- 1 large onion
- 4 tbsp. olive oil
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- salt & pepper
- spices to taste: curry powder, red pepper flakes, cinnamon, parsley, Trader Joe's Everyday Seasoning
- 5 oz. feta cheese chunks

Tools
- 2 baking sheets
- Tin foil
- Knives - one large for chopping, one small for peeling
- Boiler/oven
- Ziplock bag
- Dutch oven (or other large stovetop pot)
- Immersion blender

How to
Wash and slice the red peppers in half. Gently score the outside of each pepper in anticipation of needing to later remove the skin. Remove any seeds from inside the peppers, and place face down on a baking sheet. Broil at 450 degrees for 10 minutes, or until tops are beginning to blacken.

Prep the cauliflower. Break off each floret into small pieces and place on a second baking sheet (cover your sheet with foil for easier clean up later).  Place each whole garlic clove on the sheet amongst the cauliflower. Toss the cauliflower and garlic with salt, pepper, and 1-2 tbsp. of olive oil.

When the peppers are roasted, remove them from the baking sheet and immediately place into a Ziplock bag; seal tightly. The idea here is to steam the peppers so that you will eventually be able to easily remove their skins.

Change your oven's setting from broil to bake, and preheat to 400 degrees. When the oven is heated, roast the cauliflower and garlic for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

When the peppers are cool to the touch, remove the skin. I found that some peppers were easier to skin than others, but using a small paring knife to peel each pepper eventually did the trick. Chop the peeled peppers into pieces approximately 1" in size.

Chop the onion. On the stovetop, heat the reaming olive oil (about 1-2 tbsp.) in the bottom of your dutch oven. Sauté the onion until golden brown.

Add the peppers, cauliflower, and garlic to the onions, and sauté for 1-2 more minutes. Add the vegetable broth and spices to the vegetables and bring to a boil. A quick note about the spices: I rarely measure when adding spices to my cooking, I simply add until I feel like I've achieved the desired taste. This is neither scientific nor consistent, and occasionally gets me in to trouble (case in point - I used way too much cayenne pepper for this particular batch of soup and had to tone it down with the feta cheese) but here's the thing - it's just soup. Try one spice blend this time around, and change it up next time!

Once the soup has come to a boil, turn the stove's flame down to it's lowest height (or just turn off the stove completely) and using your immersion blender, puree the vegetables until you've reached your desired soup consistency. Be careful because the contents of the pot will be very hot, and any splashes from the blender can be painful. If the soup is too thick, add more vegetable broth a 1/2 cup at a time to thin it out. Add the feta cheese and blend again until that too is fully incorporated.

Cover and simmer your now-pureed soup for 10-15 minutes. When ready, serve with a hearty chunk of fresh bread (I used this recipe for no-knead bread and was thrilled with the results).

Inspiration for this soup came from here!

Quick and Healthy Tropical Green Smoothie

It's a week into January, and it seems that if one considers him or herself to be a blogger, one must use this week to post at least one healthy recipe. And while I love me a giant plate of nachos (no seriously - who can hook a girl up??), I also know how necessary it is to counteract all those holiday calories with some lighter fare. I've been a fan of smoothies for a while now, and I've recently settled on what I believe to be a pretty stellar combination. The spinach adds a whole lot of green-goodness, the blueberries give you those much-needed antioxidants, and a gajillion people have told me to start incorporating chia seeds into my daily life. This is a quick and easy smoothie that gives you a giant glass of healthy deliciousness.

Some pro tips:
* Use an immersion blender for quick mixing and easy clean up - I use a Cuisinart Smart Stick and love it!
* Buy pre-cut frozen fruit - this will not only reduce your prep time, but will also give your smoothie a cold kick. No need for extra ice cube, which just water down the drink, because the frozen fruit are the ice cubes! My favorite come from Trader Joe's - in the smoothie above, the blueberries, mango, and pineapple bits are all from TJ's.

Tropical Smoothie
- 2 handfuls fresh spinach, chopped
- 1 banana, sliced
- 8-10 frozen mango chunks
- 1 small handful frozen pineapple bits
- 1 small handful frozen blueberries
- 1 tsp. fresh ginger, diced
- 1 tsp. chia seeds
- 1 cup orange juice
Optional add-ins: 1tbsp. of shredded coconut, 1 tsp. honey, 1 oz. apple cider vinegar

- Layer all ingredients in the cup of your immersion blender and blend well. Pour into a glass and enjoy!

Butternut pear soup

So there was this one time when I worked really, really, really hard on a very big project for a good long while and when it was over, I jumped in a car and headed upstate with friends in search of All Things Fall. The resulting day was one of near-perfection. We drove through a countryside blazing with color. We took a hayride through an apple orchard. We ate corn on the cob straight from the grill and apple cider donuts that were fresh out of the deep fryer. We went horseback riding, picked fresh flowers from a field, heard not one but two different live bands, and drank mulled wine in a treehouse as I suffered what might be the biggest loss in the history of the (card) game of Hearts. And knowing that no iconic autumn day would be complete without a souvenir, we purchased fresh fruit and veggies from a farm stand.

The next day, I took those same fruits and veggies, chopped them up, roasted them, and turned the whole thing into a hearty fall soup. Admittedly, there's not a whole lot that's special about this soup. I'm not the first person to add pears to butternut squash, or to use a whole bunch of cinnamon, curry powder, and fresh ginger, or to omit any sort of dairy so that the bowl of goodness is actually good for you. But when I eat a spoonful of this soup, I don't taste just any old squash or any old pears - I taste the hours of hard work that it takes to successfully run a small farm. I taste the local soil, knowing that my food came from just a few hours away. I taste the same sun and rain that fell on my own balcony garden. I may be waxing a little too locavore poetic, but I just can't help it - something about making an actual farm-to-table meal stirs something within me. I may be over-exaggerating just a little, but this soup is really, really good.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Pear Soup

Ingredients
- 1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed
- 3 ripe pears, peeled and cubed
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 6 cups vegetable stock
- approx. 1/4" fresh ginger, diced
- Olive oil - 1 tbsp + 2 tbsp
- Spices to taste: salt and pepper, rosemary, cinnamon, curry powder

Instruments
- Large knife
- Cookie sheet
- Oven, stove
- 8-quart dutch oven*
- Immersion blender*

How to
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. On a cookie sheet, evenly lay out the cubed butternut squash and (whole) cloves of garlic, and coat with salt, pepper, and 1 tbsp of olive oil. Roast the squash and garlic in the oven for 30 minutes.

Heat the remaining oil in the dutch oven. Add the onions, garlic, and ginger, and sauté until the onions are golden brown. Add the pears, roasted squash, vegetable stock, and spices, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer on low for 15-20 minutes (the longer you simmer, the more robust the flavors will be). Using your immersion blender, carefully blend all the ingredients until creamy. Do take caution though! Hot liquid may splash out of the pot, which is never fun. If you find your soup is too thick, add more vegetable stock (1/2 cup at a time) until you've reached your desired constancy. Stirring occasionally, simmer for another 5-10 minutes, then remove from heat and ladle into a bowl.

*Affiliate link

Easy Crockpot Peach Butter

I received my second of three gifted CSAs last week (I still can't thank Laura enough!), and as expected, we were once again swimming in fresh produce. Admittedly, I made a couple mistakes with my storage solutions and lost the potatoes and nectarines (it was more humid in my kitchen than I realized), but the peaches remained the stalwart of the group. This was the second time this summer I'd received a 5 lb. bag of fresh peaches, and though I had previously really enjoyed incorporating them into nearly every meal I made for a week (peach smoothies, peach and blueberry chicken salad, peach cobbler...the list goes on), I just couldn't face another round of daily Pinterest searches for "peach..."

So I did what any self-respecting mid-century housewife would do and I made fruit butter! This was my first foray into the wide world of preserved fruit, and I was amazed at how easy it was to make such a delicious spread. The idea of standing over a hot stove all afternoon made me want to plunge into the nearest body of water (which for me is the East River, so that wasn't gonna happen), so I made it all in the crockpot. While it was nearly an all-day affair (prepping the peaches took about half an hour, and as you'll see in the recipe below, the peaches get pureed halfway through the six-hour cooking process), the sweet smells of cinnamon and nutmeg that filled my kitchen made me realize that fall is just around the corner...and that I really, really have to get cracking on that summer tan. Also, cooking the peaches on low for a longer amount of time allows the juices to fully extract, resulting in a wonderfully full-bodied and robust flavor.

Put this peach butter on toast, mix it in to your yogurt or cottage cheese, and call me crazy, but I spread a little onto the bread of my lunchtime chicken salad sandwich, and oh wow was it good. Also, in the category of Personal Education and Knowledge-Gained, I offer you this fantastic breakdown of what constitutes jelly versus jam versus compote versus fruit butter versus a couple other things I didn't even know existed. Don't make the mistake of giving the wrong name to your fruit spread like I originally did! It's very disheartening to spend the better part of an afternoon thinking you're making peach jam when what you're really doing is making peach butter. It changes your entire outlook on life. No, I'm not quite sure exactly how that happens, but trust me - it does.

Easy Crockpot Peach Butter
Ingredients
- 5 lbs. fresh peaches
- 1 cup sugar
- Juice from 1/2 a lemon
- ~1/2 tsp. each of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger
- 1-2 oz. American Honey bourbon liqueur (this can be omitted if you prefer)
- Handful of ice cubes (for ice bath)

Yield
- About 20 oz. of peach butter

Special tools needed
- Crockpot
- Immersion blender
- Large pot for boiling water
- Large bowl for ice bath
- Glass jelly jars (with lids) for storage

To peel the peaches
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. When the water is boiling (but not before), submerge each peach into the boiling water for 30 seconds, then immediately plunge the peach into a bowl of ice water for 10 seconds. I found that it was easiest to work in batches of 3-4 peaches at a time. After removing the peach from its' ice bath, you should be able to easily pinch the skin off. If the skin isn't coming off easily, the peach probably isn't ripe enough for this method, so carefully use a knife to remove any remaining skin.

To make the butter
Chop the skinned peaches into small cubes and place in a crockpot. Add sugar, lemon, spices to taste (I tend to be a little heavy-handed with my spices, but that's just a personal preference), and the honey liqueur. Stir the ingredients so that the peaches are evenly coated, then cover and cook on low for six hours. At the three hour mark, use an immersion blender to carefully puree the peaches to your consistency of choice. Like your fruit butter a little chunky? Then blend for about 30 seconds. Prefer a smoother spread (as I do)?  You're looking at closer to two minutes of blending time. Please do take caution when doing this, however, as the fruit is extremely hot at this point and may splash a bit! When the peaches have been blended to your liking, replace the crockpot lid and continue cooking for the remaining three hours. Spoon the butter into glass jars, and freeze, refrigerate, or give away to friends and family as needed.

Blueberry highball

Recently, a friend gifted me a week's share from her CSA - she and her husband were out of town on their scheduled pick-up day, and instead of letting the bounty of fresh fruits and veggies go to waste, it went to me.

And oh, what a bounty it was. I don't personally participate in a CSA, because though I'd love to, I find they provide me with just too much food. There are only two of us in our tiny apartment, and we already have trouble fitting everything into our "European-sized" refrigerator. Week after week of giant bags of fresh produce would simply be overwhelming and unnecessary. BUT that doesn't mean that I don't love receiving the occasional share! This is now the second summer in a row in which a friend has gone out of town and asked me if I wanted her share, and I have to report that it is just the right amount for my life. Especially when the fruits and veggies are as beautiful as they were this week.

This is only a small selection of what I received. There was also a bag of green beans, a head of cabbage, about ten times more swiss chard, and a few zucchini. What will I do with it all? I have no idea. That's a post for a different day. But what did I do immediately after I got home (and after obsessively photographing everything)? Naturally, I made a cocktail.

I'm not gonna lie. I took one look at those blueberries and thought, "time for a drink!" It didn't hurt that I had been having A DAY and that it was almost 6pm on a beautiful Tuesday evening and all I had wanted all week was to relax on my balcony with a drink in hand, but that's besides the point. I'd been meaning to start incorporating muddled fruit into my drinks for some time now, and this was the perfect opportunity to do so.

I made this drink using a ginger ale syrup instead of ginger ale soda. It's a crazy-concentrated flavored syrup that when mixed with seltzer, tastes just like ginger ale but with none of the calories. It's made by these guys in upstate NY, and we pick it up at our weekly flea market (can you say hipster?), and it's addictive. No worries if you don't have the syrup - just omit the seltzer water and use your favorite ginger ale soda instead, adding as much as you like to get your drink's desired strength.

Begin by muddling three blueberries in the bottom of your glass. I didn't actually have the right tool for this (add it to the list), so I used the blunt end of a butter knife, which seemed to work just fine. This recipe uses a 1:1:2 ratio - so pour in 2oz. of your favorite bourbon (we're Maker's Mark people), 2oz. of the ginger syrup, and 4 oz. of seltzer. Add a giant ice cube and garnish with whole blueberries, find your favorite chair, and sit back and rellaaaaxxxxx ;)

Smoothie season!

Maybe it's because the weather has finally (finally! finally!!) warmed up, but I seem to be back on the smoothie train. There's just something so refreshing about sipping a cool beverage as a gentle breeze wafts in through the open window while I get ready for work - talk about a great wakeup call! The recipe below is for my favorite smoothie - made with orange juice and pineapple bits, it temporarily transports me to a beautiful island much more tropical than Manhattan :)

Tropical Green Smoothie
- 2 handfuls fresh spinach, chopped
- 1 whole banana, peeled and sliced
- 2 tbsp. pineapple chunks (TJ's sells a bag of frozen pineapple tidbits that I just love)
- 1/2 tbsp. coconut flakes
- 1 tsp. honey
- 1 oz. apple cider vinegar (use a shot glass to measure or just eyeball it)
- 1 cup orange juice

Place all ingredients in the cup of an immersion blender and and blend until everything is smooth and liquid. Pour into a glass and serve with a straw!

Bake the Book: Strawberry Balsamic Pie from 4 and 20 Blackbirds

I like hosting holiday dinners. I get to control the menu, try some new recipes, revisit old favorites, and let's be honest, enjoy the leftovers for the rest of the week. This past weekend, J and I invited two friends over for a casual Easter dinner, and while the menu wasn't anything out of the ordinary (glazed ham, glazed carrots, mashed potatoes, and a cheesy broccoli casserole), I took the opportunity to bake a pie (something I hadn't had time to do in quite a while!)

I went straight to my newest cookbook - written by Emily Elsen and Melissa Elsen, the two sisters behind Brooklyn's famed pie shop Four and Twenty Blackbirds, The Four & Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book is filled with both beautiful pictures of every recipe and clear tips and instructions to help you make a successful pie. One of my favorite aspects of the book is that it's organized by seasons - right off the bat it's stated that there's no point in using ingredients that are not fresh or grown in your region. So when it came time to pick which pie I was going to bake, I turned directly to the "Spring" section and didn't even bother with the other three seasons. Since the pie shop is located about ten miles from my apartment, I can safely assume that their freshly available ingredients are also my freshly available ingredients - and as it turned out, the fresh strawberries I bought were some of the most beautiful I'd ever seen.

I followed the recipe to a near-perfect T, ultimately having to substitute regular cornstarch for ground arrowroot (both are thickening agents, and while arrowroot is more organic and better for mixing with citrus and fruit, I couldn't find it at my local grocery and didn't feel like trekking to Whole Foods). This was a blissfully uncomplicated pie to make - your basic fruit pie in a butter crust, but the addition of balsamic vinegar was a surprising twist that quite honestly made the whole thing taste like a giant strawberry Pop-Tart - which was awesome. Our two guests had second helpings, and the pie didn't last much longer in our refrigerator. The glazed carrots are still sitting in their Tupperware, but my pie dish has already been washed and waiting to house its next pie.

Strawberry Balsamic Pie - recipe taken directly from the Four & Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book
For a Double-Crust Pie
- 2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" pieces
- 1 cup cold water
- 1/4 cup cider vinegar
- 1 cup ice

Stir the flour, salt, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add the butter pieces and coat with the flour mixture using a bench scraper or spatula. With a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour mixture, working quickly until mostly pea-size pieces of butter remain (taking care not to overblend).
Combine the water, cider vinegar, and ice in a small bowl. Sprinkle two tablespoons of the ice water mixture over the flour mixture and mix and cut it in until it is fully incorporated (a spatula or bench scraper is good for this, I personally use my hands). Add more of the ice water mixture, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, mixing until the dough is fully formed. Divide and shape the dough into two flat disc, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least one hour (overnight, if possible) to give the crust time to mellow.

Strawberry Balsamic Pie
- 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 pounds fresh strawberries, rinsed and quartered (about 5 to 6 cups)
- 1 small baking apple (such as Northern Spy or Golden Delicious)
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 dashed Angostura bitters
- 3/4 cups packed light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons ground arrowroot (*I substituted an equal amount of corn starch)
- 2 grinds fresh black pepper, fine setting
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- Egg wash (1 large egg whisked with 1 teaspoon of water and pinch of salt)
- Demerara sugar, for finishing

Have ready and refrigerated one pastry-lined 9" pine pan and pastry round or lattice to top.

Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of the granulated sugar over the strawberries. Stir gently to combine and allow the fruit to macerate at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Peel the apple and shred on the large holes of a box grater. Drain the strawberries of excess liquid and combine with the shredded apple. Sprinkle on the balsamic vinegar and Angostura bitters.

In a separate bowl, mix together the remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, arrowroot, black pepper, and salt. Gently fold the sugar mixture into the strawberry mixture. Pour the filling into the refrigerated pie shell, arrange the lattice or pastry round on top, and crimp as desired.

Chill the pie in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes to set the pastry.

Meanwhile, position the oven racks at the bottom and center positions, place a rimmed baking sheet on the bottom rack, and preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Brush the pastry with the egg wash; if your pie has a lattice top, be careful not to drag the filling onto the pastry (it will burn). Sprinkle with the desired amount of demerara sugar.

Place the pie on the rimmed baking sheet on the lowest rack of the oven. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the pastry is set and beginning to brown. Lower the oven temperature to 375 degrees, move the pie to the center rack, and continue to bake until the pastry is a deep golden brown and the juices are bubbling throughout, 35 to 40 minutes longer (*due to my "apartment-sized" oven, I didn't move the pie to a different rack, and it still turned out great).

Allow to cool completely on a wire rack, 2 to 3 hours. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature; The pie will keep refrigerated for 3 days (*if it lasts that long!) or at room temperature for 2 days).

week of awesomeness - day 01

I am without employment this week, but I say that without negativity or resentment. Small chunks of unemployment come with the freelance territory, and I have experienced a blessedly small lack of work in the past seven years. Adding to my positive outlook is the fact that I am without a job for this week, and this week only - I have a few small gigs lined up over the rest of the month, and then launch into a massive project at the beginning of May - so really, I'm on more of a forced staycation.

Taking an exotic trip wasn't in the budget this time around (and really, I did go to Belize not that long ago), but just because I'm trying to save my pennies doesn't mean I have to live like a hermit. So this week, I am allowing myself one purely-for-fun, slice of awesomeness per day. Today's mission? Bake a loaf of bread. From scratch. Why? Because why not? Oh and also because I recently cashed in some gift cards and bought myself my first ever dutch oven (Martha Stewart, 6-quart, in red), and apparently that's how you bake bread these days.

I followed this blogger's suggestion and used this recipe for No-Knead Bread (based on the original from Sullivan St. Bakery, and it turned out wonderfully. The Week of Awesomeness is officially off to a great start.

Black bean hummus

You guys, I can't. stop. making. hummus. Seriously, I opened the Pandora's box of homemade hummus and can never go back. It's just so good! And so cheap! In that, it's inexpensive, not that it's of little account or value (thanks, dictionary.com). Anyway, to make this hummus:

Ingredients:
1 can (15 oz.) of black beans, drained, but reserve the liquid
2 tbsp tahini sauce
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 clove of garlic, chopped
Juice from 1/2 a lime
Spices to taste - I used a dash of salt, a dash of cumin, and a healthy helping of Trader Joe's Everyday Seasonings

How to: 
In a blender or in the cup of your immersion blender (which I personally prefer), puree until smooth all the ingredients listed above plus half of the liquid from the can of beans. If you like a thicker hummus use less liquid, use more liquid to thin it out. Add some cilantro if you like (I'm actually not a fan, but most people love it) and serve with your favorite chips and/or veggies!

Quick bites: veggie naan pizza

Last week, J brought home some extra naan from a work lunch thing he attended. It sat in the fridge for a few days, until inspiration struck - I'd make a flatbread pizza! Now, I'm clearly not the first person to have this idea (google "naan pizza" and you get like 6 million results), but the pizza I made was just so good I had to share it with you. All you need is a a slice of naan and your favorite pizza toppings. I started with a light brushing of pesto, then added my go-to pre-made pizza sauce (Ragú Pizza Quick), sprinkled some shredded mozzarella and grated Parmesan cheeses (the combo is delicious), then topped the whole thing off with my favorite veggies - fresh chopped spinach, sliced mushrooms, marinated tomatoes (leftover from my homemade hummus) and artichoke hearts. Bake on a cookie sheet at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes, or until cheese is fully melted. So yummy. So easy. And so close to my beloved Chicago-style-thin-crust that my soul did a happy dance ;)

Roasted tomato hummus

I've only recently jumped on the homemade hummus train, but oh man, am I ever glad I did. Aside from the fact that it's sooo much cheaper to make my own than to buy it at the grocery, I'm also having a ton of fun experimenting with different flavor combinations. Most recently, I made a tomato-basil hummus - but instead of just using freshly-chopped tomatoes, I first slow-roasted the tomatoes and then marinated them in olive oil and herbs for almost three weeks. Talk about flavor!

To marinate your tomatoes
Slice cherry tomatoes in half and spread them out on a baking sheet (use a sheet of parchment paper for easy clean-up later). I used about half a pint of tomatoes, simply because I needed to use up my tomatoes before going out of town. You can marinate as many as you'd like (they'll keep for weeks), but you'll use about half a pint for the hummus. Sprinkle salt over the tomatoes, and bake at 250 degrees for two hours, making sure to rotate the pan after an hour. The tomatoes should be slightly shriveled and wrinkly; cool completely, then transfer them to a Mason jar. Gently toss the tomatoes with herbs and spices of your choice - I used a healthy amount of dried Italian seasoning, but any combination of your favorite savory flavors (fresh or dried) will work. Cover the tomatoes completely with extra virgin olive oil, give the whole thing a little stir, and then cover and store in a cool, dry place for at least three days. The longer you marinate the tomatoes, the stronger the flavor will be.

Hummus - Ingredients
1 can (15 oz.) of garbanzo beans, drained - but reserve the liquid form the can
2 tbsp. tahini sauce
1 clove of garlic, diced
1/2 pint of dried and marinated cherry tomatoes
~ 1/4 cup garbanzo bean liquid (less if you like a thicker hummus, more if you like it thin)
Spices to taste - I used about one teaspoon each of salt, Italian seasonings, and Trader Joe's Everyday Seasonings

Hummus - How to
First of all, you're going to want to shuck the garbanzo beans. Seriously, you'll thank me for this! Removing the beans' casings is going to create the creamiest hummus you'll have ever tasted. I find that pinching the pointed end of each bean between your thumb and forefinger helps to shoot the bean out of it's skin; you can discard the casings once you've shucked all the beans. Next, place all your ingredients in a blender, and puree on low until everything is mixed together. I tend to be a bit conservative with the tomatoes and spices at first, and add to taste as I go along (it's easy to add an ingredient, but hard to take it out). Serve with carrots, pita chips, or (my personal favorite), pretzels!

Southwestern chicken salad with avocado dressing

I have an unhealthy love for giant salads. It's gotten so bad that on any given day/depending on where I'm working, I can tell you where the nearest and best salad is for your current budget and taste. Want an avocado? Whole Foods doesn't charge extra. Have a taste for greek olives? There's a spot on St. Mark's that gets them fresh. And don't get me started on the Chipotle Burrito Bowl.

The other day, I was hungry and craving a salad (as usual), but didn't want to leave the warm comforts of my apartment - so I put together my own version of a Southwestern chicken salad. I already had the chicken leftover from last week's roast chicken dinner, but I decided to experiment with a homemade salad dressing and it ended up elevating the salad to a whole new level of delicious.

For the dressing: In the mixing cup of your immersion blender, mix 1/2 an avocado (peeled),  2 tsp. apple cider vinegar, 1/2 tsp. honey, the juice from 1/2 a lemon, a tiny drizzle of olive oil, a dash of salt, and a healthy dash of ginger. If you're not a huge fan of vinegar, you can reduce the amount of apple cider vinegar, but I love the bite that it adds to things. Your dressing will initially be way too thick, so slowly add water (about a tablespoon at a time), until you reach your desired consistency.

For the salad: Toss 1/2 cup of (cooked) chopped chicken breast with corn and black beans, and add salt/pepper/spices to taste (I love me an Everyday Seasoning from Trader Joe's). Place the chicken mixture onto a bed of greens, adding sliced cherry tomatoes, shredded cheese, and a slice or two of avocado as decoration. Drizzle your dressing over the salad and add some cracked pepper for a final flourish. Enjoy!