Stone Fruit Salsa

August 14, 2012 By 1 Comment

Last week our CSA fruit share included a large box full of peaches and plums from the Western slope.  They were ripe, juicy and delicious. After one day of eating them with every meal and not making a dent in the box, I realized I needed to get to work so this fruit wouldn’t spoil faster than what we could eat.

So I spent a little time in the kitchen.  I made Peach & Plum Chutey, Peach & Plum Bourbon Barbecue Sauce, Peach and Plum Crisp and Peach Jam.  And we still had peaches and plums.  This fruit box was never-ending.

I was also cooking up some Beef Barbacoa in the crockpot for dinner, and realized we needed some salsa.  Inspired by a few recent fruit salsa recipes (here and here) I attempted my own version.  It’s a simple recipe and I used what I had on hand.  It was fabulous with our barbacoa and equally delicious on my eggs the next morning.

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Stone Fruit Salsa

Ingredients

  • 2 large peaches, quartered and pits removed
  • 2 small plums, halved and pits removed
  • 1 jalapeño, seeded and finely diced
  • 1 large tomato, seeded and diced
  • 1/3 cup diced red onion
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • Juice from 1/2 of a lime
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  1. Heat grill to medium-high heat and lightly oil. Grill peaches and plums for about 2 minutes per side. Not enough to cook the fruit, but enough to get pretty grill marks. (If you are too hungry/tired/lazy, feel free to skip this step. It will still be tasty with raw fruit.)
  2. Remove from heat and set aside.
  3. In a medium bowl, combine the remaining ingredients.
  4. When cool, dice the peaches and plums and add to the rest of the ingredients.
  5. Toss well and allow to sit for 15-30 minutes for the flavors to blend before enjoying.
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http://feedingmysunshine.com/stone-fruit-salsa/

You could easily adapt this to use any stone fruit, like nectarines or apricots.  And definitely add another jalapeño if you can stand it.  Enjoy!

 

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Marinated Pork Tenderloin with Grilled Oranges

August 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Growing up, pork chops and applesauce were a staple on our table.  It is such a perfect combination, that I now always think pork should be served with fruit.  My husband, however, isn’t a fan of sweet mixed with savory.  This recipe is the perfect mix of both of our tastes.  The pork has a hint of of sweetness, but not overly so.  Using citrus gives it just enough zing.

This is so quick to put together and while it is cooking on the grill, you can easily cook your other side dishes right next to it.  We’ve been enjoying this with grilled potatoes and onions and fresh tomatoes from our CSA.  I’ve made this many times this summer and always have trouble getting a good picture.  We’re usually so hungry, we gobble it right up – which I think means that I have to share this recipe with you right away.

One tenderloin provides plenty for our family of 3.5 (a .5 deduction since Ella eats so little still) with enough leftovers for my lunch the next day.  Sometimes pork tenderloins come  two to a package.  If you are serving a group, double the recipe and grill both, or split the doubled marinade into 2 bags and freeze the extra for another day.

The oranges are optional, but I think they’re a fun, bright visual and I have enjoyed squeezing the juice from the wedges over my meal.  Enjoy!

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Marinated Pork Tenderloin with Grilled Oranges

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 c orange juice
  • 3 cloves minced garlic
  • 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • freshly ground pepper
  • 1 lb pork tenderloin
  • 1 orange, cut into wedges

Instructions

  1. Place a 1 gallon zip-top bag into a medium bowl. Fold down the top of the bag about an inch or two so that the zipper is on the outside. (I do this so the top of the bag doesn't get messy when I add the marinade ingredients.)
  2. Add all of the ingredients to the zip-top bag, except for the pork. Hold up the bag and, without spilling the contents, mix the ingredients by smushing the outside of the bag with your hands.
  3. Add the pork to the zip-top bag.
  4. Make sure the pork is well coated in the bag, then squeeze all of the air out and seal the zip top.
  5. Store in the bowl(in case of leaks) and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or overnight.
  6. Heat a charcoal or gas grill to medium high heat.
  7. Grill the tenderloin for 15-25 minutes, turning several times to brown on all sides, until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees in the thickest part.
  8. Remove from the grill and place on a plate. Cover loosely with foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
  9. While the pork is resting, place the orange wedges on the grill and cook about 3 minutes per side, or until you see nice grill marks on the flesh.
  10. Slice the pork tenderloin and serve warm with the orange wedges.

Notes

Adapted from Ina Garten via Annie's Eats

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http://feedingmysunshine.com/marinated-pork-tenderloin-with-grilled-oranges/

 

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Clean Out the Fridge Frittata

June 15, 2012 By 2 Comments

Over the past month, I have a had a few nights (ok, more than a few) where I had absolutely nothing planned for dinner.  A fridge full of food, yes.  Random vegetables, hunks of cheese…but bits and pieces here and there does not always make a meal.  Oh, but there are those eggs we bought from the farm.  One night I started grabbing all of the random food out of my fridge and began to build this simple and quick dinner frittata.

A frittata is basically just scrambled eggs with some added veggies/meat/cheese and finished off in the oven.  Simple really, but calling it a frittata makes it easier for my husband to have breakfast for dinner.  He prefers to save breakfast for the weekends only.  Poor guy, barely even eats lunch during the week.

My first frittata attempt included the following:

  • Vegetables: Asparagus, Corn, Tomato
  • Cheese: Monterey Jack, Parmesan, Goat Cheese
  • Herbs & Spices: fresh Basil, Paprika
I sautéed the asparagus and fresh corn with the onions and added the raw tomatoes just before putting the frittata in the oven with the remaining cheese.  I mixed the Monterey Jack and Parmesan into the frittata, and saved the goat cheese and some more Parmesan to sprinkle on top.

My second test included these ingredients:

  • Vegetables: Broccoli and fresh peas
  • Cheese: Gruyere, Mozzerella, Parmesan and Smoked Gouda
  • Herbs and Spices: Dried Basil
Again, the vegetables were added after the onions and garlic had sautéed for al title bit.  Since the broccoli and peas weren’t cooked, I added about 1/3 cup of chicken broth to the pan to steam them for a little bit – making this a true one pot dish.  This time I had a lot of cheese in my fridge, so I used several varieties.  Guyere and Mozzerella were mixed into the eggs, while the Parmesan and Smoked Gouda were sprinkled on top before baking.  The smoked gouda was a great addition!
Both versions were delicious, and this will be a go-to recipe for us whenever we need to clear out our fridge.  This will be perfect for Tuesday night dinners this summer in order to make room for our Wednesday CSA pickup.

Here is a quick tip:

When I first created this recipe, I was in a rush to make dinner for the family before I had to leave for an evening appointment.  After pulling the frittata out of the oven, I wasn’t thinking and grabbed the handle with my bare hand.

!@%#$!!!  

It immediately swelled and blistered, and I was annoyed that I hadn’t been paying attention.  To keep from making my  silly mistake, slide an oven mitt over the handle (see the picture above) after the frittata is done so you won’t get hurt if you forget the handle is hot.

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Clean Out the Fridge Frittata

Ingredients

  • 10 eggs
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • freshly ground pepper
  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2 1/2 cups prepared vegetables
  • Optional: 1/2 cup cooked meat, potato or rice
  • 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh herbs and/or 1 teaspoon spices

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, 1 cup of cheese, salt and some freshly ground pepper to taste. Set aside.
  3. Melt the butter in a large oven-proof (preferably non-stick) sauté pan or skillet on medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until soft and translucent, but not brown. (I used a 12" skillet.)
  4. Add the vegetables and any meat, potato or rice you may be using. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until warmed. (If you want to cook any raw vegetables in the same pan: when the onion and garlic is soft, add the vegetables and about 1/3 cup of chicken or vegetable broth. Cover and steam until the vegetables are cooked and the broth is evaporated. Remove the cover and then add in any additional cooked vegetables or meat/potato/rice and proceed as follows.)
  5. Pour your egg mixture into the pan and blend with the vegetables. Allow to cook undisturbed for 4-6 minutes, until the egg starts to set up on the sides of the pan.
  6. Using a heat-proof spatula, separate the cooked egg from the side of pan and tilt the pan around so that any uncooked egg runs underneath. Repeat this around the entire pan until most of the egg is set. The egg should still be wet and somewhat runny.
  7. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese and your herbs/spices over the eggs then place in the oven.
  8. Bake until the eggs completely set and puffy, about 7 minutes. To test, jiggle the pan a little. If the egg springs back, it is ready. If you see some liquid, it still needs more time.
  9. Remove from the oven and let sit for about 5 minutes.
  10. Slice into wedges and serve.
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http://feedingmysunshine.com/clean-out-the-fridge-frittata/

This recipe makes a large amount, feeding around 8 full servings.  I was happy to keep the leftovers in the fridge and heat up for a quick breakfast or lunch.  What is your favorite recipe for cleaning out the fridge?

 

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Mise en Place: A Mom’s Best Friend in the Kitchen

May 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Mise en Place [MEEZ ahn plahs]: French for “putting in place.”  In the kitchen, it means to organize equipment and ingredients in preparation for cooking.

We’ve all been there.  It’s 5:00 (or more like 6:00 some nights), everyone is hungry, tired after a long day and dinner needs to be made.  At home with toddlers, it can be the hardest part of my day.  Cooking a hurried meal with cranky little ones almost always ensures something goes wrong.  An interruption to mediate a toy battle means a forgotten ingredient or not enough time to get the chicken diced before the onions too dark.  This is where mise en place comes in.

Since I prefer cooking our dinner right before we eat, I have found that a little prep work earlier in the day or week can totally save my sanity.

How to make mise en place work for you:

1. Menu plan: Having an idea of what you will be making ealier in the week can ensure you have all the ingredients you need, and hopefully you won’t be heading to the grocery store last minute.

2. Read through your menu or recipe early in the day (or, better, the night before): I always hate when I forget to marinate meat or make a sauce early enough to let the flavors blend.  When you read the recipe, work backwards.  If I want to eat at 5:30, the meal will take 30 minutes to cook and 2 hours to marinate, I need to have my chicken in my marinade by 3:00.  That means getting started no later than 2:30 or 2:45.

3. Steal moments throughout the day:  I used to prep and cook during nap time, but lately nap times have been varied or even non-existent.  Now I start as early as possible.  Kids are sleeping in late?  Let me slice some onions.  Ooh, look.  They’re playing so well together right now.  Perfect time to make the salad dressing.  Anything that makes my hands messy (like pie dough or raw meat) I like to do when kids are sleeping or when someone else is around to minimize interruptions that require so much hand washing.  And if I am cutting up a carrot for lunch one day, I might as well cut up the whole bag for the rest of the week.  This goes back to number one – check your recipes, your carrots can be sliced, diced or grated at the same time for use in dishes throughout the week.

4. Use an assortment of dishes for your prep:  While I love my small prep bowls, I don’t use them exclusively for mise en place.  In an effort to reduce the amount of dishes, I try to use the least amount bowls possible.  Measured rice goes straight into the rice cooker.  The cherry tomatoes are held in the cup used to measure them.  Minced garlic gets added to the bowl of chopped onion, since they will go into the pan at the same time.  Olive oil goes straight into a waiting pan.

5. Relax: This is always a good one to add to any list.  Taking some time to prep in advance has made weeknight dinners so much more pleasurable.  Having things measured and chopped allows me to relax and I find I invite my son into the kitchen to help me more often, which is something he loves to do!  If you didn’t get it all prepped, no problem.  At least you shaved off a few minutes of work at one of the roughest parts of the day.

What is your weeknight dinner strategy?

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Linguine with Asparagus, Bacon and Fried Egg

February 2, 2012 By Leave a Comment

 

The other day I was browsing on Skinnytaste to grab the ingredients for Asian Turkey Meatballs (Delicious!) when I stumbled upon this recipe for Asparagus and Poached Eggs over Pasta.  Instantly I had a craving, and at the grocery store I made sure to grab some pasta and asparagus.

This was a perfect quick meal for a weeknight dinner and I was able to use some leftover ingredients in my fridge.  My version is definitely not as healthy as the inspiration recipe.  With the addition of the bacon it moves into carbonara territory.  Jackson loved this meal so much, he was eating it right at the kitchen counter.

I chose to fry the egg since it was easier and quicker than poaching.  I also like the texture of a fried egg a little better.  Just before you dig in, break the yolk and mix it up with the pasta.  Mmmmm….

 

Here is the recipe…

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Linguine with Asparagus, Bacon and Fried Egg

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients

  • 8 oz. uncooked linguine pasta
  • 3 slices bacon, chopped
  • 1 Tbsp butter
  • 1/2 cup onion
  • 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and sliced into 1" pieces
  • 2 Tbsp Sherry cooking wine
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • non-stick cooking spray
  • 4 eggs

Instructions

  1. Cook the linguine in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente and set aside.
  2. In a large nonstick pan, cook the bacon on medium-high heat until crispy and drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
  3. Using the same pan, sauté the onions in either the remaining bacon fat or the tablespoon of butter until soft.
  4. Reduce the heat to medium and add the asparagus, sherry, salt and pepper. Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.
  5. Add the chicken broth. Cover and cook at a simmer for about 2 minutes, or until the asparagus is a crisp, bright green.
  6. Add the asparagus mixture, bacon and the Parmesan cheese to the linguine and set aside.
  7. Increase the heat to medium-high and lightly spray the pan with cooking spray.
  8. Fry your eggs sunny-side up until the white is set.
  9. Divine the pasta among your plates and lay one fried egg on top of each plate. Season with more salt and pepper to taste.
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http://feedingmysunshine.com/linguine-with-asparagus-bacon-and-fried-egg/

Enjoy!

This recipe was inspired by Skinnytaste.

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