Sourdough French Toast

I had never thought about toasting the bread before making french toast, but this recipe (modified slightly) provided an added crunch to the french toast that was pretty fantastic!

yield: 2 servings of 2 slices each

ingredients
4 large slices sourdough bread
3/4C milk, warmed
1 large egg
3 tbs light brown sugar
2 tbs butter, melted
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
2. Place the slices of bread on a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet.
3. Bake 16 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking, until almost dry throughout.
4. Remove and let cool 5 minutes.
5. Whisk milk, egg yolks, sugar, melted butter, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt in a large shallow bowl.
6. Soak bread in milk mixture until saturated but not falling apart, about 20 seconds each side.
7. Using a slotted spatula pick up one slice at a time allowing excess milk mixture to drip off.
8. Spray large pan with cooking spray or melt some butter on it.
9. Heat pan over medium heat.
10. Use a slotted spatula to transfer slices of bread to the pan.
11. Cook until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes.
12. Flip and continue to cook until the second side is golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes longer.
13. Serve warm.
14. Enjoy!

Breezy Willow CSA Week #12

What we received:
6 peaches
6 nectarines
5 tomatoes
6 ears of corn
1 eggplant
Bag of spinach
Bag of potatoes
Basil
Rosemary
Apple butter BBQ sauce

What's left from Week #11:
Sage
Thyme
12 eggs
1/3 loaf of challah bread
1 watermelon
3 green peppers
3 peaches
3 white nectarines
1/2 bag of spinach
2 ears of corn

What's left from Week #10:
2 summer gold apples
3 patty pan squash
1/2 cantaloupe
12 eggs


What's left from Week #9:
1/2 onion
4 eggs 

What's left from Week #8:

1/2 Bag of potatoes

Monterey Jack cheese

Roasted Vegetable Medley

I found this recipe on Pinterest (which appears to be torn from a magazine) and thought it would be the perfect recipe to modify to fit my CSA needs.

yield: 4 servings

ingredients
1 eggplant
2 patty pan squash
2C sliced mushrooms
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/2C olive oil
1/4C red wine vinegar (I used the garlic infused red wine vinegar from GreatValue)
1/2C fresh basil, ripped into small pieces

directions

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees.
2. Cut eggplant and squash into cubes, about 1".
3. In a medium bowl, toss eggplant, squash, mushrooms, salt, pepper, and olive oil together until vegetables are well coated.
4. Spread mixture evenly in a 9x13 baking dish.
5. Roast for 30 minutes, stirring every so often to prevent burning on one side.
6. Remove from oven.
7. Transfer mixture to large bowl.
8. Add vinegar and basil, tossing until well combined.
9. Serve over your choice of grain (I used Pedon Italian 5 gran).
10. Enjoy!

Roasted Tomato Focaccia Pizza

We have a pizza weakness.
After loving the roasted tomato and garlic sauce recipe so much, we decided to do it again with our remaining 3 tomatoes and turn it into a pizza!
Being a New York girl, I tend to favor thin crust pizza BUT using rosemary focaccia as a crust is just fine by me - thickness and all.

yield: 8 slices of pizza

directions

1. Make rosemary focaccia bread.
2. While focaccia is cooling, make your roasted tomato and garlic sauce.
3. Place focaccia on a baking sheet (I used my SilPat on the baking sheet to help with clean up).
4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
5. Spread roasted tomato and garlic sauce over your bread, leaving about an inch of "crust" around the edges.
6. Top with your cheese of choice, we used buffalo mozzarella.
7. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until cheese is melted.
8. Enjoy!

Rosemary Focaccia Bread

We had some fresh rosemary that was reaching the end of its life, so I stumbled upon this recipe on Pinterest and decided to give it a go.

yield: 1 9x13 loaf of focaccia bread

ingredients
1 package (2.25 tsp) dry yeast
1/3C warm water, about 100 degrees
2.25C tepid water
2 tbs olive oil, plus more for the pan and to paint on top of the bread
3C bread flour
4.5C all-purpose flour
1 tbs sea salt, plus more for sprinkling over the top
2-3 tbs finely chopped fresh rosemary

directions

1. Stir the yeast into the 1/3 cup of slightly warm-to-the-touch water and let it rest for 10 minutes.
2. In a stand mixer, pour in 2 1/4 cups of tepid water and 2 tablespoons olive oil.
3. After the yeast has rested for 10 minutes and has begun to froth, pour it into the water-oil mixture.
4. Using paddle attachment, add 2 cups of  bread flour and the tablespoon of salt.
5. Add the rosemary.
6. Then, cup by cup, add the rest of the flour (both the bread flour and all purpose).
7. As the mixture goes from a batter to a thick dough, you'll want to switch from the paddle attachment to dough hook.
8. Knead the dough using the dough hook on low speed for 8 minutes.
9. In a large clean bowl, pour in about a tablespoon of oil and put the dough on top of it.
10. Spread the oil all over the dough.
11. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside to rise (in a relatively warm spot or at room temp) for an hour and a half until bread about doubles in size.
12. Spread a little olive oil in a 9x13 baking dish.
13. Place the dough in your baking pans, spreading out evenly.
14. Cover the bread and set aside for another 30 minutes.
15. Dimple the bread with your thumb. Push in to about the end of your thumbnail, roughly 1/2-inch.
16. Cover again and leave it to rise for its final rise, about 2 hours.
17. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
18. Once the dough has done its final rise, gently paint the top with olive oil – as much as you want.
19. Sprinkle the sea salt on top from about a foot over the bread; this lets the salt spread out better on its way down and helps reduce clumps of salt. 
20. Put the bread in the oven. 
21. Bake for a total of 20-25 minutes.
22. When the bread comes out of the oven, turn it out onto a rack within 3-5 minutes; this way you'll keep the bottom of the bread crispy.
23. Let cool on a rack for at least 10 minutes before eating.
24. Enjoy!

Cantaloupe Salsa

We've had A LOT of cantaloupe in our CSA hauls lately so I've been in search of things to do with it other than add it to our smoothies.
I found this recipe on Pinterest, and though I didn't have many of the ingredients in the house I improvised and ended up with a sweet, light salsa.

yield: 5 cups of salsa

ingredients
1/2 large cantaloupe, diced
1/2 white onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 ears corn, cooked & cut off the cob
2 tbs fresh basil, chopped (I used purple basil)
3 tbs lemon juice
1/4 tsp sea salt

directions

1. In a large bowl, combine cantaloupe, onion, pepper, and corn.
2. Add basil, lemon juice, and salt, tossing to evenly distribute.
3. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
4. Enjoy!

Sweet Corn Muffins

We have been drowning in corn on the cob from our CSA lately, and have been creative in our uses of 6 ears of corn (for the 2 of us) per week!
A few weeks ago we recipe a recipe for a sweet corn cake in our weekly CSA recipe email. I modified the cooking time and *ta da* muffins!

yield: 22 muffins

ingredients
4 ears corn
1/2C heavy cream
2 tsp vanilla
1/2C butter (1 stick)
1/2C vegetable oil
1C sugar
1/2C brown sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2.5C flour

directions

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray muffin pan with cooking spray.
3. Cut kernels from cob.
4. In a blender, blend corn kernels, milk, and vanilla until pureed.
5. In a large bowl (or stand mixer), beat butter, oil, and sugar about 2 minutes on medium speed, until light a fluffy.
6. Scrape down sides of the bowl and beat in 2 eggs for 30 seconds.
7. Scrape down sides of the bowl again and add last 2 eggs, beating for 30 seconds.
8. Add baking powder, salt, and corn mixture, mixing until just combined.
9. Add flour, beating for 2 minutes.
10. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.
11. Bake until inserted toothpick comes out clean, about 20 minutes.
12. Let cool.
13. Enjoy!

Roasted Tomato & Garlic Sauce

We received this recipe in our weekly CSA email and I knew right away that we had to try it.
As delicious as it sounds, it tastes and smells even better than I would have thought - it was painful waiting for it to be done because how wonderful the house smelled.
We served it over angel hair pasta with a chicken cutlet and grated smoked mozzarella on top, resulting in THE BEST chicken parm I've ever had. True story.

yield: 4 servings (~1/2C sauce each)

ingredients
2 lbs fresh tomatoes
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
4 tbs butter

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Line 9x13 inch baking dish with aluminum foil.
3. Chop tomatoes roughly, but evenly.
4. Spread tomatoes in baking dish.
5. Sprinkle garlic, salt, and black pepper over the tomatoes.
6. Drizzle olive oil over the tomatoes.
7. Cut butter into small cubes.
8. Scatter butter cubes evenly over the tomatoes.
9. Bake mixture for 2 hours 15 minutes*
10. Enjoy!

*Baking time is very flexible, you can bake them until the tomatoes simply begin to break down and release their juices or you can continue baking until the edges blacken and the juices have begun to reduce. This is really about personal preference, available time, and patience when smelling the deliciousness coming from your oven.

Breezy Willow CSA Week #11

What we received:
Sage
Thyme
12 eggs
Loaf of challah bread
1 watermelon
3 green peppers
5 peaches
7 white nectarines
3 tomatoes
Bag of spinach
Bag of mushrooms
6 ears of corn

What's left from Week #10:
 6 corn
1 cantaloupe
1 eggplant
3 white nectarines
5 summer gold apples
3 tomatoes
Bag of patty pan squash
12 eggs
1/2 Loaf of honey whole wheat bread
2 green peppers

What's left from Week #9:
12 eggs
Purple basil
Rosemary
1 onion

What's left from Week #8:

3/4 Bag of potatoes

Monterey Jack cheese

What's left from Week #7:

12 eggs

Cherry Limeade Sangria

Cherry limeade is one of my favorite summer drinks, particularly from Sonic.
This recipe from Pinterest combines that delicious taste with wine and vodka to make it an adult treat!

yield: 20 servings

ingredients
2 750ml bottles of Sauvignon Blanc
2C maraschino cherry syrup
1 bottle (59oz) of Simply Limeade
1.5C vodka
3 limes, sliced thinly
1L bottle of club soda
Handful of Maraschino cherries

directions

1. In a large punch bowl or beverage dispenser, combine wine, limeade, cherry syrup, vodka, limes, and cherries.
2. Refrigerate for a few hours, or overnight.
3. Just before serving, add club soda.
4. Enjoy!

Nutella Sea Salt Truffles

We LOVE Nutella. LOVE it.
I found this recipe on Pinterest and knew it was a must make.
I doubled the recipe to make enough for the gathering I was having, they turned out delicious...and SO SO rich.

yield: 24 truffles

ingredients
1/2C (2 sticks) salted butter
1/4C heavy cream
1C semi-sweet chocolate chips
1C Nutella
Cocoa powder
Sea Salt

directions

1. Add chocolate chips to a medium bowl. Set aside.
2. Melt butter, heavy cream, and Nutella over medium heat.
3. Once melted, bring to just under a boil, stirring constantly.
4. Let cool for 30 seconds then pour over chocolate chips.
5. Let sit for 1 minute, then whisk mixture until smooth.
6. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for ~2 hours until firm.
7. Scoop heaping teaspoons or tablespoons (depending on how large you want the truffles) and form into balls. 
8. Roll in cocoa powder.
9. Then roll one half in sea salt.
10. Place in freezer for 10 minutes to set.
11. Keep in refrigerator until ready to eat (they get melty pretty fast).
12. Enjoy!

Crock Pot Sausage & Peppers

I am trying get back to eating minimal amounts of flour, sugar, and dairy.
I found this recipe while searching for healthy crock pot recipes.
While this recipe tasted delicious, be aware that it will be a little watery - but that is nothing a slotted serving spoon can't fix!

yield: 8 servings

ingredients
1 tbs olive oil
10 chicken sausages (~2.5 lbs)
1 large onion, diced
3 bell peppers, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 large tomatoes, pureed
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp sea salt

directions

1. Cut sausage in half width wise.
2. Pour the olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat, and slowly brown the sausage on both sides.
3. Remove from heat and let cool.
4. Place sausage in the bottom of the crock pot.
5. Cover sausage with peppers, onions, garlic, tomatoes, crushed red pepper, and salt to the crock pot.
6. Mix well.
7. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
8. Serve by itself or over pasta.
9. Enjoy!

Breezy Willow CSA Week #10

What we received:
 6 corn
1 cantaloupe
1 eggplant
8 white nectarines
6 summer gold apples
Bag of tomatoes
Bag of patty pan squash
12 eggs
Loaf of honey whole wheat bread
3 green peppers

What's left from Week #9:
12 eggs
4 ears of corn
1 green pepper
Purple basil
Rosemary
Bag of green beans
2 slices cinnamon raisin bread
1 onion

What's left from Week #8:

Bag of green beans

3/4 Bag of potatoes

Monterey Jack cheese

What's left from Week #7:

12 eggs

What's left from Week #6:

12 eggs

Cantaloupe Sorbet

We are big ice cream eaters in this house, which is a bad thing when you're trying to eat better and not gain a ton of weight.
We also have had an abundance of cantaloupe, which lead me to Pinterest searching for recipes to use it when I came across sorbet.
This sorbet was delicious, light, and very refreshing!

yield: 1 quart of sorbet

ingredients
1/2C water
1/2C granulated sugar
4C cubed, peeled cantaloupe
2 tbs lemon juice
1 tbs white wine (I used sauvignon blanc)

directions

1. To make simple syrup, combine sugar and water in a saucepan, and heating the mixture over med-high heat until boiling.
2. Stir and cook until the sugar is dissolved.
3. Remove saucepan from heat and allow to cool.
4. Add cantaloupe, wine, lemon juice, and simple syrup to a blender.
5. Puree until mixture is smooth.
6. Pour mixture into your ice cream maker and churn for 15-20 minutes until sorbet has formed.
7. If you don't have an ice cream maker, pour mixture into a freezer safe container and allow to freeze for at least 4 hours.
8. Enjoy!

Chocolate Cinnamon Cookies

I found this recipe on Pinterest, and followed it almost exactly -- the only thing I changed was cooking time because the recommended 15 minutes made them very overdone.
These cookies smelled delicious while baking and tasted delicious when done!

yield: 4 dozen cookies

ingredients
2 1/4C flour
1/2C cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1C (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1C brown sugar
3/4C sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs, room temperature
2C cinnamon chips

directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat.
3. Combine the butter and sugars and cream together with a mixer on medium speed.
4. Slowly add in the eggs and vanilla until combined.
5. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and whisk until incorporated.
6. Slowly add dry ingredients into the wet and mix.
7. Once mixture is combined add in the cinnamon chips.
8. Scoop out cookies about the size of a tablespoon and place onto prepared baking sheet.
9. Bake 10-12 minutes.
10. Let cool slightly before eating.
11. Enjoy!

Cap'n Crunch Cupcakes

I love Cap'n Crunch cereal and was really excited when I stumbled upon this recipe on Pinterest.

I was a little disappointed when I saw it used a box cake mix, and also a little afraid of peanut butter marshmallow frosting on Cap'n Crunch, so I altered my Milk & Cookies Cupcake recipe to fit my cereal & milk need.

SO GOOD!

yield: 24 cupcakes

ingredients

for cupcakes

2C sugar

4 eggs, room temperature

2C all-purpose flour

1C 2% milk

3/4C vegetable oil

2 1/4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla

4C Cap'n Crunch Cereal

for frosting

3 sticks (1.5C) salted butter, room temperature

3.5C powdered sugar

7oz sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

for garnish

Cap'n Crunch Cereal

directions

1. for cupcakes: Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Line muffin pan with cupcake liners, or grease pan if not using cupcake liners.
3. Beat together eggs and sugar in large bowl (or stand mixer with paddle attachment) on low for 2 minutes.
4. Alternate adding flour and milk, on low speed, until combined.
5. Add oil, baking powder, and vanilla. Beat on low for 1 minute.
6. Add 2 cups of Cap'n Crunch Cereal to a freezer bag.
7. Using a hard object (I use a metal measuring cup), crush cereal very finely.
8. Add crushed cereal to the batter, mixing until combined.
9. Fold remaining 2 cups of uncrushed cereal into the batter.
10. Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 of the way full.
11. Bake for 24-26 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
12. Allow to cool completely on wire rack.
13. for frosting: In a large bowl (or stand mixer with paddle attachment), beat butter on medium-high speed for 2 minutes.
14. Add powdered sugar, alternating with condensed milk, on low speed.
15. Add vanilla extract.
16. Beat on medium-high speed for 5 minutes.
17. Pipe (or spread) onto completely cooled cupcakes.
18. for garnish: Place ~3 pieces of Cap'n Crunch cereal on each cupcake.
19. Enjoy!

Potato Corn Chowder

In this week's CSA recipe email was a recipe for corn chowder.
I changed things around slightly based on what I had in the house (and because with a bacon loving husband, 1 slice would not be enough) and it turned out great!

yield: 4 servings

ingredients
2 slices maple bacon, chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 tbs flour
2C chicken stock
2C vegetable stock
2C water
10oz potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
1 tsp sea salt
4 ears sweet corn
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2C heavy cream

directions

1. In a medium pot over medium-high heat, cook bacon until fat renders.
2. Add onion and cook, stirring, until soft - about 3 minutes.
3. Sprinkle in flour and cook, stirring, 3 minutes.
4. Add chicken stock and whisk until smooth.
5. Add vegetable stock, water, salt, and potatoes.
6. Bring to a boil.
7. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
8. Meanwhile, use a sharp knife to cut kernels from 3 of the cobs of corn into a bowl.
9. In the same bowl, grate the kernels off of the remaining cob using a large-holed grater.
10. Add corn kernels and grated corn to the soup.
11. Stir in thyme and cream.
12. Cook 10 minutes, until corn is tender and soup is heated through.
13. Enjoy! 

Breezy Willow CSA Week #9

What we received: 
12 eggs
1 cantaloupe
6 ears of corn
3 tomatoes
3 green peppers
Purple basil
Parsley
Rosemary
Bag of green beans
5 peaches
Loaf cinnamon raisin bread
2 onions

What's left from Week #8:

3 cucumbers

2 beets

1 green pepper

Bag of green beans

3/4 Bag of potatoes

Monterey Jack cheese

1/2 loaf of Herb de Breezy Willow bread

What's left from Week #7:

12 eggs

5 summer squash

What's left from Week #6:

12 eggs

What's left from Week #5:

6 eggs