We showed up and met the chef – Jeff Rossman from Terra, a restaurant down the street. He was super friendly and ended the day by saying “please email me questions or come talk to me when you come in and eat” – which I thought was cool. He like to create meals that feature both fresh and local produce and taught us a lot about what questions to ask and encouraged us to talk to the farmers more and really learn about what makes them all different. It was great too because I get my CSA box every other week and sometimes wonder what to do with everything – but he pointed out great ways to use all kinds of vegetables and even their leaves that most people probably throw away. He also showed us the difference in foods that taste great and are good for you but wouldn’t make the supermarket shelves because they don’t look good enough. It was very educational and I feel like I learned a lot! Michael Pollan would be proud.

As for the meal, everything he prepared for us was delicious – he made a stuffed kumquat appetizer (with herbs and goat cheese), a fresh salad and basil vinaigrette and angel hair pasta with veggies, olive oil and some aged cheese shredded on top. Everything he bought from the pasta to the ingredients for the dressing were all from the market, so that was neat…and everything was SO delicious and fresh. Overall a great experience! I am interested to see what chefs they utilize in the future and will definitely have to go back for more meal prep and tastings!

Ingredients

• 1 6 oz package semi sweet choc chips
• 1/2 cup + 1 1/2 Tblsp shortening
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 c light corn syrup
• 1 tsp peppermint extract
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 c. crushed peppermint candy
• 1/3 sugar to roll in

Directions

1. Melt the chocolate chips in double broiler; remove from heat and set aside.

2. Cream shortening, gradually add 3/4 cups sugar beating until light and fluffy. Then beat in melted chocolate.

3. Add egg, corn syrup and flavoring. Beat well.

4. Combine flour, soda and salt…pour dry ingredients into chocolate mixture. Stir in peppermint candy.

5. Shape into 1 inch balls and roll in sugar. Place two inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes.

I always say the key to baking is undercooking things just a little bit…it depends on your oven but I think around 10-11 minutes is good. I like them so they stay a bit chewy. Also, as I have mentioned before…cooling cookies on a paper bag is also a life changing secret. Try it and you won’t go back!

Moving on…I wanted to do a Thanksgiving follow-up, but now it is practically Christmas! Here are some of the dishes from our Thanksgiving meal that were my favorites, just for the record. They could also work for a Christmas dinner or really any holiday meal.

Best Thanksgiving Stuffing

I got this recipe last year from a friend and just had to have it! Growing up I wasn’t the biggest fan of stuffing/dressing at Thanksgiving, but this one wins my vote! It is not overly strong, and I think the biscuits add a good consistency and flavor instead of just using bread crumbs. It is very moist and ours was actually a tad undercooked, but still delicious…and great leftover!

Ingredients

• 6 cups biscuit crumbs
• 4 cups cornbread crumbs
• 2 Tbsp minced parsley
• 1/2 tsp sweet marjoram
• 1 tsp salt (more or less to taste, depending on how salty your broth is)
• 1 tsp pepper
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 3/4 to 1 cup minced celery
• 3/4 to 1 cup minced onion
• 4 1/2 cups liquid  (about 1/2 chicken broth, 1/2 hot water)
• 4 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1 tsp baking powder

Directions

1. In a very large bowl, lightly toss to combine first 6 ingredients (breadcrumbs + seasonings). Saute celery and onion in the butter.

2. Spoon out celery and onions over breadcrumb mixture, then pour in the hot liquid. (Don’t mix yet). Let stand for 1 hour.

3. Add beaten eggs and baking powder, and blend with either your hands or a slender fork.  (A spoon will mash the dressing and cause it to be heavy.  I kind of “tossed” it lightly with my hands and that seemed to work well.)

4. Turn dressing into a 9×13 greased casserole.

5. Bake covered for 20 minutes and uncovered for 20 minutes @ 350 degrees.

Creamy Mac N’ Cheese

My friend Nikki shared her macaroni & cheese recipe with us, and I really liked it! She used penne, but you could really do any pasta of your choice – I think it would be fun to experiment with different kinds or even a combination. We didn’t do any kind of topping but I think I would recommend using breadcrumbs or crushed ritz crackers or something on top to keep the creamy goodness underneath from drying out on top. I like the way the cheese is all melted together beforehand, and it is a great smooth taste!

Ingredients

• 1  pound  uncooked pasta
• 2  tablespoons  butter
• 3  tablespoons  flour
• 1  cup  milk
• 1  (12-oz.) can evaporated milk
• 2  cups  (8 oz.) shredded smoked Gouda cheese
• 1  package cream cheese, softened
• 3/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/2  teaspoon  ground red pepper (optional)
• 1-2 cups breadcrumbs (depending on size of dish)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare pasta and transfer to a large bowl.

2. Melt 2 Tbsp. butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Gradually whisk in flour until smooth; cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk and evaporated milk; cook, whisking constantly, 3 to 5 minutes or until thickened. Whisk in Gouda, cream cheese, salt, and 1/4 tsp. ground red pepper until smooth. Remove from heat.

3. Combine pasta and cheese mixture, and pour into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Stir together bread crumbs, 2 Tbsp. melted butter, and remaining 1/4 tsp. ground red pepper; sprinkle over pasta mixture.

4. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Sweet Potato Cups

I found these online and thought they were the perfect solution to having a smaller number of people this year at Thanksgiving. I copied the idea but used my mom’s sweet potato recipe because it is to die for! So smooth and creamy and the perfect combination of seasonings! In my opinion, the secret is whipping them for a long time (I hate when sweet potato casserole is still partially stringy). You can adjust the recipe for the number of cups. I made six with the recipe below (this picture is before they were cooked, minus the topping).

Ingredients

• 3 c. peeled, cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
• 1 c. sugar
• 1/3 c. butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 c. half and half or whole milk
• three large oranges

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425º. Place sweet potatoes on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 425° for 45 minutes or until tender. Let stand 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350º.

2. Meanwhile, cut oranges in half crosswise. Scoop out pulp using a spoon, leaving peel intact.

3. Peel sweet potatoes, and place potato pulp in a large bowl. Add all ingredients except for cream and beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Add cream and mix well.

4. Spoon about 1/2 cup mixture into each empty orange cup and place orange cups in a 13- x 9-inch baking dish.

4. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, and top with marshmallows or nut mixture, pressing lightly to adhere. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until marshmallows are melted and golden brown.

Note: Orange cups and sweet potatoes can be made 1 day ahead. Chill scooped orange cups and baked sweet potatoes in separate zip-top plastic bags until ready to assemble.

• 2 bunches Belgian endive leaves, separated and rinsed
• 1 cup candied pecans (optional)
• 1/4 c. blue cheese crumbled (Mt. Reyes)
• 3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. dijon mustard
• salt and pepper

Arrange leaves on platter and top with candied pecans and blue cheese. In a small bowl or jar, combine vinegar, oil and mustard. Whisk or shake to combine well, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Drizzle mixture over endive leave and serve.

In a CSA, a community is created between a local farmer and consumers. The consumers purchase a “share” of the upcoming harvest produced on the farm. The cost of a share is based on the true costs of production. By purchasing a share, the consumers obtain farm-fresh, organic produce on a weekly basis while helping to keep a local family farm economically and environmentally viable.

Sounds pretty great, right? It’s like someone going to the farmers market for you and bringing you a box of whatever looks good and is in season. Not bad! My friend and I are splitting the cost and splitting the goods – basically we will get a “large box” every other week for $15 each! Truly it is an amazing deal…I had to snap a picture with my phone of all the stuff we received because I was so excited – three different kinds of lettuce, broccoli, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, slicing AND grape tomatoes, beets, carrots, zucchini, persimmons, limes and apples. Whew! I am really looking forward to this new supplement to my grocery/farmers market shopping. And just in time for Thanksgiving…

Southern Apple Cranberry Crisp

• 2 cups fresh cranberries
• 3 cups chopped apples
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 c. oats
• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 1/3 c. plain flour
• 1/2 c. chopped pecans
• 1 stick melted butter

Directions:

1. Mix together apples, cranberries and sugar.

2. In another bowl, mix together the oats, brown sugar, flour, pecans and melted butter
3. Top apple/cranberry mixture with the granola topping and bake at 350 for 1 hour until granola mixture turns crispy and golden brown on top.

I heard from a friend that using won ton wrappers was a decent/easier substitute for ravioli so I tried that. I don’t know…I guess I had high expectations but I wasn’t 100% satisfied with the result. I think I was just hoping for the same consistency as pasta and they were a little thinner and more slippery or gummy in texture. I don’t know, I guess I would have to try it again but I am not convinced yet that this is the best option. Otherwise this was delicious – I loved the filling…I could have just eaten it with a spoon! It was definitely a rich, cheesy, butternut squash-y combo that was quite good…I just need to perfect the ravioli aspect. Here is the recipe…and if anyone has feedback or has used won ton wrappers successfully, please let me know – I’d love to hear how you did it!

Ravioli Filling

• 1 medium (1 1/2 pound) butternut squash, split in half, seeds removed (about 1 lb cooked)
• 2 cloves garlic, skin on, tip removed
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh sage (15 ml)
• two shallots finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp butter (15 ml)
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup mascarpone cheese

White Sauce

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rub oil over cut side of squash. Place the 2 garlic cloves into each of the hollowed out portion of the squash where the seeds were removed. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast cut side up until tender, about 1 hour. Let cool. Scoop out the flesh and transfer to a large bowl. Discard the skin of the squash.
2. Saute 1 tablespoon butter with shallots, sage and roasted garlic until soft and golden. Add cooked squash to onion mixture and mash together. Allow to cool slightly, then add mascarpone and combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Brush the edge of dumpling wrapper or pasta lightly with beaten egg and put approximately 1 tsp. of filling in the middle. Fold dough over. Press out air and pinch edges securely with fork. (I used a wine glass to cut them into circles, then pinched with my fingers). Lay on a baking sheet, not overlapping.

4. Sauté shallots in butter, savoury and sage for 3 minutes in a saucepan or skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken stock and cream and reduce by half, about 7 to 10 minutes.
5. Drop ravioli into a pot of gently boiling salted water and cook until they are tender, and rise to the surface (about 3-7 minutes).
6. Drain immediately and toss in sauce. Add chives and lemon juice. Sprinkle with cheese and stir. Season the sauce with salt and pepper.

One of the things they are famous for is their soup. It is a creamy soup with chicken, black beans, broccoli and more – apparently it has been featured on the Today Show and all kinds of other places…and truly, it is amazing! I was determined to recreate the masterpiece to in an attempt to welcome fall and possibly have the ability to serve this delicious meal from home. I googled “george’s soup” and found a few recipes, mostly very similar, and decided to try one. I won’t say it was perfect, but it was pretty good for a first try. I used a rotisserie chicken to make things a little simpler…and then used the extra chicken and sliced brie to make toasted baguette sandwiches, which was a nice treat to go along with the soup!

Ingredients

I didn’t get a picture of the final product (I am still not the greatest at the pictures part, even when I try to remember!) BUT this is a picture from my leftovers that I ate for lunch the next day. The picture doesn’t really do it justice anyway – it tastes better than it looks…and it was almost better leftover after thickening up a bit – so I enjoyed it for a few more days!

Buy Organic (Most Commonly Contaminated):

• Peaches
• Strawberries
• Apples
• Spinach
• Nectarines
• Celery
• Pears
• Cherries
• Potatoes
• Bell Peppers
• Raspberries
• Grapes (imported)

If Budget Allows, Buy Organic:

• Carrots
• Green Beans
• Hot peppers
• Oranges
• Apricots
• Cucumbers
• Tomatoes
• Collard greens
• Grapes (domestic)
• Turnip greens
• Honeydew Melon
• Lettuce
• Kale
• Mushrooms
• Cantaloupe
• Sweet Potatoes
• Grapefruit
• Winter squash
• Blueberries
• Watermelon
• Plums
• Tangerines
• Cabbage

It’s Your Call (Least Contaminated)

• Kiwi
• Bananas
• Broccoli
• Onions
• Asparagus
• Peas
• Mango
• Cauliflower
• Pineapple
• Avocado
• Corn