4 stalks of rhubarb, chopped 
I put the fruit in a bowl, along with the sugar and flour, gave it a good toss and then set it aside while I worked on the topping.
1 cup slivered almonds, toasted and then cooled 
Then I distributed the topping over the berries.
I put the completed dishes on a small baking pan (in case they bubbled over).
Then popped them into a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. I knew they were ready when the topping was nicely browned and the filling was bubbly and thickened.
How was it? Well, if you are only going to cook one thing all week, this is not a bad way too go. Sweet and tart, and even better with a scoop of vanilla on top. Plus, lucky me, the husband deemed this "too tart" for his tastes. So I get to enjoy it again later. My reward for feeling lousy for days.
with Corn and Tomato Salsa (frozen corn, green bell pepper, tomato, red onion, lime juice),
and avocado relish (avocado, red onion, garlic, lime juice)
Delish.
Yep, just two artichokes
I used a pan lid to hold the artichokes under water.
When all the halves were prepped I put them in the steamer for about a half an hour (letting them cook until I could pull a leaf out easily). Then I let them cool for a few minutes.
2 egg yolks
Then gave it a few pulses. Once it was combined I started adding the vegetable oil in a slow stream.
With the artichokes cooked it was time to try it out. 
Hello, delicious much. So, so good. Really good with the artichokes. I think if I was going to make the mayonnaise again (and I plan too because it was so good) I would probably use more sriracha. However, against the mildness of the artichokes, this was just spicy enough. I have enough mayonnaise left for a tasty sandwich tomorrow. I am looking forward to that already!
Labels: artichokes, condiments, Serious Eats, spring
1 bunch CarrotsLabels: box contents
I roasted this at 225 degrees for 3 hours, then let it cool before stashing it in the fridge (it is sooo much better the next day).
Now, tomato confit is one of my favorite things on the planet. It smells so good while it is cooking and can be used for so many things, as a condiment for meat or poultry (maybe even fish but I haven't tried it) as a bruschetta topping, or, as I am going to use it, as part of a pasta dish.
broccoli 
I put all this into my grill basket and put it on the grill.
I tossed the veggies every few minutes (for about a half hour) until they were crisp tender and char-cooked. 
1/2 pound spaghetti
1 cup tomato confit 
How was it? Well, the tomato confit smelled insanely good while it was cooking, then the grilled veggies smelled insanely good while they were cooking, so I had very high hopes, and I was not disappointed. Each part of this dish was sooo good on it's own, but together, wow. I loved this so much, light, but filling and just good. 
As an aside, while I was making my tomato confit, I was also making strawberry sauce and strawberry-rhubarb jam. I have more of this than I know what to do with, so if you would like either one, the first five people that let me know their preference shall receive it.Labels: grill, pasta, vegetarian
These are lilacs from my back yard. Lilacs are my favorite flower (with gerbera daisies running a close second).
My mom tells me that lilacs were my dad's favorite too, so maybe it's genetic.
4 small garnet yams, diced
Once the potatoes were at room temperature I stirred in the chives and the curry dressing. Tasted for seasoning and it was ready to go.
How was it? Well, I loved, loved it (but then I like curry). The slight spice of the curry was a great combination with the sweetness of the yams. I might add a bit more garlic in the future. The husband wasn't much of a fan. He said he didn't hate it, but he wouldn't ask for it by name (too bad for him because this is going on my permanent rotation for summer salads).
10 slices sourdough bread (because that is what I had in my pantry, white bread would probably be better) with the crusts cut off
Then formed the mixture into patties, laying them in the bread crumbs as I finished each one.
Once they were all done, I poured the remaining bread crumbs on top, covered the dish and then stashed it in the fridge until I was ready to cook (it needs to sit for at least one hour).
When I was ready to complete the meal I melted a bit of butter with some olive oil in a pan. I added three of the crab cakes (I didn't want to crowd the pan so the cakes would brown well) and browned them on each side, then I put them on a cookie sheet while I browned the remaining cakes. I popped the pan into a preheated 400 degree oven and let them cook for 12 minutes.
Now, I tried the crab when I opened the can and to be honest, I was not impressed. It had a weird texture and wasn't super tasty. However, in crab cake form, it was quite good, maybe not fresh-picked crab good, but good. The husband and the mother-in-law both liked it too. The green salad was just meh. but the mango salad was delicious and really good with the slightly spicy crab cakes. If I was to see canned crab at the Costco again, I might just buy it again.
1 bunch Red Chard
Labels: box contents, Full Circle Farm
Each Wednesday the food sections from newspapers all over country feature many great ideas and recipes. Here at Serious Eats we are kicking off a new feature called Weekend Cook and Tell. Every Wednesday we are going to share a particularly interesting article or recipe from a food section. We want you to use this as a jumping off point for a weekend cooking project, come up with an idea inspired by the featured article or recipe, cook it over the weekend and then tell us all about it and share photos of your dishes.
For the first go-around they decided to feature an article from the New York Times about "off-cuts" of meat.
These unfamiliar cuts are readily available, inexpensive, and underutilized but full of flavor and really delicious when prepared using the right techniques.I knew that I had a pork loin (not tenderloin) in the freezer so I started it thawing and considered what to do with it. Now, they recommended it as a cut for roasting, but with the weather warming up I thought grilling was in order. Indirect grilling provides basically the same kind of cooking as roasting, but with the additional deliciousness of charcoal and wood that you can't get from the oven.
A Cook's Illustrated recipe that I had used before came to mind. It featured pork loin stuffed with an apple-cranberry filling. However, apples and cranberries bring to mind feelings of fall and winter, and it is trying desperately to be spring here. I wanted to stick with a fruit filling but the best looking fruit right now is strawberries, and that just didn't seem right. Then I thought about the great mangoes that have just come into season and decided that might be the way to go. I did a little searching online and found a recipe for picadillo that featured mango as one of the ingredients (and seemed like a great start for a flavor profile). After a little more searching and comparing a few different regional recipes, I came up with the following for my version.
Here's the ingredients:
8 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 onion, diced
1 mango, diced
1/2 cup golden raisins
2 Tablespoon capers
2 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
a couple of dashes cayenne
1/2 cup almonds, toasted
3 lb boneless pork loin
In a saucepan I combined all of the filling ingredients except for the almonds and brought the mixture to a boil.
I turned down the heat and let it simmer for 30 minutes.
After the simmering I strained out all the solids.
Then returned the liquids to the pan so that I could make a glaze.
I let the liquid reduce by half.
Meanwhile, I let my stuffing mixture cool, then I stirred in the almonds.
I butterflied the pork loin.
Spread the stuffing over (to within about a 1/2" of the edges).
Then rolled it back up and tied it.
Unfortunately, I seem to have been distracted at this point and I forgot to take a picture (doh).
I let this sit on the counter while I started my coals. I have a fancy charcoal grill that has not only baskets for indirect grilling, but also, propane ignition. So, I loaded the baskets and set them aflame.
While I waited for the coal to be ready for cooking I put some smoking chips in water to soak.
When the coals were ready, I drained the chips and tossed a handful on the coals. Finally I added my pork loin (which I had basted with oil and seasoned with salt and pepper) to the grill in between the baskets and closed the lid (this is what makes it oven like).
I expected the pork to take about an hour to cook, so after a half-hour I flipped the pork over. When the pork was 15 degrees from being done I started basting it with the glaze
While the USDA would like you to cook pork to 160 degrees, I like my pork to have a remnant of moistness (plus I like to live on the edge). So, I cooked it to 135 degrees and then let it rest, covered The carryover cooking brought it to 145 degrees.
One of the ingredients that seemed to be fairly unanimous for picadillo was green olives, but rather than add it to the filling, I decided to add it to my rice side dish. I cooked up some yellow rice with a little butter and then stirred in some sliced green olives.
I sliced a zucchini into planks, drizzled them with oil, seasoned them with salt and pepper and grilled them once I had removed the pork loin.
Once the loin had rested for 10 minutes I sliced it and plated it with some of the rice and zucchini.
How was it? Delicioso! The filling kept the pork super moist and had a nice mix of sweet and sour. I loved the olives in the rice (and I was glad that I opted to put them in the rice rather than the stuffing). This one is going on the permanent repertoire. I might try it again with peaches instead of mango later in the summer. I think that'll be tasty too.
I'm a personal chef living happily with her picky-eater (but willing to try anything) husband and two big dogs.
This blog details what I make with the contents of my box of fruits and veggies from my local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm.
Occasionally I also blog a random thought or two.
I don't fancy myself much of a writer. I have a tendency to ramble and I love parenthesis (I like to explain myself). So, if you can put up with my writing, I hope to provide you with some inspirations.
