Pico de gallo

Pico de gallo.  The hubs loves this stuff. Always asks for extra when we go out for Mexican and would eat it by the truckload if given the chance, much to my chagrin.  So I decided to give it a try and make some homemade.  After searching my usual recipe mecca, Pinterest and not coming up with anything that struck my fancy, I went to my #2 joint for recipes, Foodnetwork.com.  I came across Emeril Lagasse's recipe and it seemed the easiest to replicate.  So here you are:

1 beefsteak tomato, seeded and diced
1 tbsp. red onion diced
1 tbsp. jalapeno pepper, diced
1 tsp. garlic, minced
chopped cilantro, to taste
juice of 1 lime

Toss all ingredients together and voila!  Easy peasy pico de gallo. 

For what it's worth, the hubs prefers far less onion and tons and tons of cilantro, much more than the average bear.

Here are the fruits of my labor:

Jerusalem artichoke, potato and bacon soup

Jerusalem artichokes.  That totally conjures up mental images of some sort of hot and creamy dip a la TGI Friday's or some such restaurant, right?  No?  Well, it did for me.  I had never even heard of Jerusalem artichokes, other than maybe a passing reference on Chopped.  However, this winter the hubs and I decided to put our money where our mouths (and stomachs!) are and join a CSA.  I did some research and some quizzing of friends and we had decided on trying out Lancaster Farm Fresh's winter CSA. 

A CSA, for those not in the know, stands for community supported agriculture.  Wikipedia's definition is as follows:

Community-supported agriculture (in North America sometimes known as community-shared agriculture) (CSA) is an alternative, locally-based socio-economic model of agriculture and food distribution. A CSA also refers to a particular network or association of individuals who have pledged to support one or more local farms, with growers and consumers sharing the risks and benefits of food production. CSA members or subscribers pay at the onset of the growing season for a share of the anticipated harvest; once harvesting begins, they receive weekly shares of vegetables and fruit, in a vegetable box scheme, and also sometimes herbs, cut flowers, honey, eggs, dairy products and meat, as well. Some CSAs provide for contributions of labor in lieu of a portion of subscription costs.

Basically the hubs and I were tired of subpar produce.  As you my tens of readers may remember, I suck at eating produce.  We figured that signing up for this was a great way to a) get quality produce in season b) support local farms and c) introduce both of us (read: me!) and our kiddo into new and interesting veggies.

Our first share yielded this:

This includes Jerusalem artichokes, sweet potatoes, purple topped turnips, mushrooms, green oak leaf lettuce and a rutabaga.

I decided to tackle the Jerusalem artichokes first.  I went to Pinterest where I had pinned a ton of recipes before we got our first share.  I didn't like the look of anything I had already pinned and have been on a bacon kick lately so I found the following recipe.

Jerusalem artichoke, potato and bacon soup
Adapted from E is for Eat
**by adapted I mean that I totally followed this recipe as-is and only made changes based on what was or was not in my fridge

Ingredients:

1 pound Jerusalem artichokes (sunchokes)
1.5 pounds potatoes
4 slices of bacon, crumbled

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
leaves from 1 sprig of thyme
5-6 cups chicken stock

1/4 cup light cream
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
salt & pepper (to taste)
smoked paprika (for garnish)

Instructions:

Peel and cut the sunchokes and potatoes into equal-sized pieces and put in a bowl of ice water until you are ready to use them. Don't worry if you don't get all of the skin off the sunchokes.

Heat olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven. Cook bacon until nice and crispy. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels.

Add onions and garlic and saute until onions become translucent (but not brown), about 5 minutes. Add thyme leaves and sunchokes, and cook for about 2-3 minutes. Add potatoes, stir and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Cover with broth, enough to cover all of the vegetables, and then a little more.

Cover and cook until potatoes and sunchokes are easily pierced with a knife, about 20-30 minutes. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup. (Or you can use a blender or food processor working in batches). If it's too thick, add a little more broth. Stir in the cream & lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper.

Ladle into bowls, sprinkle with paprika and crumbled bacon and serve!

The finished product:

Upon further review, it seems I did not leave my thoughts on this soup with you. I really liked the soup. It was very earthy and not overly creamy but smooth. I thought that finishing it with paprika was the perfect touch. I'd make this again in a heartbeat!

Crockpot Mac and Cheese

Drumroll...

Today I'm sharing the recipe of all recipes, crockpot mac and cheese. This recipe came to me by way of my sister, who has my husband's and my eternal gratitude, ha! This is a delicously fattening, amazingly crowd-pleasing side dish or main dish, depending on your preference. It's great for parties or just a lazy Sunday at home. I served it on Christmas Eve and the crowd went wild.

What we started with:


And now, without further ado, the recipe.

1 box of Rotini pasta
2 cups cheddar jack, shredded
2 cups Monterey jack, shredded
Half of a large block of Velveeta
3 cups milk
Garlic salt
Butter – ½ stick (optional)
Bread crumbs, any flavor (optional but highly recommended)

1. Boil a pot of water for the pasta.
2. Cook ½ time on box – usually about 7 minutes.
3. Strain pasta.
4. Place pasta and all ingredients in the crock pot, mixing together.
5. Cook on high for 2 hours or low for 4 hours.
6. If you put on low, make sure to check periodically, as it sometimes is done sooner.
7. Approximately 30-45 minutes before the macaroni and cheese is done, sprinkle breadcrumbs on top.
8. When breadcrumbs are crispy, it is ready.

I assure you, this recipe is the bomb. Yes, I am going so far as to use outdated 90's slang because...well because it really is the bomb. Unfortunately like a fool, I forgot to take a photo of the final product. The next time I make it, I will update and bump up this post.

Steamed Red Potatoes & Green Beans

So my new found adventurous attitude toward fruits and veggies continues. Tonight I made myself a hypocrite by sort of creating my own recipe. I think I might have effed it up a little though. I'll get to that though.

I love potatoes, pretty much in any form except scalloped or Au gratin. Never cared for either of those. But I digress. Since I'm on the Weight Watcher bandwagon, I've been sticking with red potatoes. So I decided to start there. Then I picked my dreaded green veggie. I chose green beans, as evidenced by the title of the post.

Here's what we started with:

And here's where it went:

1 lb red potatoes6 ounces fresh green beans
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
2 teaspoons dried rosemary
1 tablespoon olive oil

1. Wash veggies.
2. Half, then quarter potatoes and snap ends off beans3. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Toss to coat, mixing well.
4. Steam potatoes only in electric steamer for 30 minutes.
5. When potatoes have 10 minutes left, add green beans, carefully mixing (so as not to break the potatoes)
6. Pierce a potato with a fork to test for doneness.

So, the way I effed up is a) too much olive oil and b) too much garlic! W

hen I made the recipe I used double the garlic and double the oil. I'm still not 100% sold on green beans, but what can ya do? I have to abide by the Weight Watcher gods.

The finished product: