week 20 & 21: playing catch-up before the break

i know, i know... it's almost like i've already taken the break here.  so, going to consolidate some things here and post as much as i can before next week's fall break.


maybe i should blame the start of football season....  


week 20 brought box "a" and it was fruit loaded.  this was definitely chopsticks' week to highlight her talents.  that is, unless she happens to eat all the fruit before making something.  she has been loving the peaches.

clockwise from top left: cucumbers, sprite melon, tomatoes, peaches, personal watermelon, apples (gala & macintosh)

then there was labor day weekend.  not sure what it is about holiday weekends and forgetting to order our box on time.  so, default box "a" this week.  

clockwise from top left: cucumbers, raw shelled peanuts, personal watermelon, zucchini, scuppernong grapes, tomatoes

week 19: way behind here

certainly wasn't the best of weeks for any updates.  that only means that we have some making up to do this week, including some additional updates from last week.

little overdue, but here this week's box.  went with box "c," another farmer's choice box.  certainly got a variety of things, including pink-eyed peas (which we had never heard of before).  we had to add on a few jars of the spicy sweet dill pickles too.  household favorite for sure!

clockwise from top left: personal watermelon, squash, cucumber, lee's produce spicy & sweet dill pickles (add on), tomato, peaches, lee's produce spicy & sweet dill pickles (add on), sweet potatoes, asian pears, scuppernong grapes, pink-eyed peas

chopsticks vs. the cilantro

"we need some cilantro.  you get that, i'll get us some basil." 


and so the adventure began.  i walked away to get the basil; chopsticks got the cilantro.  skip ahead to dinner prep.  chop a handful of both basil and cilantro... wait... this isn't right.


um, chopsticks, what were you supposed to pick out?  "cilantro!"  well, this is parsley.  "oh, no fair!  they were right next to each other!" 


good reason to keep dried cilantro in the spice rack i guess.  regardless, dinner turned out good.


menu (19aug10):

• soba noodles with shiitake mushrooms
• pesto & lemon marinated chicken 
• citrus tomato salad (topping for the chicken)

soba noodles with shiitake mushrooms, pesto & lemon marinated chicken topped with a citrus tomato salad

week 18: add on week

we were really hoping for the spicy sweet dill pickles to be an add on this week after having demolished the entire jar last week.  and, of course, we were getting some more salsa as that mysteriously disappeared last week too (look at you, ojp!).


but, wait, what's this?!  shiitake mushrooms?!  yes, please.


to supplement out add-ons we went with box "b" this week.

clockwise from top left: tomatoes, shiitake mushrooms (add on), butternut squash, cherry tomatoes, lee's produce fresh salsa (add on), sprite melon, peaches, red potatoes, bell pepper

vegetarian fed

we've been called vegetarians by more people than i can count because we watch what we eat.  but, we certainly eat our fair share of meat.  but, with eating a little healthier and loving food, i am constantly researching anything food related.  recently i ran across the growing trend of "meatless monday."  chopsticks and i had discussed it a few times, trying to incorporate more vegetarian type meals in the house, maybe even once a week.

so, it wasn't monday.  and, while i'm aware that the eggs were not necessarily vegetarian (they were vegetarian fed, free range though!), i did owe chopsticks them from her birthday.  

menu (13aug10):

• grilled portabello, topped with tomatoes, spinach and provolone
• used my bruschetta topping as a base
• deviled eggs
• grilled summer squash

deviled eggs, grilled mushroom with tomatoes, spinach and provolone, grilled squash

week 17: spicy sweet dill pickles? of course!

after the track record of devouring lee's jarred produce (pickled squash and salsa), the mention of another offering, the "spicy sweet dill pickles made with lee's cucumbers," it was an easy decision.  that is, other than the pickles being offered in two different boxes.


decided to go sans grapes, however, and chose box "c."

clockwise from top left: squash, poblano peppers, personal watermelon, lee's produce spicy sweet dill pickles, corn, lee's produce fresh salsa (add on), acorn squash, tomatoes

i forkin' spoon you! happy birthday, chopsticks!

happy birthday, chopsticks!


her request:  "a picnic meal."  invited a few friends over and spent the day prepping everything.  granted, i did forget the deviled eggs (so i owe her those).  otherwise, it was definitely time to celebrate


menu (31july10):

• bbq chicken
• baked beans
• grilled corn
• apple coleslaw
• potato salad (compliments of fresh market)
• cornbread
• salad
• peach cobbler (compliments of the braxtons)

p.s.  i'll work on getting the recipes up

week 15: chopsticks is all alone

i was out of town this week, so chopsticks was in charge of the house and the box.  rather quiet week because of me traveling...


went with box "b" this week.  

clockwise from top left: cabbage, red & green pepper, corn, personal watermelon, peaches, roma tomatoes, jalapenos

you say tomato, i say tomato

a good tomato can do a lot for a sandwich.  and, it being summer, it was time to celebrate the great tomatoes we have... and, of course, we had to invite the avocado to the celebration.  chopsticks chimes in, "you can have your blt, i want my tomato and avocado sandwich."


and, what chopsticks says....


the menu (22july10):

• tomato & avocado sandwiches (yellow & heirloom tomatoes, avocado & mayonnaise)

week 14: a new week... thankfully...

just wasn't the best of weeks last week.   there certainly weren't any culinary masterpieces created.  we did, however, use the majority of the box last week (tomato here, sweet potato fry there).  


this week, there's a renewed energy in the house as we attempt to use  (and blog) our produce.  this week, we went with box "c" (seems to be our favorite so far).  

clockwise from top left: striped/korean melons, sprite melon, cherry tomatoes, assorted tomatoes, carolina crisp peanut bar, peaches, personal watermelon, butternut squash, red potatoes

week 13: taters and maters

i was excited to see sweet potatoes in a box this week and that led us to choose box "c" ("for adventurous cooks").  and, yes, there were a lot of taters and maters when the box arrived.

clockwise from top left: personal watermelon, spaghetti squash, pickled squash, blueberries, cucumbers, tomatoes, sweet potatoes

a rat, a dog and a fish...

ratatouille.  


chopsticks looks up, "we've already seen that movie."  


ojp stops, "a friend for me, dad?!" 


no, not the movie.  and, no, ojp, we're not getting a rat for a friend.  i am going to play with the concept of ratatouille, however.   plus, chopsticks is craving fish.   let the experiment begin.


the menu (08july10):

• paprika dusted fish (pan sauted)
• ratatouille croquette
• avocado puree
• siracha oil drizzle
• potato chips (sliced red potatoes, home fried)

the croquette didn't stay together as well as i had hoped (add an egg next time, spoon), but the taste was spot on.  

week 12: mmmmm... po-ta-toes....

we're obsessed.  the mention of potatoes in the box pretty much assured that what box we were choosing.  labeled as containing "cucumbers and a canary melon" we chose box "c" this week.


we were also slightly intrigued by the canary melon.  we'll be sure to follow up on that one this week.

clockwise from top left: personal watermelon, cucumbers, canary melon, squash, corn, tomatoes, blueberries, green and red bell pepper, potatoes

(and, yes, a bit behind this week.  we'll do our best to catch up :) )

a week of misses

let's be honest, i took a few days off and settled into the concept of relaxing.  all the grand intentions of playing mad scientist with the bounty of produce from the last week were replaced with the sound of vuvuzela's and some time in the sun.


our story begins last friday.  the super hot days had sparked a want for spicy food.  sure, we had plenty of peppers to use, but i was thinking chipotle... and peaches (small aside, grilled fruit is definitely high on my list of ways to eat fruit).  


the thought:

• chipotle and peach marinated chicken
• grilled peaches
• grilled corn with ancho chili butter 

started mixing, marinating and ready to grill.  i was so ready to come back to the lightly charred chicken (used some honey and peach preserves in the marinade to balance the spiciness of the chipotle) only to find the gas had gone out on the grill.  so frustrating and had to finish off the chicken and the corn indoors.  the finished results showed promise, but really needed a bit of work before we were comfortable posting the "chopsticks approved" recipes.

failed meal attempt

leaving us still hungry, we chopped up the squash and made some more baked squash fries.

fast forward to sunday.  after a fun visit to the farmer's market the previous morning, it was time to attempt some gazpacho.  had some great looking tomatoes and the jalapenos (2 small ones) and had picked up some herbs, cucumber and other fine fixin's.  chopped, blended and let it sit overnight for lunch.


remind me next time to cut down on the jalapeno... wow.


wait... a success story?!  after having picked up some mahi mahi at the farmers market, we thought:

• mahi mahi tacos, topped with 
• sliced avacado and
• smoky poblano and strawberry salad

surprisingly, something we did actually turned out this week.  too bad we started eating before taking the time to snap a picture for you.... i blame chopsticks.


for desert we sliced open the sprite melon.  having never heard of one, let along having tried one before, both chopsticks and i were rather intrigued by this thing.  turns out, it's pretty darn good.  mild, but perfect for summer.

sprite melon

that wraps up this addition of "a week of misses."  hope to see you next week for a better go of it.

week 10: summer bounty and a sprite melon

the heat is definitely here this week and we've been warned to get the boxes inside (or provide a cooler).  no wonder after having seen the amount of produce in this week's box.


went back to box "c" this week (marked as the "hot pepper" box).  we still can't get over the amount of produce in this one.  beyond that, the sprite melon is the most intriguing this week.  

clockwise from top left: corn, chef bobby's espresso rub (sample), peaches, blueberries, mix of peppers, tomatoes, squash, cherry tomatoes, sprite melon, zucchini

week 9: this may be the week

we were oh-so-close to using everything from last week!!!  alas, foiled by the lack of pickling salt at the local grocery...


this week is looking promising, however.  we chose the standard box "a" this week (marked as the "traditional summer box").  chopsticks is excited to try to the eggplant.  we're also hoping for no critters in the peaches this week.    

clockwise from top left: corn, peaches, big daddy's marinade (sample), tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, green peppers, eggplant

all by myself

ojp looks up, "dad?!  i'm here!  is it time to eat?!" so, not completely by myself.

chopsticks is working tonight and the storms are rolling in.  no grilling here.  and, after having lost 15 minutes to one of those "i had no idea i was tired" naps, i'm in the mood for something a little lighter.  

the menu (15june10):

• pesto tuna salad, served open-faced on spelt bread with tomato, cucumber and mixed greens

open-faced pesto tuna on spelt

i feel like i'm eating something bad

there's certainly no debate about corn in our house.  as soon as it showed up in the box, we knew we were grilling it.  it's a rite of summer.

ah, but the ever flowing supply of zucchini and squash... begging for something different.   summer....  grill....  burgers and fries!   

chopsticks approved with a "i really feel like i'm eating something fried.  think these are keepers." 

the menu (10june10):

• mexican turkey & black bean burgers (can thank the braxtons for the original base recipe), served with tomato and guacamole
• zucchini fries with cholula lime dipping sauce
• grilled corn on the cob

grilled corn (nice action shot, chopsticks)

zucchini and squash fries, straight from the oven

dinner (think it was mandatory to eat this outside) 

week 8: chopsticks starts singing... american idol next?

"movin' to the country gonna eat a lot of peaches
i'm movin' to the country i'm gonna eat me a lot of peaches..."


think we have our next star... comedian, photographer, singer


standard box "a" this week.  but it was well worth it with quite a few good surprises and the first sight of corn.  no doubt one of the best parts of summer.

clockwise from top left: peaches, kirby cucumbers, squash (different varieties), corn, zucchini, ginny o's cheese straws (sample), blueberries, red skinned potatoes, tomatoes

a "promise" update

promises, promises... they're made to be broken, right?!  

• blueberries:  most are still frozen for later use.  chopsticks enjoyed a few in a smoothie, however
• spring onions:  used some for the herbed summer squash and potato torte, but not all of them.  really need to come up with some other uses for these things if they continue to come in our boxes
• strawberry cider:  this keeps.  so we're keeping it
• zucchini:  first attempt at some zucchini fries.  we'll definitely be revisiting these in some fashion.  lots of potential
• squash:  see spring onions
• cucumbers:  still waiting to be used
• tomato:  chopsticks has grabbed the cavender's and devoured another tomato
• potatoes:  more "chips" for chopsticks.  these were a big hit with the neighbors
• beans:  poor beans.  i really thought i was going to saute these up in a bit of butter and just keep them simple to make sure i ate them.  they are still lounging in the fridge and not sure i'm going to get to them this week.  you've beat me again, mr. bean.