melted smoosh

if you haven't yet had the immense pleasure of watching a KitchenAid pasta extruder attachment in action, let me tell you -- it's surpassed only by the gustatory delight of eating the homemade pasta that results. in this case, bucatini tossed with a plethora of sauteed vegetables and coated in a homemade cream sauce. and what better to serve as a palate cleanser than homemade lemon basil sorbet? nothing. that's what.  bucatini with vegetables and cream sauce made up by our very own selves! 12 oz bucatini, cooked and drained 1/2  of a large  onion , chopped 8 oz sliced mushrooms 1 cup cooked corn, cut from cob 1 cup green beans, trimmed 1 bell pepper, sliced 3 shallots, minced 1 TBSP minced garlic 1/2 TBSP crushed red pepper flakes 3 TBSP butter 3 TBSP flour 2 cups milk, room temperature 1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt 1/2 TBSP salt 1/2 TBSP pepper Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium skillet. Saute onion, garlic and shallots for 5 minutes, or...

we had a little hiatus from an official CSA night earlier this month with various travel plans and vacations, and last week's dinner turned into quite the adventure due to unexpected power outages. thankfully, Amy saved the day with her working electricity and we concocted a delicious Mexican meal! not the most appetizing food photo i've ever taken in my life, but trust me, it was yummy. beef & bean burrito skillet dinner adapted from deep south dish 2 tablespoons  of  olive oil 1/2  of a large  onion , chopped 2 tablespoons  of  chopped jalapeno 1 pound  of  ground beef 1 teaspoon  of  kosher salt 8 turns  of the  pepper  grinder 1 tablespoon  of  chili powder 1/2 teaspoon  of  cumin 1/2 teaspoon of  garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon  of  Cajun seasoning 1/2 teaspoon   oregano 1 packet  of  Sazon seasoning 1 cup  of  beef stock 1 cup ...

we go into some CSA nights with multiple recipes for a three-course meal and a definite plan of how we're using all of that week's produce. this was not one of those nights. and i think it speaks to our budding cooking knowledge (and our obsession with Master Chef) that we're starting to figure out how to just throw stuff in a pot and have it actually turn out to be dinner.  so, without further ado, i bring you CSA Night: Week Two.  chicken & chard salad 3 chicken breasts, cooked and diced 1 teaspoon garlic salt 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 1 head lettuce, washed and torn into bite-size pieces 1 head Swiss chard, leaves washed and torn into bite-size pieces 3 hydroponic tomatoes, chopped 1 cucumber, diced 4 oz blue cheese crumbles balsamic vinegar olive oil 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning Toss diced chicken with garlic salt and crushed red pepper. Divide Swiss chard leaves and lettuce among four bowls. Top with chopped vegetables, blue chees...

for the last few years, we've gone in together to buy a share of produce from the Dillner Family Farm's CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program, and it's become a highlight of the summer. for one thing, we get to exclaim over and figure out what to do with such assorted veggies as kohlrabi, scapes (the shoots from garlic plants), and more greens than you can shake a stick at. plus, since there are always at least four of us cooking, we can put together elaborate dinners and brainstorm flavor profiles (oh, there are so many flavor profiles) way outside the scope of what any of us would do on our own.  tonight's repast didn't push the culinary envelope, per se, but it hit the spot. plus we learned a lot about Caleb, including the fact that since his mother always made her own fresh whipped cream, he never quite mastered the art of the perfect Reddi-Wip garnish.  le menu: garlic butter steak salads recipe adapted from here for the steak: 2 TBSP min...