2016 CSA Week 2: In the Kitchen

Hello fellow CSA members!
Did you love seeing this week's beautiful share in your fridge?!?! Our friend/house sitter/dog sitter had ours already stored away for us when we returned home and I couldn't help but smile when I opened the refrigerator. (Your wait is ALMOST over Saturday pick-up members!)

I had no idea what I was going to do with those herbs... Until another CSA member sent me an email with a recipe and the description that it "sounds really weird" but everyone at a meeting loved them. I'm up for eating anything and clicked the link. Apricot, Cornmeal and Sage Cookies. Hmmm. THEN I saw the first ingredient. A whole stick of butter. I was sold. And nervous.

I'm not a very good cookie baker. Years ago, after many failed attempts I decided to stick with store-bought cookie batter and eating other people's cookies. Actually, when I learned I was pregnant last year I began a several month mission to master a homemade chocolate chip cookie recipe just so Matthias wouldn't be ashamed of his mom's cookies. I was a little afraid I'd try this recipe and somehow the cookies would turn out burnt or hard or brittle or something not good. That somehow I would ruin another perfectly good cookie recipe and then have to share about it with all of you.

Maybe all that prenatal practice paid off, or maybe these cookies are just that easy AND delicious. But, seriously, these things are SO good! I whipped them up in just a few minutes. And they turned out wonderfully! Make them as soon as you can and heap on thanks to Corbin-area CSA member Jodie Hoskins for introducing them to our lives. She said they would be good for a brunch. That's true. Or any time of day. (Just call any cookie a breakfast pastry and you can start eating it as soon as you get out of bed!) I am sure I will be making these over and over and over again.

Jodie also shared with me this wonderful link about constructing a salad (with your lettuce and carrots), along with a great orange basil dressing recipe. I really love recipes that leave a lot of room for creativity and substitutions, just giving a foundation to work from. I feel like this one does just that, leaving a lot of room for veggies, nuts and extras of your choice to add in.

I had thought I would just dry the herbs this week but after finding such a spectacular use for the sage, I couldn't leave the oregano out. So, I chopped it up and added it to a chicken dish. This recipe doesn't usually have fresh oregano, but it sure fit in nicely. You could add the oregano to many dishes or even salads.

If you're interested in the recipe I used, it originally came from my friend, Tifany, though several of my friends use it. And I'm not sure I ever had a written copy.

Tomato Pesto Chicken

Boneless skinless chicken breasts
Spaghetti or tomato sauce of your choice
Pesto
Cream Cheese

Put one layer of chicken flat in a casserole dish. Place a dollop of cream cheese on each piece of chicken. Spread pesto on each piece of cream cheese. Pour tomato sauce on top. (I like to use a lot of sauce to dip -- sop -- bread in.) Bake in 350 degree oven 45-50 minutes until chicken is cooked through.

I understand that can only loosely be called a recipe, so please ask any questions you may have.

This might be a good time for me to say that you all are just wonderful! I began this week thinking I would dry the herbs, but instead I found the inspiration to use them fresh. But drying them is still a GREAT option! I also planned to do some internet research on drying herbs to share with all of you but another CSA member, Arden Turner, helped me out by volunteering her simple and effective drying technique: Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Spread herbs out in a single layer and cover with parchment paper.  Set it on top of your refrigerator (or top of your kitchen cabinet) and then in a week or so you will have dried herbs. Scrape them off the stem and store in an air tight jar (like a small mason jar or jelly jar). Arden says the taste of freshly dried herbs in recipes is so much better than the store bought version. I have only used fresh dried herbs a couple times, but I agree!

Fresh food is wonderful. But preserved food is wonderful too. Sometimes we preserve food because we want to have some later. Sometimes we preserve it because we just don't have time to use it fresh. Illness, overtime and even impromptu dinner invitations can't be planned for and sometimes our week and our meal plan goes out the window. Many times it is easy to dry herbs or freeze fruits and veggies with just a few added minutes in the kitchen. (Those strawberries freeze wonderfully!) But sometimes time just gets away from us.

I want to say this early in the season. Sometimes life happens and your food spoils before you're able to eat it, or figure out how to prepare it or even spend the extra time to freeze it, dry it or preserve it in some way. My advice? Don't beat yourself up. Cut yourself some slack and try again next week. Or the next week. You are already making great strides in supporting local agriculture and putting fresh, healthy options in your kitchen. If your dream diet for your family isn't fully realized, you still deserve major bonus points for making an effort.

As always I welcome all comments, feedback, tips and tricks at amyrosekarr@gmail.com.

Have a great weekend!