As I mentioned last week, I signed up for One Local Summer. I figured with the CSA this would be a snap. But you know what? Eating local isn’t as easy as it sounds. I’m motivated and I’m trying but it’s the middle of July and I haven’t put a completely local meal on the table yet. Sigh.

This is the closest I’ve gotten. Swiss Chard Quiche, tossed salad and steamed kohlrabi. Everything is local except for the pie crust ingredients (although I did make the pie crust myself) and the cheddar cheese in the quiche. And it was delicious. The quiche was made with local organic eggs and milk and the dressing for the salad was made with herbs from my sister-in-law and the kohlrabi was a new vegetable for my family. We enjoyed it all.

The share we picked up yesterday including a huge amount of zucchini, both green and yellow, and cucumbers. Anyone got a good pickle recipe?

As I may have mentioned a time or two, I take great comfort in serving delicious food to my family and friends. While this may account for my current XL size, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t benefit from my extensive research in this area. So, allow me to show you what we had for dinner on Monday night.

Chicken Tomato Stroganoff

2 lbs boneless chicken breast cut into bite-sized pieces
1 lb mushrooms, sliced
2 cans Cream of Mushroom Soup
2 cans stewed tomatoes
salt, pepper, basil to taste
1 lb cooked pasta
8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese

Brown chicken and mushrooms in olive oil. Stir in soup, stewed tomatoes, salt, pepper and basil. Bring to a boil and then mix with the cooked pasta. Pour into a casserole dish and top with mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.

Simple and certainly not fancy but very, very good. Maryse, you really missed out.

It wasn’t all about the shrimp at the Carole Knits Oscar party on Sunday night. We also had something that I know my fellow Rhinebeck attendees will be interested in. We had Arthichoke French.

Shortly after returning from Rhinebeck I searched out a recipe for this delicious way of eating artichokes. I cobbled together a few different things from the internets and came up with this.

3 cans artichokes
flour
3 eggs, beaten
Garlic
3/4 stick Butter
White Wine
Parmesan Cheese
Lemon Juice

Drain the artichokes and cut them in half. Dredge them in flour and then dip in the beaten eggs. Heat up some olive oil and a couple of cloves of garlic in a fry pan (I use cast iron, of course) and then fry the artichokes until browned. Place artichokes in a baking dish.
In a small sauce pan melt the butter. When the butter is melted pour in some white wine and then add some lemon juice. Let this boil for a bit until it’s reduced by about half and then pour it over the artichokes. Grate some Parmesan cheese over the whole thing and put it in the oven at 350 for about 30 minutes. Serve with French bread.

This is almost as good as the stuff we had at Rhinebeck and it makes a great appetizer or side dish. Enjoy!

I thought I would have a post today about a fabulous baby shower I was supposed to attend on Saturday. However, the Bookish Baby had other plans. Apparently, she wants to attend the shower in person rather than in utero. Hence, the shower has been postponed for a teeny bit. So, rather than seeing pictures of adorable baby gifts and knits, I’ve got soup for you.

I am a lover of soup. When the question “soup or salad” comes up, I almost always choose soup. And of course, when the weather turns cold, my meal planning thoughts turn towards soup. Last week I made “Roast Beef Soup” from an old Penzey’s catalog. It was fabulous. Simple to make and not too time consuming. Rich and meaty, but not a stew, definitely a soup. I thought I’d share the recipe with you all since it’s not on Penzey’s website anywhere that I can find.

Roast Beef Soup

2 lbs cubed beef stew meat
4 good sized carrots
2 medium onions
1/3 bunch fresh parsley, chopped fine
2 T vegetable oil
2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp granulated garlic
8-12 cups water
6 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 375°. Cut large pieces of stew meat into smaller piece if necessary. Peel and slice carrots and onions. Place the beef, carrots, onions and parsley in a roasting pan, sprinkle with pepper and garlic, drizzle with vegetable oil and toss to coat. Put pan in oven and cook for 1 1/2 hours, stirring once in a while. Bring the water to a simmer in a soup kettle, remove the beef and veggies from the pan and add to the soup pot. Drain off any fat that has accumulated in the pan, then use some of the water from the soup pot to deglaze the roasting pan, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any tasty browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Pour this back into the pot. Once everything is simmering, add the potatoes and salt, and simmer until the potatoes are cooked – about half an hour. Taste before serving and add more salt if desired.

Serve it up with some crusty bread and think of me while you nourish your body and soul with the goodness of soup.