A Girl's Gotta Eat!

We planted a raised-bed garden in our backyard this year. It was our first attempt, and we planted a wide variety of veggies: cabbage, cucumbers, carrots, bell peppers, a variety of herbs, tomatoes…you name it. We've definitely picked up a few tricks to use next year, like 6 tomato plants in a 5 by 8-foot space is too many, but overall have experienced a fair amount of success. In our recent Food Network Magazine , there were 3 different tomato pie/tart recipes, but this was a must as soon as I saw "corn custard" in the title. It seemed like the perfect combo: tomatoes from the Nash garden plus fresh corn from our Delvin Farms CSA equals deliciousness in a pie shell. I was sold. We made it that weekend, and I am (only somewhat) ashamed to admit that within 12 hours, it was gone…not a crumb to be found anywhere. Our Delvin Farms corn was so sweet you could eat it raw straight from the cob, and our tomatoes have been so juicy, it was the perfect food marriage. The...

And now for a quick hit in honor of Cinco de Mayo. We already had dinner plans, and limes are in shortage, making it difficult to make fresh margaritas, but I've been in the mood for pink grapefruit (see my birthday cupcakes entry) and decided to Google Grapefruit Margaritas. There are actually quite a few out there, but when I saw this one from the Barefoot Contessa , I was sold. We bought fresh pink grapefruit and juiced them, adding a little bit of powdered sugar to make up for the fact we didn't use bottled. We also didn't have white tequila, so used the gold tequila we had instead.  I do agree with Ina's original post...the salt definitely adds a necessary dimension, so sprinkle some in the shaker if you don't rim the glass. We'll be making these again during the summer...they were so refreshing on the deck! Pink Grapefruit Margaritas 1 lime cut in wedges, optional Kosher salt, optional 1 cup ruby red grapefruit juice ½ cup freshly squeezed li...

As usual, we were watching The Pioneer Woman on a Saturday morning over coffee and breakfast. It was an episode where they're celebrating a birthday, and the cake she was making called our names loud and clear: Strawberry Shortcake Cake .  Easter was coming up, after all, and we had volunteered to bring dessert, so what better timing can there be? This is definitely a keeper. It looks more complicated than it is, and was delicious, full of fresh flavor from the strawberries. I wouldn't change a thing; Ree Drummond knows what she's doing! I didn't use quite all of the icing, but that's just personal preference. Hope you enjoy it! First, the shortcake: 9 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing 1 1/2 cups flour, plus more for dusting 3 tablespoons cornstarch 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups plus two tablespoons sugar 3 whole large eggs 1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 pound strawbe...

I could have sworn I posted this recipe when I first started my blog, but it seems that it somehow fell through the cracks. I first made it when I needed to use some fresh peaches before they went bad, and Mike was in the mood for a cobbler, All the recipes I was finding used milk, which I currently did not have handy. Instead, I found this Simple Blackberry Cobbler Recipe from Tables of Content . Excellent…no milk required! And even though the title says blackberries, the cookbook has a note that states the cobbler is also excellent with blueberries, raspberries, or peaches. This is now my favorite, go-to cobbler recipe. I’ve only ever made it with peaches, but imagine it would be good with blackberries (like the original recipe calls for), or even a combo of the two fruits. I don’t seem to have a photo of this particular dessert, so I guess I’ll just have to make it again so I have proof of how delicious it looks. It’s best enjoyed warm, but not super hot, with a small scoop...

In our most recent CSA box, we received a very nice-looking seedless watermelon. Most people would probably be thrilled with it, but I’ve never been a huge watermelon fan (unless it’s yellow watermelon, which I can eat like it’s going out of style.) Thankfully, Delvin Farms always sends an e-mail with recipes the night, to help use the fruits and veggies we are expecting. The following is a recipe from them, and quite possible the only way I’ll red watermelon from here on out. A few tips and comments…I used shallots instead of red onion because I don’t like a really strong onion flavor. I didn’t measure the melon, but used about half or a normal-size seedless watermelon and thought it was about perfect. I was also hesitant about saving the leftovers, as I was worried that the melon would get soggy sitting in the dressing overnight. I ate and shared the remainder the next day for lunch and still thought it was very tasty. I think it would be great for a picnic or get together ...

I know at some point you are going to get tired of me using the same cookbook over and over again. But when the recipes are all so tasty and reliable, why venture to an unknown? Here’s another I tried from Salt to Honey . I omitted the golden raisins (because I don’t like them in stuff like this) and the celery (because I didn’t want to buy the entire bunch to use only one stalk), and opted to add extra dried cranberries and almonds instead. The toughest part of the entire recipe was probably chopping the chicken, but that is only because I’m very particular about not wanting any grisly bits or fatty bites. I will say that the dressing portion made more than we wanted to add, so we saved the extra and decided we could maybe use it for something else later. Use your own judgment when adding it, and hold off dumping the entire amount in if you prefer less dressing as well. We were all set to serve the salad in radicchio leaves as suggested, but the radicchio available to us loo...

I know, I've already tried several scones and passed them along to you, but these really are my new favorites. They were easy to mix together (no mixer required), and the end result was moist and flavorful on the inside with just a hint of crunch on the outside. Last weekend, I picked up a large box of peaches at the Nashville Farmers' Market . After noticing this week that they were getting soft faster than I could eat and share them, I decided it was time to whip up a baked treat so they didn't go to waste. There's a peach pie recipe I've been dyng to try, but I was short a few ingredients and so decided to try a new scone recipe after the last ones didn't turn out as expected. I am so very, very glad I made these. The recipe worked exactly as written, and after tasting one fresh from the oven, I immediately decided to whip up a second batch. The original recipe also states that other fruit can be substituted for the peaches, so I plan on keep these ...

It’s that time of year again when the farmers’ market is brimming with tasty treats, and our CSA is full of goodies fresh from the farm. As it was last year, our first couple boxes have been mostly various types of leafy greens and lettuces. The lettuce is always the easiest to fix…nothing beats a super-fresh salad with some grilled chicken or steamed shrimp. Some of the other greens take a bit more imagination. Luckily, Delvin Farms always sends out recipes with their emails of what to expect in the coming week. Last year, Mike and I both had kale for the first time. We tried a couple recipes, but the kale chips were our favorite, and very easy to fix. This year we wanted to try something different, something that preferably didn’t require us to turn on the oven when our A/C was already working overtime to keep up with the 95-degree heat outside (in May!!). We opted for kale bruschetta, and made the crostini in the toaster oven. The recipe was easy to put together. I do thin...

Now that I know how well my ice cream maker works (having made Vanilla Bean Ice Cream and Lemon Raspberry Sherbet), I have a long list of ice cream, sherbet, and sorbet that I can't wait to try. Next on the list was Coconut Ice Cream from the Ben & Jerry's Cookbook the MIL gave me with my new gadget. I used eggs in the sweet cream abse this time, although I cooked the base even though they didn't to avoid any potential issues using raw eggs. To do this, I heated the milk and cream to a low simmer in a saucepan. Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a heatproof bowl. Gradually whisk some of the hot milk into the eggs, then whisk the eggs into the remaining hot milk. Continue to heat over low to medium-low heat until slightly thickened. Proceed as directed. You can skip this and make the recipe as they directed if you're not worried. Be sure to get coconut cream (not coconut milk), which we found with the drink mixers at Walmart/Kroger. Coconut Ice Cream 2 larg...

Many of you know that for the month of January, Mike was in Antarctica for work. What you may not know is that I wanted to surprise him when he got home with the aforementioned Lemon Raspberry Sherbet, found in Salt to Honey , the newest cookbook from the Junior League of Salt Lake City . I’ve been waiting to try this recipe for a while. Like the vanilla ice cream I previously posted, the lack of an exorbitant number of egg yolks appealed to me, as did also the combination of lemon and raspberry—two of Mike’s favorite flavors. The recipe is simple and easy to follow, and oh so tasty. The only thing I would do different next time is either A) spread my raspberries out on a larger pan (not in a baggie) before freezing them to prevent the large chunks I ended up with, or B) cheat and use already frozen raspberries, which I’m sure would work but would not have the same fresh flavor. Lemon Raspberry Sherbet 1⅓ cups sugar 2⅔ cups milk ⅓ cup cream Zest and juice of 2 large lemons 1 tab...

For Christmas, I received a kitchen gadget that I’ve wanted for a long time, but only recently had a place to store it when not in use—an ice cream maker. I have looked at several over the years, and read many reviews, but decided a while ago that the one for me is the Kitchenaid Ice Cream Maker that attaches to my standing mixer. It requires no ice or rock salt, has the same (or greater) capacity as most other makers, and best of all, can be stored in our freezer chest, ready to make ice cream and sherbet at a moment’s notice. There are a ton a recipes I want to try (my MIL also got me a Ben & Jerry’s ice cream cookbook ), but I decided the bets place to start was with vanilla ice cream. Easy enough, right? Maybe not so much…I found tons of recipes! How would I ever choose? I decided to keep it simple, so went with a recipe I found online that used no eggs, only milk and cream. I got both of these items from the dairy at the NFM , wanting the best quality available to me. (...

I read a recipe a while back for Summer Squash Pasta Soup (it's another from Seasoned to Taste by the JL Chattanooga.) I thought it sounded delicious, but I don't like making soup during the hot months, and good summer squash is sometimes hard to come by in the colder months. I have a solution. In our past couple CSA boxes from Delvin Farms , we've been getting more pattypan squash than we could stuff and eat. Technically the recipe calls for yellow crookneck squash, but I decided this would be an acceptable substitute and put some tasty looking squash to good use. Also, Mom and Dad haven't been able to eat all their pattypan, so I decided to make a double batch and invite them over for supper. Mike decreed the result as his new favorite soup, and the rest of us thought pretty highly of it as well. I didn't have fresh thyme on hand, but thought dried worked fine. If you don't have or prefer not to cook with wine, I'm sure you could use additional brot...

Mike and I have been getting quite a few cucumbers in our CSA. While we are happy to chop them salads or slice them for cucumber-onion salad (with our own twist of Greek yogurt), we were on the lookout for something a little different. That's where this recipe comes in. Cucumber Feta Salad seemed perfect for us: quick, simple, and with a twist (that's where the fennel comes in.) The recipe is pretty self-explanatory, and we didn't chage anything. For those who may not have tried it, fennel has a subtle licorice-type flavor. Don't worry, it's not overpowering at all in this salad. Instead it adds a nice little crunch and complements the other flavors. I would say that if you're unsure if you'd like it, chop it into pretty small pieces. We had some large chunks in ours that, while tasty, can take you aback if you're expecting the mild flavor of cucumber instead. While you're getting together this weekend for your Labor Day picnics and barbecues,...

When Mike and I were still just dating, Mike's mom was having us over for dinner and introduced me to a brand new dish: Squash Casserole. It was so very tasty that I asked for the recipe at the end of the meal and have been making it ever since. Granted, it's not the healthiest way to eat your vegetables, but sometimes you've got to go for tasty and leave the healthy to someone else. Most recipes I've found call for a full cup of sour cream and an entire stick of butter. I've decreased both these and found it was still delicious. If you're really going for decadence, though, feel free to go all in. Also, most recipes I've seen either mix half the cornbread stuffing mix into the casserole or spread half on the bottom and the remaining on top. I really enjoy the crispy on top, so that's where I put all of mine. All the ingredient amounts are pretty flexible. I've used preshredded carrots, and I've shredded my own. Preshredded will offer a bit o...

Mike first introduced me to the delightful treat known as fried pickles several years ago at Toot's; it was love at first bite. Unfortunately, the closest Toot's to our house is about 30 minutes away. I knew I needed to figure out how to make these at home. I've made the following recipe several times now, including twice for the Fourth of July while we had friends over. Needless to say, there aren't ever any leftovers. We had the turkey fryer going anyway, so that's how we fried these. We've also used our fry baby, but it does take longer since you can't fry as many at one time. Find the recipe we use at: Fried Dill Pickles. I buy a large jar of kosher dill pickles and slice them myself so I can make them as thin or as thick as we'd like. For the full dining experience, serve with ranch dressing. As a side note, for those live in or near the Mt. Juliet area, if you're in the mood for fried pickles but don't feel like frying your own, I...

I’ve wanted to try this one for a while, and with the arrival of the first tomatoes in our CSA yesterday, decided today is the perfect time! (Also, Mike’s mom is coming over for dinner, and she doesn’t mind when I try out new recipes on her.) Remember the Amaretto Fruit Salad I made for Easter? This pasta is from the same book, Seasoned to Taste . I told you it was good one and that you’d see more recipes from it…I’d hate to not deliver on a promise. With tomatoes in the farm box, basil growing one our deck, and pasta always in our pantry, all I really had to pick up was the Brie. I didn’t want to be eating too late, so I chopped the tomatoes the night before, put them in a medium bowl so everything else could be added tonight, and stored them in the fridge overnight. I thought about chopping the basil early as well, but didn’t want to run the risk of it bruising overnight. We made everything as directed, with the exception of adding a bit of extra garlic. We have a ton of it from o...