A Girl's Gotta Eat!

We used the recipe for Swiss chard that Delvin Farms sent us. It wasn’t my favorite (I’m not a big “greens” person), but I would still  make it again. Mike thoroughly enjoyed it though, and I did finish my bowl. We used the stalks and the leaves, adding the stalks first and letting them cook for a bit before adding the leaves. I also topped mine with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese, having read several other recipes that did so. Swiss Chard Made Easy from Delvin Farms 1 bunch of Swiss chard 1 teaspoon butter 1 small clove garlic, sliced 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons water Pinch of dried crushed red pepper Salt to taste Roughly chop leaves into inch wide strips. Heat a saucepan over medium heat. Add the olive oil, a few small slices of garlic and the crushed red peppers.   Sauté for about a minute and add the chopped chard leaves and water.  Turn thoroughly and cover.  Check for doneness after about 5 minutes.  Add salt to t...

We just picked up our first CSA box, and I must say that I was not disappointed. In our first stash, we received Swiss chard, Russian red kale, garlic, green onions, strawberries, red lettuce, and green lettuce. We were also supposed to have broccoli, but I accidentally picked up the one box without it. I believe we got extra red lettuce instead, so it’s all good. The garlic and strawberries had Mike and I most excited, but I was definitely intrigued by the kale and chard. If I’ve read 1 recipe for kale chips in the past couple months, I’ve read a dozen, and chard seems to be gaining popularity as well. And I had promised Mike that I would try everything in the box at least once. First, we made the kale chips. These were so easy and tasty that I cannot WAIT to get more in the coming weeks. I knew that they were baked until crispy, but I figured they wouldn’t really crisp up the way that say, potato chips, do. I was pleasantly surprised. I would also imagine that they retain many of th...

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I realize that Mardi Gras was weeks ago, but I’ve been in the mood for some Cajun cooking (I’m reading a Louisiana cookbook at work). I decided to branch out and try something new and homemade (as opposed to opening a box of Zatarain’s, which is admittedly quite tasty, but not the same.) We were meant to have a softball game Tuesday, but after 2 days of solid rain, the game was cancelled, so I invited my parents over as guinea pigs and made some Jambalaya. I would say the only drawback to the recipe is the fact that it has to bake for 1½ hours, which will not be so great during the summer months when I’m trying to keep the house cool. I’m going to work on figuring out a way to “bake” it in a disposable pan on the grill to work around that. I’ll keep you posted on if/how that works out, because we will definitely be making this again. There are several variations the recipe suggests, but I have listed the recipe how I made it. Instead of the chicken thighs, you may also use 1 whole c...

Like many of you, today we celebrated Easter, the resurrection of Jesus. And, of course, no celebration is complete without friends, family, and food (not necessarily in that order). My contribution this year is Amaretto Fruit Salad, found in the Junior League of Chattanooga's latest cookbook, Seasoned to Taste . I love this cookbook (each chapter is a different season: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter) and cannot wait to try many other recipes from it, but one thing at a time. We made this recipe as listed, leaving off the garnish because we didn't have any mint on hand. Let me add that I never thought I liked pineapple. I thought it was stringy, and I am definitely a texture person when it comes to choosing what foods I like. This time, we opted for buying a whole pineapple instead of one that was already cored and peeled. It was almost $2 cheaper, and prepping it myself wasn't that difficult. Mike also convinced me to try just one piece. I did, reluctantly, and di...

Mike and I planned on grilling steaks and having some sort of frozen veggie tonight, and then we realized we had a bit of asparagus we needed to eat before it went bad. Upon looking at it, however, we also realized there wasn't quite enough for both of us to enjoy. And so, I whipped up a new side dish. I know you've had or heard of broccoli rice casserole, but we were dealing with asparagus here. We had white rice in the pantry and a little shredded Cheddar in our deli drawer... Cheesy Asparagus Rice it is! 1) Cook 1 cup rice according to the package directions. While it's cooking... 2) Chop asparagus spears (a little less than half a bunch) into about 1-inch pieces (after trimming off the bottoms.) Saute those in 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoons butter. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons minced or pressed garlic (depending how how garlicky you like it.) Cook over medium-low to medium heat while the rice is simmering. 3) When the rice is done, add the asparagus ...

There's no story behind this post...just a recipe we saw in our latest Food Network Magazine that tickled our fancy: Salami-Mozzarella Calzone. As you have probably gathered by now, I'm a sucker for anything with cheese in it; what you may not know is that salami may well be my favorite deli meat (try a grilled cheese and salami sandwich and you'll see what I mean.) Calzones with salami instead of pepperoni? Yummy indeed. Don't be scared by the pickled vegetable ingredient (giardiniera). It comes in a jar and can be found in the pickle and olive aisle of you grocery store. Look in the international aisle near the Italian food if it's not with the pickles. (This week, Publix has Mezzetta brand on sale for $ .99!) I've never made my own calzones before, so I liked that on my first attempt, two factors made it seem easier. 1) The recipe uses store-bought pizza dough. I'm all for fresh, homemade doughs and pastries, but there is a sense of relief is being ...