Sunday Dinner

Calvin and I were talking on the train about traditions we want for our family and one of the things we both said was Sunday dinner. On this particular Sunday, Calvin is stuck at work all day so I thought I'd treat him to a Sunday dinner when he gets back. Today I'm making Moroccan inspired chicken in the slow cooker. It can hang out for a few hours and make the house smell divine for when Calvin gets home. 

Being the deadbeat that I am and not wanting to go grocery shopping, I may have substituted some ingredients on the list below.  In a perfect world, I would be making the recipe I am posting.  But in my not so perfect world, well, f that.  So I used chicken drumsticks, no apricots, no cilantro (I used some mint and scallions instead) and everything turned out okay.  No one was hurt and life went on. 

Moroccan Inspired Chicken 

Bone in chicken thighs

1 Onion

1/2 a cup of Greek olives 

Chopped tomatoes (most recipes call for chicken stock instead, but I like using tomatoes) 

1/2 a cup of dried apricots

Parsley 

Cilantro 

1 teaspoon of cumin

1/2 a teaspoon of coriander 

1 teaspoon of turmeric (less for flavor and more because I've been reading all about its anti-inflammatory magical powers)

1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon of cayenne

1/2 a teaspoon of ginger
1 bay leaf

Salt

Pepper

Combine the chicken thighs with the onion, cumin, ginger, coriander, cinnamon, cayenne and turmeric and season with salt and pepper.  Add the tomatoes and a bay leaf and cover and cook on high for 2 hours. 

Stir in olives and apricots (you can add chickpeas, but somehow I didn't have those either).  Cook for another hour.

Serve over rice, quinoa or couscous.  You can sprinkle some toasted almonds on or garnish with fresh herbs and a little lemon juice. 

Summer Thursday (to mourn the loss of Summer Fridays)

Calvin has been working so hard lately, and I have NOT.  His summer Fridays are officially over, so I thought I would treat him to a nice surprise tonight to get him through the week. I am making lots of delicious appetizers to pick on and pouring him some well deserved wine, or beer, or both. 

Tomatillo and Green Pepper Salsa
8 tomatillos
3 green peppers
2 scallions
cilantro
juice of 1/2 a lemon
red pepper flakes
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Husk and wash the tomatillos well (they can be really sticky). Dice up the green peppers. Drizzle with olive oil and generously salt and pepper the vegetables.  Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes.  Let the peppers and tomatillos cool a bit and throw all the ingredients into the food processor. (Normally I would use a jalapeño but I didn't have one, so I am using red pepper flakes for a little heat instead). 

Are you all so sick of photos of mason jars?

Zucchini Chips

1 large zucchini

oil

salt

I am starting to get sick of zucchini.  So I decided to try a new preparation and made some chips out of them.  It couldn't be easier, they just take a bit of time. Just keep in mind they seriously shrink, so what you start with will not be what you end up with!

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.  Thinly slice the zucchini (this is when I wish I had a mandolin). Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly spray with coconut oil (you can also just brush on either coconut oil or olive oil).  Spread out the zucchini slices in a single layer.  Spray, or brush, with oil and lightly salt. Bake for 2 hours or so, or until they are golden brown and not at all soggy.

Sautéed Leeks, Tomatoes and Asparagus
2 leeks
1 bunch of asparagus
handful of grape tomatoes
olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Cut and soak the leeks in water to remove all of the grit before cooking.

Heat olive oil in a large pan.  Add the leeks and cook for a few minutes.  Add the rest the asparagus and tomatoes and cook for a few minutes.  Add the balsamic vinegar and sauté for a few more minutes.

I made shrimp to go with the tomatillo salsa and corn on the cob too. Summer Thursdays may have to be a new tradition. Happy eating.

Engagement Party Time!

It is time to celebrate two of my favorite people, Greg and Danny, who recently got engaged.  We are going to my mother-in-law's for their engagement party this weekend, so my job today is to make a gift basket for the boys getting hitched.

I bought a cute basket to hold all my homemade goodies. I also used a mason jar stamp to make labels for everything. That way, Greg and Danny know what they are getting, and also know when to use it by.

Cute right?

Cucumber Infused Gin
Thinly slice the cucumber and place in a jar.  Fill with gin (I used Bombay, because it is Greg's favorite). Let the gin sit for 2 to 3 days.  Great for gin and tonics or cucumber gimlets.

Fennel Infused Vodka
Combine 1 small fennel bulb, fronds and vodka. This infusion can sit for much longer and will be good for up to a month (remove the fennel if it starts to break down).  

Tito's is my favorite vodka and is very affordable.

Fire Roasted Peppers

peppers (any variety)
1 cup of olive oil
2 cloves of garlic

Not having a grill makes this a rather hilarious process.  Soak skewers (or wooden chopsticks will do) in water for about ten minutes.  While they soak, rinse peppers, and cut off the tops. 

Place your gas stove on medium heat.  Skewer the peppers and place right on the stove top.  Turn as needed.  You want a charred skin on all sides.  

This just looks ridiculous.

Once the pepper is done, place in a sealed ziploc bag to steam (this will help to remove the skin later).  Repeat this process with all the peppers.  

Once all of the peppers are done, take them out the bag and use your hands to remove as much skin as possible (some char left over is fine). Then slice the peppers open and remove the seeds and any white membrane.

Heat about a cup of olive oil in a pan on medium low heat.  While it warms, slice two cloves of garlic and put them in a jar. Then place the peppers in the jar.  Pour the olive oil over the peppers.  Let cool before placing the lid on.

These peppers will keep in the fridge for up to three months.  

Lemon Sugar Scrub
2 cups of white sugar
1/4 cup of coconut oil
lemon essential oil

Place the sugar in a bowl.  Slowly add the oil while stirring until you have a soft consistency that is not too oily.  Add lemon essential oil and stir.  Put into a jar and seal.

Some for the boys and a little leftover for me.

I also included my Lavender Bath Salts, Baba Ganoush and Fruit Leather.  You can find the recipes here. 
http://farmtoharlem.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-gift-of-relaxation.html 
http://farmtoharlem.blogspot.com/2015/08/fruit-leather.html
http://farmtoharlem.blogspot.com/2015/08/baby-ganoush-baba-ganoush-made-with.html

Fruit Leather

I had my first recipe request from my friend Dierdre.  Last year I made a lot of fruit leather, yet somehow I kind of forgot about it until Dierdre mentioned it.  Our last delivery from the CSA was filled with plums (too many plums for Calvin and I to eat) and so plum fruit leather is about to happen.  I think I am also going to throw in some blueberries before they go bad.  I have also made fruit leather with apples and cinnamon, pears and cilantro, strawberry and mint and some others that I can't remember at the moment. But today, its all about plums.  

Plum and Blueberry Fruit Leather
plums (I had enough to fill a baking sheet)
blueberries
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
1/4 cup of sugar (I have also used agave or honey in the past or nothing at all if the fruit is extra sweet)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Slice the plums in half, remove their pits and place on a baking sheet.  Bake for about 15 minutes.

Put the plums, blueberries and lemon juice into a food processor (you can use a blender if you don't have one) until a smooth puree forms.  Add sugar and puree again.  

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and pour the mixture on in an even layer. 

Make sure you use an oversized piece of parchment paper so that your fruit leather doesn't stick to the side of your baking sheet.

Let the fruit dry out in the oven for as long as it takes to form fruit leather.  If your oven has a low setting, you can put it on 140 degrees.  My oven's lowest setting is 170, so I periodically turn the oven on and off while the fruit leather dries out.  This process can take a long time, so feel free to just leave it in a cool oven and let it hang out all day and over night if it needs to dry out more.  The batch I made today was pretty thick, so I let it dry out for 2 days.

Once the fruit leather is done (it should feel tacky but not sticky) you can start to cut it.  I roll it up in the parchment paper and cut it into 1 inch strips using a scissor or a pizza cutter.  Store in a ziploc bag!

Baby Ganoush: Baba Ganoush made with baby eggplant. So cheesy right?

I have always loved eggplant, so when Calvin brought home a million little purple beauties from our CSA I was thrilled. So today I am making baba ganoush, a creamy, decadent, eggplant dip that is a major crowd pleaser and yet really simple and easy.

Baba Ganoush
20 baby eggplants or 2 large eggplants
1/4 cup of tahini (use more or less on your taste preference)
juice of half a lemon
olive oil
4 cloves of roasted garlic (I prefer to use roasted garlic over raw garlic.  If you use raw garlic, use 1 clove instead)
1 teaspoon of cumin
salt and pepper to taste

Before

After.  They aren't so cute anymore.

Prick the eggplant with a fork and roast in a 375 degree oven until nice and soft (you can use the same technique when using a large eggplant).  Let the eggplant cool, and cut open to scrape the meat of the eggplant away from the skin.  Put the eggplant in the food processor.  Add tahini, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, parsley, salt and pepper.  While the food processor is running, drizzle in olive oil until you get a creamy consistency.

Peeling these babies was a labor of love (and plenty of skin ended up in the food processor).  I suggest using a larger eggplant to make life easier.  Just cut them in half and scrape with a fork.

Serve with sliced cucumber, radishes, pita, chips or anything else you have on hand. 

I was saving this for Calvin, but it may not last that long.