Clarissa Makes Applesauce?!?!

Anyone who know me well knows the one food I HATE more than anything is cooked apples. Just the thought alone sends shivers down my spine. Apple sauce, apple pie, baked apples, ugh. My husband says this makes me un-American. 

So here's the dilemma. We have a million pounds of apples from our farm share. We have shared them with family and friends but there are still too many left behind. So for Calvin, because I love him, I am making him some homemade apple sauce. I hope it's good, because lord knows I will not be trying this one myself.

Applesauce

18 apples

1 lemon 

1 cup of water

1 heaping teaspoon of cinnamon

pinch of salt 

1/4 cup of Agave (or sugar is fine too)  

Place the juice of one lemon and a cup of water in a pot.  Peel and chop the apples. 

This is clearly the most annoying part...

 

Place the chopped apples in the pot. 

Add cinnamon, a pinch of salt, agave and stir. 

Place on medium high heat and bring to a boil. 

Then turn the heat down and let the mixture summer for about 20 minutes. Blend with a hand blender, food processor or food mill. Let the applesauce cool before storing. 

Zucchini Bread

As we get the last of these beautiful zucchinis from our farm share, I knew I had to make zucchini bread at least once. My mama used to make zucchini bread with zucchinis from the garden in our backyard. I don't have a backyard. I don't have a garden. I don't have her recipe. What I do have is this bread I just made, and it's pretty damn good.

Zucchini Bread

2 medium zucchinis 

3 cups of flour 

2 teaspoons of baking powder

1/4 teaspoon of baking soda

1 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg

2 teaspoons of cinnamon 

2 eggs 

1 cup of sugar 

1/2 cup of brown sugar*

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

3/4 cup of canola or olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 8x4 inch loaf pans. 

Trim the ends of the zucchinis and grate (I did this in the food processor but you can just use a box grater). Squeeze the zucchini in a dish towel to remove some of the moisture from them. 

Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices in a large bowl. 

In another bowl mix the eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla. 

 

Toss the grated zucchini into the flour mixture. Pour the wet ingredients over the mixture and fold until well combined. 

Evenly divided into the loaf pans and bake for 45-50 minutes (check them with a toothpick). 

 

The top should be golden and feel springy. Let them cool in the pan for about ten minutes before letting them cool on a rack  or of your a deadbeat like me and you don't have a rack, just let them cool on the counter. 

 

Store the bread in an airtight container or wrap in foil and freeze for up to three months. 

Roasted Tomatillo and Tomato Salsa

Our farm share this week was an end-of-summer treat. We ended up with a ton of tomatillos and tomatoes. So today's experiment is a roasted salsa. By roasting the heck out of all the ingredients they'll reach their full, sweet potential (and the smell coming from the oven is pretty delightful too). 

Roasted Salsa

tomatillos

tomatoes 

jalapeño

onion

2 garlic cloves 

lemon or lime juice 

cilantro

salt and pepper 

Preheat the broiler on high and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 

How pretty does that look?

First husk and wash the tomatillos (they can be sticky). Cut and quarter the tomatoes and tomatillos. Dice one onion. Smash 2 cloves of garlic and add to the pan. Quarter a jalapeño (I removed the seeds and ribs for less heat but you can add them in if you like it hot). Drizzle with olive oil and generously salt and pepper. Roast in the oven until charred. 

Let the vegetables cool for a bit before adding them to a food processor. Add the juice of a lemon or lime and a big handful of cilantro. Purée until you get the texture you like. You can always add water for a thinner salsa if you prefer. Taste for salt and pepper. Store in a jar and enjoy!  

Party time

Today we are having a party, and for good reason (although selfishly, I am feeling a little bummed).  My dear friend Lauren is moving to Ohio, and so the girls are coming over to celebrate all our time together in NYC.  My friend Tarra did all the work, but I am contributing my apartment and a few treats.  I made meatballs, hummus and baba ganoush. (http://farmtoharlem.blogspot.com/2015/08/baby-ganoush-baba-ganoush-made-with.html)


Hummus is one of the easiest things to make.  You will save a ton of money by making your own and can also mix things up by using a variety of beans or herbs.  Today's recipe is the basic, but trust me its delicious.

Hummus
1 can of chickpeas
2 tablespoons of tahini (use as much or as little as you like)
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1 teaspoon of cumin
handful of parsley
salt and pepper
water
olive oil

Place chickpeas in a food processor with a tablespoon of water and puree.  Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse.  While the food processor is on, drizzle in a little more water and/or olive oil to get the hummus to the consistency that you like.  

I like to drizzle a little olive oil over the top and sprinkle with paprika before serving.


Meatballs

Ground beef

1 egg

1/4 cup parmasen 

1 teaspoon Worcestershire 

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 cup of bread crumbs* 

handful of parsley

Salt and pepper 

*I make my own "lazy" bread crumbs.  All I do is toast two pieces of Udi's gluten-free bread, and then put them in the food processor.  

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Do not over mix but make sure all the ingredients are well combined. Roll into balls. (I am making mine ahead of time and leaving them in the fridge over night, but you can skip right to cooking). 

Heat olive oil in a large pan. Brown the meatballs on all sides. Place in a 350 degree oven to finish cooking. 

Challah!!! (French toast)

After a challenging week, sometimes all you need is some good old fashioned comfort food. My mama used to make challah french toast, and so this morning it seemed like the perfect thing to do. It's really easy and there is nothing like the smell of cinnamon and vanilla roaming through your house.  Leave it to me to make this with out having syrup, which of course I did, but trust me, it didn't even need it.  

Challah French Toast

Challah (I had raisin challah on hand)

6 eggs

1 cup of milk 

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1 teaspoon of honey

Place the eggs, milk, vanilla, cinnamon and honey in a baking dish.  

Whisk together all ingredients

Soak the bread on each side for about 2 minutes.

Place on a hot griddle and cook until golden on both sides. (Make sure to let the excess egg mixture drip off first.  As you can see I did not do this and made a mess of my pan.) 

All I have to say is, YUM!

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