Guest Post! CSA Week #3 Courtesy of Mar Bear

You may have noticed that I skipped right from CSA week #2 to #4. Well here it is, the elusive Week #3!! CC and were in Indy for the Fourth of July, but did not want the CSA share to go to waste. Enter Mar Bear who not only picked up the share, but proceeded to cook an amazing dinner and invite us to eat with her on her deck. Does it get an better than that?? Anyone who wants to pick up the CSA share and then invite us for dinner is more than welcome!!!

Well, she has gone one step further and written a guest post - bless her heart. She also writes about her experiences with Historic Preservation at Ursuline Hipster. She is involved in all kinds of cool Cleveland projects, check her out!

Yum, yum, yum! Great summer evening

Greetings from MarBear! Molls and CC generously donated their CSA share the weekend of the 4th to Gene-O and I because they were out celebrating our independence (see post Feast Menu for the Fourth). I felt honored they chose us, but then found out they also asked M.A.C. but they didn’t answer their phone (luckily). However, M. came with me on that beautiful Saturday morning decked out in red white and blue and we traveled to my college stomping grounds, the Heights. After a few minutes perusing through the nearby stands, we found our produce destination and walked away with a canvas bag full of fresh veggies!

Our selection included: a head of broccoli, two radishes, a bag of lettuce, a small summer squash, a tub of corn meal, a heaping of sugar snap peas, and a heaping of snow peas. M. and I thought it would be great to have Molls and CC over for dinner showcasing our cooking talents using all of the ingredients. M. got busy with life, so I took the pressure off her and proceeded to plan the menu. I was able to use all items but the snow peas; they did not go to waste. Molls, Gene-O and M. split them up and snacked on them the next day!

I must warn you connoisseurs that I am a novice cook. I hate to follow recipes and loose attention quickly. Sometimes I even screw up rice and always forget to set the timer. One tip from me: crushed red pepper is not crushed red BELL pepper; it makes food spicy! (See Spicy Sugar Snap Peas) I have included our meal from start to finish. I hope you enjoy and find something you might like!

Appetizer:
RADISH-CELERY DIP
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 cucumber

½ c. butter, softened

½ tsp. celery salt

1/8 tsp. paprika

½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 c. finely chopped radishes

¾ c. finely chopped celery

¼ c. finely chopped onion

Mix cheese and butter until well blended. Then add remaining ingredients until well mixed. Let set for four hours to allow flavors to blend well. Spread on Melba toast and top with a slice of cucumber.

SALAD
Blend of fresh lettuce (whatever you get from CSA!)
½ red pepper
½ cucumber
1 c. dried tomatoes
1 c. dried cranberries
1 c. chopped walnuts
½ c. Parmesan cheese

Break off ends of lettuce, then into manageable bites. Place in large serving bowl. Chop red pepper and place into serving bowl. Slice cucumber into quarters and place into serving bowl. Add dried tomatoes, dried cranberries, walnuts and parmesan cheese. Gently toss.

MAIN COURSE: Smithfield Garlic and Herb Pork Loin
Have husband grill. Thanks Gene-O!

Sides:
STEAMED VEGGIES
1 head broccoli
1 small summer squash
½ red pepper

Wash all veggies.

Two tip from me: I spray vinegar on my veggies prior to rinsing in lieu of those fancy chemical filled store bought washes.

Remove stem (or trunk) from broccoli head to make florets. Slice summer squash into 1/8 size circles. Slice red pepper long ways to make long thin pieces.

Place in pot prepared with steamer basket. Water should be barely touching the bottom of the basket. Let steam until desired tenderness.

SPICY SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH MUSTARD

1 lb. fresh sugar snap peas

1 tbsp. whole mustard seeds

4 tbsp. vegetable oil

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 hot dried red chili

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. When hot, add the mustard seeds. As soon as the mustard seeds begin to pop (which is almost immediate), add the garlic, then add the red chili and stir for a few seconds. Put in the sugar snap peas and season to taste. Let cook for a few minutes until they have absorbed the flavor of the spices.

P.S. Lots of crushed red pepper makes the recipe just as (or more) spicy as if it were a whole red chili.

COUSCOUS
Near East Toasted Pine Nut Couscous found in my local grocer’s isle. Simply follow the directions on the box.

CORN MEAL MUFFINS
1 1/4 c. flour

3/4 c. corn meal

4 tbsp. baking powder

4 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 egg

1 c. milk

4 tbsp. melted butter or oil

Sift all dry ingredients together. Add egg, milk and batter. Pour into muffin pans. Bake 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Dessert:
Make brownies courtesy of Duncan Hines. Add one scoop of ice cream, a drizzle, and another drizzle of hot fudge on top. Bon appetite!

Thanks again Mar!!! Dinner was awesome!