Visit to our CSA Farm....

We have joined a CSA awhile back..(for those of you who aren't familiar with CSA it is a community supported agriculture..which basically means we support our local farmers and buy directly from them.) Usually we have it delivered twice a month, but today we had the opportunity to go and see the farm firsthand.
Our CSA is Callaloo Farm in Ramona...just a 20 minute or so drive away.
Jack was the only one who accompanied us on this sojourn..Lily was away at a friends house. It was great to have him see where food really comes from(not the grocery store).
It was a nice plot of land. CJ..(the farmer) does this mostly by himself...occasionally having help from family. There was a green house that he had built..he also had pigs...and chickens....Rhode Island Red..is what I think he said they were. Jack was excited to see them and he also got to feed them and they ate directly out of his hand.
We decided to do some harvesting and that was really exciting. There is something so wholesome and good about the growing and harvesting process...Unfortunately I think our society has forgotten the most basic connection with the land..and the farm to table concept has been long since put along the wayside....
CJ had Jack help and had him get involved with the choosing and the picking. Tomatoes, peppers, onions, squash and watermelons were collected...oh and carrots too I am so fascinated with gardening and only wish I had a green thumb. We are however going to try again in the spring, but this time Justin is going to build me planter boxes....
Eventually I would like 3 hens....but one thing at a time! Off to make some salsa with our fresh, organic goods from Callaloo Farms!

Triple P

I was scanning through my Vegetarian Times magazine from February and came across Rigatoni Puttanesca with Veggie Meatballs. I never had this before and frankly had no clue what it was. The first time I ever heard of this was from the movie Series of Unfortunate Events...

I used organic penne pasta..(hence the title of the post..Penne Pasta Puttanesca)

Here's the low down....

First up..get all this stuff

*Bread crumbs

*parsley

*basil

*pasta of your choice

*Parmesan cheese

*garlic

*black pepper

*tomato sauce

*olives

*soy sausage, such as Gimme Lean..

Cook pasta according to package instructions...

Then squeeze the tube of soysage into a bowl and dump in bread crumbs

Next up, grate some fresh Parmesean

and a bunch of garlic

chop up a handful of parsley

then get your basil leaves and lay them on top of each other like this
next roll the leaves up like a cigar..and slice into thin pieces..I believe this is called chiffonade....
Add some to the mix...save some for garnish later

Mix well with hands...

Roll into little balls like this

Throw them into a hot skillet with some olive oil and fry for like 6 or so minutes

Dump in a jar of whatever kind of sauce tickles your fancy. I used tomato basil
Add olives...you could use kalamata olives..but the mere thought of those, let alone the smell makes me wanna hurl. I used black sliced olives.Next up, top the pasta...then add some more of that basil and grate some more of the parmie.

Enjoy!

Verdict* This was surprisingly tasty. I normally don't like olives..like AT ALL..but it went very well with the sauce. The balls were firm and delicious..( that didn't come out right..whatever, get your mind out of the gutter..we're talking food here yo!) They had a really good taste. The kids scarfed it up..The mister on the other hand was not fond of this at all. He was wondering why I didn't use real meat. Sometimes, it just feels like a vegetarian day!

Saturday Stuffin'

I am so happy to be at the blog thing again..its a great outlet for me...but more importantly..I am rockin' the kitchen again. I was in a slump for a really long time. But honestly ever since we signed up with our CSA, it has inspired me to get busy doing my thang! :-)

Thursday in our box we received alot of Anaheim Peppers...

I wasn't sure what to do with them, so I decided to stuff em'.

Here's what I did:

Ground 1lb ground turkey

I used a crapload of Cumin and some all purpose seasoning. Then after washing the peppers, slice down the center..but not all the way..and remove the seeds, top and all that other junk. Then put them in a steamer basket in a large pan and steam for about 6ish minutes..or until they start to sweat.
While they are steaming, put in a bunch of tomato paste and mix thoroughly. Next I decided to add some brown rice..about a cup
I used Minute Rice (Brown Rice) and nuked it..I was too impatient to do it on the stove top..and also too lazy.

Mix well..

After this I decided it needed something else...??? Ah ha! Beans baby! I got a can or organic tri bean medley, rinsed them Dump them in the turkey mixture stuff....

Next get a long baking dish and put the peppers in...like this..make sure they don't touch each other. I don't know why, I just don't like that. Whatever.. Moving on.
Start spooning in the filling like so....

Be generous..stuff them bad boys!Add a bunch of cheese..I used Monetary Jack...ultimately I wanted to use Manchego..or something..but didn't see it at Trader Joe's last night...Oh well.

Pre heat your oven to 350 degrees...then get 2 small cans of tomato sauce and dump in a sauce pan and add all kinds of spices and herbs.. I used oregano, cumin, garlic, salt, basil..whatever you have on hand and sounds good will do just fine me thinks...

Top the peppers with the sauce and add a little more cheese..Hey the more the merrier right? Its the weekend..we're not counting calories!

Cover with foil and pop in the oven for maybe 25 minutes or so...and viola!

The verdict: These were the bomb! They are so hearty too. The filling is really good, and the peppers still have a bit of crispness to them..
The two textures were creating a taste explosion in my mouth. The only thing, however..is next time I would add something to give them a kick..such as some chipotle and adobo or something. Other than that...two thumbs up!

Enjoy!

P.S.

Stay tuned, tomorrow is Pasta Puttanesca!

Green Pepper

Jellyfish and zucchini bars

Summer has finally rolled in, and ohmygod..its been hot, and the humidity makes things suck even more. Yesterday my friend and her daughter and the kids and I packed up and hit the beach. We went somewhere on base..as her hubby is in the navy.

We arrived and there was plenty of parking and not crowded..like at all.

After setting up we sat and ate some sammies we got at Subway. Jack took like 2 bites and dropped it and headed out to the surf.

We all followed suit. The water was so cold.
Ok. Fast forward, maybe 2 hours. Lily has made a new friend..(some boy nonetheless). They were acting like little freaks and throwing seaweed and wet sandLily discovers purple seaweed (or so she thinks) and brings it to the shore.
Umm.... Errr.. Yeah..
That is not pretty purple seaweed, that's a friggin' jellyfish! Shortly after..the whining sets in and then the stinging and burning. This is not the whole jellyfish either mind you. This is just a piece of the MASSIVE blob that was floating nearby. This thing was HUGE!!!

Crap.

Jack notices Lily getting all the attention and everyone hoovering over her, then he doubles over..."Mommy! My legs are burning..and, um..my thumb..yeah, my thumb is stinging ..and ahh my eyes!" Nice try kid...

Jack was never touched or was no where near the gelatinous beast for that matter.

My first thoughts were..someone has to pee on her hand! Didn't you see that Friends episode where Monica gets stung..???

No one ended up peeing on her...the sting wasn't that bad..her finger was swollen..but eventually went down. She worked it for as long as she could...

I think she learned her lesson..*fingers crossed!*

LILY.... DO NOT TAKE RANDOM ODDITIES FROM THE SEA!!!!

In other news...I am making some zucchini bars today.

I got the recipe from a good friend at work. These suckers rock! They are so good. I tweaked the recipe a little..
Here's the how to:

First up... Gather all this stuff

Beat together

Sugar..(I used 1/4 sugar and maybe 1/3 cup or so agave nectar)

oil..(again, I used 1/2 c oil and 1/2 c applesauce.. )

3 organic brown eggs
Next up, beat in 2 cups of flour, (I used whole wheat) ,

1 tsp of cinnamon

1 tsp of salt

2 tsp of baking powder

1/4th tsp of baking soda

1 tsp of vanilla
Beat for about 2 minutes or until smooth and creamy
Now grate up 2 cups of zucchini and one carrot...(luckily, I just got these and the zuke in last nights csa box!)

Chop up about a cup or so of walnuts..

Add in the oats and fold in the veggies....

Unfortunately it will look like a pan of vomit..but boy its smells so good Bake at 350 degrees for 40ish minutes...then let them cool completly..When they are cool, cut into small squares.

While this is going..lets get busy with the frosting....oh yeah!

Get a bowl and dump in

2 1/2 cups of powdered sugar

1/2 soft butter

1/4 tsp almond extract

2 tsp of vanilla

3 ounces of softened cream cheese

Beat this for a few minutes until smooth and delicious...

Set aside..or stick in the fridge.

Then slop on the icing...

These are so good...the kids loved them. I am going to make these for Jack's birthday party.

I think they taste better cold.

Enjoy!

Life and then some....

Back to the blogging thing. I forgot about blogging for a while. Life seems to be taking up much of my time these days. Busy running errands, taking kids here and there and work.
My latest obsession is the 50's! I love that era. I am actually planning a retro 50's cocktail party...and dressing the part is required! We are going to have it in March, probably on my birthday. I have already bought some things...but there is so much more to do. I am a crazy planner and I love having something to do and to look forward to. Currently I am creating some invitations, roaming the thrift stores and concocting a beverage and appetizer menu. To my pleasant surprise Justin is totally on board with this idea! I am going to have him wear a blazer and a skinny tie and maybe a Fedora to boot. He will be the bartender. I bought a 50's CD that will be playing to create the perfect atmosphere to boot. The kids will be somewhere(not sure yet)...as this is going to be an adult party..
Tonight we are heading to The Corvette Diner...I am super excited about that. I was hoping to attempt a bee hive with my hair, but I am totally clueless...maybe I need those stupid 'bumpits' that are on those infomercials...
The kids are just peachy....Lily took a art class and it turned out to be utterly ridiculous. Supposedly they were suppose to teach to draw anime and cartoons and the like...however..when we got there, there were about 15 kids and the 'art teacher' was some random teenage girl who didn't even introduce herself and explain to the class what they would be learning and doing, instead she gives everyone a xeroxed copy of a black and white toucan and says 'draw this'. When the kids finished she just said "draw whatever you want"..and that was it! Nothing else..no instruction, nothing! After spending $7 on the class, $6 on registration and $25 for a cheesy art kit that I could have got her at my work for $5, we felt thoroughly ripped off. Needless to say she won't be going back. We'll have to wait and try to put her in something more legit.
Jack is improving in kindergarten, thank goodness. At one point his teacher asked me if I was open to the idea of retention. Um...no, I am not. How could she even acess something like that when there were 6 more months of school left?. However, she told me the other day the Jack is doing much better. He is finally reading...and he loves....LOVES puzzles...he is whipping through the 100 piece puzzles so we need to up the ante and maybe try a two or three hundred piece one for him.
I am organizing a Valentine party for his class at school. I am really excited about that and I am making 26 cupcakes.
This year marks Justin and my 15 year anniversary! Planning is inevitable as I want to do something really fun and special...maybe a weekend trip away, just the two of us. Wow...that would be wonderful..as we have NEVER been away, never had a honeymoon or even a wedding at that. Of course he doesn't want to think about it as it is 10 months away. Thankfully one of us is a planner!
Well of to tidy and do some laundry! Have a great day!
Cheers!