I’m starting to think about fall food as the weather is beginning to change. This recipe was really easy to put together, but packed a lot of flavor. It cooks in under an hour, so it works even on a weeknight.

Pork with Sweet Potatoes and Apples

1 pork tenderloin

2 large apples, quartered

2 sweet potatoes, cut into 2-inch slices or chunks

2 large garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

1 small onion, peeled and thinly sliced

10 fresh sage leaves, roughly chopped

1 tbsp fresh thyme

salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup apple cider

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 400. Spray a roasting pan or glass baking pan (about 13×8) and place the pork tenderloin in it. Arrange the apples and sweet potatoes around the pork. Sprinkle the garlic, onions, sage, thyme, and salt and pepper over everything. Pour cider and vinegar into pan. Bake uncovered for about 45-50 minutes, until the pork is 140 degrees.

If you want to make gravy, remove pork and veggies from the pan and place the pan on a burner. Add 1 cup chicken broth and enough Wondra flour to thicken to your tastes (I like my gravy thick!) and cook over high, stirring or whisking constantly until it thickens.

I’m starting to think about fall food as the weather is beginning to change. This recipe was really easy to put together, but packed a lot of flavor. It cooks in under an hour, so it works even on a weeknight. Pork with Sweet Potatoes and Apples 1 pork tenderloin 2 large apples, quartered 2 … Read more →

I got my final batch of tomatoes from the CSA, so I’m going to be officially done with tomatoes as soon as they are gone. Here’s an incredibly simple end-of-summer side dish to use up your last batch!

Pan-Fried Tomatoes with Feta and Basil

Slice your tomato into slices that are between 1/4 inch and a 1/2 inch thick. Mix one egg with a dash of water. Dip each slice in the egg wash, then in breadcrumbs. Place in a pan that has been coated with olive oil. Fry over medium high heat until browned, then flip. On the top of the tomatoes, place one basil leaf and a sprinkling of feta. When the tomato is brown on the bottom, serve.

How do you like to use up those last tomatoes of the season?

I got my final batch of tomatoes from the CSA, so I’m going to be officially done with tomatoes as soon as they are gone. Here’s an incredibly simple end-of-summer side dish to use up your last batch! Pan-Fried Tomatoes with Feta and Basil Slice your tomato into slices that are between 1/4 inch and … Read more →

This is an incredibly simple recipe that packs a lot of flavor, and helps use up some of those summer veggies. I served this with brown rice and steamed green beans.

Salmon with Summer Vegetables

4 large leaves Swiss chard, chopped

1 medium tomato, chopped

1 shallot, peeled and chopped

salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 salmon fillets (about 6 oz each)

Heat your grill. Put the chard in boiling water and cook until tender. Drain and allow to cool, then squeeze most of the water out. Mix in a small bowl with the tomato, shallot, salt, pepper, olive oil and vinegar. Grill the salmon. Place half the veggies and juice on each fillet and serve.

This is an incredibly simple recipe that packs a lot of flavor, and helps use up some of those summer veggies. I served this with brown rice and steamed green beans. Salmon with Summer Vegetables 4 large leaves Swiss chard, chopped 1 medium tomato, chopped 1 shallot, peeled and chopped salt and pepper to taste … Read more →

Since we got home from Italy, I’ve been focusing on making a lot of American food, mostly because everyone has been tired of anything even slightly Italian! My latest foray is the Philly cheesesteak, which I’ve redesigned to make a little more highbrow.

Crazy Philly Cheesesteak

1/2 large sweet onion, thinly sliced

6 Baby Bella mushrooms, sliced

6 cups fresh spinach

1 lb flank steak, sliced paper thin against the grain

1 tbsp Worchestershire

1 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 tbsp A1 steak sauce

1 garlic clove, chopped

1 tomato, thinly sliced

6 slices provolone cheese

4 ounces goat cheese

6 small sub rolls (about 5 inches)

Cook the onion in 1 tbsp butter in a skillet over medium heat until partially caramelized (about 15 minutes). Remove from skillet.

While this is cooking, mix the steak with the Worchestershire, olive oil, garlic, A1 and salt and pepper, and allow to rest.

Cook mushrooms in a teaspoon of olive oil until cooked through. Remove from skillet. Cook spinach in 1 tsp olive oil until completely wilted. Remove from skillet.

Cook the beef in the skillet until cooked through, about 5-7 minutes on medium high.

While the beef is cooking, prepare the sub rolls. Cut them in half and scoop out some of the bread from the bottom half (use to make breadcrumbs or stuffing for another recipe). Spread goat cheese on the bottom half of the rolls. Place one slice of provolone cheese on the top part of each roll, and place under the broiler until melted.

Assemble the sandwiches by placing onion, mushroom, spinach, and tomato on the bottom half of the roll. Top with the beef and place the top of the roll on it.

Serves 6.

This was a huge hit. I served it with sweet potato fries and green beans. My preference would be for whole grain sub rolls, but I couldn’t find them. It’s very important that you cut the beef paper thin or it will not be tender. If you’re having trouble, pop the meat in the freezer for about 15 minutes and slice it after removing.

 

Since we got home from Italy, I’ve been focusing on making a lot of American food, mostly because everyone has been tired of anything even slightly Italian! My latest foray is the Philly cheesesteak, which I’ve redesigned to make a little more highbrow. Crazy Philly Cheesesteak 1/2 large sweet onion, thinly sliced 6 Baby Bella … Read more →

I spotted this recipe in the front of Bon Appetit and made my own version of it.

Malt Vinegar-Glazed Chicken Breasts

Glaze:

1/2 cup malt vinegar

1/8 cup dark molasses

1 tbsp honey

1/4 tsp ground coriander

pinch cayenne pepper

pepper to taste

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 bay leaf

 

Chicken

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/8 cup salt

1/8 cup malt vinegar

4 sprigs fresh thyme

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Glaze:

Combine ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, then set aside

Chicken:

Mix sugar, salt, vinegar, thyme and 1 cup water in a large pot and bring to a boil. Stir in 6 cups cold water. Allow to cool. Add chicken breasts to the pot. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours (or up to overnight).

Remove chicken from brine and grill over medium high heat. When it is close to done, brush with the glaze. Cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 165.

We loved the rich, dark flavor of this chicken that was not overpowering at all. You should use all of the glaze when basting the chicken. It cooks to a lovely golden brown and malt vinegar gives it a nice gentle tang. I marinated only 4 hours and it had lots of flavor. I’ll be making this recipe again. The leftovers were fantastic in chicken sandwiches and in salads!

 

I spotted this recipe in the front of Bon Appetit and made my own version of it. Malt Vinegar-Glazed Chicken Breasts Glaze: 1/2 cup malt vinegar 1/8 cup dark molasses 1 tbsp honey 1/4 tsp ground coriander pinch cayenne pepper pepper to taste 1/4 tsp cinnamon 1/2 bay leaf   Chicken 1/4 cup brown sugar … Read more →

Are you drowning in tomatoes? I am, so I’m looking everywhere for ideas! I came across a recipe for tomato cobbler in Food Network Magazine. I made some tweaks to it, so here’s my version:

Tomato Cobbler

filling:

3 tbsp butter

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp fresh thyme

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

3 large tomatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 tsp brown sugar

1 1/4 tsp salt

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

5 tbsp flour

 

Topping:

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp sugar

3/4 tsp salt

pepper to taste

1/3 cup shredded smoked cheddar cheese

2/3 cup skim milk

2 tsp whole grain mustard

Preheat oven to 350 and spray a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish with cooking spray. Melt butter in a large skilled and cook onion until soft. Add garlic, thyme and cayenne and cook another minute. Add tomatoes, brown sugar, and salt. Bring to a simmer and cook until the tomatoes soften (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in flour and cherry tomatoes. Pour into casserole dish.

Place flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, pepper, cheese and butter in a food processor and process until it resembles coarse meal. Add the mustard and pour in the milk with the machine running until it is just combined. Drop dough by spoonfuls over the tomato mixture. Bake 50 minutes to 1 hour then allow to rest about 15 minutes. Serve this in small bowls since it is like a stew.

I really enjoyed this. It’s essentially dressed up stewed tomatoes. It smells great. You could make this in individual little casserole bowls if you wanted (I would adjust the cooking time down for this). The biscuits on top are wonderfully tender and the smoky cheddar goes really well with the tomatoes.

 

Are you drowning in tomatoes? I am, so I’m looking everywhere for ideas! I came across a recipe for tomato cobbler in Food Network Magazine. I made some tweaks to it, so here’s my version: Tomato Cobbler filling: 3 tbsp butter 1 medium onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tsp fresh thyme 1/8 tsp … Read more →

I was scrambling to put some dinner together. I had leftover brown rice. I had zucchini, squash and tomatoes. I decided to put it all together and see what happened. It was pretty fab!

2 tbsp olive oil

1/8 cup chopped onion

1/2 small zucchini, sliced thin

1/2 small yellow squash, sliced thin

salt and pepper to taste

1 1/4 cups cherry tomatoes

1 1/4 cups cooked brown rice

4 fresh basil leaves, chopped

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Heat the oil in a skillet and add the onion. Cook until translucent. Add the squashes and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook until they begin to soften. Stir in tomatoes, basil, and rice. Cover and cook over medium for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until tomatoes break open. Sprinkle cheese on top and stir until it is incorporated and melted.

You can change this up adding some garlic or other herbs. It would also be good with goat cheese instead of Parmesan. The leftovers made a great lunch!

I was scrambling to put some dinner together. I had leftover brown rice. I had zucchini, squash and tomatoes. I decided to put it all together and see what happened. It was pretty fab! 2 tbsp olive oil 1/8 cup chopped onion 1/2 small zucchini, sliced thin 1/2 small yellow squash, sliced thin salt and … Read more →

We joined a CSA this year so we could get local, organic vegetables. So far it has been spectacular. I am rarely able to use it all up in one week. We’ve enjoyed many types of greens (tat soi, vitamin greens, arugula, spinach, kale), lots of lettuce, cukes, kohlrabi, squash, broccoli, scallions, chard, turnips, and more. This week something new started: u-pick. You can help yourself to as much as you want in the u-pick fields that is ready for picking. They put little signs with labels so you know what is ready. This week it was herbs and cutting flowers. I planted my own herb garden this year (which is much handier because I can just pop out the back door and grab what I need for dinner each night), but I don’t have any dill, so I picked a bunch of that and some flowers (daisies and black-eyed Susans).

It was so fun to walk back into the fields and cut what I

wanted.  I’m already wondering what will be ready next week! And in the meantime, I need to roast the beets I picked up today so we can use them in a salad.

Heading back in the fields made me think of my grandfather, who was a farmer and built a successful greenhouse business with his brother, now run by my uncle.  By the time I came along, everything was grown in the greenhouses, but I did go with my grandfather to pick corn in his brother’s field a few times. The CSA fields aren’t far from my grandfather’s fields. On the way home I was wondering what he would think. I can hear him saying “Why cripe, why don’t you just plant it in your own backyard?”

We joined a CSA this year so we could get local, organic vegetables. So far it has been spectacular. I am rarely able to use it all up in one week. We’ve enjoyed many types of greens (tat soi, vitamin greens, arugula, spinach, kale), lots of lettuce, cukes, kohlrabi, squash, broccoli, scallions, chard, turnips, and … Read more →

Sunchokes, also called Jerusalem artichokes, are something I had never tried before. I ran across them in the grocery store recently and brought them home. They look kind of like a round ginger root when raw. I researched how to use them. I ended up quartering them and tossing with olive oil, garlic, and salt and pepper and roasting at 400 for about 45 minutes. When I served them, I tossed them with some fresh chives.

These taste surprisingly like potatoes, but just a tad sweeter and the tiniest bit crunchier. We really liked them. They are actually healthier than potatoes, so that is a big plus for this veggie. I’ve got big plans to do lots of other dishes with them if they appear at my store again. Have you ever tried these?

Sunchokes, also called Jerusalem artichokes, are something I had never tried before. I ran across them in the grocery store recently and brought them home. They look kind of like a round ginger root when raw. I researched how to use them. I ended up quartering them and tossing with olive oil, garlic, and salt … Read more →

Tiny Skillet chose soft pretzels for our project this week, which worked out well with the Super Bowl. I’ve made soft pretzels before, but these were really good. The pretzels had a fluffy texture that I really, really liked and I think it is because you cut the butter into the flour with a pastry cutter. Genius. I substituted whole wheat pastry flour for half of the flour in this and was fantastic. I put salt on half and cinnamon sugar on the other half (my kids like them this way). I also made cheese dip to go with these:

2 tbsp butter

3 slices American cheese

4 tablespoons skim milk

pinch ground mustard

pinch pepper

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon light cream cheese

I dump it all in a pan and heat over low to medium, stirring until it is completely melted.

Tiny Skillet chose soft pretzels for our project this week, which worked out well with the Super Bowl. I’ve made soft pretzels before, but these were really good. The pretzels had a fluffy texture that I really, really liked and I think it is because you cut the butter into the flour with a pastry … Read more →