What's in the Box?

.75 pound Mixed Sweet Peppers (apparently this means Green Bell Peppers)
1.5 pounds Freshly Dug Yukon Gold Potatoes
.75 pound Green Beans
1 bunch Baby Purple Carrots
.5 pound Tomatillos
1 bunch Baby Beets
1 head Fennel
1 bunch Red Scallions
1 Savoy Cabbage
3 Yellow Peaches
4 Black Splendor Plums
.5 pint Blueberries

I got a bonus bunch of purple carrots. I'm thinking about making purple carrot soup.

Not Your Typical Camping Food

Sorry about the lack of updates lately. Last week in the Seattle area, we had record high temperatures, we're talking over 100 degrees.

Now, it is just not supposed to do this in Seattle. In fact, when the husband and I were deciding where to move after graduating from college in Phoenix, AZ. one of the factors in our decision was that it had never been over 100 degrees in Seattle (after four years we were both done with the heat). So, when it got too hot, our method for dealing with it was to turn on our portable air conditioner (which will not cool a large room, but will turn a small room into an icebox) and lock ourselves in the bedroom (which, in our house, is a small room). We moved the cable box, the good TV, brought in our laptops and lived on cheese and crackers, cold salads (that someone else had made) and ice cream. Cooking was the last thing on my mind.

By Friday, the weather had cooled down a little bit (it was only 88 degrees instead of 107 degrees) and it was time to prepare for a camping trip with lots of friends (there were 19 of us in all). This is the second year that the husband and I have thrown what we like to call "The Big-Ass Camping Trip". We provide three meals, with dinner on Saturday being a wee bit nicer than your typical camping food.

Here's what I made:

Spit-Cooked Pork Loin, Sangre de Cristo Style
Pork loin, garlic, fresh sage and marjoram, mild ancho chilies

Beer-Can Chicken
Spice-rubbed chicken, cooked with a can of beer up it’s butt

Spit-Cooked and Roasted Onions
Sweet onions, fresh herbs, butter

Summer Slaw
Cabbage, fennel, apple, poppy seed dressing

Grilled Potato Salad
Fingerling potatoes, parsley, capers, garlic

Roasted Corn

Deluxe S'mores
Graham crackers, chocolate bars, mint chocolates, peanut butter cups, marshmallows, bananas

I wish that I had more pictures of both my prep work on Friday (but I was so behind on packing for the trip because of the heat I had to hurry) and of the meal that I prepared on Saturday, but the one that I do have is pretty good.


That's the pork loin on the rotisserie (with a walla walla sweet roasting between the pieces) and the chicken on the grill. Unfortunately, about 2/3 of the way through the cooking time my chickens fell over (in my rush to pack I forgot my chicken holders) and I ended up having to prop them up in a stock pot. The chicken still cooked through nicely (and was sooo moist) but the skin didn't get very crispy.

After the meal was over, I packaged up the leftover pork loin, along with the roasted onion and all the juices the had accumulated in one of the drip pans that was under the pork. I covered it with foil and the next day reheated it right in the coals for about 45 minutes. The husband and I (and our remaining fellow campers) decided that this may have been even better than the first time we ate it. So good, super moist and tender.

All-in-all it was a great weekend with lots of greats friends and food. Can't wait until next year.

Pasta Salad with Grilled Corn and Shrimp

Holy smokes, it is hot outside. Gonna need something cool for dinner tonight.

The other day, I was watching the Today Show. Martha Stewart was on demonstrating shrimp and corn salad and I thought it was an interesting idea, but that I could make it better (don't shoot me Martha fanatics). Now I haven't tried Martha's recipe, so it may be a good thing (and I'll admit that bibb lettuce would have been way better than the way too bitter dandelion greens).

Here's the ingredients:

1 pound of shrimp
1/3 pound shell pasta
2 ears corn
1/2 Walla Walla sweet onion, diced
a whole mess of basil, julienned
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 Tablespoon sherry vinegar
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 bunch of dandelion greens (but as I said, a milder lettuce would have been way better)
1/2 cucumber, sliced

I started by cooking the pasta in salted water and grilling the corn until is was nicely charred. When the pasta was done I cooled it down with cold water right away than left it to drain. When the corn was cool enough to handle I cut it off of the cobs.

Meanwhile I boiled the shrimp in water seasoned with salt and a bit of cider vinegar for three minutes, then immediately plunged them into an ice bath to cool.

While everything was cooking, I made a creamy vinaigrette with the garlic, mustard, sherry vinegar and mayonnaise. Then I simply stirred together the shrimp, corn, pasta, basil and onion.

To plate I made a bed of greens and cucumber, then topped it with a generous scoop of the salad.

How was it? Delicious. Seriously, the only mis-step here was the dandelion greens (they were just way too strong for the delicate flavor of the pasta salad). The cucumbers, however, were a lovely accompaniment. It was nice to have a cool, tasty meal on a day that was way too hot. The husband really liked it too (and he's not even a big fan of shrimp). The best part? Plenty of leftovers for lunch tomorrow (it's still supposed to be way to hot then too).

Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce

While in Kansas, it seemed like every time we turned around someone was trying to feed us. No light food either, there was nary a salad in sight. In one day we had a cheesy potato breakfast casserole with bacon, ribs with potato salad and beans for lunch, and supreme pizza for dinner (then beer, lots of beer). Now I'm not saying it wasn't good (the ribs were some of the best I've had) there was just so darn much of it.

Since I've been home I've been craving really light food (and spicy Asian-style food, but that's another story). Today I decided to make myself a light, but indulgent lunch. And, I decided my tomato was finally ready.

Here's the ingredients (for one person):

A couple handfuls of campanelle pasta (I decided on this shape because I thought it would hold the diced tomatoes nicely)
1 Roma tomato
several leaves of basil (these are from my garden, too)
1 clove of garlic, mashed to a paste
olive oil (the good stuff)
a bit of really good Parmigiano-Regianno cheese

I started by cooking the pasta in well-salted water. While this cooked, I diced the tomato (into 1/4" dice), julienned the basil and mashed the garlic. If you've never done this, here's how.

Start by chopping the garlic.

Sprinkle it with kosher salt.

With the knife almost parallel to the cutting board, mash the salt and garlic together.

Keep going until you get a paste.

Once the pasta was cooked through, I drained it, returned it to the pan and added the garlic paste right away (just to take the edge off of it). I added a generous drizzle of olive oil, the diced tomatoes and the basil. The heat of the pasta warmed the tomato and made a nice light sauce. I topped the dish with a bit of cheese and a sprinkle of sea salt.

So good, and exactly what I had been craving. Light and summery and so flavorful. It was so exciting to take my first harvest from my garden and turn it into something so delicious.

What's in the Box?

1 pound English Peas
1 bunch Yellow Carrots
1 Cucumber
.4 pound Cremini Mushrooms
1 bunch Dandelion Greens
1 pound Farmers' Choice Of Summer Squash (we got zucchini)
1 Walla Walla Sweet Onion
.75 pound Lapin Cherries
1.25 pounds Yummy Beauty Plums
3 Yellow Peaches
1/2 pint Red Raspberries

We were also supposed to get 1 bunch of Red Radishes but we ended up with a second 1/2 pint Red Raspberries. Maybe it's because they were listed one after another on the packing list. Oh well, I'm not mad at extra raspberries.

While I'm away...

Tomorrow the husband and I leave for a trip to Kansas to see my family. We will be meeting my Mom in Denver then driving to Atwood, Kansas to stay with my Maternal Grandmother for two nights, then on to Ellinwood, Kansas for two nights with my Paternal Grandmother (although we will be staying in the town's only B&B). Then back to Atwood for one more night, then home.

We will be in Ellinwood during the time of the After-Harvest Festival (a time to celebrate a good harvest, or lament a bad harvest with fellow farmers and lots of beer).


I'll be posting lots of photos on my main Twitter account @chefdjen. If you want to share in the fun of the After Harvest Festival (and whatever else we manage to find) feel free to follow my adventures by following me on Twitter.

Cold-Brewed Iced Coffee

A couple of summer's ago, I read this article in the New York Times about cold-brewed coffee and became quite intrigued. I decided to give the recipe a try and I absolutely loved it!

Now, as soon as the weather turns warm, I start making my cold brewed coffee mix. The only difference is, rather than the mason jar recommended in the recipe, I like to use a french press.

I also like to double the recipe so I have the coffee mix ready for a couple of days.

Put 2/3 of a cup of your favorite ground coffee in the french press.

Top this off with water, put the lid on the press (making sure the plunger is up) and let it sit overnight.

The next morning, push the plunger on the press.

Then put some of this mix into a glass (anywhere from 1/3 to 1/2 full depending on how strong you like your coffee).

Next add ice and cold water to fill the glass.

I like to add a splash of cream.

Enjoy.