Farmer's Market Finds

Forrest and I have been wanting to go to the Crescent City Farmer's Market for a long time now. But since we had Rex, it takes us a lot longer to execute on things like that than it ever did before. We finally made it there after several months of talking about it and we were so happy we did. It was much smaller than expected (maybe we were spoiled from our days in DC), but it was still very nice and we enjoyed the diverse stands they had set up.

One of my scores of the day were these huge beautiful zucchini and I knew exactly what I would make with them. I couldn't wait to put this recipe together and it was a great one to use locally grown produce in. The flavor of this dish was delicious and it could just as easily be served as a side dish at a casual weeknight meal or at a fancy holiday dinner.

Stuffed Zucchini with Cheesy Breadcrumbs
Adapted from Cooking Light June 2011

Ingredients

• 3 (1.3-ounce) slices day-old whole-wheat bread
• 1/4 cup dried Italian bread crumbs
  
• 3 medium zucchini
• 3/8 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/3 cup canned artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tablespoons chicken stock
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon rind

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Place bread in a food processor; pulse until fine crumbs form. Set aside.
3. Cut zucchini in half lengthwise; scoop out pulp, leaving a 1/4-inch-thick shell.

Chop pulp. Place zucchini halves, cut sides up, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper; sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

4. Heat oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add zucchini pulp and onion; sauté 5 minutes.

Add remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, artichoke hearts, thyme, and garlic; cook 45 seconds.

Add chicken stock; cook 1 minute or until most of liquid evaporates. Combine both breadcrumbs and onion mixture in a large bowl; stir in cheese

and remaining ingredients.

Spoon 1/2 cup breadcrumb mixture into each zucchini shell.

Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until just tender.

Click Here for My Adapted Printable Recipe

Chicken Choices

I had half of a rotisserie chicken left over after yesterday's pasta salad. I needed to find something to use it in, and of course the possibilities were endless. I found this recipe and I thought it was a great twist on a very typical chicken recipe.

Italian Chicken Salad
Adapted from Cooking Light May 2005

Yield

4 servings (serving size: 1 1/4 cups)

Ingredients

• Dressing:
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 2 small gloves of garlic, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 
  Salad:
• 3 cups cubed rotisserie chicken breast
• 1 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
  
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 cup of pitted ripe olive slices
  
• 1 (14-ounce) can quartered artichoke hearts, drained

Preparation

To prepare dressing, combine first 7 ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk.

Add 1 teaspoon of olive oil to a small skillet and saute red bell pepper until tender; about 8 minutes. When the peppers begin to soften, add the quartered artichoke hearts. Remove from skillet after 8 minutes and let cool.

To prepare salad, place chicken in a large bowl. Pour dressing over chicken and add the oregano, parsley and basil. Stir to combine. Add the artichoke hearts, red peppers

and olives to the chicken mixture and combine.

Serve the chicken salad on fresh ciabatta rolls or over lettuce leaves for a perfect salad.

Oh, Baby...Shower

This past weekend my sister and I threw a baby shower for our brothers wife. I was in charge of all of the food and decor and I had such a blast pulling everything together. I centered the decor around the shower invitation and created what I thought was a perfect list of baby shower finger foods for the menu. These Spinach and Artichoke Puff Pastry rounds were one of the items I made in addition to several others. I made a bunch of things that I have blogged before and have included pictures below so you can see them in action! There were several other menu items, but I didn't get pictures of them all due to the hustle and bustle once the shower started.

Spinach and Artichoke in Puff Pastry
Adapted from Southern Living November 2000

Yield

Makes 4 dozen

Ingredients

• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
• 1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 (17.3-ounce) package frozen puff pastry

Preparation

Drain spinach well, by placing in a clean dish towel and twisting each end of the towel.

Stir together spinach, artichoke hearts, and next 5 ingredients.

Thaw puff pastry at room temperature 30 minutes. Unfold pastry, and place on a lightly floured surface or heavy-duty plastic wrap. Spread one-half spinach mixture evenly over pastry sheet, leaving a 1/2-inch border.

Roll up pastry,

jellyroll fashion,

pressing to seal seam;

wrap in heavy-duty plastic wrap.

Repeat procedure with remaining pastry and spinach mixture. Freeze 30 minutes; cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices. (Rolls may be frozen up to 3 months.)

Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Other Food and Decor:

Mini Cheesecakes and Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Baby Button Cookies in Cellophane bags with matching stickers for the favors

Ham and Cheese Skewers with Matching Flags

Leeked

One day my sister was sitting in the other room as her husband and four year son played Lego's in the adjacent bedroom. She was sifting through emails as she casually listened to her son and his father having a conversation. It started off pretty benign and quickly took a turn for the worse. Scout (her son) asked his Daddy if anyone was ever mean to him when he was a little boy. Robbie (her husband) responded in the affirmative and asked why his son was curious. Scout proceeded to explain that one of his friends at school told him that he hated him earlier that day. My sister was crushed, how could anyone say such a cruel thing to her special little son? Not wanting to get involved where she wasn't needed, she let them talk through the situation on their own over the toy building blocks.

But her lack of interference didn't mean she wasn't still extremely upset about what she overheard. She understood kids could be mean, but it took on a whole new meaning when someone was directing that animosity toward her own offspring. She was devastated. She called me to report the situation and then she called my parents. We tried to comfort her; however we did little to calm her frustration. As she lay down to sleep that night her husband explained that it would be OK. He told a story of how when he was the same age as Scout some of the kids at his school used to pick on each other as well and it rarely had any type of lasting effect. She asked brokenheartedly, "Well did anyone ever tell you that they hated you?" To which Robbie responded, "No, but they used to tell me that my Daddy ate leeks." What?!? She couldn't help but laugh which was exactly what she needed after her evening of worrying. Although the insult seemed to pale in comparison to the one her son had suffered, it made her realize that tomorrow was another day and that her son would be just fine.

Creamy Artichoke Soup
Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 leeks, white part only, washed well and chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 small potato, peeled and chopped
• 1 can of artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
  
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons plus 1/3 cup mascarpone cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped chives, for garnish

Directions

Heat olive oil in a heavy, large pot over medium heat. Add the leeks and the garlic and stir.

Add the potatoes and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.

Add the artichokes, stock, salt, and pepper and cook until the vegetables are tender,

about 20 minutes.

Using a handheld immersion blender, or in a blender in batches*, puree the soup.

Add the 2 tablespoons mascarpone and blend again to combine. In a small bowl, stir the remaining 1/3 cup mascarpone to soften.

Ladle the soup into serving bowls. Dollop the top of each of the soups with a spoonful of the softened mascarpone cheese and top the cheese with chives.

* When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.

Premarital Pizza

There is a precious pizzeria in New Orleans on St. Charles Avenue called Slice. It is tiny little restaurant that can only be spotted on the grand street by its small black awning with white writing. Their pizza is delicious. You can order by the slice and create any particular pie your heart desires. Forrest and I had one of our very first dates there and I remember it as a night where the conversation was free flowing and the laughs plentiful. I have vivid memories of that night and even remember what I wore and songs that played on the radio as he drove me home. It was if I knew that this second date would turn into something special. I even remember what I ate that night. I ordered a pizza with these exact ingredients and this recipe brought back those exciting new relationship memories.

Artichoke, Mushroom, Prosciutto and Arugula Pizza
Adapted from Cooking Light January 2007

Yield

4 servings (serving size: 2 wedges)

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 1 tablespoon cornmeal
• 1 (13.8-ounce) can refrigerated pizza crust dough (can be found by Pillsbury crescent rolls and cinnamon rolls)
  
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
  
• 3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/4 cup sliced crimini mushrooms, sauteed in cooking spray until tender
  
• 1 can of artichoke hearts, drained
• 1 ounce thinly sliced prosciutto
• 2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 1/2 cups arugula leaves
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Preparation

Position oven rack to lowest setting. Preheat oven to 500°

Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray; sprinkle with cornmeal. Unroll dough onto prepared baking sheet, and pat into a 14 x 10-inch rectangle. Spread the olive oil evenly over dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border.

Use a pastry brush to spread the olive oil evenly over the dough. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the olive oil. Sprinkle with crushed red pepper. Place baking sheet on the bottom oven rack; bake at 500° for 5 minutes. Remove pizza from oven.

Coarsely chop artichokes. Arrange artichokes on pizza; top with sliced prosciutto and mushrooms.

Sprinkle with Parmesan. Return pizza to the bottom oven rack; bake an additional 5 minutes or until crust is browned.

Place arugula in a bowl. Drizzle lemon juice over arugula; toss gently. Top the pizza with arugula mixture. Cut the pizza into 4 (7 x 5-inch) rectangles; cut each rectangle diagonally into 2 wedges or leave in squares.

Courageous Carbs

This weekend two members of my family will be undertaking hugely impressive physical feats. Tomorrow my mother in law will begin the 2 day Breast Cancer walk in Houston. Over the course of the next two days she will trek 39 miles, sleep in a tent overnight, shower in a public shared facility and do it all without an IPod or a radio (they are not allowed for safety purposes).

On Sunday my brother in law will participate in his third IronMan event, this time in his hometown of New Orleans. This is his first half IronMan, but it is still no small triumph. In one day he will swim 1.2 miles, bike 56 miles and run a half marathon of 13.1 miles. I am extremely proud of both of my in-laws for their dedication, training and persistence. I know they will both do great this weekend and in honor of them I cooked a carb packed healthy dish because I am sure they will both be dining on similar meals tonight in order to load up on energy.

Whole Wheat Penne with Artichokes and Fresh Ricotta
Adapted from Cooking Light April 2009

Ingredients

• 2 cans of artichoke hearts, quartered
  
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh garlic
• 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, divided
• 3 cups uncooked whole wheat penne rigate pasta (about 12 ounces tube-shaped pasta)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup fresh whole-milk ricotta cheese
• 3/4 cup (3 ounces) shaved fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Preparation

1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic to pan; cook 1 minute. Add artichokes and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cover and cook 10 minutes or until artichokes are tender, stirring occasionally.

2. Cook pasta according to package instructions, omitting salt and fat. Drain pasta in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Combine remaining 1 tablespoon oil, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, artichoke mixture, pasta, reserved cooking liquid, parsley, and pepper in a large bowl, tossing to combine.

Add ricotta in spoonfuls, stirring gently to combine.

Spoon 1 1/3 cups pasta mixture into each of 6 bowls; top each serving with 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano.

"Shell" We?

My in-laws will be in town tomorrow and they are scheduled to arrive around dinner time after a very long drive. I will be at work a full day so I won't have the luxury of cooking all day to prepare a welcome dinner for them. With that being said, I really didn't want them to have to get ready to go out to dinner after sitting in a car for several hours. I had to figure out a way to cook dinner without having any time to actually cook dinner.

Recently I saw a Giada (Everyday Italian) episode where she made a bunch of recipes that freeze well. It is an episode that comes on often and she cooks with her sister who is pregnant and named Louie. My sister is pregnant, one of my best friends is named Lou and I needed a recipe that could go straight from the freezer to the oven. It was the cooking show sent from up above - I felt as if it was written to solve my problems. Yeah, yeah, I know - that is a little egocentric, but I can think whatever I want to think, right?

So I made this dish one night this week. I froze the contents and will leave strict instructions for my husband to place it in the oven when he gets home from work (way earlier than I do by the way). We will have a nice hot home-cooked meal on the table for his well traveled parents and I won't have to leave work at noon to make it all happen.

Turkey and Artichoke Stuffed Shells with Arrabbiata Sauce
Adapted from from Giada DeLaurentiis

Ingredients

• 1 (12-ounce) box jumbo pasta shells (recommended: Barilla)
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 large yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus 1/2 teaspoon
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1/4 teaspoon
• 1 (8 ounce) can artichoke hearts, coarsely chopped
• 1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
  
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus 1 tablespoon for garnish

Directions

5 cups Arrabbiata Sauce, recipe follows

• 1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella (about 5 ounces)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and partially cook until tender but still very firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 5 to 7 minutes. Drain pasta.

Meanwhile, in a large heavy skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and the garlic and cook until the onions are soft and starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the ground turkey, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and continue to cook,

stirring occasionally, until the meat is slightly golden and cooked through. Add the artichoke hearts and stir to combine.

Remove from heat and place in a large glass mixing bowl and let cool.

While allowing the turkey mixture to cool, begin Arrabbiata Sauce.

Arrabbiata Sauce:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

6 ounces sliced pancetta, coarsely chopped

2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes

2 garlic cloves, minced

5 cups jarred or fresh marinara sauce

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the pancetta and saute until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until tender, about 1 minute. Add the marinara sauce and red pepper flakes and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and let cool until ready to use.

After you are finished making the Arrabbiata sauce:

In a large bowl combine the cooled turkey mixture with the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, eggs, basil, parsley, and the remaining salt and pepper.

Stir to combine.

To stuff the shells, cover the bottom of a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking dish with 1 cup of Arrabbiata sauce. Take a shell in the palm of your hand and stuff it with a large spoonful of turkey mixture, about 2 tablespoons.

Place the stuffed shell in the baking dish. ( I also had enough mixture and shells to fill a glass loaf pan with 6 stuffed shells - the perfect dinner for 2!)

Continue filling the shells until the baking dish is full, about 24 shells. Drizzle the remaining Arrabbiata Sauce over the shells,

top with the grated mozzarella and a sprinkle of fresh parsley. If freezing, cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 1 day and up to 1 month.

To bake, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake until the shells are warmed through and the cheese is beginning to brown, about 60 minutes (20 minutes if shells are unfrozen.)

The best part about this recipe is there was instant gratification built in to the serving size. The entire time I was making it I couldn't imagine covering it all up and freezing it without getting to taste the fruit of my labor. But as luck would have it, the recipes yields more than a 9x13 inch pan of this goodness. I was able to bake six shells in a glass loaf pan for dinner the night I made the recipe. I am so happy there were extra shells - it was delicious. I really recommend this recipe for anyone looking for a "freezable" meal.