Oven Roasted Chicken

Okay, so this one was a BIG experiment!  I wanted delicious, roasted chicken.  But I was feeling lazy.  But not SO lazy that I had to go buy food.  So here’s what I did.

Oyster Mushroom and Leek Gratin

Potato, Leek, Gruyère and Oyster Mushroom Gratin

(serves 4 as a side dish)

Step 1: Grow your mushrooms! 

 I bought a mushroom starter kit at the Santa Cruz Fungus Fair.  Within two weeks, little mushrooms began to grow.   Once they sprouted, the mushrooms began doubling in size each day.  One week later, I had a handful of beautiful oyster mushrooms, ready to be consumed.

Coconut Chicken Curry (with Kale)

This dish was inspired by a fabulous meal my house mate Lexi made for me the other night! I've never used coconut milk before while cooking...and I'm totally sold. I'm in love. With coconut milk.

Pumpkin and Goat Cheese Hand Pies

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

Pickled Carrots!

This year's CSA box from Laughing Onion CSA in Hollister, CA is bringing a bounty of produce that I cannot comprehend. 

To deal, I am  perfecting my pickling methods. 

To start, I grabbed about three bunches of carrots.  I chopped off the ends, and sliced them into 1/2 inch thick sticks.  These were perfect mini carrots, that fit into a pint sized mason jar perfectly. I also de-"shelled" a head of garlic (about 18 cloves inside), and sliced an onion into 1/4 inch thick rings, which were chopped into 2-inch long pieces (approximately).

Then, I boiled a large pot of water and added in some chopped onions, the carrots, and the garlic and blanched them for about 4 minutes.  After 4 minutes, I poured them into a stariner and cooled them off with some running water to stop them from cooking. 

After sanitizing about 6 mason jars in boiling water for 15 minutes, I laid them out on the counter.  In each jar, I put a healthy portion of fresh dill (about 6 sprigs in each), about 15 peppercorns, a 1/8 cup of balsimic vinegar, and a dash of cinnamon and mustard powder (though seeds would have been preferred).

Then, I carefully crammed the carrots into the jar, lining them up so that as many as possible would fit inside the jar.  Also, I made sure that each jar had plentiful amounts of garlic and onions.  

Once the jars were partially full, I created my brine (/Sample Brine) .

At the same time, I boiled a small pot of water and threw my caps in, to sanitize and boil for about 15 minutes.

Once the brine was boiled, i poured it into each jar, making sure the carrots were all covered and that the about 1/2 inch of headroom was left on the top of each jar.

Put the lids on and place in a boiling water bath to process for 20 minutes.  After 20 minutes, I placed them on a rack to cool for 72 hours, at which point they entered the fridge to be consumed at a later date!

mmmmm.

(note that i made pickles too)

Summer Pizza with Figs, Goat Cheese, and Strawberries

 Because I love the summer!

This is what I put on this fabulous, love-filled pizza:

Onions, figs, strawberries, goat cheese, garlic, heirloom tomatoes, fresh basil, kale, and a drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette.  No full recipe needed.  You get this picture.