Where is the Summer Going?

Well, the start of summer kind of passed me by. Spring was a-poppin' at the Market, and it's been a good year for gardening with the mild weather and intermittent rain (ok, maybe a little too much rain for my taste, but you haven't had to water, have you?). Now the local produce has started coming in, and we are eating GOOD!

Strawberries are over now, folks. Sorry if you missed 'em. They were wonderful as always, but I didn't get nearly as many put up as I would have liked, and only one batch of jam made - pitiful. The kids are going to be complaining this winter, so I'll probably end up taking some of the frozen strawberries and making jam later on.

Sweet corn - honest to God, Ohio sweet corn should be in this coming weekend - YEAH! Now I have to be better about getting the sweet corn done. We're out in the freezer, and that just has to change. Here's a tip, when you are making sweet corn for supper, cook twice as many ears as you think you'll eat. After supper, cut the corn off the cob, put it in a freezer bag and throw it into the freezer. If you eat corn as often as we do, this is a great way to restore you stock before corn season is over. Though I have to admit, we have a good time, and make it a family affair, when we do a big batch of sweet corn on Mom & Dad's back deck, where the mess doesn't matter. Nothing like being productive as a family!!

Other local produce that's in includes tomatoes, zucchini, candy onions . . . I'm sure I'm forgetting some, and more will be coming in as summer progresses. Stop by and check out the selection, and see what Darlene's been up to rearranging the store. Hopefully, you'll like what you see!

Finally, I'm going to share a really yummy recipe with you that is great for those hot summer days when you don't really want to turn on the oven or stove. If you're an avacado fan, you'll love it! If you're not, at least give it a try - like I tell my kids, you can't say you don't like a dish, it you don't at least taste it!

Chilled Avacado Soup

2 Avacados
1-2 T lemon juice (or more, to taste - Russ really likes more!)
2 cups (scant) chilled chicken stock (or 1 T chicken boulloin and 2 scant cups water)
dash of Worcestershire sauce
salt & pepper to taste

Toss the above ingredients into a food processor and combine until creamy. If you like a thicker soup, you can add less chicken stock. If you want a vegetarian soup, try it with a vegetable stock. If you want it decadent, you can add light cream (which also makes a cool garnish swirled into the surface of a bown of the soup - if you like that Martha Stewart-style touch.). Chives and parsley also make a nice garnish, and can be added into the soup for an extra touch of flavor if you so desire.

Happy eating!!

Fast Food Without the Golden Arches

Between work, kid activities, and some precious me time, sometimes meal planning just doesn’t happen. What happens then? You turn to those convenient pre-packaged meals – many of which are loaded with salt and preservatives, and taste more like the package they came in then the ‘food’ they’re meant to be.

Well, here at CCGM we think about food a lot, and we thought maybe we could give folks a break on meal planning, by putting together some meal ideas for you to consider, along with an ingredient shopping list, and complete preparation instructions.

Need a quick, easy meal to throw together after work and flag football? Here’s one your kids can help with. The *’d items are pre-prepared foods that you can substitute.

Easy Marinara Pasta with Cheesy Garlic Bread

Shopping List:
Garlic (fresh or crushed*)
Whole Grain Loaf of bread
Fresh basil
Amish Butter
Fresh or Dried Pasta
2 tomatoes, 1 pepper, 1 onion (Fresh Salsa*)
Fresh Mozzarella (pearls, balls or even Middlefield mozz work, choose your fav)
Stella Parmesan Cheese
Coarse salt (Kosher or Sea), pepper, oregano

Pre-heat oven to 350F and place a large pot of water on to boil. Place ½ cup of Amish butter in a microwave-safe bowl and soften it in the microwave (if it melts, no biggie, you want it very soft). Add a tablespoon (or less to taste) of diced (or crushed*) garlic and crushed pepper – let the kids mix away while you cut the whole grain loaf in half length-wise and place it on a large cookie sheet. Get out the pastry brush and let the kids paint the two halves of the bread with the butter mixture. If using fresh mozz, drain it, reserving the oil. Pearls can be sprinkled over bread as is (watch out, they roll!), balls would be best sliced, and block could be grated (good job for the kids). Sprinkle sparingly with coarse salt (kosher or sea salt work best). Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and just beginning to brown.

Set the kids to grating the parmesan cheese. Dice the tomatoes, peppers and onions (alternatively, buy two containers of CCGM’s Fresh Salsa*) and cut the basil into ribbons. Place a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1-2 tablespoons of reserved oil from the mozzarella (use olive oil, if you don’t have reserved oil), to the skillet. Add the tomatoes, peppers, onions, and salt and pepper to taste. Sauté until peppers are soft and onions are translucent. Add the basil (reserve some for garnish) and reduce heat to low.

If cooking fresh pasta, cook small amounts (one package) at a time. Once water is boiling, remove pasta from package, fluff it and add it to the water. It only takes one or two minutes to cook, so don’t walk away. Remove pasta to a colander and rinse with hot water. If cooking dry pasta, place in pot once water is boiling and allow to cook for 5-8 minutes, until done (depending on how ‘toothy’ you like your pasta). TIP: Let the kids pick out the flavor of pasta – there are lots to choose from.

Place pasta on plate, ladle sauce over it, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and garnish with basil. Serve with cheesy garlic bread.

ENJOY!