Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Week 14: Pulled Pork, Smoky Corn Chowder, & Roasted Cucumber Sandwiches

Remember when I said the recipe for Eggplant Fries was coming soon?  I lied.  I tried to get all healthy and bake them in the oven after coating them with some panko.  They did not turn out as I had envisioned.  Were they edible?  Yes.  Would I make them that way again?  Absolutely not.  In case you're interested in attempting to make some eggplant fries of your own, Bon Appetit's recipe sounds delicious, (just be aware you must start the recipe at least 2-3 hours before you want to fry them), or even just cut the eggplant into fries and follow the breading instruction for your favorite eggplant Parmesan recipe.

I have to comment on the little yellow doll watermelon from last week's bag.  My husband and Steven were absolutely dying to cut into this watermelon.  Steven kept commenting, "It's just my size!"  So we were very disappointed when we discovered it had absolutely NO TASTE!  I'm not sure if ours was under ripe, overripe, or just bad, but I'm not kidding when I say it tasted like water.  I searched the Internet and most of what I read claimed yellow dolls have a sweet taste similar to red watermelon, so I'm going to have to believe the one we got was simply a fluke.  Oh well.

I know I'm a bit late with this post, but here is what I received last Friday:

-6 ears super sweet corn
-3 lbs Yukon gold potatoes
-1 lb grass fed ground beef
-2 green bell peppers
-1 lb green beans
-1.5 lbs peaches
-2 cucumbers
-2 yellow squash
-8 oz bag kale
-1 pint heirloom cherry tomatoes
-4 lb pork shoulder
-16 oz jar BBQ sauce
-1 tub cream cheese
-1 lb seedless grapes

I was super excited when I saw the weather forecast for this week.  I probably have a dozen or so corn chowder recipes, but I really didn't care to make soup when it was 90 degrees and 100% humidity.  Monday brought perfect soup weather, and the Smoky Corn Chowder recipe I chose was a huge hit with the entire family.  Steven ate two bowls and walked away from the table rubbing his belly, saying "that was so good.  I can't believe it was so good!"  The recipe is slightly smoky from the bacon & paprika, slightly sweet from the corn, slightly spicy from the crushed red pepper, and just a bit creamy thanks to some half-and-half.  The recipe calls for frozen corn, but I opted to use my fresh corn instead, and I used my immersion blender to blend the soup right in the pot to save myself from washing extra dishes.

My complete meal plan for the week:

Saturday:  Smoked Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Smoked Potato Salad, Sauteed Patty-Pan Squash & Tomatoes
*Cook's Note:  We put the pork shoulder on our electric smoker for about 8 hrs, shredded it and served it on whole wheat buns with the BBQ sauce from the CSA.  Leftover pork made amazing quesadillas for lunch the next day, using the BBQ sauce for dipping.  The potatoes smoked for 3 hours and I dressed them with a vinaigrette. Cooking Light had a recipe for smoked potato salad recently as well.

Sunday:  Grass fed Beef Burgers, Sweet Potato Fries, Green Beans
*Cook's Note:  I omit the brown sugar when making the sweet potato fries.

Monday:  Smoky Corn Chowder, Cherry Tomatoes

Tuesday:  Baked Ziti with Summer Vegetables
*Cook's Note:  I made this with whole wheat penne instead of ziti, and added a green and a red bell pepper.  I also opted to use fresh mozzarella in place of the ricotta and doubled the recipe to ensure leftovers for lunch.

Wednesday:  Roasted Cucumber Sandwiches, Kale Chips

Thursday:  Leftovers

I have been dying to try this Roasted Cucumber Sandwich recipe, so hopefully it won't disappoint.  I love the refreshing flavor of cucumbers, but I have never thought to cook them, let alone roast them in the oven.  And I should also comment on the BBQ sauce in this week's bag.  This unique sauce was created by Fresh Fork with Clark Pope Catering.  At first my husband seemed a bit unsure about it, but after a few bites we both agreed we love it.  It has a strong tomato flavor, is a little sweet, yet it finishes with a bit of heat.  And I love that there are no preservatives or artificial flavors. I thought it might be fun to do a little label comparison between this BBQ sauce and a popular sauce from the grocery store.  Ingredients listed directly as listed on the jar.  Pope's BBQ Sauce: Ohio Grown Tomatoes, Apple & White Vinegar, Cayenne Pepper, Brown Sugar, Garlic, Soy Sauce, Liquid Smoke, Molasses, Onions, Cloves, Tamarind, Anchovies.  Sweet Baby Ray's:  High Fructose Corn Syrup, Distilled Vinegar, Tomato Paste, Water, Modified Food Starch, Salt, Pineapple Juice Concentrate, Natural Smoke Flavor, Spices, Caramel Color, Jalapeno Pepper, Sodium Benzoate, Molasses, Corn Syrup, Garlic, Sugar, Tamarind, Natural Flavor.  Seriously? The first ingredient in Sweet Baby Ray's is high fructose corn syrup? Case closed. Pin It

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