Jalapeño Fries

I adapted this from a Rachael Ray show I recently saw. I wasn't measuring, so bare with me. Again. Really, I rarely measure, John laughs at me as he watches me constantly sniffing food, to see if it's properly mixed.

6 Big Jalapeños

1/2 cup flour

2 eggs

squirt of spicy brown mustard

bread crumbs from 4 heels of standard bread

1/4 cup parm cheese

Cut the jalapeños in half, then scoop out the seeds and ribs. Then slice each half into 4 long strips. Set up, a bowl of flour, bowl of eggs mixed with the mustard + touch of flour, bowl of bread crumbs + cheese. Dip the strips of peppers into flour, then egg, then bread crumbs. Lay onto a baking sheet prepped with a Silpat. Don't have one? What? Really? Bake at 400 for 15 minutes. Dip into Ranch or Bleu Cheese dressing.

Shiitake Mushroom and Garlic Scape

Just pretty. Shiitakes are grown in Gilmore Valley, just up the road. The Garlic Scape is from across the river. Lovely, aren't they?

Wilted Bok Choy and Cashews

This was a pretty hardy and very spicy dish. A whole teaspoon of red pepper flakes for such little veggies was a lot. It's not really our style, but it wasn't bad.

• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• minced garlic scape
• 1/2 teaspoon dried ginger
• several small-medium bok choy, sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch thick slices, flowers are edible as well.
• 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup cashews

Directions

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add bok choy and garlic and saute 3 minutes. Add soy sauce, ginger and red pepper flakes and cook 2 more minutes, until bok choy stalks are tender-crisp and leaves are wilted. Season, to taste, with salt and black pepper. Arrange bok choy on plates and top with cashews just before serving.

Soba Noodle Salad with Mizuna

• 2 cups Mizuna leaves, washed, stemmed, and chopped
• 2 cups of cooked Soba noodles
• 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame oil
• 1 tsp fresh ginger
• 1 garlic scape
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds

Directions

Combine Mizuna nd noodles in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine garlic, ginger, oil, and soy sauce. Whisk together and pour over noodles.

Top with sesame seeds and enjoy!!

TGIFriday's June Bug

• 1 ounce melon liqueur
• 3/4 ounce coconut rum
• 3/4 ounce banana liqueur
• 1 ounce sweet and sour mix
• 1 ounce pinapple juice

Mix together in a shaker, server over ice.

I wrote this post forever ago (6/8/8) and never published it. It is so good. MY FAVORITE for summer time drinks. I am out of all the liquors, but maybe I need to do a Wisconsin run now.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

This is a completley different way than I normally make it, and I was completely winging it as I went. So, measurements are shaky.

• 2 chicken breasts
• 2 slices of ham
• 2 slices of swiss cheese
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 2 tablespoons of flour
• 1 cup of white wine
• 4 ounces of mushrooms

Take the chicken, and trim off any extra junk. Slice a "pocket" into it from the thickest side. This takes some skill, be careful to keep it centered, not poking through the other side and cutting your palm. Stuff the "pocket" with the slice of ham and cheese. Close the pocket with tooth picks.

In a medium heat skillet, add a tablespoon of olive oil, and place the chicken, ugliest side down. Cook for 3 minutes, flip it over, cook another 3 minutes. Don't despair, there will still be rawness to the chicken. Remove the chicken from the pan, and add the butter. Melt the butter, push it around to pick up the chickeny bits. Add the flour, stir together, cook down till it's not pasty (roux style). Then slowly add the cup of wine, stir with a whisk. Do this slowly, to avoid lumps. Cook it for a minute or so, let it thicken it up. Stir in the mushrooms, then put the chicken back in. Put a lid on it, turn the heat down to near low. Cook at a covered simmer for about 20 minutes.

I served this with my lovely CSA asparagus. (tossed with olive oil, kosher salt and pepper, roasted at 425 for 10 minutes.)

Rhubarb Muffins

From the CSA newsletter:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 egg, lightly beaten 1 cup buttermilk

2/3 cup vegetable oil 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 cups finely chopped rhubarb TOPPING: 1/2 cup sugar 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

1.

In a large bowl, combine the first five ingredients. Combine egg, buttermilk, oil and vanilla; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in rhubarb. Fill greased or paper-lined muffins cups about half full. Combine topping ingredients; sprinkle over each muffin. Bake at 375 degrees F for 16-18 minutes or until muffins test done In the future, I would do it with whole wheat flour and add something else, like criasins or raisins. Something was missing.