Monday, October 22, 2012

Where Have You Been?

I would like to apologize for being absent from posting for a month.

Life got in the way, you know how it is.

Here is a list of the future post to look forward to…

1. End of Season Round Up for Dragonfly Farms CSA 2012 and the outlook for next season
2. What has Chassie and Dave Been Eating?
3. Revisit: Items in our CSA Share We’ve Never Had Before
4. Fall 2012 Report Card:  Freshman Shows
5. The Renew/Cancel Lineup

Monday, September 24, 2012

Pictures of Our Dinners....


I promised a couple weeks ago to post some pictures of our dinners...well here you go.
Roasted Turkey, Pesto, Roasted Red Pepper and Gouda Panini and Green Bean Salad

Hot Pepper Pesto Penne with Green and Yellow Zucchini

Kale and Roasted Beet Salad

Speck & Zucchini Bruschetta

Kale and Sausage French Pizza and Corn on the Cob

What's in the Fridge Crustless Quiche with homemade corn bread

Chassie’s What to Watch

With most of the premieres starting this week, we should have a full WTW.

Dancing With the Stars-Monday on ABC at 8:00 pm
Hawaii 5-O-Monday on CBS at 10:00 pm
NCIS-Tuesday on CBS at 8:00 pm
NCIS: LA-Tuesday on CBS at 9:00 pm
Vegas-Tuesday on CBS at 10:00 pm
Last Resort-Thursday on ABC at 8:00 pm
Elementary-Thursday on CBS at 10:00 pm
Scandal-Thursday on ABC at 10:00 pm
Blue Bloods-Friday on CBS at 10:00 pm
Amazing Race-Sunday on CBS at 8:00 pm
Once Upon A Time-Sunday on ABC at 8:00 pm
Revenge-Sunday on ABC at 9:00 pm
666 Park Avenue-Sunday on ABC at 10:00 pm

Happy watching…

TV’s Big Premiere Week

The week of September 24-30, 2012 is Fall TV’s big week. Most shows will premiere this week. And it will be busy. Normally the first couple of weeks after all the shows premiere is a stressful for me. I push my DVR to its limits and when shows sit on the hard drive it stresses me out.

Here is the schedule (new shows are listed in RED):

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 24, 2012
Dancing With the Stars             ABC                             8:00pm
HIMYM                                   CBS                             8:00 pm
Partners                                    CBS                             8:30 pm
2 Broke Girls                            CBS                             9:00 pm
Mike & Molly                           CBS                             9:30 pm
Castle                                       ABC                             10:00 pm
Hawaii 5-O                               CBS                             10:00 pm


TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 25, 2012
NCIS                                        CBS                             8:00pm
New Girl (Special)                    FOX                             8:00pm
Ben And Kate                           FOX                             8:30 pm
NCIS: LA                                 CBS                             9:00 pm
New Girl (Time Period Prem)    FOX                             9:00 pm
The Mindy Project                    FOX                             9:30 pm
Private Practice                         ABC                             10:00 pm
Vegas                                       CBS                             10:00 pm

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 26, 2012
Animal Practice                         NBC                             8:00 pm
The Middle                               ABC                             8:00 pm
Guys with Kids                         NBC                             8:30 pm
Criminal Minds                        CBS                             9:00 pm
Law & Order: SVU                   NBC                             9:00 pm
Modern Family                         ABC                             9:00 pm
The Neighbors (Special Time)   ABC                             9:30 pm
CSI                                          CBS                             10:00 pm

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 2012
Big Bang Theory                      CBS                             8:00 pm
Last Resort                               ABC                             8:00 pm
Two and a Half Men                 CBS                             8:30 pm
Grey’s Anatomy                       ABC                             9:00 pm
Person of Interest                      CBS                             9:00 pm
Elementary                               ABC                             10:00 pm
Scandal                                    ABC                             10:00 pm

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 28, 2012
CSI: NY                                   CBS                             8:00 pm
Kitchen Nightmares                  FOX                             8:00 pm
Fringe                                      FOX                             9:00 pm
Made in Jersey                          CBS                             9:00 pm
Blue Bloods                              CBS                             10:00 pm

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 30, 2012
The Amazing Race                   CBS                             8:00 pm
Once Upon A Time                   ABC                             8:00 pm
The Simpsons                           FOX                             8:00 pm
Bob’s Burger                            FOX                             8:30 pm
Family Guy                              FOX                             9:00 pm
The Good Wife                         CBS                             9:00 pm
Revenge                                   ABC                             9:00 pm
American Dad                          FOX                             9:30 pm
666 Park Avenue                      ABC                             10:00 pm
The Mentalist                           CBS                             10:00 pm

The returning shows I am most excited about are:
Once Upon A Time
Revenge
NCIS
NICS: LA
Grey’s Anatomy
Scandal
The Good Wife

The new shows I am going to watch are:
Elementary
666 Park Avenue
Last Resort
Vegas

I will let you know my thoughts about the new shows…

Friday, September 21, 2012

Pumpkin Beer Tasting

The Mission: Review this season's hottest flavored beer...Pumpkin Beer.

The Group: Joanna, Nick, Sawyer, Ashley, Dave and me.

Location: Joanna and Nick's Home

The Lineup:
1. Shock Top Pumpkin Wheat Ale
2. Blue Moon Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale
3. Terrapin Pumpkinfest
4. Dogfish Head Punkin’ Ale
5. Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale
6. Schlafly Pumpkin Ale
7. Southern Tier Pumking

Evaluators:
Me-Novice Beer drinker and new to beer evaluating
Nick Anderson-Beermonger. Beer Expert Evaluator. Author of Beermonger and blogs for ArlNow.

Winners:
1. Schlafly Pumpkin Ale-Had a velvety taste of cinnamon and brown sugar. There was just the right amount of spice which lingered slightly. It was just enough to entice your tastebuds to want some more. And is my number one pick! Too bad they're sold out.

2. Blue Moon Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale-This ale was lighter in color than the others. I couldn't smell any aroma. But it had a nice spicy flavor which only lingered for a second. The reason I choose just this one for my top three was because I like that is wasn't too spicy. This one was the closest to my Bud Light Heart.

3. Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin Ale- This has a nice clear caramel color in the glass and a hidden spicy flavor. The spicy flavor was more than the Schlafly and Blue Moon but was not overpowering. I really enjoyed this beer. 


Losers:
Terrapin Pumpkinfest-This was a dark amber, low foam lager. It was lightly spiced with a heavy taste. It was the heavy taste which put it on my "loser" list. 

Dogfish Head Punkin’ Ale-It was lightly clouded in my glass. It had a spicy taste which I couldn't decide was all spice or cinnamon. This ale was heavier than the Terrapin. 

Southern Tier Pumking-Tasted like a Pumpkin Spice Yankee Candle. Enough said.

Final Thoughts:
All of the beers were good. But as a new beer evaluator I divided them in Winners and Losers. Only one didn't make the Winners or Losers List. Shock Top Pumpkin Wheat. I just couldn't decide if I liked it or not. I guess I need to drink some more of it. :)

Beer tasting is fun. I don’t know why we didn’t do this earlier. But I hope there will be some more pumpkin beer out there so we can do another tasting with pumpkin. Or just regular beer.

Who's with me?

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Chassie's What to Watch (Sept. 16-22, 2012)

This week we have a few more season premieres than last week. But the bulk of the shows will start next week.

I am a little disappointed that Grimm is a rerun this week. But next week it will be new at its new time and day-Fridays at 10:00 pm.

Switched at Birth on Monday at 8:00 pm on ABC Family

The Mob Doctor on Monday at 9:00 pm on FOX

Revolution on Monday at 10:00 pm on NBC

Survivor: The Philippines on Wednesday at 8:00 pm on CBS

Happy watching...


Fall Share Week 2 (Week 18)

To my great surprise Brett was waiting for me when I arrived at Harris Teeter on Saturday. I was even ten minutes early.

We exchanged my empty crate for a filled one and I was on my way home.

Here is the bounty:

1 bouquet of sunflowers
12 eggs
1 loaf wheat bread
1 butternut squash
1 zucchini
2 onions
2 green bell peppers
1 tomato
3 sweet potatoes
1 large globe eggplant
1 medium bunch kale
1 mystery red long pepper
1 mystery orange long pepper
6 ears of corn

I was really excited to receive another butternut squash and some sweet potatoes.

Here is the menu for the week:

Gnocchi with butternut squash and kale with garlic toast
Shrimp Stir-Fry with rice
Haddock tacos with stuffed peppers
Deviled eggs with roasted butternut squash salad with warn cider vinaigrette
BBQ ribs with mashed sweet potatoes and corn on the cob

I feel like I should tell you, the ribs are not completely homemade. I bought pre-sauced ribs I can just throw in the oven. I've never used pre-sauced ribs, in fact I have not made ribs ever. But I thought BBQ ribs would be delicious with mashed sweet potatoes.

Happy eating everyone...


Pumpkin Beer

The Fall Season is finally at our doorstep. It is my favorite time of year. The crisp breeze blowing the colorful leaves around. The cool temperatures mean I can take my dogs on walks without sweating. And the most important…pumpkin.

I love pumpkin.

Pumpkin seeds.

Pumpkin spiced coffee (for those who have a Keurig, you have to try Green Mountain’s Pumpkin Spiced Coffee…so good).

Pumpkin pancakes.

Pumpkin Bread.

Pumpkin Ravioli.

Carving pumpkins.

Pumpkin patches.

And Pumpkin Beer.

Now I am not a big beer drinker. In fact when I do drink I don’t venture out from the light beer selections. Bud Light is my favorite and I am not ashamed to say it. But when the pumpkin varieties start to show up at the grocery stores and on dinner menus, I put my drinking hat on and put my Bud Light on the shelf to make room for the pumpkin beers.

And there are a lot of pumpkin beers out there. It seems I am not the only one who loves their pumpkin brews and breweries have taken note. So which ones are worth trying and which ones are not?

To help those who ask the above question, I am going to provide a beer novice’s review of this season’s hottest pumpkin brews: Chassie’s: A Non-Beer Drinker’s Review of Pumpkin Beer.

But I did just say that I'm not a big beer drinker...so I have asked my good friend's Husband, Nick, to provide a review on the same beers. Nick is a beermonger at Arrowine. He has his own blog on everything beer and he reviews beers for Arlnow

Stay tuned for the reviews…

Monday, September 10, 2012

The Fall Share (Week 17)


This was the first week of the Fall Share. The farmers, Sue and Claudia, sent out a list of the items we will see this season. Here are a few of the items:

jumbo peaches, several apple varieties, pears, including asian pears, wine grapes, table grapes, bell peppers, sweet peppers, hot peppers, eggplant, zucchini, and squash, heirloom potatoes, sweet onions, beans, beets, okra, kale, tomatoes, butternut and acorn winter squash, and hopefully, lots of different soup pumpkins

As soon as I saw the word "pumpkin" I was sold. Not that I was already before. But the idea of having pumpkins in my share makes me soooooooo excited.

Here is what we got this week:

1 bouquet of flowers
1 loaf of "french toast" bread
12 eggs
1 bottle of "Black Cabernet" wine vinegar
1 lb of honey
1 b of French Roast coffee
1 bag of herbal tea
1 lb of maple sausage
1/2 lb smoke Gouda cheese
6 ears of corn
1 butternut squash
3 red bell peppers
3 green/purple bell peppers
4 jalapeños
1 onion
6 potatoes
1 med/large zucchini
1 lb of green beans
4 pears
4 beets

Whewww that is a lot of stuff.

Here is the menu:

French Toast with home fries (bread, eggs, onion, green/purple bell peppers, banana peppers, potatoes and jalapeños)
Roast Turkey Panini with Pesto, Roasted Red Peppers with Green Beans Salad (red bell pepper, bread, green beans)
Butternut Squash Risotto with Pear Arugula Salad (butternut squash, pears)
Corn & Poblano Lasagna with Beet Salad (corn, bell peppers, beets)

We had the French Toast and home fries tonight. It was really good. I didn't think the bread looked any different than regular bread, but boy did it make good french toast! And cooking the potatoes in the oven before sautéing them on the stove is the way to go for soft inside and crispy outside potatoes for the home fries!


2012-2013 TV Schedule

Every year I put together the new TV schedule and the premiere dates for myself. And since this year I have a TV blog I am going to share it with you.

So without further ado…

Monday: 


Tuesday


Wednesday


Thursday


Friday

Sunday

I skipped Saturday because it will just be encores and investigative reporting shows.

I will post the premiere dates later. 

Chassie's What to Watch

I know this is late again. I am sorry. Life got in the way...

Here we go.

Switched at Birth Monday at 8:00 on ABC Family

Flipping Out on Tuesday at 9:00 on Bravo

Parenthood Season Premiere on Tuesday at 10:00 on NBC

Sons of Guns on Wednesday at 9:00 on Discovery

Tanked on Saturday at 9:00 on Animal Planet



Enjoy!

Monday, September 3, 2012

Chassie's What to Watch (September 2-8, 2012)


As the official 2012-2013 season starts, this list might get longer and longer. But until the season really picks up we will again have a short "What to Watch List".


Chassie's What to Watch

Switched at Birth-Season Premiere Monday on ABC Family at 8 pm

Grimm-Monday on NBC at 10:00 pm

Rookie Blue-Thursday on ABC at 9:00 pm

Tanked-Saturday on Animal Planet at 9:00 pm

Enjoy!

What I'm Watching this Week (September 2-8, 2012)

This week is the start of the 2012-2013 TV Season. Although the majority of the shows will start in a few weeks, one of my favorite show starts this week.

Sunday
Big Brother
Copper on BBC America at 10:00 pm

Monday
Switched at Birth Season Premiere-ABC Family at 8:00 PM
Hotel Hell on FOX at 8:00 pm
Major Crimes on TNT at 9:00 pm
Grimm on NBC at 10:00 pm
Gallery Girls on Bravo at 10:00 pm

Tuesday
Hell's Kitchen on FOX at 8:00 pm
Hart of Dixie on CW at 8:00 pm

Wednesday
Big Brother on CBS at 8:00 pm
SYTYCD on FOX at 8:00 pm

Thursday 
Big Brother on CBS at 9:00 pm
Rookie Blue on ABC at 9:00 pm
Project Runway on Lifetime at 9:00 pm

Friday
Not sure yet

Saturday
My Cat From Hell on Animal Planet at 8:00 pm
Tanked on Animal Planet at 9:00 pm

That is a total of 18 and half hours. Not too bad!

Last Week of the Spring/Summer Share

This week was the last week of the Spring/Summer share. We received our share in boxes instead of a crate. The box did the job but i much prefer to receive my share in a crate.

But don't worry, I signed up for the Fall share which will continue until the first week in November.

Here is what was in this week's box:



2 bouquet of flowers (which were not technically "in" the box)
1 loaf of bread
12 eggs
4 red bell peppers
2 yellow tomatoes
8 black plums
4 jalapeños
1 small bunch kale
1 graffiti eggplant
1 globe eggplant
7 peaches
2 onions
3 shallots
2 beets
1 yellow zucchini
4-5 lb chicken

Last week I picked up September's EveryDay with Rachael Ray magazine. It is the Italian Issue and it is awesome. This week's menu has four recipes from the magazine.

Here's the menu:

Speck & Zucchini Bruschetta (EveryDay recipe) with Kale with Roasted Beets and Bacon
Kale with Sausage French Bread Pizza (EveryDay recipe)
Zucchini & Penne with Hot Pepper Pesto (EveryDay recipe)
Eggplant Risotto...Shhhh don't tell Dave (EveryDay Recipe)
Quiche with whatever is in the fridge

This week I am going to try and take a picture of all of the menu items before we eat them. Most of the time I get so excited or am so tired i just eat the food. But I am going to have Dave remind me to snap a pic right before we gobble it up.

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Chassie's What to Watch (August 26-Sept 1, 2012)

This week is a little light on original programing. And I am not going to put reruns on my What to Watch List unless the reruns is particularly amazing. So we have a short list this week. But don't fret...things will pick up very soon.

Chassie's What to Watch

Copper-2nd Episode Sunday on BBC America at 8 pm

True Blood-Season Finale Sunday on HBO at 9:00 pm

Grimm-Monday on NBC at 10:00 pm

Redskins Game-Thursday on NBC at 7:30 pm

Enjoy!

What I'm Watching this Week (August 26-Sept 1 2012)

This week is a little slow and is missing a few of my summer favorites (Longmire, Bunheads and Rookie Blue). But there are a few to look forward to.

Sunday:
Big Brother on CBS at 8:00 pm
True Blood on HBO at 9:00 pm
The Real Housewives of New Jersey on Bravo at 10:00 pm
Copper on BBC America at 10:00 pm
Army Wives on Lifetime at 10:00 pm

Monday
Hotel Hell on Fox at 8:00 pm
Hell's Kitchen on Fox at 9:00 pm
Grimm on NBC at 10:00 pm
Gallery Girl on Bravo at 10:00 pm
Major Crimes on TNT a 9:00 pm

Tuesday
Hart of Dixie on CW at 8:00 pm
Petty Little Liars on ABC Family at 8:00 pm

Wednesday
Tampa Bay at Redskins on NBC at 7:30 pm
SYTYCD on FOX at 8:00 pm
Big Brother on CBS at 8:00 pm

Thursday
Big Brother on CBS at 9:00 pm
Project Runway on Lifetime at 9:00 pm

Friday
Nothing. Our good friends Jeff and Krista are getting married and we will be attending the Rehearsal Dinner and then on Saturday the Wedding.

Happy Labor Day everyone!

Week 15

I was prepared this week just like last week. I had my coffee and the paper. And a magazine. Brett arrived around 9:20.

It was a quick exchange. And here is what was in this week's crate:

1 loaf of bread
12 eggs
1 bouquet of flowers
1 large bunch of kale
5 ears of corn
1 lb of green beans
3 eggplants
5 green peppers
10 peaches
5 nectarines
2 zucchini
1 summer squash
9 tomatoes
1 Anaheim Pepper
3 banana peppers
11 Habanero Peppers
1 lb of maple sausage

A few are a few of my thoughts about this week's items.

1. There is such a thing as "Too much kale"
2. There also is such a thing as "Too much eggplant"
3. What the hell am I going to do with 11 Habanero Peppers?
4. Ten peaches and 5 nectarines is a lot of fruit if you are not going to bake a pie

I decided not to dwell to much on the above and focus on what I can make for dinner that we will enjoy.

Here is the menu:

Quinoa Vegetable Shrimp Stir-fry
French Toast with Maple Sausage
Ravioli with home-made tomato sauce with Spicy Parmesan Green Beans and Kale
Grilled Peaches over Arugula with Prosciutto
Squash and Corn Soup with Wheat Rolls

As you can see from the menu above it does not include Habaneros or eggplant. I will give away the Habaneros and think of something for the eggplant.

Wish me luck.

Monday, August 20, 2012

Chassie's What to Watch (Week August 19-25, 2012)

Even though this is the slow season of TV. We do have a few good picks this week.


Copper-Season Premiere Sunday on BBC America at 8 pm

Bunheads-Monday on ABC Family at 9 pm

Major Crimes-Monday on TNT at 9 pm

Big Brother-Double Elimination Night Thursday on CBS at 9 pm


As you can see Copper aired on Sunday. And I am posting this on Monday. I looked up when it will be rerun and you can watch it on Wednesday at 10 pm.

Enjoy!

What I'm Watching (August 19, 2012)

This week is a little slow. We are right between the end of the summer season and the beginning of the regular season. A little hull so I can catch up.

Sunday
Real Housewives of New Jersey (Bravo)
Big Brother (CBS)
True Blood (HBO)
Copper (BBC America)
Army Wives (Lifetime)

Monday
Hell's Kitchen (FOX)
Bunheads (ABC Family)
Major Crimes (TNT)
Grimm (NBC)
Gallery Girls (Bravo)

Tuesday
Hart of Dixie (CW)
Pretty Little Liars (ABC Family)

Wednesday 
SYTYCD (FOX)
Big Brother (CBS)

Thursday 
Big Brother (CBS)
Project Runway (Lifetime)

Friday
Ghost Adventures (Travel Channel)

Saturday
Redskins Preseason Game 4 (NBC)


Total hours: 21.

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Week 14

This week I was prepared when I went to pick up my share. I stopped by Starbucks to grab a coffee, a croissant and the paper. I arrived at Harris Teeter a little earlier than normal and set up. It was a cool morning so I rolled down the windows and turned off the car. I sipped my coffee, nibbled the croissant and read about TLC's reality programs.

Around 9:10 Brett called and said he was in McLean and would be about a half an hour. This is what I expected, hence all this supplies.

After I got home I unloaded the bounty...

1 bouquet of sunflowers
12 eggs
1 loaf unsliced (boo) rye bread
1 lb honey
small bunch of kale
1 moldy cantaloupe (yuck)
4 nectarines
2 eggplants
2 heirloom tomatoes
1 onion
1 shallot
4 green peppers
5 peaches
5 ears of corn
1 zucchini

I was pretty bummed that the cantaloupe had mold on it when I got it.  I like to cut it up and have it for a snack at work during the week. But I will just get another from Giant.

Here is the menu for the week.

Stuffed Peppers with Sautéed Kale
Eggs Stuffed Tomatoes with Rice
Kale Lemon Spagetti with Oven Roasted Zucchini
Haddock with Grilled Nectarine Spinach Salad and Corn on the Cob
Another undetermined eggplant meal

I am not sure what do to with the eggplant. It is such a meaty veggie that it normally is the main attraction. Since Dave doesn't like eggplant I want to down play its role in the meal. This is the third week we got eggplant and I am out of ideas. Let me know if anyone has a good idea.



Sunday, August 12, 2012

What I'm Watching this Week

Another post I'm trying out is a list of what I am watching during the week. Now keep in mind I have to DVR a lot of the shows and watch them later. I have to do this because it is a looooong list.

This is what I will watch this week:

Sunday:
Big Brother
True Blood
Housewives of New Jersey
Longmire
Army Wives

Monday:
The Closer
Hotel Hell
Hell's Kitchen
Bunheads
Grimm
Gallery Girls
Major Crimes

Tuesday:
Hotel Hell
Hart of Dixie
Pretty Little Liars

Wednesday:
SYTYCD
Big Brother
Real World: USVI

Thursday:
Big Brother
Time Machine Chefs (maybe)
Rookie Blue
Project Runway
Awkward
Snookie and JWOWW

Friday:
Sadly...nothing.

Saturday:
Redskins Football
Tanked
Dog Whisperer

Whew. That is a total of 29 and a half hours.

I sometimes will add a few shows as the week develops. I will update if that occurs.

Chassie's What to Watch

I am testing out a few new post ideas for the blog.

One is Chassie's What to Watch. Every week I will post the most exciting (at least to me) shows of the week.

So without further a do...

Chassie's What to Watch:

Longmire: Season Finale- Tonight (Sunday) at 10:00 on A&E

The Closer: Series Finale-Monday at 9:00 on TNT

Grimm: Season Premiere-Monday at 10:00 on NBC

Major Crimes: Series Premiere-Monday at 10:00 on TNT

Hotel Hell: Series Premiere-Monday & Tuesday at 8:00 on FOX

Washington Redskins at Chicago Football Preseason Game-Saturday at 8:00

Let me know if you enjoyed my picks.


Saturday, August 11, 2012

Week 13

The past couple of weeks Brett has been late. And today he called me before I was suppose to be there and told me he was already there and was going to leave my share at Harris Teeter. It is not his fault exactly. A new stop was added to his delivery route and the farmers didn't adjust the schedule. So he has been trying to squeeze it in.

Luckily I was able to make it there in ten minutes and he was willing to wait.

Here is what we got:

1 bouquet of Sunflowers
1 loaf of rosemary bread
12 eggs
5 large button mushrooms
1 pint of shiitake mushrooms
1 quart and 1 pint sugar plums
1 bunch kale
1 yellow squash
2 zucchini
1 cucumber
2 green pepper
2 red pepper
1 onion
2 shallots
5 peaches
2 heirloom tomatoes
1 pint of sherry tomatoes
2 eggplants

Dave doesn't not like mushrooms and he hates eggplant. So I do to some creative thinking for this week's menu. First I decided to incorporate the mushrooms with something he really likes and then to pair the rest of mushroom with the eggplant and buy a frozen pizza for him to eat.

So here is the menu:

Beef Tenderloin with Shiitake Mushroom sauce and roasted squash
Shrimp and Plum Kebabs with Cilantro Lime Sauce and salad
Spanish Tortilla with Bell Pepper and cucumber and tomato salad
BKTs (bacon, kale, tomato) sandwiches with pepper and tomato salad
Lasagna with Roasted Eggplant, Mushroom and Carrots and frozen pizza for Dave

I have never cooking with Shiitake mushrooms. I am excited to try it.

I am going to give away some of the plums. Mostly because I found out I don't like plums. And because it is hard to find things to make with plums that aren't sweet. This week I am going sugar free (expect for fruit). So I didn't want to make something sweet with the plums.

Wish me luck!

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Menu Items from the Last Two Weeks

Veggie Burgers
Cucumber, Celery Salad
Spicy Parm Green Beans and Kale
Roasted Broccoli
Stir Fry Cabbage
Pork Au Poivre
Tomato, Onion and Cucumber Salad
Chicken and Kale Tacos
Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
Zucchini Alfredo Pasta
Drucken Spaghetti with Black Kale
Coleslaw
Asian Sloppy Joes
Hearty Skillet Rice


Week 10

1 bouquet of flowers
1 loaf of sourdough wheat bread
12 eggs
2 tomatoes
4 zucchini
1 summer squash
4 sweet peppers
2 hot peppers
5 peaches
1 patty pan
1 head of cabbage
1 munch of kale
3 cucumbers
6 baby potatoes
1 head of broccoli


Week 9

The goodys were:

1 loaf of bread
1 bouquet of flowers (with star lilies)
12 eggs
3 lbs of cheese (feta, swiss, farmers, colby, tomato basil cheddar and cheddar)
2 tomatoes
2 summer squash
2 hot peppers
2 green bell peppers
1 head of cabbage
7 smallish cucumbers
1 bunch of kale
1 lb of green wine grapes
9 plums
4 peaches
1 shallots
2 onions
1 lb green beans

My favorite cheese was the colby.



July Hiatus

As some of you may know I have been pretty busy this month. With Bella's CGC test and Brycie's Baby shower, my spare time has been limited.

I will post the CSA items from the last three weeks. But I will not post weekly round up for the past two weeks. I have not been keeping track.

But now, I should have more time and I will get back to my regular schedule.

I am developing an new idea for the TV portion of this blog. Stay tuned...

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Week 7 & and Week 8 All at Once

On Saturday I picked up the shares from week 7 and week 8. Since I missed my share last week, I was given the option to double up or exchange Week 7 for a box of peaches or tomatoes. And since I don't know what to do with a whole box of peaches or tomatoes (other than canning) I decided to double up. And let me tell you....it was a lot of food.

Week 7
a bouquet of flowers
12 eggs
1 loaf of bread
1 lb of sage sausage
1 lb of French Roasted coffee
2 bags of Dragonfly Loose Tea
1 lb of honey
2 lbs of green beans
4 cucumbers
4 peaches
2 heads of broccoli
1 yellow onion
1 pint of currants
1 lb of green wine grapes
1 bunch of Red Russian Kale
6 small shallots
1 bunch of scallions
1 big, 1 medium and 1 small zucchini
2 large portabello mushrooms
1 Cayenne pepper
1 anaheim pepper
8 plums
1/2 pint of blueberries
2 tomatoes

Week 8
 a bouquet of flowers
12 eggs
1 loaf of bread
2 heads of broccoli
1 med bunch of dinosaur kale
1 extra large zucchini
1 lb green wine grapes
4 peaches
1 yellow onion
3 shallots
6 small patty pans
2 tomatoes
13 cucumbers (2 big and 11small)
9 plums
1/2 pint blueberries
1 Cayenne pepper
1 anaheim pepper
1/2 lb of green beans
1 bunch of scallions

Now that is a lot of food for one week. So I gave over a lb of green beans, 1/2 of the green wine grapes, 1 loaf of bread and some of the blueberry muffin I made with the blueberries.

The Menu:
Broccoli & Pesto pasta

Portobello Burgers with Baked Cucumbers and Chard with Shallots and Walnuts
Crispy Haddock with Zucchini Fries and Spicy Parmesan Green Beans and Kale
Broccoli Red Pepper Quiche with Sautéed Zucchini and tomato and Peach Cobbler
Roasted Chicken with Green Bean Casserole and Red Russian Salad

Extras:
Glitter grapes (grapes rolled in Melon Fusion Jello powder)
Blueberry Muffins
Zucchini bread
Currant scones

Wish me luck....its going to be a tough but yummy week.


Coming Soon...Week 7 & 8

I promised to post my weekly share inventory the day or the day after picking it up but alas, I have broken that promise.

Please be patient. The weekly inventory for Week 7 & 8 should be posted by this evening.

*fingers crossed*

But for tuning in to this almost non-post here is a little TV trivia:

JAG originally aired on NBC but was cancelled after its first season. CBS decided to gamble and ordered JAG’s second season for its fall lineup. It proved to be worth the gamble because JAG went on to have 10 full seasons. It was nominated for 8 Emmys and won 3. JAG produced two hugely popular TV show spinoffs, NCIS and NCIS: LA. JAG is the perfect example of a failure success story. If a show isn’t popular its first season it doesn’t mean it won’t make a lot of money. TV Networks would be wise to remember “The Cinderella Story of JAG”.

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Two Best New Shows on Summer TV

I always look forward to Summer’s TV lineup. Summer TV use to be for reruns and TV movies but a few years ago the broadcast channels (the cable channels soon followed), learned they could get good ratings during the summer too. The first summer TV show I watched and then loved was The O.C. Yup, The O.C. first aired on FOX in the summer. After being a smash hit, FOX moved it to the regular season. Many summer shows have come, won audiences and moved to the regular season or were cancelled. Today, there are shows which only air during the summer. One of those shows is Rookie Blue, which I am totally in love with. I look forward to the summer so I can catch up on the drama filled lives of the Toronto rookies.

After May’s Upfronts, networks start their summer seasons. And there are always I few shows I am excited about. This year they were: True Blood, The Glades, the final season of The Closer and Rookie Blue. But something unexpected happened. There were two late minute additions to my lineup…and they are awesome.

First is Longmire on A&E Sundays at 10:00pm.

I knew this show was premiering this summer. I had read the one paragraph write-up and seen the promos and I was not interested. Honestly it looked lame and I was tired of seeing the promos. Then when Dave and I went to the movie theater to see The Avengers, there was an in dept preview for Longmire, I ignored it at first and then…..I saw Katee Sackhoff, who I love from Battlestar Galactica.

Let me stop the story here. There are many reasons why I decide to watch one show over another. But there are two sure fire ways that will make me watch:

1. The show is produced by someone I like
3. An actor/actress I like is on the show
As soon as I saw that Katee was a regular on Longmire, I was interested. And I am so glad I watched it. It is soooo good and really hard to explain why. For me I love a show with a non-typical setting. I have seen enough shows based in NY, and LA or CA. I like it when the setting is somewhere I have never seen before. And Longmire’s setting is in Absaroka County, Wyoming. And character development. When you watch a show because you love the characters and you want to watch them live their lives (think soap operas) you are hooked. And Longmire had me hooked on Sheriff Walt Longmire’s character development from the first episode. You have to check it out.

Second is Bunheads on ABC Family Mondays at 9:00pm

This one I didn’t know about until a week before it aired. But the second I heard the show is produced by one of my absolute favorite producers, Amy Sherman-Palladino, I was in. In case you are not familiar with her work. She was the executive producer of Gilmore Girls. GG is one of my all-time favorite shows. Amy Sherman-Palladino trademark is the fast witted banter scripts, which the lead in Bunheads delivers with truth and pizzazz. For me Bunheads fills the void left in my heart when GG retired.

So two shows won my heart and my faithful viewership this summer. Longmire was renewed for a second season. I am still waiting for season two news for Bunheads.


Short Synopsizes

Longmire
Recently widowed Sheriff Walt Longmire enforces the law for Absaroka County, Wyoming. Being a sheriff in Wyoming is a lot different than your regular metropolis. In Wyoming everything is bigger and not just the wide open spaces. The series follows the Sheriff and local deputies as they encounter drug busts, the murders, mob hit man, child abductions, animal attacks and of course politics.

Bunheads
Michelle Simms is a trained ballerina working as a showgirl in Las Vegas. As she realizes her career as a professional dancer is ending, marries her long time admirer Hubbell Flowers (with the help of a little too much alcohol). The show follows Michelle as she adjusts to Hubbell’s small home town, Paradise. And where she renews her passion for dancing with the family’s dancing school.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Week 7 and Week 6 Round-Up

The derecho, aka Derechonundrum, not only knocked out the AC, it also made it so I couldn’t pickup and store my share for Week 7. Dave, Draco, Bella and I decided to leave our hot and muggy house for the cool and spacious house of Jeff and Krista in Leesburg.

When we returned around 5:00 pm on Sunday, our power had been restored. But since we were out of power for over 12 hours most of the perishable food in the fridge was a goner.

But I hardly believe this is my fault. So I don’t believe it should count against me in my round up grade.  Right?

Here is the breakdown:

What I started with:
3 dozen eggs
1 loaf of rye bread
½ loaf of wheat sourdough bread
1 small bunch of kale
½ head of romaine lettuce
1 head of boston lettuce
12 radishes
1 small head of broccoli
1 med-large onion
1 patty pan squash
4 shallots
Tons of scallions
3 tomatoes
1/2 pint of blueberries
1/2 sour cherries
1/2 sweet cherries
1 bag of green beans
1 cucumber
½ of the sausage
½ escarole
2 carrots
½ bag of spinach

What I used:
Half of the Boston Lettuce
All of the cherries
All of the Blueberries
Patty pan
All of the kale
All of the radishes
Cucumber
onion
tomatoes
½ of the rye bread
2 shallot
the rest of the sausage
the rest of the escarole
2 carrots
½ bag of spinach

What was left before the fridge purge:
Less than half of the Boston Lettuce
Half of the Romanie (which I would have thrown away anyway)
A ton of scallions
2 shallots
2 ½ dozen eggs
Small head of broccoli
½ of the green beans

What I threw away (damn derecho):
Less than half of the Boston Lettuce
Half of the Romanie (which I would have thrown away anyway)
A ton of scallions
2 ½ dozen eggs
The last slice of Cherry pie

What is left after the fridge purge:
Small head of broccoli
½ of the green beans
2 shallots

Grade: How can I grade myself when I had to throw things away unwillingly? How will I know if would have used them? I was on a role for this week. I cooked all morning on my birthday so I could get ahead.

But what about Week 7?

Dragonfly Farms will deliver a “double” share on Saturday. I am not sure what that means and Dave told me not to ask for a double share since we have a hard time eating everything we get anyway. But I paid for it and I would like to receive it and either try to use it all or give it away.

I am really enjoying the CSA experience and I was really bummed when I missed out this week.

Unforgettable...Uncanceled?

So the rumor around tinsel-town is CBS uncanceled Unforgettable.

Yup you read that right. Uncanceled.

You might be wondering how does that happen? Or can that happen?

The answer is yes and here is how it could happen...

Sony pitched their idea for a show back in 2011 or 2010 to CBS. CBS liked it and added it to their schedule for the 2011-2012 season. They originally ordered 13 episodes. After 5-8 episodes aired CBS decided to order the back half of the season (the last 13 episodes). In April or May CBS evaluated the numbers to decide whether they should order another season or to cancel it.

Now that is how almost all new shows get through their first season. Here is what rarely happens:

CBS decided they didn't like the number for the show and left it off the 2012-2013 season's schedule. Sony cut the cost of the show and re-pitched it. CBS decided for the new price they would pick it up for a shorter summer season.

So Unforgettable will be added to the Summer 2013 schedule.

Now for some trivia:

How many shows have been uncanceled?

How many shows were uncanceled by the network it originally aired on?

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Holy Strawberries Batman

We got a ton of strawberries from our CSA, Dragonfly Farms. But we also had to throw away a ton of strawberries from our CSA, Dragonfly Farms. They would rotten so fast we couldn’t eat them quickly enough.

I would pick them up around 9:30 am on Saturday and would have to throw them out by Sunday morning if not earlier. I tried several different methods to keep them fresh:

1. put them straight into the fridge and clean them in a couple hours.
2. clean them right away and set them on the paper towel covered counter to dry out
3. clean them and store in them in tuberware in between layers of paper towels
4. soak them in a vinegar solution for a hour them clean them (Dragonfly Farm’s suggestion)
5. freeze them
6. eat them right away
7. bake them in something right away

Only two of the above worked. Eat them right away and bake them right away. Everything else failed to keep them fresh past Sunday morning.


So what is the deal? Store bought strawberries will last 2 to 3 times longer. Why are these spoiling so quickly?

First of all the CSA strawberries are by far juicier and flavorful than store bought. Plus the CSA strawberries are a bright and deep red. Store bought strawberries range from a red to pink to almost white. Plus store bought berries are hard, bland and sometimes a little sour. The CSA berries were always sweet! I believe the sweetness and ripeness contributes to the CSA strawberries’ short shelf life. Plus the CSA strawberries do not have any pesticides-organic or otherwise. So there is nothing on them to preserve.

The leading theory on why strawberries are called strawberries is how they were grown in the early nineteenth century. The farmers placed straw around the growing berry plants to protect the ripening fruit. Strawberries are very delicate when ripe. And if they grow on the ground they would ripen and then rotten before they could be picked. The straw could not only cushion them but would help the “shelf” life of the ripe fruit. So they could be harvested and eaten.

Because of the quick ripe to rotten ratio I had to find what to use the strawberries fast. Here are some of the ways Dave and I enjoyed them:

Strawberry and Rhubarb Pie—Yummo
Cream and Strawberry biscuits
Chocolate covered strawberries
Eating them straight
In a salad

But sadly the strawberry season is over and we will not be receiving any more strawberries. But I feel like I am better prepared now for a storm of strawberries so I am sad to see them go…for now.

But speaking of Batman…who is excited for the last installment of Batman (The Christian Bale Series)?

I know I am! I love me some super heroes and strawberries during the summer!

Week Five Roundup

This week's mission to use everything in the fridge. Okay that was a little overachieverish, but I really wanted to make a huge effort to use everything. So here is what happened...

What I used this week:
the loaf of wheat sourdough bread
all of the spinach (Spinach Grilled Cheese and Pesto)
3/4 Collard Greens (collard green risotto)
all of the tomatoes (soup)
all of the escarole (soup 1/2 for dinner and I froze 1/2)
all of the snow peas (Lemon-Butter Snow Peas)
2 pints of strawberries (eat and chocolate strawberries)
all of the yellow onions
2 shallots (salsa)
all of the elephant garlic
8 radishes (sweet potato and radish salad)
a few of the scallions
the rest of the kale (kale tacos)
the rest of the carrots (soup)
all of the sausage (soup)

What I have leftover:
1/3 collard greens
1 shallot
almost all of the eggs
a little of the romaine (which I will throw away)
Scallions

Grade: B-

I know it looks like I did really well this week. But I have almost 3 dozen eggs!! That is a lot of eggs.

Week 6

Dragonfly Farms changed the deliver times. The new time is from 9:00 to 9:15. Which worked fine for me.

On Saturday I arrived at Harris Teeter a little after nine. Brett was waiting in the truck. When he gave me my crate he asked "would you like red flowers or purple". I said purple of course. And they are a rich deep purple. I don't know what kind of flowers they are but they are couple with white lilies. The combination is gorgeous.



Here is what we got this week:
1 bouquet of flowers
12 eggs
1 loaf of rye bread
1 small bunch of kale
1 head of boston lettuce
12 radishes
1 small head of broccoli
1 med-large onion
1 patty pan squash
3 shallots
1 bunch of scallions
3 tomatoes
1/2 pint of blueberries
1/2 sour cherries
1/2 sweet cherries
1 bag of green beans
1 cucumber

I know what you are all thinking....what is a patty pan? Well here it is:


Our menu for this week is:
Pork au Poivre with collard greens and salad
Spaghetti with braised kale and green beans
Quiche with broccoli, shallot and goat cheese with salad
Pizza with cucumber, radish and mango salad
Fried Egg Sandwiches with oven roasted patty pan with shallots and herbs

Blueberry pancakes for breakfast

Cherry pie for desert

Sounds really yummy, right?