This Week's Produce and Some Yummy Recipes

My produce of the week:

· Strawberries
· Blueberries
· Mangos
· Bananas
· Spinach
· Broccolini - Baby Broccoli
· Eggplant
· Rainbow Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes
· Onions
· Garlic
· Green Leaf Lettuce
· Avocados
· Beet Roots
· Cucumbers
· Broccoli

How would you use these? I'm especially interested in the beets. You can't see them too well in this photograph but there are 3 large beet roots - something I have never cooked before! Annie has a recipe for Can't Beet Red Velvet Cupcakes that I might try! I just can't even fathom the idea of beets in cupcake batter!

Last night I made two fantastic side dishes using produce from last week that must share!

Using the kale that I recently received I made Sauteed Kale by Bobby Flay, as listed on FoodNetwork.com

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds young kale, stems and leaves coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
1/2 cup vegetable stock or water (I actually used chicken stock b/c that's what I had on hand)

Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (ever added this b/c I forgot to)
Directions
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until soft, but not colored. Raise heat to high, add the stock and kale and toss to combine. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Remove cover and continue to cook, stirring until all the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add vinegar.

Next, I made Perfect Fingerling Potatoes by Alton Brown, as listed on FoodNetwork.com

Ingredients

1 1/4 pounds kosher or rock salt

2 quarts water
2 pounds small fingerling potatoes, cleaned
4 tablespoons butter, optional
Freshly ground black pepper, optional
1 tablespoon freshly chopped chives, optional
Directions
In a large pot, combine the salt, water, and potatoes and bring to a boil. Cook until the potatoes are fork-tender, approximately 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the pot to a cooling rack and let stand for 5 to 7 minutes. Serve as is or with butter, pepper, or chives.

I was very convinced that the potatoes were going to be ridiculously salty, but they weren't. I mean, yes, they were salty, but tasty, salty. Like a good potato chip. We didn't add anything to them as we ate (no butter or anything!)

Hope you get the chance to try out these recipes. They were such a hit!

My Halloween Sweets

I was asked to bring something for the annual Halloween festivities at my cousin's home. A great house filled with over 50 mommies, daddies and munchkins - I knew it had to be something all ages would love! Last year I made Brownie Ghosts which were a huge hit! This year I need to kick it up a notch. I searched and searched online and found a yummy, not too complicated treat! Peanut Butter Eyes!!!! I found the recipe n RecipeZaar.com -> http://www.recipezaar.com/Halloween-Eyeball-Cookies-143344
Here's the recipe with some of my adaptations...

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter, softened - I used Smart Balance
1 1/2 cups peanut butter - I used reduced fat!
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
18 ounces white dipping chocolate - 3 boxes
1/2 cup mini chocolate chip
blue food coloring

Directions

1. Cream the butter and peanut butter together.
2. Beat in the vanilla and sugar.
3. Chill for 1/2 hour.
4. Roll into small balls, chill on wax paper for another 1/2 hour.
5. In a microwave, melt the white dipping chocolate.
6. Using two spoons dip the eyeballs into the white chocolate.
7. Let cool on waxed paper until firm. Chilling will speed up the process.
8. Pour a drop or two of blue food coloring into the remaining melted chocolate.
9. Make a round iris on the eyeball, and immediately press a miniature chocolate chip in the center for a pupil, doing 5 at at time.
10. For the bloodshot effect, dip the tiny end of a toothpick in red food colouring and squiggle the lines from the pupil outward, but not quite to the edges of the ball.
11. These are quite tasty--considering how creepy they are.

Note: White dipping chocolate is also known as white bark.

One of my biggest lessons learned is to keep the cooled - whether in the fridge or on the counter if it is cool enough. I set my eyes on display and many of them go mushy - still super yummy, but messier than needed.

For whatever reason I never took a picture of the final product. The last picture was taken as we were adding the pupils. I put them on the tree cupcake holders, that held 24 eyes per tree. They looked great and the reaction I got from the party was fantastic!