Summertime Soup

Since we recently decided to give Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) a try, we have been inundated weekly with a large amount of veggies (some of unknown nomenclature).  This week, I was lagging behind the using up of the veggies, so I decided to do a clean out the fridge recipe of my own making.  The resulting soup was not bad!  I started with some leftover Rotisserie Chicken, and the veggies you see here:

Not a bad start - for those of you who can't identify the items on the cutting board...neither can I!  Just kidding! They are: onion, garlic (an amazing rare variety that is extremely spicy when raw), zucchini, spinach (another odd variety), kale, collard and turnip greens, and a Yukon gold potato. 

Obviously, since this is a clean out the fridge recipe, you can use whatever veggies you have on hand.  I only used half of each of the greens because I am going to use them for another recipe.


Here's the recipe for the soup. 
Various veggies (chopped)
Rotisserie chicken (skin and bones removed, chopped)
Chicken broth
Salt and Pepper
Oregano
Tarragon

Once you have got the veggies chopped, heat a dutch oven over medium heat with a small amount of olive oil in the bottom.  Add the onions and garlic, let them soften.  Add spices and stir into the onion mixture.
Add the veggies (pay attention to cooking times for the veggies - I added the zucchini much later in the cooking time).  Cover with chicken broth.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cover.  Cook for about 30 to 40 minutes or until veggies are soft.
Add any quick-cooking veggies and chicken for the last 10 minutes of the cooking time.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve with crusty bread. 

Don't you just love my vague recipes? 

This soup was very good and summery!  Drew liked it so much he drank the broth - always a good sign!

Produce Overwhelming

Anybody who knows me, knows I tend to be a planner.  In the kitchen, this is abundantly clear by my monthly menu plans and the long lists I make to get everything done before every dinner party.  So my world was rocked earlier this week.  I had been planning this for a while, but I don't think I really could have been prepared for what hit us...a produce storm of unknown proportions.

We bought a share at a local farm.  Well, actually, we bought a trial share of a local farm and we are splitting it with Mom and Dad.  The farm is certified organic and the produce is amazing!  It is beautiful!  I love the concept of getting fresh produce on a weekly basis and it only costs $16/week!  But here are some of the thoughts when we got the first box:

Peaches!  Look at the peaches!  What is this?  Is this lettuce?  It doesn't look like lettuce.  Wow, look at these cute little carrots!  Do you like beets?  Do you like grapefruit?  I think those are greens - I am not sure what kind.  What is that triangular leaf thing?  It has no smell.  What am I going to cook with all this produce? Oh, its spinach!  This is so exciting!  What am I going to cook with all this?!!

After getting the baskets and getting all of it put away, I started really wondering what I had gotten myself into.  I had a breakdown the first night - I don't think we ate any of the produce.  Then, as I lay in bed, all these ideas came to me: 

Drew likes grapefruit and I can cut it up for him and make homemade fruit cups.  Zucchini Carrot Muffins.  Arugula Pesto.  Collard  and Beet Greens and Pork Chops.  Stir-Fry.  Roasted Beets.  Spinach Salad with Cucumber. 

And I thought, this may be fun. 

So the answer to the question, "What's on the menu?" may be up in the air for a little while, but I think it is worth it considering the harvest of ideas and the harvest of produce!

An Apple a Day

Our harvest