like a kid in a candy store . . .

Since Dan and his brother are still out of town, I had the privilege of picking up his brother's CSA last night! Ryan told me I could have "whatever I wanted . . . " and I don't think he realized how much that would be like letting a little kid loose in a candy store! Tee-hee.

Here's what I had to choose from:

Carrots, "Purple Viking" potatoes, cucumbers, green beans, zucchini, summer squash, "Red Tropea" onions, tomatoes (larger varieties, as well as a carton of "Sun Golds,") a purple pepper, a couple of jalapenos, eggplant, basil, parsley, cilantro, and "Sun Jewel" melons. I'm a little sad I have to give most of this back! :(

I tried not to be too piggy. :) Since there were two eggplant, summer squash, and zucchini, and plenty of basil, I decided to make a simple veggie gratin with some leftover marinara and a little remaining cheese:

I threw some quinoa in a saucepan for a quick, healthy side dish.

I then indulged in one of the "Sun Jewel" melons for dessert:

A white-fleshed, crispy, sweet treat! Yum.

And then . . . I made a pie.

Dan comes home today (finally!) and I have a big, tasty dinner planned for the two of us. Dinner will conclude with a slice of four-berry pie! All of the berries are local, half are hand-picked by yours truly, and even though I didn't use enough cornstarch (I can tell it's going to be a little runny,) this should be QUITE the treat. :)

catching up some kitchen happenings

I was wondering why I hadn't blogged in a while . . . and it's because I haven't cooked much! We were out of town last weekend for the holiday, and have just been sort of throwing meals together since then. :) I do have a few things for you, though:

A dinner from last week:

Breakfast for dinner is always a good thing, especially when it involves roasted potatoes! Dan scrubbed and quartered these baby reds from the Farmer's Market and roasted them with olive oil, garlic, S&P, and a little dried thyme. I could have eaten my weight in these potatoes, but restrained myself. :)

P.S. Leftover roasted potatoes topped with chickpeas and salsa made for an AWESOME lunch the next day!

Another pie:

We took this pie to Dan's parents' house with us over the weekend, and it was quickly gobbled up. :) Strawberry-rhubarb seems to be a hit with everyone I meet!

Dinner last night:

Homemade pizza is always such a tasty thing. Artisan Bread crust, topped with olive oil, sliced local heirloom tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, and S&P. Yum. I'm even excited for leftovers in my lunch today!

And we received a late-night phone call from Dan's brother, which resulted in this:

Free veggies! Dan's brother has a half-share of a CSA, which means he gets a full share every-other week. To quote Ryan, "a ridiculous amount of vegetables for one person." So, we scored basil, green onions, chard, broccoli, radishes, kohlrabi, fennel, and scapes.

Any ideas for cooking up the scapes? I've never used them before, but am excited to try them!