Produce Ordered for Nov. 29th

The following produce was ordered for this week:

Bananas, Apples, Pineapple, Fairchild Tangerines, Kiwi, Butternut Squash, Red Leaf Lettuce, Mushrooms, Artichokes, & Red Potatoes

How to Prepare an Artichoke

How to Prepare and Artichoke

1. Remove stem.  Just snip the stem so it's about an inch long.

2. Trim the bracts.  The bracts are the pointy ends of the leaf-looking things; they are sharp and poky, so just take a pair of kitchen shears and snip the tips all the way around.

3. Cut the top.  This step is optional, but if you want, you can take a sharp knife and just cut off the very top.

4. Steam.  at this point your artichoke is ready for steaming.  Even if you're grilling your artichoke, you still need to steam them first.  Bring to boil a couple inches of water in a pot with a steamer insert.  Place artichoke in steam-side up and cover pot with a lid.  If you are going to eat your artichoke just steamed then they'll need to stay in there anywhere from 30 - 60 minutes, depending on the size.  When cooked, the leaves should peel off easily and you should be able to pierce the stem with a fork.  If you're roasting them, just steam them for 20 minutes and then remove and allow to cool until they're easy to handle.

5. Slice artichoke in half.

6. Remove the choke.  That funny looking furry thing is the choke.  This part is pretty easy because artichokes are kind of color coded to show you what to do!  All of the purple stuff needs to come out.  (NOTE this part of the artichoke is not edible.)

Now you are ready to eat them or roast them.

To roast them:

1. Preheat grill to medium.

2. Brush both sides of the prepped artichoke with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. 

3.  Place the seasoned artichoke on the preheated grill, center side up.  Grill with the lid closed for about 10 minutes until you have nice grill marks and the flesh appears soft.

Our favorite things to dip them in is mayo with pesto!!

Creamy Italian Crockpot Chicken

Creamy Italian Crockpot Chicken

4 chicken breasts
1 envelope italian salad dressing mix
1/4 c. water
1 (8 oz.) cream cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 pkg. sliced mushrooms
hot cooked noodles or rice

Place chicken in slow cooker.  Combine salad dressing mix and water and pour over chicken.  Cover and cook on low 3 hours.  In a small bowl beat cream cheese and soup until blended.  Stir in mushrooms.  Pour over chicken.  Cook 1 hour longer or until chicken juices run clear.  Serve over noodles or rice.

Produce Ordered for Nov. 15th

The following produce was ordered for this week:

Bananas, Oranges, Pears, Cranberries, Cauliflower, Celery, Mini Carrots, Green Beans, Onions, & Yams

Creamy Cranberry Salad

Creamy Cranberry Salad

12 oz. cranberries
1 c. sugar
1 (6 oz.) package red jello mix
1 (8 oz.) can crushed pineapple drained
3/4 c. orange juice
1 apple withe peel, grated
1 c. chopped pecans
1 c. whipping cream
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened

Process cranberries in blender or food processor; pour sugar over cranberries and stir to dissolve.  Bring 3/4 cup water to a boil; stir in gelatin and let cool.  Stir cooled gelatin into cranberries, and add pineapple, orange juice, apple, and pecans.  Mix well, cover and refrigerate overnight.  Whip cream and beat in cream cheese.  In a glass serving dish, layer half of the cranberry mixture, then the whipped cream mixture, then the remaining cranberry mixture, then the rest of the whipped cream mixture.

Cranberry Sauce

12 oz. cranberries
1 c. sugar
1 c. orange juice

In a medium sized saucepan over medium heat, dissolve the sugar in the orange juice.  Stir in the cranberries and cook until the cranberries start to pop (about 10 minutes).  Remove from heat and place sauce in a bowl.  Cranberry sauce will thicken as it cools.

Holiday Cranberry Sauce

4 c. fresh cranberries
1 1/2 c. water
5 whole cloves
5 whole allspice berries
3 cinnamon sticks
2 c. sugar

Place fresh cranberries and water in medium saucepan over medium heat.  Wrap cloves, allspice berries, and cinnamon sticks in a spice bag.  Place in the water with cranberries.  Cook until cranberries begin to burst (about 10 minutes).  Stir in sugar and reduce heat to low.  Continue cooking 5 min. or until sugar had dissolved.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.  Discard spice bag.  Chill in the refrigerator 8 hours, or overnight before serving.

Produce Ordered for Nov. 1st

The following produce was ordered for this week:

Bananas, Apples, Black Berries, Pomegranates, Oranges, Grapefruit, Romaine Lettuce, Mini Carrots, Bell Peppers, Broccoli, Green Onions, & Mushrooms