CSA week 1

Due to the hot/dry weather the Covered Bridge Gardens CSA started 2 weeks early! A little newsletter called The Nibbler will accompany our produce each week - it has farm news and recipes in it. And starting next week we will be getting everything in cloth bags.

So what did we get?

Red Butter Head Lettuce
Green Onions
Beets
Shelling Peas
Snow Peas
Pecandoarosa Pecans (from their trees in Arizona)

Bourdain meets Pekar

Anthony Bourdain meets Harvey Pekar
Uploaded by TravelChannelTV

Scallops, Scampi-Style

Since I have been working a lot of evenings, I have also been putting together a lot of late night dinners (that require a very small amount of time, effort and imagination). That being said, I have been totally bored with our food options. Most nights we eat veggie burgers, bowls of pasta, tuna/turkey sandwiches, cereal or something grilled. I don't remember the last time I even used a recipe. Last Friday I had the day off and was totally excited because I had time to go shopping and cook a real dinner which we ate at the dining room table! I even purchased 2 new white dishes for the occasion (food photography tip #1 from AT: The Kitchen).

This recipe is from Good Housekeeping. It claims to be "Healthy in a Hurry" - taking 15 min of prep and 8 min to cook. It took more like 30 min to prep but it still was very simple. I was surprised how nice the squash shavings cooked up in the pan and the lemon juice finished it off perfectly.

Scallops, Scampi-Style
serves 4

1 c. whole wheat couscous
1 1/4 lbs. sea scallops (12)
1 lemon
1 clove garlic, crushed with press
4 zucchini or yellow summer squash (8 oz each), or 2 of each
1 Tbs. olive oil

1. Prepare couscous as label directs.
2. Meanwhile, pull off and discard tough crescent-shaped muscle, if any, from each scallop; rinse to remove sand from crevices. Pat scallops dry.
3. From lemon, grate 1 tsp peel and squeeze 2 Tbs juice.
4. In bowl, toss scallops with garlic, 1/2 tsp peel, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.
5. With vegetable peeler, slice each squash lengthwise into ribbons until you reach core with seeds; discard core. Set ribbons aside.
6. In nonstick 12-inch skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add scallops and cook 5-6 minutes, until browned and just opaque throughout, turning over once; transfer scallops to plate. Add squash to same skillet. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook 2 minutes, stirring once. Uncover and cook 1 minute or until tender-crisp. Remove squash from heat; stir in lemon juice and remaining peel.
7. Spoon vegetable mixture onto 4 plates; top with scallops. Serve with couscous.

bravo

My friends Erin & Matt have been especially good friends lately. Why? They have a huge cable tv!!! More importantly they have invited us over the past week to watch the Cavs games and the season premier of Top Chef on it! Hopefully this will be a weekly invitation ;) My favorites are Micah and CJ.

Very much looking forward to tomorrow. I don't have to work so in the afternoon I'm seeing Oceans Thirteen with my Friend T and then we're heading to Lolita. All the food people have been raving about their happy hour specials. That Kobe burger has been calling my name for a while now.

This morning on my way home from kickboxing (roundhouses are difficult!) I stopped at Chuppa's Market Place on Pearl Rd. It's a small market that has a pretty nice selection of produce (some organic), Michael's baked goods, cheese and a deli counter. I bought a bag of cherries - these are the most beautiful, juiciest cherries ever. Really they are! A perfect deep red, no blemishes, firm and not all sticky due to a few leaky/bad ones in the bag.

Brooklyn Centre Garden Party

I just talked to Gloria Ferris and reserved my tickets to the Brooklyn Centre Garden Party—“Magic, Mystery, and Millionaires.” That glass of lemonade sounds really refreshing.

Info from her website....

What do a librarian, a magician and a Broadway playwright have in common? They all lived in Cleveland and they’re all featured in this year’s Brooklyn Centre Garden Party—“Magic, Mystery, and Millionaires.” Come and see famous characters in Cleveland’s past portrayed by costumed narrators. Stroll through the grounds and see who’s who in our history. Enjoy musical entertainment in the Victorian Chapel, and relax in the shade with a glass of lemonade. Find out about Ohio’s native plants, make a mask with local artists, hear the latest about the Ohio and Erie Canal project, visit with our friends from the Zoo, and see what makes Riverside Cemetery one of Cleveland’s must-see places.

Ticket prices are as follows: Advance, $5 senior, $8 adult, $20 family of four; Day of Tour, $7 senior, $10 adult, $25 family of four. Call 216-351-0254 to reserve your tickets or for more information.

Olde Good Things

Over Memorial Day weekend we met up with one set of my in-laws in Scranton, Pa. No, not to visit Dunder Mifflin, but to go to an architectural salvage yard called Olde Good Things. This is the warehouse...they also have stores in NY, LA and Chicago. The amount of stuff there was overwhelming - rooms of furniture, doors, windows, hardware and sinks. Outside there were yards full of bathtubs, iron fencing and anchors. It was absolutely filthy and so much fun. Prices were not marked on anything so you had to find an employee and ask how much things were - which they seemed to make up on the spot and did not negotiate. I took many pictures...if you're interested in seeing them all click here.

Fresh Stop

from the Art House website...














Support local farmers and local arts at Art House this summer!
Dates: June - October, 2nd & 4th Thursday
Time: 3-7 p.m. Price: FREE Art Workshops
$20- Regular Share Bag (Family & Couples)
$10 Half Share Bag (Single)
($10 for Low Income Regular Share Bag & $5 for Low Income Half Bag)
From June to October, Art House will partner with Councilman Brian Cummins' office and Fresh Stop farmer's market to provide the community with locally grown produce and FREE art workshops twice a month. Please call the Councilman's Office at 216-459-8400 to purchase your Share Bag today!