November 1-November 6

Friday, November 1-  Apple themed dinner tonight.  I am using my older apples from a previous box to make oven baked apples and pork chops served along side apple stuffed acorn squash and fresh green beans both from my box.
Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash

• 2-3 apples peeled, cored and large diced
• Acorn squash cut in half seeds removed
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1-2 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Mix spice mixture together toss into diced apples.  Scoop half of apple mixture into each half of the acorn squash.  Place half of butter on top of each acorn half.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour.  In baking dish pour a water onto bottom of pan to cover dish.

Apple Pork Chop Bake

• 4 pork chops seasoned with salt and pepper
• 3 apples peeled, cored and diced
• 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons Melted butter
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

Arrange seasoned chops in cover baking dish.  Combine spices and brown sugar, add apples and butter, toss to coat.  Pour apple mixture evenly over chops.  Cover and bake 20-30 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Last 10 minutes remove lid.

Saturday, November 2-   Tonight we are treating ourselves to dinner out or at least take out.

Sunday, November 3- After hiking today we had a late lunch so dinner will be leftovers.

Monday, November 4-  I'd like to bake a full herbed seasoned chicken tonight along with my butternut squash casserole and corn pudding using the corn, onion, and squash from my box.

Butternut Squash Casserole- from Williams-Sonoma

Casserole:

4 cups butternut squash puree

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp orange extract

1/4 tsp salt

2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

3 large eggs

4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Topping:

1 cup vanilla wafers, crushed

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 cup brown sugar

1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Lightly grease a casserole dish (4 - 6 cup capacity).

2. Combine squash puree, sugar, milk, vanilla, orange extract, salt, flour, eggs and melted butter. Pour into the prepared casserole dish. Bake for 45 minutes or until set.

3. Meanwhile, make the topping. In a medium bowl, combine crushed vanilla wafers, melted butter and the brown sugar. Sprinkle over top of the cooked casserole and return to the oven to brown for an additional 10-15 minutes. Serve warm.

Corn Pudding (recipe from Just Right Menus)

1 can (14 3/4 oz) corn, drained - - or 1 1/2 to 2 cups of fresh corn, 3-4 ears' worth
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 c. evaporated milk
1/4 c. sugar
2 1/2 TB flour
2 TB melted butter
salt to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350°. 
2. Combine all ingredients together. 
3. Pour into a greased pan/dish (about the size of a 10" round dish) 
4. Bake 350° for 50 - 60 minutes, or until brown on top and sides. If you're not sure if it's done, insert the tip of a butterknife into the center. If you can move the pudding over & see the bottom of the pan without the pudding running back over, it's done.

Tuesday, November 5-  I have a great number of peppers from my box along with a hearty amount of corn on the cob.  So, I will either make sausage and peppers over spaghetti or stuffed peppers for the grown ups and Mac n' Cheese for the girls along with fresh corn on the cob will make up tonight's meal.

Stuffed Peppers  WW Pts: 7

• 4 large peppers (8 banana peppers)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped celery
• 1 (14 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 pound Italian sausage
• 3/4 cups bread crumbs

1. Cut off tops of peppers, and remove ribs and seeds. Chop edible portions of tops; set aside. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add peppers, reduce heat, and simmer until tender but still firm, about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat butter in a medium skillet. Saute reserved chopped pepper, onion and celery until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce and garlic. Season with basil, oregano, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine egg, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, Worcestershire sauce and Parmesan. Mix in sausage, bread crumbs and 1 cup of the tomato sauce mixture.
4. Using a piping bag or sausage stuffer, fill each pepper with the meat mixture. Place in a 3 quart casserole dish, and pour remaining tomato sauce mixture over peppers.
5. Bake uncovered in preheated oven for 1 hour. (optional- last 15 minutes sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese)

Amount Per Serving
Calories:310 Total Fat: 24g  Dietary Fiber: 1.9g

Wednesday, November 6-  Scout night so it's fajitas with any leftover peppers and onion from my box along with any potato and macaroni salad we picked up over the weekend.

Thursday, November 7- Not sure what tonight will bring either a new dish or leftovers....

Oct. 25-Oct. 31

Well I never made a menu online for last week. But I put things together for this week.

With apples from previous boxes I am making my zucchini bread but replacing the zucchini with diced apples.
Apple Bread

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups white sugar
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 3 cups diced apples

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Sift together flour, salt, soda, cinnamon, baking powder.
3. Beat eggs. Add and mix well sugar, vanilla, and oil. Add apples to egg mixture. Add dry ingredients, mixing well. Stir in nuts if desired. Pour into 2 loaf pans.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 1 hour.

Friday, October 25-  Chicken Cordon Blue with fresh cooked broccoli from my box and cheesy rice.  I prefer to roll the raw tenderized chicken breast up with the ham and cheese then dip it in a bread mixture to bake in the oven.  My mother-in-law pan fries the chicken then layers it with the ham and cheese to bake in the oven to melt the cheese.

Saturday, October 26-  We decided to do take out tonight.

Sunday, October 27-  White Chicken Chili in the crock pot along with corn on the cob from my box.

White Chicken Chili

• 4 cans great Northern Beans (undrained)
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon beef bouillon granules (or 1 cube)
• 1 onion diced (saute with 2-3 TBS flour to thicken if desired)
• 3 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons each of garlic powder and oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 4 oz diced chiles (drained)
• 4 cups cooked diced chicken
• 2 cups sour cream (16oz)
• 3 cups Monterey Jack cheese shredded
• 1/2 cup cilantro chopped, optional

1. Combine sauteed onions, beans, broth, bouillon, spices, chiles and chopped chicken in slow cooker.
2. Cook on low for 8-10 hours.
3. Last half hour add cheese and sour cream.  Stir to mix and melt.
4. Serve once cheese has melted and sour cream has combined with mixture.  Sprinkle cilantro over individual bowls if desired.

Monday, October 28- I plan on making chicken potpie for dinner tonight.

Chicken Pot Pie

• 2 deep dish pie shells 
• 1 can of cream of chicken soup (per a friend's suggestion I am using cream of chicken with herbs)
• Combination of fresh & frozen veggie mix- about 2 cups
• 2-3 cups cooked chicken 
• 3/4 cup milk 
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme

1. Boil chicken in chicken broth.  After it is cool cut in to small pieces 
2. Reserve broth and boil fresh or frozen vegetables for 5 minutes and drain.
3. Pre heat oven 375 degrees 
4. Mix chicken, vegetables, soup and milk in a medium bowl 
5. Add salt and pepper to taste and thyme
6. Pour mixture in pie crust cover with 2nd pie crust 
7. Cook pie for about 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown.  Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing.

Tuesday, October 29-  Pork tenderloin along with sauteed kale from my box and either homemade mashed potatoes or baked potatoes. I will prepare the kale as I do in the Kale and Orzo recipe.

Kale

Olive Oil

Pepper sliced or diced

Kale stem removed roughly cut

Red Pepper Flakes

2-3 Cloves Garlic minced

chicken broth or white wine or water 

• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the garlic and red pepper in the hot oil. Add red pepper flakes and broth or wine.  Stir the kale into the broth, cover the skillet with a lid, and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the cover and  add the beans.  Continue cooking and stirring until the kale is tender, about 10 minutes more (add more liquid if necessary).

October 30 and 31st-  Between a Halloween party and Halloween, dinner will be pizza one night and either leftovers or take out the other.

Thanksgiving Week Menu

Monday, November 21-  Since I had about half the spinach from my Box leftover I decided to make pork chops and Southern Living magazine's recipe for Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes and Creamy Spinach.


Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes Recipe
4lbs potatoes
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1/2 milk
1/4 butter
salt and pepper
5 oz spinach
5 1/2 oz buttery garlic and herb spreadable cheese
1/4 chopped pecans

1. Peel 4 lb. baking potatoes; cut into 2-inch pieces. 
2. Bring potatoes, 2 tsp. salt, and water to cover to a boil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat; boil 20 minutes or until tender. 
3. Drain. Return potatoes to Dutch oven, reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally, 3 to 5 minutes or until potatoes are dry.
4. Mash potatoes with a potato masher to desired consistency. 
5. Stir in 1 1/4 cup warm buttermilk, 1/2 cup warm milk, 1/4 cup melted butter, 1/2 tsp. pepper, and 1 tsp. salt, stirring just until blended. 
6. Mix into potatoes,1 (5-oz.) package fresh baby spinach, cooked until wilted; 1 (5 1/2-oz.) package buttery garlic-and-herb spreadable cheese; and 1/4 cup chopped toasted pecans.  
7. Spoon the mixture into a lightly greased 2 1/2-qt. baking dish. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes.   Makes: 6 to 8 servings

Tuesday, November 22-  As of right now I still plan on tortellini but I am opting out with a simple meal of tomato sauce, a side salad and a loaf of bread.

Wednesday, November 23-  I will be baking a pumpkin pie and from William Sonoma their Deep Dish Apple Bourbon Streusel Pie for Thanksgiving dessert.  With the baking, cleaning and prepping for tomorrow, take out is in order tonight!

Dish Apple Bourbon Streusel Pie

• For the filling:
• 3 lb. Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into slices 1/4 inch thick
• 3 lb. Pink Lady apples, peeled, cored and cut into slices 1/4 inch thick
• 3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 3 Tbs. bourbon
• 2 Tbs. vanilla extract
• For the streusel:
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 Tbs. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2/3 cup roughly chopped pecans
• 7 Tbs. cold unsalted butter, diced

Directions:

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a 20-by-14-inch rectangle about 1/8 inch thick. Fold the dough in half and transfer to a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Unfold the dough and press into the bottom and sides of the dish. Trim the edges, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang, and fold in the excess dough so it extends just beyond the rim of the dish. Refrigerate the pie shell for 30 minutes.

Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 375°F.

Meanwhile, make the filling: In a large bowl, stir together the apples, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, cornstarch, bourbon and vanilla until well combined.

To make the streusel, in a bowl, stir together the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and pecans. Add the butter and work it in with your fingers, pinching to form pea-size pieces.

Pour the apple mixture into the pie shell and sprinkle the streusel on top. Decorate the pie as desired with decorative cutouts. Bake until the streusel is golden brown and the apples are tender, about 1 hour and 45 minutes; if the top of the pie has browned after 1 hour, tent it loosely with aluminum foil. Transfer the pie to a wire rack and let cool for at least 2 hours before serving. Serves 12 to 14.


Thursday, November 24- Thanksgiving!  Of course I will be baking an extra large turkey stuffed with my mother's stuffing recipe.  I will also be making my sweet potato casserole and my butternut squash recipes using the vegetables received in earlier boxes.  I will also boil up some of the frozen green beans I received from another Box.  There will also be cranberry sauce, gravy, hot rolls and wine.  And for dessert the pies I baked yesterday.

Butternut Squash Casserole- from Williams-Sonoma

Casserole:

4 cups butternut squash puree

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp orange extract

1/4 tsp salt

2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

3 large eggs

4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Topping:

1 cup vanilla wafers, crushed

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 cup brown sugar

1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Lightly grease a casserole dish (4 - 6 cup capacity).

2. Combine squash puree, sugar, milk, vanilla, orange extract, salt, flour, eggs and melted butter. Pour into the prepared casserole dish. Bake for 45 minutes or until set.

3. Meanwhile, make the topping. In a medium bowl, combine crushed vanilla wafers, melted butter and the brown sugar. Sprinkle over top of the cooked casserole and return to the oven to brown for an additional 10-15 minutes. Serve warm.

Sweet Potato Casserole 7 WW Points  
1 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup margarine, melted
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and halved
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg white
1 (5 oz) can evaporated milk

1. Preheat oven 350 degrees
2. Combine first 5 ingredients in small bowl, stirring to form streusel. Set aside
3. Place potatoes in pot covered with water. Bring to boil, cover and simmer 30 min or until tender. Drain. Mash in large bowl.
4. Stir in 1 cup of streusel topping, sugar, vanilla, egg white and milk.
5. Spoon into 2-qt. casserole coated with cooking spray. Top with remaining streusel.
6. Bake for 45 min.

Serving: 3/4 cup

Calories: 376  Fat: 8.8g  Saturated fat: 1.4g  Monounsaturated fat: 4.1g  Polyunsaturated fat: 2.6g  Protein: 5.4g  Carbohydrate: 70.1g  Fiber: 3.8g  Cholesterol: 1mg  Iron: 1.9mg  Sodium: 115mg  Calcium: 97mg

Friday, November 25-  I not quite sure what culinary masterpiece I will dish up tonight just yet.  With all of the feasting from the night before, I may pass the baton over to my husband this evening.

Saturday, November 26- Thanksgiving leftovers.  A mom in my daughter's class shared a Thanksgiving specialty which graces her dining table every year.  It sounded so good and a great way to use up Thanksgiving leftovers, so I am giving it a shot. 

Fried Stuffing Patties

Leftover Stuffing
Leftover Chopped Turkey
Chicken Broth
Butter/oil

Take leftover stuffing add chicken broth generously and chopped turkey and mix.  Form thin patties (make sure they are very moist) and fry in butter or vegetable oil til crisp and heated through.  Serve with heated gravy on top if desired.

I'll serve them along with any leftover cranberry sauce, sweet potato casserole and butternut squash casserole.

Sunday, November 27-  With all the poultry consumed over the past few days, I think we will grill steaks or hamburgers served with home made macaroni salad.

Sounded Too Good to Wait

While looking for innovative ideas to prepare Butternut Squash, I stumbled across this recipe, Butternut Squash Apple Cranberry Bake, at SimplyRecipes.com. After reading the recipe, I couldn't resist making it with my butternut squash instead of the couscous meal I had intended it for. Therefore, Friday's meal will be the Apple Stuffed Chicken served along with the Butternut Squash Apple Bake. I did make a slight alteration to the butternut recipe. Not having any cranberries on hand, I substituted them with raisins. I also added a dash of cinnamon to the sugar mixture.

As it bakes away in my oven and the scents of nutmeg float through the air, I eagerly await the arrival of dinner to sample this sweet smelling dish!

Menu September 1- 7

I am looking forward to the first apple delivery of the season. My fruit laden box this week consists of 3 Macintosh Apples, 3 Gala Apples, 3 Granny Smith Apples, 4 Peaches, 3 Field Tomatoes, a personal Watermelon, a Sprite Melon and 5 Cucumbers. I also received 2 lbs. of Sweet Potatoes.

Notes about last week:

I eventually made all the meals I had set out to do last week, with some minor re-tuning. The soup was excellent! Below is my alternations to the recipe. Although it never cooled down, the homemade soup was a great alternative for dinner. I will definitely keep this soup recipe around!

Butternut Vegetable Chicken Soup

1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup finely diced onion
2 teaspoons minced garlic
4 large carrots, thinly sliced
2 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash
9-11 cups chicken broth
2 red potatoes, cubed
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 tsp. Each- nutmeg, cloves, allspice & cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 cups chopped baby spinach
2 (16 ounce) cans great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup half and half
Directions
1. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in the onion and garlic; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the carrots and butternut squash; cook and stir until squash begins to brown, about 15 minutes.
2. Pour in the broth. Stir in the red potatoes, thyme, salt, pepper and spices, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes. Stir in the spinach and great Northern beans, and simmer until the spinach is tender, about 10 minutes.

3. Pour about 3 cups of the soup into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full (you may have to do this in two batches). Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Return the pureed portion of the soup to the soup pot, leaving the remaining soup chunky. Alternately, you can use a stick blender and partially puree the soup right in the cooking pot. Stir in half and half and warm through.

What to do with my Box?
With all the fruit in this week's Box, I am left to my own devices to come up with exciting dishes to make for dinner.


I have intentions of making an apple pie with my fantastic homemade cinnamon crust to share at our Labor Day BBQ this weekend. I also am thinking of making some homemade applesauce (Spiced Slow Cooker Applesauce) with my girls. They love being my Sous Chefs! I also plan on making the Peach Cobbler Bread I have made before with rave results from my girls. This makes both a great dessert or sweet breakfast treat.

Wednesday, Sept. 1- Cheesy Grilled BBQ Chicken Wraps recipe at Kraftfoods.com will be dinner tonight. However, I will add diced red onion and warmed black beans to each wrap. Also I am simplifying dinner by using a refrigerator package of cooked chicken strips. The leftovers will be great for lunch too. **picture from Kraftfoods.com for illustration purposes**

Thursday, Sept. 2- Tonight couldn't be busier if I tried! Between a doctor's appointment, soccer practice, a Girl Scout meeting and a parent preschool orientation, I truly don't have the time to create a gourmet feast. So I am thinking the girls will have something quick and easy and my husband and I will fend for ourselves along the way.

Friday Sept. 3- Grilled Steak seasoned with the Chef Bobby Buzz's Espresso Rub (a bonus sample received in a previous Produce Box) served with Grilled Sweet Potatoes.

Grilled Sweet Potatoes
2 large sweet potatoes, sliced
1 apple - peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp white sugar
drizzle of maple syrup
1/4 cup butter

Directions
1. Preheat an outdoor grill.
2. In a bowl, toss the sweet potato and apple slices with the cinnamon and sugar. Place on a large piece of aluminum foil. Drizzle with maple syrup and top with butter. Tightly seal foil around.
3. Place foil packet on the grill, and cook 40 minutes, turning every 5 to 10 minutes, until potatoes and apples are tender.
**Recipe originally from allrecipes.com with a few modifications**

Saturday, September 4- We will be heading out to the Western Wake Farmer's Market in the morning. I'll keep a lookout for zucchini and yellow squash. If I can get my hands on them, tonight's dinner will be Squash and Zucchini Burritos.

Sunday, September 5- We are having a backyard BBQ with friends to send off Summer. Cheeseburgers with slices of fresh tomato along with hotdogs, summer salads, apple pie and campfire S'mores.

Monday, September 6- Tonight we are having the Peach and Honey Chicken served over rice from last week's menu. With a little reworking of my menu plan I have finally gotten around to making this meal. I found this recipe online but wanted to change it up some.

Peach and Honey Chicken
Generous turn of Olive Oil
1 clove minced garlic
4-6 chicken breasts
1/2 onion, sliced
5 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup water
1 lemon, thinly sliced
1-3 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons water
2 peaches, peeled and sliced

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in the garlic, and cook for a minute or two until the garlic softens and mellows.
2. Stir in the sliced onion. Cook and stir until the onion begins to soften, about 5 minutes, then stir in the honey, soy sauce, ginger, and 1 cup of water.
3. Add the chicken to the skillet, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, spread the lemon slices overtop, cover with a lid, and simmer until the chicken is tender and no longer pink, about 10-15 minutes.
4. Once the chicken has cooked, remove to a serving platter and keep warm. Dissolve the cornstarch in 2 teaspoons of water, and stir into the simmering sauce. Add the peaches, and chicken and cook until the sauce thickens and returns to a simmer. Pour sauce over chicken to serve.

Tuesday, September 7- With the leftover hotdog rolls from our Labor Day BBQ, I plan on serving grilled Italian Sausage Sandwiches with grilled peppers and onions. I'll also make some macaroni salad using up the rest of the tomatoes from my Box.