Green Bean and Tomato Salad

Here in the Bay Area, we have over 75 Farmer's Markets open to the public throughout the week. That gives locals plenty of opportunities to shop locally and seasonally. In the summertime, the number of markets are at their peak, and so are the fruits and vegetables. I partnered up with some other local food bloggers to create a Dinner Party filled with finds from our local Farmer's Markets, and I offered to bring the salad. Take a look at what I made and don't forget to check out the other courses!

When it comes to summer, I have salads on the brain. I don't want to be cooking heavy meals when the temperature spikes. Fresh vegetables and lean proteins tossed with a tangy dressing keep you cool and comfortable, and looking good in your swimsuit. This salad is fast to whip together, and can be made ahead of time, making it perfect for your next potluck.

I took a combination of farm-fresh green beans and tomatoes, and paired it with a tangy shallot vinaigrette. For added protein I tossed in some chickpeas, making it perfect for lunch or dinner. Dress this salad ahead of time and let marinate for up to 4 hours ahead of time, or enjoy right away!

Green Bean and Tomato Salad

 

Ingredients

• 1 pound green beans
• 1/2 pound tomatoes
• 1 can garbanzo beans
• Dijon Shallot Vinaigrette, recipe below

Directions

1. Trim stem end of green beans. Blanch in salted boiling water for 90 seconds to 2 minutes. Shock in ice water to stop the cooking, and drain well.
2. Slice tomatoes into wedges. Drain garbanzo beans and rinse well.
3. Toss green beans, tomatoes, and garbanzo beans together with vinaigrette, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Dijon Shallot Vinaigrette

• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• Juice from 1/2 lemon
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/4-1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Combine minced shallot, mustard, lemon juice, and vinegar. Whisk in olive oil to emulsify. Season to taste.

Curious to see how the rest of our dinner party goes?

The Heritage Cook starting out our party with appetizers! See her Caprese Skewers.

Onto the main course: Crazy Foodie Stunts created a fabulous Roast Pork Tenderloin with Mushroom Marsala Sauce and Nosh My Way brought her Loaded Mashed Cauliflower.

And don't forget dessert! Fearless Dining didn't take any shortcuts when she wowed us with her Vanilla Bean Infused Cheesecake with Peaches in Dark Rum Sauce.

Farmer's Market Friday #6

It's finally Friday again, and you know what that means: Farmer's Market Friday link party time, yay! I love being inspired from your recipes, crafts, and ideas each week, and seeing what you have been up to. Summer such a great time of year for being outdoors and enjoying the fresh air, so why not head to your local farmer's market or farm stand and admire some of the freshest produce you have seen? While you are there, pick some of it up and take it home for dinner. Make that dessert that you've been waiting to try, and top it with the freshest berries you have ever tasted. And most importantly, remember to thank the farmers that grew the food. The farmers that I have met at the farmer's markets have been some of the friendliest, down-to-earth people I have had the pleasure in talking with, and in this fast-paced age, I would hate to lose them to "big food".

I rushed to the farmer's market this week to shop before having to rush back to pick up my son from his last day of junior high. I shopped for a few things, but didn't stop to track how much I spent, but I know it was under $30 because I had cash on me when I left. I picked up a flat of organic eggs, organic zucchini and summer squash, two types of cherries and a loaf of artisanal olive bread.

Cherry season is coming to a close, so I wanted to pick up enough cherries to make my Cherry-Cardamom Ice Cream for you guys (post coming soon). I am still taking submissions for my Cherry Recipe Round-Up for the end of the month. Please submit any recipes that feature cherries by June 19th via email (email button in the sidebar). I would love to have a few recipes on there that utilize cherries in any savory or unique ways. I will be borrowing one picture and posting the link to your recipe on my round-up, with proper credit to you.

Features From Last Week

Strawberry Cheesecake Parfaits

from Melissa over at How Does Your Garden Grow?

 

Melissa's family runs Russo's Fruit and Vegetable Farm in New Jersey and has been featured on Farmer's Market Friday before. She got me this time with these strawberry cheesecake parfaits. A no-fuss dessert with all the cheesecake flavor without all the work of making an actual cheesecake, and a perfect use of the season's finest strawberries! How delicious do these look?

 

Trying Something New: Swiss Chard

by To Work With My Hands

 

You are never to old to learn and you are never too old to try something new! Like me, Swiss Chard was a vegetable she never ate growing up. Cooked greens were just something we didn't eat growing up. Karen took the plunge and not only cooked Swiss Chard for the first time, but cooked her own chard that she grew in her garden. How awesome is that?

 

I hope you enjoyed the features I picked this week, and hope you link up some of your great posts again this week. If you were featured, please grab a button in the sidebar! You can also add my party button to your link party page to help spread the word!





 

Thank you to all who entered links last week, without you this party wouldn't be possible! Keep sending those tweets and sharing the party over social media! Within a month, this party sees over 100 views per week, and we are getting more contributors each week. Do you want to help this party grow even faster? Ask me how you can be a guest co-host for a week or a month, completely free of charge!

 

Be sure to not link and run! Blogging works for everyone when the "link juice" gets spread around, so visit, comment, and share the posts that catch your eye!

 

 

An InLinkz Link-up

Farmer's Market Friday #5

Welcome back to the first June edition of Farmer's Market Friday. May breezed past and we are in the middle of finishing up the school year for the kids. My stepdaughter is already out and my stepson graduated from 8th grade on Tuesday. I can't believe he will be going into high school next year, oh my! I know I often share a bunch of mouth-watering photos of fresh produce, but with everything going on, it totally skipped my mind! I'll still breakdown my finds for you though.

The Breakdown
Corn $3
The first of the season at the market! I picked up 9 ears for $3. Yup, 3 ears for a dollar, best deal around!
Green Beans $2
Picked up a pound and a half for this price from the same stand as the corn!
Rainbow Chard $2
*Broccoli $3
*Green Onions $0.50
*Yellow Nectarines $4.50
So sweet and delicious! Picked up about a pound and a half.
*Eggs $7
My trusted egg vendor was so close to being out when I got there, but still nabbed the best deal in town for organic eggs!

Produce marked with an asterisk (*) was certified organic. While I try to provide my family with organic produce, local produce is more important to me, as is buying it directly from the farmers who grow it!

 

I posted my meal plan on Monday for those interested. Check it out!

Features From Last Week

  

The Ultimate Round-Up of Summer Sewing Projects

from Felt With Love Designs
 

 Get ready for summer with these sewing projects perfect for heading to the beach or pool, or just out to the park for a picnic. Most of these have tutorials or patterns, to help you out!

 

The 30 Day Routine (with free printable Housework Organizers)

from Eliza Ellis
 

 If your like me, you need help organizing your cleaning routine so it actually gets done! She outlines her methods for keeping a clean house, and offers printable organizers in purple and green! This weekend I will be on a mission to map out a cleaning schedule. That way the teenagers will know exactly what is expected of them each day (and hopefully that will reduce the amount of chore-fights we have!).

 

Father's Day Fun Facts and Gift Ideas

from My Pinterventures

If you are like me, you haven't thought about Father's Day yet, even though it is right around the corner. And when your husband's birthday falls in the same week as Father's Day, you need to plan double! She has put together a great list of gifts that Dad just might enjoy, especially if he is hard to shop for, like most men I know!

 

Fantastic Fish Pie

from Snapshots and Snippets

 

Amber over at Snapshots and Snippets is always sharing great recipes on Farmer's Market Friday! This week, her fish pie is no exception! A comforting casserole of flaky fish and vegetables, topped with a golden brown layer of mashed potatoes would warm up anyone's soul! For the pescatarians in my life, this will be a perfect swap for that other well-known dish topped with potatoes!

 

If you like this new format, and want to see more of it, let me know! Make sure to add your links, share the party, and don't forget to visit the other bloggers links in the link-up. I know new comments on my blog can make my day, and I'm sure these other ladies are the same way! Farmer's Market Friday Link-Ups will be going strong all summer. I would love to have one or two co-hosts per party this summer, to help promote the party, and share the links on Pinterest, Twitter, and any other social media. Let me know if you are interested in co-hosting!
 

 

 

An InLinkz Link-up

Farmer's Market Friday #4

It's cherry season! My favorite time of year, when cherries are ripe and juicy and red, and we can sit and eat them all day long. Ok, not all day long because that will give you a stomach ache, but we sure have eaten our fair share this past week. I bought 3 pounds on Saturday, and they were practically gone by Tuesday, so I picked up another 3 pounds, which by Friday have already been eaten up or allotted for recipes. I will be doing a Cherry Recipe Round-Up at the end of June, if you would like to submit a recipe featuring cherries, send me an e-mail with a note and your link to personalchefbyrenee[at]gmail[dot]com.

The Breakdown
Cherries $12.00 (I got 3 baskets for $4.00 each, just under 3 pounds)
Beets $4.00 ($2.00 per bunch, First Generation Farmers)
Baby Bok Choy $1.00 a bunch
White Nectarines $3.25 per pound (organic, Allard Farms)
*Splurge Item: extra pound of white nectarines (picked these up for my mom)
*Spurge Item: Brentwood Cherry Jam from 3 French Hens


Minda and Julie (the owner's of 3 French Hens) are wonderful women who take so much care and pride into their artisanal jams and jellies. They support local farmers and use local ingredients as much as possible to give back to their community. Their jams and jellies are made in small batches seasonally, and can be purchased from their website. They also have baking mixes and rubs for sale. I, in no way, am being paid commission for promoting these ladies, I just want to share a great product and company with you.

My Meal Plan for this week includes

Sweet and Sour Meatballs from Jonesin' for Taste

Sautéed Bok Choy

 

Beet and Blueberry Salad

with Lemon Dill Vinaigrette

 

Pork Loin with Cherry Red Wine Sauce

 

plus

Two more cherry recipes

 

Yes, I'm keeping these last two cherry recipes secret until they are up on the blog. Check back to see what I create.

 

Farmer's Market Friday #4

There was such a variety of posts to chose from this week, from tips for gardening with kids, recipes (straight from one reader's garden, I may add) and crafts that inspire and delight! Be sure you visit a few links and let them know you were there. These link-ups work best if we are spreading the blog love around. Have you added this link-up to your linky list yet?

 

This week's features

Easy Peasy Strawberry Cream Pie by Snapshots and Snippets

We had a problem with Amber's link so I wanted to be sure to feature her for those that didn't get to see her link and wanted to. She used fresh strawberries from her garden in this recipe. I am looking forward to trying this recipe this summer!

 

DIY Painted Kitchen Plates by My Pinterventures

 I love this craft! My grandmother collected plates among other things, so this craft would have been right up her alley.

Congratulations on being featured! Make sure to grab a button to display:



An InLinkz Link-up

Beet and Blueberry Salad with Lemon Dill Vinaigrette

When I think about food, I think of flavor pairings. My recipes can start with one or two ingredients that I want to highlight, and then branch out with complementary or contrasting flavors. I first made this Beet and Blueberry Salad for Mother's Day brunch, and wanted to share the recipe with you. My original Mother's Day salad had beets straight from my garden, but I picked up beautiful baby beets from First Generation Farmers on my farmer's market run yesterday.

The dressing was a happy accident based on what I had in my fridge. I knew that dill and lemon would pair well with the beets (think borsht) as well as add a nice brightness and acidity to the salad. I rounded out the dressing with a bit of local honey and coarse grain mustard. If you like a sweeter dressing use more honey and less mustard, but I liked the tanginess of it because of the sweetness of the beets and blueberries.

Roasting the beets is as easy as tossing them with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roasting at 425 F for 30 to 40 minutes. When they are fork-tender, I place them in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to steam as they cool. The skins peel right off (I wear gloves when I do this to prevent red fingers) and they are ready to use or store in your refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Farmer's Market Friday #3

It's starting to feel like summer in the Bay Area! I am looking forward to a great three day weekend with some grilling and chilling. I don't plan on going anywhere for Memorial Day this year, especially since I have been running around the past two weekends having fun! A couple of cold beverages while barbequing on the porch is about as far as I want to go this weekend. That being said, I won't be grilling up boring burgers and hotdogs. I plan on grilling lamb kabobs and serving them with a Kale Waldorf salad, a recipe I got from First Generation Farmer's while shopping at the farmer's market. They are still raising funds to be able to farm their entire 50 acres organically. If you would like to donate, you can head to their IndieGoGo fundraising page.

There are some definite signs of summer at the farmer's market this time of year. I picked up a great selection of vegetables, and even had $3 left over for a bouquet of flowers for myself!

The Breakdown
Green Beans $2.00 per pound (organic, Enos Family Farms)
Golden Beets $2.00 per bunch (organic, Enos Family Farms)
Blueberries $5.00 (Alpine Blue Farms)
Tuscan Kale $2.00 per bunch (First Generation Farmers)
Yellow Swiss Chard $2.00 per bunch (First Generation Farmers)
Purple Carrots $1.50 per bunch (organic, Swank Farms)
Baby Zucchini and Squash $1.50 per pound (FT Fresh Farms)
Flowers $3.00 (Sunrise Nursery)

This Week's Meal Plan Includes

 

Roasted Chicken with Lemon Quinoa

Vegetable Medley with Carrots and Baby Squash

 

Curried Green Beans

 

Beet and Blueberry Salad with Citrus Dill Vinaigrette

 

Kale Waldorf Salad

 

Porcupine Meatballs with Warm Swiss Chard, Onion, and Bacon

 

Pasta Primavera

 

Check back as I will be adding recipes for some of these delicious dishes onto the blog in the upcoming week!

 

Farmer's Market Friday Link Up #3

Thank you again to those that added links to the link-up! I love reading about your recipes, crafts and tips and tricks. Be sure to share the party! More links mean more clicks, meaning more potential views for you! You can grab this banner and add a text link to your party page. (This weekend I will work towards making it clickable!)

 

Miss last week's party? Check out all the links here!

 

Features from Last Week

Tips For Attracting Hummingbirds

 Roasted Asparagus with Garlic and Parmasan

 

Both links got the most clicks and came from Melissa at How Does Your Garden Grow?. Make sure to grab a button below!



An InLinkz Link-up

Farmer's Market Friday #2

First off, thanks to those that linked up their posts last week! I had fun reading and sharing your posts. What's a party without friends? Be sure to share the party so we can have more amazing links added to the party!

This week, I managed to drag my sick self to the farmer's market to pick up a few things for the week. This weekend we will be at the Bay Area Maker Faire in San Mateo, so I only needed to pick up enough for a few meals. 

The Breakdown

Eggs $5 for 20 (GV Poultry, organic)

>>These guys have a better deal than the grocery store, so I pick up eggs from these guys every other week. We go through a lot of eggs in our house!<<

Strawberries $5 for two baskets (Vasquez Farms, organic)

Leeks $2 (Nunez Farms, organic)

Tomatoes $2.50 per pound (Swank Farms) 

Zucchini and Squash $1.50 per pound (Enos Family Farms, organic)

Blue Lake Green Beans $4 per pound (organic)

My meal plan revolves around what I can find at the farmer's market. That being said, it has to be flexible enough for me to change meals around at a moment's notice. I had planned to make roasted shrimp and asparagus (from last Thursday's Market) but because it was 90 degrees on Tuesday, I made a bacon and asparagus scramble and we had breakfast for dinner. I had planned on breakfast for dinner on Friday, but instead we will have a creamy leek and shrimp pasta dish. I still had a few apricots from last week also, so will be incorporating them into an apricot Dijon glaze for pork chops.

My Meal Plan

Egg and Cheese Breakfast Burritos:

My two-year old loves these and my husband can wrap them up and eat it on the way to work.

 

 

Pasta with Shrimp and Leeks in a Cream Sauce

 

Pork Chops with Apricot Dijon Glaze

 

Sautéed Vegetables

Leftovers will be great in a quick omelet for breakfast the next day.

Fresh Tomatoes with Basil and Olive Oil

 

Strawberries for topping yogurt (or ice cream!) or for snacking on
 

Farmer's Market Friday Link Up
Thank you to those who linked up last week at the premiere of Farmer's Market Friday and to those that shared the party! Be sure to invite your friends to keep the party a success! I have created a button you can share.

I am learning how to create a clickable button, but for now, you can use it as an image with a text link.

Features from Last Week

Frugal Gardening Tips from Snapshots and Snippets

Welcome to the Mercado from Ever After Land

 

Congratulations for being featured!

Grab a badge, display it proudly!

 



An InLinkz Link-up

Farmer's Market Friday (with new Link Up) #1

Welcome to Farmer's Market Friday. I took the same principles as Twenty Dollar Thursday, and added a twist, a link up party for you! Now that the nights are getting longer, our seasonal Thursday night farmer's market has opened and is in full swing through October, I needed to move my Farmer's Market segment to Fridays. I will still be budgeting $20 a week in market goodies, with a few "splurge items" here and there! I believe that shopping directly from the farmers and artisans is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint, while getting high-quality goods from local sources.

It was another successful week shopping at the farmer's market. I added the extra four dollars that I didn't spend last week to this week's shopping trip, giving me $24 dollars to spend. Since Mother's Day is Sunday, I picked up the larger container of blueberries and a few more vegetables to include in my brunch selections. Our abnormally dry springtime that followed the mildest winter I have ever experienced meant that summer produce is already upon us. Stone fruits and tomatoes are starting to make an appearance, while cherry season will be cut short this year, due to the drought.

The Breakdown
Leeks $2 (Nunez Farms, organic)
Broccoli $2 (Nunez Farms, organic)
Rainbow Chard $2 (Nunez Farms, organic)
   <<These ladies run a special where they will sell you 3 bunches of produce for $5>>

Asparagus $3.50 (Checchini and Checchini)

 

Tomatoes $2 per pound (Resendiz Farms)
Apricots $2 per pound (Resendiz Farms)
   <<I spent $7.50 here, buying about a pound of tomatoes and a few pounds of apricots>>
Blueberries $8 per pint (Alpine Blue Farms)

In addition to the produce acquired from the farmer's market, I have also harvested beets and red onions out of my vegetable garden at home. As I was shopping the farmer's market, I was menu planning in my head, and planning recipes to show off the produce that  picked up. I had a game plan before buying some things, like the blueberries and tomatoes, but then the rest of the produce I picked up based on what was available and looked good.

My Plan

Fresh Pico de Gallo salsa for burritos

-tomatoes and red onion

 

Beet and Blueberry salad for Mother's Day Brunch

-blueberries and beets

 

 

Leek, Pancetta, and Gruyere frittata for Mother's Day brunch

-leeks, eggs (from last week)

 

Roasted Shrimp and Broccoli

-broccoli

 

Dijon Chicken with Apricot Compote

-apricots

 



I'm still up in the air about what to do with the rainbow chard and asparagus, so I'm taking suggestions. Do you have any ideas?

Now let's get to the link up, shall we? While farmer's market recipes are encouraged, feel free to link up any of your recipes, crafts, DIY/décor posts, etc... The top links will be featured in next week's Farmer's Market Friday post.

An InLinkz Link-up

Twenty Dollar Thursdays, Welcome May

Welcome back to Twenty Dollar Thursdays! This week I am getting back in the groove of things now that Spring Break is over. Last week there may have not been a post, but I was sure to still head to my local farmer's market. This Strawberry Rhubarb Pie featured strawberries from Rodriguez Farms and my Homemade Minestrone Soup featured kale from First Generation Farmers and cauliflower from Garcia Farms. Our Thursday night farmer's market has opened for the season, and I am excited to head there tonight to check out the new vendors and pick up strawberries and produce for the weekend.

Week of May 1st:
This week I headed to the market with only $16 (there was a miscommunication and nobody stopped to pick up cash) so I made it work the best I could. I will add the extra $4 to next week's Twenty Dollar Thursday when I do my Mother's Day edition. I was able to get a flat of 30 organic eggs, plus the vegetables pictured above. I picked up these organic icicle radishes and purple carrots from Swank Farms, out of Hollister, CA. I picked up a whole bag of baby artichokes for only $4! I will be grilling them this weekend, yum!
Instead of kale, I picked up a bunch of swiss chard from First Generation Farmers. I have been swinging by to visit these guys almost every week. They are a community farm that offers education and volunteer opportunities to those interested in changing our current food system. They are currently running a campaign on IndieGoGo to raise $50,000 to transform their farming practices on their 50 acre farm and classify the crops produced as 100% organic.

The Breakdown:
Eggs $7 for 30 count
Baby Artichokes $4 for bag of 10
Swiss Chard $2
Purple Carrots $2
Icicle Radishes $1

This week's meal plan includes

 

Grilled Artichokes with Sundried Tomato Aioli

 

Warm chard salad with carrots and raisins, inspired by this recipe

 

Carrot Top Pesto, from Cookin' the Market

 

If I have a couple of artichokes left over, I would like to try to make these

Italian Stuffed Artichokes

 



Homemade Minestrone Soup (Vegetarian)

I used to love Progresso's Minestrone Soup when I was a kid. It was so hearty with lots of vegetables, beans, and pasta, in a delicious tomato broth. As I have gotten older, I have lost my fondness for canned soups, but not my fondness for minestrone. This minestrone soup recipe incorporates traditional flavors with fresh vegetables and herbs. Seems a bit silly to be writing a post on soup when it is supposed to be 90 degrees for the next three days, but when I made this recipe it was gloomy and rain was in the forecast. I love taking the time to make a big pot of soup, it is no more work than making a small batch, and you have enough to go around for a few meals. I package it up in quart containers to freeze or share with others.

I keep my minestrone soup vegetarian, but there are recipes that incorporate bacon or pancetta fat. Because I was making a large batch, I shared some with vegetarian family members. I also wanted to serve this for dinner on Meatless Monday. To boost the flavor, I spiced things up with garlic and a pinch of red pepper flakes.

For this recipe, the measurements are close approximations to what I used. Often when I am making soups, I will take the vegetables that I have on hand to create something delicious. Feel free to add or substitute vegetables based on what you have on hand, or you enjoy. Some suggestions: Zucchini, summer squash, potato, swiss chard... you get the idea!

Minestrone Soup (Vegetarian)
Makes 4 quarts

Ingredients:

   Vegetables:

• 1 large onion, small dice
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup carrots, sliced
• 1 cup celery sliced
• 1 cauliflower, cut into small florets
• 1/2 bunch of kale, ribs removed, sliced into ribbons

   Canned Goods

• 3 cans petite diced tomatoes
• 1 can of garbanzo beans
• 1 can of red kidney beans

Herbs and Seasonings:

• 2 tsp. fresh oregano
• 2 tsp. fresh thyme
• 1 tsp. fresh rosemary
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
•  Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper

Other:

• Olive Oil
• 2 quarts water or vegetable stock
• Parmesan rind (optional)
• 1/2 pound small pasta shapes (I used small seashells)

I don't have a problem using canned tomato products when tomatoes aren't at the peak of ripeness. I would rather spend less money on a few cans of diced tomatoes than more money on almost flavorless Roma tomatoes from the grocery store and prepare them myself. I also use canned beans all the time for the convenience of them, but I make sure to rinse them well before using. If you are concerned about sodium content, you can look for low-sodium varieties of tomatoes and beans.

Directions:

1. Prepare the vegetables as directed above. You want your vegetables to be uniform in size so they cook evenly. Heat a large soup pot over medium heat with enough olive oil to cover the bottom. Sweat the onions, garlic and half the chili flakes with a teaspoon of kosher salt until fragrant.
2. Add the carrots, celery, cauliflower and let caramelize.
3. Chop the oregano, thyme, and rosemary, then add to the pot with the bay leaf. Add the tomatoes and the rinsed beans, and water or stock. Season with salt or pepper (If using water, you will need to season a little more aggressively.)
4. Let it come to a boil, parmesan cheese rind and then simmer for about an hour for flavors to develop. After 20 minutes, add the kale and taste for seasoning. If you find that you want more zip, add the remaining red pepper flakes.
5. I cook my pasta separately and add before serving, so it doesn't drink up too much of the broth and become mushy, especially when freezing or reheating. Just cook the pasta in salted water to 1 minute less than al dente, then rinse with cold water and toss with a bit of olive oil to prevent sticking. I store my pasta in a container next to my soup in the fridge, and toss in a handful before reheating.

Printer Friendly Recipe

This soup is great right out of the pot, but will get better as the flavors are allowed to meld in the refrigerator overnight. Try this soup the next time the weather is gloomy or stormy, its bound to put a smile on you face!

Twenty Dollar Thursdays, Brunch Edition

I'm back for my third week of Twenty Dollar Thursdays, and I decided to switch it up a little this week. With Easter around the corner, I wanted to focus on brunch. Every Easter, my family and I spend the day at Grandma's where we do a big brunch with Easter Egg hunts for the kids and sit down for an early supper complete with ham and all the fixings. It is truly a day for food and family, and its a tradition we have carried on from the time I was a young kid. This year, we are switching it up just a little bit, heading to my parent's house (my kids' Grandma and Grandpa) instead of my 90 year-old grandmother's place. There will still be lots of food, and we will attempt an Easter Egg Hunt for S-Bug.

Week of April 17th:
I stopped at a Saturday farmer's market to shop for brunch items. For Easter, I am in charge of bringing desserts (like always), so I plan on making éclairs with an orange-vanilla pastry cream. This will be the first time making pate a choux since culinary school, so I hope they will turn out all right! I also plan to bring a big bowl of berries and scones or muffins that we can top with the 3 French Hens Meyer Lemon Jelly and Strawberry Jam. See the strawberries above? Yea, those will be long gone. I will have to pick up more the day before Easter. I picked up two types of kale from First Generation Farmers and farm-fresh eggs from Shelly's Farm Fresh.

The Breakdown:

Navel Oranges $1.25 for 4 (.85/pound)
Tuscan Kale $2
Russian Kale $2
Spring Onions $1
Organic Strawberries $7 for 2 baskets

Fresh Eggs $7 per dozen

*Meyer Lemon Jelly $7 (splurge item)

*Strawberry Jam $7 (splurge item)

 

Ok, with the splurge items included I spent more than twenty dollars ($34.25, to be exact!). When shopping at the farmer's market, always bring a little extra because you never know what you might find! I'm glad I did, because not only did I get a few goodies to share on Easter, but I also had enough to pick up a pastry and coffee for a mid-morning snack while shopping.

My Brunch Menu includes:

Quiche: Ham, Cheese, Spring Onion

Quiche (Vegetarian): Kale, Spring Onion and Cheese
see the recipes in this post


Cranberry Sour Cream Muffins

or

Cranberry Oatmeal Scones

 

Cheese Puffs (Gougères)

 

Eclairs

with

Orange-Vanilla Pastry Cream

 

Happy Easter to all! What is your favorite brunch food? What are some of your family's traditions for Easter? 

 

 

Twenty Dollar Thursdays, Week 2

Welcome to Week Two of my series "Twenty Dollar Thursdays"! Each week, I will spend a morning and $20 seeking out fresh, seasonal ingredients at one of my local farmer's markets. I will then incorporate these ingredients into my family's meal plan for that week. I hope to feature some of the growers and farms as the season goes on. I am lucky to live in an area that has a year-round growing season, and has Farmer's markets available year-round, rain or shine.

This week, we were blessed with a gorgeous summer spring day on market day. Last week, the rain was threatening to roll in, so there were less vendors and less people, so I picked up my produce and got out of there. This week it was nearly 80 out, so we shopped, strolled, and stopped to play at the playground. With my Peets iced coffee in hand, S-Bug had a blast running and playing with the other kids at the playground. We are entering into the "terrible twos" phase so it was good practice for him taking turns and sharing the playground equipment.

Week of April 10th:

There were a few new vendors at the market this week, with an abundance of spring produce. Green was all around, with beet and turnip greens, asparagus, artichokes, fava beans and spring snap peas! I started at the far end of the market and worked my way back to the front, chatting and buying along the way. First, I picked up a bag of baby artichokes and got a few new recipes from the vendor. I will be trying one of them out Friday when I have dinner at my parent's house. I then stopped to splurge on some local honey. By splurge I mean I spent $7 outside of my $20 budget. I then picked up more apples from Rainbow Orchards, this time I doubled what I bought last week so we could hopefully have enough apples for the week. I then stopped to pick up some local Brentwood produce, asparagus from Checchini & Checchini and beets and snap peas from Enos Family Farms.

The Breakdown:

Baby Artichokes $4 (bag of 10)

Apples $7.50 ($2/lb)

Asparagus $3.50

Golden Beets $1.50

Red Beets $1.50

2 extra bunches of beet greens FREE

Sugar Snap Peas $1.50 (1/2 pound bag)

*Local Wildflower Honey $7 (splurge item)

My Meal Plan for this week includes:

Egg Frittata with Beet Greens, Asparagus, Potatoes, and Feta Cheese

Burgers with Roasted Balsamic Asparagus

Beet Chips, Red and Golden

Spring Salad with sugar snap peas, apples, and walnuts with homemade honey-mustard vinaigrette

Fire-Roasted Artichokes with Sundried Tomato Aioli

I also hope to try my hand in fresh juicing

Apple-Yellow Beet

Greens-Cucumber-Mint-Ginger

My weekend is already proving to be busy and it's only Thursday!  My former Pony Club is in charge of running concessions at a local horse show, so I will be assisting them. I hope to visit a farmer's market Saturday morning and finish my Easter Egg Tree this weekend. Stay tuned for recipes and more!