OT Lazy Cooking with Cat!

[Virginia]

Cat the lime vinaigrette dressing does sound good. I got some honey Dijon today and I also bought roma tomatoes, broccoli, more asparagus, and I've got lots of herbs. So I think I will be alright with making the chicken now. I'll just put a bunch of herbs on top with possibly the Dijon and the tomatoes and broccoli and lay some asparagus on the side.

[Catdancer]

Cat the lime vinaigrette dressing does sound good. I got some honey Dijon today and I also bought roma tomatoes, broccoli, more asparagus, and I've got lots of herbs. So I think I will be alright with making the chicken now. I'll just put a bunch of herbs on top with possibly the Dijon and the tomatoes and broccoli and lay some asparagus on the side.

That sounds perfect. Another good vegetable this time of year are snowpeas. Flat peas in the pod, fully edible.

[agate]

I love snowpeas! They are a great snack.

[Virginia]

I stopped again tonight and got a pork tenderloin to fix in the crock pot. I just pour barbecue sauce over that, so it is really easy. Some potatoes and broccoli make a good meal and I can eat on it for several nights.

It also occurred to me that I probably could just put a bit of barbecue sauce on the chicken sometime and fix it in the parchment paper with some vegetables on the side of it.

[Virginia]

I fixed the chicken in parchment paper tonight. I enjoyed it. So now I have another recipe. I put some lemon juice on the chicken, but I don't think that added anything. If I was going to try that I should have put it on at the end I guess. Anyway, then I put some herbs, and a tiny bit of salt and some pepper, some strips of yellow bell pepper, a couple of roma tomatoes and I prepared some asparagus and laid beside the chicken and cooked it all together for about 35 minutes at 400 degrees.

I started to put a thin layer of honey Dijon on the chicken before I put any of the other spices, but decided it might be a bit much. On the other hand it might have been good. Maybe some day I will try that. Anyway, now I have two new recipes for chicken breast that are easy and that I like. I just washed the chicken and let it dry and put it on the parchment paper and then added the other stuff which I had already prepared.

[Catdancer]

BASIL PESTO: I made my first batch of the season of basil pesto, today, from the basil growing in my herb garden. Yumm!!! I'm going to make some tarragon, oregano, and cilantro pesto tomorrow, after I've sent Tom Cat to the store for more garlic!

what's pesto?? A fancy name for "paste"...or ground up herb (like basil), nuts (pine nuts, or I'm going to use ground pecans and ground almonds in some of them; crushed garlic cloves, parmesan and/or romano and/or any hard cheese, and olive oil -- all blended together in a food processor or blender. Then used on pasta (are you paying attention, Howie?), or spread thin on toasted Italian bread slices, or use in combination with chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, etc., for a salad, or mixed with a good quality mayonnaise for a sandwich spread, or....

lots of things! :) Anyway, my herb garden is small, so I only get about a cup at a time...which I use up pretty quick. But if I do get tired of a particular variety, I put it in an ice cube tray and make little "cubes" of pesto...then pop them out as I need them.

The blending intensifies the flavor of the herb used, so one-two cubes is all I need for a whole pot of pasta...

[Lazarus]

BASIL PESTO: I made my first batch of the season of basil pesto, today, from the basil growing in my herb garden. Yumm!!! I'm going to make some tarragon, oregano, and cilantro pesto tomorrow, after I've sent Tom Cat to the store for more garlic!

what's pesto?? A fancy name for "paste"...or ground up herb (like basil), nuts (pine nuts, or I'm going to use ground pecans and ground almonds in some of them; crushed garlic cloves, parmesan and/or romano and/or any hard cheese, and olive oil -- all blended together in a food processor or blender. Then used on pasta (are you paying attention, Howie?), or spread thin on toasted Italian bread slices, or use in combination with chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, etc., for a salad, or mixed with a good quality mayonnaise for a sandwich spread, or....

lots of things! :) Anyway, my herb garden is small, so I only get about a cup at a time...which I use up pretty quick. But if I do get tired of a particular variety, I put it in an ice cube tray and make little "cubes" of pesto...then pop them out as I need them.

The blending intensifies the flavor of the herb used, so one-two cubes is all I need for a whole pot of pasta...

Yippeeeee! It is fun to cook but making pesto with your own basil is almost heaven!

[SuzE-Q]

Heavenly!

I've made cilantro pesto using sunflower seeds, it was positively excellent!

Enjoy! Delicio!

[Virginia]

Wish I had some of the pesto that Cat and Suze-Q made for my chicken dish that Sunshine gave the recipe for. That is a good dish.

[Lazarus]

My sister in law and nephew are coming tomorrow and staying until Thursday morning. I am happy but...as Cat said , farming is 24/7.. well, I am organized. House is ready. Bought a blowup air mattress for the 14 year old and have been planning food.

So today I made a summer minestrone which just finished and tastes great! Loaded with veggies many of which are our own.
Then I prepared parts of what will be a beet and greens gratin...??? I roasted red and golden beets yesterday. Steamed beet greens and chard and got them ready. The dish itself will have feta and eggs with the beets and greens...it is beautiful in the picture!
At Market yesterday I bought ham steaks from the meat farmer, strawberry pie, breads, cookies, veggies I did not have and I chopped a lot today so it would be easier in the coming days. I really had a lot of fun planning and doing.

I made an eggplant and sauce thing that is supposed to go over polenta. But it would be could over anything. Tastes great!

And I really want to make a cold noodle salad with sesame dressing and lots of veggies. I needed enough to plan out for 3-4 days! Oi-vey. Wish me luck! If anything is a failure the Farm is producing lots of peas. Sugar snap, English shelling and snow peas. We could do a lot with a green pea menu

[Virginia]

Linda, you are smart beyond words. Sounds like you have not made a couple of these recipes before. I am always hesitate to make something the first time I have guest. I guess I am just not that great a cook.

[stillstANNding]

Linda don’t forget your spur of the moment pizzas!

ANN

[Lazarus]

Linda, you are smart beyond words. Sounds like you have not made a couple of these recipes before. I am always hesitate to make something the first time I have guest. I guess I am just not that great a cook.

Neither am I but I have accepted failure and am free to say it aloud at the table...we all chuckle and move to something else. It makes things fun and human at the table.

[Catdancer]

Sound delightful! I simply don't have that energy anymore. A few years ago, yes. But now I'm glad to get something made like my little pesto...

[Sunshine]

Cat and Laz, you put me to shame! Such excellent gardening and cooking :)

Once, I No had basil, so I subbed parsley. It was every bit as good,(and cheaper)!