I love seasonal cooking in early October, because local farmers are selling summer produce alongside autumn fare. In my CSA last week from Whitton Farms, I had cherry tomatoes, yellow squash, and a huge bundle of basil, as well as a half a dozen sweet potatoes.
Personally, I hate mixing my food with my housewares, so I’ve been avoiding the renovation of Target in East Memphis all summer. But on Friday I gave in, only to be greeted by this announcement:
“Fresh Groceries Coming October 17th.”
Since the entire store has been redesigned, I passed the still unfinished grocery section several times while looking for an alarm clock. On the third circle, I grabbed a half gallon of milk from the cooler.
I’m still not convinced that I will ever like the mash up of bed sheets and butter, but at least the clerk bagged my milk in a separate bag.
In my world, supper is never on the table before 8 p.m., and entrées are seldom simple. Fortunately, food writer Jennifer Chandler is more organized, and she’s compiled a new collection of recipes and cooking strategies to help ease the pressure of evening meals.
Titled Simply Suppers, her book is a follow-up companion to Simply Salads and offers a streamlined approach to cooking without scrimping on taste. Many of her recipes are family classics like spaghetti or chili con carne updated with a modern twist. “My mac-n-cheese has the addition of fresh herbs and country ham,” Chandler explains. For her green bean casserole, she uses white cheddar for the cheese sauce and pecans for the casserole topping.
Chandler’s recipes come together quickly. I tried her crock-pot beef stew, and the recipe’s ingredients (chuck roast, baby carrots, red wine, bay leaves, garlic, salt, pepper, and a large can of whole tomatoes) were browned and in the pot in 20 minutes. Dinner that night? Warm and delicious.
Chandler, who cooks for her family five or six nights a week, is her own best testimonial. She’s starting her third book in the “simply” series, heading back to New York City for television and radio appearances, and organizing a national book tour with upcoming stops throughout the Mid-South. Meet her in East Memphis this week for back-to-back book signings: September 25th at Babcock Gifts and September 28th at Davis-Kidd Booksellers.
Jennifer Chandler signs “Simply Suppers” Saturday, September 25th, at Babcock Gifts, 4626 Poplar, 3 to 6 p.m., and Tuesday, September 28th, at Davis-Kidd Booksellers, 387 Perkins Ext., 6 p.m.
It’s been difficult to avoid the news about the national recall of eggs (nearly 550 million!) due to Salmonella. While it seems the tainted eggs haven’t reached Tennessee, I was still happy to spot Van Cheeseman’s “Join the Egg Club” sign Wednesday at the Botanic Garden Farmers Market.
Since I’m heading out of town, it’s been a race to use this week’s CSA share from Whitton Farms. Fortunately, I had a break-through moment early on: Eat it or freeze it. So the peaches went in lunch bags and on cereal, and the carrots (left over from past weeks) and the string beans went into the freezer.
Last summer, I picked blueberries in Millington at Harris Farms. The family grows mature bushes on a rise behind their produce stand. The experience was kicked back and charming, and I could buy produce in addition to the berries.
This year, Susan Ellis and I headed to Nesbit, Mississippi, to pick blueberries at the Nesbit Blueberry Plantation. The name pretty much explains the scope of the place: 20,000 bushes cover 22 acres; golf carts transport berry pickers to the field; and adorable baby donkeys add appeal on the way in and the way out.
I decided to power through my CSA share this week by making a double batch of vegetable soup. If you’ve never made vegetable soup with produce fresh from the farm, you are in for a treat.
Last week’s CSA share from Whitton Farms was so plentiful that it took a little muscle to carry it to the car. Once the produce was spread out on my kitchen counter, it was both daunting and inspiring.
Peaches and three cups of blueberries were a nice addition to the bounty. On Father’s Day, I made a batch of “Dad’s Pancakes” for Tony, since I was the stand-in for our daughter who lives in Brooklyn. This recipe comes from my brother-in-law in Santa Fe. I think the original Dad was his friend’s father in Los Angeles, but regardless of where the recipe originated, these pancakes are the best I’ve ever eaten. (Big statement, but true). The special ingredients are lemon juice and vanilla.
I think I’m in a CSA rut, and it’s only week 7.
I started last week’s cooking with 15 yellow squash. They took up half of the vegetable bin. Yesterday, after I put away this week’s CSA, I had 14 yellow squash in the same space. They just keep coming.
I started my CSA cooking with two cups of fresh and fragrant basil, making another batch of walnut pesto. I love this recipe. I double it and then freeze the pesto in an ice cube tray.
