Zucchini Noodles with Sun-Dried Tomato & Cashew Pesto Sauce

This time of year you do one of three things: grow zucchini, receive zucchini from a friend who grows it or you purchase zucchini from farmers markets or your local CSA. Okay, maybe that's four things but you you get the point. You've got zucchini!

I'm a fan of zucchini bread, zucchini muffins, zucchini cookies, zucchini egg bakes and more. But one of my most favorite ways to enjoy the plethora of this summer squash is to pull out my julienne vegetable peeler and make fresh zucchini noodles. I've been doing it for years and each time I am always amazed at how this simple preparation transforms this vegetable.

Utah Local Love: Harmon's Grocery Store

 

During the summertime my visits to the grocery store are much fewer and farther between than any other time of the year. Instead, I'm visiting La Nay Ferme to pick up my weekly CSA share, I'm harvesting fruits and veggies from my in-laws' garden and I'm working my through our well-stocked pantry of grains, pastas, beans, canned goods and a freezer of our favorite meats. I love this about summer.

Don't get me wrong though. You'll still see me at the grocery store and you'll most likely see me at Harmons. I don't do all my grocery shopping there but let me tell you why I do a lot of my grocery shopping at this great Utah grocery store.

Harmon's has high-quality, fresh and often local-sourced produce, their meat and fish is good and I can usually find any ingredient I'm looking for even if it's a specialty item.

 

One of my favorite stops at Harmons is their cheese island. The employee at the stand always knows their cheese and can often recommend a specific cheese to go with what I'm cooking or baking. You'll always see a handful of local cheeses from Beehive Cheese Co. and others. I recently purchased Seahive and can't get enough of it.

You already know I'm a lover of Amano Artisan Chocolate, and when it's too late to go to their factory store I get my Amano at Harmons. You can also find specialty chocolates near the cheese stand from Valhrona, Amedi and others. I was so happy to find Valhrona feves for the New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies because that meant I didn't have to order them online.

 

I can always count on great produce from Harmons. My latest loves were Rainier Cherries grown in Genola, Utah by Fowers Fruit Ranch and Watermelon from Stirling Farms in Leeds, Utah.

If you haven't shopped at Harmons give it a try soon. And if happen to be shopping at City Creek this weekend make sure to check out their location there, it's awesome.

Harmons Grocery Stores 

16 Utah Locations

harmonsgrocery.com

facebook.com/HarmonsGroceryStores

Check out more local Utah businesses 
in my Utah Local Love series.

How to Roast Beets at Home + The Health Benefits of Beets

Beets, glorious beets! I've loved beets for so long. And it wasn't until recently that I discovered I may be in the minority. "Come again?" You say. Who are these people who experience unpleasant facial expressions when the dear word beet is uttered. I don't know, friends, I don't know. But I have met so many in the last year.

My answer to them is automatically, "Oh you haven't had them made right!" Or simply, "They weren't fresh." I can't imagine someone not liking one of my favorite vegetables. As a kid, I'd fight for the pickled beets at the dinner table. My salads were topped with a delectably disproportionate amount of beets. At salad bars, my ranch dressing was pink because of the amount of beets on my salad. 

 

As an adult I love beets every which way. Raw, roasted, pickled and my latest obsession: juiced! You can go wrong with that sweet, buttery, earthy flavor. Beets are a power food, too. Both the root and the leaves are full of nutrients like potassium, folic acid and calcium. They are high in fiber, low in calories and totally rich in iron.

Did you know that the leafy beet greens are even more nutritious than the roots? They are so great braised, sauteed, raw and wonderful in my morning green smoothie!

If you are new to the beet fold. Start out by roasting them. The recipe is simple and the resulting beets are like jewel-like candy. My favorite way to enjoy them is on a green salad.

Roasted Beets

by Becky of Project Domestication

Ingredients:

beets

good olive oil

Redmond Real Salt

Tools & Equipment:

aluminum foil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. While oven is preheating, clean and dry off beets. Make sure to cut off the leaves as close as possible to the root. (Save leaves for another recipe.) Also cut off most of the bottom root. Wash all dirt off the best practice is to scrub. Then dry beets with paper towel.

Pull off individual squares about 8x8 inches for a medium-sized beet. Sometimes, I use two squares per beet to double seal them. Place dried beet on top of square and lightly drizzle olive oil, about 1/2 tsp to begin with and rub/massage beet with oil. Sprinkle Real Salt over surface area of beet.

Wrap beet with aluminum foil by pulling up top and bottom corners, then side-to-side corners and twisting them so it makes a purse. Repeat with other beets. The important factor is to make sure the beet is covered and the aluminum foil is sealed. This purse sort of looks like a fancy paper or balloon weight.

Roast in oven for approximately 40-60 minutes depending on the size of your beets. Let beets cool for about 15 minutes then peel skins and slice.

Other recipes you may like:

Roasted Beet Salad with Honey Balsamic Dressing on The Vintage Mixer

Baby Greens with Beets, Goat Cheese and Candied Pecans on SkinnyTaste

Red Beet Risotto from Dolcetto Confections

{Compound} Radish Butter

 

Butter makes everything better. We've all heard that before, right? Well I think it's true. The joy that comes from spreading butter over a freshly baked roll and the beauty of watching said butter melt. Ahhh. The simple joys in life. Today I'm taking butter a little further by flavoring it and making a compound butter. 

New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

"Hey Becky, 2008 called and it wants to know why you haven't made the New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe."

Yeah, that's right. I'm four years late on this giant, dark-chocolate-chip-cookie-with-a-touch-of-sea-salt-on-top phenomenon. It's supposed to be the best out there. Don't ask me what I was doing. Clearly it wasn't as cool (or delicious) as this cookie recipe.

So what's the big deal? First off, this cookie is a big deal. It weighs in at a whopping 3 1/2 ounce per rolled dough. Only six to a sheet, folks. To give you some scope, the typical chocolate chip cookie recipe has about 1/2-1 1/2 ounce per cookie.

You can only dream to have all ingredients on hand for such an occasion. Even if you're an avid baker like me. But since this cookie recipe is a special occasion in itself, you will have to make a grocery store (if not a specialty store) run. On said trip you'll need to find bread flour, cake flour, Valhorna chocolate feves and sea salt.

The Valhorna feves are pricey, but do it. If you're going to make an acclaimed cookie researched out and concocted by David Leite that was adapted from Mr. Chocolate (Jacques Torres), then use the chocolate suggested. That's my two cents.  

These chocolate chip cookies were stunning. The size alone was special. And those melted feves, who could resist those melted feves. They make the New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookie, that's for sure. Make sure you follow the recipe exactly, especially the chill time and make sure to read the article that goes along with the recipe. We loved these cookies. They were pretty, chocolaty and satisfying. A week doesn't go by that my husband doesn't say, "Hey you should make the New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe."

Other posts you may like:
Coconut Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies on Two Peas and Their Pod

Adam's Mini Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies on Project Domestication
Strawberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies on Cafe Johnsonia

60-Second Chocolate Chip Cookie A la Mode on Picky Palate

New York Times PERFECT Chocolate Chip Cookie Adapted for High Altitude on Mountain Mamma Cookies

New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies

from The New York Times

Time: 45 minutes (for 1 6-cookie batch), plus at least 24 hours’ chilling

Ingredients:
2 cups minus 2 tablespoons
(8 1/2 ounces) cake flour
1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves, at least 60 percent cacao content
Sea salt

Directions:

1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

2. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.

4. Scoop 6 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day. Eat warm, with a big napkin.

Yield: 1 1/2 dozen 5-inch cookies.

Strawberry, Tomato and Basil Salad with A Balsamic Vinegar Reduction

 

Tomato season really doesn't hit Utah until the end of August. That is unless you have access to tomatoes grown in high tunnels like I do. Jealous? I get them from La Nay Ferme and I got my first batch last week.

 

My CSA share also came with strawberries and a couple bunches of beautiful, smooth and aromatic basil. I thought back to making one of my favorite summer appetizers: Fresh Strawberries with a Balsamic Reduction. I also knew I wanted to make a caprese salad and some homemade pesto. But to be honest, I knew I wasn't going to get to all those dishes...especially in one night. So I decided to combine ingredients from each recipe that I was craving.

 

I absolutely know I'm not the first to combine these ingredients. But I guarantee you when you serve this recipe, others will be surprised to see tomatoes, strawberries and balsamic vinegar together on one plate. Boy do they pair well. This salad has a sweet, fresh albeit acidic taste to it that is rounded out by the tangy candied, balsamic reduction.

This salad is so simple. The key is quality ingredients. Use a good balsamic, a little goes a long way.

Strawberry, Tomato and Basil Salad with A Balsamic Vinegar Reduction

by Becky of Project Domestication

Serves 1-2 (recipe can be multiplied to your liking)

Ingredients:

handful of tomatoes, halved and sliced

handful of strawberries, sliced

small handful of fresh basil

1/2-1 cup good balsamic vinegar

Directions:

In a small saucepan over high heat bring balsamic vinegar to a boil. Immediately reduce heat to low and simmer until syrupy. Meanwhile wash, dry and slice tomatoes, strawberries and basil. Arrange on plate. Right before serving drizzle balsamic reduction sparingly over salad.

Other recipes you may like:

Fresh Strawberries with a Balsamic Reduction on Project Domestication

Strawberry Charlotte Cake Recipe on The Vintage Mixer

Strawberry Rhubarb Double Crisp on Project Domestication

Quick Pickled Strawberries on Cafe Johnsonia

Buttery Strawberry Jam Cookies on Project Domestication

1 Year Ago: Tiny Heirloom Tomatoes

2 Years Ago: Brrr-ownies

3 Years Ago: New York Food Memories - The Shake Shack

4 Years Ago: Baby Shower Cupcakes

More Project Domestication recipes using La Nay Ferme local produce:
Black Rice Risotto with Peas

Quinoa Salad with Grilled Peppers & Summer Squash

Cauliflower & Carrot Top Puree (or Mash)

Three-Green Lettuce Salad with White Turnips

Asian Mizuna Greens and Pasta Salad with Edamame and Pea Shoots

German Potato Salad over Mixed Greens

Light Carrot Ginger Salad Dressing

Bleu Cheese, Radish and Pea Shoot Crostini

In my kitchen: the heifer pitcher

Say hello to my tiny heifer pitcher. I first noticed this modern yet whimsical serving piece in my Chiasso catalog like for-eh-ver ago.  I stared and stared at it, issue after issue. But never purchased. I desperately needed a water pitcher and I knew it went well with our modern-slash-contemporary-slash-updated-traditional new kitchen. Plus it'd be a fun conversation starter at our table.

Easy Swiss Chard and Kale Sautee with Garlic and Pickled Jalapenos

 

Up until three years ago, kale and its friend Swiss chard had never stepped foot in my kitchen. Now they're both regular guests at our table. Lately I've been getting beautiful-beyond-beautiful kale and Swiss chard leaves in my La Nay Ferme CSA share. 

[left to right: dwarf blue curled scotch kale, swiss chard and red russian kale]

If you're not familiar with either. Let me give you a brief intro. Kale and Swiss chard are both mega power foods full of essential vitamins and nutrients like vitamins A, B6, C, iron, fiber and calcium. Kale provides vitamin K which aides in proper blood clotting among many other functions. Swiss chard (and kale) offers antioxidant protection in the form of carotenoids like beta-carotene and lutein which help maintain eye health and possibly prevent cataracts.

Besides all of their powerful properties, I just love the taste of these greens. My most popular use for both kale and Swiss chard is in my morning green smoothies. I simply add 3-5 leaves of either and call it good! My other favorite use for kale is making a simple saute as a side for any meal. My husband particularly loves kale and chard served this way.

Since the kale and Swiss chard I use is harvest only hours before it gets thrown into a pan, I feel comfortable using the stems. After all, they are still delicate and with a little heat they become the perfect addition of flavor and texture.

 

Any time I make a kale or chard saute I first separate the stems from the leaves. I give the stems a good chop and the leaves a very rough chop. I like them a little bigger. This simple step allows you to enjoy the whole vegetable. Just note that each has their own cook time. (The stems obviously go in first.)

I've paired some fun flavors in this sautee: pickled jalapenos (don't we all need to use up that jar?), fresh garlic cloves, kalmata olives, raw pepitas and a local honey wine vinegar. It's earthy, it's salty and full of kale and chard flavor. 

If you haven't made friends with Mr. Kale and Mrs. Swiss Chard, do so now. They're friendly to your palate and your health.

Easy Swiss Chard and Kale Sautee with Garlic and Pickled Jalapenos

adapted from Power Foods' Swiss Chard with Olives

Serves 1-2 (Can be doubled or tripled easily.)

Ingredients:

4.5 ounces of kale and Swiss chard (about 6-10 leaves)

2 cloves of garlic, sliced thin

10-12 slices of pickled jalapeno

1/4 c. chicken broth (I like to use water + 1/8 tsp. Shirley J Chicken Bouillon)

2 tsp. olive oil (or more)

tiny handful of raw pepitas

a few kalmata olives

splash of Slider Ridge Honey Wine Vinegar

Real Salt (to taste)

Directions:

Rinse kale and chard leaves thoroughly and dry. Separate leaves from stems with either hands or knife. Heat medium saute pan on medium heat. Add oil. When oil is shiny add stems and pickled jalapenos. Cook until slightly tender, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Pour chicken broth mixture over ingredients. Cover with lid, and let cook for 2-4 minutes until most liquid is evaporated.

Add leaves to mixture and with a quick hand stir with spatula to help coat each leaf with glossy olive oil, broth and veggie mixture. Cook for an additional 1-2 minutes until leaves wilt. Splash with honey wine vinegar. Remove from heat and toss in pepitas and kalmata olive oil. Season to taste with sea salt.

More Project Domestication recipes using La Nay Ferme local produce:
Black Rice Risotto with Peas

Quinoa Salad with Grilled Peppers & Summer Squash

Cauliflower & Carrot Top Puree (or Mash)

Three-Green Lettuce Salad with White Turnips

Asian Mizuna Greens and Pasta Salad with Edamame and Pea Shoots

German Potato Salad over Mixed Greens

Light Carrot Ginger Salad Dressing

Bleu Cheese, Radish and Pea Shoot Crostini

Quinoa with Grilled Peppers and Summer Squash

Did I mention we bought a grill at the end of Spring? I have no idea why we waited so long because I can't imagine life without it. There's nothing like getting outdoors and cooking. Our personal grilling favorites tend to be on the lighter side, don't you love that about summer? Today I'm sharing a new favorite grilling recipe that shaped from a typical scenario that I'm sure you face. What do I make with all that summer squash?

Utah Local Love: Ice Cream Cupcakes from Mini's Cupcakes in Salt Lake City, Utah

Cupcake lovers may find themselves in a summertime predicament. Cupcakes or ice cream? Well thankfully you can have your {cup} cake and eat it too. Mini's Cupcakes in Salt Lake City makes a fabulous summertime treat, their ice cream cupcake.

 

They keep it simple too. One slice to cut the cupcake in half and a scoop of ice cream. It doesn't get more summery than that. What I really like about this treat is you still get the full texture and distinct flavor of a cupcake and its frosting with the bonus of ice cream. Nothing is too cold and everything can be enjoyed in a portable cup. 

Give this ice cream cupcake a try this summer.

Mini’s Cupcakes
Web site: http://www.mini-cupcakes.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/miniscupcakes
Become a Fan on Facebook

Check out more local Utah businesses in my Utah Local Love series.

Red, White and Blue Chocolate Cream-Filled Sandwich Cookies

 

Happy 4th of July! I hope you are having fun with friends and family, and of course, enjoying great food and the sun. I'm so grateful to live in such a wonderful country. Hip hip, America! One of my favorite cookies to dress up for any holidays are Martha's Cream-Filled Chocolate Sandwich Cookies.

 

For the 4th of July I rolled the cookies in red, white and blue sprinkles, dots and stars. Then I piled them up, pyramid style and stuck a few American flags on top. It works out perfectly.

 

You could even dye the cream filling but I figured I'd get the color from the sprinkles.

 

Hope you'll give them a try. The chocolatey cookies are the perfect vehicle for the creamy vanilla filling. A nice sugary crunch on the outside and chewy, comforting inside. You'll love these cookies. They're a great addition to any 4th of July bbq or celebration.

Chocolate Cream-Filled Sandwich Cookies
by Martha, frosting recipe slightly adapted.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 cups sugar, plus more for flattening cookies
• 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• Vanilla Cream Filling (recipe below)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Into a medium-size bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg; beat to combine. With mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture; continue beating until dough is well combined.
3. Using a 1 1/4-inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Dip bottom of a glass in sugar; press to flatten cookies to about 1/8 inch thick. (You may need to carefully remove dough from glass with a thin metal spatula.)
4. Transfer to oven, and bake until cookies are firm, about 10 to 12 minutes, rotating baking sheets halfway through. Transfer baking sheets to wire racks to cool completely.
5. Place cream filling in a pastry bag fitted with a coupler, and pipe about 1 tablespoon filling onto the flat side of half the cookies. Place remaining cookies on top, and gently press on each to squeeze filling to edges. Filled cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 2 days.

Vanilla Cream Filling

Ingredients

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
•   2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract

Directions

1.  Place butter in stand mixer with paddle attachment. Cream butter on medium until smooth and barely fluffy. Reduce to  low speed, slowly add the powdered sugar, and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla, and beat just until combined.

Red, White and Blue-Berry Surprise Cake for Independence Day

No Independence Day Celebration is complete without a red, white and blue dessert. I grew up with my mom's flag cake. A simple and buttery yellow cake topped with whipped topping and berries forming a flag. I always made sure I got the stars part of the flag since I was always a blueberry lover.

Today I'm sharing a fantastic summer cake recipe. It's an excellent genoise cake soaked with a raspberry syrup. The filling is made of a cream cheese-heavy cream combo flavored with vanilla and ripe summer berries folded in. That tang compliments the berries like non other. I was lucky to find a complex raspberry-rose water syrup at my local Williams-Sonoma that worked wonderfully. I usually can't handle much rose water, but this syrup was all raspberry with subtle notes of rose water.

This cake isn't a quick fix. In fact, if I were making it for my get-together this year, I would have started yesterday. It's long and involved, but worth it. The beauty of this berry cake is you can assemble it the day before, cover it well and chill it until your Fourth of July BBQ. I highly recommend it.