It’s Week 34 of Dinner Plans and we are relishing all the food inspiration this week!
It's been a magical week taking in the sights, smells, and tastes of Napa Valley food. From a basil buttermilk salad dressing to a deliciously silky peppercorn sauce for skirt steak and a phenomenal experience at Chez Panisse, I'm soaking up all the recipe crafting inspiration I've been fortunate to experience this week. A number of new recipes are now going into test mode as we close out the season of summer's best and begin to turn our attention to the first fall fruits and veggies.
Seasonal Cooking Tip: Grill Everything
When it comes to seasonal cooking, this year I'm sharing a weekly tip here focused on preparing ingredients, preserving foods, and kitchen hacks that help you save time.
This week we’re talking about a summertime cooking pastime: the grill. With the Dog Days of Summer making their way here, outdoor grilling is a wonderful way to take the heat from the kitchen to the outdoors. I particularly love to do this to avoid using the oven (and creating an oven in the house as a result!). And grilling isn't reserved to just meats. A few variations I've loved on the produce front:
- Grilled Avocado finished with a drizzle of olive oil and flaky salt
- Grilled Peaches for either salsas or as part of dessert with a generous scoop of vanilla bean ice cream
- Grilled Eggplant brushed with a harissa-spiced BBQ sauce
- Grilled Corn, esquites style, with chili lime seasoning queso cotija
Dinner Plans for Week 34
Last week we ordered dinner in for my parents upon their arrival. Stateline has some amazing BBQ and that felt like the perfect way to kick start the weekend. As a side, I steamed up some corn on the cob from our Stepping Stone Farm CSA that my family absolutely loved so much they asked me to secure a few extra ears of corn for them to take home when they drop off the kids this weekend. Done and done. That said, we'll have plenty of corn on hand for a variety of dishes.
The frying peppers will be used in a variety of dishes calling for a bit of warmth. French sorrel will be used in a compound butter for the potatoes to serve alongside whole roast chicken for Sunday Supper. Tomatoes will be enjoyed fresh in both tartines and a salad, to savor the flavors of this award winning fruit.
Here’s what we received from our CSA share this week:
Stepping Stone Farm:
- Brandywine & Cherokee Carbon Tomatoes
- Sunpeach Cherry Tomatoes
- Mojito & Shintokiwa Cucumbers
- Mini Mac Daikon Radish
- French Green Sorrel
- Abundant Upstate Potatoes
- Heirloom Frying Peppers
- Garlic Shio Koji from Rice Flower Koji
Our Game Plan for Dinner this Week:
Sunday: Whole Roast Chicken with Lemon & Herbs with Sautéed Potatoes with Green Beans and Sorrel Butter
Monday: Tomato Tartines with Whipped Feta, Fresh Herbs, and a Drizzle of Basil Oil
Tuesday: Grilled Shio Koji Marinated Skirt Steak with Chipotle Chiles, Peppers, and Onions for Taco Night
Wednesday: Caprese Salad with Burrata and Balsamic with Turkey Meatballs
Thursday: Braised Daikon Radish, Stir Fried Peppers and Ground Beef over Rice
Friday: Grilled Fish with Cucumber Salad Featuring Toasted Pepitas, Grilled Corn, and Cotija
Saturday: Pizza Picnic with a Classic Pizza Margherita with Heirloom Tomatoes, Fior di Latte, and Fresh Basil
From favorite recipes to new meal ideas using a wide variety of ingredients, cooking delicious food with our CSA definitely gets us out of a dinner rut while reducing food waste. I share meal ideas for our busy weeks with our weekly newsletter. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to be in the know when they’re live. 😉
Leave a Reply