Crispy Roasted Potatoes & Garlic Scapes

 

So what the heck is a garlic scape? One of the many reasons I love farm shares is because some of the offerings are fruits and veggies (even herbs) that we may not normally select at the grocery store. In this past weeks share we had garlic scapes - huh? I Googled recipes and found mostly garlic scape pesto which isn't really something that we eat. So the first time they were in our share, I tossed in some olive oil, a little salt and pepper and roasted. I know - pretty basic and boring, but they were delicious! To me they had the consistency of green beans crossed with asparagus but tasted lightly garlic and oniony. 

We were hosting Christopher's Godparents who were in from California and the next week we received more garlic scapes in. So I decided to sauté the garlic scapes and toss with some roasted, smashed potatoes. For the garlic scapes I tossed in a little olive oil and sautéed on the stove top for about 8 minutes. 

For the roasted smashed potatoes, I boiled a large pot of water and boiled a baby potato medley from Aldi (not our farm share or produce box) for about 10 minutes, until the potatoes were soft enough to smash, but not totally cooked through. I drained the baby potatoes, lined them up on my cookie sheet and using the bottom of a pint glass, gently pressed down on the potato to flatten the potato a bit. Then I brushed the tops of the potatoes with some Wegmans Basting Oil (my favorite!), salt and pepper, and baked for 12 minutes at 400. Nice a crispy on the outside but still soft on the inside. 

I served the potatoes and garlic scapes together but you could totally serve separately as well. 

Enjoy!

Peach Caprese Chicken

 As a parent I try to get creative with our dinners, especially with my picky eaters. We are at the peak of toddler food resistance - ugga bugga. One Thursday night, I tried to get creative with chicken and combine two foods my girls love - cheese and peaches. Hence - Chicken Caprese Peach. We had the peaches on hand from our produce box. Christopher and I thought it was delicious, but the girls picked at it and ate only small pieces. Oh well! The only thing I would add next time is fresh basil. Mine just wasn't ready yet!

I did make a homemade balsamic drizzle. Christopher's parents brought us back a sampler pack of balsamic vinegars and one of them was a dark cherry one. So I used that to make a homemade balsamic glaze - it paired really well with the flavors of the chicken, mozzarella and peaches. You can use a pre-made one, non-flavored one to your taste. 

Peach Caprese Chicken

1 cup balsamic vinegar (if you are going to make the homemade balsamic glaze)
4 thin boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper
8 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced into 8 pieces (I love the pre-cut type from Aldi - less prep work!)
3 medium peaches, pitted and sliced
I wish I also had fresh basil

The chicken: Get the grill on to medium-high heat. Take the thin sliced chicken breasts and drizzle the olive oil over the breasts. Then sprinkle each with the salt and pepper. Cook the chicken breasts on each side for about 4 minutes for thin sliced - don't over cook!

The balsamic glaze: Pour the cup of balsamic vinegar in a saucepan and heat it to a boil on your stovetop. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 10-12 minutes - keep an eye on it! The consistency should be thick enough to coat a spoon and more "syrupy". I actually wasn't paying attention, so mine got a little too thick, so I added just a spoonful of water to thin out. 

Once the chicken and glaze is ready, it is time to plate these beauties. Place the grilled chicken on your plate, top each breast with two slices of mozzarella, peach slices and then drizzle the balsamic glaze over the topped chicken. Then I would have loved to add some sliced fresh basil too. 

Enjoy!

Honey Lemon Garlic Grilled Chicken

 Jumping back in, I thought I would share a recipe I made recently that was super easy and a crowd pleaser with the family. Although I think my girls just liked helping Mommy pick the basil and sprinkle it over the chicken. Anyways - we used boneless, skinless chicken thighs, but breasts would work too for this recipe. As a side, I sliced up this HUGE zucchini we received in our produce box and some leftover yellow potatoes we had with a 1/2 yellow onion. 

Honey Lemon Garlic Grilled Chicken

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lemon (I used the same lemon)
1/3 cup honey
1 tsp minced garlic or 2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper and whatever other seasoning you like (I used a couple shakes of Montreal Steak Seasoning)
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (thin sliced chicken breasts would work too)
1/4 cupish basil, thinly sliced (tips for slicing/cutting below)

Mix together the olive oil, lemon zest and juice, honey, salt and pepper, any other seasonings you like. Separate 2 tablespoons to baste the chicken with while grilling. Take the rest of the marinade and mix/rub all over the chicken thighs. Make sure the chicken thighs are completely folded out and the marinade gets all over the chicken. Let the chicken marinate for about an hour (at least 30 minutes). 

While the chicken in marinating, I cut up the 3 potatoes, 1/2 onion and sliced up the zucchini. I tossed the cut veggies in a little basting oil (I love Wegman's Basting Oil) and a little salt and pepper. 

When ready to grill, we cooked the thighs on medium heat for about 6 minutes each side. We also used the saved 2 tbsp of marinade to baste the chicken. Next to the chicken on the grilled, we grilled the veggies on a grill pan for about 20 minutes total. One thing to note about the veggies - some veggies, like zucchini, will cook faster than others, like the potatoes. Start the starchier ones first if possible so you do not over or under cook your veggies. 

When ready to plate, sprinkle the sliced fresh basil over the top of your grilled chicken. And Enjoy!

Tip for slicing fresh basil:

I stack the basil flat on top of each other and roll into a small "stick". Then I use scissors and cut the stick into small "discs". I did not take a picture of doing this, so I grabbed one from Google. I think this is much easier than trying to slice each leaf or use a knife. 

Back from a Long Hiatus

Good Evening - I am excited to be back. It has been a long time since I posted on my blog page. Truthfully I lost the inspiration. Then came babies, toddlers, job promotions, pandemic, etc. But now I am feeling the urge to take back up posting. I had some friends bring up "what happened to your blog?" and "I enjoyed reading about your recipes", so I figured I would start sharing again. 

On the cusp of Summer time here in Buffalo and all the local produce is starting to hit the CSAs and farmers markets. So looking forward to all the local produce. We switched up CSAs this year and I am looking forward to trying something different. We have our first pick up this week! I am hoping for some nice lettuces. 

At the start of the pandemic, we started to order produce boxes from a local farmer and we have really enjoyed those as well. I like the weekly produce box option because it is flexible and you do not have commit to purchasing a whole season. Similar to a CSA, you get what is available each week - not all is local or home grown, but the produce quality is still very nice. 

I will try to come up with some recipes using the seasonal produce we receive either in our CSA or produce box. 

Enjoy the beautiful Summer weather!

Elle

New Year! Happy 2016!

Christopher and I had a wonderful New Year celebrations together. On New Year's Eve, we went to the Tux and Pucks Sabres game all dressed up. Christopher looked so handsome in his tuxedo. He wore a new bow tie he received at Christmas. I wore a new dress (Christopher LOVED it) and got to wear my fun pair of heels I wore for my cousin Lindsay's wedding. The Sabres may have lost, but we still had a great time!

We then came home and took our time making our surf and turf dinner with all of the sides. Christopher really cooked dinner, and I just put together the side dishes. Everything was delicious. We then put our pajamas on, sipped on champagne and watched some How I Met Your Mother episodes before midnight.

Then New Year's Day we invited our parents over for brunch. It was really nice to see them and hear about what they did on New Year's Eve. We also talked about resolutions for 2016.

In 2016, I would really like to read 26 books this year. To kick off this, I started to read The Girl Who Chased The Moon by Sarah Addison Allen. I think I will try to read a bunch of different genres, but just have with it.

I would also like to get back on track with eating healthier. To do that I am kicking of my 3rd TLS detox as part of their 21 day program. Very excited to start (Day 1 is today!).

Overall, this is a very exciting year for Christopher and I. Christopher is starting a new job, we are both turning 30, continuing work on our house, and our 2nd honeymoon and vow renewal in Hawaii. So I want to sit back and enjoy this year together as much as possible!

Holiday Plan 2015: Week 2

Week of September 6th:
- Start to buy extra baking ingredients like sugar, butter, flour, etc; this way, you have the necessary ingredients when it is time to start baking AND you do not have to buy it all at once making your wallet hurt a little
- Make two crock pot meals - one to eat this week and one to freeze for a later date; I don't know about all of you, but things get really hectic in the Fall and it is great to have a supply of frozen crock pot meals handy. This week, I am hoping to put together a make ahead Greek chicken recipe!
- Divide some of the gift responsibilities with Christopher; our first year we were married we did not communicate this well and ended up buying triplicate gifts for some people. We love being generous, but we also have to be conscious of our budget
- Discuss with Christopher our holiday traditions and expectations for this year; we use this time to re-cap last years holidays - what went well, what could be improved, etc. We also start talking where we will celebrate each holiday
- Deep cleaning area this week: Living/Family room - after entering our freshly cleaned porch, I want to wow guests with a shiny living room (at least that is the hope!)

Good luck to those following along!

Feature & Review on an Etsy Blog!

Last month I was approached by a fellow blogger who blogs her reviews on Etsy Disney and jewelry based products. She wanted to do a review on my Ellegant Decor Disney World Parks Cards! I was so excited and flattered to hear that someone wanted to review them. Feedback is great and it would give me exposure to potential customers looking for custom products for their Disney vacations. 

She posted her blog article on the Disney Parks Cards and I am so excited to hear that she really liked my product! I hope she does a follow up article on how she enjoyed/used them at Magic Kingdom. 

Woo hoo!