Parsnip Cupcakes With Honey Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe & Pic from Dishing Up The Dirt

I felt the need to end with a sweet treat so here is an absolutely scrumptious way to use your parsnips this week!

~Rae

1 cup all purpose flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

2/3 cup walnut oil (or another neutral tasting oil)

2 large eggs (lightly beaten)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups grated parsnips (from about 1 large parsnip)

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese (room temperature)

1/4 cup honey

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a standard 12 cup muffin tin.

In a medium sized bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, spices and salt. In a large bowl whisk together the sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla and parsnips. Slowly, add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix well.

Divide the batter between the prepared muffin tins and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

Prepare the frosting by beating the cream cheese together with a mixer until light and fluffy. Stir in the honey and continue to beat until smooth and well incorporated. Taste test and adjust as needed.

Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting.

Grilled Pizza With Pesto, Arugula, & Feta

Recipe & Pic from Saving Dessert

It's going to be way too hot to turn on your oven, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy some pizza this week- so light up your grill and make something tasty! Ready-made dough from the grocery store is just fine to use if you don't feel like making your own.

4 balls of pizza dough

2 cups arugula

1 cup crumbled Feta

1 cup prepared pesto

Preheat your grill as hot as you can get it. Oil the grate then quickly slice the rolled out pizza dough onto the grill. Grill for a minute or two until the bottom is cooked and the top starts to bubble up. Quickly turn the pizza dough over and grill for another 2-4min.

Repeat with the remaining dough and top each pizza with pesto, arugula, and feta.

Recipe: Hasselback Potatoes With Garlic Confit

2021 Week 24 Newsletter

Recipe & Pic FRom Potato Goodness

The garlic confit portion of this recipe requires quite a few cloves, so if you have been saving up your heads from your CSA box this is a great way to make the most of your stash. Otherwise, feel free to leave the garlic confit out, and just brush your taters with a little garlic infused oil.

4-6 medium russet potatoes

Coarse kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

For the Garlic confit: (you will have some left over but can be used for other dishes)

½ cup light olive oil or neutral oil

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

½ cup garlic cloves, peeled but left whole

A few sprigs thyme

Heat the oven to 425°F / 220ºC with a rack in the lower-middle position.

Make the garlic confit: Heat the oil and unsalted butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat until it reaches 220º F. Reduce the heat to low, add the thyme sprigs and garlic, and cook until they are soft and lightly golden brown, 20-25 minutes. It should be lightly bubbling away but not spitting oil or smoking. Take the thyme out after 15 minutes or so (it will have given up all it’s flavor and just get dark). Make sure to keep the temperature below 260ºF or it can burn. Stir the garlic occasionally to make sure they brown evenly. Set aside to cool.

Scrub the potatoes clean and pat them dry with a paper towel. Cut slits 1/8 inch to ¼-inch apart in the potato, stopping just above the bottom so that the slices stay connected. (Laying a wooden spoon or chopsticks next to the potato makes this easier. Cut straight down and stop when the knife hits the spoon).

Arrange the potatoes in a baking dish or cast iron skillet, cut side up. Brush the potatoes all over with the garlic oil, including the bottoms (don’t try to get oil in the slits yet). Sprinkle the potatoes generously with salt and pepper. Bake the potatoes for 30 minutes.

At this point, the layers will begin to separate. Remove the pan from the oven and brush the potatoes again with the garlic oil — you can gently open the layers slightly if they’re still sticking together. Make sure to get the oil down into the space between the slices.

Bake for another 20-30 minutes, until the potatoes are starting to crisp on the edges. Remove the pan from the oven once more and tuck four or five roasted garlic cloves between the slits of each potato (every few leaves should get one). Return to the oven and bake another 10-20 minutes until the edges are crisp and brown and the center can be easily pierced with a paring knife).

Serve immediately while hot and crispy!

Recipe: Five Spice Pumpkin Pie

2021 Week 23 Newsletter

Instead of writing it all out, this week I thought I'd link right to the Smitten Kitchen recipe we love to make in my house - pecan topping optional! You can click right on this text and it will take you there, or copy and paste the link below.

A quick google search will bring up directions to easily turn your own pie pumpkin into homemade pumpkin puree! We usually say that each pound of pumpkin yields about 1 cup of puree - and ya'll pumpkins are around 4lbs each (give or take). Hopefully that helps you decide how to use it!

-Alice

A note from Rae: Feel free to use the tried and true holy trinity of nutmeg, ginger, and cinnamon, but if you want to mix things up a bit, sub in Chinese Five Spice Powder and wow your fellow diners with touches of anise and a subtle zing of Sichuan pepper! 2 or 3 tsps is usually just right.

https://smittenkitchen.com/2014/11/classic-pumpkin-pie-with-pecan-praline-sauce/

Recipe: Parsnip Cupcakes With Honey Cream Cheese Frosting

2021 Week 21 Newsletter

Recipe & Pic From Dishing Up The Dirt

I just love these cupcakes! They are a bit of a spin on carrot cake with a delightfully unique flavor and though they make for a satisfying treat, they aren't too heavy or overly sweet!

~Rae

1 cup all purpose flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

2/3 cup walnut oil (or another neutral tasting oil)

2 large eggs (lightly beaten)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups grated parsnips (from about 1 large parsnip)

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese (room temperature)

1/4 cup honey

dried edible flowers for topping (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a standard 12 cup muffin tin.

In a medium sized bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, spices and salt. In a large bowl whisk together the sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla and parsnips. Slowly, add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix well.

Divide the batter between the prepared muffin tins and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

Prepare the frosting by beating the cream cheese together with a mixer until light and fluffy. Stir in the honey and continue to beat until smooth and well incorporated. Taste test and adjust as needed.

Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting. Sprinkle with dried edible flowers if using.

Recipe: Winter Greens & Grains Gratin

2021 Week 21 Newsletter

Recipe & Pic From A Sweet Spoonful

This recipe calls for kale but any greens will do so consider adding in the mizuna from your box for a bit of extra flavor! The millet is intended to cook most of the way in the gratin itself, so there is no need to pre-cook it.

Butter, for the pan

1 bunch kale, ribs and stems removed and torn into large pieces

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 shallot, sliced into thin rounds

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon dried thyme

½ cup raw millet

2 large eggs, beaten

3/4 cup grated Parmesan

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 cup whole milk

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to salt the water

Freshly ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon chile powder

Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly butter a 1 ½ or 2-quart baking dish. Soak the millet in a bowl of warm water while you set out to prepare the other ingredients.

Boil a large pot of salted water, and add the kale. Cook until just softened, about 2-3 minutes. I did mine in two batches as all the kale wouldn’t all fit in our large pot. Use a slotted spoon and transfer the kale to a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Remove from the cool water and, using your hands, squeeze as much water from the kale as possible and lay it out on good work surface. The kale tends to clump into balls when squeezed, so spend a few moments separating it and “declumping” it.

Heat oil in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the shallot and cook, stirring often, until translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more. In a large mixing bowl, combine the drained kale and cooked shallots. Drain the millet completely and add that as well.

In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, heavy cream, milk, nutmeg, salt, black pepper and chile powder. Pour the liquid over the kale mixture and stir well to combine. Turn out into the prepared baking dish and top with remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes, then increase the heat to 400 F and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is completely melted, the top is browned and the edges are bubbling. Allow to cool and set for 15 minutes before serving. Cover leftovers and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Recipe: Chocolate Beet Cupcakes

2021 Week 16 Newsletter

Recipe and pic from The Kitchn

You knew we couldn't let a season go by without sharing at least one chocolate beet recipe! These cupcakes are so moist and delicious and I can personally attest that they are also an excellent way of sneaking some beets onto a picky child's (or adult's) plate!

~Rae

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup cocoa powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/3 cups  sugar

3/4 cup beet puree (2 small beets, roasted)

1/2 cup buttermilk

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted

2 large eggs, room temperature

For the frosting:

8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped and melted

1 tablespoon sugar

Pinch salt

1/2 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350°F and line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, beet purée, buttermilk, butter, chocolate, and eggs. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet.

Divide the batter evenly between prepared cups. Bake until the tops are puffed and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs, 22 to 25 minutes. Transfer cupcakes to a rack to cool completely. Frost as desired.

To make the frosting:

In a large bowl, whisk together the melted chocolate and the sugar and salt until smooth. Stir in the sour cream. Use immediately.

Recipe: Breakfast Pizza With Scallions

2021 Week 9 Newsletter

Recipe From A Couple Cooks

If you've never put eggs on a pizza before this may seem a little crazy but trust me, you'll never go back! This is such a great flex recipe as well- smear some pesto on the dough before adding the eggs and cheese, throw some chopped tomatoes on top, or roasted fennel! Round the whole meal out with a caprese or green salad on the side (or piled on top!).

1 ball of your favorite pizza dough

4 green onions

¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

½ cup shredded Pecorino Romano cheese

2 eggs

Olive oil

Kosher salt

Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 475°F. OR preheat your pizza oven (here’s the pizza oven we use).

Prepare the toppings: Slice the green parts off of the scallions so they form long ribbons. In a small skillet, heat ½ tablespoon olive oil. Add the scallions and sauté until slightly tender, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove from the heat.

When the oven is ready, dust a pizza peel with cornmeal or semolina flour. (If you don’t have a pizza peel, you can use a rimless baking sheet or the back of a rimmed baking sheet. But a pizza peel is well worth the investment!) Stretch the dough into a circle; see How to Stretch Pizza Dough for instructions. Then gently place the dough onto the pizza peel.

Quickly assemble the pizza: Brush olive oil over the dough and sprinkle with kosher salt. Sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese, then the Pecorino cheese. Top with scallions. Carefully crack two eggs on top and sprinkle with a bit of kosher salt.

Bake the pizza: Transfer the pizza to the pizza stone using the pizza peel, and bake until the egg white is set and the yolk is still runny, about 7 minutes.

Recipe: Lemon Cream Scones With Edible Flowers

Image from Sugar & Charm

2021 Week 8 Newsletter

Recipe from Sugar & Charm

Scones are such a lovely treat for breakfast (or a snack) and adding your edible flowers as decoration elevates a simple recipe to celebration-worthy levels! 

12 tbsp / 170 g unsalted butter, cold

3/4 cup / 174 g heavy cream

2 cups / 284 g unbleached, all-purpose flour

1/3 cup / 66 g granulated sugar

1 tbsp / 15 g baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

1 tsp grated lemon zest

To finish:

2 tsp heavy cream

edible flowers or petals

Cut the butter into 3/4 inch cubes and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Whip the cream until soft peaks form when the beater is lifted; cover and place in the refrigerator.

Place a baking stone or large baking sheet on a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line a second, smaller baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest. Add the chilled butter cubes and cut the butter in with a pastry blender, or rub in with your fingers, until the mixture resembles fine meal. Make a well in the center and add the whipped cream.

Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, fold in the whipped cream. Then knead the dough in the bowl until it just comes together.

Turn the dough onto a very lightly floured surface and knead about eight times, until it can be shaped into a smooth ball.

Cut the dough in half, and press each half into a rectangle of approximately 5 inches by 7 inches. Wrap each rectangle in plastic wrap and freeze for 20 minutes.

Using a 2-inch biscuit cutter, cut six rounds from each dough rectangle. Re-roll the scraps and place back in the freezer. Meanwhile, place the cut-out scones on the parchment lined baking sheet, and press an edible flower or a few petals into the top of each scone. Remove the remaining dough from the freezer, and cut out and decorate 3-4 more scones, placing them on the baking sheet. (If the baking sheet is full, you can place the remaining scones in the refrigerator and bake them later, after the first batch comes out of the oven.) Place the baking sheet in the freezer for five minutes.

Remove baking sheet from the freezer and brush the scones lightly with cream, being careful not to disturb the flowers.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the scones are just starting to brown. Remove from the baking sheet, and allow to cool on a wire rack.

Recipe: Tomato Zucchini Focaccia

from A Family Feast

5 cups bread flour plus up to 2 cups more

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons instant yeast

2 cups room temperature water

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil plus more to mist over dough

1 pound zucchini, sliced thin using a mandoline

1 large or two medium eating tomatoes such as beefsteak, sliced thin

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ cup oil cured Italian olives, pitted

1 cup Romano cheese, freshly grated

Herbed oil

1 ¼ cups extra virgin olive oil

½ cup fresh basil, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped

1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt

½ teaspoon large grind black pepper

1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment, place 5 cups of the flour along with salt and yeast and mix to combine.

Add all of the water and 6 tablespoons of the oil and mix on medium speed to form a sticky dough. After 3-4 minutes of mixing, the dough should be pulling away from the sides but still be stuck to the bottom. If the dough is still sticking to the sides, add a little more flour until just the bottom sticks. Mix for a total of four more minutes on medium.

Pour out a cup of bread flour onto your counter and spread out to about a 6×6-inch square and using a bowl scraper, scrape the dough into the center of the flour.

Shape the dough by stretching into a small neat rectangle about 10×4. Does not have to be exact. Dust the top with flour and let this sit for five minutes.

Grab the left and right sides, stretch and fold towards the center making the same rectangle size only now three layers thick. Spray the top with olive oil from a mister, then dust with more bread flour. Cover with plastic and let sit 30 minutes.

Repeat the same method by stretching, folding, misting and dusting and again let rest covered 30 more minutes.

Repeat one last time but after you cover it, let it sit for 90 minutes.

During the time the dough rests, you will dry roast the vegetables and make the herbed oil.

Set oven to 250 degrees F.

Line three sheet pans with parchment and spray with pan spray.

Lay out the sliced zucchini on two pans and the tomato on the third, sprinkle with salt and bake for about an hour or so flipping the vegetables half way through. Bake until the slices are dried and slightly shriveled and just starting to brown. I rotated the three pans in my oven so each had a turn one each rack since the bottom rack cooked the quickest. Once done, cool, cover and refrigerate until next day.

To make the herbed oil, microwave the oil to 110 degrees F and add all of the other herbed oil ingredients. Set this aside.

Once the dough has rested the final 90 minutes, line a sheet tray with parchment paper and using a brush dipped into the herbed oil, brush the parchment paper liberally. (the herbs should have settled, let them stay that way and just dip the brush into the top oil)

Place the dough onto the oiled pan and press to fit the dough to the pan. Don’t worry about getting it into the corners. When it proofs the next day, it will fill up the pan.

Once the dough is pressed into the pan, use your finger tips to press dimples into the dough all over the top then spoon some of the herbed oil over the top (this time stir first and use the herbs). Cover with plastic and refrigerate for the next day and up to three days.

Three hours before baking, remove the dough from the refrigerator and lay out the tomato slices and zucchini slices all over the top to about a half inch from the edges. Pit the olives and flatten with your fingers and scatter over the top. Spread the rest of the herbed oil all over the top. It will seem like a lot but as the bread bakes, it absorbs the oil.

Cover with plastic and a dish towel and let sit on your counter for three hours.

15 minutes before the three hours is up, preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

Place the pan in the oven on the center rack, lower the temperature to 450 degrees F and bake for 10 minutes.

Rotate pan 180 degrees and bake for 7-10 more minutes or until it is just starting to brown.

Sprinkle on the Romano cheese and bake for five more minutes or until golden brown then remove from the oven.

Immediately slide the now baked focaccia off of the pan and onto a cooling rack. If the parchment paper slides out with it, slip it out from beneath the bread and let the bread cool for at least 20 minutes.

Slide the bread from the cooling rack onto a cutting board and cut 4X4 (16 pieces) or if you want smaller pieces, cut four the short way and five the long way for 20 pieces.

Store leftover bread in the refrigerator.

Recipe: Homemade Pumpkin Puree

from Vanilla & Bean

Thinking of making pumpkin pie from scratch for Thanksgiving this year? Make your puree ahead of time and store in the freezer until a day or two before the big cooking day! 

1 Winter Luxury Pumpkin (or any pie pumpkin)

Preheat oven to 375F. Cut the pumpkin in half. If the seeds will not be saved, roast the pumpkin with the seeds and scoop them out after roasting. It's much easier! If saving the seeds, using a metal spoon and/or your hands, scoop out the seeds and strings. Place the seeds in a bowl of water. 

Place pumpkin halves skin side up on a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet. Roast for 50-60 minutes or until flesh is soft and fragrant. Remove from oven and allow to cool until they can be safely handled.

If you roasted the pumpkin with seeds, use a metal spoon to scoop out the seeds and discard. Otherwise, scoop out the flesh. Puree the flesh until silky smooth or desired consistency is reached.

Recipe: Honey & Thyme Parsnip Muffins

from Dishing Up The Dirt

1 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup plain full fat yogurt

1/4 cup walnut oil (or another neutral tasting vegetable oil)

1/2 cup honey

2 large eggs + 1 large egg white, lightly beaten

1 cup grated parsnips

1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a standard size muffin tin with oil and set aside.

Whisk together the flours, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.

In another bowl combine the yogurt, oil, honey, eggs and egg white. Add the the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in the parsnip and thyme. Divide the batter between the muffins cups and bake in the preheated oven until lightly browned and cooked through, about 20-23 minutes. Let the muffins cool for about 5 minutes in the tin before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe: Spiced Carrot & Date Loaf

from Dishing Up The Dirt

2 eggs

2/3 cup walnut oil (or another neutral tasting oil)

3/4 cup honey

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup all purpose flour (Bob's Red Mill)

1/2 cups whole wheat flour (Bob's Red Mill)

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 1/2 cups freshly grated carrot

1 cup dates, roughly chopped

1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

sprinkle of old fashioned oats (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil or butter a 9×5 inch loaf pan.

In a medium to large bowl, beat eggs. Add the oil and then drizzle in the honey and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and sea salt. Add flour mixture to egg mixture and beat well. Add carrots and chopped dates. Pour batter into your prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle the top with the walnuts and oats.

Bake for 55-60 minutes or until a knife comes out clean when inserted in the center of the loaf. Remove from oven and cool on a cooling rack. Once cooled, remove from loaf pan and enjoy!

Recipe: Spiced Melon Tea Loaf

from Jo Cooks

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 3/4 tsp cinnamon ground

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp ginger ground

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

2 cups sugar granulated

3 large eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups cantaloupe ripe, grated (only the flesh)

Heat the oven to 350 F degrees. Grease and flour two 5×8 inch loaf pans. Combine the flour, cinnamon, salt, ginger, baking soda, and baking powder in a medium bowl.

With an electric mixer or a whisk, beat the sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla in a bowl until well blended and slightly frothy. Fold in the grated cantaloupe. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and fold until just blended; don't overmix or your tea cakes will be tough.

Divide the batter between the loaf pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out dry, about 1 hour.

Let cool on a rack, then invert. Serve just slightly warm or at room temperature.