CSA: First Week's Subscription Box and Inspiring Things

Happy Wednesday, My Lovelies!  Although it isn't "officially summer" yet, I always feel like summer starts here in Central Alabama on Memorial Day Weekend.  One of the main reasons is that school's out for summer, so I won't be hearing the school buses in the neighborhood until early August. 

We will be home in Alabama all summer, so we thought it would be fun to subscribe to a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) box from Stone Hollow Farmstead.  I am trying to eat more healthily while supporting a local farm.  Plus, as Mr. Bookish calls it, it's "adventure eating" because each week's box's contents are always a surprise.

I wanted to share a few of the recipes I made with this week's box.  I might share our culinary adventures from time to time this summer or every week.  I haven't decided yet!  ;P

The first photo in the post shows about a third of what we received.  

Here is what I made:

We received a LOT of plums.  Mr. Bookish doesn't like them as much as I do, so I decided to make him a dessert and add a little sugar to cut the tartness.  Just because a pie, tart, or cobbler recipe calls for sugar doesn't mean one has to use the full amount!

I used this Plum Crisp recipe from All Recipes.  It is super easy, and I will also use it when we get a few peaches.

The recipe calls for plums, flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, egg, and butter.

The finished product

I also made a garlic and parmesan cauliflower mash from the purple heirloom cauliflower.  It's a crazy color, but it was so, so good.  Everyone loved it!  I found this recipe from The Seasoned Mom.

The cauliflower mash had the same consistency of creamed potatoes.  If you want yours more like mashed potatoes, don't use as much broth.

I made a nice salad with the curly endive and heirloom lettuces.  I based it on a recipe from the New York Times.  Here is my take on it.  It's very light for summer, and the eggs give added protein.

Curly Endive Salad With Mustard Dressing, Egg and Gruyère

Ingredients:

4 large boiled eggs (cooked to your preference), at room temperature

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 small garlic clove, grated or mashed to a paste

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and black pepper

2 large handfuls tender, pale curly endive (from the center of 2 medium heads), washed and dried

2 large handfuls heirloom lettuce (or spring mix), washed and dried

About 2 ounces Gruyère

Procedure:

Divide greens on four plates. 

Chop eggs and place on top of greens. 

 

Mix dressing:  whisk together red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, garlic, and olive oil.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Dress each salad.

Using a vegetable peeler, peel cheese and top each salad with desired amount of cheese shavings.

Cook's Note:  Aged white cheddar tastes great on this salad, and we also made it with a champagne vinaigrette, too.

This salad is perfect for a lite dinner, especially after a large or filling lunch.

Inspiration

Here are a few things that are inspiring me.  I am still finding a few peonies at the markets (they seem to be no longer blooming in local gardens), and an Instagram Friend told me that Trader Joe's has them for sale now (I haven't been yet this week, but maybe I can go tomorrow).  It has been a minute since I've painted them.

These peonies are super cool because they change colors!  Both photos are of the same flower: They fade from reddish-pink to pale pink.

I'm also considering painting ducks if I can get a good photo of them.

In addition to painting, I've been enjoying drawing with the color changing pencils from Koh-i-Noor (I purchased them in Prague).  Here is my latest drawing of a tulip.  This pencil set is helping me get in touch with my inner child.

Some of the pencils are more monochromatic, like the green one I used in the stem and leaf.  Some of the reds and purples are more polychromatic.  

I'm working on the following posts for June:

Stay tuned!

What has been inspiring you lately?

Until next time...

Blessings!
Ricki Jill