The Produce Box

I have been scoring TONS of apples from The Produce Box deliveries. My daughter has been taking them for her lunch time fruit.  And I've been cutting them up for my own lunch :-) I kept thinking what should I make with my apples..  Applesauce or apple butter?  Hmmm, decisions, decisions..  Darling Daughter (DD) is not a jam or jelly fan so I went with the applesauce. I did NOT follow a recipe - I just "winged it".. Here you go :-) I peeled the apples. I bet I had at least 5 kinds! I think I probably peeled around 10 or so. I cored them and sliced them up I put them into the crockpot. I poured about 1/2 cup of water over the apples I then placed about 2 Tbsp of brown sugar over the top with 1 Tbsp of Splenda. Then I poured in the cinnamon - maybe a tablespoon or two.   I snapped on the lid and cranked it up to high for about 5 hours About 1/2 way through I stirred the apples By the time dinner was ready, the applesauce was ready as well!

There is nothing like a sweet potato, baked, with butter and cinnamon. So easy and so good for you (well, the potato is, not sure about the butter!) All you have to do is wash the potatoes, and wash them well if you plan on eating the skins! Poke a few holes in them. Wrap in foil, I always make a big bunch of foil at the top for easy transporting.   Place on the grill.  They have to bake about an hour on the grill, depending on the heat and how big the potatoes are! If you are just going to microwave, depending on the size, it will probably take between 8-12 minutes, for 2.  This also depends on the size of the potatoes and the strength of the microwave. Unwrap, slice open, slap some butter and cinnamon on the top and gobble up! :-) Enjoy!

I know, I know, this sounds insane.  It's not. Putting the lettuce on the grill adds a nice smoky flavor.. Preheat the grill, brush the grill plates with olive oil. I washed a head of romaine. I placed it directly on the grill and turned it every 1-2 minutes. Remove from grill, let cool. I typically peel off the top layer of lettuce as it is brown.  But if yours isn't, eat it! Cut the end off.  If the center is large, you can pull that out as sometimes that part is bitter. If not, just chop up romaine. Place in bowls.   I then added some nice pieces of Calvander (from the Chapel Hill Creamery) to the top, and cracked black pepper over it. We both poured balsamic dressing over the top and wolfed it down. YUMMMY!!!

These are a favorite at my house, for breakfast, for snack, ANY time!! Fair warning - as I seem to do this EVERY time - make sure you use different bowls for all the 'mixing'.  I always seem to get the flour mixture in my big mixing bowl, and that gets added in AFTER the shortening and sugar should be creamed in that same mixing bowl!  LOL 1 2/3 cup flour 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp allspice 1 cup pumpkin - fresh or canned (I prefer fresh!) 1/4 cup evaporated milk 1/2 cup shortening 1 cup light brown sugar 1 egg Streusel Combine first 6 ingredients.   Combine pumpkin and evap milk.    Cream shortening and sugar in large bowl.   Add egg, beat until fluffy.   Add flour mixture alternately with pumpkin mixture, beating well after each addition.   Fill paperlined muffin cups 3/4 full.   Sprinkle streusel over top.   Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Streusel

Local, fresh, delivered... turkey from TPB! For the first time ever at The Produce Box, we're excited to be able to offer two types of local  turkeys   for your holiday dinners this year. The "all natural and antibiotic free" turkey on our menu two weeks ago is from Ashley Farms. Last week's turkey is a "free-range, antibiotic free Heritage  turkey "  from Ray Family Farms. With our diverse member population, we wanted to be able to offer both options so that depending on your convictions and values, you can make the best choice for yourself and your family.  Each farm has their own set of costs involved, of course, and their prices reflect that.   We're just so pleased to be able to provide you with TWO local options for your holiday table -- both will be on our menu a few times in the coming weeks and will be available for pre-order with a set delivery date.

I saw this recently and thought 'hmmmmm, I wonder if that would be good'. We made it tonight and I can happily say "YES it is!" 3-4 cups vanilla ice cream 1/2 cup pumpkin (cook your own!) see Fresh Pumpkin Recipe 3 oz bourbon (optional!) 1/2 cup milk 2 Tbs caramel sauce 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg dash ground cloves whipped cream Combine first 8  ingredients in a blender.   Mix until smooth.  You may have to adjust the ice cream or milk. Pour into 2 glasses, top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Enjoy!!

Remove the seeds from the pumpkin and pull off all the stringy stuff Dry the seeds. Spread onto a piece of parchment paper, and pour a bit of olive oil over them. We cracked salt and then spread that over the seeds.  You could also use garlic or pepper or cinnamon. Bake at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes or until slightly brown. Cool.  EAT! This is my daughter and her friend gobbling them up!