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Food
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Wednesday, July 02, 2008, 10:42 AM
Spoil your family with local produce By Lisa Boykin Batts | Daily Times Lifestyle Editor I love to cook with local, fresh produce. My parents grew most of our vegetables when I was young, so I'm accustomed (maybe spoiled) to the crunch of an ear of Golden Queen corn, the flavor of a newly dug potato, the taste of a cantaloupe or juicy tomato grown on local soil, the sweetness of a watermelon you watched as it grew from week to week until it was finally mature enough to pick. Unfortunately, we no longer have the Rock Ridge farm Daddy tended for so many years. And the closest my husband, Reggie, and I come to farming would be the three heirloom tomato plants that are barely thriving on our hot carport. So we must rely on the labors of others. This year, we've visited the local farmers market at the Wilson County Fairgrounds and have purchased a number of things from snapbeans to cucumbers. On Saturday, Reggie and I stood in line to purchase two dozen ears of corn from the back of a pickup truck. I also carefully chose 2 pounds of organic squash for that night's supper, and rounded out our purchase with some cucumbers and an organic bell pepper. I told myself we would have a country supper Saturday night, and we did! Reggie and I cut the corn off the cob on about half our purchase, and I made a big pot of corn. I reserved three ears for family members (me included!) who prefer it on the cob. Then I made a squash casserole. I can never remember exactly how I make my squash casserole from year to year, so I usually look back at favorite church cookbooks for inspiration, but always change them around. The ones I like best include shredded carrot, some cheese and a topping of Pepperidge Farm herb stuffing mix. This year, as I wrote down the ingredients as I made my casserole. I thought it turned out great, and I especially enjoyed the leftovers. To go along with our meal, I sliced some tomatoes and added them to our plate, made cheese biscuits and experimented with a new chicken recipe. I've included that very easy recipe, as well. The chicken was delicious Saturday night, and the Italian seasoning made it very different from other chicken recipes I make. For Monday's lunch, I made thin slices of the chicken and placed the slices on a flour tortilla and topped it with a little bit of shredded Cheddar cheese. I wrapped it up and cooked it on my Paninni grill for an absolutely delicious lunch. ============================================================ Italian Chicken Strips 6 tablespoons honey mustard (could substitute Dijon) 1 tablespoon melted butter 1 clove minced garlic 3/4 teaspoon Italian seasonings 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into strips Mix honey mustard, butter, garlic and seasonings in a bowl. Either toss chicken in the bowl to coat with mustard mixture or brush mustard mixture onto chicken strips. Place in baking dish (it took two for me) and cook, covered with foil for 10 minutes at 350 degrees and uncovered for another 15-20 minutes until done. ============================================================ Squash Casserole 2 pounds squash, sliced 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped onion 1 can cream of chicken soup (I use low-sodium, low-fat)* 8 oz. reduced fat sour cream 2 carrots, shredded 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese Herb stuffing mix Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Boil squash and onion in salted water. Drain water and with a potato masher, coarsely mash vegetables. In large bowl, mix soup, sour cream and carrots. Mix in squash and onion mixture and 1 cup Cheddar cheese. Pour mixture into casserole dish prepared with cooking spray and top with stuffing mix. Bake at 350 for approximately 30 minute or until bubbly. * The casserole is not very salty prepared this way. If you like things salty, you might not want to choose the low-sodium version of the soup.
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