Category: Recipe

14 Mar 2022
Recipe Jen Langdon 0 comment

Lavender Shortbread Cookies

Lavender Shortbread Cookies

Dried lavender is available at Greenacres Michaela Farm.

Simple and sophisticated, these cookies are perfect for tea parties, luncheons, and make the perfect hostess gift when visiting friends. 

Recipe courtesy of Victor Sarringhaus

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Ingredients
  

  • 2 sticks butter
  • 3/4 cup confectioner's sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all purpose flour plus more for rolling
  • 1 cup cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1.5 tsp whole dried lavender buds

Instructions
 

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Add vanilla and beat to combine.
  • In a separate bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, and salt. Add the flour/cornstarch mixture to the butter/sugar mixture a third at a time, mixing after each addition. Add lavender with the final third of flour mixture. Dough will be crumbly.
  • Spread a teaspoon of flour on work surface. Turn out dough and work into a ball. Rub surface with flour. Roll into 1-inch log, wrap tightly with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 350º.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. On a very lightly floured surface, roll dough out to ¼” thick. Cut cookies with a 3" round cutter. Poke holes in cookies with a fork.  These cookies will not spread while baking, so they can be placed close together on the cookie sheet.
  • Bake 18-20 minutes. Color will stay light, but dough will be set. Cool 10 minutes.  Makes 20-24 3-inch cookies.
19 Jan 2022
Recipe Jen Langdon 0 comment

Bacon and Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast with Cheesy Pasta

Bacon and Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast with Cheesy Pasta

This elevated take on basic chicken breasts is fancy enough to serve to company, but quick enough for a weeknight meal!

 

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Ingredients
  

  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breast
  • 1/2 lb spinach, chopped
  • 1/2 lb bacon, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 8 oz pasta, such as penne or bowties
  • 5-6 oz creamy, easily melted cheese (such as Boursin, goat cheese, or cream cheese)
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350º. For the spinach filling, saute bacon in a large oven-safe skillet until crispy. Set cooked bacon aside to drain on paper towels. Pour off and reserve most of the rendered fat.
  • In the same skillet, saute the garlic until just starting to brown. Add spinach and stir often, scraping the browned bits off the bottom of the pan, until cooked down significantly and most of the moisture has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Add cooked bacon to the spinach mixture and combine.
  • Butterfly each chicken breast by slicing nearly through each piece, starting at the long side. Open the chicken pieces like a book and spread the filling evenly across each piece. Fold the pieces back together.
  • In the empty skillet, heat several tablespoons of the reserved bacon fat over medium-high heat. Carefully add the chicken breasts and sprinkle with salt and pepper, to your taste. Allow the chicken to cook for a few minutes on each side, until golden brown, about 4-6 minutes per side.
  • Transfer skillet to the oven, and bake until chicken is fully cooked, about 15-20 minutes.
  • While the chicken is baking, cook the pasta according to the package directions. Once cooked, reserve about a cup of the cooking water before draining.
  • Return the pasta to its cooking pot (remove it from the heat), add the cheese and a few tablespoons of the reserved pasta water. Stir to combine as the cheese melts, adding more of the pasta water a little at a time, as needed, until you have a creamy sauce.
  • Once the chicken is fully cooked, remove pan from the oven and allow to rest 5 minutes. Slice chicken and serve on top of a bed of cheesy pasta.
23 Jul 2021
Recipe Jen Langdon 0 comment

Quick Pork Chorizo Tacos with Cabbage Slaw

Quick Pork Chorizo Tacos with Cabbage Slaw

Try something new this Taco Tuesday! Our cook-and-serve chorizo pork sausage is the perfect taco filling (or quesadilla filling, or nacho topper…) Paired with a quick cabbage and carrot slaw, you can have a fun and filling supper on the table in about 30 minutes!

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Ingredients
  

For the slaw

  • 1 head cabbage
  • 2 carrots
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp mayonnaise
  • 3/4 tsp celery seed
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

For the tacos

  • 1 lb pork chorizo
  • 10 small corn tortillas
  • Other topping ideas: sour cream, pickled onion, lime, hot sauce, etc. to your taste

Instructions
 

  • In a skillet over medium heat, thoroughly cook the sausage.
  • While the sausage is cooking, shred the cabbage. Toss cabbage and salt in the basket of your salad spinner or in a colander set over a bowl or in your sink. The salt will draw out some of the moisture from the cabbage and keep your slaw from getting too watery. Allow cabbage to sit with the salt for at least 15 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, shred the carrot. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, mayonnaise, celery seed and pepper to create the slaw dressing.
  • When the sausage is thoroughly cooked, drain the cabbage by using your salad spinner or squeezing it with your hands in the colander, allowing the water to drain. In a large bowl, combine cabbage, carrot, and slaw dressing, tossing to combine.
  • Heat the tortillas in a skillet or over the open flame on a gas stovetop. Stuff tortillas with the sausage, slaw, and any other toppings of your choice!
27 May 2021
Recipe Jen Langdon 0 comment

Sous Vide Sirloin Steak with Herb Butter

Sous Vide Sirloin Steak with Herb Butter

You’ve probably heard some hubbub about sous vide, and how perfectly it cooks steaks. If you haven’t tried it yet…it’s definitely worth exploring! It’s our preferred method of cooking grassfed steaks, ensuring perfectly cooked results every time. The meat is gently heated in a water bath at precisely the temperature you choose, which makes it impossible to overcook. We prefer our steak cooked to an internal temperature of 135º (medium-rare). The sous vide circulator itself can be an investment – ask around and see if your neighbor/coworker/friend has one you can borrow for your first try, and see for yourself why it’s widely been touted as the greatest way to cook any steak!

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Ingredients
  

  • 1 Sirloin Steak
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 2 Tbsp canola or vegetable oil or any other high-heat compatible oil
  • 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 Tbsp minced fresh rosemary
  • 1 Tbsp minced fresh oregano
  • 1 Tbsp minced fresh thyme

Instructions
 

To Sous Vide and Sear Steak:

  • Fill a large, deep container with water. Set up your sous vide circulator and heat the water to 135º.
  • Season thawed steak on both sides with salt and pepper. Seal steak in a heavyweight, watertight plastic bag, removing all air with a vacuum sealer or by the water displacement method: submerge all but one corner of an almost sealed zip-top bag in the water, and finish sealing the last corner after all the air escapes. You can also sous vide your steak without seasoning in its original, unopened vacuum sealed packaging, and add seasoning before searing.
  • Completely submerge the sealed bag in the water bath, weighting if necessary. Allow to cook in the water bath at least 1 hour, but you can leave it in the water for up to 3 hours to work with the timing of the rest of your meal.
  • Once steak is cooked, remove it from the water bath and discard the plastic bag. Pat dry with paper towels. The steak will look quite unappetizing and gray at this stage, but is perfectly cooked inside.
  • To Sear: rub steak on all sides with 1Tbsp of oil, and heat remaining oil in a heavy skillet over high heat until just smoking. Sear steak for about 1 minute on each side, until a deep brown crust forms. Remove steak from the pan and allow to rest. Remove pan from the heat.
  • Make the herb butter: Add butter and herbs to the empty skillet off-heat. The residual heat in the pan will be enough to brown the butter and activate the aromatics. Use a spoon or spatula to scrape any tasty browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Serve steak drizzled with the herb butter.
  • For the most thorough instructions on sous vide steaks, check out the Anova Sous Vide Steak Guide: https://anovaculinary.com/sous-vide-steak/

To Grill Steak:

  • Allow steak to come to room temperature before grilling for maximum tenderness. Pat steak dry with paper towels, and rub on all sides with 1Tbsp vegetable oil. Season steak generously on both sides with salt and pepper.
  • Preheat grill to high heat. Place steak on the grill and cook 4-5 minutes before turning and continuing to cook 3-4 minutes on the second side for medium rare (internal temperature of 135º).
  • Remove steak from the grill and allow to rest. In a small skillet, heat butter over medium heat until beginning to brown. Add herbs and stir until butter is well browned and very aromatic. Serve steak drizzled with the herb butter.
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