Groceries delivered to your door.....sign me up!

At book club a few weeks, over some amazing roasted golden beets with orange segments and dill, my friends were discuss grocery stores....mostly b/c none of us read the book and that is what women in the suburbs do.  Turns out, one of my friends gets her groceries delivered to her door, on a day's notice, in the same zip code I live in.  She claimed this magical grocery store has grass fed, organic food as well as prepared dishes and paper towels.  What?!?!?!?!  This time of year is ridiculously busy for us all, safe to say, if someone can deliver dinner to my door,  I had to check it out!  Elephant Grocers is PHENOMENAL!  They have amazing quality, deliver the next day for a small fee, and have an amazing selection of products similar to a Whole Foods or Fresh Market for around the same price.  Did I mention they deliver!!!  You can get your groceries while in your jammies....assuming you do not usually shop in your sweat pants and glasses right after carpool, hoping you don't run into Harry Connick Jr. in the frozen food section.

I took the plunge, ordered a ton of food and was blown away!  The quality is exceptional and so were the prices.  My favorite products were the beets (obsessed), my Beecher Peppercorn White Cheddar from Seattle and lastly a jar of blue cheese olives, can you say, "Bloody Mary Bar!"

My groceries came to my door in 3 boxes;  packed with dry ice and regular ice packs with everything labeled and ready to go.  I had a dinner to prepare, snacks for our kids, perfect produce and kept a box to mail my holiday gifts in.  OH, and they gave me a coupon for 25% off my first order!  Game on!

Check them out...order lots of stuff...try the Grass Fed Beef...tell me what you think!

Elephant Grocers, Coupon code TRUNK with get you 25% off

If you need inspiration, here is a recipe using food from Elephant Grocers.  And stay tuned for my Bloody Mary bar....those olives are insane!

If you are used to reading my blog, you know you

can follow along with the pictures, or

Click here for a printable version

Grass Fed Beef Burgers with Sauteed Portabellas, 

Vidalia Onions and Beecher’s Peppercorn White Cheddar served with a side of Crispy Garlic Wedge Potatoes

1 pound Grass Fed Ground Beef

1/2 Tablespoon Steak Seasoning (or just add kosher salt and pepper)

4 Tablespoons Minced Garlic, divided

2 Russet Potatoes, scrubbed clean but leave skin on, sliced into wedges

1 pound baby portabella Mushrooms, washed and sliced

2 Vidalia onions, cut in half and sliced

Beecher’s Peppercorn White Cheddar sliced very thin

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Hawaiian Rolls or soft slider buns

Pre-heat oven to 450 and place a large sheet pan in oven

Cut potatoes into wedges.

Add wedges to a large bowl and toss with 4 T Olive oil, 

10-12 cloves of chopped garlic (3 T give or take), 

handful of Parmesan Cheese, and a few pinches of salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

Toss to coat and add to hot sheet pan from oven.

Bake for 30 minutes or until crispy and cooked. 

Add 3-4T olive oil to pan on med high. 

Add sliced onions and cook for 5 minutes, toss/stir frequently.

Add sliced mushrooms, cook until mushrooms are tender and onions are soft.

In same bowl you made potatoes in, add grass fed beef, 

1 T steak seasoning (or salt, pepper and some garlic powder),
and 1-2 T minced garlic.

Mix gently and form into small slider side patties. 

Grill to within 2 minutes  of perfection for your preference, top with Beecher cheese, 

close lid and cook an additional 2 minutes. 

Top each burger with sautéed mushrooms and onions.  

Serve with a side salad, and a huge helping of crispy potatoes wedges. 

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

I have a slight obsession with Costco.  For instance, if I won the lottery, it would be my first stop (ok, so I would follow it up with Nordstrom).  You can buy anything and everything there....including a car or a casket.  I make a weekly trip and always leave with a rotisserie chicken.  I may or may not also leave with 17 items that were not on my list, usually including something that will only fit on a flat bed cart.

Here is the part where I tell you what I do with my Costco, cooked to perfection, golden brown, still warm, rotisserie chicken.  I make a fabulous mayo free chicken salad and lots of chicken stock.  I freeze half my chicken stock and keep the rest for making Chicken and Broccoli Rabe and Cannellini Bean, Kale and Garlic Soup.  Using my rotisserie chicken without waste, I feel like a "pro" in the kitchen.  The chicken salad is also great to have on hand when I hit the 2:00 mark, need a nap, and raid the refrigerator in an attempt to "wake up."

If you are used to reading my blog, you know you
can follow along with the pictures, or
Click here for a Printable Recipe

I start by cutting everything up for both my stock and my chicken salad.  

I like to use only one cutting board, so order is important. 

Here is the order I dice and chop:

Celery: 3 stalks diced for chicken salad, 3 stalks roughly chopped for stock

Onion: Red, white, yellow, Vidalia; whatever you prefer for stock, 

just need one, peeled, cut in big chunks

Chop 1/2 red onion or 4 scallions for chicken salad

Red Grapes: Slice in half about 30 red, seedless grapes

Almonds: Whole almonds roughly chopped or sliced almonds 

(but first toast in a dry pan or oven over medium heat for 4-6 minutes)

Garlic: 5-6 whole cloves, just peel, for stock only 

Carrots:  Throw in a handful of baby carrots...or chunk up a real carrot, stock only

Spices:  In your stock pot, add a few sprigs of fresh rosemary, 

2 bay leaves, and 1 tablespoon each of kosher salt, Herbs de Provence, 

and a few cranks of black pepper

Next I cut up the chicken, I don't use the skin in my chicken salad but I 

do throw it in my huge soup pot for extra flavor (and fat).

There is no easy way to cut up an entire chicken....you are going to get dirty!

I know some of you are squeamish around the bones, 

and some won't eat the dark meat. 

Whatever you won't eat; bones, skin, the yucky part of the chicken 

(you know what I'm talking about) goes in your stock pot. 

The white meat (and dark if you like it) gets chunked up and 

goes in your chicken salad bowl. 

To finish your chicken salad mix: 1 container plain Greek yogurt with 

2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard, salt and pepper to taste.  This is your "mayo"

You can adjust and use more yogurt, mustard, etc.  

Chicken Salad also tends to be more dry on day 2 or 3. 

Mix together and chill before serving

Optional: add 1 T chopped fresh rosemary and add some blue cheese crumbles, or

omit the red grapes and almonds and substitute with dried cranberries and walnuts

For the Stock:

Cover entire chicken, veggies and spices with water

Bring to a boil and simmer for about an hour, let cool

Strain with a fine mesh strainer over mason jars

You can freeze as well however leave 1 inch from lid empty

Discard chicken, bones, etc.  

Broccoli Rabe is the new Kale

Kale is trendy and popular while boosting health benefits.....Broccoli Rabe does the same and is crazy delicious...I'm putting it on the map!  Also known as Rapini, this dish reminds me of my Italian Father from NY....partly b/c he taught me to LOVE this dish and partly because he says Broccoli Rabe way cooler than me.  The original dish uses sausage but I wanted to make it healthier (plus, I always have chicken in the house).

The leaves and stem of this vegetable have a distinct flavor that you will come to adore....they become fragrant as soon as they hit the heat! This dish is relatively low in fat, few ingredients make it conducive to weeknight cooking and leftovers are great for lunch the next day.

Put Pavarotti on Pandora, pour yourself a glass of Chianti and let's all fall in love with Broccoli Rabe!

Here you go...if you cook often you can follow the pics and short instructions

For a more detailed recipe, click below

Click here for a Printable Version

Here is what you need....Olive oil, garlic, chicken broth, flour, 

chicken cutlets, orecchiette pasta,  broccoli rabe, and all purpose flour 

To avoid using 2 cutting boards begin by cutting 1 inch off the bottom stems 

from the Rabe, discard, and roughly chop the rest in 1-2 inch chunks.

Note, the leaves and stems are edible! 

Rinse well in a colander.  Leave aside to drain until ready to add to dish. 

Start by peeling and chopping about 12 cloves of garlic 

 Over medium heat, sauté, 4-5 Tablespoons Olive oil, about 10 cranks of freshly 

ground black pepper and your chopped garlic 

 I cut 2 large chicken cutlets into strips on the horizontal, see below, 

and coat lightly in flour, salt and pepper

Add the Broccoli Rabe to the pan when your garlic is a light golden color

(be careful if Rabe is a little wet...it will cause the oil to spit a little at you)

 Once the Rabe is wilted, add to one side so you can 

cook the chicken 

 Add the chicken to the pan in a single layer. 

Cook each side for a few minutes, it will turn white with a 

light golden color.  Flip and cook the other side.  

 If you need to cook additional chicken, add the cooked cutlets 

to the rabe and continue cooking in a single layer.  

 Once the chicken is cooked, mix everything together and add 

1/2 cup chicken broth 

 Toss with cooked pasta (orecchiette or bow ties) and add freshly grated parmesan cheese

This is a good place to add a few pinches of kosher salt

and a few cranks of black pepper

 Serve family style right out of the pan with extra parmesan 

and some crusty bread 

My ode to corn and salsa.....

Buckets of White and Sweet Yellow Corn

Bought off the truck with the broken horn

Pick some tomatoes fresh off the vine

Margaritas on ice with hand squeezed lime

Pair with fish tacos or just a good 'ol chip

Grilled Corn Salsa is the ultimate summertime dip

This Grilled Corn Salsa is literally the most delicious things I make all summer.  It tastes like a garden and pairs with just about anything from Fish Tacos to grilled chicken to a good ol' blue corn tortilla chip.

I beg you to make this before the corn in husks is replaced by pumpkins and acorn squash...mostly because I don't have a fall poem yet.

Here you go...if you cook often you can follow the pics and short instructions 

For a more detailed recipe, click below

Click Here for a Printable Version

First...grill your corn in the husk 

(you can also cook in husks in the oven, or peel and boil)

 Peel back the husks when done...hopefully a few kernels
will have some grill marks on them

 Cut the corn off the cob, try to keep some intact in big chunks

 Add 1-2 cups halved cherry tomatoes (red or orange), half a chopped red onion,
a huge handful of chopped cilantro, the juice from a lime, salt, pepper
and about 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil. 

I mix everything in a bowl and store in several mason jars...it looks fancy that way.  

It is always better then 2nd day!  

Not much left the 3rd day if you made it correctly!