How I Used My CSA: Week 6

Week 6: collards, Chioga beets, kale, 2 bunches yellow onions, pea tendrils.

Again, only 6 items in this week's Lancaster Farm Fresh CSA half-share when there can be up to 9 items. You farmers having a hard time? I know there was a late planting start due to all the early spring rain, then a mini-drought and heat wave, so I'm not really busting your balls.

I ended up swapping out a head of lettuce (still have lettuce kicking on the back patio) for an extra bunch of yellow onions, 'cause you can always use onions, and, dang it, I was too slow to swap out for potatoes.
I immediately ran home from picking up the CSA and boiled the beets (too hot to roast, so opted for the quicker boil) to throw on top of a salad that had our homegrown lettuce, CSA pea tendrils, and leftover roasted potatoes from the Italian Market. OMG, beets are so good!

Cuba Libre: Brunch Without Borders

Cuba Libre Restaurant and Rum Bar recently celebrated their 10-year anniversary of serving Cuban food and beverages in Old City, and they're celebrating with a revamp of the menu after Chef Guillermo Pernot recently spent time in Cuba cooking with friends and chefs, bringing back recipes and inspiration.

It's been over 5 years since I've eaten at Cuba Libre, so I jumped at the chance when the restaurant invited me to join them for a bloggers brunch to sample their new Brunch Without Borders menu.
The Brunch Without Borders menu features 30 small plates ranging from breakfast staples like French toast to traditional Cuban taro root fritters, and just about everything else you could ever want for brunch, all with Cuban flare.

For $25 you can sample as many small brunch plates as you want until 1:30pm. Conditions of the unlimited Brunch Without Borders are that all guest at the table must participate, and bags of leftovers are not allowed. If you're not feeling quite so hungry, you are free to order a la cart from the menu until 2:30pm.

How I Used My CSA: Week 5

Week 5: green kale, red kale, shiitake mushrooms, garlic scapes, and scallions.

Gotta admit, this week's haul was the most disappointing of the bunch so far, because, at only 6 items, this was the smallest share so far (a half share at Lancaster Farm Fresh can have any where from 4-9 items); plus I was really hoping to swap out for yellow squash that were supposedly in the swap box, but was not so lucky. I ended up swapping two heads of lettuce (lettuce is still kickin' on our patio) for scallions and an extra bundle of garlic scapes.

We pretty much burned through this week's CSA share with just two dishes.Here's another rendition of the raw kale salad I mentioned last week. We received two bunches of kale, and I made raw kale salad on two separate occasions. I really have no interest right now in eating kale any other way. When I eat a huge bowl of raw kale massaged with vinegar and olive oil my body feels freakin' wonderful.

Fare

It's not often that I get excited for a restaurant opening, but the Fairmount and Art Museum area Fare, which bills itself as a "wine bar and organic kitchen," got my interest piqued and mouth watering with their menu alone.
Sure, there are all the buzz words and statements on the menu of any conscious restaurant — organic, local, free-range, grass-fed — but Fare steps up the consciousness game by stating that most of their dishes are gluten free, vegan cheeses can be substituted, and, probably most uncommonly, Fare states, " We do not season our dishes heavily, instead allowing the fresh and natural flavors to shine through."

Thank you! It's so easy for restaurants to take the easy way out of making food taste great with tons of salt and butter.

How I Used My CSA: Week 4

Week 4: collards, kale, portobello caps, garlic scapes, pea tendrils, and strawberries.

It seems like there was a slight interest in what I do with the contents of my weekly CSA from Lancaster Farm Fresh (I'm subscribed to a half share), so I guess I'll write about it. You're forewarned that nothing fancy is going to go on here in terms of cooking; that's just not how I eat at home. I guess you can use these posts to feel better about yourself if you thought food bloggers were doing great things at home in the kitchen (some are, I'm sure).

Posts will be a week (or more) after the fact, since I have to have time to use the produce in the share. Duh!I was lucky enough to use the swap box to trade out scallions (still had some left from the week before) for an extra share of strawberries. Locally grown strawberries are so much sweeter than those grown in California that you get from the grocery store! These were gobbled up in maybe two days, either straight out of hand or on my morning cereal. I eat cereal almost every morning.

Recap: A Full Plate's 1st Annual Chili Cook-Off

This past Saturday I had the pleasure of being a judge at A Full Plate's 1st Annual Chili Cook-off at Liberty Lands Park in Northern Liberties. I've judged before for A Full Plate's Rib Cook-off (look for that event some time later this year), and it's always a good time to get outdoors and critically rate food with fellow food lovers, whether you're on a judging panel or part of the crowd casting your vote for people's favorite.

The great thing about A Full Plate's cook-offs is that they don't leave out the vegans and vegetarians. Competitors in the chili cook-off were strongly encouraged to make a vegan chili for the event (most did), and A Full Plate's buffet of sides also had vegan and vegetarian offerings.Before it was time to judge, I had the boy get me a plate of mac and cheese and a seitan-based hot dog made by Shannon Dougherty, co-owner and chef of A Full Plate.

Reminder: Chili Cook-Off

This Saturday, June 11th at the Liberty Lands park, I'll be judging the vegan entries at A Full Plate Cafe's first ever Chili Cook-Off, and you should come out for the festivities, too!

For $10 you get to sample chili, and for $15 you get a bottomless cup of Philadelphia Brewing Co. beers. The beer cup is good for the cook-off *and* the Northern Liberties Music Fest that follows.

Professional teams include: Darling's Diner, PYT, Higher Grounds Cafe, Kraftwork, and more!

Movie Ticket Giveaway

Who wants to see an advance screening of The Trip, a comedic foodie adventure staring Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, on Tuesday, June 14th – 7:30PM at the Ritz East (125 S. 2nd Street, Philadelphia) ?

The premise: When his girlfriend can't make it, guy takes guy friend on road trip to review fine restaurants in the English countryside. Comedy ensues.

Sounds a bit like an English and foodie version of "Sideways" to me!

The first 15 people to email mac.and.cheese.review (at) gmail (dot) com with "yayfreemovie" in the subject line will get an admit-two pass to the screening.

Please include your name in the body of the email (tickets are will call and will be under your name). Note that these passes are first come first serve, and do not guarantee a seat if the theater is over capacity. So, don't show up late!

Update: And with that, the contest is over. If you won, you have been contacted.

Dickinson Square Park Farmers' Market

There's a new farmers' market in town! This past Sunday, June 5, marked the first day of the Dickinson Square Park Farmers' Market, and I dropped by to check out things.

Open on Sundays from 10 am to 2 pm, June through October, on the northwest corner of Moyamensing Ave. and Morris St., the Dickinson Square Park Farmers' Market is competing directly with the larger and more popular Sunday Headhouse Farmers' Market just a mile north, but I know I will try to patronize the Dickinson Square Park Farmers' Market over Headhouse.It's well documented that I don't enjoy the cramped setup of Headhouse Market (wide sidewalks at Dickinson Square make shopping pleasurable), plus Dickinson Square Park is just an inch closer to my house.

Currently, there are three vendors at Dickinson Square Park Farmers' Market — Down Home Acres, Darmo Family Farms, and Two Gander Farm — but hopefully the number of vendors will grow over time.

We arrived at the market at 11 a.m., and the vendors had already sold out of some items because of the crowds, but the vendors promise to bring larger quantities next week. Here's what we saw:

Izumi

Many foodies in town just gush over Izumi, the tiny BYOB sushi restaurant on Passyunk Ave. just across from the Singing Fountain. From what I hear, if you're into really fresh and interesting creatures from the sea served as sushi or sashimi, Izumi is where it's at.

But what if you're a vegetarian?

Izumi's food is perfectly fine — tasty, well executed, and beautiful — but, because of their small menu, there really isn't much that goes above and beyond most vegetarian offerings at sushi restaurants.
Vegetable tempura gets a little update with an accompanying 3-part tray of red pepper puree, smoked salt, and the traditional soy-based tempura dipping sauce.