When we talk about summer produce the first place our mind goes to is tomatoes. It is one of the first items harvested and has a very long season. There are so many different varieties of tomatoes and when they come in they come in a huge abundance. A perfect way to not waste the tomatoes is to make marinara sauce. If you spend a little more time and roast them the flavor really shines. Any extra marinara can be canned or frozen and used throughout the year. In the middle of winter when you are craving a hearty meal like lasagna you can still enjoy marinara with quality ingredients. We use grated carrot instead of sugar. This will balance the marinara out and add a sweetness with the bitterness of the tomatoes. 

Ingredients;

• Tomatoes (we prefer an heirloom)
• Garlic
• Carrots
• Basil
• Olive oil

Instructions;

• Preheat oven to 450 and line a baking sheet with foil.
• Place tomatoes with the bottom facing up and slice an x on each one. Peel garlic and place whole cloves on the sheet as well. Drizzle olive oil over tomatoes and garlic and roast for 45 minutes.
• Allow the tomatoes to cool. Remove skin. Slicing the x on the bottom will make this much easier.
• Grate a small carrot and chop the basil.
• Add the tomatoes and garlic to a food processor and puree.
• Transfer the pureed tomatoes and garlic to a pot and heat over low. Add the basil and carrot. 
• Let simmer for at least 15 minutes then serve or save for later.

Fritters are wonderful because they are so versatile with the ingredients that can be used. In the summer zucchini and squash can be the main ingredient and in the winter root vegetables provide just as much flavor.I like fritters with a sauce and my go to for easy sauces plain Greek yogurt. Mix sriracha or your favorite herbs with some lemon juice and put a dollop on top of the fritter. We are headed into summer in about a month so this recipe shows spring veggies but they can be replaced with whatever is currently in season. With all of the grating I recommend using a food processor to save a lot of time.
Ingredients;

• 1 medium turnip peeled and grated
• 2 small carrots peeled and grated
• minced red onion or finely dice green onions
• 1 kohlrabi peeled and grated
• minced garlic
• choice of fresh or dry herbs
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup flour
• salt & pepper
• olive oil

Instructions;

• Combine turnips, carrots, kohlrabi and onion. Place on a dishcloth and squeeze out all moisture. This is an important step otherwise the fritters will not cook correctly.
• Mix the vegetables, garlic, flour, herbs, egg, salt and pepper in a large bowl.
• Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. (I always use our cast iron for frying.) Drop a large spoonful of the fritter mixture in the skillet and flatten with a spatula. Cook several fritters together but make sure there is plenty of space between them.Cook for a couple minutes or until they start to turn brown and crispy and do the same for the other side. 
• Transfer to paper towels and add a little salt then serve on their own or with the yogurt sauce.

I do not have a great track record with pork chops. I have to cook them real low and slow or else they come out dry. We recently welcomed Heather's Custom Meats on as a supplier. I like to test out what we put in our boxes so we know that it meets our standard of quality. How much more of a test for quality than to grill a pork chop. With the blueberries in our boxes this week and just seemed like the perfect partnership. This dinner was quick, easy and the pork chop far exceeded our expectations. This is when I remembered that a good dinner has to have quality ingredients. If you don't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen but impress your family then put this into your dinner rotation.

Ingredients;​

• Pork chops
• Olive oil
• Fresh herbs and garlic minced
• Salt & pepper
• 1/2 cup white wine or chicken stock
• 2 tbs balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup blueberries
• 3 tbs raw honey
• lemon juice
• 2 tbs butter

Instructions

• Drizzle olive oil over both sides of pork chops. Rub the herbs,garlic, salt and pepper onto each side.
• Place the pork chops on a grill. If gas set at med heat. Cook each side for 5-6 minutes. Remove from grill and let rest.
• In a saucepan add the blueberries, balsamic vinegar, wine or stock and honey.Simmer until the sauce reduces by half, stirring occasionally. Add the lemon juice and butter and simmer for several more minutes. 
• Plate the pork chops and pour the sauce over the top. 

My sweet little Maggie has the strangest taste in food for a 6 year old. She refuses to eat pizza with red sauce, has to be garlic sauce. Devours mac and cheese with winter squash in it. Will eat any edible flower because it "tastes good and has to be magical". She will also not touch anything with potatoes, what kind of kid does not like french fries or mashed potatoes?! I do not know why but I have taken this on as a challenge so I am always looking for ways to trick her into eating potatoes. Well, I failed with her taking the bait on this one but everyone loved these eggs in a nest. 
Ingredients;

• 3 potatoes
• 2 carrots
• 1 tbs grated turmeric
• 1/2 c cheddar cheese
• eggs
• salt & pepper

Instructions;

• Preheat oven to 475
• Grate the potatoes and carrots. Wrap them in a smooth non fuzzy kitchen towel and squeeze out as much moisture as you can. The less moisture the better they will cook. 
• Place everything potatoes, carrots, turmeric, cheese, salt & pepper in a mixing bowl and combine.
• Coat a regular size muffin tin with cooking spray. Fill each muffin tin with the mixture then push down the middle and up the sides. These will cook down so don't worry about it looking like too much. 
• Bake for 13 minutes and the edges begin to brown.
• Remove from oven and lower the heat to 350. Crack an egg in each of the nests. For medium eggs bake for 13 minutes.
• When it is done use a butter knife on the sides and then slowly remove from the muffin tin and onto a plate. 

When I was growing up we spent many Christmas' in Tahoe. My dad would wake us up early on Christmas morning and rush us through opening Santa's presents, load us in the car and make the drive to spend the day skiing. When the ski lifts would begin to shut down and we were wet, cold and exhausted we would get back into the car and drive all the way home. It is not common for restaurants to be open on Christmas night so our dinner consisted of Denny's where my brother and sister and I would feast on a grilled cheese sandwich. We still talk about it 30 years later laughing about it and I wouldn't change it for the world but at the time what we really wanted was to wake up on Christmas, open our presents and enjoy the day playing with our new toys and end the night with a normal Christmas dinner. 
For the majority of my twenties I lived in Tahoe and that meant combining those childhood memories with what we actually wanted at the time. One year stayed in Reno and went out for a nice dinner. My dad ordered shanks for dinner and still to this day talks about how that was one of the best meals he ever ate. When my parents recently came to visit us I knew I had to make him shanks. I was so excited and the pressure was on for the perfect recipe. When I told him he then just talked about how the Reno dinner was the best and nothing could top it. The challenge was on! That night I created one of the best meals I have ever made and for weeks every time I talked to him on the phone he brought it up. This recipe is not hard or super time consuming and it doesn't call for technical fancy cooking techniques. What makes it fabulous is the quality of ingredients. With the wine use a wine that you would enjoy drinking. Fresh local vegetables, quality meat and good conversation around the table will give you a meal your family or friends will be talking about for a long time.

Ingredients;

• Beef shanks bone in
• Flour to coat shanks in
• olive oil
• Diced onion
• Diced carrot
• Diced fennel (you can use celery instead but I prefer fennel)
• 2 tbs tomato paste
• 1 c red wine
• 4 c beef or bone broth (homemade is best)
• fresh rosemary and thyme (can use dry if you do not have fresh on hand)
• rough chopped garlic
• Salt & pepper

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees
• With a kitchen towel pat dry the shanks then salt and pepper them and coat in flour.
• Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven or large stock pot. When the oil is really really hot add the shanks and brown each side. This should be about 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove when browned and set aside.
• Add the carrots, onions and fennel to the pot and sauté on medium until softened. Add the garlic and sauté about 30 seconds being careful not to burn.
• Add the tomato sauce and combine with the veggies. Then add the beef stock, red wine, herbs and your beef shanks.
• Cover the pot with a lid and place in the oven for three hours.
• After the shanks are done cooking very carefully remove them from the pot trying not to let them fall apart. Put the pot on the stovetop over low and allow the sauce to simmer and reduce. 

If I were to say ramen most people associate that with the sodium infused 10 cents a packet broke college student staple. That is not ramen. It is so delicious with a rich deep broth and everything just comes together in this beautiful way. The broth can take a long time to develop those perfect flavors but I think I have discovered a way to come in a quick second with this recipe. It looks like a lot of work but it honestly does not take that long to put together, If you are a meal planner I recommend marinating the egg overnight but it is not mandatory. If you do not like boiled eggs they can be replaced with a poached or fried egg as well. The real key to this recipe being a success is quality ingredients. Try making your own bone broth and the difference will be quite noticeable. The beef and beef broth can be replaced with chicken and chicken broth or the meat can be omitted completely. If there are ingredients you do not like they can be replaced with something else or left out. Be sure not to cook noodles with the broth otherwise it will affect the flavor.
Ramen Recipe;
Ingredients;

• 1 tbs sesame oil
• Chopped onion
• Minced garlic
• Minced ginger
• Chopped fennel or celery (I prefer fennel)
• 1 tbs chili garlic sauce
• 1/2 tbs fish sauce
• 1/2 c soy sauce
• 1/4 c rice vinegar
• sliced mushrooms
• Flank steak or carne asada
• 4 c bone or beef broth
• Bok choi or greens of your choice
• 1 package noodles such as udon or soba
• Toppings of your choice such as scallions, cilantro, lime or red chili flakes.

Instructions

• Heat oil in a large pot or dutch oven. Add the onion, mushrooms and fennel until they are soft. Add the garlic and ginger for about 30 seconds being careful not to burn them.
• Cook noodles according to package instructions.
• Add the broth and 1 cup of water, soy sauce, vinegar, fish sauce and chili sauce. Stir together, bring to boil then reduce heat to a simmer. 
• While broth is simmering grill the steak to medium rare. When done slice very thin then add to the broth. 
• In the last 5 minutes of cooking add the box choi. 
• To serve place noodles in bowl then pour the broth over them. Place a ramen egg in the bowl and any toppings you choose.

Ramen Egg

• Soft boil as many eggs as you want to serve then immediately place in an ice bath for 20 minutes. 
• Whisk together 1/4 c soy sauce, 1/4 c rice vinegar and 1/2 c water. Place egg in the mixture making sure eggs are covered. Put in fridge overnight.

Minestrone soup takes me back to my childhood. To birthdays, starry nights and lots of laughter. From ages 1-7 our family lived in Sebastopol in the cutest little log cabin surrounded by hills covered in green grass perfect for running and exploring in. One of the restaurants we always went to and my dad still talks about to this day is Dinucci's in Valley Ford. It amazes me that at age 40 the drives there and home and the restaurant itself are so strong in my mind. On the way home I would be so tired and can remember resting my head on the window and seeing all of the stars shining bright. My dad to this day still talks about this restaurant and how he loved that it would be full of lawyers in their suits sitting at the bar next to dairy men in work clothes and rubber boots. My mom always had a quarter for my sister and I to play Mrs. Pacman in the bar while we waited for our table. Every birthday dinner was spent there where we enjoyed rainbow sherbet with the sparkling candle that never blew out. The raviolis were tasty but what they were famous for, and still to this day is their minestrone soup. I have since discovered they have what could be compared to a cult following for this soup. When I was 27 met someone in North Carolina who grew up across the street from the restaurant and his mom waitressed there her whole adult life. Talking about the minestrone soup was like discovering someone else that belonged to the same secret club as me. This just proves the power of food and how connected it can make us. Unfortunately I do not have their recipe but I have figured out how to make a decent runner up soup to theirs. What is great about minestrone is that it can be made with whatever is in season at the moment. Zucchini in the summer and the greens and winter squash in the colder months. Most recipes call for celery, however I like to use fennel in it's place because I am not a fan of celery. Use whichever one you prefer.
Ingredients;

• Olive oil
• Onion chopped
• Carrots peeled and chopped
• Celery or fennel chopped
• 1/4 c tomato paste
• Chopped seasonal vegetables (I usually choose 2)
• Garlic cloves chopped
• Italian seasoning (fresh oregano, parsley and thyme are best)
• 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 2 cups water
• red pepper flakes
• Salt & Pepper
• 1 cup small pasta (macaroni, fusilli etc)
• 1 can cannelloni beans
• 2 cups chopped greens 
• 1 chopped parmesan cheese rhine (optional)
• Ground Italian sausage (optional)

Instructions;

• Heat olive oil in large stockpot or dutch oven. Add the onion, carrot, and fennel. When veggies have softened add the tomato paste and salt and pepper and mix together, Add the seasonal vegetables, garlic and herbs. Cook for about 2 minutes and stir occasionally, Pour in the diced tomatoes, broth and water, Add red pepper flakes and the parmesan rhine. The more part rhine you add the thicker the soup will be. 
• Raise the heat to medium high and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer after it begins to boil. 
• About 15 minutes before you serve add the pasta, beans, greens and sausage if you are adding it. 
• Grate parmesan cheese over the individual soup bowls for garnish.

It had never crossed my mind to buy fresh fennel. I always associated it a strong licorice flavor and was convinced I would not like it. When it became available for our boxes I knew I was going to have to put my pre-conceived notions to the side and do some experimenting. The best people to ask on how to cook something are the farmers who grow it themselves. That is how I found out that roasted fennel and raw fennel taste completely different. After reading countless roasted fennel recipes on Pinterest I decided just to keep it simple. Instead of that strong licorice tasteI was pleasantly surprised roasted fennel has a sweet mild flavor that is not overwhelming at all. Bonus, it is super simple which is always something I appreciate.
Ingredients;

• Fresh fennel
• Olive oil
• Salt & Pepper
• Parmesan cheese
• Fresh chives or green onions
• Reserved fronds chopped

Instructions;

• Preheat oven to 375
• Cut the fronds off of the bulbs and keep to the side. Cut the bulbs in half and the cut the halves into slices.
• Drizzle olive oil over the bottom of a baking dish. Arrange the sliced fennel bulbs in a single layer in the baking dish. Drizzle more olive oil over the top of the fennel along with salt and pepper. Bake for 35-40 minutes.
• When the fennel is fork tender remove from oven. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over the top along with the chives or green onions. Roast for an additional 3-5 minutes.
• When done sprinkle some of the fronds over the top.

I am a self professed pasta lover. If I had to choose between giving up sweets and desserts or pasta, I would give up desserts. I have made my own raviolis but this week was the first time I had made noodles on my own. I am not sure why but there was this image in my head of a huge mess and lots of hours invested. I was so wrong. Making your own pasta is super easy. I played around with a recipe and found that adding a vegetable into the dough was super easy. My 6 year old daughter Maggie has inherited the love for carbs from me, however her love for vegetables changes daily. One day she is snacking on carrots and asking for kale for dinner. The next day she dislikes any and all produce. There is never a day that she says no to noodles though. We made pasta with roasted kabocha squash and it was a huge success. The squash taste is very mild but it adds such a beautiful fresh flavor.I don't think I will ever by store bought again.
Winter Squash Pasta
Ingredients;

• 1 cup roasted winter squash (butternut, pumpkin, acorn or kabocha)
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups flour

Instructions;

• Add the squash, egg yolk, egg and salt to a KitchenAid or food processor. Mix until smooth and blended scraping down edges as needed.
• Add the flour 1/2 cup at a time. Scrape down edges as needed. The dough will come to a ball. 
• Move the ball of dough to a floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes. The dough should become soft and not sticky. Add a little flour at a time if it is still sticky. 
• Wrap the dough in saran wrap at room temperature for 30 minutes. You can keep the dough in the fridge for a couple days after this if you want to wait to use it.
• Divide the dough into 4 sections and cover the ones you are not using with a damp cloth so they do not dry out. If not cooking pasta immediately use a drying rack or place on baking sheets dusted with flour.
• Flatten out your first piece and dust with flour. If you have a pasta maker you can use it. If you do not then use a rolling pin and roll it thin. Make sure the dough does not stick to the surface you are rolling on. 
• If the dough is very long you can cut it in half. Slice long strips through the rolled out dough. I found that a pizza cutter works perfect. 
• Bring a big pot of water to a boil and add the pasta in a little bit at a time. Fresh pasta will only take a few minutes to cook, when all of the pasta floats to the top it will be done. Remove with slotted spoon and serve with your choice of sauce.