Chimichurri

Sara recently shared another recipe to make good use of all our CSA veggies — chimichurri.

As she explained, "This is an Argentinian dip/sauce/spread that's a lot like pesto. It is so simple, but so good on almost anything." She said it's traditionally a condiment for steak, but her use it one sandwiches, potatoes and more.


It made a quick meal for me last night. I threw the ingredients in the food blender last night, including the pepper and lemon juice, and processed it in a matter of seconds. I also added sunflower seeds and parmesan cheese.


I added a bit of sauce to a slice of bread and topped it with shiitake mushroom caps and swiss cheese. Then I broiled it for about a minute. So wonderful! I can't wait to try this on steak and/or pasta.


Here's the recipe I used:

Chimichurri

From Sara Fennell

This is an Argentinian dip/sauce/spread that's a lot like pesto. It is so simple, but so good on almost anything. It is traditionally a sauce for steak, but we use it on bread, sandwiches, potatoes, etc.

Parsley                                                       

Olive oil                                                       

Salt

Garlic

Optional — lemon juice and pepper

Mix all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. If you like a strong garlic flavor, use a couple of cloves (or green garlic). Serve at room temperature.

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Epicurious has a version here and here's Wikipedia's description of the sauce.

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Here's some chimichurri sauces and Argentina cookbooks here:

Note: I recently started using Amazon Associates, a new Blogger program. I'm giving the program a shot. I haven't tried these products, so I can't necessarily recommend these specifically.

Scrapping

I went to a scrapbooking session last Friday night with my friend, Brenda. It was my first scrap in more than a year.

In fact, the last scrap I attended was with Brenda when she first introduced me to scrapbooking.

I've put off scrapbooking for lack of time and space in my little house. And I spend most of my little free time keeping up with bills and laundry and pursuing other interests . . . crocheting, knitting and sewing.

Besides spending time with Brenda, I realized (or remembered) how much scrapbooking makes me happy. Well, any time spent creating makes me happy. I don't really know why.

I spent time working on a small 5" X 7" book I had started over a year ago about my first trip off the East Coast — a visit to Chris' hometown of Evansville, Ind. That was back in 2007. See how far behind I am? I haven't even started on our wedding album yet (we've been married 2 years now).

Here are the 4 pages I completed:

On the way home, Brenda and I talked about how nice it would be to have a local scrapping club or get together in the Twin Counties. Last week's scrap was in Dobson, N.C. Though close, still not close enough to participate in the club's regular scraps.

I think scrapping clubs are the best way to complete albums. You get to spread out on large tables, spend hours of uninterrupted time working and fellowship with other like-minded people. Trying out new tools and winning drawings isn't too bad either. :)

Maybe we should organize our own scrap. It would be nice to get some albums completed.

2nd CSA bunch

We got our second CSA box today. Looks like we'll be eating a lot of salads this coming week. :)

The box included spinach, arugula, lettuces, garlic and parsley.

Sara with Groundswell Farm shared a recipe for this week too:

Chimmichuri
This is an Argentinian dip/sauce/spread that's a lot like pesto. -- Sara Fennell


Parsley
Olive oil
Salt
Garlic
Lemon juice (optional)
Pepper (optional)

Mix all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. If you like a strong garlic flavor use a couple of cloves (or green garlic). Serve at room temperature.
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Sara also told the CSA subscribers about Weathertop Farm in Floyd. The farm sells pastured chickens, turkeys, pigs, rabbits and eggs. The farm's website says it doesn't use antibiotics or hormones and the pasture is pesticide-, herbicide- and synthetic fertilizer-free.

I'm talking with Chris about buying chickens from them now. I'm glad there's a source for hormone free chickens in the area. I've been able to find hormone-free beef and pork at the farmer's market and Yoder's Farm Market (my favorite!).