Seasonal Roots

*Sponsored Post
Seasonal Roots has been around since 2011, and is a very unique farmers market! Members order online on the weekends and orders are home-delivered once a week. Their mission is to connect families with local family farmers who use sustainable, humane practices. "Veggie Fairies" home-deliver freshly harvested produce, pastured eggs, grass-fed dairy and meat, plus artisan fare.  Free delivery is currently available in NoVA and they will start to deliver in the Montgomery County area May 8th, which means their menu will be open for ordering for MD the weekend of May 3rd-5th. 

Hungry Harvest

*Sponsored Post
Hungry Harvest is on a mission to eliminate food waste by buying and selling surplus produce (aka "ugly produce") to members in the DC/MD/VA area.  For every bag of produce sold, one bag is donated to a community member in need.

At Home: Potatoes Au Gratin

When thinking of an easy, cheesy, side dish to accompany a family meal of steak and scallops, I made Potatoes Au Gratin and share it here on What Micky Eats...At Home.  These layered potatoes are a great alternative to regular mashed potatoes or other starchy side.  Customize with your favorite kind of cheese.  Get perfectly uniform sliced potatoes with a mandolin.

At Home: Spinach Pie Wreath

My in-laws host a Christmas Eve party every year.  I usually help make appetizers for people to nibble on while they are mingling with each other.  Last year, while searching for inspiration, I stumbled upon this cute picture on Pinterest and had to recreate it.  I thought the green colors of the spinach looked like a wreath and I added the marinara sauce for that holiday red.  Check out my version of Spinach Pie Wreath next on What Micky Eats...At Home.   The wreath yields 18 - 24 pieces, depending on how big your circle is. 

At Home: Roasted Tomatillo Guacamole

Bravo’s Top Chef Masters. PBS’ Mexico–One Plate at a Time. James Beard award-winning restaurants. Chef Rick Bayless knows flavor and he partnered with Negra Modelo to feature some of his own recipes for their Beer Meets Food campaign.  I recently made his Roasted Tomatillo Guacamole and wanted to share with you...At Home.  This classic Mexican party dip is a crowd pleaser and has a nice twist with the tomatillos plus some chicharrón for added crunch.

At Home: Butternut Squash & Goat Cheese Pizza

For my first Blue Apron experiment...At Home, I tackled the Butternut Squash & Goat Cheese Pizza.  This recipe uses fall produce and a silky béchamel sauce to put a gourmet spin on the traditional pie. The goat cheese is from Vermont Creamery located in Websterville, VT, and is creamy with a crumbly texture and slightly tart flavor that cuts the sweetness of caramelized fennel and butternut squash. Any way you slice it, this meal is a delicious, warming autumn favorite perfect for vegetarians.

At Home: Kapnos Kolokithokeftedes

For my next Restaurant Recreations...At Home, try these zucchini fritters, or kolokithokeftedes, as a great appetizer for your Greek-inspired meal.  These fritters are a popular item from Kapnos and Zaytinya, and was recently made at a cooking class by Chef George Pagonis.  He was gracious enough to share the recipe with me, as I remarked these are one of my favorite vegetarian dishes.

At Home: Caprese Tart

Keith picked up a ton of large ripe tomatoes from the farmer's market.  They were big and juicy, and I had some left over pie crust and thought I could make a savory treat out of it all.  For my next experiment for What Micky Eats...At Home, I make an easy and pretty Caprese Tart.  Try this simple dish as an appetizer at your next party.  It will surely be a crowd pleaser.

At Home: Corn Pudding

I love all the sides that come with Thanksgiving dinner: stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, sweet corn, and various fall vegetables.  My grandmother, Lea, makes a decadent sweet corn dish that combines the necessary vegetable with starch to make a classic comfort food dish.  This next installment of What Micky Eats...At Home features Grandma Lea's Corn Pudding.

At Home: Cheesy Kale Chips

Have you joined the kale band wagon yet?  Kale is one of the latest greens in the "super foods" craze and is super high in fiber, known to help lower cholesterol, and proven to lessen the risk of certain types of cancer.  It can be a bit bitter to eat raw, but it is easy to cook like you would spinach, by steaming or sautéing lightly with oil and garlic.  It can also be added to make your green smoothies.  Kale is pretty cheap compared to other greens, and we recently picked up a big bag for a couple bucks.  As my next experiment for What Micky Eats...At Home, Keith begged me to use up the rest of the kale and I decided to make Cheesy Kale Chips.

At Home: Truffle Yam Fries

It's Labor Day weekend, which means summer time is soon ending.  But we still like to celebrate with lots of picnics and barbeques full of hot dogs and hamburgers.  Next on What Micky Eats...At Home, I make a "fancy" variation of the popular French fry to go with your grilled menu.  Instead of regular potatoes, sweet potatoes, or parsnips, I used yams!  And the fancy factor comes with the use of fragrant truffle salt.  Check out my Truffle Yam Fries below.  Serves 2.

At Home: Sugo Eggplant Caponata

Next on Restaurant Recreations...At Home, I tackle one of Cava’s most popular Mediterranean small plates called eggplant caponata. Punched up with chopped olives, capers, and a scattering of mint it was a huge hit at the restaurant.  No longer available on Cava's menu, Chef Dimitri Moshovitis now features it in his newest restaurant, Sugo Cicchetti in Potomac, MD. As with many Italian preparations, prime produce and good olive oil are the keys to the dish. Eggplant and mint are more abundant at farmers markets as the weather warms, and the rest of the ingredients can be found in grocery stores.

At Home: Eggplant Lasagna

Whether you like traditional eggplant parmesan or lasagna, try this hybrid featured on What Micky Eats...At Home known as Eggplant Lasagna.  This is a great noodle-free spin on a classic Italian comfort dish, and a way to satisfy those with pasta/gluten allergies as well.  It is much easier (and slightly healthier, despite all the cheese) than eggplant parmesan, as you do not coat the eggplant in breadcrumbs and fry them.  Simply layer the eggplant as if they were your lasagna noodles.

At Home: Hot Spinach & Artichoke Dip

For San Francisco, we decided to use sourdough bread as the accompaniment to a Hot Spinach & Artichoke Dip.  I found a guilt-free recipe that is supposedly lighter that other versions.  Check out the other Super Bowl Snacks that we made and find the recipe on What Micky Eats...At Home.

At Home: Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

I love hummus, a Middle Eastern and Arabic spread or dip made from cooked, mashed chickpeas blended with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic.  It is so easy to customize too by adding any of your favorite ingredients.  Next on What Micky Eats...At Home, I make Roasted Red Pepper Hummus.  Try this super easy dip that makes a great and healthy snack served with flatbread such as pita, crackers, pretzels, or crudité.

At Home: Parmesan Tuiles with Heirloom Tomato Salad

Chopped red, green and orange tomatoes are tossed with olive oil and herbs, then served on homemade cheese crackers called Parmesan tuiles. The result: a supremely colorful, incredibly easy hors d'oeuvre. I recently made these at a Christmas Eve party and they were devoured quickly!  Try these Parmesan Tuiles with Heirloom Tomato Salad as seen on What Micky Eats...At Home.

At Home: Goat Cheese-Stuffed Mushrooms

Try this easy appetizer of Goat Cheese-Stuffed Mushrooms from What Micky Eats...At Home. They are great for your next holiday party as they can be made ahead of time and left at room temperature. Goat's-milk cheeses are typically lower in cholesterol, calories and fat—and higher in calcium—than cow's-milk ones. Here, creamy chèvre is stuffed into antioxidant-rich mushrooms and topped with crispy herbed bread crumbs.

At Home: Mini Spanakopita Cups

With the holiday season comes many parties that involve wine, hors d'oeuvres, and good company.  If you are hosting, it can be overwhelming to buy and prepare all the food in order to make your party festive, while still entertaining and mingling with guests.  Next on What Micky Eats...At Home, I share a simple finger food appetizer that can be whipped up easily for your next get together. Check out these Mini Spanakopita Cups for a fun Greek bite to add to your party menu.

At Home: Stuffed Shells

I am an only child and a true "Daddy's girl".  Yet, my parents brought me up to be very independent and were not surprised that I chose to settle down in DC, which is almost 5,000 miles from home.  Eventually, my parents missed me too much and left the island where I grew up to move to the mainland to be closer to their now-adult-daughter.  With them being only an hour away from me now, I do not visit them as often as I should.  So while Keith was away, I decided to spend the weekend with my parents and convinced my Dad to make one of my all time favorite meals.  Check out my Dad's Stuffed Shells here on What Micky Eats...At Home.