Cindy's Recipes and Writings

Grow more food indoors with Rise Gardens

Posted on March 11, 2025 by Cindy Kerschner

I received a Personal Garden from Rise Gardens to trial and review. I received no further compensation. All opinions are my own.
Imagine a year round indoor garden that can provide healthy eating for the whole family. That’s what is possible with a Rise Gardens home garden.

Photo courtesy of Rise Garden.

It’s been 30 days of growth using my Personal Rise Garden. What started out as seedlings pictured here on day 8 …
has turned into these thriving plants in as little as 30 days!

Leafy varieties give you the option of pruning up to 25 percent of the leaves at a time for addition to any meal. I pruned these leaves off the Pai Tsai ditty and used them in a quick stir fry!

Rise vertical gardens systems grow fresh produce in a small space. These compact hydropanic gardens fit into any home situation.
It comes complete with its own light system, water filtration and nutrients.
The Rise Garden app monitors water levels and controls duration of light depending on your chosen plants. Reminders in the care tab let you know how much and when to add nutrients.

Look at the roots on this pai tsai!

You can also use your Rise Garden as a seed starter. Transplanting plants into soil like these radishes, is also an option.

Many choices are available from Rise Garden for building your indoor garden. Featured here is a personal garden with eight spaces on one level. Family sized gardens can offer up to 40 pounds of produce grown on several vertical levels. You can grow everything from tomatoes to strawberries in these hydroponic towers.
Learn more about Rise Gardens at https://risegardens.com/.

Posted in garden, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian, What's For Dinner? | Leave a comment

Lemon Rosemary Champagne Chicken

Posted on March 1, 2025 by Cindy Kerschner

I received a sample meat pack from Crowd Cow in exchange for product reviews. I received no further compensation. All opinions are my own.
Lemon Rosemary Champagne Chicken serves tender roasted chicken bathed in lemon rosemary salt served with a delicate champagne butter sauce.

Whole roasted chicken can seem intimating to prepare. Will it be dry? Will the skin be crispy? What if I overcook it?
Follow these tips to help ensure you get the best results:

Bring chicken to room temperature. Thoroughly pat dry inside and out.
Loosen skin and season directly on meat with salt and pepper or seasoning rubs inside and out.
For crispy skin, lightly coat it with oil or melted unsalted butter. Season skin too!
Start your roast using high heat. I roast whole chicken at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes per pound. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and/or cover any area you feel is browning too fast.
Check internal temperature about 3/4 of the way done to prevent overcooking. Temperature should be at least 165 degrees and juices run clear when fully cooked.
Rest cooked chicken 10 to 15 minutes before slicing to allow juices to settle back into meat.

It also helps to start with the right bird.

Farmer Focus chickens are raised using traceable, sustainable and humane methods. Each package contains a QR code that takes you directly to the website where you can enter the farm code found on each package where your chicken was raised.

Learn more about Farmer Focus farming practices at https://www.farmerfocus.com/.
“Our mission is to create an alternative to the current meat commodity system, and to create a meaningful connection between the farmer and the customer, so people can know and appreciate exactly where their food comes from.”
Learn more about Crowd Cow here

Lemon Rosemary Champagne Chicken

Print Recipe

Ingredients

1 whole chicken 3 1/2 to 4 pounds

rub

1 tablespoon lemon juice I used Meyer lemons)
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary

cavity

2 lemons cut quartered
1 shallot, diced
1 sprigs fresh rosemary

gravy

tablespoon butter
1/2 cup diced shallot
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup champagne
1 tablespoon rosemary finely chopped
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon capers

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place chicken into roasting pan.
Mix together lemon juice, salt, pepper, oil and rosemary, Apply rub under skin on meat and over chicken skin.
Mix together cavilty ingredients and stuff into chicken cavity. Truss chicken shut.
Roast chicken for about 20 minutes per pound until internal breast temperature reaches 165 degrees and temperature between thigh reaches 170 degrees. Residual heat will rise temperature to 180 degrees at thigh. About 1 hour roasting time.
While chicken rests prepare gravy. Saute shallots in butter for about 1 minute until translucent. Add chicken stock, lemon juice, champagne, and rosemary. Simmer for about 4 to 5 minutes over medium heat to reduce volume. Stir in cream and capers. Heat thoroughly. Serve.

Posted in chicken, lemon, What's For Dinner? | Leave a comment

Orange Fennel Salmon over Black Rice

Posted on February 20, 2025 by Cindy Kerschner

I received a sample meat selection from Crowd Cow in exchange for reviewing their products. In this series I will feature products from various farms in my recipes. I received no further compensation. All opinions are my own.
Orange Fennel Salmon over Black Rice serves delicate, white wine and lemon marinated sockeye salmon that’s baked with carmalized fennel and onion. An easy to prepare dish that’s fit for any occasion.

My second recipe in this series features wild-caught Sockeye Salmon from Bristol Bay.
Jump to Recipe
I truly believe sustainability is so important to today’s food industry. I also feel the need to know where my food originates.
Crowd Cow is a company that deals only with sustainable meat producers and requires farm to table transparency by including information on each farm and source. Crowd Cow uses compostable packaging and quality controlled shipping.
About the company from their website:
“Taste, transparency and convenience shouldn’t be mutually exclusive. This has been our founding belief since we started in 2015, and it continues to be the force that drives us.
It’s why we partner with ethical farms, fisheries and producers around the world. Source delicious, high-quality and more sustainable food. Share the stories of the producers we carry. And make our products easy to access, no matter where you live in the country.
This is the recipe for a great meal at home — food that’s better for you, better for the earth, better for the animals and better for the hardworking farmers, fishermen and producers behind it all. So come join the food transparency movement and taste the difference, because the difference tastes better.”
Learn more about Crowd Cow and the companies they represent in this series.

Today’s post brings you more about Bristol Bay, provider of the salmon in this recipe.

Bristol Bay Sockeye Salmon’s wild flavor is a result of sustainable practices in the planet’s leading sockeye provider. For over 130 years, the commitment to responsible fishery management has produced salmon rich in omega-3s, antioxidants, and vital nutrients.

This company like the other family companies on Bristol Bay, uses small boats and hand harvests its salmon catch. The small boats limit keeps large companies from monopolizing the catch. They also monitor the river migration and spawning beds. That’s what I call sustainable practices!

Orange Fennel Salmon

Print Recipe

Servings 2

Ingredients

2 6 ounce Salmon filet (I used Crowd Cow Bristol Bay Sockeye)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup thinly sliced fennel, save fronds for garnish
1 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 each thinly sliced seedless orange (I used a Cara Cara)
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon sugar
juice from 1 lemon
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 cups cooked black rice

Instructions

preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Pat salmon dry with paper towels. Season salmon with salt and pepper. Lightly spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Place salmon in dish skin side down.
Heat large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil, fennel and onion. Saute for about minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Add salt, pepper, thyme, and wine. Sprinkle with sugar.
Cook vegetables for about 10 minutes, stirring as needed to prevent sticking until vegetables begin to carmelize.
Place vegetables over salmon. layer orange sliced on top. Squeeze lemon juice over top.
Bake for approximately 10 minutes until fish easily flakes and internal temperature reaches 145 degrees.
Remove cooked thyme. Plate salmon over rice and garnish with fresh thyme anf fennel fronds.

Food For Thought…What’s your favorite flavor combos for salmon? I’d love to hear your ideas in a comment below!

Posted in fish, oranges, salmon, seafood, What's For Dinner? | Leave a comment

Sundried Tomato Chimichurri Strip Steak

Posted on February 15, 2025 by Cindy Kerschner

I received a sample meat selection from Crowd Cow in exchange for reviewing their products. In this series I will feature products from various farms in my recipes. I received no further compensation. All opinions are my own.

Sundried Tomato Chimichurri Strip Steak serves a fresh, robust sun dried tomato and parsley chimichurri sauce sprinkled with crumbled Gorgonzola over tender steak. A combination of tangy citrus and salty cheese makes this steak irresistible.
Jump to Recipe
Sustainability is so important to today’s food industry. Equally important is knowing where your food originates.
What would you say to a company that deals only with sustainable meat producers and requires farm to table transparency by including information on each farm and source? What if they used compostable packaging and quality controlled shipping?
If you’re like me, you will say, “Tell me more about this company!”
Okay, I will. It’s called Crowd Cow!
About the company from their website:
“Taste, transparency and convenience shouldn’t be mutually exclusive. This has been our founding belief since we started in 2015, and it continues to be the force that drives us.
It’s why we partner with ethical farms, fisheries and producers around the world. Source delicious, high-quality and more sustainable food. Share the stories of the producers we carry. And make our products easy to access, no matter where you live in the country.
This is the recipe for a great meal at home — food that’s better for you, better for the earth, better for the animals and better for the hardworking farmers, fishermen and producers behind it all. So come join the food transparency movement and taste the difference, because the difference tastes better.”
Learn more about Crowd Cow and the companies they represent in this series.
Today I want to share my recipe for Sundried Tomato Chimichurri Strip Steak from Frigorifico Pando Farms with you.
A QR code on the package takes you directly to the source farm.

There you will learn about how their cattle are raised responsibly, and their sustainability practices for land and water. Learn more about Frigorifico Pando Farms and their meats here.
This pasture-raised steak cooks medium rare in under 10 minutes.
Listen to that sizzle!

Don’t forget to rest the steak for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
I chose to compliment this Uruguay steak with my sun dried tomato chimichurri.
Start by preparing the sauce. Chimichurri requires no cooking. I rehydrate the sun dried tomatoes with water in the microwave for 30 to 60 seconds. A quick chop, and it’s ready to go.

For best results let the sauce set for at least 10 minutes but you can make it up to an hour ahead.

Sundried Tomato Chimichurri Strip Steak

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe

Servings 2 each

Ingredients

2 each NY Strip Steaks I used Crowd Cow steak.
1 tbsp vegetable oil
salt and pepper

Sauce

1/2 cup olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley I use flat leaf Italian.
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes adjust to taste.
1/2 tsp Kosher salt adjust to taste.
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

Instructions

sauce

Place sun dried tomatoes in microwave safe dish. Cover with water. Microwave 30 to 60 seconds until tomatoes soften and rehydrate. Drain.
Whisk oil and vinegar together. Add remaining ingredients. Stir to blend. Set aside fo flavors to marinate for 10 minutes to an hour.

steak

Heat skillet over medium high heat about 1 minute. Add oil and bring to a shimmer, about 1 minute.
While skillet heats, salt and pepper all sides of steak.
Cook steak for 4 minutes on first side until browned and easily looses from pan.
Flip steak and cook an additional 4 to 6 minutes until internal temperature reaches 135 degrees for medium rare.
Move steak to plate and cover with foil. Rest steak for about 10 minutes before cutting.
Plate sliced steaks and cover with sauce. Sprinkle with Gorgonzola.