So, after Googling for recipes to use the carrot tops I had, I finally decided to use them in a soup (hoping that I wasn't one of the ones who would be allergic to carrot tops). My research indicated they could be used like any other greens or like parsley. Some sites indicated the greens may be a little bitter, but if you season it heavily it should not be that noticeable (I didn't notice any bitterness). Also, be sure to clean them well and only use carrot greens that you know have not been treated with pesticides (e.g. from local farmers market, organic farms, etc.).

I sautéd some minced garlic, diced onions, thinly sliced carrot coins, a nice handful of minced carrot greens, and some minced Thai chilies in some butter. After adding some chicken broth, I threw in a can of Ro*Tel (diced tomatoes and green chilies) and some frozen spicy meatballs. I let it simmer until the carrots had softened and the meatballs had heated through. I must say it turned out very well (a little spicier than I had planned but still tasty). This was a quick and very easy soup to make. I will definitely make this again!

This month's supper club theme was locally grown foods. Our hosts provided the main dish of grilled fish (fresh from the Gulf) and brisket chili. The rest of the group brough zucchini bread, a tomato and goat cheese salad, fried okra, fresh figs, and a peach and blueberry cobbler with bourbon laced ice cream.

I brought 2 side dishes as my contribution: a summer squash stir-fry and stuffed zucchini blossoms. I chose squash as my side dish since it's really easy to find at the farmer's market, and I love zucchini. It's a simple and easy vegetable to cook. I just sliced it up with some yellow squash, onion, and jalapenos; threw it into a pan with some oil; added some salt and pepper to taste; and sauted it until the vegetables were cooked. I capped it off with a splash of soy sauce to taste.

The zucchini blossoms, which I had never had before but wanted to try, were chosen because I figure if I didn't like it someone at the dinner would like it and it wouldn't go to waste. Zucchini blossoms are usually fried, but you can use them in salads or pastas or sauted with onions. There were also various batter recipes for the zucchini blossoms - flour and water/club soda, with and without egg, flour and beer. I chose the Epicurean recipe and tweaked it a bit to fit my taste. The original one called for a goat cheese and cream cheese filling. I think I'd have preferred a lighter batter (like a panko batter), but this was still tasty (and was a hit at dinner).

1. Dip the squash blossoms in cold water and drain them thoroughly on paper towels. Remove the stamens from the male blossoms.

2. Place cream cheese filling into a plastic sandwich bag; gather the filling towards one corner of the bag bottom and snip a corner off to make yourself a home-made pastry bag. Fill each squash blossom with about 2 teaspoons of filling. Slightly twist the tops of each blossom to "close" each blossom.

3. To make the batter, in a medium bowl, stir together the flour, club soda, milk, egg and cayenne pepper. Let sit for one hour in the fridge.

4. Fill a heavy saucepan or skillet with oil to a depth of 2 inches. Heat over medium heat to 375 degrees.

5. Dip a few squash blossoms into batter, covering entire blossom, and drop them into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown, about 1 minute, turn over and fry on the other side for another minute (or until golden brown). Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Repeat with the remaining blossoms, being careful not to overcrowd the pan.

6. Add salt and pepper and serve immediately.

In an attempt to use the blueberries I got in my Greenling box last week, I decided to make some blueberry muffins for the guys at work. I remember now why I rarely bake.

I used a recipe from Food & Wine: Blueberry Muffins with Crumb Topping that seemed easy enough. However, baking requires that you follow ALL of the directions. The muffins came out fine. It was the nice crumb topping that I messed up on. I had neglected to combine the dry ingredients prior to putting in the melted butter to form the crumbs. I realized this as I was pouring in the melted butter. So, yes, there were bites of non-sweet crumb and/or salty pieces on top of the delicious muffins. In my defense, I did all this early this morning before getting ready for work. Who's coherent at that time of day? And the recipe says it makes 18 muffins. I'm guessing they used a small muffin tin, because I only had enough batter for 6 muffins using my large muffin tin. I think I'll add more sugar to the muffins next time - it was good, but not as sweet as I wanted it.

Ever try hearts of palm? It sounds strange, but I've discovered it's actually quite tasty. My contribution for tonight's supper club gathering is an ensalada palmito (hearts of palm salad) and mixed fruit. I did find the hearts of palm (usually found in the canned state here in the states from Costa Rica or Hawaii) at Whole Foods. It's the color of artichoke heart, soft, and a bit refreshing. It seemed a little bit salty and reminded me of bamboo shoots. It's the core of a certain palm tree, and mostly used in salads.

I'm not sure how the salad will turn out though - no dressing goes with it (unless I wanted to use the optional receipe ingredient: mayo - which seems a bit strange to me even though it would be similar to ranch dresssing). The salad is pretty simple to make - lettuce, hearts of palm, spritz of lime, and salt and pepper to taste. I cheated on the fruit mix. I bought pre-cut fruit (papaya, pineapple, watermelon, and cantaloupe). Cost a bit more, but it saved me the hassel and mess of cutting it up myself.