Showing posts with label Food Adventures. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Food Adventures. Show all posts
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Chilled Aparagus Recipe
This is my favorite way to make asparagus, its so simple and fresh. I cannot believe I have not shared it on the blog so here goes. Its perfect for summer since its chilled or for a party since you can make it in advance. I love it and so does my 3 year old.
1 bunch asparagus
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
Clean and trim asparagus, making sure to trim off all the woody end. Steam asparagus until tender, remove and toss in a couple tablespoons of olive oil, about a half tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and cracked salt and pepper. Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour, most likely longer. You want it chilled.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Roasted Golden Beets Recipe
I am absolutely in love with golden beets. We planted then in the garden and enjoyed the beet greens and now I am enjoying them roasted. I went out a grabbed a pack of seeds so I can plant more. I love the lighter flavor they have compared to red beets and the fact that they don't stain everything. I keep it simple...
2 medium sized golden beets
2 carrots
olive oil
Italian seasoning
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel and chop beets and carrots into chunks, toss in olive oil and a dash of Italian seasoning. Place on a baking pan and cover with foil. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until tender. Remove foil and bake for another 5-10 minutes.
Delicious, simple and healthy.
2 medium sized golden beets
2 carrots
olive oil
Italian seasoning
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel and chop beets and carrots into chunks, toss in olive oil and a dash of Italian seasoning. Place on a baking pan and cover with foil. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until tender. Remove foil and bake for another 5-10 minutes.
Delicious, simple and healthy.
Saturday, May 5, 2012
A Very Hungry Caterpillar Inspired Birthday Party
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| Happy Birthday to my little guy! |
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| Papa Murphy's cheese pizza with pepperoni, mushroom, olive, and bell pepper caterpillars, with basil leaves. |
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| funky but fun...a hungry caterpillar balloon |
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| Leaf wine charms and straws. |
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| Arranging cupcakes |
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| Voila! Jellybean eyes/nose, gummy worm antennae and chocolate chip feet. |
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| Butterfly favors. |
Pinterest was a major help in getting creative along with the clearance wall clings we found to decorate the windows...they are now on his bedroom window. Once we choose the theme it was hard not to get to carried away...so many fun ideas but we focused on keeping it frugal and fun.
The original plan for the head of the caterpillar was a doughnut with red sprinkles but when I went to pick it up from the store (I pre-ordered to make sure I would have it) they had made the wrong thing, a rectangle instead of a circle...annoying. I tried to come up with a fix by just getting another doughnut but they "were out" of any circle doughnuts! They offered to let me talk to the manager and my thought was..."what is he a magician?" Hearing sorry from another person is not going to change the fact that you messed up something really simple. Then she said "well do you still want it?" Really? Come on! Sorry for the rant. :)
So I went home to try and come up with a solution...I made a little cake I thought would work for the head but after it was done it just looked way to big so I just used another cupcake and turned the extra cake into a sun. We used those new frosting's that you choose the flavor and add it to it. We used Mint Chocolate Chip to get the minty green color. All the kids were happy and all in all it turned out great. I cannot believe my little guy is 3!
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Vegetarian Chili with Lentils
We had an amazing friend over awhile ago who is a vegetarian, this is what I came up with for our dinner together. I love chili and making veggie chili makes it easy to adds veggies for the kiddos.
Ingredients:
1 cup dried beans
1/3 cup dried lentils
2 carrots, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1/2 of an onion, chopped
1 cup corn, fresh or frozen
3 med tomatoes, diced
2 1/2 cup veggie stock
1/2 cup beer
2 1/2 tsp homemade taco seasoning mix (click here for the recipe)
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
salt to taste
Soak beans overnight in plenty of water. Place rinsed beans, lentils, chopped carrots, veggie stock, and beer into a large pot. Bring up to bubble and then reduce to simmer until beans are cooked and carrots are tender, usually takes about 25-40 minutes. Then throw in the bell pepper, onion, corn, and tomatoes, these only take a few minutes to really cook. At this point add your spices, I usually add the the chili powder, and cumin and then 1 tsp of the taco seasoning. Then taste and add 1/2 tsp by 1/2 tsp until the flavor it just right. If it seems soupy or still has to much liquid, reduce until desired. Then take a taste and see if it needs more salt or flavor. Serve over rice with some cheese, sour cream or guacamole. Serves 4.
Ingredients:
1 cup dried beans
1/3 cup dried lentils
2 carrots, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1/2 of an onion, chopped
1 cup corn, fresh or frozen
3 med tomatoes, diced
2 1/2 cup veggie stock
1/2 cup beer
2 1/2 tsp homemade taco seasoning mix (click here for the recipe)
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
salt to taste
Soak beans overnight in plenty of water. Place rinsed beans, lentils, chopped carrots, veggie stock, and beer into a large pot. Bring up to bubble and then reduce to simmer until beans are cooked and carrots are tender, usually takes about 25-40 minutes. Then throw in the bell pepper, onion, corn, and tomatoes, these only take a few minutes to really cook. At this point add your spices, I usually add the the chili powder, and cumin and then 1 tsp of the taco seasoning. Then taste and add 1/2 tsp by 1/2 tsp until the flavor it just right. If it seems soupy or still has to much liquid, reduce until desired. Then take a taste and see if it needs more salt or flavor. Serve over rice with some cheese, sour cream or guacamole. Serves 4.
Today we are linking up with The Gardener of Eden for Thursday's Kitchen Cupboard, so go check out others wonderful recipes.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Cheesy Veggie chowder with Sausage
I used these recipes to create a new recipe...it came out amazing! I love it!
Cheesy Vegetable Chowder from lulu the baker
Cowboy Potato Chowder from tastykitchen
Ingredients:
2 mild sausage
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1/4 of an onion, chopped
2 potatoes, chopped into bite sized pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
3.5 cups chicken stock
for the roux:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1.5 cups broccoli, in bite sized pieces
1/8 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
1/4 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded
3/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
Start by pre-steaming the broccoli until barely tender, not quite done. Then saute onions, and garlic in a bit of olive oil in a soup pot until tender. Add sausage, breaking it up as you brown it. Toss in the carrots, celery and potatoes for a few seconds and then add the chicken stock. Bring up to temp and then reduce to a simmer until all the veggies are tender.
Now to make the roux...Start by bringing your soup back up to a bubble. Then heat up the butter in a large skillet and add the flour, whisking continuously over medium high heat until the mixture starts to turn a golden brown color. You will know when it is ready but be careful not to scorch it. Then carefully add the roux to your bubbling soup and stir it in well, this will thicken it up quite a bit.
Now for the last couple steps, throw in the broccoli and cheeses, stirring well so the cheeses melt. Then add the milk, and salt and pepper to taste. Now enjoy a yummy bowl with some crunchy bread!
Cheesy Vegetable Chowder from lulu the baker
Cowboy Potato Chowder from tastykitchen
Ingredients:
2 mild sausage
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1/4 of an onion, chopped
2 potatoes, chopped into bite sized pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
3.5 cups chicken stock
for the roux:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1.5 cups broccoli, in bite sized pieces
1/8 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
1/4 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded
3/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
Start by pre-steaming the broccoli until barely tender, not quite done. Then saute onions, and garlic in a bit of olive oil in a soup pot until tender. Add sausage, breaking it up as you brown it. Toss in the carrots, celery and potatoes for a few seconds and then add the chicken stock. Bring up to temp and then reduce to a simmer until all the veggies are tender.
Now to make the roux...Start by bringing your soup back up to a bubble. Then heat up the butter in a large skillet and add the flour, whisking continuously over medium high heat until the mixture starts to turn a golden brown color. You will know when it is ready but be careful not to scorch it. Then carefully add the roux to your bubbling soup and stir it in well, this will thicken it up quite a bit.
Now for the last couple steps, throw in the broccoli and cheeses, stirring well so the cheeses melt. Then add the milk, and salt and pepper to taste. Now enjoy a yummy bowl with some crunchy bread!
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Tips and Tricks: Cookie Dough
We love cookies but most of recipes make way to many. I try to control myself but I love them to much. This trick helps because we make one batch and divide it into three. We bake off the first third and then freeze the rest. Just plop out the other two thirds onto cling wrap, roll up and toss in a freezer bag. Make sure you mark it with the temp and time. Then you can pull it out, slice it up, then defrost and bake. It works great.
We also add oat flour to our regular chocolate chip cookie recipe, replacing 1/2 cup of the flour with oat flour. We make oat flour by food processing oatmeal, it works great. Now I want to make chocolate chip cookies!
Sunday, February 12, 2012
DIY Stir Fry Seasoning Mix
3 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp onion powder
2 Tbsp garlic powder
2 tsp parsley
1 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp paprika
Mix all ingredients together in an air tight container, we used a canning jar. It nice to know that there is not MSG in it, and we will never be out of it when we want stir fry on a whim. It is much less salty than the store band, and I think it tasted much better.
Mix 1 Tbsp of dry mix into 1/2 cup chicken stock, plus 1 Tbsp soy sauce. Make sure it is cold. We also added about 1/16 tsp of sesame seed oil but that is optional.
Then saute up your veggies, meat, etc and near the end pour over sauce and saute on med/low heat until sauce thickens. Enjoy!
Using the silicone baking cups freezer trick is a great way to have the right amount of chicken stock frozen. Then just pull out what you need and defrost, instead of opening a whole jar of chicken stock.
For the original recipe click here
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp onion powder
2 Tbsp garlic powder
2 tsp parsley
1 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp paprika
Mix all ingredients together in an air tight container, we used a canning jar. It nice to know that there is not MSG in it, and we will never be out of it when we want stir fry on a whim. It is much less salty than the store band, and I think it tasted much better.
Mix 1 Tbsp of dry mix into 1/2 cup chicken stock, plus 1 Tbsp soy sauce. Make sure it is cold. We also added about 1/16 tsp of sesame seed oil but that is optional.
Then saute up your veggies, meat, etc and near the end pour over sauce and saute on med/low heat until sauce thickens. Enjoy!
Using the silicone baking cups freezer trick is a great way to have the right amount of chicken stock frozen. Then just pull out what you need and defrost, instead of opening a whole jar of chicken stock.
For the original recipe click here
Thursday, February 9, 2012
DIY Taco Seasoning mix
1/4 cup chili powder
1 1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
Mix all ingredients together in an air tight container, we used a canning jar. It nice to know that there is not MSG in it, and we will never be out of it on taco night. I think it tastes way better then the packets.
Substitute 2 rounded tablespoons for 1 packet of taco seasoning.
I found this recipe on Smashed Peas and Carrots website.
Stay tuned by following our blog for more fun recipes. We have a Stir fry seasoning mix coming soon.
1 1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
Mix all ingredients together in an air tight container, we used a canning jar. It nice to know that there is not MSG in it, and we will never be out of it on taco night. I think it tastes way better then the packets.
Substitute 2 rounded tablespoons for 1 packet of taco seasoning.
I found this recipe on Smashed Peas and Carrots website.
Stay tuned by following our blog for more fun recipes. We have a Stir fry seasoning mix coming soon.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Tips and tricks: Silicone baking cups
We came up with this trick since we have an ice maker and no ice cube trays. It actually works great and you can freeze in the perfect amount, about a 1/4 cup. Just fill silicone baking cups with desired amount and freeze. Then pop them out and into a freezer bag. We use it for yogurt for smoothies, juices for smoothies, chicken and veggie stock, and pesto.
What else would it work well for? See the commets for more ideas.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Kale, Spinach, Swiss Chard Vegetarian Lasagna Recipe
Lasagna, one of our favorites of all things layered (from terrines of Fois Gras to Tiramisu) can be an incredibly healthy meal. We have been playing with recipes for awhile and finally created a favorite. We recently invited a guest to share a vegetarian version of the classic. We pulled alot of the ingredients out of our backyard (the veggies, herbs, sauce, and eggs).
Here is the list of our ingredients:
Roasted Red Bell Pepper Marinara (1 to 1 1/2 Quarts).
Fresh Kale
Fresh Spinach
Fresh Swiss Chard
Home made Ricotta cheese, we used the recipe in Sunset Magazines "One Block Feast""
1.5 cups Cheddar cheese
1.5 cups Mozzarella cheese
Parmesan
1-2 Eggs
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons dried thyme
9 Lasagna noodles (3 per layer)
Now, here is how you do it:
Pre-Heat the oven to 375 degrees and get a piece of foil large enough to seal your baking dish.
For a 9X13" baking dish you will need perfectly cooked lasagna noodles. If you use fresh noodles the same applies, cook them, then cool them and toss with EVOO (extra virgin olive oil).
Mix 1 (or 2 if you want it more firm) egg with 3 cups of ricotta cheese, the herbs, salt and pepper to taste. You may want to thin it with whole milk or heavy cream. We like ours to be thick.
Now mix the Cheddar and Mozzarella cheeses and reserve. The parmesan is to be dusted in with the cheese to your liking; too much will make the dish too salty so beware.
Now we layer layer layer.
Start with marinara. Then layer 3 lasagna noodles. Top the noodles with the ricotta and then the other cheeses. Then layer the Kale, Spinach and Swiss Chard.
Cover this with sauce and repeat.
The last layer of lasagna noodles goes down and is simply covered with marinara and topped with the shredded cheeses. In other words, use the home made ricotta for the inside 2 layers.
Wrap tightly with the foil and place on center rack of your preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and broil at 375 degrees until the cheese starts to caramelize.
Salt, Pepper and Parmesan the top.
Let stand 5 minutes, then serve with warm homemade bread and homemade butter.
We are linking with with The garden of Eden's Thursday's Kitchen Cupboard, so check out other recipes from the week.
Here is the list of our ingredients:
Roasted Red Bell Pepper Marinara (1 to 1 1/2 Quarts).
Fresh Kale
Fresh Spinach
Fresh Swiss Chard
Home made Ricotta cheese, we used the recipe in Sunset Magazines "One Block Feast""
1.5 cups Cheddar cheese
1.5 cups Mozzarella cheese
Parmesan
1-2 Eggs
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons dried thyme
9 Lasagna noodles (3 per layer)
Now, here is how you do it:
Pre-Heat the oven to 375 degrees and get a piece of foil large enough to seal your baking dish.
For a 9X13" baking dish you will need perfectly cooked lasagna noodles. If you use fresh noodles the same applies, cook them, then cool them and toss with EVOO (extra virgin olive oil).
Mix 1 (or 2 if you want it more firm) egg with 3 cups of ricotta cheese, the herbs, salt and pepper to taste. You may want to thin it with whole milk or heavy cream. We like ours to be thick.
Now mix the Cheddar and Mozzarella cheeses and reserve. The parmesan is to be dusted in with the cheese to your liking; too much will make the dish too salty so beware.
Now we layer layer layer.
Start with marinara. Then layer 3 lasagna noodles. Top the noodles with the ricotta and then the other cheeses. Then layer the Kale, Spinach and Swiss Chard.
Cover this with sauce and repeat.
The last layer of lasagna noodles goes down and is simply covered with marinara and topped with the shredded cheeses. In other words, use the home made ricotta for the inside 2 layers.
Wrap tightly with the foil and place on center rack of your preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and broil at 375 degrees until the cheese starts to caramelize.
Salt, Pepper and Parmesan the top.
Let stand 5 minutes, then serve with warm homemade bread and homemade butter.
| This is how much Kale, Spinach, and Swiss Chard we used, but I would recommend a little more. |
We are linking with with The garden of Eden's Thursday's Kitchen Cupboard, so check out other recipes from the week.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Goals for 2012
The new year helps us all to reflect and make changes, if needed. I think its important to continue to learn and strive towards being a better person. Here is a list of things we want to work on, some are business related, some are personal and some are a way to do our part in being more "green"and/or self sufficient.
1. Make more pre-prep meals for freezing and canning.
2. Save seeds from as many varieties as we can, to start our own collection of seeds.
3. Make more things from scratch, for instance we just switched to make all our own butter but we want to do more, like cheeses, pasta, ketchup, mayo, and etc.
4. Raise a percentage of our own meat.
5. Eat seasonally and preserve enough so that we don't have to buy non-local veggies and fruits.
6. Serve a series of community dinners, with all local food.
7. Hold a food swap.
8. Teach a canning class and a series of cooking classes.
9. Switch to more natural products by making them ourselves; shampoos, conditioners, laundry soaps, etc.
10. Read more books.
11. Finally open an Etsy shop for my knitted items.
12. Take a sewing class or read a sewing book (my grandfather sent me my great grandmothers sewing machine).
13. Exercise more, like taking walks, yoga and swimming every day once it warms up.
14. Gain more followers on our blog.
15. Try new recipes and blog about them.
16. Go on more than one date night a year.
17. Create how to videos on homesteading.
18. Attend the farmers market every week for a year, see below.
(Things have changed a bit since the begining of this year, some of the crossed out will be added to future goals.)
We have also decided to attend the local Saturday farmers market every week and make a detailed list of everything that is grown in our area. This way others will have an idea of what is available locally and when. We define local, in this since, as within 30-35 miles of where it is sold. It will help us to know what others are growing, know when to start planting and help us develop relationships with other farmers. We plan on it becoming apart of our weekly harvest Monday post.
We are looking forward to the coming year and will be blogging about our adventures as we achieve these goals. Happy New Year!
Check out our long term goals by clicking here.
1. Make more pre-prep meals for freezing and canning.
2. Save seeds from as many varieties as we can, to start our own collection of seeds.
3. Make more things from scratch, for instance we just switched to make all our own butter but we want to do more, like cheeses, pasta, ketchup, mayo, and etc.
4. Raise a percentage of our own meat.
5. Eat seasonally and preserve enough so that we don't have to buy non-local veggies and fruits.
6. Serve a series of community dinners, with all local food.
7. Hold a food swap.
8. Teach a canning class and a series of cooking classes.
9. Switch to more natural products by making them ourselves; shampoos, conditioners, laundry soaps, etc.
10. Read more books.
11. Finally open an Etsy shop for my knitted items.
12. Take a sewing class or read a sewing book (my grandfather sent me my great grandmothers sewing machine).
13. Exercise more, like taking walks, yoga and swimming every day once it warms up.
14. Gain more followers on our blog.
15. Try new recipes and blog about them.
16. Go on more than one date night a year.
17. Create how to videos on homesteading.
18. Attend the farmers market every week for a year, see below.
(Things have changed a bit since the begining of this year, some of the crossed out will be added to future goals.)
We have also decided to attend the local Saturday farmers market every week and make a detailed list of everything that is grown in our area. This way others will have an idea of what is available locally and when. We define local, in this since, as within 30-35 miles of where it is sold. It will help us to know what others are growing, know when to start planting and help us develop relationships with other farmers. We plan on it becoming apart of our weekly harvest Monday post.
We are looking forward to the coming year and will be blogging about our adventures as we achieve these goals. Happy New Year!
Check out our long term goals by clicking here.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Canned goods total 2011
| Spicy pickled green beans with cauliflower |
| Chicken (turkey) stock |
| Zucchini pickles |
| Half gallon jars of CircleFive marinara sauce |
We did a lot of canning this year but I hope to can even more next year.
Marinara- 185 pints
Pomegranate sauce- 1 half pint and eight 4 oz jars
Demi glace- twenty two 4 oz jars
Bloodymary mix- 6 and a half pints
Zucchini pickles- 8 pints
Spicy pickled green beans with cauliflower- 7 quarts
Chicken and turkey stock- 50 pints ish...I didn't keep a log in the beginning of the year.
Stay tuned for our next years goals...
and have a Happy New Year!
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Handmade Christmas 2011
| Faux cable legwarmers for my niece (ViolaStitchStudio) |
| Earflap hat for my nephew (ViolaStitchStudio) |
Every year we make homemade Christmas presents for friends and family. We always try to add to it and make it bigger and better each year.
This year we are giving (all handmade and from our own garden):
Homemade marinara (regular, pesto, and spicy)
Thai/Genovese Basil Pesto
Bloodymary mix
Spicy pickled green beans (recipe coming)
Zucchini pickles (recipe coming)
Demi glace, a french Mother sauce that takes over 36 hours of cooking, made with local ingredients
Pomegranate sauce, from pomegranates from our lovely neighbors.
Croutons, made with homemade bread
Cookies
Peppermint lotion
Dried Pink Lady apples from Noble Orchard's in Paradise CA
We are also making butter and chive/sage cheese to take with us for Christmas dinner. We also usually add a few local items we love:
Massa Organic's Brown rice
Tin Roof Bakery and Cafe Bread
Vita style chicobag
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Thanksgiving feast 2011
Better late than never...
Thanksgiving is a time to bring in close friends and family to share a little something to show an appreciation for their friendship and help throughout the year. This year we hosted a renegade Thanksgiving, we invited those who had no place to go. This turned out to be one of the most satisfying Thanksgivings in recent history. The true meaning of Thanksgiving is to celebrate the harvest and bring the community together...that is what we celebrated this year.
Firstly, our plan was to use our own garden and poultry as the base for our modest feast. We planned ahead and saved some of our late summer crop. Believe it or not, freezing things like beans doesn't ruin them. They tasted like we had just made the harvest. That was the whole point; to give back to our little community with things that we spent the year nurturing, whether it be plant or fowl.
Without question the most difficult part was dressing the Cornish cross breeds. Leaving the skin on didn't work out so we skinned them. As a result I thought they would dry while roasting, but we solved that problem by flattening out bacon and wrapping the entire bird in it. We actually cut them in half, and the portion size was perfect. I believe in making each apart of the dish separately. So the stuffing and sides were not cooked with the birds.
We took the opportunity to use The One-Block Feast, by Sunset Magazine to influence the candied pumpkin desert, the creme fraiche, butter and cheese. We already shared the recipes for the mashed parsnips and potatoes, Cornish game hens and corn salsa on the blog.
So I've decided to let you in on an old German secret for presenting green beans...a staple during the holidays.
Steam the beans until just about perfect. Place in a saute pan with butter and finely chopped garlic. Saute until the garlic is moments from turning color, then crack saltine crackers over the entire dish and saute until some of the crackers looked toasted and golden brown. You only need to season with pepper if desired, the salt is in the crackers. This is always the first dish we run out of . It is a major hit.
| Everything...including the homemade chive/sage cheese, crusty beer rolls and the Cornish game hens we raised. Photo by Mike Z |
| The Cornish game hens wrapped in bacon. Photo by Mike Z |
| Candied pumpkin, with candied pumpkin seeds, dehydrated vanilla beans and creme fraiche. |
| Home made raw butter |
| Chicken stock from the leftover bones. |
Thanksgiving is a time to bring in close friends and family to share a little something to show an appreciation for their friendship and help throughout the year. This year we hosted a renegade Thanksgiving, we invited those who had no place to go. This turned out to be one of the most satisfying Thanksgivings in recent history. The true meaning of Thanksgiving is to celebrate the harvest and bring the community together...that is what we celebrated this year.
Firstly, our plan was to use our own garden and poultry as the base for our modest feast. We planned ahead and saved some of our late summer crop. Believe it or not, freezing things like beans doesn't ruin them. They tasted like we had just made the harvest. That was the whole point; to give back to our little community with things that we spent the year nurturing, whether it be plant or fowl.
Without question the most difficult part was dressing the Cornish cross breeds. Leaving the skin on didn't work out so we skinned them. As a result I thought they would dry while roasting, but we solved that problem by flattening out bacon and wrapping the entire bird in it. We actually cut them in half, and the portion size was perfect. I believe in making each apart of the dish separately. So the stuffing and sides were not cooked with the birds.
We took the opportunity to use The One-Block Feast, by Sunset Magazine to influence the candied pumpkin desert, the creme fraiche, butter and cheese. We already shared the recipes for the mashed parsnips and potatoes, Cornish game hens and corn salsa on the blog.
So I've decided to let you in on an old German secret for presenting green beans...a staple during the holidays.
Steam the beans until just about perfect. Place in a saute pan with butter and finely chopped garlic. Saute until the garlic is moments from turning color, then crack saltine crackers over the entire dish and saute until some of the crackers looked toasted and golden brown. You only need to season with pepper if desired, the salt is in the crackers. This is always the first dish we run out of . It is a major hit.
| The master chef (the Doctor) getting everyones plates ready. Photo by Mike Z |
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
How to make refried beans: updated
Refried Beans. A staple in our home and a personal favorite. We used to buy canned, thinking they were inexpensive. Then I started making them at home and the difference in overall price is astonishing, and worth the few minutes of work it takes to prepare them. The taste is amazing compared to store bought...they taste like something, not just paste.
The following is my recommendation for excellent refried beans.
Ingredients:
1 lb dried pink beans (any bean will work, if you use pintos expect the refried beans to look grey)
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 medium onion, finely diced
salt
1/2 cup bacon grease (you can also use lard, we just prefer the taste of bacon grease, so we save all our bacon grease. We also use it to make masa for tamales instead of lard)
Here is how to do it:
Cook the pinto beans in a crock pot until the are very tender. We soak ours overnight first, then rinse, drain and place in the crockpot with water. Reserve the cooking liquid in order to make adjustments to your final product.
In a large skillet, heat your bacon grease on medium heat until rendered and hot. Then add your finely diced onion and your finely chopped garlic.
This is important. Add the salt now. I usually use a couple of teaspoons at least. This helps to bring out the juices in the onion and garlic without browning them. Don't let them brown. When they are translucent and extremely aromatic, add the cooked pintos with a slotted spoon. Stir constantly. Then add the reserved cooking liquid in order to bring it to a good consistency. You will know how much liquid to add after you start smashing them with a potato smasher.
Turn the heat down and continue to make adjustments. Smash as much or as little as you prefer. I like mine chunky. You also need to taste to see if the salt content is right on.
Bon Appetite!
The following is my recommendation for excellent refried beans.
Ingredients:
1 lb dried pink beans (any bean will work, if you use pintos expect the refried beans to look grey)
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 medium onion, finely diced
salt
1/2 cup bacon grease (you can also use lard, we just prefer the taste of bacon grease, so we save all our bacon grease. We also use it to make masa for tamales instead of lard)
Here is how to do it:
Cook the pinto beans in a crock pot until the are very tender. We soak ours overnight first, then rinse, drain and place in the crockpot with water. Reserve the cooking liquid in order to make adjustments to your final product.
In a large skillet, heat your bacon grease on medium heat until rendered and hot. Then add your finely diced onion and your finely chopped garlic.
This is important. Add the salt now. I usually use a couple of teaspoons at least. This helps to bring out the juices in the onion and garlic without browning them. Don't let them brown. When they are translucent and extremely aromatic, add the cooked pintos with a slotted spoon. Stir constantly. Then add the reserved cooking liquid in order to bring it to a good consistency. You will know how much liquid to add after you start smashing them with a potato smasher.
Turn the heat down and continue to make adjustments. Smash as much or as little as you prefer. I like mine chunky. You also need to taste to see if the salt content is right on.
Bon Appetite!
Friday, November 11, 2011
Mashed Parsnips and Potatoes Recipe
Mashed potatoes, a year round blessing but an important part of any Thanksgiving meal. This year we have chosen to make an addition of parsnips to our potatoes for a number of reasons:
They are high in fiber, which helps lower cholesterol, they are also high in folic acid and potassium. Even better the light hint of apple shines through the potatoes making them a surprise for everyone.
Cook them separately. I like to boil the potatoes cut up in small pieces with the skin on.
The parsnips need to be peeled, cut into small pieces and STEAMED. Make sure they are tender enough to mash with the potatoes. Steaming them, instead of boiling, will help retain their medicinal qualities.
When both are done and HOT, I mix them and smash them. The ratio is 1 medium parsnip to 1 large Russet potato. I slowly add a bit of heavy cream and lightly salted butter.
There is nothing better on this earth.
I do not like smooth potatoes, I like them smashed. If you like then smooth then you will have to mill both the potatoes and parsnips with a rice miller and then follow your heart with the rest of the process.
If you have a favorite way to process your mashed potatoes...do it, just make the addition of parsnips as I have outlined and its all good!
I will post another article on phenomenal gravy to add to this.
Bon Appetit.
They are high in fiber, which helps lower cholesterol, they are also high in folic acid and potassium. Even better the light hint of apple shines through the potatoes making them a surprise for everyone.
Cook them separately. I like to boil the potatoes cut up in small pieces with the skin on.
The parsnips need to be peeled, cut into small pieces and STEAMED. Make sure they are tender enough to mash with the potatoes. Steaming them, instead of boiling, will help retain their medicinal qualities.
When both are done and HOT, I mix them and smash them. The ratio is 1 medium parsnip to 1 large Russet potato. I slowly add a bit of heavy cream and lightly salted butter.
There is nothing better on this earth.
I do not like smooth potatoes, I like them smashed. If you like then smooth then you will have to mill both the potatoes and parsnips with a rice miller and then follow your heart with the rest of the process.
If you have a favorite way to process your mashed potatoes...do it, just make the addition of parsnips as I have outlined and its all good!
I will post another article on phenomenal gravy to add to this.
Bon Appetit.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
A preview for Thanksgiving
After having gone through the process of dressing our Cornish Game Hens we decided to do a Pre-Thanksgiving run on our meal and this is an outline of what we did.
Stuffing a bird and cooking it is not only difficult but can be dangerous, so we decided to take a different approach for the meal we prepare for our actual Thanksgiving Day meal. Looking at the photo you see we stuffed then wrapped the buttered hen in bacon. I am going to outline a different way to do it. The following are the things we used to make our wonderful tester for the Holidays:
1 Cornish Hen cut in Half
Bacon rolled very thin inside a plastic bag to cover the hens completely
Chicken stock to help with the cooking and retention of moisture
For the filling, which we did separately, we used the following:
Fresh sweet corn cut off the cob uncooked
Finely diced yellow onions
Sliced carrots
Garlic
Paprika
Oregano
Plenty of sage (this makes a huge difference in the over all flavor profile of the dish) we used about 10 leaves
How did we do it?
Here we go...
Cut the hen in half lengthwise.
Bathe in butter.
Salt and pepper the hen.
Wrap in very thin bacon or, as I said, roll the bacon between plastic and carefully peel off and wrap the hen with it.
Cook the two halves in a nice dish, something you can present it with. I like to cook at a fairly high heat 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 25 min. Internal temp 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Now the hens are done.
During the cooking process you have plenty of time to make your festive veggie salsa with the ingredients above. I like to saute the carrots first in a mixture of butter and high quality olive oil. Once they come close to tender, the rest goes in, save for the sage which will be the last to add. The mixture will then be hot enough to bring the oils in the sage out and really marry with the rest of the vegetables. The same goes for the oregano and the paprika.
Beets. Beets. Beets...
Boil them until tender. Peel and if small enough serve whole with just a taste of the stem still attached. It's very Haut Cuisine to leave these attached and they taste wonderful. I don't actually suggest spicing them. I like them plain, but olive oil of high quality in a small amount does wonders.
Salt potatoes are small red potatoes that are boiled in HEAVILY salted water. When they come out of the pot the skins are covered with crystallized salt. You should always serve these with HOT drawn butter.
Now you can assemble the dish by placing your hot veggie stuffing in the center of the plate, resting the bird on top of part of it and dressing the rest of the plate with the beets and potatoes with drawn butter over them.
The reality of raising your own fowl brings about taste and texture and portion sizing. We chose our smallest hen weighing in at 2lbs 3/8 oz. It fed my wife, my son and myself. We also made stock with the carcass. (I'll write about that and sauces later). Tender, Juicy, Delicious. Absolutely fabulous and better than any hen I have ever purchased. So there you go...it does pay off to do it yourself.
Bon Appetit!
If you have any questions about this recipe or amounts please feel free to comment or email us.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Prepping for Thanksgiving dinner
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We are really excited about thanksgiving this year, we are going to try and make the meal from things we have grown and raised here in our backyard, well as much as we can at least. Thanksgiving is really all about harvest and community so we are happy to be able to share a harvest meal with family and friends.
We planned ahead and started a second crop of green beans so were able to can or freeze some for the meal. A little over a week ago we planted the root veggies for our meal. Harris Parsnips (which we probably planted to late so they will be really small), a blend of four types of beets and purple dragon carrots. I know we will still have all the types of greens (kale, swiss chard, spinach, mache, deertongue lettuce, red romaine, and claytonia) to add to the meal.
We also decided to try our hand at raising Cornish game hens for our meat. These lil' ones will be mature enough for our thanksgiving dinner. No names for these chicks! We wanted to get a turkey but they are loud and we are not sure our neighbors would be okay with a loud turkey for 4-5 months. I am hoping that the Cornish cross chicks work out well because if they do we will just raise then instead of buying chickens at the store.
We are really excited about thanksgiving this year, we are going to try and make the meal from things we have grown and raised here in our backyard, well as much as we can at least. Thanksgiving is really all about harvest and community so we are happy to be able to share a harvest meal with family and friends.
We planned ahead and started a second crop of green beans so were able to can or freeze some for the meal. A little over a week ago we planted the root veggies for our meal. Harris Parsnips (which we probably planted to late so they will be really small), a blend of four types of beets and purple dragon carrots. I know we will still have all the types of greens (kale, swiss chard, spinach, mache, deertongue lettuce, red romaine, and claytonia) to add to the meal.
We also decided to try our hand at raising Cornish game hens for our meat. These lil' ones will be mature enough for our thanksgiving dinner. No names for these chicks! We wanted to get a turkey but they are loud and we are not sure our neighbors would be okay with a loud turkey for 4-5 months. I am hoping that the Cornish cross chicks work out well because if they do we will just raise then instead of buying chickens at the store.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
a new vintage cookbook
| Please note this blog is no longer updated. (Click here to find my new blog address). |
| Copyrighted, 1915-By Larkin Co.~Received (by previous owner) Nov. 27th 1917~Price, 25 cents. |
Oh and thanks to my impressive mom, who knows me well and picked this up for me at a yard sale...then because she is more awesome than your mom, shipped it to me, along with fun stuff for Gnar, the doctor and me. Be on the look out for new and most likely, interesting recipes from this cookbook!
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Simple smoothie recipe
Please note this blog is no longer updated. (Click here to find my new blog address).
Are we the only ones with lots of fruit and veggies left over from the 4th of July celebration? My mom brought a flat of peaches, and a watermelon. We were busy all weekend and kind of forgot about harvesting zucchini, so we have four huge ones that are not going to taste the best. They would be perfect for bread or grilling but we don't have grill and its to hot to use the oven. The little guy loves bananas or as we call them bugabugas but he doesn't always eat the whole thing, so I have been putting them in a freezer bag so they don't go to waste. All of this adds up to this mornings inspired idea...
I was searching for zucchini recipes to use this stuff up in a different way then plain old steaming and I saw recipes for smoothies. What a great way to sneak in more veggies, use them up and have a yummy breakfast. The little guy is really great about eating veggies so I never worry much about that but I figured the more the better.
4 strawberries
1/2 banana
1 peach
1/4 c or so watermelon
1/8 c or so zucchini diced
blend and splash in some juice or water if needed. We found this great juice that the little guy loves it has cranberries, banana, strawberries, sweet potato, carrot, and beets.
It made enough for the little guy to have some with his oatmeal, I had a small glass and I made a popsicle with the rest. Perfect breakfast treat for both of us, plus no sugar added!
Are we the only ones with lots of fruit and veggies left over from the 4th of July celebration? My mom brought a flat of peaches, and a watermelon. We were busy all weekend and kind of forgot about harvesting zucchini, so we have four huge ones that are not going to taste the best. They would be perfect for bread or grilling but we don't have grill and its to hot to use the oven. The little guy loves bananas or as we call them bugabugas but he doesn't always eat the whole thing, so I have been putting them in a freezer bag so they don't go to waste. All of this adds up to this mornings inspired idea...
I was searching for zucchini recipes to use this stuff up in a different way then plain old steaming and I saw recipes for smoothies. What a great way to sneak in more veggies, use them up and have a yummy breakfast. The little guy is really great about eating veggies so I never worry much about that but I figured the more the better.
4 strawberries
1/2 banana
1 peach
1/4 c or so watermelon
1/8 c or so zucchini diced
blend and splash in some juice or water if needed. We found this great juice that the little guy loves it has cranberries, banana, strawberries, sweet potato, carrot, and beets.
It made enough for the little guy to have some with his oatmeal, I had a small glass and I made a popsicle with the rest. Perfect breakfast treat for both of us, plus no sugar added!
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