04-30-2012

Do you CSA? Part 2

In case you missed my post, Do you CSA, click here, so the following will make more sense!

So I’ve finally made my decision…shopping at the Farmer’s Market from a plethora of vendors is just too much fun to pass up!

I know I could still buy from other vendors even if I have a CSA, but I’m on a budget here. If I spend my $20 with one farmer, then I’ll not have any MULA for the golden beets from Owl’s Nest or no fresh berries from Maple Ridge Farms. And it’s so much fun, each week, to speak with the different farmers, buy some baby crookedneck squash here and a fresh off the vine tomato there. (No, its not tomato season here at all, I am just anxiously awaiting the day!)

Thank you to EVERYONE that shared your comments, your thoughts, and feedback. I thought everyone would push me to the CSA so it was great to see all the varied opinions.

I’ve been working on recipes a lot lately so hopefully I can get some up soon. Think…swiss chard and ground pork stew, chicken & pork bolognese, quiche, pesto….hmmm…I love me some food.

Have a great day!

Jessica

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04-19-2012

Do you CSA?

Hello Father,

I have a confession. I love gardening, I love farmers, I love dirt. But I just can’t imagine joining a CSA. I want freedom of choice, to pick my veggies just the way I want, when I want. You see, God, signing up for a CSA requires commitment. And, I have come to realize that I don’t necessarily enjoy commitments. (I can’t even keep up with once a week pilates.) I do go to the Farmer’s Market faithfully and I shop at the local grocer each week. But I still feel unfaithful to the farmer by not participating in a CSA. Does my selfishness of wanting to choose my veggies each week mean I’m not really supporting the farmer? That rain or shine, drought or flood, he’ll have money to keep his farm afloat no matter how the produce turns out?

Help me out,

Jessica

****

I really am serious. Even though I encourage all my friends to participate in one, I have a huge commitment issue with CSA’s (Community Supported Agriculture). And until this past Tuesday I kept telling myself that if there was a farm that had a pick-your-own veggie CSA that I would participate. But then you find that ‘answer’ and realize, you’re still hesitant.

You see, I love going to the different vendors at the market and choosing a tomato here, a carrot bunch there, and a pile of lettuce greens at the next one. And my worry is this, if I commit to spending my $20/week with only one vendor – will I regret it? I definitely won’t regret the quality – its the best there is, but will I regret not getting to spend my $ with lots of vendors in lieu of spending it with one?

What do you think? Do you like your CSA? Do you have one where you choose your veggies or do you get an exciting surprise bag each week? Should I just go for it and try it out? And if you are a farmer…I’d love to know your thoughts on CSA participants versus farmer’s market buyers? Do you get as much $ from going to the Farmer’s Market or would you rather have it all in CSA participants?

Thanks for helping me with my dilemma! Jessica

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01-11-2012

What muffins should I make tomorrow?

I’m taking a break today from baking and wanted to know what kind of muffin you’d like me to bake next? Something savory or something heart healthy? I’d love to have an actual muffin name so just write in your favorite muffin.

I have tried & true berry muffin recipes but thought ya’ll might want something different than the norm.

Happy Baking,

Jess

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01-10-2012

Banana Bread Muffins

I have never been so thrilled or excited to see and taste these muffins. I am not a big lover of banana bread because normally, in my opinion – and its all about me, they are way overpowered with bananas. But these have a hint of banana and also have coconut, applesauce, and molasses for depth of flavor. The coconut makes it sweet and provides an interesting texture, but again, not so much to make it all about one flavor. These simply are scrumptious!

Yum!

Banana Bread Muffins
Yields 24 muffins 

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup quick-1 minute oatmeal
1/2 cup pecans or walnuts
2 to 2.5 medium bananas
1 brown egg, lightly beaten, preferably from a local farm
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup granulated cane sugar, preferably organic
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup applesauce
1/3 cup shredded coconut
1/8 cup molasses

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin pan with paper liners.

Mash bananas in small bowl, stirring in vanilla, then set aside. In a food processor chop pecans and set aside.  Next, chop oats in processor and then combine, in a large bowl, with flour, baking soda, and salt.

Melt butter in a separate bowl and then stir in sugar until it has completely dissolved.

Next, mix in the applesauce, molasses, beaten egg, and coconut; stirring well.

Thought this picture was neat

Make a well in the bottom of the dry mixture and stir in butter mixture until almost combined but not completely.

Here is what the 'well' should look like before mixing in liquid ingredients

Then mix in the banana mixture and pecans, being careful to not over stir. Fill muffin cups with 1 1/2 to 2 tbsps of batter.

How full my muffin liners were

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes, turning pan halfway through.

Enjoy!

Jessica

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01-09-2012

Lemon Poppyseed Muffins

Welcome to Muffin Week!!! I have lots of tasty muffins in store for you this week and today’s muffins include one of my favorite ingredients – poppy seed. You’ll find that I went a tad (okay, maybe more than a tad) overboard on the poppy seed, so feel free to use less. I just love their crunch!

I cannot explain how many times I’ve tried creating a lemon poppyseed muffin but I could never figure out the right proportion of ingredients. It is normally too greasy or too spongy and no matter how much I altered butter/oil/milk/egg I could never get them right. Well this one worked perfect! I found a recipe for a poundcake muffin and decided to use half the yogurt, added in milk, and a lot more poppy seed.

So without further adieu….

Lemon Poppyseed Muffins
Adapted from Joy of Baking
Yields 12 – 15 muffins

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
3+ tbsp poppyseeds
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
4 ounces plain yogurt
4 ounces whole milk
4 ounces unsalted butter, softened
1 cup organic cane sugar
1 large brown egg, preferably from a farm, lightly beaten
grated lemon zest from 1 large lemon
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a muffin pan with paper liners.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, poppy seeds, salt, and baking soda. In another bowl, mix together the yogurt, milk, lemon zest, and vanilla extract.

Using an electric mixer, beat the softened butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes. Mix in the egg, beating well to ensure it is mixed thoroughly. Now, beat in the liquid milk mixture, scraping down the sides as needed.

Next, make a well in the bottom of your dry mixture bowl. (I forgot to take a picture of this step, but basically you just want there to be an empty spot in the bottom middle of your dry mixture.) Pour the liquid into this well and stir until just combined. BE CAREFUL – the more you stir, the less your muffins will rise and be airy. So do not overmix/overstir, etc.

Fill muffin tins approximately 1/2 to 2/3  full and bake for 15-18 minutes in preheated oven. I hope you enjoy as much as I did!

There are lots of tried & true ways to make your muffins turn out just right – where they look great and taste even better. Click here to view Joy of Baking’s helpful hints for making muffins.

And I’d love to know…What is your favorite type of muffin?

Jess

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01-06-2012

A week of muffins

Here in my house we adore muffins! I love to bake them and my kids love to eat them! So with all that muffin love, I thought I’d declare next week MUFFIN WEEK and share some of my favorite muffin recipes with you. From the classic blueberry to banana bread to lemon poppy seed….these are the visions of my heart. I’ve tried to make them as healthy as possible while still making them taste like a muffin should. They all have fruit in them and are all delicious!

So check in next week for some new takes on tasty muffins!

Have a great weekend ~ Jess

Blueberry muffins made from local blueberries

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

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01-04-2012

Classic Pot Roast

This meal is nothing fancy, nothing elaborate, but is so good in the simple essence of roasted beef. It is comforting on a cold night and can be served to good friends over for dinner to just catch up & relax. I hope you enjoy!

Budget Note: This grass fed 1.5 pound boneless chuck roast cost me under $12 and fed 4 adults. The portions were a healthy amount combined with a side of brown rice and roasted carrots & onions. The total cost for my entire dinner was $4/person. So maybe next week you can find some locally raised, grass fed beef to include in your weekly menu. And, if you only fed 2 adults this roast, you could put the leftovers into a stir fry to stretch the meat further.

Classic Pot Roast

Ingredients
Marinade
3 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tsp olive or canola oil
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp Worcesteshire or Heinz 57 Sauce
1/4 tsp dijon mustard
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1.5 lb boneless chuck roast

Roast
1 small yellow onion, cut into quarters
2 cups fresh baby carrots, sliced in half
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup red wine

Preparation
In a gallon size Ziploc bag mix together all of the marinade ingredients and then add the roast. Allow to marinate for 4-8 hours, or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a dutch oven or oven safe skillet, heat apprx. 2 tsp of olive oil over medium high heat. Remove roast from marinade and discard marinade. Apply kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to roast and then sear on each side for approximately 4-5 minutes. This helps seal in the juices. Once all sides have been seared, remove roast from pan.

Reduce heat to low and add onions, carrots, and garlic. Saute for approximately 1 minute and then add in chicken broth, stirring up the browned bits on bottom of pan. Remove from heat and place 1 bay leaf on the top of carrots & onions.

On top of this, place the roast. Then add the remaining bay leaf on top of the roast.

Lastly, pour the red wine over the bay leaf and roast.

Place pan into preheated oven and allow to cook for approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour. The time in oven will all depend upon the size of your roast. If your roast is 3 to 4 pounds it will probably require 1.5 to 2 hours roasting time. Use a digital thermometer (LOVE MY HUSBAND….he got me a new (and working one) for Christmas!) to determine when your roast is finished. Medium rare will be 145 degrees; medium will be 160 degrees; and well-done will be 170 degrees.

Remove your roast from pan and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Resting allows all the juices to settle back down. Enjoy with the carrots & onions. This would also be great served with mashed potatoes. Maybe, blue cheese mashed potatoes? Yummm! Also, the juices in the bottom of the pan make this even juicier!

I’d love to hear if you try the recipe out or if you have another classic pot roast recipe you use.

Cheers to eating locally & humanely raised cattle!

Jess

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12-23-2011

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies for Santa

If the Santa and Elves in your household enjoy chocolate then this recipe is for you! Its got semi-sweet grated chocolate plus milk chocolate chips. And, if you love oatmeal in cookies, this recipe delivers on that too! This is one of my favorite cookies…I’ve been known to devour 2 dozen in 2 days, all by myself! So be careful…they are addictive!

Pure Chocolate Delight!

Mrs. Field’s Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies
If you Google this recipe you’ll find lots of different variations and an interesting story of how the recipe came to be. I’ll save the story telling for someone else but this variation came from a friend’s mom a few year’s back. The chocolate has been scaled back and the recipe is halved. Even with halving the recipe it still makes 4-5 dozen cookies. But that’s good right…the more for you to eat?

Ingredients

1 cup, 8 oz, unsalted butter, softened
1 cup organic cane sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 brown eggs, preferably farm raised, slightly beaten
1 to 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups organic all purpose flour
2 1/2 cups quick 1-minute oatmeal
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
12 oz bag milk chocolate chips
4 oz chocolate semi-sweet bars

Notes

To soften butter, leave out at room temperature for 30 – 45 minutes. You don’t want to microwave it as that messes with the make up of the molecules so the cookies don’t have the right texture. Also, organic flour (or at least the brand I use, King Arthur) has a higher protein make up of the flour which limits how much the cookies spread while baking. Also, I’ve found that if you use 1-minute oatmeal versus old fashioned you will have more moist cookies. And if you slightly beat the eggs before hand it ensures you get no shell in your dough and also distributes the egg more evenly into the dough, in my opinion!

Recipe
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line cookie sheets with parchment paper or Silpat liners.

Grate chocolate bars into a medium size bowl.

Measure oatmeal and blend in food processor.

Next, cream together butter and sugars. When I first started baking a lot, I would wonder “how do I know when it is ‘creamed'”. Well this is what I consider ‘creamed’ to look like and takes 3 to 5 minutes to achieve.

Add beaten eggs and vanilla. Next, add the flour and oatmeal mixture. Then mix in chips and grated chocolate.

Spoon the dough into tablespoon size and place on cookie sheet and bake for 6 minutes at 375 degrees. The few minutes pass quickly so set an oven timer for these cookies! Transfer to baking rack as soon as cookies are set enough. And ENJOY!

Now, the best part…Lick that bowl clean!

I’d love to know, what cookies do you bake at Christmas each year?

Jessica

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10-28-2011

A great weekend activity…make caramel apples with your kids

Need an easy activity to do this weekend with your pre-schooler while your toddler naps? Need something to take to that Halloween party (or two)? Want to share some sweet goodies with your friends? Then search no further…

Gooey Ooeey Yummness….That is how I’d describe a caramel apple. It’s simply delicious! And perfect for fall when apples are in abundance and Halloween is just a few days away. Yesterday, my little helper (aka my 3 year old son) and I made a batch of caramel apples and delivered them to his little buddies for them to enjoy. I am sure their parents were thrilled with the extra sugar showing up on their doorstep during Halloween season!

I’ve heard that making caramel is not as hard as you think but I just did not have the patience for that so we used bagged caramel. I know, I know…hardly local or homemade. But my apples were from a GA orchard – so that counts, right?

TIPS:

To begin with, you’ll want to find the smallest apples you can. The apples I started with seemed too small to me but as it turns out, so glad I used those. After making 12 or so of the small ones I still had enough caramel to coat 2 more apples and all I had remaining were pretty large. The popsicle sticks were not sturdy enough to hold the apples and it was a lot harder to twirl them to get the caramel just right. I used an heirloom variety (can’t remember the name) but I think anything with a little tartness and firmness will taste great with the creamy sweetness of the caramel.

The smaller the apples, the better

After washing apples you should scrub them to help the caramel stick. This is very important if there is wax on the apples. If using a local variety they probably do not have wax on them but it still helps by producing a bit of grain on the apples. One website actually suggested rubbing them with sandpaper! I had no clean sandpaper but if you do, try it out and let me know what you think!

For the sticks I used Popsicle sticks I found at Michael’s. I found it was easiest to ‘skewer’ the apple with a chopstick and then I had my little helper put the Popsicle sticks in them. It was still hard for a little one but he enjoyed trying! Also, a good job for your kiddos is to remove the plastic wrapping from the caramels. I was actually surprised my son only sampled one caramel while doing this. He has more self-control than I do!

And most importantly, be patient with yourself!!! It may take a few tries to figure out how to coat the apples and keep the caramel on there or how to get any nuts on them. On my first try I took the pot off the stove to coat the apples but the sauce cooled down way too quickly so after the first two apples, the caramel was too thick to coat properly. Thus, I recommend keeping the sauce on low heat.

Recipe:

(If you want to double this recipe, I suggest making in separate batches so the caramel sauce doesn’t get too thick while waiting for you to coat all those apples.)

6 small apples from a local or regional orchard

1 bags of caramel candies

4 tbsp water

popsicle sticks and chopsticks

1/2 cup of toppings: pecans, m&ms, crushed oreos, etc. (optional)

Parchment or wax paper

Lightly butter parchment or wax paper and place atop a long serving tray or cookie sheet. Rinse apples and scrub with a vegetable brush (or sandpaper)! Remove stems and then skewer with Popsicle sticks. Place apples on top of paper and place tray into refrigerator.

If using pecans, roughly chop and set aside.

Remove plastic wrappers from caramel candies and place in a large dutch oven with 4 tbsp water. Melt on medium low heat, stirring very frequently.

Stirring the caramel is a good job for your little one

Forget the apples...I'll just use a spoon and pretend you are soup!

Once the caramels are completely melted, reduce the heat to low and begin coating the apples. I found it worked best to tilt the pan so all caramel was at the bottom and then coat the apple by turning a few times with it submerged in caramel sauce. After taking the apple out of the sauce I twirled the stick in different directions so that it held. Next, I would hold straight up (like you were going to eat it) and then after a few seconds turn over so the caramel will hold in the opposite direction. Don’t be afraid to drizzle some caramel onto the top and bottom center areas with a spoon if having a difficult time getting the caramel to stick in those areas. 

Swirl and Twirl...This is the trick

Once coated and somewhat stable you will coat with nuts or other toppings. I placed my nuts in a medium sized Pyrex bowl and rotated the apples around until all covered. Make sure you do this as soon as you finish each apple. If you wait until all the apples are completed the caramel will be too firm for the nuts to stick onto.

If able to resist eating immediately, place completed apples back on tray and refrigerate for 5 to 10 minutes. This allows the caramel to ‘set’ a little more.

Now go ahead and enjoy!

Even if they don't look like the State Fair's, they are still really tasty!

YUMMMM

If you want to wrap these goodies up, simply place on a small square of parchment/wax paper and press the paper onto the apple. Place in a treat bag and wrap with a cute ribbon. Now you are all set to make someone’s day!

Cut the parchment paper with craft scissors for a cute touch!

Ready for Delivery

Happy Halloween!

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10-21-2011

What not to do when making a quiche!

Sometimes my love of food and cooking gets me into trouble and my family has to have take-out because I got a little to creative with a recipe and voila – it’s not what I was hoping for!

About a year ago, I saw a quiche in a local deli that had apples, bacon, cheddar….which all sounded great together. Well, perhaps there quiche was scrumptious, but I’m telling you….my attempt at this creation was close to a disaster!

Maybe, it was simmering apples in apple cider vinegar….what made me think vinegar would taste good mixed with eggs?

Maybe, it was the pepperjack I substituted for the cheddar since that was all I had at home?

Maybe, it was the rosemary the recipe called for, that in my gut I didn’t see how it could work, but why not try?

Or maybe, it was the pecans I decided to put in there because sometimes quiches are so soft and wouldn’t it be nice to have a crunch somewhere in that bite????

Needless to say – my creation, while pretty nice looking – I think, was pretty gross tasting. One bite and I spit it out. My poor husband actually swallowed his bite, took another (brave man), and then suggested we get take-out. The entire quiche, minus 2 bites, went into the trash.

Hence, I’ve decided, the more simple the recipe – sometimes the better. Especially, when it comes to quiche. AND – do not use pepperjack in a quiche!

Photos of my less than perfect quiche…

Not as great tasting as it may look

Why couldn't you taste better?

PS…that stuff that looks like sausage….nope, not sausage…its the pecans after being baked in eggs! No wonder they didn’t taste good.

Recipe for a tried & true quiche that I promise – is a keeper!

Ingredients

5 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup whole milk or half and half

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 – 1/2 tsp nutmeg

2 cups chopped fresh baby spinach

1/2 pound bacon, cooked and chopped

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

1 9″ deep dish pie crust (frozen or refrigerator) Tip: if buying frozen I suggest the brand name as it usually is a tad more deeper than the store brand crust. Not sure why, but I have a hard time getting all the egg liquid in there when I buy the store brand crust. If you buy the refrigerated pie crust you will just fit into a 9″ pie plate at home.

One other note…I do not actually measure my salt and pepper when adding to this recipe. I just use a dash of this and that. I think the amounts above are probably close to how much I put in there. Also, I always use kosher salt! I could write a whole post on salt but in the end, I just believe you should always use kosher salt when cooking or baking.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a mixing bowl, whisk together beaten eggs, milk or half and half, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Next place chopped spinach, chopped bacon, and grated cheese in bottom of pie crust. Pour the egg mixture on top of those ingredients. Bake for approximately 40 minutes until top is browned and egg mixture is set.

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