Foy Update

Planning to Preserve in the Coming Year - Part 2 of 3

2012-01-16T16:14:00.009-06:00

By putting up more food I will reduce the miles our food travels, I’ll know exactly where the food came from and what’s in it. This will contribute to a lower food budget and a healthier diet. All good things right? And it's easy. I usually put up what I want as the season progresses. I wind up with four times as many pickles as we can eat and not enough tomato sauce. This year I'm making a plan.

I have broken my plan to preserve into several parts:

Decide what we would actually eat by looking at my notes from what we put up last year and what we would have used if we had it
Calculate quantities that we would conceivably consume in a year’s time
Check and see that we have the capacity to can, freeze or store all this bounty
Make a chronological list of when these foods are ready to preserve
Put it all together and make a calendar of foods with their quantities and check it every couple weeks as the season progresses to make sure I’m on track

In the first part of Planning to Preserve I went into detail into for steps 1 and 2. I considered what I put up last year and what I want to put up this year. The second part is steps 3 and 4.

Step 3: Do we actually have the number of canning jars, freezer and cupboard space to hold all this bounty?

Here’s what I calculate I’ll need to hold all this stuff:

69 Quart Freezer Boxes or Bags (6+5+3+15+6+6+12+6+6+4 = 69)
35 Pint Jars (34+8+1 = 43)
26 Quart Jars (12+8+6 = 26)
Dry storage for 16 squash, 24 heads of garlic

Here’s what I’ve got on hand:

Freezer boxes 6 pints, 2 quarts
17 pint jars
2 half pint or jelly jars (I always give away the small jars it seems!)
18 quart jars

I’m going to need more jars. I don’t think I've ever put up this much food plan or no plan. Looks like I will need to be watching garage sales, thrift stores and church sales for canning supplies. Canning jars generally run about $1 a jar new; if I can find any for less it's a good deal. Granted, when facing a bushel of apples I'm willing to go purchase at full price.

I’ll need to acquire:

49 quart freezer bags (for the dehydrated food and pesto I prefer freezer bags and for the fruit and corn I like the plastic freezer boxes)
15 quart freezer boxes
21 pint jars
14 half pint jelly jars
8 quart jars

Step 4: Make a chronological list of when these foods are ready to preserve.

There is a chart in the back of my Ball Blue Book of Canning that shows when to expect fruits and vegetables to be peak season. I used that plus my own notes and the lids of cans (I always write the date) to create this list below. This is for the Midwest specifically north east Indiana.

May: Beets, Kale
June: Beets, Strawberries, Blue Berries, Peaches
July: Cucumber, Corn, Apples, Cherries, Cherry Tomatoes, Peaches
August: Cucumber, Corn, Apples, All Tomatoes, Herbs, Wild Grapes
September: Beets, Corn, Apples, All Tomatoes, Kale, Herbs
October: Beets, All Tomatoes, Kale, Winter Squash
November: Beets, Winter Squash

I'm getting closer to finishing the plan. One more step to put it all together; that will be in Part 3 of Planning to Preserve which will go up later this week.

How's your plan to preserve shaping up?

This post was featured on Simple Lives Thursday

Planning to Preserve in the Coming Year - Part 1 of 3

2012-01-12T16:03:00.003-06:00

Last year I didn’t have a plan when it came to putting up food. I also had a full time job. This year with more time, at least for now until the peanut comes in June, I’m making a plan. It’s going to be a flexible plan as who knows what fun birthing plus baby will throw in the mix.

I would like to put up more than I did last year. By putting up more food I will reduce the miles our food travels, I’ll know exactly where the food came from and what’s in it. This will contribute to a lower food budget and a healthier diet. All good things right?

I have divided my Plan to Preserve into five steps:

Decide what we would actually eat by looking at my notes from what we put up last year and what we would have used if we had it
Calculate quantities that we would conceivably consume in a year’s time
Check and see that we have the capacity to can, freeze or store all this bounty
Make a chronological list of when these foods are ready to preserve
Put it all together and make a calendar of foods with their quantities and check it every couple weeks as the season progresses to make sure I’m on track

Over the next three posts I'm going to write up my plan. It was getting a little long for a single post. If you are putting food by in the coming year, I'd love to hear how you think about preserving. Let me know in the comments what you are going to can, freeze or dehydrate in the coming year. Let's get started.

Step 1: Make a list of what we would eat if I take the time to put it up.

I guess I’m getting a little ahead of myself. First I should look at what I did last year:

5 dozen ears of frozen cut corn (frozen in September gone by November)
6 pints of frozen sliced strawberries (we’ve got 1 pint left in January)
3 pints of frozen wild raspberries (untouched, I think the seeds are throwing me)
8 cups of sour cherries (Put up in June, made into 2 pies for dad over the summer)
8 pints of grape jelly (made in September, mostly gifts we kept 1 quart)
15 meals worth of pesto (put up in August and September, we have 10 left)
12 pints of tomato sauce (using about a half pint a week for pizza sauce)
12 quarts of dill pickles (down to 8 quarts)
4 quarts of dehydrated cherry tomatoes (3 quarts remaining)

Now for the wish list, what would I like to put up that I didn’t last year? I’m consulting the Ball Blue Book of Canning as well as my Freezing and Canning Cookbook by Farm Journal. It is from 1964 and smells like mold but it is still highly useful. Then I visited Punk Domestics, a website that show cases home food preservation and Spain in Iowa.

Sweet peppers, frozen chopped
Apples, dehydrated
Peaches, dehydrated
Dill pickle relish, can
Kale chips, dehydrated
Beet chips, dehydrated
Butternut squash, dry store
Garlic, dry store
Limoncello, Italian lemon liquor
Mustard, can
Enchilada sauce, can
Herbs (Basil, thyme, rosemary, parsley), dehydrate
Apple sauce, can
Wild Grape Jelly, can

I am beginning to wonder if this plan is a little overly ambitious, but that is what the next steps are for; to make sure I have the time, space and jars to put up all this food. Part 2 of 3 can be found here.

This post was featured on Simple Lives Thursday.

Fennel, Tomato and Sardine Linguini - Omega-3 Rich Fish Recipe

2012-01-08T14:06:00.001-06:00

Have you ever actually tried sardines or anchovies? Many Americans have never given sardines a chance. I have to admit my only childhood exposure was that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ate anchovies and blue cheese pizza. Then I did Peace Corps and we happened to live in a community that had an NGO with volunteers living a village away. Not only did English Becky and Italian Daniel teach me about risotto, they taught me about canned fish other than tuna. They didn't convince me to go out and buy tins of sardines, but they opened me up to the idea.

Then, last month, I was reading about how humans evolved big brains when they had access to seafood and thus omega-3 fatty acids. And how our brains and nerves function better with omega-3s. Our bodies will substitute omega-6s if that's all that available. According to Dr. Terry Wahls at the University of Iowa 80% of us aren't getting the omega-3s we need daily.

I started to research good fish options. By good I mean fish that have more than 1 gram of omega-3 fatty acids per serving, are not in danger of being over fished and are low in mercury like sardines and anchovies! One 3.5 ounce serving of sardines will give you 1.4 grams of omega-3 fatty acids and less than 0.09 ppm of potential mercury, the lowest category the USDA has for mercury contamination in seafood. It's time to give sardines a chance.

I went to my favorite recipe hunting grounds: tastespotting.com and foodgawker.com. There I found a recipe for Linguine with Sardines, Fennel and Tomato on Food52.com.

Sardines are a common Mediterranean food. The practice of salting and preserving sardines has been part of their culture for centuries. Huge schools of sardines migrate along the coast of Greece, Italy, France and Spain in late spring. Salting and canning is a way to preserve the bounty; kind of like a salmon run. The result is generations of experience cooking with sardines. If there is a place to start learning about sardines, Italian Cuisine seemed good.

This traditional Italian recipe is a strategic balance of flavors to make sure the sardines aren’t over powering. The fennel adds a nice crisp element; the light anise flavor helps brighten the dish. Tomatoes and lemon add the acid necessary to cut through the oily fish and a dash of hot pepper flake brings some heat. The most genius part of this recipe is the bread crumbs which help absorb the oily sauce and make the noodles less slippery. This recipe is absolutely delicious enough to make a regular rotation in our menu.

Yes my kitchen and apartment smelled like hot sardines while I was cooking. I expected that to bother me, but it really didn't. Although I suggest refraining from bringing the leftovers to work and reheating them in the communal lunchroom, especially if it is right next to the reception desk.

Give sardines a chance.

Fennel, Tomato and Sardine Linguine

Salt (I like raw natural sea salt) about 1/4 teaspoon
1 tin sardines packed in olive oil (about 4 ¼ oz.)
Extra virgin olive oil
2-3 fat cloves of garlic, peeled, smashed, and roughly chopped
1 small or ½ large bulb fennel, fronds reserved
1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes, or more to taste
1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved or 1cup canned tomatoes with their juice, gently crushed
2 ounces white dry vermouth, I used dry sherry
1 medium lemon, juice and zest
1/3 cup toasted bread crumbs
3/4 pounds dry whole grain linguine (1 box)

Bring a large pot of water for pasta to a boil on the stove. Add a couple tablespoons of salt.
Clean and cut the fennel bulb into thin slices. A mandolin would be ideal, but I don't have one so I just used a knife. I am a rebel and used more than just the white bulb. I also chopped up the green stalks, saving the ferny leaves for garnish at the end. Nothing goes to waste! Zest all of the lemon and reserve a tablespoon of zest to add to the bread crumbs. The rest of the zest and the juice from the lemon can be combined to be ready for the sauce.
Open the tin of sardines and drain about a tablespoon of the oil into a large skillet. If you don't have enough, add olive oil to reach a tablespoon. If you happen to have bought sardines in water, like I did, use a tablespoon of olive oil.
Over a medium-low burner heat the oil. Then add the garlic and continue heating until fragrant. Use medium or lower heat because olive oil and fish oil denature at higher temperatures. Add the fennel and cook until it starts to brown and caramelize. Then add the tomatoes and their juices and continue cooking until the liquid is thick and reduced. Pour in the vermouth or sherry, stir and let that reduce quickly.
Add the sardines to the mixture in the skillet and any remaining juice or oil. Break up the sardines so they are in more bite sized chunks. They will break up a little as you stir the sauce too. Add the lemon juice and zest. Taste the sauce and see how it is doing. It should be very potent. Remember you will be serving this with a lot of linguini. Add a little salt if needed. Turn off the heat.
Cook the linguine according to the directions for al dente. The pasta I had said to cook 7 minutes. While the pasta is cooking, mix the breadcrumbs with the reserved tablespoon of lemon zest.
Once the pasta is just short of al dente, add about a half cup of the hot pasta water to the sardine sauce, if things get sticky add up to a cup. Then add the pasta to the skillet. Combine the sauce with the linguini. My skillet wasn't big enough to toss in, so I used a big Pyrex bowl.
Serve up your tasty fennel, tomato and sardine linguine. Sprinkle generously with the lemon zest bread crumbs and garnish with fennel fronds. (If you are feeling decadent an extra drizzle of extra virgin olive oil is in order.)

This recipe makes four large dinner servings. If you have leftovers, refrigerate them without the bread crumbs. Wait to add the breadcrumbs until after reheating.

What do you think? Are you willing to give sardines a chance? Have you already? How do eat them?

Gone Fishing

2012-01-05T11:53:00.002-06:00

I wrote a 1,400 word post about omega-3 fatty acids a couple weeks ago. I have been debating with myself if I should post it. It got a little preachy and new age sounding. It was my attempt to explain why I'm adding fish back into my diet after four years eating mostly vegetarian. In the end, I don't think this blog is the place to put all that information. It's out there if you want to find it. Here's a couple links if you want to know more:

Real Food for Mother and Baby by Nina Planck

The Human Brain, Nourish-Fat from the Franklin Institute

The long and short of it is I’m adding fish back into my diet for my health and my kid’s health.

I've been experimenting with sardines, anchovies, and mackerel recipes. From what I've been reading those are the lowest in mercury and least in danger of being over fished.

So far I've found an excellent anchovies, fennel linguine pasta that I'll share with you all next.

How do you all feel about this? Do you eat fish? Am I going to completely alienate my audience with this change of direction?

Five Ideas to Spice Up a Vegetarian Menu

2011-12-11T12:12:00.009-06:00

I've been a rather negligent blogger of late. I could blame it on being tired during my first trimester, but really I think I have written up all of our everyday recipes. (With the exception of vegetarian lasagna, which I always seem to be in a hurry when I making. Then there isn't good light for photos. Then it turns out a little runny and I don't blog about it. Someday, I'll write it up for you. It's a recipe worth sharing.)

Also I have been on a baking kick and cookies and cheesecake really don't fit the whole "healthy, responsible" eating message.

Here on my blog I get to be the Foy who makes thought out, smart food choices that turn into beautiful meals. What you are witnessing when you read one of my blog posts is the fruition of a promise to myself. I will actively seek out delicious nutritious food that is socially and environmentally responsible. Recently our weekly menus have been relying on recipes I've already blogged about and the same five dinners just repeat themselves. When I hit a rut, that's when the posting slows down.

It's time for me to start searching again. I will work on finding more healthy happy recipes to share with you all.

Here's some thoughts that have been on the back burner. I'll have to add them to recipe rotation.

Ladopsomo
Greek Nachos, when we were in Peace Corps we would go into Panama City once every three weeks or so and we often ate at a place called Athens that had Ladopsomo. I've never seen it anywhere else, but it was delicious. Basically pita bread with tatziki sauce (garlic dill yogurt) over a ton of diced cucumber, tomato, onions and olives. I think a reincarnation of this could definitely be made at home.

Old Country Pie
This is a recipe Jeff found in the Moosewood Cookbook that we eat every so often. It's wholesome and filling and uses lots of winter vegetables packed into a pie crust and held together with cottage cheese and yogurt. I took a picture of it once before it went in the oven, but then forgot to get any photos of it baked.

Vegetaran Pad Thai I love wide rice noodles and I have found a source. Nothing should be holding me back from figuring out a meatless version of this quick dinner.

Grilled Veggie Sandwich
I even have the pictures for this one, I just never got around to writing it up! Although the fresh tomato and basil give it away as a summer recipe. Perhaps I'll have to make the winter version.

Vegetarian Lasagna
It's about time this favorite of ours got a moment in the sun. Even though lasagna does take some time to assemble and then a whole hour to bake, we get a dinner and several lunches out of it, earning it a place on our menu about every two weeks.

Any sage advice from anyone out there. What do you do when you hit a rut in your kitchen?

Bread Stuffing with Sausage, Pecans and Dried Apricots - Recipe

2011-11-22T21:39:00.006-06:00

Since it is Thanksgiving week it's a good time to share one of my favorite turkey sides, stuffing. I've been told it is stuffing when it is stuffed into a bird and dressing when it is baked separately. I personally like both. The stuffing has more turkey flavor and is evenly moist, but I also love the crunchy top of the dressing. You can do either or both. I vote for both.

Since I am pregnant, although still in the first trimester for two more weeks, I am not going to worry about how much I'm eating. Plus since I can't drink I won't be getting any calories from wine, beer or cocktails. I'm a little sad about that. Not the lack of calories, rather sitting around while sipping on something late into the night around the dinner table is part of family tradition. I am trying to look on the bright side by thinking "well now I can eat those calories instead." Writing that statement seems funny. I am not going to think about it too hard.

My families traditional stuffing recipe is a simple sage with onions and celery affair. It's absolutely delicious, but it is definitely a side dish and is only enhanced by gravy and cranberry sauce. This Sausage, Pecan and Dried Apricots stuffing can be a meal unto it self. Gravy would just cover up the subtle sweet apricots and earthy pecan flavor. This is the stuffing you want if you aren't doing a million recipes and you want a stand out.

This stuffing recipe comes from my favorite cookbook: Cooks Illustrated New Best Recipe and in the notes it mentions that, "The stuffing can be cooked inside the holiday bird if you prefer; just reduce stock to 1 cup. Stuff a 12 to 15-pound turkey with 6 cups of stuffing. Then add an additional 1/2 cup of chicken stock to the remaining stuffing and bake it separately in an 8-inch pan."

For the base of stuffing, I like a combination of wheat and white for bread crumbs. Start by making stale bread crumbs. Then, you can do this either the fast more effort way or the lazy long way.

Lazy long way: First cut the bread into 1/2-inch slices, and lay them in a single layer on baking sheets or cooling racks, b and leaving them out overnight. The next day, cut the slices into 1/2-inch cubes and allow them to dry for another night.

Fast but more effort way: If you are in a hurry, rush the process by drying the slices in a 225-degree oven until brittle but not brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Then cut them into cubes and proceed.

Bread Stuffing with Sausage, Pecans and Dried Apricots

1 pound sweet Italian sausage, removed from the casings and crumbled
6 tablespoons unsalted butter (you will also use the sausage grease, so you made need less depending)
1 large onion, chopped
4 medium ribs celery, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried sage or (1 1/2 teaspoon of the fresh herb)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme or (1 1/2 teaspoon of the fresh herb)
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram or (1 1/2 teaspoon of the fresh herb)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped fine
2 cups pecans, toasted and roughly chopped
1 cup dried apricots, cut into thin strips
1 teaspoon salt
12 cups dried bread crumbs (from about 24-36 slices of bread)
1 cup homemade turkey or chicken stock
3 large eggs, slightly beaten

Cook the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat until browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a large bowl with a slotted spoon. Pour the grease off that remains and measure it. (Don't scrape the pan you want the fat to be clear. Then measure the grease and add enough butter to bring it up to six tablespoons. That sausage fat will add great flavor. Waste not, want not! That's the Thanksgiving way. I doubt the Pilgrims or the Indians ever threw meat fat away.
Add the onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat until soft and translucent, 6 to 7 minutes. Add the herbs and pepper, and cook for another minute. Transfer to the bowl with the sausage; add the parsley, pecans, apricots and salt, and mix to combine. Add the bread cubes to the bowl.
Whisk the stock and the eggs together in a small bowl. Pour the mixture over the bread cubes. Gently toss to distribute the ingredients evenly. Stuff the bird or bake the dressing, covered with foil, at 400° F until hot throughout, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the foil; continue to bake until a golden brown crust forms on the stuffing, about 15 minutes longer.

This is such a good recipe you don't have to save it for just Thanksgiving. Anytime you are craving a fall comfort food make this dish.

What's in your favorite holiday stuffing?

Big News

2011-11-20T18:08:00.006-06:00

Wait? Does that make me a mommy blogger?

There's so much to blog about. I'm concerned about my diet. I think most pregnant women want to do anything in their control to give their baby a healthy beginning. I know so very little. None of my close girlfriends have had a baby. I've never been very interested in babies or the gestation of them. I prefer growing plants to growing people.

We did a good job getting pregnant when we wanted. First try! Whoohoo! Doubt that will happen again. I'm due a couple weeks after finals. Jeff will have time to get his grading done and then he'll have the whole summer to hang out with baby and me. The life of a professor is a pretty good deal.

I've got a lot of learning to do. On this blog for the next seven months, in addition to recipes, I'm going to write about what I learn and how I apply it to what I am eating, how I am exercising and dealing with baby stuff.

Jeff and I intend to stay true to our tasty, healthy, responsible eating roots as well as be mindful of how this little bump will change our lives. We plan to keep baby possessions to a minimum and buy as few new things as possible.

Want to see how this goes? So do I. Come along for the ride as I explore Garden. Cook. Write. Repeat. ^Pregnant. Don't worry this will still be a mostly recipe blog just with another flavor mixed in.

Daily Bread - My Simple Bread Recipe

2011-11-03T16:20:00.020-05:00

I make a simple wheat bread a couple times a week. This is a versatile recipe and becomes the base for sandwiches, an accompaniment to soups and a side for curries. Or I just put some butter on it to hold me over until dinner! Depending on what I want I make round rustic loaves, traditional pan loaves, hamburger buns, bread bowls or dinner rolls.

I didn't really get into bread making until we did Peace Corps and lived in the middle of nowhere without electricity or a grocery store. One of our splurges was an oven that ran off a propane tank.

I had a simple soft pretzel recipe that I learned in eighth grade home-economics that became the basis for my bread. Lots of trial and error and four years later, making bread is a natural part of making dinner. I wish I hadn't been so isolated when I was starting out. A post like this would have really sped up my learning curve!

I've been tweeting with @ChrisKamprath trying to help him trouble shoot his bread making. This post was inspired by him. It takes way more than 140 characters to explain bread. Although I think the best way would be to teach someone in person. Here's my attempt to blog about it!

I should warn you all that this bread does not keep particularly well, once cut it gets dry over night. But it is perfect fresh out of the oven. The two of us, I have a very hungry husband, we can usually eat most of a loaf by ourselves. I use any left over bread for eggy-in-a-basket, peanut butter toast or to make bread crumbs in the next day or two.

This bread recipe is easy. The last time I bought bread it was because I had stitches in my hand and couldn't do the kneading for a couple weeks. It does take some time to do two rises, but if you plan it right, it is perfectly practical for daily dinners even if you hold a full time job. Plus it is cheaper and healthier than anything you can buy at the grocery store. Here's how you do it.

Simple Daily Bread Recipe

1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
2 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon oil
1 cup wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (plus or minus a bit)

Start by proofing the yeast. Proofing means to make sure the yeast is growing before you start making the bread. First warm a cup of water. You want the water as warm as you can stand to touch it. Yeast loves water about 115 degrees F. If it is too hot the yeast will die and if it is too cold the yeast won't bloom quickly.

Pour the warmed water into a large bowl and mix in the sugar. Sprinkle the yeast over the top. The sugar is the food the yeast will consume to start growing. Cover the bowl with a towel and let it set a couple minutes. The yeast will bloom becoming fuzz over the water that's how you know it is alive and growing.

I usually wait until the fuzz covers the water before adding the salt and oil. Depending on the day I use olive or canola oil or if I have any chicken or bacon fat on hand I use that. You could also use butter, really any fat will do as long as it is in a liquid form.

Next, mix in the wheat flour with a wooden spoon. I find wooden spoons are excellent for mixing dough.

Then cover the bowl again with a towel and let it sit another five minutes. This allows the wheat flour a chance to hydrate before adding in the white flour. If you skip this step it is easy to wind up with a dry, dense loaf.
Next add in the all purpose flour slowly mixing it in until you can't mix with a wooden spoon anymore.

Then, use clean, dry hands to kneed. Start by kneading in the bowl to incorporate all the loose flour.

If the dough is sticking to your hands, add a little more flour. Then turn the dough out on to the table and kneed for five minutes. (I've got some tips at the end of this post for how to know when you've reached the right consistency and troubleshooting if you have dry, dense, flat or other issues.)

Lightly cover the dough with oil and let rest in a bowl covered with a towel. Put the dough in a warm place and let rise until double. I don't usually keep very close track to how much time this takes. This time I used a stop watch and I let it rise 40 minutes.
Then punch down the dough and shape into your final form. I often just make a ball for a round loaf. Today I wanted bread bowls for chowder so I cut the dough into quarters and shaped it into rounds.

The most important thing to remember when shaping is to get all the air out so you don't have any air pockets in your bread. When I bake bread on cookie sheets I put down corn meal underneath to keep it from sticking to the sheet. For a loaf I roll it out with a rolling pin into a rectangle, roll it up into a log and then tuck the ends under. Then I put it into a well greased loaf pan.
Let the dough rise again until double. I let it rise for 50 minutes which was actually longer than my first rise, but I was working on making the chowder and time got away from me. Bread making is not an exact science if you go over or under with raising time, it's usually not a big deal.
Bake the bread in a 350 degree oven. For my four bread bowls it took 28 minutes to get a nice even golden brown all the way around. The larger your loaf the longer it will need to bake. I can usually tell when my bread is done by smell.

Remove your loaf from the pan or sheet and put it on a cooling rack. This will keep condensation from forming and making the crust soggy. Allow the bread to cool at least 5 minutes before cutting into it. Then enjoy your daily bread however you choose.

Today's daily bread was bread bowls for corn chowder. I froze whole kernel and creamed corn this summer just so I could make this soup when sweet corn isn't in season. It is divine in a bread bowl! Simply cut a circle out of the top of your bread and then use your fingers to pull out the soft insides being careful not to puncture the walls of your bowl.

How to adapt bread making to a 9-5 schedule: Make the dough in the morning and put it in the fridge to rise. It will rise slower when it is cool. By the time you come home from work you can take it out of the fridge and do the second rise. Putting the dough it a warm place will help the yeast get moving and raise the bread for a second time. Bake as normal.

Why the ratio of wheat to white flour? I know 100% whole wheat is healthier, but in order to get a 100% whole wheat bread I have to add almost a half cup of oil. Otherwise the bread is super dense and dry. Through experimenting, I've found the most wheat flour I can add without increasing the oil is one cup of whole wheat. I make sure to add it in the beginning and allowed it to hydrate before mixing in the rest of the needed white flour. I've also found seven grain cereal to be excellent in bread instead of the wheat flour. I usually make the seven grain cereal first so it is completely hydrated. One cup cooked cereal works well. You can even use the leftovers from breakfast. If you don't have wheat or don't want a wheat loaf just use all white flour.

Crispy crust: If I'm feeling naughty I add extra oil to the loaf pan so the bread is sitting in a couple millimeters of oil. As the bread cooks the bottom gets a crispy almost fry-bread like brown.

Why use corn meal under loaves when baking? Cornmeal can handle higher heat than wheat flour. I learned this trick from making pizza dough. Think about your favorite pizza I bet it has cornmeal underneath! Pizza is often baked at very high temperatures, think at least 500 degrees F. Cornmeal can take it, wheat flour would burn.

How to make this recipe into pizza dough: Simply up the oil to 1/4 cup. After the first rise shape into crust and then only rise 15 minutes for the second rise. Prebake in a 375 degree oven until just starting to brown. Then pull out the crust put on the sauce, toppings and cheese and bake for another 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. The extra oil makes for a crispier crust. Make sure to put cornmeal underneath your crust!

Why cover with a towel? The towel allows the yeast to breath but keeps the humidity high so the dough doesn't dry out. Some folks use plastic wrap, but I like a towel better because it is reusable.

Options for warm places to raise dough: I like to use a sunny spot if it is to be found otherwise I'll put it in the oven with it set to "warm". I've been told the ideal temperature for yeast growth is 82 degrees. In Panama I would put the dough in the cold oven with a lit candle. The warmth from the candle was enough to get a good rise. Just make sure to keep the towel and the candle well apart. My mom would put the bread to rise on the hot air vents in the winter. I've also had friends tell me they put it next to the fireplace; just remember to rotate the bowl so the yeast grows evenly. If you really want to know your bread, keep it in your lap; body heat works too.

How to know if you have added enough flour to your dough? There is no exact amount, it is a range. Slightly sticky, lighter dough will rise faster, have a courser texture and tend to be taller. If the dough is no longer sticky and hard to knead it probably has too much flour. Add a tablespoon of oil and knead it in. It will take a bit of work, but it should save your dough. I tend to err on the side of sticky if I want good bread for soaking up soups or curries. If I want sandwich bread that will hold up to juicy tomatoes and be denser I add more flour.

I hope this encourages you all to make more bread! Good luck and happy baking!

** I love that I am getting your tips and hard won bread knowledge in the comments! Please share your special tricks for making bread.

Extravagant Grilled Cheese - Simple Recipe

2011-11-01T16:53:00.000-05:00

The onion bread is baking right now its aroma is making my stomach growl. Bread baking can only be improved by the smell of roasting onion. However, I'm going to try by adding extra sharp aged cheddar, some thin slices of the last of the season's tomatoes and grilling the whole thing. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

The onion bread recipe is Rosemary Onion Bread, minus the rosemary, as their isn't any fresh rosemary and dried rosemary just isn't the same. I also substituted a cup of whole wheat flour for some of the unbleached.

Cut off some fairly thin slices of bread. Thin is good because it allows the heat to get to the cheese. Assemble your sandwich: bread, cheese, tomato, bread. Butter the bottom of the bottom piece of bread.

On a grilled cheese sandwich it is important to cover it with a thin even coat of butter so it browns up and has that nice crunch! I usually butter the top side while it is in the skillet. Then when the cheese is starting to melt and the bottom is a lovely golden brown, flip! Toast up the other side and then eat while the cheese is still gooey and the bread is still crispy. A nice glass of ice cold milk is also recommended.

In hind site, I might have grilled the tomatoes separately first because they kept popping out side as I ate. Luckily I have plenty of ingredients to try again. Perhaps next time I'll make some tomato soup too!

Lemon Bars - From Scratch Recipe

2011-10-18T16:41:00.002-05:00

When life gives you lemons, make lemon bars! My original plan was to make these for a get together over the weekend with new students. However, Jeff convinced me students would prefer chocolate chip cookies and we should have the whole pan of lemon bars to ourselves. I didn't take much convincing.

Never having made the lemon curd filling before and I was a little nervous because it calls for the use of a candy thermometer. Although I have one I'd never used it. It's actually Jeff's grandma's I believe. And I think it has Mercury in it. I mentally created a "just in case it breaks" plan in my head and then started cooking. In hind site, I should probably just get rid of the old mercury thermometer and get a digital one. If you're not convinced read this Cleaning Up Houshold Spills of Elemental Mercury.

If you don't use an ancient candy thermometer this is a pretty easy recipe. A little extra work will ensure curd that sets and tender crust. Many lemon bar recipes call for baking the lemon curd on the crust in the oven, which resulted in under cooked lemon and rubbery crust. Cook's Illustrated found the crust didn't get soggy if the crust was pre-baked and the curd was cooked on the stove. Then the curd goes into the crust and a final baking in the oven brings it all together!

Lemon Bars

Crust

1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened but still cool, cut into 1-inch pieces

Lemon Curd Filling

7 large egg yolks, plus 2 large eggs
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2/3 cup lemon juice (from 4-5 medium lemons), plus 1/4 cup finely grated zest
Pinch of salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
3 tablespoons heavy cream

Fold two 16-inch pieces of parchment paper lengthwise to measure 9 inches wide. Fit 1 sheet in the bottom of the greased pan, pushing it into the corners and up the sides of the pan (overhang will help in removal of baked bars). Fit the second sheet in the pan in the same manner, perpendicular to the first sheet. Butter the parchments to ensure a no stick situation.

Place the flour, confectioners’ sugar, and salt in a food processor and process briefly. Add the butter and process to blend, 8 to 10 seconds, then process until the mixture is pale yellow and resembles coarse meal, about three 1-second pulses. Sprinkle the mixture into the prepared pan and press firmly with your fingers into an even layer over the entire pan bottom. Put the crust in the refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Prebake the crust: Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350°F. Bake the crust until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the yolks and whole eggs until combined, about 5 seconds. Add the granulated sugar and whisk until just combined, about 5 seconds. Add the lemon juice, zest, and salt; whisk until combined, about 5 seconds. Transfer the mixture to a medium saucepan, add the butter pieces, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the curd thickens to a thin sauce-like consistency and registers 170°F on an instant-read thermometer or candy thermometer, about 5 minutes. Immediately pour the curd through a single-mesh stainless steel strainer set over bowl. Stir in the heavy cream; pour the curd into the warm crust immediately.
Bake until the filling is shiny and opaque and the center 3 inches jiggle slightly when shaken, 10 to 15 minutes (Mine actually took longer more like 30 minutes).
Cool on a wire rack to room temperature, about for at least 45 minutes. Cut into at least 16 pieces because these bars are rich!

Butternut Beet Soup - Fall Recipe

2011-10-17T10:41:00.004-05:00

A cold rainy day is a perfect day for soup made with butternut squash, carrot and sweet potato. The starchy vegetables become a velvety puree and the coconut milk adds a rich depth.

This time I didn't have sweet potatoes, but I did have beets. The sweet earthy flavor of the beets didn't change the flavor much but the color is redder.

What color would say that is? Persimmon? I downloaded the Sherwin Williams paint sample color matching ap and it suggests Gladiola, Coral bells, Ardent coral or Heart throb. While I don't want butternut beet soup as a wall hue, I enjoyed it as a vibrant colored soup.

Add a dollop of yogurt, lime, cilantro, sriracha sauce to balance the sweet rustic flavors of the soup and you've got a meal. (A slice of fresh baked wheat bread is an excellent side. Never turn down fresh bread.)

Butternut Beet Soup

3 medium beets
4 medium carrots
1 medium butternut squash
5 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 can unsweetened coconut milk (14 oz)
2 onions, chopped
10 cloves garlic, peeled
4 oz fresh gingers, peeled
2 bay leaves

2 limes
2 cups fresh cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon sriracha (Thailand chili vinegar hot sauce)
1/2 cup plain yogurt (I use Greek)

Start by cleaning and pealing your carrots, beets and squash and chopping them into sections less than four inches long. They just need to fit in the pot, don't worry about how big they are, you will puree them after they are cooked.
In a large pot over medium heat add the carrots, squash, beets, broth, coconut milk and bay leaves. Cover and allow it to come to a boil.
Mean while, sauté the onion with a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Mince the garlic and ginger. When the onions are translucent add the garlic and ginger. Sauté for an additional minute then add the onion mixture to the pot of stewing vegetables. When the soup pot starts to boil reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer covered for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Stir occasionally.
While the soup is simmering make the lime cilantro yogurt sauce. In your food processor add the juice from the two limes, yogurt, cilantro and sriracha. Puree until smooth. Pour into a small serving bowl and refrigerate until you are ready to serve the soup.
When the veggies are soft you are ready to puree the soup. First remove the bay leaves. Then use an immersion blender to puree the mixture. If you don't have an immersion blender, puree the soup in batches through a blender or food processor.

To serve the soup pour into bowls and top with a dollop of the yogurt sauce. You can even make a design if you want. I made a smilely face in my first bowl and then figured why not something more discriptive like a beet? No special tools needed. I used a spoon and a chopstick.

Roasted Vegetables with Polenta - Fall Recipe

2011-10-12T18:39:00.013-05:00

Fall is the perfect time of year to enjoy seasonable roasted vegetables with creamy polenta. Polenta is just the Italian word for grits, or perhaps the even less glamorous sounding corn mush.

I’m not sure why I came to polenta so late in life. Perhaps because I have a predominately German heritage and not Italian or even Southern. Or perhaps it was my less than stellar experiences with “tube polenta” or the grits we were served with maple syrup for breakfast in Savannah, GA. I guess I should be grateful I gave polenta a chance at all.

Soft polenta is the perfect accompaniment to roasted veggies. I've got a great assortment of vegetables from the farm.

There's leeks, banana peppers, Brussels sprouts, onions, potatos, beets, carrots and something I've never tried roasting before radishes. We had a ton of radishes that were getting overgrown. I'd never thought to do anything but eat them raw, so I looked on tastespotting.com for ideas for radishes and saw that folks were roasting them. They are actually quite delicious. They are sweeter and the peppery bite isn't as pronounced. It's a nice way to use the radishes. It's good to try new things.

I believe our first attempts at polenta included a recipe that ended with a can of black beans and salsa on top. It was one of those “30 minute meals” that yes was quick, but wasn’t very satisfying.

In our kitchen, who gets the credit for discovering polenta remains up for debate. I pretty sure it came out of a Weight Watchers recipe I tried and Jeff thinks he found it while researching quick dinners. However, we both agree it should be in regular rotation on our fall and winter menu.

It took some trial and error to figure out the best way to make polenta. Here’s some tips we picked up along the way:

Start by boiling your broth then when you add the cornmeal, reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting on your stove. This keeps the polenta from bubbling and splattering hot cornmeal goo all over you and your stove top.
Stir the mixture vigorously at least every 5 minutes and make sure to scrape the edges and bottom of the pan. Your polenta won’t be lumpy or burn to the bottom of the pan.

Don’t use pre-grated cheese. To keep the cheese from sticking to itself at the end of processing it gets dusted with some sort of powder that also makes it melt unevenly. Get a block of cheddar and do the 30 seconds of grating to get nice and creamy polenta.

We like a combination of coarse and fine ground cornmeal; not too pasty, not overly textured. About 1/3 coarse Bob Red Mills to 2/3 corn maza is our favorite ratio.

Roasted Vegetables and Polenta

Once the vegetables are in the oven roasting begin making the polenta.

Polenta

4 cups of stock (divided into 3 cups, 1 cup)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cups fine ground corn meal (maza)
1/3 cup coarse ground corn meal (dry polenta)
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar

In a large sauce pan bring 3 cups of stock to a boil. In a medium bowl combine the two corn meals with 1 cup room temperature broth. Use a fork or whisk to combine to stir the mixture until the corn meal is no longer lumpy.
Reduce the broth to low. Slowly pour the cornmeal mixture into the hot broth stirring as you go. Cook and stir over low heat for 10-20 minutes, stirring vigorously every 5 minutes. How long you cook will depend on your coarsest corn meal.
Taste your polenta, when it is creamy and no hard bits remain, stir in cheese. Check the consistency. The polenta should slowly fall from the spoon. If it is too think add a little water until the desired consistency is achieved. The polenta will thicken-up as it cools.
Let the polenta set 5 minutes and then serve.

Roasted Vegetables

3 medium potatoes
2 full size carrots
1 bell pepper or a handful of sweet banana peppers
3 beets
7 small leaks
1 small yellow onion
1/2 pound of Brussels sprouts
7 large radishes

3 tablespoons of olive oil
Italian spices: 1 teaspoon each of parsley, rosemary, marjoram, thyme, oregano, tarragon

Clean and cut your veggies into roasting chunks. Divide them into two groups. The veggies that roast quickly like onions, leaks, Brussels sprouts, and peppers; and the group that will need more time like potatoes, beets, radishes, and carrots.

In a large bowl combine the ingredients that take a short amount of time to roast and add half the olive oil and spices. Give it a couple quick stirs to combine. Then arrange the veggies in a single level on a foil lined baking sheet. Repeat with the veggies that need a longer cook time. I should note, I don't toss the onion or the leeks because they fall apart and become too small and then they dry out and burn rather than roast. Instead I just put them on the roasting sheet with no oil or spices.
Set your oven to broil and put your veggies in the oven. After 5 minutes switch your veggies from top to bottom. Broil for another 5 minutes. Check your veggies that don’t need much time to cook. They should be a nice roasted golden brown (if they aren't go for another round of broiling). Once nicely browned pull them from the oven. Reduce your temperature to 350 and bake the veggies that need a longer time to cook an additional 20-25 minutes or until a knife easily cuts into the carrot.
Turn the oven off and put both sheets of veggies back in the oven to keep them warm until the polenta is done and has cooled for 5 minutes.

Creamy Arugula Pesto - Vegetarian Recipe

2011-10-10T19:22:00.002-05:00

A mere handful of arugula and parsley.

There are a couple things you need to know. First, there is a row of arugula about 80 feet long that hasn't been harvested at my local CSA. Second, I only made 15 of the desired 24 batches of pesto I wanted to freeze for the winter before I ran out of basil.

Since I've been looking at the pesto recipe in my New Best Recipe Cookbook by Cook's Illustrated for the last couple weeks I've had time to notice that there are several variations on the Classic Basil Pesto. One of those variations is Creamy Arugula Pesto. I decided to give it a go.

The arugula and parsley base with the cheese ready to be mixed in.

Basically it is the same recipe as regular basil pesto except switch out the basil for one cup arugula and one cup parsley then add in a 1/3 cup of ricotta to get the creaminess. I whipped up a batch for dinner tonight. It came out this lovely light pea green color; much lighter than basil pesto.

I added some sauteed onion and slightly re-hydrated sun dried tomatoes because I figured the bitter, peppery arugula could use some sweet relief. Couldn't we all use some sweet relief?

As we sat down to dinner I explained to Jeff that we were eating a variation on pesto, but with arugula. During his first bite he looked confused. Then he decided it needed more salt. Then he told me it tasted, "like rubber in the back of my throat". His verdict, it was too bitter. That didn't stop him from eating a huge heaping plate full - wouldn't want to waste food.

I didn't mind arugula pesto. I thought it was good; definitely bitter, but in a nice-change-of-pace way. I'd make it again for myself.

Jeff is not a picky eater. If he doesn't like arugula pesto that's saying something. I guess I won't make nine batches of it just so I can get up to the 24 I wanted to freeze.

Twenty-four was a specially calculated number of batches. It's how many batches it would take for us to eat pesto once a week until basil is ready to pick in the garden again next summer. I guess we will have to settle for pesto every ten days or so instead.

I also wonder if this arugula isn't particularly bitter. It was planted when it was hot out and it's huge. The hotter, dryer and older a green the more bitter it generally becomes. I'd bet baby arugula greens would be less potent. Perhaps something to try next year.

If you like a little bitter in your life, give this recipe a go.

Creamy Arugula Pesto

1/4 cup pine nuts (you could also use walnuts, pecans or almonds)
3 medium garlic cloves
1 cup packed fresh arugula leaves
1 cup fresh parsley leaves
7 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup ricotta cheese

1 tablespoon salt
1 pound of pasta

Toast the nuts in a small heavy skillet. Don't add oil, just do it dry. Pine nuts in particular will go from toast to burnt very quickly so use low heat and mix them around frequently until they are golden brown and fragrant. It shouldn't take more than 4-5 minutes. Set the nuts aside to cool.
Using the same skillet brown the garlic with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil.
Pick the parsley leaves off the stems and take the rib out of the arugula. All you want are nice tender dark green bits.
Next bruise the arugula and parsley to bring out their flavor. Place the arugula and parsley in a large zip-lock bag and seal it most of the way. You want to leave a little opening for air to escape. Now the fun part, use the flat side of a meat pounder or a rolling pin to bruise the basil. You will know when you are done when all the basil has turned a darker, wet looking green color.
Combine the pine nuts, garlic, arugula, parsley, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the remaining 6 tablespoons of olive oil in the food processor. Process until smooth. You can also use a blender for this part. Or if you are really dedicated do it the old fashioned way with a mortar and pestle. Once everything is smooth transfer your basil mixture to a small bowl and stir in the ricotta and Parmesan cheese.
Now at this point you can package and freeze your pesto if you like. Some folks like to freeze it in ice-cube trays so they can pop a cube out to throw in a soup or season up a sauce. I like to put mine in small freezer bags.

You can also keep pesto in the fridge by covering the bowl with plastic wrap. Make sure to press the plastic wrap right down onto the top of the pesto so there is not air to oxidize and lose flavor. The recipe says it will keep this way for up to three days. If you want to eat that pesto right now, continue on to step seven.
Bring four quarts of water to a rolling boil in a large pot. Add the tablespoon of salt and the pasta to the boiling water. Cook until the pasta is al dente. Then reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. I used thin spaghetti because I like that it cooks in just 7 minutes but use whatever pasta you fancy. Rotini is particularly nice because it has lots of nooks and crannies to hold the sauce.
Stir in 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water in with the pesto, then toss the pasta with the pesto. Add a little more of the pasta water if needed to get the pesto to distribute evenly. You can serve this hot or let it cool to room temperature.

Photo Recipe Archive - Pinterest

2011-09-18T22:06:00.003-05:00

I recently discovered Pinterest.com. Pinterest is billed as:

A virtual pinboard. Pinterest allows you to organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. You can browse pinboards created by other people to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests.

People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and share their favorite recipes.

When I read the bit about "favorite recipes" I had a fabulous idea. I could use a Pinboard to create a visual archive of my recipes on this blog! So I did. Check it out: http://pinterest.com/foyupdate/foy-update-garden-cook-write-repeat/. You can also choose to follow me or my board if you join the site. Happy pinning!

Blue Ribbon Corn Relish - Preserving The Harvest

2011-09-16T15:55:00.000-05:00

Tangy and sweet this homemade corn relish is a go-to item in my pantry. It has been incorporated into many meals over the last year. My favorite use was to add a couple dollops to sour cream and enjoy it as salad dressing. I've also put it on burgers and mixed it into chicken salad. It was delicious with Thanksgiving turkey.

Not only does this corn relish bring a burst of texture and flavor, it adds gorgeous color. The turmeric deepens the sweet corn to a lovely gold, add in the red flecks from the bell pepper, and you've got a beautiful spoonful.

I plucked this recipe out of the July 2010 Better Homes and Gardens. I made it because I thought it was pretty and since I had green pickles and red tomato sauce I thought it would add another color to my cabinet. I didn't really care if it tasted good.

I have no idea what blue ribbon it won, but I can see why it won. It is both pretty and tasty. The only thing I changed was to reduce the amount of celery seeds from two teaspoons to just one because they were over powering. I'm not a big celery fan.

I made this recipe last year, but I wasn't sure if I liked it so I didn't share it with you all. Now I am sure. This relish will liven up your meals as a topping or a mix-in.

I have to make more while there is still sweet corn to be put up. Here's the recipe, enjoy:

Blue Ribbon Corn Relish from Better Homes and Gardens

16-20 ears of fresh sweet corn (8 cups)
2 cups water
3 cups of celery (6 stalks)
1 1/2 cups chopped red sweet pepper
1 cup chopped onion (2 medium)
2 1/2 cups vinegar
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 teaspoons dry mustard
2 teaspoons pickling salt
1 teaspoon celery seeds
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
3 tablespoons cornstarch

Shuck the corn and make sure you get all the silk off the ears. Cut the corn off the cobs, do not scrape the cobs. Measure 8 cups of corn and put them in a sauce pan with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered for 5 minutes or until the corn is almost tender. Drain the water off.
In the same pot, combine the cooked corn, celery, peppers and onion. Stir in vinegar, sugar, mustard, pickling salt, celery seeds and turmeric. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir together cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water; add to corn mixture. Cook, stirring until slightly thickened and bubbly; cook and stir 2 minutes more. The mixture will start to thicken.
Meanwhile, prepare jars by sterilizing them. Ladle the hot relish into jars. Leave a half inch head space. Wipe the jar rims with a clean towel and top with lids and bands. Process filled jars in a boiling-water canner for 15 minutes. Start timing when the water returns to a boil. Remove jars; cool on wire racks and then store in a cool, dark place. Refrigerate after opening.

How would you use this delicious corn relish?

Classic Creamy Chicken Salad – Easy Recipe

2011-09-15T12:55:00.009-05:00

Our cat is going crazy because the whole place smells like simmering chicken stock.

Confession: I used to buy frozen skinless boneless chicken breasts. They were dry and they had almost no taste, but the media had me convinced they were a healthy “lean protein” option. I can’t believe I missed out on all the flavor and goodness of the rest of the chicken.

Four quarts of chicken stock ready to freeze

Now, when we do eat chicken, I find a local source and I buy the whole bird. (Try Local Harvest to find a farmer near you.) We eat the meat for dinner. Then I boil the carcass, pick the little bits of leftover chicken out for future soups or salad, strain the liquid and reduce it to make some of the most beautiful, rich stock you have ever seen. I even skim the fat off the top to use for bread making or sautéing veggies. Nothing goes to waste.

To make Classic Creamy Chicken Salad I start with this simple recipe and then I add things like apples and walnuts or some corn relish I made last summer to keep things interesting. The basic chicken salad recipe is creamy mayonnaise with acidic lemon juice, crunchy carrots and pungent onions. That’s all you need to get the right balance of flavors and textures.

Some fresh bread and a homemade garlic dill pickle doesn’t hurt either. Scale this recipe to however much chicken you have left. If you are feeling a little adventurous mix in some of the bonus ingredients in the last step. In the picture above I added 1/4 cup corn relish and a diced tart apple.

Featured in Simple Lives Thursday

Classic Cream Chicken Salad

1 pound leftover chicken meat
2 medium carrots, diced very small
1 small onion, grated
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lemon juice (you could also use dill pickle juice)
Salt and pepper to taste

Shred the chicken meat by cutting it into one inch chunks and then using your hands to pull apart the meat into shreds.
In a bowl combine the chicken meat with the carrots, onion, mayo, and lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Now get creative and throw in some pickle relish, chutney, walnuts, apple, herbs or even raisins and curry powder. I love fresh tarragon minced in with dried apricot. Taste as you go to create a unique dish every time.

How do you spice up your chicken salad?

Crisp Garlic Dill Pickles - All Fresh Ingredients Recipe

2011-09-11T20:00:00.006-05:00

I thought I had missed the pickling season entirely when Jeff got his job and we had to move at the end of August. I was resigned to making due with leftover pickles. Last year I made two kinds of pickles a hot water bath dill pickle from the Ball Blue Book of Canning and Preserving Recipes and a refrigerator garlic dill from the blog Food in Jars. We ate all the refrigerator garlic dills because they were delicious and crisp. We still have half a dozen jars of the soggy, too clove-y and sweet dills from the Ball Blue Book. Even if we had no other pickles I'm not sure we would finish those jars. But, I won't have to find out. I got some pickling cucumbers!

Several folks told me about Hawkins Family Farm which runs a co-op just outside of North Manchester. Before we moved I contacted them and they seemed very open to the idea of me working for food. I've driven out two mornings so far and this exchange is going swimmingly. Last week I did a bunch of weeding in the beans and pea; harvested peas, beans, corn; and thinned radishes. Their cucumbers are kind of at the end of the season, but I found enough to pick to make seven quarts of refrigerator garlic dill pickles.

This recipe is based on Garlic Dill Pickles from Marisa's blog Food in Jars. I did change the recipe up a bit. The origonal recipe uses dried spices. I had access to fresh, so everything but the black peppercorns are straight from the garden. I also sliced the cucumbers into spears rather than fat coins. I liked the coins just fine and they are much more forgiving because the length and width of the cucumbers doesn't matter. However, Jeff likes spears. Actually he likes the whole little pickles even better, but I couldn't fill seven pints with just whole baby cucumbers. I did manage one jar of whole ones just for him, but the other six are spears. also used quart jars rather than pints because they are more space efficient in the refrigerator.

The pickles are excellent. They have a nice salty cider vinegar brine with some spice from the jalapeno and black pepper as well as the richness offered by the fresh garlic and dill. Plus they only took two hours to make start to finish. That includes all the time for me to scrub the cucumbers and take lots of pictures. The only thing I'll change up next year is to double the jalapeno. I'll go for a whole one rather than a half. I like a little more spice.

These pickles are crisp. This is why refrigerator pickles are better than hot water bath pickles. They don't get soggy from seven minutes at a boil. Sure they take up some extra space in the fridge, but they are worth it. They are the perfect accompaniment to sandwiches like the BLTs, Mushroom Burgers or hearty soups like Yellow Split Pea. I even got the ultimate complement when Jeff said they taste like his grandma's pickles!

Refrigerator Garlic Dill Pickles

Makes approximately 4 quarts (or 8 pints - total yield varies depending on size of cucumbers)

4 overflowing quarts of pickling cucumbers, sliced into fat coins or spears or use whole little baby ones

4 cups apple cider vinegar
4 cups water

5 tablespoons pickling salt

16 garlic cloves, peeled (5 per quart jar)

4 jalapenos (1 per quart jar)

8 heads of dill that have just finished flowering but haven't set seed (2 per quart jar)
4 teaspoons black peppercorns (1 teaspoon per jar)

Start by preparing your jars. The National Center for Home Food Preservation recommends "sterilizing empty jars, by putting them right side up on the rack in a boiling-water canner. Fill the canner and jars with hot (not boiling) water to 1 inch above the tops of the jars. Boil 10 minutes at altitudes of less than 1,000 ft. At higher elevations, boil 1 additional minute for each additional 1,000 ft. elevation."
Wash and slice the cucumbers into which ever shape you wish. A quick tip when cutting spears, if the center of the cucumber has lots of seeds you can trim the seedy part out. Here's how I did the spears:

Arrange jars on counter and dole out the spices (garlic, dill, black peppers and jalepeno) into each. Pack the cucumbers firmly into the jars. You don’t want to damage the cukes, but you do want them packed tight. (The first time I made pickles I failed to do this and wound up with not enough brine and fewer pickles than I would have liked.)
Make the brine by combining the cider vinegar, water and salt in a large sauce pot. Bring to a simmer. Immediately after the brine comes to a simmer pour into the pickles jars leaving 1/2 inch head space. It is important to not let the brine simmer very long because the evaporation will change your ratios and make the liquid extra vinegary and salty.
Wipe the rims with a clean towel and apply lids and rings. You could also use the zinc reusable freezer jar lids. Let the jars cool to room temperature, label them and then put them in the fridge.
Wait until at least overnight before you try them. The flavors will become stronger as the pickles sit. These will keep for at least a year.

Thanks Sarah for letting me taste your pickles and giving me the link to Food in Jars. This recipe is a keeper!

Featured in Simple Lives Thursday

Making a Meal Out of Salsa - Vegetarian Recipe

2011-09-02T14:06:00.003-05:00

This time of year I love fresh salsa. When I went up to the boarder of Canada and Minnesota to visit my sister in July, she made the most delicious salsa. This salsa was more filling than tomatoes, onion and peppers; it also had sweet corn, hearty black beans and creamy avocado. She was gracious enough to write the recipe down for me, which I than promptly lost.

Last night at six o'clock it was still 90 degrees in the kitchen so instead of turning on the oven or stove I got out the cutting board and made this delicious meal. It's pretty darn close to what my sister made. I adlibbed a bit. I think she had even more tomatoes.

Make a Meal out of it Salsa

8 fresh tomatoes

1 can of black beans drained and rinsed (or 2 cups of rehydrated dried beans)

2 avocados

2 cups corn kernels (I used frozen)

1 onion

5 cloves of garlic

1 jalapeno

1 cup of cilantro leaves

1 lime's worth of juice

The short version of the recipe would be chop everything and put it in a bowl. However, there are some parts that could use a little more finesse than that. So here's the long version of the directions:

Start by getting out a really big bowl and spoon. I used our biggest mixing bowl. This will make your life easier as there are a lot of ingredients to mix and you'll need the room. Then get out your largest cutting board for the same reason.
Dice the onion and then taste it. If it is really peppery throw it in a colander and rinse it with cool water. You'll be surprised how much of the bite will be taken out. Allow the onions to drip for a while before adding them to the big bowl.
Next dice up the tomatoes. Put the diced tomatoes into a colander and toss with a little bit of salt (1/2 teaspoon or so) this will help drain off the extra juice so you don't have sloppy salsa. No one wants to dip their chips into the liquid pooling at the bottom of the bowl. I like to drink the juice. It's delicious.
Before you mince it, taste your jalapeno. If it is really hot, take the seeds out. If it is not spicy enough keep the seeds. (At the end you can always add some powdered cayenne pepper to heat up the spiciness to your taste.) Mince the garlic and jalapeno and add it to the bowl along with the beans and corn. Toss as your ingredients so the flavors start to meld together.
Clean the cilantro by taking the leaves off the stem and removing any wilted or yellow bits. Rough chop the leaves and add them to the bowl.
Add the drained tomatoes. The last step is to dice the avocado and add it in with the lime juice. You want to add the avocado last because it's soft. Give the mixture one last gentle mix to combine everything and you are ready to serve!

This makes tons which is great for a party or be like us and make it into a meal. All I added was some Baked Tostitos Scoops. This is not a paid advertisement. Tostitos has no idea who I am. I just like having a high ratio of salsa to chip and the Scoops make that possible. And I liked that they are baked.

This salsa is even better the next day! I'm not sure about the day after that, as it didn't last more than two days.

Jeff and I both thought it would also be good as a pasta salad. Simply toss some whole wheat rotini in there and skip the tortilla chips. Of course that would involve boiling water on the stove so perhaps I'll save that for a cooler evening.

Farewell Tour of the Old Kitchen

2011-08-29T18:12:00.007-05:00

I've officially got wifi in the new place! Jeff just hooked it up. We are still in the "can't find anything because a) I can't remember where I put it or b) it is still in a box" faze. Soon I'll give you all a grand tour of the new kitchen. First let's look back at our wonderful tiny kitchen in Valparaiso, Indiana.

It was nice and cozy - just enough room for me to really get cooking. We packed our cupboards full and used every square inch.

The window faced west which was great except for those four minutes when the sun would angle in just right and blind whoever was at the sink. For some reason I managed to do dishes at just that time.

I love the tile floor with a marble type pattern. It hides drips and spills and there's only 20 square feet to clean!

I loved the gas range. If I could have taken it with me I would have. The cat adored it too.

The oak cabinets were awesome. There was not just one, but three drawers! Now this may not seem like a lot to most of you out there, but for a girl who has rented all of her cooking life, three drawers is a luxury. My first couple of apartments each had one and in Panama we had none. Plus the lazy-Susan in the corner was such a good use of awkward space. In lesser apartments they would have just put in a narrow cabinet door that would lead to a cavern of completely unusable space unless one wanted to hide a body. And really how often does one do that in their kitchen?

Right off the kitchen was the living room area. This apartment is one of four in an old Victorian home. This house had four bay windows! Ours faced west. The kitten's favorite perch was on the table where he could mew at the passers-by. Our new place has even more windows. He can't decide which window to sit in.

The hardwood floor was my favorite feature of that apartment. The reflected light made the 550 square feet look larger. We had many delicious meals at that table. In fact most of the pictures of food on this blog are done on that table.

Luckily the table came with us. Unluckily I spilled fingernail polish remover on it and now it was a weird oblong dark mark on it. Perhaps it is time to look for a new kitchen table. Our current kitchen has room to expand.

Can't wait to show you around the new place!

P.S. My hand is recovering. Moving all my worldly possessions with five stitches in the skin between forefinger and thumb was not the best situation. I eventually taped my thumb and forefinger together because I still had to move boxes and the wound wasn’t sealing shut even with the stitches. It’s been about three weeks and the gash is now healed closed and the dead skin is starting to peel off on the edges. It’s still a little tender inside, but I am sure I will be fully functioning in another week. I'll even get a scar out of the deal.

Roasted Garlic on Bread Recipe - Plus How I Cut My Hand

2011-08-15T20:06:00.003-05:00

I’m throwing a pity party for myself. It involves a baguette, roasted garlic and a beer.

Here’s the back story: Last week was good. My husband got offered a job; not just any job, a career job. The job he wanted to do when set off to get his masters, way before we were married, before Peace Corps, before I got my job at Taltree. He’s going to be a professor of art! From the time he went to do the onsite interview until he got the offer, I refused to think about it. There were just too many things that would be affected. Our life would change if he got the offer. Then he did get the offer! In rapid succession he signed the contract, we found an apartment and I gave my two weeks.

There are so many good things that will come from this move that I haven’t let myself dwell on the bad. However, today I am going to think about them.

I love my job. I believe in the arboretum. This was my dream job.

Jeff and I talked it over and even though we are only moving two hours away, it doesn’t make sense to commute. I’d leave before six in the morning and come home after six at night.

Every day at work I have to say good-bye to someone else. I said good-bye to my Sunday Afternoon Garden Club today. They are a great group of volunteers. I’m going to miss them.

Okay, all that is not fun, but I know this is a step forward for us as a family so I see it as necessary. That’s not why I’m roasting garlic. This is why: on Thursday I drove my husband to the airport in Chicago. (He’d booked a flight to visit his brothers on the west coast before he got the job.) I hate driving to Chicago. When I got home all I wanted was a nice thick slice of garlic bread. Instead I stuck a paring knife in my hand - not on purpose. I was trying to cut butter. The butter was frozen if that makes it any better. I had never had stitches. Now I have five.

So today I am having a pity party. I can’t make bread because I can’t knead dough one handed. So I splurged and bought fancy baguette bread. I decided to roast some garlic and eat it on that baguette with olive oil. It will make me feel better.

It’s real easy to roast garlic, but that doesn’t make it any less decedent. And when you are having a pity party for one you don’t have to worry about impressing anyone or having bad breath. Luckily I just got some fresh from the garden garlic. All you do is cut the top half inch or so off a whole head of garlic. Drizzle a teaspoon or so of olive oil into it, sprinkle some salt and pepper, wrap it in tin foil and then bake for 30-40 minutes at 400 degrees until tender.

Roasted garlic bread and beer is my comfort food. My whole apartment smells Italian. I think I am starting to feel better.

How to Freeze Sweet Corn Kernels & Cream-Style Corn - Recipe

2011-07-30T21:02:00.000-05:00

If I had known how easy it is to freeze corn, I would have done it more of it. Perhaps I still will. A lovely co-worker brought in dozens of ears of sweet corn she grew to share. Today I processed all 12 ears I brought home. It will be wonderful this fall and winter. I can't wait to use it in these recipes: Balsamic Corn and Black Bean Salad, Sweet Corn Chowder, Santa Fe Roasted Corn and Black Bean Soup, and Scalloped Corn (I haven't done a recipe for this one, but I should.)

Since I have never frozen sweet corn before, I turned to my trusty Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving and found simple illustrated step-by-step instructions. I'll show you what I learned below.

It took about 45 minutes to process a dozen ears which yielded three pints. If I had more corn, I would have just kept going. We can eat about four cups of corn a month for an optimum amount of 32 cups (16 pints) for the year. That's five more dozen ears of corn to freeze. I'll let you know if I get around to it.

What's the best sweet corn to freeze?

Super fresh, perfectly ripe corn will be the sweetest. Choose corn that was picked in the morning (when it is coolest) and then kept refrigerated. Ideally you'll process it the same day it was harvested. The longer you wait the more the corn metabolizes the sugar and the less sweet and tender your frozen corn will be.

How do you know if your corn is perfectly ripe?

When the price at the farm stand or farmer's market is the cheapest is a good sign that sweet corn is at its peak ripeness in your area. The silk at the top of the ear is brown and the ear should look plump and full. When you peel the husk off the corn it should squeak. The kernels will be shiny, tight and the ear should have full kernels from base to at least 2/3s the way up. Use your finger nail to puncture a likely kernel; it should squirt milky juice at you. If the juice is clear it is too early. If the kernel is leathery and the juice doesn't squirt the ear is old. And of course taste, the corn should be sweet and tender even without cooking. Just take a little nibble to check it out.

What You'll Need:

Containers for Freezing
I have reusable plastic containers that I picked up at a church rummage sale a couple years back. You could also use glass canning jars or plastic freezer bags. Make sure they are moisture and vapor-resistant.
Big Pot for Boiling Water
A ten-quart pot would be ideal for blanching corn on the cob. I used an eight-quart and I was able to do five ears at a time.
Tongs
For getting the hot ears out of the boiling water a pair of good grippy tongs is useful.
Container for Cold Water Bath
Your sink is probably the easiest; just fill it with cold water. You could also use a big bowl or tub. It needs to hold at least eight-quarts.
Sharp Knife and Cutting Board
I used an eight-inch chef knife and it worked perfectly. A big cutting board is best as the corn tends to squirt sweet juice when cut. Afterwards, I wished I cut the corn off the ear outside. Then I wouldn't have had to wash the floor under the area I was working.
Labeling Accoutrements
A permanent marker to write what and when on your container. I needed masking tape as well to help hold the plastic lids on my containers and plastic wrap to make sure the containers were air-tight. Did I mention I got old plastic containers at a church rummage sale?

How to Freeze Sweet Corn Kernels and Cream-Style Corn:

Obtain Fresh Sweet Corn
Select the best corn on the cob you can get your hands on. See above for tips. Shuck the corn, trim the ears and remove the silk. Rinse the corn.
Prepare Containers and Boiling Water
Get your freezer containers out and make sure they are clean and ready to use. Start 6-8 quarts of water boiling on the stove. Fill the cold water bath with at least 6 quarts of water.
Blanch the Corn
Submerge the ears in the boiling water. Do not over crowd them. I was able to get 5 ears in my 8-quart pot. Depending on the size of the ear, boil for 6-10 minutes. The corn will turn a brighter yellow.

1 1/2 inch diameter corn - 6 minutes
2 inch diameter corn - 8 minutes
2 inch plus diameter corn - 10 minutes
Cold Water Bath
Use tongs to pull the corn out of the boiling water and put it directly into the cold water bath for the same amount of time you blanched it. Remove the ears from the cold water and let drain.
Cut Kernels From the Cob
Start by either cutting the very tip or the bottom off the ear so you have a nice flat stable end as you slice the kernels off vertically. If you want cream-style corn, after your cut the kernels off, use the back side of the knife to scrape the milk out of the cob. It will be a little messy so consider doing the milking in a shallow bowl or even a 9x13 pan.
Pack Corn into Freezer Containers
For the kernel corn try, to pack the containers full or remove as much air as you can. For the cream-style corn leave a little bit of space for the liquid to expand as it freezes; a half inch should do it.
Label the Containers
Use a permanent marker to write what type of corn you just prepared and the date. I also included where the corn came from, as I plan on doing more.

I know lots of families who make a party out of freezing the corn. If you grow your own, it all comes ready at once and there is a very narrow window to process it all. Everyone gathers in the kitchen and takes charge of a step and together they make short work out of the harvest. In fact my Aunt and her family are doing their corn this weekend.

Don't be intimidated by freezing your own corn. It's easy and you'll love having little kernels of summer all winter long.

Summer Snacking - Cucumbers

2011-06-11T21:42:00.001-05:00

They aren't quite ready locally yet, but I can get cucumbers from just a state or two south. I love cucumber. It's one of my favorite snacks on a hot summer's day. Just slice them up, sprinkle with a touch of salt and enjoy! For this photo I got out my pink Himalayan sea salt because I've had it for a while and I thought the pale pink would be pretty with the green. However, the salt was too coarse. I should have just used the Kosher salt. You live you learn!

I can't wait for garden fresh cukes! The home grown ones have so much more flavor than anything at the store. Plus I know how I grow them -without chemicals. And I don't spray them with wax to keep them from getting wrinkly.

When I buy cucumbers from the store, I always peel them to get rid of any pesticide residue and the wax. However, a lot of the fiber and minerals are lost. When I have homegrown or organic, I leave the skin on.

If you want a little more to your snack eat cucumbers with some hummus.

How do you eat cucumbers?

Quick Fish Dinner for Busy Summer Nights - Recipe

2011-05-23T18:45:00.008-05:00

There are some nights when there just isn't time to make enchiladas or bake a loaf of bread. On those nights we make one of our quick dinners. This is one of my favorite standbys: grilled breaded fish with baked potato and peas. It's a simple and delicious meal and perhaps one of the healthiest on our regular menu.

Let's talk about fish. I love seafood, however after living in Panama and seeing the over fishing and destruction of ecosystem that is taking place to feed our appetites I have sworn off seafood including shrimp, salmon and tuna (which is a shame because they are all tasty). Now I choose farm raised fish.

Our standby is catfish. I know a lot of people are hesitant because it is a very "fishy" fish. However, if you get it fresh and cook it right, it is delicious. I was just at Chicago Botanic Garden's Summer Chef Series. At the demo the chef made grilled catfish tacos. I'll have to try out his recipe and let you know how it goes. It looked delicious, fast and easy! I'm always looking for new ways to enjoy fish.

For this recipe, I use a very simple preparation of the catfish. I buy one large fillet of catfish for the two of us. It is usually between one third and one half pound. I cut it into chunks so it cooks faster. Then it is breaded with a homemade flour and cornbread dredge and cooked on a Foreman, counter top type grill. It only takes about ten minutes. The juice and oils in the fish give the breading a nice crisp texture that has a crunch when you bite into it.

You could definitely do this on an outdoor grill or broil it in the oven. I like the Foreman because it is easy to clean and doesn't heat up the house. Plus we live in an apartment with no balcony and it's a pain to take the grill in and out especially when time is short.

I pre-bake the potatoes in the microwave for about six minutes to speed up the process. I'm not a huge fan of microwaves, but if there is one thing they are good at, it is getting food hot quickly. I always make sure to poke some holes in the potato before microwaving. My mother did this and from what I recall it keeps the potato from exploding. Non-exploding potatoes are always a good thing. Once pre-baked put the potatoes in a 350 degree oven for ten to fifteen minutes to finish them off.

That just leaves the peas. We use a glass dish to microwave two cups of frozen peas for about five minutes or until piping hot. Then put the potato, peas and fish all together and dinner is served.

This is a great little meal and you can alter it easily. Sometimes we opt for sweet potatoes and sometimes we do broccoli or corn on the cob instead of peas. You can switch up the fish to suit your tastes as well.

What are your favorite quick meals?

Breaded Catfish with Baked Potatoes and Peas for Two

1 fillet of catfish (about 9 ounces)
1 cup breading (1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup corn meal, 1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt, 1/4 teaspoon chipotle and 1/4 teaspoon pepper)
4 medium potatoes (we buy organic which always seem to be much smaller than chemically grown potatoes)
2 cups of peas

Start by prebaking the potatoes. Poke a couple holes in them with a knife and then microwave them for six minutes. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cut the catfish into chunks and dredge it through the breading. Then pop it on the Foreman grill for about 10 minutes or until a nice golden brown. You will have lots of leftover breading mixture. Just save it in a sealed container in the freezer until the next time you need it.
Pull the potatoes out of the microwave and put them into the oven on a cookie sheet to finish baking.
Heat the green peas in the microwave until steaming; about five minutes.
Pull the baked potatoes out and plate the fish and peas with them. That's it; your meal is ready to eat. Easy-peasy!

Nutrition: The information below was calculated using Spark People's Recipe Calculator for one serving based of two medium potatoes, one cup of peas, 4.5 oz of catfish and a half tablespoon of butter. You've got to have a little butter on the potatoes, right?

Yellow Flowering Japanese Magnolia 'Butterflies'

2011-05-03T18:20:00.005-05:00

I love this small stature yellow Japanese magnolia called butterflies (Magnolia 'Butterflies'). The buttery yellow flowers have been beckoning me from across the garden.

I usually write about food and recipes on this blog; sometimes I forget about the garden part of Garden. Cook. Write. Repeat. I spend my days working as a horticulturist for a not-for-profit arboretum and garden. In May we barely have a chance to sit down, but every once in a while I remember to take a moment and enjoy the view.

Magnolia 'Butterflies' is a great little tree for small yards. It gets 15 to 30 feet tall and wide and is hardy in zones 5-9. It loves the coveted moist yet well drained soil and prefers sun to partial shade. The best part? It has a lovely heady fragrance. Put them in a place you walk by frequently like near the front door or off the back patio.

Butterflies magnolia was all the rage a couple years back and everyone wanted one and no one had them in stock. Now they are easier to find and more reasonably priced. I have seen whips for as low as $30 and larger ball and burlap plants in the several hundred dollar range. Check your local nursery if you are interested.

Easter S'mores Revisited

2011-04-23T17:21:00.001-05:00

Easter S'mores: What happens when two peeps meet a chocolate rabbit. To read the whole Ménage à Trois story with recipe go here.

Cottage Cheese and Fresh Fruit - Healthy Vegetarian Breakfast

2011-04-16T17:08:00.007-05:00

I've been looking for a healthy and quick breakfast; something with protein that will get me through until lunch. Cottage cheese with fresh fruit has been a tasty answer. I've been eating about a half cup low-fat cottage cheese with a Clementine orange, strawberries or some of the frozen berries we put up last summer.

I let you in on another fantastic way to eat cottage cheese, mix it with salsa and eat it with tortilla chips. I know it sounds strange, but it's surprisingly yummy. Maybe I'll have to make that another post.

As a kid I couldn't stand cottage cheese. I'm not sure what's changed, but recently I've been craving it. I still don't like yogurt. Right now it is just a substitute for sour cream. How do you eat cottage cheese or yogurt?

If you are looking for a quick snack or breakfast you should give cottage cheese and fruit a try. I'm not even sure you need a recipe for this one. But here you go just to drive home how easy and quick this is:

Cottage Cheese and Fruit

1/2 cup low-fat organic cottage cheese
1 Clementine orange
1/4 cup fresh strawberries

Top cottage cheese with fruit and enjoy.

Check out how healthy this quick breakfast is:

Mindful Eating - Recipes with Nutrition Info

2011-04-15T11:47:00.008-05:00

At the beginning of April I began working outside in the gardens again. It's part of the cycle of working at a public garden in the Midwest. We work outside April-October then desk work November to March. I always welcome those first warm days of spring with dirty knees and a sore back. However, this year, I went to put on my gardening jeans, which have the permanent dark blotches from kneeling in the garden, and I could barely zip them.

Then I got word Taltree's Annual Gala Fundraiser will be formal attire. I have one formal dress, actually my wedding dress, and I can barely zip it either. Rather than go out and buy new clothes, I will lose the ten pounds it takes to fit back into my clothing.

If you take away the bouquet and veil, it is just a simple silk dress.

How exactly do I plan to systematically lose about ten pounds? I have a couple things I have started doing:

Exercise. This one is easy. Now that I'm back out in the garden I'll be moving around more and much more active. I am grateful to have a job that helps my physical health rather than most desk jobs that add to the problem.
Back on the Weight Watchers bandwagon. I did Weight Watcher in 2002 and got to my goal weight. I started using their online program last week. It's been revamped since the last time I did it. I like that now they incentivized eating whole fruits and vegetables. Although for me, it is re-educating myself about portions that really helps.
Adding nutritional information and servings to all my recipes. This will take time, but I plan to go through all of my posted recipes and put up the nutrition for each as factored by the Spark People Recipe Calculator. Part of my goal for Garden. Cook. Write. Repeat. is to feature healthy food and recipes. In the past I have put up nutrition on some like: Baigan Bharta (Indian Eggplant Curry) - Healthy Vegetarian Recipe. I would like to make it universal so that each of you can more easily determine if these recipes fit into your lifestyle.

This leads me to my next question to all of you who read my blog. What can I do to make my recipes and posts more useful to you? Vote here.

Birky Family Farms - Local Country Market

2011-04-09T08:34:00.003-05:00

Chris Birky talks about how he breeds his pigs for consistently tasty pork.

I've been hearing buzz about Birky Farms in the community. When I asked where to get local meat this is where people told me to go. We don't eat a lot of meat, but when we do we like to know it was raised ethically.

Jeff and I took a trip out to Birky Family Farms on Saturday for their Spring Fest. We were lured in by the $1 brats. When we arrived we found they had several different kinds of brats to choose from: original, smokey, Polish and Cajun. We tried three different kinds and Jeff and I both agreed the Polish, with it's bolder garlic flavor, was our favorite. We also agreed that we'd pass on the sauerkraut and say yes to grilled peppers and onion and of course yellow mustard.

For a cold and windy spring day, their was a steady stream of people going into the country store and a line ordering brats. Many folks left with a sack full of brats to share.

Birky Farms is a small family business in north west Indiana between Valparaiso and Malden, it's centered around raising quality pork. They feed their pigs no antibiotics, no growth hormones, no animal by-products, no steroids, and no paylean.

This family does it all from the breeding, raising and even helping with the butchering. In addition to the pigs they no-till farm 1500 acres. They also reach out to their community and church to stock their Country Market which is located at the front of the drive right on the farm. They sell locally sourced maple syrup (tapped this spring), eggs, cheese, pork, beef, chicken, baked goods and preserves.

Chis Birky welcomed us when we pulled up and said hello to every person who stopped by. He answered all sorts of questions. When I asked him to give me his elevator speech about his farm. He looked at me oddly and I had to explain that I wasn't talking about corn elevators. To be fair we had just been discussing where he gets his pig feed.

Chris took the time to talk with us and even show us his sows, this group is about three weeks along. I learned a lot about pigs and how he selectively breeds a combination of Durocs, Yorkshires, Landrace and Chester White to raise healthy pigs that give healthy pork.

A pair of goats make excellent weed eaters around the barns.

We'll be going back for their Friday lunches this summer and to buy butter and meat. I'm grateful to have a farmer with such high standards just ten miles down the road.

To find farmers like the Birky's in your neck of the woods visit Local Harvest. Just type in your zip code and see what's near you.

This post was featured on Simple Lives Thursday.

Malibu Veggie Pizza - Surprising Topping Combination

2011-03-27T19:18:00.002-05:00

This is perhaps the best vegetarian pizza I have ever eaten. It's unexpected and I even question calling it pizza as the ingredients are at least partially untraditional. Old Chicago calls this a Malibu Veggie pizza. If you are a pizza fan, I highly suggest you try it. Here's what's on it:

Instead of pizza sauce, it has a spicy salsa and then top it with mellow ricotta cheese, sweet shredded carrots, red onion, red pepper, mushrooms and diced tomatoes. After baking each slice is topped with a large dollop of guacamole.

The resulting pizza is loaded with toppings that are a wonderful balance of sweet and spicy, creamy and crunchy. It's my new favorite pizza.

This recipe takes about one and half to two hours to make start to finish.

Malibu Veggie Pizza

Pizza Dough:

1 cup warm water

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup wheat flour

2 - 2.5 cups white flour

Cornmeal to sprinkle under crust

Toppings:

1.5 cups salsa (Get something spicy because you want a hint of heat and it gets really spread out.)

1 cup ricotta cheese

1 cup shredded jack cheese

1/4 cup provolone, shredded

2 carrots, grated

2 cups tomatoes (Try to drain as much juice off as you can.)

1/2 red pepper, diced

1/4 cup red onion, diced

1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced (I don't think the mushrooms are necessary for flavor or texture, you could skip them.)

1 cup guacamole (1 avocado, 1 tablespoon minced onion, 1 tablespoon minced cilantro, 1 tablespoon lime juice)

Pour the cup of warm water into a large bowl. The water should be about 115 degrees F, about the temperature of a nice bath. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve. Then sprinkle the yeast on top. Cover the bowl with a towel and allow the yeast to bloom for about five minutes.
Check on your yeast to make sure it has bloomed. The water should now be covered in a thin layer of frothy foam. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the olive oil, salt and wheat flour. Let the dough stand. Wheat flour takes longer to absorb water than white flour so I like to give it five minutes or so before adding in the white flour.
Start mixing in the white flour half cup at a time until the dough is really hard to mix. Then use your clean hands to knead the dough. I like to knead right in the bowl or you can turn it out on to the counter.
Knead for about five minutes until the dough is elastic and still a little sticky.
Pour a little oil into a large clean bowl, place the ball of dough into the bowl and turn it to grease all sides. Then cover with a towel and allow to rise in a warm place until double. Depending on how warm your place is this could take thirty minutes to an hour.
Meanwhile, dice and slice your toppings.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Generously sprinkle a generous amount of corn meal on to your pizza baking pan.
Punch the dough down and turn it out on to a clean work surface. Roll out the dough to the size of your pizza pan. Transfer the dough to the pan and let it rest ten minutes before layering on the toppings.
Top your pizza in the following order: salsa, ricotta cheese, jack and provolone cheese, carrots, tomatoes, onions, red peppers, mushrooms. Check out the animated gif above!
Bake your pizza for 15-25 minutes or until the edges brown, and the cheese bubbles. The toppings have a lot of moisture, so I like to prop the door of the open about an inch so the steam can get out.
Let pizza sit five minutes then cut into slices and add top with guacamole. A light Mexican beer is the perfect pairing.

What's your favorite pizza topping combination?

Spring Ephemerals Blooming at Taltree

2011-03-27T15:30:00.003-05:00

I took my camera out on Friday when I was putting out spring ephemeral labels around Taltree Arboretum and Gardens. Look at what I found!

Dutch Crocus (Crocus hybrid)

Siberian Squill (Scilla siberica)

Lenton Rose (Helleborus orientalis)

Snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis)

Cinnamon Leaves - Sweet Bread Recipe

2011-03-20T14:01:00.006-05:00

I'm starting this post while the bread is in the oven. The smell of baking cinnamon bread is intoxicating. All I can think about is how hungry I am. I doubt there will be any of this loaf left. I have to make sure that I get photos before we dig in.

I recently discovered Vietnamese cinnamon. I'm not sure why it is so much better than regular cinnamon. Vietnamese is much more potent, bordering on spicy. The cinnamon in this recipe is enhanced with the sharper and earthier flavor of nutmeg.

We're making a basic yeast bread recipe slathered in butter, cinnamon and sugar. A rare treat to be enjoyed and savored and eaten fresh out of the oven.

The recipe starts with mixing all the dry ingredients, save one cup of flour and then mixing all the wet ingredients together and heating them to perfect yeast temperature (115-125 degrees F). Then mixing all the wet into the dry. This makes a very strange dough that at first is almost crumbly and then the more it is worked becomes very sticky. That's when you add in the rest of the flour.

Then you have a nice elastic dough which is allowed to rise until double before being made into leaves.

Roll out the dough into a large rectangle about 12 by 20 inches. Slather on the melted butter and top with the cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar mixture. Then cut the leaves.

Cut the dough into six strips and then stack them up. Cut the stack of strips into three or four stacks. I cut it into four and they could have been wider for my 9x5 inch loaf pan.

Lots of cinnamon sugar will fall out, just scoop it back up and put it on top of the leaves. Place the leaves in a buttered 9x5 loaf pan. Let rise a second time until double.

Then bake for 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees. This is also a good time to consider making coffee, because when this comes out of the oven you will want some bitter coffee to balance the sweet gooey cinnamon leaves.

Take the bread out of the oven and invert it on a plate so all the syrup that was bubbling at the bottom trickles down the sides. Let it set for five minutes so you don't burn your fingers and then dig in. This was the perfect breakfast for a rainy Sunday morning. The only downside being I didn't have as much natural light to work with so the photos don't quite capture it. I swear it looks even better than this.

Cinnamon Leaves
(This recipe was adapted from Joy the Baker)

For the Dough:

2 3/4 cups plus all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 envelope) active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup water
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the Filling:

1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Mix the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, yeast and salt) together in a large bowl, reserve one cup of the flour. On the stove or in the microwave, heat the milk, water, and butter until the butter is liquid. Allow the mixture to cool until it is still warm, but you can touch it with out burning yourself. Beat the two eggs together in a small bowl. Then add the butter mixture and eggs to the dry ingredients. Use a wooden spoon to combine. The dough will take a while to mix. Once everything is a very sticky dough, kneed in the remaining one cup of flour- about five minutes of kneading should do it.
Place the dough in a greased a bowl, rise with a clean towel over top until double. I like to warm my oven for a five minutes then turn it off and let the dough rise inside the slightly warm oven. It should take about an hour. Bread will rise really fast at about 90 degrees.
Roll out the dough on a clean surface to 12 by 20 inch rectangle. Now your ready to add the filling. Brush the melted butter over the surface of the rolled out dough. Then mix the cinnamon, sugar and nutmeg together and sprinkle it over top. It will seem like a lot, just trust me on this part.
Then cut the dough into six strips. Stack the six strips on top of each other. Cut those strips into three or four stacks of squares. Put the stacks of squares into the greased 9x5 loaf pan.
Allow to rise a second time until double (about 15-30 minutes).
Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Check to make sure the loaf is done before you tip it out by using a butter knife to press down on the top, if it springs back it is done. If it doesn't the dough isn't quite baked, put it back in the oven for another 5 to 10 minutes.
Use the butter knife to loosen the edges then invert the bread onto a plate. The syrup that was made from all the sugar, is really hot and will run down the edges. Let the bread set for five minutes before you dig in so you don't burn your mouth. And don't forget to pour yourself a cup of coffee or a class of milk. Enjoy.

This recipe was submitted to Yeast Spotting and Simple Lives Thursday.

Healthy Happy Hummus - Vegetarian Recipe

2011-03-17T20:20:00.005-05:00

I learned how to make hummus from a friend who learned from his Turkish next door neighbor. Is that the way recipes should be? Hummus is a puree made from chickpeas and tahini. Tahini is basically peanut butter made with sesame seeds. At my grocery store it is in with the Italian/Greek food items. To boost the sesame seed flavor I like to add toasted sesame seed oil which can be found in the Asian foods section. This is also a great addition to stir fry or curry.

I love hummus and a little container is several dollars at the grocery store. It's very easy to make a large quantity cheaply with ingredients you can find in pretty much any market. I choose to use dried chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans) because they are tastier, cheaper and healthier than canned. All you have to do is remember to start soaking them the night before.

We eat hummus with fresh bread, veggies and feta cheese for dinner about twice a month. Hummus also makes a great lunch or afternoon snack. It is high in fiber and has a decent amount of protein especially for a meatless dish.

Hummus

1 cup dried chickpeas (about 2.5 cups hydrated)
1 onion, diced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seed oil
½ cup liquid from chickpeas
4 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste)
5-7 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons crushed garlic
½ teaspoon salt
Cayenne to taste (1/2 teaspoon)

Soak the chickpeas over night than boil them for thirty minutes to an hour until they are soft enough to smash with a spoon. Drain the chickpeas saving about a half cup of the water they were boiled in.
Saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil, until the onion is transparent.
Put the sauteed onion and garlic plus all the other ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Add some of the reserved chickpea water to get things moving if you need to. In Panama we used a hand-crank, clamp-on the counter type grinder and it worked just fine.

Yields: 4 servings

Nutrition: 324 calories, 15 grams fat, 7 grams fiber and 8 grams protein

There are lots of ways to enjoy hummus. I adore hummus as a dip for crackers or served with sliced cucumber, bell pepper, carrots, and Kalmata olives. It's also good with some crumbled feta cheese, on fresh bread or if you make it thinner as a salad dressing.

This recipe was featured on Simple Lives Thursday.

Confession: I've Never Donated Blood

2011-03-15T11:54:00.004-05:00

I have never donated blood. I don’t really have a good reason for this, just never got around to it. With all the natural disasters happening around the world, I’ve been feeling helpless. I don’t have a lot of extra money to give, but I do have blood.

Sara gave blood!

Earlier this month my friend Sara had this up as her Facebook Status and the following challenge ensued:

Sara: Whenever I have a moment where I start to question my value as a member of society, I can think of the phone call I got today & know that I am wanted for a pint of blood at the very least. Here’s to contributing!

Foy: You should write a persuasive blog post encouraging people to give blood. I like the idea, but I lack motivation. Perhaps a little nudge would do the trick.

Sara: Foy: I'll show mine if you show yours :)

Foy: Is that a challenge? Should we do dueling blog posts on donating blood?

Sara: I like it! It can count as our good deeds for that day, giving us license to be thoroughly rotten for the other 23 hours. When do you want to post?

Foy: Hmm.. Give me next week to figure out how to give blood around here. March is crazy, but it can't take that long to donate. I've never done it before. Let's plan on March 15th?

Sara: Sounds great!

I made a couple calls to the local hospital and then the Red Cross. It’s pretty easy to get an appointment. Just check the American Red Cross Blood website.

I was in the FAQ section when I realized that I have lived out of side of the country. I was in Panama for two years with the Peace Corps. I’ve been back 1 year and 8 months. Am I even eligible to give blood? Turns out, it is on a state by state basis; for sure a year needs to have passed and in some cases two years. So I might be eligible. I’ve left several messages for various people at blood labs and at the Red Cross asking if I can donate blood. No replies yet.

Did I make the challenge? Unfortunately no, but I have learned quite a bit! And I’ve overcome the inertia of doing nothing.

I’d like to encourage you to look into donating blood. Read up on how easy it is here: http://www.redcrossblood.org/donating-blood/first-time-donors

Check out Sara’s post where she successfully gives blood over on a Weight-y Life. She’s an inspiring gal taking her health into her own hands.

Vegetable Gardens for Small Spaces

2011-03-10T21:30:00.021-06:00

Were your grandparents vegetable gardeners? What about your parents? Are you?

According to a National Gardening Association’s 2010 study gardening is on the rise; of the household surveyed 37% are doing some of their own food production. That's a 19% increase from 2008-2009.

Why Do Folks Want to Grow Their Own?

Survey says:

58% Better tasting food
54% Save money on food bills
51% Better quality food
48% Grow food that they knew is safe

If this were my personal list, I would add educational opportunity, exercise and stress relief. Plus plants are pretty.

This is one of my favorite vegetable gardens. It is on a private estate in Pennsylvania and is one of the last designs that Rosemary Verey did State side before she died. Proof that vegetable gardens don't have to be hidden in the back yard. The orange are marigolds, a variety similar to Starfire Signet Marigolds available from Seed Savers Exchange.

You don't have to have a space this big to grow vegetables. You can grow a tomato in two feet square in the ground, a raised bed, or a big pot on a balcony, patio, or strip of land along the side of your house.

Here's an edible landscape at Zingerman's Deli in Ann Arbor, Michigan. There is some large kale in back and parsley, basil and chives up front.

You could even just put some holes in a bag of soil and insert some lettuce seedlings.

Where ever you chose to start your garden make sure you have at least eight hours of direct sunshine and access to water.

It could even be your window. This is a hydroponic window farm from windowfarms.org. An electric pump on the shelf below pumps nutrient rich water up to the top plants every thirty minutes. The water trickles down through all the plants and their roots back to the basin below. All you need is a window - preferably south facing.

Now is the time to start thinking about your potential garden. The frost free date in the Midwest is May 15. That's when you want to start your garden to get maximum growing and harvesting time.

What Should You Grow?

What you'll eat. If you don't like green beans, don't plant them, even if you will get buckets full for weeks.

For optimum use of your small space choose small plant with high yields. Consider plants that you can eat the leaves like: lettuce, spinach, chard, radish, and onions.

If you are looking to add fresh flavor to your cooking grow herbs. They take up very little space and don't need as much water as the bigger plants like tomatoes. Try parsley, chives, thyme, basil, sage, oregano, rosemary, marjoram or mint. Above is an elegant window box that is mixed herbs and flowers.

What are Some Easy Vegetables to Start With?

Lettuce, spinach, micro greens
Banana or Chili type peppers
Bush Beans
Cherry Tomatoes
Short root crops like little carrots, beets, radishes
Green onions

The most popular vegetable to grow is tomatoes! Eighty-six percent of gardeners grow tomatoes. If you have a small space I strongly recommend cherry tomatoes. I don't have any numbers but I am sure that cherry tomatoes produce more pounds of tomatoes over a longer period than standard or beefsteak size tomatoes.

Tomatoes need a lot of space and water so be sure not to crowd them. Allow a foot and a half radius of space around each plant, especially when planting in a container.

Be prepared to water your tomato twice a day during the hottest parts of the summer.

Plant Selection for Small Gardens

When you are shopping for your veggies look for plants with names that include:

Dwarf
Patio
Container
Bush
Short internodes
Compact
Pixie
Tiny
Miniature

These name tell you that the plant is better suited for your small space. Many nurseries and seed companies are advertising just these qualities in their plants because they know consumers often don't have a lot of space.

Fertilizing your Small Garden

If you are growing veggies in containers or in small raised beds it is important to make sure your plants have enough nutrients. Soil rich in organic matter is the best way to go. If you are planting in the ground amend the soil heavily with compost. If you are growing in containers use a light potting soil and consider mixing in up to 25% worm compost or other rich compost. Avoid using mushroom compost, it can be salty.

If you are growing heavy feeders (plants that use a lot of nutrients) like tomatoes, peppers, zucchini or cucumbers you may want to add fertilizer. I prefer organic, but you could also use artificial. Fertilize your plants when they start to flower and again when they start to set fruit. Keep in mind that whatever you put on your plants will wind up on your plate.

You Never Know Until You Try

I'd like to leave you with that thought. Gardening is something to learn by doing. If this is your first try, start small. If your plants die, try to figure out why, then plant some more. There is a learning curve. You never know what you are capable of until you try. Good luck!

Chicago Flower and Garden Show 2011

2011-03-06T10:23:00.001-06:00

Some beautiful forced tulips at the Chicago Flower and Garden Show.

Saturday my fellow horticulturalist and I spoke at the Chicago Flower and Garden Show. I wasn't terribly nervous until I stepped up to the podium and then my knee started shaking. It made the whole elevated stage vibrate too. A couple deep breaths and I was good to go. We spoke on nature and nurture and how they each play a part in gardening. It was fun to expose people from the Chicago region to Taltree Arboretum and Gardens. I hope we inspired some folks to come out this summer.

After the presentation we got a little bit of time to go out and enjoy the show. I love the competitions. I always come away with a list of things to try.

Bolted purple cabbages paired with tulips.

I stopped by the Chicago Botanic Garden's Extension booth and asked them what was the most frequent question they were getting. They said it was about all the bolted cabbages and kales. People didn't know what they were. Once they mentioned it, I started seeing them everywhere. At first I thought perhaps it was unintentional, but they were to frequent too be a mistake. Perhaps this is a new trend? The bolted cabbages do add a nice vertical height.

I adore this sedum, it is such a vibrant green. This is Dora Aalbregtse's entry in the Cacti and Succulents category. The sedum is 'Fine Leaf Gold'. It would be perfect for the Railway Garden if it is winter hardy in Zone 5.

The tiny sedum also show up in the winning Container Garden. Upon closer inspection, this one was also designed by Dora Aalbregtse. The woman's got taste.

My favorite display was the Window Boxes. This was the winner and I love the way herbs were incorporated. I'm definitely using this as an example for my Vegetables in Small Spaces Class.

I also love it that they include a planting diagram.

Although this is not a combination that would work in real life, there are cool and warm plants all mixed together, it is proof that beauty and function are not mutually exclusive.

Flower and Garden shows have a lot of smoke and mirrors. Usually I can get absorbed and not think about how much razzle-dazzle it takes to create these displays. But this one by Smith and Hawken broke the spell. I had to laugh out loud and take photos when I saw it. Do you see it?

This "garden" is nothing more than grocery store veggies in cups with some Spanish moss tucked in the edges. I wouldn't have noticed except for several of the cups were showing like so many plastic cups at a college party.

An Early Spring Haiku

2011-03-06T08:13:00.000-06:00

Shiny green heads peek

from Winter’s dirty blanket

March does her laundry

Saw this haiku on thepioneerwoman.com and it made me smile.

Pan Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Onions - Healthy Side Dish Recipe

2011-03-03T20:31:00.000-06:00

Brussels sprouts are uber healthy. They have been linked to cancer protection, lowering cholesterol and supporting thyroid function, and they taste superb. I like my Brussels sprouts roasted until they are a tad bit past bright green and the bitterness has been reduced leaving a hint of sweetness from the caramelization that is happening. When paired with onions and bacon you've got a substantial side dish.

Pan Roasted Brussels Sprouts

1 pound fresh Brussels sprouts
1 onion
2 slices of bacon, diced
Fresh ground pepper to taste

Start by cleaning the Brussels sprouts. First cut off any discoloration on the stem. If the Brussels sprouts are larger than a ping pong ball you'll want to cut them in half so they cook all the way through.

Then dice the onion. We don't eat a lot of meat, but we do usually have some bacon in the freezer. We slice off what we want with a sharp knife and then put the block back in the freezer. It's a handy little trick.

In a large skillet, saute the bacon and onion together over medium heat until the onion starts to brown. Then add in the Brussels sprouts. Cover and stir every couple of minutes until the Brussels sprouts turn bright green and then start to fade to a more avocado color. You're want some browning and caramelization happening. Turn the heat off and allow the Brussels sprouts to sit covered, while you prepare the rest of your meal. They are best if they get five minutes or so to steam before serving.
We enjoy Brussels sprouts with grilled fish or as a side to eggy-in-a-basket. Hop on over to An Austin Home Stead where I wrote the recipe as a guest post!

If you found your way here from An Austin Homestead, I hope you'll stay awhile. There is a button over on the left to subscribe or become a facebook fan. I've got a lot of recipes and garden ideas to share.

Rosemary Onion Bread - Recipe

2011-02-27T10:34:00.007-06:00

This morning I decided to empty my camera card. It was getting a little out of control. There were photos from over a year ago; photos of spring ephemerals, the prairie burn at Taltree, of fall color and lots for recipes that I never got around to posting. I found a whole series on making rosemary onion bread. How had I forgotten about this? How have I never posted about this bread before? Oh, I did way back when I started this blog. Now that I have more experience baking, writing recipes and taking my own food photos; it's time for a sequel.

How to Make Rosemary Onion Bread Take Two:

Rosemary onion bread is a soft bread with a slight sweetness from the green onion and an earthy pungent flavor from fresh rosemary. I'm pretty sure I could eat a whole loaf by myself with just a little bit of butter. Although between you and me it doesn't even need the butter. This loaf is a little too tender to hold up as sandwich bread, instead serve it with a bowl of soup or as a side at Easter dinner.

1 cup warm water
2.5 teaspoons yeast
1.5 tablespoons brown sugar or honey
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
3-4 green onion (scallions)
3.5 cups flour

Pour the cup of warm water into a large bowl. The water should be about 115 degrees F, about the temperature of a nice bath. Add the brown sugar or honey and stir to dissolve. Then sprinkle the yeast on top. Cover the bowl with a towel and allow the yeast to bloom for about five minutes.
Meanwhile, mince the green onions and rosemary. I put the salt, rosemary and onion in a mortar and use the kitchen shears to chop right into the bowl. It's a handy way to save on dishes because the next step is to bruise the rosemary and scallions. Give them a good grind in the mortar with the pestle. Crushing the leaves allows all the savory oils to come out. This is the same technique used to make authentic pesto.

I found my mortar for ten dollars at an Asian food market. They don’t have to be super expensive. If you don’t have one, you can put the herbs into a baggie and mash them with a rolling pin or flat bottomed drinking glass for the same effect.
This is the secret to really flavorful herb bread! To further increase the potency mix the herbs and butter together. This will infuse the savory flavors into the butter. Scrape the herbs out of the mortar and into a microwave safe dish. Add the butter and microwave for 15-30 seconds or until the butter just liquefies. Stir until everything together.

Check on your yeast to make sure it has bloomed. The water should now be covered in a thin layer of frothy foam. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the salt and one cup of flour. Once the herb infused butter is cool enough to touch add it to the yeast mixture.
Continue stirring in the flour a half cup at a time until the dough is really hard to mix. Then use your clean hands to knead the dough. I like to knead right in the bowl or you can turn it out on to the counter.
Knead for about five minutes until the dough is elastic and still a little sticky.
Pour a little oil into a large clean bowl, place the ball of dough into the bowl and turn it to grease all sides. Then cover with a towel and allow to rise in a warm place until double. Depending on how warm your place is this could take thirty minutes to an hour.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Generously grease the bread pan. I use a standard loaf pan, but you could use a 9" round or even a cookie sheet if you want a more free-form loaf.

Punch the dough down and turn it out on to a clean work surface. Roll out the dough into a 10 inch by 20 inch rectangle. It doesn't have to be exact. Roll the dough up lengthwise so you have a 10 inch log of dough. Then tuck the open ends under and lay the dough seam-side down in your greased pan.
Allow the dough to raise for second time until double. This rise will go quicker; fifteen minutes to a half hour is all it should take.
Bake your loaf for 30-45 minutes or until the top starts to brown. When you turn your loaf out the sides and bottom should be a rich golden color, if they aren't put your loaf back in the oven for another five minutes or so. It's very disappointing to cut into a loaf only to find the middle is still doughy.
Once you've achieved the lovely golden brown, turn the finished loaf out on to a cooling rack. This keeps moisture from condensing in the pan and making the crust soggy. Allow the rosemary onion bread to cool at least five minutes before you slice into it. Try not to eat the whole loaf in one sitting!

This post was submitted to yeastspotting.

Food with Conviction - TED Talks Fish Farming

2011-02-22T19:47:00.011-06:00

Pretty picture of a forest May apple, just a reminder that spring is coming because I didn't have a picture of a fish.

Are you familiar with TED Talks? TED stands for Technology Entertainment and Design. They are a not-for-profit devoted to getting innovative ideas out to the masses. Their tag line is: ideas worth spreading. They have several conferences a year and do a fabulous job of making the talks into nice digestible video clips.

Last weekend TEDxManhattan took place and it was all about food and our environment. Several of the speakers resonated with me. This one in particular. It's a story told with humor and love of a fish farm that is sustainable. And I mean sustainable in the way that word was meant to be used but rarely is. This twenty narrative is worth your time.

Chef Dan Barber tells the story of a fish farm in Spain that has found a way to produce humane food and enrich the environment at the same time. Check out his full bio here.

This post was featured on Simple Lives Thursday.

Mushroom and Broccoli with Sun-dried Tomato Pasta - Vegetarian Recipe

2011-02-20T15:40:00.010-06:00

This is a healthy, vegetarian meal that doesn’t skimp on flavor. I’m not talking about your average pasta and sauce recipe. What we’ve got is strong flavors sautéed and reduced with some veggies and then mixed with whole wheat pasta and a sprinkle of intensely flavored Asiago cheese.

You’ll never guess the key ingredient; it’s anchovies. If you're not into fish, keep reading, I have a plant based substitution. Now, I realize most Americans are terrified at the idea of these little fishes, however, pretty much all of Asia and Europe know how to enhance flavors with fish. The best pork loin I’ve ever had, had anchovies fillets in the three pepper sauce. It doesn’t take much anchovy to bring depth of flavor to a any savory dish. I recommend anchovy paste (you'll find it next to capers and olivesor with Italian Foods ) or fish oil (look in the Asian food section) then you won’t have to figure out how to store part of a leftover tin.

If I haven't sold you on the anchovies, condsider using chopped black olives, about a quarter cup or two tablespoons capers. Both have bold flavor to keep this dish from the land of bland.

This recipe is based on Chicken and Broccoli with Sun-dried Tomatoes Pasta from Cooking Light by Cook’s Illustrated. I did do some tweeking. To make it vegetarian I replaced the chicken with mushrooms and the chicken broth with vegetable broth. I use button mushrooms, but if you can find porchini or shitaki I bet they would be even better.

Also, it called for olive oil packed sun-dried tomatoes rinsed and patted dry. Seems like a waste of good olive oil. I'd save the oil and add it back into the sauce when the four teaspoons of olive oil are called for. As it was, I dehydrated cherry tomatoes last summer and froze them. They worked beautifully in this recipe. I also had some basil I minced and froze in ice-cubes in October that I subbed for the fresh basil. The flavor isn't quite as good as fresh, but it's still much more vibrant than the dried herb.

This recipe is perfect for a week night meal. It comes together in about 30-40 minutes. For the two of us, we get two dinner servings and two lunch sized servings from this recipe. It makes quite tasty leftovers warm or cold.

Mushroom and Broccoli with Sun-dried Tomato Pasta

1 pound button mushrooms, sliced thick
4 teaspoons olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, rough chopped
12 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons fish sauce or anchovy paste
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3/4 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
1 pound frozen or fresh broccoli cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound wheat rotini pasta
1/4 cup minced fresh basil leaves
1 ounce Asiago or Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot for broccoli and pasta.
Meanwhile, heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add mushrooms and cook until they just start to darken, about 5 minutes.
Add onion, sundried tomatoes, garlic, pepper flakes, fish sauce/paste and olive oil. Return skillet to medium-low heat, cover, and cook until onion begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in broth and continue to cook, covered, until tomatoes have softened, about 2 minutes. Remove lid and simmer until mixture has thickened slightly, 3 to 5 minutes; cover and set aside off heat.
Stir 1 tablespoon salt and broccoli into boiling water and cook until broccoli is bright green and tender but still crisp in center, about 2 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer broccoli to a colander; set aside to cool. Return water to boil, stir in pasta, and cook until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of cooking water, then drain pasta and return to pot. (I have a pasta pot that also came with steamer. I cooked the pasta and steamed the broccoli at the same time. It worked out well.)
Gently stir mushrooms, broccoli, basil, Asiago, sauce, and remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil into pasta. Cover and let sit off heat until sauce and mushroom are hot, about 1 minute. Add reserved pasta cooking water as needed to loosen sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste, serve.

Yields: 6 lunch servings or 4 dinner servings

Nutrition:
Lunch serving (1/6 recipe): 217 calories, 6 grams fat, 8 grams fiber, 12 grams protein
Dinner serving (1/4 recipe): 325 calories, 9 grams fat, 12 grams fiber, 18 grams protein

Mushroom Burgers - Vegetarian Recipe

2011-02-16T21:13:00.002-06:00

I've long been looking for light, moist veggie burger; something that wasn't simply dense beans or all textured vegetable protein. This is delicious and not what I expected to find at all. While you could bill this as a burger, it's more of a cake; like a crab cake or salmon cake, but made with mushrooms.

They make excellent sandwiches or served them over some fresh greens with a simple dressing made of mayo thinned with some lemon juice.

Since discovering this recipe we've made mushroom burgers the last three weeks in a row. It's that good.

We've tried various combinations, but I can't really tell the difference between different mushrooms. So I've been sticking with the button mushrooms because they are less expensive.

Mushroom Burgers

3 cups chopped mushrooms

1/2 cup finely chopped onions

6 cloves minced garlic

2/3 cups oats

1/3 cup grated parmesan

2/3-3/4 cups bread crumbs

1 egg

1 teaspoon parsley

1 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Oil for sauting

Saute the mushrooms, onion and garlic for five minutes or until soft.
Mix the sauted mixture with the oats, parmesan, egg and seasonings. Add the breadcrumbs until you get a mixture that makes a clumpy texture.
Shape into patties and then brown in a skillet; about four minutes on each side or until golden brown

Yields: 6 patties

Nutrition: 265 calories, 3 grams of fat, 3 grams of fiber, 12 grams of protein

This post was featured on Simple Live Thursday.

Strawberry Muffins for Your Valentine

2011-02-13T15:16:00.005-06:00

This morning I decided we needed a special (read: pink) Valentine's Day breakfast. You know what's delicious and pink? Strawberries.

Remember way back in June, I froze some strawberries from the farmer's market? We've been eating them on pancakes all winter. I've still got a couple pints left, so I altered a recipe for blueberry muffins and came up with these sweet treats. If you're thinking it might be a good idea to freeze your own strawberries this summer check out how easy it is: How to Preserve June Strawberries.

You could use store bought frozen strawberries, just be careful to get ones that don't have sugar added or if there is sugar added reduce the sugar in the recipe.

Strawberry Muffins

1 3/4 cups unbleached flour

1/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 beaten egg

1/4 cup powdered milk

1/4 cup cooking oil

3/4 cups strawberry fruit drained

3/4 cup strawberry juice from strawberries (add water to reach 3/4 cup if you don't have enough)

1/4 cup chopped pecan (for topping)

1. Grease 12 muffin cups and preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Mix the wet ingredients (except the fruit) together in a medium bowl. Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl and then form a well in the middle.

3. Pour the wet ingredients all at once into the dry ingredients. Using a fork or a whisk stir together just until all the ingredients are wet. Stir in the strawberries. This will be a pretty thick batter.

4. Spoon the batter into the greased muffin tins. Top with the pecans and bake for 20 minutes or until the tops start turning golden brown.

5. Remove the muffins and let cool on a cooling rack for 5 minutes. For a Valentine's touch add a heart shaped pat of butter. (Butter not factored in nutrition information)

Yields: 12 muffins

Nutrition: 150 cal, protein 3 g, fiber 1g, carb 20

Healthy Happy Weekly Menu

2011-01-31T16:45:00.001-06:00

Each week Jeff and I sit down and make a menu that includes six dinner items, one big pot of something for lunches and breakfast cookies. Then we make a grocery list and go shopping.

I'm sure a lot of you guys out there already have a system in place, but if you don't, here's why you should consider making a menu and grocery list:

Only one trip to the store per week
Healthier eating - no eating crap food just because it is convenient and didn't think ahead
Less food waste
Lower grocery bill - you'll buy fewer impulse items when you plan ahead

We write out our menu on the dry erase board in the kitchen and cross off the meals as we make them. It’s simple and efficient.

Here’s what is on the board for this week:

Menu

Grilled fish (farm raised catfish, trout, tilapia, arctic char, or barramundi), roasted butternut squash, and broccoli
Eggplant curry (Baigan Bharta) over brown rice
Mushroom burgers with roasted winter vegetables
Vegetarian lasagna
Pizza topped with apple/feta and mushroom/pepper/onion
Stir fried vegetables with bean thread noodles and peanut sauce

Lunch: Lentil Soup
Breakfast: Breakfast Cookie

Returning to Garden. Cook. Write. Repeat.

2011-01-30T14:31:00.000-06:00

Hi guys! I've enjoyed my foray into minimalism. It was a good time. I will continue to embrace the simple life and openly explore the balance of too little and too much. However, I miss my food and garden blog. I have all these great recipes and photos to share with you that have been building up over the last three months. Plus I am planning a new garden! Actually lots of garden plans are in the works.

Here's what you can look forward to:

More Vegetarian Recipes Wait until you see the mushroom burgers!

Vegetable Gardening for Small Spaces I'm teaching a class this March and I'll share with you some of the specifics of using the space you have to grow vegetables and herbs.

Worm Composting Kitchen Scraps Why worms make sense for folks living in apartments or condos. I'll show you my wormery and how I use it.

Quick Wholesome Meals: Recipes that come together in 30 minutes that are tasty, affordable and mindful of your body and social impact.

Miniature Gardens Think bonsai, alpine, garden scale trains and fairies. I'm helping the arboretum launch a Railway Garden this spring and it's my job to keep the plants alive and to scale. You can learn what works and what doesn't along with me.

Ideas for Nourishing Packable Snacks and Lunches I have a full time job and I'll reveal to you what I bring to work for breakfast, lunch and snacks that are easy, wholesome and healthy.

Foraging for Wild Fruit, Fungus and Fronds As we head into spring it'll be time to gather fern fronds, wild onions, ramps and wild berries.

Well, I think that should keep me plenty busy.

By the way, what do you think of my new blog design? I'm still working on the heading. If you notice anything that isn't working or confusing let me know. When I'm knee deep in formatting sometimes I miss the obvious.

Minimal Wardrobe - Project 333

2011-01-03T21:38:00.000-06:00

Welcome to the New Year! Today's my birthday and it felt fitting to start a new challenge. In my last challenge to reduce what I owned by one third I found some new blogs and people with great ideas about how to live with less. Here are some of my new favorites:

I was particularly enchanted with Be More with Less. She challenged herself and others with Project 333. The goal is to only wear 33 items of clothing over a 3 month time period.

Challenge accepted! Today after Jeff did all the laundry (Aren't birthday's nice?), I reduced my wardrobe to 33 items. This was thornier than expected, but after a couple hours of deliberation here's what made the cut:

Black Close Toed Heels - Nicole (7.5 M)
Black Water Proof Boots - White Mountain (7.5 M)
Tan Suede with Lace Cut Outs Ballet Flats - Aerosoles (7 M)
Black and Gray Lily Scarf - Merona
Browns, Reds and Blacks Knit Scarf - unknown
Blue and Green Scarf - Zara
Black Pea Coat - London Fog (M Reg)
Khaki Fitted Four Button Jacket - Talbots (12)
Brown Jacket - Studio by Liz Claiborne (M)
Aqua Linen Jacket - Liz Claiborne (M)
Jeans Dark Indigo Boot Cut Stretch – Calvin Klein (10/30)
Jeans Medium Blue Straight Leg - Relativity (10 P)
Jeans 515 Nouveau Boot Cut Medium Blue – Levis (8 S)
Jeans 515 Nouveau Boot Cut Slightly Darker Medium Blue - Levis (10 S)
Jeans Midrise Boot Cut Medium Blue – Lee (10P)
Black Slacks - Classic Blues (13)
Striped Blue Button Up Long Sleeves - Fred David (L)
Brown Zip Up Long Sleeves - Danskin (LG 12/14)
Brown Long Sleeve Line Drawing of Red Lotus on Back Bottom of Shirt - Royal Robbins (L)
Pale Green Button Up Sweater ¾ Length Sleeves - Christopher & Banks (M)
Green Sweater with Rolled Neck - Christopher and Banks (S)
Blue Sweater Cable Knit - L. L. Bean (M)
Black Short Sleeve Boat Neck - Merona (M)
Coral V-neck Short Sleeve - Old Navy (L)
Purple ¾ Length Shirt - Merona (L)
Purple Shirt with Embroidery at Neck - Gap (M)
Lime Green Tank Top - Mossimo (L)
Green Tank Top - Daisy Fuentes (S)
Red Tank Top - Maurices (M)
Black Tank Top with Red/White/Tan Floral Detail at Neck - unknown
Purse, Plum Leather - St. John’s Bay
Sunglasses Brown - unknown
Black Driving Gloves - unknown

If you'd like to know more about Project 333 check it out here.

Final Thoughts on Stuff

2010-12-31T20:11:00.003-06:00

This is a good chunk of the items that are no longer in my possession.

Did I do it? Did I meet my goal? Yes! Over the last 46 days I have confronted the belief that stuff makes me happy by:

Identifying the purpose of the things I own.
Sorting through all possessions and reducing what I have by one third.
Only buying five non-essentials.

Yes, I have reduced what I own by one third. I bought fewer than five non-essential things. In fact, I bought just one and it was a gift. Throughout this exercise of reducing what I own, I did confront the belief that things can make me happy.

Perhaps the most striking part of this whole journey has been the reactions of friends, family and the people who read this blog. There were folks who seemed confused or unsure about the validity of reducing what I own. A gut reaction that usually involved the phrase, “I could never do that.” Oddly not unlike the reaction I get when I tell people I did Peace Corpse. However, the vast majority of folks were supportive and offered stories of times they discovered they could trim down their belongings:

We had pipe break on the second floor of our house in late May while we were away. - LeAnn

After just a couple of weeks of living in a small room with only a bed and a few clothes while on an international volunteer trip, I realized I could probably get rid of most everything I own. - Judy

If you're ever not sure what shoes to get rid of, just have my puppy come over and he'll pick for you! I recently got rid of three pairs of my shoes this way (including my all-time favorite Chacos) as well as a pair of my friend's shoes... You're welcome Josh! - Clarissa

I’ve had many conversations with my husband and friends about how they decide what they need, what to part with and why it is hard to let go. It is extraordinary how we relate to our stuff.

Personally, I had bought into the idea that I deserved stuff. If my articles on Demand Media did well, I got an extra thousand back on my taxes or I got to the end of the month with a cushion, I thought I should buy more clothes, go out to eat, get a four dollar coffee.

I also justified with coupons and sales. I would scour the newspaper, junk mail and the telephone book for coupons or upcoming sales so I could rationalize spending the money. I loved getting an eighty dollar sweater for twenty dollars. I felt like I had won. I now realize that I didn’t win, I spent twenty dollars on something I didn’t need.

As I went about sorting what I own and parting with one third of it, I found myself defending my stuff. The most common defenses were: sentimental value, possible future usefulness, and might be/become valuable. While all three of these are valid concerns, I had to step back, ask myself to evaluate the usefulness and weigh the cost of having those things verses their perceived value.

It has sentimental importance

This is a hard one because it isn’t a rational argument, purely emotional. I’m not immune. There are some things I did keep like my wedding dress, personal journals, grandma’s recipe books and photo albums that are wholly memorabilia and also completely irreplaceable. However, I was able to part with prom dresses, books, jewelry, glass wear and cloth napkins. The hardest were things I had at one time made plans to use. I had to admit to myself that I was never going to make a quilt out of the cloth napkins from our wedding reception or use all those button earrings from the 50’s. Honestly it was a releif to let go. One less thing on my mental to do list.

It might be useful in the future

This is the excuse my husband finds the most convincing: I might want that thing again in the future and if I don’t have it I’ll just have to go buy a new one. In very specific situations that is true. My favorite nail color is I-Scream Cream. It took me a long time to find the perfect neutral polish. I put it on once a week. When it was discontinued I bought three bottles of it. I’m okay keeping those three bottles. Then there are things like the wok. Yes, I might want a wok again in the future, but I can make a mean stir fry in the big skillet too. When deciding if a potentially useful item should be kept, it is important to decide if you have another item that will serve and how hard it will be to get that item again in the future. Most of the time I found I could do without.

It could be worth a lot

This is the hope that one day the guy from the Antique Road Show will appraise your great aunt’s ugly vase and declare that it is from the Ming Dynasty and worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Horray! And then you will sell it and be rich. In the mean time, that item can sit around and clutter up your life. My thought is to sell it now. Why wait on the *chance* it could gain value? If it isn’t monetarily but historically significant, donate it to a local museum. There’s no need to keep it cluttering up your space being another thing you have to clean and keep safe.

What is Worth Keeping?

This is something you have to decide for yourself. Keep what you use often. I found it useful to ask myself if I would use this item in the next six weeks. If the answer was no, then I asked myself why I was keeping it.

In the end the things that made the cut seem like no brainers:

Enough dishes for four people
Easy to take care of, versatile clothes and shoes
Make-up that suits my complexion
Only the books I use often or are personal records.

Now many of the things that were stored in plain site can be fit into our closet, drawers or cabinets in places that just didn’t have space before. Our apartment isn’t quite minimalist, but it is much less crowded.

So what shall I tackle next?

One Third Less Clothing

2010-12-29T13:13:00.006-06:00

The limiting factor in my closet was how many hangers I had. I knew I had too many clothes when after doing laundry I had a hanger deficit. Then I would force myself to reduce what I owned to fit the number of hangers (I have a lot of hangers). Then I started to double things up. I thought to myself, "These two sun dresses can be on the same hanger." My side of the closet was crammed full. But no longer!

I set out a little reluctantly to reduce my clothing by one third. It was surprisingly easy. I went through each category: clothing, pants, short sleeves, long sleeves, socks, coats etc and took out one third. In about three hours I went through the closet and dresser drawers.

How to Choose What to Keep

My goal was to reduce the clothing I own by one third by:

Keeping only clothes that fit well. I tried every thing on. If it was too tight, too long, too anything that was grounds for dismissal.
Getting rid of high maintenance clothes that require ironing or dry cleaning. Why have clothes that need special attention when there are clothes that can simply be washed and dried? I did keep my wedding dress and a second fancy dress along with two pairs of dry clean only pants. I am considering getting rid of those as well.
Giving preference to clothes that have a wide range of use. The Kelly green top with appliqued strawberries that only works with the white skirt, those were both easy items to discard. However the black top with the boat neck which can look dressy or casual was one of the first things that went back into my closet.

Here's the things that "might be worth something" and the cat
who thought rearranging the closet was great fun.

The items that didn’t make the cut were divided into the “too far gone” and the "might be worth something” category. Those items that had stains, starting to fall apart or were showing signs of wear went into "too far gone pile" and were taken to Goodwill. I asked what would happen if an item was not good enough to sell. The lady there told me that items that are considered too damaged to sell are recycled when possible and that almost all fabrics can be recycled.

The items from my closet which might be worth something are going to go to a consignment store where perhaps I will earn a little without investing much of my own time.

Now that all is said and done I love that my closet has more space. I even freed up a whole drawer in the dresser for cat stuff. Now all the miscellaneous cat things that used to live in a bucket in plain sight are tucked away.

What the Future Holds

One third was easy. I am sure I could even reduce my clothing by two thirds and I just might. I’m seriously considering Project 333 for the New Year. The premise of this project is to reduce your wardrobe to just 33 items for three months. Check it out - Be More with Less: Project 333.

Do you think you could limit your clothing and accessories to just 33 items?

Collective Consumption: How to make more of less

2010-12-24T11:38:00.000-06:00

Yes! How to consume less by collaborating through social networks. What do you have laying around that could get you what you want?

Linens and Things

2010-12-19T10:52:00.004-06:00

In the corner of our bedroom there is an old steamer trunk. It's where we keep all our linens; sheets, towels, air mattress, quilts, rag rugs and more stuff I can't remember. It's big and it is won't shut. It's been on my hit list for a while now. I don't think I've ever evaluated what's in there. I just kept cramming more stuff in.

Before I even opened the lid I made list of what we need for linens.

Queen Bed:
- 2 sets of sheets
- 1 quilt
- 1 fuzzy blanket

Guest Beds:
- 2 set of single sheets
- 1 air mattress and pump
- 2 quilts
- 1 comforter (Jeff insisted on keeping this. He does have veto power.)

Towels:
- 1 Foy towel
- 1 Jeff towel
- 2 Guest towels
- 2 Beach towels
- 1 big blanket towel

Then I took everything out of the trunk and put it in stacks around the room. I went through my list and pulled out what was on my list. I put those things back in the trunk.

This is what was left over: extra towels, throw blankets, throw pillows and a bunch of cloth napkins. The napkins were from our wedding. I collected vintage napkins for the reception. My grand idea was to make them into a quilt. However, I don't have the sewing skills and upon closer examination many of the napkins aren't too thin and flimsy. I did save ten of the large dinner napkins for entertaining. All the rest of the napkins were gifted to a local artist who uses fabric as her medium. Everything else was boxed up and sent to Goodwill.

Now the linen trunk closes!

If I can just clear enough space out of the closet so we can store the window air conditioner, red box and bike rack out of sight that corner of the room will be much less crowded.

I'm close to going through everything. I'll tell you about cleaning out the bathroom and dresser drawers next. Then all that is left is the closet and under the bed.

I'm excited to be living in an apartment with less clutter.

Saving Sentimenal Things

2010-12-13T11:54:00.007-06:00

I have been getting many comments from people who are concerned about getting rid of things. The two arguements being sentimental value and possible future use. In this post I'm going to examine the sentimal value arguement. Lilycatherine wrote:

I appreciate your point of view and see merit and value to it. BUT, I am much older than you and have a different perspective. Most of my life is spent and most of my family gone. My treasure is an old egg bucket that my grandmother used when I was a child as we walked hand and hand into her hen house to gather eggs. There is the orange carnival glass dish from my other grandma, and the beautiful marble topped sideboard from my late in-laws.....wonderful crocks and spatter ware from my Mother, every piece is a memory of someone dear to me. It is a beautiful and comforting trove of treasure. So give it a little thought if you are looking at tossing something from someone that was given with love, and good luck to you.

I agree, lilycatherine, some items do have sentimental value. I have quite a few of them too.

I am 29 and I value my past. The carefully chosen things I keep show my commitment to continuing family traditions and keeping memories alive. What I am learning is:

I value what I have more when there is less of it.

I also understand that not everyone is ready or willing to sort through everything in their house. The purpose of sharing my story has been to stir the pot. And to show by example that living with less isn't a sacrifice. Choosing to live with less is a mindful evaluation of stuff and the social norms surrounding the accumulation of stuff.

I'm glad you have the egg bucket and the crocks in your home. I hope you use them and enjoy them.

If you were to walk into our apartment today you would find quite a few items that are from my grandparents or my husband's grandparents. Most of our furniture was inherited or made for me by family. We have a whole set of carnival glass casseroles and custard cups from Jeff's grandma. I used one of the custard cups for cereal this morning. The round casserole is in the fridge holding leftover scalloped corn.

My quest to reduce what I own by one third isn't about sending heirlooms to Goodwill. I'm more interested in removing the cheap plastic items from my life; the half melted spatulas, the plates from Target, clothes that don't fit.

If I have family items I'm not using, I am offering them back to my family before donating them. It gives our family a chance to discus each item and think about why we have kept it and make a decision rather than passively letting clutter build up.

I hope the things we donate go to a families that needs them and will put these objects to good use; much better than sitting forgotten in my cabinets.

The Tender Subject of Books

2010-12-12T15:07:00.011-06:00

These are my books before I went through them.

Do you really need your books?

I realize this blog post is going to hit close to home for a lot of people, my own mother included. I’m going to examine books. Why do we keep them? Do you really need all your books? Look at a shelf of your books. When was the last time you used each book? See, I told you, this is going to be an uncomfortable post.

There is a safety and security in books. They represent knowledge, information and inspiration. They are characters and stories. There is a lot of potential in a book. However, books are only these things *if* they are being read. They only have value when they are read. All the time they have been sitting on a shelf they might as well have been rocks.

In my journey to reduce what I own by one third I have done a lot of reading about others who have chosen to reduce what they own. The post: Breaking the Sentimental Attachment to Books from Becoming Minimalist gave me a good step by step method for thinning down my book collection to just the “Desert Island” books.

My bookshelf after the first pass.

I did have to go through the shelves twice. The first time I just took out the books I didn’t really want, but had been given or acquired somewhere along the way. The second time I was able to accept that I don’t need all my books. It was this post from Mnmlist: Minimalist Books in which a former bibliophile creates the simple rule: If I don’t plan on reading it in the next six months, it’s out. I used this rule when I went through my books. It was hard to be honest with myself and not make excuses for keeping some of them.

Then I was faced with what to do with these books. I could donate them to Goodwill, but are there better options.

I could also:

1. Donate to libraries
2. Give them to a friend who will enjoy them
3. Sell to a second hand book store or on a website like Amazon.

All of these options set the books free, back out into the world where they can be useful and enjoyed by others.

These are the books that are left. Less than half of what I started with.

What will happen to the rest of my books? I plan on donating the plant books to the arboretum’s library; the randoms are going to Goodwill; and a small selection I plan to send to Peace Corps Panama’s Lending Library.

I was a Peace Corps volunteer in (2007-2009). Like many others, I lived without electricity (i.e. no computers, no video games, and no television) and often read several books a week. Books are expensive and when you live on $10 a day, there isn’t any money left over; even then there are very few books to be had. Plus the Peace Corps office's lending library is pretty picked over. It’s mostly best selling paper backs people picked up at airports. The books I donate will have more value in Panama than in my living room.

I can't tell you what to do with your books, but I hope you closely examine why you have them. Ask yourself, "How often do I read this book? Is this book useful?"

Beauty in Less - Arranging the Cubes

2010-11-29T20:36:00.005-06:00

Before

My dad made me these wooden cubes. The fit perfectly on this wall. At first they were just a catch-all of stuff. After an afternoon of work they are now a practical pretty.

In my new found minimalism, I have examined the idea that only useful things are necessary. However, the logical end of this statement is that beauty is unnecessary because it isn't useful. I don't believe that. I believe beauty serves a purpose.

I'm a horticulturist, I specialize in pretty plants. I believe that ornamental plants are only pretty if they bring joy to people. I hope my gardens and outdoor areas are appreciated. I feel the same way about my home. If I own something that is beautiful but it isn't enjoyed than it isn't useful. For example, if I own a beautiful bowl but it is stashed in a cupboard and never gets used than it isn't adding beauty, I shouldn't have it.

In our 550 square foot apartment there is limited display area. I had to choose to make the most of it. First I cleared the six cubes of all the junk. Than I put back the things I need to store, such as large books and hanging files. I took all the pretty things I own and spread them out of the floor. Then I put the things I enjoy most back onto the shelves. I arranged them to show off their beauty. I chose things for their story, like the cayman skull we found hiking in Panama; for their color like a yellow glass vase Jeff made when he did glass blowing; and for their form like the set of circling fish Jeff made at an iron pour in South Carolina. The things that couldn't fit nicely on to the shelves have been sorted through and many of them in a pile to be donated.

After

A new rule has been put in place. I will only keep beautiful items if they are functional or if they can be enjoyed for their beauty.

When I sit at our table in the bay window I can see right into these wooden cubes. I enjoy them. They make me smile. They have value.

The Kitchen Cull - One Third Less in the Kitchen

2010-11-21T17:34:00.001-06:00

This is it - the one third of the kitchen stuff that has been eliminated. It includes 19 bowls, 15 plates, 9 pots and pans, 4 glass storage containers, 9 plastic storage containers, 55 cookie cutters, 21 glasses and 22 kitchen gadgets. Most of this will be donated to Good Will. Some, which we inherited, will be offered to other family members before donation. And a couple things like decent knives and microwavable plates are going to my work where they will be added to our lacking communal kitchenette.

Getting rid of one third of the kitchen stuff was a lot of work. With Jeff's help it took about three hours yesterday. Now some of the stuff that was up on our soffits fits in the cabinets. Our kitchen looks much less cluttered. I have the itch to keep eliminating so I can fit the last couple things inside the cabinets.

It's been weird working in the kitchen today, although, I haven't missed anything yet. The biggest change is our random drawer of kitchen implements which holds the carrot peeler, knives, bottle opener and such has a lot more space.

I was surprised to find several things in the kitchen that just didn't belong there like a hammer and pinking shears. Those items have been relocated. We eliminated many plates and bowls that I had accumulated for food photography for my recipe blog. I do have one set of china I inherited from my grandma that serves eight which we kept. For everyday use we kept a set of four place settings. Including four wine glasses and goblets, if we ever have more than four people over they can drink out of regular glasses or ball jars or something. (We don't do disposable.) It will be fine.

These are all my cookie cutters before. I pretty much kept all of them from any relatives. The thing is I only make sugar cookies at Christmas. I pared it down to just the cookie cutters I remembered from childhood. I had 69 and now have just the 14 shown below.

There were several items which Jeff really wanted to keep. He has veto power and so they stayed. It wasn't that big of deal, we just got rid of other stuff and still managed to get rid of 1/3 of the items in every category. And in some categories like plates, and cookie cutters we got rid of significantly more.

Interestingly we wound up with a list of things we wanted for the kitchen. Things we either don't have or we have a damaged version. This included a non-aluminum pie pan, large sauce pan or deep skillet, stock pot (with pasta insert) and better tongs.

The overall goal is to reduce what we own, but a wonderful side effect of this evaluation is we are able to identify what we'd like to improve; allowing us to increase the over all quantity of what we have as well. Now we aren't going to run out and buy all these new things. We will look at our finances and decided when we are willing to invest. We'll forgo buying other things to have the money for these items. Plus one of my goals is to only buy five non-essentials until after the New Year. So I need to consider very carefully what these things will be. It is also possible that with some research I'll be able to find second hand items that will work.

What things do you have in your house that you would like to upgrade? How are you going to go about getting these upgrades?

Evidence of Too Much Stuff - Big Blue Yoga Ball

2010-11-21T11:20:00.003-06:00

I like to think that I am better than average that I have am a more mindful consumer than most. But in cleaning out the closet I have found evidence to the contrary.

I have one of those yoga ball things. Okay so maybe you have one of these big blue balls at your house. Maybe you even use it. Maybe you're even sitting on it right now. I'm not. My giganitic plastic ball has been deflated in my closet for years. I bought it back in 2002 when I thought I might use it instead of a chair to make my posture better or magically make me look like the girl on the box it came in.

I've moved this ball to four different states. I put it in storage for two years while I did Peace Corps. And now it is taking up valuable closet space. Have I told you we only have one closet?

The reason I kept it was because I believed it could get me in better shape and be thinner and prettier. Yes, I bought into commercial idea of it hook line and sinker. I have been dragging it around because I still wish I was thinner and prettier. This ball will never make me thinner and prettier (stage wisper: It is just a thing.). So this big yoga ball is going, going, gone.

Why I am Getting Rid of 1/3 of My Stuff

2010-11-16T19:08:00.007-06:00

I realize many of you think I have jumped off the deep end. Most of you know me as a food blogger. You'd never know that lurking underneath is a minimalist. Minimalist... no, not like the art, like the lifestyle. Over the last year I've spent a lot of time reading blogs about living lightly on the land, being debt free, learning to live with less. It wasn't until I started reading RowdyKittens.com that I found a name for this emerging idea: minimalism. What does minimalism mean?

It means getting rid of many of the things you do so you can spend time with people you love and do the things you love. It means getting rid of the clutter so you are left with only that which gives you value.

- Leo Babauta

I'm still working through how one goes about decluttering their life. Value - that's the word I have latched on to. I do understand that living a minimalist lifestyle means defining values and making them a priority. It's something most folks, including me, aren't very good at. It's easy to get caught up in the daily grind. Eventually I'll have to work on evaluating how I spend my time and looking at the intangible parts of my life, but for now, I'm focusing on the physical stuff I own.

Jeff asked me yesterday, "Why did you choose to get rid of one third of your stuff?" Basically because I'm not hard core enough to go down to 100 items. At least not yet. Half seemed too extreme and a quarter didn't seem like enough so one third it was. I'm only a week in and I've only gone through my shoes and the junk drawer, but as I look at what I own and start thinking about editing out one third, it's surprisingly easy. Knowing that I have already decided to let one third go means that I look at what I really want. In some cases I can actually let go of more than one third. The best part is the overall quality of stuff I have is going up and I didn't have to buy a thing.

What do you think? Do you think you could go through your home this weekend and find 100 things to donate? Are you willing to put in the time to get rid of the clutter? Are you willing at least to consider it?

Less Shoes

2010-11-15T21:42:00.000-06:00

Jessica Alba's Shoe Collection Via In Style

Shoes have been given a lot of power in modern society. They signal success, prosperity, a sense of style and femininity. Celebrities proudly show off their shoe "collections". I like the idea of shoes. But it's just emotional baggage. I don't need shoes to be happy. I don't need shoes to know I am successful.

I knew shoes had to be one of the first things to be tackled in my quest to reduce what I own by one third. Plus I keep them all in a plastic bin in the closet; an overflowing plastic bin that I sift through regularly, leaving a mess of shoes on the floor of the closet.

Now the old me would have wanted to create a better storage system One that would make my shoes more accessible, visible and take up less space. Not sure how this miracle would have been performed, but I would have tried. That or I would have continued to have my dysfunctional shoe bin. Instead I am going to reduce the shoes I own. It's that simple.

These are my shoes. I only have 23 pairs. Nothing compared to the excess shown in the opening image, but way more than I need. In fact I'm a little chagrined to say some don't even fit me and some I've had a long time and only worn once or twice. It actually wasn't that hard. Here's the seven pair that got cut.

I took them to Goodwill. Good-bye shoes.

The best part, I rediscovered a pair of black boots I bought after visiting Bogota, Columbia where everyone had black boots. I decided to wear them for the day to see if I wanted to keep them. They pass muster and I have worn them multiple time this week. It's an unexpected bonus of going through my stuff. I'm finding things I forgot I had.

Are you up for the challenge?

The shoe questions:

Have you worn them in the last year?
Do they fit?
Are they comfortable?
Are they significant (wedding shoes)?

Less Stuff More Action

2010-11-14T14:25:00.013-06:00

Hi my name is Foy. I write this blog. I’ve been writing this blog for five years. It’s been many things:

It’s time for another incarnation.

Thank you to all my readers who came for my recipe blog. You helped me reach the goal of cooking food from basic ingredients and buying local as much as possible.

My next mission is to come to terms with the stuff in my life.

I’ve lived the type of lifestyle that forced me to own little. Between the ages of 18-28 I was proud everything I owned could fit in my car. In those ten years I had 37 roommates and lived in 16 different locations. I was a nomad, I was free. Yet somehow I wasn’t free of my stuff. Sure I had to pare down and fit everything in my grandpa’s old Park Avenue Buick, but I kept as much as that car would allow. I couldn’t see out the back window and even the passenger seat was full when I drove to my next apartment.

This drawer is actually called the "junk drawer".

Today I’m 29 and my husband, Jeff, and I live in a 550 square foot apartment. It’s getting crowded. I’ve tried but I’ve never successfully made myself look at what I own from a utilitarian point of view. I always get wrapped up in the emotional story of my stuff. Well, it’s time. I’m going to break up with stuff.

Goal: To confront the belief that stuff makes me happy by identifying the purpose of the things I own; sorting through all my possessions and reducing what I own by one third by the New Year (46 days).

Want to come along and see how it goes? I hope you will. I hope you look at what you own in a different light. I hope you are inspired.

Happy Wholesome Breakfast Cookies - Healthy, High Fiber Recipe

2010-10-23T15:29:00.008-05:00

Early this spring Jeff pointed out that we had a lot of jars of jelly. They were mostly gifts from friends and family. While I love getting homemade preserves, we just don't eat them that often. Jeff made a couple batches of jam thumbprint cookies, but we still had lots of jam. We needed a healthier option than thumbprint cookies.

Then Jeff found a recipe for breakfast cookies. I just used up the last jar of jelly today. I would guess 80% of our jam was used making this breakfast cookie recipe. We make it about every other week. The oats and wheat germ make them wholesome and the pecans and raisins bring lots of flavor to the table.

We tried lots of flavors of jelly: persimmons, blueberry, blackberry, and wild grape - all were tasty. The wild grape goes perfectly with the raisins. If you have peach or apricot jam, I could see adding chopped dried apricots instead of raisins. Anyone have a jar of apricot jam they want to give me?

At first I wasn't impressed with the breakfast cookies because although they look like cookies, they don't taste like cookies. They aren't sweet. They are more like a granola bar, but that still implies sweet. Breakfast biscuit? No, that sounds like it should be light and fluffy and these are definitely dense. I guess cookie is as good description as any. And who knows, perhaps calling these cookies will entice the reluctant breakfast eater.

Just serve them with a cup of coffee or a glass of milk and no one will care what they are called because they are nutty and delicious. Plus they are portable; perfect for eating on the way to school or work.

Happy Wholesome Breakfast Cookies

1/3 cup jam or jelly

3 tablespoons canola oil

2 tablespoons honey

1 large egg

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups rolled oats

3/4 cup wheat germ

1/4 cup pecans, chopped

1/4 raisins (optional)

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix all the wet ingredients together in a medium bowl - jelly, oil, honey, and egg.

Step 2: In a second bowl whisk together the dry ingredients - flour, baking soda, salt, oats, wheat germ, pecans and raisins if desired.

Step 3: Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix till combined. This will be a very course dough. Divide the dough into 12 balls and place on a cookie sheet. Use the palm of your hand to flatten the balls until the dough is about 3/4 of an inch thick. These cookies won't spread or rise. Bake for 15 minutes or until the bottoms turn golden brown.

Breakfast cookies are wonderful fresh and they store well.

Yields: 12 cookies

Nutrition for one cookie: 3 Weight Watcher's Points each, 150 calories, 3 grams of fiber, 5 grams of fat and 4 grams of protein.

Acorn Squash Stuffed with a Wild Rice Vegetable Pilaf - Recipe

2010-10-19T20:06:00.005-05:00

Fall is the best! I love the whole harvest vibe and the golden colors. I've been dragging my camera to work every day so I can snap photos of the autumn brilliance. Then I left my camera at work and then somehow I downloaded all my photos on to my work computer instead of just the plant pictures. All my food photos were stuck at work. I finally remembered to put my food photos on a jump drive and now I have them my laptop and I can finally share this recipe.

Check out these beautiful stuffed acorn squash. They were so tasty I made them twice! I created the recipe as I went along and I wrote down exactly what I did so I could put it up on the blog. I hope you try them. They are perfect for a vegetarian Thanksgiving or really any Thanksgiving. Who am I kidding? This is the perfect meal for any fall evening.

What are the acorn squash stuffed with you ask? Wild rice, mushrooms, raisins, leeks and carrots. The combination is rich and nutty with some hints of sweetness from the raisins.

Zeus, the cat we brought back with us from Panama, loves squash. It's one of his many quirks. I cut these babies open and he was immediately up on the table checking them out. He loves the seeds and the stringy bits. I scooped some into his food bowl so he wasn't licking our dinner, but not before I snapped a photo.

Acorn Squash Stuffed with a Wild Rice Vegetable Pilaf

2 acorn squash
1 1/3 cups wild rice
5 cups broth chicken or vegetable
1 teaspoon salt
1 lbs of leaks
3 carrots
1 cup raisins (I used half golden and half purple raisins)
2 cups sliced button mushrooms
1 tablespoon butter or fat (I used bacon grease the second time and it was excellent)

Step 1: Over medium heat in a sauce pan combine the broth, salt and wild rice and bring to a simmer. Cover and allow to simmer for twenty minutes. Meanwhile cut the acorn squash in half and scoop out the seeds and stringy part. In a 9x13 pan add 1 inch of water and place the squash cut side up in the water. Bake the squash covered at 400 degrees for twenty minutes. Baking the squash in water will steam it and, added bonus, if the squash releases any juices they won't stick and burn to your pan.

Step 2: Clean and cut the mushrooms, leeks and carrots into half inch slices. In a sauce pan over medium heat saute the sliced veggies in the fat until they start to soften. The mushrooms will darken and the leeks will become translucent. It should take about 10 minutes.

Step 3: Take the wild rice off the heat and mix it into the sauteed veggies. The wild rice will finish cooking n the oven, so there should still be some liquid left. Stir in the raisins. When the squash finishes its 20 minutes in the oven take it out and drain the water (don't turn off the oven). Fill each acorn squash half with wild rice mixture and put the remaining wild rice around the acorn squash.

Step 4: Cover the pan and bake at 400 for an additional 30 minutes. Then remove your squash from the oven and let it set five minutes before serving.

This dish goes great with green beans or broccoli.

Yields: Four dinner sized servings

Nutrition: 370 calories, 5 grams of fat, 9 grams of fiber and 9 grams of protein. If you are a following Weight Watchers that's just 7 points.

Local Harvest Feast - Project Food Blog Challenge #3

2010-10-02T19:22:00.009-05:00

Hosting a luxury dinner party doesn't mean you have to spend all your time in the kitchen or spend a ton of money. This is how I like to celebrate the season and enjoy the end of summer with family and friends.

I can't believe it's already October. We even have a chance of frost on Monday. The tomatoes are winding down, the cucumber and summer squash vines are looking pretty pathetic. I'm already starting to mourn the loss of warm season vegetables. Every time I eat a tomato, I think, "This could be the last tomato of summer," which might be a little overly dramatic but I love garden fresh tomatoes and I will miss them. (I refuse to eat the mealy pink things masquerading as tomatoes sold at super market in the winter.)

For the third Project Food Blog challenge I put together a dinner party showcasing the last of the summer produce. Most of the ingredients are from the kitchen garden, the local farm stand or wild harvested. This menu showcases my favorite summer foods: tomatoes, sweet corn, and basil. Plus some goodies that are available for a very limited window like hickory nuts, bolete mushrooms and wild onions.

The key to this dinner party is the food can be made in advance so that it only requires quick assembly and some heating. That way I can spend more time with my guests and less time in the kitchen. We'll start our dinner with a small bowl of light and creamy corn chowder made from the last harvest of summer sweet corn. This dish can be made a couple days in advance and held in the refrigerator. The chowder even improves over night. To serve, simply reheat it gently on the stove. Do not let it boil or you'll risk curdling the milk. Here's the link for the recipe: Summer Sweet Corn Chowder.

The corn chowder is served with wild onion and rosemary bread. As the nights get cool here in the Midwest, wild onions are coming out of dormancy. I collected the onions in a low lying wet part of the forest. The rosemary is from the kitchen garden. I used half the normal amount of rosemary because I wanted the thyme to come through in the chowder. Here's the recipe: Wild Onion and Rosemary Bread

Two small slices of bread satisfy without filling up the guests. They need to still have an appetite for the main course. Although I think if I just served the corn chowder people would be happy. It is amazing. Even if you don't throw a dinner party you should make it.

The main course is hickory nut basil pesto with roasted cherry tomatoes and a side of bolete mushrooms sauteed in butter.

The basil is starting to look yellow and peaked now in the garden. We have time for one last round of pesto. To make the main course a little more local I opted not to use pine nuts. Lately pine nuts have been really expensive. I've been paying about two dollars an ounce. Apparently there was a bad harvest somewhere that is driving the price up. Local nuts are a less costly option.

Locally there are lots of shag bark hickories. During a recent camping trip we collected a bucket full of nuts and cracked them open. I toasted a cup worth of them in a dry pan on the stove before using them in the pesto. They are bitterer than pine nuts, but they still have the buttery flavor. It was a nice change and perfect for this local harvest dinner party.

You can make the pesto up to two days in advance and store it in the refrigerator, but the pasta should be fresh. Use an angel hair or other thin pasta because they cook in under ten minutes. Here's a link to the recipe: Basil Pesto.

While you are waiting for the pasta to boil put cherry tomatoes cut side up on a cookie sheet, sprinkle them with kosher salt and pop them in a hot oven for ten minutes or so until they start looking wrinkled. This will make them less watery and intensify their flavor. Serve them nestled on the side of the pesto.

The cherry tomatoes are the variety 'Sweet Treat'. They have amazing flavor and are quite sweet. I would consider handing them out at Halloween but I don't think they'll last that long.

To go with the pesto Jeff found the perfect side: wild bolete mushrooms among the leaf litter under a pine tree. Rather than mix them into the pasta where their flavor would be over shadowed by the basil, I opted to simply saute them in butter and serve them in a small bowl by themselves. What a treat! These are really delicate mushrooms so simply clean and prepare them ahead of time, then saute them briefly in a pan with butter before serving.

For dessert, a simple apple crisp with sassafras tea. I picked some apples off the Johnagold tree outside my office a couple weeks ago. These are great apples. They bridge the gap for good eating apples and good baking apples. They have a nice crunch and tend a little to the tart side. I made them into a quick apple crisp.

You can make the crisp a day in advance, just keep the topping and apples refrigerated sperately and put it together right before baking. It takes about 40 minutes to cook. Put it in the oven when you serve the main course. That way it will be wonderfully fresh and the smell will permeate the house right about the time you are ready to serve. Make sure to allow at least five minutes for the crisp to sit. It should be warm, not scalding. Here's the recipe for Apple Crisp.

Instead of offering coffee I decided on a local option, sassafras tea. It has a mild root beer flavor and is the perfect match for apple crisp. Make the tea in the morning and reheat it before serving. Find the recipe here for making sassafras tea with fresh roots.

What a lovely evening. It was a perfect way to celebrate the end of summer.

This is my entry for the third Project Food Blog challenge! I hope you liked it, and if you did, become a follower of my blog by clicking the “follow” button in the right hand column.

If you are a Featured Publisher at Foodbuzz, please vote for me. I’d love ya for it, I really would.

•Voting Opens: 6AM Pacific Time October 4th
•Voting Closes: 6PM Pacific Time October 7th

Moroccan Chicken Kdra with Saffron, Chickpeas and Rice - Project Food Blog #2

2010-09-25T14:56:00.004-05:00

The results are in. You guys voted on which cultural cuisine I should attempt for the second Project Food Blog Challenge: Cook a Classic Dish from another Culture. South Africa received five votes, Iraq got nine votes and Morocco wins with fifteen votes!

I know very little about Moroccan cooking other than it is exotic and spicy. I've never even eaten it, only seen it on cooking shows. Out of my comfort zone? Check. With my trusty friend Google, I started by looking up maps of Morocco. Where exactly is this country?

Morocco is one of those countries that falls on the edge of many maps. I think of it as being on the North West corner of Africa. I didn't realize it is separated from Spain by the Strait of Gibraltar or that it is so close to Italy, and Greece. Its northern border is the Mediterranean Sea so this makes sense. Normally maps divide Africa and Europe so I don't think of them as neighbors. I actually had to crop a world map to get this view that shows ALL of the countries surrounding Morocco.

The cookbook I checked out of the library, Taste of Morocco, does a wonderful job putting the food in context.

Morocco is blessed with rich resources and a vibrant food culture reflecting a grand imperialist past and a wealth of influences absorbed over the centuries from its many traders, invaders and conquering powers. Arab, Phoenician, Senegalese, Sudanese, Spanish, Portuguese, Middle Eastern and in particular, French cuisine can be traced throughout its dishes. The food is distinct, pungent, seasonal and intensely regional.

I selected a classic Morocco dish: chicken kdra. Kdra is a tagine, or rather is cooked in a tagine. A tagine is a heavy clay pot with a cone shaped lid. (It's the pot on the cover of the cookbook.) The lid is designed to keep moisture in the dish. The condensation forms on the lid and rolls back down to the bottom, keeping the dish moist even when cooked for hours. I don't have a tagine, so I'm just using a heavy bottomed pot and I'll be diligent about stirring and checking on moisture content.

To go with the chicken kdra I'm making the national dish of Morocco, couscous. Couscous is a made from the semolina of wheat in a process kind of like making flour and then pasta. Check out this article about couscous if you want to know more: What is Couscous? For dessert we'll be having mango slices.

I was surprised I didn't need to go out and find any crazy spices other than saffron. I cook Indian curries occasionally so I already had ground ginger and turmeric on hand and there is parsley in the garden. I did have to clarify butter to make ghee, but that's pretty easy. I made ghee for my Turkish Dinner party a couple of years ago. All you do is heat the butter until it's a liquid. Let it set and then remove the solids that float to the top or sink to the bottom. See? Easy.

The result? I love chicken kdra. It's very lemony and the saffron is a spice I'm really enjoying. It has this earthy, smokey smell that does remind me of pollen. Saffron is the stamen of a certain crocus flower. Jeff says it smells a little sulfury and a little like tomatoes in the food dehydrator. At $6.99 for a half ounce, it's an investment, but it really makes this dish. The rice and chickpeas add texture and volume. The chicken is falling off the bone it is so tender. I'm definitely keeping this recipe!

Chicken Kdra with Saffron, Chickpeas and Rice

14 oz cooked chickpeas (from 1 cup dry chickpeas or 1 can)
4 pinches of saffron, briefly pan-toasted
1 teaspoon sea salt crystals
3.5 pounds of chicken parts (I used 1 cut-up chicken fryer)
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 tablespoons ghee
2 handfuls of fresh parsley, chopped
2 Spanish onions, halved and sliced
1 ounce long-grained white rice, washed and drained
2 lemons halved

1 2/3 cups couscous
1 tablespoon ghee
2 cups chicken broth

Step 1: Prepare the chickpeas. If you are using dry chickpeas, rehydrate them and then remove the loose skins. If using chickpeas from a can, pour boiling water over the chickpeas in a sieve; remove and discard as many skins as possible.

Step 2: Prepare the chicken. Start by grinding the saffron with the salt to a powder, using a pestle and mortar. Set aside half of this mixture. To the remaining half add the ginger, turmeric, butter and parsley, stir it together. Rub this spice mixture over the chicken, coating well.

Step 3: Brown the chicken. Put the seasoned chicken, onions, and the pulp of one lemon into a large tagine or heavy bottom pan. Bring to a sizzle; cover and cook for 10 minutes or until the chicken is part browned. Turn the chicken over, add the skin of the lemon (without the white pith) and 1 1/2 cups of water.

Step 4: Add the chickpeas. Cover and bring back to simmering, cover again and cook for 20 minutes longer. Add the rice, stir, cover and simmer for 20 additional minutes or until the rice is tender, sauce somewhat thickened and chickpeas hot. Then squeeze the remaining lemon over top.

Step 5: Make couscous. While the chicken is in its final 20 minutes prepare the couscous by heating the broth to a boil with 1 tablespoon ghee. Stir in cousous, take off the heat and allow to stand covered for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.

(The cat decided to come over and check out the dry couscous, he actually started eating it. Then I put his leash on and put him outside. (Yes, we leash our cat. I'll tell you why some day.))

Step 6: Finish the chicken kdra by sprinkling the remaining saffron-salt over top; cover; stand 5 minutes then serve hot with couscous.

Saha wa hana. (Enjoy your meal.)

This is my entry for the second Project Food Blog challenge!I hope you like what you read, and if you do, become a follower by clicking the “follow” button in the right hand column.

If you are a Featured Publisher at Foodbuzz, please vote for me. I’d love ya for it, I really would.

Voting Opens: 6AM Pacific Time September 27th
Voting Closes: 6PM Pacific Time September 30th

Which Exotic Cuisine Would You Cook?

2010-09-23T21:01:00.003-05:00

The next Project Food Blog challenge is to tackle a classic dish from another culture. I'm bypassing the French and Italian standards in favor of more challenging cuisines. I went down to the library and found several regional cookbooks that are completely out of my comfort zone. Which of these would you like to see me take on?

The choices are:

A. South African - I have a friend that visited South Africa for her graduate work and she made a South African peanut soup to bring to a potluck, but it spilled in the car and I never got to try it. I picked up the Complete South African Cookbook. Although, I might need to supplement it with a cookbook that has more about the cultural context because this book is mostly recipes. There has to be more to South Africa than the annoying vuvuzela.

B. Iraq - When I think of the Middle East, I think of conflict and war, talk about out of my comfort zone. But in the Cradle of Civilization there must be depth and richness to their food as well as their history. It would be fun to discover another side to Iraq. I checked out The Iraqi Cookbook which has stunning photos of artfully arranged food in golden light. I also like that this cookbook is geared for the American cook and kitchen.

C. Morocco - On all the cooking shows, like Master Chef, Moroccan food comes up as this spicy, exotic, amazing food. I know pretty much nothing about this cuisine. The Taste of Morocco from Harira Soup to Chicken Kdra cookbook that I found has beautiful photos of fresh vegetables, lamb and pastries. I like that the book has a glossary of ingredients including substitutions, because I know it will be hard to find za'atar in rural Midwest America. It's excellent to know thyme, marjoram, oregano with a pinch of pepper is a viable alternative.

What do you think? Which should I choose? Which would you choose? Go over to the right hand column and vote! I'll leave the polls open for three days.

Results are in check out this post to see which cuisine I'm cooking!

Bread and Herb Butter Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes - Recipe with Nature's Pride Bread

2010-09-19T15:57:00.003-05:00

Bite sized bread and herb butter stuffed cherry tomatoes are the perfect appetizer for a party.The acid of the tomato balances the bread. The bread soaks up tasty tomato juice making a lovely stuffing with a nicely browned top. Add a little Parmesan cheese and basil to round out the flavors and you have a very sophisticated and elegant way to entice your guests.

The best part? Don't tell, but they are really easy to make. All you need are these six ingredients:

Bread and Herb Butter Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes

2 slices of Nature's Pride potato bread
24 cherry tomatoes (about one pint)
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil

Step 1: Prepare the tomatoes. Wash the cherry tomatoes and then cut the tops off. Use a small spoon, I found my 1/2 teaspoon was just the right size, to scoop out the seeds and middle part of the tomatoes. Make sure not to pierce the walls. Then lightly salt the inside of each cherry tomato.

Step 2: Make the bread stuffing. Tear the Nature's Pride potato bread into large chunks and put it in the food processor with the butter, Parmesan cheese, parsley and basil. Pulse 4-6 times or until the bread is fine crumbs.

Step 3: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a casserole dish that is just big enough to hold the tomatoes snugly. You don't want them shifting around. Fill each cherry tomato with stuffing. I used the same 1/2 teaspoon to lightly press the stuffing in and then mound it on top.

Step 4: Place the stuffed tomatoes in the casserole and bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. Remove from the oven, let cool at least five minutes before serving. They are best hot, but they can also be held and served at room temperature.

Yields 24 servings.

This blog post and recipe are for the Nature's Pride Bread Ambassador program. Although I bought the bread myself, I'm told I might get a coupon for a free loaf, but whatever. I like planning party food. This was a fun little challenge.

Fall Apple Crisp - Recipe

2010-09-17T09:39:00.001-05:00

I can't believe the apples are ripe! Fall is really here. And with fall come shorter days, comfy sweaters, mulled cider, and pumpkins. My favorite holiday is just a couple months away! What foodie doesn't love Thanksgiving? But we aren't quite there yet. We are still back at apples.

I love apple crisp. It is simple, tasty and will make your whole house smell like apples and cinnamon; the perfect dessert for autumn. It is also a great way to use less than perfect apples. Just cut out the bad spots, no one will ever know.

One of the biggest down falls to many crisps is that they aren't crispy. They are soggy. This recipe earns the name crisp. The method for cutting the flour into the butter and sugar keeps the topping from getting heavy and bogged down and the nuts add some texture and crunch.

Get in the spirit, go pick some apples and make your own fall apple crisp.

Fall Apple Crisp

Topping:

6 tablespoons of unbleached flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup coarsely chopped nuts such as pecans or walnuts
1/2 cup old fashion rolled oats

Filling:

6 apples
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/8 cup honey

Step 1: Make the topping by combining the flour, sugars, spices and salt in a food processor, pulse a couple times until combined. Cut the chilled butter into 1/2 inch pieces. Add the butter to the food processor mixture and pulse until it combines to a lumpy sand texture.  Four to five 1-second pulses should do it. Do not over do it or the mixture will get sticky and the crisp topping, well it won't be crisp.

Step 2: Pour the mixture in the food processor into a medium sized bowl and add the nuts and rolled oats. Use a spoon to mix it all together. (Don't use your hands, their heat will melt the butter and we want the butter to be firm.) Then put the topping into the refrigerator to keep the butter solid while you work on the filling.

Step 3: Preheat the oven to 375F. Make the filling. Core the apples and then chop them into 1-inch segments. I leave the skin on, but you can peal the apples if you like. You should have about 6 cups of apple chunks.  Toss the apples with the lemon juice to keep them from browning.

Step 4: To assemble the crisp, butter a 9x9 or 9 inch round baking dish.   Pour the apple chunks into the baking dish. Drizzle the honey on top. Then use a rubber spatula to scrape the topping over the top. Use the spatula to evenly distribute the topping. Bake the crisp uncovered for 40 minutes. Then turn the oven up to 400 and bake for an additional 5 minutes or until the topping is lightly browned and the filling is bubbly.

Let sit for five minutes at least before serving. Serve warm with a scoop of cinnamon ice cream or a dollop of fresh whipped cream and a cup of coffee. Yields 4-6 servings.

Project Food Blog Challenge #1: Ready, Set, Blog!

2010-09-15T16:47:00.024-05:00

Hi I’m Foy! Welcome to my kitchen. I am convinced the best food is home grown and that nourishing meals can be enjoyed on a tiny budget.

You’ll find lots of recipes here as well as a community of readers that have great ideas for how to use up all those tomatoes or what to do with parsnip; you know the big questions in life.

I let what’s ripe in the garden or what I can gather in the woods determine the menu. Then I try out recipes that use whole ingredients and write about my experiences.

You won’t find jars of spaghetti sauce or cans of cream of mushroom soup on these pages. What you will find are seasonal ways to prepare and enjoy food along with occasional pictures of my crazy Panamanian cat. His name is Zeus and he got in the oven all by himself, I swear.

There are lots of recipes for dishes like this Roasted Beets, Peaches and Goat Cheese Salad with a Citrus Pecan Dressing:

This summer I got the chance to share some of my food preservation recipes.

From Top Left Clockwise: dehydrating tomatoes, freezing pesto, dill pickles, freezing strawberries.

Canning, freezing and drying are great ways to bank the bounty of summer and save time and money later in the year. We are in full swing harvest right now in the Midwest. To tell the truth, it’s kind of crazy in the kitchen. I’m freezing pesto, oil packing dehydrated tomatoes, making stock and putting up pickles. I even decided to try corn relish for the first time.

Looking ahead, in October, I’ll be focusing on pumpkin and winter squash dishes.

Roasted butternut squash
Curried pumpkin soup
Some sort of delicious pumpkin dessert that isn’t pumpkin pie… I haven’t come up with it yet. I am hoping it involves walnuts or possibly pecans.

I want your ideas too! How do you prepare winter squash?

And one other little thing, I’m throwing my name in the hat. I’m competing in the FoodBuzz.com challenge, Project Food Blog. If I advance, you’ll see exciting posts that are a little out of my comfort zone, like throwing a dinner party, step by step foodie photo shoot tutorial, and tackling a classic dish from another culture. I’d be thrilled if you came along for the ride.

I hope you like what you read, and if you do, become a follower by clicking the “follow” button in the right hand column.

If you are a Featured Publisher at Foodbuzz, please vote for me. I’d love ya for it, I really would.

Voting opens 6:00 am Pacific Time September 20th
Voting closes 6:00 pm Pacific Time September 23rd.

Foy Update is on Facebook! Like it?

2010-09-14T16:09:00.001-05:00

FoyUpdate now has a Facebook Fan Page. You should "like" it so you can find out all the secret foodie thoughts I don't have time to blog about. You'll even get sneak peaks into upcoming posts. It'll be fun. I hope you'll follow along.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Foy-Update-Garden-Cook-Write-Repeat/143878022314224

Click to go to Foy Update's Facebook Page.