Tuesday, December 16, 2008

December's soup



Ok, normally I'd be typing fast as I could if I had a new dessert but the weather made me write this instead. About 18 degrees and gloomy justified trying a recipe that I've been looking at for a while. I'm on an email list for 101 cookbooks that is creative, healthy, and wonderful looking food that has thought put into it. http://www.101cookbooks.com/ if you want to check it out. In November, I printed the recipe for Baby Lima Soup with Chipotle Broth. Ok, it may sound a little boring, but this mornings creation was anything BUT boring. I followed the recipe with the exception of using some stock (veg) instead of all water but to each his own. All the ingredients are accessible locally which is great to not have to dash out of town for an obscure item. Ok, I'm getting back to wrapping gifts and contemplating a cup of tea..

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

TWD Pumpkin muffins


As some of you know I rarely get on the computer until after harvest. Having several organic heirloom gardens and all that goes with it consumes my time. Weekends are trotting off to market, picking, and putting up food in many different forms. We do have some white neck pumpkins left for me to bake and bag up for future pies, but I've already cut up a 13 pound one and started on making goodies. Dorie Greenspans "Baking from my home to yours" cookbook is one of the few I've HAD to have in the past years. Her recipe for pumpkin muffins is todays assignment so here's to getting an A+ in class Dorie! Moist and cakey, these are going to hit the spot~ I'll be baking more pumpkin this week and giving the rest away. Thanks!

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Chicago Foodie trip



A couple times a year, the cook store KitchenArt in West Lafayette, IN does some unique tours of ethnic regions in Chicago. It was our third trip but it changes nearly every time in the 12 years they've been guiding folks thru the backroads and along Lake Shore Drive. We live for the "feel" of the city since we live a rural life and the change does a soul good. We loaded up on fresh fish at the Isaacson L and Stein Fish co. during our first stop. Top notch whole fish packed on ice for you to bag up, get cleaned if you choose, while sloshing around in the cool , puddled crowded room. I sometimes wish we lived closer just for that. The fresh fish in Wabash is usually frozen and who knows how long it's been that.

Another run was to the ethnic area of the Italian section which is really dying out. Conte di Savola European Specialties is a great Italian deli featuring domestic pastas, cheeses and hand made Buffalo mozzarella that is wonderful. The homemade salamis & cannoli aren't bad either.

The Greek area on S.Halsted St. is barely thriving as "Greek" but has many other stores surrounding it. We visited Artopolis Bakery & Cafe' which had a beautiful pastry and bread section, wines and gifts. The artisan bread we purchased was very tasty. The BEST shop was a couple doors down. The Pan Hellenic Pastry Shop has the best handmade Greek pastries in the Midwest and I couldn't resist the powdered sugar almond cookies, some nutty chocolate macaroons, and an assorted box of tradition pastries. The service was friendly, informative and very attentive.

We were really trying to save ourselves for the Indian/Pakistani area on W.Devon as that was our lunch stop and I had already reviewed the area for a lunch idea. It is restaurant row intermixed with sari shops and food stores. Heaven!!!! We ate lunch at Sabri Nehari where we shared our dishes with each other. The menu can be found on a site called Menu Pages which helps making food choices easier ahead of time. Four of us thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience from the friendly attentive waiters to the freshness and presentation of the food. Loved it, loved it, loved it. The naan was over the top with lots of garlic and onion - Yummm..Worth the trip-Yes!!Thanks Kitchen Art!

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Wild Veggies!!!!!!!!!


Who say's Indiana is dull!!!!!!!!!!!! I thought that while my 25 year old nephew was visiting I'd pull up a couple of carrots since I didn't think he'd ever seen them growing before. So I pull up the one on the left and we nearly cracked up. Commenting on what a joke that one was I pulled up the one one next to it. What a scream!!! Maybe he'll grow carrots, maybe not, but this has to take the cake!
All the rest of the garden has taken off well and the heirloom tomatoes that everyone has been waiting for are ready.
Hurray-so are the asian pears, green beans, zephyr squash, eggplants, peppers, peaches, and everything else. Typing this is my only break from food until everything is frozen, canned, sold, or given away. The last couple of weeks has flown by with the celebration of dad's 80th birthday, my sisters (and nephew) visiting, Forest going to college and the beginning of harvest/market. Lots of cookouts and visiting in between-typing this is my only food break! Need to get back at it!!!bye for now. teri

Thursday, July 3, 2008

The Pie Recipe

You can use blackberries, blueberries, and rhubarb as well for this pie. I hope you consider this a "keeper".

1 1/3 C. Half & Half
1 C. sugar
1/2 t. salt
4 T. plus 1t. flour
dash cinnamon

2 C. fresh berries, cleaned and drained

In a small saucepan, barely heat all of the above ingredients enough just to dissolve the sugar. I don't get it hot-just whisk it enough to make it smooth and take off the heat. In the bottom of a prepared pie shell, put in 2 cups of the berries. Pour mixture over berries and bake 50 minutes @ 375 degrees. Middle will be slightly shaky like a custard pie. Let cool if you can.

You can reduce the sugar to 2/3 cup if using strawberries or blueberries. This recipe is very forgiving. I've used heavy cream instead of Half & Half and reduced the flour slightly and it came out beautiful as well.

Happy summer!

It's black raspberry season!


Living in the country (or city) black raspberries are nearly everywhere for a short time. People pick until the freezer are full, they're sick of pie, have made enough jam, or just plain tired of looking at them. Terrible thing to be burned out on wild black raspberries. We have a friend that has gallon bags of them in the freezer that never get used. Yeh, yeh, it's a sin. kinda like finding more morels than you'll ever eat. Like that happens to me anymore!!! Anyway, it's the day before the big fireworks and I'm gearing up to go pick some berries again. I've made 3 black raspberry cream pies and 7 jars of freezer jam and still fired up about getting stuck by thorns, bitten by mosquitos and getting poison ivy. What am I thinking?!!! I'm thinking pie. In our neck of the woods there's Old Order Baptist and Menonite women that seem to excel in pie baking. While picking blueberries last year I was able to get a recipe in coversation on how they make thier berry cream pies. There's a layer of fruit and a sweet creamy layer that sinks to the bottom that has to be one of the best combinations ever. I've tweaked it slightly but it's really pure, simple and totally deserving of the hours of picking one can put in.

Friday, June 27, 2008

Rural Indiana food, cooking, gardening


Funny, I started typing wondering what I was going to say. Since I'm alive in rural, IN. I choose make the best of what I'm given. With that being said, we just had a really good rain so the garden is perked up and looking good. I just counted the heirloom tomato plants in one garden and it's over the top! Why do I do this to myself???!!!Eeegads. One small woman trying to maintain over 90 assorted plants. No wonder I'm wiped. Well, if anyone ever reads this just know that when these plants are ready-watch out! Farmer's market here I come. Aside from that garden is the "other" garden-rows of green beans, several types of cucumbers, dill, an assortment of eggplants, zephyr squash, unusual pumpkins, and some banana melon my husband wanted to try. I am probably the only person in Indiana that has epazote coming up thru the cracks of my patio. It's that drive of good food that inspires me to grow everything I can. Aside from the tame stuff, wild black raspberries are ready to pick. I don't have enough around our property to even make a pie since I stuff them in my mouth as fast as I pick them. Another rural friend Ken just called to tell me he picked a gallon last night. Dang! Begging works.
Tomorrow is the Paradise Springs Art Festival in "downtown" Wabash. For Wabash, it's a neat little festival with some quality art. Think I'll check out the farmer's market before it to snag some sqaush from a friend that had them in his greenhouse. Nice to have a jump on the game! Seems as if in this little community, there's an abundance of talented people all connected in some way. It is my hope to bring them all to the big blog table for you to enjoy the talents of this small town.
Until tomorrow, Teri