for the love of food

This is our last week to get our CSA box and here is a picture of everything that we received! I’m so sad because I’m going from a mentality of “what should we make with what is fresh?” to………..”what should I make?” I love trying new vegetables and recipes with what is fresh!

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture.  Basically, you buy a share/membership in a local farm. Every week, we pick up a box of freshly picked vegetables and fruits. We have a share in Minto Island Growers. This has been our first year with them and it’s been wonderful! They send out a weekly newsletter with info about what is in the box, what is going on with the farm, and recipe ideas. I’m going to really miss it and already can’t wait for Spring to get here!

Since, we live in an amazing state that has bountiful resources in fresh food…. please take a moment to consider getting to know your local farmer. You won’t regret it! Check out Local Harvest and find a CSA to participate in. If it seems like it will be too much food, remember you can split it with a neighbor or friend. This is the best time to review different farms and get signed up!

Some links to check out regarding local foods:

Local Harvest

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life *plus there are great recipes on the website!*

How To Choose A CSA?

Oregon Farmer’s Market Association

Here is a great recipe from our CSA newsletter:

Butternut Squash and Sage Soup with Sage Breadcrumbs

1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped onions
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
4 cups 1/2-inch cubes peeled seeded butternut squash
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
1 garlic clove, minced
5 to 6 cups Chicken Stock or 5 to 6 cups purchased organic chicken broth

Breadcrumbs:

2 crustless slices fresh whole grain wheat bread, torn
4 teaspoons butter
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage

For soup:
Melt butter with oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, parsley, and sage; sauté until onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Add squash and coarse salt; sauté until squash softens and onions are golden, about 6 minutes. Add garlic; stir 1 minute. Add 5 cups stock; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until squash is very soft, about 25 minutes. Cool slightly. Working in batches, puree soup in blender, allowing some texture to remain. Return soup to pot. Thin with stock, if desired. Season with pepper and more salt, if desired. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and chill. Rewarm before serving.
For breadcrumbs:
Place bread in processor; blend until fine crumbs form but some slightly coarser crumbs remain. Cook butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until golden, about 2 minutes. Add breadcrumbs and sage. Cook until crumbs are crisp, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. DO AHEAD: Can be made 4 hours ahead. Let stand uncovered at room temperature.
Ladle soup into bowls. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs.

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Yesterday, DeAnn and I spent the afternoon making pumpkin rolls with brown sugar glaze! I just had to share the recipe with you! They are so worth the effort to make. Enjoy!

No-Knead Pumpkin Rolls with Brown Sugar Glaze

from TheKitchn.com
Makes 16-18 rolls

For the dough:
1/4 cup water
1 scant tablespoon yeast (1 package)
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

For the filling:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups pecans – toasted, chopped, and divided in half (optional)

For the glaze:
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup milk
1 cup brown sugar
pinch salt
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Sprinkle the yeast over the water and let it sit a few minutes until the yeast is dissolved.

Meanwhile, warm the milk and butter in a small saucepan on the stove top until the butter is melted. Combine this with the sugar in a large heat-proof mixing bowl and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved.

Let the milk mixture cool until it is just warm to the touch – NOT HOT. Then stir in the yeast and the pumpkin. Add the salt and five cups of the flour all at once, stirring until all the flour has been absorbed. Squish it between your hands if you’re having trouble incorporating the last of the flour. The dough will be sticky, but should come together in a shaggy ball. If it’s still more the consistency of cookie batter, work in an additional 1/2 cup of flour.

Cover the dough and let it rise for 1-3 hours. During this time, it should double in bulk. At this point, you can punch the dough down and refrigerate it overnight or continue shaping the rolls.

To shape the rolls (either immediately or with the refrigerated dough), sprinkle your work surface with a little flour and dump the dough on top. Pat it down into a rough rectangle and then use a floured rolling-pin to roll it into a rectangular shape about a half an inch thick, longer than it is wide. If the dough gets sticky, sprinkle a little more flour on the dough’s surface and on your hands.

Melt the butter in the microwave and stir in the brown sugar and the spices. Spread this over the rectangle of dough, leaving an inch of bare dough at the top. Sprinkle one cup of the toasted pecans over the dough, if using. Starting at the edge closest to you, roll the dough into a cylinder and pinch it closed at the top.

Rub a tablespoon of soft butter into the bottom of two 9×13 baking dishes, two 9-inch cake pans, or a combination. Using a bench cutter or a sharp knife, cut the cylinder into individual rolls 1 – 1 1/2 inches thick. Place them into your baking dishes so they have a little wiggle room on all sides to rise. Cover them with a clean kitchen towel and let them rise until they fill the pan and look puffy, 30 minutes for already-warm dough and 1 hour for dough that’s been refrigerated.

About 20 minutes before baking, begin heating the oven to 375°. When the rolls are ready, bake them for 20-25 minutes, until the tops are golden and starting to look toasted around the edges. Rotate the pans halfway through cooking.

While they are baking, prepare the glaze. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the milk and butter. When the butter has melted, add the brown sugar and salt. Stir until the brown sugar has melted. Remove from heat and strain into a mixing bowl to remove any sugar clumps. Stir in the powdered sugar. This should form a thick but pourable glaze.

Let the baked rolls cool for about five minutes and then pour the glaze on top. Sprinkle the remaining cup of pecans over the top, if more nuttiness is desired. Eat them immediately. Leftovers will keep for several days and are best reheated for a minute in the microwave.

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Besides the chocolate cake I made last week….I’ve been feeling kind of stuck and uncreative when it comes to cooking. So this morning I did a little research on some possible recipes for this week.

The first recipe I’m going to make is salsa verde braised pork. I have made this once before for tacos and thought it was amazing. With so many recipes in my collection, it’s too easy to forget about the ones that stand out!  Below is the recipe (and image) from Sunset Magazine. Also, the recipe can be put in the crock pot! Let me know if you make it!

I’d like to hear what recipes you are making this week!

Salsa Verde Braised Pork

*While writing this post, I was listening to Florence + The Machine Lungs . Seriously, this my new favorite album. Ever since I saw them perform on the VMAs… powerhouse! Go buy it! It’s perfection in music.

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I’m always on the hunt for amazing cake recipes. I found this recipe on TheKitchn and I knew I must make it for my dad’s birthday. The only change I made was adding some milk to the frosting because it seemed too thick.

My dad loved the cake! The root beer flavor isn’t overwhelming.

Root Beer Chocolate Bundt Cake
10 inch Bundt Cake

Adapted from Baked: New Frontiers In Baking by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito via The Marion House Book.

Ingredients

Cake
2 cups root beer (we suggest Trader Joe’s Old Fashioned Root Beer, or any root beer made with cane sugar)
1 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs

Frosting
2 ounces dark chocolate melted and cooled slightly
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup root beer
2/3 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder
2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
For the cake:
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter and flour the bundt pan.

2. In a small saucepan, heat the root beer, cocoa powder, and butter over medium heat until the butter is melted. Add the sugars and whisk until dissolved. Remove from the heat and let cool.

3. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together.

4. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs until just beaten, then whisk them into the cooled cocoa mixture until combined. Gently fold the flour mixture into the cocoa mixture. The batter will be slightly lumpy–do not overbeat, as it could cause the cake to be tough.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a small sharp knife inserted into the cake comes out clean.

For the frosting:

1. Melt the chocolate over low heat on the stove. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir.

2. Take the mixture off the heat and allow to cool. (We put it in the fridge for about 2 minutes).

3. Whisk the cooled mixture to make sure it’s mixed well and stiff enough to frost.

Serve with some vanilla bean ice cream and enjoy!

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The girls and I belong to a playgroup that meets every Friday. The other moms and I are going to do a cookie exchange on December 3. For those of you who don’t know what a cookie exchange is, everyone brings either 1/2 or a full dozen cookies to share with the other moms. Then you end up with a great variety of cookies. I love it during the holidays because then I have a  huge assortment of cookies without all the  baking.

I have three possible choices for my contribution for this year’s cookie exchange. Can you help me decide?

1. Orange Sugar Cookies with frosting

2. Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

3. Chocolate Peppermint Stars

To cast your vote, all you need to do is comment below with your selection! I’ll announce the winner this Friday! (Also, if you want the recipe(s)  just let me know!)

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I’d like to introduce you to Carly Diaz! She is my little and amazing sister (pictured on the left). I am going to have her be a guest blogger on here. Carly currently lives and works in Amsterdam. I think she is an amazing writer and editor. One of my favorite things about her is that she secretly loves America’s Next Top Model.

i love her dearly!

Also, please check out her website: Small Sight

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Julia Child is my hero in so many ways. She cooked fearlessly and wasn’t afraid making mistakes. When she did make mistakes, she tried again and again to make it perfect. I love that she started cooking  later in life and pursued her passion.  It was Julia who taught me  how to make an omelet! Take some time to watch one of the videos from her cooking show The French Chef on the PBS website.  Julia has taught me to do things that I love and bring me happiness such as cooking.

If you haven’t seen the movie Julie and Julia, add it to your list! You must watch the genius that is Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci. I believe those two should always be cast together in movies because of their amazing acting chemistry.

Last night, I watched the movie again. I cried when Julia got the letter that her book was finally going to be published. Then again when she actually got her long labored cookbook.

If you are up to it, you must try one of Julia’s most loved recipes; Boeuf Bourguingnon and serve it with buttered noodles. Please let me know how it turns out for you!

Some links for you to check out:

The Julie/Julia Project

PBS: Julia Child

Julia Child at the Smithsonian

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Well… technically I didn’t  use a butcher but I did use a local fish shop. I made some delicious Tequila Lime Shrimp.

Here is the link for my entry! BBQ WAR

*make sure you vote!*

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Today, I’ve been gathering ingredients for my entry for BBQ War for the Butcher Goodness battle. The requirements for the battle are as follows:

“The meat MUST BE from a Butcher Shop. No Walmart, Target, Kroger, United, Central Market or fancy grocery store. A picture of you at the Butcher shop is required.”

I’m not going to give away too much on what my entry will be but it will be posted on Monday at 9am. 

The last battle I participated in was The Dessert War. I submitted Chocolate-Strawberry Panini with Mascarpone Cheese.  I took  four slices of French bread, I buttered one side of each. Then I spread strawberry jam on the non-buttered side of two pieces and then added slices of strawberries. Over the top of the strawberries, I sprinkled chopped bittersweet chocolate. Next, I spread mascarpone over the plain side of the remaining slices. I put the sandwiches together and then added brown sugar to the buttered sided before grilling.

Seriously, it was so sweet and crunchy. I had to hold my girls back from devouring all of it! I didn’t win that battle but I think I have a good chance this next round!

p.s. my girls crack me up

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When I cook, nothing is better than some upbeat music. Here is a recent discovery that has quickly become one of my favorites. I have a whole play list just for cooking.

Enjoy!

Gramophonedzie Brazilian – Original Mix <- click to listen

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