Easter Dinner

Wow. Didn't realize it was so long since I posted.

Dinner tomorrow will be a celebration of 1 year since Sarah and Eric found the farm they now own and are working furiously to restore.


Brunch will be first with Hot Cross Buns that I'll make tonight and bake in the morning.

The dinner menu, simple but yummy:


Crown Roast of Lamb

Simple Two Potato Gratin

vegetable?

Coconut Southern Comfort Layer Cake

Wine: an Australian Shiraz blend called Torbreck


Some changes: the lamb recipe calls for searing the ribs and then roasting, but I'm marinating them and then tying them into a crown to roast. I like the way it looks. The vegetable will depend upon what Sarah brings from the green market.
No southern comfort in the cake. I love coconut and the photo of the cake, but wouldn't buy a bottle of southern comfort just for the frosting. Other reviewers on Epicurious left it out, too.

Happy Holidays to all!

back to our regularly scheduled blog...

just one more photo of Nea and her happy reunion when Sarah and Eric returned last night.

Now to soapmaking, food and flowers!

I made 4 batches of soap this morning....I hate lining the molds...so tedious.

This part is so much easier....white grapefruit in the mold....

Cleaning and organizing the workshop is also not my favorite part of soapmaking.
Bread pudding, a comfort food from my childhood ready for the oven for pot luck Mah Jongg tonight.

And...my garden is going crazy with this unusual heat. everything is coming up so fast.
Here is Fritillaria that Sarah and I planted last fall.

Sat. lunch

Part 1 of lunch for Sarah tomorrow....now into the oven for about 30 minutes.

Dinner for 2

No Kidding. This was meatloaf for 2. Since we're eating pastured meat, portions have become much smaller. Don't we just eat too much meat anyway?

I'm off to FL tomorrow to visit with friends.

Not sure if I'm taking my computer.

Au revoir.

Sweet Red Peppers and Hummus....

I love this for lunch....can't understand why Pentti doesn't.

a history lesson in food

When I was in college in the early 70's in Home Economics Education at Buffalo State...I somehow came across a recipe for: Cheesecake (Rahkapiirakka) I think I might have gotten it from a Finnish student.

Years later when I made it for Pentti's parents...they said it was very authentic. (and delicious, I might add) Pentti's sister, Seija, gave me a copy of The Finnish Cookbook by Beatrice A. Ojakangas. I use that book all the time for Finnish recipes and they are really just like Pentti's family makes. It's still available and I have bought copies for both of my daughters.

In Beatrice's cookbook there are two recipes similar to mine:
Karelian Cheese-Filled Buns (Rahkapiirakat) and
Cream Cheese Filled Buns (Juustokukkoset)

My recipe is baked in a large pan, not in individual buns and uses cream cheese.

Jess says I have to make if for breakfast tomorrow morning before she goes back to Atlanta.
Maybe there'll be photos....

PS to Sarah: look who arrived as soon as you left this morning!

It's not just about the food....

I'm making a traditional T-Day dinner. Both daughters will be here. Something that doesn't happen very often.

Sometimes Sarah and I plan special gourmet sides for dinner, but we've both been too busy to think about menu. So......I'm making a simple meal with family favorites from years past. Way past.

Like date nut bread. Mom's recipe. Served with cream cheese and jam.

We always served the cream cheese in this dish. This little octagon beauty was used only for that purpose as long as I can remember. I only use it for that, too.

One 8 oz. block of Philadelphia brand NO LOW FAT PLEASE!...with a jar of jam poured on top. Has to be homemade. Has to be strawberry. I made the jam last night...with berries we picked in June and crushed and froze just for this purpose.

Then there's the pie...in my mom's glass pie plate...
I love that pie plate. Browns the bottom crust so nicely. (Yes that's the jam behind)

So, here's the menu:

One 16 lb. farm raised turkey from the CSA.
Stuffing with sausage and apple
Mashed potatoes (with roasted garlic)
Candied Sweet with Marshmallows on top
Brussels Sprouts (from the CSA)
Date Bread/Cream Cheese/Jam
Apple Cranberry Crisp and Pumpkin Pie

Now we just need the airlines to cooperate. Jess flew from Atlanta to Detroit at 7:30 this AM. Was suposed to be in White Plains at noon. Now her flight is delayed and we're hoping she'll arrive at 3 PM.

Good thing we don't eat until 6 or 7...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE !

Raising the veil on food....

Well last night the veil was raised for Pentti and I ...between us and our food supply!

This is a must see film if you have any interest in where your food comes from and how it's processed.

The most enlightening fact for me: E-coli in beef is a problem because cows are fed corn rather than grass....their natural food.
So this morning I'm on the website of my CSA ordering pastured beef and chicken. The official trailer won't embed.....but you can see it HERE.

I'm up to my elbows

in saltwater soap.... Lucky Mag featured it this month on the Lucky Breaks page...and we've been a bit overwhelmed.

So.. not much time for blogging or cooking. But I'm so enamored with all these greens I'm getting from the CSA that I decided I needed to branch out.



Hence for Pentti on Father's Day: Wild Salmon, Mustard Greens and Potatoes with Mustard-Dill Glaze.

He's leaving for Canada tomorrow morning to see his Mom. What will I do with the house all to myself?? (besides make soap, of course.) I've got 240 pounds of Mango butter soap to make this week....and more saltwater soap, too.

What could be better than

rice pudding?

The creamy, top of the stove, slow cooked kind....you know total comfort food.

I read the article about this recipe in Bon Appetite, but now you can find the recipe on Epi.

I took this to my Friday night pot luck....I added a dish of sliced strawberries on the side for those who would adulterate such food from the gods....

Two Happy Things...

I'm back home and glad to be here for awhile. Don't have plans to travel again until May for the Soap Conference in Palm Springs.

1. It's spring...but I didn't believe it until Pentti came in from the garden this morning and wanted to know what was coming up out there.

It's GARLIC!! I planted it on Columbus Day last fall...then completely forgot about it. Oh, Boy!....not only fresh garlic...but we'll have garlic scapes, too pretty soon!
Now it really seems like winter is definitely over!

2. Scan your own groceries!?!

I trekked to Stop and Shop this morning to resupply my badly deleted pantry and was greeted by a man who offered me the opportunity to take a hand held scanner, scan and bag my groceries as I shopped...and then just stop by the check out counter to have the scanner downloaded and pay the bill.

I loved it. You don't have to unload your cart....scan it...then repack. What a time saver.
Hope too may cashiers don't lose their jobs. But I like putting my groceries in bags the way that I want them.

fantasy dinner

I grew up with a large extended family. 16 1st cousins. Many relatives who lived nearby.
My dad had 2 sisters, mom had 2 brothers and 2 sisters. They all had children.

I miss traditional Sunday dinners. We used to have them when I was a kid. After church...a roast in the oven...relatives often visiting to share dinner.

Sometimes we get close to that again.
Sarah and Eric came up on Sunday night after they closed the store. She brought the lovely centerpiece. We had a wonderful time. New Rules. NO TALK OF WORK.

The Menu:

Pork Tenderloin w/ Sage Corn Bread Crust
Corn frozen from the summer
Smashed red potatoes
Radicchio, Fennel, and Arugula Salad with Roquefort and Walnuts
Linzer cookies and Cherry Hazelnut Biscotti

Yummmm.

Its December, it must be almost Christmas...

I'm taking the day off from soapmaking today to cook!

I'm always in a rush...making dinner ( and breakfast and lunch since we work at home)

I like to cook, but not under pressure. So today I'll make:

• Maple Pecan Granola from What Geeks Eat.....thanks to Vanessa this has become my standard granola. Alas, Vanessa has taken a hiatus from her blog, but you can still browse it for some fantastic recipes.
• cornbread for tonight's dinner with chili and leftovers for the pork tenderloin I'm making tomorrow.
• my first batch of cherry/hazelnut biscotti for the holidays
• prep the vegetables for tomorrow's salad
• oh, and if I have time....a roasted tomato barley soup that I will adapt from Last Night's Dinner.
  

I try not to get crazy with the holidays. I've cut way back on gifts and cooking......in addition to the biscotti, Linzer cookies are a must but I forgot to get raspberry jam when I was out this AM. All that jam making this summer and I didn't make raspberry!


What little gift shopping I do is almost done and last Sat. I bought a wreath at the Christmas sale I visited. It came complete with the hanger, so I came home, hung it on my gate, and I'm DONE! Well almost. I just need a new bow for it.

What's for dinner?

Back from Atlanta...and not really feeling like cooking. But Pentti does deserve a real dinner tonight. So this is a bowl of some odds and ends of veggies from the fridge:

• 1 sweet potato
• 2 red skinned potatoes
• 1 broccoli head
• 1 red onion

Cut up and tossed with 2 T of garlic olive oil. Roast for 45 min.















I had taken a Halibut steak from the freezer this morning and found an easy recipe for Parmesan Baked Halibut.

Voila! An easy and delicious dinner!

Off to Atlanta....

to see Jessica who has moved into a new apartment and has a new job.


Flew down here Saturday morning and rented a car to get into the downtown area and Jess' new apartment. We had reservations for dinner at the French American Brasserie....otherwise know as FAB. Jessica worked in the office at FAB for a year and we were treated to some pretty fine service. In addition..the food was great.





Here's what they brought out for my birthday.

Just in case you couldn't decide on ONE dessert! (profiteroles with pistachio ice cream and bittersweet chocolate sauce - valhrona chocolate souffle cake, with hazelnut tuile and vanilla ice cream - meyer lemon crepe with pomegranate syrup and tapioca pearls) A bit over the top after the meal we had....but lovely!!

I'll be away until Tuesday night and then home to recuperate. We shopped all day today and will likely do the same tomorrow. Whew!!

Food and Farming: our best shot?

For weeks, I've been reading and hearing about the greed that continues to cause the failure of our economy. Two articles in Wednesday's paper gave me cause for hope.

Can urban agriculture and local sustainable agriculture start to turn us around in this country??

This article about local agriculture helping an ailing town in Vermont.

And this one about urban farming right in Red Hook, Brooklyn....Sarah and Eric's neighborhood. I've been by this farm many times and had opportunities to sample the produce at local restaurants.

There has been a movement toward local food and renewed interest in farming. But is this what might ultimately save us? In our family, we've made plans to expand our small vegetable garden next season, join an organic CSA and buy a freezer.

I'm not the only one moving toward renewed self reliance when it comes to our food supply.

I see a lot of press about home food preservation, organic farming, local grass fed meat, and farming initiatives like the ones in Vermont. We started out as farmers in this country....maybe that's where we'll end up.

Getting off the soap box now. Here's my contribution to home canning for this year....

Corn

I've been enamored with fresh corn this season. I'm afraid I won't get enough of it before it's over. So I've been buying ears by the dozen from the best farm stand in the area, The Meadows Farm in Yorktown Heights. Some of it is going into the freezer for reclaiming during the dead of winter.

Tonight I cooked up a batch, cut it off the cob and made Cheddar Corn Fritters.
I found the recipe on a blog called: Taste and Tell. I added a few finely chopped jalepenos that I had left from making salsa.














They fried up beautifully in olive oil. Had to turn carefully with a pancake turner and a fork to avoid splatter. I didn't have any sour cream, so I mixed some Greek yogurt with chopped cilantro for a topper.....Yummmm.

Slow learner?

When you finish canning your last batch of salsa...and finally figure out that doing the canning on the grill outside is better than making your kitchen feel like a sauna....you need a martini!!

And maybe some guacamole to go with it. A nutritious dinner, eh??

A CSA for us!

I think I've found a CSA for next season! Local harvest is a great site for those of you who might be looking for produce or meat that's grown/raised locally. Stoneledge Farm delivers weekly shares to a location less than 8 miles from me...and it's ORGANIC!

I'm really hoping we can get a share. The farm is located near Catskill, NY about 2 hours north of here and on Sat. they're having an open house for their members. I've emailed and found that we can go...and they'll be offering PYO raspberries, too. So, we're off to the Catskills on Saturday.


Maybe more raspberry jam in the offing...

Blackberry Dilemma

The farm market this morning yielded these beauties. Now my dilemma. What to do with them.

Just a point of information. These are blackberries, not black raspberries. Black raspberries have a cavity in the center like red raspberries. These do not.

Should I make a half batch of blackberry jam?

Or how about these Blackberry Hand Pies?

Or what about Blackberry Buttermilk Panna Cottas with Blackberry Compote?

They'd also be great just as they are with homemade granola and yogurt!