DARK DAYS CHALLENGE

It's been a long winter, not as harsh as the terrible -20 degree days of last winter but long anyway.  As I feel the approaching spring air and see the sun shining out there, all I can think of is - the garden!  How fun this is gonna be this year, we have so many new plans and so many possibilities out there!

But for now, I resort to my fellow farmers out there and buy their wonderful beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots and meat from the Farmer's Market.  Don't know how I could survive a winter without it!

So last week, a few days I go I took the night to do the Dark Days challenge and make an all around, if not perfect SOLE meal:  Ricotta Cheese Stuffed Chicken Thighs with Whole Grain Pasta and a Garden Salad.

I took all the ingredients for the salad that I bought at market; cucumbers, tomatoes, spicy greens, onion and carrots, then chopped, sliced and diced and made a wonderful Garden salad.

I took the chicken thighs and stuffed them with home made ricotta cheese form our goat's milk.  Topped it with some homemade pasta sauce that I whipped up this last October from our plethora of tomatoes, sprinkled some homemade mozzarella cheese I made from that wonderful goat Ezzy's milk.  Baked it in the oven for about 40 minutes at 350*.

Add a side of organic whole wheat pasta and top with some more homemade sauce and walah!  a good meal!

DARK DAYS CHALLENGE - VEGETARIAN!

If anyone knows me they know that a meal without meat is, well, a meal that is lacking in one of the most important things in life ( I live by Basset mentality).  But I was challenged this week by our team at the Dark Days Challenge: to produce a fully SOLE (sustainable, organic, local, ethical) meal that was VEGETARIAN, one that  lacked that all important ingredient - MEAT!  Ask Louisa, my hound dog, and she will tell you - no meal is complete without ~ meat! (She prays every day that meat will fall from the sky - she does!)

So  I did it.  I went and looked at what I had in that there cupboard and found some sweet potatoes (our fav!), some salad greens and homemade herbed goat cheese and local walnuts.  What to make, what to make?!?!?

Well, here ya go - I did it!  I made a vegetarian meal that was to die for!

SWEET POTATO LATKES WITH GARLIC AIOLI AND A CRISP MIXED  GREEN SALAD

Oh baby!

 I took a couple sweet potatoes and shredded them, added some seasoning, egg, flour and mixed it all together, placing them on a cookie sheet and coking them in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes. Next I made some homemade aioli with garlic to top off the latkes.

Next I took the greens I got from the Farmer's Market a week and a half ago and topped it off with some home made herbed chevre, some local walnuts and added a bit of balsamic vinegar.

Add a slice of homemade bread and life is good!

Yeah, you wish you would've thought of this one yourself, didn't you?

DARK DAYS CHALLENGE

Last week I went simple, because I was tired and really all I wanted to do was eat something quick and delicious, local and good for you.  Well, what do ya know?  That's exactly what I had in my freezer/fridge.

This is our version of a simple, down-home, meat and potatoes dinner: Grilled Bison steaks topped with sautéed mushrooms and onions (ok the mushrooms were bought locally but not organic), green beans and sweet potatoes from White Water Gardens.

I took this with my cell phone after a glass of wine - so forgive me, it doesn't look as good as it tasted.

This week's challenge is vegetarian.  How am I gonna do that???

SCORE! WHY WOULD YOU SHOP ANYWHERE ELSE????

This is my score of items from my last two trips to farmer's market.  Tell me - if you can get this great, locally grown, no pesticides, hormones, nastiness and know the farmers who grew/raised it?  Why the heck would you go to a supermarket???

The other week I even went into the local co-op/health food store, with all it's organic items, I thought I could find items more organic and local for the Dark Days Challenge I am doing.  I was looking for similar things I could buy at market but couldn't even find what the market had to offer, not even close! and it was considerably more expensive. I bought just a few things and it came out to $40!  not to mention only about $15 was from a local farmer.  Not good enough for me!  So look at this score:

Jan 2012:
1 lb beef, mushroom and swiss brats
4 lbs bacon
5 onions
2 tomatoes (yes - TOMATOES in Jan, in MN)
1 very large cucumber
2 lbs sweet potatoes
1 lb beets
3 lb pork chops
6 beef sticks
2 lbs carrots

all for - are you ready for this???     $52!  yes, I said $52!

Feb 2012:
2 lb carrots
3 tomatoes
1 lb green beans (yes - green beans in Feb - in MN)
1 1/4 lb beets
2 lbs sweet potatoes
2 lbs onions
2 cucumbers
1/2 lb salad greens
1 1/2 lb grass-fed beef steaks
2 1/2 lb bacon
1 lb ground grass-fed beef
1 lb hamburger patties
1 lb free-range lamb for kabobs
1 lb beef, mushroom, swiss cheese brats (they were soooo good last month I had to buy them again)
4 lbs pork chops
1 1/2 lbs chicken thighs
1 lb summer sausage
6 beef sticks

all for - are you ready???   $83!  yes, $83!  Now why - I mean why??? would you buy from a grocery store?  Soon, i am going to the store and try to purchase all these same items, albeit they will be nasty, factory farm meat and veggies, which is NOT the same, but see if they all cost about the same or cheaper.  I'm on a mission…. from farmers.

DARK DAYS CHALLENGE

more info here

I've been kinda ignoring my Dark Days Challenge with being gone so much and all this work coming my way, I decided last Thursday night would be the challenge for me, but the problem was: I was running low on items and because I missed the last market due to my birthday celebration and the "day after the night before syndrome" caused by one thing: sake bombs! (I don't want to talk about it!) I failed to get up and get some more items from market to sustain us through these dark days of winter. So needless to say, there wasn't much in the freezer/cupboard to choose from.

I dug through the freezer anyway looking for some type of local meat, and ransacked the pantry to find what ever I had left for veggies.  Luckily I did find some leeks in the bottom of the crisper drawer that I had picked up a long time ago that were still good (see? you buy locally and the food doesn't go bad in two weeks - I think I bought these back in December!)

I also had some beets I found buried under some potatoes in the basket and found some pork chops in the bottom of the chest freezer in the garage.  I decided to fire up the grill (nice weather this winter) and get them cookin'.

Not only do pork chops taste better in the winter when you grill them, but they look good too!

GRILLED PORK CHOPS WITH 

SAUTEED LEEKS AND BEETS SEASONED WITH ROSEMARY

 Nummy, nummy, nummy! (and all grown within 20 miles of my house!) 

DARK DAYS CHALLENGE

More info here.

Work has been plentiful this month and I am really enjoying it! So needless to say, bloggin' gets put on the back burner.  Honestly - I think I could post 4 times a day with all the things that happen here, but I'm lazy sometimes. Ha!

So here's the Dark Days challenge I missed a couple weeks ago.  Since I was gone to Illinois that week and the challenge of the month was Valentines Day Treats (and if any one knows me - I shy away from cookies, cakes, pies, etc as much as possible - my thighs jiggle enough)  - I passed on that challenge.

We had a couple of good friends over for dinner that night, Kari & Ryan, and in exchange for me taking an image for my Ryan's next play poster, he made me dinner! Ryan is a very talented writer and actor and I am always willing to help out a friend, and yes, ya know I am a sucker for food, you can pay me in food anytime!

This is what we produced out in the studio!
 of course with some help from a great graphic artist.

We made a fine dinner of grilled local pork chops, with a sweet potato mash made by Kari with local carrots and raisins, and served with a colorful salad of spinach, local tomatoes and cucumbers.  Nummy, nummy!

The pork chops were from Hidden Stream Farms - Elgin, MN.

Sweet potato mash made from local sweet potatoes from Whitewater Gardens and included local apples from Seekap Orchards, Rochester.

Spinach salad with cucumbers and tomatoes from Whitewater Gardens as well.

We had a fine Chilian Carmenere, although not locally made - locally bought and from an organic winery.  Does that count?

We were having a good time with locally grown, excellent food and fun, wonderful friends, what more could anyone ask for?

She loves him, really she does!

DARK DAYS CHALLENGE

Here's another one!  

SPLIT PEA SOUP WITH HAM

There is nothing more satisfying then a big pot of hot soup in the winter, I think!  And Split Pea Soup always seems to hit the spot, and fill it too.

I took the leftover ham from the other night and got some dried peas and celery from the Good Food Store Co-op.

 Added in some chopped carrots and onions from the farmers market and wallah!   Split Pea Soup!

Soak the peas for about an hour

Put everything in the pot and simmer for about an
 hour and a half or until peas are tender

Enjoy!

DARK DAYS CHALLENGE - WEEK ?

Not sure what week were in, I think 8 but oh well, I'm just here for the fun of it.

More info

We have been presented by our administrators with some challenges!  Yay!  I love a good challenge.  This week:  One pot meals

Easy schmeezy, lemon peezy.

OVER ROASTED HAM, SQUASH AND BEETS
Ham from Huneke Farms
Kabotcha squash from Many Hands Gardens (Theilman, MN)
Beets from Merril's MerriBees, Chatfield MN

Take a large 6 lb ham from a farm not more then, hmmmmm - 10 miles away from yours.

Place in a roasting pan, set quartered squash and peeled beets in pan. Add a cup of water and sprinkle some cumin, black pepper and chili pepper on top, cover with foil  and roast in 350 degree oven for about 1 1/2 hours.

I made a little sauce from the juices by adding a little flour mixed with goat milk to top off the ham (guilty!  I can't eat meat without a sauce, I am a pure mid-westerner).

Crazy good, and easy, local, sustainable, organic, ethical and just darn right.

I'm tellin' ya - I am on a mission to prove to people this really is possible!

LOST IN SPACE

Had to send in my Mac for repairs this weekend and now I really feel lost; no computer, no pictures, no way I can get stuff done.  Like the 365 project I am working on or the Dark Days Challenge or this blug.  How is one to keep up?  Use the gash darn PC and Picasa???? No!  I will just have to wait until the fixed Mac comes back. WWWWAAAAHHHHHH!

So here's an old one for good times sake. It's of Madison (age 9). Percy and Louie on our first Halloween here.  I scanned it from (gulp!) a print from film!  Yikes!  How old school. : )

Gosh!  Look at those ugly kitchen colors we had!

DARK DAYS CHALLENGE WEEK 6

Still not sure what's going on with the days but I thought I would pretend like I am on the right track. : )

When I cook, recipes are to me like fences are to goats: a mere suggestion.  So I find recipes and tweak them the entire time to make them my own.  This one sounded good so I thought I would give it a whirl and still stay within the confines of SOLE (sustainable, organic, local & ethical).


BAKED OMELET WITH ELK BREAKFAST SAUSAGE GRAVY

1/2 C chopped onion (Thoreson's Farm)
3 Tbs Butter ( from Wisconsin)
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (I didn't have any on hand so I omitted them)
 - I also think adding a lot more veggies to this would be a great idea-
3 Tbs flour
1/8 tsp dried rosemary (from my garden this summer)
1 3/4 cup milk (from my goat)
1 1/2 cups of cooked Elk breakfast sausage (from Pronschinske Elk Farm, Winona, MN)
1 cup shredded cheese (mine)
3/4 tsp salt - divided
1/4 cup milk
4 egg whites (from my chickens)
4 egg yolks (from my chickens)
1/4 tsp cream of tartar*

* not SOLE

For the gravy:
Cook over medium heat the onion and butter, until soft (if you are adding any veggies, do it now, saute until soft as well). Cook the sausage in a separate pan now too.

Stir in flour, rosemary, and 1/2 tsp salt.
Add milk all at once, cook and stir until thickened and bubbly, cook and stir 2 minutes more.
Stir in the Elk sausage, 3/4 cup of the cheese and the milk. Stir until the cheese melts.

Turn into a baking dish, place into a 375 degree oven to keep warm.


For the omelet:

look how pretty orange them yolks are!  Good girls, my chickens!

Beat egg whites with the cream of tartar until stiff peaks form.

them's stiff!

Beat egg yolks in a separate bowl until thick and yellow.

Add remaining 1/4 cup cheese and 1/4 tsp salt and fold into egg whites.
Spread over the Elk sausage gravy.

Bake in a 375 degree oven until eggs are cooked through, about 30 minutes.

Take a pretty picture of the empty egg shells too.

Things I would change:
I would definitely add more veggies.  This was good but if I'm gonna have breakfast, I have to have something that at least resembles a vegetable or green.  Maybe layer some spinach in between the gravy and omelet layers.

Otherwise, it was superb!

And the only thing used that wasn't bought within 50 miles or not SOLE was the cream of tartar.  I'll have to look for that next time I am at the Good Food Store (our local co-op).  AND only if it isn't from California.  I could go on a rant now about eating local vs. eating organic, but I'll save that for another post. : )

DARK DAYS CHALLENGE WEEK 5 or 7?

more info about this here

Ok, I guess I am a week or two off from this challenge, (I don't know how that happened) so this should be week 7:

SPINACH CHEESE BREAD


This recipe for the bread (and the pictures too) I did last month for Rochester Women magazine, the new issue is out today, so I thought I would share it here for you:

SPINACH CHEESE BREAD

1 ¾  cup water

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 cups white flour

½ cup chunked cheddar cheese (any type of cheese will work)

4 teaspoons of sugar

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 ¾ teaspoons instant yeast

1 cup chopped fresh spinach leaves

1 egg yolk

Chop spinach leaves.

Pour all ingredients into large bowl except egg.

Mix until dough comes together, about 4 minutes.

Pour onto counter and knead dough until smooth and pliable, about 10 minutes.

Spray bowl with oil and place dough in bowl and cover with a clean cloth.  Allow to rise for about 1 hour or until double in size.

Punch down dough and remove from bowl.  Cut dough in half to make 2 equal size loaves.

Shape 2 loaves into circles or any shape you prefer. 

Baste the top of the dough with an egg wash (1 egg yolk whisked with 1 Tbs water).

Make several slashes along the top of the loaves with a knife.

Let rise for about ½ hour.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing. Enjoy!

Spinach was purchased from Thorson Farms, whole wheat flour and cheese from Prairie Hallow Farm, sugar, salt and white flour from the Good Food Store, eggs from my own lovely chickens. : )

 Total prep time: 15 minutes

Total bake/rise time: 2 hours

Fresh, made from scratch bread that is SOLE: priceless!