What I do for fun

THE SECRET LIFE OF THE HOBBIT!! Yes, I 'm afraid it's time to tell the true story of how I spend my leisurely hours. According to all my friends I should be retired and having a wonderful time going to movies, reading all my favorite books and just puttering about. Not the plan..........I love being busy. I mean crazy busy.When I worked on the Farm I did most of the cooking. Loved beating the clock and getting all the goodies ready to be sold in the deli department. We took great care to use only fresh seasonal produce and finding new and interesting recipes was part of the fun.
When the Barn closed it's doors several customers made it clear that they HAD to have my food . So, I made a plan to contact them every week with a menu that would give them a taste of what they had grown accustomed to and still leave me time to enjoy a little free time.It's been a great time. On Friday I send them "the list" the following Wednesday I cook and bake away and on Thursday I visit and deliver all my goodies.

It doesn't always have to be fancy or complicated and this recipe is proof.I have never been a fan of TURNIP  or RUTABAGA.  You could often hear me saying "no thanks" when it was offered.

HOWEVER.........as a women , I've decided to change my mind. My "soup people" as I like to call them wanted more veggie options,but, they had to be fresh and local. Not always easy in the middle of winter.This turned out to be a winner. YES ....even I liked it and had a whole container for lunch.This RECIPE comes to us by way of the BAREFOOT CONTESSA If you ever watch the FOOD NETWORK I'm sure you have heard of her.

PEEL AND CHOP 1 LARGE TURNIP (sometimes these have been waxed)

cover with water and bring to a boil. Simmer till tender.

SLICE 4 OR 5 SHALLOTS ,THIN

I loved these and actually did 8 shallots the second time around.

Gently fry them in 2TABLESPOONS OF BUTTER AND 2 TABLESPOONS OF OLIVE OIL.

Her recipe says 40 minutes BUT, they were perfect after 5 or 10 minutes at the most.

HEAT 1 CUP OF MILK WITH 3 TABLESPOONS OF BUTTER

DRAIN TURNIP AND MASH LIKE YOU WOULD POTATOES.

Sprinkle with the shallots .I make this ahead ,cover with foil ,and bake at 350 degrees till heated through.

So I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks ...................said the hobbit

Eating from the pantry

One of my favorite ways to cook is to look in the pantry and see just what I can make without having to shop for ingredients. Having a passion for food, I often pick ingredients up with the intention of cooking something marvelous. Of course life gets busy and I forget my great ideas and, you guessed it, there is a whole lot of stuff in the pantry.We won't even talk about the yarn and fabric that have been picked up for the amazing knitting and crafting that I plan on doing. Once the holidays have passed it's time to get real and make use of those goodies so that I can get more.......dah! Last years trip to KING ARTHUR FLOUR I found the greatest deep dark chocolate cocoa..........of course I had to have it. And now the sad story of how it really was used. No unbelievable biscottis or over the edge brownies for me,no sirree!

A quick look in the freezer revealed 1 lonely patty of pie dough which I rolled out and baked.

From the pantry came 1/2 cup of white sugar

3 tablespoons of the cocoa

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/8teaspoon of salt

I wisked all the dry ingredients right in the pan then slowly added 2 3/4 cups of milk and continued to wisk till all was blended and started to thicken. They say stir occasionally but, every time I try that it burns to the bottom so.......I just stand there stirring for about 10 minutes really it's not that long.Then remove from the heat and stir in

2 tablespoons of butter

1 teaspoon of vanilla

Pour this into your pie shell and you've got a great dessert for the family.................much better than that little box of pudding.

Of course if you doubled your recipe like I did

You've got a little something for the cook............said the hobbit

What are we eating now?

Are you trying to eat local? I spend time every week trying to find out what else I could serve that would be grown or raised in New England. You would think that after all these years it would be hard to find new favorites ,but, they keep coming. This past month it was a big surprise that I fell in love with BEANS................ I know that seems a bit weird , who knew!!!
While exploring our neighboring states, this past fall, I came across local dried beans. My bad self thought "big deal". The farmer in me said "Do you know how much time someone worked to get you this little bag of dried beans?" I picked up the 2 lb bag of beans in support of my "farmer people" patted myself on the back for supporting local and stuck the beans in the closet. That being said let's get right to my new love.

First I poured 2 cups of my beans into a pot and covered with water to soak over night. Did you know that slow overnight soaking releases gases that would otherwise get stuck in your tummy.I had no idea that soaking did that.

Tucked in my freezer was a beef shank that needed to be the center of attention on the Sunday table. With a little olive oil in my pot, I browned the meat on all sides.

Then, I minced of few garlic cloves and snipped a fresh leaf off of my bay plant.

I chopped an onion,3 celery stalks,and 4 carrots. This is what I had in the fridge so, it wasn't a magic number more what I had on hand.

I removed the shank and set it aside,then browned the veggies and the herbs in the remaining oil and beef juice. Then I mixed in the drained beans ......topped it with the meat

Made sure all the veggies and beans were covered with water brought it to a boil on top of the stove and put it in the oven,cover on, for 3 to 4 hours at 300 degrees. I'm sure you could do this in a crock pot or slow cooker, however, years ago I spent time and money buying the perfect stewing pot and after months of searching settled on a copco from Denmark. Obviously, I had not reached my local stage yet. The "brown pot" as it is referred to, did a great job.

When supper time came I served this with crusty bread and I have to say, it was fantastic. But, the beans ............they were so good that I'm trying to figure out just how I could grow my own. Of course, if it doesn't work out I now know where I can get them, but then we all know that the fun is in the trying ........................said the hobbit

And now for the Raspberries

Summer madness is officially here. You know, that time of year when you are able to get fresh fruits and vegetables that are local and right off the vine. Why would you call this madness? Well, My head is spinning with new recipes and I don't want to waste any of that precious food that we have all worked so hard to harvest.

Last year I made raspberry vinegar I thought it might be fun,but, was amazed a how tasty and useful this was. A triple batch is in the making because by Christmas we had used ever last drop. Not going to happen this year. Of course starting with the best berries is essential to great results,but , if you're using fresh how can you go wrong? I'm fortunate enough to have a friend who owns just such a farm. Isn't that a great coincidence? So when she called and said the berries were ready I really got excited. I searched my cabinets and fridge to see what I could fix when I got back from berry picking.

In the drawer of the fridge I found 2 grapefruits. I carefully peeled them and then cleaned out the fruit "a la Martha"

There was nothing edible left when it was over.

A little bit of raw honey and then I let it sit in the fridge overnight. In the morning Jiggy proclaimed it heavenly. That man is great for my cooking ego. Of course that was just the beginning. You remember I have that great peel from the grapefruit. What do you think became of that?..........................said the hobbit

what are we eating

Somehow I've drifted away from eating from the pantry. I think it's because my husband Jiggy has discovered Trader Joe's. When the weather doesn't allow him to golf, he becomes obsessed with finding new ingredients for me to try. Of course the sun has been shining here for about 2 weeks straight and I haven't seen as much of him in the kitchen:-) This has given me an opportunity to take stock of what I have and clean a few shelves in anticipation of the canning that is to come. In the freezer I have local ground beef that comes in handy when I need to stretch the menu to feed 6 instead of 2. One of my new loves is cooking in muffin tins and that's how I discovered MUFFIN TIN TACOS

Bonus #1 They gave a recipe to make my own taco seasoning!!With a pantry shelf full of herbs and spices ,why would I ever buy taco seasoning again. So, check your pantry and see if you have these ingredients:

1 Tablespoon flour

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon oregano

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

pinch of salt

Of course I made a container full,who wants to measure out 1/4 teaspoon of any spice.

I browned my beef,removed it from the skillet. Very low fat content to my local beef so I didn't have to drain . Sauteed !/2 an onion and 1 diced jalapeno in the drippings. Then, I returned the beef sprinkled with about 1 Tablespoon of the seasoning mix,+ 3/4 cup water and stirred till thickened. I then added 2 tablespoons of salsa to the mixture, not in the recipe, but, I just couldn't help myself.

I heated my corn tortillas.......They used regular flour tortillas and cut out circles.I thought I would take a short-cut and use the smaller corn ,however they may be right. The corn tortilla was hard to maneuver into the tins. It did go a little better after heating them for a few minutes in the oven. Cheese on the bottom, 2 tablespoon meat mixture in the cup, and a little extra cheese on top Then bake 350 degrees 20 minutes.

When finished I topped them with chopped greens a little sour cream,diced tomato and a little more salsa.Aren't they cute?? They certainly can be made ahead frozen and cooked as needed. I think I'll be doing this a lot this summer.

What are we eating now?

With winter finally making an exit and the garden still just a dream away,we are left with butternut squash to remind us of good from the garden flavors.

This became a favorite several years ago when a do-ahead recipe was needed for Thanksgiving. Now I know that holiday is long past but, in my opinion there is no better time to be thankful than the end of winter. My family is healthy with a roof over their head and all are employed in what is a difficult time for many. We are grateful.

First cut up a butternut squash in chunks big enough to handle. Do not peel but clean out seeds.Put about an inch of water in a pot add squash and bring to a boil.Lower heat and allow to cook till fork tender. Could take about 45 mins. Cool in strainer till you can handle it.

In a smaller bowl mix :

1 cup mayo

1egg

1/2 finely diced onion

tablespoon of sugar

salt and pepper to taste

Give this a good mix till thoroughly blended. I just use a fork.

When you can handle the butternut,remove the flesh from the peel. This is a lot easier than peeling the squash. Now I place it in a large bowl and mash it with a potato masher or whatever you have handy. Stir in sauce and mix well.

Sprinkle with butter and parmesan cheese and bake in oven till golden. 375 degrees 20-30 minutes. Depending on whether or not you preheat. I could eat the whole thing. It really is that good...........................said the hobbit

It's time for the PIE PALOOZA!!!

Have you ever been to a pie palooza? Well you're missing a good time. Ren,hubby the "G" man and Oskar had a tasting of pies for the month of January.

Tired of everyone being too busy to get together,they are making an effort to get friends and family motivated to get off that couch and have some fun.

A bit of wine ,some yummy cheeses with pepperoni and crackers,and could that be caviar? Well maybe not. Nonetheless a fine presentation if I do say so.

She even made napkins,found a great pie plate and server to give as a door prize. The girl has talent...........what can I say.

And who won that awesome prize??

It was Sarah, who told me not to post this photo. Ren ,of course, said "Do it Mom" It's her party and she makes the rules. After tasting skank pie,chicken pot pie ,vegetable pasta pie, I'm afraid there was little room for dessert. A bit of pecan pie was all I could manage. I sure would have liked to try the apple and the apple raspberry but, I miscalculated as to how much I could eat. February will be seafood month and I can't wait to see what everyone will bring. You see she plans on having an event every month. Well, we all know how short this month is and how time flies so I'd better check my recipes. Let's see, would she want appetizer?main course? salad? Oh my,I think I'd better check with the boss.Is there such a thing as seafood dessert?Naw,couldn't be .......................said the hobbit

Thanksgiving, it will go on and on!

I thought I'd give you a look at the Thanksgiving bird.Here he is sitting in the sink waiting for a rinse and clean before being stuffed.

All dressed up full of stuffing and wiped with evoo and decorated with fresh basil leaves. I have to say that's all he needed.

It was just the best. We got this turkey from a local farm and I can't tell you what a difference a fresh bird makes. It needed no brineing or special treatment,just cook and eat. Here's the only problem. This turkey was 34 pounds! We hardly made a dent in it. I have enough leftovers to feed and army twice. We sent everyone home with as much as they wanted,made turkey salad for several sandwiches,took a break of a few days and then feasted on turkey tetrazinni.I froze lots of broth and 5 packages of meat. Each one large enough to make a 13x9 casserole. My husband is in heaven. He loves turkey. What are you doing with your leftovers? I think I'll do lasagna with mushrooms and chard in a white sauce next.....we'll see,said the hobbit

Mmm Time for apple sauce

Wow! We are really into fall. The air is crisp,the days are definitely shorter and pumpkinAs soon as I finish this post I think I'll be looking for my gloves.

I'm sure everyone has a recipe for applesauce but for those of you just starting out in the kitchen,this one is pretty easy. Here what I think makes it easier.

A quick rinse and then,with a paring knife,I take out the core and the blossom end.

Next I cut the apple in half and using a melon ball er or something similar I take out the core.I've used the melon tool to death . This is an olive spoon that allows you to serve 1 olive and lets the juice pass through a cutout in the bottom. That doesn't happen in our house.If you want an olive just reach in the jar and get it. The plus with this tool is that it is constructed in one piece and only cost a few 2-3 dollars and save me a heap of time.

See how clean this is after just one twist of the wrist. Now I peel the apples and put everything in a pot.

Now I put all ingredients in a pot.

We have 3-4 lbs of apples

4 strips of lemon peel

juice of that lemon

3 inches of cinnamon stick (1/2 teaspoon powdered)

1/4 cup brown sugar

up to 1/4 cup white sugar (optional)

1 cup water

1/2 teaspoon salt

Just let this simmer stirring occasionally. Might take 25 minutes. Just standing by the stove and having that wonderful aroma wafting up is warming.

When it's done it will look like this. Remove the peel and the cinnamon stick if used. If you like it really smooth you can put it through a blender or a food mill. Most of the lumps that you see are a leftover peach that I threw in. Don't be shy! If you have any fruit hanging around that you think is being ignored just toss it in. Pears, raisins, cranberries raspberries will all be a plus to this. Pile it on a toast or put a dollop on your oatmeal or yogurt.

It's all good...............said the hobbit

Storing herbs

This is way too simple. This year I started growing herbs again. Why would anyone stop,you say? Well a few years back I was ill and couldn't work in my garden or yard. I'm all better now but, so many of the things I had planted are buried in a jungle of weeds.

So this week I harvested my rosemary and my oregano. Should I dry it?Freeze,maybe? I think this is even better. I recently discovered Amy Cotler Although she is just 1 state over from me, a 4 hour drive separates us,so any plans to have a face to face will have to wait till spring She was brought to my attention by Sarah my youngest who is always recommending a new locavore guru for me to check out.. ok back to so simple.

How simple is this! Clean and dry your herbs.

Cover with kosher salt.

Place in a sealed container and mark for future use. Don't forget to mark it. This is a mistake I do repeatedly and I am trying to break the habit. Lesson learnt when I tried to blend diced chicken in my Mango rum slushies. Yes I was able to save the slushy,but it was a little embarrassing. A real plus to doing this is the salt takes on the flavor of the herb. This will be great for my little soup business. I can add flavor without having to fish out a bunch of herbs. The salt might even make a nice gift for a friend around the holidays, or maybe a stocking stuffer? cute little jar of flavored salt. I'm all over it..........................said the hobbit

Everybody is doing it

Have you noticed that everyone is making their own granola? Do you think that the $6.00 a bag for approximately 2 1/2 cups of healthy cereal has anything to do with it?

So, this month I turned to the trusted Quaker Oats man to venture out on my own and create a personal granola. What was I thinking when I paid those outrageous prices for my healthy snack. I quickly googled granola and took the first recipe from "the New York Post"It was a disaster.Although the recommended ingredients all sounded wonderful,the recipe called for no oil,which I quickly discovered was essential to making a good granola.They suggested cooking the mix of fruit nuts and grains along with honey or maple sugar at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.Within 20 minutes smoke was pouring out of the oven and I had a burnt mess on my hands. Okay,scratch Mark Bitten off my list of knowledgeable chefs. In all fairness I was told he is a critic and not a chef.

So, I returned to my faithful cookbook The Barefoot Contessa,who suggested:

4 CUPS OF OLD FASHIONED ROLLED OATS

2 CUPS SWEETENED COCONUT

2 CUPS SLICED ALMONDS

3/4 CUP VEGETABLE OIL

1/2 CUP GOOD HONEY

1 1/2 CUP DICED DRIED APRICOT

1 CUP DICED DRIED FIG

1 CUP DRIED CHERRIES

1 CUP DRIED CRANBERRIES

1 CUP ROASTED UNSALTED CASHEWS

The oats coconut and almonds are put in a bowl ,the oil and honey are mixed and pour into the oats. Stir to cover and place on a cookie sheet. I suggest using parchment paper.

She suggested 350 degrees for 45 min.Already being a little gun shy with my last attempt I lowered my temp to 325 and decided to check after 25 minutes It was perfect at that time.

Allow to cool and stir in the remaining fruit and nuts.This is where the parchment paper comes in handy. Pick up the granola by forming a cone and pour into your container.No scraping with a spatula necessary .

And Voila a huge container of perfect granola there for the snacking.Of course I plan on trying other variations maybe a little spice like cardamom or orange zest mixed in with the honey and oil,chocolate chips and sunflower seeds should you have them on hand.The list goes on and on with endless possibilities.

For those of you following the ornament in progress,here is the latest attempt. OK but still not what I wanted. I decided the problem is my yarn. It's too heavy,4 ply,I'm use to making my ornaments a little more on the delicate side.
So off to the yarn store for a fingering weight. You wouldn't believe how many not quite right samples I have.............................said the hobbit

Cooking with Jiggsy

Maybe it's because it's still too cold to golf but, for some reason Jiggsy wants to spend time learning how to cook. So far it's worked well for me. I got that new mixer if you recall.I'm sort of letting him go on his own to see where he might need help.Here he is getting out the flour with a wooden spoon and left handed. I know I can give a little advice here that will make me look good. He decided to make chocolate chip cookies. Somehow I think this will be a recurring theme.

I won't show you what happened between measuring and scooping out the dough. Let's just say there was a lot of clean-up between photos .

He enjoyed using the mixer so much I think the cookies were a little overly blended. I must say it's fun having him interested in the cooking and we are both having a good time of it.

This was to be his crowning glory in the kitchen. I think that will have to wait another week.These marinated wings are from Martha Stewart January 2009

They were super easy extremely moist and tender and I'll/we will probably be doing them again.This week the cookies were his limit.........................said the hobbit

It's still soup time

Like many of you out there,winter means warm comfort food for me. The mercury is still struggling to get out of the single digits ,and some rodent named Phil claims that I will be in this state for another 6 weeks.

Well that's ok. I'll be in my kitchen doing one of my favorite things. Every winter we get our hours trimmed down at the Barn .This year was no different. However, my hours were cut in 1/2 and that gave me even more time to spend in the kitchen.
I like trying new recipes but,in between ,I go back to my favorites and sometimes add a new twist.Of course ,I don't think I'm the only one doing this, there has to be at least a few dozen people doing the same recipe at the same time. What do you think? Are duplicate events happening to different people at the same time?Ok ,way too deep for me. Back to the simple life.

Today was BROCCOLI soup day.First thing I do is gather all my ingredients in front of me. That way if I have to substitute anything I should know ahead of time. My recipe was found at Canadian Living.I often visit this site because I think New Englanders have a lot in common with Canada especially Quebec.

Next I chop or measure or weigh out whatever needs doing.The ingredients are

1 large stalk of broccoli (chopped extra kale left in fridge

2 cloves of minced garlic (more like 4) we love garlic

1 chopped onion

2 tbsp Canadian Cheddar (who are you kidding 2 tbls?) 2 cups shredded

1/4 cup long grain rice

3 cups chicken stock (had 4 on hand)

3 cups milk (used a cont light cream)

2 tbls
freshly squeezed lemon juice ( used the whole lemon)

s&p

pinch of hot pepper flakes

Broccoli flowers were set aside.Stalks were peeled and chopped. In the chicken stock went the stalk,kale onion, garlic ,rice and hot pepper flakes. Bring to a boil and simmer gently till rice is done. It was about 20 min. Add the broccoli floret's and cook another 5-10 min.

As you can see this lemon served a zesting purpose on the previous day and was looking a little naked.Trust me the juice was fine.


Now your ready to puree the soup Don't forget to do this a little at a time.I've been know to add too much in the container and I practically scorch myself.Return everything to the pot along with the lemon juice and light cream or milk.When it's hot I remove from heat and stir in about 1 1/2 cups of grated cheddar,the sharper the better.

This is where they used the cheddar.Just a teensy bit on top before serving. I agree a little sprinkled on top adds to the presentation,however 1 1/2 cups in with the soup will leave you licking the bowl..............................said the hobbit