EATING LOCAL...

Picture taken from Tomato Mountain Farm Facebook Page

So over the past year or so I've been reading all sort of books and websites and watching documentaries about where our food comes from.  All of this has led me to really think about what we are eating and it's prompted me to kind of revise what kinds of food we buy and where we get our food from... as well as baning certain 'fast food' for a more slow food approach.  Like I said, it's not the easiest method of getting food on your table but at least you know a little bit about your food... and we are hoping to get to know those who are growing it.  What a concept!

Mr. D and I have joined a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program.  We've chosen Tomato Mountain Farm and have had one delivery.  And I am so excited about it! The picture above is courtesy Tomato Mountain Farm's Facebook page... and gives you a good idea of what was delivered.  Although, it doesn't come close to the amount of spinach we got!  Our delivery came very late at night so my plans on taking all these great pictures was crushed due to it being almost midnight.  But this is one reason I really liked them... they deliver right to our door!  A lot of CSA's have a weekly pick up site, which is also great but having them deliver really works nicely for us.

This batch included, Spinach, Bok Choi, Hakurei Turnips, Head Lettuce, Red Russian Kale.  We were a little overwhelmed with a few of the items but have put all of them to good use.  Success!  Right now, because the weather is still cool, there are a lot of cold weather veggies and greens.  Which is find by me... that's the point! Tonight we sauteed turnips, kale, onions and some spices to have as a side dish with pulled pork (which was not local by any means... baby steps!).  It was delish!  Turnips... delicious?  Yep, they sure are!

As the bounty grows and changes I'll be sharing pics along with any great recipes we come across in quest to eat great food!

XOXO

REWARDS

These cats get us up so early... it's kind of annoying on the weekends.  We are feeding them twice a day so they know when it's time to eat... well they kind of know when its time.  They let us know when when they are hungry and it's usually about 45 minutes before meal time.  On the weekends we just want to sleep in a little bit but it just doesn't seem to be happening.

Today Mr. D gets up to feed them, I'm also awake (it's tough to sleep with kittens meowing as loud as they can and climbing on youf head and chasing each other around the room like psychopaths) and at this point neither of us were going back to sleep (it's like 6:45, on a Saturday!).  So you know what... we went to the gym!  I was super proud of us and actually really surprised.  Now we can check that off the list for today.  After the gym we get home and of course I'm hungry.  But I'm still so proud of us so I think... I should reward myself.  With pancakes!

And that's how I negate my entire work out.  Blueberry buttermilk pancakes.

Sweets will be the end of me...

Here's the recipe I used.  I didn't make any substitutions,  but I didn't have exactly fresh ingredients... old eggs (which from what I've been reading about baking aged eggs can be a good thing) and really old buttermilk... that still smelled like buttermilk!  Lol!  So I used it and they were delish!  The perfect combination of sweet and sour, they were super fluffy (don't over mix!).  And the blueberries add a nice pop of juicy fruit goodness.  I often just jump into cooking with out thinking about it so we didn't have any syrup.  Mr. D likes naked pancakes, I settled on a little agave nectar.  Add a little fake bacon and second helping and bye bye workout!  

Unhealthy tip... use butter to grease your skillet... makes perfectly brown cakes.

Hope you all have had a great Saturday morning!

XOXO

PIZZA'S MY FAVORITE

I've been making our own pizza for I don't know, maybe two years now.  Before, we were big pizza order-er's (and then we made a pact to not eat fast food for a year and a lot of pizza places were on that list)... but we found out that making a pizza is super simple. But there is one kitchen gadget that could have made my life so much easier.  A rolling pin!  You know what I've been using... a wine bottle.  Seriously?  I've been wondering which came first... wine or pizza, and I'm pretty sure that it's the wine because it's just a matter of time before you realize that the wine bottle is a great way to roll out flour and watter and then add some veggies, sauce and dairy and you've got a delicious meal.

Before my job started I went on a shopping spree... getting clothes, new shoes, a bag, a Chicago card... all the things I'll need for my new life as a new member of Chicago's working force.  But I think my absolute favorite purchase had nothing to do with preparing for work... it was my new rolling pin!!!  Now pizza is super easy to make and all I have to do is drink the wine.

What's your favorite kitchen gadget?  For now I'd have to say mine is the rolling pin... but I sure do like my ice cream maker...

XOXO

FRIED GOODNESS

This morning, lets say late morning as I got started around 10:45, I decided it would be a good idea to make doughnut holes.  Once I set my mind on something I can't seem to let it go... drives Mr. D crazy.  Who makes doughnuts for lunch!?  I've made doughnuts with my mom a couple of years ago but she has all the right equipment so I searched for a super simple recipe... and Google chatted her a bunch of questions.

By 11:30 we had some super fresh homemade doughnut holes.  Delish!  Now this is a truly simple recipe with fantastic results.

I modified the recipe that I found here to make...

Cinnamon Sugary Buttermilk Doughnut Holes

1/3 c. sugar (plus more to coat)
1/2 c. buttermilk
1 egg
2 tbsp. oil
1 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
Oil for frying
Cinnamon


In a bowl mix some sugar and cinnamon to coat your doughnut holes, set aside.  


Combine all ingredients until just moistened.  Fill a deep pot, about 3/4" full with oil.  Heat oil to 375°.  Oil your hands and a spoon and roll the sticky dough into about 1/2" to 3/4" balls (they will puff up when fried).  Place balls into hot oil and cook until golden.  Flip and finish other side until nice and golden.  Place doughnut holes on a plate lined with paper towels.  Let drain for just a few seconds and roll in your cinnamon sugar mixture.  


Eat warm and enjoy!


XOXO   

WHAT WOULD MacGyver DO?

Hello, my friends call me V and I am addicted to sweets.

Yesterday (while making a delicious dinner of stuffed peppers and chorizo), I decided it was time to make Raspberry Marshmallows.  YUM!  The last few months have definitely been defined by the many batches of marshmallows that I've made (successfully I might add!) and well, it's time to switch it up a bit.  Raspberry was just the flavor!  I found the recipe from the Not So Humble Pie Blog.  My success in the marshmallow world is all thanks to Martha's no-nonsense recipe which can be found here.  It is seriously so simple and the perfect little sweet treat!

I had some time before Mr. D got home so I decided to get everything out and get the process started.  I am a habitual skimmer when it comes to reading recipes.  Which often leads to some pretty thoughtful solutions to problems that could have been avoided if I'd have actually read the short recipe.  I had one little problem that arose from my skimming and it has to do with that little rascal know as a raspberry seed.  They are sneaky little suckers and can be really annoying when stuck in your teeth!

To see more of the process and MacGyver like solutions (that may or may not work)...