Green Tomato Parmesan

This was a weird growing season for my tomatoes. Don't get me wrong, I got enough for all of our salsa for the year as well as a bunch of tomato sauce. I also made *fingers crossed* enough tomato jam to get me through the year, some bruschetta, some dried tomatoes, and I froze a bunch of cherry tomatoes to add into stews during the winter. So, I got a lot out of the four tomato plants I had. It was a weird year though because of all of the rain we have been getting here on the East coast. We had so much that all of my ripe tomatoes were splitting on the vine and the green ones were starting to rot. Then we had a week where the temperatures were getting down into the 40's. I got worried that I was going to lose all of the tomatoes I had left on the vines, which was a lot. So I made a decision, instead of rolling the cards, and taking my chances that the weather would clear up and cooperate I decided to pull the plants that were left and just use the tomatoes green.

When all was said and done I had about 20 lbs. of green tomatoes. That's more than enough for all of the green tomato chutney and green tomato relish that I could possibly have a use for. So I started trying to think of other ways to use green tomatoes that was for more than just condiments.

Can I have a show of hands from everyone that just thought of fried green tomatoes? Yes, I know about fried green tomatoes, but I am not a big fan of fried foods. Frying foods makes your house smell like grease, it makes the area around where you cook greasy, and sometimes on the most horrific of occasions things like this can happen. But, I have to admit I also thought of fried green tomatoes. This is where my train of thought went: I don't want to fry green tomatoes. What other foods are good fried that I don't like to fry? How about eggplant for eggplant Parmesan? I bake the eggplant for the Parmesan and it always comes out fine, I even like it that way. Ok, so what if I do a green tomato Parmesan? Would that be too much tomato? Only one way to find out. When life hands you green tomatoes it's time to make...

Green Tomato Parmesan

(Serves four)

Ingredients for sauce:

• 1 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 small onion; finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic; minced
• 1/3 cup of a dry white wine that you would drink
• 1 Tbs. fresh oregano (or 1 tsp. dried)
• 1 Tbs. fresh parsley
• 2 tomatoes; chopped
• 1 cup of plain tomato sauce
• 1 cup of vegetable broth or chicken stock
• Salt and pepper  to taste

Directions for sauce:

1. In a medium sauce pan heat the olive oil over medium heat.
2. Add in the onion and garlic and saute until the onion is translucent.
3. Add in the white wine and cook until it is almost gone. Then add the oregano and parsley and the tomatoes. Saute until the tomatoes begin to release their juices.
4. Add in the tomato sauce and the vegetable broth. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly. Turn off heat and set aside.

Ingredients for Parmesan:

• 2 Lbs. of green tomatoes
• 1 cup of breadcrumbs
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 2 eggs
• 2 Tbs. of water
• 8 oz. of mozzarella cheese
• grated Parmesan for top

Directions for Parmesan:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease or line two cookie sheets and set them aside.
2. Remove the cores of the green tomatoes and slice them to somewhere around 1/4 of an inch thick. You can go slightly thicker but not any thinner or they will fall apart during baking.
3. In a shallow bowl combine the breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, and oregano.
4. In another shallow bowl whisk together the eggs and the water.
5. Dip the green tomato slices into the egg mixture. Then put the green tomato slices into the breadcrumb mixture and make sure they are coated on all sides with the breadcrumbs. Line the coated tomato slices on the cookie sheets.
6. Bake the slices for 25 minutes flipping over the slices half-way through the baking time.
7. Once the tomatoes are done baking you are ready to assemble.
8. In an 8x8 baking dish ladle enough sauce to just coat the bottom of the dish. Arrange 1/2 of the tomato slices in a layer.
9. Top with half of the sauce. Sprinkle with half of the mozzarella cheese.
10. Repeat with the remaining tomato slices, sauce and cheese. Then grate some fresh Parmesan on top.
11. Bake, uncovered, in the 400 degree oven for 20 minutes until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling.
12. Remove from the oven and let the Parmesan sit for 10 minutes before serving.

*Get a printable version of this recipe here*

 

Here's another one of the plates my mom got me for my birthday this year. I love it so much.

This was an all my eggs in one basket kind of a dinner. But it really worked out nicely. I was worried that it would be too tart and acidic but it isn't at all. I also am a big fan of seasonal meals that you can only eat when the ingredients are in season because they just aren't available any other time of  the year. I can't wait to make this again next year.

What do you do with your green tomatoes?

Birthday Swag and Chocolate Granola

I refuse to admit how long ago I made up this recipe. I will not talk about how many times I have made it since then and just didn't get around to photographing it so I could post it. But, truth be told, I'm kinda glad I waited or I wouldn't have had such cool vessels to show it off in.

Recently it was my Birthday. My mom had come down to visit a few days before because my son was born 3 days before my Birthday. We always have a party with the whole family (my mom, and my husbands family) for our kids Birthdays. I thought I knew what she had gotten for me but then she walked in with this bag-o-goodies. She had been antiquing and had picked me up some food props (happy dance). I won't show everything here but they will be showing up in the future and I'll be sure to make note of them when I use them. She also made me a card, which is a tradition between us, because I always make her a card too. This time she had dug out some old pictures of me. I thought I'd share the vintage Amanda shots.

My mom made that oven for me when I was a kid. One of those all night Christmas presents that occurs on Christmas Eve. My kids play with it now though, so it has definitely gotten some good miles. 

I think I still cook much in the same fashion. I toss in bits of this and that and my kitchen is a total wreck when I'm done. I guess some things don't change.

Regardless, I adored all of the antique pieces she got me for my Birthday and quickly tucked them safely away in my cupboard.  Then at the beginning of the week I decided to make this granola recipe I had come up with at some un-mentioned time earlier this year. My husband may have laughed at me a little bit when I told him that this time I was going to photograph it and blog it before he ate it all. He may have said something like, "Challenge accepted!". Who's laughing now baby?


Back story:

Back when the dinosaurs were still roaming the earth my grandfather got a wee bit hefty according to my grandmother. So she decided to put him on a diet. Around that time he started to make granola for his breakfasts. When I visited I would make it with him. I can still feel the warmth of his hands as he helped me stir all of the ingredients into the big bowl. The smell as it cooked. I cherish those memories now that they are both gone. When he was much older and was living in a retirement community I began making him granola for Christmas. I would make him a different one every year. To this day every time I pull a cookie sheet of warm granola out of the oven I think of him.

I wish I had been more creative back then. I was still green in the kitchen and lacking the confidence to come up with my own recipes. I bet he would have liked this one though.

Chocolate Granola

This is one of the pieces my mom got me :)

Ingredients:

• 5 cups of rolled oats
• 1/3 cup of wheat germ
• 1 cup of shredded coconut
• 3/4 cup of almonds (sliced or slivered)
• 3 Tbs. cocoa powder (I use dark chocolate cocoa powder)
• 1 tsp. of cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. of salt
• 2/3 cup of honey
• 1/2 cup of canola oil
• 1 tsp. of vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a large bowl combine the oats, wheat germ, shredded coconut, almonds, cocoa powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a saucepan over medium heat combine the honey and the canola oil. Stir until it is at a bare simmer. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour the honey/canola oil mixture into the oat mixture and stir until well combined.
4. Divide the granola between the cookie sheets. Spread the granola evenly into a single layer.
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Halfway through the baking stir the granola and rotate the sheets.
6. When the granola is done baking transfer it into a large bowl and let it cool completely, stir the granola occasionally to prevent clumping. Once cooled store the granola in an air-tight container in your refrigerator for up to two weeks or you can also freeze it in smaller portions to stretch it out.

Fact: Although this granola has chocolate in it you will notice that there is no refined sugar. I don't feel guilty at all giving this to my family for breakfast.

We really enjoy this granola with some milk or my personal favorite is using it to top off some homemade yogurt. Bonus: by shooting the granola for this post I "had" to eat a bowl. 

Pizza: The World's Most Versatile Food Delivery Device

I could just end my post right at the title. I think it pretty much sums up everything I'm about to say. Some might argue that there are other things that rank at the top with pizza dough as far as versatility for food delivery, but I feel they would be mistaken. No pita, taco, burrito or any other bread product has ever been able to do what the underappreciated crust of a good pizza can do. Pizza is the maverick of the bread world.

Pizza dough can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be. Make it plain, add some herbs, or mmmmm, roasted garlic. Make the dough paper thin so it snaps when you bite it, or slightly thicker so you can fold it in half like a sandwich, or even so thick you need a fork and knife to eat it, and find yourself rolling away from the table after one slice. Truly you are only limited by your creativity. Perhaps that is why when I want to put a new spin on things I typically turn to pizza.

A couple of weeks ago I was pulling the last of the eggplants from the garden. I knew I wanted to make some baba ganoush. I had made it earlier this summer with some hummus, some homemade pitas, and a nice salad for a light snacky kind of a dinner. And although I had other things I could have turned those eggplants into what I really wanted was that baba ganoush again, but differently. So I turned to pizza. I figured out some ingredients that I thought would pair well and put it on the menu for the week.

Oh, there is a quick side story here:
Lily got a pet fish the other week. She is beyond thrilled. It is a beta fish, or a Japanese fighter fish. He is a very pretty blue color. When we were standing in line to pay for it we asked her what she wanted to name it. She said, "How about Purple?", which pretty much makes sense for a 3 1/2 year old. I joked and said, "what about Bob?". Well she loved it, so we brought home Bob the fish. Why not?

Fast forward a few days...

EVERYDAY I get asked, "What's for dinner?". Seriously, even though there is a piece of paper on the refrigerator that says what the dinners for the week are I still get asked at least once a day. So on the day that I was making the pizza I got asked, "What's for dinner?", I answered that we were going to have baba ganoush pizza. Lily turned and said, "Hey! Baba ganoush...that sounds like Bob! *giggling* Bob Ganoush!" So yes, we have a fish named Bob Ganoush.

Hi, my name is Bob Ganoush

Back to the pizza. First things first, dough. There are so many different types. I have played around with all purpose flour, semolina, whole wheat, and corn meal. They all offer their own specific flavor profile to the finished pizza (did ya notice the fancy lingo I used there? I'm in a silly mood today). However, last year I acquired my first food pet, Edgar Allan Dough. Edgar is my sourdough starter and when I first talked about him I promised to share some recipes that I've used him in. We don't talk about the fact that it was back in May when I wrote that post and I'm just now getting to it. I've used Edgar in all types of yummy bread products but my favorite use for him is in pizza crust. I use this recipe for Sourdough pizza crust from King Arthur Flour. In the description of the crust King Arthur says:

"Even the merest hint of tang comes across as rich flavor..."

You have to love a description like that. The dough is crunchy on the outside and chewy in the middle. I heart this dough. Bonus: It's no harder to make than regular pizza dough.

My rule for making pizza is one for the kiddos and one for the big people. That way everyone is happy and I get to play with new flavors. When I went to make the pizza that night I realized something, I had no tomato sauce on hand. No worries though because I had 3/4 jar of leftover salsa from a batch I had just made. So I threw the salsa on the crust and called it sauce. Then I topped the salsa with some mozzarella, popped it in the oven, and the kids pizza was done.

No baby, I made that pizza for the kids, we get a different one. Don't worry I think you will like it.

For the grown-ups I made the baba ganoush pizza. I used this recipe for Grilled Baba Ganoush by the parsley thief featured on food52. The baba ganoush replaced the tomato sauce and then I added in some of the last of the dehydrated tomatoes from last year, and some caramelized onions.

Baba Ganoush Pizza

(makes one pizza)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 the dough from King Arthur's sourdough pizza crust recipe (or whatever dough you like to use).
• 1 recipe for baba ganoush. Whichever is your favorite (or if you don't have a favorite try this recipe for Grilled Baba Ganoush by the parsley thief ).
• 1/3 cup of Sun dried-tomatoes (enough to cover the dough)
• 1 small red onion (sliced thin and sauteed over low heat until caramelized)
• Mozzarella cheese (You want at least 4 oz. but I use closer to 6-8 oz. because I like it like that)
• Small handful of parsley; finely chopped.

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 500 degrees.
2. Roll out the dough to a 12 inch round. Transfer dough to a pizza stone, or a greased pizza pan.
3. Spread baba ganoush just like you would a tomato sauce onto the dough leaving a 1/2 inch space free around the edges.
4. Sprinkle a small amount of cheese (maybe a 1/3 of it) on top the baba ganoush. Then layer with the sun-dried tomatoes, sprinkle the caramelized onions, and finish by sprinkling the remaining cheese across the top of the pizza.
5. Cook the pizza in the oven for 8-10 minutes until the crust is golden and the cheese is slightly browned. Remove from the oven.
6. Once the pizza is out of the oven garnish the pizza by sprinkling the chopped parsley across the top.
7. Allow the pizza to cool for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

*Get a printable version of this recipe here*

This pizza does not disappoint. I had to threaten loss of limb to keep the family off of these pizzas so I could get two meals out of them. I made the baba ganoush pizza again this past week for my mom when she came to visit for Jude's birthday. It went over just as well with her. So it's a win for me in the kitchen with this recipe. I would grow eggplant just to be able to make it again.

What's your favorite kind of pizza?

 

Pate, Pork Pie, and Pictures...Oh My!

For September's Charcutepalooza challenge us "Paloozers" were asked to make either Pate de Campagne, Pate Gratinee, Pate Gratinee en Croute, or an English Pork Pie. I was immediately ecstatic because I love pate. I know this to be true because this time I confirmed my memories with my mom. (Unlike last time when I was caught off guard by chicken livers that I assumed I would like but later found out that I had never liked.)

Side note that will make sense in a minute:
My mom has a H-U-G-E collection of books, and other things too, but we'll stick with the books. I've come to realize that she is trying to slowly, and without us noticing, pawn her stuff onto us. At least once a year during one of her visits she will walk in the door with a few books announcing, "I thought you might need these." I'm onto you mom. Just sayin'.

This month I knew exactly what I wanted to make. I found it in a cookbook my mom brought down a couple of months ago because she "thought I might need it." It was a cookbook called Pates & Other Marvelous Meat Loaves by Dorothy Ivens. My dad bought it for my mom when I was a kid. I guess my mom was doing charcuterie before I could say it. In my family, we have a tendency to mark up cookbooks. We give our opinions, note our changes or suggestions, even "x" it out if it just plain sucks. In this cookbook there is a recipe for Pate de Campagne with a note in my mom's handwriting saying, "Very good."  So that one was a given. Then, upon further perusing, I came across a recipe for a Raised Pork Pie. My plans were set, my butcher had been called and was handling the meat side of the situation. Then I realized...I was going to have a lot of charcuterie in the house.

There is only one thing to do when you have too much food; invite over your friends! We called up a bunch of friends we had been wanting to have over and had a pate pot luck dinner. The night before the dinner I made the pates.

I started with the Pate de Campagne. It called for a few different types of pork. It also called for calf's liver. I may have given a dirty look to the liver. It was to be wrapped in bacon. Happily I had just made 5 lbs. the week before so I was able to use my own.

I moved on to the pork pie. I don't think it would have been possible to make this pork pie any porkier. The recipe called for pork fat, ground pork shoulder, pork tenderloin, and bacon. Then the whole thing was wrapped in Canadian bacon. It was porktacular. Both the Pate de Campagne and the Raised Pork Pie were fairly simple to put together. The pork pie was absolutely more challenging. But all was forgiven when the smells started coming out of the oven. It was porktastic. I tweeted that I was running away with my pork pie into the woods. I considered it. Would people notice if I wasn't there the next day? Probably...sigh. So I stuck around and served the pate and the pork pie to our friends.

The next day I served the Pate and the pork pie with a crusty baguette, some homemade mustard, and some homemade cranberry relish. I served the leftover aspic that I couldn't get into the pork pie on the side. Our friends were patient as I took a bunch of photographs before we ate. Everyone seemed to like what I had made. I did too. It took me back to our old kitchen table when I was a kid. Sitting there with my mom and some good crackers, cheeses, olives, and a couple of Pates. Happily my husband preferred one and I preferred the other, so there were going to be no quarrels about the leftovers.

The recipes will be at the bottom of the post, but now we are going to get to what has become the real challenging part of Charcutepalooza for me. Not just this time, but reccurring throughout the entire year of Charcutepalooza. I have become quite comfortable with the making of the Charcuterie. However,what I have had the most trouble with is the photography. It has been the thorn in my side, my Achilles heel. One would think that since I was an art major I would be able to whip out some fine artsy fartsy pictures, but that seems to not be the case. Don't get me wrong, I know the principals of a good composition. I know about asymmetry, large, medium, and small spaces, leaving a place for the eye to rest, movement, repetition, color, light, blah blah blah. I know a good composition when I see it. What I have trouble with, and have always had trouble with, is setting up a good composition on my own. This has come back to haunt me during this past year. Food photography vexes me... mocks me. But I have made a decision to overcome my inability to make my food look as good as it tastes. Of course I choose to start this on  the challenge where what I am shooting is basically meatloaf with its fancy pants on, but still, I will prevail! I will own this Pate!!

I literally shot the Pate every day for a week. I started to feel like Sam I Am from Green Eggs and Ham:

...And I will shoot it in the rain.
And on a wooden board all plain.
And on a cloth I'll put that meat,
I'll do this all before I eat.
And with some herbs and with some flair,
I will shoot it everywhere.
I will get a good picture you see,
I will get it if it kills me.

And I think I got some pretty good shots. They aren't as good as some of the pictures I have seen for these challenges. But they are some of the best I have taken. I think I improved a little bit.

Raised Pork Pie. See the aspic in the bowl? When I was making it Naiya walked in and asked me what I was doing. When I told her she asked the obvious question: "What's aspic?" I explained that it was essentially a meat jello. After giving the age appropriate "stank face," she smelled it and said that it reminded her of something. I sniffed and agreed. She said it was like that chicken and wine dish I make in the winter. Well what do you know! She was right. It smelled just like Coq au Vin. She's got a good nose on her.

But I have digressed. I didn't take a lot of shots of the pork pie because it was mostly consumed at the pot luck. So the following week I really focused on the Pate. Here are my best shots.

This was my, "Hey look I'm playing with effects!" shot.

On the windowsill

This was my favorite shot. Plus it was on this day that I found my most favorite way to eat Pate was on crusty bread, with good mustard, topped with Food In Jars' Tomato Jam.

Then I went outside and spent some time "styling" my food. I really liked this shot too.

I really enjoyed this month's challenge. I knew I had a some good recipes so I got to focus on the other part that I have been challenged by. The Pate was great because its appearance was something I could count on to stay the same for the whole week while I played with it and took my time shooting it. There is always room for improvement, but I'm satisfied with the progress I made this month.

The recipes:

Pate de Campagne

From: Pates and Other Marvelous Meat Loaves by, Dorothy Ivens

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground pork shoulder
• 1/2 lb. ground veal
• 1/4 lb. fresh pork fat (preferably from the loin)
• 1/2 lb. pork or beef liver
• 1/4 cup Cognac
• 2-3 slices firm, white, home-style bread, crusts removed
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 egg
• 2 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 tsp. mace
• 1/8 tsp. allspice
• 1/2 tsp. thyme
• 1/8 tsp. rosemary, finely crumbled
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Bacon slices for top and bottom of loaf
• 2 Tbs. chopped parsley
• Parsley sprigs or watercress to garnish

Directions:

1. Put the ground pork and veal into a large mixing bowl. Dice the pork fat into small cubes, 1/8 to 1/4 inch. The fat sticks together quite a bit but will separate when it is mixed with the other meats. Pat the liver dry with paper towels, trim off any fat and membranes, and cut into 1/4 inch dice. Mix the fat and liver with the pork and veal. Pour in the Cognac and mix again.
2. Crumble or carefully tear the bread into coarse crumbs, to make 1 cupful. Allow the crumbs to soak in the milk for a few minutes and then mix with the meats.
3. In a small bowl, beat the egg lightly and add all the seasonings and the garlic. Add to the contents of the large bowl and mix thoroughly, first with a wooden spoon; then, when the mixture dries somewhat, with the hands.
4. Put a layer of bacon strips on the bottom of an 8-cup loaf pan and pack in the loaf mixture, pressing into the corners and patting to avoid air holes. Mound the loaf slightly and cover with bacon slices.
5. Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree oven for 1 to 1 1/4 hours or until loaf has shrunk from the sides of the pan and juices run clear, not pink or opaque, when loaf is pricked and pressed. Remove the loaf from the oven and allow it to cool in the pan. Do not pour off the juice; a lot of it is fat, but underneath is good meat extract. When the loaf is completely cool, cover and refrigerate overnight.
6. To unmold, run a knife around the edge of the loaf, hold the pan briefly in an inch or so of hot water, and slide the loaf out onto a platter or cutting board, right side up, to show the browned top. Trim the hardened fat from the sides, carefully preserving any jellied or liquid juices. Spoon juices over the loaf. Serve well sprinkled with chopped parsley and surrounded with lots of parsley sprigs or watercress, or serve already sliced. Makes about 16 half-inch slices.

Raised Pork Pie

From: Pates and Other Marvelous Meat Loaves by, Dorothy Ivens

Ingredients:

• 1 recipe for pastry (enough for a 9 inch round crust)
• 1/4 lb. fresh pork fat, in 1/2 inch cubes (from the loin or fresh ham)
• 1 1/2 lbs. lean pork, in 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lb. ground pork shoulder
• 4 slices lean bacon, diced
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tsp. grated lemon rind
• 1/3 cup Cognac
• 1 Tbs. lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. sage, crumbled
• 1/2 tsp. marjoram
• 1/2 tsp. savory, crumbled
• 1/8 tsp. mace
• 1 egg lightly beaten with 1 Tbs. milk for glaze
• 1/2 - 3/4 lb. thinly sliced Canadian bacon
• pickled walnuts, split lengthwise (optional)
• 1 can ready-to-use chicken broth (13 3/4 ounce size)
• 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
• 2 Tbs. Port
• 1 Tbs. lemon juice

Directions:

1. Make the pastry and refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour.
2. In a heavy skillet, render the pork fat just enough to oil the pan slightly. Add the diced pork and cook, stirring, until the pork has lost its pink color and is barely beginning to brown. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper and remove with a slotted spoon to a large mixing bowl. Allow to cool.
3. Add the ground pork, diced bacon, parsley, and lemon rind to the mixing bowl and mix lightly.
4. In a small bowl, combine the Cognac, lemon juice, salt, sage, marjoram, savory, and mace. Add to the meat mixture and mix well.
5. Butter a long 8 cup loaf pan (13" x 4 1/2" x 2 1/2") To make a kind of a sling for the loaf so it can be lifted out of the pan when it is cooked, cut a piece of heavy foil to cover the bottom and both long sides of the pan, with a 3-inch overhang on each side. Fit the foil into the pan and butter it. Shake a little flour around the pan to lightly coat foil and small ends of the pan. Discard excess.
6. Reserve 1/4 of the pastry for the top of the loaf. Roll out the other three-fourths to a thickness of 1/8 to 1/4 inch, and cut a piece roughly the same size as the foil. Drape it over the rolling pin and unroll it into the pan to cover the foil, being careful not to stretch it or make any holes. Make pieces of pastry to fit the ends of the pan, allowing for a 1/2-inch overlap. Fit the end pieces into the pan, sealing the overlap with egg glaze. Roll the pin over the rim to trim off excess pastry.
7. Line the bottom and all four sides of the pastry with the Canadian bacon. Gently pack 1/2 the meat into the pan, pressing and patting into corners. Place pickled walnuts, if used, in a line down the middle. Add the rest of the meat, doming it slightly. Fold the edges of the pastry over the edges of the loaf, trimming corners to avoid excess thickness.
8. To make the top, roll out the reserved quarter of the pastry to 1/8 to 1/4-inch thickness and trim to 6 1/2 by 15 inches. Paint the edges of the pastry in the pan with the egg glaze, drape the pastry over the rolling pin, and unroll it over the loaf, pressing the edges to seal. Trim off excess. Cut a hole 1/2-inch in diameter in the center of the loaf. Roll out pastry scraps a little thinner than the rest, and cut out strips, leaf shapes, circles, or crescents, paint them on the bottom with egg glaze, and stick them on for decoration. Crimp the edges with the tines of a fork or the dull side of a knife, and paint the entire top with glaze.
9. Set a small metal funnel, or one made of foil, into the hole in the top, to accommodate juices that bubble up during cooking. Set in the middle of a pre-heated 375 degree oven. Turn oven down to 350 degrees immediately and cook for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours, or until loaf is beautifully brown and the juices that can be seen in the funnel are clear, not pink or opaque. Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 2 hours.
10. To make aspic, cook chicken broth over high heat for about 5 minutes to reduce it to 1 1/2 cups. Moisten the gelatin with the Port and lemon juice and add to the broth, stirring until dissolved. Set the container of aspic in a basin of ice and water and cool, stirring, until it is the consistency of egg whites.
11. Pour the aspic into the loaf through the funnel, a little at a time, waiting for each addition to be absorbed before adding more. This operation can be done over the period of an hour or so while you are doing other things. The loaf has to cool to room temperature before refrigerating anyway. Try to get in about half the aspic. When the loaf has come to room temperature, refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. When the loaf has been thoroughly chilled, bring the remaining aspic back to egg white consistency and try to get more in the loaf through the cleaned funnel, tipping the pan from end to end each time to spread aspic throughout. This rater tiresome step is to fill with aspic the spaces left by the shrinkage of the loaf during cooking. Leftover aspic can be chilled and served chopped with the loaf. Chill the loaf another two hours or longer, and take it out of the refrigerator an hour before serving.
12. To unmold, run a knife between loaf and pan at the small ends, immerse pan in a few inches of hot water for a moment or two, and carefully lift out, using the foil overhangs as handles. Slide off the foil onto a platter or board and serve in half-inch slices. You will have about 15 half-inch slices if you use the 9-by-5-by-3 inch pan or about 22 half-inch slices from the longer pan.

Malted Milk Ice Cream With Reese's Whoppers

One of the rainy days we had recently my husband and I took the little ones to Chocolate World in Hershey. Chocolate World is free if you want it to be. We take the kids on the ride that explains how the chocolate gets made. At the end of the ride you get a free piece of chocolate. I have been going on that ride since I was a kid visiting my grandparents. I never got sick of going on it. My kids love that ride just as much as I did. It's an easy way to spend an afternoon when the weather isn't cooperating.

Whenever we go up we always go through the Hershey "grocery store". It's where they sell all of their products. It's a bit of a sugar overload walking through it but sometimes you find stuff there that you can't get anywhere else. On this particular trip something caught my eye in that store, Whoppers. Not just any Whoppers mind you, but Reese's Peanut Butter Whoppers. Yum. What is it you ask? Well just imagine a Whopper, now take of the chocolate and replace it with Reese's peanut butter. It's kinda like eating a Reese's Pieces without the candy coating and then you get left with that malted milk ball flavor. Again, yum. Well you know we "had to" buy a box.

While walking to the car my husband and I were discussing ways to improve upon these Whoppers. We came up with an idea for an ice cream and had to stash the remaining Whoppers out of sight until we had a chance to make it. We had just enough Whoppers for a 1/2 batch of malted milk ice cream with Reese's Whoppers. Here's a recipe for a full batch.

Malted Milk Ice Cream with Reese's Whoppers

Adapted from Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream and Dessert Book

(Makes 1 Quart)

Ingredients:

• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 2 cups of heavy or whipping cream
• 1 cup of whole milk
• 1/4 cup of malted milk powder
• 1 box of Reese's Whoppers

Directions:

1. Whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes.
2. Whisk in the sugar, a little at a time, then continue whisking until completely blended, about 1 minute more.
3. Pour in the cream, and the milk and whisk to blend.
4. Whisk in the malted milk powder.
5. Freeze in your ice cream maker following the manufacturers directions.
6. When you are transferring the ice cream to a container to put it in the freezer fold in the Reese's Whoppers using a spatula. Don't cut them into pieces or they might get soggy. Leave them whole and fold them in.
7. Chill until set in your freezer.

So, um yeah...if you like the traditional Whoppers and you like Reese's Pieces then you would love these Reese's Whoppers. This ice cream is pretty darn perfect for showcasing them too.  Yup...that about wraps up this post.

Miss Piggy

I wanted to write this as soon as I could while everything was still fresh.

This is one of those symbolic shots. A new door I haven't walked through before. One I feel passionate about but am also apprehensive about. But, that's the point of it all, isn't it?

The Back story:

This whole thing started a couple of years ago. I have slowly but surely become convinced about the importance of putting the best that you can into your body. No longer supporting the mega-corporations that control what we eat. The companies that mass produce our foods, caring more about the money filling their pockets and product turn-around than their consumers. It's industry, and I'm not a fan. It's nearly killed the art of farming, to a point where you have to seek it out in the hidden valleys tucked between mountains.

Last fall my husband and I started talking about looking into buying a whole butchered pig. It was an economical issue but we also wanted to find a local farmer so we knew where it would be coming from. My one hesitation was that I would be dealing with a whole pig. I knew how to cook a pork chop and a mean tenderloin, but a whole pig is a different story. I wasn't sure if I could handle it. The topic dropped because when I started looking into it I was having a hard time finding what I was looking for.

Fast forward to the end of January...I signed up for the Charcutepalooza challenge. I knew that in the upcoming year I would be learning how to deal with the WHOLE pig. Even the parts I didn't really want to know how to deal with. I found myself rethinking getting a pig butchered for our family again. I brought it up with my husband again and he said I should look into it some more. So I did. After a couple of weeks of asking around I was still coming up empty-handed. What I wanted was a farmer that had the same perspective in the importance of putting quality foods into your body. Really giving a damn about what you were feeding your family. Having respect for the fact that you were taking a life so that you could be fed. Being able to look your food in the face. Was that sooooo hard? In a desperate moment at the end of February/the beginning of March, I put up an ad on Craig's list. I figured the worst that could happen was a few strange e-mails, but maybe something would turn up. When it comes to Craig's list you never know.

I got two responses. One was from a guy I would never in a million years or for a million dollars deal with. But then there was Mr. S. I got an e-mail from Mr. S telling me that he was first and foremost NOT a pig farmer. He did however raise a small herd of pigs for friends and family. He said he would consider raising a pig for my family. Over the next couple of months we e-mailed back and forth. I asked a lot of questions, he offered a lot of answers and information.

The low-down:

• From what I have gathered over the months he likes to be fully involved in the process from start to finish.
• The pigs that he breeds are an F1 Hampshire/Yorkshire cross.
• He gives the pigs a large pen for when the weather is bad, but he also has a pasture for them to roam around in where they get to be pigs.
• He knows the farrower.
• Mr. S  knows the person that grows the corn for the feed, which he himself takes and mills at another friends farm. He mixes in a few other things depending on the season. He also gives them weekly treats, like fruits and vegetables.
• He knows the vet by name and she is there once a month to check on them...even if they are healthy. Mr. S says that it is a very important relationship. If one of his pigs get sick he knows she will come no matter what.
• He keeps track of anything they get, whether it be sickness or medication. This group has only had de-wormer and Mr. S only uses the kind of medicine that would allow him to butcher the very next day if he wanted to.
• He NEVER EVER EVER uses growth hormones or anything of it's like. Yay! 
• He has slaughtered and butchered his own pigs but he also knows a butcher.

 Fact: I love pig noses.

We talked price and it was more than reasonable. We decided we would go up around June. Oh, but then a tornado hit the farm. That sorta put a kink in the plans.

Fast Forward:

We were finally able to set a firm date (which was today) amongst our schedules. As today rolled in I was feeling a mix of emotions. I was excited (because I had been trying to do this for almost a year), nervous, apprehensive, anxious, and there was a definite gravity to the situation that I was keenly aware of. I was going to see how Mr. S pulled this all together, but I was also going to be picking out an animal that I was going to eat. I would know it's face, touched it's warm skin.

We loaded the kiddos into the car and drove the hour to Mr. S's farm. When we arrived the first thing we saw was a goat. Mr S. has more then just pigs. Did I not mention that? Besides the pigs there is a horse, some ducks, goats, broiler chickens, laying chickens, rabbits, cats and dogs. My kids were in heaven. I doubted I would be able to get them to leave.

We spent the better part of two hours there talking and learning. 

Hey look! There's Naiya!

I learned all kinds of stuff. There was the serious and the light. Since I don't want this to be all business no pleasure we will focus mostly on the light.

• Apparently these pigs sleep in a bit and don't wake up till around 10am (color me jealous).
• They love watermelons and mangos but they adore marshmallows.
• The pigs are curious by nature, especially when it comes to shoelaces (note to self: next time wear garden boots).

Here is Mr. S. tying his boots back up. The pigs only considered this a challenge.

• I learned what to look for in a good pig.
• I learned that the barn cats were friendly... and my kids loved them.

The pigs were rooting around in the hay. some were trotting. Others were eating or lazing around.

But the pigs were happy and you could see it in their faces.

Then it was time to pick our pig. My husband didn't really want to. Understandably so, picking a specific pig meant you would be able to recall it's face when you were eating it as opposed to just one of a small herd. But I needed to do this. At least once I needed to be able to put a face to my food. We decided on #11 whom we have since named Miss Piggy, mostly  because I am a nervous laugher and needed to lighten up the situation a bit. We chose her because Mr. S said that she would yield a lot of bacon which is one of my husbands favorite porky parts.

Miss Piggy

This was the last picture I took of the pigs before we left. It was a sobering shot to take. I plan on going up one more time before slaughter to help out a bit and get to see them one more time. To see how they have grown...maybe I'll bring some mangos or a bag of marshmallows. I'm glad I'm doing this as hard as it is. I feel like this is the way it should be. I have gained a lot of respect for the pig as an animal over this past year through Charcutepalooza. It has not slipped through my fingers that I am taking a life when I sit down to eat some wonderful bit of charcuterie that I have taken the time and care to prepare for my family. This seems fitting.

I have so much respect for what Mr. S and his family do. This is not their "job". Both he and his wife have other careers and this is just something they feel very strongly about. I feel privileged that they are raising a pig for my family. Many thanks to them for doing this and for taking their precious time for my family to come and interrupt their day.

One last thing. When we left there was a goat under our car. I never thought I would say that.

Candyland

Jude is about to turn the big 2 in a couple of weeks. The one thing I always do is hand make a Birthday invitation for the family and friends that will be coming to the party. I do it every year until my kids turn 10. I usually theme the card to something in the party or some nickname for the kid. This year I've gotten a little stuck with Jude. I think I know what I'm doing but until I have a rough draft drawn up that works I won't commit to the idea.

While I have been busy procrastinating this past month I have taken the time to look back at some of the other Birthdays we've had in this house as well as when I was growing up. My mom was incredibly creative when it came to my Birthday parties as a kid. She had all of these games we would play. And I've reused some of them during my days as a preschool teacher as well as for some of Naiya's Birthdays.

My favorite game that my mom did (and I had her do it more than once) was a Candyland game. I was reminded of it when I saw this picture on Pinterest.

Here's the link to where it was found online

What my mom did was set up a Candyland gameboard using colored construction paper. Then my friends and I were the pieces. At various points on the board were all of the special character stops (Mr. Mint, Lord Licorice, Princess Lolly, etc.), and at each of these stops was a bag with candy in it relating to the special character. My mom would run the game using the cards from Candyland and move us through the game. We each had a brown paper bag with our names on it and we would get to stop and pick up candy as we passed each of the special characters or, if my mom drew a special character card and we got advanced to that spot.

This was my hands down favorite party game. I know she did it more than once for me. It only made logical sense that I repeated it when my daughter Naiya was old enough for it. And now that she's so much older and doesn't *sniff* look like a little girl anymore, I'll include the shots I have of her playing the game.

You don't need a ton of money to put on an incredible Birthday party for a kid. I have fond memories of the ones my mom would do for me and there was nothing fru fru about them. Naiya loved this game as much as I did growing up. All of her friends had a great time too. I made up extra characters to include snacks I knew the kids would like. The games we played during the party filled up their brown paper bags which at the end became their party favors. 

I think you could adapt this concept to other childhood games. Making the game life sized and putting the kids in as the playing pieces puts a whole new spin on a childhood classic and they will totally get into it. You probably will too. I know I did. Birthday's can be a lot of work but the payoff of joy in your child's sparkling eyes is priceless.

Summer Round Up

I have to admit it, summer is nearly over. School has started and the days are noticeably cooler. The cold crops are starting to sprout. The signs are all around. I thought it would be nice since I haven't done one of these before to share some of my favorite moments from this past summer. So there will be a lot of pictures and not much writing. Just sharing.

This summer there were butterflies. Butterflies all over my garden. I shot hundreds of images and was blown away at how close they let me get. I will always plant flowers that attract them. I will also always plant sunflowers from now on too. All summer I had Cardinals and Goldfinches in my garden happily chirping and snacking away. It always brought a smile to my face no matter what my day was like.

I learned how to garden using the lasagna method, the companion planting method, and square foot gardening. I think I even did it successfully because at times I wasn't able to walk down the paths I had made, they were so over run with vegetables.

This summer we had a wonderful vacation up to my in-laws in CT. Lily asked her daddy if he would hold here hand at the beach the night before we went. It brought tears to his eyes. One of those moments. I was lucky enough to be there to capture a picture of it. Naiya taught Lily how to fly a kite. Jude picked me flowers. I have them tucked away in my bible.

We picked blueberries. My mom came down to visit and we had a "staycation". Jude loved riding the old train the best. We canned memories of the summer for the winter months to come.

Of course there was Charcutepalooza weaving it's way in and out of the months. And lots of other good foods too. I came up with a bunch of new recipes.

Jude got to paint for the first time. Lily took her first swim lessons. They played at the park and helped in the garden. Naiya was a pro at evading the camera. The shots she did give me were nice but they all show her face so unless you are friends with me on Facebook you won't be seeing those here.

It was a busy summer. It was a good summer. There were smiles and tears. We shared picnics and rainbows. We had adventures and made memories.