For me, it began [bleep] years ago with a high school English assignment.  I chose the option to illustrate a song with photos and needed to find a merchant who would “roll his awning down” in a proxy Morning Morgantown.

My parents immediately thought of Larry’s Brown Deer Market, a historic specialty food store in a nearby town.  I got my photo… and the rest is history.

From then on we ate their cheeses—the beginning of a livelong addiction to love affair with cheese; we gave their gift baskets—to carpool drivers and favorite teachers; and as an adult I made an additional transcendent discovery—they make amazing soups.  In my corporate madness days, these were a godsend and graced everything from formal dinners to emergency family meals.

A few years back, I was delighted when they shared a recipe for their turkey chili (one of our favorites) in a local newspaper.  I make it with ground beef rather than turkey (since local organic grass-fed beef is easier to find than organic free range ground turkey) and I’m sure I have tweaked it some, but the essence is theirs!

Turkey Chili

Ingredients

• 2 pounds lean ground turkey or beef
• 1/4 c chili powder
• 1 medium Spanish onion, diced
• ½ bunch of celery, diced
• 1 or 2  15 oz cans of garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained (depending on how meaty you want the chili; I use the equivalent of 2 cans–made from dried beans)
• 1 can (46 ounces) tomato juice
• 1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Hot pepper sauce to taste

Directions

1.  In large, heavy-bottomed pot, cook meat over medium heat until cooked through. Drain excess fat if needed.

2.  Stir in chili powder, onion and celery.  Cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3.  Stir in garbanzo beans, tomato juice, and diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer an additional 30 minutes.

4.  Season as desired with salt, pepper and hot pepper sauce.  Top, as desired, with onions, cheese, or any of your favorite chili accompaniments.

Mmmm, chili and cornbread… perfect for shaking off the last chill of winter!  Do you have a favorite late winter dish (or a secret market love)?

My (very abundant) buffet included a new Chicken Paprikash recipe, described as easy but thoroughly enjoyable–an above average comfort food.  The real surprise came after Christmas, when the kids fought over the leftovers and I found myself dipping into the extra “gravy” with a spoon… and  the idea hit.

Why not use this recipe’s really simple preparation techniques (no roux) to make a cheater’s shrimp bisque?  Valentine’s Day would be here before I knew it…

And so I did.  I added a hint of sherry, some garlic and a bit of tomato paste to upscale it slightly and the rest is history.  Mmmm, shrimp bisque as comfort food…  Life is good!

Shrimp Bisque

Cheater’s Shrimp Bisque

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 c water (to cook shrimp peels in)
• 1 lb raw shell on shrimp
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• Salt
• pepper
• 3 tablespoons olive oil divided in two
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/8 teaspoon  cayenne pepper
• 1/4 c dry sherry
• 3 T tomato paste
•  1 1/2 c chicken broth
• 1 cup sour cream (reduced fat is fine)

Directions:

1.  Peel shrimp, saving peels.  Set shrimp aside.  Simmer shells on low in 1 1/2 c water for 15 minutes. Strain out shells and discard, reserving broth.

Boil Shrimp Peel

2. Combine flour, 2 tbsp paprika, salt and pepper.  Toss shrimp in flour mixture to coat well, reserving leftover flour.

3.  Heat half of the oil in large saucepan.  Add shrimp and cook, stirring until they start to turn pink, about 5 minutes.  Remove shrimp and set aside.
4.  Add remaining oil, onion, garlic. Saute until onion is tender, about 2 minutes. Add remaining flour mixture, cayenne and tomato paste and blend well.
5.  Add shrimp and chicken broth gradually to saucepan, stirring up browned flour bits and blending them into the thickening broth.
6.  Bring to boil and simmer a few minutes to thicken slightly.  Remove and reserve 6-8 shrimp for garnish if desired, then add remaining shrimp to pot and bring back to a boil.  Simmer for a couple minutes, making sure shrimp is cooked through.
7.  Remove from heat and puree soup using a stick or traditional blender.
8. Temper the sour cream (mix spoonfuls of hot soup with sour cream until it is smooth and warmer) then add to the pot.  Bring back to temperature if needed but avoid boiling.
9.  Garnish with reserved shrimp and/or sour cream and parsley (optional).

When I served it up every drop disappeared.  The only complaint was that it was… too rich.  So next time I’ll use reduced fat sour cream.

*     *     *

Tip: although I am a big proponent of whole wheat flour, it is the gluten that does the thickening, so stick with white for this recipe (and other gravies and sauces).  But use flour that is organic and unbleached if you can get it.

Tip: I made my own homemade sour cream for this.  I mixed a couple spoonfuls of commercial sour cream with some cream I had on hand and let it sit for a day in the microwave with the light on (our house is frigid in winter).  Kind of like making yogurt!

Homemade Sour Cream

By the end of January it was passé.

Now truly, this is how eating seasonally works.  A large supply of [fill in the blank] arrives, pandemonium ensues, everyone gorges, then supply and excitement fall together.  Just in time for the [insert a different crop] harvest.  And as I surveyed the refrigerator today,  just a handful of mandarins lingered.

But they were starting to shrivel and no one was touching them.

And so I went on an internet quest and arrived at the Lucullian Delights blog—and a beautiful picture of glistening glazed orange sections.    I adapted the recipe for  American measurements and gave it a try.  The original recipe said to add a couple drops of vinegar and wait for them to turn yellow—then the coating would be ready.  Since my organic sugar produced a liquid that was golden from the start, I used my candy thermometer and cooked it to the soft ball stage (235-ish) which results in a soft chewy coating.  And instead of dipping half at a time like the recipe recommended, I lined up my collection of fondue forks to dip and dry in a single move.

Oranges

Ginger Glazed Oranges

Ingredients

• 3/4 c sugar
• 1/4 c water
• 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and cut in a couple pieces
• peeled orange sections

Directions

1. Let orange sections dry at room temperature for an hour or two.

Orange Sections Drying

2.  Place sugar, water and ginger in saucepan and cook to the soft ball stage (235F).

2.  Dip orange sections (carefully, syrup is hot) into syrup.

Dip Orange Sections

3.  Let dry until cool.

4.  Eat immediately or store in refrigerator.

The flavors of ginger and orange are magical together—and the whole process was very easy.  My dipping and drying techniques definitely need work… and I will be experimenting with taking the glaze up to the hard ball stage when next year’s bounty arrives.    These were devoured in under an hour (some while still warm)—mission accomplished!

For an interesting discussion about cooking stages in candy making see:  http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/candy/sugar-stages.html

Not just any wine, but the white from my father’s funeral.  At the end of the bittersweet evening, hugs were exchanged and goodbyes said.  Wine under one arm, flowers under the other, I made my way into the winter night.

The flowers lasted nearly two weeks.  Since I am more of a red wine drinker, the wine held on into summer.  Open but refrigerated, I wondered if it would turn (become vinegar).  But I was not throwing it away.

Around that time I finished off a bottle of white wine vinegar and the idea hit.  Why not “turn” the wine myself.

And so my first homemade vinegar was born.  My father was a serious food lover and I like to think he would have approved.

Safety note:  You should not use homemade vinegar to make pickles or other preserved foods because the acid levels may not be high enough to preserve safely.  But they are awesome in salad dressings!

Homemade Vinegar

.

1.  Put about a bottle of wine into a large clean jar.  I use a gallon jar “sterilized” in the dishwasher.

Pour Wine Into Jar

Notes:   Some people recommending diluting wine with (non-chlorinated) water on the theory that the alcohol can kill or slow down the vinegar-producing bacteria; others feel that diluting can negatively impact the flavor.  I do not dilute when I make it.  Some people like to use a jar with a spigot so they can dispense right from the bottle. Since I already have lots of gallon jars (that I use for everything),  I decided to be efficient (and lazy and cheap) and use these.

2.  Add about 1/2 cup of Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar (this contains the active bacteria that produce vinegar—kind of like yogurt) or a chunk of “mother” if you have it.  The “mother” is a gelatinous mass that forms during the creation of vinegar which can be used to start new vinegar since it also contains the needed bacteria (more on this below).

Add "Live" Vinegar or "Mother" (Mother in Cider Here)

Notes:  When I use vinegar, I like to use the cloudier bottom part of the bottle on the theory it may contain more of the vinegar producing bacteria–but I have no idea if this is valid or not.  Some people say you need to use a mother that is specific to your base (red wine, white wine, cider), but with my focus on easy preparation, this just sounds too hard (and unnecessary).

3.  Cover jar with a cloth and secure tightly (dish towel and rubber band work great), then put in a warm dark place to “process”.  A temperature that is warm but not hot is ideal, though in winter our house goes down to 58 at night and never above 68 and I still get vinegar.

4.  Check periodically.  After a few weeks, your vinegar will develop a “mother,” a slimy gel that sits on the surface.  The “mother” is not pretty but this means it is working!  If you grow mold (I have never grown mold on wine but have on cider), toss the mixture, sterilize your jar and start over.

Vinegar "Mother"

Notes:  If you jostle the vinegar too much, the “mother” will slide to the bottom and a new “mother” will form on top.  I try to avoid this because it seems to reduce the amount of vinegar produced.

5.  After a few months, you will have vinegar—the smell will give it away!  I strain it though a mesh strainer, though cheesecloth or a coffee filter are other good choices to minimize sediment.  You can use part of the mother to start a new batch (I composted the rest).

Strain Vinegar to Remove Mother (and Sediment)

6.  Store finished vinegar in the refrigerator to reduce the activity of the bacteria.

Completed Vinegar

Note:  Even the strained, refrigerated vinegar may continue to produce a new mother.  I like the idea that I am getting the “live” product, but if this becomes annoying, the vinegar can be heated to kill the bacteria and the mother should stop forming.  (Just don’t try to use pasteurized vinegar to begin a new batch.)

—–

Since my first vinegar success, it has become a habit.  Get a bottle of wine that is less than stellar, make vinegar.  Too many bottles opened for a party, make some more.  Red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar… and hopefully the cider will work this time!

A nice winter project …  If you can’t grow veggies, make vinegar!

Sloppy Chuck Sandwich

Everyone can use a little help in the kitchen.  In a pinch, even an Earth Mom like me may resort to those little packets of various-food-helper mix.  But every time I buy one, I wince at the price, especially if the main ingredient is salt or flour.  And don’t even mention the chemical ingredients I can’t pronounce, much less identify.

Now ask anyone their biggest challenge is to eating local and natural and they will tell you two things.  First there is the time you spend cooking during the height of the growing season (the bountiful fall!), and second… what do you do with the items in your “package”(the CSA box or order of meat) that you aren’t crazy about?

Chuck Roast has always been my meat challenge.  When the new quarter of beef arrives and last year’s chuck roasts are still uneaten in the deep freeze, I know it’s an issue.  Last weekend I discovered a new sandwich recipe, adapted from Family Circle, that is destined to be a new favorite.  Wow—easy and delicious and uses a chuck roast–two problems solved in a single recipe!

Sloppy Chuck Sandwiches

Ingredients

• 1 chuck roast (preferably organic grass-fed)
• 1 t paprika
• 1 t salt
• 1/2 t pepper
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 qt tomatoes (home canned the prior summer)
• 1 c chicken broth (made from roast chicken scraps)
• 1/4 c apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 c brown sugar

Directions

1.  Place roast in slow cooker, then sprinkle with paprika, salt & pepper.

Season with Paprika, Salt & Pepper

2.  Combine sugar with vinegar and stir until partly dissolved.  Pour over roast.  Add remaining ingredients to the slow cooker.

Cover with Remaining Ingredients

3.  Cover and cook on high for 6 hours or low for 9 hours, until the roast is falling apart tender and the sauce is thickened.

Cook Until Tender & Sauce is Thickened

4. Remove roast, cool slightly.  Shred meat, discarding fat and bone.  (Check carefully for small pieces of bone.)

5.  Smash up any large pieces of tomato in the sauce.  Return shredded meat to the sauce.  Serve warm on toasted buns.

We decided this was kind of like a natural Sloppy Joe, so we decided to call it a Sloppy Chuck.  The kids declared that this was tastier than regular Pot Roast, though they missed the potatoes.

If only they’d admit liking potatoes on days I serve them…

Velvet Carrot and Ginger Soup

At last!  The snow is flying and a nip is in the air.  Whether you are a winter lover, or you can’t wait for spring, there is nothing like a hot bowl of soup to warm you.

Every winter, I have lots of carrots left from summer’s CSA, and this recipe for Velvet Carrot & Ginger Soup is the perfect answer.  In fact, it is so popular in our house that I now buy my candied ginger in 1 pound bulk bags!  Originally from from Joanna Pruess’s “Soup for Every Body”, I reduced the butter and simplified processing.

Soup Ingredients

Velvet Carrot and Ginger Soup

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoons butter
• 1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1/2 cup chopped shallots
• 1/4 cup candied ginger
• 3 tablespoons uncooked brown rice
• 3-4 cups chicken or vegetable stock (I used about 4)
• 3 tablespoons snipped fresh chives for garnish (optional)

Directions

1.  Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the chopped shallots and cook until soft but not brown.

Chop Shallots

2.  Add remaining ingredient, bring to a boil and cook until rice and carrots are tender, about 25 to 30 minutes.

Add Remaining Ingredients

3.  Puree the soup in pot with a stick blender or in a blender, adding additional broth if needed.  Ladle into soup bowls and serve—garnished with chives if you have them.

Puree Soup

Makes 4 servings.

Tip:  a friend of mine wanted to make this but didn’t have the candied ginger.  She substituted powdered ginger and a little sugar and said she couldn’t tell the difference.

With a basement full of squash and beets, brussels sprouts and cabbage–a bounty stored from last fall’s CSA harvest–this is truly a good thing.  Even better, my mother dropped off a stack of magazines where the recipe hunting was fine.  My first foray, Thai Butternut Squash Soup from Family Circle Magazine was a success.  Although it contains coconut milk, and I admit to using the full fat version, it is far healthier than ice cream pie–and nearly as tasty.  My youngest, who won’t touch winter squash, ate a full bowl (oh dear… did I leave out the word “squash” when I gave her the soup’s name?). Here is my slightly simplified version:

Thai Curry Squash Soup

Ingredients

• 1 large butternut squash
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp Thai Red Curry paste
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 14 oz can unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 lime (for juice and zest)
• Toasted coconut for garnish (optional)

1. Bake squash until tender.  Scoop out the flesh and reserve.

2.  Heat the oil over medium heat and sautee the onion, ginger and garlic until softened but not brown. Add the curry paste and cook for a few more minutes.

Sautee onion & garlic, then add curry paste

3.    Stir in the chicken broth, coconut milk, salt, squash. Heat until warm.  Stir in the lime juice.

Soup Cooking

4. Puree soup with a hand mixer or in a blender.  Serve garnished with toasted coconut and/or lime zest (optional).

Tips:

• Plan ahead to find the red curry paste; it took me three stores.
• Keep ginger root in the freezer so you have it handy for recipes, stir fries and even tea.  It keeps beautifully and adds a lot more flavor than powdered.

And if you have a favorite, post-holiday diet tip, feel free to share in the comments!

I made an interesting discovery last Thanksgiving.  You can bake the most beautiful pies in the world and the kids will go for the ice cream–the “a la mode”, sans pie.  I can still see the delighted small bodies bent over the gallon tub, digging up scoops, followed by mock battles over the spray whipped cream.

What put this over the top is the chocolate syrup that my sister in law pulled out of her cupboard.  Sundaes!

Although it is admittedly not prime Sundae weather in most of the country, chocolate syrup has many uses.  Add it to milk for instant chocolate milk or hot chocolate, transform your coffee into a mocha latte, or use it in your homemade Irish Cream (more on this later).   And one of my favorites, fill a store-bought Oreo pie crust with mocha chip ice cream, then drizzle with chocolate, for an elegant dessert that is almost no work, but a guaranteed show stopper!

On the downside commercial chocolate syrup usually contains high fructose corn syrup and isn’t a bargain priced item even if you skip the organic.  And my kids can go through a bottle in… about 30 seconds.

So I decided to make my own with organic cocoa and real (organic) sugar.   Mmmm…  an indulgence you can actually feel good about. The kids are going to have fun tonight!

Homemade Chocolate Syrup

Ingredients

• 1 c water
• 1 1/2 c sugar
• 1 c cocoa
• 1 t vanilla

Directions

1.  Mix sugar and cocoa.

Mix Cocoa & Sugar

2.  Add water and bring to a boil,  pressing out any lumps with the back of a spoon.  Boil for a couple minutes.  Add vanilla.

Boil Syrup for a Couple Minutes

3.  Cool and store in refrigerator.

Homemade Chocolate Syrup

What are some of your favorite uses for chocolate syrup?

Hot Buttered Rum

There is a soft spot in my heart for hot toddies, the classic winter beverage that blends sweet, smooth and soothing in a single warm gulp.  When winter freezes your breath and numbs your toes, it is only right to defrost by a fire, then get warm on the inside too. On New Year’s Eve the spirit is strong.

It began in college, when my whole family took up skiing.  I preferred toe shoes to mountain tops and opted for a Christmas gift of a dance supplies instead of skis.  And anyway, my ballet teacher would faint to think of his dancers schussing (falling, breaking bones) down  the slopes.

We had a vacation cabin across from a local ski hill (picture north woods A-frame not grand mountain lodge) and I would watch my father, in his trademark orange cap, gliding down the hill.  When the runs stopped that was my cue—over to the lodge for drinks.

I’d sit at the bar, where the fire was warm and conversation jovial.  And here I learned the delights of spiked hot cocoas and hot buttered rums.

My cousin provided the following recipe one year at the family Christmas party.  I did the math and cut it down (it still makes about a quart) to avoid having leftovers when spring brings a different magic to the world.

Hot Buttered Rum

Batter

• 1 c brown sugar
• 1 c powdered sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground cloves
• 2 sticks butter, softened or melted
• 1 pint premium vanilla ice cream, softened

Drink

• Batter
• Rum (ideally spiced rum)
• Boiling Water
• Nutmeg (optional)

To make batter:

1.  Mix sugar, cinnamon and cloves until well combined.

Combine Sugars and Spices

2.  Cream butter with sugar mixture until smooth

3.  Mix in softened ice cream.  Batter will be a bit lumpy.  Store in freezer.

Hot Buttered Rum Batter

To make a drink:  Add a shot of rum along with a heaping tablespoon of batter to a mug.  Top with boiling water.  Stir until combined and top with nutmeg (optional).

Top Rum and Batter with Boiling Water

Enjoy!

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