Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Cranberry Chicken Meatballs with Cranberry Gravy

Cranberries, sage, and red onion flavor ground chicken in meatballs served with cranberry gravy

Cranberry Chicken Meatballs with Cranberry Gravy | Farm Fresh Feasts

My spouse used to buy CDs and books based on the covers (you know, in the days pre-online shopping, when you'd physically scan the shelves and pick up what caught your eye).  He discovered Willy Porter's Dog Eared Dream (Amazon affiliate link) that way (cute dog on the cover).  He also found a cooking with fruit cookbook (which, sadly, has been lost in the many moves).  I always intended to use that book to add more fruit to savory dishes, but it never really caught on with me.

I have a taste memory of a wonderful chicken schnitzel melba (chicken, peaches, brown gravy) from Restaurant Paltzer in Spangdahlem, Germany that is my Gold Standard for a savory, fruit-and-meat entree.  I'm still working on the recipe for that (though my German coworker is helping!), but since it's getting on to cranberry season and I'm all about eating with the seasons (or putting up produce while it is in season to eat later) I'll share these cranberry chicken meatballs.

Even though I tend to stock a lot of local ground beef in my freezer, I am not immune to a good deal on ground chicken at the grocery store.  I had chopped cranberries (from these muffins) and some red onions and sage from the farm share.  The family was pretty pleased at the thought of chicken and noodles for dinner.  Perhaps they were happy about a pink meal that didn't contain beets. Even though I had 2 burners and the oven going, this meal wasn't that much plate-spinning effort.  I threw the meatballs together and chucked them into the oven, freeing up my hands to make the gravy while the noodles and meatballs were doing their own thing.

Monday, October 28, 2013

Mini Cranberry Yogurt Oatmeal Muffins

A pretty little lightly sweet muffin with cranberries, Greek yogurt-soaked oats, and a candy topper.

Mini Cranberry Yogurt Oatmeal Muffins | Farm Fresh Feasts
Note:  I am so glad to have the seasons change--I've been sitting like a swan* a bunch of recipes (because, you know, our family likes to eat each day) that were not really seasonal for posting on the blog at the time I made them.  I mean, who wants to read about cranberries in March?  I'm glad to share them now, and to give you ideas for what to do with your cranberries.  And yes, currently I'm cooking stuff that uses the last of the summer produce so I'll be sharing it next summer.  I'm starting my own personal NaBloWriMo where I plan to write up blog posts as many days as possible in order to deal with the pile of recipes and head notes that clutter my work space.  With breaks for eating muffins, pizza, and beets, of course.  Yes, I am nesting. ;)
I buy cranberries when they are in season and inexpensive, then I store them in my fruit and veg freezer (not to be confused with the meat freezer) until I'm wanting some fruit for a muffin and open the freezer up, scan the contents, and think 'well, why not cranberry muffins?'  That was an entirely run on sentence.  I see where my son gets it from.  I was thinking about my usual Soaked Oat muffins, but was out of buttermilk--though I did have a bucket of plain Greek yogurt.

A quick check of my muffin bible, Muffins: A Cookbook (Amazon affiliate link) reassured me that it was possible to use yogurt in muffin batter, and in fact their recipe for Cranberry Yogurt muffins is very slightly adapted here.  I didn't use the entire bag of cranberries in this recipe, but don't go on a rant about it like I did, instead come on back next time, because I will share the Cranberry Chicken Meatballs with Cranberry Gravy I made using the rest of the cranberries I'd chopped.

Another Note:  I made these to serve as an after school snack to a bunch of girls (who came over to unplug my fruit and veg freezer work on a school project).  I was concerned that the cranberries would be too tart, so I added a candy melt for a hit of sweetness when you popped the muffin in your mouth, and made them mini because they looked cuter (sort of like wee Oliver, our new-to-us wiener dog).  If you don't have or don't want to use candy melts, please feel free to bump up the brown sugar to 1/2 or 3/4 cup if you're concerned about the tart vs sweet level.

Friday, October 25, 2013

Beef and Cheddar on Pumpkin Pizza Dough

A hearty pizza of roast beef, mixed with barbecue sauce and topped with cheddar, on a roasted pumpkin pizza crust

I realized that despite the large amount of cow in the freezer, I rarely share very meaty pizzas.
I think it stems from a desire to Use All The Vegetables from the farm share, plus a desire to decrease the amount of meat per serving, but regardless of the desire, the end result is that we rarely eat a (homemade, at least) very meaty pizza.
This is a very meaty pizza.  I had leftover shredded beef (Sarah at Imperfect Kitchen's Perfect Pot Roast sounds like a good way to have some leftover shredded beef) as well as a pumpkin pizza crust, and I wanted the opposite of the Pumpkin and Black Bean pizza I shared last week.

BBQ Beef and Cheddar on Pumpkin Pizza Dough | Farm Fresh Feasts

It worked--this is nothing like that pizza, though if you gave me a slice of each I'd eat them both real fast.  I'd finish with this one, though, because the BBQ beef and cheddar flavors want to linger on my tongue.  [I like my last bites of a plate of food to be my favorite ones.  Strange, I know.]

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Potato, Beet, and Leek Soup (And How To Make Vegetable Stock)

A thick vegan or vegetarian or omnivorous soup of potatoes, beets and leeks

Potato, Beet, and Leek Soup (And How To Make Vegetable Stock) | Farm Fresh Feasts



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My spouse is a vegetarian, at least while he's away on his all-expense paid work trip to an exotic foreign locale.  If you think it's ironic, considering I just shared a post on 106 Recipe Ideas Using Ground Beef because I have 110 pounds of ground beef in the freezer, you're in good company.

Since the rest of the household is omnivorous, I've been experimenting with ways to create meals we can all enjoy.
I've heard homeschoolers will use the Bus Stop Method of teaching--introducing a subject, then dropping off students to work at different levels while continuing to teach that subject.  I consider recipes like this, and my Vegan/Vegetarian/Omnivorous Valentine's Pizza and my Acorn Squash, Beet, and Sweet Potato Chili, to be similar to the Bus Stop Teaching.  Call it Bus Stop Cooking (though bear in mind I am cooking in my kitchen, not at a bus stop, and I have access to running water, an oven, stove, and all that).
 The base of this recipe is a vegetable stock, slowly cooked in the slow cooker (is that redundant?) all day (and in fact I kicked this batch over to Keep Warm and let it go overnight since I didn't feel like dealing with it in the evening).  I like mushrooms in my vegetable stock, so when I realize that I'm not going to finish a package I'll toss them in with the rest of the cast of vegetables into a Vegetarian Soup Pack in the freezer.

The inspiration for this soup came from Alanna's Greens 'n All Beet Soup.  I love the flavor of that soup, but my kids aren't crazy about chunks of vegetables, and lately with my obsession with sautéed beet greens there just wasn't any left for soup.  So I figured I'd adapt Alanna's recipe with the veggies I had.  Once I simmered and pureed the soup, I had a rick, thick, vegan bowl of yumminess (shown above).  That's Bus Stop #1.  Adding a dollop (love that word) of sour cream makes a nice vegetarian bowl (shown below left).  Bus Stop #2.  Adding a pound of browned and drained ground beef to the pot means that we've arrived at the final destination--a soup for omnivores [aka another way to get my kids to eat beets.  With beef.]

Potato, Beet, and Leek Soup (And How To Make Vegetable Stock) | Farm Fresh Feasts

I don't know if my spouse will continue as a vegetarian when he returns.  He says he'll eat "happy meat", so I've sourced a "locally-raised on locally-grown and -ground GMO free feed" turkey for Thanksgiving.  I do know that I will continue this Bus Stop Cooking method, because it tastes good!

Monday, October 21, 2013

106 Recipe Ideas Using Ground Beef

When 110 pounds of ground beef arrives in your freezer, you experience a variety of emotions.  When it appears just days after you'd donated 55 pounds of ground beef to the Foodbank to make room for the new beef . . . well, let's just say that the need for new ground beef recipe ideas becomes imperative.

Why do I have so much ground beef in my freezer?  Simply put, I like to know about where my food is coming from, and in addition to eating from our CSA farm share, I like to get meat and eggs locally as well.  If you'd like to purchase beef local to where you live, check out the upper left corner for the Local Harvest options in your area.  If you live in the Seattle, WA area check out Farmstr where you can connect directly with food producers.  I've got a NOTE below, more about the beef in my freezer, but I don't wish to offend anyone's tender sensibilities so I first I will share the following wonderful recipe ideas shared by a variety of food bloggers who answered my plea for ground beef recipes.

I broke this list into 9 groups, but you'll find there are some posts that could fit in multiple groups.  Kim from Cravings of a Lunatic's Lasagna Soup is one of them, as it fits in both the Lasagna category and the Soup/Chili/Slow Cooker category.  Wendy of Around My Family Table's Slow Cooker Taco Meat is another one, fitting into both the Taco/Nacho category and the Slow Cooker/Chili/Soup category.  Chanie of Busy In Brooklyn's Spaghetti Squash Bolognese . . . I could go on!  Just like my Visual Recipe Index, where I break up categories by vegetables above or under the ground, know that my mind is an interesting place and the categories seemed good at the time, or made better-sized collages.

Ground Beef in Lasagna


106 Recipe Ideas Using Ground Beef | Farm Fresh Feasts
Links below are shown in this collage Left to Right, Top to Bottom
Lasagna Soup from Cravings of a Lunatic
Easy Spicy Lasagna from Cravings of a Lunatic
Easy One Skillet Lasagna from I Heart Eating
Spicy Tortilla Lasagna from The Kitchen Is My Playground
Easy Italian Lasagna by Modern Christian Homemaker
Quadruple Roasted Vegetable Mock Florentine Mock Lasagna by me!


Ground Beef Stuffed into Things


106 Recipe Ideas Using Ground Beef | Farm Fresh Feasts
Links below are shown in this collage Left to Right, Top to Bottom, plus a couple of mine that didn't fit
Meat & Rice Stuffed Baby Eggplants from Busy in Brooklyn
Baked Spaghetti and Spaghetti Squash with Optional Ground Beef from Kitchen Treaty
Chipotle Stuffed Zucchini Boats from Nutmeg Nanny
Spaghetti Squash Bolognese from Busy in Brooklyn
Pepper Potts' Stuffed Peppers from Mom on Time Out
Paleo Stuffed Eggplant (With Ground Beef) from Everyday Maven
Millet and Dukkah Stuffed Squash from This American Bite
Stuffed Peppers with Beef and Bulgur Wheat from The Lemon Bowl
Tomato and Capsicum Beef Mince Farcie with Polenta from Masala Herb
Lebanese Stuffed Cabbage Rolls from The Lemon Bowl
The Best Beef Samosas from Rock Recipes
Stuffed Breakfast Biscuits from Around My Family Table
Basic Farm Fresh Feasts-a-boli from me!
Beef, Mushroom, and Fresh Tomato FFF-a-boli from me!


Ground Beef in Sauce


106 Recipe Ideas Using Ground Beef | Farm Fresh Feasts
Links below are shown in this collage Left to Right, Top to Bottom, plus one of mine that didn't fit
Bolognese Sauce from Cravings of a Lunatic
Easy Korean Beef over Rice from Juanita's Cocina
Beef and Broccoli Alfredo from Blueberries and Blessings
Korean Beef and Broccoli from Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
Spaghetti with Meat Sauce from Crumb Blog
Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes from Blueberries and Blessings

Ground Beef in Pie

106 Recipe Ideas Using Ground Beef | Farm Fresh Feasts
Links below are shown in this collage Left to Right, Top to Bottom
Tamale Pie from The Kitchen Is My Playground
Shepherd's Pie from Karen's Kitchen Stories
Frito Pie from girlichef
Shepherd's Pie from Persnickety Plates
Chili Corn Chip Pie from Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
Sweet Potato Shepard's Pie from This American Bite
Pasties from me!

Ground Beef in Mexican Dishes

106 Recipe Ideas Using Ground Beef | Farm Fresh Feasts
Links below are shown in this collage Left to Right, Top to Bottom, plus one of mine that didn't fit
Smothered Burritos by Nutmeg Nanny
Molly's Beef Enchiladas by Persnickety Plates
Grilled Game Day Nachos by Supper for a Steal
Tostada Dip by Modern Christian Homemaker
Frito Olé by Home Cooking Memories
Baked Flautas by Home Cooking Memories
Taco Salad in a Bag by Like Mother Like Daughter
Dutch Oven Beef Enchilada Casserole by Like Mother Like Daughter
Beef and Vegetable Enchiladas by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
Low Fat Taco Salad by Rock Recipes
Gorditas with Picadillo by Juanita's Cocina
Beef Taco Lettuce Wraps by Everyday Maven
Cheesy Ground Beef Taquitos by Miss in the Kitchen
Taco Salad with Salsa Ranch Dressing by Miss in the Kitchen
Garlic Beef Enchiladas by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
Taco Farro by me!

Ground Beef in Meatballs and Meatloaf

106 Recipe Ideas Using Ground Beef | Farm Fresh Feasts
Links below are shown in this collage Left to Right, Top to Bottom, plus one of mine that didn't fit
Kosher Swedish Meatballs by This American Bite
Cranberry Cocktail Meatballs by Supper for a Steal
Greek Meatballs (Soutzoukakia) by Supper for a Steal
Paleo Pesto Meatballs by Everyday Maven
Mini Parmesan Meatloaf by Modern Christian Homemaker
Holiday Traditions Swedish Meatballs by me! (ok, technically my folks')

Ground Beef in the Slow Cooker, in Soups, and in Chili

106 Recipe Ideas Using Ground Beef | Farm Fresh Feasts
Links below are shown in this collage Left to Right, Top to Bottom, plus a few of mine that didn't fit
Zesty Hamburger Soup by Cravings of a Lunatic
Slow Cooker Taco Meat by Around My Family Table
Slow Cooker Meatloaf by The Kitchen Is My Playground
Slow Cooker Chili by diethood
Chili Con Carne by This American Bite
Bill's Chili by Cupcakes and Kale Chips

Ground Beef in Casseroles

106 Recipe Ideas Using Ground Beef | Farm Fresh Feasts
Links below are shown in this collage Left to Right, Top to Bottom
Beef and Wild Rice Bake from Miss in the Kitchen
Hamburger Stroganoff by Julie's Eats & Treats
Hamburger Wild Rice Casserole by Julie's Eats & Treats
French Fry Hot Dish by Julie's Eats & Treats
Sloppy Joe Under a Bun Casserole by Julie's Eats & Treats
Cheeseburger Macaroni by Around My Family Table
Beef and Potato Skillet Supper by Cupcakes and Kale Chips

Ground Beef in Burgers

106 Recipe Ideas Using Ground Beef | Farm Fresh Feasts
Links below are shown in this collage Left to Right, Top to Bottom, plus one of mine that didn't fit
Bacon Cheeseburger Stuffed Mushrooms by Miss in the Kitchen
Sloppy Burger Grilled Cheese by Snappy Gourmet
Herbed Half & Half Burgers by Everyday Maven
Truffle Salt Burgers by Everyday Maven
Teriyaki Burger by Juanita's Cocina
Skillet Blue Cheese Burgers by Vintage Kitchen Notes
Cooking 101 Homemade Hamburgers by Around My Family Table
Green Chile Cheese Burgers by Modern Christian Homemaker
Korean BBQ-Style Asian Burger by The Culinary Life
Worcestershire Blue Cheese Volcano Burgers by Cupcakes and Kale Chips
Brie and Caramelized Onion Stuffed Burgers by All Day I Dream About Food
Sweet Pepper Burgers by Busy in Brooklyn
Chili Beef Sliders by What's Cookin' Chicago

NOTE:  The steer in my freezer that will feed my family for the next year had a name.  It is not my intention to offend any tender sensibilities by sharing more about him.  It is my intention to know more about the food I feed my family.  If you don't want to learn more about the steer, please skip over the next paragraph.  I indented and italicized it too, to make it easier if you wish to avoid.  Join us after the photo for some final thoughts.
The steer below was born on a dairy farm in western Ohio.  There's not much use for boy calves on dairy farms--yes, technically he was a bull calf--so he was given to my neighbor's friend's wife because she used to work on the dairy farm.  My neighbor's friend and his family allow their steers (that's a neutered male, BTW) to free range on 13 acres of grass and shelter under the barn.  The kids named this steer Butch, and regularly fed him and his buddies dandelions.  My neighbor's friend built an earthen ramp to minimize the stress of loading the animals into his trailer for the short trip to the butcher shop.  The butcher shop is known for not stressing the animals and only processes 2 animals a day.  Butch was dry aged for a couple of weeks before cutting and packaging.  We got a quarter of Butch (don't ask which quarter, as I've got both his tongue and his tail).  As I don't cook large amounts of meat at one time, I prefer getting smaller one pound packages of ground beef in lieu of roasts.  Why did I have so much ground beef left over from the previous animal?  Apparently I'm pretty good at stretching meat.  
106 Recipe Ideas Using Ground Beef | Farm Fresh Feasts

I've thoroughly enjoyed working on this recipe round up.  So much so that I'm planning another one for what to do with the Band Fruit Fundraiser citrus that will fill up my crisper in a few months!  Any ideas for future recipe round ups, (25 uses for kohlrabi?  17 ways to love beets?) please leave 'em in the comments.  Thanks!

This post is shared on the Clever Chicks Blog Hop, Week In Review, Tasty Tuesdays  Wednesday Fresh Foods Link Up and What's Cookin' WednesdayFrom The Farm Blog Hop,

Friday, October 18, 2013

Pumpkin and Black Bean Pizza on Roasted Pumpkin Dough

A hearty vegetarian pizza with pumpkin, black bean, and maple topping on a roasted pumpkin dough

Pumpkin and Black Bean Pizza on Roasted Pumpkin Dough | Farm Fresh Feasts

Once you've shredded butternut squash and made pizza dough out of it, or roasted sweet potato and made pizza dough out of it, or steamed spinach and  made a pizza dough out of it, pumpkin pizza dough is not much of a stretch.
Roasted beet pizza dough?  A stretch.  A vibrantly-colored-yet-amazingly-found-in-nature stretch.  And a tasty one, to boot.  Where was I?  Right, roasted pumpkin in a pizza dough.
With this non-stretch of a pizza dough, I wanted to go a bit wild with a meatless topping.  I'd read Aimée's account of tapping her maple trees and making syrup (I love the photo of her daughter 'nursing' on the tree) so I was primed to include maple syrup in the mix.  The black beans and pumpkin flowed from there.  This is a hearty, filling, cold weather pizza that left my belly quite satisfied.  The kids proclaimed it "strange" but finished their pieces anyway.  I used too much filling in my pizza, above, and I have adjusted the amounts below accordingly.  This filling is quite tasty, and would be tasty in a rolled pizza, folded into puff pastry, or in a quesadilla as well as this pizza.

We have Friday Night Pizza Nights around here, but if you do Meatless Monday this recipe lends itself to weekend prep/weeknight cooking.  Fix the dough and topping on the weekend.  Have the kids take the dough out of the fridge when they get home from school (or tuck it with your lunch at work and take it out--put it by your house keys--an hour before you're due to leave work).  In the time it takes to preheat the oven you can stretch the dough and spread the toppings.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Squash, Mustard Greens, and Chick Pea Curry (Fast From The Farm Share)

A quick vegetarian stew of sautéed zucchini and yellow squash with mustard greens and chick peas in a prepared masala sauce.  Bring the farm share home and have supper on the table quickly.

For other recipes using Mustard Greens, please see my Mustard Greens Recipes Collection. For other recipes using Cooking Greens, please see my Recipes for Cooked Greens Collection. For other recipes using Summer Squash, please see my Summer Squash Recipes Collection
These collections are part of the Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient, a resource for folks like me eating from the farm share. For other Greens recipe ideas from around the web, please follow my Greens board on Pinterest.

Squash, Mustard Greens, and Chick Pea Masala Stew (Fast From The Farm Share)

I've categorized fast recipes on this site as Quick Takes, and before I discovered some wonderful Wednesday link ups I used to post fast recipes on Thursdays, because Thursday is one of the days that I'm running kids around right up until suppertime.
However, I've been kicking around the phrase "Fast from the Farm Share" in my head for a while, so I'm going to share an occasional series of recipes that can get on the table quickly using ingredients from the CSA farm share (or your garden, or the farmer's market, or grocery store).

You'll notice I'm relying on a prepared sauce for this stew.  Sure, I can make my own masala (with chicken and chick peas here, or with patty pan squash and ground beef here, or with sweet potato, chicken, and chick pea here) but those are slow cooker recipes which don't fit with the fast theme.

This recipe is for those nights when you've got fresh vegetables that you need to eat and no time/desire to think about what to do with them or make some elaborate concoction.  It comes together quickly (cooking the rice takes longest, so if you've got the option, I'd set up the rice cooker before work, or have a kid start the rice cooker after school, or buy precooked rice) and tastes wonderful. And my kids snarfed up the mustard greens very quickly this way (magical naan, that is) so that's a win in my book.

Monday, October 14, 2013

Mac and Cheese in a Pumpkin from MELT

Creamy macaroni and cheese with bits of Italian sausage baked in a pie pumpkin from the new cookbook MELT:  The Art of Macaroni and Cheese by Stephanie Stiavetti and Garrett McCord

Mac and Cheese in a Pumpkin from MELT

I'm going to talk about this recipe first, then the cookbook where I got it.  Before I get too wordy, some notes:
MELT will be on sale on 22 October 2013.  You can preorder a copy from a variety of vendors, check here for a list of links (link to meltmacaroni.com website).
If you preorder a copy, or even if you don't, you can participate in a $500 Le Creuset cookware giveaway!  Click here for details on the giveaway (link to meltmacaroni.com website). 
I received a review copy* of MELT and chose to post my experience making this recipe from the book because it's tasty and uses seasonal vegetables from my CSA farm share.  I am not involved in the cookware giveaway (just passing the info along to you), I do not benefit from the links posted above, nor was I compensated for this post.  I do get to keep the cookbook, though, which rocks.
Mac and Cheese in a Pumpkin from MELT

What's all the fuss about baking in pumpkins? 

When I see photos of things baked in pumpkins I tend to think it's a gimmick, more for the presentation aspect than the actual taste.  I mean, how often do you see photos of the food actually being served? [Yeah, I went there.  Seems only sporting to share reality.]  As it turns out, while the mac and cheese in this recipe is delicious, it's even better baked inside the pumpkin!  How do I know this?  The recipe calls for a 5 pound pumpkin and the largest one I'd gotten from my farm share was only 2 pounds.  So I baked the rest of the mac and cheese in a pretty Polish pottery bowl alongside the pumpkin.  The pumpkin adds a creamy sweet vegetable base to the mac and cheese which is truly amazing.

What if I don't have access to little pumpkins?

Since I've lived around the world where seasonal, traditional American plant items are pretty pricey (I'm talking pumpkins and Christmas trees) I've given this situation a bit of thought.  I would suggest using a can of pumpkin puree (not the pie filling, just the puree) and spreading a layer of canned pumpkin along the bottom and up the sides of a 2-3 quart casserole dish, then adding the filling, covering, and baking as directed below.  No access to canned pumpkin?  Roast whatever winter squash is local to you, and spread that inside a casserole dish, cover and bake.

Friday, October 11, 2013

Kalua Pig Pizza with Chinese Cabbage (Pizza Night!)

Slow cooked Kalua pig with sauteed Chinese cabbage and caramelized onions on a pizza.  Serve with pineapple on the side and have a real Hawaiian pizza.

Kalua Pig Pizza with Chinese Cabbage (Pizza Night!)

When I saw Marlene's and Dorothy's Slow Cooker Kalua Pork posts within days of each other, I knew it was the sign I needed to share this pizza.

Here's how I make my Kalua Pig in a slow cooker!


See, Kalua Pig is an ono grind, but unless you're hosting a luau you're going to have leftovers.  Lots of them.  Normally I pack up multiple bags of Pig to freeze, with a little pan juice, so that we enjoy the Island flavors many times over several months.  We'll eat our first meal with sautéed cabbage, "2 scoop" rice, and fresh pineapple.  Then I get to play with the rest.  I stick to the cabbage and pineapple sides, though, because Kalua Pig and cabbage is like PB&J to our family.  They just go together.  

Kalua Pig Pizza with Chinese Cabbage (Pizza Night!)

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Stupefyingly Simple Chicken, Rice, and Butternut Squash Soup

Stupefyingly Simple Chicken, Rice, and Butternut Squash Soup

One taste of this soup, and you too will be stupefied.  And your body slammed with enough beta carotene to . . . . well to do something astounding.  Maybe even run or something crazy.

For me, making soup is not a quick or easy thing.  I think it's a Production.  I have my Soup Packs.  There's lots of chopping involved.  I plan to spend hours over my pretty purple pot.  And I generally end up with something good that my family eats happily the first time but the soup leftovers don't usually get fought over like other things.

The day I made this, I had 2 kids home sick with colds, and I was busy with baking.  I didn't have time to devote to soup, but I thought the kids would benefit from a warm bowl for lunch.  The oven was on anyway, so I selected a small butternut squash from the Strategic Winter Squash Reserve in the corner of the breakfast nook, split it, scooped out the guts, and roasted it upside down on a rimmed baking sheet with a cup of water for 45 minutes until it was tender.  That part was easy.  I kept going.

Since I wasn't Making A Production out of the soup, I grabbed a large saucepan, preheated oil in it over medium heat, and dropped in about half a cup of carrots and celery from a freezer bag of pre-chopped veggies.  After they had started to soften I tossed in some Onion Onion and minced garlic.  I also tossed in 4 bullion cubes because I didn't have any soup stock on hand.  After my electric kettle had come to a boil I added about 4-5 cups of water to the pan.  Then a can of chicken, half of a squash, and let it simmer gently until lunchtime (give it at least 30 minutes, could go up to 2 hrs).  When it was time to serve, I scooped out the remaining rice from the rice cooker (last night's dinner leftovers), added it to the pot, and dished up bowls of warm soup.

Stupefyingly easy and surprisingly tasty, especially given the utter lack of effort on my part.

Monday, October 7, 2013

Savory Butternut Squash Soaked Oat Muffins

As the weather turns colder and my farm share starts including butternut squashes, I tend to do one of two things:  I roast them or I pile them up in a cold corner of my breakfast nook to make my Strategic Winter Squash Reserve (link to my FB page photo of SWSR 2013).  With the roasted squash, I make different main dishes or side dishes.

Late last winter, however, when the Strategic Winter Squash Reserve was the only source of 'fresh' CSA farm share vegetables [still had stuff put up in the freezer and pantry], I got creative.  I shredded the squash.  Shredding a vegetable that you normally use in a mashed form gives you all sorts of options (like Chicken Saltimbocca).  I've revamped my Visual Recipe Index! For more ideas on what to do with your butternut squash, click here.

Savory Butternut Squash Soaked Oat Muffins | Farm Fresh Feasts


Since I'm crazy flexible enough to add vegetables to oatmeal and buttermilk and make muffins, I thought I'd throw a cup of shredded butternut squash in the bowl and see what happened.  The lovely thing about this soaked oat muffin recipe is that you toss the first few ingredients together, then have plenty of time to figure out just what you're going to make in the hour before you finish the muffin batter and start baking.  Plenty of time to dither between sweet and savory muffins.

In the end, I veered into the savory muffin direction (oh come on, the title of today's post gave it away). I had a bit of leftover dribs and drabs from a ham, and figured I'd chop them up and add them to the batter.  I added a bit of cornmeal for crunch, and a bit of thyme because I could, and honey in place of sugar for a hint of sweetness--not too much.   For a rather virtuous muffin (whole grain, no processed sugar) they are delicious.  Come see!

Friday, October 4, 2013

White Chicken Leek Pizza on Sweet Potato Crust

Chicken, leeks, and herbed cream cheese on a tender sweet potato pizza crust.

White Chicken Leek Pizza on Sweet Potato Crust | Farm Fresh Feasts

Changing it up again--recipe first, words later, because I'd like to share below how I store some crops from the garden and the CSA farm share.  One long term storage crop is sweet potatoes.  I've made pizza crusts from (links to my other recipes) shredded butternut squash, roasted or shredded beets, steamed spinach and steamed kale.  Why not sweet potato?  Just like the addition of sweet potato to biscuits results in a tender crumb, adding it to pizza crust results in a tender, flavorful crust.  I made a triple batch of dough and will share have shared my creations throughout this fall--including 2 delicious FFF-a-boli rolled pizzas, one for vegetarians and one for omnivores--created using ingredients that will be leftover after Thanksgiving. Everything is up on the Visual Pizza Recipe Index.
First up, a white chicken leek pizza (with a fresh tomato pesto & fontina option for vegetarians, photo below), since I got both sweet potatoes and leeks in last week's CSA farm share.

Fresh Tomato Pesto  on Sweet Potato Pizza Crust | Farm Fresh Feasts

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Special Dark Chocolate Pumpkin Coconut Bars


Special Dark Chocolate Pumpkin Coconut Bars
A tree, and Timon, during the 10 seconds of The Lion King where he's dressed in drag and doing the hula.

Necessity is the mother of invention.


As a mother, who has pulled more things out of her ear at the last minute invented a number of memorable meals based entirely on what's on hand in the fridge or pantry, I get this statement.  It doesn't apply only to food--you want to be a tree for Halloween?  They don't sell tree costumes in the store.  You need a Wilbur Wright costume for social studies tomorrow morning?  Which one is Wilbur anyway?*

The recipe I am posting today is one of those such inventions.  I'd roasted a pie pumpkin merely because I had some in the Strategic Winter Squash Reserve (don't rush to eat all your CSA winter squash--it will keep for a few months in a cool dry place) and I had the oven on already.  Truthfully, I tossed it in the oven after baking some muffins (that will be up in December, when you've got Band Fruit Fundraiser Citrus) and utterly forgot about it for a few hours.  I stuck the very-roasted pumpkin in the fridge until I could decide its fate--then fate stepped in, in the form of an email requesting parents bring a sweet treat for the band concert.

I had a cake mix, and I knew we always have success with Cake Mix Doctor® recipes, so I checked the Cake Mix Doctor® website and found this.  I hesitate to use peanut butter in anything for a school function, in case of allergies, so I swapped in my roasted pumpkin and made Chocolate Pumpkin Bars instead.  Actually, I made the pumpkin part, and I took photos of my tree sapling daughter making the rest.  Check it out!