Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Strawberry Lemon Bundt Cake

Fresh strawberries and lemon curd inside a jazzed up bundt cake, topped with strawberry jam.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/04/strawberry-lemon-bundt-cake.html

I'll say it straight up in case you're wondering--this dessert is inspired by Cake Mix Doctor recipes and starts with a box of cake mix. [Whew, I'm glad I got that off my chest]. While I routinely whip up muffins, waffles, cookies, pizza dough, bread and spaghetti sauces without opening a box (other than the baking soda box) I'm not there yet with cakes. I may never be. I'm happy with the results I get adding a few things to a box of cake mix, so for now I'll keep on doing it.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/04/strawberry-lemon-bundt-cake.html

Strawberry season is brief, and I want to make the most of the fresh berries while they last. Because I prefer the taste of local berries, I simply don't buy strawberries at the grocery store. I'll stock up like a squirrel at the farmer's market, but when my backyard patch and the markets are empty I'm done for the year. I wish I could spend my days dunking fresh berries in sour cream, then brown sugar, then popping them into my mouth--but sadly, I need to do other things as well. I put up local berries in jam, salsa (my cantina style recipe is here) and in bags in the freezer. We'll enjoy some fresh in treats, like my Strawberry Lemon Snack Cake and Strawberry Sour Cream Brown Sugar Muffins.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/04/strawberry-lemon-bundt-cake.html

This cake is another, more falutin', way to enjoy fresh strawberry flavors. It will work with frozen berries as well. It won't taste as good with a box of berries who have crossed multiple state lines to make their way to you. Have a piece of chocolate instead. 

For other recipes using strawberries, please see my Strawberry Recipes Collection, part of the Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient. For other Cake Mix Doctor-inspired recipes, please see my Triple Chip Zucchini Spice Cake. I pin fruit recipes to my Pinterest Fruit Board. Wanna know how to Use This Blog? Click here.

Monday, April 27, 2015

Beef Tongue Enchiladas aka Enchiladas de Lengua

Spiced beef tongue with salsa verde and sharp cheddar rolled up in corn tortillas, covered with more cheese, crema, and salsa verde.


Getting dinner on the table when the family has been away from home all day long can be a family affair. [The dogs are not real helpful in this instance. Keeping squirrels on their toes in the back yard? They're on it.] Usually I'm the one with the dinner plan, and I call in the troops for reinforcement when I need help.


We like music while we work, so my spouse set up speakers in the kitchen that chat wirelessly with our computer. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the speakers are sick of my son putting his ear worms on continual play, or want to play something perkier at night when my spouse listens to his classical jams, but I like to mix it up.


After iTunes debuted their Radio component [and made it much more difficult to just play what I felt like listening to from my music collection] I discovered the Norteño radio station. What is Norteño? I haven't wikipedia'd it, but I would say you take the instruments from a German polka band and hand them to a group of Mexican musicians, stand back, and listen to the magic happen. I enjoy making dinner and dancing in the kitchen listening to Norteño, and it puts me in the mood to use a traditional meat, beef tongue, in my own way.


I'm all about using the whole Swiss chard and the whole cow, so here's another recipe using some of the parts we get when we buy a quarter cow. For another beef tongue recipe, please see my Beef Tongue Nachos recipe. Got ground beef? I've got 106 food blogger recipes using ground beef in my round up here. One of these days the Visual Recipe Index will have a category for Ground Beef and another for Beef Bits and Bobs, though that's not really search engine friendly. I'll probably throw a Pinterest board for all the random beef parts recipes on my Pinterest page. My darling daughter just suggested I call it Beef Undesirables, but I don't think she gets the idea of making it appealing.

Friday, April 24, 2015

Coconut Lime Cookies

Shredded coconut, fresh lime juice and lime zest bring a sunny tropical flavor to these white chip cookies.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/04/coconut-lime-cookies.html

This blog is where I share recipes that help me feed my family from the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share. Typically, I'm trying to find ways to deal with a glut of kohlrabi or turnips, tomatoes or greens. Each December I am voluntarily overwhelmed with oranges because I love my kid and he loves marching band and the band sells Florida citrus as a fundraiser.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/04/coconut-lime-cookies.html

And now, limes.

Why am I overwhelmed with limes? In a word-Corona. We hit Costco for a sled hockey team dinner during a tournament and picked up a bag of limes to go with the adult beverages. As we divided up the remnants, I offered to take the excess limes. There I was--overwhelmed with limes and not a beer in sight.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/04/coconut-lime-cookies.html

I had 2 sweet ideas for these limes--cookies and cupcakes. Later this summer you'll see my Zucchini Lime cupcakes, but for now, since I think they are seasonal for a Cinco de Mayo dessert, please enjoy these Coconut, Lime & White Chip Cookies.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/04/coconut-lime-cookies.html
Assembly line: salt, lime zest, cookie dough, cookie sheet, dog.
Since I had all these limes, I wanted to make a cookie that actually used the juice of a lime in the batter. Easier said than done! I looked on the internet but ended up adapting the recipe on the back of the white chip bag for my first attempt. The flavor was fine--but there were too many chips and the cookie was too flat. I opted to base off of my Sunflower Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookie and use a bit of shortening to make a cakier cookie. I also dropped the amount of chips down and boosted the coconut up. I like the result, so I'm sharing that recipe.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/04/coconut-lime-cookies.html

These are not piña colada cookies--there's no rum [why is all the rum gone?]--but the flavors are tropical. The white chips I used were not white chocolate chips. Not entirely sure what flavor "white" is, but they worked well in this cookie. I forgot to take a full on ingredient photo--but I used Nestle White Baking Chips in these cookies.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/04/coconut-lime-cookies.html

If you want a coconut lime cookie with actual lime juice and lime zest, here's your recipe!

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Avocado Queso Dip

Avocado blended with queso and salsa verde for a creamy smooth dip. An excellent base for another layered vegetable appetizer.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/04/avocado-queso-dip.html

This is not a sponsored post, though it probably reads like it. It's just on my mind, coming through the pen, and eventually through the screen. There is nothing to disclose.

In anticipation of Earth Day my family spent Saturday morning at our community park. We dug out muck from a drainage ditch, spread mulch across a playground, and enjoyed the pleasant feeling of being tired from physical work. That sounds so snooty, but our workdays are not spent shoveling, raking, and hauling wheelbarrows. It's a nice change to work at something physically and have immediate gratification. We went home and kept on going. Spending a weekend doing yard work is very fulfilling for me, though I understand I'm in the minority. I can deal with that.

See, I've got a secret: I've got good tools.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/04/avocado-queso-dip.html

Just like how sharp knives and pizza stones make my days successful in the kitchen, the right tools make working in the garden a dream. I've mentioned my daughter's peach trees before, but what I haven't said was that the semi-dwarf variety was sneaking up to the power lines. My spouse fretted, then researched and bought a pruner stick. This tool is amazing. After he lopped off the offending branches, my daughter took charge and completed her annual pruning with ease. She's taller than I am, true--but her success comes from this tool. [It's her tree, she's in charge, we just advise and assist as needed.] One success led to another and I decided to do something about the bush that was trying to take over the driveway.

Last year a rogue branch dove down and took root in the mulch, starting a new colony right next to the asphalt and that just wouldn't do. I grabbed a trimmer but got stuck on the whole 'T Rex arm lack of upper body strength' thing. My spouse suggested I try the pruner. Holy cow! That thing cuts through thick branches like butter! After I brushed off some dirt from the blade it went in my finger like butter, too. Don't be like me, treat this tool with respect. [I still have 10 fingertips, I'm healing fine.] I extricated dead shrubs with this workhorse before switching to a smaller tool to remove the spent raspberry canes and transplant some new starts to make a second raspberry bed. On a roll, I fed the strawberry patch a Spring breakfast of coffee grounds and leaf mulch, then decided to feed the rest of the garden beds as well. The kids mowed after I picked violets to make my next Wild Violet treats, and my spouse de-dandilioned the yard with his favorite Japanese tool before spreading mulch on the dogs' race track, re-banking Dead Man's Curve.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/04/avocado-queso-dip.html

We're greening up our little part of the world. Here's a green appetizer for you.


For other recipes using avocados, please see my Avocado Recipe Collection, part of the Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient. For other Awesome Veggie Apps and Snacks, please check out my Pinterest board of the same name.

Monday, April 20, 2015

Dark Chocolate Cherry Trail Mix Muffins {Monday Muffins}

Sweet with a crunch, these little gems are a satisfying snack of dried cherries, dark chocolate, and almonds. Inspired by the samples at Costco. What, is it just me who loves to sample?

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/04/dark-chocolate-cherry-trail-mix-muffins.html

Please tell me I'm not the only one delighted to eat my way through Costco on a Saturday afternoon.

I don't try every last sample [ewww protein drinks] but I can't help but give many of them a go. When my spouse was buying new glasses we were at Costco several Saturdays in a row. [Shopping, ordering, receiving, clicking, double clicking, returning for replacement, picking up replacement . . . great customer service in the Optical department.] One two of those trips I sampled some dark chocolate cherry trail mix. Crunchy-sweet-awesome! After the second sample I decided I wanted to make it into a muffin, and this is the result.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/04/dark-chocolate-cherry-trail-mix-muffins.html

I got my start making muffins using the recipes from Muffins: A Cookbook (Amazon Affiliate link) written by a couple of classmates of my mom, Joan Bidinosti and Marilyn Wearring. Over the years and the pans of muffins I've become comfortable with the muffin formula to branch out on my own. I like to make a not-so-sweet muffin--¼ cup of sugar in a batch of muffins is fine by me! Due to the added fruit and chocolate this is an extra sweet (by my standards) muffin, but it's still got whole oats and I'd serve it for brunch or an after school snack.

In fact, these muffins went to the Fisher House for a brunch.

For other recipes using dried cherries, please see my Cherry Recipes Collection, part of the Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/04/dark-chocolate-cherry-trail-mix-muffins.html

Friday, April 17, 2015

Seven Tips for Making Pizza at Home.

Yesterday for lunch I baked 3 pizzas (only 1 tried and true recipe) for 9 other women and you know what I worried about most? My floors in relation to 3 shedding dogs with muddy paws. My countertops and their hard water stains. My dusty wineglasses. My housekeeping-not the food.

I did NOT worry if the pizzas would turn out OK. I make pizza at home so often that I've absorbed many lessons along the way. I figured it was time to share another list of tips and tricks. For my first essay, please see my Pizza Primer.
While thinking about what activity to compare making pizza at home with, the only thing that my brain kept coming back to was breastfeeding. I realize I will be alienating at least 75% of the population with this analogy. If you've got anything better I'd love to hear it. 

#1 Do preheat your oven. A hot oven is magic with pizza dough.

I don't go crazy with the self-cleaning function like I've seen in some recipes. I'm not even sure if my oven has a self-cleaning function to be honest, though Robert Barker, in his never-ending quest for stray cheeseburgers, did show me that the oven has a Dehydrate function.
A temperature of 425 to 450 degrees Fahrenheit is hot enough, but give it a good 30 minutes to an hour at that temperature.
If that will make your house too hot--I'm working on a How To Grill a Pizza post for the summer. I've only grilled 2 pizzas [and they were amazing!] but I need more experience before I can say I know what I'm doing.


#2 Do make your dough ahead of time. Or buy premade dough. This is no time to turn into the Little Red Hen and plant the wheat. Folks just wanna eat, you know.

Making the dough early means that the flour is fully blended with the other ingredients, molecules are enrobed, and all the gluten has had time to develop and relax. [If you're not into gluten, skip to #3. I'm not experienced with GF pizza dough and won't be touching the cauliflower "pizza crust" phenomenon here.] The side benefit of making dough a day or 3 early is that you get several short kitchen sprints instead of one marathon session.


#3 Do use a piece of oiled parchment paper on which you stretch out your dough and top it all nice and pretty.

Using parchment will help you transfer your pizza into the hot oven. This one little trick is worth the price of a box of parchment paper to me. I can make my pizza look amazing and then watch it slide off the peel and onto the hot stone while staying intact. Yes, the pizza joint pros make it look easy to transfer a topped crust into the oven, but that's why they make minimum wage and I make $17/month. I have failed at this crucial step more times than I shudder to recall. Parchment paper saved my babies' ears from mama's cursing in frustration.


#4 Do use anything you think would work on a pizza. 

You never know until you try it! For yesterday's lunch I looked to the preserved vegetables (olives & artichokes in jars and Garlic Scape Pesto in the freezer) in addition to the protein leftover from previous meals (grilled chicken and Kalua pig). Since we like to eat our Kalua Pig with fresh pineapple it was a no-brainer to add some pineapple to that pizza. Boom! Done. Of course you can always make an old standby--classic flavor combinations are classic because the flavors play well together. Keeping a package of pepperoni in the freezer means I'm always up for a good pepperoni and cheese pizza when the mood strikes.


#5 Do NOT buy a pizza peel. 

If you've got a large rimless cookie sheet it will do the same thing, especially if you're following Tip#3 and using parchment paper. Now, if you love making pizza and your happy pizza eaters want to get you a gift--ask for a pizza peel! They are useful to have around. Just not necessary like a stone is necessary to me.


#6 Do ask for help/troubleshooting in the comments below or on my FB page

If something isn't working right I'd like to brainstorm ways to make your pizza-at-home experience better. Last week my friend shared that she had no need for parchment paper because she simply pulled her stone out of the oven, spread the crust on it, topped it, and returned it to the oven. Her difficulty came in removing the cooked pizza from the stone. Even though she's much faster in the kitchen than I am [so are sloths. I am slow] the stone cools down enough to cause the dough to not immediately cook when it comes in contact. If a crust is placed on a hot stone it's similar to searing a steak--it will come off easily when it's cooked through. If the stone isn't hot the toppings will be done before the bottom of the crust.


#7 Do use my Visual Pizza Recipe Index (broken down into categories of pizza dough, vegetarian, savory pizzas with fruit, and meat pizzas) for ideas. Do follow my Friday Night Pizza Night Pinterest board for pizza ideas from around the web.




I wish you pizza success.


This post is shared on What's Cookin' Wednesday

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Szechuan Asparagus with Ma Po Sauce

Szechuan peppercorns and a spicy Ma Po sauce flavor this fast Spring asparagus side dish.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/04/szechuan-asparagus-with-ma-po-sauce.html

When you move around a lot, you tend to leave behind more than friends at your last duty station home. You leave behind food--literally and figuratively. In the literal sense, you can't take the contents of your pantry and freezer with you when your household goods are going to spend a month on a boat, nor can you take your Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farmers or their produce. In the figurative sense you leave behind the ready access to foods you've come to love. I have not been able to recreate the Chicken Schnitzel Melba from Mom's Place in Spangdahlem, Germany, a Leonard's Malasada from Honolulu, Hawaii, nor a plate of Ma Po Tofu and Ma La Wonton from the Great Wall restaurant on Logan Circle in Washington, DC.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/04/szechuan-asparagus-with-ma-po-sauce.html

However, I can make a dish inspired by the flavors of that last one. [Feel free to contribute to the 'Send This Blogger Back to Germany and Hawaii So She Can Experience Some Beloved Dishes' fund and I'll work on the other two.] I picked up a jar of Ma Po sauce at the Cincinnati Asian Market during sled hockey practice, and added Szechuan peppercorns to my Penzey's shopping list. Coupled with my other stock of Asian cooking basics I was set. Except I didn't really know where to start. 

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/04/szechuan-asparagus-with-ma-po-sauce.html

One day at the thrift shop where I work someone brought in a 1970's era Chinese Food Using a Food Processor cookbook by Culinary Arts. As I was tagging it I randomly flipped through and my eye caught the Pork & Bean Curd Szechuan Style recipe. I already knew that Ma Po Tofu had tofu, black beans, pork, and Szechuan peppercorns, so I figured this recipe may be a good place to start. [I should note that I didn't follow that recipe, I just looked at the ingredient list and went off, away from the food processor and the pork and tofu, and did my own thing.]

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/04/szechuan-asparagus-with-ma-po-sauce.html

This spicy asparagus is a great accompaniment to a Spring Chinese meal. For other recipes using Asparagus, please see my Asparagus Recipes Collection, part of the Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient.

Monday, April 13, 2015

Double Pepper Double Cheese Grilled Cheese

Two kinds of peppers--fresh sweet and pickled banana--with two kinds of cheese in this creamy vegetarian grilled cheese sandwich.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/04/double-pepper-double-cheese-grilled.html

I've not been one to follow food holiday trends [who came up with National Blueberry Pancake Day in the wintertime?] but I get why grilled cheese sandwiches are popular in Spring. It's sunny, yet it can be cool. A grilled cheese sandwich is the perfect lunch.

This easy vegetarian sandwich would be terrific for a Meatless Monday supper, too. Shoot, if you slice the peppers during weekend food prep it's ready in minutes. If you don't slice the peppers ahead of time it's ready in minutes+2.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/04/double-pepper-double-cheese-grilled.html

I made a batch of these sandwiches one sunny-yet-cool Saturday lunch. I used both my Multigrain Sourdough bread as well as my spouse's German dark rye--it's good on both. The whole family appreciated the warm cheesiness. I'd say we all liked the peppers, but my daughter merely tolerated them. 

I got the idea the same lunch I head about Havarti & Chutney grilled cheese. At Tanks Bar & Grill I had the 'don't even think about asking for substitutions' grilled cheese. It had mayo, mustard, pickled banana peppers and some other stuff--but those listed parts resonated with me and I had to try them at home. 
http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/04/double-pepper-double-cheese-grilled.html

For other grilled cheese sandwich ideas, plus a lovely tomato soup to dunk them in, please click on a photo below. This is one of my Clickable Collages of Recipe Suggestions--yet another way to give you ideas for what to do with your produce. 
Please refer to my Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient for further recipes by produce item, and follow me on Pinterest where I'm pinning cool things I find around the web.

Friday, April 10, 2015

Meatball Marinara Mascarpone Pizza

Meatballs, marinara sauce, and mozzarella on top of a mascarpone-spread pizza crust.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/04/meatball-marinara-mascarpone-pizza.html

My nephew is a typical teen who has an after school job working at a pizza joint. Except he spends his wages on truffle oil, because one of his favorite pizzas from work has truffle oil as a finish. Can you tell it's not a typical pizza joint?

Over Christmas we were fortunate to host my family of origin. My brother and his family came from Denmark, my brother flew up from Florida, and my folks made the trek from Washington, DC. We crammed a lot of food into a few days people into the kitchen and had fun. During a quiet moment I was able to sit down and page through a pizza cookbook my nephew gave to his mom. It's from his pizza joint, Gorms. Although the book is in Danish I was able to glean the gist of some of the recipes.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/04/meatball-marinara-mascarpone-pizza.html

One ingredient I saw used struck me--mascarpone cheese. Now, I am decidedly NOT a foodie and one way that proves it is that I get mascarpone and marzipan mixed up. They are both used in things I don't typically make--desserts--and I'm not crazy about the taste of the marzipan. I did not realize that mascarpone could be used in a savory application, but after reading that cookbook I decided to get a tub and play.

Laura is more worldly about ingredients than I am, and she tells me that mascarpone is just Italian cream cheese. Well, just like crème fraîche [by the way I am copying and pasting this out of wikipedia each time I talk about crème fraîche since I don't know how to make all those characters--where was I?] Oh! Just like crème fraîche elevates a simple potato sauce better than sour cream, mascarpone gives this pizza a delightfully creamy base. Leftovers even reheat well. Try this next time you've got a hankering for a meatball pizza!

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/04/meatball-marinara-mascarpone-pizza.html

For other pizza ideas, please see my Visual Pizza Recipe Index. It's broken down into doughs, vegetarian pizzas, savory pizzas using fruit, and meat-centric pizzas like this one. I also pin pizzas from around the web to my Friday Night Pizza Night Pinterest board, and often share the raw footage of that night's pizza most Fridays on my FB page.

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Spicy Lima Bean Dip with Avocado

Lima bean and tahini dip with avocado for creaminess and salsa verde for spiciness. Top with more veggies and queso cheese for a tasty snack!

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/04/spicy-lima-bean-dip-with-avocado.html

Ah, April. Everything is greening up outside. Our grass is enjoying the recent rains which, along with last Fall's snack of finely shredded leaves worked in with the mulching mower, results in a vibrant lawn I'd be proud to let a guinea pig nibble. Sadly after 5 years we are without guinea pigs to nibble grass. Instead, I have a posse of dogs who enjoy lying in the sun of an afternoon.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/04/spicy-lima-bean-dip-with-avocado.html
Vincent with the garlic bed.
I've planted peas and chard in the garden, and each day the garlic looks stronger and taller. Interestingly, there's now garlic appearing in 3 out of our 5 raised beds. I rotate my crops and apparently I have missed several bulbs over the years. If I get them out this time, I'm curious what a 'forgotten for 3-4 years' garlic bulb looks like. I'll share a photo on my FB page.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/04/spicy-lima-bean-dip-with-avocado.html

I wanted to green up our plates, as well. In the months leading up to the start of the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share season I bounce between using put up vegetables from the freezer and buying fresh vegetables from the store. It is a treat to buy avocados because I know I'll be able to enjoy them as soon as they are ready (they won't be preempted due to vegetable triage).

In this recipe, I decided to keep the green theme going and use some lima beans from the freezer. I grew up eating lima bean and corn succotash but my kids are not fans, so I was looking for another way to use them. The lima beans blend nicely in a food processor and make an awesome veggie appetizer.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/04/spicy-lima-bean-dip-with-avocado.html

For other recipes using avocados please see my Avocado Recipes Collection. For other recipes using beans, please see my Bean Recipes Collection. These collections are part of the Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient, a resource to help my readers figure out what to do when they've got ____________ to use. For other Awesome Veggie Apps and Snacks, please see my Pinterest board of the same name.

Monday, April 6, 2015

Carnitas Tostadas with Strawberry Salsa

Slow cooker pork carnitas tossed with sweet & spicy strawberry salsa and served on fresh corn tortillas for a Springtime tostada.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/04/carnitas-tostadas-with-strawberry-salsa.html

Last week was Spring break and we planned an Epic Midwestern Loop. We'd visit friends and factory tours, literary and artistic venues, natural wonders and iconic American landmarks. I came down with a cold at the first stop on our tour and messed up our plans. Instead of spending the week driving around the midwest, we were headed back home after just a few days.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/04/carnitas-tostadas-with-strawberry-salsa.html
Best costumed interpreter ever.
Yes, we did manage to drink freshly brewed beer and learn what the whole 'beechwood aged' thing was all about, ride to the top of the arch in a tiny barrel, and see both the Louisiana Purchase document and the World's Largest Golf Tee. It wasn't a total bust.
http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/04/carnitas-tostadas-with-strawberry-salsa.html

Returning home unexpectedly meant that not only did I not have any food in the house, I also didn't have a food plan for the week. My amazing spouse picked up milk, salad, and pizzas while the dogs reunited with the kids and I tried not to blow out the contents of my skull, one tissue at a time.

I had the foggy idea to rummage around in the freezer and was rewarded with a few meals for the kids to make. This recipe is not the result of some gorked-out by cold medicine creativity. As if--I wasn't cooking much less photographing or eating food. I'm getting to my point in a minute. My daughter thawed taco meat and corn to make nachos one night, we had spaghetti with sauce from roasted vegetables another night, and my son emptied the little freezer so I could rearrange and rediscover some leftover Chinese food I'd planned to stretch/reimagine. We survived/thrived.


http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/04/carnitas-tostadas-with-strawberry-salsa.html

My point is this:  if you eat meat, buy the big hunk of ________ [in this recipe a pork shoulder/Boston butt], cook it, and freeze a 'your family size' portion. It's so much easier to plan a meal around a ready-to-go protein than to stand in the kitchen cluelessly wondering where to start.

When we eat at Chipotle, carnitas is our favorite protein. When I make it at home we've got easily 12 to 15 servings which is a bit much for our family of 4--even with 2 teens who love meat. I automatically freeze half of the cooked and cooled meat, knowing that when I pull it out again the effort of initial cooking is done and I just get to play.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/04/carnitas-tostadas-with-strawberry-salsa.html

These tostadas are a nice Spring meal. While they are warm and filling for a cool evening, the sweet spiciness of the strawberry salsa reminds me that our berry patch is waking up and I'll soon be savoring fresh strawberries. [I'll wait for the local ones. Life is too short to eat flavorless food.]

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/04/carnitas-tostadas-with-strawberry-salsa.html

[It's interesting what comes out of my pen when I wake up at 3 am because I have not been coughing.  Yes, I woke up concerned because I was not coughing. I know. Weird. Just try the recipe.]

Friday, April 3, 2015

Potato Sauce--a Fast & Easy Holiday Recipe

A quickly assembled sauce of crème fraîche, mayo, roasted garlic and pepper. Great on many types of potatoes--boiled, roasted, or baked.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/04/potato-sauce-fast-easy-holiday-recipe.html

I've got a fast recipe today. It uses 4 ingredients--and if you can't find the main one, you can always substitute or even make your own. How easy is that?

We eat potatoes to celebrate so many things.  If it's not my Make Ahead Irish Mashed Potato Casserole alongside a Thanksgiving turkey, it's a baked potato, roasted potatoes, or boiled new potatoes from the farm share cuddled up with Swedish Meatballs.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/04/potato-sauce-fast-easy-holiday-recipe.html

Our family's favorite way to enjoy these potatoes is with Potato Sauce.  I know the name is boring--I thought about trying to jazz it up by calling it Crème Fraîche and Røastéd Gårlic Pøtatø Saüce, but in the end opted to keep it simple. It's just a sauce for potatoes, after all.

I first had this sauce in Copenhagen when my sister in law whipped it up. I was blown away at how delicious something so simple could taste! I'm not sure if it was the exoticness of the crème fraîche or the comfort of home cooking after travel or what--but I was smitten.

If you are fortunate enough to encounter some magically marked down containers of crème fraîche you're good to go. If not--you can make your own. Here's a recipe. If you don't have time for that--just use some sour cream. It's all good.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/04/potato-sauce-fast-easy-holiday-recipe.html

What if you didn't roast your garlic crop last year? No worries, finely chop some fresh garlic, or stir in some dehydrated minced garlic if that's all you've got handy. [Don't tell me you didn't even grow garlic--it's pretty easy. If you live in a place where tulips and daffodils flourish in the Spring, you live where garlic will grow. Plant some in the fall and harvest it--along with amazing garlic scapes--in early summer.]

For other recipes using roasted garlic, please see my Garlic Recipes Collection, part of the Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient.