Weekly Menu, December 29th

Monday- Lentil and veg soup with black forest ham
Tuesday- Buffalo and Turkey meatloaf with roasted veg
Wednesday- Homemade Veg Pizza
Thursday- Pasta with meat and veg sauce

Leg of Lamb

Lamb is a special (read: expensive) cut often reserved for special occasions, like Christmas. If you are serving lamb this holiday season try this marinade, it's delicious.

Moroccan Lamb Marinade
adapted from the Barbecue Bible By Steven Reichlan (a must cookbook if you love to grill)

2 medium onion, grated
6 T Chopped fresh parsley
6 T chopped fresh cilantro
1 t ground cumin
1 t paprika
1 t freshly ground black or white pepper
1 t salt
2 T olive oil
4-6 lbs boneless leg of lamb

combine ingredients, rub on lamb and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 to 8 hours.


Grilling Times

4-6 Lbs boneless leg of lamb
Indirect, medium heat

Rare: 140 degrees, approx 1 hour
Medium: 160 degrees, approx 1 to 1-1/2 hours
Well-done: 170 degrees, approx 1-1/2 to 2 hours

"Remember that grilling is an art not a science"



Enjoy!

Gina's Artichoke Dip

Need an appetizer to bring to a holiday party? This recipe will be a sure hit with everyone. It's so great. Serve with bread or crackers.



Gina K's Artichoke Dip

1 can (14 oz) artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 pkg (8 oz) Feta cheese, crumbled
½ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
1 cup mayo (I sometimes use cream cheese instead....changes it a bit, but still so good.)
1 – 2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jar (2 oz) pimientos, diced and drained

Mix.
Bake at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes.

Eggnog-Cornmeal Pancakes

This is one good pancake. Perfect for this time of year.

Ingredients

1 Cup Cornmeal
1 Cup Wheat flour
1/2 t (aluminium free) Baking Soda
2 Large Eggs
2 Cups Eggnog


Mix all ingredients together, pour, cook, and serve. Super easy.

Brussels Sprouts

I have a deep love of the Brussels Sprout. Often overlooked or under appreciated, Brussels Sprouts can be very tasty when roasted and topped with butter, red pepper and garlic...but then again what's not?

Here's Kid #1 pretending he's a rock star...he's got some crazy hair going so why couldn't a sprout double as a guitar? Wild times at my house.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients

Sprouts

add to taste:

Minced or crushed garlic

Olive oil or melted butter

Salt and pepper (I like red pepper flakes)

Put oven rack in upper third of oven and preheat oven to 450°F.

Toss Brussels sprouts lightly with olive oil or melted butter, garlic, salt, and pepper, then spread out in 1 to 2 layers in a large baking pan. Roast, stirring occasionally, until tender and browned, approx 25 to 35 minutes.

EASY Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are some of the best cookies I have ever tasted. My mother's recipe, of course (I don't bake). These are easy enough for even me. I baked these today for my neighbors. yum, yum.

Here is the recipe:

1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup white flour
1 tsp soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 cups oatmeal
2 cups choc chips

mix together everything but Chocolate Chips using electric beaters. Fold the chips in after its all mixed together. bake @ 350 10-12 min on ungreased cookie sheet. until lightly browned. For chewy cookies, slightly under bake them.

Eat Your Roots

Eat Your Roots Nutrition Education and Advocacy has a new face.....well e-face anyway! You can view the new and improved website at http://www.eatyourroots.org/.

Make sure you check out the "services," there are several new local classes are being offered.

While your there, don't forget to subscribe to the monthly newsletter which will focus on wellness achieved through food.

Weekly Menu, December 14th

Sunday- Homemade Mac and Cheese and Vegetable Soup
Monday- Beef Stew
Tuesday- Salmon Cakes, Green Beans and Wild Rice
Wednesday- Chicken and Brown Rice with Cilantro Chutney and Steamed Broccoli
Thursday- Chicken Taco's with Roasted Spaghetti Squash

5 Must Haves This Holiday Season

Still don't know what to get for that food lover in your family? Here are 5 of my top picks this holiday season.

1. Locally made fudge by Earth Sweet Pleasures. Can you say YUM! Perfect for a stocking stuffer, or gift for your neighbor that you have never met, or for your mother who you wished you had never met (not my mother, of course...just saying....), or just for yourself. It's that good. Click here for an earlier review.

2. The Sur La Table "Hook and Go Urban Shopper"

Perfect for the Farmer's Market. Something about this functionality has me wanting one. What I love about this, and hate about a typical cart, is there are no soft fruits (or veg) getting smashed at the bottom.

3. Cuisinart Hand Blender

With all the soups I make, it is silly that I don't have one of these already.

4. Lodge Cast Iron Grill Press

I make about 2 trillion grilled cheese sandwiches per week. I think this little inexpensive item will help me make them much faster....I anticipate it cutting my time down to 3 minutes instead of 5! Think of what I can do with all those extra minutes......

5. Flour Mill

I am begging for a flour mill this year. They are not cheap. But it would be much appreciated and very well used.....hint, hint.....

Support a Soldier

I digress from food for something more important....

I would like to tell you about Srgt. Rose Petersen. Rose has been my youngest sister's best friend since they were very young. Rose has no known father, and a mother that comes in and out of her life. She grew up in a very dire situation. After Rose graduated from a local high school she went directly into the Army. She loves the Army, serving her country, and all of the opportunities the Army has given her. She is an amazing person and I am lucky to know her.

Currently, Rose is serving her 2nd tour in Iraq. I can not comprehend what it must be like for her to be all alone and in the middle of a war, especially during the holidays. If you are looking to do something for a soldier this holiday season but did not know how to go about it, please consider adding Rose to your Christmas list, she is very deserving (like all of our soldiers, marines, etc). She is a very kind and giving soul.

Her address in Iraq:
Ssg Rose Petersen
LTF 6
1498 HET TC Maintenance Platoon
APO AE 09366

Because you are sending to an American Military base, Postage/Shipping are no different than sending something across town.

Thank you, Amanda Louden

Weekly Menu, December 7th

Sunday-Pulled Pork Tacos with Grilled Winter Veg and Spicy Sweet Potato chips
Monday- Bean Soup with Smoked Turkey and Collard Greens
Tuesday- Greek Beef with Creamed Kale and Wild Rice
Wednesday- Shepard's Pie made with Ground Turkey
Thursday- Chicken Sausage, Veg and Polenta Casserole

Farmstand Whipped Butter-Updated

I saw that you could buy "farmstand butter" at Whole Foods Market for about $11 per 4 oz container. Yikes! Butter is one of those foods that we think we have to buy. Not true. Making a whipped butter takes a few minutes and only requires basic beaters.

Ingredients

Organic Heavy Cream
Pinch of Salt (optional)

Beat on high as if you are making whipped cream only beat a little longer. This will give you light and fluffy butter in a few minutes. Perfect for toast.....or your mother's banana bread (hint, hint).

Beat until butter and buttermilk separates. Drain the buttermilk and wash the butter in cold water.

Washing the butter can be done by placing the butter in a bowl with cold water and kneading the butter. When the water discolors, pour it out and more cold water. Not washing the butter will result in butter that my go rancid because of the buttermilk. (From Cooking Notes by Micheal Chu)

Store.

Weekly Menu, November 2nd

okay, okay, I am slowly getting back to a "regular" schedule. Here is the weekly dinner plan:

Tuesday: Beef Roast, Creamy Potatoes and Mushrooms with Sage*, Steamed Broccoli
Wednesday: Grilled Chicken and Baked Polenta with Cheese and Kale*
Thursday: Hungarian Beef Goulash with Homemade Spaetzle*
Friday: Smoked Turkey Pot Pie


*I am testing some recipes out of a new cookbook I picked up over the holidays titled, "The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever" by Beatrice Ojakangas. Not often does a cookbook catch my eye (I prefer cooking magazines because they come seasonally). But something about one-dish meals (or side dishes) appeals to the busy mom in me. What I really love about the recipes in this book is that they call for real food ingredients. In other words, no cans of condensed soup or tater-tots often associated with "casserole." These recipes use simple, fresh ingredients. I love it. I will let you know how they taste.

Unacceptable Ingredients For Food

While looking up something on Whole Foods Market's website, I came across this list of ingredients that they deem unacceptable to sell in their stores. I thought it was interesting and wanted to share. Go take a look in your cupboards. Just FYI- real, whole foods like fruit, veg, whole grains, and truly naturally raised meat do not (or at least should not) come with ingredients.


Unacceptable Ingredients for Food

The following list contains ingredients that Whole Foods Market finds unacceptable in food products.


acesulfame-K (acesulfame potassium)
acetylated esters of mono- and diglycerides
ammonium chloride
artificial colors
artificial flavors
aspartame
azodicarbonamide
benzoates in food
benzoyl peroxide
BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole)
BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene)
bleached flour
bromated flour
brominated vegetable oil (BVO)
calcium bromate
calcium disodium EDTA
calcium peroxide
calcium propionate
calcium saccharin
calcium sorbate
calcium stearoyl-2-lactylate
caprocaprylobehenin.
certified colors
cyclamates
cysteine (l-cysteine), as an additive for bread products
DATEM (Diacetyl tartaric and fatty acid esters of mono and diglycerides)
dimethylpolysiloxane
dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate (DSS)
disodium calcium EDTA
disodium dihydrogen EDTA
disodium guanylate
disodium inosinate
EDTA
ethyl vanillin
ethylene oxide
ethyoxyquin
FD & C colors
foie gras
GMP (disodium guanylate)
hexa-, hepta- and octa-esters of sucrose
hydrogenated fats
IMP (disodium inosinate)
irradiated foods
lactylated esters of mono- and diglycerides
lead soldered cans
methyl silicon
methylparaben
microparticularized whey protein derived fat substitute
monosodium glutamate (MSG)
natamyacin
nitrates/nitrites
partially hydrogenated oil
polydextrose
potassium benzoate
potassium bisulfite
potassium bromate
potassium metabisulfite
potassium sorbate
propionates
propyl gallate
propylparaben
saccharin
sodum aluminum phosphate
sodium aluminum sulfate
sodium benzoate
sodium bisulfite
sodium diacetate
sodium glutamate
sodium nitrate/nitrite
sodium propionate
sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate
sodium sulfite
solvent extracted oils, as standalone single-ingredient oils (except grapeseed oil).
sorbic acid
sucralose
sucroglycerides
sucrose polyester
sulfites (sulfur dioxide)
TBHQ (tertiary butylhydroquinone)
tetrasodium EDTA
vanillin

Smoked Turkey and it's Bounty

This is my Hubster's smoked turkey. Its famous in these parts. We love it and for some odd reason only make it once a year...why is that?

This year I made several tasty dishes from this birds leftovers. One of which was smoked turkey corn chowder.



Instead of using flour as a thickener, I used leftover mashed potatoes. The starchy vegetable accomplished the same goal (thicken soup) without being a refined product. So good.




The "recipe" is loosely

8 cups broth
3 cups mashed potatoes
1 Turkey leg and thigh bone (meat on)
3 cups corn kernels (frozen are okay)
2 cups chopped kale
3 medium red or gold potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
4 carrots, chopped
2 onions, chopped


Simmer on low for an hour.