Pumpkin Blossom Quesadillas

A couple weeks ago I was so thrilled to see that Peter's Pumpkins was selling pumpkin blossoms at the farmers market.

Typically you hear of people stuffing these & frying them but we'd been wanting to use them in quesadillas. We'd never had blossoms served this way & were interested to see what kind of flavor they added to the filling.

These were really good quesadillas though I'm not sure the blossoms added a ton of flavor. I think maybe we were expecting a stronger squash flavor then we got. Perhaps we needed to use more than one bunch. Anyway, it was fun to play with an ingredient that was new for us & it did make for a pretty filling.

Pumpkin Blossom Quesadillas

1/2 T olive oil + extra for brushing on the tortillas
1/2 c chopped red onion
1 pepper chopped (we used a red gypsy pepper but a poblano would be great too or something spicy if you like spicy)
1 clove garlic, minced
12 - 14 pumpkin (or other squash blossom), stems & stamens removed
2 T water
4 oz quesadilla cheese or monterey jack, grated
4 flour tortillas

Heat the 1/2 Tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, pepper & garlic. Sauté until the onion is translucent & the pepper is starting to get tender. Add the blossoms & water & cook while stirring until the blossoms are wilted.

Heat a griddle or large skillet over medium-high heat. Top one tortilla with half of the cheese & half of the blossom mixture. Top with another tortilla. Brush with a little oil. Put oiled side down on the hot griddle. Cook until brown & crisp. Brush the top with more oil & flip. Cook until that side is brown & crisp & the center is melted.

Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Cut into wedges & serve with sour cream & salsa.

Makes 2 quesadillas.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.© 2007-2010 Kathy Lewinski

Weekly Menu 8/30 - 9/1/10 and the State Fair

It's the time of summer we look forward to every year, the Minnesota State Fair time. We're lucky as MN has arguably one of the best State Fairs in the country & it's just over the Mississippi in St. Paul. We love to go try out try out new foods, eat some old favorites, visit all the animal barns & just enjoy the people watching. It's also one of my favorite places to take photos.

Created with flickr slideshow from softsea.
It was 4-H Day at the Fair so we spent a lot of time watching animal judging & all the hard work these kids have done. We also spent time at one of the most popular places, The Miracle Birth Building. Eighteen piglets had been born just 1/2 hour before we got there. As food food, we tried a couple of new things. Everyone said we had to have the Peaches & Cream Parfait from the Salty Tart; it was the perfect fresh, cool treat on a hot day. We also tried another new highly rated dish, the zeppoles, which were messy with their creamy filling & powdered sugar but oh, so tasty. I was interested in the chicken fried bacon & pigs ear fries but after all the the bad reviews we decided to skip them & went for La Loma Tamales & The Original Cheese Curds (where they truck the curds in fresh from WI everyday!), things we knew would be good.

No farmers market finds this week as we are leaving on vacation in a couple days & didn't need too much. We picked up some bread & a few greens for side dishes. We did though try the new Chef Shack Charcuterie Plate.

How's that for a breakfast. Hey, Chef Shack has been nominated as one of America's Favorite Food Trucks on Food Network. You can vote here.

On to Menu Planning Monday...

As I said we are leaving on vacation this week so we are having sort of easy what we have on hand meals.

Brats with Potato Salad & Broccoli

Grilled Chicken with Tomatillo Salsa

Mustard Glazed Salmon with Green Beans

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photogr
aphs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.© 2007-2010 Kathy Lewinski

Oven Dried Tomatoes

I made my own oven dried tomatoes this week! It's time consuming but not much work at all. I started with a bunch of San Marzano & Roma tomatoes which I sliced in half & put cut side up on baking sheets with a silpad on them. I salt the tomatoes with a little kosher salt.

Then they went into a 200 F oven until they were leather pieces of sweet tomato. You want them to be pliable but not juicy anymore.

The San Marzanos tended to be smaller with less of a juicy inside, they dried in about 8 hours. The Romas were larger plus quite full & juicy. They took a lot longer to dry, closer to 12 hours. I found I had to keep checking after 7 or so hours & remove the tomatoes as each one was done because of the different sizes.

I've frozen them to add to pizzas & such through out the winter. Seems a little sad that all those tomatoes now only fill a quart size freezer bag but they really pack a lot of flavor.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.© 2007-2010 Kathy Lewinski

Potato & Leek Soup

Two weeks ago I picked up some leeks at the farmers market & decided I wanted some potato leek soup. When I mentioned it on my weekly menu, a few people wrote to say they had not had good luck with this soup. So, I was a little worried the recipe I was trying wasn't going to be good either.

I had nothing to worry about, this was a fantastic soup. Creamy, tasty & not to heavy plus it came together so quickly. I stuck pretty close to the recipe except for adding a little sour cream which I think just gave it that little something extra in flavor.

Potato & Leek Soup
(adapted from The Big Book of Soups and Stews. I have to say this is the best of the soup cookbooks I have, we've yet to have a bad soup from it.)

2 T unsalted butter
2 1/2 c chopped leeks, white & green parts only (I used 4 small leeks)
1/2 c chopped yellow onion
1 1/2 lbs new white potatoes, peeled & chopped
2 c chicken or vegetable stock
1 c milk
1/4 c sour cream
salt & pepper
chives for garnish (though crispy bacon would be good too)

In a large soup pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the leeks, onions & potatoes then sauté for 3 minutes. Add the stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat heat, cover & simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Pureé the soup in a blender or with an immersion blender. Add the milk and sour cream. Season with salt & pepper. Simmer for 5 - 10 more minutes. Pureé again is you want it even creamier. Serve sprinkled with chives.

Makes 4 servings.

The book says this can be served cold or hot. I really preferred it hot.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.© 2007-2010 Kathy Lewinski

The Great Fig Winner

Before we get to the winner of The Great Fig Giveaway let's talk about how we used the rest of the fresh figs.

We made a grilled pizza topped with blue cheese, fontina, sliced figs & prosciutto. Once the pizza was cooked I drizzled a little honey over it, so good!

I tried a cocktail called The Flying Fig which I found on Chow. It wasn't bad though the seeds were a little interesting in a drink. I also made Matt a Fig Rickey from lime juice, whisky, muddled figs & club soda, which he thought was pretty good.

We also made another batch of fig jam using the Kadota figs. We used the same recipe as before but this time we added 5 seeded & chopped jalapenos & left out the cinnamon. I think it might be my favorite batch. It made for a great snack with some sharp cheddar on crackers.

Finally, we ended up freezing two bags of figs to use in baking later. I read that figs should be dipped in a citrus solution before freezing to prevent the color from changing but since I was only going to back with them I didn't worry about this. I froze the figs on a baking sheet until solid & then put them in freezer bags for longer storage.

Ok, without further ado the winner to the fig package from the CA Fig Advisory Board according to the Random Number Generator is #22 Lindsay. Lindsay I'll be emailing you for your address.

*Disclaimer: I was given free figs by the CA Fig Advisory Board & also a set of figs to giveaway. I was not paid in any way or required to write about the figs or host the giveaway.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.© 2007-2010 Kathy Lewinski

Pork Tenderloin with Fig Sauce

I wanted to make a sauce using the fresh Black Mission figs we have & figured a pork tenderloin would be the perfect vehicle for it. It's been so long since we've had a tenderloin & I don't know why. We love grilling & roasting tenderloins as they cook quickly & there is so much you can do with them flavor-wise.

This time we kept the pork simple with just some salt & pepper & grilled it until perfectly done because we knew the sauce would have a lot of flavor. I have to say I am really lucky because Matt know his way around cooking meat perfectly. I tend to worry about meat being cooked enough & end up over cooking it. Anyway...

This sauce was a wonderful compliment to pork: slightly sweet, slightly tart & very figgy. It was super simple to make & I think made for a "good-enough-for-company" presentation. Don't leave the thyme out of this sauce; I was surprised that such a small amount made such a big difference in the final flavor.

Fig Sauce

1 T salted butter
1/4 c chopped red onion
6 fresh ripe Black Mission Figs, stems removed, chopped
1 T honey
1/4 c red wine
2 T balsamic vinegar
salt & pepper
1 t fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 t dried

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions & sauté until soft & translucent. Add the figs & cook a minute of two to start breaking up. Stir in the honey, wine & vinegar. Season with a little salt & pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat & let simmer uncovered for about 10 - 15 minutes until reduced & thickened. Add the thyme leaves & check seasoning for salt. Serve warm over pork tenderloin or maybe some pork chops.

Makes about 1 cup (enough for 4 servings)

We had some leftover & I'm looking forward to using it as a spread on a ham & cheese sandwich for lunch today. Can you believe we are down to less than one flat of fresh figs already? Have you entered to win your bounty of figs from the CA Fig Advisory Board yet?

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.© 2007-2010 Kathy Lewinski

Farmers Market Finds and the Weekly Menu 8/22 - 8/28/10

Couldn't you just go crazy this time of year at the farmers market? It seems like the booths are almost overflowing with the abundance of produce. I have to stop myself from buying more than we can use in a week because everything looks so goo.

Plum Tomatoes - I plan on oven drying these if I get a working oven this week

Cilantro - We used all of this in some salsa we canned

Cod Ceviche - A little treat Chef Shack sent home with us.

Salsa - A little treat Global Garlic sent home with us. Rumor has it they are going to start selling this.

Garlic - We used most of this in our salsa.

Dried Cow Beans - No plans for these this week I was just thrilled someone that Walsh Ridge farm is going to be selling locally grown dry beans.

Pumpkin Blossoms - For quesadillas

Sourdough Bread - For sandwiches at lunch & BLTs. I'm so going to miss Sun Street's breads come fall, I mean just look at that beautiful loaf.

Red Onion - For salsa & quesadillas

Cherry Tomatoes - Just for snacking on

Minnesota Midget Melon - This smells amazing & I can't wait to have it for dessert with a little mascarpone.

A few more pics for this week's Kingfield Farmers Market.

1. Tempura Herring sandwich from Chef Shack 2. Free Dog "Siting" 3. Cheddar & Bacon Biscuit & a Downtowner from Sun Street Breads 4. Pedal-Powered Smoothie from Foxy Falafel 5. Global Garlic's Garlic 6. Sambusa from She Royal Ethiopian via Chef Shack

On to Menu Planning Monday...

We are still oven-less so some items may change if the it isn't fixed tomorrow.

Pumpkin Blossom Quesadillas

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Black Mission Fig Sauce

Sweet Corn, Bacon & Tomato Tarts

BLTs

Summer Pasta with whatever veggies I have on hand

I still need to come up with at least one other meal but I'm stumped right now.

Have you entered The Great Fig Giveaway yet? The winner will be announced on Wednesday.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.© 2007-2010 Kathy Lewinski

Honey, Fig & Pistachio Ice Cream

Honey is a wonderful sweetener for ice cream, giving it a nice mellow sweetness. It also happens to be a perfect pairing with figs. So, honey & fig ice cream makes a lot of sense. I decided to also add pistachio for a bit of crunch (the figs seed add some texture too). Plus I think of figs & pistachios going together in Middle Eastern cuisine.

This is a rich, creamy ice cream that gets a pale yellow color from the honey & figs (though if you used a fig with a pink center like the Brown Turkey, you'd get a pinker ice cream probably). I like the fact the flavor is really subtle & not overly sweet.

I used really ripe fresh figs for this recipe. Because they are pretty mushy they get very incorporated into the ice cream. If you can't get fresh figs go ahead & use some chopped dried. They will ended up being scattered throughout the ice cream instead of incorporated into it but it'll still taste fabulous.

Honey, Fig & Pistachio Ice Cream
(adapted from The Ice Cream Bible)

4 egg yolks
1/2 c honey
1 c whipping cream
1 c milk
1 T vanilla
3 ripe figs, diced
3 T chopped pistachios

Whisk the egg yolks & honey together until thick & light yellow then set aside.

In a medium saucepan, bring the cream & milk to a simmer over medium-high heat. Whisk a little at a time into the egg mixture to temper it. Return to the saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring all the time, until the mixture is thick. You want it to be able to coat the back of a spoon. Strain into a clean container. Stir in the vanilla. Cover & refrigerate until completely cold.

Process according to the directions on your ice cream maker. Add the figs & pistachio during the last 5 minutes of processing.

Serve as a soft ice cream or freeze for a harder set.

Makes 4 servings.

Don't forget to enter to win your own bounty of fresh & dried figs from the CA Fig Advisory Board!

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.© 2007-2010 Kathy Lewinski

Grill Prosciutto-Wrapped Figs

The fig fest continues over at chez Good Appetite....

Currently, we are stove & oven-less* leaving only the grill to cook our meals. So after Matt grilled some salmon & fennel for dinner, we turned some fresh figs into an easy grilled dessert.

This is such a simple dish but I think makes for a pretty presentation. Plus its wonderful when you don't want to heat up your kitchen baking a dessert. No real recipe here but here are the steps to make it.

Grilled Prosciutto-Wrapped Figs with Mascarpone

1. Slice ripe figs in half & remove stems.
2. Wrap prosciutto around the figs & secure with a toothpick
3. Grill the wrapped figs until they are warm & the prosciutto starts to crisp.
4. Serve the figs while warm with mascarpone cheese.

I didn't sweeten the mascarpone this time but, next time I serve it for dessert I will with a little honey (because honey & figs, so yum.). With the unsweetened cheese this dish could also be easily served as an appetizer or cheese course.

Don't forget to enter to win your own bounty of fresh & dried figs from the CA Fig Advisory Board! Tomorrow Honey, Fig & Pistachio Ice Cream....

* Our old stove died almost two weeks ago (Less than 5 year old stove & the cost to fix it isn't worth it, what a waste). We bought a new one & it is sitting in the kitchen but in Minneapolis you have to get a permit & have a licensed installer out for a gas stove. We have one coming this afternoon & I can't wait to get back to normal cooking.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.© 2007-2010 Kathy Lewinski

The Great Fig Giveaway

A while back I was contacted by the California Fig Advisory Board to see if I'd like some fresh & dried figs to cook with this summer*. I jumped at the chance especially since fresh figs are sometimes hard to find in the store here. Well, I never expected this kind of abundance!

A flat each of the five varieties of fresh figs & 8 pounds of dried figs! Oh, what a treat!

The first thing Matt did was start tasting each variety to see what the differences were in flavor.

From left to right:
Sierra: A newer hybrid fig. Wonderfully sweet, this one was our favorite for eating fresh.
Brown Turkey: We were familiar with these since they grow behind my parents house in Memphis. My dad likes to pick them in the morning & have them on his cereal. They also make a fantastic pink jam.
Kadota: This one had the most subtle flavor & was the least sweet of the bunch.
Black Mission: I think of these as the chefs fig. We liked them least for just eating fresh but I can't wait to turn them into sauce for duck.
Calimyrna: I loved the flavor of these, reminded me of a peach with a touch of pear.
Believe me there was a lot of snacking of figs going on yesterday on our house. They are so ripe it was hard to resist. Luckily, figs are good for you too, providing more fiber than any other fruit or vegetable.

Now, when face with this much fresh fruit my first thought it to make jam.

I made three batches yesterday, Brown Turkey, Calimyrna & Sierra. I think figs make the most gorgeous jam, the jars looks like jewels. I used the same recipe for fig jam that I used last year. It is quick & seems pretty foul-proof. I flavored the Brown Turkey & Calimyrna jams with cinnamon & for the Sierra I used cardamon because I thought that slight citrus flavor would be a good match. Fig jam is great on toast, in oatmeal, on a turkey sandwich or as an appetizer with goat cheese.

The California Fig Advisory Board has offered to share one of these amazing fig packages with one of my readers. Leave a comment on this post & tell me what you do with this bounty of figs. Make sure to leave your email address so I can contact you if you win. Since we are dealing with fresh fruit here the winner for this contest can only be in the United States, sorry. I'll be announcing the winner the morning of Wednesday, August 25th.

Tomorrow I'll share a fig ice cream & an easy fig dessert on the grill.
Here's some of my other fig recipes to whet your appetite in the meantime...

Fig & Blueberry Crisp

Honeyed Fig & Pig Ice Cream

or get some from the Fig Board

California Fresh Figs

California Dried Figs

*Here's your disclaimer: The CA Fig Board sent me fresh & dried figs to use myself and a package of figs to giveaway to one of my readers. They did not pay me in any other way & I was under no obligation to write about the figs.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.© 2007-2010 Kathy Lewinski

Sweet Corn and Poblano Quesadillas

This Sunday at the farmers market Peter of Peter's Pumpkins told us that this week's corn in the best of the season so, of course we bought some. He was so right, the flavor of this corn is like nothing else. It's amazing right on the cob with a little butter but we also like to use it in other ways like yesterday's sweet corn waffles & these quesadillas.

In all truthfulness, I had originally planned on making pumpkin blossom quesadillas but Peter didn't have them this week. After eating these though I'm glad we didn't get them because the sweet, crisp corn kernels really make this dish. We took the kernels off the cob raw & sautéd them until they started to turn brown & the sugars got a little caramelized. From our garden, we added some poblanos & jalapenos for just a touch of heat. The final result was fresh, cheesy goodness!

Sweet Corn & Poblano Quesadillas

1/2 T olive oil + more for brushing the tortillas
raw kernels from 2 cobs of sweet corn
2 small poblano chiles, seeded & sliced (about 3/4 - 1 cup)
1 jalapeno, seeded & sliced
1/2 small onion, sliced (about 1/2 cup)
4 oz quesadilla cheese or monterey jack, grated
4 flour tortillas

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the corn kernels, chiles, jalapeno & onion to the skillet. Sauté until the onions & peppers are tender & the corn starts to get a little brown.

Meanwhile, heat a griddle or large skillet over medium-high heat. Spread 1/4 of the cheese on one tortilla. Top with half of the corn mixture. Top with another 1/4 of the cheese. Place another tortilla on top & press down. Brush some olive oil on the top tortilla. Put the quesadilla, oiled side-down on the hot griddle. Cook until the tortilla is brown & crisp. Brush some olive oil on the top tortilla & flip the quesadilla. Cook until that last side is brown & crisp. Remove & repeat with the remaining tortillas & fillings.

Slice into wedges & serve with your favorite condiments such as sour cream, salsa & guacamole.

Makes 2 quesadillas

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.© 2007-2010 Kathy Lewinski

Chicken and Sweet Corn Waffles

So, a couple of Friday's ago I was just minded my own business when Scott over at Corner Table started tweeting his specials for the night. Next thing you know, I'm telling Matt that we're going there for dinner because I wanted the chicken on sweet corn waffles. It was just as good as I hoped so, I decided to try my hand at making a version at home.

Scott's dish was beautiful with pan roasted chicken breasts & cheddar cauliflower over a corn waffle with a maple gastrique. My version is a little more rustic looking with chunks of leftover roasted chicken & some zucchini from the garden but, it tastes just as wonderful. I absolutely adore the MN sweet corn in the waffles for both texture & flavor. The maple gastrique just adds the perfect amount of sweetness to everything & is surprisingly good with the zucchini (the zucchini was a last minute addition thatI'm glad worked).

Some folks who have seen this picture on Flickr have told me they just can't get their heads around the whole chicken & waffle thing. If you think about it though, it's really not that strange. We like chicken with biscuits & bread so, just think of a savory waffle as another kind of bread. Maybe it's the maple syrup that throws them though, I think that is what really brings all the pieces together here.

A few notes about ingredients: I used leftover roast chicken in this dish but you could use raw chicken too. Just cut it into bite-sized pieces, salt & pepper then cook until done in a pan with the olive oil. Once cooked, add the zucchini & sauté until tender. I used corn masa flour in the waffles to add a little more "corny" flavor because I had it on hand if you don't, just use all a-p flour instead.

Chicken & Sweet Corn Waffles with Maple Gastrique

1/4 c + 2 T maple syrup
1/4 c + 1/2 t cider vinegar
salt & pepper
3/4 c all-purpose flour
1/4 c corn masa flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
2 eggs, beaten
2 T unsalted butter, melts & slightly cooled
1 c milk
1 c sweet corn kernels (thaw if using frozen)
1/2 T olive oil
2 c cooked chicken, cubed
1 c zucchini, sliced & cut into bite-sized pieces

Put the maple syrup and 1/4 cup of the cider vinegar into a small skillet. Season with some salt & pepper. Turn the heat on to medium-high & bring to a boil. Reduce heat & let simmer until thickened & reduced by about half, about 10 minutes. Keep warm.

In a bowl combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda & salt. In another bowl mix the eggs, butter, 1/2 teaspoon of vinegar and milk together. Pour this into the dry ingredients. Add the corn kernels. Stir until the mixture just comes together, do not over mix. Let sit 5 minutes.

Heat the waffle maker & cook waffles according to the directions. Keep warm.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken & zucchini. Cook until the zucchini has softened slightly & the chicken is heated through.

Serve the chicken & zucchini on the corn waffle then spoon the maple gastrique over the top.

Makes 2 servings

Looks like I'm on track to making chicken & waffles for each season. For winter, I did Minnesota Chicken & Waffles with wild rice waffles, mushrooms & cream sauce. I would call this one my summer version. Now what to do for fall? I'm thinking something with apples...

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.© 2007-2010 Kathy Lewinski

Farmers Market Finds and the Weekly Menu 8/15 - 8/21/10

We bought so much at the farmers market last week that this week just picked up a few staples.

Yes, sweet corn is a staple this time of year! How amazing does that Lunchbox bread from Sun Street look? I can't wait to have a sandwich on it for lunch today.

Signs of fall are hitting the market too with the first of the apples.

On to Menu Planning Monday....

Sweet Corn & Poblano Quesadillas - I wanted to do pumpkin blossom but there weren't any at the market :(

Salmon with grilled fennel

Brats with brussel sprouts & potato salad

Potato Leek Soup

Biscuits with sausage gravy

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.© 2007-2010 Kathy Lewinski

Zesty Potato Salad

We're always looking for new twists on potato salad for the summer months. This one is really simple but gets a nice kick from the horseradish. It makes a great side for easy summer dinners like burgers or brats.

I used non-fat yogurt instead of sour cream to cut back on the calories a bit. If your yogurt is very watery you may want to let it drain for a little bit before mixing the dressing.

Now let's hope it cools off enough this weekend that we actually feel like cooking again!

Zesty Potato Salad

12 - 15 new potatoes
salt
1/4 c non-fat plain yogurt
1/4 c mayonaise
1 T Dijon mustard
1 T creamy horseradish
2 T fresh snipped chives
pepper

Quarter the potatoes & place them in a pot of salted water. Bring to a boil. Let boil until just cooked, about 10 minutes. Drain & let cool.

Mix the yogurt, mayo, mustard, horseradish & chives together. Season with salt & pepper. Stir into the cooled potatoes.

Makes 3 - 4 servings.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.© 2007-2010 Kathy Lewinski

Who Decided to Plant All These Tomatoes Gazpacho

It is hot in Minneapolis, not just hot but nasty, sticky hot with heat indexes over 100 F. We deal with -20 F much better than this kind of weather. I don't know about all of you but it has really taken away any inspiration to cook or even eat much. Luckily, the garden & farmers market are full of all we need to make some nice chilled gazpacho, the perfect hot weather dinner.

The tomatoes in our garden are starting to ripen, It seems like with tomatoes you go from famine to feast overnight.

Here is just one bunch on one plant of our Brandywine plants about two weeks ago. Now most of them are red & absolutely huge! Brandywines can get to be from 1 to 1 1/2 pounds each!

They really are the perfect tomato for gazpacho, juicy & fleshy with a sweet flavor. They pair wonderfully with the cucumbers & peppers that are also in season now for a crisp, fresh flavor. I like this recipe because it uses a lot of tomatoes & doesn't use tomato juice like almost every other one I've seen. I changed the red & green peppers typically used in gazpacho for a poblano & a banana pepper. I feel like these peppers had a lot more flavor & added just a little bit of heat. Really it ended up being one of the best batches of gazpacho I've ever made, the closest to those I remember having in Spain.

"Who Decided to Plant All These Tomatoes" Gazpacho

(adapted from The Big Book of Soups and Stews)

1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded & chopped
2 peppers, seeded & chopped (I used a poblano & a banana pepper if you you a traditional red & green pepper you might want to only use half of each as they are bigger.)
1 small yellow onion, peeled & chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 c olive oil
1/4 c red wine vinegar
1 t sugar
1 t salt
Lots of fresh pepper
2 + pounds of ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded & chopped ( I used 4 Brandywine tomatoes that were probably closer to 3 pounds before seeding & such.)
about 2 oz firm white bread, crust removed, broken into pieces

In a food processor or blender process the cucumber, peppers, onion, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, sugar, salt & pepper until smooth. Pour into a large bowl.

Add the tomatoes & bread to the processor & process until smooth. Stir into the bowl with the cucumber mixture. Mix well.

Cover & chill for at least a couple of hours. Taste for seasoning & add salt & pepper as needed.

Serve with garnishes like diced cucumbers, peppers, red onion or sweet corn. Crusty croutons would be good as well.

5 - 6 servings

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.© 2007-2010 Kathy Lewinski

Farmers Market Finds and the Weekly Menu 8/9 - 8/14/10

Ok, a day late this week but my parents were in town visiting for the weekend so I didn't take the time to sit down & write. Despite the humidity & 100 degrees heat index we headed out to the Kingfield Farmers Market on Sunday. Really there is so much stuff at the market this time of year its hard to resist.

This picture really illustrates what I love about buying from the farmers market. Peter's Pumpkins was selling some beautiful baskets of mixed peppers & Matt asked for one that was mostly poblanos for fajitas. Peter invited him behind his booth & helped him pick out the best selections to make exactly what we wanted. Peter is one of those great vendors who just loves to talk to you about his produce & what's coming up from the farm in the next couple of weeks. This week he even had pumpkin blossoms, which he offered with a recipe for frying them. I really wanted to try them but knew I wouldn't get to them in time. Maybe he'll have more next week.

Boy, did we fill our bags this week! We hadn't been to the market in two weeks so our fridge was looking really empty.

Potatoes

Fennel - I think I'll grill these up as a side dish.

Cantaloupe - We ate most of this as a breakfast treat yesterday.

Cabbage - This became a salad with the carrots & a blue cheese dressing

Eggs

Leeks

Carrots - I find a like a carrot of two with my lunch every day

Onions - Used a bunch in fajitas yesterday & some will go in gazpacho & salsa

LoveTree Sheep's Milk Cheese - A perfect appetizer on crackers yesterday

Mixed Peppers - Most were used in fajitas & more will go into the gazpacho & salsa

Brussels Sprouts - Was hoping to roast these as a side dish this week if the oven gets fixed...

Tomatillos - We'll be making salsa with these

We also got a lot of sweet corn which mostly eaten with BBQed chicken Sunday night. I think I'll use the rest in sweet corn waffles.

Menu Planning Monday...ok, Tuesday

While making breakfast yesterday all the electrical blew on our stove & oven. It's gas so I can still use the stove but not the oven. Guess I need to plan around that since a repair person can't come until Monday!

Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho

Grilled Salmon & Vegetables

Thursday we are going to see Wicked & going to have dinner at Om in downtown Mpls beforehand

Chicken over Sweet Corn Waffles - a riff on the amazing chicken & waffles I had at Corner Table last Friday

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.© 2007-2010 Kathy Lewinski

Pizza by the Pond at LoveTree Farm

If you live in the Twin Cities area you are probably familiar with LoveTree Farm the artisan cheesemakers who weekly sell their unique sheep, cow & goats cheeses at Kingfield, Mill City & St. Paul Farmers Markets. Now Dave & Mary are inviting people to come out to their farm on Thursday night's to enjoy some wood fired pizza, topped with their cheese, of course.

Created with flickr slideshow from softsea.We arrived at the farm in the beautiful Trade Lakes area of Wisconsin, just in time for the sheep milking. After the sheep were taken care of it was time to head to the handmade pizza oven outside the cheese cave to place our dinner orders. We could create our own pizza or choose from one of the three combinations they suggested. We went for the Old Man Dave which featured sausage, bacon & brats (from a neighboring farm) along with a sheep/cow cheese & a goat cheese topped with a ton of vegetables. There was time to wander the farm & feed the cows some grass before our order number was called. Then it was time to sit back in the field & dig into some fabulous homemade pizza. Really there is nothing like the flavor of a wood fired pizza. Most versions I've had have had a thin crust but at LoveTree they kept the crust thicker which I loved, yum all that toasty bread at the edges. Talk about filling, I could barely finish two slices of our pizza! It really made for a fun evening out with a group & everyone at the farm was so welcoming, we felt like we were part of a family pizza party.

The details: LoveTree Farm is in Grantsburg, WI (it took us about 1 1/2 hours to get their from SW Minneapolis.). They serve pizza on Thursday nights from 4:30 until 8:00pm (sheep milking starts around 6:30). A single topping pizza starts at $22.00 with additional toppings costing $1 - $2. One will easily feed 3 - 4 people. LoveTree only sells the pizza so bring in your own beverages (alcohol is allowed). The setting is very rustic (there is a nice composting outhouse) so bring your own picnic gear. Our group brought chairs, blankets, tables & picnic dishes. It started to rain a bit & the nice people at the farm provided us with a canopy to sit under. Get all the details on their website.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.© 2007-2010 Kathy Lewinski

Tequila-Lime Marinade

We have a bumper crop of poblano peppers growing in the garden which means one thing around our house, fajitas!

Fajitas are such a simple meal. Basically, you just need a grilled meat, sautéed or grilled peppers & onions & tortillas. Other toppings after that are up to you. We like a little sour cream (well, actually plain yogurt), some fresh tomatoes & Matt likes some sliced jalapeno.

For the meat we usually use beef or chicken. This time it was chicken & Matt decided to create a marinate with the flavors of a margarita. Sometimes I find you can't really distinguish the flavors of a marinade once the meat is cooked, but not so with this one. You really get the taste of tequila & lime. It was so good & fresh tasting a lot of the meat didn't even make it into the fajitas, our mouths just seemed to get in the way.

Tequila-Lime Marinade

1/2 c tequila
1/4 c lime juice
1 t onion powder
1/2 t cayenne powder
1 t garlic powder
1/2 t cumin
2 t salt
1/4 c canola oil

Put everything but the oil into a resealable plastic bag. Seal. Shake until the salt has dissolved. Add the oil & shake to mix. Add meat to be marinated. Reseal the bag removing as much air as possible. Massage the meat a little. Refrigerate for 4 - 6 hours.

Makes about 1 cup (Enough to marinate at least 4 - 5 boneless chicken breasts)

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.© 2007-2010 Kathy Lewinski

Sloppy Joes

I can't even tell you the last time I had a sloppy joe but Matt suggested them as a good use for the ground beef & buns we had leftover from camp this past weekend. I had forgotten how tasty they can be.

Growing up sloppy joes were always made with a packet of seasoning picked up in the soup aisle of the grocery store. As I've gotten older & started to care a little more about what I eat, I look at those seasoning packets & am shocked by the amount of salt in them. Matt couldn't believe I'd think of buying them anyway since he knew he could create just as good a seasoning mix with what we had in the spice drawer.

Of course, he was right & these were some of the tastiest sloppy joes I can remember having. The mix of the pepper & brown sugar gives them a sweet & spicy flavor that is just right.

Matt's Sloppy Joes

1/2 T olive oil
1 c chopped onion
1 lb lean ground beef
1/4 t black pepper
1/4 t ancho powder (may just be labeled chili powder)
1/2 t smoked paprika
1/4 t garlic powder
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1 T brown sugar
3 T tomato paste
1 T spicy brown mustard
1/4 c water
salt

Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add the onion & cook until starting to soften. Add the beef & cook until cooked through. Stir in the pepper, ancho, paprika, garlic, cayenne & brown sugar until well blended. Stir in the tomato paste, mustard & water. Bring to a simmer. Cook well stirring from time to time until thickened, 5 - 10 minutes at the most. Taste & add salt as needed.

Enough filling for 4 - 5 sloppy joes

When was the last time you had a sloppy joe?

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.© 2007-2010 Kathy Lewinski

Warm Black Lentil and Beet Salad

I was planning on making pizza with beets & potatoes on it last night but, in the middle of the day I got a craving for a warm lentil salad with a rich egg yolk running through it. After a brief look through the cupboards I realized I had everything on hand to make one plus I could still use the beets. It also gave me an excuse to use the beluga black lentils I picked up in Seattle.

This salad is good without the egg but there is something about the way it tastes with the soft yolk that just sends the flavor to a whole other level.

Warm Black Lentil and Beet Salad

3/4 c black lentil (or lentil of choice really)
4 small beets, I ended up with about 1 1/2 c chopped
3 T olive oil
1 c chopped yellow onion
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T champagne or white wine vinegar
1 T Dijon mustard
1/4 t dried thyme or 1/2 t fresh
salt & pepper
2 eggs

Cook the lentil according to directions until soft. Drain.

Meanwhile, clean the beets & boil them until soft, about 20 - 25 minutes. Drain & let cool. Cut into small pieces. (You could also roast the beets if you wish).

Put 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet. Heat over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery & garlic & sauté until tender. Add the cooked lentils & beets & heat through.

Whisk the remaining olive oil, vinegar, mustard & thyme together. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Stir into the warm lentil & vegetable mixture (I'd add a little at a time to make sure not to overdress as everyone likes a different amount of dressing). Keep warm.

Poach or soft fry the eggs. Divide the salad between two dishes & top each with an egg.

2 servings

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.© 2007-2010 Kathy Lewinski

Farmers Market Finds and the Weekly Menu 8/2 - 7/7/10

We were out of town again this weekend so missed our farmers market for a second week in a row (drives me crazy 'cuz I know I'm missing some good stuff). I did run out to the Excelsior Farmers Market on Thursday though to pick up the salmon we'd ordered earlier in the year from WIld Run Salmon. We pre-ordered 20 pounds of wild Alaskan salmon earlier this summer then Matt & his kids headed up to Alaska to catch it for us.

(photo courtesy of Wild Run Salmon)

They clean & freeze the salmon immediately on the boat. When we picked it at the market it was cut into about 1 pound fillets, vacuum sealed & in a reusable insulated bag.

The best part we can bring the bag back the rest of the season & fill it with more beautiful salmon at a price that is much better than what the stores are charging. If you are in the Twin Cities area you can buy WIld Run Salmon at Excelsior, Kingfield, Mill City, Minneapolis & White Bear farmers markets.

On to Menu Planning Monday...

Somehow its ended up really being a pizza week.....

Beet & Potato Pizza

Sloppy Joes & Homemade Baked Beans - Using up some leftovers from our weekend at camp.

Fajitas - The poblanos in our garden are ready to be used!

Thursday we'll be heading out to LoveTree Farmstead from some Wood Fired Pizza using their sheep cheese with Cookin' Minnesota.

Some sort of grilled chicken, I'm thinking of a basil lemon flavor

Saturday we're having a family bbq & are thinking of doing grilled make your own pizzas.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.© 2007-2010 Kathy Lewinski