Weekly Menu and Farmers Market Finds 6/17 - 6/22/12

It is amazing how quickly the farmers market has gone from just a few spring greens and rhubarb to a huge array of summer vegetables. We are always tempted to buy everything, especially the stuff we haven't had since last summer, but we have to remember what two of us can really eat in a week. Here's what we brought home this week..

Green Beans - This week's they'll just be sides but I want to make some spicy dilly beans soon.
More Strawberries - This batch is mainly for snacking
French Breakfast Radishes - These have been so wonderful raw and cooked. Apparently next week we'll get a new variety that is also quite mild.
Tomatoes - These need a little more ripening, but for this early in the season it's amazing to get them at all.
Bacon and Regular Brats
Zucchini - First of the year. We like to grill these up.

On to Menu Planning Monday...

Green scrambled eggs with toast and cottage bacon - The eggs are green thanks to Garlic Scape Pesto.

Grilled steak with potatoes and broccoli - A hold over from last week.

Pizzeria Lola - We have friends coming in from out of town who want to see what all the buzz is about.

Chicken and Avocado Tacos - The 3 1/2 year old we have visiting loves avocado, so she is inspiring theses.

Pasta with Garlic Scape Pesto and Fresh Tomatoes

Grilled Brats and Hot Dogs

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. © 2007-2012 Kathy Lewinski

Weekly Menu and Farmers Market Finds 6/10 - 6/15/12

This week we really saw the effects of the early warm weather we've had here in the Minneapolis area. Early strawberries, tomatoes in June! We even heard we might see the first corn in three weeks.

Here's what we picked up with week...

Pork Spare Ribs - These are in the freezer to be smoked at a later date
Garlic Scapes - I'll turn most of these into pesto today to be used in lots of different recipes.
Sun Street Granola - Our warm weather breakfast lately is yogurt and granola so we've been trying lots of different local ones.
Tomatoes - So happy to have fresh, seasonal tomatoes again
Broccoli
Strawberries - The last batch was turned into ice cream and this batch will be jam
Foxy Falafel Hummus - Found out we need to get to the market early to get this before it sells out
Potatoes
Boneless Chicken Thighs - I like thigh meat better than breast meat for things like stir-fry because I think it has more flavor.
Plus we still have radishes, eggs, peas and spring onions from last week.

On to Menu Planning Monday & On The Menu Monday....

Pizza with Garlic Scape Pesto, Fresh Tomatoes and Mozzarella

Baked Garlic Scape and Pea Mac and Cheese

Grilled Streak with Roasted Potatoes and Broccoli

Spring Vegetable Hash with Potatoes, Broccoli, Spring Onions, Radishes, Tomatos, Peas and Garlic Scapes topped with a poached egg.

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. © 2007-2012 Kathy Lewinski

Weekly Menu and Farmers Market Finds 6/4 - 6/10/12

Oh man, how long has it been since I've written one of these posts?! Feels like forever. I am still splinted-up but can do more every day including a little chopping in the kitchen. That plus the beginning of farmers market season has me feeling a little more motivated. This is actually the second week at the market, but last week we really didn't get much more than some rhubarb, salad greens and chickens to restore the freezer. This week things are starting to pick up.

Here's what we got...

French Breakfast Radishes - Good fresh and cooked
Sun Street Baguette
Strawberries - These little beauties taste so much better than those giant ones from California in the stores so cheaply right now. We turned most of them into a purée to use in ice cream.
Spring Onions
Fox Falafel Hummus - Matt loves their hummus as an afternoon snack with carrots
Sweet Peas
Sun Street Red Fresno Pepper Jelly - selling sauces and condiments is new for Sun Street. This one is a great start!
Not shown are the goodies we ate at the market like Sun Streets new Cheddar, Sausage and Currant Biscuit and the last Bogart Loves donuts until August (good luck with that new baby, guys!).

A few of the items made their way into last night's "snack dinner." I love snack dinner, it's kind of like a picnic on the couch. The French Breakfast Radishes were so wonderful with some Hope Butter on the baguette. We paired the Fresno Pepper Jelly with both cream cheese and a some local camembert. I think a pepper jelly and grilled cheese sandwich might be in order later this week.

On to the rest of our Menu Planning Monday...

Handburgers and baked sweet potatoes

Chicken Stir-Fry with Radishes, Peas and Spring Onions

Ground Beef Kabobs with tzatziki and grilled flat bread

Pulled pork sandwiches - We made this pork over Memorial Day Weekend and froze the leftovers. I'll share the recipe with you later this week.

Sunday we'll be going to another of the fun beer dinners at Blackbird. This time is Belgium Trippels, I can't wait.

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. © 2007-2012 Kathy Lewinski

Farmers Market Finds and Weekly Menu 10/31 - 11/5/11

Happy Halloween everyone!

Where the heck did this year go? Here we are showing the the final haul from the Kingfield Farmers Market for the season.

Seeing all this bounty makes me sad to see it over for the year. Here's what we got...

Yukon Potatoes
Squash - These store nicely in a cool, dark place for quite a while.
Red Peppers
Leeks
Eggs
Parsnips
Garlis
Green Bean
Ground Beef - To stock the freezer
Italian Sausage
Ribeye Steaks
Foxy Falafel Hummus
Sun Street Buttermilk Biscuits

There will be a Holiday Market in November where we'll be able to stock up on a few more things and our meat vendor has monthly winter drop-offs in the city which is great.

On to Menu Planning Monday...

Buttermilk Biscuits with Sausage and Coffee Gravy

Chicken Enchiladas - Because I never made it last week

Potato and Leek Soup

Thyme and Sea Salt Turkey Burgers

Red Wine Beef Stew

Sausage and Peppers Pasta

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. © 2007-2011 Kathy Lewinski

Weekly Menu and Farmers Market Finds 9/29 - 10/1/11

I think this is my favorite time of year for the farmers market. We still have the summer vegetables and all the fall vegetables are coming into the market too. I have a hard time restraining myself from buying way more than Matt and I can use in a week everything looks so beautiful.

apple cider - Matt was so excited to see our apple cider vendor back
carrots
brussels sprouts on the stalk - Unfortunately, a lot of the sprouts had to be thrown away because of the amount of bugs in them, but I got enough for one meal.
Italian peppers - These got used in chili verde
honey - For my nightly Sleepytime tea
pie pumpkin - For a crisp recipe
acorn squash
green beans
edamame
tomatoes
garlic - The whole this went into chili verde
potatoes
ground beef - Starting to stock the freezer for winter
pork butt - One will get smoked the other will become Italian sausge
onions
20 lbs of salmon - Half will go to Matt's parents
mini Indian corn - We heard this made really good popcorn
bacon

We are harvesting are garden these days too. It really wasn't a great year, but we did get a huge amount of kale.

This is my kitchen sink filled with two grocery bags of kale leaves. Matt had already harvest about half this much earlier in the summer. It all got blanched yesterday and frozen in 4oz packages to use during the winter in stews and soups. I think we have enough put away to be able to use one bag a week all winter.

We also harvested about 3 1/2 pounds of tomatillos which we made into chili verde, a recipe I'll share later this week.

On to Menu Planning Monday...

Grilled Steak with roasted potatoes and green beans

White bean, Italian Sausage and kale soup

Pasta with fresh tomato sauce

Edamame, red pepper and chicken stirfry

Apple cider and bourbon brined pork chops with acorn squash

Mac and cheese with brussels sprouts and bacon

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. © 2007-2011 Kathy Lewinski

Weekly Menu and Farmers Market Finds 8/21 - 8/27/11

Boy, did we have a lovely weekend. The weather was perfect and we capped Sunday night off with another Tour de Farm event. This time it was in conjunction with the Celebrity Chef Tour, a series of dinners around the country to benefit the James Beard Foundation. Last night's dinner was at the Star Prairie Trout Farm in Star Prairie, WI. We ate amazing food cooked by Scott Pampuch, Barton Seaver, Tim McKee, Mike Philips and even Andrew Zimmern of the Travel Channel. Plus we got an informative tour of the farm with lots of information on raising trout. According to the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch, farmed trout is a good choice because of its sustainability and little effect on the environment. As usual, I took lots of pictures, so enjoy the show. Click on any picture to stop the show and read about it.

Created with flickr slideshow.
We also hit the farmers market this Sunday. The squash blossoms were in!

Broccoli
Cilantro
Squash Blossoms
Sweet Onions
Eggs
Fajita Beef
Zucchini
Tomatoes
Beans
Sun Street Pasties - Had these for lunch today & they were amazing!

Now on to Menu Planning Monday...

Squash Blossom and Black Bean Tacos

Gazpacho - going to try using lemon cucumbers in it this time

Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry - using the fajita beef

Chicken with a Zucchini & Bread Cheese Salad

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. © 2007-2011 Kathy Lewinski

Weekly Menu and Farmers Market Finds 8/07 - 8/13/11

What a great week at the farmers market. The weather was perfect, there is so much in season and it felt like the whole neighborhood was out enjoying it. We were a little sad to hear Bogart Loves won't be at the Kingfield Market anymore this year. Guess we'll have to run by Fulton for our donut fix on Saturdays instead. If you are in the Twin Cities here's a little heads up, I asked Peter from Peter's Pumpkins if they were going to be selling blossoms soon and he told me this was the time they'd be picking them, so look for them next week or so for at the Kingfield Market.

Here's what we picked up...

Sweet Corn - This batch will mostly get frozen to use this winter
Sweet Onions
Italian Sausage - For sausage and peppers
Brisket - It's hard to find a good piece of brisket with a nice fat layer on it for smoking, so Matt grabbed this one when he saw it.
Zucchini
Cucumber - You'd think I'd be tired of cukes eating them everyday for lunch, but no.
Leeks
Eggs
Chicken of the Woods and Chanterelle Mushrooms - I paid a lot for these mushrooms, but it such a treat to get these varieties. Plus I couldn't resist that orange color.

On to Menu Planning Monday...

Wild Mushroom Pasta

Cheesy Grits with Green Tomato Jam and Pulled Pork

Summer Vegetable Frittata

Sausage and Peppers

Haven't decided whether to grill a whole chicken or some hamburgers for another night.

We'll also be smoking our own salmon this week.

Here's a little preview of the recipe we'll be sharing tomorrow.

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. © 2007-2011 Kathy Lewinski

Weekly Menu and Farmers Market Finds 7/31- 8/06/11

It continues to be steamy hot in the Twin Cities, not so great for us, but good for all the summer crops. Things are really starting to pick up at the farmers market.

We didn't pick up a ton this week week, but what we did looks amazing.

Cilantro
Sweet Corn
Green Beans - Steamed crisp tender these are the best summer side
Tomatoes - The first we've seen this season
Cucumbers


According to our corn farmer, Peter's Pumpkins and Carmen's Corn, this is the best sweet corn of the season. Peter told us it was good enough to go home and eat for breakfast raw.

He was certainly ready for a rush on it. Look at all those bags of corn behind his booth!

On to Menu Planning Monday...

Sweet Corn Gazpacho

Summit Beer 25th Anniversary Dinner at the Local

Sweet Corn, Black Bean and Pepper Tacos

Quick dinner out before a photography class

Molasses Brined Pork Chops with Corn Salsa

Black Bean Burgers

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. © 2007-2011 Kathy Lewinski

Weekly Menu and Farmers Market Finds 7/24 - 7/30/11

Small trip to the farmers market this week as I am heading up North and Matt will be home alone. With his right arm in a cast still, Matt isn't doing much serious cooking these days.

Sun Street Sourdough Bread
Eggs
Walla Walla Onions
Sweet Corn - First of the season & it was so tasty on the grill last night!
Cucumbers

I did remember to take picture of Bogart Loves luscious donuts this week though.

I think Matt is addicted to that Maple Bacon one. My favorite remains the Brioche and Brown Butter. Just looking at these pictures makes me want one now!

On to Menu Planning Monday...

Tonight - We are out to dinner
Tues - Wed - I'm up North probably eating Walleye and Matt is probably getting a burrito somewhere
Thursday - Sweet Corn and Bacon Pizza
Friday - Saturday - I'm thinking ribs on the smoker one day and perhaps out to eat the other.

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. © 2007-2011 Kathy Lewinski

Weekly Menu and Farmers Market Finds 7/17 - 7/23/11

So, I read today that the only place more humid than Minneapolis right now is the Amazon rain forest. I don't know if that is true or not but it certainly feels like it. These heat indexes of 117F really take away our desire to cook, eat or do much of anything. All I can say is, thank goodness for air conditioning!


We did manage a quick trip through the Kingfield Farmers Market yesterday. I felt for those vendors in the heat, they were all thanking us for actually coming out on a day like that. Here's what we picked up.

Kohlrabi - for slaw
Sun Street Rye and Sunflower Seed Bread - made with a wheat beer
Beez Kneez Honey - she'll deliver it right to your house on a bike if you want!
Purple Broccoli
Hickory Smoked Bacon - also for the slaw
Cucumbers
Fresh Garlic
5 pints of blueberries - I froze these until it gets to be a little cooler to make jam.
Carrots
New York Strip Steaks
Not shown are a Maple Bacon Donut and a Brioche Brown Butter Donut from Bogart Loves (because we ate them before we got home!)


On to Menu Planning Monday...

Brats with Kohlrabi Slaw and Potatoes

Swedish Shrimp Sandwiches

Chicken Pita Sandwiches

Thursday we'll be going to Eat Ramen, Help Japan 

Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry

Grilled Steaks - if it ever cools down, enough

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. © 2007-2011 Kathy Lewinski

Weekly Menu and Farmers Market Finds 7/10 - 7/16/11

Whew, last week was a blur. Lots of family was in town so, we cooked for eleven people on the 4th and then twelve people on Wednesday. We kept it all to pretty easy barbecues, but we were still pretty exhausted by the time the weekend came around. I was actually exhausted enough to get sick. That's ok though, it was hot and humid outside, so I relaxed on the couch in the AC watching a Harry Potter marathon preparing for the new movie this week.

We did make it to the farmers market on Sunday, but we didn't need much as we still had a lot from last week.

New Your Strip Steaks - To throw on the grill this week with green beans and potatoes
Cucumbers - I just can't seem to get enough cukes this summer
Shortcakes - How pretty are these little flower shaped cakes from Sun Street Breads? We'll be topping them with strawberries and whipped cream tonight.

It was too hot to eat at the market as we usually do, so we stopped in to try out the breakfast at Corner Table. It's so great to have another great breakfast place in town, especially a place that brings the creativity and quality to breakfast that they do to dinner. Have you tried it yet?

On to Menu Planning Monday...
Kind of a short week of eating at home.

Italian Green Bean Pizza

Grilled New York Strip - A classic meat, veg and potato dinner

Sweet Pea and Tuna Pasta

Thursday we get to go to a screening of the last Harry Potter movie (Thanks Delta Amex!), so we'll be eating out near the theater

Friday we'll be having a barbecue at my cousin's with more family that is in town.

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. © 2007-2011 Kathy Lewinski

Weekly Menu and Farmers Market Finds 7/3 - 7/9/11

I hope everyone had a fabulous holiday weekend (well, holidays in the States and Canada anyway). We had a bit of a busy one. Our friends Susi & Rob visited us for San Francisco and got to experience the fun that is Kingfield Farmers Market. Their daughter, A, enjoyed a puppet show while Mom, Susi, got to blend her own smoothie on the Foxy Falafel Blender Bike.

Photo courtesy of Rob

The produce is really picking up at the market right now too!

Here's what we got this week...
Eggs - most were hard boiled & turned into deviled eggs for the 4th.
Strawberries - for a Creamy Strawberry Pie I'll share tomorrow
Broccoli - for the relish tray yesterday
Salad Greens - those will go with fajitas tomorrow
Beets - my dad asked for beet donuts this week
Green Beans
IPA Brat Buns - we bought out all Sun Street Breads had for the 4th
Love Tree Farm's Gabrielson Lake Cheese - on the Best Local Foods List
Vanilla Bean Macaroons 
Potatoes

The only down point to the day was Matt ended up in splint with what looks like a broken wrist from a fall two weeks ago.

Yes, it took us two weeks to have it looked at. Today we'll see whether he needs surgery or just a cast. The poor guy is having a time learning how to do everything with his left hand.


Our backyard was full of lots of family and friends for the Fourth. We had a pretty classic midwestern BBQ menu, cole slaw, deviled eggs, homemade baked beans, Wisconsin brats, hotdogs, ice cream and pie. Of course, there were also sparklers and fireworks.

Finally, on to Menu Planning Monday (um, Tuesday)...

Green bean and leftover steak stir-fry

Salmon Fajitas for twelve - also chicken fajitas for the non-fish eaters

Gabrielson Lake Cheeseburgers with roasted potatoes

Think we'll eat out on Friday

Rotisserie Chicken which will leave us with lots of good leftovers.

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. © 2007-2011 Kathy Lewinski

Weekly Menu and Farmers Market Finds 6/26 - 7/2/11

Our farmers market was really hoping this weekend and we are really starting to see more and more vegetables. And the strawberries, just tons and tons of strawberries! And a special hi to Jim, who stopped us at the market to say hi and let us know he reads the blog. It's so fun to meet the people who read this and see they are real live humans!

Here's what we picked up this week...

Spotlight Foamy Bells plant - I've been looking everywhere for more of these for my garden.
Eggs - We go through a lot of hard boiled ones lately
Flank Steak
Dill - to use of shrimp sandwiches for lunch
Cucumbers - This is a favorite snack right now
Strawberries - Just enough for strawberry shortcake for two
Beets
Sweet Peas

We've visited a few food related stores this week that we've been wanting to check out for awhile.

First, we went to R.J.'s Meats in Hudson, WI. This little grocery store is mainly known for it's old school meat counter and has won numerous awards at the American Cured Meat Championships. You can even bring in your fresh caught game for processing. But, we were there for the sauages. They make 32 kinds of brats, 3 kinds of poultry sausages and 5 kinds of specialty sausages. We couldn't resist getting about 6 different kinds to stock up our freezer for the upcoming holiday weekend.

And we finally stopped by the Nordic Ware Factory Store. A large kitchen ware shop with Nordic Ware goods and lots more. Of course they have lots of versions of the famous bundt pan but, I was there to pick up a donut pan. Looking forward to trying lots of different versions of baked donuts!

On to Menu Planning Monday....

Chicken Thighs with Green Garlic and Chive Pesto

Stir- Fry with Sweet Peas

Roasted Beet and Lentil Salad

Steak Fajitas

Roasted Beet Pizza or Tart

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. © 2007-2011 Kathy Lewinski

Weekly Menu and Farmers Market Finds 6/20 - 6/25/11

Is everybody else having as weird a spring as we are in Minnesota?! We're all getting ready to build arks here with all the rain that's been coming down and even more in the forecast. Add the cool temperatures (other than that record breaking 103F day), and the farmers at the market are saying they are about a month behind.

Strawberries - Finally came in this week about 3 weeks late and apparently the season will be short. We picked up a bunch and I canned a couple batched of jam already yesterday and processed 16 more cups of strawberries for the freezer.

Ho Chi Minh Pepper Plant - A gift to us from the folks at Swede Lake Farm for sharing some of our peppers with them last year. This is one hot pepper!
Chicken - We are completely out of whole chickens in the freezer and by the time we got to the market last week they were sold out so, I made sure to stock up with week.
Cucumbers - I eating about 1/2 of one everyday for lunch these days.
Blackberry and Ginger Pie from Sun Street Breads - This will be dessert tonight with a little sweet chai ice cream
Sweet Peas - They'll go in pasta tonight and a stir-fry later this week but, I'm also liking a handful raw as a snack.
Spinach - For lunch most days I eat rye crisps with a little cheese and ham, thinking I'll add a few spinach leaves this week.

On to Menu Planning Monday...
Matt is traveling again this week so, it's I'm trying to cook well for one again.

Penne with Green Garlic and Chive Pesto, Sweet Peas and Corner Table's Bacon

Stir-Fry with Sweet Peas, Broccoli and Spinach

Spring Onion Tart

Green Garlic and Chive Pesto Chicken

Also, we'll be posting a recipe this week for the Dill Pickle Faux-Fried Chicken we made last week, so good!

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. © 2007-2011 Kathy Lewinski

Farmers Market Finds, Weekly Menu and a Treat to Giveaway

Since I've been slowly stocking up on things like garlic & squash from the farmers market we didn't need that much this week.

Pie Pumpkins - These will get stuffed
Beets - Not sure how I'll use them yet but couldn't resist them
Leeks - Might go in the pumpkins
Figgy Rye Bread - For sandwiches
Ham & Swisscuits - These made a find breakfast sandwich this morning
French Bread - Had some last night with soup & the rest will go in the pumpkins

Our market, the Kingfield Farmers Market, is one of the latest running farmers markets in our area but we only have one weekend left & the holiday market on November 13th before it is over for the year.

On to Menu Planning Monday...
Smoked Salmon Chowder - trying finishing it off with a little cream cheese this time.
Pumpkin Guts - You've got to come back for this one.
Sausage & Peppers over Grits - Our typically recipe for the sausage & peppers but trying it over grits is new for us.
Bison & Butternut Squash Chili - Because we need to use that ground bison in the freezer
Sweet Potato Hash with Eggs - Based on some amazing hash we had at Corner Table.


Most importantly, today begins the Great HallowTweet Halloween BlogHop. All the blogs you see listed in the banner on the left side here will be featuring Halloween themed posts all week. Click through for some fun. I thought I'd start the week off with a treat! (The tricks come later.)


Recently, we were sent some coupons to try Ghirardelli's new Luxe Milk chocolate for free. We tried both the hazelnut & almond. Even though I prefer dark chocolate, this is some of the best milk chocolate I've had. Now we have some coupons to share with you because chocolate is the perfect halloween treat, right?

1. Two winner will each receive a coupon to get either a box of Luxe Milk squares or a Luxe Milk bar for free as well as two more coupons for $1 off another box or bar.
2. Comment on this post to be entered to win.
3. Twitter this giveaway & let us know you did in a comment.
4. We must be able to email you if you are picked as the winner so make sure to leave an email address!
5. The coupons are only good in the US, sorry.
6. The winner will be picked on Halloween.

Disclaimer: We were sent coupons from Ghirardelli to use ourselves & to giveaway. We were also sent some of the Luxe Milk squares through the Foodbuzz Tastemakers Program. We were not paid in any other way to write about this product.

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 10/17 - 10/23/10

I love the farmers market in the fall, the crisp sunny mornings, the wonderful fall vegetables & the hot apple cider.

We have our apple cider with one of the wonderful biscuits from Sun Street Breads. Currently, the biscuits are made with ham, mustard & swiss cheese, they are to die for!

Though these days you have to get to the market early to grab some of Solveig's baked treats. An article in the Star Tribune 2 weeks ago has lines reaching through the whole market the last couple of Sundays. We are thrilled for her as long as we get our Sunday morning biscuit!

Here's this week's farmers market finds...

Sun Street Lunchbox Bread - For this week lunchtime sandwiches
Carrots
Leeks
Broccoli
Butternut Squash - Who can resist at 3 for $5!
Tomatillos - for enchiladas
Garlic - We're stocking up for the winter
Sun Street Domino & Ginger cookies

On to Menu Planning Monday....

Beef & Barley Soup with Carrots & Parsnips - Made this last night & its so perfect for this fall weather

Coconut Braised Chicken Thighs & Sweet Potatoes - An experiment to use up some coconut milk

Wild Rice, Shiitake & Butternut Hot Dish - They just all sound good together to me

Chicken Enchiladas - Using the tomatillos we found at the market plus some leftover tortillas

Potato & Leek Soup - A request from Matt

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 10/11 - 10/16/10

This weekend at the Kingfield Farmers Market I participated in my first bake-off ever. We were asked to create a baked good using pumpkin this week & bring enough for 60 small servings.

Then market-goers could purchase a plate with a sample of each treat & vote for their favorite. A panel of judges also chose their favorite. I brought a Chai Pumpkin Cake topped with a simple glaze (recipe coming soon).

I think my cake was really good but my bet is on the pumpkin whoopie pies. I'm still waiting patiently (or not so patiently) to find out who won.
Here's what we picked up at the market this week...

Onions
Sun Street Farm Girl Saison Bread & Kingfield Sourdough Bread
Italian Grilling Peppers - Went into a sweet potato hash last night
Green Beans
Eggs
Surprisingly late cherry tomatoes
Jersey Cows' Milk Cheese - Great on the bread with some fig jam
Garlic
Sweet Potatoes

& some amazing duck & pork noodle soup from the Chef Shack.

We haven't really planned out menu for the week other than I have lots of leftover chicken to use & we want some sweet potato tacos as well.

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 10/4 - 10/9/10

Only 4 more weeks of our Kingfield Farmers Market. We'll really miss our Sunday morning routine of biscuits at Sun Street Breads followed by something tasty from Chef Shack & of course getting our fresh produce for the week.

Here's what we got this week...

Oatmeal Lunchbox Bread - for lunchtime sandwiches
Red Clover Honey - such a great dark color
Flower Bouquet - How beautiful are these bouquets that they make out of things like kale & onion blossoms.

White Sweet Potatoes - We like the white ones so much more than the orange
Delicata Squash
Onions - I love to buy the little ones that are perfect recipe size
Cauliflower - Tasty in last night's curry
Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes - After the frost this weekend these are probably the last of the season. If you have a bunch of green tomatoes this still on the vine this late in the season how about making some First Frost Green Tomato Jam?
Yukon Gold Potatoes
Garlic - One of our favorite vendors & the growers of this beautiful garlic was featured in the New York Times this weekend!

On to Menu Planning Monday...

Chili Verde Pork - A hold over from last week's menu

Sausage & Bean Soup - Matt says it'll be like a ham & bean soup but with sausage

Butternut Squash Pasta

Creamy Wild Rice Soup - A cold weather favorite around here

Matt's parents will be here this weekend so I think we'll eating out Friday & Saturday.

Finally, just a little self-promotion to my other blog. Over the past two month's my friend Susi & I have been doing all this season's Project Runway challenges on dolls. This weekend our project was featured in India's Hindustan Times newpaper. Read all about it here...

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 9/20 - 8/26/10

We are back! Matt is home from California, my cold is finally gone, fall has definitely fallen & we are feeling a renewed energy to get back into the kitchen.

It was so nice to get back to the Kingfield Farmers Market this weekend. This is such an amazing time to buy at the markets with the last of the summer crops still available & the best of the fall crops just starting to come in. Here's what we picked up for the next two weeks.

Carnival Squash - We discovered this little squash two years ago & love it. They are the perfect size for me to cook one up as a side dish for the two of us.

Sun Street Beer Bread - Made with Lift Bridge Farm Girl Saison. Looking forward to having thick slices of this with leftover chili for lunch.

Carrots - For curry & as a side with lunch

Butternut Squash - Haven't decided what I'll use this in yet but I couldn't resist the first one of the season.

Leeks - Also not sure what I'll use these in yet but I like having leeks around just like having onions on hand.

Parsnips - These will probably go into a stew as well as get roasted for side dishes.

Roma Tomatoes - I'll be cooking these down to a sauce today.

Onions & Garlic - Just the pantry staples

Brussels Sprouts - These will get roasted as a side dish this week

Sweet Potatoes - Peter at Peter's Pumpkins told me that MN doesn't have the best soil for growing sweet potatoes so I was glad to find one vendor selling them. These are a mixture of both the yellow & white fleshed varieties. I'll use some in curry & the rest just roast as a side or perhaps in stew.

The market only has a couple more weeks before closing for the season so we'll be stocking up on things like squash & garlic to keep us through the winter.

On to Menu Planning Monday...

Farro with Italian Sausage, Chard & Tomatoes

Vegetable Curry Pot Pie

Meatball Sandwiches

Cranberry Tamales

Then we are heading up north to enjoy some of the fall color so I'll probably whip up a big pot of beef stew to take along with us.

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