Figgy Mac and Cheese plus a Figgy Giveway

This is a recipe that I was playing with while developing recipes for the Kitchen Play SideCar Series featuring Woolwich Dairy goat cheeses. It didn't make the final cut for that post because it wasn't really holiday oriented but, I thought it was still good enough to share with all of you.

Figs & fig jam are so good with cheese I thought why not add them to the ultimate cheese dish, mac & cheese. To step up the cheese flavor I used two types of cheese, cheddar & brie. Oh, what a rich cream mac & cheese. The goat cheese melted beautifully & has such wonderful flavor. The figs are surprisingly good in here & their sweetness cuts through the richness nicely. It's a pretty classy version of mac & cheese that I think would make a great side dish with a lovely steak.

Figgy Mac & Cheese

3 oz penne pasta, cooked
1 t unsalted butter
2 t all-purpose flour
6 T milk
1.5 oz Woolwich goat milk cheddar, chopped
1 oz Woolwich goat milk brie (I removed the rind. That is a personal choice but the rind won't melt as smoothly)
1 t white wine
salt & pepper
3 dried black mission figs, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a small saucepan melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour & stir while cooking for 1 minutes. Whisk in the milk & cook until hot, thick & bubbly. Next, whisk in the cheese until melted. Stir in the wine then season with salt & pepper to taste.

Mix the cheese sauce with the cooked penne & chopped figs. Pour into a small ramekin. Bake for about 30 - 40 minutes until golden brown & crispy on top.

One main dish serving or two sides.

Figgy Giveaway!

See those dried figs I used here & the ones in the Figgy (Bread) Pudding earlier this week? Well, those were graciously given to me earlier this year by the CA Fig Advisory Board. They are just so handy to have in the pantry to add a little something extra to recipes or make a quick appetizer. Now they want to send one of my readers a fig gift pack too. One winner will get dried Calimyrna and Black Mission figs, a fig t-shirt, a shopping tote & lots of fig recipes. Here's how to enter....

1. Leave a comment here telling us how you'd use your dried figs. You MUST have an email where we can contact you in the comment or on your profile. Comments need to be left on the post do not email us to enter.
2. Twitter about this giveaway & let us know with another comment.

We will chose a random winner from all entries on Wednesday, December 15th. Contest is open to US residents only.

Hey, while you are entering to win why not also vote for us in Iron Foodie 2010!?

Disclaimer: The CA Fig Advisory Board has sent me figs & a fig gift package plus a package to giveaway to a reader. They did not pay me in any other way to write about figs or tell me what to write.

Disclaimer 2: Woolwich Dairy compensated me through Kitchen Play to develop recipes using their goat cheeses.

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, 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

Canning Giveaway Winner

Thanks to everyone who commented & Twittered about the Canning Giveaway. The random number generator picked #36 which is...Natasha from Saved By The Egg Timer. I have to say I was happy to see Natasha win as she is a new food blogger based here in Minnesota so, not only does she win the prize but this gives me a chance to turn you all on to her blog.

We are back from our vacation & Matt flew right off of California for work. I'm at home fighting off a cold & jet lag so look for posts about our trip in the next couple of days. Oh, & we are going to another Tour De Farm this weekend, this time at a historical farm.

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

Get Canning Giveaway

Summer is coming to an end & in our book one of the best ways to save the taste of summer is canning. Right now we are in prime tomato season, canning salsa & crushed tomatoes to use all winter. Our peppers are also producing heavily so we'll pickle some to use in those winter chilies. Many people have commented on the blog that they are afraid of canning or want to try but never have. We used to be just like that but then last year we picked up a copy of the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving & dove in. It was just so satisfying to have basement shelves full of locally sourced produce ready to use in the dead of a MN winter.

Recently, Ball sent me the Home Canning Discovery Kit which contains jars, lids & a jar lifter. Since we have a good stock of canning supplies we decided to share the kit with one of you in the hopes that someone else will discover the joys of canning. To the kit we will add a canning funnel, a magnet for handling hot lids & two jars of jam that we canned this year.

Here's how to enter...

1. Take a look through our preserving category & leave a comment telling us which canning recipe you'd like to try.
** If your email address is not on your blogger profile or available through your own blog or website, you MUST leave it in your comment so we can contact you

2. For an extra entry, Twitter about this contest & send me a comment letting me know you did.

The winner will be chosen with a random number generator on the morning of Tuesday, September 14th. Because of the cost of shipping this prize can only go to the US or Canada, sorry.

Disclaimer: Ball sent me the canning kit for free but did not reimburse me to write about it or to do a 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

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

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

Where in the World are Kat and Matt

****This contest is now over. We'll announce the winner on Friday, May 7th****

Matt & I both have birthdays this week (they are only a day apart) & have decided to take a little trip to celebrate.

We'd would love to bring back some culinary souvenirs for one of you but first you'll have to guess where we are. Here's a couple of hints...
The restaurant Matt chose for his birthday is Luke.
Our hotel is named after a president & is on Baronne St.
We'll be toasting our birthdays with martinis at the Bombay Club

This trip will not require a passport.

We'll chose one winner from the comments to this post that contain the name of the correct city & send that person a selection of food gifts from our trip. Please make sure if you are entering this contest to leave your email address in your comment or a way to get it.

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

We have a Thanksgiving Giveaway winner!

Thanks to everyone who entered & for all your amazing comments. The random generator chose #4 which is Rose from Hey Cutie. Rose email me with your address so I can send your package off.

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.
© 2007-2009 Kathy Lewinski

A Thanksgiving Giveaway

Thanksgiving is the season to remember all the things you are thankful for. Matt & I are thankful for all of you who spend a little time with us reading this blog & especially those of you who take the time to comment. As a way of saying thanks we would like to share part of this year's harvest with one of you. Here's what the prize package contains...

Spiced Honey, Black Forest Preserves, Pickled Jalapenos, Zucchini Pickles, Zesty Zucchini Relish, Corn Relish, Hot Pepper Jelly and Port Wine Jelly. All of which will come packed in a zippered cotton tote bag made by me, perfect for farmers' markets trips!

To be entered in the drawing to win leave a comment on this post. Please, please, please leave an email where we can contact you. A random winner will be picked on Thursday, December 3rd. Sorry, we can only ship to the US or Canada.

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.
© 2007-2009 Kathy Lewinski

We have a winner!

The winner in the Singing Dog Vanilla contest is #31 Carol in Indian Springs Village.

Carol, I don't have your email so email me at katbaro at yahoo dot com with your mailing address.

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.
© 2007-2009 Kathy Lewinski

Corn Zipper Winner!

The Random Number Generator has spoken & our winner in #12 designedbyninjas!

By the way you should really check out Ken's site Design Ninjas. He finds the coolest stuff on Craigslist so we don't have to.

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.
© 2007-2009 Kathy Lewinski

Corn Relish and a Giveaway

I really like a corn relish. Its tasty on pork chops or our black bean burgers.

Minnesota sweet corn is the flavor of summer to me so I love finding ways to preserve it to last all winter.

In order to help you save the taste of summer corn through the winter I have a corn zipper to give away. This cute little smiling face will help you easily & neatly remove kernels from the cob. To enter leave a comment on this post. Please leave your email so I can contact you if you win. I'll pick a winner on Thursday, August 20th.

Corn Relish
(adapted from The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving)

6-7 fresh corn cobs (or 4 cups frozen corn kernels)
1 jalapeno, seeded & chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 c cider vinegar
1/4 c sugar
1/2 c red onion, chopped
1/3 c green onion, chopped
1/2 c red pepper
1 t ground cumin
1 t canning salt
1/2 t ground pepper
2 T fresh cilantro, chopped

Process 5 half-pint jars & lids by boiling the jars for 20 minutes & the lids for 5.

Boil the corn cobs in a pot of salted water for 6 minutes. Let the corn cool enough to handle. Cut the kernels from the cobs measuring out 4 cups worth.

Put the corn in a large stainless steel or enamel saucepan. Add the jalapeno, garlic, vinegar, sugar, onions, pepper, cumin, salt & pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer & let cook for 20 minutes. Stir in cilantro & let cook for 2 more minutes.

Ladle the hot relish into the hot jars leaving 1/2-inch head space. Clean the rims. Place the lids on top & hand screw on the neck bands. Process in boiling water for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat & let sit for 5 more minutes. Remove from the water without drying & let cool for 12 - 24 hours. The lids should all pull downward. If some do not they have not processed correctly & should either be refrigerated & used or reprocessed.

Makes 5 cups.

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.
© 2007-2009 Kathy Lewinski

Lime Chipotle Marinade Winners

The random number generator has picked for winners for the Spicy Mama Lime Chipotle Marinade giveaway & here they are...

#8 - Cara
#15 - Judy in Florida
#23 - Mary D.
#25 - Mom24

Congrats to all the winners & look for another small giveaway tomorrow. Thanks to Spicy Mama for the marinade.

I've sent everyone an email asking for your mailing addresses expect for Mary D. whose email I don't have. Mary please email me with your address.

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.
© 2007-2009 Kathy Lewinski

Lime Chipotle Pulled Pork with Chipotle Mustard Potatoes

Recently, I was contacted by Saucy Mama about entering a recipe in a cooking contest they are hosting. Other than the Foodie Joust & Iron Cupcake, I've never entered a recipe in a cooking contest so I thought why not plus there were some great prizes including a Kindle. They sent me a lovely assortment of their marinades, dressings & sauces to play with. I have to say we were impressed to see the ingredients in all of there products, it was all things we recognized instead of a bunch of chemicals. We were most drawn to the Lime Chipotle Marinade & it made me think of the Caribbean & then I thought of pork...pulled pork.

Saucy Mama was looking for recipes that were quick & easy for a family to prepare. Well, you can't get much easier than cooking in a crock pot. Throw everything in, walk away & hours later dinner is done. As for quick the hands on time on this recipe is no more than 10 minutes.

This made for such a tasty sandwich! Just a hint of spice (the perfect amount for a wimp like me) & a freshness from the lime. The meat was super juicy. I liked mine just plain on a roll while Matt topped his with some coleslaw & a slather of Saucy Mama's Chipotle Mustard for an extra kick. For a quick side dish we roasted some potatoes with the Chipotle Mustard. They got crispy & had a gorgeous color. Everything was served up with some steamed beans for a really easy statisfying meal.

Want to try making this dish yourself? Well I have four bottles of Saucy Mama's Lime Chipotle Marinade to give away. Leave a comment on this post & I'll pick four random winners on Thursday, August 13th. Please leave your email address in your comment so I can contact you. if you win! Sorry, I can only ship to the US and Canada.

Chipotle Lime Pulled Pork

hands on time: 10 minutes
cook time: 4 - 8 hours

1 1/2 lb pork shoulder
6 T Saucy Mama Chipotle Lime Marinade
3/4 c beer (We like the flavor beer adds but if you don't want to use it add chicken stock instead.)
1 t lime juice
4 soft rolls

Rub the pork shoulder all over with 4 tablespoons of the Chipotle Lime Marinade. Place in crock pot. Add the beer. Cover & turn the crock pot to high. Let cook on high for about 4 hours or low for 8 hours until the meat is fall apart tender. (If the meat is done before you are ready to serve just turn the crock pot to warm.)

With a slotted spoon take the meat from the crock pot & put into a bowl. Use a fork to shred the pork. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the Lime Chipotle Marinade and the lime juice.

Serve on rolls.

4 servings

Chipotle Mustard Roasted Potatoes

Hands on time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes

16 small waxy potatoes, washed & cut into 1-inch pieces
2 T olive oil
2 heaping t Saucy Mama Chipotle Mustard

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Mix everything together in a roasting pan. Place in oven and let roast to 30 minutes until browning.

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.
© 2007-2009 Kathy Lewinski

We have a winner!

The random number generator has chosen & the winner of the Muir Glen tomatoes is #23 Former Minnesotan. If that is you please email me at kat at yahoo dot com with your mailing address to get your prize!

Thanks to everyone for all the great ideas on how to use the tomatoes.

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.
© 2007-2009 Kathy Lewinski

Weekly Menu 6/14 - 6/20/09 + a giveaway

If you've followed our blog for any length of time you may have noticed when we use canned tomatoes we often recommend Muir Glen. They are organic & we like their taste much better than other canned tomatoes on the market, we are especially fond of their Fire Roasted Tomatoes & Pizza Sauce. So when they offered to send us their 2008 Reserve that was especially made for their Connisseurs' Club we were thrilled.

Look at that packaging, you would almost think this crate contained a special wine but inside were cradled four canned of tomatoes.

Only a small number of these Halley Thirty-One Fifty-Five Tomatoes were grown. This varietal is very prized for its flavor. Then they were hand harvested & canned. Well, we want to share our bounty with you. Leave a comment on this post telling us what you've make with these tomatoes & your email. On Monday the 21st we'll randomly pick a winner. That person will receive a can of the 2008 Reserve & a can of the Fire Roasted Tomatoes plus recipe cards with ideas on how to use them. We can only ship to winners in the US & Canada, sorry.


On to Menu Planning Monday...

We don't have plans to do much of anything new this week. We have friends visiting from San Francisco & want to spend our time visiting with them so we are going for the tried & true.

Pork Souvlaki - A favorite of ours from Kalofagas
Peanut Turkey Burgers with a Broccoli Sesame Salad
Rotisserie Chicken with Grilled Asparagus & Roasted Potatoes
Brats - We picked up three flavors of brats at the Kingfield Farmers Market
Grilled Pizza Party
Chicken Fajitas

What we will have for you during this week are lots of cheese recipes. We hosted Cooking Minnesota at our house this past Saturday & taught everyone how to make mozzarella & ricotta. I made a few appetizers & desserts with the ricotta so I'll be sharing those with you as well as a great fresh chive cheese.

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.
© 2007-2009 Kathy Lewinski