It's the Eatin' and Relaxin' Holiday! And a Homemade Cheese Recipe.

OK - yes if you are the cook - and you are on your own - this can be a stressful time.  Hopefully many of us have the opportunity to cook with friends or family - sharing the worry and the glory.  This IS  the greatest of major holidays.  Think about it:  you don't have to produce gifts, we don't have to listen to "thanksgiving songs" for months; there are parades on TV; "marathons" of many fav shows are all over the TV as well; the aroma of the roasting turkey fills the house (and is there a better aroma?); and the next day, well come on, the next day there are Thanksgiving Leftovers!!! There is nothing more to say.  Leftovers of turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, gravy, potatoes, cole slaw, not to mention great pies and desserts. . . Oh, I have to stop! I have two days to go!

The meal itself contributes vastly to the relaxing nature of the day.  After all of that heavy, high carb, high fat food, what else are you gonna do?  And, folks, that's OK - stop listening to the wackos on local news telling you to "drink lots of water" before Thanksgiving dinner!!!  Don't come to my table, after all of the work I've put into it, loaded up with water!  It's OK to indulge once in awhile; it's OK to enjoy and feast and hang out at the table and then pick at the leftovers in the 'fridge a few hours later.  Life is nothing without the occasional splurge - so dig in - and ignore those who are constantly talking about what they shouldn't eat and how they have eaten too much, etc.  Let's face it, they need professional help anyway! 

We will be feasting with our dear friends at their gorgeous farm in the beautiful Lehigh Valley.  Happily, we are all serious cooks; so there's lots of division of labor.  And, for the most part, we are traditionalists when it comes to Thanksgiving.  I will provide a full report next week, but there are some special treats planned too, along with the traditional fare.  And some delicious cocktails and wines as well.  And, of course, we will be joined in feasting by four dogs - so, we will be out in the crisp air, walking the furry family members on a regular basis.  Wow! Exercise!

I hope that none of you will find yourselves standing in lines at midnight waiting to get into big box and chain stores - send them a message they need to hear.  And remember the 3/50 rule.  Shop at your local, independently owned businesses if you shop on Black Friday or at any time during the holiday shopping season.  Support family owned businesses - you'll find more original, higher quality gifts, too.

I wish for all of you a warm, filling, fun and relaxing Thanksgiving. Look around the table and reflect on how wonderfully lucky you really are and wallow in that for awhile. And enjoy those leftovers!!!

Recipe:

Here's a quick, delicious recipe that is very useful if you find yourself with milk and cream left over.  Homemade Ricotta is a bit like Farmers Cheese or Queso Fresca.  After all of the heavy food, it makes a nice foil for snacking or melting over pasta or for a morning treat, drizzle some honey over it with a few shakes of cinammon.  Delicious with a cup of hot steaming coffee.

Ricotta
Note:  this recipe makes about one cup; to make two cups just double the ingredients.

Ingredients:  1 quart of whole milk (I use raw milk); 1/2 cup heavy cream (organic is best); 1/4 teaspoon salt; and 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (must be fresh, no bottled stuff!)

Line a large sieve with a layer of cheesecloth; place it over a large bowl.

Slowly bring milk, cream, and salt to a rolling boil in heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching.  When you get to the boil, add the lemon juice, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring constantly, until the mixture curdles - this can take anywhere from 2 - 5 minutes.

Pour the mixture into the lined sieve and let it drain for at least 1 hour.  After discarding the liquid, chill the ricotta, covered; It will keep in the refrigerator for 2 - 3 days.

Enjoy!

Lots of Food News & A Couple of Great, Simple Recipes

As the Fall unfolds, we get busier with thoughts and plans for Holidays - I was surprised by the arrival of Halloween, but that jump started my planning thoughts.  We had a great neighborhood Halloween, by the way.  On our block we have started to build a tradition of the folks on the block sitting outside of their homes with a table of treats for our local trick or treaters.  It's nice because, not only do we get to hand out candy, but we get to catch up with each other, have a glass of wine, and socialize a bit.  I look at it as another perk of city living - another chance to keep a tradition going, and another opportunity to hang out with the folks who live around you!

Lots to talk about!

Food News:

Early Puberty and Hormone Dosed Meat:  There have been some rather disturbing issues in the national press lately.  One in particular:  a recent edition of Time magazine did a lengthly piece on the extremely early onset of puberty in American girls - often as young as 8 or 9 years of age!  It is believed by researchers in this area that the growth hormones that commercial, factory produced meats are loaded with is contributing to this! How scary is that? And of course, if kids are eating so called hamburgers from McDonald's and other fast food spots, they are eating beef that is massively loaded with hormones, chemicals and who knows what else! An important issue for folks to learn more about; there are implications, not only for emotional well being, but also for health in adulthood.

The McRib Sandwich:  Speaking of McDonalds' horrors:  The "McRib" is back on the market for a bit - it's apparently a tradition at this time of year.  The Grist posted in late October  about the content of the so called "rib" sandwich:  to start with the bun contains azodicarbonamide - used mostly in the manufacture of foamed plastics - i.e. gym mats and the soles of shoes.  It's banned in Europe and Australia as a food additive. In total, there are over 70 - 70!!! - ingredients in a McRib sandwich!  There listed on any number of websites - just google McRib recipe.  There are also a number of You Tube entries describing the content.  Also, the pork in the McRib - there is some pork  included - is sourced from Smithfield Farms - the Humane Society of the U.S. has been suing them for years now for the horrific treatment of animals on the "farm" - really a factory.  It broke my heart to see Paula Dean shilling for them - I like Paula and I appreciate the path she has traveled to become a TV Food Network star, but come on Paula, do you really need the money that much?  Learn more about the McRib.

Choosing that Thanksgiving Turkey:  So, it's that time of year again, and I have to reiterate my usual warnings about the awful product that the stupermarkets push upon consumers at this time of year:  The Butterball Turkey.  These are factory tortured turkeys, locked into cages they can't move in and loaded up with hormones and chemicals for months before slaughter - the goal is that big breast, that in this country we have been brainwashed to believe we want most of all.  These birds can't even walk for the most part - they are that top heavy. So, along with the artificial hormones and chemicals being shot into them, we also have the birds themselves producing way too much endocrines and other related hormones - out of fear and the fact that they are being tortured.  You are going to EAT this - all of it!  I know they are cheap - they produce millions of them for this time of year. I know that your stupermarket gives them away if you spend to a certain level.  I know times are tough and money is tight - mine is too.  However, if you enjoy turkey for the Thanksgiving holiday, consider spending a little bit more on the turkey, maybe cut out some things that don't get eaten anyway, and buy yourself a Free Range turkey.  The free range will not cost you that much more - although you won't get it for free; Heirlooms are a bit higher, but they will also be free range. Both free range and Heirloom turkeys are delicious, taste like real turkey, have a natural proportion of white and dark meat - once you try either type you will be hooked and you will be doing yourself a really big favor.  Please consider making the change - better for you and it sends a message that Americans are getting smarter as regards what we eat.  A good source for free range and Heirloom turkeys are Fair Food Farmstand in the Reading Terminal Market.  Get your order in, though, there is not an "unlimited" supply.

What's at the Markets?:  It's November.  Before we know it, many of our neighborhood Farmers' Markets will be closing up shop until the early Spring.  Now is the time to consider freezing some of the great products at the Markets.  Butternut Squash Soup is a great example of a simple, delicious soup that freezes well - use sturdy "freezer" storage bags and find a spot in the freezer where the bags can stand straight up until the soup is frozen.  Potatoes, Onions, Beets, Carrots, Hardy Greens - all are available from all over the world at the stupermarket, but buying them now from local producers will get you veggies that have real flavor and nutritional value.  Try finding a cool spot in your basement or a protected area in your yard or on your back deck and consider storing root vegetables.  Apples and Pears do quite well if stored well in the refrigerator or you can peel and slice and freeze them.  There will be some markets with products from local farms through most of the winter, but it does not hurt to stock up on your own.  Our local cheesemakers are starting to wind down too.  I am willing to buy Vermont Cheddar - not local, but worth it if I can't get any locally and I definitely find myself on Passyunk Avenue at Mr. Mancuso's shop much more during the winter months.  Mr. Mancuso makes fresh Mozzarella and fresh Ricotta every morning.  I barely get home with it!  Warm, creamy, a hint of salt - it's Heavenly and great for just eating with good bread and olive oil or for recipes.  And thank goodness, remember we can always get farm fresh eggs from free range chickens from a number of sources!  No need to be eating 2 month old eggs even if they do have a nifty little red stamp on them!! Spend some time in the next few weeks getting out to your local Farmers Markets and stock up! And if you're in the Lehigh Valley, check out the Farmstand at Larken Spring Farms (www.larkenspringsfarm.com).  There you will find delicious fresh eggs and all sorts of wonderful products (jams, jellies, pickles, granola, and more) to keep you happy over the long winter!

New Cookbook We are Loving:  We were very lucky to be invited to a book signing event at Amis for Marc Vetri's new cookbook, "Rustic Italian Food".  Looks like Marc has another hit on his hands!  The book is a compilation of very accessible "how to's" of Italian Country cooking from pastas to sauces to meats to breads.  Also, it's beautifully photographed and written.  It's published by Ten Speed Press.  Check it out at your locally owned bookstore - it will make a great Holiday gift for the cooks in your life - AND it's local!!!

Upcoming Events:  Next Saturday at the Reading Terminal Market is the "Forgotten Foods Festival" - a celebration of some of the local foods that many of us remember, but for some reason haven't enjoyed in a while - or a long while. Remember Wilbur Buds?  Pepper Pot Soup? Fried Oysters and Chicken Salad?  Cape May Salts (oysters)?.  Actually the latter, we are thrilled to say, are back and are available through Ippolitos Seafood - we usually order ahead.  These are incredibly delicious oysters, famous in this area, that were over-harvested and totally depleted. Try some.  Also, on Saturday, at the event, tastings of many of these Forgotten Foods  will be available for $2.00 - $5.00 each.  So, you can do your food shopping AND have a great lunch.  Check it out.


Recipe 1:  An Old Standard Cocktail.  The other night we were debating on the evening's cocktail and came upon this recipe for a Whiskey Sour.  It's a very good recipe - whiskey sours can be awful; this recipe produced a delicious cocktail, perfect with a bit of cheese, and great for this time of year.

           Whiskey Sour
Ingredients for one cocktail:  1 1/2 ounces of bourbon (or scotch, or Irish Whiskey); 4 ounces of Sour Mix (see below), Crushed ice, 1 maraschino cherry

Combine the whiskey and the sour mix in a large old fashioned glass with ice.  Stir, garnish with cherry, enjoy.

          Sour Mix
1 ounce of lemon juice; 1 ounce sugar (super fine is great if you have it - it's just sugar whirred in your food processor, so don't buy it!); and 2 ounce of water. 

Combine the lemon juice and sugar in a measuring cup - stir a few times well; then add the water and stir some more until the sugar dissolves.

Now - again - the above is for one cocktail - remember Whiskey Sours are tall, substantial drinks.  So to make cocktails for two, just double everything, including the Sour Mix.


Recipe 2:  No Bake Whipped Sweet Marscopone Tart .  This could not be easier and it is delicious.  I like to keep pre-made pie crusts in the freezer for my particularly lazy days, but you could make your own and of course that would be wonderful.  You can use any shape tart pan you like:  small round or rectangle (my choice, see picture below).

Ingredients for the tart:  1 cup good Marscapone Cheese; 3 tablespoons sugar (again, superfine if you have it); 1 cup of heavy cream; some good vanilla in liquid form (not the bad extract - you can make your own by placing some split vanilla beans in a decent vodka, corking it, and letting it sit for a few weeks in a cool, dark place);  a jam or jelly and/or some shaved chocolate, whatever you'd like to top the tart with and a pastry crust to fit your pan of choice.

Grease the tart pan you are using with a bit of butter.

Roll out the pastry crust and put it into the tart pan and trim the edges; "blind bake" (bake it without anything in it) the crust at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes - just until it's a light brown, but you do want it cooked, because that's all the cooking that you will do.

Whip the marscapone, the sugar, the cup of heavy cream and the vanilla together - I DID use the Kitchen Aid here with the whisk attachment - whip until you have a nice fluffy, incorporated creamy mixture.

Let the crust cool - you don't want it hot when you put the filling into it.

Pour the creamy marscapone mixture into the tart.  Spread it around so it's even to the top of the pan and covers all of the pastry crust.

NOW - the next steps are up to you and what you have on hand.  I used a raspberry jam that I had made that was in the 'fridge; another time I used shaved dark chocolate and sprinkled some berries around on top.  The one in the picture below is the raspberry jam topping.

After you decide on a topping put the tart in the 'fridge for a couple of hours so that it sets up.

Delicious!!

In closing, another rule from  Food Rules by Michael Pollen:  "Spend as much time enjoying the meal as it took to prepare it".  Take the time to sit down, have a glass of wine, review the day, and really enjoy the food.  Try it.

Keep in Touch and Keep it Local, Seasonal and Kind to the Environment!

Today it's Just for a Laugh! Add Your Funny Food Law!

Goodies from the Tuesday Passyunk Farmers' Market

Happy Thursday!

I couldn't resist sharing this from James Norton, posted on CHOW:

Oughta Be a Law:  10 Crimes Against Food
U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy from Vermont is planning to introduce legislation that would make it a federal crime to mislabel products as containing maple syrup.  Great  idea - it's a regional product with a rich heritage and it deserves protection.  James came up with 10 more things that should be "protected" by federal law.

Bratwurst  - Ever had a phoned - in Brat?  (hello, Hillshire Farm???).  A snappy exterior and an interior spiced with conviction are musts. 

Bagels - Gotta be denser than Wonder Bread; gotta have an actual skin.  There goes 90 percent of the bagels from flyover country, but tough turkey.  You can relabel them as flotation devices.

Cappuccino - If it's cherry flavored, it isn't cappuccino. 

Craft Beer - Should involve some actual craft at some point; a vortex bottle neck and/or team of Clydesdales and/or color changing cold mountains do NOT qualify.

Gourmet Cupcakes - If you are going to charge more than $4, it better kill. Some sort of extensive licensing program or electroshock based system of retraining should be instituted.

Margaritas - Not blended with ice into a slushie for adults, not choked with artificial sour mix.  Rather, made, well, from tequila and a bit of citrus and lime juice.

Chocolate Chip Cookies - If it makes you sad, instead of happy, it is not really a chocolate chip cookie.  Bad cookies, the kind served at fast food joints must be labeled, "chocolate shame cookies".

Cherry Pie - If the filling's been poured from a five gallon bucket, the pie must be either relabeled as "Artificially Flavored Corn Syrup Pie" or destroyed.

Calzones - Should not be miserably heavy; should be deliciously heavy.  Anyone on the East Coast can nail down the terms on this.

Martinis - Gin and vermouth - some actual measures of vermouth, not just "waving" the bottle at the shaker.  Vodka is an acceptable substitute for the gin, but only barely. Nothing else can be called a martini, or include the suffix, " - tini".  Chocolate syrup laced Chocotini?  That's not a martini - that's five years of medium security prison in Idaho.

Of course, we've already come up with a number of "laws" to add to this list! 

1.  Heavily fine fake restaurants that sell themselves as "authentic" ethnic food, but actually are just re-heating frozen, highly salted, americanized stuff at high prices. Includes, Olive Garden and P.J. Chang's - both would be hysterically funny if people didn't actually believe that they were eating Italian or Asian!!

2.  Forbid the use of terms made up by chain restaurants - i.e. "Cuccina Casuale".  Listen to the pronunciation next time the commercial is on TV.

3.  Stop calling Deep Dish Pizza, Pizza - it's a nice casserole;  but it's not pizza, sorry, it's not.  A Sicilian would kill you for calling it pizza.  That would be an appropriate fine.

What are some of the "laws" you would enact?

Keep in Touch and Keep it Local, Seasonal, and Kind to the Environment!

Home made Digestivo! Great Books! One Pan Chocolate Cake!

Berry Digestivo

Cocktails:

After a great meal there is really nothing like a nice, tasty digestivo - you know a bit of strong but tasty alcohol that helps all that great food to break down and digest - or else at least makes us feel like it's helping!  This is a simple after dinner drink that you can keep in your 'fridge for some time.  It's delicious - it actually gets better with age.  It's from David Tannis book, "Heart of the Artichoke and Other Kitchen Journeys".  Just put a cup of berries that you like (they can be frozen if you froze them fresh but you'll need to let them defrost and do a first strain) in a bowl, sprinkle the berries with 2 tablespoons sugar and crush the berries with your hands. I used raspberries and blueberries.  Add 2 cups of vodka or grappa.  I used vodka so far but making this with grappa would make a lovely gift.  Cover the bowl and refrigerate it for a few hours, or in my case, a couple of days. I strained the mixture into a cute bottle, found a cork and it lives on the top shelf of our 'fridge.  We are going to need more soon.  Tannis does not strain out the berries; my thought was that it would last longer - so I did a longer steeping time.  It's pretty AND delicious!

Books:

Michael Pollan's useful, funny, and sometimes profound little book, Food Rules: An Eater's Manual (2009) is coming out this month in a second edition with illustrations by Maira Kalman.  The new edition will include lots of new "rules" from Slow Food members.  I am going to be sharing some of the original 64 rules on Facebook for the rest of the month in honor of the new release. My favorite rule from the original - no big surprise probably - is Rule 19:  If it came from a plant, eat it; if it was made in a plant, don't.

Marc Vetri, owner of Vetri, Osteria, and Amis) and one of the best chef in Philadelphia in my opinion,  has a new cookbook coming out at the end of October.  The book is called Rustic Italian Food.  Marc has long dazzled those of us who adore authentic Italian food.  He is a serious student and now a teacher of the italian food that Italians love to cook and eat.  There is a nice piece about Marc, the new book, and some great pasta recipes in the November 2011 Food and Wine.

Recipe:

This cake, from Corbin Evans of New Orleans (formerly of Philadelphia) is the easiest, most moist and yummy chocolate cake and it takes just a few minutes to make and you dirty one pan - the pan the cake bakes in - seriously, how great is that?

Three Hole Cake

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder  (the best you can find)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup vegetable oil (I use Canola oil)
1 cup of water
Confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Grease & flour a 9 inch square baking pan
Combine the flour, baking soda, sugar, cocoa and salt right in the baking pan
Stir the mixture gently
Make 3 holes in the dry mixture
Pour the vinegar in one hole; pour the vanilla in another hole; and pour the oil in the 3rd hole.
Pour the water all over the top of the mixture
Stir, gently, for about 1 minute and 1/2  - some lumps are OK

Bake for 30 minutes - let cool for a bit and sprinkle with confectioners sugar if desired.

Easy as can be and delicious - especially when topped with a good vanilla ice cream.  It really is all about the cocoa powder.

Enjoy!

Keep in Touch and Keep it Local, Seasonal, and Kind to the Environment!

Stretch your organic shopping dollar! Home made cleaning solution. Make some herbed salt!

Fall is definitely upon us now - it seemed to take it's time, didn't it? 

Thanks to all who got back to me with ideas, suggestions, and tips for the Blog.  Your time and input was deeply appreciated.

Food News

Walking around at one of our great Farmers' Market the other day, I was asked about going "all organic" - an expensive practice for many of us.  So I did some research.  I was trying to find out what products we should seek out with the organic label and what products we should be looking for that are considered "clean' - the least contaminated.

The Environmental Working Group has put together two lists:  the 12 most pesticide laden conventionally grown fruits and veggies AND  a list of the 15 products that are lowest in pesticide residue.  So, as they say, be guided as you shop.  By the way, these guidelines pertain most strongly to any of the products listed that are sold in supermarkets, or any place the food industry is the main supplier of stock.

Dirty Dozen (buy these products "organic"):  apples; celery; strawberries; peaches; spinach; imported nectarines; imported grapes; sweet bell peppers; potatoes; domestic blueberries; lettuce; and kale and collard greens.

Note:  if you are buying any of the above products from a local farmer or purveyor, you may be getting "organic" - but you may not be.  That said, not "organic" does NOT necessarily mean "dirty".  Get to know the folks you are buying your food from!  It's always a good idea to ask.

Clean 15 (not contaminated):   onions; sweet corn; pineapples; avocado; asparagus; sweet peas; mangoes; eggplant; domestic cantaloupe; kiwifruit; cabbage; watermelon; sweet potatoes; grapefruit; and mushrooms.

Again, it takes a little effort and it may require asking some questions, but it will be worth it!

Making Your Own

Household cleaning products have come a long way - the choices seem endless!  Some of us have been trying to buy products for cleaning our homes that fit into our green sensibilities.  For example, I am totally in love with my Method Cucumber scented All Purpose Cleaner.  But the stuff is expensive!  I recently came across a "recipe" for an all purpose cleaner, which we made and used and it works!!  It's especially effective on glass table tops, counters and windows. In our home, our glass storm door is permanently tatooed with wet nose marks, so we were going through the Windex pretty regularly.

Homemade All Purpose Cleaner (David Quilty, New York Times, October 13th)

Fill a spray bottle two thirds full of water and one third full of white distilled vinegar.  You can cut the aroma of the vinegar (which we love by the way) by adding a few drops of an essential oil to the mixture.  The vinegar aroma dissipates pretty quickly following use.  This cleaner costs about $4.00 a gallon - or about 25 cents for a bottle of cleaner. Commercial cleaners average $3.00 to $5.00 a bottle.  You can't beat that for saving!  Try it! I think you will like it!

Recipe

Many of us have lots of herbs that we are currently drying and freezing and our rosemary, thyme and related plants are really at their peak.  Why not make some Herbed Salts?  They will make a great addition to your Fall and Holiday cooking.  Here's one that we made recently:

Spicy Herb Salt

You'll need:
2 cups of herbs - we used 1 1/2 cups of rosemary leaves and 1/2 cup of thyme leaves
2 thinly sliced garlic cloves
1/2 cup of good, coarse sea salt
1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes

In your food processor or blender pulse the herbs with the garlic until well chopped.  Add the 1/2 cup of salt and pulse some more. Add the red pepper flakes and pulse to blend again.

Spread the mixture out on a large baking sheet and let it stand, stir it once in awhile, for about two days - until it is really nice and dry.  Transfer the mixture to a jar with a nice tight lid.

The options are up to you and depend on what you will enjoy and use.  The important part of the process is to fully dry the mixture.  When it is stored in a tightly lidded jar it MUST be dry or you will lose it to mold really quickly.

Herb Salt also makes a very nice Host gift.

Keep in Touch and Keep it Local, Seasonal, and Kind to the Environment!

The New PhillyFoodist!



Franklin Square Fountain

Hello Everyone! Welcome to the new Philly  Foodist!

Yes, I have been away for what seems like forever, but I have been making really good use of the time!  I have been working towards making some significant changes to the accessibility of the blog for everyone,  as well as introducing a wide range of regularly occuring topics, ideas, recipes, and reviews.  My goal is for this blog to be a great resource for all of us. I really want this to be a give and take vehicle for the many fascinating and real life issues, and topics and challenges that have been brought up to me over these past months of learning and asking.  The important thing is that this blog be interactive - we have so much to learn from each other and we can have some fun doing it!

The Floating Content of the Philly Foodist:  No - not everything will appear in every post!  However the content of the blog will focus on the following content.  From time to time, whole posts will concentrate on one topic - it just depends on what folks bring to me, what I am seeing "out there", and what seems worthwhile. 

Food News/Opinions - What's interesting?  What's being debated?  What's being recalled?

What's at the Markets? - What should we be looking for if we want to eat seasonally?  What are those items that make a short appearance and we're sorry when we miss them?  What does "local" actually mean?  How do we balance between local and "not too far away"?

Weekend Shopping and Cooking for the Week - So many folks I talked to as I gathered information were torn by wanting to eat better, more natural, non-processed food; many wanted to stop their "pick it up or call it in" eating habits,  but many were stymied as they tried to figure out how to cook fresh and seasonal on a regular basis at home.  We'll discuss planning a week - or a half week - menu; we'll talk about "Playing with your left overs" - it's fun, really!  We'll talk about freezing lunches ahead of time.  We'll hopefully  provide some useful techniques that I have been using for a number of years.

Events - What's happening on the city Foodie and Green scene?  What's opening?  What's closing?  What's changing?  What events are being held in the upcoming weekend/week? 

"Making your Own" - A recent article in the NY Times magazine special "food" issue stated that we buy so many condiments that are better - taste wise and health wise - and less expensive,  when we make them ourselves.  Can we do it?  How do we maintain them?  What makes sense?

Recipe Exchange - For me this has the possibility to be the most fun - and the most useful for all of us.  I'll post my favorites; but to make it work, we'll need yours too!

Garden and Green Tips - So many of us are gettting into gardening - big plot, small plot, pots only, community gardens, etc.  What works best?  Can we grow edibles in pots?  Where are the good staff and good deals re: planning and purchasing for our gardens?  And, how can we live more "green" in our urban settings?  How can we better manage our energy use?  Can a composter work for a city dweller?  Are recycling points for real?  These and loads of other topics will be included in our gardening and green tips sections.

Do it Yourself Tips - I will promise to include the best DIY tips and projects that I come across and I hope that you will share yours!

Book, Blog and Site Reviews - There are so many great resources out there in the electronic and the print media; I will share the ones I believe are worth checking out AND those that seem to be missing the point and/or providing less than optimal information.  And we will always have a Cookbook to talk about - I have a serious cookbook habit!!

Occasional Topics - these will be "once in awhile" postings that are designed to get you contributing to the blog.  Asking you for your favorites, for example,  or asking what three things would be your "Desert Island Foods", that sort of thing.

City Stories - Once in awhile I won't be able to resist throwing in a local slant that highlights why living in Philadelphia is a pleasure for anyone who wants to live in our real, diverse, food friendly, liveable urban setting.

I am looking foreward to hearing from you!  It's good to be back and to be able to start applying all of the great input and information that I have been gathering.  Let me know what you think. Join me!

It's Time to Start Freezing! The AC Ban Continues! Kholrabi Chips!

I know that many folks just don't have the time - or frankly the inclination - for canning or "putting up" as it used to be called.

But just remember, there's another, easier alternative and now is the time to get started!  The strawberries, sour cherries, cherries and blueberrries are gradually showing up at our Farmers' Markets.  Just imagine opening up a bag of lucious strawberries in December or February!  Or making Blueberry Pancakes with local, delicious, fresh tasting berries during a snow storm! You want to don't you?

It's not at all difficult.  You need some good quality quart sized freezer bags, a sharp knife, a couple of bowls, the berries, and just a little bit of time.

For Strawberries, all that you have to do is hull your strawberries (cut off the green top where it was attached to the vine), slice the strawberries either in half or in quarters - I don't like to do thin slices for freezing.  Fill your quart sized freezer bags (not storage, actual freezer bags - they protect much more effectively) with your cleaned and cut strawberry pieces, write the contents and the date on the bag and freeze.  They will defrost quickly when you remove them from the freezer and they will have a bit more liquid to them from the freezing process.  We have used them for pancakes, cakes, syrups, all sorts of recipes and for cocktails.  They are delicious and in the middle of winter an unspeakable treat! 

We do pretty much the same thing with Blueberries, Cherries, and Sour Cherries.  When Peaches are in we do can some in their own juices, but we also freeze wedges of Peaches.  These are wonderful for cocktails and sauces.  Seared duck breast with a reduced peach sauce is a favorite cold weather recipe for us.

The Berries are at the Markets now.  Don't hesitate.  Stock up!  The ones you freeze will be far and away superior in every way to any you buy from agri-business in a stupermarket freeezer section!

And speaking of Freezing, I have had queries from some of you inquiring as to whether we are "still" holding off on using our central air conditioning.  The short answer - "Yes we are!".  We keep the blinds down half way and the windows open all over the house during the day and use fans on all of our three floors - our basement, even though it's "finished" is always cool; one of the joys of a very old house!  One of the keys is that we spend lots of time outside in our garden - what we call our "outside living room" - this is such an important factor in keeping cool.  As a kid, I remember everyone on our block sitting out front on their open porches or just their stoops on summer evenings - they were cooling themselves down from the day.  If you can, dine in the garden or outside (lite, cold foods are in, of course), catch the evening breeze, do a little splashing if you can or even just spritz a bit with the hose - these will all serve to lower your body temperature as the sun goes down.  For sure, good fans are a must to successfully staying comfortable, so there is an investment to be made there, but it is far and away much cheaper - in both money, wear and tear on your body, and cost to the environment - than running air conditioners.  And, you will feel much better - really!  Sweating - as much as many of us hate the very idea of it - is good for us.  My much better half spends the day in office AC and she can't wait to get out of it at the end of the day- so while it is an adjustment, it has proven to be a real permanent change for us. To be honest, we lived in AC from late Spring to Fall every year for years - now we walk in somewhere and look at each other and know we are both thinking, "it's cold in here"!  If your health isn't affected by learning to adjust to heat during the day, it's worth a shot! 

Prepping Fresh Local Strawberries for the Freezer





This is so simple and actually a healthy alternative to traditional chips.  When it's not too hot to fire up your oven for a few minutes, these are a wonderful and different snack!

Recipe:

Kohlrabi Chips

We have used both the green and the purple Kohlrabi - it's in the Farmers Markets now.

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees
Use a Mandoline or the thin slicer wheel on your food processor or a very, very sharp knife if your knife skills are very, very good,  and slice the "ball" part of the Kohlrabi into the thinnest chip like slices possible.

Spread them out on parchment paper on a cookie sheet; put them in the oven and stay right there!  Depending on their size and thickness, they will cook up quickly. 
You will end up doing multiple trays - unless you have a really big oven.

Pull the chips out when the chip edges are crinkled and brown; sprinkle with sea salt; let them rest a bit  and toss them into a basket. As you make these more you will come up with other flavorings - like curry powder, sweet pimienton, etc.

They are delicious by themselves, with cheese, with dips - in any way you would use chips.

Enjoy!