Good Idea

I was talking to Janet Kirker last night about her iphone. She was talking about the camera and she siad she and Tim often use it when out to eat or somewhere drinking wine to take a picture of the bottle label. This saves trying to remember it or find something to write it on/with. Finally a good use for camera phones.

Potatoes Better than the Chicken, Swiss Chard and Homemade Punkin Pie

The potatoes really are better than the chicken!
Both the chicken and the potatoes were from the CU farmers market, swiss chard from the one in GR.

Recipe is from Brian and goes something like this...
Smother the chicken in lots of butter and EVOO, stuff with fresh thyme and rosemary, salt & pepper, and then roast for an hour over the potatoes to catch all the drippin's and crisp up the taters.

The pumpkin pie recipe was from Joy of Cooking. It was delicious, possibly the best I have had... or at least as far as I can remember. The pumpkin was also from the GR market.

We sauteed the chard with bacon and shallots, which was a first time for us, but that was great as well.

PorkCalvados Apple braise

Excellent dinner last night. Cut up pork "stew" meat and braise with onions, garlic, mushroom, etc... in calvados and wine. add apples at the end that stay a bit crunchy. Garnish with toasted almonds to give it extra crunch. Excellent. We served it over spaetzle. The spaetzle had a twist we picked up from our French cook book. After cooking the dough, put it in a skillet with melted butter and suate lightly. Very nice touch. forgot the photos. Pinot was terrific with this. The book also suggests a oaked chardonnay. I think a dry reisling from alsace would also be good. Would highlight the apple more.

Finally some pictures of the progressive dinner.

Can Blau - Red Blend - Montsant -Spain

If you can find this wine, I recommend it very highly. It's 15-17 and excellent. Great boquet, body, finish, etc... for the $$$. Newer appellation, so quality at less cost. I bet it becomes a 30 bottle as the region becomes more well known. Mitolo all over again. Get in NOW!!!

Goat cheese balls

Take and use a cookie dough scooper to make round, quarter sized goat chhese balls. We loved the PFF fresh plain cherve. Roll in a whisked egg and then panko bread crumbs. Fry in about 1" of oil about 30 sec. Serve with honey drizzled on top. Sublime.

More pics from the Prairie Fuits Farm dinner...

Want to find out more about Prairie Fruits Farm? Check out:
http://www.prairiefruits.com/

Prairie Fruits Farm Dinner 10/11/08

Neill, Barb, Brent and Paula enjoyed the dinner on the farm hosted by Prairie Fruits Farm in Urbana, IL. It was super delicious and a lot of fun! Neill was probably the most excited by the time we left. It was a great time that we would all highly recommend. The menu was as follows:

Hors D'oeuvres

• Blue Moon Farm Fennel Beignets
• Eggplant Bruscetta with Arugula Pesto
• Country Cottage Farm lamb meatballs with mint

First Course

Silky winter squash soup with sweet potatoes and maple cream

Second Course

Pasta with Prairie Fruits Farm Provencal Sauce, Triple S Farms Guanciale (pork jowl) and goat's milk ricotta salata

Main Course

Moore Family Farm's Braised Grass-Fed Beef Stew with Creamy Stone-Ground Polenta and Blue Moon Farm Glazed Carrots

Vegetarian: Root vegetable cassoulet with Three Sisters Flagiolet Beans and Tiny Greens Salad

Dessert

Prairie Fruits Farm Organic Apple Upside Down Cake with Goat's Milk Cajeta, Honey Comb and Cheese Assortment

Baked Oatmeal, Wisconsin-Style

Mom found this recipe in the October issue of Midwest Living. Mom, Dad, Brent, Brian and Paula enjoyed some Sat morning after a trip to the Urbana farmers' market. We had it with apples and walnuts, and also frozen raspberries - super delicious!! Mom and dad have also tried with fresh peaches and rapsberries.

1 3/4 c. water
1 c. rolled oats
2/3 c. milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
1 t. baking powder
1 t. ground cinnamon
1/4 t. salt

1. Butter 1 1/2 qt. casserole. In a medium saucepan, bring water to boil. Slowly stir in oats. Simmer, uncovered, 2-3 minutes for quick-cooking oats or 5-7 minutes for regular oats, or until most of the water is absorbed and oats are tender, stirring occasionally.
2. In a small bowl, whisk milk and eggs. In another small bowl, combine brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt; stir into oatmeal. Fold egg mixture into oatmeal mixture and pour oatmeal mixture into prepared casserole.
3. Bake uncovered in 350 degree oven 30-40 minutes or until center is just set and sugar crust forms on the top. Cool 30 minutes. Serve warm with fresh fruit, if you like. Makes 4-6 servings.

1st try pic

scary, huh?









This was Neill's first attempt at posting to the blog! PV

Bike the Barns 2008

Fabulous bike ride in Madison, WI. This is where we ended at a berry farm. Great weather. Beer fest at Quivey's afterwards.


Interested in learning more about Bike the Barns? Check out: http://www.macsac.org/bikethebarns/

Smoked Pork Chops with Gruyere and Stone Ground Mustard

I believe that this was a recipe passed along by CJS. I must say that I was quite impressed at how the tastes come together... salty, tangy, smokey, cheesey, and then to add in the baked squash and apples... the sweet and fruity... it was a flavor explosion.

Let's just say that there were not any leftovers to be found.

I was wondering what type of wine would have gone well with this, because this will definitely be a repeat at the Vargo's.

Mushroom Flat Bread with Goat Cheese and Pesto

We found this great appetizer at one of our favorite local restaurants, Bistro Bella Vita. Kudos to them.

We used 1/2 of a frozen pizza crust from Frabonis, but we have also done this with the pain à l'ancienne recipe.

After dicing (2) 4 oz packages of shitake mushrooms along with a clove of garlic and a shallot, we sauteed until soft.

Baked the flatbread until crisp, smothered in a layer of goat cheese, added the toppings for a few more minutes in the oven to bring everything together, and viola!

Could use a hint of red wine, or possibly soy sauce to spice things up a bit.

Chocolate Crepes with Chocolate Filling and Fresh Rasberries

We found this recipe in an ad in Bon Appetit, or something... can't seem to find it now that I was looking to post it. It was absolutely delicious.

Served with a nice cup of Kenya AA from Alterra Coffee, Milw., WI.

Butternut Squash with Cumin Couscous

We had this Sat. night with mom and dad. It was very good. Kind of mediterranean flavor. Went very well with grilled lamb. Would be enough for a vegetarian meal on its own with a salad. Maybe some bread.

Butternut Squash with Cumin Couscous

1 butternut squash (2 pounds)
2 tablespoons olive oil1 large yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup canned diced tomatoes
1/3 cup dark or golden raisins
1 32-ounce container vegetable broth
1 15.5-ounce can chickpeas, drained
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 cups couscous
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/4 cup (1 ounce) almonds, chopped

Halve and peel the squash. Remove the seeds and cut the squash into 1-inch chunks. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cayenne, cinnamon, nutmeg, and 1/2 teaspoon of the cumin and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the squash, tomatoes, raisins, broth, chickpeas, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Uncover and cook until the squash is tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, bring 1 1/2 cups water and the remaining cumin and salt to a boil. Stir in the couscous. Cover, remove from heat, and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Divide the couscous among individual bowls and ladle the squash over the top. Sprinkle with the parsley and almonds.

Yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings
CALORIES 325 (19% from fat); FAT 7g (sat 1g); CARBOHYDRATE 59g; SODIUM 1,178mg; PROTEIN 10g; FIBER 8g; SUGAR 13g