Local Foods Archives | Page 13 of 16

Mustard and Chive Potato Salad with Greek Yogurt

July 22, 2010

“I can show you how I make my potatoes,” my mom said during a visit a few weeks ago.

Why yes, I thought that was a great idea considering that I’ve had my mom’s potato salad all my life, yet I don’t know that I’ve ever actually watched her make it.

At least, not with a pen and notebook in hand which is often the case when it comes to witnessing the creation of family recipes these days.

I have to admit that there was a part of me that was slightly amazed at what unfolded next. She washed some potatoes, put them in a pot, and covered them with water. She turned the heat to high and put on the lid and then watched. The potatoes came to a boil within a few minutes. They boiled for a minute or two, she removed them from the heat and kept the lid on.

Then the potatoes were left to sit there in the water for about an hour or so, until they were cool enough to touch. After draining, the skins peeled off easily and they were chopped for potato salad. Soft, but still firm enough to hold their shape in the dressing. Perfect.

This is the first time I’ve encountered such a no-fail method. An added bonus is that research has shown chopping potatoes before cooking can reduce the mineral content by up to 75%. Cooking them whole helps prevent this.

Since the potato preparation discovery I have been trying out different combinations of potato salad. I find I really like the flavor of spicy brown mustard and it allows you to use a lot less mayonnaise. This time around I added Greek yogurt, cut the mayo even more, and I’m pretty sure I’ve discovered my favorite one!

Mustard and Chive Potato Salad with Greek Yogurt

5 to 6 red potatoes (cooked and cubed using method above)

2 tbsp red bell pepper, diced
2 tbsp orange bell pepper, diced
2 tbsp mayonnaise
3 tbsp plain Greek yogurt
1 tbsp spicy brown mustard
3 tbsp fresh chives, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine the potatoes and peppers in a bowl and add the mayo, yogurt and mustard. Stir until all ingredients are mixed and the potatoes are evenly coated.

Mix in 2 tbsp of the chives, reserving the rest for garnish. Salt and pepper to your taste. I usually end up adding about ½ tsp of sea salt and ½ tsp of black pepper. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, garnish with the remaining chives and serve. Makes about 3 to 4 servings.

PS. How exciting is it that every fresh ingredient in this dish came out of our garden?!

This post has been added to the July Side Dish Showdown at Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice, and submitted to Souper Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen.

Spiced Local Lamb over Israeli Couscous

July 16, 2010

At a party about a week or so ago we were having a discussion with friends about cooking. It was mentioned how fortunate my husband is to be the recipient of all my cooking creations. This particular friend didn’t overly enjoy cooking and was frustrated with the same dishes. Even more so, she was frustrated when she put in the time and things didn’t turn out well.

It was at this point that I took the opportunity to say that while I enjoy cooking my creations aren’t always especially delicious either. I have about a 60/40 success rate. Sixty percent of the time I end up with something that tastes and looks good and 40 percent of the time something is lacking. It might be the flavor, the appearance, or both.

Sometimes I mention my failures here, but to be honest I have limited time to edit photos and write up posts. So why would I concentrate on all the bad things I make? No, I put up all the great things! It isn’t about being dishonest; I just think most people would like to see things they can recreate that will taste good.

So just know it isn’t all roses in Lori’s kitchen. Sometimes I have difficulty keeping the ugly weeds from popping up.

Let’s use Israeli couscous as an example. I am completely new to it. I read the directions carefully including the part that said – cook the couscous in a skillet over low heat, but do not let it get brown. Ooops!

This is a dish I was able to save in the end with lots of flavorful toppings, but if you look closely, pieces of the couscous are definitely brown! Some almost burnt. Better luck to me next time, but you can recreate this with no problem at all and hopefully you won’t burn the couscous like me.

I’ve never cooked with lamb before (look at that, two new ingredients in one post!), but for the first time I am now in an area with a local producer, Windhover Farm. We picked up a pound of ground lamb at the Farmer’s Market a few weeks ago and I hope to buy more in the future because it was delicious.

I first started out with lamb patties, but soon realized that crumbled lamb works better in this dish. You can use either. I seasoned the lamb, topped it with all kinds of fresh stuff and came up with one tasty dinner in a bowl!

Spiced Local Lamb over Israeli Couscous

3 cups Israeli Couscous, cooked
1 lb ground lamb
½ tsp ground allspice
½ tsp ground coriander
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp onion, grated
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

¼ large onion, thinly sliced
8 slices of tomato

Sauce:
½ cup plain Greek yogurt
¼ cup cucumber, finely chopped and squeezed dry
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl. Cover and place in the refrigerator.

In a skillet, brown the lamb. When it has been cooked about ¾ of the way through add the allspice, coriander, garlic, onion, salt and pepper. Continue cooking until done and stir in the parsley.

(If making lamb patties add the spices to the raw, ground lamb and mix well. You might also want to add a couple tablespoons of bread crumbs. Shape into four patties and cook in a skillet about 4 minutes on each side or until cooked through.)

Divide the cooked couscous into four bowls and top with one-fourth of the ground lamb. Add onion and tomato slices followed by 2 tbsp of the yogurt sauce. Enjoy! Serves 4.

Taste of Chicago

July 7, 2010

Chicago has always been one of my favorite cities. When I was in high school our art and chemistry teachers used to organize a trip each year. We’d head up from southern Indiana for a weekend that always included Chicago-style pizza, a show, shopping Michigan Avenue and a stop at some other attraction such as Shedd Aquarium.

Chicago was really my favorite city until I discovered the public transportation system in DC and the rustic outdoor feel of Seattle. It may have dropped a few slots, but it still remains in my top 10 in the US. These days my brother-in-law lives there along with his wife who is native to the area. So visiting now also includes an insider’s view and local tips. Not a bad situation to be in.

It has been a long time since our last visit so we decided to make the trip up over the holiday weekend. My husband had wanted to see a Cub’s game and it didn’t hurt that our trip fell the same weekend as the Taste of Chicago! So this week, Chicago is the part of the world we’ll be covering here on the blog. I’ve got a few posts for you that cover some incredible eats from our weekend.

We arrived on Friday, mid-afternoon and headed downtown to the Taste of. I had been warned it would be crowded and hot and tiring so I was prepared. To be honest with you, all three of those things seem to have much less of an effect on us since living in Brazil. It is like our crowd and heat tolerance has increased quite a bit.

Fortunately we got there fairly early in the day so there was still plenty of room to move around. By the time we left, however, it looked like this. Yeah, I was glad we went early.

We wanted to focus on more of the ethnic foods for this event. A lot of them we can’t get around central Kentucky, or if they are available, they aren’t quite as authentic as they tend to be in city like Chicago.

This was my first time going to this type of Taste Of. There was no entry fee; guests could buy tickets for 50 cents each before the event. Then tickets could be used to purchase food. All the booths had full meals that were about 6 to 11 tickets each and two options on their tasting menu that were 2 to 4 tickets each. We stuck with the tastings so we could try more things.

Okay now you know how it worked. Enough talk. Let’s go on a tour of the Taste of Chicago.

The first stop was for the Bobak’s All Natural Chicken Apple Gouda Sausage served with honey mustard. I should have tried it without the honey mustard first to get the full flavor of the sausage. Even so, this was really good. Not as much apple sweetness or gouda flavor as I would expect, but a great chicken sausage.

I never thought I would say this, but I really miss mandioca (cassava, yuca) from Brazil. They version I miss the most – fried. Fortunately Las Tablas was serving yuca fries with a delicious salsa verde on the side. It hit the spot.

If you know Chicago, then you know Garrett Popcorn. It is such good stuff. The biggest kernels you have seen with the best caramel flavor. And as fake as it may be, I have to admit I love the doesn’t-occur-in-nature neon orange cheddar thrown in with my caramel.

At the taste they served Caramel Popcornsicles, a popcorn ball freeze dried on a stick. It was as tasty as their original caramel and actually kind of refreshing with the cold which you typically don’t expect from popcorn.

Next came the one thing I had been anxiously awaiting. Mango Sticky Rice! Oh, how I have missed this from Thailand. It was so good even though the mango was canned. I got over that quickly because the rice was so close to what I remember from our trip. Even better, I was taken to an Asian market in town and finally came back with a bag of sticky rice! I’ll be making my own version soon!

The Varenyky from the Shokolad Café caught my attention because the eggplant and potato variety came with an Indian spiced sauce. I have since learned that varenyky is a Ukrainian dumpling similar to perogies. I typically love this type of dumpling, but this one was just okay. The sauce needed a lot more spice to it. I’m not sorry I tried it though because I actually think it may have been my first Ukrainian dish.

There were lots of sodas and energy drinks being sampled, and while we aren’t fans of soda anymore, this Manzanita Sol from Pepsi did catch our attention. We were hooked on apple spritzer while in Austria which is kind of like an apple soda, but a lot lighter. More like a sparkling apple flavored water. The Manzanita is nothing like that by the way. A sugary apple soda. Guess I’ll have to go back to Vienna.

Another new cuisine for me – Puerto Rican. We tried the mini Jibarito Sandwich from Sabor Latino Restaurant. The name comes from Jibaro which is a term used for those in agriculture working in the sugarcane and coffee fields, basically farmer’s from what I understand. It is traditionally a plantain and steak sandwich. This was so good! I absolutely loved the fried plantain version of a bun! I found a recipe if you’d like to try it yourself.

Now for the unique award – a Mashed Potato Stuffed Chocolate Cupcake. Yes, you read that correctly. Honestly, it wasn’t bad at all. Not something I’d have to go back for, but a nice sweet and salty combo and the smooth potatoes with black pepper blended nicely with the chocolate. The cupcake itself was excellent. These were served by Polo Café and Catering. I was joking with my husband that I’d love a wedding reception do-over and sneak these onto guest’s dinner plates to see the reaction!

These Pot Stickers from Star of Siam were by far the best deal. Just look at all of them! They were comparable to the full portion at most places. They were also one of my favorites with a delicious Thai chili glaze on top.

My husband was hungry for the Red Beans and Rice with Jerk Chicken. Vee Vee’s African Restaurant also had goat, but although I don’t like eating it for sentimental reasons, I have had goat and I really don’t prefer it. The jerk chicken was great, and although my bite wasn’t all that spicy my husband assured me that the more you ate it, the hotter it got.

The Sweet Potato Hashbrowns from a restaurant by the name of Hashbrowns had been on our list before arrival. These were good, but not what we were expecting. I had the fried, crispy version in mind. These were soft with what tasted like a lot of extra butter and spices. I’d get them again, but I think a Waffle House version might be better.

With a few tickets leftover we stopped at The Grill on the Alley for Mango Rice Pudding with Dried Cranberries. This was completely unexpected as well. (Apparently we had a lot of expectations). It was spiced almost like a traditional pumpkin dessert. There wasn’t the tropical, coconut/mango flavor I thought there would be. Good, but autumn flavors to me, despite the mangos.

Finally we finished off this eating marathon with a food that is as cultural as the sticky rice and yuca – a Chicago-style hot dog (or half of one) from Gold Coast Dogs. There is nothing else like these for me. The more stuff on top the better, especially that nice, spicy pepper you can see there in the photo.

That concluded our Taste of Chicago. After that, we did some major walking and went down to Navy Pier to see this:

This happens to be where we got engaged way back in 2002. Right up there on the observation deck in the middle of February during a dinner cruise on Lake Michigan. We’ve vowed to make it back for a repeat cruise at some point. Maybe anniversary #10.

We settled in at Navy Pier for some beers and to split a bag of Garrett Popcorn. I told you we couldn’t get enough of this stuff, right? We felt we needed to take full advantage while there, so while a bit unbalanced, this was our dinner. Not a bad way to end a wonderful day, overlooking the water.

Foodbuzz 24×24: Around the World with Grilled Pizza — A World Cup Celebration!

June 27, 2010

What is one event that brings the world together?

The World Cup!

What is one food that you can find in some form in almost every country of the world?

Pizza!

How do you give pizza summer twist?

Well that is where this comes in.

Yesterday my husband and I hosted our first party in our new house since moving back to the US. Given our adventures the past few years, what better way to celebrate than with an international theme intended to bring friends together through food.

I guess Foodbuzz thought it was a pretty good idea too as we were chosen for the Foodbuzz 24 x 24 event this month!

Around the World with Grilled Pizza: A World Cup Celebration was a hands-on event for our guests. My husband and I brainstormed six different pizza combinations each representing a country in the World Cup. We prepped the dough for the attendees and then let them create their pizzas based on our menu suggestions and their own preferences.

The preparations began on Thursday with many batches of whole wheat pizza dough (a modification of the Spelt Pizza Dough from fellow food blogger, Off Her Cork). These then became 104 mini-pizza crusts. We wanted them large enough to hold a few toppings, but small enough to fit multiple on the grill at once and for our guests to make several different varieties.

Work continued into Friday and Saturday with roasting tomatoes and garlic for the red sauce, and soaking and cooking dried garbanzo beans for the hummus. There were also herbs to be picked and garden fresh vegetables to be pre-grilled.

We managed to represent the US and Kentucky with many of the ingredients. These were then used to create more international flavors to build on the World Cup theme of the party.

We had three main sauces for the pizzas. A Roasted Tomato Sauce that quickly came together after roasting tomatoes, onion and garlic for about an hour and then pureeing it with a little salt, pepper, mascavo sugar and basil. The Mediterranean Hummus sauce was your basic combination of beans, garlic, tahini and fresh lemon juice.

I decided not to tackle making my own barbeque sauce. There is a local producer in the neighboring town that makes a fantastic corn syrup-free sauce by the name of Kentucky’s Smokin’ Grill. We picked up a couple jars of that, transferred it to the squeeze bottle and it was a huge hit.

The smoked pastured chicken which my husband prepared on the grill before the big event, as well as the pastured heritage breed pork sausage, came from Pike Valley Farm. If you’ve read my blog often you know is my favorite farm around.

Most of the vegetables and herbs came from a variety of local sources including jalapenos, yellow squash, green bell pepper and basil from our garden; onions, tomatoes and zucchini from a nearby farmer’s market; and zucchini from my Dad’s garden (not exactly local, but in the family). We threw in a few extra toppings to invite creativity such as button mushrooms, pickled jalapenos, black olives and even some bananas for the dessert pizza.

You simply can’t have a Kentucky party without bourbon. It paired nicely with iced tea and the fresh lemonade sweetened with Demerara sugar. There was also plenty of Kentucky Light to go around, a Kölsch style beer brewed locally.

Now that I’ve told you how it was all prepared. Here’s how it all came together. After topping their partially grilled crusts guests headed out to the grill where my husband finished the cooking process and melted the flavors.

Our friends took some advice for pizza combinations and then added some creativity. To our surprise, the biggest hit seemed to be the goiabada for Romeu e Julieta dessert pizza like the kind we used to enjoy in Brazil. Many people were new to the guava paste and became fans of the guava and cheese combination.

Below was our World Cup pizza menu!

Greece

Grilled summer squash and onions, feta cheese and Mediterranean hummus

Mexico

(based of off Mexican themed pizzas we’ve had in Brazil and in the Caribbean)

Pastured pork sausage, fresh or pickled jalapenos, cheddar cheese and roasted tomato sauce

USA

Grilled pastured chicken, chopped onions, chopped dill pickles, cheddar cheese and Kentucky Smokin’ Grill barbeque sauce

Italy

Fresh basil, mozzarella cheese and roasted tomato sauce

Brazil

Goiabada, cinnamon sugar and mozzarella cheese

Switzerland

Chocolate fondue and chopped bananas

We were extremely pleased with the overwhelming response and everyone’s creativity, as well as a willingness to try some new flavor combinations. I think we have forgotten what hard work it is to entertain a large crowd, but fortunately as the sun went down the party continued with entertaining lawn games as well as rest and relaxation on our back patio. We were reminded that there is nothing like good food, great friends and summer nights no matter where you are in the world.

Our Greek pizza has also been submitted to the Regional Recipe Greece Round-up hosted by Eats Well with Others!

Patty Pan Squash Stuffed with Basil Orzo

June 7, 2010

Stuffed Patty Pan Squash with Basil Orzo Recipe

Just when I was becoming confident in my knowledge of squash varieties I came across a new one at Lexington Farmer’s Market a couple weeks ago.

My Dad has grown varieties of yellow squash and zucchini in his garden my whole life, but I’ve never come across Patty Pan Squash. It is also sometimes called Scalloped Squash for obvious reasons. Have you seen it or cooked with it before?

Patty Pan Squash

Patty Pan or Scalloped Summer Squash

Just look at that interesting shape. It is as if the little squash decided that it really didn’t want to grow long and decided to grow wide instead. You know, just to be different.

Well, in my opinion, different is good, and while Patty Pan has a similar flavor and texture to its longer cousins it adds a lot more fun to cooking.

Patty Pan Squash Stuffed with Basil Orzo

I spent several days trying to figure out what I was going to stuff into these little bowl-like vegetables. I kept going back and forth between rice, bulgur and orzo, finally settling on orzo. With all the fresh basil in our herb garden at the moment, I thought an Italian twist was the way to go.

Patty Pan Squash Stuffed with Basil Orzo

At first I was much more interested in the shape than the actual squash, but that quickly changed as I began creating this dish. Patty Pan are easy to roast up. If you trim the stem and flip them over you can simply remove the top, clean out the seeds and stuff them with all sorts of ingredients. These squash can also be sliced and steamed or sautéed with a little olive oil or butter.

The yellow Patty Pan that I used had a sweet, fresh flavor. They seemed even sweeter to me than standard yellow straight or crooked-neck summer squash. The basil and cheese combination with its slight saltiness paired perfectly with the tender, sweet flesh of the squash.

Patty Pan Squash Stuffed with Basil Orzo

Makes: 2 servings

What you’ll need:
2 medium Patty Pan squash
Olive oil
1 cup orzo, cooked and cooled
2 tablespoon whole milk ricotta cheese
2 tablespoon Romano cheese, grated
6 fresh basil leaves, chopped
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

How to make it:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Trim the stem off the squash to create a flat surface. Coat them in olive oil and place them stem side down in a baking dish. The bake time will vary greatly depending on the size of the Patty Pan. I had two, one smaller than the other. The smaller cooked in 30 minutes and the larger took 40 minutes. Insert a fork in the flesh to ensure that it is tender and remove from the oven. Set aside until cool enough to handle.

In a bowl mix together the orzo, cheeses, basil, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Using a small paring knife carefully cut the top off of each squash. Gently scrape out some of the seeds using a spoon to create a bowl to hold your filling. Scoop half of the filling into each squash. Return to the oven and bake 5 to 7 minutes longer until everything is heated through. Makes 2 side dish servings.

Thanks for reading! All images and content are the property of Lori Rice and Fake Food Free unless otherwise stated. Please do not republish full recipes and images without written permission. What is okay? Feel free to Pin images, share links to my posts or share the photo with the title of this recipe and a link back to the post. Confused about copyright and food blogs? Here is some helpful information on Recipe Attribution. If you want to use a photo or full recipe, just ask. I’m sure we can work something out.

Whole Grain Rhubarb Waffles with Strawberry Butter

June 1, 2010

I’m always inspired when I read about other food bloggers taking on challenging ingredients. It is usually something like a root veggie or an over abundance of cabbage in a CSA box. While there is apprehension at first, the final result is always beautiful even if you don’t prefer the star ingredient.

Rhubarb has been my challenging vegetable as of late. It was a staple in our garden growing up, but when I had the opportunity to grow it myself, I declined. But since my parents had an over abundance, I was offered some of this year’s harvest. Seeing it as a culinary challenge, I accepted.

I feel a bit sorry for rhubarb with its poisonous leaves. It really isn’t a nutritional superstar either; just a stalk that is often in the shadows of fruits like strawberries, in order to be enjoyed.

I like the flavor of rhubarb, just not the texture. This is especially true after growing up at dinner table with brothers who made disgusting jokes about said texture while eating the pie. Thus, be careful of the way you perceive and communicate perceptions of foods to children. I’m proof that those comments hang around and can control food preferences later in life!

But now, I was up for the challenge of tackling my rhubarb apprehension. With plenty on hand I had to come up with something that would present the flavor, but not the texture.

My first thought? Waffles!

Ever since I got my waffle maker last Christmas I’m always thinking about new waffle recipes. For this one, the rhubarb blended in nicely to the whole grain waffle and while it wasn’t quite as strong as I would have liked it was still good. I topped it off with some strawberry butter and breakfast was complete.

Whole Grain Rhubarb Waffles with Strawberry Butter

Makes: About 6 waffles

Ingredients

1 cup rhubarb, chopped
4 tablespoon water
¼ cup demerara sugar

1 cup white whole wheat flour
¾ cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup unsalted butter melted, plus 2 tbsp more for waffle iron
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Prep

In a sauce pan, combine the rhubarb, water and sugar. Cook on medium-high heat, stirring often until the rhubarb cooks down to a jam-like consistency, about five to seven minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

In a large bowl, sift together the flours, baking powder and salt. Stir in the cooled melted butter, eggs and rhubarb. Stir to combine all the ingredients.

Heat your waffle iron and lightly brush each side with melted butter. Pour a heaping 1/3 cup of batter onto the iron, close and cook for about four minutes. Remove and repeat with the butter for the next waffle. Top waffles with strawberry butter (below) before serving.

Strawberry Butter

I really enjoy fruit butters in place of syrup on waffles. We used to make them all the time when I worked in a bakery. There are a variety of ways to create them, but the easiest is with jam and butter. I used some strawberry freezer jam that my mom made with this year’s fresh strawberries.

Ingredients

¼ cup butter, unsalted, slightly softened
2 teaspoon strawberry jam, the thinner the consistency the better

Prep

Place ingredients in a small food processor. Process until everything is blended and the butter is soft and spreadable.

For more info, the University of Illinois Extension Service has a helpful page about rhubarb.

Thanks for reading! All images and content are the property of Fake Food Free unless otherwise stated. Please do not republish full recipes and images without written permission. What is okay? Feel free to Pin images, share links to my posts or share the photo in a round up post with the title of this recipe and a link back to the post. Confused about copyright and food blogs? Here is some helpful information on Recipe Attribution. If you want to use a photo or full recipe, just ask. I’m sure we can work something out.

The Taste of the Bluegrass

May 26, 2010

I debated all day on Friday whether or not I should go. Finally about 3:00 pm I made the decision. I would spend my evening at the Taste of the Bluegrass, a local food event to benefit God’s Pantry.

Side note: Does anyone else find it odd that we tend to support food banks by offering huge food events where we stuff ourselves? It always makes me think, but as you can see, doesn’t keep me away from the food.

My husband was worn out from a long week of conferences so I knew he wouldn’t have any interest in going, but then I found out that fellow food blogger, Melissa, wanted to go. We scheduled our date and spent the evening tasting food and drink from area restaurants.

I met Melissa a while back because she works in wellness with many of my former coworkers. When I returned from Brazil I found out she also has a great food blog so needless to say, we have a lot in common. A self-proclaimed granola girl, she cooks up great real food recipes over at My McDonald Meal.

This was my first time at the Taste of the Bluegrass and I quickly learned that it is much more of a social draw than a food event. People are there to eat, and drink, and drink, and drink, but I’m pretty sure we were the only ones with cameras. You should have seen some of the stares and perplexed looks we were getting. Fortunately, after 2.5 years in South America with very blonde hair and an accent that screamed US American, staring has very little effect on me. We elbowed up to all the tables and snapped away.

We were there for the local, seasonal flavors which we are fortunate to have an overabundance of here in central Kentucky. Not to mention plenty of great bourbon.

To say it was packed is a huge understatement. We moved along in lines to try food and found ourselves downing cups of wine and swallowing big bites to free up our hands for the next selection. This also resulted in little time to adjust my camera to changing lights so I apologize for some of the less than beautiful pictures.

So here you go. A taste of what we had to eat at this delicious event. I have to warn you though. I will likely say “best _____ I’ve had before” and “absolutely delicious” several times in this post. The food was outstanding!

We were greeted at the door with bourbon. Maker’s Mark to be exact. Many of the companies were offering their single barrel selection and most offered them only on the rocks, with water or with a local soda called Ale-8-One, a ginger ale. We passed on the Maker’s for the opportunity to try some other smaller distilleries and special selections.

Next, strangely, we hit the desserts. It all felt a bit backwards, but we took advantage of starting with some sweet stuff.

First, cupcakes from BabyCakes Cupcakes. I have yet to visit this place, but I am making it a priority now. The Kentucky Pride cupcake with mocha bourbon cake and mocha bourbon buttercream was fantastic. Not to mention that the owner is sweet as can be.

The Sugar Forest had some gorgeous wedding cakes and the Champagne Cake with Hazelnut Filling was darn near perfect as far as wedding cake goes. I consider myself a qualified judge since I grew up with a mother who owned a cake business.

Later we came to Tinker’s Cake Shop. Just look at that beautiful green fondant flower. They were giving away strawberry cake pops. You can see them there behind the cake. I usually shy away from these because so many recipes call for boxed cake mix and canned frosting, but these were incredible. I didn’t ask, but I suspect they were made from scratch. The fresh strawberry flavor was unmistakable.

Kentucky wineries were plentiful. We really have so many great wines from this area. I didn’t go overboard because for this event I was more interested in trying the bourbons, but I did have a very nice Riesling from Elk Creek Vineyards.

Speaking of drinks I got to introduce Melissa to Bluegrass Sundown, the closest thing to a true Irish coffee that I’ve had in the States. It is a concentrate made with coffee, bourbon and sugar. After it is mixed with water and heated, it is topped with cream. This is an example of one of those bad photos I mentioned above, but you get the idea.

Turf Catering served up one of my favorites from the evening – the Maryland Crabcake with Lemon Aioli. Words can’t describe how tender and flavorful this was. Likely one of the best crabcakes I’ve had, but I say that having yet to visit Maryland. The creativity award goes to their Seared Ahi Tuna on Edible Spoon with Wasabi Cream. Just look at it. So beautiful and delicious too! For dessert, the Key Lime Cheesecake Martini. Don’t you just want all of this for your next party?

We both practically cheered when we saw that Giuseppe’s Ristorante Italiano was offering gnocchi. Not just any gnocchi, but Lobster Gnocchi Gratin. Oh so creamy and rich!

The local co-op in town, Good Foods Marke & Café served up Israeli Couscous with Lamb Kofta and Tzatziki Sauce. I saw it from a distance and had to fight my way up to the table. Many of the ingredients such as the lamb and mint were local and this was another favorite of the night for me.

Oh, you’d like to hear about more drinks? Well here you go. We made our way to the Four Roses table to be greeted by a cute server in a costume of which the collar was a massive rose. She handed out these drinks, the ingredients of which I’m still not sure. Bourbon, grenadine and considering how easily they went down, very dangerous.

I have wanted to try Wild Turkey American Honey Bourbon for a long time now so I was thrilled that I had the opportunity. Oh wow, was it great. Slightly sweet, on the rocks, I have to get a bottle for the summer.

We have a culinary school in Lexington that is a branch from a school in Louisville, Sullivan University. The students were at this event offering what was likely the freshest tasting of the night. Yes, the chefs were making the pasta fresh right before our eyes! There were several different varieties made with local ingredients. I had the spinach pesto which was delicious. Melissa said the tomato was even better. I finished it off with Zabaglione (an Italian custard) with fresh fruit.

More dessert you say? How about Derby Fudge from Lexington Fudge Company? Just so you know, anything “derby” is Kentucky code for bourbon, chocolate and pecans. I didn’t even know this company existed. Fantastic fudge and I can see those little tins being the gift of choice in the future.

Last year I reviewed a delicious cheese from Sapori D’Italia, a local company that makes fresh and aged goat cheese. Oh, this cheese is unreal, especially the Caciotta al Peperocino with a red pepper infusion. I also got to try their fresh Agri alle Erbe. It just melted in your mouth. I can’t wait to pick some up at the Farmer’s Market.

Finally, if you happen to find yourself in central Kentucky there is one restaurant that tops the list for many in the area – Holly Hill Inn. The owners have a very interesting story and have expanded to open other restaurants in the area. With its location in a historic home and fresh, local ingredients Holly Hill Inn is the place to go. (Bonus that the girl working the booth asked us if we were on Tastespotting! Yes! A fellow foodie).

The Woodford County (local) Mediterranean Meatballs with Walnut Raita were incredible. Same goes for the Asparagus with Toasted Hazelnut & Citrus Glaze. I’m not sure if this is regularly on the menu, but I know what I’m ordering on my next visit if it is.

Looking back at the event guide there were so many things I didn’t get to try. I was pleasantly surprised by the level of food quality and flavors at the event. However, the location was so disappointing. It was at the Keeneland barn which is on the grounds of the local race track. A beautiful location, but it was so congested. You could barely move or see many of the vendors.

It seems as though events like this always tend to be in these types of close quarters. I really hope they decide to expand and move it to a new location next year. I doubt I will attend again until they do. As I said, the food was amazing, but it wasn’t worth the trade off of not being able to fully enjoy it without being bumped from side to side by the crowd.

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And after all that?

On Saturday morning I ran a 10K. Yes, I know. Not exactly the best race prep and believe me, I felt it, but I didn’t want to pass up either event. This was actually the first time I have run a full 10K race. I ran my half before I successfully ran a 10K event (as in running the whole thing). I ended up with an 11:40 pace which I was very happy with considering my half marathon time. My goal is to run a 10:30 5K by the end of the summer.

As for the event, I think I have officially said good-bye to small community races. It’s strange because it used to be that those were the only type I wanted to support. Now, although I don’t consider myself a hardcore runner or a gadget fan, I find that larger, more organized races appeal to me and motivate me.

This race had about 100 people and we ran through neighborhoods. It wasn’t all that safe as the finish line was located right in front of the parking lot entrance for the wellness center hosting it. That meant cars were coming in and out and we were passed a lot on the course. We also had to run past the finish line at mile 4.5 and come back to it which messes with you a bit mentally.

I completely understand the hard work that goes into planning races, but I won’t be running this one again. Although, I’m still thankful that it was a 10K because those seem to be few and far between around here.

Disclaimer: While I would have gladly accepted a free ticket, I paid for my entrance to the event with my own money. I was not asked to review any products or companies and received no compensation for doing so. For what it is worth, I paid my own entry for the 10K too.

BLT Pizza with Spicy Chipotle Mayo

May 20, 2010

The Bacon Lettuce and Tomato sandwich is a symbol of summer for me. Growing up, when the lettuce was ready in the garden and the tomatoes perfectly ripened this sandwich was on the menu. It is quick and easy with both protein and vegetables, not to mention some fat to help you absorb the veggie vitamins. I will admit that often my sandwiches were bacon and cheese as a kid, but fortunately I now appreciate the fresh vegetables so I’ve graduated to full BLT status.

Last week I was looking through one of my cookbooks and found a recipe for a BLT pizza. I thought it was a great idea for spicing up the traditional and decided to give it an even greater twist with a little chipotle mayo.

I bought the bacon from St. Asaph Farm not too far from the town we live in. I’m really excited to be finding so many natural farms around central Kentucky that implement the practices of Joel Salatin and Polyface Farm. In addition, I enjoyed talking with the owner, Rachel. She has lived abroad in the Dominican Republic and her husband in India and then they moved to India together after they were married. I’m always amazed at the international experiences I encounter here at home.

The bacon is jowl bacon from pastured pork and has a delicious flavor. It cooked up nicely. I like mine crispy and my husband likes his chewy so I usually cook a few slices of bacon longer than the others.

The lettuce came from my Dad’s garden which we got when we were visiting over Mother’s day weekend. The tomato, from a hydroponic grower at the farmer’s market.

I made this Focaccia recipe from Tyler Florence, split it into four loaves and sprinkled on some shredded parmesan before baking. I used the chipotle salsa from the Shrimp Taco Dorado I posted recently. It is really just a chipotle mayo. To make it, combine some mayonnaise, one to two chipotle peppers in adobe (based on how spicy you want it) and a squeeze of lime juice and blend it up.

Summertime BLT Pizza with Spicy Chipotle Mayo

Adapted from Weight Watchers Dining for Two

Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients

4 individual rounds of baked focaccia or your favorite pizza crust

8 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped1 large tomato, chopped

4 cups lettuce, chopped
½ cup chipotle mayo (more or less to taste)*

Prep

In a large bowl, combine the bacon, tomato and lettuce. Pour over the mayo and toss to coat all the ingredients. Divide into four servings and place on top of each pizza. Cut into slices with a knife and serve.

*See explanation in text above the recipe.

Pastured Sausage and Jalapeno Pizza

April 23, 2010

When we were in Antigua last December our resort had a lunch restaurant with a wood-fire pizza oven. Well, it wasn’t just a lunch restaurant it was actually open until about 5:00pm. The pizza was delicious, and I’m not going to lie, there were some fourth-meals consumed in the afternoon between lunch and dinner.

A few days before we departed we decided to try the Messicana pizza. This is a bit of an inside joke because everything supposedly Mexican in nature is “Mexicana” in Brazil, which is actually pronounced “meh-sh-cona”. So it is interesting to see what some cultures associate with Mexican cuisine. Trust me, we aren’t the only ones who completely screw it up. For example, the Mexicana pizza where we lived in Brazil often had Doritos on it. I rest my case.

This pizza in Antigua was topped with sausage, and jalapenos. At first I wasn’t incredibly motivated to try it, but once we finally did (very late in our trip) we were beating ourselves up that we hadn’t ordered it sooner. Such a simple combo, but it is so good.

This past weekend when my parents were in, I made my Brown Biscuits with the pastured pork sausage I got from Pike Valley Farm. I held some of it back to use later in the week for this pizza. Fortunately I also had some pizza crust in the freezer so it was a quick meal.

I don’t have a favorite crust at the moment. I typically use the recipe on the back of the Hodgson Mill Whole Wheat flour bag and substitute White Whole Wheat Flour to make it a little lighter. Turns out great.

For the sauce, I use tomato puree in my basic marinara and usually add a little more crushed red pepper to spice it up a bit. Although with the jalapenos on this pizza, that wasn’t really necessary.

Sausage Jalapeno Pizza

2 pizza crusts, about 8 to 9 inch
½ cup pizza sauce
¼ lb. pastured pork sausage, browned
1 cup cheese, shredded (I like cheddar with this combo)
½ cup sliced jalapenos

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. I know I’m a bit odd with this, but I don’t like my pizza dough to be uncooked or soggy in the middle. The only way I’ve been able to master this with at-home pizza is to bake it for about 5 to 7 minutes before adding the toppings.

Divide the sauce and spread on each pizza. Top with the sausage (with pastured you won’t need to do any draining or rinsing), then the cheese. Next spread your jalapenos evenly on each pizza. Bake 7 to 10 minutes more until cheese is browned and bubbly.

Chiang Mai Thai Cookery School

April 21, 2010

As I sorted through pictures for this post, I was reminded just how much I miss the outdoor markets of other countries. While I enjoy the markets of large cities in the US with their gourmet cheeses and mixed greens displayed beautifully in a decorative crate, and the markets of small cities offering local honeys and eggs gathered that very morning, I still have not found a site here that excites me the way the markets of Brazil and Thailand do.

There is something about that rustic feel, the atmosphere that most foreigners would consider dirty with flip-flopped feet slapping through puddles as fish are cleaned, noodles are bagged, heart of palm is carved and coconut is shredded. There is nothing like finding yourself surrounded by fruits and vegetables that you’ve never seen before. You know they have to be good for you, but you haven’t the slightest idea how to eat them or how to cook them. It is my very favorite learning opportunity.

My experience with the market in Chiang Mai, Thailand all began when we were trying to decide what to do for my birthday which just happened to fall in the middle of our month long trip around Southeast Asia last October. Once I learned a little more about the cooking classes in the area, the decision was easy. We signed up for a class at the Chiang Mai Thai Cookery School. Not just any class; it was Course 3, one that began the morning with a trip to the local market.

We were picked up from our hotel and taken to the school office where they then drove us to the market. I knew it was going to the perfect day for me as soon as we pulled up. I mean, there was a pug sitting at the market for goodness sake! Our first pug sighting of the trip!

Our guide took us to a table in the middle of the market where she began to explain the ingredients we would be using that day. It was a short session overflowing with discovery. For example, until that point we hadn’t been able to identify the flavor and smell of the Kaffir lime. Within minutes I was holding one in my hand, as well as some Thai bird, or birdseye, chiles responsible for all that heat in the curry. In addition, there was pre-made packs of lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves, and palm sugar.

After the explanation, we were invited to look around the market and we took off right away. It was a small market, but the variety of foods, especially those foods that I was witnessing for the first time, was incredible. There was Thai eggplant, noodles, tofu and baskets overflowing with rice. We got a nice shot of a local chef buying some ingredients for the day. I was tempted to hop on the back of the moped he was driving and find out where his restaurant was located!

As if the morning wasn’t exciting and informational enough, we left the market to begin our efforts to become experts at cooking the foods of Thailand. We were greeted with a beautiful open air kitchen and given our own cooking station. Considering how leisurely it felt when we arrived, we weren’t at all prepared for how quickly the day would progress.

This is how it went. We were led into the class room where we watched a demo of how the dish was made. We were then instructed to go back to our cooking stations where our ingredients were set out for us. There was a little chopping involved, but not much. We quickly cooked the dish. And I mean quickly – turned up the heat, threw in the oil and ingredients, cooked it up and plated it. Then the group headed over to the dining room where we ate our dishes which were usually served with rice. We didn’t eat every course as soon as we cooked it. For a few of them, we prepared two and ate both courses together.

There was a very international crowd taking the class. There were people from France, England and Australia along with a few other places that I can’t remember now. There was a major discussion about how much garlic was going into each dish. Apparently this was overwhelming for some, which led to some giggles around the room each time the guide added garlic during the demonstrations.

Another fun part of cooking Thai food was guessing how many bird chiles to use. We asked one of our guides how many chiles he would use in a single serving dish and he said six. There were some pretty loud gasps of horror across the room, but we were up for it. We added this amount to our Papaya Salad, Som Tam. It was definitely spicy, but nothing like another papaya salad we had later in our trip. That experience is a post in and of itself.

We made a total of six dishes throughout the day. All the foods below were made by me or my husband and I’ve added a little description about each. Overall, it was an incredible experience; not only to see all the foods, but to cook with them too gave me a much better understand of Thai cuisine. The simplicity of the cooking methods makes one feel guilty for every saying you don’t have time to cook, and fresh produce has never tasted better than when prepared in a Thai dish.

Chicken in Coconut Milk Soup, Tom Kha Gai, is a combination of lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, chiles mushrooms, coconut water and milk. This dish ties the papaya salad for my favorite.

Red Curry with Fish, Gaeng Phed Plaa, was a traditional Thai curry with Thai eggplant and bamboo shoots. We didn’t get to make the curry paste ourselves, but it was explained to us. I prefer my curry with chicken, but this was a nice change.

One of the best things about Thai cuisine is all the produce that is used. Fruits and vegetables are everywhere, in almost every dish. So of course, we made a veggie dish, Fried Mixed Mushrooms with Baby Corn, Phad Hed Ruam Khao Pod Orn. The vegetables were great, but I wasn’t a huge fan of the sauce which combined fish, soy and oyster sauces. I’d much rather have curry.

Fried Big Noodles with Thick Sauce and Pork, Raad Nah Muu, was full of mushrooms, cauliflower and carrots. This was good, but those large, paper-thin rice noodles are interesting to cook with.

My favorite Thai dish, next to Mango Sticky Rice, is Papaya Salad, Som Tam. It combines grated green papaya with garlic, birdseye chiles, long beans, tomatoes, dried shrimp, lime, palm sugar and peanuts. It’s made with a mortar and pestle and all the delicious ingredients are slightly mashed together. Best. Salad. Ever. Although, I can live without the dried shrimp, a bit salty for me.

We made a Steamed Banana Cake, Khanom Kluay, in a banana leaf for dessert. What a delicious combo made with simple ingredients. It contains only bananas, rice and tapioca flours, sugar, coconut and coconut milk. Notice the “L” in my flag for the cake. We had to mark our cake because they were all cooked together in one steamer.

Needless to say we left the class stuffed, but as I sit here writing this I would give anything for one more bite of any of those dishes, especially the papaya salad! Now the challenge is to figure out how to get all these ingredients in Kentucky, or at least something that tastes similar.