Hot Purple Carrots

Buttery Blue Corn Griddle cakes

2011-11-20T19:56:00.000-08:00

Here is what you will need to create these comforting sweet southwestern morsels that will make your soul smile at any time of day:

-About 1.75 cups of blue cornmeal
- dash of baking soda
-dash of baking powder
-lots of butter
-generous quarter cup of maple syrup
-1/8 cup maple pecan syrup
-1/2 cup all-purpose flour
-2 eggs
-Milk (pour in to create desirable consistency)

Mix dry ingredients. Cut in about 4 tablespoons of butter with a pastry cutter.

Whisk eggs separately, ad to dry ingredients. Mix. Mix in the syrups.

Ad milk until consistency of the batter is pourable but not runny.

Heat a skillet on medium low-heat until a generous layer of butter is melted and covering the bottom. Do not let the butter burn, and if need be, at a bit of oil to prevent burning.

Pour quarter cup measurements at a time into pan, and fry/flip until just cooked through and golden on each side. Re-apply butter to pan and adjust heat as needed.

Enjoy plain or serve with Pine nuts, friend platanos and fresh greek yogurt whisked with cinnamon and raw sugar.

Love Sauce to Warm the Spirits

2011-11-05T20:32:00.000-07:00

Essential for this recipe is: A warm, cozy, light and welcoming house filled with good friends, family, and love. When shared, this will only accentuate the goodness felt by the soul:

a quarter cup or so of Dagoba Xocolatl Spicy Mayan Hot cocoa
1 cicular bar of Abuelita dark baking chocolate
3 cups coconut milk
small small cube of butter and maybe some brown sugar to taste

Mix and melt ingredients together in saucepan over medium low heat until piping hot. Serve with iron or wooden ladle into hand made mugs. Sip and enjoy.

Fabulous Pan Pudding

2011-10-07T12:30:00.000-07:00

I needed a dessert in 2 hours and with limited selection of ingredients in the house, here is what happened:

Ingredients (measure portions intuitively to texture and taste:
-half loaf home made Italian bread
-half stick butter
-half cup of half and half
-brown sugar
-sugar in the raw
-2 peaches
-cinnamon
-whiskey
-vanilla
-half cup Greek yogurt
-8 inch bar of bittersweet baking chocolate

chop the bread into quarter or half inch cubes and set aside. Whisk eggs, cinnamon, vanilla, a large dash of sugar, half the cream, and the greek yogurt together in bowl. Ad bread and mix. Slice peaches very thinly and soak in Buffalo Trace Whiskey. Layer 2/3 the bread mixture into a 9" round or square greased baking pan. layer the sliced peaches over, and finish with the rest of the bread mixture. Bake at 350 degrees until just slightly browned on top, but do not overcook and dry out. Cover with foil until 5 minutes before done. Drizzle the top with the sauce.

The sauce:
Melt together in saucepan: chocolate, remaining half and half, butter, brown sugar (quarter cup or so). Stir until well mixed and runny over medium low heat.

Enjoy!

Firey Zucchini Corn Cakes

2011-10-05T20:34:00.000-07:00

A full box of fresh sweet corn, yellow patty pan summer squash, zucchini, poblanos, and jalepenos, all bursting with seasonal freshness called for a dish that prized their flavor. These cakes are great for a late summer's light dinner and satisfy with the spicy kick of southwestern food.

(judge amounts according to flavor, texture, and consistency):

one or two grated yellow patty pan summer squash
one large or two small grated zucchini
one or two finely diced jalepenos
one finely diced poblano chile
a cup or less of grated pepper jack cheese
at least a cup of bread crumbs
garlic salt
one or two ears of corn, cooked and cut off of the cob
one or two eggs

Mix ingredients together in large bowl. if mixture does not stick together when formed into patties with the hand, add more bread crumbs. Remember to add sufficient and relative seasonings to maintain flavor according to the amount of bread crumbs you ad. Start with one egg and mix thoroughly. If mixture does not lightly hold together ad bread crumbs and/or egg.

Form into small patties (They will barely stick together but will stick more as they cook). Fry in a light layer of olive oil in a heated skillet over medium to medium low heat, until patties hold together and are browned on each side. Serve plain or with hot sauce. Enjoy!

Farm Fresh Frittata

2011-06-24T09:36:00.001-07:00

Eggs are a wonderful source of nutrition, highly versatile when it comes to their uses in cooking, and they are quick and easy to prepare. In addition, Grant Family Farms organic pasture raised eggs are tastier than just about any other egg you can find!

-12 Grant Family Farms Organic pastured eggs
-1/2 bunch Grant Family Farms organic sweet spinach
-1 bunch Grant Family Farms organic chives
-2 Grant Family Farms organic cippolini sweet onions
-2 Grant Family Farms organic garlic scapes
-handfull of Hazel Dell organic shitaki mushrooms
-salt and olive oil to taste
-mozzarella and/or cheddar cheese
-Morning Fresh Dairy whole milk (1/2 cup)

Whisk eggs and milk together, with salt and a few drops of oil. Set aside. Heat a frying pan to medium heat with olive oil coating the bottom. Ad diced onions, chives, garlic scapes, and mushrooms. Sautee until golden and crisped on the outside, and tender inside. Ad to egg mixture. Chop spinach and chives and ad to eggs. Whisk all ingredients together, sprinkle cheese on top, pour into oiled pie dish, and Bake for 50 minutes at 370 degrees, or until slightly golden on top and cooked through.

Enjoy!

Brandied Apple Pork Pastries

2011-05-14T19:53:00.000-07:00

The idea came as a savory craving while drifting to sleep. The mission of the next day was to create the delectable little morsels, using ingredients almost all from the Farm!
These little pastries are the ultimate in comfort food; nothing short of incredibly buttery, rich, and piping hot!

You'll need:
-sweet onions
-apples
-brandy
-ground pork
-blue cheese
-salt, pepper, cayenne, nutmeg, cloves, jalepeno pepper
-butter
-flour
-salt
-sugar
-white vinegar
-egg whites
-one egg

Sautee Grant Family Farms pastured organic ground pork in a skillet until cooked, with seasoning to taste (salt, pepper, onion, garlic, jalepeno). Set aside. Sautee in the pork grease sweet cipollini onions and garlic until slightly carmelized. In a separate pot, simmer diced apples in brandy and butter, with a dash of nutmeg, cloves, and cayenne. When tender and cooked through, mix with pork and sauteed onions. This is the filling.

In a bowl, cut 7/8 C butter into 2 C white pastry flour. Add 1.5 t white vinegar, 1.5 t salt, and 1 t sugar, and one egg. Mix / knead together. Form into a ball, cover with wax paper and cool in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Divide into 5 small, equal-sized balls. Roll each ball out onto the counter in a 1/8 inch thick circle with extra flour to prevent sticking. fill with the meat and apple filling, topping generously with blue cheese crumbles. Fold the corners of the dough up all at once, pinching them together in the center to create a little square pastry package look.

Brush the pastries with egg whites to gloss and keep moist. Bake at 375 until crust is done, and lightly browned.

Enjoy!

Cool Blue Mango Macademia Pie

2011-02-17T21:45:00.000-08:00

A nice balance of popping flavors; comforting but not too sweet.

Filling:

Slice two mango's into small chunks. Mix in a bowl with a quarter cup of raw sugar, a half pint of blueberries, a couple tablespoons of corn start, an eight cup or so of sweetened lime juice, and a a fresh squeezed lime.

Crust:

cut in 7/8 cup butter into 2 cups flour. Add 1 egg, a teaspoon of salt, 1.5 teaspoons of white vinegar, 1.5 teaspoons of sugar, and 1/4 cup water. mix until pastry dough texture is achieved. wrap in wax paper and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Pull the crust out of the fridge and roll out to 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. spread on bottom of pie pan and shape into crust. Pour in filling.

Topping:

Before baking, top with a thin layer or Gorgonzola blue cheese crumbles followed by a layer of partly crushed macadamia nuts. When you bake it the cheese will melt into the surface of the pie, and the macadamia nuts will come out nice and toasted.

You may bake the crust without the filling halfway first to be sure it gets done, and /or glaze the whole pie with egg whites to keep it moist and shiny.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes, or until crust is done and golden brown. Let set for an hour or so, serve and enjoy!

Luscious Lox

2010-11-11T20:09:00.000-08:00

For all you salmon lovers, this will keep you licking your lips.

This rich little appetizer was conjured up upon discovering a new use for sage leaves.

Take a cup or more of sour cream (don't use low fat, or it ruins the taste!), and whisk in fresh squeezed lemon juice from one lemon. Whisk in a generous dash of cayenne pepper, salt and a bit of black pepper if you'd like. Dice a few green olives and whisk into the cream as well.

take a few nice big fresh sage leaves and rub them with olive oil.

Slice a baguette in 1/4 inch slices and toast on a rack with olive oil.

Take the baguette slices and layer as follows: First a large lock of smoked salmon to cover the bread, then a sage leaf, then a generous dollop of the cream (which should slightly resemble the taste of tartar sauce).

Top with another sprinkle of cayenne for garnish, and capers or green olives and a lemon.

Enjoy the smokey sage, contrasted with the tart cream, and sweet lox!

Cinnamon Peach Stuffed French Toast

2010-09-06T18:04:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was filled with an abundance of creative energy which gladly took over the kitchen, ushering in the harvest season. I came home with a bag of fresh ripe peaches, among other goodies, and this is how they graced Sunday breakfast:

Cinnamon Peach Stuffed French Toast:

Puree one banana and two peeled peaches. Add a dash of cinnamon and a generous drizzle of agave nectar, and juice from one fresh squeezed orange. Whip together with 5 eggs for french toast batter.

Slice 6 thick layers of ciabatta bread. Soak and dip the slices in the batter. Fry as french toast until golden and crispy on both sides. Spread white frosting and cinnamon on one slice, cut it in half, making it into a mini - sandwich. Do the same with another piece of the toast, only this time using dark chocolate slices and fresh raspberries in between, or fry the toast plain.

Serve the frosting stuffed and plain toast with fresh peaches, vanilla yogurt, and drizzled agave nectar... is your mouth watering yet?!

Enjoy!

Broiled Spiced Apricots

2010-07-29T21:24:00.000-07:00

It’s apricot season, and a Sunday night gathering required quick and simple creativity with the sweet orange fruit, being that they were one of many dishes that filled the bellies of happy guests.

Slice the apricots around the pits into half circles. Lay in a baking dish with the inside facing up. Fresh squeeze an orange and generously drizzle the juice and some of the pulp over the apricots so that it soaks in and lightly ads flavor. Also generously drizzle wildflower honey and agave over the fruit. Cover with a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg.

Crush a cup of almonds and a cup of cashews. Mix together. Sprinkle the nuts over the apricots until they are covered. Ad another layer of drizzled honey.

Place in the oven and broil until slightly browned and carmelized on top, and warm through. Serve as is or hot with a scoop of french vanilla ice cream

An extra kick: Ad rum with the orange juice for a darker flavor or white wine for a lighter touch.

Lemon Maple Cake with Fresh Strawberries

2010-06-13T21:23:00.000-07:00

Lemon maple cake with fresh strawberries

Walking through the field friday I found a delectable surprise: The first rich red jewel like strawberries peeked out from under the low lying leaves, and of course they called to me for a sampling. ;-). Here’s what happened in the kitchen Sunday night after browsing the cookbooks for baking inspiration:

Mix 2 1/2 cups white flour and 1 teaspoon baking powder.
In separate bowl whisk 5 large eggs and 1 1/2 cups wild flower blossom honey, 7 tablespoons coconut oil, and 3/4 cups heavy cream all natural brown cow maple yogurt.

Add egg mixture to dry ingredients and mix gently but thoroughly. Ad juice from one fresh squeezed lemon and the grated zest of one lemon peel. Mix.

Grease two 8 inch by 5 inch deep baking pans. Preheat oven to 350. Pour mixture into pans and bake at 350 for 45 minutes or so until edges are golden brown and a knife in the center comes out clean. Gently loosen edges with knife, flip out of pans and cool on baking rack. Slice and serve warm with a dollop of cool maple yogurt on top, and sliced sun-kissed field fresh strawberries.

Seems it would make a lovely Sunday breakfast dish enjoyed with lavender tea.

Sweet Cilantro Salad

2010-06-06T14:35:00.000-07:00

This Morning Fresh Cilantro Greens livened the aura with their festive flavor. Here's what happened:

Slice one Sweet potato into "half-moon" 1/3 inch thick slices. lightly toss with olive oil and salt. Bake at 400 degrees until tender through.

Let cool.

Chop a small handful of fresh cilantro leaves. Toss in a large bowl with the sweet potato, a few drizzles of extra olive oil, a couple generous dashes of salt, a pinch of pepper and two or three light sprinkles of cayenne. Fresh squeeze one whole lime onto the salad, lightly toss, and let chill in the fridge.

Enjoy on a sweet sunny June afternoon!

Blue Corn Biscuits with Roasted Poblanos and Poached Egg

2010-05-10T22:43:00.001-07:00

This improv. satisfies the sweet and spicy craving in one hot savory bite!

Blue Corn Biscuits with roasted poblanos and poached egg:

The biscuits:
1C Blue Cornmeal
1C White flour
dash of baking soda, dash of baking powder (about a tablespoon each)
3.5 TBSP butter, chilled
about a cup of buttermilk, or ad to right consistency
dash of salt
honey to taste

The topping:
Eggs from pastured organic happy hens
roasted poblanos
avocado thinly sliced length wise
monterey jack cheese or queso fresco thinly sliced
more butter
salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper

Mix the dry ingredients for the biscuits. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter or knife or fork. Add honey and milk. Mix and fold to blend ingredients but do not over-mix. roll 1/2 inch thick onto lightly floured surface and cut 2 inch wide biscuits. lay out on baking sheet and bake at 425 for 10 minutes or so, until just browning on top and baked through.

remove from oven, let set, slice biscuits and top with cheese slices, chiles, and avocado, in that order. Place some butter to melt under the cheese if the biscuits have dried out at all. Poach your eggs. While the eggs poach toast the layered biscuit in the oven to melt the cheese. Top the whole thing with a poached egg and crush red pepper as garnish over the top. Enjoy!

The blue corn biscuits are also tasty as a sweet treat, toasted and drizzled generously with pure maple syrup and pine nuts, and/or fresh raspberry puree.

Sweet and Salty Deliciousness

2010-04-25T18:24:00.000-07:00

This freshly scrumptious little 9:30 Tuesday night concoction came from a trip to the co-op with a somewhat random craving for greens, olives, creamy cheese, and portabellas. This is what happened, and it's bound to make your taste buds want more:

Sweet salty smooth deliciousness:

Pan sear long slices of portabella mushroom in olive oil until just crisped and golden and semi-soft through. season both sides with coarse sea salt, cayenne, thyme, and cracked black pepper.

Toss torn Belgian endives, baby spinach leaves, radish sprouts, and thin baby artichoke leaves in vinaigrette of:

(mix ratio of ingredients to taste)

Macadamia nut oil

apple cider vinegar

fresh squeezed lime juice

cracked black pepper

a hint of sea salt

a hint of cayenne

thyme

Sweet potato fries:

Slice semi-long sweet potato or yam fries about a quarter inch thick and toss while raw in macadamia nut oil, coarse sea salt, a dash of cayenne, and nutmeg. Lay out on a baking sheet and bake at 425 degrees F until tender and browned / crisped.

Take out and let cool for a minute, and toss with diced green olives and crumbled goat cheese... mmm, sweet and salty!

Serve the three dishes in the same meal with a dirty martini (bombay sapphire gin).