A Little Bit Domestic Isnt Such A Bad Thing

Last summer we were surrounded by tons of blueberry fields, and at some point, I decided why not make blueberry jam?! Its all tied back in to my desire to eat less processed foods, and simply to know whats in the things we eat. Now, dont be confused, I did not have any spiffy tools or big pots. I just used what I had. The result, AWESOME BLUEBERRY JAM. Probably the best Ive even. (Well, expect maybe my Great Aunt Dot who used to make it years and years ago. Somehow I have always remembered it!)

Just starting to cook down the second bath. See the apples and blueberries?? YUM.

In all the excitement about moving home to Florida, I was a little bummed to have access to the those blueberries...... Until I remember Florida has STRAWBERRIES. Probably my all time favorite single piece of food. I think anyone in my family can attest to this.

This is the second batch waiting to set.

In Geneva there is a great little Strawberry Patch called Pappys that always has the most divine berries, but I havent quite made it out there yet, although I plan to this week. We purchased a flat (6 pints) of strawberries from the Winter Park Farmers Market this past weekend. They were only $7! The Farmer's Market was awesome. Really a one-of-a-kind experience, but more on that another day. :) Back to strawbs.

This is the second batch waiting to set. See how the blueberries made it so much darker?

We usually have at least one project on the weekends, and yesterdays was the jam. Blake spent all morning researching and reading through several cookbooks that had recipes. We decided on a hybrid recipe combining several. Blake's grandfather gave us a cookbook called "Stocking Up" (c. 1977) that gave some great advice. One of the things they suggested was using honey instead of sugar. And even back in 1977 they said it was due to wanting less processed foods. We thought this was a great idea! Long story short, Im not a hundred percent sure how it turned out. Its just now been 24 hours after sealing the cans, they havent set all the way (theyre still a little giggly--lets be technical). But I havent tasted them yet. Today, with more strawbs left over, I followed a recipe for a smaller batch using strawbs, an apple (natural source of pectin, the alternative to adding packaged pectin like we usually do), a few blueberries, sugar and 2 table spoons of Grand Marnier. Mmmmm

Of course I tasted it before I sealed the jars, and it tasted awesome, it was a little sweeter than yesterdays batch. So, we'll see which turns out better. :)

Pizza.. My favorite!

I love pizza. Thick, crunchy crust, gooey cheese, crisp veggies.. mmm. And Im not talking pepperoni and cheese. No way. I actually cant remember the last time I ate a pepperoni pizza. And I definitely prefer homemade to one of the big box places. Have you ever made your own pizza before? This recipe is great, because, well, you can put whatever you want on it! We love it on those nights we work late, and throw it together with the ingredients we already have.

pizza

INGREDIENTS
crust
sauce
cheeses (mozzarella and parmesan)
veggies (bell peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, olives, hot peppers... really whatever you can think of!)
fresh basil

For my crust, we usually buy the active yeast that is labeled for pizza crust, and follow their directions (no rise time!)

The sauce I make from either fresh tomatoes, or whole canned tomatoes (usually just whatever's handy!) Start by heating olive oil over medium, add fresh, chopped garlic and saute for a minute in a sauce pan. Then add chopped onion and red bell pepper. Let these saute for about 5 minutes. Next, I chop up the tomatoes and add them to the mix. Let these all simmer for another 15 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated. Now I add a dash of S&P, a few red pepper flakes, and a couple tablespoons of red wine vinegar and cook about 2-3 minutes longer. The final step is to pour the sauce into a food processor to make it nice and smooth.

Roll the crust out onto a baking sheet (I use a Slipmat-- it helps the crust get browned all the way. If you dont have one, just blind bake a few minutes prior to adding the goodies!) For whatever reason we are obsessed with parmesan cheese. Dont ask. So, we put a nice layer on the bottom first, then add the sauce, then all your veggies. Top with fresh mozz and torn basil. Bake at 450 for about 12 minutes, or until the cheese is nice and melted and the crust is brown.

Blake's Famous Chicken Alfredo

Ok, its not really famous... yet. But, it is his specialty. And mmm it is good. I have no idea exactly how he makes it, though. So, no recipe here, but Ill get him to right it down. The problem is, unless we are following a recipe, its usually a little of this, a little of that until it tastes right. For whatever reason, my alfredo sauce is just never as good as his is.

Anyway, the chicken is the breast cut in half (to make them thinner-- I think this is a good mind trick to eating less) and encrusted in panko (Japanese bread crumbs) and Parmesan cheese then pan fried in a little olive oil. We typically will eat whole wheat pasta, but we had some regular fettuccine on hand, so we used that. Our salad is our old stand by: baby arugula, Parmesan and cracked pepper. The salad dressing is simply lemon juice, 3 times that amount in olive oil, and S&P. Its delish!

We always use fresh cheese. The pregrated stuff out of a bag freaks me out. Its covered in corn starch--or something else equally as unappetising. Making things from scratch is really inexpensive, and way more fun! Plus, you have more of a sense of accomplishment. (Not too mention actually knowing whats in your food!(

I have yet to make those sugar cookies....... Ive had a lot to do when I get off work lately, it just hasnt happened. Maybe on Sunday....

Greek Salad.. with a twist!

I love my iPhone. There's no secret there, but one of the things I love about it is all the cool Apps I can have. Blake and I were obsessed with the show Food Revolution with Jamie Oliver a few months back. It was all about getting all us stubborn Americans to realize what most of us eat is not ok. The shows primary focus was converting school food lunches from frozen "food" to being cooked on site, fresh daily. He proved it could be done with even the same staff and budget.

Anyway, not to ramble, but through all this, we found the Jamie Oliver 20 Minute Meals App. It is awesome. We have tried so many new things because he  breaks them down into super simple steps, and everything has been super easy. Blake and I love to have a small salad with dinner with a fresh lemon/ olive oil dressing, but rarely do we feel they are hearty enough to stand alone. We wondered across the recipe in the App, and thought it was worth a shot, (We will usually try anything at least once!!), and boy did it pay off! This was a very filling, delicious salad and was minimal effort.

the not-so-greek salad

INGREDIENTS
2 ripe avocados
1 lemon
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 small red onion
6 large ripe tomatos
1 handful black olives (which we omitted because Blake refused to eat them) :)
romaine lettuce
6 oz feta cheese
red wine vinegar
olive oil
S&P

DIRECTIONS
Slice the avocados into thin, small pieces and place into a large mixing bowl (this will eventually hold the entire salad, so make sure its big enough!) Grate the lemon zest into a small bowl, then slice the lemon and squeeze in all the juice. Use a spoon full of the juice to toss in with the avocados so they do not turn brown. Sprinkle half of the dried oregano in the bowl with the lemon juice, and add three times as much extra virgin olive oil. Add a dash of S&P and taste; then adjust the seasonings if necessary.

Place the finely chopped red onion in another small bowl and mix with a dash of red wine vinegar and S&P.

Cut the tomatoes into rough chunks and add to the avocado. Roughly chop the olives and add them as well. Wash the lettuce then tear into small bite sized pieces and add to the avocado bowl. Give the dressing a quick stir then pour it over the lettuce, tomato, and avocado mix. Add the marinated red onion and toss.

After serving between the plates, top with crumbled feta (and we added Parmesan....and bacon.) :)

Yeah, yeah. I realize, its not much of a Greek salad once you remove the olives, and added avocado and bacon, but... its our little twist! And it was amazing, so who cares what kind  of salad it was! We also served ours with toasted Whole Wheat Artisans Bread from Trader Joe's with Parmesan cheese on top. :)

Nanner Puddin'

There is not much better than some yummy Banana Pudding. Blake is always asking me whats for dessert, and I usually respond with, "nothing". For some reason, I have to be in the mood for something sweet. Well, lucky for him, today I was.

INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup sugar, divided
1/3 cup flourpinch of salt
3 eggs, separated
2 cups milk
1 tsp whiskey ( I used spiced rum, it was all I had) :)
vanilla wafers
4-5 bananas

INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix 1/2 cup of the sugar, flour, and salt in the top of a double broiler. Blend in 3 egg yolks and milk. Cook, uncovered, stirring constantly, over boiling water for 10-11 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in liquor.
Spread small amount of custard on the bottom of 2 quart baking dish. Cover with layers of vanilla wafers, then bananas, and then repeat until you have used all your ingredients. (Save some wafers for the top to garnish with! And, the top layer should be custard--before the garnish).

Beat egg whites on high with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add the remaining sugar, and beat until stiff peaks form. Spoon onto top of pudding, and bake for roughly 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool slightly, then add your wafers to the top for garnish. ENJOY.