Thai Iced Tea

Lately we've been obsessed with having iced tea ready to go and this sweet treat is going to be an occasional go to for us; it has tons of sugar in it and we don't like having too much of that around here.  I adapted a recipe that I found on this blog, White on Rice.  I knew I would NEVER buy the pre-made stuff with those additives and yellow dye but appreciated their attempt at mimicking a Thai restaurant splurge.  Here it goes.....

Thai Tea Mix
2 tsp loose black tea (I use Davidson's Ceylon OP loose black tea that I got from Amazon) or 2 black tea bags
2 tsp loose rooibos tea (I use Davidson's loose rooibos tea that I got from Amazon) or 2 rooibos tea bags
2 disposable paper filter tea bags (I just put the bags filled with the tea into the composter when I'm done)
4 c water
1/2 c sugar
1/2 Tbsp (1 1/2 tsp) of vanilla bean paste (I use Nielsen Massey that I got from Amazon)

Bring the water to a boil and add the teas, sugar, and vanilla bean paste.  Lower the heat and simmer for about 3 min; remove from heat and steep for at least 30 min (I steeped for 1 hour but only because I was busy making dinner and kind of forgot about it).

Thai Tea Assembly
Pre-made tea mix
Half and half (I use organic)
Glasses filled with ice

Pour the tea mix into the glasses and fill almost to the top.  Splash some half and half into it, stir it around, and enjoy.

Homemade Cajeta

All good things must come to an end, and thus I say farewell to Vegan town.  Although I visit regularly for culinary inspiration,  you won't be the only town I visit.  With that said, here's a recipe for some delicious cajeta, a delicious goat milk Latin caramel candy.  Use it in coffee, over ice cream, in ice pops; really the sky is the limit.  It is SUPER sweet so please proceed with caution when using.

I am super lucky to get my hands on 2 gallons of raw goat's milk every month.  I have homemade feta in the fridge right now, and needless to say, it is awesome.  If you live in the Central Valley of CA I highly recommend that you contact Meg Dickey and sign up for their herd share program.  The milk those goats make is beyond delicious.  If you can't get your hands on goats milk, you could use whole milk just make sure it is not ultra-pasteurized or it just won't work.  Without any further delay....

Cajeta
Modified from a recipe in Home Cheese Making by Ricki Carroll

2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp baking soda
12 c whole raw goat's milk
3 c sugar
1 vanilla bean split down the center
1 small piece of canela (cinnamon stick)

I added the vanilla and cinnamon myself.  I just love the flavor of dulce de leche so much I thought it would make a nice addition.  Don't feel as if you have to add, omit the last two ingredients if you are just not that into them.

Add 1 cup of the milk into your stock pan along with the cornstarch and baking soda.  Using a whisk, incorporate the starch and soda until no lumps are visible.  Add the rest of the milk.  Over med-high heat, bring to boil, stirring occasionally.  Once it boils, remove the cinnamon stick and vanilla bean if using and stir constantly until you get a caramel consistency.  I usually make sure that the sauce coats the back of my wooden spoon.

Pour into clean jars, cover with a clean dish towel, and allow to it to come to room temp.

Once this happens place the lids on top and store in the fridge up to a month.  If you plan on using it over ice cream, heat it in microwave or place jar in a bath of hot water for a bit.  Enjoy!

What to do with your CSA part 6

Grilled Vege Sandwich

I love the summer veges.  They are so good and quite satisfying.  I have yet to grow tired of zucchini, summer squash, or eggplant; maybe I'm a weirdo.  I thought these sandwiches would make a hearty summer dinner which they did.  I've remade these with the same delicious results.  Feel free to substitute with any seasonal veges.  The pic is a bit yellow because the fluorescent lighting in the kitchen at night is dreadful, sorry.

Grilled Vege Sandwich
1 large eggplant, cut into thin slices
2 large zucchinis cut into medium thick slices
1 large patty pan sliced
baby carrots slice in half
bell peppers, seeded and sliced
onion, sliced
cooked bacon slices (optional)
2 small peaches pitted and sliced
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 small package of blue cheese at room temperature
havarti cheese slices (Costco)
bread ( I prefer sour dough)

I grilled the veges on my electric grill, but feel free to grill outside.  Before being placed onto the grill the veges were placed in a large bowl and covered with olive oil, salt, and pepper.  I tossed them in the oil and seasonings with my hands until they were well coated.  I grilled until the veges were tender but not overly done.  Once they are cooked place them in another bowl or platter.  Grill the peach slices.  I didn't coat the peach slices because I wanted their natural sugars to do the caramelizing and I didn't want them to taste like oil.  Once the peaches are done remove from heat and set aside.

Crumble the blue cheese into your stand mixer, and using the paddle mix the cheese until smooth and spreadable.  I decided to dice a peach and mix it into the smooth cheese.  I had it so I did it but this is not necessary.

Brush olive oil on your bread and place onto grill.  Cook for 2 min and flip over.  Add the havarti slices and grill until the havarti begins to melt.  Place onto a plate.  Add the blue cheese onto the non-havarti slice and spread using a spreader.  Now you're ready to top.

On the blue cheese side place your grilled peaches.  On the havarti side place your grilled veges how you'd like them.  Place the peach half onto the havarti half and slice in half.  Enjoy!

What to do with your CSA part 2

Muffins

Muffins are a great way of using the fruit that you get in your CSA.  I've chosen the Lemon Cornmeal Blueberry Muffins because I used the corn from the box to make my own cornmeal, and I've chosen the Gingered Bran Fruit Muffins because I used CSA fruit.  These are both delicious for breakfast or dessert.  We had ours with homemade Mochas too which was super yummy.  You can candy your citrus peels, dehydrate your fruit to extend the life of it, and make your own cornmeal.  Once you have these things made you can enjoy them past the season through out the year.

Lemon Cornmeal Blueberry Muffins
These are essentially the cornmeal dessert that I posted not too long ago but instead of using the blueberry sauce, I opted to include the blueberries into the batter instead.


glaze
1 1/2 c (packed) powdered sugar
3 TBSP fresh lemon juice (you may need more)
candied lemon peel (optional)

muffins
1 1/2 c AP flour
1/3 c homemade corn meal
3/4 c sugar
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 c frozen blueberries
1/2 tsp salt
1 c buttermilk
2 large eggs beaten lightly
2 large lemons zested
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 stick butter melted and cooled

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Spray or butter your 12 count muffin / cupcake pan and set aside.

Combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and frozen blueberries in a bowl and set aside.  Combine the buttermilk, eggs, lemon zest, vanilla extract, and butter in a bowl.  Add to the flour mixture and fold until just combined; DO NOT OVER MIX.

Spoon the batter in prepared muffin pan and bake in oven for 20 to 25 min or until golden brown and a toothpick placed in center comes out clean.  Place on a cooling rack for 5 min and remove the muffins.

Combine the glaze ingredients and add more lemon juice if too thick.  Top the muffins with the glaze and add the candied lemon peel before the glaze sets.

Gingered Bran Fruit Muffins
This is actually a revised version of a recipe that I found in my mom's Better Homes and Gardens.  I like that this recipe is simple and that you can use whatever fruit is in season.  It also lends itself to fresh or dehydrated fruit.

2 c AP flour
1 c packed brown sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 c whole bran cereal
1 1/2 c whole raw milk
1 1/2 c chopped fresh or dehydrated fruit (seasonal fruit is always best; I used dehydrated KMK apricots)
2 eggs lightly beaten
3 Tbsp canola oil

Topping
2 Tbsp almonds
candied lemon peels, diced
candied ginger, diced

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Spray or butter your 12 count muffin / cupcake pan and set aside.

Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, ground ginger, and salt in a bowl, make a well in the middle, and set aside.

Combine the cereal and milk in a bowl and allow to sit 5 min.  Add the apricots ( or fruit of choice), eggs, and oil and stir to combine.  Add to the well of flour mixture and fold to combine.  Again, do not over mix.

Spoon mixture into your muffin pan and top with the almonds, lemon peels, and candied ginger.  Bake in the oven for 20 min or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.


Homemade Mochas
Fresh brewed coffee
Cocoa powder (Dutch processed preferred)
Raw milk

Place 1 Tbsp of the cocoa powder on the bottom of your coffee cup.  Top with coffee and fill cup half way.  Stir to combine.  Top with the milk and once again stir.

Enjoy!

Garden News

I had to get out of the house this morning after my disastrous and traumatic first bout on Foodie Fights.  Although the Garden is not big and is not located in one specific spot, it felt good to feed the plants and see what new and exciting food is growing in our back yard.  So far it's been going well and for next year we plan on removing those large decorative rocks and making some raised beds.  Some of the lovely things that I saw and that made me feel better are:

Our first broccoli is coming out.  Now, I went into this without actually knowing if broccoli is a good summer crop.  If you have any input please share.  I  am sure that I'll have to keep an eye on it to ensure that it doesn't bolt.

The Black Russian Heirlooms are flowering.  I never actually buy the seeds for these guys, just buy the tomatoes at the Farmer's Market, cut it in half, squeeze out the pulp onto a sieve, clean everything out except the seeds, dry them in the sun, and plant.  It's awesome.  I hope that I am able to do that from my own crop.

This year we have 15 different Heirloom tomatoes, squash, peas, broccoli, cantaloupe, peppers, sun flowers,  radishes, chard, kale, and carrots.  Although it sounds like a lot, it's in such small quantities that I doubt it'll make a dent on our KMK budget.   Regardless, it's been a fun experience for the family and I; especially today, also a nice escape from my thoughts.

Chloe's Birthday Granola

Per request I am posting the granola recipe that I used for Chloe's party.  It was super good and I noted where I made some substitutions.  It also made DELICIOUS cereal the next morning.

Granola  (Ala Alton Brown)

3 c rolled oats (we used organic of course)
1 c slivered almonds (didn't have so I didn't use)
1 c cashews ( I used 2 c since I didn't add the almonds)
3/4 c shredded sweet coconut
1/4 c + 2 Tbsp dark brown sugar
1/4 c + 2 Tbsp real maple syrup
1/4 c vegetable oil ( I used canola but you could use a light olive oil)
3/4 tsp salt
1 c raisins ( I like to use craisins instead.  I used 1/2 c strawberry craisins and 1/2 c cherry craisins but regular craisins would work too.)


Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, coconut, and brown sugar.

In a separate bowl, combine the maple syrup, oil and salt.  Combine both mixtures and pour onto 2 sheet pans.  Cook for 1 hour and 15 min, stirring every 15 min to achieve an even color.

Remove from the oven and transfer to a large bowl.  Add the raisins (craisins) and mix until evenly distributed.

We made the paper

I sound like a total idiot, but made the paper anyway.  I am not the best interviewee.  I wish I had the chance to write an essay about the marvels of raw milk.  Perhaps, at a later date.

http://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/article/20100310/LIFESTYLE/3100310/1024/Local-debate-about-raw-milk-runs-deep

TED Talks with Jaime Oliver

 

Jaime Oliver doing a TED talk about the importance of teaching our kids about REAL food.  Thanks Kristi.

http://www.ted.com/talks/jamie_oliver.html

Can you believe this?

 

 Since we made the decision a year ago to do our best to eat local organic and sustainable food, we've been eating better than ever.  We've been doing a CSA (community supported agriculture) for over a year and have fallen in love with the idea of buying directly from our local farmers and eating seasonally.  We recently changed CSA's and wanted to share the good news.

Let me start by saying that I have a personal bias anyway towards KMK farm in Kingsburg CA.  Kyle and his family remind me of this famous Thomas Jefferson quote: " Those who labour in the earth are the chosen people of God, whose breasts he has made his peculiar deposit for substantial and genuine virture."  If you ever get the opportunity to tour KMK farm you'll know what I mean.  The respect and love of the earth and for the food it bears is overwhelmingly present in all who work  to provide my family and others with soul nourishing delights.  So when I heard that Kristi was starting their CSA I knew that I wanted to be part of it.

I love this CSA because I get to choose what we get in it.  For our first box we ordered: baby lettuce heads, broccoli raab, fennel, parsley, dill, kale, romanesco cauliflower, swiss chard, stir fry mix, sorrel, thyme,  watermelon radish and two dozen eggs.  I was so elated when I saw the box that I couldn't stop smiling.  Look at what we got!  Insane.  We made a frittata  for breakfast with the chard and some scallions that I bought this morning from Kyle and I plan on a big salad for dinner.  I highly recommend that you contact Kristi at: thefarmersdaughter.csa@gmail.com and sign up.  You'll be all smiles too.

Home made Feta II

Well, here is the recipe for homemade feta. Although I had originally wanted to do a taste and texture comparison between raw and conventional milk, I decided that I didn't need to know. I love that we use raw milk and the cheese was superb. The salty and briny flavor of this feta is balanced by the silky texture of the cheese. It's quite wonderful. The nice thing about this recipe is that you use milk vs. goat's milk which keeps the cost down once you've gotten your supplies. Hope you will try it and give me some updates, especially if you're using conventional milk. We'll set up a taste test and see how they are different. As always, only use pasteurized milk not ultra-pasteurized. I would not recommend making cheese with raw milk unless you are 100% confident with your farmer and do not assume any liability should things go south. Enjoy.

http://www.finecooking.com/articles/how-to/make-homemade-cheese-feta.aspx

Also, a link to a great thermometer for accuracy.
http://www.amazon.com/Taylor-9842-Commercial-Waterproof-Thermometer/dp/B00009WE45/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1254777371&sr=8-1

Homemade Feta

I'll have to try it to make sure that it doesn't kill anyone. Keep you posted. Not made with goat's milk which makes this REALLY cost effective. This first batch was made with raw milk, but I will make some feta with pasteurized milk to see which one has the better texture. I'll let you know, but I suspect the raw milk will win. Check back to see what happens.

Home Made Corn Meal

I wanted to make homemade corn meal for a while. I thought it would be simple enough and decided to do it without doing any online research. It's easy enough to make using some pretty basic supplies.

I started out by scraping the kernels from about 8 ears. I also scraped the pulp and put them onto my dehydrating trays. I dehydrated the kernels overnight at 105 degrees. The kernels seemed pretty dry so I processed them in the food processor only to find that there was still a lot of moisture. That's when I went online.

So, ideally you should dry the kernels still on the cob. Round 1 goes to the Internet, oops. Then once the kernels are dried it's best to use a grain mill to grind the corn into meal. The grinders are not expensive (I found a nicely reviewed one on Amazon for about $ 30), but I had already started down this path. I decided to continue taking the crazy train.

I lined my dehydrator panel with some parchment paper so I wouldn't lose any kernels and dehydrated them again at 105 degrees overnight again. SUCCESS! I ground the corn once again using my blender this time because it seems to do a better job than the processor. I got a nice meal that I used to make polenta for dinner. It made about 1 and 3/4 c of meal. I could also have used it to make cornbread, but I didn't. I'm still not a super fan of the consistency of polenta, but this polenta was truly delicious and it was really rewarding to know that I was able to do it. I may break down and buy the grain mill (yeah another gadget) knowing that I'll actually use it.

I just wanted to share because it made me feel accomplished. I think I'll just skip to step #2 next time and just start with mashed corn kernels. If you buy the corn I can always make you some meal.

Polenta
1 Tbsp coarse salt
2 bay leaves
1 2/3 c coarse cornmeal (white or yellow; best if homemade)
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

Put 7 cups of cold water, salt, and bay leaves into a medium heavy bottomed pan. Stir in cornmeal.

Bring to a boil over high heat, then add oil. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until polenta thickens and pulls away from the bottom and sides of pot, 30 to 40 min. Season with salt and pepper and remove the bay leaves.

Gadget whore

Well, as some of you may know I like to dehydrate food. I've dehydrated strawberries, cherries, apples, apricots, and peaches to name a few. Until recently I was using an Aroma brand dehydrator and after that broke I moved onto the Ronco that my mother in law gave me, until of coarse that one failed as well. I went online and researched and found Excalibur dehydrators.

I LOVE IT! Aside from being able to do my fruits I am now able to make jerky (I'm experimenting with tofu jerky as I write), raise bread, make yogurt, and fruit roll ups. It's awesome and the drying time is a fraction of what it was before. For out next book club, since it's Indian themed, I am planning on making curried mango jerky or fruit roll ups. My only complaint is that it is SO BIG. It cannibalizes so much of my counter space.

I was planning on learning how to can and to have a canning party with Ethan, but I think that I just won't go down that road. I've been reading some raw food blogs and they recommend dehydrating at 105 degrees in order to preserve the food and it's nutrients and enzymes. Canning doesn't seem to be in my future any time soon. I'll keep you posted about the dehydrator especially once the tomatoes start making their debut.

Cheese is Heaven!

I've been inspired lately (by Ethan mostly) and decided that I would start making our own cheese. So far I've made mozzarella, lemon cheese, and ricotta. Once my cultures and cheese press get here I will be making queso fresco, Gorgonzola, and cheddar among a few. It's really easy and we all love it. I've included the recipe for the easy version, which incidentally enough I made at my cooking class. We love it the best on some homemade sourdough bread with alaea finishing salt and some lemon zest.

Whole Milk Ricotta
1 gallon whole milk ( I use Raw Milk of course. In a pinch I use 1/2 gal raw milk and 1/2 gal whole; also be sure that it is pasteurized and not ultra-pasteurized.
1 tsp citric acid
1/4 c cool water (bottled water not from tap)
1 tsp salt, optional (cheese salt, however I use sel gris)
1-2 tbsp heavy cream (not needed if you are using raw milk, but highly recommended if using regular pasteurized milk.)

Add the citric acid into the water and stir until dissolved. Add this to your pot along with the salt and milk and mix thoroughly.

Heat the milk to 185 - 195 degrees (do not boil) . I have looked at my cheese log and found that I am most satisfied when my milk reaches 190 degrees. Stir often to prevent scorching.

As soon as the curds and whey separate (make sure whey is not milky), turn off the heat and leave undisturbed for 10 min. Be warned that if using Raw milk you won't see the curds until you let it rest, so don't panic.

Line a colander with butter muslin. Carefully ladle the curds into the muslin; once all curds are in tie the corners of muslin in knot and hang the bag to drain for 20 to 30 min (for raw milk ricotta you may need to leave undisturbed for 1 hour or more). The cheese is ready to eat once it is drained. For a creamier consistency, add the cream at the end and mix thoroughly.

Store in a covered container in the fridge for 1-2 weeks. Enjoy

We're Locavores

Ryan and I decided to become localvores this year. We are doing our best to get all of our food from the farmers market, a csa, and if we must go to the store, only purchase local products. This will mean a lot of extra work in food preparation, but this is a choice that we're willing to deal with. We are in a csa (community sustained agriculture) co-op and we got our first "box" this last Friday. Although we couldn't eat from it on Friday and Saturday, I did make soup on Sunday with some of the veges, and we're having soup and steamed artichokes for lunch/ dinner tonight. We really love abundant harvest organics and hope that some of you will decide to join. If you would like more information on our decision please visit their website at: www.abundantharvestorganics.com.
We'll let you know how it goes. So far our favorites are the raw milk, raw cream, organic butter, the veges of course, and the organic pistachios. It's a good way to ease some of the strain on the environment and get really nourishing food in our bodies.