Demo, Pottery and Garlic: A Vacation Day on the Farm

It is 4th of July weekend. It is a time of fun and frolics. But not so on the farm.

No, there really aren't "vacation" days on the farm. No, not really.

Today was a very busy day. At least, I can honestly say, that most of hard work didn't involve me.

Almost 2 months ago, a large ash tree fell on our house during a storm. Well, today was the first day in the long road to actually fixing the house. DeGroot Construction was out doing demo - getting rid of debris and pulling off old, warped siding. They supported the old summer kitchen and tore down walls.


Hubby and I had come outside to see how things were progressing when Hubby noticed a pile of "stuff" on the grass nearby. He asked, "Did they find that stuff in there?". As we walked over, I saw the a piece of pottery, which I picked up and turned over. That is when I saw the words "Minnesota Stoneware Co. Red Wing" on the bottom.

I tried to keep from squealing like a little girl. I tucked it under my arm and hurried to bring it inside to wash off the dirt and grime. It is in excellent condition!



One of the guys said that they had found it in one of the walls that they were dismantling. Thank goodness they didn't just chuck it into the dumpster with the rest of the debris!

I fired off a picture on Facebook and called my Mom, an avid Red Wing Stoneware collector. She told me it looked like a spittoon and was probably pretty rare. "Take it to Larry!", she ordered!

Larry runs a fabulous Red Wing Pottery antique shop in Red Wing, MN. He is an expert on all things Red Wing Pottery. I walked into the shop, which had about half a dozen other Red Wing collectors (involved with the Red Wing Collector's Society). I have to say, I brought a bit of buzz-worthy stoneware in this morning! I may be in the next Red Wing Collector's Society newsletter! Larry confirmed it was a Lady's Spittoon and was quite rare. Everyone loved the story about where and how it was found.

This afternoon, Hubby and I harvested the garlic scapes. I proceeded to make a Walnut and Garlic Scape Pesto with Pastureland Cheddar. That only used up half (about 40) of the scapes. My hands (and breath) are quite garlicky. But, it is quite tasty.


Yes, it has been quite a day. I hope to do more posts this weekend about other things, including our Summer Festival on the Farm that we held last weekend. It was great - more the come.

I'm Getting Old: A Reminder of Why I Don't Normally Go to Live Concerts

Ok, so maybe I'm not ready to while away my days in a retirement community. Still, sometimes I wonder if I am an old woman in a younger person's body. I like antiques, old furniture, and I'm getting into canning and preserving. I realize more and more folks 'my age' are getting into things like knitting, canning, etc. But there are times when I wonder.

It seems like I get reminded a bit more when I do certain activities - more so activities that I would have had no problems with 10 years ago.

Last night, I dragged Hubby to a live concert at First Avenue's 7th Street Entry. It was to listen to Johnny Flynn and the Sussex Wit. Johnny Flynn is a young Englishman (via South Africa) who has been part of the growing and popular new folk music. Think Mumford and Sons, the Avett Brothers, Iron and Wine, etc. I like his music and was excited that he was going to be performing locally.

The concert was supposed to start at 8pm with doors opening at 7pm. Hubby and I stopped in for dinner at the Depot Tavern (a post on that to come). We were done by 6:30pm. Ok, now what? We walk about downtown and spent some time in the Food and Garden sections of Barnes and Noble til about 7:15pm. Then we made our way back to the 7th Street Entry.

Nope, doors still not open. Noticing the line of waiting concert-goers are looking a bit young. Huh.

7:30pm. Doors still closed. 8pm. Doors still closed. 8:15pm. Door still closed.

To make a long story short: the opening act didn't get going until 9:30pm.

Johnny Flynn didn't take the stage until 10:30pm. Poor Hubby was very patient with me as my grumpiness increased. At least we were able to snag some stools to sit on. No, the idea of standing so long in a sea of 19 year old girls did not appeal to me. Go figure.

The concert itself was pretty good. I don't think there is an instrument that Johnny Flynn doesn't play. He played the guitar, mandolin, banjo, trumpet and fiddle at various points in his set - sometimes switching between two several times. Additionally, he has a nice tone to his voice and writes his own songs. This guy is not some industry manufactured persona. Like the rest of the new folk groups, actual music playing and writing skills abound.

Definitely take a listen to some of his music (along with the other bands mentioned). I personally like Barnacle Warship, The Water (with Laura Marling, another favorite of mine), and Tickle Me Pink.

But, now I'm am getting off track. This post was supposed to be how I don't like live concerts. Grrrrr....getting back to my angry place.....grrrrrr.....

The concert wrapped up about midnight.

People, I'm usually in bed before the 10pm news. It is an hour drive home from the concert. I get up at 5am for work.

So, yes, I am an old lady who gets crabby when things don't start on time and when I don't get enough sleep. I am thusly reminded why I don't normally go to live concerts - even though I do get to listen to some great music.

Now, staying up late and waiting around for good food and drinks - that I can handle.

Thank God I'm going to a craft beer event tomorrow!

Life is funny

Life really is funny. You have good intentions. You go about doing your thing. You get up in the morning, go to work, get in some fun, got to bed, and then do it all over again. Then, something happens to make you stop and reassess.

Sometimes it is illness. Sometimes it is a change in direction. Other times, it is a tree in your house.

Yes, we came home from work a couple of weeks ago to a large ash tree on and in our house. A storm front had come through. Our neighbors say winds were 50-60 mph. We believe a combination of wet spring soil, an old and internally rotting ash tree, and the wind combine to topple the monster into our house.

We were lucky. We were not home. No one was hurt. The damage was limited to one section of the house. We can still be in our home. The insurance company and the contractors are working out what will be fixed.

And then the tornadoes hit the Twin Cities and Joplin, MO.

Yep, perspective. We realize how lucky we are. We have not lost all that much. We are uninjured. We have the means to make things right. There are those much worse off who can't say that.

Our condolences to those who have lost so much. While we can only understand a little bit of the anguish and difficulty you are facing, we can sympathize with your plight.

Yeah, yeah, it's been 4 months...

I know, I am the world's worst blogger. I never post.

So, at least this is a post - though very short.

Hubby cleaned out the chicken coop today to ready it for our new batch of chickens. We are getting Indian Game and Wyandottes and Ameraucunas. We also are getting Ruan ducks.

Also, the polytunnel experiment over the winter is a success. We are in MN but we have microgreens and spinach. It was a very small tunnel - only about 4 feet tall - and a small area. But, based on this, a large polytunnel or two is in the future. Hubby reported the ground under the tunnel is warm and workable, the greens are ready to eat (which we did!), and the air underneath about 75 degrees. Nice!

Also doing rabbits this year - just need to find a place to order some meat rabbits. Anyone know where we can get some?

Grandma Clara's Peppermint Dessert

I am being proactive this year and working on several of my Thanksgiving dishes ahead of time. One particular dish, a tasty and minty dessert, is one from my childhood. It was a recipe my grandmother made and was something I looked forward to every year. It may not be the most "foodie" recipe, but eating brings me back to being 8 years old at my grandma's house surrounded by lots of relatives.

Here is the recipe:

Grandma Clara's Peppermint Dessert

Recipe by Clara Newman

Ingredients:

8-16 oz. peppermint candies (use as much as you like)

1 pint heavy cream

1 tbsp vanilla

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 to 1/2 cup whole milk

8 oz large marshmallows

Graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:

1. Pour the whole milk into a large microwave-safe bowl. Add the marshmallows. Microwave for 1-2 minutes until marshmallows are puffy. Set aside to cool.

2. Place peppermints in blender or food processor. Run until the mints are a fine dust. Set aside.

3. Pour the cream into a bowl. Add sugar and vanilla. Whip cream until cream holds peaks.

4. Fold the peppermint dust into the whipped cream.

5. Fold minted cream into marshmallow mixture and incorporate. Mix in walnuts.

6. Fill the bottom of an 8x8 inch pan with graham cracker crumbs - patting down to create a solid "crust".

7. Pour mixture into the pan. Cover with aluminum foil.

8. Freeze pan (ensuring it is level).

9. When ready to serve, cut into squares and serve frozen.

Where Have I Been?

Yes, I have severely broken my New Year's resolution and had a complete lapse in my blog posting. What do they say about New Year's resolutions - most are broken halfway through the year? At least I did well through August!

Today's post won't have a lot of pretty pictures. Sorry, it is a boring word-only post.

Ok, ok, you don't care. You just want to know what I have been up to for the last 3 months or so. Right? I know you do!

We did a lot of eating from the garden. We got a nice crop of butternut squash this year as well as several pumpkins.

Our Swedish Blue ducks went for "finishing". Our friend took several of them and turned them into duck breast proscuitto and duck leg confit. Both are seriously tasty. We are really spoiled to have such a talented and sharing friend. A thin slice of the proscuitto is this wonderful combination of salt, funk and sweetness. I am in no mood to share it with anyone.

We had our 2nd annual Fall Festival on the Farm. This year we did goat instead of pig. We got the goats from Dancing Wind Farm, which is about 20 minutes from our place. We made a couple of curries with some of the goat meat (as well as a vegan butternut squash curry) and roasted a whole goat over a fire pit. Our friends and family turned out with some outstanding side dishes and the weather cooperated with sun and warmth. We are looking forward to next year.

Hubby and I attended a Women's Environmental Institute (WEI) training weekend north of the Twin Cities. It was done in conjunction with Growing Power, Inc. We got to meet Will Allen and spent the weekend building hoop houses, aquaponics units, worm composting bins and 10 foot-high compost piles. We met some really great people and had a lot of fun, despite the cold and rain (and vehicles getting stuck in mud).

While Hubby went up for deer opener, I went to a Slow Food MN event at Hells Kitchen in Minneapolis. I was a complete and total food geek by bringing our copy of Damn Good Food and having Mitch Omer sign it. He and his wife were so wonderful - very happy that we were there and graciously answering all sorts of questions. They also gave us some insight into the balancing act restaurants must do - complicated by adding local food sourcing. They would love to get local eggs, but their volume is huge. Most small, local egg producers just can't provide them with enough eggs. Hmmm....maybe Hubby and I should increase our flock...

So, that is a quick overview of what has gone on over the last 3 months. I will endeavor to be more consistent in my posting. After all, we do have that Mother-of-all food events coming up: Thanksgiving.

The garden is going like crazy right now. It is all we can do to keep up. In fact, I believe we are failing to keep up. The chickens have had their fair share of huge zucchini (that hid from our eyes until they were the size of dump trucks - how do they DO that?). Our sungold tomatoes are starting to come ripe. Oh, what a lovely, tasty snack when you are going about the garden. They are like little sweet, juicy bombs going off in your mouth. So awesome!

This weekend, Hubby and I started harvesting the Borlotti beans as fresh eating beans. This is the stage after they are green (and can be eaten like a typical green bean). The beans themselves are fully developed and can be eaten out of the shell. But it is before the beans hardened and dry (when they are good for storing to use during the winter). Borlotti beans are absolutely beautiful beans.


You cannot find these in stores (at least around here), and it is a shame. They are good for eating throughout their various stages and are simply gorgeous.

We used these borlotti beans in an "around the garden"soup which also had onions, garlic, scarlet runner beans (green stage), carrots, courgettes (zucchini), turnips, beets, potatoes, sungold tomatoes and various herbs. Yum!

There will be more to come. I'm looking forward to all the tomatoes getting ripe to start making sauces.

How are the gardens going out there?

I'm Up to Here...

With beans and apricots and will soon add zuccini (or courgettes - that word sounds so sophisticated) to the list. We survived some pretty wicked storms - except for our Bismarck corn which was blown down.

Quick post, I know. More to come with photos.

In Memoriam

We had to put Yellow Dog down today. He seemed to be doing fine last week. But at the beginning of the week, we noticed that he wasn't eating or drinking. He seemed very uncomfortable and doing a lot more whining than usual.

We brought him to the vet earlier this week. The only thing they could find was that his bladder was huge. The vet said he had never seen a farm dog with a bladder that big. It was full and Yellow Dog seemed unable to relieve himself. They catheterized him and helped him out. But nothing seemed amiss. They sent him home with instructions to watch how he did.

Well, he didn't improve.

The dog dish sat full. The water bowl wasn't touched. Yellow Dog would wander under a pine tree and lay there - no energy, no movement. He seemed so tired. He didn't relieve himself. He just kept looking tired and uncomfortable.

Blood work was run. Xrays were taken. Nothing.

But he wasn't improving. He couldn't seem to expel his waste.

In the end, the vet thought there was some nerve issue. There wasn't anything to do.

It is a tough thing to decide to put your dog down. It was especially hard with Yellow Dog. When we moved to our little house in the field, we had no animals. Then suddenly, on the 4th of July 5 years ago, a yellow dog showed up in our yard. No tag, no collar. But he was very friendly and loved being pet and played with. Since we didn't know his name, we called him Yellow Dog.

Concerned that he would run off before we could track down the owner, we attempted to tie him up to one of the trees. Well, Yellow Dog was a clever chap and figured out how to wiggle his pinhead out of the collar and leash. But he seemed in no hurry to move on. So, we got some food and put out some water.

We made calls to the local vet to see if anyone had reported a missing dog. Nothing. We checked the local paper and the local town for posters looking for a lost dog. Nothing. Days turned into weeks. Nothing.

Then the person we bought our old house from came by and said "Hey Cooper!". What? You know this dog?? Well yes, he said, he belongs to a guy down that way. I'll bring him back, if you want. Well, we felt a twinge of sadness, but felt he should go back to his owner. So, he was put into the back of the pickup truck and was driven off.

An hour later, Cooper aka Yellow Dog came bounding through the field into our yard. And that was it. He chose us.

We didn't have him for very long. But he was a great dog. He was very smart. During the winter, he would plant himself in front of the kitchen window. If he saw one of use looking out, he would look forlorn and start to shake. Once we moved out of his line of sight (but still could see him), the shivering would stop. He tore apart his fair share of garbage and stole food off the kitchen counter. He loved having his butt scratched - often looking back at us with a look of pure ecstasy as his hind hips were rubbed. He was very vocal, whining as we got out of the car when we got home from work. He perfected the downward facing dog pose - or as we called it - The Bow. He was a great pet and we loved him.

You are very much missed tonight Yellow Dog.

...And A Cherry On Top

We have heard rumors of massive storms tonight. We'd put off harvesting our sour cherries for days, but the rumors decided it for us. Harvest time!

This is the first year we had a good harvest of cherries. FINALLY!They look great!

The Cherries

Of course, we need to actually do something with these cherries. The obvious answer is of course - Cherry Pie!

First though, the cherries needed to pitted. We had bought a cherry pitter sometime years ago. Good for us! It did make the job easier and quicker, though still pretty messy.

In Process

I looked on the interwebs. I found one recipe for a Sour Cherry Pie that called for lemon and cornstarch. Ok....then I found another from the New York Times that called for cinnamon and brandy. BINGO! The only problem was it called for tapioca as the thickener. So I used the cornstarch instead. Also, the New York Times recipe called for baking the pie crust before pouring in the filling. Too much work for me! So I didn't.

For once, the pie crust was not too bad. If you have ready previous posts, you know that pie crusts are not my forte. However, it is really hot and humid today. We don't have air condition. Thus, the dough turned out a bit more moist than I usually get it. It gummed up a bit on rolling, and still split and didn't stay nice and round. But it was a lot easier to work with and fixing it was a lot easier. Note to self - more moist crust is good.

The pie turned out great! I literally took a spoon to the cookie sheet I had underneath it and started spooning up the sweet and sour cherry-flavored goop. Ooooooooooo! Nice!

The pie

The pie is still cooling as I type. But, I know it will be good. Hubby and I will enjoy it with some Cedar Summit vanilla ice cream. Mmmmmmm.....

The Whole Hog

Yesterday, Hubby and I went to Corner Table for a butchery class. This fabulous restaurant in Minneapolis focuses on local, sustainable food and holds several classes throughout the year. Hubby follows the executive chef, Scott Pampuch, on Twitter and saw that some spots had opened up at the last minute. Woot!

We showed up to the restaurant at 12:30pm and were greeted by Scott. He got us some coffee and tea. Did you know that his tea distributor has directions on how to brew each type of tea? Yeah, I didn't either until yesterday. How much tea leaves, the water temperature, how long to steep - wow! But, I must say, it was a very nice tea.

Others started to show up - a couple we had met at one of Scott's Tour de Farm dinners last summer came in. The class is limited to 6 people, so everyone gets a chance to jump in and get involved.

The groups split into two and we were each given half a pig. Our half had the whole tongue. Most of the offal was taken out - with only the kidney left. We each took turns cutting and sawing various sections as directed by Scott. Remember folks: knife for flesh, saw for bone.

I will admit that I am, well, challenged, when it comes to handling knives. Hubby cringes whenever I wield a knife in the kitchen and either takes the knife away and does the cutting himself or retreats to the living room with a trailing comment of where the bandages are located. Well, Scott noted my incorrect hold on the knife and provided me with corrective feedback.


Needless to say, Hubby was exasperated since he had told me the exact same thing on several occasions. I am still working on remembering no index finger on the top of the blade. I will get it eventually.

I had to opportunity to cut out the tenderloin, we cut off the hind-leg for making prosciutto (Scott will make them with Mike Phillips, executive chef at The Craftsman). We sawed off the feet (or trotters - I love calling them trotters!). We mostly stuck to the primal cuts. We did prep the meat for making as large "sausage" - a Mortadella that was encased in a cow intestine. Plenty of chuckles as the sausage was stuffed, but a good time.

We did get a light snack - some head cheese, a nice soft aged cheese (creamy like brie but had a much more funky, strong crust - which I like), and DIY soft tacos with confited turkey, pickled carrots, tomatoes, basil. We brought some Nocino along as well. Scott also brought out a very tasty chocolate ganache - the small shavings had a deep, rich chocolate flavor enhanced by a nice saltiness. I felt it went great with the Nocino.

It was a very fun afternoon. If you get the opportunity to do something similar, I would encourage you to do so.

Catching Up

Yes, I have been extremely neglectful of my blogging duties. But, at least I can say that I am making an effort - if not consistent.

Things are picking up around here. We have been eating a lot of asparagus - and have gotten to the point where they grow faster than we have the ability/desire to harvest them. So, most have gone to seed. I do have to say, though, that asparagus "in-flower" is actually pretty looking. So, I don't mind.

Our radishes have gone completely bonkers, and we've eaten the first round. I believe we will be sowing a second round soon. We do have some in a pickle press with miso paste - so I am looking forward to sampling them when they are ready.

We have had several salads from our garden greens.

The peas, broad beans (fava beans), scarlet runner beans, and barlotti beans are all coming up quick, as are the zuccinis and squashes. The popcorn is coming up well, the potatoes all seem to be doing their thing. The carrots, shallots, leeks, beets, turnips, kale, and chard are growing. Our tomato seedlings seem to have made it (we did them from seed this year) - we even got a few "volunteer" tomatoes where last year's tomatoes were located. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they are Sungolds - the sweetest cherry-type tomato I've ever encountered.

We've sauteed up some broccoli rabe, which taste very much of broccoli raw but get a very mustardy flavor when cooked. Very tasty.

But, my favorite right now are our strawberries! I love garden fresh strawberries. We've nibbled a few that have come ripe up til now. But, today, I harvested a good bowlful. I macerated them with raw sugar, balsamic vinegar and black pepper - OH MY! That is SO good. I completely advocate macerating strawberries with balsamic vinegar - it is so tasty and you get a much more flavorful and complex syrup. This concoction was perfect over a bowl of Cedar Summit vanilla ice cream.



How are your summer harvests going?

An Old Family Recipe

My cousin recently posted on Facebook that she had just made a rhubarb recipe from her great-grandmother (my grandmother). She raved about it, in fact. As it turns out, several of us had never heard of this mysterious recipe before. We practically demanded that she give us the recipe too. Of course, she kindly obliged. I am sharing the recipe with all of you (yes, all of you!).

Grandma Beulah's Rhubarb Crunch

The Crust
1 cup flour
5 Tbsp powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter

Mix together the ingredients and pat into a 9"round pan. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

The Filling
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
2 cups rhubarb peices

Beat eggs until fluffy. Add remaining ingredients. Pour over crust and bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

Add whipped cream to your serving if you so desire.

On another note: Apparently we had April in March and May in April. So of course, we now have March in May. Freeze warnings and snow - this is madness! We contemplated putting the burn barrel out in the middle of our orchard, burning away, just to keep the blossoms and fruit (yes, we have apricot fruits that are setting) from freezing. Ahhhhh! Come on warm weather! Oh, well, I will be able to console myself with rhubarb crunch.

Recipes for the Dinner

Ok, I know I am bad about posting recipes. I am making the effort to be better. Here are some recipes. The quiche recipes are based on what I did - which were variations on a basic quiche recipe I found online.

Quiche Crust (from a recipe online - makes 2 crusts)

Ingredients:

• 1 and 3/4 cups of unbleached, all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1 stick of cold, unsalted butter
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp sour cream or creme fraiche

Directions:

1. Mix the flour and salt together (I use a fork) in a bowl.
   
2. Cut the butter into cubes or chunks. Using a pastry cutter or your hands, work the butter into the flour. It should be like coarse sand when it is ready
3. Create a hole in center of the mixture.
4. Break the egg into the hole and add the sour cream or creme fraiche.
5. Beat the egg and sour cream/creme fraiche together with a fork, slowly incorporating the flour mixture as you go.
6. Use your hand to get all of the dough to mix stick together.
7. Break the dough in half and form each into a disk shape.
8. Wrap each disk with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
9. Allow dough to warm up a little bit before rolling out.

Ham and Spinach Quiche

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of ham, cubed
• 1 cup of wilted spinach (you can use frozen or fresh, but you will need a lot more fresh to get 1 cup)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
  
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced (any kind you want - just not the white button mushrooms, please)
• 4 large eggs
• 3/4 cup half and half
• 2/3 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 9-inch pie pan lined with the quiche crust (kept in the refrigerator until the last moment)
  

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
   
2. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add olive oil and saute onions until soft (3-5 minutes)
3. Add mushrooms and saute until tender (3-5 minutes).
   
4. Add the ham and allow heat through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
   
5. Add the parsley to the mixture, mix and turn off heat.
6. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and half and half together.
7. Add the Gruyere cheese and the wilted spinach to the egg mixture and incorporate well.
   
8. Add the ham, onion and mushrooms to the egg mixture and work together.
9. Pour the mixture into the lined pie-pan.
10. Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.
11. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Smoked Whitefish and Asparagus Quiche

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of smoked whitefish, deboned and in chunks
  
• 1 cup of sliced asparagus (however size you like, but larger chunks will take longer to cook)
  
• 2 tbsp olive oil
  
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced (any kind you want - just not the white button mushrooms, please)
• 4 large eggs
• 3/4 cup half and half
• 2/3 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 9-inch pie pan lined with the quiche crust (kept in the refrigerator until the last moment)
  

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
   
2. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add olive oil and saute onions until soft (3-5 minutes)
3. Add mushrooms and saute until tender (3-5 minutes).
   
4. Remove the onions and mushrooms to a bowl and add the sliced asparagus. Saute until the slices green up.
   
5. Add back the onions and mushrooms. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
   
6. Add the parsley to the mixture, mix and turn off heat.
7. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and half and half together.
8. Add the Gruyere cheese and the smoked whitefish to the egg mixture and incorporate well.
   
9. Add the asparagus, onion and mushrooms to the egg mixture and work together.
10. Pour the mixture into the lined pie-pan.
11. Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.
12. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
    

Dinner and a Slug-fest

We had invited my mother-in-law to dinner today. Of course, I hadn't cleaned the house in weeks, so this morning consisted of me tearing through the house like a tornado trying to get things picked-up, scrubbed, and generally - un-mucked. I was a success...at least on the first floor.

Then, there was the food. The food. Yes, the food!

As I posted last time, I have become enamored with the quiche. I know - why would anyone become enamored with quiche? I don't have a good answer for you. All I can say is - It is pretty easy to make, it uses eggs....and it's an easy use of eggs....

Anyway, I decided on 2 quiches this time. The first was a more traditional quiche. It was ham and spinach with a trio of mushrooms (shitake, cremini, and oyster). The second was more a niche quiche (yes, I just wrote that!). It was smoked whitefish and asparagus with the same trio of mushrooms. Both quiches used a yellow onion and fresh parsley.

The main ingredients for the ham and spinach quiche

The main ingredients for the smoked white fish and asparagus quiche

I do have to say, it is SO nice to be able to go out to our garden cut the asparagus right before using it. It doesn't get any fresher or tastier!

Both quiches used eggs, half and half, and Gruyere cheese. Here are the quiches before they went into the oven.



In addition, I made some No Knead Bread. It is interesting to see the difference in this bread when made during warmer, more humid months compared to cooler, drier months. Today's bread had much more rise in it and was much lighter and fluffier in texture than ones I made during the winter.


I also sauteed some more fresh asparagus and some of our spring onions with olive oil and then dressed them up with some local apple vinegar. It is SO good - sweet with some nice char and then the acidity of the vinegar. My mother-in-law had only had asparagus from the can and hated the stuff (not that I blame her). She was completely turned around with our fresh asparagus. There is absolutely no comparison.

I made another batch of vanilla custard (sorry - no picture). For dessert we took some shortcakes I made (a few days ago) and covered them with some orange-infused rhubarb compote (I made this a few days ago as well). This was topped off with generous dollops of the vanilla custard. This is a winner, folks. Make this for someone and they will be eternally grateful.

Here are some more gratuitous food photos.

Yes, I know this photo is dark - I am not a photographer.

See the above comment.

How did we end this glorious feast? We went out to the orchard and the garden. First, we hunted down the evil tent caterpillars that are invading our beautiful fruit trees. We sprayed a bacteria on them that is dangerous only to them. Then, in the garden, my mother-in-law pulled dandelions while Hubby and I scrounged for the evil slug. We captured some (but surely not nearly enough) of the little devils and fed them to the chickens.

Well, I am ready to have a nice glass of beer and maybe work on the pile of dishes in the kitchen. Or maybe, just the nice glass of beer.

Smoked Pheasant Quiche

Yesterday I made a Smoked Pheasant Quiche for dinner. I took a basic quiche recipe that I found online and changed things up a bit.

We had a smoked pheasant from a pheasant hunt Hubby went on last year. I stripped the meat off the bones and did my very best to remove any shot (of course, there are always a few that you miss). Then, I roughly chopped the pieces.

I made the crust for the quiche based on a recipe I found online. Geez - I've got a thing for finding these things online. Seriously - I'll do my best to find my next recipe from a recipe book - I promise!

Anyway, crusts and I DO NOT MIX. No matter how hard I try, they always end to up dry and fall apart when I attempt to roll them out. At least this time around I did succeed in lining the pie pan with crust.

Next I sauteed 2 chopped onions in some olive oil. Once they were nice and soft, I added the sliced crimini mushrooms until they were nicely brown and tender. Next, I added the chopped smoked pheasant and heated everything through and seasoned with salt and pepper. I added a handful of chopped parsley from the garden.

I beat several eggs together with some half and half, and grated just a smidge of nutmeg into the mixture. I added a lot of shredded Gruyer to the egg mixture along with some wilted spinach. I then added the meat mixture.

I poured the whole thing into the crust-lined pie pan and baked it for 20 minutes in a 375 degree oven.

It was very tasty. I would definitely lower the spinach and onion levels and up the egg and Gruyer levels next time (it was a bit more chunky and less "Quiche"-y then I would have liked. But the smoked pheasant really infused the dish nicely and the crust actually kept its crispness well. Once this is tuned up, I'll post the recipe.

Pictures of the Rhubarb Custard Souffle

This is a Jamie Oliver recipe. It is very nice - the souffle is very light and airy. I have to say - rhubarb and custard go together VERY well. I think we've had them together for dessert for almost a week now - and I'm still not tired of it!

Ok, here are pictures of the souffles.


The ramikens were lined with butter and ground gingersnap cookies (I pulverized some leftover ginger cookies I made for Christmas). Rhubarb compote was placed inside along with a spoonful of custard. Mixed the remaining rhubarb and custard together with an egg yolk and a bit of flour. Whipped the egg whites (recipe calls for 4 - I did 5 since I had 4 from when I made the custard and 1 from the recipe) and sugar and whipped til very stiff. Mixed some whites with the rhubarb/custard mixture and then folded that in with the remaining white. Dolloped the mixture into each ramiken. Baked on a pre-heated cookie sheet in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.

So, dinner tonight will be a couple pheasants. One was smoked. I'll attempt another Jamie Oliver recipe. We seem to be all about Jamie Oliver these days. If you haven't watched his Food Revolution tv shows - I would recommend it.

Hubby has been out moving the sod rolls from the new garden area. It appears he's decided on a sod fence for the garden. After all the sod is moved, we will till up the soil with our new rear-tine tiller. Now, I know some people are anti-tiller. But, we have some insane amount of square feet of very clay soil to work up - and it ain't happenin' with a shovel and fork.

Well, dinner won't prep itself. Better be off.

The Custard Recipe

Ok, I promised to post the custard recipe that I use. I got it off the web.

Homemade Vanilla Custard

Ingredients

3 cups whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
3 tbsp corn starch
1/2 tsp salt
4 egg yolks
2 tbsp butter
2 tsp vanilla extract

Hardware

Heavy saucepan
whisk
spatula
Storing container (I use the 42 oz plastic container with locking lid)

Directions

1. Mix the first 5 ingredients in the heavy saucepan with the whisk until well incorporated.
2. Place saucepan on burner and bring to the boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. You will know you are there when the mixture changes from thin and frothy to silky, smooth and thick. Watch out for flying sprays of custard - they are hot.
3. Remove saucepan from heat.
4. Whisk in the butter and vanilla.
5. Pour mixture into your storing container with the spatula.
6. Place plastic wrap right on the surface of the custard to prevent a skin from forming. Cover with lid.
6. Place in the refrigerator to cool. (I like it warm, too).

I made another batch this afternoon and will use it and our rhubarb to make a rhubarb custard souffle - a Jamie Oliver recipe. I will be sure to take pictures and post later.

Oh, and it rained this morning and last night. Yeay!

We've Got Ducks!

Yes, they little darlings arrived yesterday. 10 Swedish Blues. They are quite cute. Hubby has some pictures over on his blog.

Will write more later. Tonight, we are going to see Flogging Molly in concert. Woot!

Later!

Sad News for Twin Cities Diners

Very sad news that Jon Radle, executive chef at Grand Cafe, passed away unexpectedly. We had just eaten at the restaurant a couple of months ago for a Simple, Good, and Tasty event. So sad - what a talented chef who was very much into local, sustainable food. Our condolences to his family and friends.