Buffalo Wing Dip

This recipe is a special request from my big brother.  So here's a shout out to Kevin and to Super Bowl fans far and wide.  This is a must have recipe for any event you may be hosting or attending this weekend.  I am always amazed at the rave reviews we get when we bring this dish to gatherings - it's so simple and seems so common (especially in Buffalo), but my guess is while many other recipes call for Blue Cheese this one calls for Ranch and as such is probably much milder than others you see/taste out there.  And of course you can never go wrong with 2 packages of creem cheese!

Hope you enjoy as much as our families do!

Ingredients
1 chicken breast (about 1/2 lb), poached 
2 (8oz) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup ranch dressing
3/4 cup Frank's Red Hot
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 bunch Celery cut in to 4 inch slices
1 bunch Carrots cut in to 4 inch slices
1 bag Tortilla chips

To poach the chicken breast you can use water or better yet, use some Frank's Red Hot sauce.  Place the breast in a small pot, just cover the chicken with liquid, bring to a boil, cover the pot and simmer for 10 minutes.  Allow the chicken to rest in the pan in the liquid for 15-20 minutes (pot should still be covered).

Remove the chicken to a cutting board and shred using 2 forks.

In a medium sauce pan heat the Frank's Red Hot and add the shredded chicken.  Stir to combine.  Once the chicken and sauce is heated through, add the cream cheese and ranch dressing.  Cook, stirring until well blended and warm.  Mix in half of the shredded cheese and transfer either to a 9x9 baking dish or to a small slow cooker.  Top with the remaining cheese.

If using a 9x9 baking dish, cook for approximately 20 minutes at 350 or until the cheese is melted and the dip is bubbly.

If using the Slow Cooker, top with remaining cheese and turn to the low setting.  Serve when the dip is hot and bubbly.

Dig in!  But be sure to hit the gym the next day!

Pancakes - Breakfast for Dinner

Sometimes you just have to do it.  After being out of town for the weekend, and coming home to a pretty empty fridge we scouted to see what could be on the menu for the week.  The buttermilk was "going bad" magically the next day according to the stamp on the package so we opted for buttermilk pancakes with bacon for dinner.

I've gotten a lot more adventurous with my baking.  I used to follow all recipes, then I gave up on general cooking recipes for the most part but was still devout in following baking recipes.  I have since given up on those as well.  I look at them for general guidelines, but I like to see if I make a tweak here or there what might happen.

So my Buttermilk Pancake recipe is based on a recipe from a Cooking Light Cookbook circa about 1999. 

1 1/4 Cup Buttermilk
1/2 Cup Oats
1 teaspoon vanilla - I never measure, just pour and pray as my motto goes, also - feel free to substitute almond extract every now and then for splash of something different!
2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup

Stir together and let the above soak for about 10 minutes stirring every now and then.

While the oats are soaking, in a separate bowl mix together:
1 1/4 Cup Flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt.

After 10 minutes, add 1 egg lightly beaten and 1 Tablespoon of oil to the oat mixture.  Fold the flour mixture in to the oat mixture.  Drop about 1/4 cup dollops on a hot griddle and cook on one side until you see bubbles forming.  Flip over and cook on the other side until done.

This recipe makes about 10 pancakes.

Note:  The original recipe called for 2 Tablespoons of brown sugar to be added to the dry ingredients.  I;ve started switching the brown sugar out with Maple Syrup to keep my ingredients as local as I can - and you are going to put it on top anyway, so why not also have it inside the pancakes.  The Oats, Flour, Maple Syrup and Egg were all locally sourced.  As of course was the bacon. 

Ahhhh....Chili

Chili is such a favorite and we don't make it often enough.  I honestly don't know why.  And preparing to document this recipe once again brought to my attention that I cook for the love of cooking.  Recipes float in my head - reminders from childhood, family, friends, cookbooks or articles, and somehow they come together into a delicious meal, I often don't measure, but enjoy the art of improvising when I cook.  As Dann said tonight, chili will never taste like this again.  It could be driven by the quality of ingredients, the list of ingredients, the order in which they are introduced to the pot, but really who knows.  We just know we like chili and in the end it's similar to the last time - right?

The Chili I finished cooking today was a multi-day process through no fault of its own. 

The tomatoes used in the sauce were from our garden this summer and had been cooked down into crushed tomatoes and frozen in the fall.  The Green/Red peppers were bought in bulk at the farmers market this past summer, sliced and frozen the same day.

The ground beef (from Duink Farm in Hamburg, NY) was cooked on Sunday as I needed some for a dish earlier in the week and thought to just cook it all at one time.  Little did I know the distress this would cause Dann.  My husband, who never has a clue what is in our refrigerator, was VERY aware of the 1 1/2 pounds of ground beef that sat there unused awaiting its swim in the chili bath.

The black beans were from our summer harvest.  If you don't think you have a green thumb, try growing dry beans.  You plant them, then ignore them - so easy! And kids LOVE shelling them.  I LOVE shelling them.  I was always so amazed that out of such a dry paste colored shell could come something so perfectly shaped and ink black.  With assistance from my young friend Emily Morrison this summer and my niece McKenzie this past weekend, the black beans were all shelled.  Monday they went into a water bath to reconstitute and then Monday night they were put in the crockpot over night to soften even more.

The rest of the chili ingredients were also primarily local - onions and carrots from our Winter CSA share through Thorpes Organic Family Farm, garlic from our garden, and a dash of Honey from Bob Colligan's bees. 

I find I cook mostly on the whim of the day.  This morning as I assembled the chili I started the crockpot on low and diced 2 red onions, adding them to the warming crockpot as I went along.  Next added were the carrots - I diced about 4 medium carrots.  I then added what I believe to be the equivalent of 2 Green Peppers.  By the time the peppers where being added to the pot I could smell the onions.  Also about this time I realized my crock was about half full and I hadn't added any meat, beans or sauce yet. Next in went 4 gloves of garlic - pressed.

I stirred the vegetables together and then added the tomatoes- I used 4 small canning jars and 1 large canning jar worth of crushed tomatoes.  Next came the ground beef.  I only added about 1lb because by this time my crockpot was getting pretty full and I knew I still had beans to add and they would also be adding protein.

Of course chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper where added - these are always added to taste, I never measure, I just pour and pray!  I figure heavy on everything but the salt and we'll be good.  I also added a few dashes of a special seasoning my parents get Dann on their trips to Florida - Pirates Bite.  It's a blend of 7 peppers, so this was the perfect dish to include it on!

Everything was in the pot swimming by 7:30am

About 4:30pm I finally added the black beans (about 3 hours before serving), the other vegetables had softened enough and some of the liquid had cooked off making room for the beans.  There were approximately 3 cups of beans added.  I would have liked to have more, but that would have meant I needed to grow more...watch out Garden 2012 - I feel rows of turtle beans in our future!!

I added a dash of honey at the end - about a tablespoon or so.  This helps cut the acidity of the tomatoes primarily and just blends all the flavors together so nicely.

And don't ask me why, but growing up I always remember having chili over mashed potatoes so of course about 1 hour before you plan on serving the chili, dice up a bunch of potatoes (don't peel - skins mash fine and they are good for you anyway and so much less work!) and put in a large pot.  Add some peeled garlic cloves and enough water to just barely cover the potatoes.  Bring to a boil and boil for about 30 minutes (or until tender) .  Add butter, milk and salt and pepper to taste and mash.  I use a hand mixer when adding garlic cloves to my potatoes just to ensure someones doesn't bite into a clove thinking they have a potato! 

Dish up some potatoes and layer some chili on top and dig in.  So delicious!!!

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup - with Jalapeno

Butternut Squash stored in our basement

What goes better with zero degree weather then soup? This recipe is a culmination of recommendations from friends, family and flipping through the pages of cookbooks.

Dann & I fell in love with Butternut Squash Soup several years ago on a trip back to Buffalo when we were still living in NC.  We were in town for the holidays and knowing the indulgent attitude one takes during the holidays our friends Bill & Susan were kind enough to invite us over for a soup and salad dinner. Some form of this soup has graced our winter dinners ever since. 
The first several times I made the soup I peeled the Butternut Squash and boiled it in chicken stock along with potatoes, carrots, onion, and celery and then used our hand blender to emulsify the ingredients. While this is a one step process in the pot I must admit, peeling butternut squash is not my idea of fun - even with the fancy peeler my mom bought special for the task. 

Enter the roasting method - my new path to delicious soup!  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Peel the potatoes, cut the carrots and onions in large chunks and put them on a roasting pan.  Drizzle them with olive oil, salt & pepper.  Cut the squash, remove the seeds and place the chunks of squash upside down on the roasting pan - skin and all!  Set the timer for 45 minutes and walk away. 

When the timer dings remove the pan from the oven and let the vegetables cool for about 10 minutes.  Once cooled, the peel comes right off the squash!  Now quite honestly, you can do this entire part the day before and refrigerate until you are ready to make the soup the next day (or do in batches and freeze).  But typically I go right on to step 2.

Step 2:  Place all of the roasted ingredients in a dutch oven and add enough poultry stock to cover the ingredients by about 1 inch.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and add garlic and if you'd like some heat - add a jalapeno!  Simmer for about 5-10 minutes and then use an immersion blender (or blender) and process until creamy.  This was our first time adding the jalapeno and it was phenomenal! 
The biggest surprise for me with this soup is always how creamy it is without ever adding any cream! 

Special Note:  All of the ingredients used for the soup were from our home garden with the exception of the turkey used in our stock (made from the remnants of our Thanksgiving Turkey compliments of Oink & Gobble farm in the Finger Lake district of NY) and of course the olive oil, salt & pepper.  I find it overwhelming that for a few dollar in seeds we can eat like a king and queen from our little acre.

Below is a full list of ingredients used in this latest batch of Roasted Butternut Squash Soup - play around with it and see what works best for you.  Cooking should never be boring, it should always be an adventure!

1 small Butternut Squash
2 medium sized potatoes
1 large onion
2 carrots
Dash Olive Oil, Salt, Pepper
Stock - enough to cover the veggies (about 6 cups+/-)
Garlic
Jalapeno

Challah Bread with Blueberries

I bought a new cookbook recently, Cooking from the Farmers' Market.  One of the recipes in the book is for Blueberry Summer Pudding.  Well it is not summer, but we LOVE Childs Blueberries and after our U-Pick summer we have a freezer with an ample supply of the little darlings so I thought, Why not celebrate Summer at Christmas?  Especially given this crazy weather we are having.  So amongst all the cookies and pies made by the rest of the De La Rosa family, we contributed Blueberry Summer Pudding to the holiday dessert spread.   

We used Challah bread made by our friend Paula (Welcome Farm Bakery) and Honey from Bob Coligan - both available at the East Aurora Cooperative Market's Mini Market (check the Co-Ops website for more information on the mini market hours and their bread days!)

With a topping of fresh Cinnamon tinted whipped cream, the result was amazing!  I can't wait to make this again in the summer with just picked blueberries!  I would imagine most berries could be substituted for blueberries, or a combination would be nice.  Of course Peaches would be outstanding too.  Please give this one a try - you will not be disappointed!

Blueberry Summer Pudding - Cooking from the Farmers' Market

6 Cups Blueberries - pick during the season and freeze on a cookie sheet, transfer to a freezer safe bag and enjoy all winter long!
1/2 Cup granulated sugar (we used honey)
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (we used oranges from our Winter CSA Share)
2 tsp finley grate lemon zest (again with the orange from our Winter Share)
Pinch of Salt
1tsp pure vanilla extract
12 slices challah, about 1/2 inch thick
1 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp Confectioners' Sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

In a large saucepan, combine 2 cups of the blueberries, honey, orange juice, zest and salt.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally and gently crushing the berries as they soften until the berries are juicy and thickened 6-8 minutes.  Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 4 cups of berries and the vanilla.

Line a 6 cup bowl with plastic wrap, leaving a 3 inch overhang.  Line the prepared bowel with the bread, covering it completely and cutting the bread so that it fits in a single layer.  Pour in the berry mixture and top with the remaining bread slices to cover completely  Cover with the overhanging plastic wrap and then with the a plate just slightly smaller than the diameter of the bowl.  Weight with a can.  Refrigerate overnight or for up to 24 hours.

Just before serving whip the cream, confectioners' sugar and cinnamon in a bowl until soft peaks form.  Remove the can, plate and plastic wrap from the pudding.  Unmold onto a plate.  Cut into wedges and serve with the whipped cream. 

 

A U-Pick Summer

Today got me thinking back to this past summer.  Seems odd as it is December 21, the first day of winter, but the 60 degree temperature has me a little out of sorts.

I love the long, supposedly lazy, days of summer, especially here in Western New York. Our days were far from lazy, but were long and quite enjoyable as weekdays were spent in the yard until dusk attempted to turn in to dark and weekends were spent embracing our Western New York farm land as we went from U-pick farm to U-pick farm or worked on our own little acre.

Left to Right:  McKenzie, Dann Maren
and Madison

This year we harvested strawberries close to home, cherries with a full day trip up to Lake Ontario region, blueberries, Apples and Grapes all of which had us driving the southern roads of Western New York, including a dirt road on the blueberry trip as we included a visit to meet a local NOFA-NY chicken farmer about organic feed for the ladies.
During these trips I have been thoroughly entertained by our fellow pickers.  At the strawberry field I am sure we were the highlight having 3 of our nieces with us.  They certainly kept us entertained!  While we were cherry picking there was a group looking to pick over 100lbs of cherries.  100 pounds!!!  

Singer Farms:  Cherry Picking

While blueberry picking I was treated to 3 boys, I assume brothers, where the oldest (maybe 12?) was coaching his siblings on where to find THE BEST blueberries - in the middle of the bush!  Of course there were also the slightly older teen girls talking about who likes who.  I even had my bum spanked by a toddler wanting to get my attention to give me a blueberry leaf.  But nothing quite tops the scene as we pulled up to a farm to pick Apples and Grapes.  About 100 feet before we pulled in to park stood a Bull.  Yup, you got that right a real live Bull just standing by the grape vines.  We determined grapes just might NOT be on the agenda if Mr. Bull didn't find his way home.  Fortunately as we were heading out for the Apples we noticed the farmer across the way had come to fetch his Bull.  I'm still not quite sure how one goes about "fetching a bull" but the farmer did it quite handily from my observation deck quite a ways a way and we were able to go home with some grapes after all.

Childs Blueberry Farm

As we were picking I reflected on how sad it is that for so many their first introductions to fruit are from the grocery store aisle, and not from the fields. And in for many this may be their only experience with fruit. To think a strawberry is hard and tasteless and never quite strawberry in color. A cherry tasting like bland nothingness around a pit or heaven forbid maraschino is your only experience. There is no comparison to a fresh picked berry or cherry. I now find myself cringing when I see people eating “fresh” strawberries in August, knowing they are not local and could not possibly taste the same as those picked at their peak and whisked to your farmers markets in mere hours.

The best part of these trips?  First, and foremost, time with Dann, including introducing him to the age old contest of cherry pit spitting.  Yes, just shy of 40, Dann spit his first cherry pit!  Second, an opportunity to get to know Western New York better and enjoy the incredible scenery around us, third, a freezer full of fresh frozen summer fruit that we are enjoying as the weather turns......cold? 

Dear Santa, the Farmer's touch

I remember back to my days as a child when the store gift catalogs would come out.  I would spend hours making my lists and checking them twice or twenty times, who was counting?  Did I want one toy horse or two, was there room for dolls and clothes and the new dollhouse? was I asking for too much?  did Santa have room for more in his sleigh?  I would deer tag pages, cut out pictures and have lists with some things scratched out and others added in until finally...just the right list emerged and was mailed to the guy in the red suit.

Fast forward 30 years (ok, that is scary to say, but sadly true) and this past month has found me pouring over catalogs, cutting out pictures and making a scrapbook only of a different sort...seeds.  Whatever will be in the garden this coming spring?  What do I want to grow vs what can I get from the local farmers market?  What is fun and exciting vs. every day?

This past summer taught me that I can not have a full time job and a full time garden and expect to have any semblance of a life.  So Garden 2012 is currently designed to be scaled back, way back.  Of course that was before the glossy catalogs started arriving promising of flavors and combinations that were must haves.  But alas after much thought and deliberation I have narrowed the selection down quite well if I may say so myself. 

Now to be perfectly honest, I saved a good amount of seed from my harvesting this year to try my hand at seed saving, but of course many of those are not the varieties I'm considering for 2012.  That would be too easy.  I want to try the tomato that looks like a plum and the one that looks like a peach and has fuzzy skin.  I want Chocolate Peppers - hello, it is in the name!  Who wouldn't want CHOCOLATE peppers???  and the rumors I've heard regarding Long Island Cheese pumpkins, well I just have to try to grow them so my pies can taste that good!!  and a cucumber that looks like a lemon?  Say it isn't so!!  That will really confuse my guests when I make refreshing cucumber water in the summer!

So as Christmas rolls around again this year my Letter to Santa looks something like this.


Dear Santa,

How are you doing? I’ve been very good this year. I hope you and the reindeer have been eating well this last year. And while we are on the topic of food I thought I might ask for a few items to be placed under the tree. If it is easier for you HighMowing Organics and Johnny Seed carry my whole list, so you might just want to go straight to the source.

1 pkt Indigo Rose Tomato Seed

1 pkt Waspsinicon Peach Tomato Seed

1 pkt Long Island Cheese Pumpkin Seed

1 pkt Lemon Cucumber

1 pkt Dinosaur Kale

.....

Not to be picky, but I do prefer Organic Seed, I'd rather not have my pesticides grown in my vegetables and it is not good for you or the reindeer either!

And one last thing if you could...a real horse this year?

Thanks Santa!

Yours Truly,

KDLR