At West End

Last week, I got a new catalog in the mail.  I have been receiving almost none since I signed up with Catalog Choice but I didn't mind this one slipping through the cracks.

At West End is "a unique place for rustic & recycled decor".   I am not sure where they got my information from, probably through my business, but they have so many cool things.  They have unusual gift items and even things that would be great for my clients.

One item in particular caught my eye - a turtle hide-a-key.  Everyone who knows me knows I love turtles and my husband had just asked me to get us a hide-a-key after we locked ourselves out of the house a few weeks ago.  My son seconded the motion as he does not fancy crawling in through the window again.  How could I resist?

I splurged and ordered - it arrived today.  The only thing that I didn't love was the styrofoam peanuts, I wish they had used a greener packing material.

So cute, I love it.  May we never be locked out again...

Roasted Potato Leek Soup

As is often the case with spring in New England, an unseasonably warm and sunny day yesterday gave way to showers and cooler temperatures today.  I needed to warm up from the damp chill and more importantly I needed to find something to make with the gorgeous leeks from our first spring CSA delivery.

I decided to rely upon Ina Garten, whose recipes have never failed me, and tried the Roasted Potato Leek Soup recipe from her Back to Basics cookbook.  I am a huge fan of Ina Garten's and have all of her cookbooks which I highly recommend.

The recipe calls for 4 leeks but I only had 3 so I made the following alterations and it still turned out really well.  Perfect comfort food for a rainy night.

Roasted Potato Leek Soup
2 pounds Yukon Gold Potatoes, peeled & cut into 3/4 inch chunks (I used 1.5 lbs.)
4 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts well cleaned (I used 3 leeks)
1/4 cup good olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper (I use sea salt)
3 cups baby arugula, lightly packed (I used about 2 1/2cups)
1/2 cup dry white wine (I used 3/4 cup of Un-Oaked Chardonnay to finish off the bottle)
6-7 cups chicken stock, preferably home made ( I used about 6)
1/4 cup heavy cream
8 oz. creme fraiche (I didn't have any and skipped this altogether)
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesean cheese, plus extra for garnish
Crispy Shallots, optional ( I love crispy shallots but ran out of time, will add next time for sure)

As you can see I sliced my leeks rather finely and they browned a bit too much for my taste, I will certainly cut them into larger pieces next time.

The directions call for coating the potatoes and leeks in olive oil and sprinkling with salt and pepper before roasting in the oven at 400 degrees for 40-45 minutes.  I kept mine in only for 35 minutes as the leeks got pretty brown.   Next I removed the pan from the oven, placed it over two burners set to medium and added the wine, chicken stock and arugula cooking until the arugula had wilted and some of the liquid had cooked off.  Next I transferred the everything on the pan to my dutch oven and added the rest of the chicken stock and simmered a bit longer.  I used my stick blender to puree the vegetables instead of getting the food processor dirty.  Then, I added the heavy cream and cheese and let it simmer on low to thicken a bit more since I did not use the creme fraiche.

No doubt Ina's version is much richer, thicker and creamier but I was pleased with the results and this lighter version is just right for spring.  Now if only I could get the kids to eat it...

CSA Open House

We are recent converts to the CSA movement and have signed up with Gazy Brother's Farm in Oxford Connecticut.  We have been buying produce from them over the years at our town's farmer's market (their corn is great) but this year we are stepping it up.  Gazy Brother's Farm open house was this past Saturday and we were excited to make the trip up both to get to know them better and to teach our kids where their food comes from.  A great time was had by all!

My son was especially impressed by the huge tractor!  

The kids had a lot of fun planting potatoes, I think they would have done it for hours had we let them.

This is the greenhouse where our delicious salad was grown.  One of the reasons I picked this particular farm was their use of green houses to extend the growing season which in CT is pretty short. Local salad greens in early April is a real treat. 

 The kids also got to plant peas and decorate their pots.

While the kids were busy planting we sampled some wonderful foods (including some of the best pesto I have ever had) and bought jams, honey, home made bar-b-que sauce and beeswax lip balms.

We all agreed though that the best part of the day was the hay ride!

Home Made Ice Cream

My mother was in town visiting last week.  We decided to conclude our week together with the usual Friday night pizza dinner.  For dessert we all had a craving for ice cream, partly because we also had a craving for warmer weather - it has been an appallingly cold spring so far.  In discussing ice cream my children insisted on home made ice cream as it was "the best.   My mother and I agreed and reminisced about making ice cream with our parents when we were children.  I was happy to oblige and to create some new ice cream making memories for my children, nieces and nephews.

As I made the grocery list for our ingredients, I had a chuckle when my mother asked if we would need ice and salt for the machine.    No Mom, I said, the new machines are so much easier (I see the gift of an ice cream maker in her future).  Though I have fond memories of making ice cream with that messy, loud machine, usually in the dead of winter when snow for the basin was plentiful, I prefer my new Cuisinart.  

I brought all the ingredients and my ice cream maker to my sister's house and enlisted the kids for help.  For them the changing of milk and cream into ice cream is miraculous, probably more interesting to them than changing water to wine.  I have to admit the process is still exciting for me as well.

I snapped this photo (on my iphone) of my son and nephew as they patiently waited for the transformation.

Our favorite variety is also the simplest, I use the recipe that came with the ice cream maker:

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup whole milk

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract (I use 1tsp. vanilla extract and the seeds from one vanilla bean)

I have also made maple walnut ice cream with great success, simply substitute 1/2-3/4 cup maple syrup for the sugar and add a half cup of chopped walnuts.  Last week, I also followed the Cuisinart recipe for chocolate ice cream and I have to admit it did not turn out well.  I know its hard to imagine any chocolate food not tasting good but alas this was the case.  I will have to scare up my mother's tried and true recipe and will report back on the results.

It seems I am not the only one who has been in the mood for home made ice cream - today I saw that one of my favorite locavore bloggers, Diary of a Locavore, also has a new post devoted to home made ice cream.  I guess we New Enlganders are ready for some warmer weather.  Be sure to check out this great blog for more home-made ice cream inspiration.

 http://www.diaryofalocavore.com/2011/04/homemade-maple-ice-cream.html

Le Printemps est Arrivé

Spring is Here!

Technically anyway.  Mother nature decided to play a cruel trick on the first day of spring with heavy snow showers here.  Oh and did I mention that more snow is in the forecast for Wednesday.

A chilly evening at the barn for my daughter's riding lesson necessitated roasted winter root vegetables and some hot tea for dinner.  Still feels like February to me.

I can't see spring outside my window so I am cheering myself up with this little video.  

Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1QvjsMvLFE&feature=related

Can a Locavore Shop at Costco?

I went to Costco today to stock up on the usual, this time with new parameters, the locavore pledge.  To be honest I don't really shop at Costco very often, maybe once every 3 months or so.  I generally shop there to stock up on paper products or oxyclean.  Of course I know that there are greener choices for paper products like Seventh Generation but so far none of them come in very large quantities and they are significantly more expensive.  So, unless a toilet paper, paper towel or tissue factory that makes green products opens up within a hundred miles of here I am going to get these items from Costco - for now.  

Today I got the usual paper products, toner for my fax/printer and an air purifier for the bedroom.  They were on the list and I was going to stick to it.  I was not even going to be tempted by the book section.

I really did not expect to buy any food other than salad greens (I was asked to bring a green salad to a pot luck dinner this week) and well, there are no local salad greens that I know of this time of year.  On my way to pick up said organic greens I thought I would check out the bakery section just in case there was something local, after all they do bake many things right there in the store, that's pretty local.  Boy did I get lucky!  There, tucked in the furthermost section of the baked goods was an entire rack of Eli's Bread, as in Zabar's famously delicious gourmet bakery, fresh from the Upper East side.  Since I don't go to Costco often, I got two loaves of the Raisin Pecan bread and two of the Health Loaves to put in our chest freezer.  I have to say however that the raisin pecan bread was so good I am tempted to go more often.

I also celebrated this first day of March by picking up a fresh loaf of Irish soda bread made in Wyandanch, NY just across the sound from here.  Of course no visit to Costco is complete with out the taste of a sample or two and today's sample was Nature's Path Organic granola bars.  Yummy and perfect for the kids lunches so I grabbed a box of them too.

All in all I did better food wise than I expected.  Of course other than the salad greens I did have to skip the produce section entirely but I really didn't mind.  Only 4 more weeks and we will be receiving the first box of spring produce from our CSA - can't wait!

Roasted Sweet Potato Risotto

The days may be getting longer, and warmer, but it is still winter and some comfort food is in order.  This recipe, adapted from REAL SIMPLE magazine, turned out so well that I thought I would share it.

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons olive oil 

1 medium onion, finely chopped

kosher salt and black pepper

2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 pound), cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 cup Arborio rice

1 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (2 ounces)

2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano

3 1/2 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock, heated

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400, toss the sweet potato pieces with 2 tbsp. olive oil, spread on baking sheet and roast until tender and starting to brown, when ready begin step 2.

2. Heat the remaining 2 tbsp oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 3 to 5 minutes

3. Add the sweet potatoes and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute.

4. Add the rice and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook, stirring frequently, until absorbed.

5. Measure 3½ cups of water. Add ¾ cup at a time and cook, stirring frequently until the liquid is absorbed before adding the next.  It should take 25 to 30 minutes for all the water to be absorbed.

6. Stir in the Parmesan and oregano.

Enjoy!