tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83144417256223728522024-03-13T17:32:16.307-04:00Una Buona ForchettaSun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-71485387472347233832012-01-24T17:57:00.002-05:002012-01-24T17:57:58.540-05:00Indian Food!Saturday I picked up my half lamb order from Back Forty Acres. I had decided a couple of days earlier that I wanted to use some of it for an Indian lamb dish. I had never made anything more complicated than saag in my kitchen (as far as Indian food is concerned). After some Internet sleuthing, a quick inventory of my existing ingredients, and a trip to the grocery store, I was ready to cook. I Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-49932487542963546792011-11-21T20:12:00.001-05:002011-11-21T21:05:07.750-05:00November Spice Rack Challenge: CinnamonMom's Kitchen said: "Surely you've got cinnamon in your spice rack."
Of course I do. It's one of those things---along with thyme and chili powder---that my spice collection never lacks. We think of cinnamon primarily as a baking spice. Not so! It is very versatile.
Let's face it: butternut squash by itself is...lacking. It's not the most exciting vegetable around. I've found creative ways Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-23416129436817725412011-08-17T19:39:00.001-04:002011-08-17T19:41:29.543-04:00August Spice Rack Challege: CUMIN!After dropping the ball on July's Spice Rack Challenge (probably because I was thinking only about my upcoming vacation), I am ALL OVER this one. Why?
I love cumin. I put cumin on everything. Okay, well, not literally everything, but it is one of those spices that disappears more quickly than others from my collection. It seems as if I am always upending an empty jar of cumin over one of my Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-49513124806716585562011-06-02T18:47:00.000-04:002011-06-02T18:47:27.599-04:00June Spice Rack Challenge: MintWow. So much for posting every month in 2011. Slacker, thy name is Sun Runner. But! Yesterday I picked up my first box of the season from Tantre Farm. Oh, glorious green bounty of spinach, kale, lettuce, tatsoi, spicy mix, radishes, green onions, and asparagus!
How fortuitous, then, that one of the herbs available for selection was mint. I love me some mint. I grow mint in my herb garden. Well, Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-48176752730765897362011-01-24T19:02:00.000-05:002011-01-24T19:02:38.836-05:00Vegetable ChowderYesterday I met up with some of the Michigan Lady Food Bloggers for a soup swap. I brought my tub of chowder and went home with five large containers of soup, which will feed me for days. My offering was a vegetable chowder.
4 tsp canola oil
1/2 cup green bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup shallots, minced
1 tsp curry powder
3 cups corn kernels
3/4 lb red-skinned potatoes,Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-71499640436250307952011-01-18T23:21:00.000-05:002011-01-18T23:21:07.060-05:00January Spice Rack Challenge: RosemaryMy, my, my it has been a while since I posted here, hasn't it? I find the lack of attention paid to this blog rather shameful, considering how much I cook. Fortunately, I have an excuse to resuscitate my food blog: a monthly cooking challenge put together by my fellow Michigan Lady Food Blogger Mother's Kitchen: the Spice Rack Challenge. The focus for January was on rosemary.
Rosemary. It grew Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-1988890166694439422010-04-26T20:07:00.002-04:002010-04-26T20:42:47.322-04:00LimoncelloA while back my friends in Sacramento, California, sent me a box full of lemons from their lemon tree. After some pondering I decided to use some of them to make homemade limoncello.They smelled so good, you just can't even imagine. It was a burst of summer in the middle of a Michigan winter.I did a simple Google search for "limoncello" and after some perusal settled on this recipe, from the Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-20034422533343174092010-03-01T21:11:00.004-05:002010-03-01T21:38:34.213-05:00Chocolate Chambord Ice CreamA random comment on Facebook did what nothing else could: prod me into updating my poor, sad, neglected food blog. I don't even know how I can be called a Michigan Lady Food Blogger since I haven't updated my food blog in five months! I've had the pictures for this sitting around since LAST SUMMER. There's no excuse. I'm just lazy as heck.When I discovered how easy it is to make your own ice Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-31875132906456724862009-09-13T19:06:00.000-04:002009-09-13T19:26:45.471-04:00Oh vegetable stir fry, how do I love thee...I think I could write a poem about the colorful elegance of my dinner tonight. I "fridge shopped" again, plucking things from the crisper drawers which I thought would blend nicely in my big stainless steel pan. I combined two recipes from my last Tantre share newsletter, because I wanted to use both the daikon radishes and the tatsoi. Add an onion, red bell peppers, garlic, and carrots (all fromSun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-83980725514363852432009-08-28T20:35:00.000-04:002009-08-28T20:51:16.110-04:00Sometimes a little chaos is goodI rummaged through my refrigerator and threw together a dinner of no particular provenance or coherence: chopped tomatoes, onions, garlic, a bunch of leafy greens, and shredded roast chicken. The veggies were from my Tantre farm share and the chicken was Back Forty Acres. I sauteed the veggies, splashed some broth over the mess to keep it moist, threw in the chicken, and let it simmer. I had Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-35619030492858205922009-07-10T20:32:00.003-04:002009-07-10T20:45:38.068-04:00Kitchen Sink PastaI was going to call it "Instapasta," and then "Garbage Can Pasta," but I think "Kitchen Sink Pasta," as in "Everything But The..." works best. This is what I make when I want a fast, easy meal which uses up ingredients I already have hanging around the fridge and pantry. Whatever is on hand. Tonight's version went like this:Whole wheat mini shells (carbs for my long run tomorrow)Kale (farm share)Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-5288572432765992352009-07-01T19:17:00.003-04:002009-07-01T19:31:19.851-04:00Fabulous FrittatasNow that the vegetables are flooding in, I have turned once again to one of my staples in order to utilize them: the frittata. I have learned there really is no wrong way to make a frittata, and you can put almost anything into one. For the one in the picture, I used Tantre Farm spinach and scallions from my farm share, added sun-dried tomatoes, and topped it off with grated Parmesan cheese. The Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-42437176189807465272009-06-08T22:05:00.004-04:002009-06-08T22:18:25.639-04:00Salad DaysIt's that time of year again. Farm share time.It was a long dry spell between the closing of the 2008 Tantré Farm season and the beginning of this year's influx of vegetables. I picked up my first share on May 26: spinach, scallions, radishes, potatoes, lettuce...oh, the drive down the familiar road was like coming home. I dived into a sea of green and I don't want to come out. Tuesday evenings Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-82806161736192797712009-05-02T17:14:00.012-04:002009-05-02T17:44:42.267-04:00Pâté de Foie de PorcThat's fancy talk for "pork liver pâté," which is what I made for the Michigan Lady Food Bloggers' "April in Paris" gathering on April 26. The theme for this event was French cooking, using Julia Childs' seminal Mastering the Art of French Cooking as inspiration. (Aside: Julia was a fellow Smith College alumna, class of '34. Smithies represent!)I decided I wanted to use the pork liver from my Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-19404336342971159082009-02-23T11:10:00.002-05:002009-02-23T11:13:55.164-05:00Clearly, I Can't MultitaskThis morning before I left for work I put half a pound of Rancho Gordo Runner Cannelini beans into some water to soak all day because I am going to use them for dinner tonight (Chicken with White Beans and Rosemary).I just remembered that I forgot to pull the chicken thighs (you know, the "chicken" part of this meal) out of the freezer to defrost.It's Monday; what can I say?Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-74957089535364913452009-02-04T17:17:00.012-05:002009-02-05T18:11:13.296-05:00Summer in JanuaryThe spreadOn January 24 the lovely ladies of the MLFB descended on my house for a late-afternoon get-together that was intended to transport us back to those warm and luxurious days of summer. If it had to be winter outside, then it could also be summer inside, if only for a few hours.I can't emphasize enough how fortunate I feel to be part of this group of women. You guys (gals?) rule!This is Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-22520826058323724962009-01-12T17:26:00.009-05:002009-01-12T18:18:47.068-05:00Indoor Picnic: Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Oven Fries, and Homemade KetchupIn a couple of weeks the Michigan Lady Food Bloggers will be descending on my house for a "sweep away the winter blahs" event, the theme of which is "Summer in January." I decided to take the concept for a test drive, inspired by a recipe for homemade ketchup that was in my most recent issue of Saveur. From there, it was a natural branching-out to pulled pork made with one of the last two Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-50126780307431015462008-12-17T18:15:00.000-05:002008-12-17T18:14:50.232-05:00Holiday Treats ExchangeBuddy thinks: "If they just look away for a second...all of this could be mine!"On Saturday I met up with the lovely Michigan Lady Food Bloggers at Patti's house for a cookie exchange. Well, not really a cookie exchange, but an all-out treats extravaganza. A cookietravaganza? Either way, it was good eats, good treats, and good conversation. I brought three varieties of cookie to the gathering: Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-89844106299222280332008-12-17T17:39:00.007-05:002008-12-17T18:01:50.825-05:00Molasses Spice CookiesThis was another offering for the MLFB gathering. This is one of my Old Standbys. I make these cookies all the time. This recipe is from Cook's Illustrated New Best Recipe.Ingredients:2 1/4 cups (11 1/4 ounces) all-purpose flour1 tsp baking soda1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon1 1/2 tsp ground ginger1/2 tsp ground cloves1/4 tsp ground allspice1/4 tsp salt1 1/2 sticks (12 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-7291967839476820042008-12-17T17:21:00.009-05:002008-12-17T17:39:39.016-05:00Pecan SnowdropsThis is one of the cookies I brought to the MLFB Cookie Exchange last Saturday. This recipe comes in many guises-- Pecan Balls, Snowdrop Cookies, Snowball Cookies, etc...but whatever you might call them, they are little spheres of crumbly goodness. This particular recipe was my grandmother's. It was on a card, written in her elegant early-20th century upbringing script, nestled in her recipe box Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-68947755189353920982008-11-25T17:54:00.007-05:002008-11-25T18:11:57.825-05:00Happy Thanksgiving!Last weekend I picked up my final share of the season from Tantré Farm: the Thanksgiving share. It was so massive I had to split it into two pictures.Root vegetable bonanza: squashes, potatoes, rutabaga, onions, more potatoes.More veggies! Brussels sprouts, turnips, radishes, chard, cabbage, kale, spinach, beets, cauliflower, parsley...I know I'm forgetting something...The whole thing. That's a Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-4375526555930535082008-11-06T10:10:00.003-05:002008-11-06T10:22:27.433-05:00Modern AlchemyI am convinced that olive oil, salt, pepper, and 35-40 minutes at 400 degrees can turn anything into edible gold.Case in point: Brussels sprouts. Most people cringe in horror at their name, fearing mushy, steamed green blobs. However, since I transformed a previously-hated vegetable (broccoli) into something I ate as fast as I could shovel it into my mouth by the holy trinity of olive oil, Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-79456452163640767632008-11-01T17:27:00.002-04:002008-11-01T17:38:32.360-04:00Harvest's End: Tantre Farm Week 23The last share (sniffle).Last Wednesday I picked up my final share of the year from Tantré Farm. I opted for the three-week extension to the regular 20-week season because I just could not bear the thought of being without my glorious vegetables. However, there is nothing more I can do now as the season is officially over. Once I have worked my way through what is left in my crisper drawers and Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-37675030874191451062008-10-26T13:19:00.009-04:002008-12-12T08:23:08.047-05:00Meat and Cabbage Stew: Stew SecuiascaI received an enormous head of cabbage with my farm share in early October. Confronted with this nearly soccer ball-sized sphere, I wondered what on earth I was going to do with it. I said something to this effect at work one day and my co-worker, who is from Romania, found for me this recipe for a meat and cabbage stew in the style of the Secui (Székely) people of Romania.Pork steaks from our Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8314441725622372852.post-51654964485895683442008-09-07T13:11:00.009-04:002009-02-21T12:57:47.821-05:00Food, Fun, and FriendsYesterday afternoon I was delighted to attend a gathering of foodies and food bloggers from the area. We convened on Shayne's home in Livonia, ten "lady food bloggers" and assorted husbands and children, for an afternoon of homemade goodies and lively conversation.Shayne's homemade mojitos with fresh mint from her garden. Yum!I had been unable to attend the previous gathering due to being on Sun Runnerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14971351872301112088noreply@blogger.com10