Peaches & Cream, Butter & Sugar, Bi-Color. . . Let's Just Call It "The Best Ever" Yellow and White Sweet Corn. :)

7/26/09: Our First of the Season Sweet Corn Along Side the Mystery Dish.

Meal details: Sorry I cannot disclose too much information this week because I'm planning on using the "mystery dish" for something very special. I'll tell you the whole story later this month.
However, I can say that I boiled the first pot of our own sweet corn last Sunday and it was superb! My Papa learned from another farm in Canada that they boil their corn for 4 minutes--we have typically done it for 10. Thinking that the sugar may be lost in the water if the corn is boiled for a larger period of time, we decided to follow the 4 minute method. I don't know if this new method resulted in a sweeter corn, but I am sure that it didn't tone it down! Since it takes less time to cook and it doesn't seem to affect the texture or flavor, my family will be boiling our younger sweet corn for 4 minutes and our more mature corn for 10 minutes.

I couldn't leave without posting a couple pictures of my Sunday supper endeavors, so here is a snapshot of the mystery dish:

And the best sweet corn on earth:

"Tasteful" Contest

This may not be food related but I couldn't help but share the news about a contest that is in the works. It is called the Design Your Dream Dress Contest and it is being held by Christa-Taylor (a clothing line). Check it out here. My older sister entered the contest and is one of the five finalists! Amazing, huh?! She designed and sketched The June Wrap and is smiling from ear to ear about having made it this far. :) The winner is selected by the public so visit the contest page and cast your vote soon, only seven days left remind you!

A Movie That "Caters" to Chefs and Home Cooks

I just learned about Julie and Julia last week so I thought I'll share this new movie with all of you. It hasn't been in the theaters yet (will be coming out on August 7), so I don't know how it is. But what I can see from the trailer, it looks like it is good enough to eat. :)

The synopsis of the movie that I found on the official website: Meryl Streep is Julia Childs and Amy Adams is Julie Powell in writer-director Nora Ephron's adaption of two bestselling memoirs: Powell's Julie and Julia and My Life in France, by Julia Childs and Alex Prud'homme.

Based on two true stories, Julie and Julia intertwines the lives of two women who, though separated by space and time, are both at loose ends. . . until they discover that with the right combination of passion, fearlessness and butter, anything is possible.

Sounds like a very interesting movie and I can't wait for it to be on DVD!

A Bit of R&R

7/19/09: I didn't spend my time in the kitchen this past Sunday, I was very busy doing some R&R by watching lots of Pride and Prejudice on T.V.! I will be all rested up for next Sunday.

Grill Drill

7/12/09: Grilled Dinner Sausage, Red Potatoes, and Beets with Steamed Broccoli and Beet Greens

Meal details: Main course, dinner sausage from Schwan's. Reminds me of a brat.
Side dishes, red potatoes and beets that were grilled along side broccoli and beet greens that were steamed and pan fried, respectively.

• Recipe sources: Didn't follow a recipe this week either.
• Defining moment: We had some of our own farm grown broccoli! Haven't grown this vegetable for years (I barely can remember it) so this was a mighty big occasion, indeed.
• What I learned: I learned that beets are not easy to clean and prepare! I'm so glad I worked on cleaning them the day before. I also learned how to do beet greens (I simply placed them in a pot with a bit of water and a slab of butter), steam broccoli, and cook three large links of dinner sausage. The broccoli took about 20 minutes to steam.
• Any modifications: Didn't have to use a recipe this week.
• How it tasted: I got good feedback about the broccoli, beets, and I really liked the dinner sausage. We have potatoes almost every week so they are sort of self explanatory. :)
• How about a 2nd time? Everything except the beet greens I would do again.

Here is the dinner sausage that I first boiled.



Our new Weber grill in its full glory. :)



A close up of the red potatoes that I grilled in a foil package. I place them right on top of the hot coals.

And hail the mighty beets!

Cooking Al Fresco

7/5/09: Grilled, Barbecued Hot Dogs with Kohlrabi Coleslaw, Bush's Grilling Beans, and Muffins. Muffins?! (Read on to see how the muffins fit in this week.)

1. Meal details: Main course, grilled hot dogs smothered with BBQ sauce.

Side dish, kohlrabi coleslaw made with my family's farm-grown kohlrabi and store bought coleslaw dressing. Also had Bush's Grilling Beans.

So where are the muffins? I helped my younger sister bake a batch of muffins to be eaten as snacks when we're doing farm work. Can't pick and haul sweet corn on an empty stomach!

• Recipe sources: Didn't have to flip through a cookbook this week. The hot dogs are not rocket science and the coleslaw is actually my family's recipe.
• Defining moments: WE GOT A WEBER GRILL!!! And we ordered a cover, too! (The cover is one of my favorite features I must say.) The charcoal grill is round (just like the one Bobby Flay has, except he has a cobalt blue one), and it fires up in no time. It isn't that hard to clean either and I am using a scrap of aluminum foil to do the job, yeah, not really professional, but it works!

Another defining moment for this Sunday is making our famous kohlrabi coleslaw. We've been having it for a couple years now but I never had the chance to try it out myself, until now. But what is kohlrabi? Some refer to it has the Sputnik vegetable because it looks like it came from outer space. Don't be so cruel! It is actually really good and it certainly grows well! It is similar to a turnip and cabbage in flavor and you can learn more about it by going to this website.

• What I learned: I learned how to start a charcoal grill. Very important learning experience, and I am glad I still have both eyebrows!
• Any modifications? Nadda.
• How it tasted? Everything was superb!
• How about a 2nd time? Without a doubt. We've done this meal before a number of times.
  

Here are the muffins my sister and I baked on Sunday afternoon. We used our own blueberries that we froze in July 2008. Blueberries are my favorite fruit!



Drum roll please! Presenting our very own Weber Grill! Don't you love the sleek lines and chrome legs? :)



And here is a nice, cool side of our famous Kohlrabi Coleslaw. As I said above, I used kohlrabi that my family grows. I was there when we sowed the seed, weeded, thinned the plants, picked it, washed it, grated it, and mixed it with dressing. Whew! What a journey! (By the way, the variety name for this kohlrabi is Winner. It definitely ended up staying true to its name!)

My Little Gray Cells

6/28/09: Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

• Meal details: Sandwiches were comprised of mozzarella cheese, ham, and St. Joseph's Day Bread.
  
• Recipe sources: My little gray cells were at work this week so this recipe will be labeled "original." Pretty neat, huh?
• Defining moments: Coming out with a recipe all on my own is one special moment for moi. Another one would be using the HUGE non-stick griddle. I have never really used it before. Every time I see it being pulled out for pancakes, french toast, or grilled cheese sandwiches, I think to myself, "I do have a large family, don't I?" :)
• What I learned: I made the St. Joseph's Day Bread the day before and I discovered that I have to make 1 and 1/2 loaves in order to make sixteen sandwiches/pieces. I'm glad I decided to bake it beforehand, I would have ended up spending hours in the kitchen on Sunday. I also learned a good technique in melting the cheese. Since the pieces of bread for the sandwiches were rather thick the heat from the griddle wasn't able to reach the cheese. The best way to do this is to layer the sandwich in the following sequence: slice of bread, cheese, then ham. Place this portion of the sandwich ham-down on the griddle and wait until the cheese melts. Then add the second piece of bread on top. A side note: I buttered both sides of the bread with melted butter.
  
• How it tasted? I really liked it, it was warm, buttery, and cheesy--all you would want in a sandwich. And I believe everyone enjoyed it, too.
• How about a 2nd time? Yes.