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.

A Long Awaited Treat

6/21/09: Hot Dogs with Chocolate Chip and Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

• Meal details: Main course, hot dogs -- pork and beef hot dogs with ketchup, mustard, and green tomato relish for condiments.

Dessert, chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin cookies -- I don't think I need to explain further! I would believe most of you can visualize what these two cookies are like. :)

• Recipes sources: I had an incredibly hard time trying to find a chocolate chip recipe. . . Not! I just used the good old Nestle Tollhouse cookie recipe that I found on the back of the chip bag. I've tried many different C&C (aka chocolate chip) recipes before and I have found these to be my family's favorite. The oatmeal raisin recipe came from Annemarie's Betty Crocker cookbook. I don't know what I would do without that cookbook!
• Defining moments: I made TTTOOONNSSS of cookies before, they are one of my favorite things to bake, so I didn't take a big step into the unknown this week.
• What I learned: I discovered why someone created refrigerator cookie recipes. It was so hot in that kitchen last Sunday! I think the temperature was around 80 that day so you can imagine what it would be like when you are standing by a 375 degree oven for an hour! But the cookie satisfaction afterwards can't be beat. :)
• Any modifications? Nope, followed the recipes precisely.
• How it tasted? Haven't had cookies since Winter so they were readily received by all.
• How about a 2nd time? Yes, and a 3rd, and a 4th, and. . .
  

Now stop, take a deep breath, and scroll down slowly.

Drooling yet? :)

The Blending Operation Went, Well, "Smoothie" :)

7/14/09: Lemon Asparagus Pasta & Strawberry & Peach Smoothies

• Meal details: Main course, lemon asparagus pasta -- steamed asparagus and ruffle pasta tossed together with lots of lemon zest, evaporated milk, Parmesan cheese, and pepper.

Dessert, strawberry and peach smoothies -- strawberry smoothie was made with our own fresh strawberries and a few spoonfuls of ice cream. The peach version was made using our frozen peaches packed in simple syrup. Nothing was added to the peach concoction except for water.

• Recipe sources: The pasta dish came from kitchenparade.com, the strawberry smoothie was found by visiting cooks.com, and the peach smoothie was my own doing.

• Defining moments: I USED THE BLENDER! Gosh, that's a big stepping stone, isn't it? :) Kidding aside, the blender experience was really something extraordinary. You wouldn't believe how many settings it has and the horrific noise it makes!

Besides the blender, anything exciting and new? Well, this would be the first time I had to steam a large amount of asparagus at once. The steaming part was no problem, only the washing and cleaning.

• What I learned: I learned that our blender can crush ice. The day before I made the smoothies I thought the blender wasn't capable of doing this and I thought I would have to do it all by hand. Fortunately, I misread the instructions and discovered that it is possible. Glad to hear that!

I also learned that using the double boiler works very well with steaming the asparagus. And you know what? The asparagus that I've been keeping in the refrigerator is holding up rather nicely. I was thinking they would be limp by this time but they have remained crisp and fresh. I guess the plastic bag with some water is doing its job well. I still need to freeze some because I don't think we will be able to use them all in time. It would be nice, too, to have asparagus available when our fruits and vegetables are ready to harvest.

• Any modifications? Yes, I made some to the pasta recipe. I eliminated the dill from the recipe and I used evaporated milk rather than the half-and-half it called for. I also used less asparagus, about half of what they called for. My family is new to asparagus so we have to take it slow you know!

• How it tasted? The pasta was really bright and fresh and the addition of Parmesan cheese did wonders! According to one taster, I added too much pepper. I may want to go back on that ingredient a bit next time. The smoothies were just how I expected them to be: fruity, summery, nectar-y. . . Don't I explain it so well? Annemarie said the strawberry version was really, really good; said it three times in fact!

• How about a 2nd time? All were winners, so yes. I would, however, add more asparagus to the pasta dish.

Now doesn't that look so nectar-y?

They Have Arrived!

Our strawberry patch is bearing fruit as I speak! We started picking them on Thursday. Here, take a look at the fruit of our labor.








We've already been enjoying them on shortcake and cereal. For this Sunday we'll be having more for breakfast and they will be served along side homemade pancakes. I can undoubtedly say that it will be yummy!

The Word is "PIE!"

6/10/09: Chicken BBQ Pizza and Peach Pie with Asparagus on the Side

No, June 10th is not a Sunday but it happens to be my youngest sister's birthday. Many months prior to her birthday she was requesting me to make BBQ Pizza and Peach Pie for her birthday supper. Click here and here to see my past experiences with BBQ Pizza and here and here for the peach pie. The asparagus came in later and let me tell you how and why. Back in May my family watched a PBS special called Asparagus: Stalking the American Life (you can learn more about this show by visiting this blog). During the duration of the 53 min. program we learned about a farmer who lives in our area who was combating the foreign trade issue. Later on, around the end of May, this same asparagus farmer stops at our farm market and promises to bring some of his asparagus to us on a later trip. He stayed true to his word and last week he gave us 10 pounds of fresh picked asparagus!

The asparagus: (I steamed some and pan-roasted the other half. My family hasn't really tasted asparagus before so we're kind of testing it using light seasoning.)

So here are some photos of the peach pie (1 of 2) made using the canned peaches my family did last year:

My youngest sister can't seem to get the pie ecstasy out of her system! For the past 6 days she has been constantly saying with much ardor: "PIE!"

Where's the Beef?

6/7/09: Beef and Bean Chimichangas

• Meal details: Chimichangas filled with cheese, onion, corn, refried beans, chicken, peppers, and taco sauce baked in the oven to become an ooey, gooey, cheesy package full of goodness. :) What, no beef? Read on to learn why.

• Recipe sources: This recipe came from a book called Allrecipe's Dinner Tonight. If you have been reading my blog for awhile you would know that I go to allrecipes.com frequently for Sunday supper. This website has a huge amount of recipes that have been submitted by home cooks, so for me I find them easier to follow and the ingredients tend to fall within my family's comfort zone. I mean, I don't usually have goat cheese, lamb, or tuna filets available all the time! For some of you these may seem like everyday ingredients but I find them to be exotic! If you want to take a look at the recipe you can find it here.

• Defining moments: Before I began making Sunday supper my family used to have store bought chimichangas every Sunday. This is what made me choose the recipe, I wanted to see if I can make them myself. I'm always interested in making my family's "everyday food" from scratch. That is why I was so fascinated with making homemade hamburger buns a few Sundays back. Click here to read about it.

• What I learned: It was a very easy recipe to follow and execute so not many new techniques or ingredients were learned this time. But I did learn how to roll up a flour tortilla burrito style, and I discovered that smearing the tortilla with the refried beans really helps in performing this step.

• Any modifications? Yes. I substituted chicken for the ground beef so this recipe would be better known as Chicken and Bean Chimichangas. And I omitted ground cumin and chili powder from the recipe and used taco seasoning instead. I didn't follow the amounts exactly either so maybe I should write down my ingredient list here:

To make 20 chimichangas:

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 large onion
1 cup bell peppers
2 cups whole kernel corn, drained
1 (8 ounce) bottle of taco sauce
4 tbsp of taco seasoning
2 teaspoon of garlic salt
1 (32 ounce) can refried beans
20 (9 inch) flour tortillas
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 tablesppon butter, melted
Toppings: 1 (16 ounce) container of sour cream -- Note: I thought the added sour cream was fantastic!

• How it tasted: Everything about it was great! Even though these chimichangas would probably be regarded as 'burritos' by any die hard Mexican restaurant (because they were baked rather than fried), I believe my family truly enjoyed the homemade version of our classic Sunday supper meal.
• How about a 2nd time? You betcha!
  

I had to make two 13 x 9 pans of these. I only wanted to have a picture of this batch because, well, let's just say the first was my rough draft!