Aunt Bee's Garden

Zucchini Pickles

2011-06-10T08:41:00.000-04:00

I love all things pickled. Now that my garden is in full swing I have a TON of zucchini (and weeds, grass and now squashbugs). I always grow zucchini, it is easy, freezes well to add to soups, bread, etc. Last summer with my last harvest of zucchini I made pickles. Wow. Love. I have been wishing ever since that I had made pickles with the very 1st zucchini I picked last summer. The zucchini stays firmer than cucumbers and you don't have to wait 7 days after canning to eat them. They are good in just 3-5.

Zucchini Pickles
make 6 pints

6 medium zucchini, sliced
3 cups apple cider vinegar
4 cups water
3 tbsp kosher salt (you can do less if you want, I like them a little salty)
1 bay leaf
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
2 tsp black peppercorns
3 tsp dried dill
1 tsp red pepper flakes

Pack zucchini into pint jars along with a sprig of fresh dill and 2 garlic cloves per jar.

Brine:
add all ingredients except zucchini to pot, simmer on medium low for 10 min then bring to rolling boil. Pour boiling brine over zucchini and seal. Process (I don't process my pickles). Wait 3-5 days before eating.

The Full Monty Squash

2011-05-11T22:34:00.000-04:00

This guy grew in my garden two years ago. With my squash plants getting so big right now I felt like I wanted to revisit this picture and share it with you. I hope you enjoy. I did- it went on to become a fabulous squash casserole, a huge casserole.

Loving Compound Butter

2011-05-03T08:34:00.000-04:00

Strawberry Butter with warm Popovers

I saw a Facebook comment recently that said "Butter is the universal donor." I want a T-shirt or bumper sticker with that on it.

Buttter is good on almost anything. Is it even possible to make such a great thing even better? Of course. Compound butter is just plain old butter (which is completely awesome by itself) dressed up and made extra special by adding other awesome ingredients. Lately we have been eating roasted garlic butter on everything- bread, eggs, pasta. Last night I made strawberry butter to go on popovers. I have found myself daydreaming about making compound butters-with roasted serrano peppers to put on grilled corn this summer, with basil and sun dried tomato for pasta, with pecans and bleu cheese for bread. Really there is no end to what I could do.

Roasted Garlic Butter
1 stick unsalted butter, softened to almost room temperature
3-6 garlic cloves, roasted in a dry skillet with papers on until brown
1 tsp kosher salt

Put butter in bowl of stand mixer (or you can use hand mixer), pop garlic out of skins and run a knife throught them to break them up a little more and then throw in bowl, toss in salt. Turn it on medium speed and whip it up until all ingredients are evenly incorporated.

Easy Strawberry Butter
1 stick unsalted butter, softened to almost room temperature
1 tbsp strawberry jam

Put both in bowl of mixer, Turn it on medium speed and whip the butter until jam is evenly incorporated.

To store butters place in covered container in refrigerator. Or you can put the butter on parchment paper and roll it into a log, wrap with plastic wrap and put in refrigerator.

Dying Easter Eggs

2011-04-22T10:24:00.000-04:00

Happy Easter and Happy Spring!

Just wanted to share our egg dying with you.

Dandelion Jelly

2011-04-12T11:08:00.000-04:00

There is one thing I have no shortage of- dandelions. Everywhere. A few years ago after sharing my corn cobb jelly with my neighbor, Miss Mary, she brought me a dandelion jelly recipe. She said she knew I liked the strange ones and thought this would be right up my alley. My sweet neighbor was right. The jelly is bright, floral and delicate.

A little side note on Miss Mary- she is 89 years old, walks 1 mile every day, volunteers for Meals on Wheels taking food to as she says "old folks", gardens and bakes, goes to church every Wednesday and all day Sunday, won't eat white flour, and swears by natural herbal supplements to keep her healthy. One day she called me and asked me to bring my camera. When I got there she wanted me to take a picture of a sweet potato that was larger than a 1 gallon paint can. Impressive.

Dandelion petals and water

Dandelion Jelly
One quart of dandelion flowers, with stems and green part removed
2 quarts water
Juice of one medium lemon
Zest of one medium lemon
1 pkg no sugar needed powdered pectin
4 cups sugar

Rinse dandelions, boil petals in water for 3 minutes or longer for darker color, cool and strain retaining the tea, add lemon juice, zest and pectin, stir to combine, bring to boil, add sugar, continuing to stir until starts to thicken, pour in sterilized jars, seal and process for 5 minutes.

Lemon Curd Vinaigrette

2011-03-17T20:36:00.001-04:00

Last weekend was the deadline for Food 52's Tart Challenge. I had never submitted a recipe before but the stakes were higher this time with a trip to the Martha Stewart Show. The challenge was for a sweet or savory end of winter tart. I really wanted to use ingredients that were seasonal, local and readily available to everyone. My other goal was to incorporate some of my canned items from last year. My submission was Almost Spring Lemon Chicken Gallette (click here for full recipe). I used puff pastry for the shell and it included chicken, brussels sprouts, onions, walnuts, feta cheese all tossed in the real prize of this challenge, Lemon Curd Vinaigrette. While my tart was not chosen as one of the finalists, I am very pleased with my discovery of this dressing/marinade.

Lemon Curd Vinaigrette:
3 tablespoons lemon curd
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon water
1 clove of garlic, minced fine
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshed cracked black pepper

Whisk all ingredients until mixed well, refrigerate. Makes 1 cup.

Garden Markers

2011-02-28T16:05:00.001-05:00

As I am trying to use up my canning creations from last year I am acquiring a pile of canning seals that I know have to be good for something. At Christmas I saw some one was decorating them and using them as present tags. I thought about doing that but I ran out of time and motivation. Wind chimes? Nah. Coasters? Nah. Garden markers? YES!

Last year we planted 5 different types of corn. Some were for drying to mill, some were for popping corn, some were to eat. We did not mark any of it. My husband thought he remembered what was planted where. But as we were eating chewy tough corn we realized that he was confused. So we definitely need to mark everything this year.

Spring Fever!!

2011-02-26T09:01:00.004-05:00

It isn't even March and I have Spring Fever. As I was driving the kids to school this morning I was looking around and getting excited. I saw daffodils blooming! I immediately called my husband and he was just as excited. Every year one of us bursts in the door shouting that we have spotted daffodils and then we know we made it through another winter. Let me digress for a second- 1)yes, we live in Georgia 2)our winters are very mild compared to the rest of the country 3)my husband and I do not like the cold, even mild Georgia cold. Anyway, when I came home the kids and I went around the yard checking out all of the signs of Spring. Now I feel like I have to get out in the yard and clear out the weeds and get some veggies in the ground. Farmer's Almanac says that March will be cold. I hope it is wrong.

Using Up My Jam

2011-02-25T09:47:00.001-05:00

My kids love Nutrigrain bars. Love them. Read the label. Not good. Looked at the organic fruit bars at Trader Joe's and other groceries and thought (as a good DIY girl does) "I can make those." I must confess this is not my recipe. But it really is just perfect the way it is. No need to tinker with it. The best part is that I have all of the ingredients on hand at all times.

AND there is a bonus! In making the fruit bars I used up 5 half full jam jars from the refrigerator. I did one pan of cranberry/pear/peach/scuppernog bars (delish BTW) and one pan of lime curd (also yummy just not as weird). Did I mention that I am a canning addict? I am. I have what seems like a thousand jars of jam that I made in 2010. Spring is around the corner and before I know it it will be time to pick strawberries which means MORE JAM. So I plan to make a pan of these a week and try to reduce the number of jars in my larder to make room for the new ones.

These are from www.CarriesCooking.com:

Almost Nutri-Grain Bars

Ingredients
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup apple juice
10 ounces jam (apricot, blackberry, blueberry, raspberry, strawberry, or apple butter)
1 tablespoon water

Directions

Combine oats, flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and mix thoroughly.
Add the oil, egg, vanilla, and apple juice, and mix with a spoon or a mixer.
Press 2/3 of the mix evenly into a greased 8x12 pan.
Mix the jam with the water, and spread evenly over the mix.
Crumble the remaining oat mixture over the top, and bake at 325 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown.
Before cutting, cool completely.

Brussels Sprouts

2011-02-24T17:14:00.001-05:00

This was my first winter garden to include brussels sprouts. I have to be honest, I had no idea what they were supposed to do or when to harvest. Just like everything else, it was an experiment. I had kind of given up on them. Every time I went to the garden for some cabbage or kale I would check them out. It really didn't seem like much was happening. I have seen them at the grocery on the stalk and for some reason I kept expecting that stalk to grow out of the top. Last night I bent over to pick a savoy cabbage head and I happened to look over at the brussels sprouts. I finally spotted those cute little guys growing UNDER the leaves, duh. I was very excited. I just pan fried them with a little butter, thinly sliced onions and some pink salt. This week end I making Iron Chef Michael Symon's Fried Brussels Sprouts (I oven roast them).

I know everyone says they hate brussels sprouts, but I promise, you don't. Every one thinks of the frozen mushy brussels sprouts. Please do yourself a favor and buy some fresh ones. Try Michael Symon's recipe and fall in love with them.

Justin's Avocado Blue Cheese Dip

2011-02-04T20:26:00.001-05:00

Tonight I came home from work to my husband making delicious panko crusted fried chicken strips and a selection of sauces. He made a delicious buffalo type sauce with a little of every kind of hot sauce from the fridge, honey mustard but the star was Avocado Blue Cheese Dip. Oh my. So Good. The dip was great with the chicken alone or with the buffalo sauce and with tortilla chips. I look forward to trying this dip on lots and lots of things.

Justin's Avocado Blue Cheese Dip
3 garlic cloves
pinch of kosher salt
1 Haas avocado, mashed
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp mayonnaise
2 Tbsp sour cream
2 oz by weight crumbled blue cheese

Roast garlic with peel on in cast iron skillet in the oven under the broiler until outside is brown, let cool. Finely chop garlic, then add sour cream, mayo, lemon juice and mashed avocado until combined. Mix blue cheese with avocado mixture. Cover with plastic with plastic touching dip and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Confessions of a DIY Girl

2011-02-03T08:49:00.002-05:00

I have a confession to make- Spaghetti-O's are one of my favorite foods (and I prefer them straight out of the can, cold). I recently confessed this to my 6 year old and told him not to tell a soul. But here I am proclaiming it to the world. I also recently bought Spaghetti-O's for my kids. They love them, they think they are a huge treat. But I felt guilty for buying it.

I believe very strongly in DIY in the kitchen- making your own salad dressings, bread, jam and pickles(of course) and lots and lots of other things. It almost always tastes better, is better for you and in the long run is cheaper. And of course, I like to know just exactly who has touched my food- me. Lately I am starting to feel the pressure of being a DIY girl. I am feeling overwhelmed by the need to create everything I eat. My mom and dad have always been great cooks. Dinner was always eaten at the table. But let's face it, I was a suburban kid in the 70's and 80's. A lot of the food I was raised on was ready to eat, off the store shelf staples. Like Spaghetti-O's. But look at me- I am fine. Spaghetti-O's are one of my favorite foods and I turned out great. I love good food and love to create good food.

I am in no way giving up doing it myself in the kitchen, no way. The satisfaction I get from creating amazing food for my family far outweighs the pressure I might feel. But I am going to give myself a break and not stress out about instant grits, canned spaghetti and potato chips.

Whew! I feel so much better for getting that off my chest.

HOWEVER, no store bought jam will ever be purchased by me. Somethings are sacred.

Is there a food that you absolutely will not buy but have to make it yourself? Is there one that you will never make yourself?

Dark Days #I'mSoBehindI'veLostCount- French Onion Soup

2011-01-25T20:49:00.001-05:00

I am really behind on writing an cooking. I am sure you are sick of hearing me belly ache about it. I think I am not alone, however. It seems that everyone is having a hard time getting it in gear right now. February will be better. I will be so inspired that the posts will practically write themselves.

French Onion Soup
3 tbsp olive oil-exempt
3 tbsp salted butter-exempt
5 onions, sliced thin- from my garden
1 tsp of salt- exempt
2 tbsp red wine-North GA
1/4 tsp dried thyme- from my garden
2 cloves of garlic, minced- from my garden
6 cups of venison stock (of course, beef stock is usually used)-made from local deer (vegetarian option is to use vegetable stock)
1 cup shredded Calamata Sunshine Cheese from Greendale Farm
Homemade bran bread sliced and toasted

Melt butter in bottom of large pot, add olive oil, heat on medium. Add sliced onions and minced garlic, cook on medium heat for 20 minutes or until onions caramelize. Add salt, red wine, and thyme, mix t combine. Pour in stock, simmer on medium low to low for 1 hour. Serve with toasted bread floating in soup and cover with shredded cheese. Put under broiler for about 30 seconds to melt cheese.

**Helpful Hint- my friend who is a chef in Miami told me that if you add the salt before the onions are caramelized that they won't caramelize.

OMG Mac and Cheese

2011-01-06T14:00:00.002-05:00

I think part of my cooking rut has been my weird appetite lately (no I'm not pregnant, this is always my mom's 1st question if you ever say you feel weird). All I want to eat is cheese, pasta and eggs. So I have decided to just cook through by cooking block and make what sounds good. Plus, the weather is calling for snow so we need some oooey-gooey comfort food.

OMG Mac and Cheese
1 lb elbow or small shells pasta
8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated
8 oz gruyere cheese, grated
8 oz parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 stick salted butter
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tbsp flour
fresh cracked pepper to taste
dash of fresh nutmeg
a little more cheese for topping
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

Boil pasta according to al dente, drain and set aside. In same pot that you boiled pasta melt butter on low, add flour and mix until smooth, add buttermilk, cheese, pepper and nutmeg. Cook on low until incorporated and smooth. Toss cooked pasta into cheese sauce, stir to combine. Butter casserole dish, pour pasta in dish. Top with extra grated cheese. Top cheese with panko. Bake for 30 minutes on 350.

Dark Days #3- The Cop Out

2011-01-04T19:53:00.001-05:00

This post should be titled "The Lame Ass Cook That Made a Really Great Meal Only Because The Ingredients Were Fabulous."

Like I have said previously, apologetically, my culinary creativity is in the dumps this week. I have no idea what is wrong with me. Maybe all of my energy is going into my resolutions or whatever or maybe I'm just off this week. Whatever it is, I made a really good dinner with 3 simple yet wonderful, local ingredients.

Duck Eggs from Broad River Pastures in Elberton, GA- broadriverpastures@gmail.com
Calamata Sunshine Cheese, artisinal gouda with calamata olives from Greendale Farms in Madison, GA- www.greendalefarm.com
Buttermilk from Johnston Family Farm in Newborn, GA (their milk rocks)

Happy New Year!

2011-01-02T12:38:00.000-05:00

I am ashamed that it has been TWO weeks since I have posted. Christmas really got the best of me this year and all of my culinary creativity and inspiration has been tied up in other things. I just put up all of the decorations and I am watching Julie & Julia for a little motivation/inspiration. I made black eyed peas yesterday and picked kale (instead of collards) from the garden to have luck and money this year. However we didn't eat it. We had leftover pizza and the kids had cereal for dinner. You know how they say that what you do on the first day of the year is what you will be doing the rest of the year-What is the rest of my year going to be like?!

Oh well. One of my resolutions is to give up useless worry. The others are to be more organized and to exercise. I have some aspirations for my blogging life as well. I plan to be more consistent with my posts, take better/more pictures and write more recipes. When I cook I mostly freestyle- just start cooking with a loose plan. However, this year I am writing recipes so that when I offer to guest blog on another food blog (as I have done and cannot think of a single recipe-ugh) I can whip out a fabulous recipe with out stress or worry (remember-giving up useless worry).

Julie is learning to poach an egg and now I am making big plans for the duck eggs I bought this week. Bon Appetit!

Dark Days #2: Portuguese Sausage and Kale Soup (my take on it, anyway)

2010-12-15T06:00:00.001-05:00

For my second Dark Days Challenge meal (make on meal a week 12/01/2010- 4/15/2011 that is sustainable, organic, local, ethical) I made my take on Portuguese Sausage and Kale Soup. I have a feeling there will be many soups made in this challenge. It is just so easy for me to use my frozen garden vegetables in this way.

All summer I save the trimmings from all of my fresh vegetable in the freezer. A few weeks ago I made vegetable stoth (technically not a stock but a lot more body than a broth) and froze it. So this was the base for my Kale soup.

Portuguese Sausage Kale Soup
1 lb homemade bulk Italian sausage
8 cups vegetable stoth
2 cups water
4 cups fresh kale, cut into small pieces
4 carrots chopped small
2 onions
1 potato chopped into 1/2 inch cubes
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt
2 bay leaves
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp cracked pepper

Heat oil in bottom of large pot, add onions, carrots and salt, cook until onions are translucent. Brown sausage, add stoth, water and potato. Add all seasonings, let simmer for 20 minutes, add kale, simmer another 20 minutes.

Homemade Sausage

2010-12-14T08:31:00.002-05:00

My husband's best friend is an avid hunter and quite successful at hunting. Last week he gave us two "hams" from a deer. I have to admit that I am not a huge fan of venison. However, two years ago my husband shot a deer and he suggested that we make breakfast sausage with it. Making the sausage was really fun and the it tasted great. So with this new gift we made lots of sausage.

My husband is the butcher in our family, both of his grandfathers were butchers. So he trimmed the fat and connective tissue off the meat and I cut it onto pieces that would fit into the grinder. Deer meat is extremely lean. You must add some other kind of fat to it. My husband went to the carnceria and asked for pork fat. What he got was this really nice belly fat. I trimmed the skin off (now I know why they made footballs out of the tough stuff) and cut into grinder size pieces. We decided we wanted a 20% fat sausage. So my husband, who is also the mathematician figured how much of each we needed. We put the meat in the grinder and began to crank. Yes, we have the old fashioned kind of grinder and wouldn't have it any other way. The kids loved helping.

We made bulk Italian sausage, breakfast sausage, and ground meat with fat for making chili and tacos.

Breakfast Sausage
2 lbs of ground meat
3 tbsp of fresh finely chopped sage
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp fresh cracked pepper
1/2 tsp cracked red pepper flakes
1/4 cup brown sugar

Mix all ingredients together with your hands until well incorporated. Brown and eat immediately or freeze for later use.

Bulk Italian Sausage
3 lbs of ground meat
1/4 cup of water
1/4 cup red wine
1 tbsp sea salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp fennel seeds
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp white pepper
1 tsp basil
1 tsp minced garlic

Mix all ingredients together with your hands until well incorporated. Brown and eat immediately or freeze for later use.

Cranberry Preserves

2010-12-09T06:00:00.001-05:00

One day I posted "I really do not think it is normal to dream about making jam." as my status on Facebook. The answer I got: "Not for you."

Here is the one I dreamed up (literally):

Cranberry Preserves
6 cups fresh cranberries
2 cups cranberry juice (Alton says water brings nothing to the party)
1 lemon- chopped very fine with rind
1 small orange- chopped very fine with rind
3 cups sugar
1 cup dried cranberries

Put all ingredients except for dried cranberries in a nonreactive pot. Cook on medium low for 20 minutes. Add dried cranberries, cook another 20 minutes on low stirring constantly. Pour in sterilized jars, process 20 minutes.

A Month of Free Butter and Cheese

2010-12-08T14:12:00.000-05:00

Check out the give away at Travel Eat Love. I really want the Dubliner with Stout. yummy!

Dark Days #1- Cilantro Pecan Pesto

2010-12-08T08:53:00.002-05:00

Do you remember my elation last week over my serendipitous garden meeting with my neighbor? I made the pesto for our first Dark Days Challenge meal and it was wonderful. I am still wrestling with the flour thing though. As I mentioned before, no wheat is grown near me(click here to see where wheat is grown in the US). And here I am with this fabulous pesto that is begging for bread or pasta. So after discussing it with my husband we decided that making our own pasta would be acceptable. The wheat is from far away in North America but the pasta comes from my kitchen.

As you know pesto usually includes Parmesan cheese. I had recently read Michael Chiarello's recipe for Walnut Ricotta pesto and decided that ricotta would take the place of parmesan in my recipe. I bought local buttermilk and whole milk and made my own ricotta. This is a very easy process.

The pasta- I am just not a roll it out, flour it up, be patient kind of girl. Pie crusts just irritate me. My husband is great in these situations. He is the official bread baker in our house. So I mixed up the pasta dough and he rolled it out and cut it with surgical precision.

I decided that the pasta would need a little acid. I have been letting some of my last green tomatoes ripen in a paper bag so I chopped 2 red(reddish) ones and threw them in the pan. Then I put half of the pesto, 1 cup of ricotta, and 1/2 cup of the pasta water in the pan heated it up until creamy tossed the cooked pasta and finished the pasta in the sauce.

Dinner was delicious. The kids even loved it. The pesto was bright and sunny and the ricotta gave it a warm, comfort food feel.

Cilantro Pecan Pesto:

Approx 6 cups of cilantro leaves
1 1/2 cups whole pecans
1 tsp kosher salt
1 garlic clove
1/2 cup olive oil
juice of half a lemon

Load all ingredients except oil into bowl of food processor or blender and chop. Drizzle in olive oil. Occasionally use a spatula to clean sides of bowl and mix again until desired consistency. Cover with plastic wrap touching pesto to deter oxidization.

Locavore Challenge

2010-12-01T11:57:00.001-05:00

Today kicks off Urban Hennery's Dark Days Challenge. The challenge is to make one meal per week using SOLE-Sustainable, Organic, Local, Ethical- ingredients from December 1, 2010 until April 15, 2011. With my fall garden in mind I signed up with confidence as soon as the announcement was made. However, now that it is here and I need to start thinking about what resources I have I am feeling the challenge. A few exceptions can be made such as coffee, chocolate, oils and spices. My exceptions (as of today) will be oils, spices, salt and pepper. I may have to add flour to the list later. Flour and corn meal are milled locally but at this time are hard for me to find being grown locally. I am thinking that I may make an exception for flour as long as I am making my own bread and pasta and try to use flour that is milled locally. This part I will work out as it happens.

After a visit to the garden today I am getting very excited about my first dark days meal. In Georgia we have had a very mild (to say the least- in the 70s) fall this year. My cilantro sprouted all over the garden from last spring's plantings. So as I was picking the cilantro I was imagining making a cilantro pesto with it. Then the best thing happened- my neighbor (that I have never spoken to) walked up to me in my garden and asked if I wanted some pecans he just harvested from his little pecan trees. Of course I wanted them- this was serendipity. Now my cilantro pesto could be included in the Dark Days challenge because I will use my neighbor's pecans instead of pine nuts. Yippee. I literally jumped up and down when I made this realization.

I plan to make the pesto today or tomorrow but will save it for a later meal when I have figured out how I am going to handle the flour issue, I am thinking either pasta or pizza. I promise to post the recipe for the pesto when I make it.

Real California Dairy Families

2010-11-23T12:17:00.003-05:00

Last month I had the most amazing opportunity to visit two family owned and operated dairy farms in Modesto, CA. I was invited along with other Mom Bloggers to the Mom to Mom Tour hosted by California Milk Advisory Board. I was surprised to find out that 98% of all California Dairy farms are family owned. We visited the Charles Ahlem farm that raises Jersey cows and the Durrer Dairy Farm which raises Holstein cows.The most impressive thing about these farms is the pride these families have in what they are doing. At both farms the first thing we were told in introductions was that the people who owned and operated these farms were 3rd or 4th generation dairymen. On both tours the whole family is involved, even the toddlers were in attendance.

Another thing that was telling of the pride these farmers posses is the way these cows are treated. The cows are given a carefully selected feed that is shown to keep these ladies healthy and producing milk. They sleep on water beds and walk on padded paths. They are cleaned regularly and misted with heat sensitive monitors to reduce stress. Happy cows indeed.

At one point we were able to sit down in small groups and talk with an Environmentalist, a Veterinarian, and a Dietitian. The environmentalist told us that the dairy industry's carbon foot print is 63% less over 65 years. Basically because of genetics and improved farming fewer cows are producing more milk. The veterinarian told us all about her day helping the families care for their cows. I was very interested in seeing the backpack ultrasound machine they use on the pregnant cows. The dietitian talked to us a little about some of the myths surrounding milk. One myth that was debunked was about antibiotics in milk. ALL milk, organic and conventional, is antibiotic free. Milk is tested many times once it leaves the dairy and if at any point any contaminants such as antibiotics are detected the milk is dumped and not processed.

I learned so much on this trip. The most important thing is that the whole process was demystified for me. I was really proud to show my kids the pictures of the cows being milked. Knowing where your food comes from is a big thing in our house and the kids were just as impressed with the process as I was.

To read more about family dairy farm life visit The Durrer Family blog .

All photos courtesy of one of the fabulous bloggers I met on this trip, Tonya Staab.

The views expressed in this post are my own honest and fair opinions and this post was not sponsored or paid for in any way by the manufacturer or an agent working on their behalf. The manufacturer and/or agent working on their behalf did one or more of the following: presented me with swag and/or products, paid my travel expenses, and paid for my meals.

Creating a California Cheese Course

2010-11-15T17:24:00.002-05:00

I recently had the privilege of having a an amazing dinner hosted by the California Milk Advisory Board at Galletto Ristorante in Modesto, CA with some other interesting mom bloggers. We enjoyed a fabulous presentation by Juliana Uruburu, a cheese monger from The Pasta Shop in Oakland, CA. I want to be Juliana's friend. She knows so much about cheese and is just so passionate about it that I want to be a cheese monger too. She talked about entertaining and creating cheese pairings. Here are some of Juliana's tips when planning a party or get together and serving cheese:

Serving Suggestions: 1 oz of cheese per person if it is part of a cheese course, 2 oz per person if it is part of a buffet, 3 oz per person if there is no other food
How to choose: Geographical, color/shape/texture, theme
When to serve different types of cheese: Before meal- lighter fare paired with fresh savory accompaniments, As the meal- palate cleanser, ingredient or course (fondue/salad/soup/gratin), After the meal- more complex aged cheeses paired with sweet accompaniments
Serving: create vignettes or pairing stations that encourage socializing, individual servings on a plate, or a platter to be passed

Juliana shared with us TWELVE, yes, as in 1-2, TWELVE different and unbelievably good California cheeses. My favorites were the Point Reyes Original Blue paired with ginger snaps and figs and the Marin French Double Brie with honey comb. I believe I may have been in a cheese coma after this presentation. But as I told my friend, this was truly my last supper fantasy dinner of cheese.

All photos courtesy of one of the fabulous bloggers I met on this trip, Tonya Staab.

The views expressed in this post are my own honest and fair opinions and this post was not sponsored or paid for in any way by the manufacturer or an agent working on their behalf. The manufacturer and/or agent working on their behalf did one or more of the following: presented me with swag and/or products, paid my travel expenses, and paid for my meals.

Meatless Monday: Meatless Meatballs

2010-11-08T09:00:00.000-05:00

Many, many, many years ago I was given this recipe by one of my vegetarian co-workers. She would bring this dish anytime we had a pot luck lunch. Actually, I sort of begged, possibly threatened, maybe forced her to make these delicious nuggets. I recently found the piece of paper that she wrote the recipe on and it is a sight. Very wrinkled, worn and stained- a sign that it is a great recipe.

Meatless Meatballs
1 cup crushed walnuts
1 cup shredded cheese
1 cup crushed wheat crackers
1 small onion, finely diced
3 eggs or 6 egg whites
Combine ingredients in bowl, roll into balls, put on cookie sheet. Bake 15-20 minutes at 350.

Sauce:
1 oz grape jelly (I think I have done a bit more to taste)
1 jar Heinz Chili sauce (doesn't have to be Heinz but this is what she wrote)
Heat ingredients in small pan, pour over balls and bake for 30 minutes at 350.