Farmer's Market May 17, 2008



I decided to skip the North Market this morning because of the Walk for the Cure traffic drama. Instead, I headed to the Worthington Market. I got there almost exactly at 9. I zipped through the entire market in about 20 minutes. I got some bacon for the boyfriend from OMC, as well as a couple boneless butterflied chops that I am defrosting now, for dinner tonight.

I got some more asparagus from Wishwell (which will also be grilled tonight). I also got some red potatoes, scallions, and some yummy fresh peas. I also got a bag of lettuce and some strawberry jam from Sweet Thing.

Geoff's mom is coming to visit next weekend, and I am planning on taking her to the markets Saturday. But, I am also looking for a great new restaurant or two to try. We always take her to the same places, and I would love some suggestions! I am looking for a great lunch place, as well as a great dinner place, and price is no concern! Please comment with any ideas you have.

My new favorite Trader Joe's item



I use this salsa on top of chili, tacos, fajitas, nachos, etc. Or, just plain, with chips! It is a must have. In the store, it's located right next to the tortilla chips with the other jarred salsas, if they aren't sold out.

I promise a real post is coming soon! I'm in a big transition, with dieting and all, and have not been trying many new recipes. But, I am 18 lbs down since the beginning of February, so at least something is working! I am very excited for all the fresh produce coming our way at the farmer's markets, and I am sure that will definitely give me much inspiration!

Turkey Lasagna

I know, I just posted a recipe for turkey chili, but this lasagna is absolutely amazing!



Not the best picture, but as usual, I forgot to snap a picture out of hunger.

Barefoot Contessa Turkey Lasagna

From the Barefoot Contessa Family Style cookbook

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 onion)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 pounds sweet Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes in tomato puree
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound lasagna noodles
15 ounces ricotta cheese
3 to 4 ounces creamy goat cheese, crumbled
1 cup grated Parmesan, plus 1/4 cup for sprinkling
1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
1 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat the olive oil in a large (10 to 12-inch) skillet. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the sausage and cook over medium-low heat, breaking it up with a fork, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until no longer pink. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, the basil, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat, for 15 to 20 minutes, until thickened.

Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with the hottest tap water. Add the noodles and allow them to sit in the water for 20 minutes. Drain.

In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, goat cheese, 1 cup of Parmesan, the egg, the remaining 2 tablespoons of parsley, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Set aside.

Ladle 1/3 of the sauce into a 9 by 12 by 2-inch rectangular baking dish, spreading the sauce over the bottom of the dish. Then add the layers as follows: half the pasta, half the mozzarella, half the ricotta, and one 1/3 of the sauce. Add the rest of the pasta, mozzarella, ricotta, and finally, sauce. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of Parmesan. Bake for 30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling.

I actually left out the goat cheese in this recipe. Oh, and I just boiled the lasagna noodles as usual. This is probably the best lasagna I have ever had!

Since my friend Sara has been dieting since last may, and has lost a whopping 65 pounds, she sat down with her calculator and figured out a pretty close estimate of the calories in this dish. If you cut the lasagna into about 8 equal servings, each serving has about 550 calories.

Blizzard '08!

There is a path to the front door!



See that little green thing sticking out of the snow? That is a 12 inch ruler. This was taken at about 2 PM today. It has snowed at least another 2 inches since then.



Another picture of the front of the house:



On top of all the snow, our furnace went out yesterday afternoon. Geoff was home from work and decided to change the furnace filter. After he put the new filter in, the furnace would not turn back on. He called me at work in a panic, and I decided to leave early. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise because the roads were bad, but not as bad as they would be a couple hours later.

After putting a call in to our home warranty company, we sat and waited for the furnace repair people to call us and hopefully tell us they were coming out. Just in case, we ventured out to the Sears Hardware down the street, on Henderson Rd., and bought a couple fancy space heaters. Luckily, the furnace guy showed up at about 530. Turns out the transformer in the furnace was blown and just needed replaced. Since it was under our home warranty, this only cost us a copay of $55. Looks like we can return at least one of the space heaters. The other one has proven quite useful in heating the colder-than-the-rest-of-the-house kitchen and family room.

As far as food, I defrosted a quart container of my Chicken Tortilla Soup and had a yummy warm lunch after shoveling the driveway. Oh yes, I did help. Here is proof!



It is far away, a little Marla Hooch-ish ala A League of Their Own, but proof nonetheless.

Turkey Chili



Ground turkey breast is one of those things that I try to use to cut down calories in dishes normally using ground beef. I have a great Turkey Meatloaf recipe I will share one day, I have even made ground turkey tacos. But, by far, my favorite is turkey chili. You can pretty much use any chili recipe and simply substitute ground turkey breast or ground turkey for the beef. Here is my recipe:

Jule's Turkey Chili

- about 1 lb of ground turkey breast (whatever comes in a regular sized package)
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 sweet bell peppers, red, yellow or orange, or any combination, chopped in one inch pieces
- 1 medium sweet onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 1/2 - 2 tbsp chili powder
- 1 1/2 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

For toppings:

- Finely diced red onion
- Sour Cream
- Grated Cheddar
- Tortilla Chips

Add olive oil to a large pot or enameled cast iron dutch oven on medium heat. Add onion and cook for about 10 minutes, until transulcent. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, then add the peppers and cook for another 3 minutes. Add the chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Stir until all the spices and well mixed with the onion and peppers, then add the ground turkey breast. Break up with a wooden spoon and continue cooking until the turkey is just cooked through. Then add the can of crushed tomatoes. Simmer, uncovered, for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with the toppings, or refrigerate and reheat gently before serving. This also freezes wonderfully for an easy weeknight meal.

Mexican Chicken Soup aka Chicken Tortilla Soup

Why does mirepoix make me so happy?



From the Barefoot Contessa at Home cookbook

4 split (2 whole) chicken breasts, bone in, skin on
Good olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups chopped onions (2 onions)
1 cup chopped celery (2 stalks)
2 cups chopped carrots (4 carrots)
4 large cloves garlic, chopped
2 1/2 quarts chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes in puree, crushed
2 to 4 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander seed
1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves, optional
6 (6-inch) fresh white corn tortillas

For serving: sliced avocado, sour cream, grated Cheddar cheese, and tortilla chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the chicken breasts skin side up on a sheet pan. Rub with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until done. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, discard the skin and bones, and shred the meat. Cover and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the onions, celery, and carrots and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until the onions start to brown. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes with their puree, jalapenos, cumin, coriander, 1 tablespoon salt (depending on the saltiness of the chicken stock), 1 teaspoon pepper, and the cilantro, if using. Cut the tortillas in 1/2, then cut them crosswise into 1/2-inch strips and add to the soup. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 25 minutes. Add the shredded chicken and season to taste. Serve the soup hot topped with sliced avocado, a dollop of sour cream, grated Cheddar cheese, and broken tortilla chips.



I did make one change to this recipe. I made it once before, and the sliced tortillas took over the whole soup, and made it a little too thick. So, this time I used only 4 tortillas, and sliced them only 1/4 inch thick. This made the soup perfect. I also added a 10 ounce bag of frozen corn. I actually forgot the corn until after I had already eaten and taken this picture, but I did taste it, and it definitely made it that much better. I froze three quarts of it to enjoy later.

Belated New Year Goals

I prefer to say goals for the new year, because it sounds more pleasant to me than "resolution". Plus, less daunting. Okay, so here are my GOALS for 2008:

1. Plant a vegetable/herb garden in my new huge and empty backyard.

2. Finally make homemade chicken stock.

3. Bake bread from scratch.

4. Use my meat grinder. For some reason, I have been scared of it...

5. Learn to can vegetables.

6. Start going for walks at least 5 times a week.

7. Remember to take my reusable totes with me shopping. I have at least 10, there is no excuse.

8. Completely switch over to all natural cleaning products.


What are your goals for this year?

You know the food is good when your boyfriend does this.....

Italian Beef



I got this recipe from Geoff's mom, and we absolutely loved it! I actually made it with an English Roast the first time, and a rump roast the second time. We preferred the English, but both were great. The carrots in the pic were so easy and turned out so delicious (notice the HUGE serving, hehe) I have to share the method of how I cooked them:

From the Barefoot Contessa Family Syle cookbook

2 pounds carrots
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or flat-leaf parsley

Peel the carrots and cut them diagonally in 1/4-inch slices. You should have about 6 cups of carrots. Place the carrots, 1/3 cup water, the salt, and pepper in a large (10 to 12-inch) saute pan and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and cook over medium-low heat for 7 to 8 minutes, until the carrots are just cooked through. Add the butter and saute for another minute, until the water evaporates and the carrots are coated with butter. Off the heat, toss with the dill or parsley. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve.

I omitted the dill or parsley simply because I didn't have any.

Okay, now to the BEEF.

Italian Beef Roast

5 1/2 lb. rolled chuck or rump roast
1 Tablespoon. garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp. organo
1 1/2 tsp. fennel
2 1/2 Tablespoon salt
1 1/8 tsp. chili powder
1 1/2 tsp. anise
1/2 tsp. rosemary
1 1/2 tsp. accent
1 1/8 tsp. blackpepper
1 1/8 tsp. paprika
1/8 can tomato paste

Place beef in a heavy pan (like an enameled cast iron). Add all ingredients. Add 5 cups of water. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Turn oven down to 300 degrees and continue for another 3 hours. The juice is great over mashed potatoes.

Christmas

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a great Christmas, as I did. I cooked a big meal on Christmas Eve, but I haven't uploaded the pics yet. I will post them, as well as a recipe, later on today or tomorrow.

As for gifts this year, I got plenty of food related items, including 2 new books. One is by Harold McGee, called On Food and Cooking, and the other is called Hidden Kitchens by Nikki Silva and Davia Nelson. I am excited to dive into both! I am off work until January 2nd, so I will have plenty of time to read and relax until then.

I also got the 12 quart stockpot I wanted, so I will be able to make chicken stock, a cast iron grill pan, and a new digital camera! Hopefully the camera will help me get some better quality pics of my food. Okay, I will post more later!