Cast Iron Chef Challenge

Today we will be at the Waterford Community Fairgrounds for Duran's Down Home Days. We will be competing in the Cast Iron Chef Challenge where we have to make dishes to be judged. They can only be made over coals or fire and in cast iron cookware. There is a fan favorite category, so come out and vote for our food! If you can't make it today, it will also be tomorrow! Hope to see you there! Pictures will be posted for sure!

Farm-to-Table

Did you know that the average piece of fruit or vegetable travels around 1500 miles before it hits the shelves of your grocery store? They are harvested before they are ripe. Then packed away to ship to your grocer. Tomatoes are usually shipped green or just starting to ripen. This allows two things to happen. The first is so that when it arrives at the store and they put it on the shelf, it is just about ripe so can take it home and enjoy it. The second is so that they can ship it without damage. Imagine what would happen if you had a huge crate of tomatoes fully ripe. The ones on the bottom would be squished to smithereens. You are also robbing yourself of important nutrients. Nutrients, vitamins, mineral... All of them aren't fully developed and are lacking. Flavor is also usually compromised. Picking them before they are ripe doesn't allow them to fully develop flavor. This is why your backyard garden vegetables have so much more flavor than store bought. 

The “Farm-to-Table” Movement has been going on for some time now. The idea of growing your own vegetables and fruits has been around since the settlers starting farming. Nowadays, Chefs are buying local produce and meat, and using them to make delicious and nutritious dishes. 

By purchasing produce from local farmers and farmer's markets, you are supporting the local farmers and putting money back into the local economy. While stimulating the local economy and keeping our local farmer’s in business, we will rely less on big box stores. We can eat more flavorful and nutritious food.

You can also save money by growing your own. There are lots of vegetables that you can grow in your garden. If you don't have room one, grow a couple of your favorite veggies in containers on a porch or patio.

So plant a seed and grow your dinner!

Some local places to buy fruits and veggies...

Duran's Farms
http://www.duransfarmfreshproducts.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Durans-Farm-Fresh-Products

Finnell Farms
https://www.facebook.com/finnell.farms?fref=ts

Mason Farms
http://www.masonfarms.net/
https://www.facebook.com/masonfarms?fref=ts

Frank's Farm Market and Bakery
http://franksfarmmarketandbakery.com/Home_Page.html
https://www.facebook.com/FranksFarmMarketAndBakery?fref=ts

I know there are more places but these are just a few all over the area.

Quick, Easy, and Fantastic Sauteed Okra

With the growing season coming up, it's time to think about what kind of vegetables and fruits you should plant in your garden. There is a gem that most people overlook. The plant produces very pretty flowers and then turns them into a tasty vegetable. Most people say "ewwww" to Okra. But just like my Brussels Sprouts recipe, I will change your mind. Fresh Okra from the garden is very tasty and if you cook it right, not slimy. My very picky teacher was not so excited when I asked him if he liked Okra. I asked him to try mine and he was reluctant but decided to follow his own advice and try it. He always said, "I'm not asking you to eat it, just taste it." He was impressed and said that it was actually pretty good! To me, that was a compliment and success! Here is my easy and quick Sauteed Okra recipe.

Sauteed Okra 
Serves 4
Prep Time: 5 min
Cook Time: 5 min
Total Time: 10 min

Ingredients:

• 10-12 Fresh Okra 
• 1 Tbls Butter
• 1/2 tsp. Swine Dining's Sparlicon Seasoning

Directions:

1. Clean Okra and cut into 1/4" slices. 
2. In a medium fry pan, melt butter over medium high heat.
3. Add Okra and season with Sparlicon. More or less according to taste.
4. Saute until lightly golden or "slime" disappears.
5. Serve

The interesting thing about Okra is that the edible pod that is formed on the plant starts out as a flower. It blooms for a day or so, then closes up and forms the pod you eat. The flower is actually really pretty. Below is a couple pictures of the flower.

Okra Flower

Okra Flower

Okra Pod

Sliced Okra

Melt butter

Sauteing in butter

Caramelized with little to no "slime

It has a great taste and many people like it. I like to find ways to cook vegetable that most people will turn their nose up at. My philosophy is, if you don't like something, try it again a different way. Sometimes one bad experience will ruin it for someone. Just keep an open mind and be willing to try new things! As always, leave a comment if you like it! Or if you don't!

Kale Chips

So you're sitting at home watching TV and you suddenly have a craving for potato chips. But you know that tomorrow, you will regret eating them. Instead of starchy, greasy potatoes, try making Kale Chips. They are tasty, healthy, and super easy to make.

Basic Kale Chips

Prep Time: 5 min

Cook Time: 8-10 min

Total Time: 13-15 min

Serves 4 (1 C each)

Ingredients:

• 1 Bunch of Fresh Kale
• 2 Tbls. Olive Oil
• 1/4 tsp. Course Sea Salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Wash and thoroughly dry Kale.
3. Tear Kale in small to medium piece away from stem.
4. In a large mixing bowl, toss pieces of Kale with olive oil so that it is minimally dressed. Sprinkle with salt and toss again.
5. Cover a sheet pan with parchment paper and lay Kale pieces in single layer on top. 
6. Bake for 8-10 min, or until Kale is crispy but not charred.
7. Remove from oven, let cool for 1 minute, then devour!

Notes: Be sure to watch them as they will go from perfect to overdone in a matter of just one minute. You can add any seasoning you'd like. Parmesan cheese goes well with them. Once Kale is dark green and crisp to touch, it is done. Army green is overdone and can get a little bitter. 

Nutritional Facts:

• Calories - 127
• Fat - 8g
• Carbs - 13g
• Sodium - 198mg
• Fiber - 3g
• Protein - 4g
• Cholesterol - 0
• Sugar - 0

Be sure to dry the Kale and remove the tough stems.

Tear into bite size pieces.

Lightly dress with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.

Place on parchment paper lined cookie sheet in a single layer.

Kale should be nice and dark green and crisp to the touch.

Throw into a bowl and enjoy!

Easter Egg Coloring Update

So as you know, I posted about coloring Easter Eggs on my last post. Unfortunately, I did not have time to try the Natural Dye's this year but I thought that I would share on the eggs I received from my father. I explained how he took his time on coloring his eggs and he comes up with some really spectacular looking eggs. Here are 2 of the eggs he brought us for Easter.

My Chef Hawleywood Egg!

He has very fancy handwriting!

Fancy designs.

His interpretation of a "Stained Glass" egg.

Side of "Stained Glass" egg.

Every year, the last eggs to get used usually end up being my dad's. Nobody wants to ruin his creations. Unless of course they have our names on them. In that case, we use them first for our traditional "Easter Soup". I just thought I'd share my dad's eggs and show you what he does every year.

Natural Easter Egg Colors

It's that time of year where everyone is rushing to the store to get egg dye to color Easter Eggs. As a kid, it was a tradition every year. My dad would spend 30 minutes on just one egg creating his masterpieces. I was too excited and would have half the eggs colored while he was doing his first egg. As I got older, I also started to take more time on my eggs. With the creation of sites like Pinterest, new ways of coloring eggs have popped up. One of the sites/blogs that I came across, had some really amazing looking eggs. They were sort of earthy and pleasing. I was intrigued by the colors, and the textures they left on the eggs so I thought I would share this with all my viewers. And it is nice that they are all made with natural ingredients.

For the egg dyes, Click here

Check out her blog too!

International Dinner - Russia

This week's dinner was managed by yours truly and my classmate Nick. Overall, it went great. I had my concerns with presentation as the food had a lot of the same colors. But my team had a great eye and a ton of talent that made each dish look great. I was most concerned by our dessert. It was called Jam Cake which was more like a torte. But it exceeded my expectations!

Blini-Buckwheat Pancake, Cured Salmon, Creme Fraiche, Capers, and Dill

Ukrainian Style Borscht

Shashlyk-Lamb Kabobs with Red Onion and Mushroom Caps, Served over Kasha, garnished with sauce and  green onions.

Jam Cake served with Hazelnut Liquor Creme Chantilly, Sliced Strawberry, and Strawberry Jam Sauce.

Unfortunately, I missed a picture of the Red Cabbage Salad before they all went out. We still have 2 dinners left. So if you haven't attended one, make a reservation today!