Canning and Putting Up Party

This blog was suppose to begin with a picture of a garden fresh blt, but I had already eaten it before I realized a picture had not been taken. The first sign of red tomatoes on the vine had me craving it and I had no self control when the delicious red tomato and bacon were sitting on my plate between two pieces of homemade bread. With all of the work that we have put into our garden this year, I wanted to take a day we could enjoy the fruits of our labor and can some of our bounty to enjoy this winter.

This garden has definitely been a family affair. My dad and husband have put in countless hours in the garden combating bugs, weeds, and other creatures. My mom has been ready to put up or serve whatever we harvest and we even have my grandparents who are in their 80's making pickles and putting up onions. This Saturday we all came together to work on the harvest and to enjoy some delicious food so fresh the dirt had to be knocked off of it.

We started the day by putting up a bushel of peaches. This brings the total to 1.5 bushels for the year but we love our peaches. We slice them, add a little fruit fresh, and put them in 3 cup bags that we then store in the freezer. With these you can make pies, cobblers, smoothies, enjoy them on yogurt, or use them in bread. And have no fear, before we froze them we enjoyed another round of peach ice cream and peach cobbler.

After the peaches were done we broke for lunch and had the famous blt's (again, sorry no pic). We also had some pickled beans that the Househusband and I had made earlier in the week. They were so easy to make and taste a lot like a pickle. All you do is cut up beans and whatever else you want to throw in. We added some onions and peppers. Then you mix together 5 cups water, 1 cup vinegar, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 salt. Pack the jars with the beans, pour in the liquid mixture, put the top on and let it sit in the frig at least 48 hours. Then they are pickled and ready to be enjoyed!

The afternoon was spent making salsa and putting up onions we had grown. Some of the onions were not storing well, so my grandparents chopped them up, caramelized them, and froze them in 1 cup bags. These are going to be awesome in soups or on hamburgers.

Mom and I spent the afternoon making our first batch of salsa. It has a good taste but was decided that we will be adding more tomatoes for the next round.

I have to stop for a moment and brag on my Mom. She is one of the busiest people I know and is preparing for my brother to get married this year and a new grandbaby and she still has managed to put up corn, hashbrowns, jalapeno jelly, sweet jalapenos, coleslaw, green beans, and blackberry jam. The lady wears me out.

While we were plugging away in the kitchen, the Househusband was out gathering more from the garden. We gathered up what he picked and our dinner included fried green beans and okra, zucchini fritters, corn on the cob, grilled squash, and last but not least peach cobbler.

As I was taking this next pic I was trying to ignore the fact that the Househusband was frying in 2 sticks of butter and bacon fat.

Needless to say by the end of the day we were exhausted. But it was great to spend the day together and have the satisfaction of being able to serve something we grew together.

Blog to you soon,
Lucy

Food Truck Night

A heat advisory and 104 degrees on the thermostat did not stop us from enjoying the second Food Truck Night in Tower Grove Park. http://www.saucemagazine.com/blog/?p=11553 Fifteen food trucks from St Louis lined up in Tower Grove opened up their doors and dulled out delicious foods ranging from tacos, pizza, crepes, cupcakes, and hot dogs. I enjoyed a delicious basil watermelon lemonade from Southwest Diner and a BLT crepe from Holy Crepe! I finished the evening with a Chunky Monkey Cupcake from The Sweet Divine.

We layed out a blanket and gathered with friend's for the evening. I wish I would've taken more pics of food and truck pics, but I was in the company of these precious babies which had me distracted. These cute guys, or as I like to refer to them as my daughter's future suitors, are about 8 weeks old and as cuddly as can be.

I am in the middle of canning today with the whole family so I better get back to work! Details and pics to come tomorrow!

Blog to you soon!
Lucy

Farmer's Market Season

Folks, if you are buying your fruits and veggies from the supermarkets right now you are missing out. We are smack dab in the middle of vegetable season here in Missouri and the Farmer's Markets are crawling with fresh, local, and often times organic produce. Since becoming interested (or maybe obsessed is a better word) with the slow food movement, I have been a huge fan of Farmer's Markets. To find a listing of Farmer's Markets in the St Louis area go to http://agebb.missouri.edu/fmktdir/view.asp?region=5. There many of the markets that are open at night during the week.

A couple of great ones I have ventured to this summer are the Maplewood and Tower Grove markets. Maplewood is on Wednesday nights from 4-7 and is located in the Schfaly Bottleworks parking lot. To have a stand at this market you must be local and organic. The CSA Paul is interning at has a booth there every week. http://www.earthdancefarms.org/

This past weekend we went to the Tower Grove Farmer's Market. http://www.tgmarket.org/ This market also consists of only local products. We bought some excellent cheese from Marcoot Jersey Creamery and Free Range Eggs from Prairie Grass Farms. We ended the morning with a grilled cheese from The Big Cheese and live music in the park.

And last, but certainly not least, I must mention the Farmer's Market in Bourbon, MO. Bourbon is a small town about an hour out of St Louis and the home of Paramount Apparel where I spend 40 hours a week saving the world one hat at a time. The town also has a precious Farmer's Market. There is a lady that sells organic grains including quinoa who I refer to as my dealer. Also for the past 2 years they have had peaches from Bader Farms in Campbell, Missouri. http://www.baderpeaches.com/ Last year I picked up a bushel and with my grandma and grandpa put them up and enjoyed them all winter. Last weekend I bought 1/2 bushel and put up 22 cups, made peach ice cream, peach bread, and a cobbler. Have I mentioned how much I love peaches? For all of you peach fanatics out there, this weekend is the Peach Festival at Kirkwood Farmer's Market. http://www.downtownkirkwood.com/peach-festival.asp

On another note, the Househusband needs a new nickname which I am currently working on. He is never at the house and hasn't seen a women's talk show in weeks. He is spending about 8 hours a week at the CSA he interns at, 24 hours a week working on an organic farm, and the rest of the time appraising. This leaves him very little time to do Househusbandly duties. However, he is bringing home tasty food weekly and is learning an unbelievable amount about growing food organically. In the meantime my house is a wreck and we are running from one place to another. But our hearts are full and my belly is growing and that is all that matters :)
Blog to you soon!
Lucy

Let the parties begin!

We found out yesterday that the baby we are expecting in November is a little baby girl. Oh my goodness am I going to be hard to live with. She already is the proud owner of a red and white striped bikini and a Boston Terrier t-shirt :) And oh the parties to be planned! Tea parties, birthday parties, and all sorts of girly events!

My family was coming up to go out to dinner with us, so I put together a small gender reveal for them. Following the nursery rhyme, "What Little Girls are Made Of," I put together a box with pink sugar cookies in it. In the cookies were little signs that said what little girls are made of. "Sugar, and Spice, and Everything Nice!" The lid of the box said, "It's a Girl!'

I wrapped up the boxes with a boy, and put everyone's name on the tag. Their name was in the color of the gender they thought the baby was going to be. Dad was the only one who got it wrong!

For dinner, we went to the Fountain on Locust in St Louis http://www.fountainonlocust.com/fountainonlocust.com/Fountain_On_Locust.html

I'll be honest, I picked this place for the ice cream. Best banana split ever! My mom had a sundae made of Zanzibar Chocolate and After Dinner mint ice cream that was also to die for!

At five o'clock in the morning on a day off I am wide awake with excitement. It is still surreal to me that I get to be a precious baby girl's mom. The first thing we bought when we found out we were having a baby was a bib that read, "Star of Mommy's Blog." Come November expect this blog to be flooded with pink :)

Slap Yo' Mama

This time of year is so exciting for cooking. After a winter of coming up with things to eat, we have fresh veggies and fruit available once again. With strawberries season in full swing, I have been a cooking fool. Below are a couple of Slap Yo' Mama good recipes I made for a birthday party and an ice cream social.

Strawberry Sorbet
1/2 lb fresh strawberries hulled and sliced
3/4 cup sugar
Juice of 1 large or 2 medium lemons
1/4 cup corn syrup
2 cups cold water
Combine the strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice in a mixing bowl. Refrigerate covered at least 1 hour.
When ready to freeze the sorbet, mash the strawberries until pureed. Add the corn syrup and water and stir until blended.
Transfer the mixture to and ice cream maker and freeze following the manufacturer's instructions.
Makes 1 quart.

Strawberry Pie
1 quart fresh strawberries
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 unbaked pie crust
1/2 cup whipping cream

Hull strawberries. Chop 1/2 of the berries into small pieces.
Place chopped berries into a sauce pan and begin to cook over medium heat. Mix sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add to pan with crushed berries. Add lemon juice and cook on low heat for about 10 minutes or until mixture thickens. Remove from heat.
Cut remaining strawberries into halves and mix with the cooked mixture.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place pie crust into 9" pie plate. Flute edges. Prick with fork all over, about 40 times. Place piece of foil inside pie crust, lightly pressing around inside bottom edges of crust.
Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and remove foil. Return to oven and bake for 5 minutes until edges are golden brown.
Pour strawberry mixture into baked pie shell. Chill in refrigerator for 2 hours or until pie is set. Serve with whipped cream if desired.

With all of the magazines coming out with peach recipes, I can hardly wait for peach season next month! I used some of our last bags of frozen peaches to make the recipes below.

Peach Pie
10 fresh peaches, pitted and sliced.
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 recipe pastry for a 9 in double crust pie

Mix flour, sugar, and butter into crumb stage
Place one crust in the bottom of a 9 in pie plate. Line the shell with some sliced peaches. Sprinkle some of the butter mixture on top of the peaches then put more peaches on top of the crumb mixture. Continue layering until both the peaches and crumb are gone.
Top with lattice strips of pie crust
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until crust is golden. Allow pie to cool before slicing.


Overnight Peach French Toast
1 loaf unsliced egg bread cut into 3/4 in cubes
4 cups peeled, pitted, and chopped peaches (about 8)
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese cut into small cubes
Ground cinnamon
6 large eggs
3 cups milk 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Maple Peach Sauce (recipe follows)
Place half of the bread cubes in 9X13 inch baking dish lightly coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle peaches and cream cheese evenly over top. Dust with cinnamon and top with remaining bread cubes.
In large bowl with hand mixer, beat eggs, milk, brown sugar, and vanilla until well combined. Slowly pour mixture evenly over bread, pressing bread slightly to coat completely. Dust with cinnamon. Cover and chill overnight.
Bake uncovered at 350 degrees until set and top is golden brown about 35-40 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting into squares. Serve with Maple Peach Sauce.
Makes 9 servings

Maple Peach Sauce
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup water
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
2 cups peeled, pitted, diced peaches (2-3)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract

In medium saucepan, stir together brown sugar and cornstarch. Add water and syrup; bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook stirring frequently until sightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in peaches, cinnamon, and vanilla. Simmer for 2 minutes. Serve warm over french toast.



Blog to you soon!
Lucy

Dirty Vegetables

While most people headed for the lake and BBQ's this weekend, we headed to the country for a weekend of sun and dirt. Paul and I have become increasingly interested in growing our own food. After hours of pouring over seed magazines, reading books on growing organic vegetables, Paul's volunteer hours at a CSA and part time job at an organic farm, we have what I consider a pretty impressive garden for amateurs. We finally successfully started tomatoes and peppers from seeds. Our garden is home to 50 tomato plants, 34 pepper plants, 168 potato plants, 3 1/2 rows of onions, and several other plants!

The garden is absolutely my favorite place to be. The fresh air, the time spent with family, and the satisfaction of a freshly weeded garden is priceless. The calluses from weeding, the dirty fingernails, and the uneven farmer's tan is a small price to pay for the bounty that is to come!

We did get to enjoy some of the fruits of our labor. We are getting strawberries off of the strawberry bed we put in last year. We made a strawberry salad, strawberry ice cream, and enjoyed them over yogurt! We also found a fabulous recipe for peach bread and used peaches from the freezer we had put up last summer. We also are enjoying fresh lettuce from the farm Paul is working on. It is fresh from the ground and comes with lots of dirt but is a small price to pay for fresh from the garden produce. More garden pictures and recipes to come throughout the summer!

Peach Bread

2 cups peeled, pitted, and sliced homegrown peaches (about 3 medium)

6 Tablespoons sugar

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon salt

1 ½ cups sugar

½ cup butter, softened

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Coarsely chop peaches mixed with 6 tablespoons sugar. 

In medium bow, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; set aside.

In large mixer bowl, beat the 1 ½ cups sugar and butter at medium speed until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, peach mixture, and vanilla; beat at low speed until well combined.  Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until combined. 

Divide batter among four mini loaf pans that have been lightly coated with no-stick cooking spray and dusted with flour.  Bake in 350 degree oven until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 25 to 30 minutes.  Cool in pans 10 minutes; invert onto wire racks to cool completely.

Cinco de Mustache

Best. Party. Ever. But before I proceed, let me give a little background on the mustache obsession as I am sure that many of you who read this blog are wondering what the deal is. Last Cinco de Mayo, plans were made with my coworkers to celebrate Cinco de Mayo at Los Cabos Mexican restaurant. As the day drew near, I went to a party store to find some party favors for the event. For whatever reason, call it fate, I picked up fiesta mustaches. We had dinner, a few margaritas, and then put the mustaches on. Tears were flowing down faces and a frenzy of photos began. You never get bored of taking different shots with mustaches on. We declared it an epic evening and so began our obsession with mustaches. They also accompanied us to the wineries that weekend but on sticks as it was a more formal affair.

As Cinco 2011 drew near, we knew that mustaches would be involved and that we would have to hold the 2nd annual event at Los Cabos. We wanted to step it up a notch so we decided to make an official Cinco de Mustache 2011 logo. Much like they do for Oktoberfest, we decided we would have a different logo each year. Maggie (or as she was referred to for the day, Margarita) designed this year's logo. It was on the invitation as well as the official 2011 Cinco de Mustache t-shirt.

The second addition for 2011 were mini sombreros. Best $3.00 I have ever spent. The night consisted of eating dinner, drinking margs, and taking a million pictures in mustaches. Can't wait for Cinco de Mustache 2012!



-Lucy