Pumpkin Lasagna

Today is the first day of October, the month celebrating the great pumpkin!  Here's a recipe that uses pumpkin in a big way -- as the base for a vegetarian lasagna dish.  This recipe calls for canned pumpkin, but if you're feeling particularly daring (and have extra time on your hands), you can roast a pie pumpkin and puree it for the base.   

Ingredients
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 pound of Swiss chard, stems removed, leaves washed well and chopped
1 cup of spinach (fresh or frozen)
2 teaspoons of salt
2 teaspoons of pepper
3 tablespoons of sage, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
3 15-oz cans of pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cup of shredded parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cup of heavy cream
1/2 cup of milk
12 lasagna noodles

Preparation
1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Boil water, cook lasagna noodles until al dente (about 8 minutes). 

2.  Heat a large pan over medium-high heat, add oil and onions, cooking onions until tender and translucent (about 8 minutes).

3.  Add Swiss chard, spinach, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of pepper, 2 tablespoons of sage, and 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg to the pan.  Cook, and stir regularly until greens wilt (about 8 minutes).  Remove from heat.

4.  In a medium bowl, mix two cans of pumpkin, 3/4 cup of heavy cream, 1/2 cup of shredded parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of pepper, 1 tablespoon of sage, and 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg. 

5.  Pour milk into a 9 x 13 pan. 

6.  Layer 4 noodles on top of the milk. 

7.  Spread half of the pumpkin mixture on top of the noodles.

8.  Then layer half of the "greens" on top of pumpkin mix.  Cover with another layer of noodles and repeat with pumpkin and greens.  Layer a final set of noodles on top.

9.  Combine 1 cup of pumpkin and 3/4 cup of cream. 

10.  Spread over top of lasagne noodles and sprinkle with remaining cup of parmesan cheese. 

11.  Cover pan with aluminium foil and cook for 20 minutes.  Remove foil, and bake until cheese is melted and bubbly, about 15 minutes longer.

"A Little Something for Everyone" Chili

It is officially fall, my favorite time of year (well maybe not officially according to the calendar, but in my eyes it is)!  The weather is cooling down, there is crispness in the air, and football is on the tv.  Time to make some chili!

This is my favorite chili recipe because it's got a little something for everyone -- fresh vegetables, different kinds of meat, an assortment of beans, and a little bit of spice.  The secret is to make this the night before, cool in the fridge and then reheat the next day in a crock pot on low to get all those flavors going.   I like to serve it with some corn bread muffins drizzled with honey (to add a little sweet to balance the spice).

Ingredients
1 lb of ground beef
1 lb of sausage
1 onion, diced
2 peppers, diced
2 cloves of garlic, diced
3 tomatoes, diced
2 15-oz cans of tomato sauce
2 15-oz cans of diced tomatoes
3 tablespoons of chili powder
1.5 teaspoons of cumin
1 teaspoon of oregano
1 15-oz can of garbanzo beans
1 15-oz can of kidney beans

Preparation
1.  Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add ground beef and diced sausage (any kind works, I threw in some regular sausage and chorizo, but you can use hot Italian as well).  Cook until almost cooked through.

 

2.  Add the diced onion, peppers, and garlic to the Dutch oven with the meat.  Cook for another 8-10 minutes until the vegetables are tender.  Remove from heat and drain excess fat. 

3.  Lower heat to medium-low and add diced fresh tomatoes, tomato sauce, canned diced tomatoes, chili powder, cumin and oregano.  Cover and cook for 45 minutes.

4.  Add garbanzo beans and kidney beans to the Dutch oven and continue cooking for 15 minutes, uncovered. 

5.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.  Cover with lid and place in the refridgerator overnight.  The next day, warm in a crock pot for 2-4 hours on low and serve with cheddar cheese, sour cream and an assortment of hot sauces!

Potato Leek Soup

Back in 2006, when we had all the time and money in the world (re: pre-children), my husband and I went on a trip to Ireland and Scotland.  It was absolutely fantastic... I loved everything about it -- the people were so friendly, the places we visited were so calm and serene, and the food was hearty and comforting. 

We visited in March and it was a bit chilly while we were there (especially up in Scotland). 

This potato leek soup reminds me of the soup we had when we stopped at a pub for lunch and warmed up by the fire (with a pint, of course).  Creamy, rich and delicious - it's perfect as the fall season comes around!  Enjoy with some crusty bread (and a pint of dark beer).

Ingredients
2 tablespoons of butter
5 strips of bacon, chopped
2 leeks
3/4 cup of white wine
8-9 smaller yukon gold potatoes (about 3 lbs) peeled and cubed
6 cups of chicken stock
1.5 teaspoons of white pepper
2 teaspoons of salt
3/4 cup of heavy cream
1 tablespoon of chives

Preparation
1.  Chop bacon.  Melt better in a large Dutch oven over medium heat and add bacon.  Cook for 5-6 minutes until bacon is tender.

2.  Cut off green parts from the leeks, using the white/light green part of the stem.  Cut the stem length-wise and then into slices (half-moons).  Save one of the green tops and tie with kitchen string.  Add the sliced leeks to the pot and cook for 6-8 minutes until tender.

3.  Add 3/4 cup of white wine to the pot.  Bring to a boil, scraping up bits of bacon and leeks.

4.  Add potatoes, chicken stock, green top of leek, and salt and pepper to the pot.  Bring to a boil.  Lower heat to medium low and simmer for 30 minutes until potatoes are tender.

5.  Remove leek top.  Using a blender or food processor, puree all of the soup except for about one cup (I like a little bit of chunk in my soup).  Return to the pot.

6.  To the pureed soup, add 3/4 cup of heavy cream and chives.  Warm over medium heat to allow flavors to blend. 

7.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve immediately.

The Source

Wolfgang Puck's The Source in DC has gotten mixed reviews, and mostly diners feel "meh" about it (but rave about the Dim Sum brunch they offer on weekends).  Generally, I try to stay away from restaurants that get those types of reviews because when I spend my hard-earned money on dinner, I want to be happy after I drop $200, and feeling like it was worth it. 

Despite the warning signs from Yelp and UrbanSpoon, I pushed on to The Source because I have had some of Chef Drewno's creations at charity events and they were tasty.  I wanted to give The Source a fair shot to wow me where others were disappointed.

We arrived for dinner on a Saturday night around 7pm.  It was a gorgeous fall day so I asked the hostess (who, in all honesty, was a bit snobby) if the patio was open for seating.  She noted that it was closed.  What?  Closed?  On a perfect 70 degree fall day?  Uh... okay.

The dining room was simple and clean with walls of wine bottles, glass, and high-ceilings.  Our waitress was very friendly, attentive and nice as we started off our meal.  I thorougly enjoyed the pear martini-type cocktail and the DC Brau beer they offered on the beer menu.  And the sesame seed green beans with candied pecans were a yummy way to start off dinner.  

For an appetizer, I would highly recommend the spicy tuna tartare.  It was outstanding and the sesame-miso cones added a great flavor and texture to the tuna. 

My husband ordered the garlic chive dumplings (and we shared, even though I shouldn't have).  They were doughy and delicious, served with a sort of sweet and savory sauce.   

We definitely grilled the poor waitress about what are the best dinner options and she  happily obliged with a set of recommendations based on our flavor preferences.  I opted for the pork in a thai red curry sauce (I needed the spice).  The curry sauce was good, and the pork was tender and succulent.  The dish was solid, but nothing quite outstanding.

My husband selected the laquered chinese duckling served with mission figs and an anise-plum wine reduction sauce.  The crispy, caramelized skin was a delicious sweet flavor to the savory, tender meat.  It was a great dish.

At this point in the meal, the restaurant got busier and we seemed to lose our waitress.  Dirty dishes sat on our table for some time as we were forced to sit a little too close to the table next to us and could not help but overhear a conversation that I wanted no part of.  <Insert record scratch here>

Finally, our servers re-emerged but by then, it was a little too late.  It was time to get out and fast, or I could be stuck at the table for another 30 minutes.  We managed to get our check in a reasonable amount of time and then made the long, three flight journey to the restroom (this thorougly displeased my date).

In summary, this restaurant gets a lot of hype due to the "celebrity chef" that owns it and delivers a quality meal but not without some service and ambiance hiccups. 

Peach Salsa

It's the perfect time of year for ripe, juicy peaches.  We headed out to Hartland Orchard in Markham, VA to visit their orchard and pick our own.  I've been going out to Hartland Orchard for the past few years to do all kinds of "pick your own" -- strawberries, blueberries, peaches, and apples.  The family that owns Hartland Orchard and the farm next store, Green Truck Farm, are super nice and the farms are easy to get to -- right off Rt. 66 in VA, exit 18.  

We had a great time picking the peaches.  They were just within reach for my son, so they had a fun time selecting the perfect peaches to pull down off the tree.  Needless to say, we came home with a whole bag of plump peaches. 

Most people use peaches to make a cobbler, or a crisp, but I wanted to use the sweet flavor of a peach to balance spicy in the perfect peach salsa.  It turned out SO GOOD.  Fresh salsa is always amazing and this version, with a "sweet heat" is outstanding.  Here's the recipe:

Ingredients
2 ripe peaches
2 large tomatoes
1 medium yellow onion
1/2 cup of cilantro
3 cloves of garlic
1 - 1.5 jalapeno pepper
1/2 teaspoon of cumin
pinch of salt

Preparation
1.  Seed the tomato (to the extent possible... I am super lazy about this so you know, the seeds won't kill you).  Slice and dice the tomatoes and peaches (you should have about equal parts of both) into 1 inch pieces.

2.  Slice and dice the onion into very small segments.  Dice garlic.  Slice and dice jalapeno.  Add to the peaches and tomatoes.

3.  Chop cilantro and mix into the bowl with the salt and cumin. 

4.  And... you're done.  If you don't like the extra "juice" in the salsa (I think it gives it flavor, but some folks are anti-juice), let the mix sit overnight to let the flavors blend and strain before serving.  Can any extra to give to a friend (in exchange for margaritas of course!) and enjoy with chips and margaritas to celebrate the end of summer. 

 

The Sugar Cube

When I was growing up, I had a friend whose father owned a candy store.  The candy was in bins all across the walls, as far as the eye could see. During the summer, we used to go to the store and load up bags full of gummy bears, swedish fish, and sour patch kids.  As an extra bonus, when we went to her house to play, she had extra candy around the house that didn't sell in the store.  It was like I was in a fairytale.

I still have a terrible sweet tooth to this day (and the cavities to prove it).  There aren't many candy stores around nowadays, so when I heard about the Sugar Cube in Old Town, I was super excited.  So, I dragged my son and his friend over there as my cover one afternoon.

The Sugar Cube definitely has lots of sweets.  Canisters of chocolate and gummy candy line the walls with little scoops and plastic bags to mix and match.

They also have a glass case filled with chocolate truffles and confections.  I spied one of my favorites  in the case -- chocolate covered pretzels -- along with other delicious chocolate items like chocolate pretzel clusters and chocolate covered marshmellows.

And of course, high-end chocolate truffles with interesting flavor mixes like this one here...

Despite the great selection, and the fun we had getting our bags of candy, I was really disappointed by the customer service.  We were barely greeted by the staff (who seemed to be busy setting up a party in the back room), and I sensed a bit of arrogance or annoyance as we were rung up.  Whatever it was, I did not feel welcome or like any one cared that I was there.  With my money.

It's a candy store.  You will most likely have kids as customers.  It does not hurt to smile or show some excitement for first-time visitors.

Anyway, definitely had a great selection of candy and chocolate, but I probably wouldn't go out of my way to visit next time around.  I'll go get my sugar high some where else.   

Playing With Our Food at Polyface Farm

It was still dark out.  The sun had not yet come up, yet my alarm was going off.   And to make matters worse, it was Saturday.  Normally, I would never allow this nonsense on a Saturday, but today was different. 

Today was our day to visit Polyface Farm for the Lunatic Tour. 

So I woke up the kids (despite my better judgment), packed everyone in the car, and headed out west for the 2 1/2 hour drive down to Swoope, VA.  After a few turns down the wrong road (farm country doesn't do the best labeling with road signs), we arrived at Polyface Farms just in time to hop on the hay wagon and begin the tour.

Our family was offered the opportunity to go on this tour because we buy our meat from Polyface and apparently, in 2012, we bought every time they delivered so we got a certificate to tour the farm.  We started buying from Polyface a few years back, after my husband read The Omnivore's Dilemma and since they have a drop off near our house, we signed up.  We have been hoarding whole chickens in the freezer to get through the winter ever since.

Our tour was led by Daniel Salatin, son of Joel Salatin the sort of lead philosopher and CEO of Polyface Farms.  The whole premise at Polyface Farms is about creating a farm that leverages and mimics how the environment works naturally to create sustainable agriculture.  They focus on the soil and creating depth within that soil to support their livestock.  At first I sort of shrugged it off as some hippie mumbo-jumbo, but after I visited the farm, I understood.  And, more importantly, I had a deep appreciation and respect for what the Salatins were promoting and believed in.

School's in session with Daniel Salatin

Our tour started with the chickens.  The chickens are in these light-weight cages that are moved every morning to a new square patch of grass.  They eat grain (not organic, but GMO free after some customer surveys and lack of buy-in on the "organic" branding), and bugs that wander in the cage.  They can also eat the grass, which has been 'pre-mowed' by the cows.  And potential predators are managed by the sweetest white lab/wolf hound, Michael.  The kids were really loving the chickens...

Checking out the chickens in action

After the chickens, we headed over to see the pigs.  The pigs basically aerate the soil to create a compost pile.  Plus, they serve as delicious bacon and pork chops.  Turns out, they are also super friendly and you could just walk right up to them as they were eating.  

More friendly than you'd think

Next we visited the turkeys.  The turkeys have a roost with a large overhang to protect them from birds of prey.  I have to say, these birds were so funny to watch, they have this little system that when one of them clucks, the rest cluck back.  I think it's like a warning about an approaching predator, but it sounded to me more like a voting exercise. 

Birds of a feather, flocking together

At this point in the tour, I began to learn more about my fellow tour-mates.  There were all kinds of folks visiting the farm, from Wisconsin to Pennsylvania.  Some were interested in learning about farming techniques to raise their own chickens, and others had read The Ominvore's Dilemma and wanted to see for themselves.  Pretty much everyone knew about the Salatins and read Joel's books.  It was amazing  to listen to the impact this farm has had on people far and wide. 

The youngest kept on growling at the chickens and saying "eat meat!"

The last stop on our tour was to see the cows.  The cows' job on the farm is to eat and basically, mow the grass.  The egg laying chickens are kept with the cows (in their Eggmobile) to eat bugs and scratch through the cow paddies to sanitize the pasture.  Since the cows won't eat grass where they have walked, they are moved to a new pasture every morning (just like the chickens).  The difference in quality and taste of the grass-fed beef is apparent.  

The Salatins started off with this farm in 1961 and have built a family-owned business based on a core set of values.  Their connection and respect for the earth, animals, and natural, sustainable agriculture is visible as soon as you get to the farm and reiterated through coversations with their staff.  They talk about respecting their animals and setting up an environment where the animals do their share of the work on the farm.  This type of mutal respect is often talked about, even among people, but seldom shown in action.  Polyface Farm takes those words and makes it part of their daily life.  And the result is unparalleled in not just the agriculture industry, but in the world of businesses, cultures and communities.  They have truly found, and cultivated, something special.