tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77703729029186430692024-03-05T07:02:12.739-08:00Feeding the Boogiekmberrienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13733151295299876472noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7770372902918643069.post-44750511383656340462008-08-18T17:28:00.000-07:002008-08-18T17:30:53.729-07:00Great Photos!<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Well, I have a dear friend who is a professional photographer and she came over last weekend to do what she calls a "lifestyle shoot" of the boys and their dad - a gift from me for Father's Day. They came out beautifully! Wow! This isn't so much food related, except that she did get some shots of the boys in the garden but I couldn't resist plugging her here.<div><br /></div><div>www.jchaney.com - you can see the pictures under her blog it is the first Sneak Peek.</div>kmberrienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13733151295299876472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7770372902918643069.post-75420424492441896782008-08-17T08:00:00.000-07:002008-08-17T08:07:15.661-07:00A Perfect Sunday MorningIt didn't start out that way. Both boys woke up on the early side today - 6:15 instead of the usual 6:45 or 7. The younger one spent his first night in his new room and big boy bed! Instead of whining and complaining I decided to do something fun with the little monsters. We made some monkey bread, but I took the easy way out. I used frozen pizza dough instead of making the dough from scratch (an adventure I took at Christmas time which I will never do again - too much work!). So I set one kid up with a bowl of buter, the other with a bowl of cinnamon sugar and I rolled little balls of pizza dough. First we dip a ball in butter, then roll it in sugar, then throw it into a bundt pan. Bake at 375 for about a half an hour. Yum! The boys loved it, and I enjoyed it with my coffee. I've got to get my camera together so I can start taking pictures, though there's not much left to photograph at this point.kmberrienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13733151295299876472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7770372902918643069.post-51679379347097343062008-08-11T08:38:00.000-07:002008-08-11T08:46:36.667-07:00We just returned a few weeks ago from a month long vacation on Cape Cod. This is an annual journey for our family, one I've been making for every summer for my entire life. My boys had an especially good time this year. At 18 months and 3 years they both really enjoyed the beach, which was great since I am WAY pregnant and wasn't up to a lot of chasing after them in super humid weather...and it was SUPER humid! Like Florida humid. Yuck! <div><br /></div><div>I found it a challenge to eat locally while we were there, at least in terms of produce. We were a bit early in the season for corn and tomatoes and all of that other great local produce that you get on the east coast in August. So we were relegated to eating Stop N Shop produce, which was disappointing to say the least. It was hard coming from California where we had been enjoying amazing tomatoes, peaches and berries for weeks. I also knew that my garden here in California was producing lovely apricots, tomatoes, zucchini, beets, cucumbers, etc and that I was missing it. Darn! </div><div><br /></div><div>The one local product that we got a lot of and really enjoyed was seafood. It was fun going to the fish pier at 3:00 every afternoon to see the boats come in, then heading to the market there to select our dinner. We had wonderful scallops and tons of lobster. Neither boy was up to the challenge of tackling a whole lobster himself, but they both helped me eat the meat, and they ate a ton of clam chowder. Maybe next year the older one will try his hand at cracking a whole lobster.</div><div><br /></div><div>I arrived home to a totally over grown garden and baskets upon baskets of zucchini and cucumbers. I've been pickling every since. We now have enough pickles to last for a few years...or to give to everyone we know for Christmas! The tomatoes are still going strong and we're eating lots of salsa (one form in which my husband and both boys will happily eat raw tomatoes).</div><div><br /></div><div>I love summer!</div>kmberrienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13733151295299876472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7770372902918643069.post-57202094804902081202008-06-20T08:34:00.000-07:002008-06-20T08:44:52.997-07:00Marmalade and MuffinsLast weekend I had a friend over to teach her how to can things. She is also a big gardener but has never tried canning. She brought over a huge cooler full of grapefruit from her tree and we combined them with my meyer lemons to make a really great marmalade! We used a recipe from the SF Chronicle but varied the citrus. We both ended up with several jars. I still have a ton of left that I have to figure out how to use up.<div><br /></div><div>Speaking of using things up our zucchini plants are going gangbusters in the backyard! Everyday I go out to check on the garden and come back with at least two or three more enormous zucchinis. Pretty soon I will be in the same situation with cucumbers and tomatoes but for now I am just trying to eat up the zucchini as fast as I can. I've made <a href="http://www.animalvegetablemiracle.com/Zucchini%20Cookies.pdf">chocolate chip cookies with zucchini</a>, <a href="http://www.animalvegetablemiracle.com/Zucchini%20Orzo.pdf">orzo with zucchini</a> (both recipes from Barbara Kingsolver's book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle which is a great read if you are at all into food). This morning I made a batch of <a href="http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/007270zucchini_muffins.php">zucchini muffins</a> and a <a href="http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/000621chocolate_zucchini_cake.php">chocolate and zucchini</a> bundt cake which used just one of my monster zucchinis total. I made a few slight variations on the bundt cake: meyer lemon zest instead of orange zest for obvious reasons and I added chocolate chips instead of nuts because my husband is allergic and I will be feeding it to little kids.</div><div><br /></div><div>My grandfather was a big gardener and my grandmother an excellent cook. I was looking through a book of her recipes this morning and came across a number of zucchini recipes. Tonight we'll be having zucchini casserole for dinner, and I might make some jars of zucchini pickles or relish. </div><div><br /></div><div>I am taking the bundt cake to share with our playgroup today. Maybe I will make a big pitcher of lemonade too.</div>kmberrienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13733151295299876472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7770372902918643069.post-26188977538158149672008-05-23T07:46:00.000-07:002008-05-23T07:49:05.384-07:00Meyer LemonsThese are so good, but tough to use up! I have a tree that just won't quit and we are about to start our second crop of meyers. No complaints, just looking for ideas and recipes. A week ago I made a big batch of marmalade which didn't come out so well. I think I will try a different recipe and see how that does. Next up, though, I will make some jars of preserved lemons.<div><br /></div><div><br /></div>kmberrienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13733151295299876472noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7770372902918643069.post-51805623569452126232008-05-21T17:52:00.000-07:002008-05-21T18:00:06.713-07:00Back AgainOkay I am back again. I took a long break there, but I am ready to post again. Part of the break was due to the fact that I found out I was pregnant in December with my third kid. Since I already had two under three I was tired going into the pregnancy, and the first trimester was a tougie. Now I am in the energetic second trimester and ready to go. My boys and I are currently sitting down with a bowl of <a href="http://citymama.typepad.com/citymama/2008/05/pasta-alla-carb.html#more">CityMama's Pasta Carbonara</a>, and watching Dragon Tales. I highly recommend the pasta, it took all of 15 minutes to make and is so delicious! Haven't heard a peep out of either boy since I put it in front of them. Dinner in front of the TV is a big no-no, I realize, but we've had a trying day and the mama needed a break!kmberrienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13733151295299876472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7770372902918643069.post-63175927607171087232007-11-28T20:05:00.000-08:002007-11-28T20:13:13.722-08:00More Eat Down Meals...Last night I made those Niman Ranch pork chops, but I decided to try it in the slow cooker instead, using up more of the things I had in my refrigerator, pantry and freezer. I sliced an onion, added a cup of white wine, a bag of cranberries, a quarter cup of butter, a few sprigs of rosemary, a small handful of sugar and salt and pepper and placed it all in the slow cooker, on top of the pork chops. I cooked it on high for about 4 hours. It turned out really well! The 1 year old boy ate a whole entire pork chop, his picky two year old brother ate one bite and their dad ate the rest. I was lucky enough to have been invited to a friend's house for dinner with all of the moms in my playgroup. We had a lovely evening without our kids or husbands around!<br /><br />Tonight I found a package of chicken sausage in the freezer. I also had a few bags full of various types of bell peppers from my produce CSA. I decided to go the slow cooker route again. This time I cut up a whole bunch of the peppers and a few onions and placed them in the bottom of the slow cooker along with 3 garlic cloves, some thyme, salt and pepper and about a half a cup of red wine (the dregs of a bottle that I had frozen awhile back, rather than throw out). I put the sausage on top and cooked it on low for 8 hours. It turned out pretty well, but not as good as last night. I served it with buttered noodles, peas and pan roasted brussels sprouts. Once again, the baby ate everything in sight, including two helpings of peppers and onions, the two year old ate only noodles and peas, and I ate almost all of the brussels sprouts myself. <br /><br />I am beginning to be able to see the back of my freezer now, and the produce drawer is nearly empty and ready for tomorrow's delivery. I love Eat Down Week because it forces you to get creative with your cooking, which can be really fun!kmberrienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13733151295299876472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7770372902918643069.post-88594028073243315962007-11-26T19:56:00.000-08:002007-11-26T20:09:30.022-08:00Its Eat-Down WeekI spent so much time over the summer accumulating food. I made tons of chicken stock, roasted tomatoes, eggplants, canned green beans and apples, and also bought lots of meat through the meat CSA that I joined. I also froze all of the veggies from my CSA that my family couldn't eat in a given week. As a result my freezer is bursting at the seams, and so is my pantry, due to all of the sauces, jams and jellies I picked up at the farmer's markets over the summer. So I am declaring this week Eat-Down week. Time to eat down all that food. <br /><br />We kicked off the week with a lunch of Collard Green and Sausage Soup, the result of the leftovers from my husband's birthday dinner in October. For dinner we had pumpkin ravioli from a local deli, with prosciutto (left over from my son's first birthday party) and spinach, topped with parmesan.<br /><br />Tomorrow I am planning on cooking some Niman Ranch pork chops from my freezer, along with roasted brussels sprouts, cranberry sauce and mashed sweet potatoes. Sound like Thanksgiving without the turkey? I had the stomach flu at Thanksgiving so I am actually not sick of all that food!kmberrienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13733151295299876472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7770372902918643069.post-43122304939065674222007-11-09T21:20:00.000-08:002007-11-25T09:50:44.806-08:00All Local First Birthday Party (well, almost)My younger son turned one today! Hooray! To celebrate we had a delicious local dinner. We started with a fun little appetizer of Humboldt Fog cheese from Cypress Gove (http://www.cypressgrovechevre.com/) on Acme baguette topped with blueberry jalapeno jam that I picked up at the farmer's market last spring. It was a fun twist on a family favorite: wheat things, cream cheese and pepper jelly. For dinner I kept it simple, which is often the tastiest way to go anyway. I roasted a Rocky Jr. chicken (http://www.petalumapoultry.com/), not the very best choice in local chickens, but still local. I made it a la the Thomas Keller recipe in a new cookbook I have called "Last Suppers." It turned out quite well! Along side the chicken I served a salad made from ingredients in my CSA box. By far the most popular part of the dinner was the always delicious roasted brussels sprouts and butternut squash. This is a recipe I got from my mom, and is listed below. Full of butter and sugar so not exactly healthy but tasty nevertheless. For dessert we had an ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins. This was the not-so-local part of the meal, but definitely a hit with the baby and his older brother. <br /><br />Butternut Squash and Brussels Sprouts<br /><br />Serves 12<br />1 Medium butternut squash , peeled and cut into 1” cubes<br />2 Lbs Brussels sprouts, cut into halves<br />1 1/2 C brown sugar<br />2 sticks unsalted butter cut into 1/2’ cubes<br />1/2 bunch of sage leaves<br />1/2 C olive oil<br />2 T salt<br />2 t black pepper<br /><br />Heat oven to 400 degrees<br /><br />Mix al ingredients in a bowl, then spread on a large baking dis. Roast uncovered, turning occasionally, until the squash is tender and the brussels sprouts begin to brown..about 25 minutes.kmberrienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13733151295299876472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7770372902918643069.post-35015238862305115942007-11-02T07:58:00.001-07:002007-11-02T08:04:19.231-07:00Dark Days Dinner #1Happy Halloween!<br /><br />We did our first Dark Days Dinner Challenge dinner for Halloween night. It wasn't anything to fancy, but it was a good healthy dinner to offset all the candy that made its way into our house.<br /><br />Pumpkin Soup in a pumpkin, an old Julia Child recipe that I found on Saveur's site<br />Salad w/ radishes, radicchio, arugula, lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, onion and parsley, all from my CSA box and the farmer's market<br />Acme Pain au Levain and an assortment of cheeses<br /><br />I found this recipe for the soup on Saveur.com. It was pretty good, the gruyere and spices were the only not local parts.<br /><br />1 7-lb. Cinderella pumpkin, with a 2" stem (I couldn't find a local Cinderella pumpkin so I used a Jack O Lantern pumpkin instead)<br />7 tbsp. butter<br />Salt<br />1 large yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped<br />1 1⁄2 cups fresh white bread crumbs, toasted<br />1⁄2 tsp. ground nutmeg<br />1⁄2 tsp. ground sage<br />Freshly ground black pepper<br />1⁄2 cup grated Swiss cheese<br />4 cups Chicken Stock<br />2 bay leaves<br />1⁄2 cup heavy cream, optional<br /><br />1. Preheat oven to 350°. Cut a lid about 4" in diameter out of top of pumpkin and set lid aside. Remove and discard seeds and strings. Rub inside of pumpkin and lid with 1 tbsp. softened butter, season with salt, and place on a baking pan.<br /><br />2. Melt remaining 6 tbsp. butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Stir in bread crumbs and cook for 2 minutes, then add nutmeg and sage and season generously with salt and pepper. Remove from heat, stir in cheese, then spoon mixture into pumpkin. Pour enough stock into pumpkin to come within 1⁄2" of the rim. Lay bay leaves on top, then fit lid onto pumpkin.<br /><br />3. Bake until pumpkin begins to soften and brown on the outside and the stock bubbles on the inside, about 1 1⁄2 hours. Carefully remove from oven and transfer to a serving platter. With a long-handled spoon, scrape flesh from bottom and sides of pumpkin and, just before serving, stir in heavy cream if using.<br /><br />It was really good!kmberrienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13733151295299876472noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7770372902918643069.post-8402722886383517792007-10-26T20:25:00.000-07:002007-10-26T21:43:19.442-07:00Dark Days Eat Local Challenge<a href=”http://urbanhennery.wordpress.com/?page_id=307″ ><img border=”0″ src=http://urbanhennery.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/darkdaysbutton.png /></a><br /><br />I've signed on to another Eat Local Challenge. This one will be my third. The first was the Pennywise Eat Local Challenge, second was the Eat Local Challenge in September. Now here we are with what might well be the most challenging, though not as challenging here in Northern California as it will be for those in other parts of the country. <br /><br />Here are the details from the Dark Days site:<br /><br />It’s a challenge to continue cooking at least one local meal through the leaner days of winter. Your ingredients can come from your freezer, pantry, cold storage or local sources like farmers and other producers.<br /><br />The rules are simple.<br /><br />Each participant can set their own rules, but generally they are:<br />We have to cook one meal a week with at least 90% local ingredients<br />We have to write about it - the triumphs and the challenges<br />Local means a 200 mile radius for raw ingredients. For processed foods the company must be within 200 miles and committed to local sources.<br />Keep it up through the end of the year, and then re-evaluate on New Year’s Day<br /><br />It has also been suggested that sharing the local meal with others each week is a good idea. I love that idea. I have become so boring to my friends and family with my "Eat Local" preaching. Maybe if I feed them once a week they will be more convinced?<br /><br />I am a pretty committed locavore as it is, but it will be fun to come up with a special meal each week that is truly all local. <br /><br />As soon as I've planned this week's meal I will post it here.kmberrienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13733151295299876472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7770372902918643069.post-18629042538457195852007-10-26T13:55:00.000-07:002007-10-26T13:59:25.749-07:00Cookie BarsOne rainy afternoon last week my two year old was harrassing me for a cookie, but I wasn't in the mood to go out. I looked around my pantry to see what I had that could be made into a cookie. I found oatmeal, butter, sugar, bananas, some chocolate chips. Here is what I came up with, it actually turned out pretty well! They were really sweet so I gave my son a big glass of milk with his, and I had a nice, hot cup of coffee with mine. Yum!<br /><br />Banana-Ginger-Chocolate Bars<br /><br />Preheat oven to 350<br /><br />3C rolled oats<br />1C all purpose flour<br />2C dark brown sugar<br />2 sticks salted butter, softened<br /><br />2C mashed bananas (very ripe - about 4-5 small bananas)<br />1/2t ground ginger<br />1/8t salt<br /><br />2T crystallized ginger, chopped<br />1 - 12 oz bag semi sweet chocolate chips<br /><br />1. In a large bowl combine oats, flour, sugar and butter with fingers until combined but crumbly<br />2. Press 1/2 oat mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Bake at 350 until partially baked and just beginning to turn golden brown, about 15 minutes<br />3. While oat mixture bakes, combine mashed bananas, ginger and salt in a bowl. Add crystallized ginger to the remaining oat mixture and combine.<br />4. When oat mixture is finished baking, remove from oven. Spread banana mixture evenly on baked oats, sprinkle chocolate chips evenly on top of banana, taking care not to let them touch the sides of the dish. Finally, sprinkle remaining oat mixture on top of the chocolate chips.<br />5. Return to oven until golden brown and baked, about 15-20 minutes.<br />6. Remove from oven and allow to cool, cut into bars.kmberrienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13733151295299876472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7770372902918643069.post-6929115033941166002007-10-18T07:29:00.000-07:002007-10-18T07:38:16.421-07:00More ApplesWe are still harvesting apples from our tree. This time I got lazy and made applesauce for the freezer. I found <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.fc77a0dbc44dd1611e3bf410b5900aa0/?vgnextoid=951cc0b266e35110VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&autonomy_kw=applesauce&rsc=ns2006_m2">this recipe</a> in Martha Stewart magazine but altered it slightly by omiting the butter and reducing the brown sugar, our apples are quite sweet already. It couldn't have been easier, and now I have a freezer full of applesauce to enjoy this winter. Our apple crop is winding down, I'll use the rest of them in a few apple cakes to give as gifts to friends who are hosting us this weekend. The Meyer lemons and grapefruit are just getting started.kmberrienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13733151295299876472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7770372902918643069.post-26771444044781375992007-10-10T07:23:00.000-07:002007-10-10T07:25:31.625-07:00Honey HarvestMy father has been raising bees in his backyard in Berkeley since the spring. He just harvested his first batch of honey and boy is it good! It has a lovely flavor, with a hint of anise, which may have to do with the abundance of anise plants growing like weeds in the hills near my parents' house. We had it on our oatmeal at breakfast this morning. Delicious!kmberrienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13733151295299876472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7770372902918643069.post-37604922206731623812007-09-30T12:24:00.000-07:002007-09-30T12:53:48.415-07:00Chocolate Adventure Contest<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh24LVzJdspJy6vHs9qVAb9IUXPwnh16811qw7fkL9HGBXckQVdRCiOeptaRWGxVYvdpf82BvLbsqgcQA9oVYZqUH8fpRecf79CZiDcVsLekZWm9QD7PX7lzNQf3hYjAy84HQlkMAB5L98L/s1600-h/IMGP2646.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh24LVzJdspJy6vHs9qVAb9IUXPwnh16811qw7fkL9HGBXckQVdRCiOeptaRWGxVYvdpf82BvLbsqgcQA9oVYZqUH8fpRecf79CZiDcVsLekZWm9QD7PX7lzNQf3hYjAy84HQlkMAB5L98L/s320/IMGP2646.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5116087149433839090" /></a><br />My sister, who also loves to cook, and I heard about the <a href="http://www.tuttifoodie.com/ViewArchive.aspx?ID=c64a349b-1235-4324-b187-409918cea133">Chocolate Adventure Contest sponsored by TuttiFoodie and Scharffenberger Chocolate</a>, we thought it would be fun to try out a few recipes together and enter. In order to enter you have to create an original recipe using Scharffenberger dark chocolate (62%-99% cacao) and at least one of a list of "adventure ingredients." <br /><br />On Saturday she came over for the afternoon to work on our recipes with me. We talked about several different ideas, including trying to come up with some savory dishes, but finally decided on three desserts. I won't tell you what they are, just in case we win (haha), but stay tuned for the recipes once the contest is over! In the meantime, here's a picture.kmberrienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13733151295299876472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7770372902918643069.post-54673039438905146302007-09-29T09:54:00.000-07:002007-09-29T20:18:06.224-07:00Raw Milk<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbORL22hbJ-SPNzGLCA_xbeY9jCN7kBfKh_03KM4HF07vxCOKSXeyLNZy5yDNq08m7Hh3FZPv_r-bRBjCF2pOD_4R_bnQmdzAS5E0fO4oXCl-vz_RtACv2ZscWcDNRpe5bPD6CJfDmbylS/s1600-h/IMGP2649.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbORL22hbJ-SPNzGLCA_xbeY9jCN7kBfKh_03KM4HF07vxCOKSXeyLNZy5yDNq08m7Hh3FZPv_r-bRBjCF2pOD_4R_bnQmdzAS5E0fO4oXCl-vz_RtACv2ZscWcDNRpe5bPD6CJfDmbylS/s320/IMGP2649.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5115677117496024546" /></a><br /><br />I have been reading a lot about raw milk in the papers lately. There was a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/08/dining/08raw.html?_r=1&oref=slogin">big article in the New York Times</a> over the summer. I have been wanting to try some raw milk, but didn't want to buy an entire carton of it at the grocery store. Last weekend when I was strolling through the Berkeley Farmer's Market I saw the <a href="http://www.claravalefarm.com">Claravele Dairy</a> stand. This was my opportunity! I asked for a small taste of the milk. It was really good. Not remarkably different than the <a href="http://www.strausfamilycreamery.com/">Straus</a> milk that I usually buy, just a bit creamier and milkier, if you can imagine that. It was a subtle difference. I bought a quart of it to take home. We drank it during the week. Everytime I or the Boogie had a glass I felt a little thrill. Similar to the thrill you get when you are about to ride a roller coaster - like you are doing something a little bit dangerous. I know that it is generally safe, but with the warning labels on the bottle and that I've read, I was always a little nervous one of us would get sick. Fortunately neither of us did. In the end, I have to say that I am pretty happy with the Straus Creamery milk that I buy and I think I will stick with that, despite the purported health benefits of raw milk. At least while I have such young kids anyway. I will definitely continue to consume lots of raw milk cheese though! <br /><br />Incidentally, I recently read that the state of North Carolina is requiring raw milk dairies to put <a href="http://www.indyweek.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A160975">gray dye in their milk</a>, since it is only legal to sell as petfood. Go ahead and fertilize the spinach fields with cow shit, look the other way at those mega-slaughter houses, but whatever you do don't sell carefully handled raw milk from small family farms to informed consumers! So crazy!kmberrienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13733151295299876472noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7770372902918643069.post-12917013392769366752007-09-29T09:23:00.000-07:002007-09-29T09:54:09.645-07:00Book Review: The Year of the Goat: 40,000 Miles and the Quest for the Perfect Cheese<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoV5qf50wVgCW2NllhGqMOd7iNheGf1grtxuNrinJQ0dP-T1ows5LULpVoHUrN7Nf2QptOoqi_mFhZWSxW-m5n3IkEZISWwvbtzyRjfQK2me2vZ49eiyUjyaQ1Z51HbMQT_p1f77AVichU/s1600-h/IMGP2653.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoV5qf50wVgCW2NllhGqMOd7iNheGf1grtxuNrinJQ0dP-T1ows5LULpVoHUrN7Nf2QptOoqi_mFhZWSxW-m5n3IkEZISWwvbtzyRjfQK2me2vZ49eiyUjyaQ1Z51HbMQT_p1f77AVichU/s320/IMGP2653.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5115669128856853938" /></a><br />When I saw this book on a table at Barnes and Noble I had to buy it. Being the cheese lover that I am, I was intrigued by what I might learn about goat cheese. I wondered if some of my favorite local cheese makers would be written about in there. On top of the cheese aspect of the book, I was excited to learn more about the dairy goat industry. My family has a 400 acre ranch in Northern California, and my dad (a fellow cheese lover) and I often talk about how great it would be to move up there, raise goats and make cheese. I picked it up and bought the book immediately.<br /><br />I enjoyed the book, but definitely felt a bit misled by the title. I learned more about the meat-goat industry than I did about making goat cheese and raising dairy goats. The book takes you on the cross country journey of a young NY couple as they try to learn everything there is to learn about goats in order to determine whether or not they want to quit their jobs and move to the country. It was a fun read and I definitely had moments of great envy. If I didn't have a house, two kids and a dog I would be all over my husband to take a similar journey with me. Somehow the thought of taking such a trip with two little boys seems far less romantic.<br /><br />The only local cheesemaker that is written about extensively in the book was <a href="http://www.redwoodhillfarms.com">Redwood Hill Farms</a>. They are well known for their goats milk yogurt, which is surprisingly tasty. The day after I finished the book I headed off for my weekly farmer's market shopping trip, and was delighted to see Redwood Hill Farms represented there. I bought a round of Camelia, in my opinion their best cheese. It is similar to a Camembert, one of my all time favorite cheeses! I also bought a little container of fresh chevre. We ate the Camelia with a nice Acme baguette and tomato salad for lunch that afternoon. Perfect!<br /><br />I would recommend the book if you want a fun read, but don't expect to learn too much about goat cheese. Instead it is more of a well rounded goat education, which is also useful.kmberrienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13733151295299876472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7770372902918643069.post-28091702078810824392007-09-24T21:49:00.000-07:002007-09-25T07:16:12.362-07:00Quick and easy dinner<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSnwkTVOvI0bkJlPE7q4qWRwCaPhPWn1z1ZNcksFV5o2R4Vz1vem-fJD_q3TkRrUL3Ow6KnkI7hOroIuZWzop0S00iZyzbHnjUgCBcIzgV8C90-ifNEoqNOtRmVYXTgUy37pEc1JahcnFR/s1600-h/IMGP2635.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSnwkTVOvI0bkJlPE7q4qWRwCaPhPWn1z1ZNcksFV5o2R4Vz1vem-fJD_q3TkRrUL3Ow6KnkI7hOroIuZWzop0S00iZyzbHnjUgCBcIzgV8C90-ifNEoqNOtRmVYXTgUy37pEc1JahcnFR/s320/IMGP2635.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5114145347474677138" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJm-YVQbwHnJyNlD9Nz49IewIwl3YJb4_FLBJFdVLBHlr4_5YDpVa1QB1joNXNBvCwrzI0HFtesMwCqhvPV31rVR6aMJ-AXmC8QVlgQgbonDkPa-YjC7nPvFqZLpOTzY11IYW0eu6Fem4y/s1600-h/IMGP2659.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJm-YVQbwHnJyNlD9Nz49IewIwl3YJb4_FLBJFdVLBHlr4_5YDpVa1QB1joNXNBvCwrzI0HFtesMwCqhvPV31rVR6aMJ-AXmC8QVlgQgbonDkPa-YjC7nPvFqZLpOTzY11IYW0eu6Fem4y/s320/IMGP2659.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5114145364654546338" /></a><br />Monday night...hard to get back into the swing of things sometimes. This was one of those Monday nights that I just couldn't deal with an elaborate meal. My original plan was to make little pot pies with leftover chicken and veggies. I finally cooked my CSA Soul Food Farm chicken after 30 minutes of talking to it outside as I cut off its head and feet. My sister was in the kitchen with the baby and the dog, yelling at me "its already dead! it won't feel a thing!". Anyway, I didn't have it in me to make the pot pies tonight so I dug around in the freezer and pantry for something else to make. I came up with some nice local treats! I found an open box of lasagna noodles, which I broke up and cooked. I was cooking for a two year old and a 10 month old, so they didn't need to be pretty, and they weren't. I also found a package of Fatted Calf Breakfast Sausage and Happy Girl Kitchen pesto sauce. I cooked up the sausage, drained it, poured the cooked pasta on top and stirred in the pesto. Voila! A lovely dinner! I also gave the boys some peach Kefir to drink. The baby especially loved it. He had three helpings of pasta and sausage, plus an entire container of Little Bug Nectarines and Oats, and some Kefir from his sippy cup.kmberrienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13733151295299876472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7770372902918643069.post-12052088030580282962007-09-16T15:21:00.000-07:002007-09-16T15:30:22.543-07:00Lamb Breast and Eat Local ChallengeAs a part of my meat csa box for September I got a little package labeled "lamb breast." I was intrigued but not sure how to cook them, as I'd never eaten them or seen them prepared before. I searched online for recipes and didn't find much that sounded appealing. Most recipes involved stuffing them and I just wasn't in the mood for that big of a project, especially since its been so hot where I live. On Friday I had my parents over for dinner and decided to make the lamb breast as an appetizer. I followed a <a href="http://www.jacquespepin.net/members/recipes/roastlambbreastprovencal.html">recipe that I found on Jacques Pepin's website</a>, figuring it couldn't be TOO bad if it came from him. They were delicious! They were like little spare ribs. I served them with a bowl of the tomato flip I made a few weeks ago with the tomato surplus from my CSA produce box. What a treat!<br /><br />For the rest of the meal we had Marin Sun Farms chicken breast roasted in the oven with Bariani olive oil, csa garlic, backyard thyme and backyard meyer lemons. I also roasted some of those wonderful csa tomatoes with basil and garlic and we had an Acme baguette. My father brought over some local wine and my mom made an apple crisp with apples they had been given by a guy who my father recently bought bees from. It was a totally local and totally delicious dinner! All in keeping with the Eat Local Challenge.kmberrienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13733151295299876472noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7770372902918643069.post-42145628664983824952007-09-13T13:57:00.000-07:002007-09-13T14:04:06.095-07:00Comfort Food<span style="font-weight:bold;"><a href="http://btt2.wordpress.com/2007/09/13/comfort-food/">Booking Through Thursday, Comfort Food</a>:<br /><br /><br />Okay . . . picture this (really) worst-case scenario: It’s cold and raining, your boyfriend/girlfriend has just dumped you, you’ve just been fired, the pile of unpaid bills is sky-high, your beloved pet has recently died, and you think you’re coming down with a cold. All you want to do (other than hiding under the covers) is to curl up with a good book, something warm and comforting that will make you feel better.<br /><br />What do you read?</span><br /><br />I would get myself a bottle of wine, an Acme baguette and a wheel of Red Hawk and sit down on my couch with a nice cookbook. Probably one of Julia Child's books or some other big book with lots of interesting facts about food and cooking. I find cookbooks to be very comforting reading, and then you can stop at any point for a good cry and pick it up again when you've gotten a hold of yourself again.kmberrienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13733151295299876472noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7770372902918643069.post-8916157227475755132007-09-10T18:47:00.000-07:002007-09-10T18:55:47.160-07:00Meal PlansWe have been getting absolutely overloaded with basil, peppers, eggplant and heirloom tomatoes from our CSA over the past few weeks. I have been doing my best to keep up and eat them all, but I finally just started roasting them all together, whizzing them up in the Cuisinart and freezing them as pasta sauce for the winter. Tonight my two year old had an absolute fit that there was sauce on his noodles and refused to eat them. His 10 month old brother, on the other hand, gobbled up the sauce on some overcooked noodles and ate a whole wedge of Parmesan cheese (this is how I know that he takes after his mommy where the two year old seems to take after his dad, at least in the food departmetn). I am finally caught up on the eggplant and tomatoes, at least until Thursday when the next CSA box arrives. Here's what's on our menu this week:<br /><br />Monday - Leftover penne with roasted tomato and pepper sauce<br />Tuesday - Fritatta with carmelized onions, tomatoes and goat cheese, which I plan to buy at the Berkeley Farmer's Market tomorrow afternoon. Green salad with vinaigrette and, you guessed it, tomatoes! <br />Wednesday - Sloppy Joes made with ground beef from my meat CSA, peas from my freezer (not local but I already had them on hand). This should be an agreeable dinner for my two year old.<br />Thursday - I guess I will just have to get on with that chicken and roast it with some potatoes and other local veggies, green salad.<br />Friday - Date night - we're goin' out!<br />Saturday - Leftover chicken in some form<br />Sunday - We're goin' out again!kmberrienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13733151295299876472noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7770372902918643069.post-27990445546327146812007-09-09T20:29:00.000-07:002007-09-09T20:30:02.160-07:00Desert Island GearMy friend (and cousin's wife), Marsha just posted a fun little contest on her <a href="http://www.first-things-first.net/">blog</a>. In order to participate she asks that we post on our blogs what three things we'd take if stranded on a desert island. The first thing that came to my mind, perhaps because I've been up since 5 with my two year old, was my French Press and a very large supply of great coffee. They will come in a box together, so I am counting that as one item. I am pretty worthless without my coffee each morning, plus it is nice to have a glass of sweet iced coffee on a hot afternoon. I am sure there would be lots of very hot afternoons on a desert island, right? I would need some sort of entertainment, so my next item is a year's worth of back issues of the New York Times. First I thought maybe I'd bring some great book, but since I don't know how long I'd be stranded, I would probably get bored with that. But it would take a long time to get through a whole year's worth of New York Times papers cover to cover. The last thing I'd bring is a cow. Yes, a cow. Then I would always have milk for my coffee, I could make butter for cooking all of the fish that I'd be catching in, I could finally learn how to make cheese since I'd have lots of available free time, and I'd have a companion. Hopefully it would be a tropical fruit eating cow. When do we leave?kmberrienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13733151295299876472noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7770372902918643069.post-77059986367639992882007-09-09T09:20:00.001-07:002007-09-09T20:26:53.213-07:00Desert Island GearMy friend (and cousin's wife), Marsha just posted a fun little contest on her <a href="www.first-things-first.net">blog</a>. In order to participate she asks that we post on our blogs what three things we'd take if stranded on a desert island. The first thing that came to my mind, perhaps because I've been up since 5 with my two year old, was my French Press and a very large supply of great coffee. They will come in a box together, so I am counting that as one item. I am pretty worthless without my coffee each morning, plus it is nice to have a glass of sweet iced coffee on a hot afternoon. I am sure there would be lots of very hot afternoons on a desert island, right? I would need some sort of entertainment, so my next item is a year's worth of back issues of the New York Times. First I thought maybe I'd bring some great book, but since I don't know how long I'd be stranded, I would probably get bored with that. But it would take a long time to get through a whole year's worth of New York Times papers cover to cover. The last thing I'd bring is a cow. Yes, a cow. Then I would always have milk for my coffee, I could make butter for cooking all of the fish that I'd be catching in, I could finally learn how to make cheese since I'd have lots of available free time, and I'd have a companion. Hopefully it would be a tropical fruit eating cow. When do we leave?<a href="http://www.first-things-first.net"></a>kmberrienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13733151295299876472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7770372902918643069.post-10172122932758874862007-09-08T19:03:00.001-07:002007-09-08T19:15:27.123-07:00Maybe I Should Be a Vegetarian?I have so many conflicted feelings about eating meat. On the one hand, I hate the thought of animals dying for my food. On the other, I love meat and I do believe that humans were meant to eat it. I have solved this inner conflict for the most part by commiting myself to buying humanely raised meat exclusively. I even joined a meat CSA where all of the meat comes from small, organic farms. I haven't had an issue with any of the meat, in fact it has all been delicious. The only thing I have been having a hard time with is the chicken. You see, it came with its head and feet still on, complete with little eyeballs. Now, I have always said that people shouldn't eat meat if they couldn't witness the slaughter themselves and then turn around and eat the animal killed. I have even witnessed a chicken slaughter in person and ate chicken pot pie for dinner. But every time I think about cooking that bird, every time I pull it out of the freezer and look into its eyes, I am overcome with sadness for the life lost. Some might say it is just a chicken, and to give thanks to the bird and get on with it, but I haven't managed it yet. It keeps getting put right back into the freezer. I am in the midst of the Eat Local Challenge, and am running out of protein so pretty soon I am going to have to suck it up and cook the bird. I guess I have to wait for a day when I am feeling brave!kmberrienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13733151295299876472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7770372902918643069.post-53080894542960715922007-09-08T14:06:00.001-07:002007-09-08T19:02:43.455-07:00The last of the summer berries...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTajJNsx9wUkWROvhzYhB3k6xQFzEN3rz07dA02il5G-6easIMK_Oa1yTmXH62dQ1J50NhJIhf7MNYUYBVq0XLQZWMMypeh5Utjp9V_j0ltUf3D2mofqJASlL9gMSKQd71st6gPqoNunIy/s1600-h/IMGP2628.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTajJNsx9wUkWROvhzYhB3k6xQFzEN3rz07dA02il5G-6easIMK_Oa1yTmXH62dQ1J50NhJIhf7MNYUYBVq0XLQZWMMypeh5Utjp9V_j0ltUf3D2mofqJASlL9gMSKQd71st6gPqoNunIy/s320/IMGP2628.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5108018991000846242" /></a><br />Last Tuesday I was having one-of-those-days with my two year old and ten month old boys. We needed to get out of the house and do something fun fast! I am currently participating in the Eat Local Challenge, so one of my regular one-of-those-days outings was out - the Starbuck's drive-through. Cookie for the boy, coffee for me and NPR on the radio. Everyone is strapped in and no one is getting into trouble. We decided to make the 30 minute drive to the Berkeley Farmer's Market, and I am so glad we did! I put the baby in the stroller and the Boogie walked alongside, holding the strap. We shopped, I bought the best iced coffee I have EVER had from Blue Bottle Coffee and then we bought a pint of beautiful little strawberries. The Boogie insisted that we sit right down on the curb to eat the "baby strawberries". I got maybe three berries, he ate every single one! Since then he's been bugging me to go back to the farmer's market for strawberries. Well, today is market day again, so off we went. And again he ate every single strawberry in the pint! I am sad that we probably only have a few weeks left of these delicious little berries. I guess we'll have to go to the market every week until they're gone.kmberrienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13733151295299876472noreply@blogger.com0