Kitchen Gadget Girl Cooks

Corn on the Cob

In the tradition of many a San Francisco restaurant, I wanted to experiment with Corn on the Cob three ways; grilled, microwaved and traditional 2-minute boil method. I was curious to see which was actually the best way, best being a combination of time + effort.

Grilled: The most time consuming of the three methods, grilling also provides the most depth of flavor. To prepare the ears of corn, peel back the husks, but do not remove. Remove all the silks and then pull the husks back up, covering the corn. Soak in a bowl of water for about 10-15 minutes, while you prepare the grill. Grill over moderate heat for about 15-20 minutes, until the husks are brown and crispy. Remove the cobs, shuck the corn and serve with butter. Alternate method – shuck corn completely and wrap in foil. Grill as above, until corn is hot. Peel off foil and serve.

Microwave: The easiest of the three methods, all you need to do it stick the whole ear of corn in the microwave, husks and all, and cook for 1-2 minutes on high. Remove (carefully!) and peel off husks and silks, which will come off quite easily. Even with the speed of preparation, this was not my favorite method, as the corn ended up a little on the chewy side. I like mine nice and crisp.

Boiling: This is the method I was raised on, which probably gives me a slight bias. Shuck the corn and remove the silks. Break cobs in half, if desired. Boil a pot of water, and drop the cobs in. Cook for 2 minutes, not a moment longer (some purists think 1 minute is sufficient). Remove with tongs, serve with butter. Kernels stay crisp and tasty and this is the way I like my corn!

I also experimented with smoked paprika and chili powder as additions with the butter, but I think my favorite is butter and salt.

How do you like your corn on the cob?

Eggplant

We hosted an 80th birthday party this weekend for a dear friend, and now we are enjoying the leftovers. Although, I have a bit of a rule on leftovers – no more than 3 meals of the same food (including lunches and the first time the food is served). Tonight will be our last night. Some leftovers I did throw in the freezer for later (experimented with my Food Saver and a farro salad), so it is not like I cannot revisit these dishes again.

Our vegetable box from Two Small Farms had several treasures this week: Padron Peppers, Eggplant and Fennel. We also found Lettuce, Celery, Strawberries, Parsley Root, and Summer Squash. I am still wussing out on the Parsley Root, throwing the tops to the chickens and saving the roots for my stock bag. I keep a stock bag in the freezer, with all sorts of tasty vegetables that are past their prime, or not usable in day-to-day cooking. When I am ready to make stock with a leftover carcass, I throw a handful or two of these vegetables in the pot. Things like celery tops, onion skins, carrot peels, asparagus spears, and parsley root are all ideal.

I have a great Sausage and Eggplant soup that I like to make, but it is too early to serve for dinner (it has deep flavors that I enjoy more in the fall), so I am going to make it and freeze it for later. It is so great because most people cannot tell there is eggplant in the soup!

Padron Peppers

My menu plan for the week of August 30th is:

Monday: Fennel salad, roasted salmon, sauteed padron peppers and summer squash, brown rice

Tuesday: Leftovers

Wednesday: Cabbage rolls (still have 3 heads of cabbage from a couple weeks ago!), bread, green salad

Thursday: Leftovers or something from the freezer

Friday: Takeout and movie night!

What is on your menu plan this week?

Pickles in Jars

Finally got around to pickling earlier this month, using some of the great vegetables from our Two Small Farm box, as well as a bunch of things I picked up at the California Avenue Farmer’s Market. Using Joy of Pickling, a book I reviewed last year, I made four kinds of pickles – Dilly Beans, Bread and Butter Pickles, Zucchini Bread and Butter Pickles, and Pink Pickled Cabbage and Cauliflower. Since I used red cabbage and purple cauliflower, I think it will be even more pink that normal!

The B&B and Dilly Beans need a couple weeks to setup, so I won’t get a chance to know how the two different types of bread and butter pickles turned out until September. I did a post about an old family recipe for Zucchini Pickles last year, which is almost exactly the same as the one in Joy of Pickling. The Pickled Cabbage and Cauliflower was ready after 10 days, and it is now stored in the fridge. The easiest of the 4 pickles, it is very vinegary and tart. Not sure exactly what to serve it with, might have to start experimenting.

Are you pickling this summer? Anything special? For inspiration, check out what my food blog friend Sean, of Hedonia, has recently started -  a new community blog, Punk Domestics, celebrating everything that is fun about preserving, canning, curing, and creating food at home.

Our last weekly TGIF block party was last Friday, and I brought three seasonal (sort of) appetizers to share:

Salad on a stick

• Cherry tomatoes (from the garden)
• Basil leaf (from the garden)
• Cucumber
• Feta or Mozzarella Cheese
• Kalamata Olive (pitted)

Skewer in any combination you desire. Drizzle with a lemony vinaigrette. Next time, I will use smaller toothpicks and make them more one-bite, with just tomatoes, basil and mozzarella cheese.

Goat Cheese and Nectarines

Spread goat cheese on crackers or crostini. Top with a slice of Nectarine (from our Frog Hollow Farms CSA box) and a sprig of mint (from the garden). Use local goat cheese for the best flavor – Harley Farms from Pescadero is excellent.

Deviled Eggs

Not truly from my garden, but by next spring, I plan to be able to make Deviled Eggs with eggs from our own chickens.

• 12 eggs, boiled and cooled. Cut in half, saving 18 halves for presentation. Place all egg yolks in a bowl
• 1/4 cup light mayonnaise
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• Salt and pepper

Mash and mix everything together. All ingredients can be adjusted, taste as you go along. To fill the egg halves, put mixture into a pastry bag or Ziploc with a fluted tip. Chill, and before serving, dust with more smoked paprika.

This post serves as my entry into the Grow Your Own Roundup, hosted by Andrea at Andrea’s Recipes.

Garlic Bulb

This week is back-to-school in our household, and I thought it would be nice to have a couple of the kids’ favorites. While on vacation, we used a couple pounds of our Morris Grass-fed ground beef for tacos and sloppy joes, and I think I will bring those items back this week. Maybe a large batch of sloppy joes so I can tuck some away in the freezer for later!

Our box from Two Small Farms contained many staple items this week, which allows me a lot of flexibility in menu planning. In addition to a bag with Garlic and mixed Onions, we also found Tomatoes, Strawberries, Green Onions, Carrots, Potatoes and Cabbage. I managed to score an extra cabbage (or two), so I will be putting up a batch of sauerkraut today. It needs a couple weeks to sit and meld before I can make my favorite Pork Chops and Sauerkraut.

Here is my menu plan for the week of August 23:

Monday: Sloppy Joes, carrot sticks, special first-day-of-school dessert treat

Tuesday: Leftovers

Wednesday: Roasted carrot soup, corn bread muffins, sliced tomatoes

Thursday: Tacos with a Rancho Gordo Bean Pot, chopped tomatoes

Friday: Movie night and takeout

What is on your menu plan this week? Any special back-to-school favorites?

After having subscribed to a CSA vegetable program for 4 years, and more recently, a fruit CSA, I was ready to source more of my food locally. Meat seemed to be the next step, and with encouraging endorsements from the chicken email list I follow, I tracked down two local ranchers offering locally and sustainably raised meat.

Morris Grassfed Beef

Morris Grass Fed Beef

Farmed in San Juan Batista, Morris Grass Fed harvests their cattle in the spring and summer, and provides the option of a split half, or a CSA-style split half, with deliveries three times a year. My split half worked out to be about 90 pounds, including 35 pounds of ground beef, which I shared with three other friends. I ended up with about 45 pounds total, which I think is very do-able for my family. And with the price at $6.30/lb, very reasonable too.

The meat arrived sealed and ready for the freezer and comes in several cuts including steaks, roasts, and braises. I managed to squirrel away the beef ribs, beef shanks (Osso Bucco for Christmas!), and a couple rib eyes. We have already cooked a package of rib eyes (great), New York steaks (not awesome, operator error), beef ribs, and a package of ground beef made into hamburgers.

Grassfed Ribeye

Grassfed hamburger

Since grass-fed beef is leaner, it requires different cooking styles, which is why our NY steaks did not turn out as well as the rib eyes. According to the Morris Grass Fed website, there are three tips to proper cooking of grass fed beef:

1. Use a thermometer – the fat on grass fed beef cooks faster at a lower temperature
2. Cook the beef to rare or medium rare. Well-done is not a good option for grass fed, it will leave the meat tough and tasteless
3. Different cuts of meat require different cooking styles.

Morris Grassfed Rancher

Morris Grassfed Rancher's Dad

Sierra Farms Lamb

At the end of the month, I am hosting an 80th birthday party for a friend who loves lamb. After my success with purchasing beef, I decided to look into local lamb and was pleased to find a recommendation from the chicken group for Sierra Farms Lamb. As it happened, they were delivering in my area last week, so I arranged to purchase a whole lamb, about 30 pounds.

Again, the meat came wrapped and ready for the freezer, but unlike the beef, it was not already frozen. This quantity easily fit in my remaining standalone freezer (now called the Meat Locker), although I am planning to share my haul with a few others. In addition to two bone-in legs, there were also chops of several varieties, as well as shanks, ribs and steaks. Unlike the beef, however, nothing is labeled, so I have to use my best guess to figure out the cuts.

Our first tasting was arm chops (I think. Could have also been sirloin steaks.) and we grilled them with a little S&P and olive oil. Very tasty. Since that first experience, we have reached for lamb several more times when grilling. Great product, and as a bonus, the rancher offers lamb year round, so we can restock whenever we need.

Lamb Chops

Lamb Chops cooked

The best part of this whole experience? Meeting the ranchers who raised the beef in person. I find it comforting and orderly to know where my food comes from and meet the folks in charge. Wonder which local food item I will focus on next? Any suggestions?

Welcome to the roundup for the 43rd Grow Your Own event. Created by Andrea of Andrea’s Recipes, Grow Your Own is now in its fourth year! It was wonderful to host in July, I received submissions from all over the world and met several bloggers new to the event.

Our summer has been cool so far, so my garden is a little behind. I see some of the tomatoes are out, but the heirloom plants I put in back in April have yet to set fruit. My herbs are quite happy, the cooler weather means less have bolted, but my squash and melon are just limping along. At the end of June, I harvested my garlic from the winter crop and it is now in the garage, drying and keeping cool. The pear tree is full of fruit, its second year, and I hope to figure out when to harvest a little better than I did last year. Blueberries are slow, I think the lack of heat might be the problem, and I let my last two artichokes go to flower, just to see the color.

If you are new to Grow Your Own, you can visit the Grow Your Own page to learn more about the event. All are welcome to participate, even if you are new to gardening, foraging, hunting or raising animals. Foraging can even include the bag of zucchini your neighbor leaves on your doorstep in the dark of night! Andrea is hosting again in August, so be sure to send her email if you want to participate. And, anyone who participates is also eligible to host the event, contact Andrea for more details.

Without further ado, here is this month’s roundup, presented in the order they were received:

Passionfruit Pavlova

Passionfruit Pavlova, from Cathy of Aficionado (Sydney, NSW, Australia)

Windowsill Dinner

Dinner from her Windowsill, from Amy of A Cook and her Windowsill (London, UK)

BBQ Thai Pizza

BBQ Thai Pizza, from Darlene of Blazing Hot Wok (Portland, Oregon, USA)

Powerhouse Pasta

Powerhouse Pasta, from Heather of Girlchef (South Bend, Indiana, USA)

Phyllo Parcel

Phyllo Parcels from the Garden, from Liisa of Liisa’s New Blahhhg (Medford, Oregon, USA)

Potato Salad with Summer Herbs

Potato Salad with Summer Herbs and White Wine Vinaigrette, from Andrea of Andrea’s Recipes (Virginia, USA)

Gingered Beet and Berry Salad

Gingered Beet and Berry Salad, from Linda of Kitchen Therapy (Janesville, Wisconsin, USA)

Solar Beef Heart Scotched Eggs

Solar Beef Heart Scotched Egg on Quinoa, from Sharlene of Solar Cooking for Mainstream Cooks (North Carolina, USA)

Tempura-fried Squash Blossoms

Tempura-fried Zucchini and Squash Blossoms, from Gary of The “Iron” Chevsky’s Wine Blog (Palo Alto, California, USA)

Sweet Refrigerator Zucchini Pickles

Sweet Refrigerator Zucchini Pickles, from Dorothy of Shockingly Delicious (Malibu, California, USA)

and last, but not least, my own entry, Macaroni Salad!

Macaroni Salad

Cantaloupe

Our box from Two Small Farms CSA was full of many summer time favorites, including Sweet Corn, Zucchini and Cantaloupe. We also found Onions, Spinach, Red Beets, Strawberries and Purple Cauliflower.

Here is my menu plan for the week of August 2:

Sunday: Corn, sauteed spinach, grilled zucchini, grilled lamb chops

Monday: Hamburgers, Corn and Zucchini Saute, sliced cantaloupe

Tuesday: Farro and Roasted Beet Salad, grilled sausages, nectarines and plums

Wednesday: Orecchiette with Cauliflower and Zucchini, bread

Thursday: Cauliflower, White Bean and Feta Salad (I am going to use red cabbage instead of endive. Nice mix with the purple cauliflower)

Friday: Out to dinner

What is on your menu plan this week?

A certain someone (who shall remain nameless) had a birthday recently and requested ribs, macaroni salad and carrot slaw for dinner. I was only too happy to oblige, seeing as how I show love through food. Plus, the Macaroni salad will also serve as my entry in this month’s Grow Your Own blogging event, which I am hosting! That would be a two-fer in my book.

Macaroni Salad

Macaroni Salad

Inspired by Simple Recipes, Mom’s Macaroni Salad

• 1 pound elbow macaroni, cooked using instructions on package, rinsed in cold water and drained
• 1/2 cup chopped bread and butter pickles
• 1/4 cup pimentos (can substitute roasted red peppers)
• 1/4 cup red onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
• 1 TBS lemon juice
• 1/2-3/4 cup of light mayonnaise
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 TBS Dijon mustard
• Salt and pepper to taste

Mix macaroni, pickles, pimento, red onion, and parsley in large bowl. In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, lemon juice, paprika and Dijon mustard. Pour over macaroni mixture and toss well. Add salt and pepper. Chill until ready to serve.

Note: I made this the night before, and the day I was going to serve it, I noticed that the salad was kind of dry. The pasta seemed to have soaked up all of the mayo I added! I added more until a creamy consistency was achieved.

This salad is posted as part of the Grow Your Own blogging event, as the red onions came from my garden this winter, parsley growing on my porch, and a batch of bread and butter pickles I made last summer.

All is right in the world again. We live in the house. The chickens live in their coop. And with the addition of an automatic chicken coop door, they now have access to their run during the day.

The project of retrofitting the play house and adding a chicken run took about 4 weekends to complete, mostly by my darling husband, who used almost no power tools (that is probably not right, we need to get that fixed). On the final day, our friends Tim and Chris came over to pull power to the coop and helped us hang the door. It was almost like an old fashioned barn raising. I served coffee and peach pie.

Peach Pie

Working on the chicken run

Dog checking out chicken run

Installation of automatic chicken door

Chooks inside the coop

Outside view of chicken door, while closed

Completed chicken coop and run

Charlie's Angels: Penny, Astrid and Ruby, 7 weeks

Miss Lemon, 7 weeks