The Farmer's Table is Moving...

The Farmer's Table is moving to it's own domain name!

Stop by at http://thefarmerstableblog.com/ for recipes and news from the farm.

I look forward to seeing everyone there!

Easter Bread Bread Pudding

So this evening while cleaning the kitchen while cooking dinner, I lamented over the thought of throwing away an entire loaf of this weekend's Easter bread, now stale. As I opened the trash I thought "gee, what a waste".  Then it hit me.  A beautiful, but simple, fantastic, and exciting revelation: Bread pudding.

One of the amazing things about bread putting is that it takes something that otherwise wouldn't be used and makes it into something beautiful delicious.  Not only does my husband love Easter bread, but he loves bread pudding.  Major wife bonus points.  (Especially since dinner was only going to be pasta.)

Unfortunately, there aren't any pictures of the prep.  Such is the case of things that have been turning out quite well lately- I never know what to expect of them. And all the things I expect to share with you, documenting along the way, turn out acceptable, but not share-worthy.

So needless to say, here is the recipe, without any pictures of the process.

Easter Bread Bread Pudding

Makes one 8x8 pan bread pudding

Ingredients

1 Nine-inch loaf easter bread, cut into 1-inch cubes

2 eggs

2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

2 cups milk

2 cups sugar

2 tablespoons vanilla

Directions

Preheat oven to 350.

Whisk together the eggs, butter, milk, sugar, and vanilla.  (If you do it in this order it will keep your butter from seizing.  However, it will still be delicious if you don't and your butter seizes.  Not like I did that or anything...)

Place one layer of cubes snugly into an 8x8 baking dish.  Pour egg mixture over top until just covered.  if you have more egg mixture and more bread, add another layer of bread and pour more egg mixture over top.  For me this ratio was just about perfect.  The egg mixture shouldn't be way over the top of the bread, so if your loaf is smaller, use less egg mixture.

Bake for about an hour, until the top is browned and the mixture has soaked in a good bit.  I used a clear baking dish that allowed me to see that the sides were browning as well as some of the custard soaked in and cooked.

I severed my bread pudding with a Jack Daniels sauce, but I think in the future I would make a Grand Marnier sauce to serve with it.

Easter Bread Bread Pudding
It may not look beautiful, but there is a beauty in keeping something from going to waste.

How do you like to 'upcycle' leftovers?

On the Farm: Growing Early Sweet Corn

Somehow I let almost two weeks to by since my last post.  Definitely a sign that it's planting time.  And while I may not be doing the planting every day, my workload increases with increased laundry needs and picking up some of the things my husband would help with when he was working shorter days (like cooking....which takes me forever).

I'll try to do better with my posting.  I promise.

Last week, my husband and father-in-law planted sweet corn.  (Hooray!)  As long as everything goes well, it should be ready around the middle of July.  (What a long wait!)  However, it's still pretty cold outside for sweet corn.  To get sweet corn in the ground so early, it must be covered to stay warm and protect it, you know, from things like the other night's snow.

So Sunday we spent the morning covering the newly planted sweet corn.  I managed to sneak a few pictures to share with you...

No sign of delicious sweet corn yet, but it's in there!

We started with two large rolls of Covertan, a very thin, breathable fabric that helps maintain a warm atmosphere to allow seed to germinate but also allows water to pass through, a benefit that plastic doesn't offer.  Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of the rolls (large, but since the fabric is so thin, certainly not as large as you'd think for a 500-foot roll).

Nor did I get a picture of the process we used to unroll them since I was hard at work securing one side of the fabric by shoveling soil at intervals to prevent the fabric from flying across the field in the windy morning (a task that sounds way easier than really is to accomplish!). 

After the cover was unrolled and generally secured, we went back down the row and insured that only the very edge layer was under the dirt.  My job was to ensure it was straight (well, as straight as the row of corn) and hold while it was re-secured with dirt by my husband.

His father and sister were right behind, helping to fill in the gaps so that the edge was extremely secure.

The next step was pulling the stacked layers across the field to cover the entire planting since the fabric was folded onto itself.

Once the fabric was stretched across the field, it was time to secure it again.  This time I shoveled while someone else lined up the cover.

Here you can see how thin the fabric is.
Yes, that's a large rock by my shoulder.

Then we did it all again with another 500-foot roll.

1,000 foot section of sweet corn covered.

The corn here is about enough to satisfy the demand of the market for about a week.  So we'll be doing this again very soon!

Baking Blunder- Nougat

I set off today to make crackers, use up more of those carrots, and bake a cake.  Toward the end of the afternoon I realized that I didn't want to clean I had some extra time so I decided to try a peanut butter nougat which has been on my list of things to try.

And thus I present my first baking blunder (well, first to this blog, definitely not my first fail....)

Nougat involves whipping hot syrup into a whipped egg white.  I do this frequently for some of my favorite frostings, however I think the mixer is entirely too big for adding syrup to just one egg white.

Note the strands of sugar that look 'cob-webby' around the whisk and the globs of hardened syrup on the side (which I later actually cut myself on while trying to wash the bowl!).  And while it's hard to see, in the bottom by the end of the whip is a HUGE glob of syrup that just swirled around the whites...I plan to try this again, hopefully with better results next time..

Carrot Cake Pancakes

So a couple weeks ago I bought some baby carrots wholeheartedly believing I'd enjoy them dipped in hummus as a healthy snack.  (I was so wrong).  So rather than admit that I was wrong to my husband who questioned my purchase of three pounds of baby carrots, I set out to use them up.

Carrot Cake Pancakes- a sweet idea for Easter breakfast!

These pancakes we had for dinner (I'm a huge advocate for breakfast at dinner...or breakfast for breakfast...you know, whenever I make the time to make breakfast...) were inspired by a menu item I saw at work. (I think we're in for a lot of food inspiration now that I work at a food service company...you know, in addition to living on a produce farm.  All I think about is food now.  It's fun!).  I pulled the recipe from here.  These pancakes are not very sweet so I'd definitely serve them with the cream cheese mixture and consider adding the raisins to the batter in the future as well.

I loved the carrot shredding tip from Cookie + Kate's version of this recipe.  I'll never again dread making carrot cake because this was so easy.  And yes, I'd much rather wash the food processor than shred carrots (along with my fingers) on a box grater.

Grate carrots using the shredder plate.

Then switch to the normal blade.

Ta-da! Finely grated carrots!

Wet ingredients, dry ingredients, and carrots.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet, then mix.  Do not mix thoroughly.  Some flour showing is okay.
Then add the carrots.

Let rest for five minutes.

Thankful for my griddle which has saved many pancakes from burning.

Carrot Cake Pancakes

Makes about 15 small pancakes

Pancakes

Ingredients:

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

pinch of ginger

freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional, I used this)

raisins (optional, I did not use them, but would if I made it again to add some sweetness)

1 large egg

2 tablespoons packed brown sugar

1 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups shredded carrots (about 1 pound of carrots)

Directions:

In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, walnuts (if using) and raisins (if using).

In a separate bowl, mix the egg, brown sugar, buttermilk, and vanilla extract together.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and combine.  Add the carrots and mix to combine.  Let sit for five minutes.

While batter is resting, preheat a griddle (or a cast iron pan).  Grease with butter or oil and spoon small pancakes onto the preheated surface.  These take a little longer to cook than traditional pancakes and there is less sugar in them than a normal pancake so they won't burn so quickly either.  I let mine sit for probably 3-4 minutes on each side, but it will vary if you're using a different surface or temperature.

Cream Cheese Filling
Ingredients:

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) butter, room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 tablespoons milk

Directions:

Beat the cream cheese and butter together.  Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth.  Add vanilla and milk and beat.

April Fool's Fails

I was lamenting over the fact that I didn't have a fun April Fool's Day recipe to share with you after my attempt this weekend just didn't work out how I wanted to.  While it looked nice, the flavor wasn't quite right and it's in need of some tweaking before I can fully fool my target.  So, I'll be keeping that under wraps while I give it another go (or several more attempts) but do promise to share once I have it figured out.  Besides, pranking someone on a day on which they do not expect it is way more effective, isn't it?

However, King Arthur Flour posted some great baking blunders on their blog today.  Looking through my photos on my phone, I couldn't believe I didn't have ANY to share with you!  None of the many times cakes didn't turn out of the pan right or that evening I wasn't paying attention as I adjusted a rack and put a cake in the oven on a VERY uneven rack (what a MESS!).

Thank you, eBay, for being the only
place with a similar photo

So in the future, I promise to share my failures with you too.  In fact, failures sometimes make for the best creations.  I know it sounds cliché, but it's true.  Several years ago, my mom created what we now fondly call 'crumble cake' when she dropped a cake coming out of the oven.  Salvaging what was left, she layered broken pieces with frosting in a heavy blue sponge pottery bowl that was my grandma's.  Now, when I decorate cakes, the scraps and leftover frosting become crumble cake, full of surprises including extra filling, copious amounts of frosting, or unique blends of the various cake flavors I've made that day.

What baking blunders have actually turned out to be success stories for you?

Roasted Garlic Pierogi

Marrying into a Catholic family and being part Polish means one thing during lent:

Pierogi on Friday.

Whether you call them pierogi or pirohy, these delightful, potato-filled dumplings are a staple to lent in Youngstown, Ohio.

Running into a couple unexpected days off last week, I used an afternoon to make some pierogi.  While these are a favorite, I did forget how much work goes into these, especially if you're working alone.  This is a great project if you have some friends who want to spend some time together or if you have some little hands able to help.

I apologize in advance for the horrible lack of pictures.  Clearly I need to figure out how to take pictures while using two hands to demonstrate...I'll work on growing a third (or fourth) hand...

Roasted Garlic Pierogi

Dough:

2 cups flour, plus extra for kneading and rolling dough
1/2 teaspoon iodized salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup butter, softened and cut into small pieces

-Mix together the flour and salt.

-Beat the egg, then add to the flour mixture with the sour cream and butter.  Work the dough until it absorbs all of the flour mixure and loses the stickiness (add more flour if necessary).

-Wrap and plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes or overnight.  Dough can be kept in the refrigerator for 2 days.

Filling:

About 2 pounds red skinned russet potatoes (4 large)
2 heads garlic
1/4 cup sour cream
3/4 teaspoon iodized salt
1/2 cup shredded cheddar

Pictures aren't worth as many words as smells...

-Preheat oven to 400.  Cut the tops off the garlic.  Place on aluminum foil, drizzle with oil, and wrap into a packet.  Place into preheated oven and roast for about a half hour, or until browned and soft.

-While garlic is roasting, peel, dice, and boil potatoes (in salted water- see dear, I listen!).  Once potatoes are soft, drain and push through potato ricer.

-In mixing bowl, add roasted garlic to riced potatoes.  If garlic is still too hot to handle, you can hold it using a paper towel.  Turn on mixer and add sour cream, salt, and cheddar cheese.  Mix until smooth.  If your potatoes are not smooth and creamy, feel free to add more sour cream, some heavy cream, or some butter.

To make pierogi:

-Bring a pot of water to boil.

-Roll dough.  If using a pasta roller, follow instructions.  I typically roll mine with the attachment for my KitchenAid.  Following the instructions, I roll to a thickness of 4 or 5.  If you are using a rolling pin, roll to about 1/16 inch thick.  Cut into 4" circles.

-Place a small portion of filling onto the dough.  I use a portion scoop to help me make uniform pierogi.  For this size dough, I use a size 70 scoop.  (The size refers to how many portions per quart the scoop gives, so the smaller the number, the larger the portion and vice versa.)

-Envelop the filling with the dough.  You may need to squish the filling to help fill the portion evenly.  Pinch the dough.  If the dough doesn't stick together easily, before pinching the dough together, you can dip your fingers in some warm water and run it around the inside of the dough.  It will act like a 'glue' to help them stick together.  I typically use this method to ensure the pierogi will not stick.  This also helps if your dough dries a little between rolling/cutting and filling/sealing.

-Boil pierogi in smaller batches (I boil about 8 at a time in a 3 quart sauce pot) for about 3 minutes (until they float for a minute or so).  If you want to freeze extra pierogi freeze them in a freezer bag at this point.  When you want to prepare them, proceed from this point.

-After pierogi are boiled, saute in butter and serve.

My husband said: "They don't even need bacon!"  I consider that a major victory!

Roasted Rosemary Sage Chicken

Warning: this recipe is not for the calorie-conscious.

Today we're working on conquering my fears.  Fear of what? Whole chickens.  (Well, my husband would say salt and seasoning too, but that's a story for another day)

What also scares me about chicken is that most packages look like this:

Notice anything missing?  Like...chicken?

So we've been purchasing fryer chickens from Catullo Prime Meats who gets their chicken from Lamppost Farms.  Fresh, local, and...well...chicken.  The fryers are reasonably priced and a good size for just the two of us.

I'd never worked with a whole chicken before, so last week my husband walked me through breaking down and roasting a chicken.

Under his careful instructions, I made a flavorful, moist, and tender roasted chicken.  His reaction: "It's probably better than any chicken I ever made."

So I bought another chicken with the goal of doing it solo.  His advice: "It was perfect last time. So don't mess it up."

No pressure.

I had a little trouble breaking down the chicken, so he helped me again, then I proceeded to prepare the chicken on my own.

Yes, two sticks of butter.  Don't say I didn't warn you...
About how delicious it will be...

Chiffonade the sage

 

Stack the leaves               then roll               .

and make thin slices along the roll

Destem and chop the rosemary.  (I did not chop the rosemary but found myself picking some of it off as I ate because eating whole pieces of rosemary is just awkward.)


Sweat the diced shallot over low heat.  Add the roasted garlic, mash the roasted garlic and mix together.  Then add the white wine.  Cook for a minute more, remove from heat to cool.

Make the herbed butter mixture.  Add the herbs and pepper, mix until combined.  Once the shallot mixture is cooled, add to the butter mixture and combine.

Spread the butter mixture over the chicken.  Start by working some of the herbed butter between the meat and the skin.

 Then spread the remaining mixture over the tops of the pieces.

Place on a rack on a sheet pan and roast until the temperature reaches 165.

Roasted Rosemary-Sage Chicken

Ingredients:

1 chicken, in halves
Kosher salt
Pepper
1/2 clove roasted garlic
1 scallion, diced
1 oz white wine
2 sticks butter, softened
Fresh rosemary, destemmed (I used about 4 sprigs and would chop it next time)
Fresh sage, sliced into a chiffonade  (I used about 4 sprigs)

Instructions:

-Lay out the chicken, pat dry, and season with salt and pepper.

-Preheat oven to 400.

-Sweat the scallions with some kosher salt in a small saute pan over low heat.  Once the scallions are soft, add the roasted garlic and smash the roasted garlic until smooth.  Add the white wine to deglaze the pan.  Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.

-In the meantime, in a small bowl combine the butter, rosemary, sage, and some pepper.  Mix until combined.  Once the scallion mixture is cooled, add to the butter mixture and mix until combined.

-Rub the butter mixture on the chicken.  Start with where you can get under the skin and massage some of the butter into the meat, leaving some of the seasonings and butter in between the meat and the skin.  Smear the remaining butter over the top of the skin.

-Place on a rack on a baking sheet (so you don't get all that butter pooling at the base of your chicken).  Bake for about an hour to an hour and a half, or until you reach a safe internal temperature (165 degrees).  Check the temperature at more than one place as the thigh and breast won't bake evenly.

-Once the chicken has reached 165 degrees, remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.  Allowing the chicken to rest prevents loss of the moisture as well as providing a couple extra degrees for carry-over cooking.

Roasted Chicken: worthy of the farmer's table.

Spring (de)Frost

As part of the spring cleaning that's been running rampant through my home, I decided to defrost my chest freezer.

While I was standing there with a hair dryer trying to speed the process along (let's face it, there's nowhere to put that much stuff to allow the freezer to casually defrost on its own), I started laughing at myself.  Not every young woman has a 24 cubic foot chest freezer. (And then an additional 7 cubic foot chest freezer...)  And one that big...well, what 20-something year old woman would really want to fill it?

The freezers were actually purchased for the purpose of helping me freeze cookies and other baked goods for the holidays. However, over the last year or so, they've been overtaken with produce frozen at the peak of freshness, which we use both for ourselves as well as to make jelly with our own strawberries and peaches out of season.  During the process of organizing my freezer, I was actually quite surprised to discover that the amount of purchased packaged food in any of our freezers was limited to just a few bags of frozen cheese, a couple containers of cool whip, a jug of local maple syrup (yes, in the freezer! It will keep almost indefinitely here), a bag of shrimp, and one sole bag of Mrs. T's pierogi.  As I write this, I'm still pretty stunned at the fact that so little in our freezers is prepackaged prepared food.  And I'm kind of very extremely proud of that fact too.  

Why hello there, top layer of wedding cake...
I look forward to eating you in 10 1/2 months...

This summer I plan to share with you what I've learned from my husband's family to prepare some of the vegetables and fruit for freezing.  While freezing does require an additional appliance and some space, it's definitely worth it to be able to toss some of our favorite sweet corn into a batch of chili in the middle of winter, or to be able to make fruit smoothies with our own produce whenever we get a craving for some strawberry goodness.

We're running a little low...

With such a large freezer, I've found it helpful to use a dry erase board to display the contents of my freezer, changing quantities as I add and use items.

March is Frozen Food Month- do you freeze any produce for use in the off-season?  How do you keep it organized?

How Did I Get Here?

I said yes.

Simple as that.  Two years ago (to the day!) my high school sweetheart dropped to one knee and asked me if I'd marry him.

With my answer, I agreed to so much more than marrying my husband.  I agreed to a lifestyle.

This winter I fulfilled that promise to marry him and gained the title 'farmer's wife.'

Our Wedding Day

My husband is a third generation farmer and we live on his family's produce farm in Poland, Ohio.  In the spring I am greeted by the fragrant smell of strawberries as I pull up the drive and pass people picking berries in the field.  Our backyard is home to miles of rows of tomatoes, peppers, and the local favorite, sweet corn.

Every day I learn something new about what being a farmer's wife entails and what is expected of me. (Just last night I was seeking advice from my Facebook network, asking how to make washing Carhartts sound less like my basement is a foxhole under attack).

There are other expectations of a farmer's wife that will require much more than one load of laundry to help me live up to.  With the title 'farmer's wife' I am expected to know all about what my husband does.  While I've vastly expanded my knowledge base in the nearly nine years we've been together (has it really been that long??), I learn more every day.  Beyond knowing about food, there is also the expectation to cook good amazing fantastic the best dishes. (About that...I can cook well under supervision and I can bake a mean cake, but to leave me in the kitchen alone and expect a fantastic meal? This needs some work.)

Just after he proposed.
Perhaps a farmer's wife needs to learn
to apply sunscreen properly too...

This blog will be a place for me to share my journey toward fulfilling all of the expectations the 'farmer's wife' status.  I invite you to join me as I explore and learn more about the food we grow and challenge myself in preparing it into dishes worthy of being on the farmer's table.