The best (food-related) part of Thanksgiving is the leftovers. Don’t waste those turkey bones! It’s time to make turkey stock! You could watch my video on making chicken and roasted veggie stew, and simply replace the whole stewing hen with your leftover turkey carcass. But it might not fit in the crockpot, so you may have to use a bigger stock pot.
Continue readingCranberry Broa
Broa is a rustic Portuguese cornbread. Unlike more common Midwestern American cornbreads, which are leavened with baking powder or soda and fairly sweet, broa is yeast leavened and savory. It’s great with the addition of cranberries and made into small boules you can scatter about the celebratory table, so everyone can cut or tear off a hunk without waiting for it to be passed! No kneading (but a bit of advanced planning) required.
Continue readingGarlic Scape Pesto
Garlic Scapes are one of my absolute favorite foods, yet available so fleetingly. They are the flower stalk from hardneck garlic, and must be harvested to allow the garlic heads to size up. But their delicious garlic x leek flavor is an absolute delight. The biggest scape regret is that their season lasts but about two weeks a year.
Continue readingSourdough Boule
Some folks have complained I haven’t posted anything new lately. That’s just sour grapes dough.
Sourdough Boule
Blueberry Basil Muffins
Blueberry Basil Muffins
July in Indiana brings two of my all-time favorite flavors: Blueberries and Basil. And they’re wonderful together. Things have been really crazy lately, with hot, long days working in the field. My body was crying out for a rest, with a long, hot, four days of Culver Lakefest on the horizon. I didn’t really have the time, but I opted to listen to my body and spend some time in the kitchen this morning. Haven’t spent any quality time in there since Hole in the Woodstock, anyway. So, I came up with these Blueberry Basil Muffins to celebrate. Continue reading
Pasta with Grilled Lemon Asparagus
Pasta with Grilled Lemon Asparagus
After a late start, the asparagus harvest this year has been great! But after grilling, air frying, sauteing, and roasting, plus Cream of Asparagus Soup, it was time to celebrate asparagus with something a little unexpected. How about pasta? And let’s grill it for good measure! And lemon sounds like it would brighten things up a bit!
Baked Oatmeal
Baked Oatmeal for Breakfast means you can work ’till lunch! Yum!
I love the flavor of oatmeal. But I loathe its texture. And texture is an important thing! So, when Xenia raved about the baked oatmeal at the dining hall, I was a bit reticent to try it. But, when I did, I could see what all the fuss was about!
Filled with apples, dried fruit, and oaty goodness, baked oatmeal is tasty, satisfying, and a breakfast that will stick with you. It’s great for breakfast before heading out to cut firewood on a chilly day. Continue reading
Pecan Rolls
Yummy, sticky, sweet, spicy… Pecan Rolls!
I wish I could make pecan rolls as good as Joann McCormack, “The Cinnamon Roll Lady.” Alas, I must limit myself to those little sticky plops of ambrosia to summer, when I can get them at the Tuesday evening Culver Farmers’ Market. Mine, though, are still pretty durn sticky-good. My version is also easy and quick to make. I can put it together in time for breakfast even on a busy Sunday with parade, chapel, or other commitments. Continue reading
Refrigerator Brioche Dough
Make and refrigerate (or freeze) a large quantity of brioche dough, and you can make a wide assortment of fresh goodies in little time
Things have been a bit really crazy lately, allowing not so much time to cook, let alone bake. Yet the ducks kept laying eggs, even as the days get shorter and colder. Normally they would have slowed nearly to a stop by now. The result? I’m running out of egg storage space!
So, on a stormy Sunday with no work duties(!) and a lot of studying to do, I decided to do something about it. I made up about a 4 1/2 pound batch of refrigerator brioche dough!
Brioche is a (very) enriched bread dough, with lots of egg and butter, and sweetened with a bit of honey. It’s often baked in a typical loaf shape, but can be substituted for challah, made into cinnamon rolls, or beignets filled with chocolate or jam (though that requires deep frying, a mess I seldom want to deal with). Continue reading
2017 Week 43 – Week of 23 October
I love doing morning chores this time of year. You get the peace of pre-dawn, plus a chance to see the world wake up at sunrise. This week provided a couple of stunning sunrises with crescent moons. I wish I could carry my good camera during chores, but the cell phone shot will have to do.
It’s been downright difficult getting back into the flow of menu planning this fall! As a result, I’ve been eating too many dining hall meals, and my immune system hasn’t been appreciative.
However, this week represents a transition. Term 1, which included teaching a new “solid” class, with new curriculum, has come to an end. Term 2 will begin this Wednesday, with different challenges. My class schedule is a little lighter, and the farmers’ market season has come to a close. However, it’s time for the rifle team to get cranking, which means coaching every night. And, for a couple of weeks, overlapping Lancer Band preparations for Veterans’ Day. While winter sports seasons do tend to go on forever, I’m excited for this year’s rifle team. We have a couple of very strong leaders returning, and a push towards national rankings for Junior Olympics from a couple of students (plus the success of our first Junior Olympian to compete at nationals last season for motivation).
All of this highlights both the difficulty and importance of getting back on the ball with menu planning. So, let’s get this week’s menu going!
| Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner | Notes/Prep | |
| Mon | Pumpkin Bread | Leftover Pizza | Roast Chicken Multigrain Batard Baked Potato Green Beans | Fall Weekend Leave – lots of farm errands |
| Tues | Apples | Roast Chicken Sandwiches | Chicken Tortellini Soup w/ Spinach Salad | Fall Weekend Leave – hopefully greenhouse work, firewood cutting. Make Applesauce Spice Cake Finish Grades |
| Wed | Applesauce Spice Cake Persimmon | Chicken Tortellini Soup w/ Spinach | Chicken Tortellini Soup w/ Spinach Salad | Grades Due Term 2 starts special schedule Lancer Band |
| Thur | Applesauce Spice Cake Banana | Salad Baked Potato w/ fixin’s | Dining hall | Comments Due Late Lessons X late duty |
| Fri | Applesauce Spice Cake Persimmon | Dining Hall | Spaghetti w/ Meat Sauce | Paper for HIST551 Due |
| Sat | Bagels w/ pesto schmear | White Bean Chicken Chile w/ Butternut Squash Parmesan Roasted Brussels Sprouts | Rifle Range Setup Snow in forecast Start Sourdough for Philly Cheesesteaks |
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| Sun | Bagels w/ pesto schmear | White Bean Chicken Chile w/ Butternut Squash | Philly Cheesesteak Sandwiches on Sourdough Baguettes Salad | Rifle Team Open House – practice for season begins tomorrow. Make Zucchini Bread |
New from the farm: The garden is finishing a bit early this year, as we work on infrastructure things. Brussels sprouts are coming in, and should appreciate cold weather late this week (we haven’t had a frost yet!). Baby turnips, radishes, a few tomatoes and pepper are hanging in, and we’ll need to pull the basil before late week coldness kills it anyway.
Groceries: Kroger – $67.27 (I stocked up on some things that were on great sales)