Garlic Herb Cheese Dip

This cheese dip can be formed into a cheese ball or log and then rolled in the walnuts. Or just put it in a bowl with the walnuts on top. Either way, serve it with raw veggies or bread.


Garlic Herb Cheese Dip

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 Tbsp. parsley, finely chopped
1 tsp. dried herb mix (basil, oregano, thyme)
black pepper, freshly ground, to taste
2 Tbsp. cream
1/2 c. walnuts, chopped

Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl until well combined. Form into a ball or other desired shape, or put it in a bowl. Sprinkle the walnuts on top. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette

I have avoided buying salad dressings for several years now. The standard dressings are full of junk and don't even taste that good. This dressing goes well on almost anything. I usually leave out the fresh garlic unless I know I'll be using up the dressing within a few days.

On a side note, this summer and fall I've been buying a very tasty, zesty green mix from a local farmer. It tastes amazing with this dressing, and doesn't need anything else. Now that winter has come, I bought the run-of-the-mill romaine hearts from the grocery store to make a salad. I was taken back by the taste - not just a lack of, but actually an unpleasant taste. Can't wait for my local greens to come around again - possibly as soon as March.


Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette

1 Tbsp. maple syrup
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. water
1 small garlic clove, minced (optional)
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 c. olive oil

Stir together all ingredients except olive oil. Slowly drizzle in olive oil while whisking the dressing. Store in the refrigerator for a few weeks, though with fresh garlic, it may not last as long.

Roasted Fennel

Roasted Fennel

1 bulb fennel
olive oil
salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut off the green stems of the fennel. Reserve for another use (garnish or to flavor vegetable broth). Chop the white bulb into large chunks. Drizzle with olive oil and salt & pepper. Roast fennel for 30-40 minutes until browned on the edges and tender.

Gingerbread Cookies

This is the first time I've made gingerbread cookies. I thought they would be easier than sugar cookies to decorate with my toddler, simply because just using icing is fine. It's hard to find a good substitute for all the junky decorating supplies (dyes, corn syrup, etc.). The listed frosting recipe makes enough to decorate the cookies sparsely, like in my photo. If you wanted to cover each cookie, you may need to double the frosting recipe.

Gingerbread Cookies
from Dishing Up the Dirt

1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. molasses (blackstrap is fine)
1 1/2 tsp. vinegar (white or apple cider)
3 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg, lightly beaten

Combine butter, sugar, molasses, and vinegar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil then turn off the heat and let cool. After cooling transfer to a large mixing bowl.
Sift together all the dry ingredients.
Stir egg into cooled molasses mixture. Gradually stir in the dry ingredients until the dough comes together.
Flatten dough out wrapped in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for about 1-2 hours.
Roll out the dough over a lightly floured surface until about 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes and place on a prepared baking sheet. Re-roll unused dough to make more cookies. Bake in a preheated 375 oven for 8 minutes.
Transfer to a cooling rack. Once cool, frost and decorate as desired.

Royal Icing
1 egg white
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. confectioner's (powdered) sugar, sifted

With a hand mixer, beat the egg white with the extract until frothy. Add the sifted powdered sugar and beat on low speed until combined, smooth, and shiny. Turn to high and beat approximately 5 minutes till stiff and glossy. Add food coloring, if desired, and transfer to a pastry bag to pipe onto cookies.

Egg Drop Soup

This is a very basic recipe for egg drop soup that I know I will make repeatedly because it is so easy. When possible, use homemade stock for maximum flavor and health benefits.

Egg Drop Soup

4 cups homemade chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch or arrowroot powder
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 green onions, chopped
Salt and white pepper, to taste

In a small cup, make a slurry by combining the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of chicken stock. Stir until dissolved. Bring remaining chicken stock, grated ginger and soy sauce to a boil. Slowly pour in the cornstarch mixture while stirring the stock, until thickened. Reduce heat to a simmer. Pour in the eggs slowly while stirring the soup in the same direction. The egg will spread and feather. Turn off the heat and add the green onions. Season with salt and pepper, and serve immediately.

Traditional Skills and Canning Salsa

Last week was a revival of traditional skills.

Canning! While I did get a good deal on a bushel of tomatoes, canning may make the most sense when you grow the food yourself. So for now, I see this as practice for the day when I have a garden. With a bushel of tomatoes, I made 20 quarts of quartered tomatoes and 8 pints of salsa. I also bought 2.5 pounds of tomatillos, which made 3 pints of salsa.

I also scored some free wild yeast sourdough starter from a baker at the farmer's market. While I want to master how to make my own starter, this allows me to start right off with using it to bake. So far I've made one whole-wheat loaf. It was good, but I've got a long way to go. Baking with sourdough is more about knowing the dough, so I've got my work cut out. I usually just follow a recipe without too much thought past that.

I bought 10 fresh whole chicken, and cut up most of them before freezing. Cutting up a whole chicken into parts isn't that difficult, but I still am learning the anatomy of the chicken. Some of those chickens have stray bones, or so it seems.


I also have been looking up information on how to save seeds. So far I have watermelon and cantalope. I tried it with a tomato, but I'm not so sure the fermenting process worked, so I threw them out. I might try saving the seeds from my mint plant as well.


Mild Tomato Salsa for Canning

10 cups, peeled, cored, chopped tomatoes
6 cups seeded, chopped peppers (use 2 or so jalapenos, the rest can be green bell peppers)
4 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped cilantro
1 cup bottled lemon juice
3-4 tsp salt

Remove the tomato skins by cutting a small "x" on the bottom of each tomato and then drop them (in batches) in a pot of boiling water for about a minute. When the skins start to crack or peel, remove with a slotted spoon and put them in a large bowl or sink filled with ice water. The skins will easily peel off. Also cut out the core.

Chop up the tomatoes and put in a colander over a bowl to collect the juice. Squeeze the tomatoes to get out as much juice as possible. Put the juice in a large pot and bring to a simmer. Reduce the juice till thickened.

While juice is simmering, chop up peppers, onions, and cilantro. When juice is reduced and thickened, add the chopped tomatoes, peppers, onions, cilantro, lemon juice and salt to pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Add more salt, if needed.

Meanwhile, in a water bath canner, prepare 8 pint jars by submersing in water. Heat to almost boiling.

When salsa is ready, remove jars and fill with salsa, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe rims clean and top with clean lids. Screw on rings.

Put jars back in water bath and boil with lid on for 15 minutes. Then remove the lid of the canner and let sit for 5 minutes. Remove the jars and allow to cool.

Chia Seed Fruit Salad

This is one of the most delicious sugar-free dishes I've eaten. If you use bananas it really reminds me of frog eye salad (a cool whip fruit salad), which I don't make any more.

Chia Seed Fruit Salad

4 cups of diced fruit (berries, bananas, pears, apples, oranges, peaches)
1/4 cup currants or chopped raisins
1/3 cup chia seeds
2 cups coconut milk (1 can)
1 orange, juiced and zested
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

Make this in one big bowl or four single serving dishes. To serving bowl (or bowls), add the fruit and currants. In a separate mixing bowl, combine the chia seeds, coconut milk, orange juice, orange zest, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. Stir to combine. Pour chia seed mixture over the fruit. Top with shredded coconut. Allow to set in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or overnight.