Red Ape Anyone?

While shopping at Ward's last week, I finally bought a jar of

Red Ape Cinnamon 

to try.  I have looked at it many times, but 6.00 for cinnamon seemed steep.  However, I am a big fan of sustainably harvested foods and such.   Let  me tell you that it is well worth the price.  The quality is unmistakable.  The color is a lighter reddish brown...different  from the knock off stuff.  The company only uses the inner pure cinnamon bark from cassia cinnamon trees that are at least twenty years old.

These older tree have a higher Volatile Oil

 count that makes the quality of the cinnamon higher also.  Another plus is the 5% of their profits go to the protection and restoration of the orangutan habitat in Indonesia.  Bravo! Well worth the splurge.

Roasted Vitamin A

I love red heads.....and I love the color of carrots. This is the simplest way to cook them. Trust me you will eat them no other way. I didn't get a chance to take a picture of them in the roasted state because the scoundrels at the house swept in before I had a chance.

Ingredients


1 bag of baby carrots
Olive oil to coat
Sea salt to taste
A sprinkling of thyme and pepper. Be generous now.

Place them on a pan and toss with oil and herbs. Bake at 350 until they are wrinkly like your grandma.

Peach Deliciousness

The last of the seasons peaches were in the store this week. Amazingly these were the best I have tasted. They actually tasted like the peaches
I remember growing up and not the tasteless things found in the store nowadays due to pesticides, chemicals and genetic tampering of our food.... That is another post though.

The recipe for the peach crisp came from
the Pioneer Woman, who provides awesome inspiration. Plus, great recipes. Try it, I will not disappoint you!

Roasting Chesnuts

I can remember chestnut trees when growing up in Pennsylvania. They had a prickly outer shell that I liked to squash. I never picked them for cooking as I would now. Florida is not a chestnut producing area, so I am forced to buy them in the store at this time of year.

They are highly perishable...which I just learned after roasting a bad batch. So store them in the fridge until use.

To roast in the oven at 350', you must cut a x into the flat side of each. This let's steam escape so you don't have popping nuts in your oven. Roast for about 20 minutes...turning halfway through. You will see the x's curling up at the edges.

They will be smokin' hot so be careful not to burn yourself when peeling. We eat them plain,
but someone suggested dipping them in butter....which sounds utterly delicious because butter makes everything delicious!

Fingerling Potatoes

Fingerling potatoes are heritage potatoes that grow smaller than the average potato. They are oblong and knubby, therefore named "fingerling" due to resembling a finger.

They taste sweeter to me and have a more delicate, waxy texture. They are awesome roasted with garlic, onions and tossed with a good quality olive oil. A sprinkle of sea salt with fresh herbs completes the masterpiece.

Do you want a soda, cola, pop? Oh Whatever.

I grew up in Pennsylvania until I was 16.  Then I moved to Massachusetts to the greater Boston area.  Until I moved I thought everyone in the universe called soda "pop".  Wasn't that normal?  I soon found out that different areas call it different things.  I outgrew the term "pop", but can always tell where someone is from when I here them say it. It still is a small world.

While shopping at the World Market, we each got a different soda to try.  This was my least favorite in taste (unless you want to drink  candy bottlecaps), but my most favorite cool label.

Today Addy and I went to Ward's and picked up some locally grown strawberries.  The child is picky, but she loves strawberries.  As you can by her face!

I made some smoothies with the rest.  Some plain yogart, milk, strawberries and a banana.  Wayyyy better than any store bought stuff!

Lemonade Goodness

This weekend my wonderful co-worker brought a frozen lemonade pie to work to add to our fluffiness.  This was really, really good.  I'm sure it will be even better in the scorching summer ahead.  Plus, it's so simple a child could make it.

Ingredients:

Pre-made graham cracker crust

1 tub of Cool Whip

1 can sweetened condensed milk

4 ounces cream cheese

6 ounces frozen lemonade

Mix all ingredients until well blended.  Place in pie crust.  Put in freezer until firm and well set.  Control yourself and only have one piece!

My family loves this simple receipe that I adapted from Tessa Kiros
Apples For Jam cookbook. We call them meat patties and they are simple
and scrumptous.

I use ground sirlon.....about 2.5 pounds.Add about 1/4 to 1/2 cup fresh Italian parsley, two minced garlic
cloves, kosher salt and pepper to taste.

The secret is in the bread. I usually just use cheap white bread...4
slices broken up in a seperate bowl and mixed with about 1/4 cup of
whole milk. I mix it until it is a liquid mush. Add a little more milk
if it seems dry.

Add this in with the beef mixture and shape into patties. I bake them
at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes.

When serving them we place a mixture of lemon juice and olive oil on
top. Soooo good.

I roasted some asparagus in the oven with grape tomatoes that burst
open when ready. Threw on some kosher salt and olive oil and a great
meal was had by all. Even Addy loved it in the blender!

Three Little Bunnies

The bunnies are almost three weeks now.  We have 2 girls and 1 boy.  Finally we could tell.  They just started to explore outside of their nest box. 

These were the prettiest carrots I have seen.  Freshly plucked from somewhere with huge mounds of greenery on top.  I had to buy them.  I felt like I was in a french market walking around with them in my carrier.  I had big plans for them.  However, I guess due to the freshness when I left them out overnight  they turned limp?  So the big plans turned into either rabbit food or the trash can.

Fresh Food Means Clean Eating

I love fresh food...well I love food period...it's not hard to tell, but freshness is important. I am going, and putting my family on the clean eating diet. That means cut the sugars, white flour and a no brainer...processed food. I am waiting to see the movie Food, Inc. I could rent
online, but am waiting in que at the library like a good frugal person. It was recommended to change the way we view the food that we eat.

I made a sauted chicken breast with tomatoes and capers. It was delicious and really looked pretty after it was cooked. It was simple with only chicken, garlic, oil oil, capers, parsley and grape tomatoes. We made a chick pea salad with feta as a sidedish, Even Noah ate it which was saying alot. Addy loved it! It was a keeper! I love keepers.............................

Sam and I went to lunch today. He has been waiting to take me to this
place for awhile claiming it to be authentic Latin food. He knows I
love ethnic food so much and never choose the chains to eat in. I was
skeptical at first because he hasn't done so well in the past. The
pita pit....the Italian quarter. Yuck...he should have known never to
suggest an Italian place. I am waaaaay to picky for that. When I
know how it's supposed to taste and how to cook better forget about
it.....

Now this Latino place was really, really good. When the cooks don't
speak a the English it's a good sign. There empanadas were awesome.
So were the churros. Can't go wrong with fried bread and sugar!

I was at Wards Market the other day and saw these peppers tossed in the
reduced bin. Wards is my favorite grocer by far. Lots and lots of
locally grown produce, organic stuff and meat farmed in the good old
USA.

Alot of people snub the reduced produce section. However, there are
some really good buys there. Sometimes they are a little bruised, but
a knife can take care of that easily. My two bags full of red peppers
were only 2.32. That was a deal!

I fried them in some olive oil and had pepper sandwiches that night.
Now that's good Italian eating!

Bake it Pretty

Bake It Pretty is a fantastic online bakeshop supply site that has the cutest things. I bought the Christmas kit last year and made cupcakes that had glitter, vintage trees, santa heads, snowmen and kitchy dears. I was lazy this time and didn't do them. I need to order some new stuff to make some kitchy creations. Check this out.......

Homemade Marshmallows

I first saw pictures of homemade marshmallows on the Black Apple blog last year.  I had intentions of making them, but we all know how that goes at times.  I even bought my candy thermometer which is anxiously still waiting to be unwrapped and used.  They don't look hard and look yummy.  I may give them as gifts this year.  Here's Martha's recipe.

Cake Pops

I found Bakerella from Pioneer Women's site (God I love that women). Bakerella makes these adorable and scrumptious looking cake pops. They are sooo cute and clever. I haven't made them yet , but plan on doing some for the holidays. Check out the site and some of the great creations.

Low Country Shrimp Boil

I love shrimp, fish,seafood in general. This was the first time I ever did a low country shrimp boil, aka frogmore stew. It was soooo good, casual and messy! Threw it on the table with some newspaper, paper plates and LOTS of napkins. Ate it for a few days:)

Lowcountry Boil

4 pounds small red potatoes
5 quarts water
1 (3-ounce) bag of crab boil seasoning
4 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning
2 pounds kielbasa or hot smoked link sausage, cut into 1½-inch pieces
6 ears of corn, halved
4 pounds large fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined optional
4 lemons halved
Cocktail sauce

Add potatoes and lemons to large pot, then add 5 quarts water and seasonings. Cover pot and heat to a rolling boil; cook 5 minutes. Add sausage and corn, and return to a boil. Cook 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Add shrimp to stockpot; cook 3 to 4 minutes or until shrimp turn pink. Drain. Serve with cocktail sauce. Serves 12.

(Adapted from Southern Living, August 2002 and Real Simple, August 2001)

Sprout

I like shopping for baby food for the peep.  I am amazed at all of the different varieties out there.  Mango, tomato pastina, wow you've come a long way baby...even from 12 years ago.  My favorite by far is Earth's Best Organic.  Let's see today we had turkey,wild rice and peas and bananas/raspberries/pears.  2 thumbs up.  They even have baby granola with fruit...so you see why I love this brand.  It's got a major competitor now in my world however..... Sprouts.  I had to buy it when I saw it on the Publix shelf in the nifty little (recyclable) ziplock packaging.  Sweet potatoes and white beans (sigh) and roasted apples (Yum).  Oh the peep will be a food connoisseur for sure after her Zia Abby and I are through with her.


Well the apples were sampled today and let me tell you they are good!  Ya Ya was taking bites after baby!  They are all organic.  Don't have quite so many varieties as the others, but I am sure that will change.  They are 1.00 per package and created by Chef Tyler Florence.  

Instant Cuppa Joe

Every morning when I work in Gainesville, I swing by Starbucks. I can't help it...I have to pass by so I midas well stop. I strictly drink decaf because my ticker hates caffeine. What's the point, some ask....the point is that I love the taste and smell of coffee. Especially the taste of freshly ground coffee beans. Chocolate covered espresso beans...yum! Instant coffee always reminds me of old people. My grandparent's drink that stuff. I ont he other hand use it for distressing fabric. At least I did when I was a doll maker. When I went to Starbucks this weekend they were giving out sample packs of their new......INSTANT COFFEE! Italian and Columbian. I was skeptical, but intrigued.  I must say after sampling it ain't your grandmother's Sanka!  I think it was $9.95 for 12 packets.  Not bad if you need Starbucks, but are in BFA somewhere.

New Foodie Books

This week brings some new residents to cookbook row. Jaden Hair, foodie and blogger from Steamy Kitchen has this great book out, as of yesterday.

Ad Hoc looks like it is comfort food with a fru-fru twist.

Another Asian must have. I know I must have Asian ancestors in my family tree because I love their culture so much.