It's been a long time.....

Wow....it has been more than a few years! So much has changed and happened in those few years.
They say the new year is the best time to start or start~again.....my New Year Resolution is to start writing again. I have missed it so much. It is a passion....an outlet....a reprieve! A sweet place to share, reflect and write down all my exciting plans for our future! I am looking forward to all that the future has in store, I have a feeling its going to be FUN!!

Blueberries.....

I am in LOVE with Blueberries this week!! I stumbled upon an old friend when I threw some in with my morning oatmeal. I loved the way they turned a darker blue and became a bit sweeter with the simple heat from the oatmeal in my bowl. I drizzled a bit of Swift Farm honey on top and was in heaven! Needless to say it was so darn good I threw some in with my salad for lunch and then mixed a handful into my yogurt I had for snack, again I drizzled some honey on top (I like the plain yogurt) for some sweetness...YUM! Sometimes desperation reveals the best things!

Pictures.....Pictures....Pictures

I am not going to write much for this post. I figure I will add a bunch of "summer" photos and let them speak for themselves! Hope you enjoy!!

Clean Food....

I recently purchased a book called "Clean Food" by Terri Walters. Who just so happens to be a local, Connecticut, author. I bought it searching for more insight into eating better food that was better for me. I love this book!!! It is full of great recipes, but they are not just recipes, they are a seasonal gathering of good meals. They tell you what to find during all four seasons that are the most nutritionally packed foods and how to pair them up with other good for you ingredients. Amazing.....I really took a step back and looked at the way I was eating and the things I was cooking. Thankfully my children are exceptional eaters, not much they won't eat or at least try. We were missing out on so many wonderful different grains, legumes and veggies. I really have added a lot of variety to our pantry over the last year or two and now that I have a great reference guide, I will continue to add more. Like my new favorite secret seasoning....kombu! Yes, code for sea vegetable!! I throw it into my cooking rice, soup or grain and the family is none the wiser, just healthier. You see "Clean Food" has taught me to stick it in there for all the wonderful minerals that my family will benefit from, but I don't have to freak them out by telling them they are eating seaweed!!! So very "Mom"smart!!! The book not only has the recipes, but a ton of really quick go to's on how to cook things, like a basic ratio & cooking method for rice....you know how much, how long to cook it and how much kombu to throw in. This is not just a simple cookbook, it is an all around great reference guide. You will often find me carrying it around the house, just in case I happen to get that quick minute to read a few pages again. I highly recommend grabbing a copy for yourself, it is a wonderful addition to every ones library.

Local Shopping....

Well, I went shopping on Friday in search of LOCAL foods for my family! I have to admit that I do not always review my food purchases quite so closely. I do on occasion read labels, usually I am looking for a handful of "bad" ingredients that I flat out refuse to have my children eat, that is another whole post in itself so when I get up the courage I will dive into that one. I was pretty amazed at all the things that are available within our 100 mile radius. I was able to purchase so many things that we usually eat. There were crackers and cookies that the children love to eat, great local cheese, milk and all things dairy. Our meat selection well exceeded my expectations and who could complain about the fruits and vegetables we could choose from. I even found a great whole grain flour from our area that is even milled close enough to home, pasta and even some yummy candies! I am making our own bread, ice cream and yogurt along with most of our household cleaning items. I am coming to the conclusion that this is the way we should always eat! Why would we look any farther than our neighbors for the food we need. I realize that there are things we just cannot produce in these neck of the woods. We can either choose to live with out those things or make exceptions and make sure we only purchase organic or all natural items from environmentally responsible companies. I am happy with the new way we are eating, even if we have to do with out some things. The things we are eating now are not only better for us but they are better for our local farmers, small businesses and our environment in general they are just BETTER! We will see how the next few weeks go and I will try and slip in a few recipes in there! Stay tuned.........

100 Mile Challenge.....

Okay..... so we decided to go for it! We are taking the 100 Mile Challenge, we will only eat foods produced, grown or raised within a 100 mile radius of our home. You will be amazed at how far that really is, I was. Over the past few years we have incorporated little changes here and there, like eating organic, getting most of our fruits and veggies from our farmers market, using only local hormone and antibiotic free dairy and meats, shopping at our local Co-Op and even making our own laundry soap and bread. I can't say I am satisfied with just these changes, so we decided to take it a few steps further! I figure the closer we can get our food, the better. We are going to incorporate a few exceptions to that rule only because there are things we will NEED that just cannot be located with in that area. We will have flour, grains, tea & coffee on our exceptions list, but they will be organic and/or fair trade. We are also going to try and use as much "household" items that are local or that we make ourselves, but there must be exceptions to that rule also; I haven't found a way to make toilet paper or a local company and we MUST have that!!! I think the most important lessons we will learn from this experience is to not take for granted all the wonderful food we have so close to home and by making a few simple changes in our lifestyle we can have such a huge impact on our surroundings. The benefits seem to be abundant from this challenge, I am hoping it will be life changing for my entire family. I have always said we have become so very lazy in our lives because things are just so easy to obtain. We work less at the important things than our parents and grandparents to gain twice as much, the only problem with that is we are sacrificing quality. We have inferior foods and we don't seem to mind, we are conditioned to believe that we should take a back seat when it comes to the safety of our food. We rely on big companies to supply us with the very things that essentially sustain our lives.....does this seem right? I grew up on a small farm and we always knew where our food came from. If it didn't come from us it came from someone we knew very well. We had a large garden and we ate everything from it, it wasn't a hobby it was a necessity. We had our own cows that we would faithfully milk every morning and evening, not for fun but for sustenance. We raised beef, pork and poultry, not always for pets but for food. FOOD that we took responsibility for, there was a reason behind almost everything we did. It sounds so crazy to say that was such a simpler way of life but it was, simple because we were very clear on what, where and how the very most important thing, FOOD, was coming from. We wonder why there is an alarming rate of obesity in our country, why the rate of Autism is sky-rocketing, why cancer is out of control and why our children are plagued with learning disabilities? Maybe, just maybe if we stopped and really took a look at all the things we put into our bodies we wouldn't wonder anymore. We wouldn't drink straight from the pesticide bottle, so why are we deciding it is okay to consume it on and in our foods? I think that as a society we have begun to take for granted that there will always be a plate full of "something" whenever we want it sitting there waiting for us, but is that the best we can do......to accept "something" when there is so much better from our local farmers? We eat fruits that are picked before they are ripe so they have time to be transported cross country in the back of a truck when down the road we have a small farm that grows that very same thing in their backyard! It seems like a very elementary decision to me to choose the foods that I trust, the foods I really choose, the foods that are not laden with things that can potentially harm me, but most of all my children. We set the example for our children through the choices we make. They watch and learn from every single thing we do. I want to teach my children that they have the power to make a difference and it all starts with a choice, a simple choice that cascades across and affects far more than they will ever realize; those are the choices to make, the simple ones that in the end make the biggest impact. We have begun to take our choices to a new level or a closer level because we know that by choosing local we are in fact doing more than just eating the freshest food we can find, we are empowering our children with the courage and skills to continue to make wise choices that will make the world and their lives better. I am excited to get this challenge started and I can't wait to share our journey. I have a feeling that once we start we just won't want to stop and as far as I can see, why should we ever stop choosing the best!

Change With The Seasons....

I find it pretty funny how we seem to naturally change our food selections with the changing seasons. I know myself, that when Spring pops up I begin to crave leafy greens, sweet melons and strawberries! Summer brings with it all the endless grilled food; hot dogs, hamburgs, then all those vegetables that are making their debut in our gardens and at our farmers markets, big lush salads and don't forget the ice cream! Now that the weather is feeling cooler and the leaves are turning, I start to look forward to baking the warm bread that has turned into a daily ritual for me lately, hardy soups filled to the brim with Bruce & Abbey Potatoes (so my children have named them)! Sunday nights are just begging for a yummy slow cooked meal; like a roast with all the fixings shared with the whole family. This is the time of year that a big cup of tea and a sconce before bed are a must to help insure a cozy nights sleep. Even my choice of scents changes, take for example the lighter scents of summer - cucumber melon, strawberry fields and even fresh cut grass. Fall brings along the warmer smell of spices - Cinnamon, Cloves and Nutmeg then the scents of Pumpkin Spice, Apple Pie and Candy Corn. I love the fact that we are ever changing, in each aspect of our lives. We mentally, physically and emotionally change with each new day and what it brings us. I personally love this time of year and all the warm cozy feelings that come along with Autumn. I tend to want to draw my children and family in closer and spend quiet nights wrapped up in a warm blanket with a fire in the fireplace sipping on some warm spiced cider......what more could you ask for? Coming soon will be the cold crisp days and nights of winter that bring with it rich hot chocolate and candlelight, scents of Oven Fresh Cookies, Christmas Trees, Citrus Spiked with Cloves and Wood Stoves. We will long for warm heavy filling foods, roasted root vegetables and thick hearty stews. Oh all the wonderful changes that come along with each season. I look forward to these changes and hope that I take the time to enjoy every single one, they only come around once a year.

Here are a few of my favorite ways to welcome Fall into my home:

Easy Simmering Spices

2-3 Whole Cinnamon Sticks or Ground Cinnamon
1 tsp. Whole or Ground Cloves

1 Orange - cut into quarters

2-3 Cups of water

Put all these ingredients into a medium pot and simmer on your stove. (Make sure to check the water level and keep adding more when it gets low!)

Warm Spiced Cider
3 sticks of Cinnamon

2 tsp. Whole Cloves

1/2 tsp. Ground Nutmeg

1/2 gallon Sweet Apple Cider

2 c. Orange Juice or 2 Oranges cut into quarters

Tie cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg in a small piece of cheesecloth. Combine with cider in a large saucepan. Simmer 15 - 30 minutes, the longer you simmer the stronger the spice flavor. Remove spice bag. Stir in orange juice & heat until hot. Pour into big mugs and use a Cinnamon Stick as your stirrer.

Cooking with a Crock-Pot

I was reading one of my favorite blogs today and happened upon her latest post that was talking about Crock-pot cooking and she was asking for some good recipes, http://beautythatmoves.typepad.com/beauty_that_moves/2009/08/crockpot-recipes-whats-your-best-one.html#comment-6a00d83452337f69e20120a57ed612970c.

I figured since I had been having a lot of "crock-pot" on my own mind lately I would share a few of my own. I had made a veggie spaghetti sauce Tuesday evening and chicken with potatoes, carrots & shallots for dinner this evening! I think crock-pots begin to surface again after summer grilling is reaching its end and school days are beginning; bringing with it all the busy-ness of homework and tighter schedules. I also think it has something to do with the cooler weather we have had and will be getting more of in the coming months. I know that the beginning of the new school year sends the "easy going" ways of summer to a distant place in my mind and is quickly replaced with all the worries of getting everything that needs to be done into the sacred three hours of time I have before my children need to go to bed!! Which leads me to the oh-so-easy crock-pot way of cooking dinner - put it all in, turn it on and leave it be until you are ready for it! One pot = less clean up = MORE TIME!! Those precious minutes are just that precious, especially when you have five children who all need something at the very moment you are trying to get dinner ready! I love anything that makes life easier without compromising quality and this fits that bill. I still know exactly what I am feeding my family and I have complete control over what I put into my meals, I just don't have to worry about being tied to the stove any longer than absolutely necessary. So here goes and please feel free to leave comments and your own recipes.

This is one of our favorites! It works so nicely with all the wonderful veggies from our Farmers Market! We usually will eat this as a meal with a fresh salad. I have replaced the potatoes with leafy greens and served this over rice or quinoa. I add the greens closer to the end, about 1/2 way through. I also love to throw in some yummy fresh herbs for added flavor! You could use any hard root vegetable in this simple recipe.


Prep Time: 25 minutes Cook Time: 6 hours
Ingredients:

1 lb. sliced carrots
4 russet potatoes, scrubbed, cut into 1" pieces
1 onion or shallots, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. water
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper

Combine vegetables, water, olive oil, salt and pepper in a 3-4 quart crock pot and stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until vegetables are tender. 6-8 servings



Blueberry Cobbler

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar, and 2 Tbs
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 pinch salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon milk
1 Tbs coconut oil
2 cups blueberries (or berry of your choice)
1/4 cup water

In a bowl, combine flour, 1/4 cup of sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In a smaller bowl, combine eggs, milk and oil.
Stir this into the dry ingredients until moistened. Grease the crockpot well and spread the batter evenly on the bottom.
In a saucepan, combine blueberries, water and the 2 Tbs. of sugar, bring to a boil and remove from heat.
Pour into crockpot and cook on high for 2 hours, then turn off crockpot, uncover and let set for 30 minutes before eating.




I love this recipe especially made with granola from Nate's Naturals!! YUMMY!!


Apple Granola Dessert

4 medium tart apples, peeled and sliced
2 cups granola cereal
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Combine apples and cereal in slow cooker. In a bowl, combine honey, butter, cinnamon and nutmeg; pour over apple mixture and mix well. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Serve with homemade ice cream or whipped cream. 4 to 6 servings.


I hope you enjoy and I look forward to your comments!

Sweet Treats

I have deiced I can call myself a "Baker". I have always loved to bake and I have fond memories of baking in our old farmhouse kitchen. It was huge and very open with the most beautiful built-in cupboard I have ever seen. The walls were lined with deep metal cupboards and a huge, and I mean HUGE double sink. I can remember my mother making cheese and hanging it in cheesecloth over that sink to drain. I think it was a Farm Cheese that she would make, whatever it was it tasted wonderful mixed with fresh herbs from our garden spread on homemade bread. I am finding as I take this walk down this new road that everything is better when it is made by hand. The less processed in any way shape or form it is, the better. I am also finding how much pleasure I am getting from taking the time to realize all of this. It makes you slow down and look for quality verses quantity. I am feeling the need for a good ole' purge of all this stuff that seems to be cluttering my life, including my baking space. I really think that it is difficult to get a good hold of this life I want when I have so much stuff to try and get in my grip! So, out it goes....to a good home of course. I am doing my best to return to nice and simple for my family, that is why I decided to stay home full time this past June and pursue starting our own little bakery. With each week I realize I am more competent than I originally thought I was. I really can whip up a new and yummy creation with my very own two hands that will eventually help support my family. That makes for a very Sweet Treat! Now back to being a baker!! I had a friend say the funniest thing to me once; I hadn't seen her in a few weeks so she gave me a hug but when she did she squeezed me a little tighter and said "Oh my goodness, you smell just like a cookie". I just had to laugh, I hadn't even been baking that day. I guess the smell of fresh baked goodies has now become a perminaite part of "Me" and the more baking I do the more I love it. I definitely think there are more sweet treats to come from this baker and her bakery so stay tuned!

Markets are a time to Wish and Enjoy....

I have the opportunity to be part of an amazing group of people who come together every Sunday for the Coventry Farmers Market. I am in awe of the things that these people create and the talent that surrounds me. I would love to be able to spend a week with each of them just to get a feel for their trade, just to learn a sliver of their knowledge, just to watch the grace and perfection that they put into everything that passes through their hands. I wish there were more hours in the day, these things I would love to learn. For now I will have to be thankful that I have the opportunity to obtain these fine items. They make me smile, they make me happy whenever I get to use them. I have my favorites that have become almost somewhat of an obsession!

Sleepy Moon Soap........ where do I begin? These bars have a scent that lures you in, your nose will lead you and you must follow. They are beautiful; almost too beautiful to use but you will use them because the temptation is just too strong. You will want to take a shower the minute you get home! They produce the perfect amount of lather and your skin feels just like the silk that Winter puts into each bar. Scents and colors that go along with the season. Each one reminds me of a yummy piece of candy. Swirls of color, smells that remind you of things close to your heart - how do you choose? I don't walk away with any less than four at a time and the ones I must leave behind, I promise I will return for you! They are, simply put ~ Beautifully Perfect!
Then there is the Pizza from Farm to Hearth........ those beautiful, rounds of crispy, cheesy goodness topped with all those crazy yummy things that just scream "FRESH"!!! Todd, how do you do it - how does that mind of yours work? I would love a look inside and see a glimpse of that creativity. I had the pleasure of eating a Pesto Pizza, I actually had to share it or actually fight over it, with my son who so graciously waited in line to get one. We had heard so many people gush over these pizzas we just had to try one, why not? Oh my!!! It was steaming hot and smelled of heaven, the spicy side of heaven, and we stood there staring waiting to taste; well worth the wait and at the same time shame on us for waiting for so long to give this a try. We had missed out on so many weeks of this wonderful stuff. Gooey salty melted cheese, nutty pesto and that crust, oh that crust! I spend most of my weekdays waiting for Sunday, just to have a slice of heaven! I will add some photos as soon as I can get some....the pizza just does not hang around long enough for a picture!

Then there are the vegetables; colorful and oh so fresh. You can rest assured that you are getting the freshest produce you can find, picked that morning and brought straight to you. If you find something that sparks your interest and you are not sure how to prepare it, just ask. I often find things I want to try but I just don't know what to do with it, so I ask Abby and Bruce. They are the best neighbors I could have ever wished for. This is my first year being part of this wonderful market, so I am learning as I go, but rest assured I look forward to Sundays because of the encouragement I get from my neighbors. They are always full of kind words, encouragement, great conversation and always a bunch of laughs! Besides all that, they have the best produce. They place their veggies in baskets spread across covered tables that look like they are straight out of a magazine page. I swear there is a taste that I get every time I have their salad mix that reminds me of being a kid again, when we would eat right out of our garden. It is a earthy crisp kind-of rain taste. Hard to explain, but I love it. I am lucky enough to be able to "barter" at the end of the market for the vegetables they might have left, they usually sell out pretty early. I am so happy when I see that they have a few things still in their baskets because I am hoping they will be coming home with me for dinner. Yum!!!
I have so many great vendors to mention, I will have to continue this one! Next up Beltane Farms, 18Th Century Purity Farm & La Petite Bakery!