tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24718053330214471292024-03-12T20:54:10.001-05:00On My Table"On My Table" is my take on food I cook at home, food I eat in restaurants and the snacks and drinks in between. I'm no expert, but I sure do love to cook--and, more importantly, eat.Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06010116039185784923noreply@blogger.comBlogger349125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2471805333021447129.post-769720608630886182012-07-09T20:06:00.001-05:002012-07-09T20:06:46.780-05:00Cheese Tour Part 4 of 4: Last Stop -- Uplands<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We made our way from Mineral Point to Dodgeville to visit </span><a href="http://uplandscheese.com/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">Uplands Cheese Company</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">, which is only eight years old. Uplands was quite a bit different from the other two creameries we stopped at in that while the others produce many types of cheeses, Uplands really only produces one (although it has one other variety in the winter) and all the milk comes from cows that graze right on the creamy property. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Andy Hatch, cheesemaker and general manager, explained to us that the farm follows more of a European style of cheesemaking and it’s not a typical format for a Wisconsin creamery. He explained that the more complexity in the milk supply, the more of a possibility for flavor complexity. These old techniques the creamery follows generate a great flavor. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Uplands makes Pleasant Ridge Reserve, a raw-milk artisan cheese that tastes similar to a French Gruy<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">è</span>re. The cheese wheels are aged in ripening rooms built into the creamery where they are washed several times a week in a brine solution, encouraging the development of specific (good) bacteria on the cheese rinds. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In the fall, Uplands produces Rush Creek Reserve. At this time, the cows’ diet changes because of the seasonal changes. The cheese is super soft and has a slightly sweet flavor. While we didn’t get to try it at the creamery, we have sampled it before and it’s delicious. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I thought it was interesting that Andy explained the Uplands cows take part in rotational grazing. Each day, the cows are moved to different fields. This ensures the milk they produce gets the best flavors and keeps the grass in the best stages for optimal growth. If the farmers have to feed the cows hay, rather than grass, they don’t use the milk for cheese, but rather ship the raw milk for drinking. Having the cows right on the property gives the cheesemakers an intimate relationship with the animals. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Like at the other creameries, we got an in-depth tour at Uplands, checking out where the milk is turned into cheese and big wheels are ripened. And of course, we got to sample! Andy cut us chunks of cheese from a large wheel of Pleasant Ridge Reserve. So good!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHswbDnKXUD31fuZ0BsdsuaZ9f-2eAEQ0t2cqjumf-aCTPdWlCt-HQlSPCXF0hovnmTAbAxI7aR8TUJ85KCrP518K_W1kXOesMcMku_GrBLUvwrQg5W4cUR9dwRJqtYjAPE5QRiVxNd4M/s1600/IMG_3841.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" sca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHswbDnKXUD31fuZ0BsdsuaZ9f-2eAEQ0t2cqjumf-aCTPdWlCt-HQlSPCXF0hovnmTAbAxI7aR8TUJ85KCrP518K_W1kXOesMcMku_GrBLUvwrQg5W4cUR9dwRJqtYjAPE5QRiVxNd4M/s320/IMG_3841.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06010116039185784923noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2471805333021447129.post-26342893551626786712012-07-09T19:55:00.000-05:002012-07-09T19:55:08.848-05:00Cheese Tour Part 3 of 4: Hooked on Hook's Cheese<span style="font-family: Calibri;">After our stop in Monroe, we boarded the big, fancy tour bus (did I mention the bus is something like rock stars take on tour?!) and headed to Mineral Point. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We stopped at </span><a href="http://www.hookscheese.com/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">Hook’s Cheese Company</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">, which is fairly compact creamy that actually has caves, cut into the side of the hill, where some of the cheese is cooled. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Hook’s has been around since 1952 and produces a world-champion Colby variety. The creamery gets its milk from the same farmers it has for 36 years, all of whom run small dairy farms. </span><a href="http://www.hookscheese.com/cheese%20descriptions.html"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">Other varieties</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> Hook’s is known for include a Blue Paradise and 10- and 12-year-old cheddars (watch for a <u>20-year-old</u> cheddar in 2015!). We got to feast our eyes on a peculiar cheese called </span><a href="http://www.hookscheese.com/pictures/stinky3.JPG"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">Stinky Fottene</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">, which translates to stinky feet in Norwegian. It is, as you might imagine, stinky.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Tony Hook gave us a tour of the creamery, even giving us a peek into the 16-foot underground cave. We also got to tour a huge cooler with a vast amount of cheese. And then, of course, we got to taste. They had so many types of cheese out for us to taste, it was fantastic. </span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">They were all great, but I particularly liked the Blue Paradise, Little Boy Blue and 15-year-old cheddar. Of course, we got to try the cheese curds, too, which were fantastic and super squeaky. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">While we didn’t pick up any cheese to take with us from the creamery, we did visit the Hook’s booth at the </span><a href="http://dcfm.org/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">Dane County Farmer’s Market</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> and picked up some pesto curds. </span></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06010116039185784923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2471805333021447129.post-20582244941838651672012-07-09T19:47:00.003-05:002012-07-09T19:47:53.834-05:00Cheese Tour Part 2 of 4: Chalet Cheese Co-op<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We took off early on a beautiful June morning and headed to our first stop: </span><a href="http://www.eatwisconsincheese.com/wisconsin/artisans/Results.aspx?artisan=16"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">Chalet Cheese Co-op</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> in Monroe. Chalet is owned by farmers of 21 farms <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">—</span> all from Green County <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">—</span> and dates back to 1885. The creamery has 24 employees and eight master cheese makers. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Chalet is highly unique in that it is the only U.S. producer of </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limburger_cheese"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">Limburger cheese</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">. Once upon a time, Limburger was a top 10 cheese. Roughly 3 to 4 million pounds were produced throughout the country annually. Today, only about 500,000 pounds are produced, and it seems to get a bad rep for being a stinky cheese. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There is no denying that it’s pungent, but have you tasted it? It’s quite good! We had the opportunity to try four different types, each aged a different amount of time. My favorite was the mildest, or youngest, of the bunch. We tried one of the more aged varieties with some strawberry jam on top. So good! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Chalet is also known for its Swiss cheese varieties: baby Swiss, which is rich and creamy, and regular Swiss, which has more of a nutty flavor. Both were incredibly good. We also got to sample German-style brick cheese. Mmm … </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">But before the sampling, we got a thorough tour from Myron Olson, master cheese maker. He gave us the low-down on the creamery, what it takes to be a master cheese maker and the varieties of cheese Chalet produces. It was a great introduction to creameries and a great first stop.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyEIyK7Xinjmc_GpMOM0BT_Wy74yNJK3cEnPdazHPVLQKTDiYV61RFDBN7FBbzUfmADOn1TVyByu7Tq7EwYEtRk3ncQdLkZtsMoheXRSMHdBn-ZZuCUp1M-2P4Ax5KrDCW00hRQdyb_Q/s1600/IMG_3787.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" sca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyEIyK7Xinjmc_GpMOM0BT_Wy74yNJK3cEnPdazHPVLQKTDiYV61RFDBN7FBbzUfmADOn1TVyByu7Tq7EwYEtRk3ncQdLkZtsMoheXRSMHdBn-ZZuCUp1M-2P4Ax5KrDCW00hRQdyb_Q/s320/IMG_3787.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06010116039185784923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2471805333021447129.post-72929160750090029562012-07-09T19:28:00.003-05:002012-07-09T19:28:54.590-05:00Cheese Tour Part 1 of 4: Tour IntroductionI<span style="font-family: Calibri;">f there is one thing everyone knows about Wisconsin it’s that there is a lot of cheese in this state <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">—</span> and that we eat a lot of cheese. So as a Wisconsinite through and through, I am, of course, mildly obsessed with cheese. I love just about all types, and there is always something new to try. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So when Nate and I were invited to be part of a creamery tour, sponsored by the </span><a href="http://www.eatwisconsincheese.com/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">, to check out three creameries and stay the night in Madison and sample delicious food, we said, “Sign us up!” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">And so we begin. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">First, some fun cheese facts courtesy of the Wisconsin Milk Marketing board:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Wisconsin makes about 26% of cheese in the United States, making it the No. 1 producer nationwide. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Wisconsin leads the nation in specialty cheeses, including Asiago, Provolone, Aged Cheddar and Gouda. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As you’ll find out in other posts, Wisconsin is the only producer of Limburger in the country.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Wisconsin has more than 12,000 dairy farms.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Did you know it takes 10 pounds of milk to make just 1 pound of cheese? Incredible!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Colby cheese comes from … wait for it … Colby, Wisconsin.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Since the 1930s, Wisconsin has officially been known as “America’s Dairyland.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In subsequent posts, you’ll learn more about the three creameries we visited and see some of the many photos I took. Do yourself a favor and check look for the cheeses we tried at area stores.</span></div>
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<img height="64" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu6Qzpz6klvwXbuX-cmAP2wyPbCsV3wi_qI6FAe48lvSw_WZ75fWfpb94iTUxWmz1aPwOR8cf2fX3y5-X9jIAhUQlowjMg4_eCJyuAGaSj8-n3Av3MOZBLBmI9PpMXjQz1jbbhjFTNn8U/s320/IMG_3794.JPG" style="filter: alpha(opacity=30); left: 294px; mozopacity: 0.3; opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; top: 452px; visibility: hidden;" width="96" />Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06010116039185784923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2471805333021447129.post-33578234910686701462012-05-29T20:59:00.000-05:002012-05-29T20:59:18.951-05:00Spinach Recipe No. 2: EnchiladasAs you may have just read in the blog post titled "<a href="http://onmytable-nadrian.blogspot.com/2012/05/spinach-recipe-no-1-strata.html"><strong>Spinach Recipe No. 1: Strata</strong></a>," I recently had an abundance of spinach from our CSA box. The first recipe I made from about half the spinach and arugula was a strata. Here is the second. <br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Spinach, Pork and Swiss Cheese Enchiladas</span></strong><br />
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Like with the strata recipe, I just made up this recipe as I went, so please forgive the lack of true measurements!</div>
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<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1 lb. ground pork</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1/2-1 yellow onion, diced</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1 jalapeno, diced</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">2 cups spinach and arugula, chopped</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1 cup or so shredded Swiss cheese</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1 can enchilada sauce, any time (I used a mild red sauce)</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">8 small corn tortillas </li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Spices: salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, coriander</li>
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray. </div>
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In a skillet, saute pork, onion, jalapeno and a shakes of each of the spices (to taste) until pork is cooked through. In another skillet, saute spinach and arugula in a skillet with a bit of water (you could probably cook the spinach withe pork, but for some reason I didn't). Mix the spinach in with pork.</div>
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Lay out all tortillas and scoop a hefty amount of pork mixture onto each tortilla. Top with cheese. Roll each one tightly (easier said than done) and lay in pan with seam side down. After all tortillas are rolled, pour can of sauce on top and top with additional cheese, if there is any left. </div>
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Bake for about 30 minutes or until sauce is bubbly. Broil on high for about 5 minutes. Enjoy with some black beans on the side!</div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Spinach, Mushroom and Green Onion Strata with Swiss Cheese </span></strong><br />
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I originally thought of doing a quiche, then wanted to go with a lighter dish with a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frittata"><strong>frittata</strong></a>. But then, remembering to the leftover Italian bread from <a href="http://www.petersciortinosbakery.com/"><strong>Sciortino's bakery</strong></a>. So I settled on a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strata_(food)"><strong>strata</strong></a>, which is similar to a frittata, but on top of and soaked into bread. What's great about a strata is that you can pretty much put in it whatever you want and make it up as you go -- which is exactly what I did. <br />
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I apologize for my lack of exact measurements, but it'd be hard to screw up this dish, no matter what you do!<br />
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<li>Enough slices of French or Italian bread to cover the bottom of your baking dish (I used a 9x9 dish)</li>
<li>about 2 cups packed spinach and arugula, chopped </li>
<li>about 1.5 cups mushrooms, chopped</li>
<li>bunch of green onions, sliced</li>
<li>5 eggs</li>
<li>1 cup milk (I used 2% to make it a little creamier) </li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">about 2 Tbs. sundried tomato spread (not all that necessary, but if you have a bit in the fridge like I did, it's a good way to use it up!)</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">about 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">about 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">spices: salt, pepper, seasoned salt, garlic powder, smoked paprika</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">a dollop of olive oil</li>
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Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Coat bottom of 9x9 pan with cooking spray. Line bottom of dish with bread and top bread with sundried tomato spread. </div>
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Saute spinach and arugula until it wilts with a bit of water and a few shakes of salt, pepper and garlic powder. Add mushrooms and green onions with a bit of olive oil, cooking until soft. </div>
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In a large bowl, beat eggs, milk and a few shakes of all spices.</div>
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Spread the vegetable mixture on top of the bread. Cover with Swiss cheese. Pour egg mixture on top. Finally, top with Parmesan cheese. </div>
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Bake uncovered for about 45 minutes, or until knife inserted into middle comes out clean. </div>
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Like most of the food we eat, we topped the strata with a bit of hot sauce. Delicious! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNNBQVuJOAmp4GHoVrGbeuVxUrazg3t7hWUpLvKqB9HkBo2buni2v06j7gvwR-I8F5SuX8s-0kqi2WiZwX3Fksdi32LMqZnuSFwYTrxwhjz3kmsc3wkIE2x00F0UkJdspayIp-_2ZAQfg/s1600/IMG_3740.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" rba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNNBQVuJOAmp4GHoVrGbeuVxUrazg3t7hWUpLvKqB9HkBo2buni2v06j7gvwR-I8F5SuX8s-0kqi2WiZwX3Fksdi32LMqZnuSFwYTrxwhjz3kmsc3wkIE2x00F0UkJdspayIp-_2ZAQfg/s320/IMG_3740.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06010116039185784923noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2471805333021447129.post-16018112279211082182012-05-21T20:32:00.000-05:002012-05-21T20:32:10.871-05:00Pad Puk GaiOtherwise known as chicken with bok choy. We got an abundance of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_cabbage"><strong>bok choy</strong></a> with our <a href="http://onmytable-nadrian.blogspot.com/2012/05/my-csa-pick-for-2012.html"><strong>CSA box</strong></a> late last week and wanted to use it sooner than later. <br />
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Using an app on his phone, Nate found <a href="http://www.bigoven.com/recipe/119782/pad-puk-gai-chicken-w-bok-choy"><strong>a recipe</strong></a>, which was easy enough and sounded tasty. The Thai-inspired recipe used up all of our bok choy and included lots of other fresh veggies. We paired it with some leftover <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soba"><strong>soba noodles</strong></a> we had in the freezer. </div>
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We followed the recipe pretty closely, but made a few substitutions including making a sauce because other than 1/4 teaspoon of fish sauce, there wasn't anything saucey about it. And we like sauce!</div>
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I definitely recommend this recipe and it's easy enough to make it to your taste. </div>
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<strong>Pad Puk Gai (Chicken with Bok Choy)</strong></div>
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<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">4 cups (or one huge bunch) bok choy, chopped</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1 large chicken breast, cut into cubes</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">4 Tbs. olive oil</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">2 cloves of garlic, minced</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1/4 teas. fish sauce</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1 small container mushrooms, sliced</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1 medium onion, sliced</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1 red bell pepper, cute into big cubes</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">2-3 green onions, sliced</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">(we omitted the celery and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monosodium_glutamate"><strong>MSG</strong></a> the recipe calls for)</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">For the sauce: a couple shakes (to taste) of soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, hoisin sauce, Sriracha)</li>
</ul>
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In wok, heat oil until hot. Cook chicken and garlic until done (about 5-6 minutes)</div>
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Add onions and fish sauce and cook about another five minutes. </div>
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Add the remaining ingredients and cook until veggies are tender. </div>
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Whisk together sauce ingredients and pour over veggies. Add noodles, stir and cook until warm. </div>
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Serve with more Sriracha!</div>
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<br /></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06010116039185784923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2471805333021447129.post-51292058707014664722012-05-09T20:51:00.001-05:002012-05-09T20:56:44.144-05:00My CSA Pick for 2012As you've been <a href="http://onmytable-nadrian.blogspot.com/2012/03/local-farmer-open-house-march-17.html"><strong>reading for the past few months</strong></a>, you know I'm participating as <a href="http://onmilwaukee.com/dining/articles/CSAbloggers.html"><strong>one of three local bloggers</strong></a> who are writing about CSA experiences this year. Nate and I attended the <a href="http://onmytable-nadrian.blogspot.com/2012/03/local-farmer-open-house-what-i-learned.html"><strong>Local Farmer Open House</strong></a> back in March, which helped us choose our pick for a CSA this year. <br />
<br />After talking with numerous CSA farmers about their programs, we decided to go with the CSA farm we had two years ago: <a href="http://www.tipiproduce.com/"><strong>Tipi Produce</strong></a>. We went with Tipi because we knew what we were getting into, and we knew we liked <a href="http://www.tipiproduce.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/tipi2012-1.pdf"><strong>everything they offered</strong></a>!<br />
<br />We like that it's a long share -- 26 weeks -- it's a good price, it's organic and the pick-up location is a mere two or so miles from our house. The food was always fresh and each box seemed to include something we weren't familiar with, which was exciting. Also, the weekly emails from Beth, who runs Tipi with her husband Steve, were always a pleasure to read. Each issue includes farm news, items that are coming up in the next box and recipes using items in the box. <br />
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We'll again be splitting it with another couple, and it will be fun to see what recipes and meals they come up with, using the same ingredients. <br />
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We pick up our first share this week, so stay tuned for more posts about the CSA share, the produce we receive and the meals we make!<br />
<br />In the mean time, check out some meals we made from our 2010 share:<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://onmytable-nadrian.blogspot.com/2010/05/spicy-beef-and-bell-pepper-stir-fry.html"><strong>Spicy beef and bell pepper stir fry</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="http://onmytable-nadrian.blogspot.com/2010/05/what-to-do-with-all-that-rhubarb.html"><strong>Pork chops with rhubarb chutney</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="http://onmytable-nadrian.blogspot.com/2010/06/stiry-fry-goodness.html"><strong>Stir fry goodness</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="http://onmytable-nadrian.blogspot.com/2010/08/what-to-do-with-all-those-tomatoes.html"><strong>Salsa and tomato basil soup</strong></a></li>
<li><a href="http://onmytable-nadrian.blogspot.com/2010/08/chicken-fajitas.html"><strong>Chicken fajitas</strong></a></li>
</ul>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06010116039185784923noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2471805333021447129.post-75228855404909053842012-03-25T15:44:00.003-05:002012-03-25T15:44:43.311-05:00Local Farmer Open House: What I Learned<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
Last Saturday, I attended the Local Farmer Open House at Milwaukee's Urban Ecology Center. As <a href="http://onmytable-nadrian.blogspot.com/2012/03/local-farmer-open-house-march-17.html"><strong>I mentioned in my post</strong></a> from March 11, I'm one of three bloggers writing about my experience in choosing a community supported agriculture (CSA) share and also about what the open house had to offer. </div>
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If you didn't make it to the event, I definitely recommend it for next year. It's a great way to connect with farmers to learn about their offerings, including CSA programs for fresh produce, flower CSAs, online farm stores and workshops (more on all that later). It's also a great way to check out the <a href="http://www.urbanecologycenter.org/"><strong>Urban Ecology Center</strong></a> if you've never been. </div>
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In total, there were 27 farms, companies, cooperatives, etc. featured at the event. They were spread all throughout the building, each displaying lots of information about their offerings. Each stand has a few people available to answer questions and, if you desired, to sign you up for a CSA share. </div>
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Here is a smattering of what I learned at the event:</div>
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<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>The definition of a CSA. </strong>Just to recap, in a CSA program, the consumer buys produce directly from a farmer and receives fresh, seasonal produce on a regular basis throughout the growing or harvesting season. The consumer signs an agreement to purchase a season's worth of produce shares. Each week (or every other week) he or she will receive a box of produce that's appropriate to the growing season. CSAs encourage healthy eating and help support local farmers -- a win-win! </li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>There are so many options for a CSA!</strong> You can get weekly shares that are either a full share or a half share, every-other-week shares or just a fall/winter share if you'd like. There are also many payment options available, including payment plans and worker shares. </li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>Be sure to ask a lot of questions when selecting a CSA program.</strong> The informational sheet all attendees received offered some great questions you should ask a CSA farmer. These include:</li>
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<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Where and when are your pick-up sites? Oone farmer mentioned this was THE most important question and that an easy pick-up location was one of the most important things to consider when selecting a CSA share.</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">What is the length of the season?</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Describe the size and cost of your share.</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">What, if anything, is offered besides vegetables? Some farms offer meat, eggs or bulk-buying options, such as tomatoes at the height of tomato season,</li>
<li>What are your production and growing practices?</li>
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<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>Some farms have online farm stores.</strong> This was a really cool thing to learn. Some farms offer online stores in which you, even if you don't sign up for a CSA share, can go online and buy whatever is fresh that week at the farm, which can include meat and eggs, and pick up the order at locations throughout Milwaukee. </li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>There is such a thing as a flower share.</strong> Instead of getting fresh veggies and fruit each week, you can get fresh-cut stems. What a great idea! One farm offered a 20-week program in which members receive 12-15 stems (cut that morning) of whatever is in season at the time. </li>
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</div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06010116039185784923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2471805333021447129.post-40209318512878935832012-03-25T14:34:00.002-05:002012-03-25T14:34:33.660-05:00Quinoa CupsYou all know how much I love the food blog <a href="http://iowagirleats.com/"><strong>Iowa Girl Eats</strong></a>. I always enjoy her take on making not-so-healthy food healthier and using ingredients in ways I never thought possible. <br />
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Take her recipe for <a href="http://iowagirleats.com/2012/02/16/mini-ham-cheese-quinoa-cups/"><strong>mini ham and cheese quinoa cups</strong></a> as an example. Using quinoa as a crunchy and nutty-tasting alternative to a quiche crust? Genius! And healthy! </div>
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I've always enjoyed quinoa, but sometimes I don't know what to do with it, other than a simple side dish. This recipe is a perfect way to incorporate <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quinoa"><strong>quinoa</strong></a>, a great source of fiber and protein. </div>
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I followed <a href="http://iowagirleats.com/2012/02/16/mini-ham-cheese-quinoa-cups/"><strong>Iowa Girl's recipe</strong></a> closely, except that I omitted the parsley just because I knew I wouldn't be able to use up an entire bunch. My cups didn't turn out nearly as nice looking as hers did, but they were still delicious and even tasted great heated up for lunch the following day. </div>
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We had way more mini cups than would fit in our mini muffin tins, so I put the rest in a shallow baking dish and baked it alongside the mini cups. </div>
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The nice thing about this recipe, too, is that it provides a good base and then you can do anything you want with it -- you make Mexican or Greek-inspired quinoa cups, vegetarian ones or super meaty ones. The possibilities are endless!</div>
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<br />Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06010116039185784923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2471805333021447129.post-59687231010409940712012-03-11T13:54:00.000-05:002012-03-11T13:54:13.928-05:00Local Farmer Open House -- March 17Before the St. Patrick's Day festivities start next Saturday, March 17, I'll be spending some time at Milwaukee's <a href="http://www.urbanecologycenter.org/index.html"><strong>Urban Ecology Center</strong></a> for the <a href="http://www.urbanecologycenter.org/localfarmeropenhouse.html"><strong>10th Annual Local Farmer Open House</strong></a>. <br />
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I'm one of <a href="http://onmilwaukee.com/dining/articles/CSAbloggers.html"><strong>three local bloggers who will be attending the event and writing about our experiences</strong></a> in choosing a community-supported agriculture (CSA) farm. Over the course of the summer, in addition to my usual blogging, I'll be posting about the farm we went with, the foods we've received and the dishes we've made from the fresh produce. <br />
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You might remember that Nate and I had a <a href="http://onmytable-nadrian.blogspot.com/2010/05/first-csa-box.html"><strong>CSA share two years ago</strong></a>. We took a year off last year, so I'm excited to be part of one again this year!<br />
<br />But back to the Local Farmer Open House. If you're interested in learning about participating in a CSA, how you can buy more directly from farmers and connecting with other folks who are also interested in buying locally grown food, I highly encourage you to attend. This will be my first Local Farm Open House, but from what I hear, it will be a great -- and informative -- time. <br />
<br />The event will run 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Urban Ecology Center, <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1331484266_0">1500 E. Park Place, in Milwaukee (the center </span>is located in Riverside Park on the east side of Milwaukee).<br />
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Here's is a bit more about what the event will include:<br />
<ul>
<li>Attendees will have the chance to speak with different farmers about what each CSA offers -- shares may differ
in size, length of season, variety of produce offered and drop-off
locations. </li>
<li>A resource table will offer information on cooking and food preservation
classes and how to find farmers and local food in the area. Additionally, experienced “locavores” will be on hand to help attendees make decisions about joining a CSA. </li>
<li><div _yuid="yui_3_1_1_3_1331484048804100">
Other
local farmers who sell directly to the public through at farmers markets, on their
farms and through home delivery will be available to chat with to learn how to be directly from them. Additionally, some of their food will be for sale during the Open House.</div>
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If you've been missing food-truck food this winter, the Open House provides a chance to have lunch from two trucks: <a href="http://tigerbitetruck.com/"><strong>Tigerbite Truck</strong></a> and the Vegan Truck.</div>
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The event will include <a href="http://www.urbanecologycenter.org/localfarmeropenhouse.html"><strong>three workshops</strong></a> attendees can go to (no sign-up is necessary): </div>
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Intro to CSAs – 11:30 a.m. or 2:45 p.m.</div>
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Cooking from your CSA box – 12:15 p.m. or 2:00 p.m. (I think I might hit up this one!)</div>
</li>
<li><div _yuid="yui_3_1_1_3_1331484048804100">
How Pesticides & Food Choice Affect Our Health & Water Quality – 1
p.m.</div>
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</ul>
</ul>
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I hope to see you at the Open House, and please check back to On My Table for more posts about my CSA experience and the food I've made from it!</div>
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</ul>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06010116039185784923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2471805333021447129.post-62625915962233039922012-02-28T20:49:00.000-06:002012-02-29T09:23:58.241-06:00The New Love of My LifeSorry, Nate, but there's someone new in my life. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWE7RzCy18nEAw9Sj-yXtJEfwoMfvMBZp43DxFsvakttNKvSR8xpA_ypriG-tlGUpdqyDH_NPo5SALRxDan_nXXGrppNc5WjJ4FkyKPQv-qw5zg9q-3e9ipnv67OgDDcx9nPT7fZHsyF4/s1600/IMG_3367.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWE7RzCy18nEAw9Sj-yXtJEfwoMfvMBZp43DxFsvakttNKvSR8xpA_ypriG-tlGUpdqyDH_NPo5SALRxDan_nXXGrppNc5WjJ4FkyKPQv-qw5zg9q-3e9ipnv67OgDDcx9nPT7fZHsyF4/s320/IMG_3367.JPG" uda="true" width="213" /></a></div>
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My pearl metallic <a href="http://www.amazon.com/KitchenAid-KP26M1XNP-Professional-6-Quart-Nickel/dp/B0002Y5X9W"><strong>KitchenAid Professional 600 series 6-quart stand mixer</strong></a>. I've wanted one for years (and I've always kicked myself for not registering for one as a wedding present), but have more recently become somewhat obsessed with the idea of getting one. I mean, I cook and bake quite a bit, so it only makes sense, right? Luckily, my birthday is coming up and this particular mixer -- the one I was considering anyway -- came up on sale at Amazon for a really good price, so I just had to get myself an early birthday present. And my mother-in-law -- who is an avid baker and cook herself, and undestands the importance of having a stand mixer -- sent along some "mixer money" (thanks, Julie!). </div>
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The thing is really pretty big, and it took quite a bit of kitchen rearranging to figure out where to keep it after we learned it wouldn't fit underneath the cabinets. But I think we figured it out, and it has a prominent spot in the kitchen. </div>
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Because Nate was the recipient of a random text from me mid-day last week saying "I bought a KitchenAid mixer. Hope that's OK!" I told him the first thing I would make would be for him. After settling on cookies rather than beer bread, I turned to the Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe in the <a href="http://www.everythingkitchens.com/PDFfiles/KL26M8XOB.pdf"><strong>instruction and recipe booklet</strong></a> that came with the mixer. I followed the recipe very closely (see p. 43) because I wanted to be sure I used the mixer just as the recipe intended. But I subbed in 1 of the cups of flour with whole wheat flour, added some mixed chopped nuts (walnuts, almonds and pecans, probably 1/4 cup) and didn't measure the chips I threw in, but rather used up the three partial bags (milk chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate and butterscotch) I had in the pantry. </div>
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Rather than using a teaspoonful of dough, I used closely to a tablespoon, so I ended up baking my cookies for closer to 15 minutes. The cookies were fantastic -- they had a bit of a crunch on the outside, but were still soft on the inside. The butterscotch offered a nice burst of flavor. </div>
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It was a great first experience using the mixer, and I can't wait to use it again ... and again ... and again!</div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06010116039185784923noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2471805333021447129.post-86074273967651048662012-02-28T20:08:00.001-06:002012-02-28T20:08:33.694-06:00Bacon + Caramel Corn = Happy PeopleLast year during a foodie-friend soup night, my friend Rachel brought bacon bourbon caramel corn as an appetizer/dessert. As you can imagine, the dish was a hit! If you attended last May's Cookies for Kids' Cancer, you might have snagged a bag of this deliciousness for yourself. <br />
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When trying to think of something unique yet crowd-pleasing for my office's Friday treat club, I quickly thought of doing the bacon bourbon caramel corn. I know my colleagues would enjoy the treat. I decided to do one batch of the full-on bacon and bourbon and the other batch of a regular-old caramel. </div>
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Luckily, <a href="http://creamcitygreen.blogspot.com/2011/03/waiter-theres-bacon-in-my-popcorn.html"><strong>Rachel had blogged</strong></a> about making the caramel corn, so all I had to do was follow along with her instructions.</div>
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For the "regular" batch, I followed the <a href="http://creamcitygreen.blogspot.com/2011/03/waiter-theres-bacon-in-my-popcorn.html"><strong>recipe</strong></a> exactly (by the way, five quarts of popped popcorn is 20 cups), except that I just omitted the bacon and the bourbon. This batch was fantastic, and I could eat lots and lots ... and lots and lots of it in just one sitting. The caramel flavor is great and the popcorn stayed crisp and wonderfully buttery. </div>
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For the other batch, I followed Rachel's recipe to a T. While this batch was good, too -- and got rave reviews at work -- the bourbon smell was very pronounced and I think there might have been just a bit too much in that batch. The popcorn also seemed to shrink a bit. But, like I said, it was still good and the bowl was just about empty by the end of the day. The sweet-salt taste is fantastic.</div>
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One thing that worked well for me (probably because I can get a <em>little</em> messy in the kitchen) was to divide the popped popcorn into two big bowls, pour the caramel sauce on top and mix that way, rather than in the jelly roll pan. I tried it this way the first time, and it was a little too messy. </div>
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Even if the bacon and bourbon portion of the recipe weirds you out, try making the regular caramel corn. You'll be glad you did -- and you'll be especially glad when there is a little extra caramel left on the spatula you've been using. Yum!</div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06010116039185784923noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2471805333021447129.post-78430976775514052722012-02-20T20:08:00.001-06:002012-02-25T16:10:48.980-06:00Beer-y CupcakesLike lots of other people (mostly gals, I'm sure), I'm currently obsessed with <a href="http://pinterest.com/"><strong>Pinterest</strong></a>. My "Yum!" board is definitely the fullest of my boards, and there are TONS of recipes I want to try. <br />
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One of the first Pinterest recipes I made was this one for <a href="http://thebitchinkitchin.blogspot.com/2009/09/blue-moon-cupcakes.html"><strong>Blue Moon cupcakes</strong></a>, from <a href="http://thebitchinkitchin.blogspot.com/"><strong>The Bitchin' Kitchen</strong></a>. The thought of beer inside cupcakes was just too much, so I knew I had to make them and bring them to work for our Thursday afternoon beer club.</div>
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I followed the recipe closely, as I usually do for baking, only -- despite the name -- I didn't use <a href="http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/306/1212"><strong>Blue Moon</strong></a> beer, but rather <a href="http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/26/9478"><strong>Gumball Head</strong></a> from Three Floyds Brewery. I also elected to make mini cupcakes instead of the regular-sized ones, as I knew many people would want to try them.</div>
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For the frosting, I followed the original recipe fairly closely, but after reading some comments, I decided to cut the amount of powered sugar in half, from 5 cups to 2.5 cups. It was plenty sweet, and 5 cups would have been way too much. </div>
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I had the cupcake testers frost the cakes as they ate them, as I thought the cream cheese frosting would get to soupy if I had frosted them beforehand. </div>
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The verdict? Really tasty with just a hint of beer flavor and smell. The orange cream cheese frosting was great, too (I used up the last of it on Nilla Wafers and graham crackers. Yum!). </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5_ViZnty-12SzyrdtyEuuuoJm1QcCoH4G4NQnQMFQ6eG6cD5PxKvgo4JUVJHSt53HrrbQOxgYhEnYhBHfR1lGQKVjZmS361F8IaUMTZBZrJm6kZgJ49MH_TzoN0Poefi3Ygxmw21Dw2E/s1600/IMG_3352.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5_ViZnty-12SzyrdtyEuuuoJm1QcCoH4G4NQnQMFQ6eG6cD5PxKvgo4JUVJHSt53HrrbQOxgYhEnYhBHfR1lGQKVjZmS361F8IaUMTZBZrJm6kZgJ49MH_TzoN0Poefi3Ygxmw21Dw2E/s320/IMG_3352.JPG" width="320" yda="true" /></a></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06010116039185784923noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2471805333021447129.post-67474467043509009042012-02-20T19:40:00.000-06:002012-02-20T19:40:06.397-06:00Mini Corn DogsWhen we got invited to a Super Bowl party, I knew I wanted to make some fun. Luckily, one of my favorite food blogs, <a href="http://iowagirleats.com/"><strong>Iowa Girl Eats</strong></a>, had some great party-ready finger food recipes. I was instantly drawn to the <a href="http://iowagirleats.com/2012/01/30/super-bowl-recipe-week-mini-corn-dog-muffins/"><strong>mini corn dogs</strong></a>, as I love corn dogs, but don't get to enjoy them that often. <br />
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If you like corn dogs, these are a great way to satisfy the craving. They're super easy and make a perfect meal with the leftovers you're bound to have because the recipe makes a ton!</div>
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I followed Kristin's recipe exactly, and I opted for her applesauce substitute for butter to make them a <em>teeny</em> bit more healthy. </div>
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I also used Lou's Garrett Valley Naturals all-beef franks from <a href="http://www.outpost.coop/"><strong>Outpost</strong></a>. </div>
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To serve them, I put out small bowls of honey mustard and ketchup spiced up with Sriracha. </div>
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They were a hit at the party, and Nate and I enjoyed them for additional meals later in the week. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLkGZSOkv0VZnvvMLisGlV72i018rnThmIje051Bw_rByHjR43ila8jDJY3O57dNlvsXABVHl0EwapIh5uJDv8WEkszsw0yZoETH-4abHwTxI9Z7qDHKNoGOYFO5jX-ILx2tNfE2SPzjE/s1600/IMG_3336.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLkGZSOkv0VZnvvMLisGlV72i018rnThmIje051Bw_rByHjR43ila8jDJY3O57dNlvsXABVHl0EwapIh5uJDv8WEkszsw0yZoETH-4abHwTxI9Z7qDHKNoGOYFO5jX-ILx2tNfE2SPzjE/s320/IMG_3336.JPG" width="320" yda="true" /></a></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06010116039185784923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2471805333021447129.post-69753717164704879212012-01-24T20:42:00.001-06:002012-01-24T20:52:23.807-06:00Baked Tofu Stir FryIf you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you know I love a <a href="http://onmytable-nadrian.blogspot.com/2010/06/stiry-fry-goodness.html"><strong>good homemade stir fry</strong></a>. You probably also know I love tofu. And, luckily, Nate is a good sport when it comes to eating tofu. He may not seek it out, but he'll always finish a plateful of tofu veggie stir fry. <br />
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We hadn't made stir fry in a long time, so we whipped up some for Sunday night's dinner. I loaded up on some good stir fry veggies at Outpost, getting a big handful of each kind. I also used some veggies we already had on hand: button mushrooms, sugar snap peas, green beans, red onion and red bell pepper. <br />
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I chopped up the veggies and stir fried them in the wok in peanut oil and jalapeno grapeseed oil until softened but still crisp.</div>
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For the tofu, I did something I've never done before, but have always wanted to try -- rather than pan frying the tofu like I usually do, I marinated it for a while and then baked it. I took a block of extra firm tofu, pressed it between two towels with books to take some of the water out and then cut it into cubes. I mixed up a marinade of soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, cayenne pepper, ground black pepper and Sriracha and poured it over the tofu. I marinated it in the fridge for about an hour and then I baked it at 350 for about 45 minutes. Yum! The flavors were fantastic. I'll definitely do it again that way. </div>
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For the sauce, I got inspiration from one of my favorite food blogs, <a href="http://iowagirleats.com/"><strong>Iowa Girl Eats</strong></a>. Searching Kristin's recipes, I found a <a href="http://iowagirleats.com/2011/01/21/living-on-the-edge/"><strong>sweet and spicy peanut sauce</strong></a>. The sauce was simple and delicious, and forced me to buy a jar of chili garlic sauce. Yum!</div>
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For the sauce:</div>
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<li>3 Tbs chicken broth (I'd usually use veggie broth for a veggie meal, but we just happened to have ice cube-sized amounts of chicken broth)</li>
<li>3 Tbs soy sauce</li>
<li>1.5 Tbs chili garlic sauce</li>
<li>1 Tbs peanut butter</li>
<li>1 Tbs rice vinegar</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">dash of garlic powder, ground ginger, onion powder</li>
<li>4 shakes of sesame oil</li>
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Microwave broth, soy sauce, peanut butter and chili garlic sauce for about 20 seconds. Whisk until peanut butter is smooth, then add in the rest of the ingredients. Whisk to combine. </div>
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When the veggies were ready and the tofu done, we mixed everything in the wok and poured the sauce on top and mixed well. I took Kristin's idea here, too, and added an egg, with a few drops of sesame oil, to the stir fry to make it into like a fried rice dish. </div>
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It was good, but I have to say, with all those flavors, you really couldn't even taste the egg.</div>
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We served the veggies, tofu and sauce on top of steamed brown rice. All in all, it was a great meal, and I would definitely make that sauce again. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtxrGo6-9w6NrgxQ3PPeNh346yrLaUqLMJwbqJvig4tBzNuKis9BSGKbmIAU_k520DHpgnJ2riNFHFc3zXN2aKlGEcYw89CUP1narq8H61WQwcVk0ifAm41n4r1FkaZ5HdamuJmwhm8XY/s1600/IMG_3321.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gda="true" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtxrGo6-9w6NrgxQ3PPeNh346yrLaUqLMJwbqJvig4tBzNuKis9BSGKbmIAU_k520DHpgnJ2riNFHFc3zXN2aKlGEcYw89CUP1narq8H61WQwcVk0ifAm41n4r1FkaZ5HdamuJmwhm8XY/s320/IMG_3321.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06010116039185784923noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2471805333021447129.post-85788265665257252572012-01-15T16:10:00.002-06:002012-01-15T16:10:44.132-06:00Restaurant Review: La Parihuela<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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How many people knew there was a Peruvian restaurant in West Allis? I certainly didn't until I saw a Groupon for <a href="http://www.facebook.com/#!/laparihuela"><strong>La Parihuela</strong></a> a few months ago. I knew it was something I would want to try, as I've never had any Peruvian except for a plate of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lomo_saltado"><strong>lomo saltado</strong></a> at <a href="http://antiguamilwaukee.com/default.aspx"><strong>Antigua</strong></a> about six months ago). So I purchased the $20 option to get one appetizer and two entrees during our visit. </div>
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We finally used the Groupon last Friday, just a week before it expired. The small restaurant, located on 90th and National Ave., was packed with people, and I assumed many of them also had Groupons to use up. Luckily, we snagged a booth that wasn't directly near the door, as the restaurant got pretty cold any time the door opened. <br />
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We started our meals with the two alcoholic beverages they serve. Nate ordered the beer, <a href="http://www.cusquenabeer.com/default/"><strong>Cusqueña</strong></a>, which was a light beer and similar in taste to a Mexican Tecate and with a hint of lime. I had a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pisco_Sour"><strong>pisco sour</strong></a>, which the waitress said was the national drink of Peru. It was really good, reminding me of a good margartia that wasn't too syrupy, but it got pretty sweet by the end of it. <br />
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For the appetizer, we ordered causa de pollo, which was a yellow potato puree seasoned with yellow chili powder, lime juice and olive oil, and then stuffed with what tasted like chicken salad -- cooked chicken with mayo. The entire dish was cold, which at first seemed odd, but it was really very good. Nate and I agreed it would be a good dish for a hot summer day. (Ugh, sorry for the silly picture -- I can't turn it!)<br />
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For meals, Nate ordered the <a href="http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cookbook:Aj%C3%AD_de_Gallina"><strong>ají de gallina</strong></a>. Translated, it means "chili pepper chicken," and the dish is made with shredded chicken in a creamy (not spicy) sauce, served with chopped pecans, potatoes and rice. It was really good -- the flavors were great and the flavors were fantastic. </div>
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I ordered the escabeche de pescado, which was a lightly fried fish under a mound of sauteed onions and served with a half a roasted potato and some white rice. It was good, but the piece of fish was relatively small, and I'm pretty sure the dish didn't come with the sweet potatoes, aji panea chili and red pepper it was supposed to. </div>
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The service, unfortunately, wasn't that great, although I suspect it was because they were swamped with Grouponers and didn't plan for it. We weren't in a hurry, so it didn't matter too much, but we saw other tables in which two of the four diners received their meals about 15 minutes before the rest of the party, and a table of two sat at a dirty table, with no menus, for about 20 minutes. I'd definitely go back -- there are lots of things on the menu I'd like to try -- but I wouldn't go while they have a Groupon. </div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06010116039185784923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2471805333021447129.post-49608642568884002152012-01-15T15:39:00.000-06:002012-01-15T15:45:25.131-06:00The Soup Cookbook Everyone Should OwnI bought a copy of the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/events/318344394857871/#!/pages/Milwaukee-Empty-Bowls/115019248526337"><em><strong>Milwaukee Empty Bowls Cookbook</strong></em></a> from a friend at the December <a href="http://www.mkefoodies.com/search?updated-max=2011-12-24T07:25:00-08:00&max-results=1"><strong>#MKEfoodies Cookies for Kids event</strong></a>. And I'm so glad I did. <br />
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First, proceeds from the $20 cookbook go to <a href="http://www.milwaukeeemptybowls.org/"><strong>Milwaukee Empty Bowls</strong></a>, a nonprofit that "uses art to heighten hunger awareness and raise funds to help food pantries and meal programs in the Milwaukee area." The beautiful bowls are created by local potters, students and artists and are donated to the organization. Each year, on the second Saturday in October, the bowls are available for purchase and are meant to be filled with the wonderful soups available at the event. </div>
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Second, the cookbook is filled with wonderful recipes all from local chefs, restaurants and stores. And lucky for me, the book includes one of my favorite soups, which I always make sure I order when I'm at the restaurant. </div>
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I chose the chicken tortilla soup from <a href="http://waterbuffalomilwaukee.com/"><strong>Water Buffalo</strong></a> as my first recipe from the book. When ordered at the restaurant, this soup is always creamy without being rich, with the right amount of tender chunks of chicken and a hint of spice. </div>
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The soup was souper (Sorry, had to!) easy to make and tasted pretty close to the real thing. I can't wait to make more from the cookbook!</div>
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<strong>Water Buffalo's Chicken Tortilla Soup</strong> 4-6 servings (We got closer to 4)<br />
<ul>
<li>6 Tbs (3/4 stick) of butter </li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1 pound chicken tenderloins, cut in 1-inch pieces (we used a cooked rotisserie chicken)</li>
<li>1/2 cup finely chopped onion</li>
<li>1/2 teas. ground cumin</li>
<li>1 teas. salt</li>
<li>1/2 teas. pepper</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1/4 teas. dried oregano</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1/2 teas. cayenne pepper</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1/2 cup flour</li>
<li>3 cups chicken stock </li>
<li>3/4 cup heaving whipping cream (I used 2% milk)</li>
<li>tortilla chips for garnish (we also used avocado and hot sauce for garnish)</li>
</ul>
In soup pot, melt butter, Add chicken and onion and cook over medium heat until chicken is no longer pink inside, about 5 or 6 minutes.<br />
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Add spices, then flour, and mix well. Cook, stirring for about 30 seconds. Stir in stock and bring to a full boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Stir in cream.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcEvPNo2Wda9D4XSxQhb3SkHDyN5eUAflHVwscN2Lf9Qq3M6ZvbpPVvLJgg_EbESaFhoEsjEYsMn8jwVCAkiZpNTR58xGZI85Hk2Opp7VrI8eTzXlnsstjnQWZfsLuTKhf8aV2IVuQkUQ/s1600/IMG_3272.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" kba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcEvPNo2Wda9D4XSxQhb3SkHDyN5eUAflHVwscN2Lf9Qq3M6ZvbpPVvLJgg_EbESaFhoEsjEYsMn8jwVCAkiZpNTR58xGZI85Hk2Opp7VrI8eTzXlnsstjnQWZfsLuTKhf8aV2IVuQkUQ/s320/IMG_3272.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06010116039185784923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2471805333021447129.post-43286431947229862712012-01-15T15:12:00.000-06:002012-01-15T15:44:14.258-06:00My Blog Promise Part 2My new blog promise is that I promise not to make any more promises I'm likely not going to keep. <br />
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Remember back on Nov. 1 <a href="http://onmytable-nadrian.blogspot.com/2011/11/my-blog-promise.html"><strong>when I said</strong></a> I would blog twice a week and maybe once on the weekends? Yeah. Since then -- two and a half months ago -- I've blogged three times. So clearly I couldn't keep that promise, and I likely won't be able to keep another one like it. <br />
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But I will say that I've gotten the itch to blog again (in part because of some nice compliments and words of encouragement from friends and acquaintances, especially from those at the latest and greatest <a href="http://www.mkefoodies.com/"><strong>#MKEfoodies tweet up</strong></a> at <a href="http://www.harborhousemke.com/"><strong>Harbor House</strong></a> last week) and will plan on blogging when the mood suits me. <br />
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So without further ado, I present two new blog posts -- one from a fantastic new soup cookbook and the other a restaurant review. <br />
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Thanks for reading!Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06010116039185784923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2471805333021447129.post-9981437976233847452011-11-10T11:30:00.000-06:002011-11-10T12:22:36.698-06:00Cheesy Meatball SlidersDo you like beef? Lots of ooey, gooey cheese? Marinara sauce? Cute slider buns (OK, I might be alone on that one)? If so, then you'll want to make this recipe!<br />
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This is another one from <a href="http://iowagirleats.com/recipes/cheese-stuffed-meatball-sliders/">Iowa Girl Eats</a>. When I saw it, I knew Nate would love it, and I can't help but love anything stuffed with string cheese. Mmm ...</div>
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These sliders were really, really, really (you get the picture!) good. I probably said that a few times as we ate dinner. Nate loved them, too (beef and cheese? I knew it was a winner!). </div>
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I followed Kristin's recipe pretty much exactly, except that we halved the recipe so we had 8 meatballs rather than 16 (although, thinking about it now, we should have made more!), and we made up our own Italian seasoning mix -- dried parsley, basil and oregano.</div>
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We will definitely be making these again, and we're already brainstorming different varieties. One that we will likely make soon is Greek meatball sliders -- meatballs stuffed with feta and topped with tzatziki, tomatoes and red onions. Yum!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHjEF84xjuBff4Mxi_64kmrH6dphmf9FcMBv-YnMEeMoQDOTovJCqBRrAj6vtpYf4E7uRVARSBve85Gg3jHCnX4XG6iB6G2RQbdrFOKEXCd-sXctI03pYfatvbiKTgb8W31ffXujrakRE/s1600/IMG_3232.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHjEF84xjuBff4Mxi_64kmrH6dphmf9FcMBv-YnMEeMoQDOTovJCqBRrAj6vtpYf4E7uRVARSBve85Gg3jHCnX4XG6iB6G2RQbdrFOKEXCd-sXctI03pYfatvbiKTgb8W31ffXujrakRE/s320/IMG_3232.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06010116039185784923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2471805333021447129.post-62398916635307081572011-11-08T20:09:00.002-06:002011-11-08T20:10:01.452-06:00Step Aside, Mashed PotatoesThere's a new kid in town. New to us, anyway. <br />
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I'm talking about root vegetable mash. I've had it a few times before (the side dish they serve at <a href="http://www.theeateryonfarwell.com/">The Eatery</a> stands out as one of the best I've had), but never attempted to make it. Last weekend's pre-Thanksgiving feast with foodie friends turned out to be the perfect opportunity for making it. <br />
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I looked up some recipes online, but ultimately just bought whatever root veggies I could find at the farmers market and added anything else that sounded good and made sense.</div>
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The recipe was super easy and very delicious -- the worst and most tedious part was peeling and chopping all of the vegetables. Here's what I used and what I did:</div>
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<ul>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">3 big sweet potatoes </li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">4 potatoes (Yukon gold, red potatoes -- anything works)</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">6 medium-sized parsnips</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">2 celery roots</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">a small carton of heavy whipping cream</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">about half a stick of butter, cut into pieces</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste</li>
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Peel and cut all vegetables into small cubes Fill a pot (I had so many vegetables that I need to big pots) with salted water, place cut vegetables inside and bring to a boil. Simmer (don't turn the stove too low -- you'll wnat some bubbles) for about 20-25 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. </div>
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Drain, and place back in pot. Mash vegetables with a masher. Pour in cream and butter, and shakes of garlic, pepper and salt, and beat with an electric mixer. It should be ready to eat then, or, if serving it later, just put back on the stovetop to heat up. This made about 10 servings.</div>
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That's all there is to it! I can't wait to try making this again. I think it would be good with any sort of vegetable you can find -- rutabagas, turnips, carrots included. If I made it again, I might tone down the cream (and use skim or 2% milk) and butter. But it's probably tastier the way I made it!</div>
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<br />Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06010116039185784923noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2471805333021447129.post-48170423647698635652011-11-03T11:30:00.000-05:002011-11-03T12:43:43.804-05:00Enchilada PastaI've been <em>slightly</em> obsessed with reading one of my favorite food blogs: <a href="http://iowagirleats.com/"><strong>Iowa Girl Eats</strong></a>. "Obsessed" might be over doing it. Maybe I should just say I look forward to reading it every day, and always make a point to find it at the end of the day or early the next day. <br />
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Anyhoo, I came across this post of hers from the other day about an <a href="http://iowagirleats.com/2011/10/27/30-things-before-30-new-tv-appearance/"><strong>Enchilada Pasta</strong></a>, and I was immediately drawn to a recipe with Mexican flavors that also feature pasta. Score!</div>
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The dish was really pretty good, and it was nice to have everything -- protein, a starch, dairy and veggies -- all right in one dish. If I did it again, I might had some black beans to the mix. All in all, it was really good, although it kind of reminded me of a fancier -- or slightly more complicated -- Hamburger Helper-type meal. </div>
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Nate and I worked on this meal together, which meant we kind of made up some parts as we went along -- which included both putting varying amounts of spice in the dish, making it a super spicy meal. Good, but spicy! He <em>may</em> have wiped his brow a few times throughout the meal. </div>
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From the start, I decided to change a few things about the recipe. We used ground beef instead of chicken, mostly because we had some in the freezer we needed to use up. Also, we're not sour cream fans, so I subbed plain Greek yogurt, which we always have, for the sour cream. </div>
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Here's what we did for our <strong>Beefy Enchilada Pasta</strong>:<br />
<ul>
<li>1 lb. ground beef</li>
<li>a pinch of two of habanero powder</li>
<li>1 Tbs.-ish olive oil </li>
<li>2 small red onions, diced</li>
<li>1 small zucchini, diced</li>
<li>3 cloves garlic, minced</li>
<li>15 oz. can red enchilada sauce (I used medium spice level)</li>
<li>A couple (OK, maybe 10) shakes Cholula sauce) </li>
<li>4-oz. can diced green chilies</li>
<li>1/2-ish teas. chili powder</li>
<li>1 teas. cumin</li>
<li>1/4 teas. salt</li>
<li>1 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese</li>
<li>1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt </li>
<li>8.5 oz medium sized pasta (I used whole wheat penne)</li>
<li>Toppings: chopped avocado, tomatoes, green onions and/or sour cream, if desired</li>
</ul>
Brown beef and onions, mix in habanero powder and any other spices you'd like.<br />
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Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat and sauté zucchini and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. </div>
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In large skillet, add enchilada sauce, Cholula, green chilies, salt, chili powder and cumin. Stir to combine then simmer for 10 minutes, stirring every so often. Add Greek yogurt, cheese and beef to skillet. Mix to combine, warming the skillet if necessary for the cheese to melt. </div>
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Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and mix pasta into cheese, beef and veggie mixtures. </div>
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Serve garnished with avocado and tomatoes (and green onions and/or sour cream, if desired). <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoiYzsppOynu2h1OOfpbsZg1xunffpNkiv6zxpqkHAIV_IWca9heCar-IoTxyQYAfjGi4zj5SzIAWgAADCD20DPUUUicV1iaFL_wVEwrxDM6_Z_GeDQDiHY_kO8_O-oLimzYnbJrumECo/s1600/PB010086.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoiYzsppOynu2h1OOfpbsZg1xunffpNkiv6zxpqkHAIV_IWca9heCar-IoTxyQYAfjGi4zj5SzIAWgAADCD20DPUUUicV1iaFL_wVEwrxDM6_Z_GeDQDiHY_kO8_O-oLimzYnbJrumECo/s320/PB010086.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06010116039185784923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2471805333021447129.post-28769082383522011272011-11-01T20:22:00.000-05:002011-11-01T20:22:24.064-05:00My Blog PromiseSo ... you could say it's been a while, eh? <br />
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This past month and a half has been a bit crazy. I started a new job about two and a half months ago, and while I'm really, really enjoying it, it's busier, faster-paced and has a bigger workload than I was used to. So, I've been coming home quite tired and not really willing to look at a computer screen for any longer. <br />
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We have also been lax in cooking interesting and blog-worthy meals. The meals that I've had out, well, frankly, I haven't felt like snapping pictures -- or my battery ran out, which is what happened at ethnic dining night at <a href="http://www.milwaukeefood.com/blog/?p=2038"><strong>G. Mirch Masala</strong></a>, a new Pakistani restaurant on the northside (get there -- it's REALLY good!). <br />
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Plus, I recently took a girls' trip to Las Vegas, so there was no cooking being done right before the trip or right after. However, I will let you feast your eyes on some of the food we ate while we were there. <br />
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But, enough excuses. It makes me sad that I haven't blogged lately, and I've even had a few people ask me about it. So I'm making a promise to you, blog readers, that I will post at least twice a week -- mostly likely Tuesdays and Thursdays, and maybe over the weekend if you're lucky. <br />
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So, please keep reading, commenting and trying out the recipes for yourself!<br />
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And don't forget the eye candy:<br />
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Ricotta gnocchi with fennel sausage sauce at <a href="http://www.wolfgangpuck.com/restaurants/fine-dining/3910"><strong>Wolfgang Puck's Bar & Grill</strong></a> at the MGM<br />
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The best burger Ann, my friend and travel buddy, has ever had at Wolfgang Puck's (I tried a bite -- it was DARN tasty!)<br />
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The LEO omlette (lox, eggs and caramelized onions) and roasted potatoes at <a href="http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/photos/galleries/2009/apr/10/serendipity/26523/"><strong>Serendipity 3</strong></a><br />
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Ann's breakfast quesadilla<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZseciwiN_UK4fSmJL8I1VB-4njUVOItkr04ZS257XwZJ3URDVLgBgo4CSmVaShlTyrOd3Wr3Nb6h2cOMNUZVjjF_ZPLTq241_55ZDMDisCZ_ClIht0Zb49mUoUHcL1OrKvrsL6E3Gs3Q/s1600/PA280046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZseciwiN_UK4fSmJL8I1VB-4njUVOItkr04ZS257XwZJ3URDVLgBgo4CSmVaShlTyrOd3Wr3Nb6h2cOMNUZVjjF_ZPLTq241_55ZDMDisCZ_ClIht0Zb49mUoUHcL1OrKvrsL6E3Gs3Q/s320/PA280046.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06010116039185784923noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2471805333021447129.post-6013820616257530372011-09-28T20:54:00.003-05:002011-09-28T20:54:45.612-05:00Connect With Me!Wanna connect via Facebook and Twitter? "Like" my <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/On-My-Table-blog/280588595688"><strong>page on Facebook</strong></a>, and follow <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/OnMyTableBlog"><strong>@onmytableblog</strong></a> on Twitter! You can always email me, too, at <a href="mailto:onmytableblog@gmail.com"><strong>onmytableblog@gmail.com</strong></a>. <br />
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Thanks for reading!Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06010116039185784923noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2471805333021447129.post-48937483061897606692011-09-28T20:47:00.001-05:002011-09-28T20:47:48.498-05:00Green Chile ChiliThere are many things I love about Colorado -- the mountains, the craft breweries, the skiing and hiking, the laid-back lifestyle -- but one of the things I love most is that you can order delicious, homemade green chile chili just about everywhere you go. <br />
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Whenever we're in Colorado -- and we're there a fair amount, with Nate being from Colorado and having plenty of family members there -- I'm always sure to order a cup or a bowl. The style I've had in Colorado always has pork in it and is very thick. It's often served over other foods, such as burritos. Yum!<br />
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Green chile chili is always something I've wanted to make and for some reason never did. Until now. </div>
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With the cool fall temps and changing leaves, I figured now would be a good time to make our first batch of chili of the season. Nate and I both consulted a few different green chile chili recipes for ideas and insight, and then came up with this recipe. </div>
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I have no idea how traditional it might be (I have a feeling it's not too traditional at all), but I can tell you this -- it was delicious, and we will definitely be making it again. It had just the right amount of heat for us (it might be a bit much for those who don't like things too spicy) and the pork and Great Northern beans made it very satisfying. </div>
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<strong>Green Chile Chili</strong></div>
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<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1.25(ish) pounds pork (I can't remember what we used, but shoulder or pork butt would work) </li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">4 Anaheim chiles</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1 Poblano pepper</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1 banana pepper</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">2 small red chiles</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1/2 jar tomatillo salsa</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1 can Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed</li>
<li>1 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes</li>
<li>1 tsp. cumin</li>
<li>1 tsp. salt</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1/2 teas. ground black pepper</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">1 tsp. dried oregano</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">2 cups chicken broth</li>
<li>1/2 onion, chopped</li>
<li>3 cloves garlic, chopped</li>
<li style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">flour</li>
<li>olive oil</li>
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Cut pork in about 1/2-inch to 1-inch pieces (you can cut it after cooking, too, which is sometimes easier). Dredge pork in flour. Heat olive oil -- about a tablespoon -- in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook pork until browned. </div>
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Meanwhile, turn oven broiler on high. Place peppers on a foil-lined baking sheet. broil peppers and chiles, other than the small red ones, until blackened, rotating as needed (I think this took me about 20 minutes total). The small red ones were too small to broil, and ended up crispy. I would just chop those and throw them in with everything else. After the peppers are blackened, place in a plastic bag and seal for about 15 minutes. Peel skin off the peppers, de-seed if desired and chop. </div>
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Add pork, peppers and rest of ingredients to a slowcooker. Cook all day on low (you could also do this on the stovetop for a few hours, but I like how flavorful soups/chilis get in the slowcooker). Serve with cornbread, shredded cheddar, tortilla chips or anything else you'd like.</div>
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I was so excited to eat this meal that I didn't take a picture of the finished product. But I'm sure you can imagine what it looked like!</div>
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Nicolehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06010116039185784923noreply@blogger.com0