Hello!

It has been such a long time between posts.  I can't believe we've been through Thanksgiving, my birthday, and Christmas without at least showing you what I've been eating.  Below are a few pictures I've taken for my Instagram account. If you want to follow me you can search ajvol.

Thanksgiving Wafflepalooza

Mom's biscuits

Swiss Colony Petite Four and Port

Lady Kisses for Holiday Party

Birthday Dessert from Pistacia Vera

Pecan Pie with Bourbon and Chocolate Chips

Pecan Pie

Potato Chips made with my new mandoline

Noodles...because I wanted them.

Breakfast in Taos

This morning we woke up early in Taos, NM and decided to see the sunrise.  It was beautiful.  If you ever find yourself in Taos, drive to the Rio Grande Gorge and look back over your shoulder.  It was stunning.  After waking up early I was ready for a good breakfast.  Yesterday we noticed a place on the main drag called Michael's Kitchen.  I could see that there was a nice sized wait for a table so I assumed that it must be good.  This morning we didn't have to wait and we weren't disappointed.  I ordered the Atole-Pinon pancakes.  Essentially these are blue corn pancakes studded with pine nuts. They were incredible.  There were four pancakes and I ate every last bite.

Another sure fire way to know that a restaurant is good is that there is a cute dog hanging out back waiting for the trash to go out.

Since I gushed about the sunrise I thought I should include a picture.

Santa Fe Farmer's Market at the Railyard

I am still loving New Mexico.  We were so happy when we learned that the Santa Fe Farmer's Market was only 2 blocks from our hotel.  I came away with a 1 pound bag of chile powder from Chencho's Chimayo Chile and a couple of irresistible pastries.

Lunch on Route 66

Mary Ann and I are having a great trip to Santa Fe.  One of our wishes has been to travel around Route 66 and take in the oddities.  Today we had lunch at La Cita in Tumacari, NM.  It is a small restaurant/gift shop/florist.  They had a good lunch crowd that kept the server busy.  Mary Ann had a bean and cheese burrito with green sauce and I had the chicken and bean burrito with green sauce. The beans had a nice chunky texture and the chicken was all white, moist and shredded to perfection.  Of course the star of the meal was the green sauce.  It had just enough heat. The chips came out fresh and crisp and the salsa set our mouths on fire.

Finally Peanuts

After months of waiting I was finally able to eat my abundant crop of peanuts.

Still in the shell.

Roasted.

Chopped on top of chicken lettuce wraps.

Road Trip

Life has been busy.  Sorry I haven't posted anything lately.  Right now we are getting ready for a road trip to New Mexico.  I hope to discover some great restaurants and record them here.  The weight loss is going well, but I intend to blow that on vacation.

If anyone knows of a fun place to eat or see between Columbus and Santa Fe let me know.

I can't wait to be here.

October Harvest

It's been a strange year for the garden.  The drought really set the garden back.  I planted 3 times as many tomato plants this year in hopes of canning them for the winter.  I barely got enough to make a little batch of bbq sauce.  Yesterday I thought I would look to see what I have and was pleased to find a couple of tomatoes, a few peppers, and the last few raspberries.  The tomatoes are going to go into some rice that I plan to use for a batch of frozen burritos.  The peppers will be just enough to join the others I've roasted and frozen to make a batch of green chile sauce. And after a lackluster harvest of raspberries last year, I finally have enough to make a recipe of raspberry jam.

Peanuts

Last year I tried growing a peanut plant and some may remember that while we were away, the squirrels got to it.  This year I decided to give it another try by planting two plants.  The squirrels did manage to eat one of them, but I was able to save the other one.  This weekend it was time to see how many peanuts we had.  I dumped the bin into one of my container gardens and below is what I found.  Now I am supposed to hang them for two weeks, then pull the peanuts off of the plant and dry for another two weeks.

Perfect Morning

When I spend a productive morning in the kitchen, after trying to stay out of it, I realize how much I love it.  Mary Ann and I have had some success with our diet, but this morning I needed to make a couple of things for a meeting Mary Ann is hosting.  I also had some poblano peppers that I've been wanting to dry.  The weather is changing so I had to bring them in this weekend or I might lose them.  Below are some pictures of cookies I made and the stringing of the peppers.  The peppers aren't as pretty as the ones you might see in New Mexico, but I think it turned out nice.

Foodie on a Diet

Sorry I haven't kept up with regular posting lately.  About a month ago I talked Mary Ann into going on a diet.  I was motivated by looking at photos of past vacations and noticing how I enjoyed looking at myself much more when I looked healthier.  In November we are planning a road trip to the southwest and with a new camera and Mary Ann's new Instagram obsession I felt the need for a 3 month slim down.

We chose Weight Watchers.  I believe I have a good awareness of what foods are good and what foods to avoid.  However, I felt with a little guidance,  and a monetary commitment, we would have more success. We have done well so far, but it hasn't been easy.  As most of you know, I love food. It's been a challenge finding recipes that satisfy my cravings and restaurants that don't blow an entire days points in one side dish.

I've been grateful for the change in weather.  The garden is having a rebirth.  Our squash is starting to bloom and the okra is still giving us a few pieces a week.  The tomatoes are looking better than ever.

Gelatina Di Uva

There is a small vineyard on the west side of Columbus in San Margherita, that sells concord grapes this time of year.  And every year I tell myself to not forget to get grapes this year.  I've forgotten every year until this year.  I've heard that these grapes have been growing there for over 100 years.  They are sold in baskets of 6 pounds for $10.  Sunday was spent making grape jelly and the house smelled amazing.  The gentleman at the stand said that the first week of September is the height of the season so if you want to get some, this week is the time to get them.   The stand it located on the east side of Trabue between Riverside Dr. and Hague Ave.

Dried Tomatoes

The drought really hit most of our tomatoes very hard.  However, the black cherry tomatoes flourished. So much so that I really had no idea what I was going to do with them all.  Last week I read a recipe for  dried tomatoes and thought it would be perfect.  I washed and halved all of the tomatoes. Then I tossed them in a little olive oil and baked them at 200 degrees F for about 4 hours. The timing will most likely vary depending on how juicy your tomatoes are.  I let them cool and then put then in a jar covered in oil and I'm storing them in the refrigerator.

BEFORE

AFTER

Corn and Quinoa Cakes

I can't think of a better time to buy a couple of bags of corn than Local Foods Week.  Two weeks ago Mary Ann and I made a commitment to eat better. With an emphasis on eating local this week it's been fun finding new recipes that feature great local produce.  I discovered a recipe for Corn and Quinoa Burgers that I couldn't wait to try.  Saturday morning we made our way to the Farmer's Festival at The North Market and found beautiful ears of corn from The Wishwell Farms in Bellefontaine, OH.  I found quinoa from Stutzman Farms at The Greener Grocer and the rest of the items from my pantry and garden.

I made a few changes to the original recipe.  I added a fresh poblano pepper from our garden instead of crushed red pepper.  I also baked them in the oven using a little cooking spray instead of frying them in oil.  As you can see below it still came out golden brown and crunchy.  There are endless possibilities of what condiment you can eat with these.  I made a little sour cream sauce with cilantro and lime.  They were great leftover with salsa.  As soon as I have enough New Mexico chilies I am going to make another batch of green chili sauce.  I think the combination will taste amazing.

It's rare in our house that we fight for leftovers, but this one is definitely worth fighting for!

CORN AND QUINOA CAKES
adapted from Tales From a Kitchen Misfit

2 cups corn cut off of the cob
1/4 cup quinoa, uncooked
1/2 cup diced onion
1/4 cup dices poblano pepper
2 cloves minced garlic
1 T olive oil
4-6 T panko bread crumbs
2 eggs, beaten
salt and pepper

-Soak 1/4 cup of quinoa in cold water for 15 minutes.  Drain and rinse well.  Place in a sauce pan with 1/2 cup of warm water.  Bring to a boil, cover and simmer on low for 14 minutes. Take off of the heat and keep covered for another 5 minutes.
-Saute onions, garlic, and peppers with olive oil until the onions are opaque. Add the corn and cook until it starts to caramelize.
-Add quinoa, corn mixture and bread crumbs in mixing bowl.  Let cool for a few minutes and add the eggs and salt and pepper.  Mix well.  This is where you can adjust the amount of bread crumbs you use.  I started with 4T but usually end up adding the additional 2T.
-Spray a sheet pan with non stick cooking spray. Fill a 3" ring mold and lightly pack. You should have 5 cakes.
-Cook at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.  Pull out of the oven and lightly spray the tops of the cakes with the non stick oil and flip the cakes to brown the other side.
-Cook 10 more minutes and enjoy!

Rain!

This summer has been a rough one for the garden.  The lack of rain has taken it's toll on all of the vegetation. My favorite crop is the red raspberries I planted 7 years ago.  I started with 20 starters and only 1 survived the first year.  Then they took off and I am usually able to make two batches of jam and 2 or 3 pies with them.  Last year we had too much rain and I only had enough to make a bottle of raspberry infused vodka. This year we haven't had any rain and I think I may have enough to make one pie.  But this weekend we've had some rain, and it might have come just in time to save the second run.  Below is a picture I took this morning.  You can really notice the difference a few days and some rain makes on the plant.

Spaghetti and Beet Balls

I felt inspired to try a new recipe after checking out the Local Matters Local Food Week website.  Saturday I hit the North Market  early and found exactly what I was searching for.  I was able to purchase a bunch of beets from one of the local farmers, organic brown rice from Stutzman Farms, and Keema Curry blend from North Market Spices Ltd.  The recipe is for beet burgers.  But I had a craving for spaghetti and meatballs so I turned the burgers into beet balls.

The first step is grating the beets.  Squeeze out the liquid.

Saute the onion over medium heat with half of the olive oil and let brown. Add the curry, pepper and salt.  Toast for a minute.  The nuts I used were already salted so I didn't add salt at this point.  You can add later if it is needed.

In a food processor, puree half of the grated beets and all of the cooked rice. You want this to be a smooth puree as it will be the binder for the balls.

Add the onions and the nuts and just pulse a couple of times.  You want to add some texture and a little crunch.  Put this mixture in a bowl and add the rest of the grated beets.  You can check it now to see if you would like more salt.

Make them into balls and roll them lightly in cornstarch.  

Heat a saute pan with olive oil and place the balls in the hot oil.  I flattened the balls out a little so they would cook more evenly.   Cook 3-4 minutes on each side and enjoy!

I cut the recipe below in half and it made 12 beet balls.

Beet Balls

1/4 cup of EACH: sunflower seeds, flax seeds and almonds

2 cups grated beets

1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice

1 large onion sliced

5 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 t Keema Curry blend

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 teaspoon salt

Joy!

One of my favorite vegetables provides me with one of my favorite flowers...

OKRA!