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I've watched this video 3 times now, the first time being at "work" after 2 little people had been scrubbed and tucked.  I was snuggled into a fluffy couch with an unruly but adorable Boyton terrier at my feet.  The next couple of views were watched online, where my interest grew enough to finally write a blog post.  That, in combination with finishing my first semester of Graduate School.  Horray!

Since returning to the States, I've noticed how confusing it is to buy "food" in this country.  I'd forgotten the evils of stickers on your fruit, and health claims that all sound pretty legitimate if that's all you read on the label.   Here, words like "natural flavor" don't sound that bad, compared to Monosodium Glutamate or Butylated Hydroxyanisole.   Organic?  That's good, right?

I enjoy this story because it makes things a little easier to understand, and because that ticking sound on 60 minutes reminds me of my childhood.  In the last few years, the media has given us films such as Food Inc and Forks Over Knives.  Food writers are crawling out of the wood work.  Oprah was eating vegan.    These makes me optimistic about where our food system may be heading, when more and more people realize what their dollar can do for their bodies, and their environment.

For a nerdy food read, here is a copy of the Obama administration's proposed guidelines for the school lunch program.  This caused all of the recent ridiculous uproar over half a cup of tomato paste.

The conclusion of infusion

We've all ordered those fancy smancy cocktails made of fruit or herb infused booze.  This summer I decided to do some investigating to see how difficult it really is.  It turns out it's not, at all. Easy.  Facile. Quick to impress.

Pick your poison of choice.  Find a tight sealing container, and add your chosen herb or fruit.  The proportion is up to you.  For fruits, I prefer about 1/4-1/2 full of the goods.  For herbs, the ratio can be less.  Refrigeration is not required, although with the pineapple infusion seen below, it was chilled since the pineapple was not fully submerged in the vodka.  I gave that about a week before having a taste.

Since then we've enjoyed "Simon and Ginfunkel"  (a name inspired by a local goat cheese named Simon and Goatfunkel).  That required only 4 days of stewing at room temperature, and herbs were then discarded. It was a wildly successful infusion of garden fresh sage, rosemary, and thyme.
A splash of lime and some fizzy tonic made it the perfect cocktail to sip while selling Spinach Chicken Nuggets the local farmers market.  Next up, local cantaloupe infused something to ease the pain of the impending fall. 

Honey Do!

We all have memories of special items from our childhood.  A Grandmother's glass candy jar, treasured for its delicate conical glass top as much as its contents.  A certain German beer stein that doubled as a tea kettle for my imaginary party guests.  A finished wooden walking stick, and the way it rested gently on the fireplace's rough brick walls.  A deck of worm animal cards, played with by generations of grandchildren.  And, the honored honey pot.  I'm not sure where my mother purchased this great jar, but as an adult I love its filling as much as its vessel.

Finding reliable, local, year round food here can be obviously difficult considering the tiny growing season.   Right now we are being spoiled with the summer produce at the markets and co-op, and even our garden is providing.  I never enjoyed honey as a child, although I remember my brother globing the stuff on his bowl of cream of wheat until we weren't sure where the honey stopped and the wheat began.  But, this local Bozeman honey is amazing.  Its spicy, its sweet, and it is even thought to help combat seasonal allergies.  Lately, I've enjoyed it in tea (always trying to cut the coffee addiction), baked goods, salad dressings, and even burgers.

Move over, agave.

Another bite, please.

Summer in Montana... it's finally here.  After months (and months) of waiting, the garden is growing and the days are long.  As I sit here on my patio, I am in awe of the fact of all the change that happens so frequently in this place.  I happen to love change, so maybe I will fit in here after all.

Speaking of which...  I am taking a leap.  Recognizing that although I love singing rounds of "The Old Gray Mare" to little Charli and serving endless amounts of jasmine rice in the local Thai restaurant, these are not career paths I care to be on forever.  

So, after months of planning and learning and scheming, One More Bite has been born.  I will be at the Bogert Farmer's Market in Bozeman next week.. so anyone craving some stellar chicken nuggets or lentil burgers come on down.  Rice and singing can be provided for an additional charge.

906

For those of you who know me, you know I am not a huge fan of beef.  The flavor and texture have never been a favorite of mine.  You can imagine my dismay as I was informed we were one of four couples splitting a quarter of a cow between us.  But, after meeting the local farmer who raised our beef, and hearing about what he was fed, this beef doesn't sound so bad.

Cow 906 was a small steer, birthed from a mother who failed to get pregnant after 6 months of attempts.  She was at the butcher when he realized she was in fact pregnant, and Jenny Sabo (local farmer featured in this short film) put her back in the truck and brought her home to green Montana pastures. 

My freezer is full of beef, but I know exactly where it came from.  The cost for the beef seen above?  $96.   I can't wait to see how it tastes!

Gourmet Camping? Yes.

Last week's vacation to Zion National Park was filled with stunning sandstone landscapes, adventurous canyoneering, and of course some good eats.  After a lovely 10 mile hike into the east rim of the park, we set up our campsite and enjoyed the following for dinner:

1 box Mary's Gone Cracked Pepper crackers
1 jar olive tapenade
1 tin of stuffed grape leaves
1 can sardines
1 demi baguette
1 block Goat's Milk Cheddar cheese
1 bottle South African Red table wine

...and my birthday dessert?  see photo below.

Green

My mom did something special for almost every holiday.  St.Patrick's Day usually involved green pancakes in the morning.  In celebration this week, I thought I'd try and do something similar for the family I cook for, giving the kids an entire meal of green.  I made these simple fish medallions, along with Pesto Spinach Pasta and steamed broccolini (their new favorite vegetable). 

1 lb. Tilapia (sadly most available to us is farmed)
1 large egg
2 t. soy sauce
1 t. agave
1-2 T. Thai green chili paste
3 T. chopped scallions, white and light green parts
2 T. chopped cilantro
1 T. all purpose flour
Salt to taste

Place fish in food processor and mix until a thick paste is formed, about 45 seconds.  Place fish in bowl and mix with remaining ingredients.  Get your hands in there for easy mixing!   Form 2'' patties 3/4'' thick.  Place 2 T. oil (I used grape seed) in the bottom of a skillet and bring heat to medium. Add patties, cooking 3-4 minutes per side until golden brown.

A Sweet and Savory 2011

So I've been meaning to make a post for about what... 2 months? Better late than never I suppose! The last couple of months have been filled with GRE studies, Holiday travels, and snow acclimation. All of which turned out quite well, thank goodness!

Cookie Decorating
In celebration of refined sugars and the Holiday Season, I hosted a cookie decorating party in December. When the cookies were decorated, and 3 bottles of mulled white wine were finished (recipe below), some creative minds got to work destroying my clean and sanitary workspace. Ha, actually it's more like Jackson Polluck meets Betty Crocker.

Chicken
My fall ritual of making a nice Sunday dinner were finally resurrected last afternoon before the GREEN BAY PACKERS WON THE SUPERBOWL! Keys to a successful roast? Choose a quality bird. Stuff with lemons, shallots, and thyme. Roast slowly at 250 for 3 hours, finish with a nice broil to crisp up that skin. And of course.. baste baste baste!!!

Mmmmm buckeyes
A fellow cheesehead attended the cookie decorating party and shared this indulgent recipe for buckeyes. She's prepared these ahead of time and we all had fun dunking them in chocolate. Thanks for sharing Jaime, yum yum yum!

PS... my catering company is in the works. More to come on that soon, so excited!

Also, below is the recipe for the Mulled White Wine. So delicious and easy to make.

Mulled White Wine

Serves 2
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1/2 cup peach juice (I used mango peach)
2 lemon slices
1 1/4-inch slice fresh ginger
1/8 t. ground cinnamon
2 t. honey or agave
Crystallized ginger for garnish

Combine all the ingredients in small saucepan and place over the lowest possible heat. Stir to dissolve the honey. Bring just to a simmer and cook for 2 minutes; do not let the wine come to a boil. Garnish with crystallized ginger and serve immediately.



Krissoff, Liana. ”Mulled White Wine with Peace Juice.” Hot Drinks for Cold Nights. Stewart, Tabori & Chang. New York 2005.