Potatoes, Pumpkins and Pies

One of the only reasons I get up early on Saturday mornings is for scones, coffee, and......fresh produce!

Welcome to the farmers' market!

The first time I went to this market, I was not expecting a whole lot. However, now that I go almost every week, I really understand why it's so appealing. My misconceptions with these stands had to do with the lonely fruit stands I had purchased from off of the highway. Overpriced fruit that would go bad faster than I could eat it. Eight dollars for 3 peaches? No thank you.

Community farmers' markets, I have found, are much different. They have more vegetables than anything else, and you get the whole basket for the price; unless you are buying things like eggplant, pumpkins, or squash. The vendors are also all competing with each other, so the prices are pretty reasonable.

Now, what about the prices? Well, they may not be as cheap as the grocery store all of the time, it really depends on what you get, and where in the season they are. Tomatoes are nearing the end of their season, so they were getting pretty cheap. Pumpkins and squash are in season at the moment, so the prices are a little higher, but 75 cents for zucchini? Still not bad! Most prices are pretty reasonable. Some of the more popular, or rare items tend to be on the high side. One man was selling lamb meat..... at over 16 dollars a pound! But I guess someone is buying it, or he wouldn't be there every week selling it at the same price.

Part of the fun is going around, looking at all the different types, colors, shapes and sizes of the different vegetables. In the fall, it's so pretty! So.... what's the big deal about getting your produce here? Well, my answer is...... I just like to look at the person who grew my food, and the fact that they grew it within close driving distance. Some people don't mind veggies that came from a few states away, or even a different country. But why not go local and support some neighbors? It's fresher, and many of them have signs posted on their stands about what they used to grow it, which is pretty nice as well.

Shopping for your weekly meal plan is not the only thing to do as you visit. People sell home-made jams, spreads, and not to mention......delicious, fresh made baked goods.

Say hello to my pumpkin, white chocolate chip scone. Two dollars, and worth every little bite. There are also tarts, pies, breads, rolls, cinnamon rolls, and much more. And, they don't always have the same flavor of scones twice. Last time I had lemon raspberry, and they always have a savory flavor as well. This morning it was feta herb. Little early for savory flavors in my opinion, but oh, the smell was great. Yuuuummmmmy.

There are even a few things for the kids to do while you are glancing over the goods, and not to mention some good ole acoustic music. It really makes the morning a relaxing way to start the day, and a great way to start the weekend!

~h~

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

It is fall. Even though it may not FEEL like fall where I am, I still crave warm comfort foods. What is more comforting than soup? Here is my recipe for Roasted Butternut Squash Soup:

Ingredients:

I only had baby carrots in the fridge. Technically I stated "1 carrot" in the ingredient list, but this is close enough.

First peel and cube the squash. This is the hardest part,  I promise. In case you need help with how to tackle this step. There is a helpful tutorial here. I appreciate her attention to safe knife practices. 

Such a pretty orange color....

Now drizzle some EVOO and season with salt and pepper

Roast in the oven for about 25-30 minutes until tender

It should look like this when it's done:

YUM!

 Your kitchen should smell really good right now.

Melt the butter in your dutch oven, add the 1 Tbsp olive oil

Add your garlic and let it brown (only about 15-30 seconds) and stir! And now your kitchen smells even better!

Now add your raw veggies and let them cook for a few minutes

Add the broth, squash, and spices

(Hold off on more salt until the end, remember you salted the squash)

Let these simmer for about 20-30 minutes

Find and remove your bay leaf... then blend with immersion blender. Soup is VERY hot! Remember the popcorn hickey?  You have been warned.

Fall comfort food.

Now all you need is a grilled cheese sandwich and the next Flavia de Luce book. 

Enjoy!

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

1 Butternut squash, peeled and cubed

1 shallot (a small onion is ok too... but I like flavor of shallots)

2 cloves garlic

1 medium carrot

1 celery stalk

4 cups chicken broth (1 box)

2 Tablespoons butter

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil + more for roasting squash

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 bay leaf

cream (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400F. Toss cubed squash with salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Spread on baking sheet in a single layer and roast in oven until tender, about 30 minutes, turning once with a spatula. You may have to do this in more than one pan depending on how large your squash is. Instead of doing multiple batches (that would take an hour!), put them on 2 different racks in your oven. When you turn the squash, just switch the pans so that it can evenly cook. While the squash is cooking, melt the butter and 1 Tbsp of olive oil in a dutch oven on medium heat. Toss in the garlic and allow to cook for about 15 seconds (until it gets golden brown). Toss in your raw veggies and allow them to cook for a few minutes to get tender. Then add the squash, broth, and spices. I would hold off on adding more salt at this point because the squash has been salted. Simmer on low for about 20-30 minutes. This is not an exact science. You just want your veggies to be tender and the flavors to blend together. When the veggies are tender, CAREFULLY fish out the bay leaf, then CAREFULLY blend with immersion blender until smooth. The soup is HOT! For some extra creaminess, you can add a splash of cream, but try it without first....it really doesn't need it. Feel free to add more salt now. Enjoy!

-E-

Fall Kickoff

Oh, fall. I always greet this time of year with one part trepidation, one part excitement, and one part just flat out dread. Trepidation because I know that the days are going to start getting cooler, shorter, etc, and my pool days and tan are long gone. I love summer. Excitement because of all the lovely new fall clothes, the beauty of God's creation when all the leaves change, and fall foods (cider, chili, all that good stuff). Dread because I know two inescapable truths about fall - winter comes right after it, and I will be bombarded with recipes for pumpkin everything under the sun. And there are some things that pumpkin should just stay out of. 

Despite my general ambivalence - I actually get pretty excited about fall. So many things I love happen during the fall, and the opportunities to decorate are rivaled only by Christmas (which I love). We hope in the next few weeks to share with you some of our favorite things about fall. I've heard some of the upcoming ideas - you will want to see these. Trust me. 

I'm going to start with two of my favorite, easiest recipes. And yes - the first one is pumpkin. Insert collective groan. I know. We are all pumpkin-ed out. This one is good, though. I make this before I make anything else pumpkin-y. 

It's super easy, and takes very simple ingredients. 

Spice cake mix, a can of pumpkin, and chocolate chips. We are going to make pumpkin chocolate chip muffins!!  I think originally this may have been a Weight Watcher recipe, but I'm not sure. Also - this can be switched up for variety - works with a yellow cake mix instead of spice, or apple pie filling instead of the pumpkin and chocolate chips. Use your imagination.... But also use your head. No cherry cake mixes and pumpkin, or anything wacky like that. 

Anyway, I digress. 

Dump cake and pumpkin in a bowl, stir until it is well combined and looks like this:

Dump in chocolate chips. I used about a cup, because that was what was left in my bag. Use more if you'd like. I won't tell. Stir. 

Next, divide between 12 muffin cups. 

Bake at 350 for about 22-25 minutes, until they aren't totally squishy at the top. 

These are usually gone within 24 hours at my house. They are moist and taste like pumpkin pie in a muffin. 

Second recipe - I'm sharing because this time of year, roasts go back on sale at the store, and I love the combo of roasts and my crockpot. I got this recipe from Emily originally, but have tweaked to my own taste. 

Italian Beef

You will need a crockpot, a roast (or two, depending on how many you are feeding - and just buy whatever is cheapest, it all will be amazing after cooking for hours), sliced pepperocini peppers, and two packages of Zesty Italian salad dressing mix. 

This is really the easiest thing ever. 

Put the roast in the bottom of the crockpot, dump the whole jar of pepperocinis - juice and all!!!!!! - on top of the roast. 

Sprinkle the dressing mix on top of it. Then set your crockpot on low, and just let it do its magic. I would say at least 8-10 hours. But I almost always go longer. I made this one for a basket dinner at church - so I cooked it about 10 hours overnight and another 2-3 at church. The longer it cooks, the more tender it is. 

This is what it will look like - and it will smell so good, you'll be sampling it before you put it on the table. I usually shred mine, serve it on crusty bread with a little provolone. But it is also good on its own. I promise if you take it to share with others, you WILL get asked for the recipe. I always do. 

Enjoy your fall!!!

-k-