Minnesota Monthly Magazine's 4th Annual Fine Spirits Classic

I was invited to attend the 4th Annual Fine Spirits Classic held by Minnesota Monthly Magazine on Thursday evening because I submitted a photo of my favorite Summer Cocktail to their Twitter account using the hashtag #MNMOSummerDrink. I jumped for joy gladly said yes, I can come drink free booze, slicked my lips with gloss, grabbed my man by the collar and bellied up to the bar immediately after being able to say "I'm on the guest list." Pah-shaw! Take a quick peek inside all the glam here!

Spanish Tortilla with Garlic Aioli

So, here is the first time I made this Spanish Tortilla, and I'm quite pleased with the way it turned out. The recipe is in no way a new or innovative recipe — it's a classic Spanish tapa found in every tapa bar I visited in Spain while there for my college degree (take me back!). I'm eating leftovers cold from the fridge right now, dreaming about the streets of Barcelona and the flowers at The Alahramba, and every bite is soooo snackable. The recipe might seem a little daunting, what with (ahem) five paragraphs, but pour yourself a (big) glass of wine, turn on some Florence & the Machine, and use up those Farmer's Market potatoes. You'll be glad you did. 

Refrigerator Jam

Today, between telling Liam NO, he could not have this 46th piece of banana laffy taffy, forgetting the hose running in the yard for hmmm, I think, 3 hours (shh, don't tell Travis), and a major clean-out-the-fridge-and-make-odds-and-ends-eatable day I think it was a great day! You know what I mean? A get sh*t done kind of day. Do you ever have those? So, one thing I did was make an odd cup of currants into jam! It's so easy. You SO need to make jam next time your over-ripe fruit is gathering fruit flies sitting around waiting to be something greater. 

Farm to Table Experience at Sweet Beet Farm {Community Education Class}

Nick and Amelia Neaton graciously opened up their CSA farm operation for a BHM Community Education class, offering a tour of the working organic farm which is projected to be USDA certified organic in 2016. Our group toured Sweet Beet's acreage on a gloriously sun-drenched Saturday morning with icy cold cucumber mint water in hand. After the tour, they sat down for a true "Farm to Table" meal, created around local produce from Sweet Beet and The Local Roots Food Co-op. I don't want you to miss a bite so I've included the tasting menu with all the recipes, photos and shots of the farm. 

Zucchini Parmesan Barley

I've made this recipe 2,000 times, but had never substituted the original recipe's main ingredient, orzo, until today when I needed to use up the ever-present summer staple — zucchini. Which, admittedly, had been hanging out in the fridge for way too long, but with no orzo I chose barley to stand-in and it works so very well. Barley has an excellent chewy texture, and super bonus — way more fiber and nutrition that orzo. Done deal. You've got to try this recipe, it's fast, tasty, uses up summer veggies and reheats well. 

Detox Drink + acoupla shots of the Buffalo, MN Farmer's Market

It's Saturday and the Buffalo, MN Farmer's Market sent me an 8:00 AM text alerting me that they are open for business! So, I'm about to drink up this Detox Drink and head on down to the market for some locally grown goodness. I'm taking along my camera because I want you to see my beautiful market. Check it out!

CSA Cooking {Community Supported Agriculture} Week 5

How is your garden growing? What do you have an abundance of? Are you starting to can? My herb garden is always brimming and I've made my Chimichurri Sauce a handful of times and my husband and I have slathered it on everything. It's so good! We stirred into a Enchilada Chicken Stew, we topped Lamb Kofta, mixed it into every salad I ate, dipped naan into its emerald green goodness - and, yea, it got better in the fridge with time and stayed a bright green color! Today I'm looking at this Summer Bounty and wondering how I can use my third batch of chimichurri on these veggies. From L to R: Carrots, Zucchini, Cucumbers, Kohlrabi, Lemon Cucumber, Currants, Italian Parsley, Chard, Green Onions, Lettuce, Napa Cabbage. Read on for recipes.

Tart Berry Gelatin

Berry season in Minnesota has seen a bumper crop this year. Everyone's raspberry bushes are busting at the seams — who was it that said they needed to pick their bushes morning and night — a neighbor, or someone? Someone I'd like to know where they live! How are your berries faring? If you've got an abundance of berries or you've been given currants in your CSA I beg of you, try a 1970's Jell-O ring! No chemicals or nasty stuff here, though. Only berry goodness. 

CSA Cooking {Community Supported Agriculture} Week 4

Photo: Mary Sue Stevens

Volunteering as a work share member at Sweet Beet Farm has been so richly rewarding because the knowledge gained about (serious) gardening is immeasurable, I've gotten better at vegetable identification, I'm learning how food grows, and smelling the dirt in the morning is just fantastic - I've even come to crave the smell of the dirt in my hands.

And you have an opportunity to visit Sweet Beet in Watertown, MN! 

On Saturday July 25th at 10:00 Amelia will be guiding tours of her working organic farm. Come see the operation, it's beautiful! Rows upon rows of rainbow chard, witness a head of cabbage in all its glory, experience harvesting a vegetable or two. And then our group will have an al fresco lunch at the farm - all prepared by myself featuring Sweet Beet's unbeatable produce!

It's going to be so fantastic, you don't want to miss this! I cannot wait to meet you.
Sign Up Here: https://goo.gl/45zRnK 

Bacon Grease New Potatoes with Mustardy Greens

The heaping pile of mustard greens supplied by my weekly CSA had me wondering what I could possibly do with the abundant, slightly peppery, kinda toothsome leafy green. How are my non-vegetable lovers going to enjoy such an adventurous vegetable? To inhale? To say: MOM, you make the BEST dinner, ever! Please make mustard greens EVERY NIGHT! Well, folks, here is the way I was the best mom chef ever. People inhaled. There were requests for seconds. Bellies were full. It was all coated in bacon grease, why did I ever doubt? 

CSA Cooking {Community Supported Agriculture} Week 3

Savory Green Onion Noodle Cake

Pull out your Easy Summer Weeknight Rotation Meal List and add this recipe because it is beyond fabulous for so many reasons! First, allows you to use up cilantro and green onions from the CSA Box. Second, it's ready within 30 minutes. Third, leftovers straight from the fridge are your best friend.

Chimichurri Sauce

If your herb garden is out of control blossoming beautifully you may be like me and desperate for ways to consume herbs in everything imaginable before the dreaded first frost of fall, summer is way too short lived. Time to slather herbs on EVERYTHING!!! 

CSA Cooking {Community Supported Agriculture} Week 2

Week two of Sweet Beet Farm's CSA bushel is here and boy, oh, boy is it abundant! Even as I find myself in my third year participating as a CSA member I'm feeling a leeeeetle overwhelmed I've learned to battle vegetable abundance into submission! So, come close, let me talk us all off the ledge because, look... as I type these words my kids are about finished polishing off two pounds of strawberries in a matter of 39 seconds. Other plans for vegetable abundance: Summer Herb Salad for friends of the co-op (tomorrow night - come see me!). And if becoming more svelte is a side-effect of eating 4 heads of lettuce for the next 6 days (until next week's harvest), I'm game! Today I've got some outstanding recipes you'll want to use for your own CSA cooking and some quick tips to keep produce fresher longer. 

Korean Beef

Hello! Are you enjoying summer? Isn't it grand? Besides soaking sunshine up at the lake, usually with family, basking in lazy, long evenings summer brings salad on the grill, iced coffee that will buzz you up, kale in a cocktail, and (most hopefully) easy weeknight meals, like this Korean Beef. This meal is super economical, was on the table in under 30 minutes, and (shhhhhh) the kids. asked. for. seconds. That was pretty cool. Leftovers are going to be dreamy inside of a (CSA Time!) lettuce leaf tomorrow for lunch. Bookmark this recipe now - 'tis a keeper.

Mary Jane's Grilled Lettuce Salad with Buttermilk Herb Dressing

It's CSA time and that means heavenly, buttery, fresher than any grocer could ever provide lettuce will be on our plates for the next several weeks [super loud cheering, jumping up and down, shouting & joy]! Lots and lots and lots and lots of greens will force our inner creative to emerge because I suspect some may be tossing greens to the gerbils, me included. This salad was inspired by chef Mary Jane Miller who provided an excellent outdoor cooking demo for a Sustainable Farmer's Association Spring Picnic (I heart farmer's). She was the Star of the Outdoor BBQ and I learned so much that day! 

CSA Cooking {Community Supported Agriculture} Week 1

Week one of Sweet Beet Farm's Community Supported Agriculture bushel has arrived! You may remember how I documented last year's harvest. If you are newly participating as a CSA Members: 

1) From this point forward save all bread bags, apple bags, lemon bags, bags of all kinds and reuse them for the loose produce, which will be mostly loose. You'll want refrigeration organization because we know being prepped and organized leads to easier weeknight meal-planning. 

2) Be ready to eat a lot of greens. Did I say a lot? 

3) Bookmark interesting recipes you always wanted to try but never really had a reason to prepare - because now you will need that random recipe for let's say, pea shoots and get ready to be adventurous in the kitchen! 

4) Prepare yourself for the possibility of finding a green caterpillar or other bug in your produce. Don't worry, this is organic produce - bugs mean no pesticides - a symbiotic relationship of sorts. Just toss into the garbage and continue on. 

Strong Iced Coffee + {Driven Coffee Giveaway}

Come. Come close. Closer. Look…it's coffee. Hail the ever sacred coffee. How can a morning ever be started without? It simply cannot. And I have coffee to share! A local coffee roaster, Driven Coffee from Buffalo, MN is sponsoring a giveaway! Beyond exciting! My blog's first ever give away! All you need to do is head to my Facebook page, 'like' my page, and leave a comment answering this question: Where in the world was your most delicious cup of coffee? Now, back to coffee! Making iced coffee takes a little bit of effort, but really is quite simple and because your fridge will possess a jug of black magic for the next 3 weeks AND you'll save time not running into the coffee shop because whipping up iced coffees at home is faster AND you'll save money because no more temptation while waiting in line considering that pack of shortbread cookies I'm wondering why you aren't brewing up some coffee right now!?

Spicy Kale Rum Punch

Ah, Summer! Hello! I'm so glad you're here. Why don't we sit on the deck with a Spicy Kale Rum Punch and catch up? This cocktail is herbaceous, spicy, and refreshing, it's a stomach primer for a big meal, spicy, did I say spicy? But after about the first three sips spiciness turns into a mellow, green grassy herb flavor that has you pleasantly sipping. You should've heard Liam poke Christian and whisper dramatically "Mom is… drinking… GREEN... juice" as I was pleasantly sipping mine. Ahhh. 

Fresh Spinach with Blueberry Vinaigrette {Local Roots Food Co-op Feature}

I want to eat simply and clean a majority of the time, yes there are those times when I chose carbs in between puffs of cream, but I want to spend most meals consuming a gargantuan plate of fruit or vegetables next to a clean protein. I also want my food choices to provide me with the highest nutrient density available and to achieve that I want to chose foods grown locally or in season because every second that passes from harvest to consumption nutrient content diminishes. Don't ask me how I know these things, but I can attest to watching a lot of Frontline and that may have something to do with it. 

Charred Sesame Broccoli & Asparagus

If you happen to be counting how many recipes containing asparagus posted on this blog in the last month Charred Sesame Broccoli & Asparagus happens to be my third, after Beer Battered Asparagus with Yogurt Tarragon Dipping Sauce followed by Quick Asparagus Sauté with Caramelized Garlic and if these recipes were anything like children I could never pick a favorite.

Banana Oat Waffles

Ahhhh, waffles. How could I ever suspected the power of the humble waffle wielding hold over myself whom is passionate about being in the kitchen always creating something with newer, unique ingredients, upping the ante to be more creative than the last recipe, a fun recipe to top all other recipes ever created! But the power of enjoying a meal with two school age children eating a waffle hypnotizes me into cooking meals my kids will actually enjoy eating.  I'll save the gourmet  ingredients for my next adult-tastes dinner party. For now, let's eat waffles full of nutrition. I can't deny enthusiastically eating two huge waffles smothered in whip cream for lunch. Yes. I did.

Hamburger Broccoli Pie

I'm obsessed! Apparently, I cannot stop baking inside of this artisan receptacle I picked up from Donovan at Local Roots because, I mean, who wouldn't be obsessed with thinking up more ways to fill a pie plate that not only is super practical but so extremely beautiful I leave it on my counter so that I can gaze at it all day long?! As if I have nothing else to do than gaze at a pie plate — who says that!? 

Foraging 101 {How to Hunt for Morel Mushrooms}

• Morels are in Season When: 
• Lilacs and cherry blossom trees are blooming.
• Nighttime temperatures stay above 55ºF-60ºF. 
• Abundant rainfall creating a humid atmosphere -- you can bet the forest is growing mushrooms!
• Look for Morels Here:
• Gaze into the treetops to decipher dead trees from the leafed out trees. Go to the base of dead trees in search of mushrooms.
• On mossy slopes below dead trees — some say Elm trees, but I think any dead wood is a place to look.
• Where ramps, jack in the pulpit, & other wild flowers grow.
• In low lying, moist areas — You should see the ground covered in moss and 3"- 4" of grassy, patchy undergrowth.

Quick Asparagus Sauté with Caramelized Garlic + acoupla shots of Twin Cities Live

My whirlwind of a week is over and the diarrhea has mostly subsided my nerves have finally calmed to a place where I can begin processing that I cooked/spoke/appeared/didn't fall flat on my face on live television! Credit goes to wedge shoes and prayer and people I can count on, but I still find myself short on sufficient enough words to describe how amazing the experience felt. Adrenaline is one word I can think of, or, if I had the guts to skydive I would imagine jumping out of a plane to feel the same way I did on Tuesday. I confessed to my girlfriends it had to be the next best day of my life after the birth of my two children and the day I married the man of my dreams (no small thing!).