Green Tomato Preserves Spiced with Ginger and Cardamom

(Canning Safety Update Added)

Have I got a treat for you today! These lovely green tomato preserves are the perfect way to use up any tomatoes you may still have on the vine. I’ll probably be cooking up another batch soon as I doubt any of the remaining fruit on my plants will ripen any further.

So the first time I had green tomato preserves was in, surprise, Charleston. It was in a sneaky way, too! If you have ever had the pimiento cheese fritters at Poogan’s Porch, you may have noticed a bit of a deep green condiment on the plate they are served on. Yup, green tomato jelly, folks! Poogan’s is a more savory version, as I recall the tart green tomato flavor I love in my friend green tomatoes. Being a newbie on the canning/preserving front, though, I didn’t want to venture out too far.If you have ever made preserves yourself, you know what I’m talking about. Who wants to waste all that effort only to lead to a preventable disaster? Depressing!

A month of research led to a lot of disappointment, unfortunately. Almost every recipe I came across was exactly the same…and none were savory. Pooh! Sweet it was. In typical Ruth fashion, though, I didn’t want to do what everyone else was doing.

I started with the basics: the green tomatoes and sugar. Since I was looking for an elegant preserve (verses something more rustic and chunky), I threw out all the seeds and cut the flesh into a tiny dice. I also decided to use a little bit of pectin, which none of the recipes called for, in hopes to preserve some of the pretty green color (I really, really did not want the dark, fig newton like brown that I kept seeing during my research!). Then for spices! If I was going to do something sweet, I needed a bit more depth of flavor than sugar! Ginger, vanilla bean, and cinnamon sticks were popular choices. Since vanilla beans are about $7-$10 apiece, vanilla was definitely off the table for the time being. I decided to go exotic and chose finely grated ginger and cardamom. Both lovely, warm spices to give the preserves a very cozy fall feeling.

And look at how beautiful the preserves came out! I even made a fresh batch of my whole wheat buttermilk biscuits just to eat them. Now, will I make changes to the next batch? Probably. I think I’ll go with half the ginger (it’s the predominant flavor in the below recipe) and definitely less sugar! Even without those changes, trust me,this stuff is addictive! Don’t be surprised if you end up with some for Christmas lol!

Ginger and Cardamom Spiced Green Tomato Preserves

makes appx 24 ounces of preserves

Ingredients

• 4 lbs green tomatoes
• Sugar, half the weight of the final diced and seeded tomatoes (mine came to 2 cups)
• 2 inch piece of ginger
• 6 cardamom pods
• 2 lemons, zest and juice
• 1 teaspoon powdered pectin (optional)

Directions

1. Cut tomatoes, removing seeds and white core. Dice or roughly chop remaining flesh and place in a ceramic or plastic bowl.
2. Remove outer skin of the ginger and shred using a zester or finely chop. Add to tomatoes.
3. Crush cardamom pods with the side of your knife to release the seeds. Discard pods and add seeds to the bowl.
4. Zest lemon over the bowl. When finished, cut lemon in half and squeeze juice into the tomato mixture.
5. Pour sugar into bowl with the tomatoes and spices and toss to combine all ingredients well. Cover with plastic wrap, and allow to macerate in the refrigerator for 24-48 hours.
6. On cooking day, pour tomatoes and all the released juices into a large, heavy pot (I used my enameled Dutch oven) and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Skim if necessary.
7. Reduce heat, but maintain a gentle, bubbly simmer. Cook for 10 minutes. Check consistency. Continue cooking for 10 minutes at time until reduced and thickened into a syrupy consistency. I simmered mine for about 50 minutes. After half an hour, I added the pectin when the mixture did not show signs of jelling.
8. Pour into jars sterilized according to manufacturer’s directions.  Store in refrigerator or freezer if not canning.  See following Safety Update regarding canning.

Canning Safety Update. 

I do not recommend canning these preserves in a water bath as I have no proof that the pH level (acidity) of the final recipe is below 4.6. Why? One word: BOTULISM.  The heat of a water bath, to include recommended time in a water bath, kill nearly all those nasty organisms that spoil food and make us sick….except for one… Botulinum bacteria spores. These spores cause botulism and are found on the surfaces of  fresh food.  Since they grow only in the absence of air, they are harmless on fresh foods. However, once you give those pesky spores a moist, low acid, anaerobic (oxygen-less)  environment, they thrive and form that very deadly toxin.  

Whether food should be processed in a pressure canner or boiling-water canner to control botulinum bacteria highly depends on the acidity of the food being preserving.  A pressure canner is the only way to safely protect low acid foods, like vegetables and meats,  from this nasty toxin producing spore. 

Tomatoes, I have come to learn, border on the pH level where they could be safe for water bath canning, which is 4.6 or lower. Green tomatoes are even more acidic than ripe tomatoes.  However…there are tomato varieties that have higher pH levels ( in other words NOT SAFE for water bath canning) and there are more than just tomatoes in a recipe like this.  All these factors contribute to the overall acidity of the canned environment.  Although I did not succumb to botulism toxin myself,  is it really worth the risk? I’ll answer that for you, NO!!!!

To maintain these preserves, then, I highly recommend the pressure canner route or the freezer method.

Now, if you have already canned these preserves in a water bath, I found the following information.   Although we can not kill the spores, the toxin that causes botulism is easily neutralized and “killed”.  According to the Center for Disease Control, the botulinum toxin is destroyed by high temperatures. They recommend boiling home canned  food for 10 minutes before eating it to ensure safety. The World Health Organization is more specific and adds that the food should maintain an internal temperature of 85 Celcius for a minimum of five minutes.

Remember: When in doubt, throw it out!

Mediterranean Cellars, a Cozy Spot on a Drizzly Day

What a dreary weekend it was! Drizzly, cold, blah! I had planned to put some folks to work this weekend, too. Seriously, my deck needs a major cleaning and I’d rather not do it on my own like I did last time lol. Suggesting a shopping spree probably would not have been well met either. Instead, we decided to get some errands out of the way. No sooner said than done, we found ourselves stuck on the beltway. Well, why not a winery since we were up here anyway?

Getting our selves out of the gridlock took awhile, but we finally found our way to the back roads to enjoy some fall foliage while we asked Siri to find us a winery nearby that we had not visited yet.  We have definitely been to a lot of them up this way! When the GPS spat out a list with Mediterranean Cellars, I remembered Emilie telling me about their Romance wine, so Mediterranean Cellars it was!

Even on a gloomy day with the fog meandering through the hills, it was a lovely spot.  From the large front patio you can enjoy lovely views of the vineyard, rolling hills,  and the  horse pastures neighboring the property. Though there was plenty seating inside the toasty warm tasting room, we  found ourselves a dry spot outside where the boys could enjoy their cigars with our glasses of wine. If the chimnea had been lit, it would have been absolutely perfect!

And now for the wines!

Vidal Blanc

Fermented in both stainless steel and oak, this crisp and lightly sweet wine has a very fruity nose with lots of Meyer lemon and just a hint of oak on the palate. I enjoyed a glass of this wine after our tasting.

Belleview Blanc

A white blend built around the Vidal grape, this version is sweeter than the Vidal Blanc. It has a very fruity and sweet bouquet with a hint of a sweet floral note, almost violet like. Lots of floral and woodsy flavors in this semi-sweet wine.

Recchina

Mediterranean Cellars version of the traditional Greek wine, Retsina.  Following the ancient Greek tradition of when wine was shipped in porous clay pots, therefore requiring a layer of pine resin to prevent loss, Mediterranean Cellars lines the Recchina barrels with Greek and American pine resin.  The woodsy pine is very prevalent in both the nose and palate, but you’ll also notice some sweetness on the tongue.  For most, Recchina is a food wine. We tried it with some cheese, which helped balance out the pine and bring out the citrus flavors of the wine.

Matina’s Rosé

Like most traditional rosés, Matina’s Rosé is full of red berry fragrances and flavors.  You’ll also notice a nice earthiness and a fun “tingle” on the back of the tongue.

Merlot

Aged in French oak for about a year, you’ll find some nice oak on the palate of this red and lots of cherry and other dark fruits.  I also noticed a hint of bell pepper which gave it a nice clean finish.

Chambourcin

This wine can be served at room temperature or chilled.  Loved the very cherry notes on the nose and the palate and the spicy finish.

Cabernet Franc

This wine smells so lovely! Lots of dark fruit, like plums and raspberries, and a nice clean finish.  This was my favorite…until I tried the Cabernet Sauvignon!

Cabernet Sauvignon

Very smooth red with a nice fruity bouquet and dark, dark jammy fruit flavors that burst in your mouth. This wine was great on its own to sip, but will stand up to delicious meat dishes, too!

Romance

A lovely, lightly sweet red, this wine has a gentle caress…just like you see in romantic movies! Despite the sweetness, it has nice clean notes and even a hint of effervescence that teases your tongue. And I am still trying to figure out the “backbone” grape in the blend. It tasted so darn familiar! Lol!

Sweet Romance

This dessert red smells and tastes like a port, but it’s not. Without the kick of added brandy, I’d describe this wine as port’s softer (romantic?) side with its delicate sweetness.  We tasted it with some chocolate, so delicious! Like chocolate covered cherries!

Sweet Lucia 2008

Pronounced with a hard c (not a soft, “ch” like c of the Italian pronunciation), this dessert white is predominately Vidal and has a lovely sweet and woodsy nose and a lovely nectar like palate of stone fruits,  fruit blossoms, and honey.

Sweet Lucia 2007

Tasting both vintages side by side allows you to really notice the differences between these two! This version is still sweet, but I found it less sweet than the 2008. Other noticeable differences include more prevalent oak and citrus flavors, and far fewer floral notes.

How Do You Stay In a Healthy Groove?

Many weight loss programs typically call for a 350-400 calorie balanced breakfast. This breakfast is about 400 calories.

This week I had a surprising conversation with a co-worker.  She had just returned from a cruise vacation and was telling me how hard the first week of getting back on a diet was for her. I offered words of encouragement, as I always do for those working on getting into a healthier groove.  Then I laughed and said, “You’re tiny, you have nothing to worry about.” She looked me straight in the eye and said, “Two years ago I was 200 lbs.”

“WHAT??!!!” Really, she is only five feet tall (shorter than me!).  Two hundred pounds? Was that possible? No way! Now it was her turn to laugh as she explained animatedly, “Well, I had these tiiiiny little arms, and these tiiiiny little legs, and  a biiiig round belly. Like the girl that turns into a blueberry on Willy Wonka.”  What a transformation!

A smart 100-150 calorie snack helps stave of hunger pains that could drive you to the vending machine or your co-workers candy bowl.

We went back to discussing her diet, which included a lot of deprivation.  Unlike most of us, however, that strategy works for her. “I have no self control. I can’t have just one glass of wine. It’s easier for me to just not have it around.”  Wow, I have to have my chocolate.  For me, my strategy is everything in moderation. A splurge every now and then is okay and I don’t beat myself over it. Healthier ingredient swaps is another strategy. You’ve probably noticed that I like to use whole wheat flour (soooo excited about the wider availability of white whole wheat flour…just so you know, unbleached flour is not the same thing!) and of course substituting fats like butter and heavy cream for Greek yogurt, which Cork and Spoon is well known for.  Also, understanding serving sizes…I have a food scale to help me out with that, particularly for treats like cheese and chocolate and chips. I even measure out a serving of

Yoga is one of my favorite forms of strength training. Holding crow pose for the first time was very exciting!

wine with dinner (That’s 5 ounces, which according to the USDA’s National Nutrient Database, is about 127 calories for red table wine). Oh, and I exercise a minimum of 30 minutes four times a week,  and I aim for 45 minutes five times a week if not more when there is time to spare (rare, I know!).  Trust me, once you make activity in your life a habit, you crave it just as much as your favorite treats!

In summary, being healthy means making healthy choices….but healthy choices that work for your body and your life goals. Emilie and I love to bake….but we definitely do not eat Pineapple Cupcakes everyday! Rather, you’ll find us dining on Ginger-Salmon or Spaghetti Squash.  We also stay active. Emilie has two races coming up and I have been ordered by my Marine co-workers to start bringing my running shoes to work (eeep!).

So now that you know what we do to stay in a healthy groove, what do you guys do?  There are so many ways to stay healthy, we would love to hear what works for you!

~Ruth

Apple Cocktail and a Visit to Stribling Orchard

Fall is officially here so you know what time it is…it’s apple picking time! Yup, I decided to venture back out to the fruit orchards of Markham, Virginia again. As you may recall, last year I went out to Hartland Orchard. This year, I decided to give their neighbors down the street, Stribling Orchard, a try.

So there I was sitting parked under a Rome apple tree with the scent of cinnamon and baked goods wafting towards me from the Harvest House on the just perfectly chilled breeze. Crowds of families strolled by, multiple half bushel bags already filled. Would there be any left for me? Well, there were definitely plenty of apples, unfortunately they were waaaaay up at the top and without a picking pole, it was a little hard to fill  my bag. After an hour and half,  I had gathered about seven pounds of apples, a combination of mainly Rome and Jonathan apples, which I plan to bake something delicious with!

In the meanwhile, I have a cocktail to share with you! This a lovely “Welcome fall!” drink. You get the flavors of autumn in a lightly chilled, fizzy drink, because it’s not  that cold yet, right? I love hard cider, but you can use regular apple cider to reduce the alcohol content if you like. You’ll love how the gin brings out the light floral notes of the apple. Then you get to munch on the gin and cider soaked apple wedge afterwards!

Apple Cider Cocktail

Ingredients

•  1 ounce gin
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice (1/8 wedge)
• Splash triple sec
• Hard apple cider to top off
• Red apple wedge for garnish
• 1-2 ice cubes

Adjust the above according to your glass of choice.  I used a 4 ounce champagne flute.

Directions

1. Place apple wedge in glass.
2. Squeeze lemon juice over the wedge into the glass
3. Add the triple sec and the gin
4. Top off with the hard apple cider, leaving just enough room to add an ice cube or two to chill the drink.

Amish Friendship Bread Lesson Learned – Lemon Balm Whole Wheat Muffins

There are times when I wonder whether I just like to punish myself. You all know how I don’t like to do what everyone else is doing. I try to approach my whole life that way. When it comes to recipes, I rack my brain for days trying to think of new flavor combinations or find that new unique twist to a classic. So the day my sister announced on Facebook that she had Friendship Bread starter, I knew I was about to receive a new “pet” (yeast is alive after all). I also knew that I was NOT going to make the Friendship Bread everyone else was making.  As you will see, this is where the punishing myself bit comes into play.

You may recall that this is the first summer where I did not murder all of my potted herbs. In fact, except for the dill and parsley, they all flourished, particularly the lemon balm. With such an abundance of the stuff, I decided to make lemon friendship bread using lemon balm to give it a nice freshness and that unique twist I am always searching for. And what about cutting down all that sugar and trying honey and Greek yogurt? Sure, why not?

Never having made friendship bread myself before, I was not sure what I was looking for, so when the batter came out a bit soupy, I didn’t bat an

Soupy batter = NOT GOOD

eye and went ahead and poured it into muffin tins. Ummm…how do I describe the disaster that was the final product? Flat, gummy and tough, over half the muffin stuck to the paper liner. Think dry cornbread meets an over beaten muffin batter. Nasty, I know.

At first I thought it was my starter. When I made these muffins, I had gone a little past the “10 day” mark. I thought maybe the yeast had started to die and lose its rising power. So I gave the starter a feeding and I gave it a little boost with an added packet of commercial yeast. Wow, did that starter grow and ferment nicely over the next ten days…and still the same results!

Disaster! Flat, gummy muffins!

What was I doing wrong? I searched the internet and looked up other recipes and mine seemed comparable. Then I did various google searches on “Why are my muffins coming out tough?” or “What causes gummy muffins?”. The majority of sites tried to tell me I was over mixing my batter. Ha! Not a chance, I know better than that! Searching, searching, searching…what am I doing wrong???? Then I found this AWESOME site (apparently the original went out of business so I am happy someone still has the info posted out there!).  It boiled down to the batter being too wet.

Kind of a slap yourself in the head with a “Duh!” moment. I had not taken into account  that both honey and the Greek yogurt add liquid to the recipe. Soupy = not good! So I swapped the yogurt out for olive oil and reduced the amount by a quarter cup, used sugar instead of honey, and cut out one egg. Needless to say they came out perfect that time around and every time since! Yippee!!

Amish Friendship Bread, a Variation – Lemon Balm Whole Wheat Muffins

Makes 2 1/2 dozen

Wet Ingredients

• 1 Cup Amish Friendship Bread Starter
• 2 Eggs
• ½ Cup Olive Oil
• 1/2 Cup Milk
• 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
• ½ Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Dry Ingredients

•  1 Cup White Whole Wheat Flour
• 1 Cup All Purpose Flour
• 1 large  Package of Vanilla or Lemon Pudding
• 1 ½ Teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
• ½ Teaspoon Table Salt

Other Ingredients

• ¼ Cup Lemon Balm, Finely Chopped
• 1 Large Lemon, juiced and zested

Directions

1. Preheat oven to Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease muffin tins if not using liners.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, sift or whisk together all dry ingredients until well blended.  Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine your starter with all the other wet ingredients and the lemon zest.
4. Gradually fold in dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until fully incorporated.  Do not over mix, or you will get a nasty looking and tasting muffins.
5. Fold in the lemon balm.
6. Fill the tins, spooning about ¼ cup of the muffin mix for each muffin.
7. Bake muffins for 15-20 minutes, until golden and a toothpick comes out clean.

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Tortellini

Counting today, there are only five days left before the fall equinox is upon us and summer is officially over (for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere that is). So long heirloom tomatoes, sayonara strawberries, arrivederci  zucchini, and bye bye bell peppers. Ok, so maybe not good bye, many of these veggies are available out of season at grocery stores, but they will likely soon disappear from your local farmers markets. In their place you will start seeing cool weather crops again. Favorite spring treats like spinach, broccoli, and lettuces will return for a small window. Along with them will be a fall staple often found on Thanksgiving tables: brussels sprouts!

The thing with brussels sprouts is this, you either love them or you hate them.  If you are in the “hater” crowd, I ask you this: how were they cooked? I will venture to say they were probably over cooked. You see, when these little veggies are over cooked, they get very, very bitter and have a nasty texture I can not quite put my finger on. Of course you would hate them after that experience! Want to know how I know this? Because that is what happened to me! It was years before I allowed another brussels sprout anywhere near my tastebuds.

Brussels sprouts have a very distinct and powerful flavor. A lot of people seem to notice a nutty flavor in them, particularly when roasted in the oven (and sprinkled with butter, nutmeg and brown sugar). When you steam or sauté them, like I did in the recipe I am sharing with you today, they taste a lot like cabbage with an added metallic (some would say bitter) hint. Many winter greens share this profile as well.

If you can handle the flavor, not only is your palate in for a treat, your body is, too. Being a vegetable, Brussels sprouts are naturally low cal. They are also packed to to the gills in nutrients like vitamin C, iron, folate, and fiber. Hence why a little bacon adds a nice  layer of deliciousness without causing too much damage! Bon appétit!

Brussels Sprouts with Pasta

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb Brussels Sprouts, shredded
• 1 10 oz package cheese tortellini
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• 3 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp olive oil per person for dressing

Directions

1. Cook tortellini according to package directions. Retain 1/4-1/2 cup of the pasta water.
2. In a large pan, cook chopped bacon over medium high heat until crispy. Remove cooked bacon and set aside on a paper towel to drain.
3. Add sliced shallots to the pan and saute in the bacon drippings until translucent
4. Add shredded Brussels Sprouts to pan along with 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water.  Stir until sprouts begin to soften and wilt. If needed, use the remaining  pasta water.
5. Stir in the white balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Add bacon back to pan and stir to combine.        
7. Serve over tortellini, dressing the dish with a drizzle of olive oil.

Paradise Springs Winery…Welcome to Paradise!

Yes, welcome to paradise! This past weekend, a group of us decided to visit Paradise Springs Winery in Clifton, VA for a much needed get together as I had not seen most of them in months! We had a very lovely time and the weather was absolutely perfect at 80° and not a single rain cloud in the sky. Aaaah, paradise!

We arrived at just the perfect time! Halfway through our tasting I looked over my shoulder and noticed a significant crowd had grown behind us. It was like a wine festival crowd as groups waited for their turn at the tasting bar. How did Paradise Springs handle all these people before their new facility, which is quite large as you can see, opened just a little over a year ago? Prior to that, they had operated out of the small, historic log cabin in front of the new facility. Speaking of historic,  how cool is it that the plot of land on which the winery and vineyard are located have been in the owner’s family since the early 1700s? Now that’s local!

Where was I? Oh yeah. The tasting room at Paradise Springs  is absolutely beautiful. Dark, warm woods and black fixtures, and right there, behind crystal clear glass  for all to see is the barrel room. What a lovely, artistic way to share this part of the process with their customers. Oh, and don’t forget tons and tons of seating to suit all tastes from the large, loungey leather ottomans and tall barstools inside,  to the fireplace, bistro tables for two, and comfy patio furniture outside. Don’t worry, there is plenty of grassy areas and picnic tables surrounding the tasting room as well. Paradise has got you covered!

And now for the moment you all have been waiting for! It’s wine time!

2011 Chardonnay – What a delightful, Chardonnay! Despite ageing in toasted French oak barrels, I tasted very little oak. The nose and palate is full of  bright, crisp granny smith apple tartness. You may also find a bit of fresh grassiness, and a faint hint of crème brûlée like toastiness. One of my favorites, I bought a bottle to share and one to bring home!

2011 Viognier – Virginia’s star varietal, you’ll notice stone fruits on the nose of this Viognier along with a zip of lemon and a tiny hint of floral notes. The flavor is tart and refreshing like apples and early peaches. It has a little bit of oak in the finish, but I believe even oak “haters” would enjoy this wine.

2011 Sommet Blanc – Blended from Vidal Blanc, Traminette, and Riesling, this wine is very much in the style of a Gewürztraminer. Lightly sweet with 1.5% residual sugars, this wine has a nice acidity from notes of apricots, pears, and apples which bring a nice balance to this wine, preventing it from teetering into sugary sweet territory. Though I didn’t notice it at the tasting bar, Steph bought a bottle for the table where I noticed an itty bit of spice on the back of my tongue.

2010 Petit Manseng – A varietal usually found in blends and not as the star of the show, this is only the second 100% Petit Manseng I have come across (the other being from Vint Hill’s first bottled vintage). As characteristic of this type of grape, the wine is off dry and fruit sweet (not sugar sweet). It smells like hard candies, and though we were told that some visitors taste cotton candy, I instead found tropical fruits like banana and  sweeter citrus, like tangerines, dancing on my tongue. Stand by for the 2011 vintage, it recently won a silver medal at the San Francisco International Wine Competition, the largest international competition in the U.S.

2011 Nana’s Rosé – This is Paradise Spring’s owner’s favorite. It is even currently available in Magnum size (that’s a wine bottle that is equivalent to two regular 750 mL bottles), that is how popular it is. Unlike other rosés you may have tasted, Nana’s Rosé  feels a lot like a white wine. It is bright and light with just enough earthiness to round it out.

2011 Cabernet Franc – Soon this wine will be made from Paradise Spring’s own vineyard, but for now the vines are still maturing. Very earthy with spice and smoke, this wine fills your mouth with a beautiful jamminess of dark fruits like black cherry and blackberries. A trace of minerality keeps the wine in line and just a little bit of vanilla smooths it out. This wine was hands down my favorite of the nine!

2010 Petit Verdot – You know I love my Petit Verdots! Paradise Springs takes this varietal in a different direction from what I am used to, though. Whereas the others I have tasted in the past were dark, intense, and silky, Paradise Springs tames this typically agressive varietal. You still get the characteristic dark fruits, spice, and dried fruits, but you will also find a very clean, floral or herbal sweetness. Although it surprised me, I found it an enjoyable, easy red.

2010 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignion – This is one of those wines where the smell and taste do not exactly match up. It is not a bad thing, just catches you by surprise. On the nose, I caught currants and a flinty minerality, but when I tasted it, my  mouth was filled with raspberries and cherries. See, not bad, just a surprise! What I really liked about this Cab Sauv is that food is not required in order to enjoy it, like many often are with their bold tanins. You can sip this one all on its own…but of course chocolate is always a nice accompaniment.

2010 Meritage – America’s answer to French Bordeaux wines!  This wine has all five of the “noble” grapes. It smells like jam, but do not be fooled. This is no sweet or light bodied red. It is full and complex with an  astringency that will make it a wonderful wine to pair with intense, rich foods.

2011 Norton – First cultivated right here in Virginia, each winery typically has their version (sometimes two!) of this native grape. At Paradise Springs, the Norton has a slightly sweet nose that reminded me of Concord grape jelly.  Never fear, this is not a sweet wine. The fruity sweetness of plums and blackberries are countered by a nice acidity that keeps the grapes natural sweetness from overpowering the wine.

How Do You Stay Motivated in the Kitchen?

Wohoo, it is FRIDAY! Thank goodness! It’s been a long, looooong week and I am just way too happy that it is over. With that said, rather than a recipe,  today’s post is a question for all of you. How do you stay motivated and inspired in the kitchen? 

When Emilie and I first started this blog over a year ago, one of my motivations in agreeing to this venture was that I now had a responsibility to “visit” my kitchen as much as possible in order to have material to share with you all (and not leave Emilie hanging!). This week reminded me of what I was feeling back then…when the fact that there is not enough time in the day to accomplish what you need, let alone want, to do constantly sucker punches you in the jaw. The only thing I came close to cooking this week was spaghetti and meatballs…which consisted of baking frozen meatballs and heating up a jar of marinara sauce…though I did throw in some fresh basil and tomatoes from my container “garden”.

So, how about it guys? What keeps you motivated and inspired in the kitchen?

Can’t wait to hear from you!

What’s for Brunch? – Whole Wheat Buttermilk Biscuits

A month ago, I shared with you a dish I made for my mom’s birthday brunch. Well now it’s my dad’s turn. This time my sister was the hostess for breakfast, which took place at the parentals’ , but she did ask if there was anything I would like to contribute. After some going back and forth,  it was finally decided I would make the biscuits for one of my dad’s favorite breakfast dishes: biscuits and gravy! Yup, he is definitely a southern boy, despite being from Indiana. My southern belle grandma (who is from Kentucky) raised her kids on good ol’ southern fixin’s.

As I was gathering the ingredients the night before, I ran into a snafu .  I forgot to buy the gosh darn buttermilk! Don’t ask me how I could forget the key ingredient to buttermilk biscuits, but I did. Luckily, there is a handy dandy substitute readily available using items already in your kitchen: regular milk and white vinegar. I actually use this substitute a lot when I get a sudden craving for red velvet cake, another recipe for which buttermilk is a key ingredient. Disaster successfully diverted! Phew!

No sooner said than done, my kitchen was smelling of fresh baking biscuits. The little darlings were so cute. When I pulled them out of the oven I couldn’t resist grabbing a couple and smothering them in butter and jam. After all,  I had to make sure they were perfect for my dad’s birthday. So, sooooo goood!

Buttermilk Biscuit Minis

makes 20-24 mini biscuits

Ingredients

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup white whole wheat flour
• 2 ½  teaspoons baking powder
• ½  teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
• 3/4 cup fat-free milk
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 3 tablespoons honey

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk flours, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl
3. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter or with two forks until mixture resembles coarse meal. Chill in the fridge for 10 minutes.
4. In a separate bowl, combine milk and vinegar, stir and let set for about five minutes.
5.  Add honey to your newly made buttermilk, stirring with a whisk until well blended.
6. Add buttermilk mixture to your dry ingredients and combine until just moist.
7. Flour your workspace and turn dough out onto it. Knead lightly, about five times.
8. Roll dough into a 9”x5” rectangle. Dust top with flour.
9. Fold dough into thirds, just like you would a letter to fit into an envelope. Repeat two more times.
10. Roll dough to ¾” thickness then cut with a 1 ¾” round biscuit cutter (Or a shot glass like I did! It gave me biscuits about an inch in diameter)). You should be able to get about 20 -24 rounds.
11. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, keeping about an inch in between rounds.
12. Bake 12-15 minutes, until lightly golden brown. Brush tops with butter if desired and serve piping hot.

~Ruth

Lamb Burgers with Greek Yogurt Sauce – Something New for Your Labor Day Cookout

So this was the post I was going to share with you last Friday…if I had not had some technical difficulties. Stupid weather!

Lately I have been trying out new ingredients. Gotta keep things interesting to make sure these taste buds stay in shape! Needless to say I was quite excited to find  ground lamb in the butcher cooler, because I have been dying to try a lamb burger recipe for  years! Lamb is not easy to find in this area and typically it’s a rack or chops, if any lamb at all.

So what does lamb taste like? I’m still trying to figure that out myself. Biting into these juicy, meaty burgers, I probably would have thought it was a beef patty (along the lines of a decadent 70/30) if I hadn’t formed them myself. The meat is rich, but not in an overpowering way. Even with just a little seasoning, your mouth is filled with flavor with every bite. So, again, what does it taste like? I’m going to saaaaay…. Very tasty! If you can find ground lamb, I definitely recommend giving it a go on the grill this upcoming Labor Day weekend!

Lamb Burgers with Greek Yogurt Sauce

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

Burgers

• 1 pound ground lamb
• 4 whole wheat pitas
• ¼ cup non-fat milk
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• ½ cup onion, chopped
• ¼ cup Kalamata olives, chopped
• 2 tablespoons mint, chopped
• 1 tablespoon Italian parsley, chopped
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Salt and Pepper

Dressing

• 6 ounces plain greek yogurt
• 2 teaspoons dill, chopped
• ¼ cup cucumber, finely diced
• ¼ cup tomato, finely diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Suggested Toppings

• Baby greens, arugala, or chopped romaine lettuce
• Red onion slices
• Tomato slices
• Feta cheese, crumbled

Directions

1. Cut ¼ out of each pita round. Chop up roughly and place in a bowl. Set the 4 ¾ rounds aside. These will be your “buns”.
2. Pour the milk into the bowl cover the chopped pit. Allow to soak for about 5 minutes, then drain and squeeze out any excess milk.
3. Place the soaked pita in a blender or food processor. Add the garlic, onion, olives, mint, parsley, and lemon juice. Puree the mixture and set aside.
4. In a large bowl, add the ground lamb and season with salt and pepper. With a spatula or your hands, crumble the mixture.
5. Add the pureed pita mixture to the lamb and combine again with either a spatula or your hands.
6. Divide the mixture into 4 and form each section into a patty. Use your thumb to create a little well in the center, this will help maintain the patty shape during cooking.
7. Oil and heat a heavy grill pan (or use your outdoor grill!) over medium high heat.
8. Grill burgers for approximately 2-3 minutes on each side, or until internal temperature reaches 160°F.
9. In a medium bowl, combine Greek yogurt, dill, garlic, and Dijon mustard. Mix well to combine.
10. Add diced cucumbers and tomatoes to the Greek yogurt mixture and stir to coat the vegetables.
11. To serve, open each pita and stuff with your chosen greens and some of the dressing.
12. Add burger to the pita, and add your chosen toppings.

~Ruth