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Daily Archives: January 11, 2013

A “Twofer”

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That is, checking two things off my Sixty@Sixty list. Today being Friday, it’s a day we tend to take day trips. It’s also an errand running day, so we combined the two things. We also gave the pickup some needed mileage. It doesn’t get used much in the winter. We set the GPS today to do back roads, going and coming.

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You know, shortest distance, avoid highways. One of our favorite ways to explore. I was on a mission. I wanted to get to Catoctin Mountain Orchards before they closed for three months. They close February, March and April every year. I wanted to pick up some salad dressings and salsa to use a basis for making my own. I wanted to see the ingredients. Compare the taste. Use my frozen fruit from Larriland and Butler’s. I have peaches, strawberries, blueberries and blackberries in the freezer.

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We also found a bonus for my husband. Venison sticks and sausage. We get venison sausage when we visit Linden, and here was a version from Pennsylvania, for him to try. Not sure where we will use it, but what the heck.

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We also found cow’s milk feta from Hagerstown. Time to compare to our favorite from Bowling Green Farms. After leaving Catoctin, we decided to stop at a market we never visited. Gateway. One of my goals on my challenge. Visit new markets and farm stands. Nothing like a candyland, farm market, convenience store and liquor store. Gateway is truly interesting. If you are into candy making, they have one incredible wall full of molds, ingredients and other things you need to make candy.

They also have bins full of penny candy. Not that it is a penny anymore, but these fulfill my challenge to relive childhood memories.

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These are the candies we bought before going to the movies. They bring back memories of Saturday matinees, and bad for your fillings chewy candies. My husband has already gotten into them. I did pick up a few other favorites. Rock candy and coconut slices.

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The rock candy will be used two ways. In tea, in place of honey. Really strong tea for when you feel under the weather. And, with some Pikesville rye. Making memories like my dad did. Rock n Rye.

The coconut slices. Yum! An old friend. Something that just makes you smile.

All in all, a good day tripping Friday. Here’s to more adventures in the coming months.

Encore!

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It sounds way better than leftovers. But, lasagna is one of those things that just gets better the second time you bake it. Crispier. Richer.

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I made this a mostly local dinner tonight. For my Winter Eat Local Challenge. I had major locally produced elements throughout the dinner.

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Like the bread. Semolina from the indoor winter Olney market, now out the Sandy Spring Museum on Sunday mornings. Canela Bread. The wine. A 2001 Breaux Nebbiolo, from Virginia. The salad greens from Our House, again the Olney market. The feta on the salad. Bought at England Acres from Apple Tree Goat Dairy. One of the farms from Lancaster Farm Fresh. England Acres is buying items from the cooperative that supplies my summer and fall CSA.

The lasagna wasn’t local. That is true. Except for the eggs in it. And, the mozzarella. I am now using local items in almost every meal, although I rarely have been making what we would call the 100% meals we did when I did last year’s Dark Days Challenge. I have evolved my shopping and my cooking to include local items during breakfast, lunch and dinner. Every meal has some farmer supplied items in it.

Big change from how I shopped, cooked and ate just a few years ago. As for dinner tonight. The wine was fully mature. Nebbiolo isn’t common in this area. Breaux is one of the few wineries that grows this grape in our area. But, now that Dave Collins left Breaux and is soon to open his own winery in Maryland, we hear that he is planting Nebbiolo in Washington County.

His 2001 Breaux offering is elegant, reminiscent of the Barbarescos we have had. Not anywhere near the weight of a Barolo (nor anywhere near the price of one), this is a lovely wine. We had two bottles from many of his vintages. 2000, 2001 and 2002. Drinking well now, but could still stand some more time.

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I look forward to this new winery opening. It will be a welcome addition for the locapours around here. As for the dinner tonight, the pairing of lasagna with Nebbiolo is a very good match.

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The rest of the lasagna is now residing in the freezer, to be brought out in a few weeks when I get an urge for Italian food, and can open a Breaux or a Barboursville Italian style wine from “just down the road a piece”.

hocofood@@@