Category Archives: Food

It’s Not Delivery …

Posted on November 9, 2013 by AnnieRie

And it’s not DiGiorno either. My latest attempts at thin crust pizzas. I think I liked the veggie one best, even though I love the fig, prosciutto, cheese and arugula pizza quite a bit.

This is what they looked like before being baked.

I used the COSTCO kit to make these pizzas. I haven’t yet mastered dough on my own, and most pizza crusts are too thick. These shells came six to a pack with two packages of garlic sauce and four of tomato sauce. I used one package of garlic sauce and half a pack of tomato. There is too much sauce in one pack for one pizza. Unless you like soggy pizza.

I made the pizza on the right using garlic sauce, dried mission black figs bought at Roots, Hook’s gorgonzola from Roots, prosciutto from COSTCO (that giant industrial size package) and a drizzle of lemon infused olive oil from St Helena.

Arugula scattered over the top when it is done.

The left pizza is a veggie pizza. Garlic and tomato sauce mixed. My absolute favorite mushroom pate from Roots (wish I could figure out how to make this), roasted green pepper, roasted garlic (From my garden), and two cheeses. One a pecorino and the other an Iberico. Italian herbs.

Baked at 400 degrees for ten minutes. Served with my fennel orange salad.

And a North Gate Rose of Chambourcin. Bought at the newly opened Petite Cellars. North Gate is in Loudoun County VA and is part of a large selection of local wines at the new store in Turf Valley.

Petite Cellars Grand Opening is Tuesday the 12th. Another addition to the Turf Valley collection of stores and restaurants by the Harris Teeter.

Interesting how in nine years, things have changed so much out here.

As for my pizzas, my husband declared them a major success. He likes thin crust pizza and these are crisp and full of flavor.

Thanks to COSTCO and Roots I can replace delivery pizza and store bought pizza, with almost homemade. I just have to conquer that problem with making my own dough and getting it thin enough.

hocofood@@@

3 Comments

Posted in Food, Howard County, Local Businesses, Locavore, Real Food, West HoCo, Wine and tagged cooking, Food, foodie, Howard County, Locavore, real food, VA wine, West HoCo, wine. Bookmark the permalink.

Wazzup in West County

Posted on November 8, 2013 by AnnieRie

Friday with lots of options of things to do coming up, as well as just the best time of year to live out here.

My day started out leading a field trip at the Howard County Conservancy. Teaching second graders about soil (as compared to dirt). I will be back there tomorrow for the Hike to the River at 10 am. Volunteers will lead groups on a long hike down to the Patapsco River using trails at the conservancy and through Patapsco State Park. You have to admit. This is peak fall foliage week in #hocomd.

Add to that. Thanksgiving and then Christmas will be creeping up on us. What better way to get ready for Thanksgiving than to order your turkey, your sausage and your oysters at Boarman’s. I stopped there today to put in my Thanksgiving order. A Maple Lawn turkey. Boarman’s bulk sausage for stuffing. Oysters to make an oyster stew. We like standing in the line the day before Thanksgiving and talking with all the neighbors.

Oh, and out at TLV.

Cut your own tree. The day after Thanksgiving. Instead of Black Friday at the mall, how about a day at the farm cutting a tree.

We are fast moving from late fall to early winter out here. Loving the weather and those crisp cool days, and not so cold nights.

I do need to get the garlic planted though. Before that first hard freeze.

hocoblogs@@@

And So It is Fall

Posted on November 7, 2013 by AnnieRie

Fall CSA season, that is. The seven week fall extension of our Sandy Spring CSA began today. And not a squash or a potato in sight.

This is what we got.

White Kohlrabi
Leeks
Napa Cabbage
Bok Choy
White Cauliflower
White Radishes
Purple Top Turnips
Frisee (I swapped for Jerusalem artichokes)
Lacinato Kale
Broccoli Raab
Arugula

The kohlrabi is the largest I have ever seen.

As for the add ons, I chose this fall to get free range heritage chickens, two every other week, for a total of eight over the season.

One will get roasted this weekend. The other will be put in the freezer for later this winter.

We also decided to try the bread from “A Loaf of Bread“. An organic bakery in Lancaster. They have a large number of specialties. Today we got a sourdough boule. Just the right size for us.

There are other add ons. Eggs, cheese. We passed on those. I like my eggs to come from Breezy Willow, and to buy local cheese when I go there or to England Acres.

As for some intended uses of my goodies this week, I have to dig out the recipe for the turnip, Jerusalem artichoke and apple soup I made a few years back. Found the blog entry.

Fall is soup season, and chili season, and stew season. The veggies we get work perfectly to create satisfying warm meals. Glad we got the thirty CSA members, to keep our site going until Christmas week.

hocofood@@@

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Posted in CSA, Farms, Food, Real Food, Weather and tagged cooking, crock pot cooking, crockpot soups, CSA, farms, Food, foodie, real food, weather. Bookmark the permalink.

Market Futures

Posted on November 5, 2013 by AnnieRie

Farmers Markets, that is. I recently read an article in the Baltimore Sun that included the information about the future of two of the Howard County farmers markets.

Glenwood, and East Columbia. It seems the board may close these two markets next year.

Columbia has three markets. Thursdays in East Columbia. Fridays at the hospital and Sundays in Oakland Mills. The Thursday market does the worst business of the three in Columbia.

As for the Saturday market (our nearest market in Glenwood at the library), it never has been as popular as the others. The rural area has less people, and many of us have gardens.

There are lots of other sources for fresh veggies, too. Like the farms in the area.

I wondered last year if there were too many markets. Dilution of the customer base, as I believe the markets aren’t attracting new customers, just spreading out the current ones.

For us, if Glenwood is closed, we would just use the hospital market for fresh eggs, meats, breads and fruit.

Saturday is a great day for a market. If you could vote for where to move Saturday’s market, where would you put it? Elkridge? Maple Lawn?

hocofood@@@

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Posted in Farmer's Markets, Farms, Food, Howard County, Local Businesses, Locavore, West HoCo and tagged commentary, community, farmer's markets, farms, Food, Howard County, West HoCo. Bookmark the permalink.

CSA in the Rear View Mirror

Posted on November 3, 2013 by AnnieRie

The 2013 Spring/Summer CSA is over. Every season I do a spreadsheet summarizing what we got, and was the cost worth it.

We belong to Sandy Spring CSA, which uses the Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative as the source of our vegetable, fruit, egg, cheese, flower and herb shares. The coop includes 75-80 farms spread across Lancaster County. They directly supply 2500 members, and they supply 500 members through Sandy Spring. This is the 5th year Sandy Spring has used LFFC, and the third year we have been members. We get the basic 100% share of veggies. No add ons, as I like using the farms and markets for my other items.

We pay $740 for our share. 24 weeks. We are promised 8-12 items weekly. We received 283 items, 131 of them unique. That averages out to 11-12 weekly. It also averages out to $2.60 an item, for organic foods. We really do get our money’s worth.

By unique, I include different varieties of the same vegetable. Like green and red tatsoi are different. And, green or red romaine. You get the drift.

The most frequent occurrence this year? Garlic! And, orange carrots. Both were in our box nine times this season. Green beans showed up eight times. Slicing tomatoes seven.

As for very unusual items, this was the year we saw bitter melon, purple mizuna, eight ball zucchini, bintje potatoes, blue radishes, white beets, Gai-lin Chinese Broccoli.

I found out I liked okra. Particularly when it is grilled. I made my first habanero jelly.

One of the reasons I like this CSA is that unexpected strange item. With so many farms, providing members from Harlem, Brooklyn, Philly, DC, NoVa, and points between, they have greatly expanded their heirloom and ethnic varieties.

You want Southern soul food? Okra and collards. Chinese? Bok Choy. Tatsoi. Mexican? Habaneros. Jalapenos. Cilantro.

The challenge, which I embrace, is that discovery of a new vegetable, and how to use it.

Thankfully, my better half is just as adventurous and likes almost everything we get. OK, OK, the bitter melon was a fail.

We begin a seven week fall extension this Thursday. I have added a bread share and a chicken share. I will be getting two chickens on the 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th deliveries. Bread every week.

It took us three years to become really skilled at using all of the bounty we receive from the CSA. At first, it is overwhelming but changing how we eat and making lunches and dinners that highlight our CSA veggies has been good for us. In our health and in how we feel.

If you wonder what in the world made me do all this math, it’s that mathematician background. What can I say?

hocofood@@@

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Posted in CSA, Farms, Food and tagged cooking, CSA, Food, foodie, value of CSA. Bookmark the permalink.

Two Years Old

Posted on November 2, 2013 by AnnieRie

So, today my blog is a toddler. The terrible twos, they say. Who knows where I will take it in the future. Nah, I like it the way it is.

On November 2nd, I made my first tiny post to learn wordpress, and now, 60,000 views later, I am still having fun with it.

My posts back then were short, and I hadn’t learned to use the pictures to my advantage. Amazing how much I have figured out. See, you can teach an old dog new tricks.

Next Wednesday, I will attend my 5th or 6th bloggers party at Second Chance. Back in February 2012, when I was still a novice at writing, Dennis Lane encouraged me to just have fun and write.

Like others, I really miss his presence in our blogging world. I’ll be sure to raise a toast to him, along with his other friends who join us there.

In the mean time, I will just keep writing about life out here in west county, and add a different perspective from my view.

Oh, and if you get a chance, check out Larriland tomorrow, on their last day of pick your own.

hocoblogs@@@

7 Comments

Posted in Commentary, Community, Farms, Food, Howard County, West HoCo and tagged commentary, community, farms, Food, hoco loco, Howard County, local businesses, West HoCo. Bookmark the permalink.

Italian At Home

Posted on November 1, 2013 by AnnieRie

Instead of going out, or ordering in. Friday nights we like to try something new using what we get from our CSA.

Tonight I made a cross between Italian Wedding Soup and Escarole and Bean Soup, from that enormous head of escarole.

In other words, I made do with what we have.

The joy of cooking, derived from three seasons of CSA boxes, is the confidence that comes from knowing what may work together.

This recipe highlights that.

The escarole and bean soup was the base. But, I wanted some meat in this dish, so I knew Italian Wedding Soup included meatballs. A stop at Trader Joe’s while out this afternoon netted me a bag of their turkey meatballs, as I didn’t have anything else.

Trust me on this one. Next time I will make my own meatballs. Years ago I would have loved them. Now, they are a bit gummy, to say the least. Still, they added flavor to the dinner.

A stop at the Perfect Pour got my husband an Italian wine to serve with dinner.

A Verdicchio Vermentino blend. We are learning about Italian wines. Between wine dinners at Facci and Iron Bridge University we are slowly getting versed in the varietals from Italy. See, we really do occasionally go out to restaurants.

As for the soup, here is how I made it.

Start with the Soffrito (or the base). The Italian soffrito is the lightly sweated base of vegetables that create the flavor of a meal.

I used an onion, a shallot, three cloves of garlic and a carrot. All chopped finely and cooked over low heat in extra virgin olive oil.

Once it gets translucent and released its flavor, I added a dozen Campari tomatoes, quartered. You can use any types of tomatoes. I am saving my freshly canned and frozen stuff for later this winter.

One quart of chicken stock. I make my own from the chickens we get from local farms. Two teaspoons Italian seasoning. 1/2 teaspoon white pepper. A package of those meatballs. Let it all simmer for at least 20 minutes. The tomatoes will break down and color the broth.

Chop escarole. I used half that enormous head from my CSA box.

Chopped escarole and two cans of organic cannellini beans, and five more minutes of cooking, until the escarole wilts.

Serve with grated cheese. I used pecorino Romano this time.

Better than anything Olive Garden serves, that’s for sure.

hocofood@@@

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Posted in CSA, Food, Locavore, Real Food, Restaurants, Wine and tagged cooking, CSA, Food, foodie, Locavore, real food, wine. Bookmark the permalink.

Summer CSA Wrap Up Week

Posted on October 31, 2013 by AnnieRie

The end of the 24 week CSA today. Fall season starts next Thursday. Appropriate for Halloween, my box included the escarole that ate New York.

It has to be one of the largest ones I have seen at any market. It looks like tomorrow I will be making escarole and white bean soup.

As for the rest, here is what our email said we were getting.

Leeks
Eggplant
Purple Viking Potatoes
Cylindra Beets
Escarole
Green Romaine
Mixed Sweet Potatoes
Bok Choy (it was bigger than the escarole, I swapped it)
Purple Mizuna (swapped as I bought some yesterday)
Garlic
Butternut Squash
Red Cabbage

We never got mizuna before today, so yesterday I bought some from Love Dove Farms at the Miller Library Market, since he didn’t have arugula. It figures we would get it once I bought some.

As for doing a wrap up, I am putting my collated list together to see what we got over the course of the 24 weeks. What we got most. What the total number will be for uniquely different items.

And, as for what I will be making. There will be hummus, from the squash and sweet potatoes. Eggplant caponata sounds good.

And, speaking of wrap ups, Larriland closes this weekend. Sunday is the last day the farm is open, until strawberry season begins in May. Pink Lady apples are ripe and only available Friday through Sunday.

I may have to go there just to buy a few quarts of cider. Their newsletter tells us that cider freezes well. Maybe I will try it as their cider is so good.

hocofood@@@

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Posted in CSA, Farmer's Markets, Farms, Food, Local Businesses, Locavore and tagged cooking, CSA, farmer's markets, farms, Food, local businesses, Locavore, value of CSA. Bookmark the permalink.

Personal Pan Pizza

Posted on October 30, 2013 by AnnieRie

My Way.

On one of those days that the foodie and the locavore collide. It all started with sending my husband to the store to get oranges and grapeseed oil. Oranges to use with the CSA fennel for a salad. A neutral oil so I can bake butternut squash to make hummus. He comes home with figs, which he decided would be perfect in a pizza.

The first fig, prosciutto, arugula and goat cheese pizza we ever had was in Napa Valley about five years ago. We have been attempting to duplicate it since then.

This time I went with grilling them.

Served with a local wine, using local goat cheese, arugula, scallions and garlic, I got a decent crispy thin pizza.

Early Mountain 2011 Petit Manseng, a very crisp version of a lesser grown grape. Early Mountain is north of Charlottesville VA. A fairly new winery that we visited on our weekend trip. We picked up a mix of their current wines. A young winery, under this ownership, we expect to see real growth in their offerings as their vines mature.

This dinner was really simple to put together. Spread some garlic and oil on crust from COSTCO. Add a few figs, some goat cheese, some prosciutto, some scallions. Drizzle some lemon infused olive oil over it. Put it on a screaming hot grill for a few minutes (500 degrees). Turn off the end burners (or use indirect placement over charcoal). Let it crisp up, and let the cheese melt. Some pepper ground over it. Arugula put on after removal from the grill.

Excellent meal on a very pleasant evening. We took it outside on the patio to enjoy the view. Leaves are getting close to peak around here.

Great al fresco dinner.

hocofood@@@

3 Comments

Posted in CSA, Food, Locavore, Weather, Wine and tagged cooking, CSA, fall foliage, Food, foodie, grilling, Locavore, VA wine, weather, wine. Bookmark the permalink.

The COSTCO Run

Posted on October 29, 2013 by AnnieRie

What’s new in the world of warehouse shopping? Had my quarterly (or longer) trip over to COSTCO, mainly for allergy meds, toilet paper, aluminum foil, basic spices and nine volt batteries for the smoke detectors.

As usual, I find interesting things I decide to impulse buy. Like the pomegranates.

We are addicted to the pomegranate seeds. But, at $4-5 each (at Wegmans), we didn’t indulge much. Today I found a six pack for $13.99, which is a real bargain for something so much fun to eat.

We love them with yogurt, or on salads, or just to snack. I picked up some of our favorite Pequea Valley yogurt last weekend, vanilla, to pair with my spiced apples (made from those Larriland apples). Vanilla and pomegranate are a good match, too.

I also picked up a six pack of red peppers, to put on the grill.

There will be some ajvar made with these. As well as some roasted red pepper hummus. We have eggplant from the CSA for the ajvar.

Another major find this visit was the return of Pacific organic roasted red pepper and tomato soup. It isn’t always there. It is a staple to thicken soups that need a tomato kick, without sacrificing my stash of tomatoes and/or sauce.

I was looking to purchase some tuna to grill. The weather has been lovely. They didn’t have any tuna today. I picked up a couple of packs of wild halibut. One of my favorite white fleshed fish.

Seasoned with mustard, peach vinaigrette, pepper and thyme. Drizzled with lemon olive oil. Perfect with fingerlings and broccoli.

We don’t get to COSTCO often, now that it is 16 miles away. It is always a treat to go there and discover what’s new. And, stock up on staples and pantry items. And, nuts for Christmas cookie baking. It is getting close to that time, we know.

hocofood@@@

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Posted in Food, Real Food and tagged cooking, Food, foodie, grilling, wegman's. Bookmark the permalink.