Tag Archives: foodie

Work Outside Wednesday

Posted on October 10, 2012 by AnnieRie

Turns out that today was one of those lovely days. Warm, sunny. Perfect day to plant garlic. Half of it went into flower pots on the deck. The upper pots had flowers. The two lower ones were mint, which will stay there since mint is a perennial (or weed, depending on your perspective).

container garlic

I planted 12 cloves in the pots, and then moved over to a south facing area in the flower beds. Since garlic will be done by early June, I can leave it there and put something else in the ground once the garlic is harvested.

Another 12 cloves here. With the potential for 24 head of garlic next spring, we will be set, including those lovely scapes that I use for pesto.

I noticed that we have killer puffball mushrooms on the lawn, and something is definitely chowing down on them. Don’t know if they are edible or not. Whatever is eating them keeps coming back, as every day they are chewed down. But then, we do have a fair number of turkey vultures wandering around. Maybe whatever ate the mushrooms is in our field.

puffball mushrooms

The marigolds won’t quit. There is one bush that keeps getting larger and pumping out more plants.

marigolds

The lavender is still awesome, as is the rosemary. The thyme continues to grow. I cross my fingers and let them get bigger, waiting for that perfect moment to harvest and dry.

Tomorrow is CSA day, but it also will be work day two this week, as we really need to tackle the power washing of our garage doors. They are getting quite a bit of wear, and they need a good fall cleaning.

At least while working outside we are graced with the explosion of yellow mums. It is interesting though, the orange ones that were also out front, seem to have disappeared. These are great, though.

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Posted in Food, Gardening, Hobbies, Nature, Weather, West HoCo and tagged Food, foodie, gardening, hobbies, hoco loco, nature, weather, West HoCo. Bookmark the permalink.

Cooking With Gas

Posted on October 9, 2012 by AnnieRie

The grill kind. I wish we had gas for heat and cooking, but we don’t. So, I insisted. A really good grill. Besides, when the power goes out, I have the grill with a side burner.

the gas grill, in all its glory

It was cheaper to get me a good grill, than to run a gas line over a hundred yards to our house, then do the massive renovations to get gas heat and a gas stovetop. We grill mostly in spring and fall. Summer it gets just too hot and humid to stand over the grill. Today I wanted to check out the grill and make some sausage. I first had to clean out the inside as the field mice (or chipmunks) keep bringing things into the side burner.

Today it was peanuts and bird seed. Thankfully, the leaf blower cleans it out quickly. In winter, if we don’t use the grill, the mice build nests in it. We now know to use it often when the weather warms up a bit. Tonight I had some PA market Berkshire hog sausage.

I also made corn on the cob, and grilled up some naan to serve with pumpkin hummus.

Yes, you heard it correctly. Pumpkin hummus. Simple recipe. Roast a cheese pumpkin.

Blend the pumpkin (about a pound of it) with a can of chickpeas and two garlic cloves. Add lemon juice, 2 tbsp. A neutral oil like grapeseed, 2 tbsp. Spices like garam masala, or cumin, about 1 tbsp. A pinch of nutmeg and of cinnamon. I used sriracha to add some heat. A few dots of it. It came out really smooth, yet with a hint of heat. If you want it hotter, add more garlic and more pepper.

It ended up a bit too cold to eat outside, so we brought our picnic indoors. Sausage, naan, hummus and corn. And, a lovely VGV from Black Ankle. The pan holds some melted butter with garam masala, for the corn. VGV is a Viognier and Gruner Veltliner blend.

Eating mostly locally, as usual. And, loving the fall weather.

hocofood@@@

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Posted in Food, Wine and tagged cooking, Food, foodie, grilling, wine. Bookmark the permalink.

Masters of Wine … And Food

Posted on October 8, 2012 by AnnieRie

This is an extremely creative, interesting collection of people for a panel. Making for an entertaining evening. Sharing their thoughts and interacting with the guests at RdV on Sunday night. The after dinner discussion about the VA wines and where they want to go was worth the price of admission.

The panel in the caves at RdV

From left to right:
Rutger de Vink, RdV Vineyards, Delaplane, VA
Luca Paschina, Barboursville Vineyards, Barboursville, VA
Jim Law, Linden Vineyards, Linden, VA
Andrew Myers Sommelier, CityZen, Washington D.C.
Eric Ziebold Chef, CityZen, Washington, D.C.

The panel convened in the cave after the dinner, a Picnic-Style Reception by Chef Eric Ziebold, CityZen.

The Menu:

Assorted Fall Canapés served with Linden Vineyards Vidal Riesling
Canapés included such highlights as “pork and beans” made with assorted green beans and bacon, a veal terrine, sliced prosciutto and saucisson, an heirloom tomato salad, and seafood salad.

The first station on the terrace was:
Grilled Elysian Fields Farm Lamb Flank
Late Summer Squash Couscous
2009 RdV Vineyards, Rendezvous, Virginia

The second station outside:
Grilled Chesapeake Bay Rockfish
Hominy, Corn, Lobster Emulsion
1997 Linden, Fiery Run Red, Virginia
1998 Barbourville, Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Virginia

The third station, inside the winery:
Marinated Beef Tri-Tip
Chanterelle Mushrooms, Marble Potatoes, Bone Marrow Vinaigrette
1996 Diamond Creek, Red Rock Terrace, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley (from the chef’s cellar)

The last station:
Grilled Duck Breast
Roasted Figs, Fennel, Cornbread Croûtons,
Black Pepper-Foie Gras Emulsion
2009 Mount Veeder, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

The dining areas were situated around the first level of the winery and stations were spread out enough that you could always find very little traffic other than the immediate crush when they first opened the event. There were 60 people in attendance, ambassadors who have purchased packages of RdV to join, and a group that we found by talking to them that had been invited through MacArthur Beverages.

main dining area for the dinner at RdV

Let’s just say that by the end of the evening, the ranks of ambassadors grew as evidenced by the number of boxes being carried out of the winery.

2009 RdV Rendezvous

After the panel, dessert was served with coffee. At that point, we were so saturated with wine, food, and conversation that I completely forgot to record the particulars of the decadence on the plate. I will have to wait until Carol Joynt publishes her Washingtonian piece. At least her blog gave some pictures of fish on the grill out in the rain. I got the link finally and saw that the dessert was made with ginger shortbread, chocolate ganache, and marshmallows torched making a very sophisticated s’more.

Highlights for us included the opportunity to taste the 1998 Barboursville, as we still have two bottles in our cellar. Luca brought magnums to the event. This wine got so much better as it had the chance to breathe. At first, it was still closed in and more austere than the Linden 1997 Fiery Run. For us, the Linden and the Diamond Creek were our favorites, as we prefer mature wines. The Rendezvous and Mt Veeder, both 2009 vintages were way too young to drink. Of the 2009s, the Rendezvous was more approachable, but still not something we want to open yet. It needs to get that bottle age first.

Benefit of living here. Evenings like this in the Virginia mountain foothills.

Event Overload

Posted on October 7, 2012 by AnnieRie

This weekend is second in a string of picture perfect fall weekends when it seems every community, farm, winery and/or entertainment organization is creating a pile up (an amateur radio term used when large numbers of operators simultaneously try to contact one rare station). I couldn’t even begin to list every event happening in Howard County and the surrounding area.

Today, my husband popped up to the Columbia Amateur Radio Association (CARA) annual HamFest to pick up a few supplies and visit his radio compatriots, even though it is raining. He had to dodge biking racers on the way, I suppose, as the Ulman Cancer Fund half full triathlon originating at Centennial winds through our rural roads between us and the fairgrounds.

The Farm City Celebration ends today, the 7th. Here is a list of what remains on their schedule.

Howard County Farmer’s Market – three more weeks of markets until season ends
Oakland Mills Village Center
9:00 am – 12:30 pm

Apple Fritters, Hayrides, & Pick-Your-Own Apples, Beets, Broccoli, and Spinach.
Straw Maze & Boo Barn (ages 4 to 9)
Larriland Farm
9:00 am – 5:00 pm

Teddy Bear Farm Visits (Free hayrides for children who bring Teddy bear)
Folk singer Tony McGuffin entertains from 12 noon – 4:00 PM
Clark’s Elioak Farm
Open from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

2 crop large maze of corn & cotton opens.
Farm animals, Pick Your Own Pumpkins, Fall Decorations.
Scarecrow Making Workshop from Noon-3 PM
Narrated Hayride at 1:00 pm
($1.50 per person 2 and under free)
Sharp’s at Waterford Farm
Open from 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Any of these events are a good trip now that the weather is changing. The leaves definitely rained down yesterday as the front whipped through. We dodged traffic that was backed up on I-97 heading into the Renaissance Festival in Crownsville, and the Boat Show traffic going into Annapolis. We were trying to get to a family wedding at the Academy. Made it in time only because we left super early. The Renaissance Festival ends the 21st of October. The Sailboat Show ends tomorrow and the Powerboat Show starts this coming Thursday. A short trip down to Annapolis gets people to major entertainment options the next few weeks.

Add to that, the Ravens play at 1 PM. thankfully, it is an away game or could you imagine the traffic there since THE ORIOLES have a playoff game tonight at the Yard.

For us, we will be trying to find the games on satellite radio while getting to a winery dinner today. Many festivals at local wineries. We made arrangements weeks ago to hear Luca Paschina, Jim Law and Rutger de Vink talk of their vision for where Virginia wines could go. A picnic style dinner prepared by Chef Eric Ziebold of CITYZEN will be served and the menu includes a 1998 Barboursville Cabernet and 1997 Fiery Run Linden, as well as the RdV 2009 release. An event we have been anticipating for a while. RdV’s chef dinners are just awesome events. Worth the splurge occasionally to attend. Or, any winery events this month. The red grapes are being picked all over the area. Festivals every weekend.

merlot at RdV

If we recover enough tomorrow, we will pop up to see the dedication of the new Glenwood Fire Station. With this station, we now have Glenwood, Clarksville and West Friendship, all equidistant from our home. The fire station is being dedicated Monday morning at 10 am. Tours following the dedication.

Add to all this, the next three weekends are just as event laden. How can anyone say there isn’t enough to do around here?

hocoblogs@@@

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Posted in Adventures, Community, Day Trips, Food, Howard County, Local Businesses, Weather, West HoCo, Wine and tagged amateur radio, community, day trips, farmer's markets, Food, foodie, hoco loco, Howard County, Linden Vineyards, local businesses, weather, West HoCo, wine. Bookmark the permalink.

Foodie, Meet Locavore

Posted on October 4, 2012 by AnnieRie

I have written before about how my two different “worlds” collide. The locavore in me who eats as much fresh local items as I can, and that inquisitive foodie that loves ethnic foods from all around the world, and searches for exotic spices, fruits and veggies.

Last night’s dinner reflected that conflict. It turned out to be extremely tasty. Italian whole grain flatbread with ajvar, pesto, chicken and parmesan on it.

I used the last of my pesto and the ajvar I made a week ago. We had been noshing on it and there was just enough left to spread over the flatbread. I had leftover roast chicken from a visit to Bistro Blanc Tuesday night, which I shredded and added on top.

pesto and ajvar

A little Parmesan from Roots. Some herbs, salt and white pepper. Simple, served with a side salad of arugula, grapes and almonds. And, we opened a very nice Verdejo from Paso a Paso. We found a number of inexpensive bottles of Spanish and Portuguese wines at Pine Orchards a few weeks back.

Thanks to my locavore friends in our food challenge, I discovered ajvar. I also found jars of it at Roots. VaVa Ajvar, and they also sell something called Lutenica. I bought one of the ajvar to compare to my homemade version. My husband agreed. My version is better. We will have to try the Lutenica though. To see how it is made.

According to the tag, this is a Macedonian version of the spread. My original recipe was Serbian. My recipe used vinegar and garlic. This one is milder due to the lack of those ingredients.

As for the flatbread, bought at Roots, I really like this quick and easy way to make dinner. There will be many more dinners made using my frozen pestos and ovendried tomatoes spread over flatbread.

hocofood@@@

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Posted in Food, Local Businesses, Locavore, Real Food, SSFC, Wine and tagged cooking, Food, foodie, local businesses, Locavore, real food, wine. Bookmark the permalink.

A Great Day for Lunch at Atwater’s

Posted on October 3, 2012 by AnnieRie

Today turned out nicely. Instead of doing yard work, we decided to drive down to Atwater’s Bakery for lunch, and then hit the Miller Library market on the way home.

Today’s Tiffin Box Lunch included either mushroom or southwestern tomato corn. I had the mushroom. In the box, also, were oatmeal raisin cookies and a lovely chunk of rosemary roll.

creamy mushroom soup

the rosemary roll

We sat outside and watched the bustle of downtown Catonsville, then went in to pick up a sliced loaf of sourdough for my soups, and the chili I want to make Friday.

Atwater’s sourdough bread

I do like to sit outside the bakery and watch the world drive by. There were also a large number of people walking along Frederick Road, at 1 PM. Clearly, Catonsville is one of those places where there is a real sense of community. Many people walking up past us with purchases from the Wednesday farmer’s market, that goes from 10-1 on Wednesday mornings until the day before Thanksgiving.

A fun place to sit and people watch. The old post office building in Catonsville. And, yes, the “You Scream” sign is an ice cream store right up the road. For those who love to indulge. While in Atwater’s, you can also pick up Trickling Springs dairy products.

atwaters outdoor seating

I will get a post up later about the great finds at the Howard County Miller Library market today, like the FRESH CHESTNUTS from Love Dove. I do have to go make dinner now, though.

hocofood@@@

Eating Locally: Day by Day

Posted on October 1, 2012 by AnnieRie

I eat locally most of the time. Between the CSA and the farmer’s markets most of my food is local. Our challenge was to blog about a local meal. These days the CSA drives what I eat. Days with lots of local items are normal.

I made French onion soup in the crock pot the other day. Onions from the local market. Stock from the Briggs Chaney market. I put the soup away until today.

onions caramalized in a basic stock

I also had leftovers from my tomato sauce, CSA potatoes and Berkshire hog kielbasa. The kielbasa was from Shearer’s. Bought on a road trip to Gettysburg. Sometimes I forget to take pictures, but the food is definitely local.

The soup was covered with Canela bread. And Bowling Green Farm Smoked Gouda.

What I love most about how my cooking has evolved is the change to building a meal around local foods. Like those killer onions and that Bowling Green Smoked Gouda. Believe me. My husband said this cheese is like butter on a plate, but with smoke. This is an awesome cheese.

Find some at the Howard County markets.

hocofood@@@

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Posted in CSA, Farmer's Markets, Food, Howard County, Local Businesses, Real Food and tagged crock pot cooking, farmer's markets, Food, foodie, hoco loco, Howard County, local businesses, Locavore, real food. Bookmark the permalink.

Sweater Weather

Posted on September 29, 2012 by AnnieRie

It definitely feels like October out there. While picking mint, what’s left of it, I had on my fleece vest. Tonight I may indulge in hot cider, since we picked up some at Larriland the other day.

fresh apple cider

I should title this post, Rocking the Crock Pot, since I have put it into overdrive the past few days. I made onion soup, greens twice, and chicken soup, all in the past week. There’s lots of good stuff in the fridge to make quick meals all of next week.

I have gotten where I don’t even measure much anymore when it comes to greens. Just cut them up, add onions and garlic, some broth, balsamic and salt and pepper. If I feel adventurous, I will put in some bacon, but not always. The first batch the other day had bacon.

greens ready to go

Yesterday, I just put in all the greens I had, with a container of black bean soup. Didn’t look that great, but cooked down beautifully. It will be a side dish tonight. Today I am slow cooking lamb in the oven, and roasting beets at the same time. This is the baker’s dozen of the beets I got Thursday. The big ones for a salad or two, and I am going to quick pickle the little ones with a couple of hard boiled eggs.

beets on a bed of kosher salt

I spent time yesterday and today cooking, so that tonight through Tuesday, it will be heat and serve. Tomorrow we are heading out to Sharp’s Farm to get my Halloween decorations. A hay bale, some corn stalks, some gourds and a pumpkin or two.

But, even though it is sweater weather, I found this late blooming lovely gladiolus in the side garden. Summer’s last hurrah?

hocofood@@@

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Posted in Community, Food, Howard County, Local Businesses, Locavore, Weather, West HoCo and tagged community, cooking, crock pot cooking, crockpot soups, Food, foodie, hoco loco, Howard County, local businesses, Locavore, real food, West HoCo. Bookmark the permalink.

One of Those Perfect Mornings

Posted on September 25, 2012 by AnnieRie

You know what I mean. The air is crisp. You slept with the windows open. The A/C has been turned off. Here in West County, we have seen temperatures in the 50s at night. Today I threw open all the windows and have the screen door in the kitchen giving us cross breezes in the back of the house.

This is my favorite cooking weather. The kitchen stays cool. It is soup and crock pot stew time. Yesterday I processed the last of the green tomatoes found hiding in the garden. There were another dozen or so that escaped notice when I was there over the weekend. I froze slices of the larger ones. They will come out in the winter to see if I can make that pesto pasta with frozen tomatoes. Some will become fried green tomatoes as a side dish.

flash frozen green tomato slices

All of the little ones and those still left on the windowsill were put together to make tonight’s dinner. I am going to make the pesto and the green tomato sauce, but put it on a whole wheat pizza crust as a variation on the pasta dish I have made numerous times. Might as well get the most out of the green tomatoes.

This morning I did a “twofer” in the food processor. Pesto and ajvar. Just enough of each to use for dinner tonight. I am making the pizza using ajvar on one side and green tomato pesto on the other. Should be interesting. If it works out, I will post pictures. If it is a bust, well, at least I will talk about it.

The pesto.

Parsley and basil combined. Some pine nuts. Parmesan. Two roasted garlic cloves. Salt and white pepper. Olive oil to make it the right consistency. Absolutely no idea how much of any of it. This is where I have fun when I cook. Creating by taste.

The ajvar, that wonderful Serbian spread I discovered a while back.

Again, no measuring. I roasted all the baby eggplant from the CSA, and three small red peppers, the other day and put them away with two roasted garlic cloves in the fridge. This morning I put them in the processor after scraping out the pesto, added balsamic and some olive oil to process, then just to see what would happen, dropped in a small handful of pistachios. Wow, what an interesting kick the nuts added to the spread.

I had my coffee on the patio and listened to the birds, particularly the blue jays who are out harassing a hawk somewhere near here. Loving the changes of color in the meadow, and seeing the first leaves turning.

the meadow in the morning

hocofood@@@

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Posted in Food, Gardening, Howard County, Locavore, Nature, Weather, West HoCo and tagged cooking, foodie, gardening, heirloom tomatoes, Howard County, Locavore, real food, weather, West HoCo. Bookmark the permalink.

1991 Linden Cabernet

Posted on September 24, 2012 by AnnieRie

Twenty one years old. Still dark, rich and a lovely wine. Who says Virginia can’t produce stellar red wine?

1991 Linden Cabernet

We bought Linden wine for the first time in 1992 at the Virginia Wine Festival. It was then we met Jim and Peggy Law, who were producing their first vintages on their farm off I-66 east of Front Royal and just below the Appalachian Trail. We bought a couple bottles of 1989 back then, because what we tasted held great promise. The 1989 and 1990 vintages are gone from our cellar, but one lonely 1991 bought at one of the earliest visits to the winery was still down there.

the label on the Linden 1991

What is amazing is that 21 years after production, it still tastes like the description. This wine probably cost us $15 back then. Not cheap for a Virginia wine then, but I have California wines that never reached the complexity this Virginia wine has. We paired it with our monthly filet splurge. Sunday night dinner, then football. The dinner.

Filet, baked potato and salad Caprese

Mostly local with steaks from Boarman’s. The potatoes from the CSA. The tomatoes are mine, as is the basil. The mozzarella, not local, bought at David’s Natural Market.

This meal, our next to last summer challenge meal, was so satisfying because the wine stood up to the steak. No brown edges. No off odors. Really an amazingly complex, flavorful wine. The dried fruit aroma was still intense although the other descriptors were a bit faded and hard to find. The taste was still there, though. A long finishing wine. The tannins has definitely softened , yet there was still structure there.

I keep saying Linden makes wines that would command twice the price if they were from Bordeaux or California. Having the luxury of the cellar allows us to be patient and enjoy the wine’s development over time. Glad we opened this one last night. Too bad it is the last of that vintage. I had brought up a bottle of ’99 in case the ’91 wasn’t still good. Looks like the ’99 will get put on the shelf for a while longer.