Wednesday June 06, 2012
Latvian-born Ella Nemcova is a first generation American who witnessed her family straddle their heritage foods with the new American foods and "Good Housekeeping" ethos. And like many of us, didn't pay alot of attention to food growing up. She loved Russian Deli food and, in particular, Salad Olivier - a salad of potatoes, peas, pickles, and kielbasa - all cubed in the same shape and size. Ella spent the beginning of her career in advertising but left that career and began an odyssey that would lead her to her new career as a vegan caterer, teacher and artisanal product creator. Check out The Regal Vegan.
And listen to her interview here!!
Tuesday June 05, 2012
A while back I blogged about some chairs I stumbled upon at Brimfield almost a couple of years ago. They were exactly what I had been looking for ....and for a mere fraction of the cost...These are over 100 years old. The wood is oak and very heavy as typical of old growth wood. The seller told me they were sitting in a barn in Rochester, NY - no wonder the needlepoit was all destroyed!
It took me a long time to select the fabric and then to have them reupholstered. But alas they are done and gorgeous. Total cost is 1/5 of buying them new. Feeling pretty good about my score!!
This is what I love doing!! It feels so gratifying.
Tuesday June 05, 2012
You may be able to take the girl out of the country but you cannot take the country out of the girl! Belinda Di Giambattista is a living breathing example of that quote! Belinda grew up in North Carolina and was exposed to farming and farmer's markets as a little girl. She went off to pursue her brilliant career in finance and found herself craving more spiritual and meaningful work. Belinda still lives in NYC but she has found a way to connect with her farming and healthy eating roots. She started a business making healthy food for kids called Butterbeans Kitchen.
I aksed Belinda for her grandmother's "Apple Moon Pies" and in true granny form, we got the "non-recipe, recipe!" Here's her note to me:
Hi Carole! My Granny wrote me the following note:
"They were dried apple fried pies, I never had a recipe. If you put a cup of firm pack dried apples in a sauce pan and a cup of water then bring it to a boil turn the heat down to low, you might have to add more water just a small amount depending on the apples, cook to mush, stir often. When cooked enough add spices and sugar to taste, I used bread dough. Take a ball the size of a walnut and roll it like a thin pie crust, spread the apple mix on 1/2 of the dough not to the edge of the dough, fold the other 1/2 dough over the apples with a fork press the crust together to seal in the apples then lay it carefully in a frying pan with some oil and fry that side then turn the pie over cook. I used to make a big stack of pies and my family loved to eat them." Izula Fentress
I thought it would be better to leave her version of the recipe as is to preserve how she thinks of it instead of writing it in a traditional style."
I spyed some dried apples at the farmers market last week and will pick some up on Friday and try to create a recipe to share this weekend. SOostay tuned!! In the meantime, here's her interview - enjoy!!
Sunday June 03, 2012
I know it's just June, but we are already thinking about next winter. Afterall, isn't all the vegetable gardening really about the anticipation of putting up food for the winter? But today I am not writing about my garden, I am writing about our decision to find a vintage wood-burning cook stove to replace our Vermont Casting wood stove. My attitude is if we use the stove as auxiliary heat almost everyday of the winter, why not have one that I can cook on?
Is there anyone out there that has cooked on a wood-burning stove? I'd love your tips!! I am excited for this project. Here are some photos of some relics that we are looking at. I kinda like the one that says "Hot Closet" - the precursor to the warming drawer. Love it!!
Sunday June 03, 2012
I love Burtee so much. He's such a loyal and loving dog. He rarely leaves my side and is right there in my garden as a prepare to plant. Who else's dog loves to hang out in the garden?
Friday June 01, 2012
It's been quite a while since I've posted in Carole's Concoctions. And, it's not because I haven't been concocting, I have been swamped. Getting Heirloom Meals off the ground requires me to do many things. Blogging, radio interviews, TV show, fundraising, social media etc. And then there's the rest of my life. So, I am trying really hard to be more diligent about writing.
This past Sunday I sprained my ankle and have been sitting with my foot elevated for the past 3-4 days. I didn't feel like cooking but never-the-less, we needed to eat.
I concocted up a pasta with tuna and artichoke hearts that was a keeper. Here's the recipe. I hope you enjoy it!
