Fresh Garden Salsa Recipe    

The Gourmet Farm Girl

This is a great salsa to make at home. It is especially good in the summer when you can use fresh veggies from the garden.

I made some this weekend just because I was in the mood. It turned out really good!

I think I will make some for the Super Bowl party next weekend.

You will need:

An assortment of peppers:

1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 small habanero pepper (less if you don’t like it hot)
1 jalapeño pepper (less if you don’t like it hot)

5-6 medium size tomatoes (I use Roma tomatoes because they have less water content)

1 small red onion
3 Tablespoons of chopped fresh cilantro
Or 2 Tablespoons of dried cilantro
2 cloves garlic
1 t. salt
1 t. cracked pepper
1 t. cumin powder
Or roast 1 Tablespoon cumin seeds in a small skillet with a little olive oil, let cool
Juice of 1 lime

Put everything in a food processor and chop

Serve it up with your favorite Nacho’s

Tip: Add a tablespoon of salsa to your guacamole for a fresh taste!


ENJOY!

Welcome Home Buddy Amigo!

Our new family member!

Spaghetti Supper

All three of my kids loved spaghetti, what kid dosen't.

Especially my boys...

Spaghetti Supper was always a favorite in our house. Whenever my kids had friends over they would always ask “Can your mom make spaghetti for supper”?

You can spend all day cooking down tomatos and simmering...adding your herbs...but here is a simple great way to keep your kids and their friends happy! 

It's really simple to make, the key is to add some extra’s and let it simmer for about 45- 50 min’s on the stove to get the flavor.

Spaghetti Supper

By The Gourmet Farm Girl

½ lb of lean hamburger (If you like it meaty... add 1 lb lean hamburger)
3 T. olive oil
1 1 lb. jar (23.5 oz) jar of quality Spaghetti sauce  ( I like Prego) it really is in there...
1  14.5  oz can crushed tomatoes
1 sm. onion
2 cloves of chopped garlic
1 c. fresh mushrooms
1 t. dried basil
½ t. dried dill weed
1 t dried oregano

Pinch of salt
Pinch of cracked pepper

Step One

Use a 4 qt pot and brown the meat in bottom, while the meat is browning add the chopped onions and garlic.

As the meat finishes cooking add the spices to it and let simmer for about 5 min.’s

While your meat is simmering get your pot of water boiling for your spaghetti noodles

Step Two

Add the spaghetti sauce, crushed tomatoes & mushrooms to the meat mixture and let simmer for on low heat for another 35-40 min.’s

Salt and pepper

Don’t forget to taste test…

Add your spaghetti to the boiling water and cook according to the package directions.

Drain spaghetti and let cool while your sauce finishes simmering, make sure you keep stirring it to avoid sticking and splattering.

Step Three

Pile it high on the plate and serve it up…              

Serves 6 

Double the recipe if you have a big group

Don’t forget the Cheese!

I like to use a combination of fresh grated parmesan, asiago & mozzarella cheeses and top it off with some fresh chopped Italian leaf parsley

Serve with toasted garlic bread and a fresh green salad

ENJOY!

Oh…and maybe a nice bottle of Cabernet too…for the adults of course!

It's about the LOVE!

Infused Oil

Infused Olive Oil
The Gourmet Farm Girl

Infusion is the outcome of steeping plants with a desired flavour in water or oil.

The first recorded use of essential oils was in the 10th century

Herbal remedies and herb-infused oils are prepared with dried or fresh herbs, flowers or berries, infused in oil or water. The herb/botanical is then removed from the oil and the oil is used in herbalism in those preparations that require short-term infused oils. Plants with desirable flavours may be steeped in an edible oil or vinegar for an extended period; the infused oil or vinegar is often sold still containing the plant, and is then used as flavouring. Chillies, lemon, garlic, and many other plants may be used.

Bottles of infused oils look great on kitchen shelves, and are always an impressive gift.

Making flavored oils is easy, and the end product can add a lot to your cooking. Use them instead of spices and herbs, and you can add flavor to vegetables and meats. Infused oils make great bases for salad dressings, marinades, and sauces

Instructions for Infusing Olive Oil

Step 1

Choose your herbs and spices. This is the best part because it is fun to choose from many variations for your herb-infused olive oil. Some suggestions for herbs and spices are rosemary, garlic, basil, bay, chives, dill, mint, tarragon, thyme peppercorn and dried chilies. Again try a few different combinations and make a few different bottles.

These can be fresh or dried herbs.

Step 2

Wash and dry your herbs. After washing, leave your herbs out to dry or towel dry on a paper towel. Slightly tear or bruise the herbs so that they begin to release their aroma and flavors.

Step 3

Purchase a rich quality of extra virgin olive oil. Heat the oil over a low flame; heat the oil until it is warm no more than 140 to 150 degrees. Not hot, simply warm as overheating can cause the oil to become bitter. This can best be done in a small stock pot or sauce pan and monitored with a candy -fat thermometer.

Step 4

Stuff herbs into bottles. Use a skewer to place your chosen herbs and spices into the bottles. A little goes a very long way, so don't overdue it. There's no need to over stuff each bottle.

Step 5

Pour oil into clean sterile bottles. Pour the warm oil into the bottles over the herbs and spices. Let the bottles sit for a while until cool.

Step 6

Place a cork, rubber top or a pour spout onto bottle. Or the bottle can be sealed off by dipping the cork into melted wax. Then set the bottle in a cool dark place for about a week or go ahead and set it out in your kitchen and enjoy. Keep in mind, the longer it sets the better the flavor.

Step 7

Strain out herbs & spices through cheese cloth (if desired) after a week. If you use garlic, you may want to refrigerate the oil rather than store it in a cool dark place. Inspect your oil before pouring. Adding 1-2 teaspoons of citric acid will help with preserving freshness. Use oil within 2-3 weeks. *

Congratulations, you have just learned how to make your very own herb-infused olive oil!

ENJOY....

Remembering

I heard disturbing news today…My oldest son called and said that "our neighbor our friend has passed on"…he had only been diagnosed a few weeks ago. He had received the kind of news in which you know the Lord  is simply calling you home

He was a man of great integrity and had worked hard to keep his family heritage. He was young yet in his years, only mid 60’s.
It is so difficult to think of not be able to live long enough to see the grandchildren you so dearly love grow up.

But I can relate to the fact that my mom , my children's grandma was called home to soon for us as well.

My children respected this man. He had a great since of humor and a real since of life. My boys would take advantage of a rainy day on the farm to ride their bikes over to the neighbor’s and hang out in his shed while he worked on some machinery that was in dire need of repair. As many farmers need to do on a rainy day…“We would talk for hours” my son told me “about  farm stuff and the local gossip”.

The farm across the road was only a bike ride down the lane and a quick turn to the left and up the lane on the right. I too remember this ride ….I had made the trip in my younger days to visit the neighbor and his kids who were close to my age.
My mom and his wife were friends, this family too had heritage. You see all of our lives were connected in some way. Our ancestors had created a community…one of which is hard to find these days.

Garlic...a great flavor

Slice a few cloves and put into a bottle of white wine vinegar with some fresh chives and parsley. Let sit for a few days before using.

Salad Dressing: Mix 1 part infused vinegar with 3 parts extra virgin olive oil, add pinch of salt and cracked pepper and some honey for sweetness.

Whether you rule garlic with a gentle or firm hand determines the amount and type of flavor you get. Here are some taste tips:

Gently peel and use cloves whole to impart just a hint of garlic flavor.

Slice cloves lengthwise for mild flavor or for those long-cooking dishes.

Mince cloves for medium flavor or for your quick-cooking dishes.

Firmly push cloves through a garlic press for the strongest flavor. If you don't have a garlic press, put your knife to work and finely chop the garlic. Remember, the smaller the pieces, the more pungent the flavor. Sprinkle the chopped garlic with a bit of salt, because salt pulls out liquid from the chopped garlic. Then firmly rub the salted chopped garlic with the side of your knife blade, further crushing it.

Garlic needs lots of air circulation to last in storage

Whole bulbs of store-bought garlic will keep for several months or more when stored at room temperature in a dry, dark place that has ample air circulation. Keep in mind, however, that garlic's lifetime decreases once you start removing cloves from the bulb.

Storing garlic uncovered, such as in a wire-mesh basket inside your cupboard or beneath a small overturned clay pot, is ideal.

You can also store garlic in a paper bag, egg carton, or mesh bag. Just be sure there is plenty of dry air and little light to inhibit sprouting. To avoid mold, do not refrigerate or store garlic in plastic bags.

Peeling Garlic the Easy Way

To easily peel garlic, slice off each end of a clove. Then, turn your broad chef's knife sideways so the flat side is parallel to your cutting board and the sharp edge is facing away from you. Place your knife this way on top of the clove and give the blade a quick pop with the heel of your hand to lightly crush the garlic clove (you don't want to mash it). The papery skins then rub off easily.

If you're going to peel many garlic cloves at once, drop them into boiling water for 10 to 20 seconds. Then plunge them into cold water. The skins will slide right off between your thumb and forefinger.

Beef Vegetable Soup

The secret ingredient...homemade tomato juice!

You will need 1 ½ - 2 ½ lb’s of good stew meat or cut up some of your own freezer beef. (Depends on how much meat you want in your soup) I use stew meat, the meat cutter has included (specified by me when the steer is butchered)  If I run out of stew meat, I will use some of the sirloin, round or a roast. Just make sure the meat you use has some marbling to it, this is the fat and believe me you want a little bit of fat for flavor. If there is too much fat attached, trim some of it off.

1 ½ -2 ½ lbs Stew Meat
3 t. extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves minced or 1 t. garlic powder
1 t. dried basil
1 t. sea salt
2 T dried parsley or fresh chopped
½ t ground black peppercorns (or to taste)
3 beef bouillon cubes (optional)
4 14 oz cans beef broth
(Or you can boil down some soup bones that your meat cutter has included)
Recipe for broth to follow
1 medium onion
3 bay leaves
3 stalks celery and some of the light leaves
4 stalks carrots
4 medium potatoes
1 can corn (or 2 ears of sweet corn blanched and cut off the cob)
1 small yellow zucchini
1 small green zucchini
Greean green beans or 2 cups fresh picked beans form the garden snapped and chopped
1 qt tomato juice (or one from the pantry that you canned last summer)

Step One:
Brown the meat in the olive oil on med heat until it starts to turn brown
Add the garlic, basil, bay leave, salt, pepper, parsley, ½ of the onion and bouillon cubes to the meat and cook on medium heat till the moisture starts to reduce. (Do not let go dry) add the broth and let the meat and seasoning cook until tender 40-60 minutes
Could be less or more time  (You will need to taste test to see if the meat is getting tender)

As soon as it starts to tender:

Step Two:

Add the chopped potatoes, chopped celery with some of the light green leaves, green beans (if using fresh) carrots, and the other half of the onion

Reduce heat and let simmer until the vegetables begin to tender

20-30 minutes longer

Step three:

Add the corn, green beans (if canned)

Zucchini and tomato juice
Continue to simmer till all is tender

15-20 minutes

Salt and pepper to taste

 

ENJOY!

Meatloaf

Meatloaf…who on earth made the first one? Or better yet, who came up with the fine idea of grinding up some meat, adding fillers and a bit of this and that spices? I really don’t think it matters. Families across this country know that mom’s meatloaf will always bring back a fond memory of being at the table savoring the comfort of that simple dish with mashed potatoes.

Farm life in America had many of these fine stable dishes. If you are fortunate enough to have been raised on a farm you will know the difference between the farmed raised beef you store in that big chest freezer in the basement and the kind brought home from the local grocery.

The difference of course is the taste; the beef we grew up on was much leaner and had no additives, except for the liver and tongue that might have been thrown in the mixture. (This would only happen when mom decided she didn’t want the organ meats) And yes, she actually cooked up tongue. That is a whole other story…

Oh…and that freezer in the basement. It was big enough to store a whole beef and still had room for the corn we would freeze up every summer. It was one heck of a freezer. It was not a self defrosting freezer like most all freezers today. When it came late Winter-early Spring we would clean it out and put what was left up stairs in the back porch freezer. Unplug it for several days to let the ice melt off and physically climb inside with a bucket and rags to sop up the water. It was a real chore, one of which I was not particularly fond of. I was glad it was just a once a year job.

But like so many of us who reach a certain age we look back on these dreaded chores with a fond smile of knowing it was these tasks that shaped us into who we are today.

Remembering Hot Chocolate

Hot Chocolate, who doesn’t love this hot creamy delicious drink on a cold snowy day or on one of those damp dreary days winter seems to offer us on a regular basis.

Of course the best hot chocolate in my opinion is the use of real milk and cream warmed up in a pan on top the stove with some chunks of chocolate, chocolate syrup or chocolate powder added and a hint of vanilla extract.

I would love to come in from being outside and have a cup…it always tasted so special when mom made it. Probably because you knew it came from the heart. This was especially true when we would return home from the neighbor’s pond on Sunday afternoons after ice skating or playing a game of (disorderly) hockey. It seemed like dad would take us every weekend back then, this was the early 1970’s. Just doesn’t seem to be enough ice these days?

At least there is still plenty of hot chocolate to go around. Here is a simple tasty recipe for a hot chocolate mix. It makes a lot so get a gallon size or larger container to store it in.
This makes a great gift idea also. I put some mix in a decorative tin and buy a nice coffee mug to coordinate with it, really nice at Christmas time. Put a few cinnamon or peppermint sticks with it….yum!

You will need:

1 box of powder milk (the one that makes 8 qts)
16 oz. premium coffee creamer
1 lb. powder sugar
2 lb. Chocolate drink mix

Mix well

Add 1/3 cup of the mix to one cup of hot water and stir with a cinnamon stick

Enjoy!

Store in an airtight container in a cool dry place
Will last for several months

Great surprise gift to send to your college student!

Winter in Ohio...beautiful!

Potato Corn Chowder

Potato Corn Chowder

By The Gourmet Farm Girl

Step One

8-9 medium sized peeled Russet potatoes, Yukon Gold or White potatoes
1 Qt. of water
4 Chicken Bouillon cubes
3 cans chicken stock
2-3 stalks of chopped celery and a few light green celery leaves (chopped)
1 small chopped onion
½ t. salt (or more to taste)
Pinch of white pepper
3 bay leaves

Simmer all the above till the potatoes are tender, start smashing a few of the potatoes against the side of the pan as they simmer.

This will help to thicken the broth

About 30-40 minutes

Step Two

When all is tender & soft, remove the bay leaves and add:

1 can of creamed corn
1 can of kernel corn
Or 2 cans of kernel corn
(The best corn to use is some fresh sweet corn picked from the corn patch or from your local farmers market__3-4 ears would work depending on their size)
4 T. Butter

Simmer 10—12 min’s longer

Step Three

Add 1 pt. of half and half
½ t. ground black pepper
4 T. of cornstarch dissolved in cold water (mix it well before pouring into soup)
Reduce heat and simmer till thick
5-8 minutes longer

Serve immediately topped off with; shredded cheddar cheese, fried bacon bits & chopped green onions and some cracked pepper.

Serves 6-8


Alterations:

Add left over mashed potatoes to thicken soup in step three

Add chunks of cooked smoked ham in step two

Add some leeks in step one

Serve with fresh baked bread and a garden salad.

ENJOY!

Welcome to my Blog

Hello and welcome to my blog about farm life in America and the great food that goes with it!

I was raised on a dairy and grain farm in northern Ohio. I spent many days in the kitchen with grandma and mom cooking up dinner and supper.

I have learned to take simple basic foods and add my own flair to make dishes that are well…let’s just say that is where the name Gourmet Farm Girl originates.

When I was growing up we called the noon meal dinner because it was the biggest meal of the day. The reason was that the men were out working early after breakfast and were quite hungry by noon and needed a substantial meal to finish out their day. Supper was the evening meal after chores and was lighter. Either way, the food was home made goodness usually fresh from the garden or off the pantry shelf.

I raised my 3 children with a strong connection to the farm and they became a part of America’s farm kids, working on the farm, showing livestock at the county fair and sharing in family heritage.

They were fortunate in the fact they built strong bonds with their grand-parents and even their great grand-parents. It is rare in today’s world to have such an opportunity. I feel fortunate and they realize this fortune also. As our lives keep changing and the world keeps moving we as a family look back many times to the very essence of the farm life that shaped our futures and our characters.

The farm is still in operation today, it has a long history. Built from German immigrants in the early 1800’s it has many stories and many great meals to share.

My children have asked me many times to write down my recipes, so let's begin!

Deb

The Gourmet Farm Girl