Memorial Weekend 2010

Be strong and of good courage; be not afraid...for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

Joshua 1:9

Let us not forget...

Enjoy your day...The Gourmet Farm Girl

Pan Fried Talapia

By The Gourmet Farm Girl



1-2 lbs of Talapia fillets (1 lb feeds two people)
1 cup flour
2-3 T. Old Bay Seasoning (adjust to amount of fish you are preparing)
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix flour and Old Bay together and coat each piece of fish lightly with the mix
Salt and pepper; in a large non-stick skillet on medium to medium high heat melt together 2-3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and 2-3 Tablespoons butter; add fish fillets and fry for 2-3 minutes on each side till flakey.

See how simple that was...Enjoy!

The Garden in Finished...

A Garden of the Lord

Oh, to have one's soul under heavy cultivation, no wilderness, but a garden of the Lord, walled around by grace, planted by instruction, visited by love, weeded by heavenly discipline, and guarded by divine power. One's soul thus favored is prepared to yield fruit to the glory of God.

--- Charles Spurgeon

Enjoy your day!  

 The Gourmet Farm Girl

Rice Pialf

My husband makes the best rice pilaf I have ever had. It was his mother’s recipe. I remember when I first met Brian, he made me dinner. He made a grilled chicken salad with rice pilaf. I was very impressed! Now when we have rice I always use his recipe, and sometimes I even have him make it.

Rice Pilaf

By The Gourmet Farm Girl

2 -3 Tablespoons Butter

1/8 cup of tiny egg noodles

1 14 oz can of Chicken Broth

1 cup long grain rice

Heat the chicken broth in a small pan till hot; lower heat and let sit; at the same time place the butter in a 2 qt. pan on medium heat add the tiny eggs noodles to the butter and brown, stir continually

(Be careful not to get them to hot and burn)

As soon as the noodles are brown pour the hot broth in the pot along with the rice. Give it a quick stir and cover, reduce heat to simmer for 25-30 minutes

Serves 6-8 

The Gourmet Farm Girl Has a New Garden...

It is now our second Summer here...and this Farm Girl has a new garden... 

At least the beginning of it... 

Stop by again... I'm doing more and will share the details!

ENJOY your evening...

Just Another Day...

I found this brownie recipe years ago in a magazine. I remember making brownies for my kids. My daughter coming home from after school activities and the boys coming home from working at the farm and indulging in a chocolate brownie, or in their case the pan of brownies...

The Best Brownies

1 1/2 sticks of butter                                                                          
4 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1 1/2 cups sugar

2/14 tsp vanilla extract (use real extract)
2 eggs
1 cup flour
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
2 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3/4 T milk

In a large heavy saucepan on low heat, melt 8 T of butter and the chocolate, stirring constantly

Remove from heat and add the sugar, 2 tsp vanilla and the eggs, one at a time

Blend in the flour and nuts; Pour into a greased 8 inch square pan and spread out; Bake in a 400 degree oven for 18-20 minutes or till the brownies start to pull from the sides of the pan

Frosting

In a medium size bowl beat with an electric mixer the remaining butter and vanilla until smooth and creamy

on low speed gradually add the powdered sugar and cocoa, alternating with the milk ( you may need to adjust the milk, I add a bit more) Beat till fluffy

Frost the brownies when still warm...

ENJOY!

The Gourmet Farm Girl

Spring Rain...

Good Morning...after more Spring rain the sun is out and shinning this Sunday May 23,2010

Photos from earlier in the week after the rain...

The waking earth at Springtime

Reminds us it is ture That nothing ever really dies That is not born anew...

So trust GOD'S ALL-WISE WISDOM 

And doubt THE FATHER never, For in HIS HEAVENLY KINGDOM There is NOTHING LOST FOREVER!

Helen Steiner Rice 

The Gourmet Farm Girl

ENJOY YOUR DAY!

Great on the Grill...



Grilled Australian Sea Salted Orange Roughy with

 Lemon and Parsley

By The Gourmet Farm Girl

2 or 4 Orange Roughy Fillets
Australian Pink Sea Salt (or Kosher)
Cracked Black Pepper
1 T Fresh or Dried Parsley
4 or 6 Slices of Lemon
4 or 6 pats of Butter

Spray a piece of aluminum foil with cooking oil and place fish fillets on foil; top with the salt, pepper, lemon, butter and parsley.

Place another piece of foil on top and seal edges to form a tent.

Place on grill at 400 degrees and cook for 10-12 minutes

Remove from heat and let sit for 2-3 minutes.

Serve with rice and your favorite vegetable

Makes 2 or 4 servings

Enjoy!

The Spring Garden keeps on giving...

I picked some radishes today... I picked a lot of radishes today...so my next project is to come up with a recipe to use these distinctive pungent little root veggies…

Did you know the leaves can be used as a leaf vegetable, try some in your salad.

Radishes are rich in ascorbic acid, folic acid, and potassium. They are a good source of vitamin B6, riboflavin, magnesium, copper, and calcium. One cup of sliced red radish bulbs provides approximately 20 calories, largely from carbohydrates.

Visit again...I hope to have a new a unique idea for radishes...

The Gourmet Farm Girl

Three Days of Rain brought a Great Sense of New Life…the Trees are so full of Life and Moisture!

The view from my back porch…

Photographed at 7:30 am May 19 2010

 Peaceful and Understanding...the Art and very Essence  of Nature!

ENOY!

 The Gourmet Farm Girl

Spring Salad continued...

Peppered Pork Tenderloin

The Gourmet Farm Girl

This is a great way to season meat and slice into medallions for a salad topping or keep refrigerated for later use on sandwiches

If you like pepper you will like this one; it is quite peppery to eat as is but on top of a fresh salad or layered with lettuce and cheese for a sandwich it works very well.

1-2 lb Pork Tenderloin
¼ cup cracked black pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ cup corn starch
2 eggs beaten
1-2 tablespoon milk

Heat oven or grill to 400 degrees; mix pepper, garlic and salt together and pour the cracked pepper mixture onto a large plate and set aside; pour the cornstarch on to another large plate and dredge the tenderloin in the corn starch till covered white; beat the eggs and milk together in a large size bowl and dip the pork into the egg mixture till covered; remove and place on the plate with the cracked pepper mix and coat the tenderloin with the seasoning.

 This process will guarantee that your seasoning will stick to the meat.

You can use this method on other meats also; chicken works well and is especially tasty on a salad.

Bake uncovered on a sprayed sheet pan in oven for 20-25 minutes or grill for 25-30 minutes

Remove and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing or wrap and chill in the refrigerator till ready to use.

Makes 5-6 servings

Enjoy!

Visit to the Spring Garden...

Sunday was a beautiful day compared to today's rain; I managed to get the rest of my Summer garden planted, this rain will be a welcome to my plants!

Garden Spring Salad

The Gourmet Farm Girl

I picked spinach today...matter of fact I picked a lot of spinach today...I picked butter lettuce, red leaf lettuce, black Simpson lettuce and red onions…I guess tonight’s supper is going to be a salad!

Salads are an everyday plate at our dinner table. Even if you do not grow your own lettuce, the availability of leaf lettuce at the market is amazing considering I grew up mainly on Iceberg head lettuce. It wasn’t till spring or summer that we had the beautiful tender leaves from the garden.

Here is a salad suggestion using your favorite greens and either the Vinaigrette or Classic Celery Seed Dressing posted under Recipes on the left side of the Home page.

 ENJOY!

I added some sliced Peppered Pork Medallions and blanched asparagus with a baked sweet potatoes and crusty garlic toast.

Pork recipe to follow this post 

Family Treasures...

Good Morning... 

Sunday May 16,2010

Family Bibles from Germany 1875 and 1881

Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

I Thessalonians 5:16-18

Have a wonderful day...ENJOY!

Breakfast...Farm Girl style!

Cheesy Egg Omelets with Fresh Spinach, Tomatoes and Avocado

The Gourmet Farm Girl 

 Directions for one omelet:

3 eggs

1 Tablespoon milk                                                   

¼ cup shredded mild cheddar cheese

1-2 tablespoons butter

Non-stick spray

1 avocado chopped

¼ cup chopped fresh spinach; reserve 1 Tablespoon
2 chopped green onions reserve 1-2 Tablespoons
1 small tomato chopped; reserve 1-2 Tablespoons
Salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Whisk eggs and milk together in a small mixing bowl; add salt and pepper, tomatoes, onions and avocado.

 Over medium to high in a non-stick skillet sprayed with cooking spray melt the butter; pour the omelet mixture into the skillet; sprinkle with the cheese and spinach; cook for 2-3 minutes

 Using a rubber spatula, fold the omelet in half and continue to cook for about one minute longer; remove and place on plate; top with reserved spinach, tomatoes and onions

ENJOY!

Tip: If your omelet breaks; the additional toppings will help to hide the flaw

If you look close you can see the sheep out by the barn...my grandpa raised sheep for many years. I can still hear him calling them up to the barn to be fed. He had a high pitch call of “SHEEPIE"!!!!

They would all come running...

Cookie Time...

Chewy Chocolate Cookies

By The Gourment Farm Girl

This recipe has been around for a long time. My mom made these cookies over 30 years ago. I loved them then and still do. Thought it was going to rain today so I decided to bake some cookies. They freeze well so you can eat some now and save some for later.  

Yes...there is BUTTER! 

I try to keep these girls in business... 

1 1/4 cups butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Hershey's cocoa (I used 1/2 cup dark and 1/4 cup regular cocoa)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup finely chopped nuts (optional)

Cream butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl; add eggs and vanilla blend well. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; blend into creamed mixture. Stir in nuts and chocolate chips.

Drop by spoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-9 minutes or 10 minutes if chocolate chips are added. Do not over bake, the cookies will be soft they will puff during baking and flatten during cooling. Cool on cookie sheet till set about one minute; remove to wire rack to cool completely. Makes 3-1/2 to 4 dozen cookies

ENJOY!

Mitchell's Travellers Guide through the United States 1835

175 Years ago...

I found this pocket map many years ago in an old desk on the farm. It now sits in a letter holder on my desk, I have often looked at it and wondered what's it's story...so I decided to do some research on this unique little book and here is what I found out...

A significant map publisher of the developing United States, Samuel Augustus Mitchell (S A Mitchell) was born in 1792.

 His important Travellers’ Guide through the United States was published in 1835 and his atlas of outline maps was published in Philadelphia in 1839. His new Universal Atlas was published from 1846 in a variety of formats.

My map goes to the Missouri Territory. I'm sure this map was used when my great-great-great grandfather come from Lycoming County Pennsylvania to Whetstone Twp. Crawford County Ohio in 1835

They setteled near the town of  Bucyrus, in Crawford County Ohio 

His father, my great-great-great-great grandfather came from Germany to the Port of Philadelphia on the ship Fair America from the Port of Amsterdam in October of 1803 and settled in Hepburn Twp in Lycoming County Pa. till the family moved on west to Ohio.

Notice how BIG this little book becomes...

The index also contains some other interesting information...

The man responsible for these inovative maps: Samuel Augustus Mitchell (1792, Bristol, Connecticut – December 20, 1868, Philadelphia) was an American geographer.

Mitchell worked as a teacher before turning to publish geography textbooks and maps. Sales of his 24 works reached an annual sale of over 400,000 copies

For over 50 years, Samuel Augustus Mitchell and his successors and son were one of the most prominent publishers of maps and atlases in the United States.

Samuel Augustus Mitchell was born in Bristol, Connecticut on March 20, 1792. His father emigrated from Scotland in 1773. While little is known about his early schooling, it is know that Mitchell found the quality of early geography text books to be lacking, and determined that he would write and publish better works. This decision led him to relocate to Philadelphia in 1829 or 1830, which was then the center of commercial publishing in America.

Following publication of the New American Atlas, Mitchell began issuing the individual maps in pocket map format. Beginning in 1834, Mitchell began offering reduced sized Tourist Pocket Maps of a number of states in the United States. J.H. Young and D. Haines are listed as the engravers on these maps. In 1832, Mitchell offered the first edition of his Travellers Guide Through the United States, A Map of the Roads, Distances, Steam Boat & Canal Routes &c. By J.H. Young . . ., which would become one of his most popular and enduring, works. The map of the United States was done by steel engraving, one of the earliest uses of a steel engraving in map publishing in America. In the same year, the first edition of Mitchell’s Map of the United States, by J.H. Young was issued, bearing the copyright date of October10, 1831. This map would be revised and issued until 1844. Young also compiled A New Map of the United States in 1833. These two wall maps would come to dominate the market and their success led to several later US wall maps issued by Mitchell. This second map was also issued under the title of Mitchell’s Reference and Distance Map of the United States, which was issued until 1851.

Here are a couple of websites I found on the subject;

http://www.beauxartsart.com/

http://www.geographicus.com/

I think you will see that I have a valuable little piece of American history as well as a great piece of family nostalgia.

     From the Gourmet Farm Girl personal collection