Only a few more months.... 

We shall feel the warmth...

Not sure about you...but I have cabin fever!

Always remember...

In the quietness you will find your strength!

 

ENJOY your day!

Photos taken by The Gourmet Farm Girl June 2010

Is it Cold?

Yep...It's still winter.

Make the Most of your days....

ENJOY!

from...The Gourmet Farm Girl

Photo by Hoard's Dairyman

Easy Supper Idea...

Stuffed Portabella with Chicken and Cheese

By The Gourmet Farm Girl



2- Large Portabella mushrooms
1- Chicken breast
¼ cup Panko bread crumbs (or regular bread crumbs)
2 sprigs of  fresh Thyme
1/2 teaspoon Farm Girl House Seasoning or salt and pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons red onion chopped
¼ cup chopped celery
2 Tablespoons white wine
1 14 oz can chicken broth
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese blend

Clean the mushrooms with a dry paper towel; remove stem and gills from the under side; Set aside

Chop the chicken breast into bite size pieces; in a skillet over medium heat drizzle olive oil over chicken and add the dry seasonings; cook till done; 5-7 minutes; remove from heat and set aside

In a separate skillet over medium heat melt the butter; add the onions, celery and the leaves from the thyme; sauté till tender; 3-5 minutes; add the white wine and half the chicken broth and continue to simmer for 1-2 minutes

Pour this mixture along with the cooked chicken into a mixing bowl; add the bread crumbs and all but 2 Tablespoons of the cheese. Mix gently, add more chicken broth if needed. Mixture should be moist.

Stuff each mushroom with the mixture and place on a heavy baking sheet with edges; pour the remaining chicken broth into the pan and bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes till the mushrooms are tender and the filling is hot.

Remove from oven and top with remaining cheese; return to oven and broil just till golden on top

Serves 2

Double if serving more

ENJOY!

Good Morning...

Watch your thoughts; they become words

Watch your words; they become actions

Watch your actions; they become habits

Watch your habits; they become your character  

Watch your character; it becomes your destiny...

Author Unknown

Have a Blessed Sunday...

from

The Gourmet Farm Girl

The Classic Smoothie...

This just oozes healthy!

Fruit and Greek Yogurt Smoothie

By The Gourmet Farm Girl

1 cup plain Greek Yogurt

1/2 cup milk

3-4 Tablespoons Pure Honey

1 cup of your favorite fruit

5-6 Ice-cubes (optional)

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend till smooth. Add ice cubes if a thinner consistency is desired.

So simple and delicious!

Yields 1-2 servings depending on glass size

Treasures from the Attic...

Sometimes life is not about the food. 

When growing up on the farm I used to love to climb the old winding staircase that took me to the top of the house…the Attic.

The attic was full of treasures, at least that is how it appeared to me.

There was one light at the top of the stairs; a single bulb that hung on an old long cloth electric cord with a pull string. Once the light was on I could transport it right along with me to move about the whole upper floor.

The attic was packed full of old trunks full of clothes and letters; furniture and stacks of books and pictures; over a century's worth of my ancestors possessions. There was a real since of mystery and I was always intrigued as to what I would discover.

This year I will be sharing with you more of the treasures I discovered many years ago. I have in my possession many of the relics that once belonged to those who lived in the old farm house long before me.

These beautiful dolls were discovered in an old wicker baby buggy (my father's) that was tucked away in a corner. I remember being somewhat startled when I moved the heavy coverlet that was draped over the opening of the buggy. The one doll’s head was tangled inside of it and it split into two pieces…I reacted quickly enough to save it from hitting the wooden floor boards. These little girls had been tucked away for many years. Their hair was matted and missing some locks. Their dresses were full of dirt and torn. Yet their precious porcelain faces were perfect, despite the fact that one was split in half.

Long story short…I found a collector of porcelain dolls who also did restoration. He magically repaired the head and ordered new wigs for both of them. He cleaned and touched up any detail that was necessary and behold…I had two beautiful porcelain dolls; minus some clothes.

From here I found a dressmaker for dolls. She looked at the cloth and pattern of what they were originally adorned in and made these girls new dresses, petticoats and shoes. Except for the blonde doll, she still has her original shoes.  I never imagined that they would turn out to look so grand. Neither did my grandpa, he said they had belonged to my grandmother when she was a little girl. There markings show that they were made in Germany in the early 1900’s. I never gave them names; I called them pink lady and blue lady

Here is what my research found on the Internet.

Blue lady: Schoenau and Hoffmeister 1901-25. Schoenau and; Hoffmeister used 1906, 1909, 1916, and 1923 (among others) as numbers on their dolls. They may represent the years in which the doll was produced. Marked Germany S star PB H 1909-mine has the number 5 under the star.


Pink Lady: George Borgfeldt and; Company was located in New York (1881-1950's) was founded by George Borgfeldt (1833-1903) along with Marcell and Joseph L. Kahle, as an importer and assembler of dolls for the American and Canadian doll markets (in other words they did not manufacturer their own dolls). They held the distributing rights to many dolls from European manufacturers such as: Buschow and; Beck, Handwerck, Käthe Kruse, Kammer and; Reinhardt, Kestner, Armand Marseille and Steiff. They also distributed American dolls for; Aetna Doll Company, Georgene Averill, Sol Bergfeld and; Son, Dreamland Doll, Cameo Doll Company and K and; K Toy Co. (owned by Borgfeldt). Some dolls distributed by this company may have a "G. B." marking on them; others will not and have only the marking from the manufacturer. Mine has Germany- G B as the only marking

True Treasures...


By The Gourmet Farm Girl

Enjoy this day!

Healthy and delicious...

Lemon Peppered Cod with Thai Basil

By The Gourmet Farm Girl


1 pound cod fillets
1 medium size lemon
2-3 sprigs Thai Basil plus 2-3 extra for garnish
½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
½ teaspoon cheyenne pepper
5-6 Tablespoons butter
Salt to taste

Preheat grill or oven to 400 degrees

Place 2-3 tablespoons of butter on a large piece of aluminum foil; place the cod fillets on top of the butter; fold up the edges to form a tray. Sprinkle with cheyenne, black pepper and salt; place the additional pats of butter, lemon slices and basil on top of the fish.

If grilling place the foil tray with fish directly on the grids; if baking, place the foil tray on a baking sheet. (Some of the juices tend to run out)

Grill or bake for 10-12 minutes till the cod begins to flake, remove from heat and place on a large serving plate, slide the fish off with a spatula; garnish with additional sprigs of fresh Thai basil.

Serves 2-3

ENJOY!

Good Morning...

Humans can reproduce only human life,

but the Holy Spirit gives new life from heaven.

John 3:6

Have a blessed Sunday...

The Gourmet Farm Girl

Drunken Mussels 

By The Gourmet Farm Girl

2- 2 1/2 pounds Fresh Mussels (beards removed)

4-5 garlic cloves chopped

2-3 hot peppers or chilies

1 red onion chopped

1 1/2 cups chopped bell peppers (yellow, orange and green)

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2-3 Tablespoons butter

1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with chilies 

2 teaspoons cumin

1-2 Tablespoons dried cilantro or 3-4 Tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

2- 12 oz bottles of beer (Dos Equis, Modelo, Tecate or Corona's)

In a large stock pot over medium to medium high heat melt the butter and olive oil; add the onions, garlic cloves and peppers; sauté till tender, 4-5 minutes; add the canned tomatoes and cumin; continue to cook for 2-3 minutes; pour the beer into the pot and let heat up for 2-3 minutes; add the mussels, give a quick stir and cover. Cook mussels for 8-10 minutes till all are open (discard any that did not open) 

Add the cilantro; stir and serve immediately in a large bowl with some of the broth and toasted or crusty bread for dipping.

Serves 3-4

Farm Girl BBQ...

When Red Gold Tomatoes contacted me about using their tomatoes in some of my recipes (see post on Dec.30) they also sent me some of their wonderful ketchup.

I made ribs on New Years Day and needed some BBQ Sauce. So here is what I came up with using Red Gold Tomato Ketchup.

It was a success!  

BBQ Sauce

By The Gourmet Farm Girl

2 cups Red Gold Tomato Ketchup

1/4 cup canola oil

3 fresh green onions (finely chopped)  

1 teaspoon granulated garlic

2/3 cup water

2 Tablespoons chili powder

1 Tablespoons smoked paprika

2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon smoked sea salt

1 teaspoon cracked black pepper

In a medium size sauce pan over medium heat add the ingredients listed one by one and stir continuously till blended. Cover and reduce to simmer; let cook for 20-30 minutes stirring on occasion.

Remove from heat and use as desired

Yields approx 3 cups

ENJOY!

Note: Ribs were rubbed first in The Gourmet Farm Girl BBQ Rub; slow cooked then grilled with several coatings of BBQ Sauce.

New Year Tradition...

Sauerkraut balls are a tradition in Northern Ohio. Mostly due to all of the German heritage...

 including my own. These beauties are delicious and easy to make.

Sauerkraut Balls with Stone Ground Mustard

By The Gourmet Farm Girl

½ pound mild Italian sausage

2 Tablespoons chopped green onion
1 cup sauerkraut (drained)
4 oz cream cheese
1 egg (slightly beaten)
1-2 Tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon dry mustard
Ground black pepper and sea salt to taste

1 cup milk
1 egg (slightly beaten)
2 cups dry (unseasoned) bread crumbs (Panko)
Peanut Oil for frying

Cook the sausage and onions in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until the sausage is done; 5-7 minutes. (Break up the sausage with a fork as it cooks) Remove from heat; add the sauerkraut, cream cheese, 1 egg, 1 Tablespoon flour and mustard; salt and pepper to taste; mix together well.

Note: Add one more Tablespoon flour if needed to keep mixture together

Roll into 1 inch balls; place on a plate; cover with wax paper and place in the freezer until partially frozen; 40-45 minutes

In a medium size bowl whisk the milk and the egg together; dip each ball into the mixture and roll in bread crumbs.  Fry the balls in hot oil till golden brown; 5-6 minutes; remove from oil with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel.

Serve as is or with Stone Ground Mustard

Makes 12-15 balls

ENJOY!

Welcome 2011

As winter continues to set in; may we see it's beauty through the cold...



As we anticipate the coming of spring may we enjoy each day given...



May your New Year be full of peace and happiness...

The Gourmet Farm Girl