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Join The Gourmet Farm Girl Product Sampling
at

The Galena Vault Grand Opening
and Ribbon Cutting

Date: April 5, 2014

Time: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Website: http://www.galenavault.com/

Registration: Register Online

Please join us as we welcome The Galena Vault to our community!
Come for their Grand Opening beginning at 10:00 a.m. At 12:00 noon we will host a Ribbon Cutting with Galena Mayor Tom Hopper.

We hope you can join us to see what The Galena Vault has to offer!

The Galena Vault
9 Columbus St.
Galena, Ohio

It’s FREE!

New Location… Read More »

Cheesy Meatballs with Tomato and Herb Sauce

By The Gourmet Farm Girl

1 pound ground beef

1/2 pound pork sausage (mild)

1 small onion chopped

3 tablespoons ketchup

1 egg

1 cup soft bread crumbs (gound fine)

1 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon dried mustard

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon ground garlic

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 pound fresh mozzarella cheese (cut into small chunks)

1 cup Gruyere cheese (shredded)

Small bunch of flat leaf parsley and purple basil for garnish

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray; set aside

In a large mixing bowl combine all of the above; except the cheese.

Place 2-3 tablespoon of the meatball mixture in the bottoms of the muffin tin. Gently press some of the meat mixture up on the sides to form a pocket.

Place a chunk of the mozzarella cheese into each pocket. Cover with remaining meatball mixture to form a ball.

Place the muffin tin on a heavy cookie sheet (to catch any greese that may run out) bake in the oven for 25 minutes; remove pan from the oven and with a large spoon turn each meat ball over to expose the bottoms. Return to the oven for an additional 5 minutes to brown the bottoms.

Remove from the oven and turn each meatball right side up and top with the grated Gruyere cheese.

Place spaghetti noodles on plate and place 2-3 meatballs on top; cover with Tomato and Herb Sauce; garnish with fresh chopped flat leaf parsley.

Yields: 10 meatballs

While meatball are in the oven make the following sauce and cook your favorite pasta according to package directions.

Tomato Sauce with Herbs

By The Gourmet Farm Girl

1 29 ounce can tomato sauce

1 small onion chopped

2 teaspoons dried basil

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon granulated garlic

1 Tablespoon dried parsley

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

In a large deep skillet over medium heat drizzle 2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil; sauté chopped onions for 2-3 minutes till soft. Add the tomato sauce, herbs, brown sugar, salt and pepper.

Cover with a tilted lid to allow some of the steam to escape. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes; stirring often.

ENJOY!

Moist and Cheesy Meatballs… Read More »

Lentil and Vegetable Soup

By The Gourmet Farm Girl

4 slices smoked bacon (chopped)

1 tablespoon butter

2 stalks celery (chopped)

1 leek or onion (chopped)

1 small Chinese eggplant (chopped) optional

2 medium carrots (chopped)

2 quarts low-sodium chicken stock or low sodium vegetable broth

2 small potatoes (chopped)

3 bay leaves

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1 1/2 cups lentils

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper

In a large stock pot over medium heat brown the bacon till almost crisp; remove the bacon pieces and drain on a paper towel. Reserve 1-2 tablespoons bacon fat in the pot.

Add the butter, celery, leek or onion, eggplant and carrots, cook for 4-5 minutes. Add the stock, potatoes, bay leaves, thyme, garlic, oregano and basil, reduce heat to simmer and cook for 8-10 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Add lentils and continue to cook till lentils are soft; 20-30 minutes, stir often. Return the bacon pieces to the pot, add salt at this point (if desired) When ready to serve remove the bay leaves and top with sour cream and fresh parsley.

Serves 6-8

The Warmth of Homemade Soup… Read More »

I have been asked to share this recipe again.
Going into the holiday season it’s a perfect dessert!

Blood Orange Nut and Spice Cake

By The Gourmet Farm Girl

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

¾ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

¾ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

2/3 cup of The Gourmet Farm Girl Blood Orange Infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil

¾ cup brown sugar

1 cup buttermilk

3 eggs beaten

¾ cup chopped walnuts

1-1/2 cups chopped pecans or additional walnuts for garnish

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees

Grease and flour two 9 inch cake pans; set aside

In a large mixing bowl combine the first 7 ingredients. Add the oil, brown sugar and buttermilk, blend for 2 minutes. Add the beaten eggs and blend for an additional 2 minutes; stir in walnuts. Pour mix into pans and bake for 30-35 minutes till golden; allow to cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack before removing from pans.

Orange Butter Cream Frosting

7 tablespoons butter at room temperature

4-4 ½ cups powdered sugar

¼ cup of The Gourmet Farm Girl Blood Infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 teaspoon zest from a fresh orange

Juice from one orange

In a medium size mixing bowl whip the butter for 20-30 seconds till creamy. Add the powdered sugar, oil and zest; continue to blend slowly adding the juice; continue till light and fluffy.

Note: add more powdered sugar if frosting is to thin or more juice if frosting is too thick.

Frost the cake; to garnish, press the chopped pecans or additional walnuts around the side of the cake. Garnish the top with thin shavings of fresh orange peel.

ENJOY!

It’s Baking Season… Read More »

Sunburst Squash with Vegetables and Bacon

over Potato Cakes

By The Gourmet Farm Girl

4 small Sunburst Squash

4 strips smoked bacon

2 cups fresh spinach leaves

1 cup Panko bread crumbs

2 ears of fresh sweet corn (cut kernel’s off the cob)
or use 1 cup canned corn

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 tablespoons dried oregano

1 tablespoons dried parsley

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoons pepper

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 tablespoons pure honey

4 cups of mashed potatoes (great idea for leftovers)

4 sprigs fresh oregano leaves

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Cut out the stem of the squash and set aside; scoop out the seeds and discard.

Fry bacon till crisp; drain and cut into small pieces; set aside.

Press some of the spinach leaves into the bottom of each squash. Mix together the bacon, bread crumbs, sweet corn, cheddar cheese, oregano, parsley, salt and pepper. Stuff each shell with some of the mixture, place one tablespoon butter on top and drizzle each squash with a tablespoon of honey.

Place the squash on a heavy baking sheet (with edges) and pour 2 cups of water onto the pan.

Bake for at least 1 hour or till squash is soft.

Note: to speed up the baking process; microwave the squash for 10-12 minutes before stuffing.

During the last 15 minutes before the squash is done baking; form the potatoes into patties and fry in 2-3 tablespoons of butter for 5-7 minutes on each side over medium high heat till crispy and brown.

Garnish each squash with a small sprig of oregano and serve over the potatoes (add extra steamed spinach- if desired)

Serves four

It’s Squash Season… Read More »

I have returned from Europe, thought I would share some photos of the trip. Here are a few of the sights from England…

Have a great day!

“The Gourmet Farm Girl”

From Across the Pond… Read More »

Patty Pan Squash is also known as the Scallop Squash

This fun shape of squash once stuffed with meats and veggies is a meal in a bowl.

Baked Patty Pan with Fresh Spinach

and Sausage Stuffing

by The Gourmet Farm Girl

2 medium size Patty Pan Squash
2 cups fresh spinach leaves (packed)
3-4 tablespoons of The Gourmet Farm Girl Italian Herb EVOO

1 lb ground pork
1 Tablespoon of The Gourmet Farm Girl House Seasoning
1 small onion (chopped)
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley (Italian Flat Leaf)
1 large tomato (chopped)
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
1 cup shredded Gruyere Cheese (divided)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Wash the squash and cut out the tops removing the seeds; with a spoon or melon baller scoop out some of the squash to create a bowl. Reserve these pieces; chop and set aside

Place the squash bowls upside down in a large baking dish with ½ cup of water and bake

in the oven for 15-20 minutes till the squash is heated through and begins to soften.

While the squash is in the oven:

Wash spinach leaves; measure out 2 cups (be sure to pack the cup with leaves

they will wilt down) place in a large size mixing bowl and set aside

In a medium size skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat; add the pork, seasoning, onion

and parsley; stir and cook till well blended and sausage is no longer pink; add the squash pieces and tomato; cook for an additional 5-7 minutes.

Remove from heat and pour the sausage mixture over the spinach leaves; add the bread crumbs and half of the cheese; mix well

Remove squash from the oven and turn right side up in the same baking dish; spoon the stuffing mixture into each squash; return to oven for 15-20 minutes; remove and add the extra cheese and bake for an additional 3-5 minutes till cheese is melted and slightly brown.

Serves 2-4

Pattypan… Pattypan! Read More »

October…one of the most beautiful months in the year.
There are many changes in nature taking place and still so much beauty left from summer to enjoy.