Posts Tagged ‘Blueberry Jam’
Breakfast in a Basket
A quick trip into the garden gave me the beginnings of a summer frittata. Now all I have to add is a few herbs, a slice of toast with homemade blueberry jam, some country style sausage made last fall and I’ll have a breakfast fit for a farm girl with a full day worth of work ahead of her.
27-Days of Change
WEEK 1:
So far the first week of our 27-day challenge has been an easy one thanks to a well stocked pantry and freezer. The trick has been to use what we already have in new and interesting ways. New marinades, different seasoning combinations or interesting cooking methods can bring new life to routine meals.
For breakfast Brianne and I have poached eggs on toast. The eggs are collected daily from our own hens and the bread is baked from ingredients I have on hand. Brianne eats an extra piece of toast with blueberry jam, canned last summer from berries picked a few miles up the road. It is the perfect start to our morning (and our challenge).
I contacted my friend Angela who buys raw milk from a private dairy. It’s not in the county, but I think it will be within a hundred miles; still waiting on a response.
Lunch has been egg salad sandwiches on baked bread with sliced peaches canned this past fall from our own peach tree or chicken salad made from broilers we raised by hand, processed ourselves and frozen to sustain us throughout the year. While running errands to the feed store we snacked on Grandpa’s homemade venison jerky, made last fall from his wild harvest, and lemonade made from my neighbors lemon tree.
One of our dinners this past week was grilled lamb chops with an Asian marinade, sticky rice and cucumber salad drizzled with rice vinegar. The cucumbers were hydroponically grown and came from the farm market. The lamb was home raised and harvested last fall, and the rice and other marinade ingredients came from the pantry. We washed it all down with a refreshing glass of mint tea, fresh picked from the garden right before brewing.
All-in-all this week has been a great start to our 27-day challenge.
Asian Marinated Lamb Chops
1 pound shoulder chops (any chop will work)
1 cup soy sauce
1 Tablespoon fresh minced garlic
¼ cup brown sugar
1 Tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
½ Teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 Scallion, sliced thin
½ Can crushed pineapple
- Combine all ingredients except lamb chops to make marinade.
- Place chops in baking dish and cover with marinade. Cover and let sit for 3 or more hours.
- Grill until about medium doneness, but still pink in the middle.
- On stove, cook down marinade for topping on rice.
Frittatas
We all know that when life gives you lemons you make lemonade. But, what about when life give you too many eggs? I pondered that question this afternoon when I pulled a basket full of eggs out of the chicken coop. I couldn’t believe it, there were eggs in every nesting box. And, we have ten. I looked at the pile, then looked at the hens and wondered what kind of super human – I mean super chicken – effort did such a feat take. Then I wondered what the hell I was going to do with all those eggs.
After a few quizzical moments it came to me – Frittata.
Frittatas are similar to quiches on the inside, but don’t have a crust. They are firm and thick like omelets and can contain any variety of chopped meat or vegetables. They are the Italian version of an omelet.
Now I was on a mission. I took the eggs into the kitchen and set them on the counter. When I opened the fridge, staring me in the face were three dozen more eggs to go along with today’s haul. What the hell were my hens eating or doing that they produced this many eggs. Or, was it that we were not eating eggs often enough. How could that be though? I have eggs and toast almost every day for breakfast. Moving on with my mission, I rummaged through the fridge and pulled out parmesan cheese, spinach, asparagus, and onion. This would be the base for my frittata. I would use bacon instead of ham, fry up some potatoes and have toast with homemade blueberry jam. It was beginning to sound like breakfast for dinner, but didn’t care. I was going to use up at least 6 eggs, maybe even 10.
The basic recipe I used is below. Any combination of ingredients can be added with success. Even the cheese can be changed. Try Monterey Jack, White Cheddar or Swiss. Frittatas are a great way to use veggies and small amounts of meat to make a nutritious and satisfying meal. For a wonderful weekend brunch pair your Frittata with a nice green salad. Read the rest of the story »
Eating like Kings
We woke up this morning to the sound of pounding rain. In my previous life (before my world revolved around gardens and livestock and feeding) waking up to rain was one of my favorite things—contemplative and simple. Today however, it means sloshing in a downpour to take care of damp and hungry animals. But, we have developed a blueprint for mornings such as these. First, we bundle ourselves in layers of warm clothes, then cover it all with a barn coat and mud boots, ready to face any angry morning. We greet the dogs cheerfully, taking a few minutes to rub bellies and kiss wet noses before we make the mad dash out to the barn. The dogs watch patiently from the doorway. Cowards!
The weekend was delicious. A home cooked breakfast of farm fresh eggs, laid by our feisty pack of hens; handmade Breakfast Sausage we learned to make from our friendly butcher Kent; and warm buttermilk biscuits smothered with butter and homemade blueberry jam or topped with local honey. It makes venturing out into any angry winter morning easier when there’s a hot breakfast waiting when you return.
It hits me once in a while that so many of our meals come from our backyard. We spent the weekend devouring farm eggs for breakfast, soup made from our own chickens for lunch and a hearty lamb tagine for dinner. In a few months there will be greens and peas from the garden for salads and early berries for cobbler or popovers. Savoring every bite makes all the sweat and blisters and achy muscles worth it. Really!
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Aenean nonummy hendrerit mauris. Phasellus porta.