Fresh Picks from the Farmers Market

So what to do with this?  IF I were a different kind of mom, Eleanor and I would make Cherry/Blueberry pie all smiley and happy in our sweet little kitchen.   BUT I'm not that kind of mom so we'll just eat them out of the bowl!  BUT if YOU are that kind of good, baking kind of mom here's a great recipe for you!

Ingredients

• 2 cups pitted cherries
• 2 cups blueberries, rinsed and drained
• 1 1/4 cups white sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie

• Directions

  1. Mix sugar, flour, and cinnamon in large bowl. Add fruit. Add lemon juice, and stir well.
  2. Pour into a 9 inch unbaked pie shell. Dot with the butter or margarine. Cover with top crust and flute edges. Cut small slits in the top.
  3. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 1 hour. I put a baking sheet under mine to catch any liquid that might bubble over.

  

  image courtesy of pippijewelry

Here's some info about the local farms that grow these beauties!

Cherries from Red Jacket Orchard Located in the Finger Lakes Region of New York State, Red Jacket was originally planted in 1917.  Today, the orchard and juice company is managed by the second and third generation of the Nicholson family. Starting with Joe and Emily Nicholson, Sr. in 1958, they have spent over 50 years mastering the art and science of quality fresh fruit and juice production.
In reverence to the environment, Red Jacket employs Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices and is certified by Food Alliance as a sustainable producer of plums, apricots, and prunes.

Red Jacket Orchards

Blueberries from Migliorelli Far -a family-run fruit and vegetable farm located in Northern Dutchess County in the Hudson Valley Region of New York. Originating in the Bronx in 1933 when Angelo Migliorelli first brought the broccoli raab seeds when he immigrated to New York from the Lazio region of Italy. Migliorelli and his son, Rocco peddled their vegetables by horse and cart up and down the Bronx, sun up to sun down. Eventually Co-Op City was to be built therefore pushing the last of the farmers out of the Bronx. Farming was Rocco’s passion so he brought his family to the Hudson Valley. Now in its 3rd generation, Migliorelli Farm is growing over 130 different varieties of fruits and vegetables, including the same strain of broccoli raab. In 1998, Ken Migliorelli sold all developing rights of his farm to be protected through a Scenic Hudson conservation easement to remain farmland forever and provide scenic beauty and wholesome food to our local community and the greenmarkets of NYC.

Migliorelli Farm

Before & After-lunch/snack equation

Before..

 & after

 DASH+fin Bowl + Back To Nature Classic Granola, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries & milk= yummy lunch/snack!

Cheeseburger Cheeseburger Cheeseburger

Adam from Amateur Gourmet tweeted about this old SNL skit this morning.  It brought me such joy and reminds me why I love NYC. 

c'mon c'mon c'mon CLICK HERE!

Weekend in RI

Had a fun+crazy weekend in RI!  

Of course in typical "Katina-as-of-late" style I messed up the hotel dates.  I thought I booked for Thursday-Friday but in fact I booked for Wednesday-Thursday.  Well our nice beachside hotel had no room on Friday night so we had to move to ...I kid you not...a No-Tell Motel.  I didn't take a picture because I'm hoping to wipe it from my memory banks.  (and the way I've been forgetting things lately, it'll be gone in about 2 days!)

AND Brian opened the hotel room door onto Eleanor's toe and she HOWLED for 2 hours straight (10pm-12am) Eleanor has a very high tolerance for pain, the kid barely ever cries when she gets hurt, so it was almost as if she was crying for every injury she's had in life.  Like a true champ she woke up the next morning and said "mommy, today my toe feels great!"

On the way back to NYC we stopped at a friend's house in CT.  Her husband is a fantastic chef and he made the most delicious watermelon salad and  pizzas in their outdoor pizza oven. 

Fresh FRESH ingredients, many came from their garden-truffles, mushroom, ricotta, asparagus, heirloom tomatoes...soo amazing!  When you eat food like this, you really taste the difference between fresh, homemade food cooked with love and care, and store bought meals.  There is a place for everything!  I wish I took more pictures but I was too busy eating and drinking! 

+k

yummy chips and a cool summer placemat

love the placemat?  buy it here!
love the chips? check them out here!  Whole Foods

picnic tips

It's a beautiful day in NYC albeit a bit hot.  If you can find a shady spot for a picnic, here are some tips and a yummy sandwich to take along courtesy of bon appetit


10 Tips for taking food outside

1/  Choose recipes that can be served at room temperature and don't require a knife and fork. Wait to dress salads until you reach your destination and are ready to eat.

2/  For salads and dips, use square or rectangular storage containers. They take up less space than round containers when packed into a cooler.

3/  Before sealing lids on containers, use a layer of plastic wrap to help minimize leakage. Pack dressings and sauces in containers with a layer or two of plastic wrap under the lid and then sealed inside one or two resealable plastic bags.

4/  Don't forget serving utensils and sharp knives.

5/  Remember to pack a corkscrew, bring boxed wine, or bring wine in a screw-cap bottle.

6/  Pack cloth napkins and tablecloths. They're great for wrapping sharp knives, serving utensils, flatware, and glassware; they're nicer than paper; and they will minimize waste.

7/  If you're bringing pots and pans to a campsite, use them for packing and toting utensils, flatware, glassware, napkins, and tablecloths.

8/  Pack trash bags, extra resealable plastic bags, baby wipes, and a roll of paper towels for easy cleanup. Include a few wet washcloths in resealable plastic bags.

9/  Use plenty of ice packs and keep the cooler in the car, rather than in the trunk (so that it stays cooler). For more on picnic food safety, visit the USDA Web site.

10/  Bring extra bottled water.

Mozzerella and Prosciutto sandwich with Tapenade

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped anchovy fillet
• 1 teaspoon capers (preferably salt-packed), rinsed, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
• 1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange peel
• 1 1/4 cups Niçoise olives, pitted, divided
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil plus additional for brushing and drizzling
• 1 tablespoon (packed) chopped fresh basil plus 24 whole leaves for garnish
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

• 6 6-inch-long pieces ficelle or narrow baguette, split horizontally in half
• 6 thin prosciutto slices
• 2 8-ounce balls fresh mozzarella cheese, drained, cut into 1/3-inch-thick slices

Preparation

Combine first 5 ingredients in mortar; mash with pestle to paste. Add 1 cup olives and mash to coarse paste. Chop remaining 1/4 cup olives and stir into mixture. Mix in 1/4 cup olive oil, chopped basil, and lemon juice. Season tapenade with pepper. (Can be made 2 weeks ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Brush cut sides of ficelle with additional olive oil. Place 1 prosciutto slice on bottom half of each ficelle, then top with mozzarella slices, dividing equally. Spoon tapenade over each. Sprinkle with pepper; drizzle lightly with olive oil. Garnish with basil leaves. Cover with top halves of ficelle.

Stay Cool!

Egg

Recently Brian and I took a day trip to the Hudson Valley and stopped for lunch at  Sweet Grass Grill. 

Located in Tarrytown NY, Sweet Grass serves seasonal, local food much of which comes from local farms.  I had the Spinach Salad with Niman Ranch Bacon and blue cheese and this lovely, crispy, boiled egg came along.  I wish I could make this myself though I'm sure I would mess it up!  The carrot ginger soup was wonderful as was Brian's house smoked pulled BBQ pork with orange mustard. 

If you are ever in Tarrytown this is the perfect lunch spot.

New Food Icon

Bye Bye silly, hard to comprehend pyramid! 

 From today's announcement...
"MyPlate can help prioritize food choices by reminding us to make half of our plate fruits and vegetables and shows us the other important food groups for a well-balanced meal: whole grains, lean proteins, and low fat dairy. "
I like the visual reminder to make healthy food choices and I think it's easy for the kiddos to understand as well. 

Print it out and hang it in your kitchen where the kids can see.  they can compare their plate of food to the new icon and see how they are doing-well, see how YOU are doing!  I venture to guess that pretty soon they will be asking for more fruits and veggies so their plate looks like the one in the picture.  Any excuse to correct mommy is a good excuse in my house!

for more info click here

Not Your Grandma's Tea Set

Classic with a twist!  I'm not a "come over for a cup of tea" kinda girl but if I had this set I might convert!  Fine bone china and gold gilded lipstick marks make this tea set fun and fancy.

For these and other beautiful contemporary ceramics click here Reiko Kaneko

We're Eating...

Grillo's Pickles!

The website states that these pickles are the best in the world and though I haven't tried every pickle in the whole wide world,  I can't imagine finding one I like more than these.  Perfect for summer BBQ's and picnics.

Unfortunately you cant buy them online yet but they are available in New York at Whole Foods,  and WF and other markets in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.  
Read their story Here   

Enjoy!