May 22nd was a beautifully sunny Saturday day and so we rose early and headed out to hit the local farmer’s markets. Though the Mt. Laurel Farmer’s Market doesn’t officially begin until June 4th, there were a few vendors out this weekend selling garden fresh vegetables, knit & crocheted items and one of my favorites, cheeses and jellies. As a matter of fact, while I was working at the CMMS event I met Dr. Robert from Southern Pines Chiropractic Center at Mt. Laurel. He mentioned his wife Sasha loved all things foodie or crafty. I found Sasha’s Simply Cheese on facebook and immediately fell in love with the business. Not only does she sell products from www.simplycheese.net but she also makes her own fruit and wine jellies. I was so happy to meet Sasha at the Mt. Laurel Farmer’s Market Saturday and try her delicious cheeses and jellies first hand. The Lavender Zinfandel jelly was sweet yet floral and would be delicious on chicken or poured over some brie, wrapped in filo pastry and baked. Yum. We also tried her cabernet sauvignon jelly paired with the pepper jack cheese and immediately picked up a jar. I intend to pour it over pork tenderloin as a marinade before grilling. I think I will also make a sauce for the pork with the jelly. It was just so good. 

After visiting with the MLFM vendors we stopped off for a quick and inexpensive bite at Jimbo’s and then headed to Pepper Place in downtown Birmingham. I love going to Pepper Place every year because there are so many local farmers, artists, crafters, musicians and all around awesome people there. We first went through the fresh produce area and let me tell you I really regret that I did my grocery shopping the day before because I wanted one of everything. I picked up some kale from Pond Creek Farm (Cullman, AL) and then a half dozen Chilton County Peaches from Burnette Farms. I want to make Spanish bean soup this week and I am going to try my hand at a peach cobbler. 

We stopped by the Pepper Place garden and then headed to the back area which I don’t remember there being vendors back there last year. I purchased some green tomatoes from A & P Farms (Gallant, AL) and the lovely woman working in the booth gave me two recipe cards with alternate recipes from fried green tomatoes. One is for grilled tomatoes with Cajun dressing and the other for un-fried tomatoes.  Zoey and I stopped to share a cup of Strawberry Italian Ice while Adam taste-tested some wines from the Winery at Pepper Place. He picked out his two favorites; the Jacquelyn which is an apple Riesling and Triptych which is a blended red wine.

We ventured to the far side of Pepper Place to walk through the artist/crafting vendors and I grabbed a loaf of French bread from the Culinard Cafe. We looked at handmade crocheted items, beautiful cutting boards and carved wood, fun kitchen wind chimes, handmade jewelry and much, much more. All-in-all the day was relaxing but adventurous.  Zoey enjoyed the music and seeing all the dogs walking with their owners. Adam loved the taste testing and the ambience and I loved spending the day in the sun with my family and some interesting and creative small town vendors. To by fresh, to buy organic and to support local small business owners makes me extremely happy.

My sister, Danielle made this up the other night and she said it was AWESOME! The idea is to use up any and all of the veggies in your fridge. Fresh, frozen, canned or even leftovers will work. There is no wrong way to make this! Just remember to add frozen veggies first and canned veggies last.

Serves 12-16

• 2 12-oz pkgs any flavor chicken sausage without casing or casings removed
• 1 cup any kind of onions chopped or 2 leeks cut lengthwise and then sliced on bias
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3-4 cups of any root or squash-like vegetables on hand: celery, carrots, potatoes, yams, green beans, squash, zucchini; slice or cube into small, equal sizes so that they cook in about the the same amount of time
• 2 cups leafy vegetable like kale, cabbage or spinach, chopped
• 1 can beans like red kidney, garbanzo, cannellini or northern beans
• 10 cups vegetable or chicken stock
• 2-4 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs of your choice such as rosemary, sage, thyme, parsley (If you have very flavorful sausage, you could even skip this ingredient)
• Salt and pepper

Break up chicken sausage with hands or back of spoon and add to large stock pot over medium heat. Cook for 2-3 minutes and then add garlic, onion and celery. Cook until vegetables are slightly tender. Add stock, root/squash vegetables and herbs to pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 15-20 minutes until potatoes and squash are almost done (should be able to easily pierce with a fork or knife). Then add leafy vegetables and canned beans. Simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste and serve.

My new venture is well under way and I have been a busy bee preparing for my upcoming Pampered Chef Cooking Shows.  I think I have most of my paperwork, cooking supplies, and other materials ready for this coming Wednesday. That’s right, my first actual Cooking Show is November 3rd for my dear friend Courtney.  I am excited, nervous, and anxious but all in a good way.

I will be making the Antipasti Pull-Apart Pizza from The Pampered Chef® Season’s Best™ Recipe Collection (Fall/Winter 2010).  The cookbook describes the recipe as “A fun twist on pizza, this appetizer features all the flavors of an antipasti platter over a crust of bite-size pieces of French bread.” I made it a few weeks ago for a baby shower at the office. I am sure it will be better this time because I’ll actually have an oven instead of the office toaster oven. If you would like to see the recipe made, you can watch the video here or better yet, see it LIVE! In Courtney’s Living Room.

For those of you who will be attending Courtney’s Cooking Show, you can visit my personalized Pampered Chef Web site now and take a look around at the products you will see displayed at the party.  Simply CLICK HERE and you can begin shopping the catalog.  Remember if you spend $60 or more at the show or online you get the Adjustable Measuring Spoons for FREE!  Also in November, our cooking show guests can SAVE 20% on our Cookie Press. See product information below.

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Their streamlined modern design is perfectly sized for spice containers. Adjustable sliders create a seal for dry and liquid ingredients, and are removable for easy cleaning. Grooved thumbprints help you move the sliders back and forth for accurate measuring. Set of two: 1/8 tsp.-1 tsp., 1 tsp.-1 tbsp.
Dishwasher-safe.

#GV79 Cookie Press – Save 20% on our Cookie Press – $23.60
Make cookies or rice potatoes with a simple twist! Our rotating press is easier to use than the typical ratchet style. The barrel lets you see exactly how much dough is left, and its generous size means less refills are needed. Includes 10 metal disks — nine for cookies and one for ricing. Dishwasher-safe.

For those of you invited to the event, I really hope you can make it and enjoy the evening with friends and loved one’s while tasting some delicious food.  I hope to make the event an enjoyable and educational experience for everyone. I truly appreciate everyone’s support and encouragement and I hope I can make all of you proud.

Growing up in Panama City, we used to eat at a restaurant called The Cheese Barn and they served one of my favorite dishes, their French Onion Soup.  I had a bit of nostalgia a few weekends ago, so I started hunting for a recipe to satisfy my craving.  If you have time one weekend, I recommend you try out Betty Crocker’s Golden Onion Soup.  It takes a little over 3 hours but the majority of that time is spent cooking the onions in the oven so you won’t be in the kitchen all day.

I made a few subtle changes to the dish merely because I didn’t have all the ingredients I needed.  Instead of making the Parmesan Croutons, I cubed up some Asiago Cheese Bread from Panera Bread.  You could also use Parmesan croutons, like those you put on a salad.  I only had one can of condensed beef broth so I improvised; using water and beef bullion cubes.  Once the soup was complete, I poured portions for Adam and me into two ovenproof bowls.  I added the cubed bread and sprinkled 1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese on top.  I then broiled the bowls of soups in the oven for about 2 minutes until the cheese was melted and golden brown. Be sure to put the bowls on a sheet pan as it is easier to get them in and out of the oven and the pan will catch anything you spill.

This evening I made an awesome bagel sandwich for dinner. I toasted whole wheat bagels to start. Next, I mixed a tablespoon of mayonaise with a tablespoon of Limin’ Lady Gourmet Mustard that I bought at the Pepper Place farmers marker. I spread both sides of the bagel with this mixture and then layered turkey lunch meat, muenster cheese and two bacon slices. I followed that with fresh veggies from Pepper Place: mixed greens, cucumber slices, tomato slices, radish slices, and alfalfa sprouts. The top half of the bagel was balanced neatly on top of this mound of garden fresh vegetables. I am telling you it was so yummy. It tasted like I had just pulled everything from the garden myself. I ate it with a roasted sweet potato from the market and some steamed broccoli and carrots. I think I may have to go Pepper Place every weekend to get more of their beautiful produce.

While I was making the Fast & Easy Lemon Chicken last night, I decided we needed a succulent vegetable to accompany the savory lemon sauce and I thought baby spinach would be a good pairing.  However, while watching The Next Iron Chef on Food Network a few weeks ago I heard Jeffrey Steingarten mention that raw spinach does not have nearly the nutrition value that cooked spinach does. This intrigued me since I enjoy a spinach salad a couple times a week over traditional lettuce.  I knew that spinach was high in fiber and great for your eyes but I wanted to know more.  I called Popeye but he wasn’t unavailable so I plundered through the world wide web instead.

I did little research on NutritionalData.com and found that when comparing 1 cup of raw spinach to 1 cup of cooked spinach with no salt added the nutritional value of the cooked spinach is significantly higher. For instance, the Vitamin A in uncooked spinach is around 56% compared to the 377% in cooked spinach. Both versions are low in saturated fat and very low in Cholesterol.  That is not to negate the nutritional values of eating spinach raw.  It contains high quantities of vitamin C and other phytonutrients (nutrients that fight against disease). The Healthy Foodie,  Doug DiPasquale stated on the website ThatsFit that “raw spinach contains a substance which blocks the absorption of many minerals, including iodine, a mineral critical to the proper functioning of the thyroid. It also contains oxalic acid, a substance that interferes with the absorption of calcium, but which is destroyed in cooking. Raw spinach should therefore be avoided by those with thyroid issues, or those at high risk for osteoporosis, and should only be enjoyed on occasion by the rest of us (one spinach salad per week shouldn’t be an issue).”

Now – on to the nom, nom food.  This recipe combines the flavors of spinach and carrots with a dash of lemon zest that will help break down the iron for easier absorption into the body.  The pecans and bacon are just added flare.

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 carrot peeled
• 12 ounces baby spinach, washed
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1/4 cup of pecans
• 2 tbsp. crumbled bacon pieces
• salt and pepper to taste

Using a potato peeler, shave the carrot into thin, one-inch long pieces.  Zest the lemon to make 1 teaspoon of lemon zest. In a dry sauté pan over medium heat, warm the pecans for about 2 to 3 minutes, stirring once or twice.  Remove pecans from pan and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat.  Add the shredded carrot and the spinach leaves along with a dash of salt and pepper.  Toss spinach and carrots in pan until the spinach leaves are wilted and the shredded carrots are just al dente. Remove from heat and add the lemon zest and the crumbled bacon and toss to incorporate.  Plate and sprinkle with toasted pecans.

My sister, Danielle, created this simple but elegant mushroom dish.  She loved it so much that she immediately picked up the phone to share it with me and the readers of Cooking with Brandy. The recipe serves 2-3 people.

• 12 large white button mushrooms (stems removed and dirt wiped off)
• 12 slices of brie cheese from a 1 ½ inch round log (1/4” slices)
• 12 small basil leaves
• 3 tbsp of melted butter
• 1 tsp garlic powder

Preheat oven to 400°. Take two large pieces of aluminum foil and turn up the edges to form two shallow bowl. Place mushrooms in foil bowls with tops down. Top with brie slice and basil leaf. Drizzle butter over mushrooms and sprinkle with garlic powder. Bake in over for 5-10 minutes until brie starts to melt and mushrooms firm, dark and juicy.

Dani

www.danielledesigns.com

My sister, Danielle, recently posted this beautiful recipe/scrapbooking page on her popular website www.scrapoutsidethebox.com.

Danielle writes: Here is an old family recipe from Spain. This is a great recipe when you need something fast and easy. It take less than 15 minutes to make if you include cutting the mushrooms and peeling the shrimp. It will be in your favorites I promise. If your kids don’t like the spice just leave out the red pepper flakes for them.

Asparagus is one of my go-to vegetables when I need a healthy side dish to fish or chicken.  I make it many different ways but typically I use a lemon dill sauce that takes seconds.

First I remove the ends of the asparagus with snap.  Then I chop the stalks to  1 1/2 to 2 inch pieces. Next I add the asparagus to a pot of boiling water for about 3 minutes. After 3 minutes, I remove the asparagus and place it in an ice bath to stop the cooking process.

In the emptied cooking pot, I toss the asparagus back in on medium heat.  I add about a 1/4 tsp of dried dill, a pat of butter (or olive oil) and a squirt or two of lemon juice. Toss together and serve immediately. Easy as pie… I mean Easy of Veggie!

I love to cook and to collect cookbooks. When I was pregnant with Zoey, my sweet husband bought me a collection of cookbooks featuring recipes for babies and young children.  Now Zoey is almost six months old and loving life.  She has been eating the different Stage One baby foods for almost six weeks now.  I thought that since I am always in the kitchen anyway, I might try my hand at baby food. I used one of the books Adam gifted to me to research the foods that are healthy for a child eating Stage One foods.  The store offers a variety of stage one foods, but there is a limit. 

In the book “Naturally Delicious Meals for Baby”, I found that there are a variety of foods that are healthy for babies, but not provided by local supermarkets.  Some of the options listed in the book are the typical sweet potatoes, carrots and peas, but they also have recipes for broccoli, cauliflower, rutabaga, parsnip, fennel and beet purees and that is just the vegetables. My particular favorite is the avocado puree since I have been obsessed with them since pregnancy.  My daughter suffers from eczema and avocado is not only known for being packed full of monounsaturated fat, a good fat that provides energy, but they help with wound healing and a good complexion.

That being said, though I was excited that there were more options to explore when offering my little one — more than the typical 10 items sold commercially, I still wanted to take things slow.  Tonight, I made the carrot puree.  I purchased a bag of organic carrots for about two dollars.  After shredding, simmering for 10 minutes, pureeing and finally pushing through a fine strainer, I had a smooth dark orange perfection.  I offered it to Zoey for dinner and she loved it.  I used small plastic containers to freeze the remaining carrots.   I can just pull them out and defrost them as needed.  My recipe yielded about 15 ounces for the two dollars I spent.  That same quantity would cost about $3.50 for the organic brand at the supermarket. It isn’t really a cost savings but I did it more for the joy of feeding her something that Mommy made.