Eight Holiday Greats #5

• 
  Make Your Own Holiday Gift with Help from Lucille's Kitchen Garden
  
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  Lucille's Kitchen Garden Eight Holiday Greats #5!
  
  Thumb Print Cookies
  l1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature


• 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar


• 1 large egg, separated


• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract


• 1 cup (140 grams) all purpose flour


• 1/8 teaspoon salt


• 3/4 cup (100 grams) hazelnuts, almonds, pecans or walnuts.
  1 Jar Lucille's Kitchen Garden Green Pepper Jam
  
  Cream butter and sugar thoroughly (2min) and add egg and vanilla and mix.
  Mix salt and flour separately and add to butter mixture until combined. Do no over mix.
  Roll batter into slightly larger then quarter sized balls
  Dip balls into eggwhite and then into chopped nuts(a food processor chops the nuts fine).
  Place on lined baking sheet and use thumb to indent the top of the balls.
  Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 12 to 15 min.
  Cool on a rack.
  Place a dollop of Jam in indent before serving.

More Recipe ideas at
http://www.lucilleskitchengarden.com/

See our Review in the City Pages Twin Cities Eater! Lucille's Kitchen Garden: jams with a kick by Roseanne Pereira

Entertaining With Lucille
Thumb print cookies have always been a favorite at our family, holiday table. My mom and all my aunts were sure to have this holiday treat! I love to use a combination of pepper jams to create a feast for the eyes as well as the sweet tooth. These cookies keep well in the freezer, so I usually make a double batch and bring them out in waves for holiday parties. You can package these cookies in gift boxes (before filling with jam) and give them with a jar of our pepper jam for a homemade gift that everyone is sure to expect again next year!
We hope that your holiday is filled with great traditions, old and new!
Very Sincerely,
Zoie Glass
Owner: Lucille's Kitchen Garden
Passionate About Local Flavor!
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Free delivery applies to a single destination within 30 miles of 55104 Saint Paul, MN. Free shipping is limited to a single address within the continental United States of America. Please allow 7 to 10 business days after paypal invoice has cleared for delivery. If unsure of delivery qualifications please email to : lucilleskitchen@gmail.com for information.

Eight Holiday Greats #4

Lucille's Kitchen Garden Eight Holiday Greats #4!
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Roast Pork Shoulder with Rosemary Salt and

Garlic Pepper Glaze
1 5 to 6lbs Pork Shoulder
2 TBS Lucille's Kitchen Garden Rosemary Salt plus 1 TBS to finish
¼ Cup Jameson Irish whiskey
1 Cup Water
3 to 5 generous TBS Lucille's Kitchen Garden Garlic Pepper Jam
1 Medium Yellow Onion sliced into medium thick rings
Generously season the pork shoulder by rubbing with 2 TBS rosemary salt.
Coat the bottom of Dutch oven with oil and brown roast on all sides. I like to
throw a few onion slices in halfway through browning for extra flavor
Deglaze the bottom of the pan with whiskey scraping any brown bits from the bottom
and add water and onions.
Cover and place in 300 degree oven for one hour.
Reheat garlic pepper jam to liquid form. Glaze the pork shoulder generously with
the jam and return uncovered to the oven. Turn the temperature up to 375 degrees
and roast for another hour while the liquid cooks down. Add water if liquid gets
below one inch in the bottom of the pan.
Remove roast and give a light glaze with remaining jam and slice. Use 1 TBS salt
to finish seasoning the shoulder, adjust to taste. Reserve the remaining liquid
in the Dutch oven and serve in gravy boat on the side. (It tastes marvelous over
a baked potato). You can garnish the platter with roast garlic cloves and sprigs
of rosemary.

More Recipe ideas at

http://www.lucilleskitchengarden.com/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

See our Review in the City Pages Twin Cities Eater!

Lucille's Kitchen Garden: jams with a kick by Roseanne Pereira
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Entertaining With Lucille
Whether it is because of fears of the economy, or the realization that this year
there is an even greater need to budget extra for giving to those hit hardest by
the recession, we find ourselves being more conscious about the cost of entertaining.
The recipe in this issue is intended to offer a delicious alternative to some of
the pricier cuts of meat without sacrificing the flavor and beauty of your holiday
table.
The roast will turn out tender and juicy with a glaze that has really permeated
the meat with its flavor. I like to serve it in thick, 1 inch slices with chunks
of roast garlic and some of the drippings.
If you do not eat pork, I encourage you to visit our website www.lucilleskitchengarden.com
for a similar recipe that uses a whole roasting chicken. We hope that you enjoy
this recipe and that your are enjoying time with loved ones this holiday season.
Very Sincerely,
Zoie Glass
Owner: Lucille's Kitchen Garden
Passionate About Local Flavor!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eight Holiday Greats # 3

Lucille's Kitchen Garden Eight Holiday Greats #3!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Brie with Savory Sweet Raspberry Pepper Jam(The Three Things you need to be a hit at your holiday party)

Ingredients:

1. One small wheel Brie

2. One Jar Lucille's Kitchen Garden Pepper Jam of your choice.

3. One fresh baguette sliced medium/thin

Instructions:* If possible warm the whole wheel of Brie to soften for about 5 min at 300 degrees. If you don't have access to an oven, no big deal. It is going to taste great anyway.* Pour jar of pepper jam over the top* Garnish with fresh fruit if you like and serve with baguette.

More recipes available at: www.lucilleskitchengarden.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Entertaining With Lucille

This time of year is full of holiday parties. Just this upcoming week we have onefor our daughter's school, one with friends, a small gift exchange, and that doesn'tcount the two we went to last weekend.The challenge is to bring something that is a little unique, and little thoughtful,and a lot good! A friend of ours told us that she had picked up a couple jars ofour jam and this recipe for her son who was beginning his first round of post college,grown up parties. He brought the above mentioned appetizer and it was a hit. Laterthat night he overheard an attractive lady raving about the dish, and before he could say anything he watched as another guy stepped in and tried to claim the appetizeras his own! The moral here is to stick close so you get the credit!

Very Sincerely,

Zoie Glass

Owner: Lucille's Kitchen GardenPassionate About Local Flavor!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eight Holiday Greats #2

Eight Holiday Greats From Lucille's Kitchen Garden #2
Our family, at Lucille's Kitchen Garden, shares the second of our eight favorite holiday food traditions.

In This Issue
What to do with all that turkey!
Upcoming Events
Holiday Gift Boxes

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Receive Free Delivery on orders of $40.00 or more in the Twin Cities Metro Area!

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Upcoming Events
December 5th and 6th: City of Lakes Waldorf School Holiday Fair and Open House

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Left-Over Turkey Sandwiches on Corn Bread with Garlic Pepper Jam

Ingredients:
Left over Thanksgiving turkey off the bone
1 jar Lucille's Kitchen Garden Garlic Pepper Jam
1 large loaf cornbread
1 medium diced onion

Preparation:
Place leftover turkey in roasting pan, add any leftover turkey juices and water to create 1/2 inch of liquid in the bottom of the pan.
Add Garlic Pepper Jam to taste and mix in diced onion.
Cover and place in a 250 degree oven for one to two hours, checking to see that there is a minimum of 1/4 inch liquid in the pan.
Slice corn bread in medium thick slices, brush with olive oil and toast in oven until the outside becomes crisp.
Pile turkey on corn bread and serve open faced
**I like to crumble a little fresh Mexican cheese like Queso Blanco over the top and garnish with cilantro.
More recipes available at: www.lucilleskitchengarden.com

Entertaining With Lucille
I am one of those people who can not decide which part of Thanksgiving that I enjoy more:The actual Thanksgiving feast with steaming turkey and heaping piles of mash potatoes or the day after when you have all those great ingredients left in your house to make some really spectacular, quick meals like the one that I have shared with you above. This year, in edition to the traditional holiday fare, I will be smoking a whole salmon, glazed with Garlic Pepper Jam for our vegetarian friends. We have the wonderful tradition of going to see our dear friends the Rundholts and contributing to a table filled with delicacies that represent the myriad of cultures of the people who attend.
We are truly grateful for being able to share our families pepper jams with you and the amazing year that we have had doing so!
We hope that your family enjoys this second Great Eight favorite as much as we do!
Very Sincerely,
Zoie Glass
Owner: Lucille's Kitchen Garden
Passionate About Local Flavor!

Free delivery applies to a single destination within 30 miles of 55104 Saint Paul, MN. Free shipping is limited to a single address within the continental United States of America. Please allow 7 to 10 business days after paypal invoice has cleared for delivery. If unsure of delivery qualifications please email to : lucilleskitchen@gmail.com for information.

We have had a few emails leading up to the Thanksgiving Holiday asking for our Zesty Fresh Cranberry Sauce recipe, so I am reposting it. You can add a dash of Brandy as it cooks if you like and have a great Holiday!

 

Eight Holiday Greats #1

Eight Holiday Greats From Lucille's Kitchen Garden



Our family, at Lucille's Kitchen Garden, shares the first of our eight favorite holiday food traditions.


Email to order your Holiday Gift Boxes for teachers, coworkers, and hosts.
Receive Free Delivery on orders of $40.00 or more in the Twin Cities Metro Area!


Check out Our Upcoming Events to Pick up our "Market Only" products like Lucille's Kitchen Garden REAL Apple Butter!



Upcoming Events
November 20th: Maple Grove Winter Market
November 23rd: Kingfield Holiday Farmers' Market


Free Shipping.
Free shipping on orders of 12 Jars or more! Get all your host, teacher, and coworker gifts out of the way in one stop!
Our Price: $60S & H: $0($17 in savings!) When you order online before December 1st!
Lucille's Kitchen Garden Eight Holiday Greats!

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Pepper PieIngredients:
1 unbaked pastry shell (9 inches),
2 Jars of Lucille's Kitchen Garden Raspberry Pepper Jam,
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese (softened),
1/3 cup sugar,
½ teaspoon vanilla extract,
½ cup whipping cream (whipped),
2 squares (1 oz. each) dark chocolate,
3 tablespoons butter Preparation:
Bake pastry shell at 450 degrees until golden brown; 12- 15 minutes.
Let cool.
In sauce pan, gently warm over medium heat 2 jars of Lucille's Kitchen Garden Raspberry Pepper Jam.
Remove from the heat; cool for 5 minutes. Spread into shell; refrigerate.
In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until fluffy. Fold in whipped cream. Carefully spread over raspberry layer.
Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Melt chocolate and butter; cool for 5 minutes. Pour over filling.
Cover and chill for 2 hours; store in refrigerator.· Serve with fresh raspberries.



Entertaining With Lucille
One of my absolute favorite holiday memories is the table full of pies that sat waiting for us to finish our heaping plates of turkey and stuffing. There was always the traditional pumpkin pie, but it was in good company with blackberry, pecan and apple pie. As my generation adds to our family traditions, we have introduced our own twist to honor the generations of flour covered pie makers that came before us: Dark Chocolate Raspberry Pepper Pie. I have three suggestions:
Make this Pie! I have had several "very well known but will remain nameless" foodies contact me for additional copies of this recipe.
Serve in small wedges, similar to the way that you would cut cheese cake.
Make an extra one for later in the day when the naps are over and the dishes are done and everyone finds themselves hungry for a little something!
We hope that your family enjoys this first Great Eight favorite as much as we do!
Very Sincerely,
Zoie Glass
Owner: Lucille's Kitchen Garden
Passionate About Local Flavor!





Free delivery applies to a single destination within 30 miles of 55104 Saint Paul, MN. Free shipping is limited to a single address within the continental United States of America. Please allow 7 to 10 business days after paypal invoice has cleared for delivery. If unsure of delivery qualifications please email to : lucilleskitchen@gmail.com for information.

Market Supper September 15, 2008

As the temperature drops, we find ourselves digging out all of our favorite sweaters and soup recipes. I like to serve a light side with cream soups, like the squash curry soup featured in this week's Market Supper. The Zucchini Latkes can be served as a starter, or along side your soup, as all of the flavors marry well. I have been using the Garlic Pepper Preserve for my fall latkes. You will also notice that I mention Very Prairie graham crackers as a dessert or snack. Very Prairie makes a unique selection of products ranging from hand crafted pastas and crackers to a lovely chev're. Next week I plan to try a pasta recipe from her pasta selection and I will let you know how it turns out! A word on the squash you pick for your soup. I have used many different types of squash for this recipe and am currently using butter nut squash since my garden is overflowing with them. I recommend that you choose whichever variety of squash that you have enjoyed in the past. This recipe makes a medium spicy soup. Feel free to add additional ginger or curry powder to taste. Stay cozy and see you at the Market! Remember to click on the Market Supper Image to enlarge for printing or reading.

Apple Season is Here

Apple season is starting with some of the early varieties and we spent the weekend with the family in Appleton, MN picking apples with Amy's Mom and Dad and getting peppers from Uncle Lowell. We want to share with you where we get much of our produce and the people who have been so generous in helping us!

RNC Media Party and the Pie that Lost

We were very excited this week to be asked to serve our jelly at the Media Party that the city of Minneapolis hosted for the visiting media for the RNC. See mention in Saint Paul Pioneer Press http://www.twincities.com/rnc/ci_10346762?nclick_check=1 We served well over 1000 crackers with our Raspberry Pepper, Blueberry Pepper, and Green Pepper Jam. We also got to talk to so many interesting people from all over the world. Amy's sister Anne and our friend Clara helped us to keep the crackers rolling out. Earlier that day I decided to completely over schedule myself by entering a pie contest. As shown by the title my pie did not win, but by all the requests for the recipe, it must have been pretty good. I am posting it here because we ran out of recipe cards at the market. Serve this pie as you would a cheese cake (narrow slices), since it is very rich. The pepper- dark chocolate combination is wonderfully romantic, so I recommend making it for someone you love. Enjoy the Pie that Lost and we will see you at the Market!

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Pepper Pie
http://www.lucilleskitchengarden.com/

Ingredients:
1 unbaked pastry shell (9 inches), 2 Jars of Lucille’s Kitchen Garden Raspberry Pepper Jam, 1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese (softened), 1/3 cup sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ cup whipping cream (whipped), 2 squares (1 oz. each) dark chocolate, 3 tablespoons butter

Preparation:
· Bake pastry shell at 450 degrees until golden brown; 12- 15 minutes. Let cool.
· In sauce pan, gently warm over medium heat 2 jars of Lucille’s Kitchen Garden Raspberry Pepper Jam. Remove from the heat; cool for 5 minutes. Spread into shell; refrigerate.
· In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until fluffy. Fold in whipped cream. Carefully spread over raspberry layer. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Melt chocolate and butter; cool for 5 minutes. Pour over filling. Cover and chill for 2 hours; store in refrigerator.
· Serve with fresh raspberries.

Crepes at the MN State Fair

We have had an exciting week her at Lucille's Kitchen Garden. We were at the MN state fair in the Eco Exoerience building doing a jelly crepe demo and talking about the Mill City Farmers Market and local food. We ate so many crepes on the weeks leading up to the fair that I think we will hold off on crepes for a bit. I thought that I would share with you my crepe recipe and a few words on crepes.

Crepes are a great Saturday morning family breakfast. Miss Lucille, all of 6 years old, helped with the demo by putting the jam in the crepes rolling them up and sprinkling the powdered sugar over the top with a flour sifter. She was so fond of the flour sifter that I needed to stop her a few times, as the crepe began to look like it was stuck in a snowbank.

Crepe batter should look like a thinner version of pancake batter. I used an 8 inch pan with a tsp of butter to oil and poured a touch over 1/4 cup of batter in the middle, rotated the pan to coat the bottom and cooked the first side over medium high heat for about 3 min. or until the top looks dry. I then flipped the crepe and cooked for an additional 30 seconds to a minuet. It is actually easier to flip the crepes with the pan, then with a spatula since crepes are so thin and tear easily. Here is our crepe recipe, and see you at the market!

Crepes with
Lucille’s Kitchen Garden
Pepper Jams
www.LUCILLESKITCHENGARDEN.com

Ingredients:
1 cup of flour, 2 eggs, ½ cup milk, ½ cup water, ¼ teaspoon of salt, 2 tablespoons butter, melted, 1 tablespoon of Lucille’s Kitchen Garden Blueberry Pepper, Green Pepper or Raspberry Pepper Jam

Preparation:
· In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and eggs. Gradually add in the milk and water, stirring to combine. Add the salt and butter; beat until smooth.
· Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using ¼ cup for each crepe. Tilt the pan with a circular motion so that the batter coats the surface evenly.
· Cook the crepe for about 2 minutes, until the bottom is light brown. Loosen with a spatula, turn and cook the other side.
· Take 1 tablespoon of Lucille’s Kitchen Garden Pepper Jam and apply.
· Roll crepe and sift powder sugar on top; Serve with fresh fruit.

Raspberry Chipotle Salsa

We had a salsa tasting this week at the Mill City Farmer's Market. I brought recipe cards, but they disappeared quickly, so I said that I would post the recipe here so that anyone who wasn't able to get one could print it. A few quick things about the recipe. I like to use zucchini in salsa, because it has a flavor and texture that is very similar to avocado, with substantially fewer food miles. Feel free to adjust amounts of ingredients to your liking, such as adding more peppers if you like it spicier. This recipe usually turns out medium to spicy. I hope that your family enjoys this recipe and we will see you at the market!

Raspberry Chipotle Salsa

Ingredients:
2 medium sized tomatoes diced small
1 small zucchini peeled and diced small
1 small red onion chopped small
3 chipotle jalapeño peppers chopped (see note on roasting)
¼ cup Raspberry Pepper Jam
2 TBS cumin
1/2 Tsp salt
3 TBS lime juice
www.LUCILLESKITCHENGARDEN.com ¼ cup finely chopped Cilantro

Preparation:
· Whisk together pepper jam, cumin, salt and lime juice
· Combine the rest of ingredients and pour whisked mixture over the top, stir all ingredients together gently, careful not to crush the tomatoes
· Serve with chips, over fried cornbread cakes or fried polenta

~~Chipotle peppers are simply fire roasted peppers. For the best flavor I recommend roasting them on your grill. In a pinch you can roast them on a sheet pan in the oven at 450 degrees. For either method you want to roast them long enough to cause even blistering and slight charring on the entire jalapeño. When this has happened (only a few minutes over direct flame and 10 to 12 minutes in the oven) sweat the peppers in a plastic bag until cool to the touch. Remove the stem and the skin, which should slide off quite easily and use immediately or they should be good in the refrigerator for about a week. I keep a little of the browned skin to add to my salsa, as it carries most of the smoky flavor. The seeds and veins inside of the pepper hold the heat, so if you wish for a milder salsa, you can remove some or all of these, however you do lose flavor by doing so. ALWAYS USE RUBBER GLOVES WHEN TOUCHING JALAPENOS!

Market Supper July 17

We are in full fledged berry season, so my time to write has been limited. Here is the Market supper from a few weeks ago. Remember to click on the above image to see it enlarged. I hope that you enjoy and we will see you at the market!

Market Supper July 3

Nothing says summer like BBQ ribs. The key to ribs is cooking them for a long time on low heat, so they are fall off the bone good. I actually boil mine in a vinegar, brown sugar, worchestire, lemon, and water brine for a good hour before I put them on the grill. Please enjoy this weeks market supper and we will see you at the market!!

Market Supper June 26

We have survived our first real week of heat and humidity. For us it is like an instant diet. We find ourselves eating later, in the cool of the evening, and eating less. This week's market supper is a reflection of the lighter meals that our family enjoys during the summer. The potato cakes let you enjoy the new crop of farm fresh potatoes, while keeping it light by serving on a bed of fresh Minnesota greens. The dessert combines fresh fruit and balsamic vinegar, a pairing that we don't see a great deal of in America, but is a wonderful way to dress up a pint of strawberries. A word on balsamic; you can spend a great deal of cash on a good balsamic vinegar. The best balsamics are more similar to a syrup then a traditional vinegar. I was watching America's Test Kitchen on PBS (one of the very few reasons that I still have a television) and they recommended that if you simmer down the standard grocery store balsamic in a pan on the stove top, that you will end up with a vinegar that is similar in taste and consistency as some of the more high end balsamics.

Enjoy the heat and remember that the good news is that chilled white wine never tastes so good as on a hot muggy day that is finally giving in to the cool of sundown. See you at the market!

Market Supper June 20

Here is the new Market Supper for Grill Week at the Mill City Farmer's Market!!

Market Supper June 10

It is official, this odd MN spring is going to lead to our fresh vegetables coming in a little late this year. However, each week we will have a few more fresh greens and the opportunity to try something new. This week I offer you Bison. Frequently Bison have been called American Buffalo, though they are really not very closely related to actual buffalo, such as the water buffalo of Asia. They are extremely efficient grazers, and this leads to a very lean meat, lower in cholesterol and saturated fat then most beef. The good news on the health side can lead to bad news at the supper table if the cook doesn't understand that the lower fat means that Bison cooks faster and should be cooked at a lower temperature then beef. You can use Bison in replacement of any recipe calling for beef, just be careful not to over cook it, which would lead you to the false impression that Bison is tough. In honor of Father's Day I offer you this Bison Burger recipe for your grill. Keep these burgers at least four to six inches above the medium flame of your grill and monitor them closely to see that they don't burn. Four to five minuets per side should do the trick! A happy Father's day to all the dads out there and See you at the Market!!

June 5th Market Supper

We all love a warm bowl of Risotto in the middle of winter, it nurtures the soul and sooths the ache of walking from our car to the house in sub-zero windchill, but summer pasta can be a delight as well. A light olive oil tossed with the pasta of your choice and whatever fresh produce is in season can make a simple, elegant supper. Top it off and with a fresh salad and some crusty bread and it will be hard not to invite your neighbors to join you. I have four rules for pasta and they are as follows:

~Buy the best pasta you can find. The quality of your pasta makes the difference between tasting homemade and just tasting like take out.

~Salt the pasta water. The best advice that I have heard is "Whenever you think, 'Did I salt the pasta water' . . .salt the pasta water. Pasta takes seasoning very similarly to meat and salt draws out it's flavor.

~Don't waste your good olive oil on pasta water. Have you ever noticed that the oil just sits there on the top of the water? Save your good olive oil for a good piece of homemade bread!

~Don't rinse your pasta after it is cooked and never make it wait. You wash the seasoning off by running it under water. Just strain it and toss it immediately with your sauce.

We hope that you enjoy these recipe's. I especially enjoyed making the Rhubarb Strawberry Basil fool!! It was so quick and it looked beautiful served in martini glasses. See you at the Market!

Market Supper

Lets face it. We live in Minnesota, and that means that eating locally can be a daunting task for a good portion of the year. While there are many things that we can get year round such as our meat, cheese, eggs, milk, and of course, jelly, we are slim on the fresh veggies, that abound mid-summer. As I polish off the last of a quiche that I made with eggs, cream, asparagus, and cheese from the Mill City Farmer's Market, I wonder if it would be so hard to eat at least one meal a week that is made up from local ingredients, even during the "lean months" To that end I am going to be putting together a Market Supper sheet each week to help plan a healthy local meal for my family and yours. Due to my limited technical abilities, you will have to click on the image to get it to enlarge, so that you can read and print it. I will also have copies available at our booth at the market each Saturday from 8:00AM to 1:00PM. For more information on the impact of eating locally and how one local meal can cut thousands of food miles from your weekly total and lessen your oil consumption, follow this link to an article that Kare 11 did with the help of Linden Hills Co-op http://www.kare11.com/onlive/shopping/shopping_article.aspx?storyid=494018 See you at the Market!

A Word on Preserves

I think that it is worthwhile to take a bit of this blog to answer a few questions that I am frequently asked, since I would bet that for 20 people who have a question only one or two ask it. Feel free to continue asking questions, I have really enjoyed receiving the emails and will do my best to answer or find out an answer for you. So. . . a word on preserves. .

What is the difference between Jam and Jelly?

Jams and Jellies are both usually made from a combination of fruit, sugar, and pectin. With jelly the fruit chunks are strained out making for a smooth consistency, while jams keep the fruit chunks in, making for a textured consistency. Some people make jam using fruit juice, thus eliminating the messy, sticky, time consuming, step of straining. Lucille's Kitchen Garden makes all of our products from scratch, which means that we start with a pile of fruit and a bag of sugar and move on from there.

What is a preserve and how is it different from jam or jelly?

Preserves, such as our Apple Pepper Preserve, are basically chunks of fruit in a sugar syrup. The fruit chunks can be large, like my mom's, Special for Sick Days peach preserves, where the peaches are whole slices or they can be small like those found in marmalade. Some people would argue. . .really. . . people can get pretty heated over this subject. . .that marmalade is a separate category, however for simplification purposes we will put them in the category of preserves, though, they do use pectin. In our Apple Pepper Preserve we keep the apples a medium, bite size and chop the peppers really fine, because most of our customers use it as a sauce, and would prefer a full bite of apple to a full bite of pepper.

• What makes Lucille's Kitchen Garden jams, jellies, and preserves different from commercially produced products?

Where do I begin? Probably the best way to illustrate the difference is the same way that we compare products at the grocery store and the statement that if your eight year old can't read the ingredient, then it probably isn't something good for you to eat. Here is a label for pepper jelly that is commercially produced and available in most grocery stores:

• Ingredients: High Fructose Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup,Sugar, Water, Grain Vinegar, Jalapeno Peppers, Pectin, Citric Acid, FD & C Red # 4



• Here is our label: Ingredients: Sugar, Peppers, Vinegar, Pectin, Lemon Juice

We use no color additive and we sweeten with sugar. The reason for that is that sugar is . . well . . sugar. The processing is relatively simple dating back to Napoleon's time. We believe that the natural fruit colors are beautiful and need no enhancement. There are two things that make sugar sweet, fructose and glucose. Every cell in the body can absorb glucose, while the liver is required to do all of the absorption for fructose. There have been enough studies to show that fructose is the greater villain of the two. High fructose corn syrup is a much cheaper sweetener developed in the late sixties. The process is very complicated and involves genetic modification. As evidenced by it's name, it relies on much higher levels of fructose to sweeten. High fructose corn syrup also diminishes your feeling of being full which has linked it to the obesity problem in the United States. It is also my opinion that it diminishes, rather then enhances the flavors of fruit in jam. If you would like more information concerning high fructose corn syrup here is a link to an interesting article http://www.westonaprice.org/motherlinda/cornsyrup.html

We also use only locally, sustainably, or organically grown produce in our products, which lowers the food miles and the negative ecological impact that food production can have. This and the fact that our products are made in small batches is reflected in a small way in the price and an enormous way in the flavor.

OK. . off my soap box and on to a great recipe that I tried this weekend. It originated as a Panini dipping sauce and after scavenging the fridge and trying everything in sight, fruit and shrimp to name a few I dub this the Everything Dipping Sauce. Try it the next time you have friends over and let me know how you liked it!

Lucille's Kitchen Garden Everything Dipping Sauce
2 TBS Lucille's Kitchen Garden Green Pepper Jam
1TBS Stone Ground Mustard

Mix it up and serve!

Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush. Doug Larson

Spring seems to be a resistant guest this year. While the weather man has said not to bother shoveling this last batch of snow, I think the mail man would not appreciate my waiting. As I procrastinate this task, I am put in mind of a week ago when the sun was shining and I was itching to get down to some serious grilling. A friend of mine was in town for the weekend and I was able to convince him to make his famous, fall off the bone ribs. While his method is not barbecue in the strictest sense of the word, I think that it works well for cold weather grilling, as it does not require as much time on the grill. He simply rubs the rack of ribs down with a dry rub and wraps them tightly in tin foil. The ribs then go into a preheated oven of about 250 degrees and cook for four to six hours, depending on the size of the rack. The important thing is to make sure that they have an internal temperature on the thickest portion of 155 to 165 degrees. Start your coals about a half hour before the ribs are done, so that they are white hot when it is time to place the rack of ribs on the grill. While my friend loves to cook the ribs, he asked me to make the sauce that he then spread on the ribs while they grilled to crispy in all the right places perfection.


I used my family's favorite sauce recipe to make Raspberry Ribs. This sauce will work with any method of grilling that you prefer. I leave you with my raspberry grilling glaze recipe and hope that you enjoy it with friends as wonderful as mine!


Lucille's Kitchen Garden Raspberry Ribs
1Jar Lucille's Kitchen Garden Raspberry Pepper Jam
2 Tbs olive oil
2 large cloves garlic
1/2 Tsp liquid smoke
1 Tbs Worchestire sauce
2Tbs Irish Whiskey (I like Jameson)

• Heat oil in sauce pan on medium high
• Remove skin, crush, then rough chop garlic cloves and add to oil
• Allow the garlic to cook gently in the oil for about two minuets. The garlic should brown slightly on the edges, and stick slightly to to bottom of the pan, but not fry. Turn down heat if necessary.
• Add Irish Whiskey and scrape the chunks of garlic loose in the pan.
• Add the rest of the ingredients starting with the jar of Lucille's Kitchen Garden Raspberry Pepper Jam.
• Turn heat down an simmer for fifteen minuets, stirring occasionally. You can use the sauce immediately, or cool and refrigerate it to use in the next couple of days.

When I was younger, I could remember anything, whether it had happened or not. Mark Twain

If you have been blessed with children, you no doubt understand the supreme joy of waking up on a Saturday morning when they have stayed Friday night somewhere else. It may be the first time in weeks that coffee can be treated with calm affection, rather then gulped as a vital drug to your bloodstream. We found ourselves on just such a Saturday last weekend, leisurely reading the paper, and listening to our bird, Simon, sing his zebra finch good morning, when I offered to cook us something wonderful. Food, at least good food, is, of course, the purest expression of love. I smiled to myself as I walked into the kitchen, thinking of the romantic triumph that my breakfast would be. It was only when I opened the refrigerator that I realized that I had forgotten to get eggs. Now. . . list your top five breakfast foods and tell me how many of them can be made without eggs. . .not many. Even if it is not the obvious, omelets, quiche', scrambled eggs etc. You usually need at least one egg to make pancakes, potato pancakes, french toast and so forth. As my morning pastoral scene faded before my eyes, I went into the mode that motherhood has taught me: don't panic, fix a drink and figure it out. So mimosa in hand, I took stock of what I had, a still quiet morning, a partner relaxed and hungry, and puff pastry. I realize that I have blogged quite a few recipes containing puff pastry, and the more kitchen intuitive of you have probably figured out that it is my go to back up plan that must always be in my freezer. So with a bit of scavenging and a bit more mimosa, I came up with our new favorite breakfast pocket pastry. By the way. . . I passed it off as the plan all along. So if you could not tell my partner that would be great.

Breakfast in a Pinch Pastry

Serves 3 or 2 if your really hungry or maybe 1 after a bad breakup.

Ingredients:

• One sheet puff pastry


• 2 oz cream cheese cut into 12 small pieces


• three strips locally produced bacon(see Mill City Farmers Market link to find a producer)


• two green onions sliced


• one tbs. Italian parsley


• two cloves smoked garlic sliced(see below on how to have this wonderful ingredient in your freezer at all times)


• four tbs. Lucille's Kitchen Garden Blueberry Pepper Jam

Directions:

• Preheat oven according to puff pastry directions


• Fry bacon to your preference, remove from heat and pat excess oil off, allow to cool and dice into small pieces.


• Cut puff pastry into 6 equal pieces


• Place 1/3 of each of the ingredients on three of the squares( If it looks like you have more then you need save the leftovers to toss on your salad for lunch)


• Spread 1 tbs of blueberry pepper jelly on the center of the other three puff pastries and use them to make pockets by pinching a blueberry square to the sides of the ingredients square. Make sure to pinch them tightly so that you have a good seal.


• Place on a greased baking sheet and bake according to puff pastry instructions. Serve with fresh fruit, MN cheese and more Mimosa.

**HINT: To have the wonderful flavor of smoked garlic at your finger tips, try placing a whole garlic bulb (or two) on the coolest part of your grill next time you cook out. This works especially well if you are using a charcoal grill, as you can leave the garlic on for quit some time while your grill cools. Check to make sure that your aren't burning it IE. the skins should turn a lovely brown, not black. You will be able to feel the garlic soften and when this happens your garlic is also sweetening and gaining a smoky, buttery taste. When it feels soft you can remove it from your grill and if you can manage not to eat it all on bread, toss it in a freezer bag and pop it in the freezer. You will be amazed how often you use it when you always have the option!

Seize the moment. Remember all those women on the Titanic who waved off the dessert cart. ~Erma Bombeck

If there is one thing that will sustain us through a day when the temperature drops forty degrees, it is dessert. My mother raised me with strict rules about food. The most important of these tenets being that no civilized person would finish a meal without dessert and coffee. For many of my growing years my only motivation to eat at all was the promise of some delectable home made sweet. It is no wonder that my sister is a cake decorator and I make spicy sweet jellies and preserves. If you have been paying attention to the local candy scene you will have had the opportunity to sample Edna's Caramel's, which has a cult like following.

Their caramel's are handmade gourmet caramel's made from the finest natural ingredients. They make a perfect companion to our Real Apple Butter or if you are feeling a bit more adventurous, our Apple Pepper Preserve. While caramel and apples are not a new idea, I think that this dessert treat will offer you something unique for your coffee guests or just a cozy evening at home. You can find Edna's Caramels at //www.ednascaramels.com/



Caramel Apple Explosion





One Sheet Puff Pastry

One jar Lucille's Kitchen Garden Apple Pepper Preserve or Real Apple Butter

Six Edna's Caramels

• Preheat oven according to puff pastry instructions


• Cut puff pastry into six equal squares


• Drop one teaspoon of Apple Pepper Preserve or Real Apple Butter in the center of each square.


• Place one caramel on top of preserve or apple butter


• Pinch edges of puff pastry together making a pocket, be sure to seal the filling in completely


• Bake in oven according to puff pastry instructions


• Take out of oven and allow to cool for a few minuets as the inside goodness will be really hot!


• Serve warm or refridgerate and serve cool at a later time (lock the fridge as they have a tendency to wander off unexpectedly!)

We enjoy ours warm with a cup of Celtic coffee. Since our trip to Costa Rica, home to some of the warmest people one the planet, as well as some of the most talented coffee growers in the world we recommend using a Fair Trade Costa Rican Coffee.

No clever arrangement of bad eggs ever made a good omelet” C.S. Lewis

Since I heard in the news about the decision to not label cloned animals, it made me think even more seriously about the need to buy local meat from small farmers who are accountable for the methods that they use for raising our food. One food that I have been reading about lately is eggs. The FDA has stated that there is no difference between eggs that are factory farm raised and free range, however when you look more closley you realize that this has to do with how they have chosen to define free range.
Braucher's Sunshine Harvest Farm located in Webster, MN offers 100% grass fed beef and lamb and pasture raised chicken and eggs. Yes, farm fresh eggs. It is important to note the difference in the terms free range and pasture raised, as free range only requires that chickens have a certain amount of space and access to the outdoors. They still can eat a diet of processed "Grain products, Protein products, Grain by products" ect. Pasture raised chickens reside primarily outside with access to the indoors and eat. . .well like a chicken. They feed on grass, insects, various green plants and insect larva. Frequently this diet is supplemented with organic grains and in Sunshine Harvest Farm's case, flax. Pasture raised chickens produce eggs that can have up to 50% more folic acid and roughly half the cholesterol of factory farm eggs. With Sunshine Harvest Farm's addition of flax, the ratio of Omega 3 to Omega 6 fatty acids is three times better then the average USDA factory Farm eggs. Fatty acids can not be produced by your body, they have to be absorbed from food. They are important in decreasing cholesterol, lowering hypertension, helping your blood to clot properly and controlling the chemicals in your body that cause inflamation in your joints. Plus and this is a big one if you love food like I do; eggs that come from pasture raised chickens just taste better.
With that in mind I offer you my favorite breakfast in bed recipe. This recipe looks beutiful and feels luxurious, without taking half the morning to prepare. If you are interested in learning more about pasture raised chickens there is a great article at MotherEarth.com/eggs and you can preorder or buy a farm share from Braucher's Sunshine Harvest farm by calling 952-652-1911. You can also look them up on http://www.eatwild.com/.


Breakfast in Bed

1 organic puff pastry shell
1 pasture raised chicken egg
2 slices local farm raised bacon
1 tbs Lucille's Kitchen Garden Apple Pepper Preserve

• Bake puff pastry shell according to package directions


• Fry or poach egg according to preference (You can buy fancy cook wear to make sure that the egg remains small enough to fit on the pastry shell, but I just use a metal jar lid ring.)


• Fry bacon to preference


• After removing puff pastry from the oven, place bacon slices crosswise on top shell; place egg on top of bacon; finish with a dolop of Apple Pepper preserve and serve. We enjoy a mimosa with crisp fresh squeezed orange juice with our weekend breakfast in bed!