Last September the first round of Peppermeister Roulette hit the blog.
Let’s see how HOT Round 2 is, shall we?
If you’d like to learn more about the peppers tasted here, visit Peppermeister’s blog (make sure to tell him Rachel wants a tie-breaker).
Monthly Archives: February 2013
Let’s Play Peppermeister Roulette…Again!
Categories: Gardening, Video
Tags: food, hot peppers, humor, local, peppermeister, video, vlog
61 Comments
Bloggy Brunch
Jules (Go Jules Go), Misty (Misty’s Laws), Julie (MaidaSomeArt) and I planned a bloggy meet-up months ago, selecting my house as the mid-way point. It just so happens that the date we chose fell on my blogiversary, a few days before Jules’ two-year blogiversary and a few days before Misty’s birthday. What a happy coincidence!
They arrived on my doorstep Saturday morning ready for a party, weighted down with all kinds of goodies, including a seemingly never-ending supply of champagne. Jules even brought her dog–the famous Uncle Jesse! I felt like I was meeting a celebrity (in person he’s just like you’d think he’d be–charming and delightful and cute).
This happened. (Misty is a super hero so I have to keep her identity confidential.)
I had two revelations on my blogiversary:
The first one came when Misty made this comment as I was throwing blogiversary frittatas in the oven: “I was so excited to come and eat Rachel’s food.” Then Jules said the same thing. Then my friend Julie extolled my cooking to them both. I was so pleased. I mean, Misty categorized what I was making as “Rachel’s food,” as if I was a celebrity chef or something. A year ago, I started the blog because I wanted to learn more about good, quality, local food and how to prepare it. My goal was realized as I made those local frittatas for bloggy friends which leads me to my second revelation…
Blogging is so much more than writing or food; it’s about community. I’ve met some amazingly interesting people this year because of blogging. Misty said blogging helped her find “her tribe.” I feel the same way, and I’m thankful that a creative outlet has led me to so many great people whom I now call friends.
Mustache collage with Julie and Uncle Jesse, thanks to a mustache gift from Misty
The menu included the aforementioned champagne, lovely fruit, chocolate croissants (brought by Jules and from Trader Joe’s. Not local but still delicious) and two kinds of frittata made by yours truly. Frittata is always an easy and delicious way to go for brunch–satisfying for a few or a crowd.
Blogiversary Ham and White Cheddar Frittata
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, diced
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 ham steak, cubed (I get my ham from the Amish farmers market. Don’t skimp on the ham!)
8 eggs
Couple splashes of half and half
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 cup sharp white cheddar cheese
Preheat the broiler, making sure to place a rack about 8 inches from the heat.
Melt the butter in a non-stick, oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and some pepper. Cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the ham to the skillet and cook until a little brown, about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs in a bowl with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, some pepper, and the half and half until smooth.
Spread the ham and onions out evenly in the skillet. Pour the egg mixture over this. Stir a couple of times during the first couple minutes of cooking. Then let the eggs cook until the bottom sets and the edges begin to set, about 6 minutes. Sprinkle the cheese and the thyme over the top and transfer the skillet to the broiler until the eggs puff up and are set. Watch it carefully. Remove from broiler and set aside to cool a bit.
Amish Ham and White Cheddar Frittata
Serve to good friends with mimosas (sans the orange juice).
Ham and White Cheddar Frittata alongside Spinach and Goat Cheese Frittata
Thanks to Misty, Jules, and Julie for a lovely day! I’m so happy to know all three of you.
If you’re a blogger, I’m curious–what’s the most surprising thing you’ve learned through blogging?
Categories: Fall Recipes, Recipes, Spring Recipes, Summer Recipes, Winter Recipes
Tags: blogging, blogiversary, blogs, breakfast, celebration, food, friendship, frittata
21 Comments
Let’s Get This Party Started
Tomorrow is my blogiversary!
One year ago, I hit the publish button and my first post jettisoned into the blogosphere. When I started Rachel’s Table I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I had no idea what lengths I would go to or ridiculous things I would do to not only find the best, local foods, but also inform and mostly entertain you. YOU, dear readers, are the reason I write this blog. YOU, loyal readers, are the reason I stay motivated to post. YOU, lovely readers, are the reason I muddled through accomplished all of the following activities. I do it all for you:
I befriended the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
I stopped buying olives and hummus
I gardened for the first time in my life
I played Peppermeister Roulette
I became a restaurant critic, movie critic, food stylist, journalist, artist and photographer
Tomorrow, on my blogiversary, I’ll celebrate in style with a few other bloggers and lots of champagne. But to hold you over until I tell you all about it, I made this card. Just for you.
You know I don’t get paid to do this, right? YOU are my only compensation. Worth it (most of the time).
Happy CSA Day! {Week 4}
Friends of mine tell me stories of their mothers and grandmothers slaving away, over large pots, waiting for the “POP” of a Ball jar lid, the summer heat no match for the steam of a kitchen in full canning mode.
I have no such stories. While I’m sure both my grandmothers canned food in their lifetime, I never learned the art.
I have, however, had the pleasure of eating many canned goods provided by generous friends and friends’ grandmothers. My favorite canned good is the pickled beet. I could eat them all day, on salads or as a snack and often make vinaigrette with the bright pink pickling liquid.
While I didn’t receive any beets in my CSA box from Lancaster Farm Fresh last week, a trio of root vegetables greeted me–carrots, turnips, and black radishes. The carrots and turnips are easy to use, but black radishes? I’ve never had them, and I’m more familiar with the pretty reddish-pink variety I grew in my garden last year. These black radishes looked like beasts in comparison. I was at a loss for what to do with them, but then those pickled beets came to mind.
The radishes in question, about three times the size of spring radishes
I’ve been wanting to try my hand at food preservation for a while now, so I decided to make quick pickled black radishes. While I didn’t slave away in the kitchen over hot pots waiting for that “POP” of the Ball jar, I did take the time to pack them tightly with vinegar and spices. And they’ll keep in the fridge for a month.
I would say that my first attempt at one form of food preservation was a success, giving me a confidence boost for when I can summer tomatoes for the first time. I can’t wait to try these picked black radishes on my Asian Short Rib Tacos or on this Vietnamese sandwich. They are earthy, spicy, and pickled to perfection.
Pickled Black Radishes
5 black radishes, sliced thickly
1 small yellow onion, sliced (also from my CSA)
1 cup water
1 cup white vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt plus a bit more
3 teaspoons (local) honey
1/2 teaspoon crushed peppercorns
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 dried chile pepper, cut in half lengthwise (my chile was from Peppermeister, my pepper hero. If you want to trade seeds with him or receive some of his extra special seeds in the mail, check out this post.)
After slicing the radishes, place them in a colander and salt them with a little kosher salt.
Thickly sliced and ready for the pickle jar
I used my mortar and pestle, a gift from a thoughtful friend, to crush the peppercorns
In a non-reactive saucepan, bring the water, vinegar, salt, and honey to a boil, until salt and honey are dissolved. Remove from heat and add the crushed peppercorns, garlic, and chile.
Pickling Liquid
Pack the sliced radishes and onion in a clean quart-sized jar, and pour the hot liquid over them, making sure to pack the garlic, chile, and all those crushed peppercorns into the jar, too. Cover and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for at least 24 hours. Eat within a month.
Pretty as a picture
What’s your favorite canned good or pickled item? Have you ever pickled/canned summer produce? Any tips for me?
Categories: Gardening, Recipes
Tags: Canning, Community Supported Agriculture, CSA, food, Food Preservation, local, Pickling, vegan, vegetarian
17 Comments
Culinary Adventures in Key West
It’s cold. Not only is it cold outside, but it’s also extra chilly in my house. The furnace is on the fritz, but a new part is on its way and we should be up and running in a day or two. In the meantime, I’m hunkering down with a warm laptop and a few blankets to reminisce about warmer days.
Two weeks ago, I was enjoying the 75 degree weather of Key West, FL. Since this was my first time to visit Key West I didn’t know what to expect besides sunshine and ocean breezes. I’m so glad that Key West is full of surprises! Not only did I enjoy the aforementioned sunshine and ocean breezes, but I also reveled in some of the BEST food I’ve eaten in a long time. My reveling was so epic that I came home with enough photos to fill 18 Facebook albums.
You can see where this is going…it’s vacation photo time.
So please humor me come on a culinary adventure with me. I promise the Mojitos will be plentiful and the sun will warm your bones.
Key West Culinary Adventures – BREAKFAST
Blue Heaven
Breakfasting at Blue Heaven is like sitting down in your crazy-cool, hippie friend’s back yard to enjoy a cold one and reminisce about the good old days. The vibe is chilled out and the food is simple and authentic.
Eccentric in the best kind of way
Our waiter was proud of the fact that Blue Heaven uses local island ingredients. He assured me the avocados in my Avocado Omelette with Black Bean Sauce were Florida avocados.
My dream: LOCAL avocados
Most mornings I prefer a small breakfast – coffee and something sweet. Cafe Moka hit the spot; their Americanos and chocolate croissants are enlightening.
Coffee is always better when enjoyed leisurely on the front porch
Cafe Moka – a cute spot
Key West Culinary Adventures: LUNCH
If you have a few hours to kill while on Key West (and why wouldn’t you) please visit Latitudes, the restaurant at the Westin Sunset Key Resort. We made our reservations for lunch and were given a boat launch time. A ferry took us over to Sunset Key for a relaxing and picturesque meal.
The picture perfect resort
On a boat with Nicole
We were seated outside, almost on the beach. The view was breathtaking, while the food was silence inducing.
Oh my Burrata! This was GOOD. Cheese filled with cheese? Plus fried green tomatoes? YES, please!
Sunset Key Shrimp with apricot BBQ sauce and watermelon chutney. Oh my.
Grilled grouper with saffron rice, black beans, and plantains. Simply delicious.
In a shocking twist, the hubs ordered the Harvest Salad with grilled chicken. It arrived all bundled up.
Paradise
Latitudes is more than just a place to eat, it’s an experience. Next time I hope to arrive just in time to watch the sun set over the beach with a drink in my hand.
Key West Culinary Adventures – AFTERNOON SNACK
The Southernmost Cafe was a short walk from our Key West digs. This cafe is right on the beach with a walk-up bar and spectacular view. We spent two afternoons here, drinking Mojitos and eating snacks on the beach.
The view from inside the Southernmost Cafe
Coconut Key West Shrimp. Fried to perfection. (Please don’t be distracted by my chewed up thumb nail–bad habits never die.)
This is the Southernmost House, right across the street from the Southernmost Cafe
The gates to the Southernmost House
If you get bored with sitting on the beach or prefer pork to shrimp, walk all the way down Duval Street to Hog’s Breath Saloon. It was at this establishment that I ate the best thing on the island: Hog’s Legs, mini pork shanks with spicy plum sauce. I inhaled two orders.
Yes. These. Eat them.
Nothing left on the bone. Well done.
Photo op!
Key West Culinary Adventures – BEFORE DINNER DRINKS
The sunsets on Key West are awe inspiring, especially when viewed at the Crowne Plaza La Concha Hotel. This hotel takes the prize as the tallest building in Key West–a whopping seven stories! Those seven stories are all you need to see EVERYTHING–the entire town with a stunning ocean vista in the background. Grab a drink at the bar and watch the sun turn from yellow to orange to pink as it sets.
Sunset view
I fell in love with this church and was so delighted to see it in all its glory while at the top of the hotel
Key West Culinary Adventures – DINNER
The restaurants in Key West are all outstanding. We didn’t have a bad meal once. Our last night on the island, we went to Hot Tin Roof. They have a great bar with unique cocktails and a beautiful outdoor dining spot.
Mahi Mahi Ceviche – refreshing with just the right amount of spice
Flatbread with goat cheese, roasted red peppers and some kind of ham–another delicious starter
This wasn’t the best paella I’ve ever had, but the seafood was wonderful, and the flavors were bright and spicy
Our Hot Tin Roof dining companions
Light and sweet Coconut Flan
Key West Culinary Adventures – AFTER DINNER DRINKS
You can’t go to Key West without going into a bar. They are everywhere, up and down Duval Street. Fortunately, the bars are as diverse as the locals. You have your choice of rowdy or refined. For a true Key West experience, visit the famous Sloppy Joe’s, a favorite place of Ernest Hemingway. I prefer a place with less noise, so we headed over to the Speak Easy Rum Bar after dinner where our friends introduced us to the Speak Easy Painkiller. It’s made the traditional way but with more coconut and lots of nutmeg.
Dessert in a glass
Key West Culinary Adventures – LATE NIGHT SNACK
I was on the hunt for some conch fritters the entire time we were in Key West, so the hubs and I ventured out to find some. We happened upon the aptly named Conch Shack. The fritters were steaming hot, crispy on the outside and pillowy soft on the inside–perfect for a late night bite.
Conch fritters and lime
The owner of the Conch Shack humoring me by posing for a photo, conch shell and all
Since avocados, key limes, tropical fruits, citrus and the freshest seafood are what’s local in Key West, it’s the perfect vacation spot for a sun-starved locavore looking for light, bright flavors to get her through the winter.
So even though my nose is cold and the wind is biting, my Key West memories (and some good rum) will warm me up until the sun starts shining in my neck of the woods.
I miss you, Key West
Categories: Restaurant
Tags: florida, food, key west, life, local, photography, travel, vacation
13 Comments
Happy CSA Day! {Weeks 2 and 3}
Tomorrow is CSA Day! I will go to Home Grown Cafe and pick up my box of lovely, organic vegetables. It’s like Christmas every Tuesday.
I’m covering CSA weeks 2 and 3 together because both boxes contained mushrooms–regular old white mushrooms, Portobello caps, and shiitake.
CSA Beauties
I’ve never been a picky eater, but I know some people cannot abide mushrooms. I can kind of understand it. Mushrooms are spongy, dirty, and categorized as fungus. But these are the characteristics that make mushrooms taste so good! Their sponginess causes them to soak up flavors effortlessly. Their “dirtiness” gives them an earthy, hearty deliciousness that is unmatched.
I love mushrooms almost as much as I love CSA Day.
So here’s my Ode to the Mushroom in recipe form (if your sweetie loves mushrooms you might want to make this on Valentine’s Day):
Ode to the Mushroom Bolognese
Ingredients:
1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped
4 carrots, roughly chopped (I washed mine, but did not peel them)
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
12 ounces white mushrooms, cut in half
6 ounces Portobello mushrooms (2 caps), diced largely
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 dried red chili, crushed
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/3 cup red wine
1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, with juice
1 cup tomato puree
1 pound of spaghetti or linguine, cooked
Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese for serving
In a food processor (I only have a tiny one as you can see from the photo below. A normal sized one would make this part of the recipe much more efficient), pulse the onion and carrot together into small pieces. Add 2 tablespoons oil to a large pot and heat over medium high heat. Transfer onion and carrot to the pot. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt, saute for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
This is my cute, but way-too-tiny food processor
Meanwhile, add 1/2 of the white mushrooms to the food processor. Pulse until mushrooms are not quite pureed (see photo). Add the other half of the white mushrooms and pulse again, this time stopping when mushroom are coarsely chopped. Transfer the white mushrooms and the Portobellos (these do not go in the food processor) to the pot. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Saute for about 10 minutes, stirring.
Look away if you don’t like mushrooms. This might make you sick.
Add the garlic, crushed chili, oregano, and marjoram. Cook and stir for 3 minutes.
Chilis from Peppermeister. You’ll be seeing these again very soon.
On its way to mushroom sublime-ness
Add the tomato paste and the sugar. Cook and stir for 3 more minutes.
Add the wine and cook for 2 minutes so some of the alcohol cooks out.
Break up the whole tomatoes with your fingers and transfer those to the pot, along with the juice from the can. Add the tomato puree. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered for 20 minutes. Check for seasoning and add more kosher salt, if necessary.
‘Shroom Sauce
Serve ladled over the pasta with a drizzle of good olive oil and some Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese.
No meat, no problem
Sauce so good it requires a close up
What are your thoughts on the controversial mushroom? Love ‘em or hate ‘em?
Categories: Fall Recipes, Recipes, Spring Recipes, Winter Recipes
Tags: Community Supported Agriculture, CSA, farmers, food, lancaster, local, mushrooms, Valentine's Day, vegetarian
39 Comments
Rage Against the Minivan Guest Post
This is a food blog, right?
You are correct, but since it’s also RACHEL’S table, sometimes I get to veer off topic a bit.
Today is one of those days. A few months ago I submitted a piece to the blog Rage Against the Minivan for the series “What I Want You to Know.” The author–funny and delightful Kristen–posted it yesterday.
The subject matter is deeply personal to me; I even hesitated telling you about it. But here I am over-sharing as usual.
So pull up a chair at my table, and let’s have a chat. I’ll grab the coffee while you take a look at my post, “What I Want You to Know About Having a Baby.“
If you take the time to read it, feel free to leave me a comment over there or right here.
Categories: Random
Tags: guest post, having a baby, infertility, mommy blog, motherhood, rage against the minivan
23 Comments
For the Love of Bacon
I’m lucky enough to have some really great friends. Old friends, new friends, close friends, and long distance friends. As I was thinking about my friend line-up today, I realized my friends and I share an all-encompassing, very important commonality: a mutual love of bacon.
Misty, my best friend since tenth grade, likes her bacon chewy, not crispy.
Julie, my artist friend, loves her bacon wrapped around a cheese-filled jalapeno and grilled.
Nicole, my traveling companion friend, likes her bacon any way possible.
Allison, my favorite Massachusetts friend, likes her bacon on a slice of toasted pumpernickel with sharp white cheddar and an egg over easy (this girl knows what she wants).
Natalie, my chef friend, loves bacon in all forms and will cook you up something delicious at the drop of a hat.
Phil, my friend who loves to cook and eat with gusto, likes his bacon in the form of pancetta, which he makes himself.
And Jules, my blogging friend, likes her bacon in ornament form (click here to learn more) or layered evenly and prettily over turkey meatloaf. Being the dear friend that she is, Jules has agreed to share the recipe with us today.
Jules was definitely drinking while making this meatloaf
Prepare yourself to be amazed:
A year or two ago, when I saw we had ground turkey and bacon in the fridge, I decided to experiment.
The resultant recipe soon turned into one of my favorite go-to meals during the week, when I want to make something simple, hearty and delicious. I’ll whip up this feisty loaf on my lunch break and stick it in the fridge until it’s time to bake. (I wait to put the sauce on until just before baking.)
It’s nearly impossible to screw this up, so feel free to get drunk while making it creative. And if you don’t like spicy food? Use mild peppers and leave out the Sriracha sauce!
Spicy Turkey Meatloaf (with BACON!!!!)
Serves 4
Meatloaf
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
- 1-2 of your favorite spicy peppers, finely chopped (I like sereno, jalapeno and Habanero, or peppers from Peppermeister‘s garden)
- 1-2 T vegetable oil
- 1 egg
- 1/2 c. oatmeal (I use steel-cut; you can also substitute with bread crumbs)
- 3-4 oz. pepper jack and/or cheddar cheese, shredded (you can use just about any kind of cheese you like)
- 1.2-1.5 lbs. ground turkey (1 package)
- 6 strips of bacon, uncooked
- salt and pepper (to taste)
Sauce
- 1/2 c. ketchup
- 1/4 c. light brown sugar
- 3 T Sriracha sauce
Preheat oven to 350 F. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan and saute the onions, garlic and peppers until softened (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat and let cool.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the turkey, egg, oatmeal and cheese. Add the cooked onion mixture and salt and pepper to taste.
Form a loaf in a medium-sized baking dish or loaf pan.
Cover with bacon. There is no way to do this wrong, but the quality of the bacon will make a big difference, so don’t skimp if you don’t have to.
This is the reason my life feels fulfilled without children.
In a small bowl, combine the ketchup, brown sugar and Sriracha sauce and pour over the meatloaf.
Bake for 1 hour. Remove from oven and let stand 5-10 minutes.
Slice and serve!
This is fantastic the next day, too, if you can leave any!
Thanks for a bacon-licious idea, Jules! I love you (almost as much as I love bacon)! If you haven’t visited Jules’ blog yet, go see what she’s up to today on Go Jules Go.
So tell me, what’s YOUR favorite way to eat bacon?
Categories: Fall Recipes, Recipes, Spring Recipes, Summer Recipes, Winter Recipes
Tags: bacon, blogging, food, friendship, Go Jules Go, local, meatloaf
28 Comments
Make the World More Awesome
I’m diverging from regular blog topics, because it’s the weekend!
If you aren’t one of the over 5 million people that have viewed Kid President on You Tube, you’re welcome.
I’m planning to have my own dance party of awesomeness this weekend (more about that next week). What’s on your agenda?
Suggestion: Watch Space Jam or another one of my favorite Kid President videos:
Categories: Random, Video
Tags: awesomeness, humor, inspiration, kid president, video, you tube
3 Comments
