local goat cheese makes for easy recipes

I have been on the hunt for local goat cheese and rustled up a few leads but the one I connected with is Amazing Acres Goat Dairy in Elverson. I have heard that this cheese artisan sets up on Penn Avenue for the West Reading Farmers Market.

For a recent tasting at Shri Yoga on Penn, I ran out to Amazing Acres and if it was not a rainy day I would have taken a photo of the great goats who were checking me out from their cozy barn. I picked up fresh fromagina and chevre.

The owners shared that fromagina can be substituted in recipes that call for ricotta or mascarpone to make a sweet or savory recipe. Use it for a savory dip or add sugar (I used agave) and fresh/frozen fruit for a sweet alternative. I served chocolate wafers with a creamy fromagina that was blended with Weaver's Orchard cherries, vanilla bean, agave and walnuts.
Bet it might make a nice addition to a savory cheese cake.

Goat cheese is an easy savory to serve in a roll or ball. I rolled the chevre in cranberries, walnuts and rosemary from my garden. If you want to stretch the cheese or make it a bit softer try blending in an equal portion of cream cheese.

At a recent get together held at Epiphany Life Enrichment Center, I made a cranberry goat cheese log. Here is a link to an easy cranberry goat cheese log recipe, it is just as tasty as it is beautiful to present.

all in all...use simple, local ingredients and keep it real folks!

blood orange & avocado salsa

hey there! just a quick minute to share this yummy recipe that I found thanks to a recent Oprah magazine purchase. this is such a beautiful salsa and wouldn't it be yummy on seafood? this is the dip I took to the recent Shri Yoga Holiday Open House.

click here to visit the link to the Oprah recipe~

local mill

I forgot to mention that we met the owner of a local mill at the Christmas show last week. I am so excited to find a miller using locally grown grains! Better yet we might have a local connection to pick up the grain and save on shipping.

When we go to these shows I usually enjoy buying what is edible. We picked up several bags of whole wheat, buckwheat, whole wheat and buckwheat pancake mixes. They do sell the products in our neck of the woods, at Shady Maple, and will make great Christmas gifts. Ahhh...the day after Christmas with homemade waffles or pancakes from locally made grains!

So, here is the scoop. Burnt Cabins Grist Mill is a site to check out. They host tours and also have a family campground on the premises. As an aside, did you know that buckwheat is not a grain product? It is an herb related to rhubarb and thus contains no gluten. It is a great source of protein and anti-oxidants too. Substitute buckwheat in recipes but if you can tolerate gluten substitute 3/4 cup buckwheat and 1/4 whole wheat flour for each cup of flour. It is a bit dense.

2010: last craft show of the season

yipeee! Yes, this is the same book I was working on at this show in 2009...I had high hopes of finishing it this year.

We love doing these shows. We meet creative vendors with great stories who make for fun company. We also meet the most interesting customers. Cutting it so close to the holiday season keeps Dan very busy and us on the road. Coco and I love when the 2nd week in December rolls by because we finally get Dan back. There are those few demanding customers that need things past the order deadlines but Dan's "It's all good" attitude keeps folks happy.

So, here I sit as day 4, of 5, winds down at the Pennsylvania Christmas and Gift Show winds down. The promoters tell us it is the largest Christmas gift show in the US with about 700+ vendors. There is a hodge podge of handmade and China made gifts. We start at 10/9am and finish at 8pm. Needless to say it's a long day and very busy for Dan.

This year I had a few favorite vendors that I must share with you!

The first gal is the jewelry designer who made a pair of earrings that I always receive compliments on. They are actually a "Jesus fish" which this jeweler uses to share her testimony. I can't locate her website but if you would like her contact info just send me a note.

The next gal's designs are so much fun. I have seen her work at Hello Bluebird in West Reading . Tami is the owner and designer of Pink Andie Designs . Check out her website because she has a vegan doughnut recipe so you gotta love that! Tami incorporates vintage pieces into her bling. Her pieces are whimsical and just plain fun!

Okay, you know me and so you know it was not hard for me to find the bakers at this show. German Delights has been my stop at least twice. These 2 gals have artisan, authentic German baked goods. Oddly, what I love about their treats is that they are not too sweet. I love that there is so much attention to detail, like every little cookie or morsel was made just for me!

Last, but not least is a glass artisan that we met at a previous show, TJ Gallery Glass
Jennifer and Tom taught me so much about yard game and food. There work is funky and unique! Find TJ Gallery Glass on facebook too!

I could go on and on about the artist friends we have and have met on road. There are so many connections to make when considering gifts for the holidays or special events in all price points. Please consider buying local when gift giving. Your money is more likely to stay local to support a community when you buy from the artisan you get to meet.