roman candle...

yea, it's not just a firecracker ... it is a beautiful neon yellow, striped, banana shaped tomato. I took a quick minute today to look at my favorite seed catalog, Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. You must check this link out. My mother gave me a gift last year that was a bucket of random heirloom seeds. Heirloom seeds are gems to be loved and protected. Organic seeds are nice but their mother is heirloom.

So, this weekend I got a few seeds started. I know, I know it is a bit late to get things started but we go on vacation during prime planting season. I must wait until we return to get most babies in the ground. It may be a tip too late for you but next year save those large plastic salad boxes to use as seed starters.

Okay, here is the scoop on amazing event you must check out, if you are a home gardener. Find the biggest rolling cart that you can fit in your car and head to the Landis Valley Museum, in May, for their Herb & Garden Faire. You can build up expectations to find unusual plants, flowers, veggies and herbs. Really muddy boots, you will not be disappointed!

Another good time (in terms of green thumbs) is anything that B&H Organic Produce hosts. Last year the "Meet the Farmer Day" was a great time. Erica will take you on a tour of the farm and had other growers there selling plants, in addition to hers.

new logo options...which do you like?

busy as a bee

... and still just as sweet... depending on who you ask. So, in case you have not heard I have fridge of my very own to stock with yummy, whole food, healthy eats at Sunshine Wellness Resources. it is a perfect marriage of wellness and food at its best. SWR offers a superior staff of trainers in a beautiful studio for one-on-one training and group training. Check their website for events and trial classes.

Some of the goodies offered at SWR will be

• yogurt parfaits with local yogurt and fruit that is either locally or organically sourced
• mini-quiches for a healthy post workout protein, local eggs
• hummus & organic veggies
• soups & prepared salad with blend of local, organic or whole food items
• prepared whole food meals
• healthy beverages
  

I will also have a website...soon. Visit me at phoebespurefood.com. Keep an eyes for updates.
Lastly, my logo will be renewed and refreshed!

meatball experiment

Just a quick note...I experimented with two recipes last night for family and friends. One meatball recipe was coconut, fennel and cashew and the other was a Kashmiri dish with a little more zing (curry, heat, cilantro, and ginger). The vote was for the coconut balls!

that is all i have to say...no photos either...mmmm...more next time and maybe a recipe

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.

Smoked turkey & kale stew

I found a similar recipe on a bag of kale that got me rolling with a few adaptions. It was a HUGE bag of kale, which did not hinder me. Dan has not been a fan of the leafy, dark greens and will only eat spinach if it is raw, in a salad (which is healthier, so I will give him that). I am generally the one to tackle kale by the arms loads.

Kale is one of the healthiest food around and here are a few reasons why you need to eat more kale...

• it is full of flavinoids which gives anti-inflammatory qualities and a fab anti-oxidant
• steaming kale makes it easier for your body to reach the maximum absorbency of nutrients it has to offer
• kale is a good source of calcium as well as fiber
• it is chock full of Vitamin K, A, and C
• visit WHfoods for the scoop
  

This is how I made my stew today, feel free to adapt it to your tastes. I love it with a crusty, handmade bread and cheese.

1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup sweet brown rice, dry
2 cups french lentils, dry
4 cups sweet potato, cubed
1 bunch kale or swiss chard, coarsely chopped
1 lb smoked turkey breast, cubed
5 cups broth

saute the onions in 2 T extra virgin olive oil until just tender, add the garlic and stir until coated followed by the sweet potatoes. Cook this mixture over medium heat, stirring occasionally for 6 minutes then add the broth. Bring the mixture to a boil and add the lentils, rice and smoked meat, cover, reduce heat to med-low, and cook until the grains are tender.
Salt and pepper to taste but remember that smoked turkey will have loads of flavor.

a few good vegan / vegetarian cookbooks

let me preface this with... I have all but BabyCakes, Veganomicon, and Skinny Bitch.

The Skinny Bitch, Ultimate Everyday Cookbook author wrote Skinny Bitch, about vegan eating. The Veganomicon received great reviews and it chock full of creative recipes to keep vegans interested. BabyCakes...well, you have to love it just for her sassy writing style and yummy recipes for vegans and/or those allergy afflicted, sweet tooth junkies.

That said....

this stack makes an easy start for vegan cooking. A few folks have asked about cookbooks and since I have not written one to suggest to you I stopped at B&N to photograph a few favorites. I do have hundreds of cookbooks but there are those few that show their love with dog-eared and sticky note flags.

My all time favorite cookbook is the original Moosewood. B&N did not have the first Moosewood cookbook, which is the one I suggest you buy. All of the recipes are free hand with beautiful drawings. Moosewood is not vegan but it is vegetarian and you can easily substitute most recipes.

"Vegan With a Vengeance" was one of the first vegan cookbooks I picked up. The recipes are simple and ingredients easy to find...if you have a sweet tooth and won't fuss about sugar, you must pick up her "Vegan Cupcakes Rule the World." Isa gives great tips on what to sub for baking, that makes this vegan baking cookbook a great resource.

"Get it Ripe" is fun and teaches you about the ingredients that you can expect to use which makes it a great resource book on your vegan cookbook shelf. "Vegan Planet" is chock full of options too.

If you are able, buy your books from your local library's used book section....support the local library!

"I would have been a butterfly

...if Phoebe had not hung a bird feeder just above the dill weed that I have been chillin' on for weeks."

So, we (dan and his biz) have been busy and on the road for 3 weeks straight so I have not been cooking much, except for my lunch deliveries. I did not get around to planting fall crops this year and think I will be missing the Swiss Chard and Kale later this fall.

I was mucking about in the camera and found this photo and had to share it. I was such a moron and just like my bird feeder planted near a car hiding spot I put a bird feeder just above the home of this would have been butterfly. ugh! Still, is is a beautiful photo!

don't garden in flip flops

That will be the title of my first book. I've been thinking about it for the past 4 years...that I have been gardening in flip flops and now regretting it. I treated myself to a pedicure this Friday. I do a fine job on my own but it is nice to take a load off (as if personal hygiene is a real burden, huh?). So my toes are a sassy color of red more like a magenta... anyway, after such pampering I, like a fool, went out in the garden and mud today...in flip flops.

why one should not garden in flip flops (mistakes I have made)

1. Sharp sticks jab your tender feet
2. Raspberry or rose thorns really hurt if they get between your toes
3. It is really gross how dirty the bottom of your feet can get...sometimes I have hobbit feet (less the fur)
4. There is no support for the soles of your feet.
5. If you are not careful and over extend your toes when bending, you could cause a stress fracture or damage the capsule stuff that surrounds your toe joints. I accomplished this fete this year and it has been 6 weeks of pain. I can't sit still to ice it (except for this moment).
6. Heel Spurs...no, they are not callouses on your heels. A heel spur is a bony thing that will start to grow in a very sharp point on your heel, damage ligaments, and cause unbearable pain. I'm not saying that it is gardening in flip flops that caused mine (was diagnosed a bit ago). That, in combination with years in heels, contributed to this issue.

Be careful with your feet or you will end up like me... in boring flats and banning flip flops!