Tomatoes and Roses and Hornworms, Oh My!

This started to be a post about herbs and gardening ........

See--here we have three kinds of basil---lemon, Thai and African Blue--plus pineapple sage, lemon verbena, dill, bronze fennel and some thyme.

And I couldn't resist the beautiful bud of my climbing Don Juan.

This is the main 'kitchen' garden.  The deck to the left is right off my kitchen and the steps go down to both sides (my design).  The soil here is horrible plus there are all kinds of cables and lines so we did a raised bed.  It was not deep enough for the big tomatoes so they are in a huge pot at the back toward the right.  That tall mass of green is mostly one 'cherry' tomato that has gone off the chart in the Miracle Grow Moisture Control garden soil.

I noticed immediately that something had been eating at the cherry tomato.  This was not good.  At first I didn't see the culprit, its got pretty good camouflage. 

So I walked on back to take some pictures and check out my big tomatoes.

This first ripe tomato is the Better Boy.  The other tomato in this pot is a Brandywine.  Between the heat and the Miracle Grow Moisture Control potting soil they are growing and setting tomatoes like crazy.

As I stood up from picking that beautiful tomato I spotted the voracious marauder--a tomato hornworm--the larval stage of a hawk moth.  Of course I took a ton of pictures and then had to figure out how to get rid of it.  If it dropped down into that thick tangle of vines below I'd have to wait until it came up to eat again.

I eventually snipped off the branch it was hanging on and gave it a ride to the yard waste cart.  But of course not before I made Brad stop mowing the lawn so I could show it to him and do the 'eeewwwww -big-squirmy -icky-critter' dance.  I grew up in the country but these kinds of thick squishy things with a lot of legs have always given me the heeby jeebies.

Eventually I made it in to slice the tomato and make our brunch.  The texture of the tomato was nice and the flavor was typical for a Better Boy--not too acidic but great for a June tomato.  They make a great sandwich tomato.

I swear there is lettuce on there *smile*

Beer Cheese Festival Redux

On June 12 we attended the Second Annual Beer Cheese Festival held on Main Street in charming downtown Winchester, Kentucky.   In only the second year of the Festival they drew a crowd of about 13,000.

Even though the skies were threatening and the heat and humidity wrapped us like a wet thick blanket we sampled our way through the 20 or so 'professional' vendors and a number of amateur contestants.

The Beer Cheese.com group were eagerly seeking email addresses in exchange for both a fridge magnet and a coupon for free beer cheese!

A variety of acts entertained from the courthouse steps.

Some of the buildings are so lovely. 

On to the beer cheese!  You can find a complete list of winners at the Beer Cheese Festival Facebook page here.

Let me tell you--I underestimated what sampling more than 20 different beer cheeses--plus hot and mild varieties of some--would entail on a hot humid Kentucky day.  It was sightly daunting.

I love beer cheese---it should have a rich cheddar flavor with full body from the beer and a nice kick of cayenne and garlic.  I like a smooth texture but not anything that smacks of Velveeta.  I like Velveeta melted in a grilled cheese sandwich or in Rotel cheese dip but it has no place in beer cheese.  I'm just saying cause I'm very sure I tasted a Velveeta like substance a couple of times.  And it gagged me.  

Another point--tasters paid $5 each for all the beer cheese they wanted to sample.  Some vendors were too generous--giving what looked to be almost an ounce of beer cheese in a sample cup --while others were quite parsimonious. 

The worst was the offering of two small pretzel sticks swiped through the beer cheese.  I'm not complaining about the sample size so much as the fact that it was served on pretzels.  Pretzels have a strong flavor on their own and to me are not the right medium with which to sample beer cheese.  

The best sampling we found was with the small spoons handed out by three or four vendors.  We kept our spoons, which luckily we got early on, and used them to do the rest of the initial samples, even if we were handed a taste on a cracker.

I think it is interesting to note that everyone we asked--and I think we asked all but about 3 --used Budweiser as their beer of choice with two notable exceptions: the gluten free entry of Full Circle Market used a gluten free brew for an interesting beer cheese, and; Ms. Parker's Beer Cheese presented by Cara Mia's which is said to contain Guiness!  Only one vendor I asked--Howard's Creek--would not tell me what beer they used.

The winner of the Festival ---for the second straight year-- was Southwind Beer Cheese.  This was our second favorite but the most traditional.  This beer cheese has excellent texture and is full bodied from the very first bite.  The spice is there throughout and it's something you just want to keep eating.

Second place--also for the second year--was Howard's Creek Beer Cheese.  They were the first place winner for the Retail/Commercial division both years. I liked this beer cheese a lot.  It was a tad milder and the spice was not as forward as the Southwind Beer Cheese.  Still an excellent choice and not much separates them except for individual taste.  This was our third favorite.

And finally this cheese was our hands down favorite--Ms. Parker's Beer Cheese presented by Cara Mia's Restaurant.

I love love love this cheese!   The combination of the Guiness and the extra sharp aged cheddar is a complete win in my book.  It is spicy and full bodied without being too hot.  It's not as yellow as what you usually see--white cheddar I suspect is the reason. 

I made a plate at home to sample it with some traditional beer cheese companions....celery, carrots, crackers and radishes.  For the record I somehow forgot how spicy those purple radishes are--combined with the cheese --wow! 

This did not last long in our house. I practically had to hold Brad back so I could get the pictures. As far as I know this cheese is only available in the restaurant--you can see the address on the label. If I find out differently I will let you know.

I am making sure to make the Beer Cheese Festival a 'must attend' event next year.

Second Day Dishes featuring Sloppy Seconds wine!

I recently did kabobs featuring what turned out to be a marvelous local beef--more on that in a later post.

We had the leftovers tonight in one of my Second Day Dish transformations with a wonderful addition in the Sloppy Seconds red from Lover's Leap Vineyards.  I must confess that my Husband Brad first  noticed the Sloppy Seconds red at the Lover's Leap winery display at the Lexington Farmer's Market this past  Saturday.  I was focused on their advertised but not quite ready Riesling.  He prompted me to try the red and I am so glad he did.

This is how they describe it

Sloppy Seconds

NEW RELEASE!  Some prefer the cellar’s forgotten children – seven different varietals blended for a second chance to impress.  Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cynthiana, Tempranillo, Syrah, Chambourcin!   $11

I really liked the little taste I got at the Farmer's Market-it was enough for me to buy two bottles. But once I got it home and opened it up in a nice glass I was titillated with the lush, upfront tropical fruit followed by a nice peppery finish. It's leggy and not at all thin. I just love this wine. The first taste of tropical fruit reminds me of a Beaujolais nouveau but with more body. At $11 a bottle I'd say this a big value for a great summer wine that will be perfect with grilled foods.

So on to dinner----I took the leftover kabob ingredients (beef, red pepper, yellow pepper, Vidalia onion all cooked with a balsamic fig marinade/glaze) and sliced them and warmed it all in a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar and plated it with some nice romaine.   On the left is my plate with a finish of grated Parmesan and a Balsamic vinaigrette and on the right is Brad's plate with a dressing of blue cheese vinaigrette.

Your best bet for  a healthy and delicious 'leftover' summer cooking is taking your main ingredients into a salad.  You will be surprised at how simple it is to retain the flavor profile you really liked .

As always if you have questions let me know.

I am starting a new feature here------Second Day Dish by Request-----you give me the ingredients you have and I'll give you ideas/recipes to use them based on your skill set.

The Second Annual Beer Cheese Festival!

Beer cheese is both delicious and addictive. It's ubiquitous as an appetizer here and with good reason. With a cheddar base the mellow flavor of the beer is given a snappy kick of cayenne that is a perfect match with both crackers and crisp vegetables.

The beautiful city of Winchester, KY is home to the Beer Cheese Festival. I missed the inaugural festival because it was the weekend of  ConFab, Baby, our big house party last year.

I am psyched to go this year.  This list of commercial beer cheese vendors is tantalizing. Plus there are more than 120 vendors for the festival.  Tonight there is a kickoff party with food and live music.  Check out the festival home page for details.  The main festival events are on Saturday June 12th.

The only fly in the ointment is that we have tickets for the Meijer 300 NASCAR Nationwide race at the Kentucky Speedway at Sparta---part of my birthday present from my Husband, Brad---on Saturday.  It's late in the day though so I think we can do both.

I hope to see you there!

Second Day Dishes -- Fish Tacos

I simply ADORE fish tacos.  I know that some  people kind of freak out at the idea if they have never had them but I'm not sure why.  Maybe  it's just the fear of the 'unknown'.  But when you think about it a lot of the fish we eat in Kentucky is coated in some sort of cornmeal based batter. So wrapping a corn tortilla around some catfish is actually just not that much of a stretch.

We had grilled catfish Monday --I used the unbelievably yummy Garlic Scape Pesto from Blue Moon Farm to season the fish.  We had two nice fillets left so I decided we'd try them in fish tacos.

I thought a good accompaniment to that would be my approximation of my grandmother Pan's  corn salad.  I haven't made it in probably 30 years.  But I know what goes in it and how it should taste so......here goes....

Corn Salad

I used three ears of corn.  I put them in boiling water for about 6-7 minutes.  I used tongs to take  them out and put them on a clean towel then impaled each with a big fork and using a big plate for a base........

 

cut the kernels off yielding about 3 cups.

In addition to the three cups of corn you will need

3/4 cup diced Vidalia sweet onion

1/3 cup diced red bell pepper

1 small jalapeno diced, most ribs and seeds removed

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

2 TB olive oil

4 TB white balsamic vinegar

Add all veg to the bowl then add the salt and liquids.  Mix thoroughly then refrigerate until ready to serve.

I also thought  Pintos and Cheese would make a nice side to accompany this 'leftover' dish.   Brad  adores them from Taco Bell so I tried to make them have a similar flavor profile.....

Pintos and Cheese

1/2 cup diced Vidalia sweet onion

1 1/2 TB olive oil

1 tsp sea salt

1 15 oz can pinto beans

@1/2 cup chicken stock

1/2 tsp corriander

@2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

@ 1 cup finely shredded Mexican Blend cheese

Saute the onions in the olive oil---adding the salt as they get going --- over medium heat until translucent.  Add the beans and seasonings and mash about until mostly pureed, using the chicken stock to keep enough moisture in the pan to make a smooth consistency. 

Top with the cheese and remove from heat and cover.

I made a pico de gallo to go with

2 tomatoes or 1 pint cherry tomatoes, chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh jalepeno, ribs and seeds removed in accordance with your capacity for heat

1 heaping tsp chopped cilantro

1/4 cup sliced green onion

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 tsps lime juice

Mix thoroughly.

I used soft corn tortillas and added the fish then the pico.  Brad put the corn salad in his as well.  It's was delicious!

I love making something 'new' out of leftovers so if you need any ideas let me know.

Foodie Photography

Foodie photography is almost important as the recipes on a food blog. I've always loved photography although I've never had any training. The freedom allowed by digital technology lets me experiment . I normally just try to make the images pleasing to me. However since I have been posting here I've been working on making my images of food as appetizing as the food itself.

Sometimes I catch images through serendipity. While I was taking a series of images from a moving car because the sky looked amazing one August morning as we drove along Route 60 between Versailles and Frankfort......

I managed to snap the header picture which I love because of the color and sky and the perfect-by-accident positioning of the tree beside of the barn.

And sometimes  it's the colors, form, and the interplay of light and shadow  that  catch my eye....

I'll post the recipes for the last three soon--I promise*smile*

Fiesta Lasagna with Avocado Cream

Hey y'all

This is an excellent example of why you want to keep a stocked pantry. I pulled together this fantastic lasagna using items I keep on hand.  This is one of the recipes I submitted for the RWOP challenge.   I call it Fiesta Lasagna.  It makes a lot but the best part of this dish is that it tastes even better the next day and it freezes like a dream.

Fiesta Lasagna

* 2 pound(s) of ground or shredded chuck

* 1 tbsp. of ground corriander

* 1 tbsp. of smoked Spanish paprika

* 1 1/2 tsp. of cayenne

* 1 1/2 tsp. of ancho chile powder

* 1 cup(s) of marsala wine

* 1 cup(s) of sweet onion, chopped

* 3 tbsp. of garlic, chopped

* 1/2 cup(s) of chunky salsa

* 14 1/2 ounce(s) of (one can) crushed tomatoes

* 15 ounce(s) of (one can) black beans, drained

* 1 cup(s) of frozen corn

* 1 1/2 pound(s) of Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened

* 2 eggs, slightly beaten

* 1/3 tsp. of hot Hungariian paprika

* 1/3 tsp. of cayenne

* 1/3 tsp. of smoked Spanish paprika

* 12 no boil lasagna noodles

* 15 ounce(s) of (one jar) bean and cheese dip

* 4 cup(s) of finely shredded Kraft Colby Jack blend cheese

* 1 cup(s) of Parmesan cheese, finely shredded

* 2 tbsp. of olive oil

* 1/2 cup(s) of chicken stock

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Saute the ground chuck in the olive oil until the meat exudes juices and then add the first four spices. Combine well.Cook meat until the beef browns a bit and then deglaze the pan with the Marsala wine. Once the wine is cooked off remove the beef and add the onions and garlic to the pan.

Once the onions are translucent add the tomatoes, corn, beans, salsa and chicken stock and cook until it thickens a bit. Add the beef back and combine well.

Mix the cream cheese and eggs and spices until well blended and a bit fluffy.

In a 9 x 13 baking dish place a thin layer of the meat sauce and top with 6 no boil lasagna noodles.

Add one half of the remaining meat mixture then about one cup of the Colby jack then one half of the cream cheese mixture and one half of the bean and cheese dip. Add another layer of Colby Jack and Parmesan then layer on another six no boil lasagna noodles. Layer the rest of the meat, a sprinkle of Colby jack and then the cream cheese and bean and cheese dip layer, topped with the remainder of the Colby jack and Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 375 until bubbly and golden--about 35 minutes. Let rest on the counter about 5 minutes.

When I thawed out a couple of portions for us to enjoy recently I thought that another original recipe I came up with would compliment this dish extremely well.  This Avocado Cream is unbelievably delicious and versatile and best of all, simple.

Avocado Cream

2 Haas avocados

2 tsps fresh lime juice

2 TBs buttermilk

8 ozs. whipped cream cheese

1 tsp sea salt

Cut each avocado in half lengthwise and twist apart. Carefully tap the seed with the blade of your knife and twist it out. Scoop the pulp into a bowl.

Add remaining ingredients and mix until mostly smooth and thoroughly blended.

This stores well if you sprinkle the leftover with lime juice and then lay plastic wrap right down on the surface of the cream.

This is a winning combination you can use for supper or for entertaining.

If you try it please let me know how it turned out.

As always feel free to email me if you have any questions.

Cooking for Two--Grilled Filet with Marsala Sauce

It doesn't get much simpler when cooking for two to do grilled steaks.

I got lucky and found filet mignon on sale so I splurged a bit. But you can have an economical meal for two using any cut of steak.

I adore the flavor of beef so I don't use a table sauce like A-1. However, filet has a fairly mild beef flavor and steaks this thick can definitely stand up to a little sauce.  I dusted the tops with a little ground corriander and pepper blend and then coated them with some olive oil. I cook filet this thick with my grill on high so i can get a good sear and 'crust' but still have it nice and rare in the center.

For my sauce I used 8 ounces of sliced button mushrooms, sauteing them in 2 TB of olive oil and 2TB of butter with about 1/4 cup of finely diced shallots.  Once the shallots and mushrooms were softened I added about a cup of Marsala, scraping the browned bits and letting it reduce until it was slightly thickened.

Serving the sauce under the filet lets the diner eat only as much sauce as they want.

It's a simply delicious pairing. We had asparagus with this--you could add any green side dish.

Buy Local - Dad's Favorites

I've been making my own cheese spreads and dips for a little while now so it takes finding a really good one for me to buy it. We found just such a spread at the Lexington Farmer's Market when we found Dad's Favorites last year.  We bought the Asiago Sun Dried Tomato Spread .....and wolfed it down.  We adore Asiago cheese and the sweetness of sun dried tomatoes compliments the rich savory flavor so well.   I was going to write a post but the general hiatus and my ProcrastiQueen nature worked in tandem to nix that.

I was very excited to see Dad's products turn up in both 'my' Kroger (Tates Creek) and at The Liquor Barn .

The new Fifth Third Bank Pavilion provides a fitting venue for Dad's new set up and growing array of products.

James Caudill (Dad) and Susan Bratton are working hard to grow this already award winning Kentucky Proud product.

This time we bought the Chipotle Cheddar Spread----the smoky heat is just the right partner for a nice strong cheddar--and the Green Chili Jack Spread---it's a fresh and winning combo and 'Dad' is always thinking of new ways to use it. 

Be sure to find them when you head down to the Lexington Farmer's Market tomorrow--and ask for the newest chicken recipe.