November 27, 2011 - Not a Green Tomato
Over the last few years, new and exotic foods have been appearing at my local grocery. Only one or two have jumped spontaneously into my shopping basket. Others have whispered and cajoled, “Try me, try me!” Those prompts, a generally adventurous palate, and a need to make changes in my diet, lead me to several...
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November 26, 2011 - Meet the Cook: Amanda
Say hello to Amanda from Central PA! Food interests: cooking from scratch, cooking fast, simple. Hobbies: cooking, canning, learning homesteading Q. What are your favorite things to cook? I love to cook soups, crock pot recipes–things that do not require me to follow a recipe! I am not the baker in the house, my Husband...
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November 25, 2011 - Cinnamon Applesauce Salad
When I was young, I had to make the holiday dinners for years until I left home and got married. My mother-in-law had always made her family’s dinner since she, her husband and children left their family home in Montana to live in Australia. Yeah, that’s right Australia. They were gone a year and came...
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November 24, 2011 - Happy Thanksgiving!
You’ve worked hard planning your menu and cooking a feast to celebrate today with your family and friends. Take a break–let your brother do the dishes! While we’re being thankful for everyone in our lives, the Admins and Mods here at Farm Bell would like to thank you and let you know how appreciated you...
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November 23, 2011 - What’s Wrong with Fido?
©iStockphoto.com/YinYang Thanksgiving. A time when friends and family gather to celebrate and feast. Every good host and hostess takes into account allergies and diet restrictions of invited guests. But what about the uninvited guests—the family dog, cat, bird, or ferret? How can a (spoiled) pet be expected to stay out of the kitchen, dining room,...
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November 22, 2011 - Cheesemaking Without Benefit of Mail Order
Now that I have tasted success in my early cheesemaking adventures, I have been trying to assemble useful or at least interesting information on the processes involved. One of the more “back-to basics” set of instructions I have come across is an excerpt from an out-of-print cheesemaking book that was sent to me by a...
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November 21, 2011 - Pumpkin, Cake, Pie–Oh My!
The turkey is thawed and cooking, the sides dishes are complete, and the appetizers are lined up for munching. What now? Desserts! And more desserts! Using substitutions and homemade “ingredients” (and making things from scratch), I can put out a feast so much cheaper than I could a few years ago…no reason to skimp on...
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November 20, 2011 - Dutch Baby Waits on No One!
Dutch Baby waits on no one! That is a phrase that resonates in my head. I heard it countless times from my Mother while growing up. I will concede that Dutch Baby is much better straight from the oven you can indeed wait if one was inclined too. I was curious as to what the...
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November 19, 2011 - Meet the Cook: Shelley
Say hello to Shelley aka Twiggitygoats from Roane County, WV! Food interests: cheese making, growing and preserving food, healthy eating. Hobbies: Rustic furniture business, working on the farm, Italian Spinone dogs, Nigerian Dwarf dairy goats (farm business) Q. What are your favorite things to cook? I tend to stick to the basics. In summer we...
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November 18, 2011 - Thanksgiving Appetizers
Appetizers explain themselves–they tantalize the appetite for the main course. Everyone knows when the appetizer table is mouthwatering, the main course is to die for. Start your family’s taste buds warming up early. With the turkey, dressing, and rolls (everything else is done and sitting in the holding pattern the day before) being taken care...
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November 17, 2011 - A Homemade Basic Cream Pie
Making a GOOD cream pie can be a daunting task if you don’t know where to begin. We have all had cream pies made from Jell-O pudding, and if we haven’t eaten a REAL cream pie lately, we may not fully understand that what we are experiencing is a gigantic fraud. So let us take...
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November 16, 2011 - Side Dishes for Thanksgiving
While turkey usually holds the main attraction at our Thanksgiving dinners, the side dishes deserve just as much glory–the many ways to fix sweet potatoes, the different types of dressings and stuffings, old-fashioned or flavored rolls, special ways to fix mashed potatoes, make the vegetables interesting. Yes, they all deserve some special attention and recognition....
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November 15, 2011 - Cheese Cave – How To (If You Have No Idea Where To Start)
After the 2011 CITR Retreat, I was bound and determined to make cheese. In fact, after my Hard Cheesemaking class that evening, I called my “Raw Milk Hookup” just to touch base with her and make sure that she really did exist and did, indeed, have the raw milk. I got her number through my...
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November 14, 2011 - Torihamu–Turning Chicken into Ham
Say what? I know I’ve had turkey ham but never thought I could make chicken ham! Never too old to learn is true! While searching for ways to make deli meats at home I stumbled onto this stuff called Torihamu. Sounded so interesting I had to try it. I found out it is well known...
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November 13, 2011 - Turkey Times
The days and the weeks are flying by! Thanksgiving Day is less than two weeks away and I just realized it! Out-of-town family will be here in eleven days and I don’t even have the turkey bought. Or the menu planned. But I do know I need to buy my turkey and start it thawing...
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November 12, 2011 - Accidental Genius
I was going to make tacos. I got out the meat and defrosted it in the microwave. I put it in the frying pan and thought, “That doesn’t look like beef.” It wasn’t. It was pork sausage. So I improvised. I made a Spanish-ish rice mixture and stuffed it in some tortillas. How to make...
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November 11, 2011 - The Tortilla Press Inspired by Suzanne
Why in the world would anyone need a tortilla press? Tortillas come in a package at the store and they are good. I was reading the CITR blog and saw that Suzanne had decided to make her own tortillas. Well, of course, we decided to make them as it appeared very easy and we would...
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November 10, 2011 - Stuffed Cabbage
Gwumpki. When my husband first told me this is what his parents were making for us for dinner one night, I honestly had no clue what to expect. I knew it was a Polish dish that involved cabbage and meat, that was pretty much it. Fast-forward a year–I’m a professional gwumpki lover, and now maker!...
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November 9, 2011 - Urban Foraging: Eat for Free
The man answering the door appeared puzzled. I repeated the question. “The black walnuts in your yard by the street – do you mind if we pick them up?” I waved my arm toward the ground, blanketed with nuts whose husks were Kermit-the-frog green. “Oh. Um, sure. Go ahead.” He closed his door, still looking...
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November 8, 2011 - A Famous Soup, Made Not-So Famous
My husband (posting here as Jim in Colorado) really likes to eat at The Buckhorn Exchange. It is one of Denver’s historic restaurants, and they have tasty food. They serve a huge variety of food, and it’s a good place to try meats that you might not normally have an opportunity to eat. The restaurant...
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November 7, 2011 - Kiddie Cookie Making
We made No-Bake Cookies. These aren’t part of the Christmas cookie stash, we just needed some chocolate! I’m amazed when some people ask me how to make No-Bake Cookies. It makes me step back and appreciate growing up the way I did (well, in most ways :)). All of us kids, even the boys, learned...
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November 6, 2011 - Pumpkin Soup–The Spicy Version
I processed a pretty big pumpkin this year and I had loads of puree to play with. See how I make my pumpkin puree here. I’ve been busy playing with pumpkin soup recipes. Pumpkin soup is made by combining pureed pumpkin with broth. It can be served hot or cold and is a popular Thanksgiving...
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November 5, 2011 - Red Hot Gramcracker
I love apples, especially crisp, juicy, sweet tart ones. I don’t like apple pie (gasp, the horror!). Applesauce is okay, although I never buy it. I don’t like the texture and I don’t care much for brown cinnamon. Maybe that’s why I don’t like apple pie. Fortunately, for me, my mom took home economics in...
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November 4, 2011 - My Dad’s Thanksgiving Sandwich
I started out to write a post about all my favorite pumpkin recipes (which would be almost any recipe which contains pumpkin). But I deleted it all. On purpose. The truth is, it’s not really what my food thoughts are focused on. I’m thinking about Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving was my father’s absolute favorite holiday. To him,...
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November 3, 2011 - Processing Pumpkin for Pies, Etc.
It’s time to bring the pumpkins in and process them for cooking. I love pumpkin and try to process it every year for pies, crisps, and soup. There are a couple of ways to process pumpkin for use in pies, etc. You can bake it, or you can steam it. I like to steam it...
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November 2, 2011 - Pass the Mustard, eh?
We’ve been looking at exotic spices—spices that named the Spice Islands. Spices that stretched the world map from letter size to double gatefold pullout! Well, it’s time for a down-home, truly accessible spice—mustard. The universally loved seeds grow all over the world. Worldwide, people consume more than 700 million pounds of mustard each year, making...
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November 1, 2011 - My Thanksgiving Cupboard
I have this cupboard. It’s my Thanksgiving Cupboard. Everything in it is used only once a year, on Thanksgiving Day. It was built to fit into the corner of my great-grandmother’s house more than 80 years ago–into a corner with uneven floors. I don’t have the date it was built, only that my father and...
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October 31, 2011 - November 2011 Monthly Contributor Giveaway
Farm Bell Recipes blog contributors are eligible (and automatically entered!) in a giveaway each month in which one contributor will be drawn (by random.org, using the days of the month that posts run) to receive a prize. Each month’s prize (and previous month’s winner) will be listed here, in a blog post on the Farm...
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