The Case of the Balsamic Bandit

BEND, Ore. - A sign hangs amid the bottles of vinegar at Newport Avenue Market. It's simple, to the point: "Thanks to the Balsamic Vinegar Thief this area is now under surveillance. We will get you." The last sentence, it should be noted, is underlined. For about a year, a thief pinched bottle after bottle of balsamic vinegar from the store — and not the low-end stuff.

No, this thief was after bottles that go for $30 or $40 a pop. "Thieves with good taste." That's how owner Rudy Dory explains them.

The store figured out what was going on when the order writer noticed he was buying a lot more balsamic vinegar than what the store was actually selling. The market has quite a large balsamic collection, but the thefts were noticeable.

So the sign went up.

A couple months ago, workers caught someone who they think may have been the balsamic bandit. The market didn't press charges, just banned the alleged thief from the store. Dory wouldn't say much about the suspect, just that it was a she.

So we are left to speculate. Maybe she needed that that last little ingredient for her many dinner parties. Maybe she was selling it on some sort of gourmet black market.

Whatever it is, Dory said, "it really irritates you."

"We don't know if we got the person or not," he added. The store has seen a slowdown in balsamic loss, but it hasn't stopped.

For now, the sign stays.

A Home Cooked Meal

On Saturday night, Megan and I cooked a meal for her hubby Barret and my boyfriend Chris. It was delicious! Here was the menu:

appetizer: warm brie, fresh bread, raw honey
appetizer: garlic cheese and fresh bread
main course: pot roast cooked with red wine and red onion
side dish: sauteed green beans and garlic
side dish: corn bread with homemade honey butter
side dish: baked carrots with a brown sugar glaze
dessert: apple cake

and lots and lots of wine. :)

Megan leaves this week for the Arctic Circle, where she is going to study climate change for the next two weeks. Bon Voyage, Megan! Can't wait till you come home so we can cook up another yummy meal!

Green City Market

My girlfriend, Megan, and I explored the Green City Market this morning. This is the first time that she or I had ever been to this particular farmers' market and this is the first year that the market has been held year round. During the winter months the nature museum, by the lake, is hosting the market on Saturday mornings.
I was so surprised by how many farmers there were! I bought a jar of raw honey from Southern Illinois farmer. We bought a baguette from a local, organic bakery. I bought a red onion and a basket of apples from some Michigan farmers. I got a dozen eggs from another farmer and a pot roast from yet another farmer.

It was such a great way to spend the blah, February morning...poking through fresh foods and chatting with farmers about the animals and harvests. Oh yeah, we also bought some cheese from a dairy farm in Wisconsin. It was delicious!!

Tonight Megan and I are cooking a nice meal for her husband, Barrett, and my man, Chris. The four of us are going to dine on the following: pot roast, glazed carrots, sauteed green beans and garlic, cornbread with homemade honey butter, baguette and cheese as an appetizer and a homemade apple cake for dessert. I'll try to snap some photos of the meal to post to the blog.

I'm so happy I found a winter market. :)

Hard Boiled Eggs

Just in case someone wasn't sure how to do this....

Place eggs into saucepan and then fill with water until the water is over the height of the eggs.

Place saucepan on stove, high heat until water boils.

Reduce heat for a soft boil.

Boil for 10 minutes.

Turn heat off and let the eggs sit in the water until the water is cooled (about 20 minutes). Drain the water and store eggs in the refrigerator.

This method will get you hard boiled eggs with the least amount of shell cracking. If you set the eggs in the already boiling water, often times the shell with expand and crack...or they will crack when they hit the bottom of the pan. It's easiest to add the eggs at the beginning.

The Incredible Edible Egg

Eggs are low in calories, a great source of protein and if you buy free range/organic eggs, they're usually fairly low in cholesterol. I started cooking more with eggs this past summer, as I would get 2 dozen a month from my meat farmer. During the winter months, I've opted to buy organic, free range eggs at the grocery store. (Thank you Wild Harvest!)
FYI: Beware egg cartons that read "Made from Vegetarian Chickens". Chickens aren't supposed to be vegetarian. A chicken can be 'cage free' but not be 'free range'. The word 'vegetarian' usually alludes to the fact that the chicken isn't in a cage but it probably isn't outdoors either. If chickens are running outside, they're gonna peck and eat at worms, grubs, bugs, etc. There's nothing vegetarian about that. :)

Here are two easy recipes for yummy egg salad sandwiches.

#1 - for those who like a bit of spice
2 hard boiled eggs cut up
1 tbs of light mayo (or more, depending on your preference)
1 dollop of dijon mustard (i use Grey Poupon)
some fresh cracked pepper
mix all together in a bowl and serve with bread

#2 - for those with a sweet tooth
2 hard boiled eggs cut up
1 tbs of light mayo (depending on preference)
some fresh cracked pepper
1/2 tsp of white sugar
mix it all together and serve with bread

In the past 6 months I've tried to lower the amount of white, refined flour in my diet so instead of using two pieces of bread for a sandwich, I put all of this egg salad on one slice of bread. I think I'll have one of these open faced sandwiches for lunch tomorrow!

Bon Appetite!

Poultry Seasoning

Last night for Chris' and my dinner, I roasted a whole chicken I got from our meat farmer. It's so incredibly easy to roast a chicken but the key is to have good, easy seasoning.

The best seasoning I've found is Olde Thompson's Poultry Seasoning. I got a free sample 2 years ago, while working for Crate and Barrel, and it's delicious! And it lasts a really long time! I'm going on 2 years with the same bottle of seasoning and it's not even half way gone.


How to roast a chicken: wash the bird and pat it dry with a paper towel. Brush olive oil on the outside of the bird to help seal in the juices. Then grind this poultry seasoning all over the outside of the bird. I also sprinkle on some freshly ground pepper.

You can stick an onion or some garlic into the cavity of the bird but I've found that Olde Thomspon's seasoning is fine on it's own.
Heat the oven to 450 degrees and put the bird in there (with the legs on top and pointing to the back of the oven) for 20 minutes. This will sear the skin and help trap the juices, which makes for very moist chicken. Then lower the temperature to 350 degrees and cook for another 50-60 minutes (depending on the size of your bird).

Bon Appetite!

Cool Congregations video

Click here to watch the hilarious video made by Vince and his wife Rachelle, for my church's Cool Congregations launch. This video aired this past Sunday at both morning services. I love that the Green Team (which I am the leader of for my church) has such great support from the other congregants.

Vince's Video

LUSH

Last night I needed to pick up a bottle of red wine for dinner at Chris' sister's place. Instead of going to Jewel, the chain grocery store in my neighborhood, I decided to stop into a wine boutique called LUSH. Right away I noticed the displays of $10 wines they had. That's right up my alley!

So I think instead of shopping at Jewel for wine, from now on I will support this local business. The wine costs the same either place but with LUSH I get great service and I feel good helping out my local establishment. :)

Spamalot

Chris and I saw Spamalot on Saturday night. It was hilarious!! So here's a recipe for SPAM

Enchilada Breakfast Casserole (back to index)

12 oz can SPAM - cubed 1/2" 4 eggs
1 small onion chopped 2 cups whipping cream
1 small green pepper, chopped 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 small tomato, chopped 4-oz can diced green chiles
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese 1/4 tsp garlic powder
8 7" flour tortillas Picante sauce

Place about 1/4 cup SPAM, 1 tablespoon onion, 1 tablespoon green pepper, 1 tablespoon tomato and 1 tablespoon cheese on one side of tortilla. Set remaining cheese aside. Roll up jelly-roll fashion; place seam side down in greased 13x9" baking dish. In small bowl combine remainin ingredients; blend together with wire whisk. Pour over ehchiladas. Cover; refrigerate overnight. Heat oven to 350. Bake, uncovered, for 40 to 50 minutes or until egg mixture is set. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Return to oven; bake for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve with picante sauce. Yield: 8 enchiladas.

The Land of Milk and Honey

My mom landed in Israel yesterday, where she will spend the next two weeks touring the Holy Land. In her honor, I decided that today's post would be about why Israel is referred to The Land of Milk and Honey. Here is what I found online:

When G‑d spoke to Moses at the burning bush, He informed him that He would redeem the Israelites and bring them to a "good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey..."1 Honey here (and elsewhere in the Scriptures) is generally understood to be a reference to fruit nectar, specifically date honey—not bees' honey.

1) Nachmanides2 writes that the key word in the verse is "flowing." Fruit trees grow in many different terrains, but their produce overflow with nectar only when the land is especially fertile, when the trees are particularly well-nourished.

Similarly, livestock survives in many habitats, but only overflow with milk when they are in particularly fertile pastures.

Thus, a "land flowing with milk and honey" is indicative and symptomatic of a greater good—the fertility of the Promised Land.

2) The Midrash3 explains that milk symbolizes superior quality, richness of taste, and nourishment. Honey represents sweetness. The goodness of Israel is both nourishing and pleasant.

3) Some point out that honey and milk share a paradoxical quality. Honey is kosher, though it is produced by a non-kosher insect. Milk is kosher, though it comes from a cow whose meat may not be eaten together with milk.

O Organics

Another grocery store chain has made the business decision to invest in organic food. Safeway has created the label O Organics, which offers a ton of organic food options. And these are usually less expensive than other organic brands like Horizon or such.

I don't know much about where this food comes from or how ethically they treat animals and workers...but I figure it's better than nothing! I will do some research on whether Hy-Vee is developing an organic brand. For my L.A. readers...do you see O Organics or Wild Organics on your grocery store shelves?

Tasty Beverages for a Locavore

Once I committed to being more of a Locavore, it's been easy to think up new areas of my life in which I can support my community. Veggies, fruit and meat were an obvious choice but I realized that it's also easy to support local businesses when I'm out having drinks with friends. All I need to do is order beers made in my region/state.

Chicago has a couple of breweries to choose from and the wheat beer 312 is found at most bars. So this is the drink I order, whenever it's available.

This is just one more way I can support the small businesses within my community. I urge you to find the name of a brewery in your area, and the beers that they brew, and next time you find yourself at a happy hour, opt to buy the local beer instead of that Belgium beer. Such a small change can have a large impact.

Cheers!

Local First Chicago

I was told about this website, that promotes local businesses:
Local First Chicago

I added the link to the right of this webpage.

Beef Stew

1 peeled and chopped potato
1 diced yellow onion
1 peeled and chopped carrot
8 oz of tomato sauce
1 can of low fat cream of mushroom soup
2 cloves of chopped garlic
fresh ground pepper (to taste)
Beef in one inch cubes

Brown the beef in a skillet on all sides (so it doesn't fall apart in the crock pot). Add all ingredients to crock pot and stir. Set on high for 3-4 hours or low for 7-8 hours. You can also spray the crock pot with Pam before adding the ingredients, which makes clean up even easier.

This recipe is an easy and delicious way to cook up Beef Stew. I picked up some stew beef from my farmer on Saturday and can't wait for dinner tonight. I think Michi is coming over to dine with me before we head off to swim class. Yum!

Grocery Shopping

I had a busy afternoon today doing my weekly grocery shopping. My meat farmer, Jody, was in the city giving out meat shares and I had placed a special order for which I was to pick-up today. Usually Chris and I buy a 3 month share of meat but we're holding off on buying a new share until spring rolls around and the grill comes out in full force.

In the meantime, Jody lets me pick and choose a few meats to buy. Today I got 1 lb of ground hamburger, a ham steak, a pot roast, stew beef and Italian sausage. These are all good, hearty cuts to get me through a dreary February. My crock pot is going to earn it's keep this month!

I picked up the meat at a local wine shop called Provence (in Logan Square). The shop owner lets Jody deliver shares there during the winter, when the farmers markets aren't being held. So I got to chat with the shop attendee about their cheese and honey selections. Provence had a great selection of local cheeses but he suggested I go to their Lincoln Square location so I can taste test some different varieties before purchasing. I think I will take him up on that offer.

But I couldn't resist purchasing a half gallon of apple cider, from an apple orchard just north of the city. I'm anticipating the cold night I can heat up some cider in a pot with a couple sticks of cinnamon. mmmm.....I can smell it already...

Bonkers

In honor my friend Sarah, who got rear-ended on her drive home from work yesterday and bonked her head.
Thank goodness the doc's gave her the A-OK!

Bonkers was such a yummy candy. Remember the gooey filling in the middle? And the commercials where people would take a bite of it and a tidal wave of water would rush over them. Whatever happened to Bonkers?

Bittersweet

Last night, Michelle and I ventured to the restaurant Bittersweet for dinner and dessert. Bittersweet is a little bakery shop on Belmont, near the red line, which has been around for awhile but both Michi and I have never eaten there before.
For dinner we shared a roasted turkey, havarti, carmalized onion panini with chips and homemade straweberry lemonade. For dessert Michi had the Banana Cream Pie Cupcake and I had the mini cheesecake with fresh raspberries. It was all sooo delicious.

Then we capped off the evening with two glasses of red wine at Frasca's. Bon Appetite!

Peanut Butter

I have spent the past two months searching and taste testing natural peanut butters. It's been a brutal task. :)

Peanut Butter is a healthy way to get protein into your diet and it's a filling, delicious snack. Every afternoon I treat myself to an organic Gala apple with a bit of peanut butter smeared on it. Yum....

Now the problems I saw with Smuckers Natural Peanut Butter were the following:
1. the need to stir is annoying
2. usually the oil doesn't mix all the way, so about halfway thru the jar the peanut butter gets grainy and dry
3. doesn't spread very easily
4. can have a dry taste to it

I decided to try Skippy's Natural Peanut Butter and it was delicious! There is a little added sugar and palm oil, unlike the Smuckers, but it's much healthier than regular peanut butter. So it's one of those in-between compromises that I'm willing to go with.

Smuckers Natural Peanut Butter 3 out of 5 spoons
Skippy's Natural Creamy Peanut Butter 5 out of 5 spoons

Spain, On the Road Again

On the weekends, I enjoy watching the show Spain, On the Road Again on PBS. The show stars Mario Batali, Gwyneth Paltrow, a food critic and a Spanish actress. The four of them spent time driving around Spain, dining on local foods and wines. I don't know much about Spanish food but the show makes me want to spend the summer driving around Spain as well. Here's the recipe from today's episode, for Paella:

Serves 6

* 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
* 6 large scampi or Dublin Bay prawns in the shell
* 1 medium Spanish onion, cut into 1/4 inch dice
* 1/2 cup pureed ripe tomatoes
* 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, or to taste
* 1 teaspoon saffron threads
* 1 tablespoon sweet pimentón (Spanish smoked paprika)
* 1 pound cleaned cuttlefish (or substitute calamari), cut into 1-inch pieces
* 2 quarts Fish Stock
* 2 cups Bomba or other short-grain rice
* 1 pound monkfish tail, cleaned and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
* 1 pound Manila clams, scrubbed

PHeat a 14- to 18-inch paella pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil and heat until smoking. Add the scampi and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Add the onion to the pan and cook until soft, about 8 minutes. Add the tomato puree, stirring it into the onions, and cook for 3 minutes. Add the salt, saffron, pimentón, and cuttlefish and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes, or until the cuttlefish firms up slightly. Add the stock, bring to a boil, and cook for 5 minutes. Add the rice and stir well to distribute it evenly. Add monkfish and clams, arranging them in nicely, bring the stock back to a boil, and cook, without stirring, for 10 minutes. Reintroduce shrimp to paella, taste for salt and add it if needed, then cook, again without stirring, for 10-15 more minutes, or until the liquid is almost completely absorbed and the pan starts to make a crackling noise (don’t worry, this is what you want). Remove from the heat and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

In Honor Of Rod Blagojevich's Impeachment

A recipe for Peach Cobbler:

1 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 stick butter
3/4 to 1 c. milk
1 lg. can drained, sliced peaches
1 tsp. cinnamon
3 tbsp. sugar

Melt butter in a 2 quart casserole dish in 375 degree oven while combining flour, sugar, and baking powder. Add milk to the dry ingredients and stir until blended. Pour the batter into the melted butter *Do Not Mix into Butter*; place peach slices on top of batter. Sprinkle top with cinnamon and sugar. Bake 30 to 40 minutes at 375 degrees.