Cookin' in the 'Cuse

The Ups and Downs and the Real of Eating Local

So how's the Penny-wise Eat Local Challenge going for you?  Over my way I must confess, it is a struggle.  I'm enjoying lots of local yogurt and granola and eggs but haven't cooked much because of this week's crazy schedule.  Today and tomorrow I go shopping for this big brunch I'm giving on Saturday--a penny-wise local brunch.  Wish me luck.  I've got a few ideas though--it looks like we'll be doing a couple of quiches because I can get flour, butter, eggs, cheese, and milk locally, I just need to figure out the other fillings.

Meanwhile...I was excited to see The New York Times devote a special Wednesday Dining In section to "Eating Well While Eating 'Green'"--which means, eating local!  I've got the print version to treasure but if you haven't seen it, it should be available here for a limited time (reg. may be required:  login:  cookin; password:  inthecuse.

But just as folks get are getting excited about eating locally, we here in Central New York have one less option:  Green Rabbit Farm is going out of business.  This is more than sad.  There are many reasons why this great farm couldn't make it--we can probably imagine how difficult it can be to keep a farm going but that's for another post.  Itf should trouble us that one of the best, small, organic farms in our area will no longer exist.

But there is a glimmer of hope on this gray, drizzley day--I went to a presentation on community gardens last night hosted by the Hunger Project and it seems like there is a fire and enthusiasm for taking over vacant lots and making good, clean, food accessible to all that just might make it happen--urban orchards anyone?  Oh yeah!

Time to get Penny-wise and Local!

Okay, here we go!  Now let me say straight up, that I may not be the best example to follow in this Penny-wise Eat Local Challenge.  I'm going to do the best I can--which is the goal for all of us, no?  But I realize that this is not a typical week--with many meals beyond my control.

In fact, I think one of the reasons why $144 seems like so much money to me (to feed a family of two or more with two wage earners for a week) is because two of my meals each and every week from  September through May are taken in community.  And I only cook one of them.  This week, I'll be eating out tonight (a meeting), Wednesday (our church's community dinner) Friday (a special event potluck) and Sunday (our regular student dinner).  If I could get truffles, I'd eat them every other night!

So here's what I'm going to do:

Definition of Local for this Challenge:

I'm going to use the 250 mile radious this time around.  Let's face it, even with the 70 degree weather we're having, it's still not peak eating time here in the northeast and I want to be able to forage further afield if necessary.  This would let me include D'artagnan duck, sausages, and chickens in my menu (because otherwise there won't be any chicken this week.)  I'm hoping this will also fetch me a few more greens too.  Though I have to say, I was at an Earth Dinner at Circa last night sponsored by Organic Valley and the carrots, apples, and french fries that accompanied the pot roast, pulled pork, and chicken (respectively) still tasted fresh and wonderful.

Exemptions to Claim:

I'm going to claim my usual exemptions--sugar, salt and other spices, baking soda and baking powder.  I've got some local sourdough starter so I can still make bread and I plan to include some products that, while having far away ingredients, are produced locally--like Tierra Farms mulberry and pistachio granola. 

Any Changes to the Budget Goal:

Even though we're eating so weird this week we'll stick to the two wage-earner budget and set it at $144 for the week.  This, however, will include the ingredients I'll buy for the brunch I'm hosting on Saturday afternoon.  Talk about a challenge!  We'll see what I can come up with.

Other Personal Goals:

I guess given the slimmer pickings this early in the season, my personal goals will be trying not to eat my local and organic milk and cereal for every other meal I'm not eating out.  And when I do eat out--to the extent possible--I'm going to try to keep it to restaurants that source locally.  Oh yeah--to make sure I track all of this I'm going to pay in cash only--money just slips right out of me when I use that ATM card for everything.

Well that's me.  If you are participating I'd love to hear your goals too so post a comment and let us know how it is going.  Also, keep checking the Eat Local Challenge blog for tips and inspiration. 

Penny-wise Eat Local Challenge--A Casual Conversation

I can admit that I live in a bit of a bubble where most of the folks I speak to on a regular basis understand the issues and the benefits of eating locally.  In a recent conversation struck up between strangers I rediscover the broad spectrum of consciousness on this issue.  How does one speak of the Penny-wise Eat Local Challenge to folks who think that choosing potato chips over green peppers is the better economic choice? 

You can get the gist of the conversation here on my latest post for the Eat Local Challenge blog.

...aaaaaaand we're back!

Okay, so apparently I needed that two week hiatus.  Preparing for Easter and then recovering from it is all consuming and I've missed blogging.  We've got a lot of catching up to do.  I can't say that there has been much cookin' going on here except for the past twenty four hours.  I'll admit that passionate cook that I am, I am prone to dry spells and lack of inspiration.  I was beginning to wonder what term you would give to a food blogger who has kitchen fatigue mixed in with a little bit of writer's block.  Hmmn, I'll have to work on that.

But what reignited my pilot light (so to speak) was a coupon to purchase Lidia Bastianich's new book from Barnes and Noble and her appearance today (at the Erie Blvd store) to sign books.  I had purchased her latest book on Thursday and decided to try one of the recipes out on my students.  So, while I worked on my sermon I found myself stirring up the most heavenly scent of Hunters Chicken with Rosemary (a version of chicken cacciatore) this was about 2:00 in the morning--but don't worry, the recipe only took about an hour and half from start to finish.  I went to bed at 3:30, woke up at 7:00, preached two services, led a three hour meeting and then raced to the bookstore to stand in line for an hour to meet Ms Bastianich and to have her sign my copy of Lidia's Italy.  Then, home I raced to reheat said, Hunters Chicken, and then off to campus for another service and dinner.  Phew!  Just another day in the life.  And by the way, the dish was an absolute hit.

I have to confess though, that it was the thought of sitting down to this chicken dish that kept me going.  I mean, when a pot of chicken simmering in San Marzano tomatoes makes you swoon at two in the morning, it is something special.  It is the perfect Sunday meal--one pot, a few simple ingredients, easy to prepare, and over the top sensually delicious--I didn't know I could lick my fingers so completely.  I'll post the recipe tomorrow but if this dish is any indication of the other delights to be found in this cookbook then it gets my highest recommendation.  I'll also add that if you are the type who enjoys taking cookbooks to bed for nighttime reading, this knowledgeable and intimate tour through Lidia's Italy is the book for you.   More later, time to catch up on some sleep.

Archive Alert:  This date last year I officially came out of the closest...as a priest!

Waste Not Want Not

One of the hardest things about recovering from a broken foot is not being able to walk and run with the ease that I formerly took for granted.  While all of the couch-sitting I've done has been great for reducing my stress level, it hasn't done much for my body.  What's worse, I've watched the Runner's World magazines pile up as my running shoes collect dust.  I'm hoping that tomorrow the doctor will release me to at least begin walking because the Boilermaker will be here before I know it and I still plan to run run/walk it.

But today was a bit of a stressful day--I discovered that both my mountain bike and my road bike had been stolen from our garage (I mean, can there be any worse karma than stealing from a priest???)  So when I get stressed, I bake.  Right on time this month's Runner's World had a delicious looking recipe for banana bread.   And wouldn't you know it, we had a few really ripe bananas on top of the fridge.  Now bananas aren't local or anything but I love them and I hate for them to go to waste.

I remember the first time I made banana bread about 16 years ago--it was a disaster!  I used the recipe from the Silver Palate cookbook and gave up making banana bread for years--why?  Because I tried making it with the most beautiful, bright yellow, hard bananas that I had just picked up from the supermarket.   I soon learned that in the case of bananas ripe didn't mean  "not green" but it meant, "speckled or nearly brown". 

This banana bread recipe from Flour Bakery in Boston is fantastic--particularly if you like lusciously moist banana bread with toasted chopped walnuts.  As if it couldn't get better, it is actually low fat thanks to a hit of applesauce--and believe me, it doesn't taste low fat--it tastes like the decadent, mid afternoon tea/coffee treat that it is.  It's also great toasted up with your morning coffee. 

Flour's Famous Banana Bread (as adapted from Runner's World magazine)

• 1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup extra light olive oil
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 3 1/2 bananas, very ripe, mashed
• 2 tablespoons low-fat sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2/3 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.  Beat sugar and eggs with a whisk until light and fluffy.  Drizzle in oil and stir in applesauce.  Add bananas, sour cream, and vanilla.  Fold in flour mixture and nuts.  Pour batter into a buttered 9" x 5" loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

This version is about 260 calories for one slice (based on a 12 slice loaf).  If you don't mind the extra calories (50 more per serving) omit the applesauce and increase the olive oil to 1/2 cup.

 

Archive Alert:  This date last year I was checking out C.L. Evers.

I've not fallen off the face of the earth...

Forget Christmas, this is the most crazy time of the year. 

My poor little blog, I have neglected it so.  I was away all last week--spending almost as much time in airports as I did in the meetings to which I flew, narrowly escaping an all-nighter on floor of the Detroit airport.  And it is time to sow my seeds and today begins Holy Week--let's just say that it is a week of ten-twelve hour days preparing for Easter.  All of which means that regular blogging will resume as my best mode of procrastination. 

Thanks for hangin' in there with me.