CSA

CSA (n.): Community sponsored agriculture. A way to buy local, seasonal produce directly from a farmer.

My sister Theresa has been singing the praises of CSAs to me for awhile now and I finally signed myself up and received my first box of produce. I used to order from an online service called Organic Express (now Spuds) and enjoyed getting a mixed box of seasonal fruit and vegetables but the idea of supporting local agriculture is even more attractive to me.

If you live in the LA (Pasadena) area, check out the South Central Farmers' Cooperative. I see signs at my local Whole Foods that some of their locally grown vegetables come from this group. While the actual South Central Farm was bulldozed in 2006, the CSA is run from South Central and the produce is grown in Bakersfield. You can a buy a CSA box for only $15 and there are several pick up options (I picked mine up from Knox Presbyterian on Hill and Del Mar in Pasadena).

I'm excited to try some new things. Like purple beans - no joke. Hopefully I'll have some new recipes based on my box o' fun for you soon.

Are you tired of pumpkin yet?

Because I'm not! But, I'm moving on to my next favorite seasonal flavor - gingerbread. My Grandma Vi used to send us big, soft gingerbread people at Christmas time that she made herself and decorated with raisin eyes and m&m buttons. By now you know that I'm not to be trusted with cookies that you roll out, cut, and decorate but I love all things gingerbread and I have a bunch of other gingerbread recipes ready to go. I'm trying to pace myself because I'm working out as much as I possibly can and tonight, I was in a baking mood after a long day at work. And, let's face it: If there are candy canes on the lamp posts of Monrovia and gingerbread lattes at Starbucks, it's time to get baking!

My decision to make this particular recipe started with some sour cream that I needed to use up. I was looking up chocolate sour cream cake recipes when I thought of gingerbread. I can't remember making a gingerbread recipe with sour cream before and I liked the looks of this one. I got my dry ingredients all measured out, had my eggs room temperature and when I pulled out my molasses, I only had a little more than 1/4 cup, not the 1/2 cup the recipe calls for. I added a little extra brown sugar (remember, it's just white sugar and molasses) to compensate. I also substituted 1/2 cup of the flour with whole wheat.

Happy Gingerbread Season to you!

Here's the recipe I used.

PS: If I were going to make a gingerbread house this year, it would look like this one in honor of the mid-century modern house that we're in the process of purchasing. Stay tuned for details!

Pumpkin Cookies

I've literally made 8 dozen of these cookies in the last week. Theresa mailed me an index card with this recipe on it when she lived in Texas and I think it was originally from Joy of Cooking. While the original recipe is pretty perfect, I still modified it quite a bit the second time around (not because the first batch wasn't good but because we were eating way too many) so I'll post both versions.

If you're lucky enough to have some canned pumpkin (and you're not sick of it yet), these are great.

Pumpkin Cookies (3-4 dozen)

2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, room temperature
1 large egg, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/2 c. chopped nuts (I used pecans)
1/2 c. raisins
1/2 c. chocolate chips (didn't use them this time around)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the dry ingredients (flour through salt). In a large bowl, cream the butter for a minute. Add the sugar and beat until pale and fluffy. Add the egg, applesauce and vanilla. Add the pumpkin. Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Stir in nuts, raisins, and chocolate chips. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes.

Bec's Version of Pumpkin Cookies (3-4 dozen)

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 T. flax seed
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter, room temperature
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup agave
1/2 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/2 c. chopped nuts (I used pecans)
1/2 c. raisins

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the dry ingredients (flour through salt). Stir together the pumpkin, applesauce, and agave. In a large bowl, cream the butter for a minute. Add the sugar and beat until pale and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla, and pumpkin mixture. Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Stir in nuts and raisins. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes.

Unexpected nice things

Challenge: Don't focus on the things that don't go my way and look for the nice surprises in life.

1. Starbucks has their holiday flavors and I had an amazing gingerbread latte this morning.
2. My colleague built a podium for me out of a cardboard box (my students have debates and my classroom has no podium or lectern)
3. A friend made an unexpected trip to So Cal from Indiana and I get to meet her new baby on Monday
4. A friend who has had a bunch of painful dental work done is babysitting tonight so we can go on a date
5. Today is the fifth day in a row that I'm able to work out - a luxury with a 2 year old!

What happened to you today?

Sin Hongos

On Sunday night, I made a dinner was a big departure from the "old me." The one who hated mushrooms, made fun of siblings who liked them, told little cousins that they were fungus like athlete's foot, and learned to order everything at restaurants without them. But, I've turned over a new leaf.

While love might be a strong word, I have learned to like mushrooms and after seeing this recipe for Mushroom Bisque with Crispy Shallots last week, I really wanted to give it a try.

End result: Forgot to make the crispy shallots which I think would have added a lot to the dish. I didn't like the mushrooms in such big chunks (my favorite chunks were the sauteed onions) and next time I would add some spice (rosemary?). If you're a mushroom person, it's a good recipe and it only took about 20-30 minutes to make. If you're a vegetarian, try mushroom broth in place of the beef broth and maybe add a little dark beer or more sherry.

Persimmons

Until today, I had never tasted a persimmon. Boy, was I missing out. Steve's dad has a Fuyu persimmon tree in his front yard and says that he counted last year and he picked 4,000 persimmons. The other day, they gave me a bunch of them and I was intrigued. I ate one of them raw, sliced another into a salad with watercress and goat cheese, and then made a batch of persimmon preserves.

I adapted this recipe for pear butter from Simply Recipes. I had a few less persimmons so I used less sugar (and a little agave) and I used some anise seeds in a tea strainer instead of star anise. I don't have a food mill or chinois but because I peeled the persimmons first, I just blended the mixture with my hand blender before adding the sugar.

The end result was good - definitely more of a persimmon butter than a jam and while not chunky, the flavors tasted sort of like a chutney to me. I like ginger a lot and that's the flavor that dominates but next time I'd probably reduce the ginger a little bit.

Stephanie is working on some persimmon desserts so maybe she'll share her recipes on the blog when she finds one she likes!

Thanks to Steve, Steph & Nono for the persimmons. Thanks to Elise for the recipe.

And more pumpkin . . .

This week, I made pumpkin pancakes (so-so . . . should have followed a recipe) and a pumpkin buttermilk bundt cake (barely lasted long enough to take photos of). And, it's not enough - I'm planning on making the pumpkin cookies from Joy of Cooking tonight or tomorrow. I've been using canned solid pack pumpkin, not the innards of our jack-o-lanterns and have amassed a nice little stash from Trader Joe's and Whole Foods where it seems to be in abundance on the shelves.

The Food Librarian inspired the bundt cake - she's making a bundt cake every day for 30 days and I've been following her quest closely. The recipe is here on Epicurious (Gourmet 11/05) and I followed it exactly except I added a dash of cinnamon to the icing. I haven't made a bundt since this disaster and I used the Pam spray for baking with flour in it - why didn't I discover this sooner?? Next to my silpat mats, it's going to be my best baking secret.

Have a fun, safe Halloween! And, happy birthday Stephanie!

P.S. If you want someone else to make you pumpkin pancakes, try them at Dish in La Canada - delicious.