Sunday Stroll: The Winter Market

Oh, give us pleasure in the orchid white,
Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;
And make us happy in the happy bees,
The swarm dilating round the perfect trees.

-"A Prayer in Spring", Robert Frost

Far too often, we move far too fast.

Our lives are a blur of appointments, events, deadlines, to-do's; a constant trail of the things we have to do, versus the things we want to do.

Introducing, "The Sunday Stroll".

I run during the week for exercise, I walk as well, but only to get my heart rate up and my mind clear. Those sessions have goals of endurance, time, the focus on the movement, not on the scenery.

So, upon being gifted by mid-March burst of beautiful spring temperatures, I elected that instead of driving about to the market, to the store, I'd simply walk it. I'd walk slowly and deliberately. I'd breathe in the sun-warmed air, and look at the flowers along the way. I'd notice homes I've never noticed before.

I'd take my time.

About a half-hour or so into what turned out to be two-plus hours meandering, I realized, I'd like to do something like this every Sunday, and share it; a reminder that slowing down, while not always possible, is always necessary.

The crocuses above was one the first things that caught my eye. I live in a city called, Newburyport. It's a small, seaside city right near the border of Massachusetts and New Hampshire. It was settled in 1635, given its official name in 1764. It's the birthplace of the U.S. Coast Guard, and it filled with the kind of New England stately homes that people travel far and wide to see. Those blossoms above grace the park near my home. Atkinson Common had it's start in the late 1800's, and it's a quiet, beautiful spot for all to enjoy.

 I continued my wandering down Newburyport's historic "High Street". Here is where the sea captain's mansions reside. Beautiful homes ranging from the early 1500's (yes, before official settlement) to now. Along the way, a historical marker pointing the way to the site of the first ferry landing that took people from one side of the Merrimack River to the other. 

 My destination, the Newburyport Winter Farmers' Market, just under 2.5 miles away from my home, on the other side of the city. Green was the theme this week, as the warmer weather has given way to a host of spring greens, from chives, to green onions, to the leeks that I brought home from Arrowhead Farm, in Newburyport. I picked up some potatoes, from red, to blue, to gold, from Heron Pond Farm, in South Hampton, Ma. The world's best guacamole comes from Patty's Guacamole, out of Gloucester, Ma. I always pick up a container. No trip to market would be complete without a chai from White Heron Tea and an amazing breakfast wrap made with all local ingredients. They're out of Rollingsford, NH. I *love* seeing the market packed on a Sunday morning.

Armed with my wrap, my chai, and my much saner mind at this point, I head to the waterfront of Newburyport. A boardwalk stretches along the blue water of the Merrimack River, reaching out into the Atlantic Ocean, less than a mile from this point. I enjoy my breakfast, the quiet, and the sun, before my stroll back home.

Two glorious hours, five miles later, I reach home. Relaxed, content, a little more aware of where I live, ready to start the last gasps of the weekend.

Happy Sunday to you and yours....

Amaretto Cheesecake for #Baketogether

I've often been accused of being an "old soul". I shouldn't even say "accused", I suppose, because I embrace the title.

I enjoy things from simpler times. From music, to art, to lifestyle, I enjoy simply and "tried and true". I'm a traditionalist, too often steeped in a sense of nostalgia.

Of course, this trait comes out quite often in cooking or baking.

I'm drawn to old recipes. Simple ones. Thus, there is nothing more treasured in my recipe library than the recipes handed down from my Nana Virzi. She passed away a year or so after my wedding, but she lives on in these recipes.

There's a back story here, and a box of hundreds of recipes, but that story, it's not for today. Today, I would like to talk of cheesecake.

A couple of years back, I asked my Aunt Claudette to send me what she had of my grandmother's recipes. In the mail, I received photocopies. Recipes, written in my Nana's handwriting, and the letter that originally accompanied my aunt's request for the knowledge.

They're beautiful. I treasure them. Among the ones sent, was a recipe for Amaretto Cheesecake.

Thus, when I saw that this month's Bake Together (brought to us by the lovely Abby Dodge) was cheesecake, I knew I had to finally make this recipe. It's simple, unfussy, and I can envision my Nana serving it at a dinner party. It's a little taste of a time gone by.

Amaretto Cheesecake
Serves: 8-12
Inspired by: Abby Dodge's Vanilla Cheesecake and my Nana

Ricotta is added in this cheesecake, making it closer to ricotta pie than tradition cheesecake. It's wonderful, and don't forget to add a little more Amaretto if you like. I did.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups coarse graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2 stick of butter, melted
• 1 15oz. container of ricotta cheese
• 1 8oz. pkg of cream cheese, softended
• 4 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup Amaretto
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspon salt.

Instructions:

1. Grease a 9-inch springform pan and set aside. 
2. Combine crumbs and butter, press into the bottom and sides of the springform pan. 
3. Chill crust for at least an hour.
4. While crust is chilling, preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
5. Now, beat together ricotta and cream cheese until smooth. 
6. Add in remaining ingredients, beat until smooth again.
7. Pour into the crust/pan. 
8. Bake 60 minutes or until full in middle.
9. Cool 20-30 minutes in pan, then remove to cool on a wire rack. 
10. Cool completely (I like putting it the fridge) before serving.

Overnight Caramel French Toast

Moderation with caramel, and sugar, and thick-sliced bread.

Sounds like a joke, right? I'm not kidding.

This is Caramel Overnight French Toast, and no, it's not my own recipe, I confess, but I want to share it with you because I constantly get asked for it. Truly, that's how this entire blog thing started. People would ask for a recipe and I'd post it here, so it was easier. I had no theme, no commitment to it, it was just a way to share my love for food with others.

I think that gets forgotten in the food blog way too often.

In the middle of deadlines, sponsorships, conferences, giveaways, and popularity, we forget that food blogs simply popped up to share a love of food. I think we'd all be better writers, developers, and people, if we remembered that the passion for food and sharing it, should be our first priority. Then again, I can say this because I have a day job that pays the bills.

Back to moderation, however. You know that's my "theme". The "lighter" part of the title of this blog has more to do with the "lighter" side of eating local. "Lighter", as in, a not so serious side of trying to live a more local and regional lifestyle. Yes, it wasn't thought out. Yes, I probably should change the name of this blog since most think it's about healthy eating. Most of my recipes are fairly healthy, but I'm a firm believer in moderation of all things, including those full of fat and sugar.

Including Caramel French Toast.

This is a Cooking Light recipe I stumbled upon a few years back. Ever since, it's become a choice for me to bring to holiday brunches, sleepovers, and when there's a special Sunday morning. It only comes out once or twice a year. The main reason is that it's super sweet. In moderation, that's perfect. The other reason, it does use corn syrup.

Before you skewer me for that, I'm here to tell you it's OK. I live and cook with mostly local products, and whole foods. I'm a true believer that if you can't pronounce it, you shouldn't eat it... regularly.

However, in moderation, it's OK. I use corn syrup, maybe, three times a year in a recipe. It has properties that lend itself to easy caramelization. If you really hate it, you can sub maple syrup here, but you won't get caramel.

Here's my deal and my confession. Every once in a while I'll eat something crazy processed. And yes, even though I know it's probably one molecule off from plastic, I'll have a fast food shake every once in a while, because I can. Frankly, where we veered off the path with processed foods is when they stopped becoming "treats". That once in a while thing you got when you were good at the dentist or something. However, when a trip through the drive-through became a several-times-a-week thing, we took a wrong turn.

You can live a life enjoying mostly whole and local foods, the best of what life and nutrition has to offer, but you can also allow yourself certain things, use "forbidden" ingredients, every once in while. It won't kill you. It won't upset your balance, as long as it doesn't become habit.

Heck, if you don't like these things, then don't eat them. Don't feel like you can't pick up something that's on the "bad" list, however. There's no good or bad, if you place limits and practice moderation. In other worse, don't beat yourself up. Life is too short to not enjoy guilty pleasures, that truly, aren't really guilty in the first place.

Until then, enjoy french toast, soaked in caramel.

Overnight Carmel French Toast
Source: Cooking Light
Serves: 8

Ingredients:

• 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1/2 cup light-colored corn syrup
• 1/4 cup butter
• Cooking Spray
• 10 slices french (soft) bread (I like to use Texas Toast here)
• 2 1/2 cups low-fat milk
• 1 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions:

1. Combine light-brown sugar, corn syrup, and butter in a saucepan. Cook these over medium heat until mixture bubbles. Stir is constantly. 
2. Coast a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray, pour caramel mixture into bottom of dish.
3. Put you bread slices in a single layer over the caramel mixture.
4. Combine milk, flour, vanilla, salt, and eggs in a large bowl, whisk to combine. 
5. Pour milk mixture over bread, evenly.
6. Cover and refrigerate the dish, overnight, or for at least 6 hours. 
7. In the morning, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 
8. Mix together your sugar and ground cinnamon, and sprinkle over bread. 
9. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until golden. Let stand for 5 minutes and serve.

Turnip Mochi Pancakes with Starfruit & Millet Risotto with Adzuki Beans

Sometimes it's a good idea to go beyond your comfort circle. Outside of my comfort circle is pretty much any type of Asian cuisine. I love it when someone else makes it, but when I attempt, it's usually a disaster. 

So when the fine people over at Marx Foods asked me to take part in their "East Meets Delicious" challenge, I was a little concerns, but I forged forward. I'm happy i did.

For the challenge, lucky bloggers were given a box of treats to work with. I received some amazing things Dried Maitake Mushrooms, Mochi Rice, Dried Star Fruit, Organic Millet, Adzuki Beans, and Hijiki. The mission? Use four of the ingredients provided to create an original appetizer and main course recipe. 

Of course, I wanted to put a local spin on this challenge, using in-season ingredients. I picked up turnips and asian greens from Heron Pond Farm in South Hampton, NH from the Newburyport Farmers' Market, and I went to town. 

I have to say, it was a challenge.  Mochi is tough to work with when you make it into a paste. It's insanely sticky, hard to clean-up, but extremely tasty as well. I made into a seasonal appetizer, that ended up being quite difficult to stop eating. The millet risotto is a great whole grain alternative to regular risotto, and as i found, it's quite awesome to make into cakes and fry up the following day. 

Turnip Mochi Pancakes with Spicy Starfruit Topping 
Makes: 12-15 pancakes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups mochi rice
• 2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 large turnips (or 3 medium, or 1 bunch small hakurei turnips)
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup chicken stock (or water)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

1. Rinse and drain mochi rice three times, letting it drain for at least 30 minutes the last time. 
2. Put cleaned rice and water into a rice cooker and cook until done.
3. Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook and knead 30-40 minutes on medium speed until smooth. Place a towel over the bowl to keep the rice warm while it kneads.
4. While the dough is kneading, prepare the turnips. 
5. Cut off the top and tail of the turnips, slice into 1/4 inch slices. 
6. Melt butter in a non-stick 12-inch skillet (choose one with a lid) and layer turnip slices in pan. Sprinkle the turnips with thyme, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper. 
7. Cook in butter over medium heat for 3 minutes.
8. Cover turnips with the heavy cream and chicken stock, put lid on and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes. 
9. After 20 minutes, the turnips will be softened, transfer them to a food processor and process until slightly smooth with chunks of turnip.
10. Dust a clean work surface with LOTS of corn starch. Dust your hands as well. Transfer dough to work surface.
11. Form dough into little balls, once done, flatted each a touch and place just a touch less than a teaspoon of turnip mixture to each ball, re-roll ball so filling is covered.
12. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. 
13. Once warm, work in batches, and pan-fry each ball (it will spread into a pancake), it will release on each side once done. 
14. Transfer to a plate and serve with Spicy Starfruit Sauce (recipe below)

Spicy Starfruit Topping

Ingredients:

• 8-10 dried starfruit
• rum
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 tablespoons sriracha sauce

Directions:

1. Soak starfruit in rum over night.
2. Drain, and chop starfruit into little pieces.
3. Combine starfruit, sugar, and water in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the fruit begins to break down and it reaches the consistency you desire.
4. Add sriracha and stir, cooking for 2-3 minutes until it's worked in.
5. Serve with mochi pancakes.

Millet Risotto with Adzuki Beans and Greens
Serves: 6

Ingredients:

• 2 cups broth (chicken or vegetable)
• 2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 a red onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce, low-sodium
• 1 cup millet
• salt
• pepper
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan (or guyeyre, something with a nutty flavor)
• 1 cup adzuki beans (cooked)
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 bunch asian greens
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan, heat water and broth together until warm (not hot).
2. Heat olive oil in a dutch oven, once heated, add your chopped onion and cook until tender.
3. Add garlic and cook until fragrant (30 seconds or so)
4. Stir in your soy sauce and cook for another minute.
5. Now, add your millet, allowing the seeds to toast up 2-3 minutes. 
6. Now, add the broth/water mixture a 1/2 cup at a time until the mixture thickens and the millet is tender. 
7. At this point, stir in your cheese and the beans and keep warm. 
8. Next, heat other teaspoon of olive oil, once warm, add greens and soy sauce to the pan and cook until just warm. 
9. Top the risotto with the greens and serve.

Cheddar Peasant Boule

 I heard it again this weekend. It was at a gathering of amazing, creative, talented, and fearless women. In this case, however, there was a touch of fear. You could see it in their eyes, the way their voices cracked with a sudden lack of confidence.

The topic was baking with yeast.

You'll hear it all of the time in cooking circles, "Oh, you know, I just can't make anything with yeast in it, it never turns out". I know, I used to be one of those cooks.

Now, I can't get enough. Are my baked goods perfect? Not at all. Do they taste fantastic? Why yes, they do. Oh, and apparently Gordie the Pug loves it as well.

Truth be told, my first loaf of bread came only last year during #Charcutepalooza. I wanted a pumpernickel or rye to go alongside my Cider-Braised Corned Beef. So, I took a deep breath, read the instructions, and low and behold, later that day, I had amazing bread. I was emboldened by such a move, so then I tackled Italian Bread. That recipe has become my go-to for a nice side to any pasta dish, the key is the olive oil, I swear it.

Now, I'll be honest here. Do I make my own bread every week? No. Should I? Yes. This could be that bread. It's simple, with little work or clean-up involved. This could be that perfect bread. It's easily adaptable to whatever you want. It's brought to us by the talented Abby Dodge and a little group we call #baketogether (yes, people, the hashtag is connected to Twitter, and yes, you should try it out, my feed is full of amazing food and people).

"Bake Together" is a group of bloggers, cooks, people, that simply love the art of the baked good. Abby puts a recipe out there every month, and we all re-create it and post our creations. Anyone can join, and after Charcutepalooza, I needed some group baking or cooking love. This is perfect, and frankly, even more up my alley than the meat adventures. Confession here, I actually eat little meat, maybe once or twice a week.

You can throw this bread together in a few hours on a weekend, or in a morning. I'm in love with it, so please go and make it. Oh, and I promise you'll fall in love once you start baking bread. The smell of your kitchen will be irresistible, and you'll come back to it all, again and again.

Cheddar Peasant Boule
(printable recipe)
Yield: 8-10 slices
Source: Abby Dodge

I have added the cheddar to the recipe, but feel free to omit, or add whatever you what. That's what's great about this recipe, it's so adaptable!

Ingredients:

• 3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (15 ounces)
• 1 packet instant yeast (1/4 ounce)
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
• 1 1/3 cups warm water (125 degrees)
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I used Cabot's 50% reduced cheddar this time around)

Instructions:

1. In the bowl of a standing mixer, whisk together flour, yeast, sugar, baking powder and salt. 
2. Connect bowl to mixer fitted with a dough hook, and take your water (making sure it's 120-125 degrees) and slowly add to the dry mixture with your mixer set at medium-low speed. 
3. Once the water is well-incorporated, push speed up to medium, and allow the machine to knead the dough until it is smooth, pulls away from the sides and the bottom. According to Abby, this takes about 6 minutes or so.
4. Now, take your melted butter and grease up a mixing bowl. Gather the kneaded dough into a ball and place in greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap tightly and place in a draft-free, warm area, and allow to rise about 45 minutes, or until doubled in size.
5. While the dough is rising, butter a 8-inch cake pan (I realized I had only 9-inch, so I improvised), and set aside. 
6. Once dough has doubled in size, turn out onto a clean work surface. Deflate the dough with your hand, and at this point, shape into a little, fat rectangle, sprinkle cheese across the surface, roll up, and then shape into a 7-inch little rounded loaf. 
7. Place the dough into your prepared cake pan and place in a warm spot to again double. This time it should only take about 25 minutes.
8. While the dough is rising again, make sure your oven baking rack is in the middle, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Once the dough has doubled (filled up the pan), place the pan into the oven. 
9. Bake for 40 minutes or until the loaf has risen about 2 inches above the pan and when you knock on the middle, it sounds hollow.
10. Tip the bread out onto a baking rack and place right side up to cool. Slice, enjoy! 

And just one more picture of Gordie the Pug, because he's so cute.

Spicy Asian Chicken and Noodle Soup

OK, I'll fess up. Detox, well, I made it to day 6, before saying, enough is enough. I felt great, lost a few pounds, had energy, but when friends came bearing wine and Chinese food after shoveling on Saturday, I said, "this isn't for me". That being said, I'm being mindful. It was a good reminder that clean eating does wonders, and I needed more balance. However, it doesn't fit into my whole mantra of moderation, at least for very long.

So folks, I'm back. We won't mention that I'm back after I sampled one too many dips at a little AFC Championship party on Sunday (go Pats!), because that doesn't go well with the whole "moderation" theme either.

I will, however, begin with a soup that, while not my own, is an absolute favorite in this house. This is one of those, down and dirty, simple, "I have no time to really cook", soups. It tastes, however, like you slaved over it. It's a husband favorite, which I know for many of you is very important. It's also got a kick, but one you can adjust on your own. Hey, there's a bonus here as well, it's good for you!

Before I share this weeknight staple with you, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the talented Alex Marciello from the Newburyport Daily News here in town. She dropped by my kitchen, and chatted with me about my cooking, the blog, and my love for everything local. If you want to check out her work, do so in this article that came out in today's Daily News. I have to thank her, and the Daily News, for talking with me. You all know I love my little New England town, and there's something really heart-warming and fun about being in the paper where you grew up!

Spicy Asian Chicken and Noodle Soup
Source: adapted from Cooking Light
Serves: 4

I love this because it takes no time to put together, and I can adjust the vegetables involved with whatever is seasonal. In this case, all vegetables, minus the snow peas, were from local sources. They were either picked up at market, or they had a home in my freezer.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken breast
• 1/2 cup grated carrot (about 1 medium)
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced snow peas
• 2 teaspoons Sriracha (I add more, and have extra for serving)
• 2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons thai red curry paste (I have also omitted once or twice)
• 1 (2-inch) piece peeled fresh ginger
• 3 ounces cooked wide rice sticks (prepare according to directions)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (I have omitted before as well)
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

Preparation:

1. Take chicken broth, water, chicken breast, carrot, snow peas, Sriracha, soy sauce, red curry paste, and fresh ginger, place in a large saucepan, or dutch oven and bring to a simmer. 
2. Prepare your rice noodles according to package directions.
3. Remove ginger piece from simmering soup, and add your rice noodles, lime juice, and green onions to the soup.
4. Serve warm with extra Sriracha for a bit of an extra kick if you'd like.

The Mind-Body Challenge 2012

Avocado with Bell Peppers and Tomatoes

Back to my roots, or at least back to the challenge that really started me blogging much more seriously.

In May of last year, feeling sluggish, I decided to look for some kind of cleanse. You all know me if you read this blog with any regularity, I'm not really into extremes. I wasn't looking for something all liquid, or meals that consisted of cayenne pepper and water. I wanted substance, I wanted to be healthy.

I ended up stumbling upon Whole Living's 28-Day Mind and Body Challenge. It's a cleanse they rework every year in January that focuses on clean, healthy eating. I want to say in advance, that these posts are in no way affiliated with the magazine, I just like to give credit where credit is due.

The detox omits alcohol (uh-oh), caffeine (how will I survive?), dairy (not too bad), processed foods (try to avoid those anyway), added sugars (oh I just might miss you), and gluten (this one is always the most difficult for me).

Last year, I ended up energized and held on to changes I made in the couple of weeks I stuck to it, long term. I'm hoping to hang onto them longer this year.

Roasted Peppers, Cauliflower, and Almonds

So how did this propel me into blogging? Well, I noticed when I started blogging about this challenge, that more people started reading and commenting. It also really pushed me in the direction of trying to eat local as often as possible. It was just simply better for me.

As you know, my commitment to local is always tempered with moderation. In looking at this cleanse, there are a lot of recipes that I can't keep entirely local, but I'm trying to at least keep one local ingredient in the mix. A lot of this stuff is out of season as well, but again, moderation tends to be key.

I'm going extreme for a few weeks, while again, against my moderate mantra, I need a shock to the system every once in a while. You want something a little less shocking? I love what Winnie over at Healthy Green Kitchen is doing with her "One Simple Change" Fridays.

I have to add that when I started this yesterday I also did something for my mind. I started my day off slow, chopping, blending. I reveled in the sun of my kitchen, turned on music, and began my day in a more positive frame of mind. I mean, this is for the mind as well, right?

So my produce bins are packed, I have some shred of motivation. Want to see what I'm eating? Here are the links for yesterday, since these recipes are not my own, but they're definitely worth sharing!

Breakfast:
Antioxidant Smoothie
-made with frozen Cider Hill Farm blueberries and raspberries I froze last summer.
-Green Jasmine Tea from White Heron Tea in NH. (Yes, this is cheating, but one cup of green tea a day is helpful and healthy.

Lunch:
Avocado with Bell Pepper and Tomatoes 
-Sadly, the only thing local in this one is the garlic from Tendercrop Farm. 

Dinner:
Roasted Peppers, Cauliflower, and Almonds
-Again, all purchased from Tendercrop Farm in Newbury, MA, but none is their own produce. They work with quality providers in the winter to provide other options they can't grow here in January, and I'd rather support them with dollars since I believe in their local meat/produce options at other points of the year.  Local folks, here's a secret, many times their produce (theirs or otherwise) is cheaper (and MUCH higher quality) than what you can pick up at the local grocery store.

Snacks:
Various things - almonds, fresh fruit, and veggies with natural nut butters.

So wish me luck. I predict some crankiness from the lack of coffee and bread. I also predict a little burst in energy and much more awareness of what I'm eating than I have had in several months. I also predict that by the end I will have not sworn off bread, pasta, or wine for all time. That's just not going to happen.