I like lamb

This is the lamb I'm getting next week.

I think I'll name her, Delicious.  :)

582.  Good study last night.  I'm still processing.

583.  A healthy, pastured lamb and this recipe

584.  A view of the river from my office window

585.  Christian radio and the music they play

586.  A hot shower on a chilly morning

587.  Watching the leave just begin to change color

588.  Observing my son take an interest in his class

Lamb stew

I going to start this post with this HUGE disclaimer.  I am not a food blogger.  Oh, I wish I were.  Food bloggers get to cook all day and take beautiful pictures.  I understand it's super hard to photograph food.  I have absolutely no talent for photography, so this would not work well for me.  On the other hand, I'm a pretty good cook.  The other day I made lamb stew for the family.  It's definitely one of our favorites.  Every year we purchase a local lamb and this makes up about half of the meat our family will consume for the year.  So, the day I make the lamb stew is a pretty special day because there is only so much stew meat available.  I'm blogging this recipe (sadly with no pictures) for my faithful reader Elizabeth at Just Following Jesus.  Elizabeth is an amazing photographer.  Her blog is beautiful as well as inspiring.  She is overflowing with gratitude for all the blessings in her life.  She makes everything she touches beautiful.  And her love of our lord is evident in every word she writes.  Elizabeth, I hope you enjoy this recipe.

1 lb to 2 lbs lamb stew meat.  I ask the processor to give me all my odds and ends into stew meat instead of having it ground.  I'm not sure where it comes from, but I certainly wouldn't waste a leg cutting it up for stew meat.  I have two shoulder roasts left in the freezer and the processor has NEVER given me a shoulder roast before.  I think he usually cut them up for shoulder chops.  I may cut the shoulder chops into stew meat and make this again.  I almost forgot, trim the stew meat as best you can.  I don't think lamb fat is very tasty at all.  The less the better, in my humble opinion.

Brown the lamb in a couple or three Tbs of olive oil.  Salt and pepper the lamb before browning.  Add 6 or 7 large spring onions (chopped up. please use as much of the green as you can, but chop the green part a bit smaller) and 3 or 4 ribs of celery (chopped) after the lamb is beginning to brown.  Btw, I try to chop the celery and spring onion about the same size as the veggies I'm going to roast.  I'm guessing about an inch.

The vegetables are crucial.  Actually, roasting the vegetables is much more crucial than which veggies you actually use.  Although, the delicate flavor of the lamb goes best with more delicately flavored veggies.  I like to use carrots (about 5 or 6), turnips (about 10, depending on the size) and fennel bulb (one or two, depending on the size and whether or not you like fennel a lot or just a little).  I chop the carrots into coins.  Depending on the size of the turnips, I chop them to match the size of the carrots.  I do as well as I can to match the size of the fennel bulb chop.  Toss with a couple or three Tbs of olive oil, a little salt and pepper, then spread on a baking sheet.  Roast at 400 until the veggies are caramelized or pretty brownish (about half an hour).

Back to the lamb.  Add the following to the pot.
1 box of low sodium chicken stock (or 3 cups of home made chicken stock)
1/3 bottle of white wine (I like the fruitiness of a Pinot Grigio)
1 1/2 cups of orange juice (I like to use real oranges, so if you use less don't worry, the flavor is better)
A palm (1 Tbs) full of coriander and a palm of fennel seeds and a palm of orange zest (when you use real oranges this works out great)
If you have any fresh herbs in your refrigerator, mince them and add to this pot.

Let this pot simmer for an hour and a half, uncovered.

When the lamb is tender and the pot has cooked down a bit, add the veg and heat through.

Because I don't flour the lamb before browning the broth is a bit thinner than beef stew.  Therefore, I like to serve this stew over a scoop of mashed sweet potatoes.  I just peel and chop and boil the sweet potatoes and mash them.  No butter.

This stew has a lighter and sweeter flavor than beef stew.  I think it works perfectly with the veggies that are available in my area at this time of the year.  One special thing I'm proud to share is that everything (except the carrots and oranges and olive oil) come from within 20 miles of my home.  I love eating local.  I hope you enjoy this stew as much as our family enjoys it.

214.  I'm going on vacation tomorrow
215.  I'm going to be with my husband and away from all responsibilities for two weeks
216.  I have enough vacation time earned to do this
217.  I don't think my boss will fire me even though I'll be gone this long
218.  I know even if he does fire me, I'll be ok
219.  Seeing acquaintances I haven't seen for a whole year
220.  Seeing friends I haven't seen for a whole year
221.  Relaxing in the sun
222.  Reading for pleasure
223.  Going to restaurants
224.  The ocean
225.  Time to myself 

I'm linking with Becky at Feed my Family Friday (this is most likely a rare occurrence)  

I didn't take this picture, and I'm sure the lamb I get is a bit bigger than this one

Ken Cook's dinner

How hungry must I be to swallow the politics served to me?

Farm Bill 2012, food stamps and environmental incentives altered,

allowing factory farms federal dollars.

“Please pass the buck, um, I meant, salt.”

Money earmarked for small farmers spent on political reelection.  

Hoping the wine will wash away the entitlement taste from my mouth.

Having dinner tonight with Ken Cook and other liberals very nice people seeking the passing of the Farm Bill 2012,  I was tricked into this with the lure of a "cooking class" at the farm I buy my veggies from. and linking with G-man with a 55.

164.  The promise of a rainy weekend

165.  Soup in a cup to eat at my desk when I need to search the internet to study for my dinner conversation

166.  Clean water to drink

167.  Friday, the end of a long, long week 

Just peachy

There is nothing like a productive weekend to make me feel better about myself.  I got a lot done this weekend.  I'm feeling just peachy.  This is another interesting saying.  I wondered where it came from.  I found my answer in http://wiki.answers.com/.

When eaten, some kinds of peaches produce a natural high by interfering with the lipotin receptors in the brain. Since these kinds of peaches were not outlawed until the 1940's, they were commonly sold as a drug. When high off of them, people would often say that they were feeling "Peachy".

Seriously?  High?  Too bad these peaches are outlawed now.  I don't think I'm feeling "high" because I got a lot accomplished this past weekend, but I am certainly feeling satisfied.  It's amazing what can be accomplished when I don't have a migraine.  I didn't get EVERYTHING on my wish list done, but I'm not going to fret over it.

The first thing I did when I got home from work on Friday was to freeze a bushel of tomatoes.  My husband stopped at the CSA farm we belong to and bought a half bushel of seconds.  These are tomatoes with blemishes.  Some of these blemishes are quite serious.  There are bruises, bugs, mold, splits; you get the picture.  I stood at the sink and cut all the bad parts off the tomatoes and put them directly into freezer bags.  I've found when you freeze tomatoes this way, then thaw for use, the tomato will just slip out of the skin when slightly thawed.  When I go to make sauce with the frozen tomatoes, I allow them to slightly thaw, slip them out of their skins directly in the pot and cook down into sauce.  Easy peasy.  My husband also bought a half bushel of roma tomatoes.  These are my favorite for sauce.  These were first grade tomatoes, so directly in the freezer bags.  No work needed.

Here's a bit of tomato information for you.  There are generally two types or cultivars of tomatoes.  There are determinate and indeterminate.  Determinate tomatoes produce a bush and produce all their fruit at once, then stop producing.  Indeterminate tomatoes produce vines and continue producing fruit until there is a killing frost.  Roma tomatoes are determinate tomatoes.  So, you've got to get them while they're available.

On Saturday I froze a bushel of peaches.  Our family LOVES peaches.  I buy what is known as pie peaches when I buy peaches for the freezer.  I called the peach farm lady on Friday to ask if she would bring pie peaches to the farmer's market Saturday morning.  She said she didn't have room, but if I came a bit later in the morning she would see how many peaches she could sort for me.  So, at 11 o'clock a.m. I sent my husband to the market and he came home with a bushel of peaches for me to freeze.  I was so happy.
I did take some pictures of the peaches.

This is a perfect peach

This is a pie peach

You can see what I mean when I speak of a pie peach.  These pie peaches cost $16 per bushel.  This is a VERY good price.

This is a peck of peaches.  There are 4 pecks in a bushel.

I measure the amount of peaches in each freezer batch I make by using a 9 inch pie plate.  I usually make peach pies in the winter.  I make a delicious peach pie.  *I think I've mentioned this before.  I don't make pies in the summer because it is way too hot to bake.  I eat plain, delicious peaches in the summertime.
 

One freezer batch of peaches.  Yum!

I sprinkle some fruit fresh on the peaches and slip them into a freezer bag.  It's a lot of work and my hands get a few little cuts all over them and IF I had arthritis I wouldn't be able to type this post today.

Some of the fruits of my labors.  :)

On Sunday I canned six pints of pickles.  I made Bread and Butter Pickles.  I use this recipe from Cooks.com.  It is delicious and not too sweet.  I love canning.  The canned vegetables are so beautiful in the clear glass jars.  It makes me so happy to see them lined up in my cupboard.  The colors are so vibrant.

The last thing I did on Sunday was make the BEST Eggplant Parmesan.  I used Martha Stewart's recipe.  We had it for dinner Sunday night and it was delicious.  Really.  The best one I've EVER made.

So, I didn't get any items listed on eBay.  I still have peppers I need to roast.  But it was a very fulfilling weekend.  I can't believe this is the kind of stuff that makes me feel so good about myself.

Greens

My first food blog.  And, I know you won't believe it, but these are some of my favorite foods.  Greens.  I mean, who doesn't like a salad?  Of course, my favorite salad is a salad someone else makes.  I mean, really, whose isn't?  Below is a pic of mescalun greens.  These greens are the best raw in a salad.  Sure, add some arugula, a few radishes, blood orange segments and a vinaigrette and you've got a delicious salad.  Now, you see I didn't add tomatoes.  Mescalun greens and tomatoes aren't available at the same time of the year here in the mid-Atlantic.  I get my greens from a CSA (community supported agriculture) in my area.  This is a farm I buy shares into and get veggies in return every week.  Not cheap, but organic and local.  It's how I choose to buy my food and spend my money.

Mescalun

The next green in the hit parade of my favorites is Arugula or Rocket greens.  These are a spicy green best added to salads or sandwiches.  They add SO much flavor.  I LOVE Arugala.  I haven't cooked it yet because I eat it raw in salads and don't have any left over.  If you haven't tried Arugala yet, try it.  It is delicious.

Arugula

Now we are coming to, what may be, the more unusual greens.  Below is a green called English Cress.  You may know it as Water Cress or Garden Cress.  It is a delicious green.  I like it in soups.  I add it at the end of Italian Wedding soup or Chicken and Rice.  I like lots of it in soups.  I've heard the English eat something called Water Cress sandwiches.  I don't eat sandwiches very often, so I can't say anything about this.  I love it in soup.  I also like it with arborio rice in risotto.  Delicious.

English Cress

The next green is Rapini or Broccoli Raab.  These are the early shoots of the greens.  They can be COVERED with yellow flowers.  Rapini has a cabbage smell to it when sauteed briefly.  I LOVE this green as a side dish with ANYTHING.  I mean, if you like broccoli you will LOVE RAPINI.  This is best sauteed briefly with a bit of olive oil and garlic.  So good.

Rapini

I think Mustard Greens are my FAVORITE green.  So good and so spicy.  I just can't get enough of them.  Now, I know many of you have eaten greens saturated in bacon grease and who doesn't LOVE bacon.  But, could you taste the greens under all that bacon?  I, too, cook the greens in some bacon, but VERY LITTLE bacon.  Here's the trick to making DELICIOUS greens.  I boil a large pot of water and salt and blanch the greens briefly in the boiling water.  Blanching the greens in the boiling water before sauteing them, sweetens the greens.  So good.  On another burner I have a saute pan with one slice of bacon chopped up and crisped and half a small onion chopped and sweated.  I take the greens and put them in the hot saute pan immediately from the boiling pot and move them around until they are dry (or all the water is steamed off).  Then I add a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.  I serve these on top of half a baked sweet potato and viola', dinner is served.  The play of the spicy greens, salty bacon and sweet potato is just DELICIOUS and healthy.

Mustard Greens

Lastly, but far from least is Kale.  Below is curly kale.  This is such a beautiful green.  This green can be cooked exactly the same way the mustard greens are cooked and will be delicious.  I also make them the way my Grandmother made them in the "old country" or Holland.  Grandma used to put some potatoes in a pan with some water and boil them.    She tossed in some kielbasa on top of the boiling potatoes for flavor and added the chopped kale.  When the potatoes were done she removed the kielbasa and mashed the potatoes and greens.  She sliced the kielbasa and added it back to the mash and served.  I make the dish a bit richer by beginning the process with a slice or two of bacon, chopped and then sauteing the kielbasa, bacon with a chopped onion.  I remove the kielbasa and add chicken stock and the potatoes.  Bring to boil.  I add the chopped kale and when the potatoes are done I mash and add the sliced kielbasa.  I love this dish.  I makes me think of my childhood and Grandma.  I've "lightened" this dish by using turkey bacon and turkey kielbasa, just sayin'.

Curly Kale

Thanks for letting me share some food I love.  I hope you will learn to enjoy greens.