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Navigating the World of CSA’s

April 23, 2016 By Julie 1 Comment

In case you’ve never heard of the term CSA before, it stands for Community Supported Agriculture. The idea is that a farmer can sell a share of his expected crops to a person within the local community. That person, in turn, receives a weekly box of what the farmer grows in exchange for payment and, in some cases, a set amount of volunteer hours on the farm. CSA’s have been around since the 1980’s but have only become commonplace in the last decade or so.

As CSA’s become more popular across the country, local companies have begun “sprouting up” in an effort to streamline the process and make quality local produce, meat, eggs and specialty products more available to the people in their communities.

The Produce Box is one such organization in the city of Charlotte where I live. They take on the work of coordinating with local farmers and artisans and I sign up through them for a weekly box of goodies. There are several benefits to using a company such as The Produce Box vs. a traditional CSA:

Because they work with a larger number of farmers and artisans, your selection of goods is much greater than it would be if you were working with a single farm.
In most cases, everything you purchase is delivered directly to your door so there is no need to travel and pick up your weekly box.
You have the ability to skip a week if needed and you only pay from week to week instead of one large payment up front at the start of the growing season.
You are still getting the benefits of supporting local agriculture in your community and keeping the family farm alive and thriving.

For two Thursdays (my delivery day) I set out a cooler and waited for my spoils to arrive. Here are a sampling of the goodies that showed up on my doorstep:

In addition, I received a sheet detailing all the products in my delivery, which farm they came from, when to eat them for best quality and a recipe or serving suggestion for each. Yes, you will pay a tiny bit more than in traditional grocery stores but in exchange you have the bonus of front door delivery and the peace of mind that you’re helping to support your local community.

If you live in North Carolina and think The Produce Box might be something you’d like to support, head over and check out their web page for more information. If you’re outside of North Carolina, try running a Google search for local produce delivery and see what companies pop up. You can also check out Local Harvest for a list or more traditional CSA’s in your area.

Note: While The Produce Box provided me with a credit to try out their service for two weeks, it should be noted that all opinions in this post, as always, are my own.

The Rice Krispies Challenge Part 3: Spooky Halloween Fun

October 3, 2011 By Julie 55 Comments

Are you ready for a fun party idea for Halloween with your children?

Our Rice Krispies challenge team, Amy of She Wears Many Hats, Sommer of A Spicy Perspective, Robyn of Add a Pinch and myself planned a “Make Your Own Monster” party that is sure to be the highlight of your Halloween season!

We knew when The Motherhood and Rice Krispies announced Halloween as the theme for this challenge that we would make a fun party theme where children could easily get in on the action of making treats they’d be happy to show off as well as devour.

Our “Make Your Own Monster” party certainly met and exceeded that expectation!

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Irish Soda Bread

March 14, 2011 By Julie 37 Comments

Would you believe me if I told you that I had never partook in a slice of Irish Soda Bread until I cooked up this recipe? I tell ya, this is what I love about food blogging. It forces you to get out of your rut, off your behind, and into your kitchen. It causes you to read Food and Wine, watch The Food Network and browse through your Citipass coupon book for recipe ideas while waiting for your child to finish up a class (Oh yes, guilty as charged. I can tell you with complete confidence that at least a handful of recipes I’ve shared on this blog have been inspired by my child’s annual school fundraiser). And you thought it was all about the coupons.

But back to the topic at hand. Irish soda bread. Why I haven’t cooked up a loaf of this bread sooner is beyond me. It’s quick to make; think no waiting for the yeast to rise. It”s easy enough for even an amateur bread maker to put together; it’s about as simple as mixing together the ingredients, forming it into a ball, and baking it. And the final result is a moist, flavorful bread that tastes like you spent the entire afternoon pouring your heart and soul into it. What’s not to love?

Traditional Irish soda bread consists of four main ingredients; Flour, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk. That’s all there is to it. Most recipes these days fancy it up a bit with fruit, sugar, and the like. This version is no different. I added a little honey for sweetness and some caraway seeds just because. Do we really have to save this recipe for St. Patrick’s day? Because I could easily see this bread becoming a staple in our house.

Let’s get baking.

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Pork Rouladen

November 1, 2010 By Julie 28 Comments

I hope everyone had a fun Halloween! Thankfully all the boys were healthy enough this year to head out and trick or treat (last year Nick was stuck inside with the swine flu, poor kid). Here they are just before leaving the house to beg for loot. Notice how Alex’s costume is on backward. That’s what happens when I let my husband dress the kids.

This was Drew’s first time trick or treating and he did fabulous. It’s amazing how quickly they pick up on what they’re supposed to do. He went right up with the big kids and grabbed out of the buckets. Not a stitch of scared in the kid. Mommy was real proud.

And now, of course, with Halloween officially being over, it’s time to start thinking about Thanksgiving and Christmas. I’m still in denial about it all, so I’m holding off on my Thanksgiving recipes for another post or two. Instead, I’ve decided to put up a dish that reflects a bit of my German heritage (I’m half German and half Swedish, give or take a half).

I do enjoy, on occasion, cooking family dishes that remind me of my roots. Being half German means I was fed a lot of schnitzels and potato pancakes growing up. One particular dish that I remember my mom cooking for us on a regular basis was rouladen.

I figured it was high time I shared our version, but seeing as I don’t eat red meat all that often, I substituted pork in the place of it’s traditional counterpart. You could easily substitute beef back in for this recipe, but I will say that it was just as delicious with “the other white meat” as it’s stand in.

Ingredients Needed:

1 Pd. of Pork Cutlets
1 Onion, Chopped
4 Pieces of Bacon, Cut in Half
4 tsp of Dijon Mustard
4 Dill Pickles
Salt
Pepper
Paprika
1 Tbsp of Oil
1 Cup of Water
1 Tbsp of Corn Starch

First up, you’ll grab your cutlets and pound them out nice and thin.

Tip: Just think about that old ex boyfriend or girl friend who dumped you for the popular kid in high school and then grab the mallet. You’ll be surprised how thin you can get them.

Now it’s time to load them up with the good stuff. Grab a knife and spread some mustard over the meat. Follow that up with your bacon, then a pickle, and finally the onions.

Roll it up and close it tight with toothpicks.

Now grab the salt, pepper, and paprika and sprinkle it over all sides of the meat.

Pull out a large saute pan and heat up the oil on medium high heat. When it’s good and hot, throw your rouladen in the pan and give them a minute or two on all sides to brown up.

Add in the cup of water, turn the heat down to medium low, cover the pan and let your rouladens cook up for about an hour.

When the hour’s up, grab the cornstarch, mix it with 1 tbsp of cold water and add the mixture into your pan. Heat back up to boiling, let it boil a minute to thicken and you’re done.

Serve it up over egg noodles or spaetzle.

And remember, no one will notice if you sneak a snickers out of the bucket while your kids are school. I won’t tell if you don’t.

I am linking up to Hearth and Soul and Tasty Tuesdays.

Pork Rouladen

Ingredients:

1 Pd. of Pork Cutlets
1 Onion, Chopped
4 Pieces of Bacon, Cut in Half
4 tsp of Dijon Mustard
4 Dill Pickles
Salt
Pepper
Paprika
1 Tbsp of Oil
1 Cup of Water
1 Tbsp of Corn Starch

Directions:

First up, you'll grab your cutlets and pound them out nice and thin.

Now it's time to load them up with the good stuff. Grab a knife and spread some mustard over the meat. Follow that up with your bacon, then your pickle, and finally your onions.

Roll it up and close it tight with toothpicks. Now grab your salt, pepper, and paprika and sprinkle it over all sides of the meat.

Pull out your large saute pan and heat up your oil on medium high heat. When it's good and hot, throw your rouladen in the pan and give them a minute or two on all sides to brown up.

Add in your cup of water, turn the heat down to medium low, cover the pan and let your rouladens cook up for about an hour.

When the hour's up, grab your cornstarch, mix it with 1 tbsp of cold water and add the mixture into your pan. Heat back up to boiling, let it boil a minute to thicken and you're done.

Tuna Mexi Melt

September 9, 2010 By Julie 19 Comments

If there’s one thing this city is missing, it’s authentic Mexican and Tex Mex food. There I said it. And no, On the Border doesn’t qualify as authentic (my apologies to all the On the Border lovers who might be reading this). Scott and I are constantly on the look out for new Mexican options in our area to try out. Some we discover, others are recommended. So far none have measured up to the expectations of what we are hoping to get out of our Mexican restaurant meal experience.

I realize how this sounds. And if you have officially declared us Mexican food snobs at this point, I will wholeheartedly agree with you. I can’t help myself though. Before living in Charlotte, Scott and I spent six years in Texas and dang! if the Mexican and Tex Mex isn’t some of the best food you’ll ever put your mouth on. Ever. It’s one of the many things I truly miss about living there.

We’re here in Charlotte for the long haul though, so our search for the perfect Mexican restaurant will continue. Until we find it, it’s up to me to put together Mexican and Tex Mex inspired dishes that my family will enjoy eating. Enter in the Tuna Mexi Melt. Because honestly, why have a plain old tuna melt when you can Tex Mex it all up and make it mucho mejor (that’s much better for you gringos out there).

Listo? Vamos a cocinar. Let’s get cooking.
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