I can’t believe it’s already almost New Years! It’s been a busy, relaxing week meaning I wasn’t schlepping my spawn all over town to their activities and things slowed down in my store so I managed to get quite a bit of stuff done, including make millions of cookies and presents and one of my favorite things to do – cook!
We’ve had aebelskivers from Lentz spelt and Tonnamaker’s apples:
Butternut squash soup from our own butternut squash, onions from Nature’s Last Stand, celery from OR that I found at PCC after the frost devasted mine, hard cider from Rockridge Orchards and vermouth that I found hiding in the dusty liquor cabinet.
Swedish dark limpa that I made using 33% rye from Bob’s Red Mill, 33% hard red wheat from Bluebird and 33% spelt from Lentz spelt. It was achingly soft, the perfect crumb with just a touch of molasses. Perfect with soup and great as grilled cheese sammies with Pleasant Valley jalapeno gouda the next day.
Pleasant Valley is in Ferndale and they don’t have a website but they do have a wholesale buying club. Get enough friends together and buy amazing local cheese at a huge discount! I have wheels of it in the fridge – it’s totally replaced all those storebought cheeses for not much more money. They make a farmstead which is similar to cheddar, a munschli which is like a Swiss style, and several varieties of Gouda.
Crispy latkes with purple potatoes from Methow Valley and our backyard eggs, fried in beef tallow from our cow ala Marissa of Food in Jars.
Pork chops from Akyla farms served with a mustard and Golden Glen cream sauce, braised garden kale, oven steak fries from our Methow valley potatoes, awesome saurkraut made by my friend Charlotte from (I believe) Nash’s cabbage, and home canned peaches from Rama orchard.
Tamale pie made with hamburger from our Cascade Range Beef cow, home canned red chili sauce made last summer from Tonnamaker chilies, our onions and tomatoes, our corn from the freezer, Pleasant Valley farmstead and a cornmeal topping made from home cultured buttermilk from Dungeness Valley Creamery milk, backyard eggs, Bluebird soft wheat and dent corn from Azure Standard in Dufur, OR.
Christmas dinner of rib roast from our Cascade Range Beef cow, creamed Nash’s kale, spiced Nash’s red cabbage with Tonnamaker apples, mashed Methow Valley potatoes (I estimate we have another month of these left and that’s it), a cabernet sauvignon reduction with the pan drippings from Chateau Ste. Michelle, Swedish Julsalad made wtih Golden Glen cream, mustard, Tonnamaker apples and home grown beets pickled in Rockridge Orchard apple cider vinegar, horseradish creme fraiche made with OR horseradish root I found at PCC. (note – to preserve the root you simply peel it then grate it in the food processor, then mince it as finely as you like in the processer. Place it in a jar and cover it with vinegar. It will keep in the fridge for eons, future post on this)
Anna’s Drommer – Swedish cookies reminiscent of those Danish butter cookies in tins. With only a few ingredients they are as simple as it gets which really lets your good butter and fresh flour shine. They require baking ammonia, however, to get that crispy light texture that doesn’t soon stale. You can buy it through King Arthur Flour. In Swedish it was called hartshorn because it was originally made by distilling reindeer antlers.
Trifle made with Golden Glen cream, Bluebird soft wheat lady fingers, my friend Cyndi’s backyard raspberry/currant jam, Rockridge Orchard Asian Pear Brandy and home canned cherries from the neighbor’s tree. I omitted the brandy for the kid’s bowls…
I then used the remaining simple syrup from the cherries, impregnated it with my ginger bug, let it sit out on the counter for a few days until it became bubbly, and capped it. In two more days it will be bubbly lacto-fermented cherry soda for my little guys to fight over.
And finally out of leftovers, I made a batch of Wardeh’s spelt tortillas, kidney beans from Azure Standard (Dufur, OR), Pleasant Valley farmstead, carrots from the garden, cabbage from Nash’s, mole sauce from the freezer, home canned salsa from our garden last summer and more red chile sauce from Tonnamaker peppers. Did you know Tonnamaker has dried peppers right now while they last? I even got some dried paprika peppers!
The days are starting to lengthen and we are just weeks away from beginning seed starts – time to dig out those seed catalogs and dream!
11 responses so far ↓
1 kitsapFG // Dec 28, 2009 at 9:55 am
Everything looks so delicious! You are much more ambitious with your daily cooking then I am – but I love reading about it!
2 admin // Dec 28, 2009 at 1:58 pm
Thanks KFG. My dh gets annoyed with me because I rarely make the same thing twice in one year and by then I can’t remember exactly how I made it the last time. I love to cook!
3 Auburn // Dec 28, 2009 at 3:51 pm
I almost never cook the same thing twice, either.
As much as I love to cook, I don’t think I could ever run a commercial kitchen because making always the same dishes, the same way, would bore me to death.
All that variety is great for your kids, in terms of nutrition and to keep them from becoming picky eaters.
BTW, Annette, what do you think about the sustainable rice farm I linked to the other day? I know it isn’t local, but are there sustainable rice growers in WA? I don’t think there are rice growers in my area. I should research that.
4 admin // Dec 28, 2009 at 6:13 pm
Hi Auburn,
Sorry not to comment on the rice grower – they sell Lundberg rice at PCC (our healthy food coop) so I know it passes their tests for sustainability, it’s just all the way from CA but I think we are going to break down and buy rice again because we miss it. When I do it will be theirs. I do think I heard something about a rice grower in OR but I need to check on that.
I have a super picky eater who eats virtually nothing but pancakes but my other guy will taste anything once which is great. I bought him a cookbook for Christmas.
5 brittney // Dec 29, 2009 at 4:21 pm
Your blog is amazing! I love to cook too and your wide range of meals and locally sourced ingredients makes me want to explore new territory!
6 Maureen // Dec 29, 2009 at 6:37 pm
So many yummy meals, I’m impressed …and only slightly intimidated
Thanks especially for the tortilla link….I’ve wanted to use spelt flour AND make my own tortillas…but just didn’t quite know how (and yes, I’m that dense).
7 admin // Dec 29, 2009 at 7:10 pm
Thanks Brittney & Maureen! It’s been quite a journey this year and something I love doing so I’m hoping to provide resources and ideas for others who maybe want to make baby steps and not, as my husband says, be the driver of the crazy bus.
These tortillas are great and the dough is not fussy at all so it’s a perfect thing to have your kids help you with in the kitchen. They stay fresh for longer than we can keep them around even after storing in the fridge and they freeze as well. It’s nice to have a stash of something quick to pull out in case your plan A for dinner flopped at the last minute. Ahem, not like that ever happens to me…
8 Charlotte Gore // Dec 30, 2009 at 7:37 am
These meals look terrific. Thanks for giving me some cooking inspiration for when I get back. Happy New year and looking forward to your blog next year!
9 admin // Dec 31, 2009 at 2:24 am
Gott nytt år to you too Charlotte! It feels like you’ve been gone forever. Can’t wait to catch up!
10 Rebecca // Jan 1, 2010 at 10:36 am
Annette, I am the same way about not making things twice often and my husband complains too. Sometimes I will say “You like this, you had it before,” and he will say, “How am I supposed to remember?” since it was a year ago or something.
It’s funny that you made aebleskiver. I was reading an Icelandic Christmas magazine where someone was talking about them and I was trying to remember the Danish name, I was going to try to google but then you made them. Did you use more spelt flour or less liquid than the linked recipe, or did you not have to?
11 admin // Jan 1, 2010 at 3:46 pm
Hi Rebecca,
They were so fun! Like little donut holes without the hassle of frying. I used straight up spelt with no recipe change at all. I sprinkled powdered sugar and nutmeg on them when they were done since they aren’t at all sweet without it but it doesn’t take much sugar since it’s the first thing on your tongue. Next time I think I’ll use my jelly donut pastry tip and add some jelly inside after they cook. It’s really hard to get some apple pieces inside while you are focusing on filling them all and flipping them right away.
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