Get Porky on Easter!

Our outstanding Easter dinner featured Braised Pork Shoulder.  We purchased an all natural-fed pork roast from Seven Bridges Farm yesterday during our weekly trip to the Rochester Public Market.  Check out this excellent local farm at www.sevenbridgesfarm.com/.  The pork was fabulous - incredibly tender and full of delicious flavor!  After adding a dry-rub, we braised it with onion, garlic, celery, carrot and sliced fennel bulb in red wine (we used Shiraz) and chicken stock.  We served it with a lemon-zesty roasted rhubarb, peas sauteed with garlic, and roasted new potatoes with rosemary.  And last but certainly not least, we enjoyed a glass of our absolute favorite Apothic Red, a wonderful and unique blend of Zinfandel, Syrah, and Merlot produced by Apothic Wines (Modesto, CA).  Happy Easter!

Let There Be ...... Herbs!

Today's adventure was a trip to a wonderful nursery, Wayside Gardens.    Although the temperatures would lead us to believe that spring is still a long way off, the profusion of color and plants was a grand sight.

A small section of the enormous greenhouse was filled with herbs.    We purchased coriander, thyme, parsley, tarragon, rosemary and oregano.   Basil will be purchased at a different store.   The pots (once we plant them) will sit in the bay window in our kitchen eating area, which is the only location that gets a good dose of sun!    We are hoping to enjoy the bounty of these lovely plants throughout the year.

Update:   Basil was purchased today along with several additional pots -- we are enjoying the indoor farming!

Who says Vegan has to be boring and bland?????

What to do when you have lots of veggies and you want a full flavor and healthy meal???  Create your own quesadilla, of course!!  We sauteed up some sweet onions, garlic and bell peppers, added some sliced mushrooms and black beans, seasoned it up with chili powder and cumin, and voila!  A phenomenal filling for quesadillas, along with some chopped cliantro.  I'm sure this filling would work equally well with tacos.  We kept most of the tortillas straight vegan but added some grated jack cheese to a couple.  Both options were delish!  A little salsa on top (kicked up with more cilantro), a caesar salad on the side, and we were good to go!  

A Vegetarian Delight!

With the wonderful bounty of fresh, nutritious foods available at Saturday morning's weekly trip to the Rochester Public Market, it is easy to be inspired to prepare a vegetarian meal.  Today's feature was Eggplant Parmagiana, served with pasta topped with homemade tomato sauce, and a light salad tossed with homemade dressing (courtesy of Bobby Flay).  The eggplant tasted incredibly fresh and tender.  The tomatoes, advertised by their RPM vendor as the "best in the market", were full of flavor and did not disappoint!  We discovered that a 2009 Shiraz by Silvergum Wine Estates in Australia, with its fruit bouquet and slightly peppery accent, was a perfect complement to the eggplant and tomato sauce.  

A Rochester Public Market dinner

You haven't really had lamb unless you've experienced the incredible lamb from Halcyon Grange farm.  Check 'em out at http://www.halcyongrange.com/.  In our case, it was lamb chops, which we grilled after seasoning with a blend of ginger, garlic, salt and pepper in olive oil.  Full of flavor and absolutely the most tender lamb we've ever tasted! No mint jelly required! Side dishes, all bought this morning at the Public Market, included roasted rosemary new potatoes, poached asparagus, and mushrooms sauteed in jersey cream butter and finished in a marsala reduction sauce.  The only way to top off this magnificent meal was with a glass (or two) of our favorite wine:  St Amant's splendid Mohr Fry Zinfandel.  It was a wonderful meal!  

Shopping at the Rochester Public Market

Saturday morning at the Public Market is a wonderful experience -- an incredible bounty of produce, dairy, meat and other items at very reasonable prices.   We filled three shopping bags.   Pictures to come when we visit again.

We found butter made from jersey cream.    We purchased several cuts of meat from local farms.   Seven Bridges Farm (all natural  beef) gave us an extra pound of ground beef at no charge!    Part of the incredibly good energy at the Public Market.  

Feasted on a breakfast empanada from Juan and Maria's.

Foodlink in Rochester NY joins the Share our Strength’s Cooking Matters Network

Foodlink in Rochester NY joins the Share our Strength’s Cooking Matters Network

We support cooking!!!

Light and Healthy

Returned home Monday with a craving for light, healthy food after a long weekend of rich, heavy (& delicious) restaurant food. Simple is often best. Fresh mozzerella cheese wedges on a bed of juicy Roma tomatoes and fresh basil leaves, with a dressing of EVOO, balsamic, salt and fresh ground pepper. Perfect accompaniment turned out to be angel hair pasta, tossed with EVOO and fresh grated parmesan and a slice of whole grain bread, grilled with basting oil. Easy, fun to put together, and delish! Ahhh... its nice to be home!

Huevos Rancheros

Leftover black beans and rice..... what to do.... how to make it yummy?

Heat up beans and rice, add a couple of fried eggs, top with salsa (or Frank's)..... serve with a light green salad (pears were a nice addition).   Perfect meal for a weeknight.

Served with a peppery Cabernet Sauvignon.    Yummy.

Getting Started

We've loved food for a long time, for a very long time..... and particularly the food that we've had fun preparing. So in the spirit of Julia Child, "On the Road Again", and The Dirty Life, we thought it would be fun to begin a blog of gardening, public markets, recipe development, experimentation and eating!!   Along with drinking, of course.