Can I Afford to Eat Organic + GMO-Free?

I am not so sure, but I do plan to try.  I find that I'm generally more successful at doing this in the summer because of our CSA which is not certified organic, but Siena Farms does use sustainable techniques and do not use peticides and herbicides. 

Here are a few things I've changed in our kitchen and I few I plan to change - I've stared [*] the items we've already begun to do,  I've put this marker [~] for items we occassionally do (when the $ permits), and I've left things we plan to do with no notation

• *Join a CSA and allow it to provide 90% of our vegetible produce from June - November & 40% from December - Allowable.
• *Purchase Bob's Red Mill Flour to use in baking - WW when possible
• *Cook at home from scratch! 
• *Buy what's in season rather than what you are craving
• *Can can can!  Can the summer harvest of local fruit and veggies (Farmer's Market) whenever possible (or freeze)
• ~Purchase 100% organic eggs
• Purchase 100% organic dairy products (especially milk & cheese)
• Puchase organic GMO free whole chicken and cheaper cuts of beef

And remembering that when we can't stick to these changes, to still practice consuming healthy alternatives (instead of that cupcake... mmmm cake!)

Pomegranates for Chreap

Today I stopped at Aldi to get some staples before the storm And for the week. They had pomegranates for about $1 each so I picked up 2. I never opened one before. They are so weird. This one was on the dry side but still tasty. Paul and I are snacking on them while watching the Giants game.

Butternut Squash & Parsnips Baked Pasta

Last week's CSA share included a butternut squash, parsnips, shallot & leeks... among other yummy vegetables!

My boss mentioned how excited she was to make her favorite pasta dish with her share.  It is a butternut squash baked pasta dish and is a cooking light recipe.  I asked her to share the recipe and it turned out pretty good.  As usual I didn't measure anything - so when the parsnip flavor was a bit overwhelming, I really had no one to blame but myself.

This recipe reminded me a lot about a recipe my friend Jerry made for me a few times.  It was so good and he has taught me to make it but I rarely do because of the thick fattening cream sauce.  While making the recipe from Cooking Light, I realized I can use the same technique in Jerry's recipe & cut much of the fat.  This was a very exciting revelation because I love baked pasta dishes, especially when those pasta dishes consist of squash or sweet potato.  I may just leave the parsnips out and roast those to eat solo from now on.

This is a terrible picture but... at least I took one.... AFTER we ate 1/2 the tray haha

What to do with all our apples?! - Apple Butter & Sauce

Do you have a slow cooker?  If you do - you are in for a treat!  Homemade apple sauce is easy on the stove top but even easier in the slow cooker!  Apple Butter is a long and tedious task on the stove top but with a slow cooker it makes it a cinch!  Try it for yourself!

Apple Sauce 

6-8 medium apples
1 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon (may omit)
1 cup water

• Peel, core & roughly dice your apples.  I fill my crock pot until it is 2/3 full.
• Add sugar, water & cinnamon & stir 
• Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours

You can use less sugar if your apples are sweet or add more if necessary.  Extra apple sauce can be frozen.  If you are using glass containers, me sure to leave head space for expanding.

I also made a batch sugar & spice free to use for baking!

Apple Butter

6-8 medium apples
1 cup sugar
1 tbs cinnamon
1 tps freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp clove
1 tbs lemon juice
dash of salt

• Peel, core, & roughly dice apples.  I fill my crock pot until it's 2/3 full which can take more apples if they are on the small side.
• Add lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, clove & salt - stir
• Cook on low for 12 hours - remove cover & cook another hour to allow liquid to evaporate.  You can cook this up to 2 days with no problems.  I usually don't time it and cook it until I have the time to process it.  

You can use less sugar if your apples are sweet or add more if necessary.  Spice can me adjusted for flavor preferences (I sometimes add more cinnamon & all spice).  Extra apple butter can be canned or frozen - leave head space for expanding.

Apples - ready to begin cooking!

Apples after about 12 hours of cooking

Apple Butter with buttered toast or cream cheese on crusty bread for breakfast... mmmmmm

That's it for my apple recipes so far.  If you have any ideas - share, please!

What to do with all our apples?! - Apple Puff Pastry!

Apple Galette Recipe

Apple & Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash

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I felt like desert but I didn't feel like doing all the work.  The galette dough I made ahead was in the freezer and I wasn't up to thawing it out.  So while at the grocery store I bought some puffed pastry.  With some inspiration from The Pioneer Woman & Martha Stewart I made my own.

This is definitely the no brainer cheat recipe!  And I called it a tart and get bombarded with people asking if it was a puffed pastry... bah - its good!  Who cares what to call it!

So here is what I did ....

1 sheet of store bought puff pastry
3 TBS homemade apple sauce (or a good quality store bought)
1 Apple - cored and THINLY sliced
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 TBS Sugar
1 egg - beaten

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

• Thaw your puff pastry sheet on the counter or refrigerator according to the box directions.  Slice the thawed dough in 1/2 and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet.
• Toss thinly sliced apples with sugar, cinnamon & freshly grated nutmeg in a large bowl
•  Brush edges of puffed pastry with egg wash being careful to not let it drip down the edges of the dough.
• Spoon apple sauce into center of dough and spread up to egg washed edge
• lay sliced apples over apple sauce

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown and puffed up


I liked it better hot right out of the oven, but if you prefer to let it cool - enjoy it cool.  Or ... hot with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

What to do with all our apples?! Apple Galette

To see What to do with all our apples?! Apple & Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash click here
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We of course made another Apple Galette!  They are so good!  Of course we made this immediately!  I was lucky enough not to have to work during the Saturday of our quarter close however everyone else from my team did.  So I made one for them and dropped it off while it was still hot.  They were all grateful and they loved it... even with the whole wheat crust.  To see the recipe check here on last year's post!

Green Onion

You will not believe when I bought these green onions!  I bought these for 99 cents at Aldi back in August.  It's now mid October and I'm still using these green onions!  All I had to do was throw them in a jar with some water and they re-rooted and continued to grow.  I change the water at least every other day.  It makes me feel good that I'm not being wasteful, I rarely have to run to the store for green onions, and I saved money!  Why not!

What to do with all our apples?! - Apple & Sausage Stuffed Acorn Squash!

So far we've thought of many many delicious things to do with our apples!

I found this recipe for Sausage Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash over at http://www.preventionrd.com and felt utterly inspired.  I had very few of the ingredients on the recipe so I made my own adaption and it turned on great!

The Acorn Squash
I lightly rubbed olive oil, salt & pepper on my halved acorn squash & placed them face up on a baking sheet to roast for 40 minutes at 400 degrees.

The Filling
Again I used what I had on hand and I did not measure anything so these are guestimates!

1/2 bulb of fennel
1 1/2 - 2 Sausage Links - Mild Italian
1 Clove Garlic
1/4 Finely diced onion
1 Apple - peeled, cored & diced
3-4 TBS Panko Breadcrumbs
1 Egg
Parmesan Cheese for sprinkling

Brown the sausage without casings until fully cooked.  Drain off oil and add onion, garlic, fennel & apple.  Sautee until tender.  Add sausage to vegetables & heat through.  Take off heat and stir in panko bread crumnbs and 1 egg.  Stir to combine.  Stuff inside cooked acorn squash & sprinkle with parmesan cheese.  Return to oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Enjoy!

This recipe was soooo good & a definite hit for Paul & I.  We will be making this again - possibly this week! =)

Apples Galore!

We go apple picking annually and some times a few times a season.  We don't particularly love apples, but I grew up going apple picking with my grandparents & mother and cousins and siblings... and basically anyone who wanted to go - we packed the car and went.  We'd spend the whole day at the orchard picnicking with Filipino Fare.  It was so fun, so good, and just loaded with memories.

When Paul and I started dating, I introduced him to this tradition and it's quickly became one of ours.  We've managed to go every year... including a year we decided to go in Kentucky, where he was living at the time. They are always filled with smiles, apples, apple treats & of course apple pies once we get those babies home!

This year we went to Smolak Farms  not once, but twice!  And we've been using our apples ever since!

Here are the photos from today's apple adventure!

This was the sign on the road to the "Secret Orchard" - yes that's it's name.  It's the last orchard they pick from of the season and that's where we were.  They only had Cortlands and Macs left... and that was good enough for me.  I kind of wish I could be a resident though... imagine living on a private road with no neighbors save for a farm... oh wait - and the 100s of weekend warrious there to pick their own at the farm?  Scratch that.

Last time they let me drive the apple truck - this time we thought it'd be fun if Paul got a turn

He always smiles when he gets a good apple!  This smile is how he stole my heart!

 This is his I'm a serious guy face.  I don't believe it much either.

 I told him to stand in the sun so the shadows don't ruin the picture... apparently Paul can't open his eyes when facing the sun... woops!

Yes, he does crazy things like this... and this is only 1 of many awkward public poses he performed at the orchard.  (Picture him crouching and flexing imaginary muscles in the farm store to convince me that buying 1/2 a dozen cider donuts would be bad for his physique!)

Yes, sometimes Paul takes my picture too.  It was a balmy 40 something degrees this morning.

There is our mid-sized carving pumpkin.   It's speckled with green and mostly round with a great curved stem.  I thought it was great.  I think Paul wanted one triple it's size!

I love this farm.  I love the set up, the people & the homey feel... but most of all - I love the view!

 Didn't you know that pumpkins grow on trees?

no you don't believe me?

here is proof!

 Pumpkin tree!

 I liked the Oregon Trail esqueness of this photo haha

No one died of dysentery in the making of this photo

Don't lie... you live in the North East because you love all of the seasonal changes too right?  No?  You don't?  Well screw you and move to Florida!

So many delicious apples!

Blueberry Muffins

I like simple and that's why I'm definitely going to try this recipe from Homesteading in Maine. Last year my mother and I went blueberry picking... just the two of us. I took home tons of blueberries and used most for smoothies and to pop into my mouth but oh... this would be so much more fun in the morning!