Raspberry Sorbet w/ Homemade Whipped Cream

Raspberry Sorbet with Homemade Whipped Cream

I JUST made this...and ate this...and all I can say is OMG. So SIMPLE, So DELICIOUS. Here's all there is to it:


1/4 C water
1/4 C plus 1 T sugar
1 bag frozen raspberries or 3 C fresh raspberries frozen
1/2 C heavy cream


Stir together water and 1/4 C sugar until dissolved

Pulse raspberries in a food processor until coursely chopped. With machine running, pour in sugar-water; pulse until mix is smooth. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze until firm, about 30min

Whisk cream and remaining T sugar until soft peaks form.

The Markets are OPEN!

The Farmer's Markets out here in Utah are finally opening!

I went down to the Salt Lake City Market 2 weeks ago. It's a much bigger market then the other ones I usually go to. I was very happy to see lots of organics and grass-fed beef. There were tons of food venders as well as crafters.

The produce was still scarce as it's early out here and we had a cold spring. We ended up getting arugula and mixed salad greens, ciabatta bread, strawberries (to die for!) and a peach pie flavored jam. We were planning a trip to the zoo afterwards so I did not buy any meat with the hopes of finding it in the future at a closer market.

The Ogden Farmer's Market opened this Saturday. Not as impressive, but an hour closer to home. There were probably 90% vendors for crafts and things and my favorite farmer, the old man with the lemon cucumbers and blackberries was not there. There were some organics and one person selling meats, but I went with only $7 :). I ended up getting a bag of peas, a bunch of carrots, a pint of strawberries (again - amazing!) and 2 bulbs of garlic.

I haven't cook anything new with anything I've gotten just yet - but as soon as I do, new recipes will be added!

As for an update on my own garden this year:

I planted a little bit of a few different things this year in a raised garden I made myself. So far this year I've had peas twice and now those plants have been pulled out to make room for the pepper plants. There is enough lettuce out there now to cut that back for salads and carrots, beans, brussels sprouts, butternut squash and something else I can't remember (lol) are still growing. Pictures to come!

Food Co-Op!!

I recently found a food co-op called Bountiful Baskets out here in Utah. They can also be found in AZ, ID, WA, WY, and NV. It's unreal how much food you get for CHEAP! An organic basket is $25 and a conventional is $15. I have gotten one of each so far. ALL the food is fresh and there is a lot of it!

My first organic basket included:

7 Pink Lady Apples
8 Bananas
5 Avocados
2 large heirloom tomatoes
5 Peaches
2 cucumbers
3 heads of romaine lettuce
a bunch of kale
a bunch of baby carrots
2 bunches of celery
2 bags of greenonions
a bunch if cilantro

I made applesauce, tomato sauce, peach crisp, kale crisps, kielbasa and kale stew, lots of salads, vegetable stock, cilantro pesto and some stuff we just ate plain!



My first conventional basket included:

8 Bananas
1 Honeydew
1 Cantaloupe
3 pints of blackberries
7 kiwis
7 plum tomatoes
9 cameo apples
1 bag of radishes
4 artichokes
2 cucumbers
1 large head of romaine
2 bunches of spinach




Some of the things I made with these items were brushetta and spinach dip. I still have a lot of these items left. I am going to cut up the remaining fruit tonight to snack on this weekend.

I will be picking up an organic basket tomorrow morning and I will update what came in that then. I will probably be skipping the next weekend depending on what I get tomorrow.

If anyone is interested in ordering a basket for themselves go to www.bountifulbaskets.org and sign up. You must pay for your basket Monday or Tuesday and pick it up Saturday. There are sites for picking up all over but order early, some slots go very fast! They also offer additional items for extra $, such as bread, tortillas, mexican food items, italian food items, cracker bread, in-season fruits etc etc. It seems to change weekly.

And take a BIG laundry basket to pick up your stuff!

UPDATE: I picked up my Organic Bountiful Basket this morning. It included:

1 Pineapple
10 Apples
10 Oranges
1 Pint Cherry Tomatoes
1 lb Strawberries
1 Bulb of Fennel
1 Bag Celery
3 Cucumbers
1 Bag Garnet Yams
1 Broccoli
1 Head Romaine Lettuce
1 Bunch mixed Radishes

Vegetable Stocks

Roasted Vegetable Stock


Use what you have on hand, but this is what I used:

1 whole head garlic
4 carrots, cut into chunks
4 stalks celery, cut into chunks
1 large onion, cut into chunks
1 green pepper, cut into chunks
1 tomato, cut into chunks
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 t ground pepper
8 cups water
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried parsley
2 bay leaves

Place all the vegetable chunks on a baking sheet and roasted about 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Place 8 C water, salt, pepper, thyme, parsely and bay leaves in a stock pot. Add the roasted vegetables. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer about 90 minutes. Strain.

You can discard the vegetables or puree them with some of the stock to make a soup!



Basic Vegetable Stock

Again, use what you have - this is what I had this morning when I made this:

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 stalks celery, including some leaves, cut into chunks
4 small carrots, cut into chunks
1 bunch green onions, chopped
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 t dried parsley
1 t dried thyme
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon salt
8 Cups water

Add olive oil to a stock pot, then add vegetable chunks, garlic, parsely, thyme, and bay leaves. Cook about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the salt and water, bring to a boil and simmer about 30 minutes.

Drain. Discard vegetables.


With both these recipes I ended up with about 4 Cups of stock each. I figured each one cost me between $2.50 and $3.00 to make. I did buy mostly organic produce.

Getting Prepared!

This year I am really hoping to have my own garden. We have our house up for sale though and it will all depend on when it sells. I bought my seeds today and am planning to start them in pots indoors probably in April. Hopefully our house will have sold by th en to make my life easier and so I'd know for sure this garden thing is going to work out this year!

This is what I have:

HEIRLOOMS (bought most of these as a package deal):

evergreen tomatoes
beans (Kentucky Wonder Brown)
beets (Detroit Dark)
broccoli (Waltham 29)
brussel sprouts (Long Island Improved)
cabbage (Golden Acre)
carrots (Scarlet Nante)
cauliflower (Snowball Y Improved)
celery (Utah)
cucumber (Armenian Yard)
cucumber (Lemon)
eggplant (Black Beauty)
lettuce (Romaine Cimmaron)
peas (Lincoln)
bell pepper (Yolo Wonder)
radish (Champion)
spinach (Bloomsdale Long Standing)
zuccini (Black Beauty)
butternut squash (Winter Waltham)
tomatoes (Rutgers)
watermelon (Crimson Sweet)

FREEBIE:

beefsteak tomatoes

ORGANICS:

Peas (Sugar Daddy)
Peppers (Pepperoncini Greek)
Cucumber (Lemon)
Basil (Lemon)

I definitely want to pick up more herb seeds. If nothing else I know I can plant those in pots for the entire season!

Homemade Manicotti (even the shells!)

Who knew making manicotti shells was so easy - it's like a crepe or pancake, and soooo much easier to fill. I would leave the recipe but I'm going to try to find another one that is a little more noodle-like rather than dough-like.





I mixed my ricotta with mozzarella, colby jack (b/c I didn't have enough mozzarella), parmesan cheese, basil, oregano, garlic powder, and onion powder all to taste. Plopped a spoonful onto the center of each manicotta shell, rolled them up and baked with tomato sauce. You could stuff preformed shells you buy at the grocery store but it's more difficult.



And for dessert...



(I used the classic Philadelphia Cheesecake recipe)

Chicken Stir-Fry

1 lb chicken cut into bite sized pieces
2 T corn starch
4 T soy sauce
1 t ground ginger
1/2 t garlic powder
3 T oil
2 C broccoli florets
1 C matchstick carrots
1 C baby corn
1 C chicken broth

Add the chicken, corn starch, soy sauce, ginger and garlic powder to a bag or sealed container. Shake and refrigerate for a half hour.

Heat 2 T of the oil in a wok or deep skillet. Add the chicken and cook until no longer pink in the center. Remove the chicken and set aside.

Add the remaining oil and stir-fry the vegetables until tender crisp, 4-5 minutes. Add the broth and return the chicken to the pan. Cook until the sauce is thickened.
I also added about 1/8 C teryaki sauce at the end.

* You can use any vegetables you want. The original recipe that I adapted called for celery, onion, and broccoli.