My loot from the San Mateo Farmers Market last weekend!

I got some good stuff!  Beautiful vine ripened local tomatoes, baby yellow squash (had to have them), 3 pints organic strawberries, 2 pkg. freshly made gnocchi and MY FAVORITE Rainbow Swiss Chard!  We are going back this Saturday, I will make sure to post pic and recipes of what yummy creations I dream up!

Happy 2011! We are California residents now!! WOOT

I love California!  So much that I am inspired to resurrect my BLOG!  I have been cooking like crazy, fresh local foods and now that we are finally settled I am going to get moving and actually try and post every day!  Operative word is "try"! 

French Bread FAIL

When I made the decision to start this blog I also vowed to post pics of successes and failures! This bread was not a total failure just not a "beautiful" soft loaf of French Bread. The kids liked it and it did have good flavor, it went well with the eggplant dish with gnochi. I have always struggled with yeast breads, my confidence is rather low after years and years and years....of super fails! I am happy to say I have not given up and just yesterday found the PERFECT recipe for sandwich bread! I am making more today and will post pics and recipe, it was absolutely amazing. I am now ready to take on my grandmothers recipe for "grammie bread", it is a nice dark bread with molasses, whole wheat and other goodies. I wanted to give it to family members for Christmas but alas that did NOT happen. I am not sure I should post the recipe for this failed French Bread, I have not given up, when I can get it to turn out I will post recipe I suppose. :)

Eggplant and Zucchini Stew with Gnochi

This is one of my FAVORITE things to make, I seem to always have the ingredients in the house, I either serve it with pasta, rice or gnochi! I had some eggplant and zucchini to use up so decided to post it on my blog and share this easy healthy "comfort food" meal. I also ended up making Sweet and Sour Chicken for the kids, no way would my 11 year old eat this..:( I cook all kinds of food and yet my son lives on pb&j, I just don't get it..I don't think any of my kids actually ate this, Maggie was here and LOVED it (shes a veg).
This makes a ton and freezes nicely, I typically always have some in the freezer to grab for a quick dinner, if I can get eggplant and zucchini on sale...well I start cooking! The red color does not show too well in the photo but, its a beautiful red sauce...

Ingredients:

1. 1 large or 2 small eggplant
2. 4 zucchini
3. 1 large onion
4. 1 container of button mushrooms
5. fresh basil and oregano, dried works fine
6. salt to taste
7. 16 oz can tomato sauce
8. olive oil
9. 2 cloves garlic chopped

I used my electric skillet for this but you can use a large frying pan as well. Over high heat I added the olive oil and garlic, saute for a minute or two. Add Onion and cook till golden brown, add zucchini, eggplant, mushrooms, salt and herbs, cook until veggies carmelize and have a bit of color on them (this enhances the flavor of the sauce) Last step is to add the tomato sauce, I add a tad bit of water too..use your own judgement on this.

I provided a pic of the gnochi I used, you can find it in the pasta section of most large supermarkets..I DO know how to make my own but, it is very time consuming and had to cheat this time. I plan on a gnochi making day sometime soon, they are great to have in the freezer to pull out as needed.

ENJOY...I love this meal and hope you do too

Pear Cake..Its not pretty but it sure is good!

I had a ton of organic Bartlett pears and I wanted to use them up so, I made this delicious Pear Cake! There are quite a few steps with this cake but trust me its worth it, the flavor and texture is amazing. The only thing I would do different is use a different pan. I am thinking a 9x13 would be better, trying to get it out of the cake pan was a disaster and it totally fell apart,it did not change the taste though. My middle daughter loved it as a quick breakfast while heading out the door for school, yes its cake but healthier than pop tarts or Fruity Pebbles!! I found this recipe at About.com

Ingredients:

• 4 cups finely chopped pears
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation:

In a bowl, mix pears with sugar and nuts; set aside and let stand for 1 hour, stirring frequently. Add dry ingredients to the pears; stir to combine. Add oil, vanilla, and beaten eggs. Stir to blend. Pour batter into a generously greased and floured tube pan. Bake at 350° for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes,or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. This pear cake can be baked in a 9x13-inch rectangular pan for about 45 to 55 minutes.

Roasted Chickpeas

OK These are amazing! I have managed to bypass all the recipes I have seen on this delicious treat and finally in a effort to find a healthy quick snack for the kids, I gave in and gave it a try.
Amazingly easy and if you are like me you will always have the ingredients in the house. It hard to judge bake time as I like mine SUPER crunchy, if they are not done right they will have a funky soft middle, not good. I have them on the kitchen counter in a bowl, kinda like nuts..:)

2 Cups Garbanzo Beans (cooked or canned)
2Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Clove Garlic (crushed) I love Garlic and use 4 cloves
1tsp. Kosher Salt
Cayenne Pepper to taste (I like mine spicy)

1. Preheat Oven to 375
   
2. Pat Dry Garbanzo Beans
3. Heat Garlic and Oil in skillet, be careful not to burn
4. Add Salt and Cayenne or other seasons that you like
   
5. Add beans and cook 2-4 minutes
6. Spread evenly on baking sheet and cook 35-45 minutes, keep an eye on them, you dont want them to burn, they will taste bitter..BUT, you want them crunchy like nuts.
7. ENJOY...these are healthy and addicting
   

Wish List

1. Kitchenaide Pasta Extruder
2. Potato Ricer
3. Food Mill
4. All Clad Electric Griddle
5. Raclette
   
6. Kitchenaide Ice Cream Maker Attachment
7. Breville Counter Top Convection Oven

I am sure I can add more to this list as times goes on! :)