Christmas Traditions

For those of us who celebrate Christmas, you know that food holds a pretty central spot in many of our holiday customs--candy canes, cookies, the holiday feast, sugarplums, etc. 

If you read my December newsletter, you learned a little bit about how important the Pennsylvania Dutch are to many of our Christmas traditions.  (If you didn't get my newsletter, send me an email and get on my list!)

Long-standing historical traditions are great, but what makes many of our holidays really special are those traditions that have been created by our own families--maybe by our great-grandparent, maybe by our parents, maybe by us. 

Lynne Goldman (of Bucks County Taste) has written an article for Bucks Life magazine that discusses the family holiday traditions of local chefs (me included!).  From Jell-O to stuffed cabbage, from eggnog to Slim Jims, these chefs have lasting memories about the food that represents their holiday to them.

Read Lynne's article here.  And it would be great if you would share any fun or meaningful food memories that make your holiday special.  Just click below to comment!

Something Fishy

We've all got turkey on the brain this time of year and for good reason.  But I thought I'd put out a quick note about seafood for something different.

Have you been to Bucks County Seafood in Dublin?  There are a lot of good seafood places in our area, but for those of us who live near Dublin, we have a great place to go for all sorts of fresh, frozen and prepared seafood. 

Click here to read my post about Bucks County Seafood on Bucks County Taste.  And for a change of pace from turkey, stop in and see the great products they offer.

Bucks County Seafood is located at 164 N. Main St. (Rt. 313), Dublin, PA, 18917.  You can check out their list of products on their website or call them at 215.249.1295.  They’re open 10 am to 7 pm, Monday through Saturday and 10 am to 5 pm on Sunday.

A Couple Local Places

Mary Beth had the day off yesterday and we went to Vera's Country Cafe (4203 Durham Rd, Ottsville, PA, 18942; 610-847-8372).  I had heard good things from a number of people about Vera's, so we thought we'd check it out.

Let's just say that we didn't need to eat lunch.  The breakfast menu is pretty typical a place like that, but there are lots of choices from egg dishes, to pancakes, to creamed dried beef and more.  I had one of the specials--a Wild Mushroom, Bacon, Cheddar & Potato Omelet.  Huge and filled with goodies.  Very tasty.  It came with home fries and toast.  MB got the SOS (Creamed Dried Beef) as is typical for her.  Very good.  The sauce was nice and thick.  We shared another special--a Strawberry-Chocolate Chip Pancake.  We ordered just one (nice that you can order as many as you want).  That was all we needed as a "side dish".  It was as big as the plate it came on.  (Sorry, I forgot my camera.  I'll have to go back to get pictures.)

If you're looking for a good place to get a good, home-style, affordable breakfast in a nice casual setting with very friendly staff, check out Vera's.  They serve lunch, too.  If you've been there for lunch, let me know how you liked it!

Have you been to the Cafe Blue Moose in Doylestown?  I've not been there, but have heard great things about it.  The neat thing about this place is that it was started 4 years ago by a couple of teenage friends.  Housed in one of their homes, the "restaurant" was a hit--so much so, that a permanent spot in New Hope will be opening next month.  Read all about this great venture in this article from Bucks County Taste.  It's pretty cool.

There are so many interesting and impressive food spots right in our backyard.  Let me know about some of your favorites!

Tomatoes!

Tomatoes are really starting to ripen now.  Our counter top is starting to get filled up.  But that's OK with me.  I'd eat fresh tomatoes with pretty much anything--or nothing.  Give me a little salt and I'll eat them all by themselves.  Mmmmm....

Part of last year's crop.  Not as many this year--yet.

Here's a link to an article that I wrote for Bucks County Taste that gives a little history and some tips about what I think is the best tasting thing about summer--the tomato.  While you're there, read about some of the other great food-related stuff going on in Bucks!

Dam Good

Have you tried the Dam Good Cafe on Rt. 313 in Perkasie?  It's the place formerly the Swiss Chalet and the Hoagie Factory and the Back to the '50's Cafe among other places.  If you haven't, you should.

It's a nice place to take a family--good food with lots of healthy options and great prices. 

You can read more about it in the article I wrote for Bucks County Taste.  Then stop for a bite to eat and let me know what you think.

Blooming Glen Beet

I just found out about a relatively new blog by our friends at Blooming Glen Farm, the CSA here in Blooming Glen.  It includes all the goings-on at the farm, some really tasty-sounding recipes and some beautiful photography. 

Some of the wonderful produce from Blooming Glen Farm
(courtesy of The Blooming Glen Beet)

Read about the blog (and another local food blog) in this Bucks County Taste article and visit The Blooming Glen Beet here.

If you're a member of Blooming Glen Farm, I hope to see you at my two visits during pick-up on Tuesday, July 12 and Friday, July 29.  I'll be making some tasty dishes using all the wonderful goodies grown at the farm.

Tussock Sedge Farm

As I told you yesterday, we went to a farm tour/potluck dinner at Tussock Sedge Farm in Blooming Glen on Wed night.  It was a lot of fun and very informative. 

                                    Photo courtesy of Lynne Goldman/Bucks County Taste

Lynne Goldman of Bucks County Taste and the Bucks County Foodshed Alliance (who sponsored the event) was there and wrote a great article about it.  Once you read about this farm tour, you'll want to attend the next one on July 6.  (Unfortunately, we can't make it.)

Have a good weekend!

Time for Strawberries!

We have a few strawberry plants and just ate our first 2 berries yesterday.  Mmm...nothing like freshly picked berries.  But we need more.  Where to get them?

If you're in the same predicament, check out my Bucks County Taste post about all the great pick-your-own strawberry farms in our area.  There are loads of them.  Get some tips about picking and storing your berries.  And there's an easy and tasty recipe there, too.

While you're there, read about other food-related goings-on in Bucks--farmers' markets, farm tours and more.

See you in the fields!

Have a safe, fun and tasty Memorial Day holiday!

Who's Hungry?

As many of you know, I'm involved in a big event coming up on June 25.  Joyful Noise IV is a charity music festival that benefits the Quakertown Food Pantry produced by my church, St. Paul's Lutheran Church of Applebachsville.  I'll be writing more about it as we get closer to the event date.

But since the festival benefits the food pantry, I've been thinking and reading a lot about hunger in this country.  And what I've been finding out is pretty disturbing.  In this incredibly wealthy and technologically advanced country, thousands of people--many of them children--don't know where their next meal will come from. 

Hunger threatens people of all races and religions.  It affects city dwellers and country folk.  You may not realize it, but it thousands in our community deal with it every single day. 

Read my article on Bucks County Taste for more details.  There's also a link to BCT's calendar with more info about Joyful Noise IV.

Springtime Spears

Ahh, springtime.  Just about time for some fresh spring veggies to start showing up.  One of my favorites is asparagus.  There's nothing like fresh local asparagus--it's nothing like the stuff available in the grocery store through the winter months.

Check out my post on Bucks County Taste for some asparagus tips (no pun intended) and recipes.  While you're there, check out BCT's calendar to find out about all the great food events that are taking place this coming weekend in our area. 

My May newsletter comes out on Monday--some great grilling tips and recipes are included.  If you don't get my newsletter, send me an email and I'll put you on my list!

CSAs

Just a quick link to a Bucks County Taste post telling how there are a number of local CSA farms (community supported agriculture) that are still have shares available.  If you want to assure yourself of having wonderful, fresh veggies (and more) throughout the spring, summer and fall, a CSA is the way to go.  Check them out!

What a Crock!

Even though the forecast is for warmer temps in the coming week, these cold winter days are perfect for food prepared in a slow cooker (or Crock Pot--to use a brand name that's become the accepted name for this appliance).

Crock Pot meals are great because you get comfort food with little preparation.  Many slow cooker recipes are the "dump and go" variety--just throw some stuff in the crock, turn it on and wait a few hours.  To get the best results, however, there's usually a little bit more hands-on preparation needed. 

And don't worry if you don't have a slow cooker recipe.  Most traditional recipes that are cooked stovetop or in the oven can be fairly easily converted to the Crock Pot.

Check out my latest post on Bucks County Taste to find out what to look for when buying a Crock Pot, how to convert a traditional recipe to make in a slow cooker and get two great recipes to try out.

Let's Get Ready to Gobble!

Thanksgiving is coming up on us pretty quickly.  In just over 2 weeks, we'll be searching out our stretchy pants and getting ready to stuff ourselves with our favorite holiday fare.  (Choose your favorite in the poll to the right.)  And I'd be remiss in telling you that Mary Beth & my wedding anniversary falls on the Turkey Day this year.  She's survived 16 years with this turkey!

If you are like 97% of Americans, you will be eating turkey this Thanksgiving. Although more people are eating turkey at non-holiday times (consumption has increased 116% and production is up 300% since 1970), most Americans see turkey as a holiday dish. Too bad, though.  Turkeys are very low fat and very high in protein (more than chicken or beef). The average gobbler eaten at Thanksgiving is 15 pounds (much less than the largest turkey on record—86 pounds!). Oh, and studies show that there’s way too little tryptophan in turkey to cause drowsiness.  All the wine and food you stuff in your stomach pulls blood away from the brain to aid in digestion and prevents you from seeing the 2nd half of that football game or helping with the dishes. You’ll have to find another excuse.

Ben Franklin famously nominated the wild turkey as our nation’s symbol (rather than the bald eagle). He saw that these relatives to the pheasant were hearty, tough and plentiful—just like the early Americans. Wild turkeys can fly up to 55 miles per hour for short distances and can run up to 20 mph. They were nearly wiped out in the U.S. in the early 1900’s, but now thrive in every state except Alaska.  (Most of them seem to live at Peace Valley Park!)

Many of us use frozen turkeys and most of them are fine.  However, there are plenty of places locally to get delicious fresh birds.  Check out this Bucks County Taste post for more information where to get them.  Just remember that they're in demand, so don't wait to long to reserve yours.

There are literally thousands of ways to roast a turkey. There are recipes with different kinds of rubs and brines. Some use low heat, some high.  Some roast breast up, some breast down. Here’s my favorite way to roast a turkey—on the grill. It turns out juicy and delicious—and cooks very quickly. It’s from America’s Test Kitchen. The recipe is for a charcoal grill (with directions for gas grilling at the end of each step.)

1. Dissolve 2 cups kosher or 1 cup table salt in 2 gallons of water in a large stockpot or clean bucket. Add a 12-14 pound turkey, giblets & tail removed, rinsed thoroughly and wings tucked under. Refrigerate or put in a very cool spot (32-40 degrees), 12 hours or overnight. (I have used a cooler and added ice packs to keep cold.)
2. Toward the end of the brining time, cover six 3-inch wood chunks with water in a bowl; soak for 1 hour, then drain and set aside. (For gas: soak 3 cups of wood chips for about 30 minutes, drain and place in smoker box of gas grill or make a foil pan to hold the chips.)
3. Keep bottom vents on grill completely open. Start charcoal. (For gas: place tray of chips on burner and preheat to high for about 20 minutes or until chips are smoking heavily.)
4. Spray a V-rack with nonstick cooking spray. (Before I had a rack, I made a big foil ring to hold the bird.) Remove turkey from brine and rinse inside and out with cool running water to remove any salt. Pat dry with paper towels; brush both sides with 2 tablespoons melted butter. Set turkey, breast-side down, in V-rack.
5. Arrange coals into one side of grill, piling them up 2-3 briquettes high.  Place 3 wood chunks on top of charcoal. Put grate in place and put V-rack on with turkey over cool side of the grill. Open lid vents halfway and cover, turning lid so vents are opposite wood chunks to draw smoke through grill.  Grill-roast for 1 hour. (For gas: Turn off one burner—not the one with the wood chips—and put turkey over that burner.)
6. Remove lid from grill. Using thick potholders, move V-rack (with turkey) to rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan. Remove grate and put 12 new briquettes and the last 3 wood chunks on top (For gas: add more chips, if necessary); replace grate. Using wads of paper towels, flip turkey breast-side up in rack. Return to cool side of grill so that leg & wing that were facing the heat are now facing away. Cover and grill-roast for 45 minutes.
7. Using thick potholders, turn V-rack with turkey so the leg & wing facing heat is now facing away.  Using an instant-read thermometer, check temperature in each thigh.  The target temp is 175-180. If it’s close, cover and check the temp again in about 15 minutes.  If it’s below 145, cover and check in a half-hour.
8. Remove turkey from grill, cover loosely with foil, and let rest 20-30 minutes. Carve and serve.

Really, this sounds more difficult than it really is. You will LOVE the smoky, moist meat that results from this process. Save the giblets and find a good giblet gravy recipe to go with your bird. You’ll be thankful you tried it!

Bucks County Biscotti

As I told you last week, I had the pleasure of interviewing the owners of Bucks County Biscotti for a Bucks County Taste article I was writing.  The article is now up.  Check it out and learn about this great local business and the people who make it happen.  Warning--you're going to be craving cookies after reading!

Cookies!

But not just any ordinary cookies.  I'm talking about fresh, hand-cut, all-natural biscotti made in Hilltown.  I'm talking about Bucks County Biscotti.


Happy Boy--enjoying a Chocolate-
covered Classic Anise Almond Biscotti.

 Yesterday I had the pleasure of meeting with owners (and sole employees) Karen Riley and Craig Silbert for a Bucks County Taste story.  They generously took time to tell me about their business and show me around their beautiful 18th Century home and the area where the magic occurs--where they bake, cut and package their great product. 

Check them out--the biscotti are really delicious.  I'll let you know when the story is posted so you can learn all about this wonderful local business.

Eating Jack

Like most families, we'll be carving a big orange pumpkin into a Jack-o-Lantern very soon.  Jake gets very excited about doing that--he's already asked if we can roast the seeds to snack on (that's my boy!). 

Many people forget that pumpkins aren't just for carving...they're a nutritious and delicious vegetable that is greatly underused.  Check out my latest post on Bucks County Taste about pumpkins and how to use them for more than just decoration!

I'm Back!

Hi.  In case you've wondered where I've been, we just got back from 5 days in Primehook Beach, DE for some rest and relaxation with my parents & sister and her kids.  We ate ourselves silly, but more about that in a later post.

I thought I'd direct you to a post I wrote for Bucks County Taste about a relatively new restaurant on Rt. 563 across from Nockamixon State Park.  Becker's Corner has opened where Cappie's had been for years.  We've had 2 very good lunches there (one of them was free!--read the post to find out why).  It's worth checking out!

Peachy!

It's peach time once again!  Really, is there much better than biting into a juicy, ripe, sweet peach for the first time each summer?  Conversely, is there much worse than being psyched up to eat a juicy, ripe, sweet peach and biting into a dry, bland, mealy one? 

Well, check out my Bucks County Taste post called A Circus in Your Mouth (a Seinfeld reference).  In it you'll find out about tips to picking the perfect peach, how to store your peaches and a great peach cobbler recipe.  Plus, find out where you can get fresh peaches at markets in our area.

Enjoy!

Spit It Out!

At Jake's request, this year we planted watermelons (we usually do cantaloupes).  And up until now, they've been doing pretty well.  Suddenly, the plants don't look so healthy--not sure if they need water or if something's eating them from inside. 

Here's one of our melons from a week or so ago.  It's now about the size of a volleyball, but according to the variety that we planted--Black Diamond--the fruit gets to be about 30-50 pounds!  We have a quite a way to go.  I hope we get at least one.

Elsewhere, watermelons are starting to appear in markets and farms.  To me, watermelon is so often disappointing, that I don't usually care for it.  How can you find a watermelon that is going to be sweet, juicy and delicious?  Check out my latest post on Bucks County Taste to find out!

Flint Hill Farm

Last month I visited Flint Hill Farm in Coopersburg.  Not only are they one of the few places in the area that makes artisan goat cheese, but they are a group dedicated to celebrating and educating about farming and the farmer's way of life. 

They host numerous educational opportunities for the community and local schools--horsemanship, weaving, etc.  They even have a program where a family can stay the night at the farm, collect eggs for breakfast, tend to the animals and feel what farm life is all about.

Their motto is Feeding the Spirit, Educating the Mind, Preserving the Community and they're doing just that at Flint Hill Farm!

Read more about my visit at Bucks County Taste (posted on June 2).