Bad Publicity

They say there is no such thing as bad publicity, and it seems that many of the current advertising companies out there agree with this sentiment.

I don't.

I see an insipid commercial and immediately back away from whatever product they are hawking. I have never purchased a certain brand of pistachios that are supposedly synonymous with awesome. And after I heard someone comment on the grossness of the smacking sounds in a breakable chocolate bar ad, I can't bring myself to buy one without visualizing open-mouthed eating. However, since I seldom throw these items into my grocery cart, these were not major boycotts.

But with Thanksgiving approaching, I am facing a huge dilemma. King's Hawaiian Rolls have always been a necessary item on my Thanksgiving grocery shopping list. As good as I believe they are, they were never served with the holiday meal. I required these slightly sweet rolls for the perfect leftover sandwich: split the soft bun, spread on tart cranberry sauce, spoon on savory, sage-y stuffing, add sliced turkey (a little white and dark meat), pour over gravy, heat it all, and cap with the top of the bun. Perfection.

But, have you seen their latest commercial? with the sucking? a family sucking the rolls into their mouth? It, honestly, sucks. Big time.

What am I to do? Do I hold myself to my own code of conduct and shun those delicious buns because an ad agency was stupid? Or, do I overlook the vacuous publicity and still indulge in that perfect leftover sandwich? It really is perfect. That sandwich might be the entire reason I want to cook turkey and dressing and gravy and cranberry sauce. What is a girl who believes in bad publicity, but loves a good sandwich to do?

While I am debating, I think I will distract myself by changing up a Thanksgiving side. I have shared our favorite Chiffonade of Brussels Sprouts and Green Beans in Mushroom Sauce, but how about a different version of green beans for the holiday table?

Thanksgiving Green Beans almost seem beefy with a sauce including Worcestershire. It makes them a hearty standout on the Turkey Day table even before I mention the bacon and diced roasted red peppers. Yes. Bacon and roasted red peppers. And, the sauce is made with the bacon drippings. Yes. O.M.G.  No bad publicity here, just delicious beans.

Thanksgiving Green Beans

(adapted from Every Day with Rachael Ray)

1 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed and rinsed

6 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

2-3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon honey

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

a few dashes Tabasco

1/2 cup roasted red peppers, chopped (from a jar...or make your own, they are pretty easy)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; add the green beans and cook for 3-4 minutes, until tender crisp. Drain.
Meanwhile, fry the bacon in a large skillet until crispy.
Transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate and set aside; reserve the drippings
Reduce the heat to low and stir the Worcestershire sauce, honey, dry mustard and Tabasco into the bacon drippings.
When sauce is warmed and combined, toss with the green beans to coat, add the roasted red peppers, and most of the bacon.
Garnish with the remainder of the bacon. (Serves 8)

Hot Dogs and Relish...and a Thank You Giveaway

Tabby and Jenn

WON

the Dakota Dachshund Rescue

Halloweenie photo contest!

There was some heavy campaigning on Facebook and Twitter during the final hours of the contest, and I apologize for cluttering your news feed with my Hot Dogs' photo again, and again, and yet again. But, Tabby and Jenn greatly appreciate your votes. They couldn't have gained the victory without your support. My hot dogs are relishing the incredibly generous prize package of treats and toys from the always awesome Dakota Dachshund Rescue.

As a thank you for all your Facebook likes, the girls want to offer you a treat of your own. How about a chance to win the Dakota Dachshund Rescue Cookbook, Wieners and More! It is a collection of tried and true recipes so good your tail will wag. In addition, each recipe divider features photos and the stories of some of the DDR alumni. It is so heartwarming to hear the tales of all the sweet pups finding their forever homes.

We will make it simple to enter the giveaway. All you have to do is leave a comment here, on this post, on the blog.

• Tell me the name(s) of your pet(s) and a little about them. 
• OR...If you don't have a furry family member, I won't leave you out. Tell me what animal would steal your heart.
• If you chose to comment anonymously (which is perfectly fine), be sure to sign your comment with your first name and initial so that I can identify you, if you win. 

Bonus to earn an additional chance for the cookbook:

• Post a photo of your darling(s) on the On My Plate Facebook page.

I am looking forward to your entries and relish getting to know your cherished companions. Drawing for the winner will be held Friday, November 15, 2013.

Now, speaking of relishing...Hubs has become obsessed with some Sweet Pepper Zucchini Relish that I canned from last year's garden. (This year's garden had the big zucchini fail, if you remember.) I used sweet red peppers from the garden in combination with zucchini, onions, and spices to create a hot dog (or any sandwich) topping that has just the right kick balanced with some sweetness.

Sweet Pepper Zucchini Relish 

(adapted from Simple Bites)

6 cups red sweet peppers, chopped

6 cups zucchini, shredded

2 large onions, chopped

2 cups apple cider vinegar

2 cups sugar

2 tablespoons kosher salt

2 tablespoons mustard seeds

1 teaspoon celery seeds

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

I used my food processor to shred all the vegetables. HUGE time saver for preparing relishes. 

Combine the vegetables with vinegar in a large, heavy pot.

Simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes, until tender.

Add sugar, salt, and seasonings and continue to simmer for about 10 more minutes until the flavors meld.

Ladle relish into prepared jars leaving 1/2 inch head space.

Process in hot water bath for 10 minutes. 

(If you are unsure of the canning process, there are many informative sites online. I am not a canning authority.)

BTW--because of a little spam/troll issue, I do moderate comments. Don't panic if it doesn't appear immediately, I will check frequently and authorize all entries for the cookbook. ALSO--If you choose to comment anonymously (and not register with Blogger), please be sure to include your first name or nickname in the comment so that I can identify when you win. Thanks!

Disclaimer or whatever: This blog post is not sponsored. I purchased the Dakota Dachshund Rescue cookbook and am offering it to you simply as a thank you for supporting me and my girls. All opinions stated are purely my own.

Sharing our CommonGround

Last week, I was invited to an evening of Conversations about Farming and Food hosted by South Dakota CommonGround volunteers. The event was held at Wilde Prairie Winery near Brandon, SD in their beautifully restored barn. After a social hour featuring tastings of South Dakota wines and a wonderfully catered meal by Chef Dominique, the coalition of farm women spoke with us about who they are and the food that they grow.

As stated on their website, South Dakota CommonGround is a group of farm women working to dispel myths about modern agriculture and build trust in farming communities and farm families. They want to answer questions and share facts as well as their personal stories of farm life.

The dinner conversations at the table which I joined ranged from the differences in how chickens can be raised, eggs, organic fruits and vegetables, antibiotics, the financial realities of farming, and factory farms. The discussions covered personal experiences and scientific facts and research. No topic was too large or small. It was a solidly informative conversation about food with the people who produce it.

In the future, I hope to expand more on our discussions and possibly even have guest blog posts from some of the amazing farm women that I met at the event. Their goal of helping consumers understand how food is grown by farm families and to trust the process is very important.

As we introduced ourselves during the social hour, I was frequently asked about the focus of my blog. It really hasn't changed much since I first started babbling back in 2006. I like food. I enjoy my lazy version of gardening; I like researching recipes, planning menus, preparing meals, and most importantly, sharing them with friends and family. From time to time, I throw in little peeks at what is on my plate in the rest of my life. Basically, this blog truly is my menu with a little life thrown in.

Recently, my life has involved my garden harvest. Lots and lots of yellow tomatoes led me to search out recipes for preserving. The low acidic content makes them less suitable for the water bath canning methods of traditional tomatoes, but their sweetness is perfect for jams and jellies. Spicy Yellow Tomato Jam was one solution for my abundance of lemon-colored orbs.

It seems that I am not the only one with fruitful yellow tomatoes. One of the guests at the CommonGround event also mentioned being overrun. So...this is how it is in our farming community, families trusting and sharing with other families, passing on information, ideas, and even recipes.

Spicy Yellow Tomato Jam

(adapted from Canning Homemade)

3 1/2 cups diced yellow tomatoes

1/2 cup lemon juice

2-3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves

3-4 fresh red chile peppers, chopped finely (jalapenos that have ripened in the garden work well; red bell peppers won't offer as much heat)

2 cups sugar

2 packets (from one package) liquid pectin

Chop the tomatoes finely. (I left skins and seeds intact for more texture in the jam.)
Bring to a boil in a large stock pot, stirring occasionally.
Reduce heat; cover and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring often.
Add lemon juice, thyme, and peppers, stirring to combine. 
Add sugar and return to boil, stirring often.
Add pectin and return to a full roaring boil for 1 minute. 
Remove from heat and skim off foam.
Ladle into hot, sterilized jars leaving 1/4 inch head space. 
Seal with rings and lids.
Process in hot water bath for 10 minutes. (Yields roughly 3 pints...which I always can in 1/4 or 1/2 pint jars.)
(If you are unsure of the canning process, there are many informative sites online. I am not a canning authority.)

I like researching recipes, planning menus, preparing meals, and most importantly sharing them with friends and family. - See more at: http://my-plate.blogspot.com/p/about-me.html#sthash.XuPsAJy6.dpuf

The Odd Couple

I like grape jelly and bacon sandwiches. My husband likes saltines along side a bowl of ice cream. Chocolatey hot cocoa is perfect with a hint of the heat of cayenne added to the mug. A friend lists a bacon cheeseburger with peanut butter, grapes tossed in dry jello, and apple pie with cheddar cheese among his favorites. Another food blogger mentions pizza and mashed potatoes as her odd couple of food.

It seems that everyone has their own peculiar food pairings. Pickles and ice cream are not just for pregnant ladies. However, when I noticed a simple soup recipe that contained both cauliflower and potatoes, it seemed odd to me. I had never considered pairing these two white vegetables as the backbone of a soup, but it works.

Onions, garlic, and roasted red peppers flavor the broth along with woody rosemary. Kale ups the earthy factor and makes this a hearty, filling soup. Cauliflower and Potato Soup is finished with the tang of a grating of Parmesan as this odd couple of food warms you from the inside out.

Cauliflower and Potato Soup

(adapted from Rachael Ray)

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice

1 large onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets

2 jarred roasted red peppers, chopped

6 cups chicken broth

1 small bunch kale, leaves cut from stems and chopped

freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium-heat. 
Add potatoes, onion, garlic, and rosemary to the pan.
Season with salt and pepper.
Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are translucent and potatoes are softened slightly.
Add the cauliflower and toss to coat with seasonings.
Cook for a few minutes.
Stir in the peppers and broth; bring to a boil.
Add the kale a bit at a time, letting each portion wilt before adding the next.
Simmer about 5-10 more minutes.
Serve soup topped with grated Parmesan cheese.
Serves 4.

What Do I Do With? ...part two

So...I made lemon curd that was absolutely sweet and tart and wonderfully...well, LEMON. Ha. :-) But after stirring 14 egg yolks into that mixture, I was left with 14 unmated egg whites in a bowl on the kitchen counter. Once again, I was facing the "what do I do with..." question, and once again, I crowdsourced for options. Omelets and Frittatas were the popular suggestions, and a Sausage, Spinach, and Egg White Frittata seemed like just the thing for a simple dinner that night. I paired it with toasted Asiago Bread (smeared with sweet, creamy butter) and a fresh fruit salad. Simple. Delicious. Filling. Possibly even slightly healthy. Awesome.

Sausage, Spinach and Egg White Frittata

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup onions, diced

1/4 cup red pepper, diced

1 cup of sliced sausage (I used a Lamb and Jalapeno ring sausage {about 1/4 of the ring, sliced into half moons}...you could use Polska Kielbasa, Chicken Sausages, Smoked Sausage, or whatever suits you.)

2 cups of baby spinach, chopped

14 egg whites, beaten (go ahead and adjust to use whole eggs, if you don't just have the egg white leftover from making lemon curd)

1/2-3/4 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350.
Heat oil in a large, oven-proof skillet.
Add onions and peppers and saute until almost tender.
Add the sausage and heat through. (My lamb sausage was pre-cooked & contained cheese that I didn't want to ooze out. Using another type of sausage, you may want to brown it first and then add the onions and peppers.)
Stir in the spinach and cook until spinach is wilted.
Remove pan from heat and pour in the beaten egg whites.
Sprinkle cheese over the frittata.
Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes, until egg whites are set.
Allow to cook 5 minutes before serving. (Serves 4-6)

Fridge Friday, episode 2

It is Friday! As promised, I am going to try to keep up with Fridge Friday photo shots. Here is my refrigerator today:

Two things have occurred since last Friday. 1) My basement refrigerator which is supposed to hold beverages and worms for fishing, but often holds overflow from the kitchen refrigerator died. (Note the surplus of butter now living in the bottom right corner of the kitchen fridge.) and 2) Hubs had a doctor's appointment in the big city, so we did some stock up of produce. My fridge runneth over. Therefore, today's focus will be using as many ingredients from the fridge as possible. Some are hidden in the crisper and deli drawers; others are out in plain sight. A simple Roasted Eggplant Sandwich should fit the bill nicely.

This quick and even pretty healthy sandwich will use up some of the enormous jar of Pesto that I picked up at Sam's Club. I love to make my own pesto, but it is too early for basil from my garden and purchasing the quantity of basil needed for pesto at the area groceries (if they even had it) would be horribly cost prohibitive even for a compulsive food shopper like me.

Other players pulled from the cold for this sandwich will include eggplants and peppers (to be roasted), baby greens, and goat cheese. I realize as I circle the goat cheese in the deli drawer that the Laughing Cow cheese would have made a great stand in if goat cheese wasn't available or wasn't to your taste. Both are flavorful and would spread easily on the toasted bread. I used a toasted sour dough hoagie roll for my Roasted Eggplant Sandwich, but any firm bread would be great.

So...what is in your fridge this Friday? What are you cooking up? Do you have the makings for a healthy and delicious Roasted Eggplant Sandwich On Your Plate?

Roasted Eggplant Sandwiches

8 (1/2-inch-thick) eggplant slices

2 teaspoons olive oil

kosher salt

fresh ground black pepper

1 large red pepper

2 Sour Dough Hoagie rolls

2 tablespoons pesto

1 cup baby greens

2 tablespoons soft goat cheese

Preheat broiler.
Arrange eggplant slices in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet. 
Brush both sides of eggplant with 1 teaspoon oil and season with salt and pepper. 
Cut bell pepper in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membrane. 
Arrange bell pepper halves, skin sides up, on baking sheet with eggplant; flatten with hand. 
Broil 4 minutes; turn eggplant over (do not turn bell pepper over). 
Broil an additional 4 minutes; remove eggplant from pan.
Broil bell pepper an additional 7 minutes or until blackened. 
Place bell pepper in a zip-top plastic bag; seal. 
Let stand for 15 minutes; peel and discard skin.
Toast bread or buns until lightly browned. 
Spread 1 tablespoon pesto on each of 2 bread slices. 
Layer each bread slice, pesto side up, with 2 eggplant slices, 1 bell pepper half, and 2 eggplant slices. 
Divide baby greens evenly between sandwiches. 
Spread goat cheese over each of 2 remaining bread slices; place, cheese side down, on sandwiches. (Makes 2 sandwiches)