The Traverse City Wine & Art Festival celebrated its fifth successful year this past weekend, expanding the event’s reach in more ways than one. With increased participation and the Festival’s relaxed, expansive layout to the addition of an exclusive Friday night “Winemakers Party”; the Festival grew immensely this year and that growth was very well-received.
Simple.
After a long work day, I dream of the word simple. A dish with few ingredients and one that takes only minutes to prepare. Dinner, in this case, was a gathering of laid-back ladies; Myself, my boyfriends mother Susan and her dear friend Tracey. We spent the late afternoon drinking red wine and discussing how to make a new house into a new home. Both Tracey and I are recent new homeowners and thus the topics of discussion ranged from paint colors and shag carpets to our love of woodstoves.
I love blueberry muffins. To me blueberries have the perfect level of sweetness balanced by tart flavor. It makes my morning breakfast special and yet I’m not queasy afterward due to a nutrient-hollow, calorie-filled sugar bomb (however I do love a good frosted cinnamon roll every once in awhile). As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, baking is a skill and art form in which I am not particularly well versed. Its a form of edible chemistry that results in an incredibly delicious product, ONLY if you follow a very particular equation. Lately I’ve been very intrigued by these equations and I’ve enjoyed the trial and error, success and failure that comes along with it. This particular recipe, for blueberry lemon muffins was one of my latest successes.
’tis the sweet spring season for Wild Leeks! Their garlic scent and spring onion flavor are a true sign of the season, and I’ve been really looking forward to foraging some of my own now that the weather is beautiful. It truly takes every ounce of self-discipline I have, on days like these, to keep myself indoors and productive during the 9-5 work day. Luckily for me, my boss is a sweet, kind 70 year-old active man who loves and encourages an afternoon walk through the forests in our “backyard.” So on Monday afternoon during my beautiful afternoon excursion, I brought along a butterknife & went foraging.
I love books, and book clubs are a great place to gather for book lovers. Throughout my life I’ve always made time for reading and I truly enjoy fantastical and fiction-themed stories that take me away to another world. When a new friend suggested a Book Club with a gathering of like-minds and plenty of food and drinks, there was no way I could miss it. I couldn’t think of a better way to explore stories with engaging conversation. Plus, the opportunity to get to know new friends who clearly share my interests was an opportunity worth taking. We’ve since filled the cold months with warm fires, four great reads and plenty of conversation on and off the topics of the books themselves.
Banana bread rocks because when bananas are too ripe to eat right out of the peel, they’re the PERFECT consistency for banana bread and you won’t have to throw away your uneaten bananas.
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread rocks because, well.. lets face it, chocolate is delicious. And chocolate added to good banana bread, makes GREAT banana bread.
Banana bread may seem like a general bare bones recipe that’s hard to mess up and while that’s true, there are a variety of recipes that will produce very different breads. I prefer a banana bread that is moist, and this recipe from Joy of Cooking is the most basic, moist, delicious banana bread I’ve ever tasted.
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Adopted from Joy of Cooking
Preheat Oven: 350 degrees
grease a 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan
Whisk together thoroughly:
1 1/3 cups of flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
In large bowl stir together
5 1/3 teaspoons unsalted butter
2/3 cup sugar
Beat in flour mixture until blended and the consistency of brown sugar then, gradually beat in:
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
combine 1 cup mashed very ripe bananas (about 2 whole bananas)
1/2 cup chocolate chips
scrape the batter into the pan and spread evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 50-60 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before unmolding to cool completely on rack.
I received this super cute loaf pan from my boyfriend’s brother for Christmas. He obviously knows me quite well, because this exact green is one of my absolute favorite colors, plus when you add a golden loaf of warm chocolate chip banana bread its about the prettiest thing in my kitchen!
A piece of this bread is the perfect solution for breakfast, a snack or even to manage your sweet tooth.
Just slice, serve and enjoy!
love,
tricia
I love Pizza, I mean who doesn’t. Its certainly delicious, but its also diverse and I love that in any mood, I can usually find the right combination of toppings to satisfy my cravings (and lift my spirits!). A dear friend of my mom’s asked me recently to seek out a top-notch pizza crust recipe. Obviously, I was immediately excited and ready to take on the task. After searching through recipes and experimenting with the options however, I really couldn’t settle on ONE. And so, the ‘Pizza Crust Chronicles’ were born. From Yeast to No Yeast, Gluten-Free, Veggie, or Vegan I plan to organize this ode’ to the pizza pie as an easy reference for your next homemade ‘za.
First up, is The Cauliflower Crust. Unorthodox I know, but I’ve seen a rise in recipes touting the veggie and couldn’t help but experiment with it myself. Cauliflower is low in fat and low in carbohydrates but high in fiber which make it the perfect healthy alternative to your typical greasy pizza crust. Not only is it healthy, but truly easy to make. Bonus!
Cauliflower Pizza Crust:
Preheat Oven: 400 degrees
2 cups cauliflower, grated or food processed into rice size pieces
1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
1 egg, beaten
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp. oregano
1. Coat a cookie sheet with a thin layer of olive oil.
2. Spread grated cauliflower across oil-glazed cookie sheet and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
3. In a bowl, mix cauliflower, cheese, egg, garlic and oregano until well combined and dough-like in texture.
4. Spread mixture onto a parchment paper-covered pizza pan and create a circular crust. Bake for 25 minutes.
I topped my Cauliflower crust with Sweet potato mash, feta cheese, caramelized onion and collard greens. It was both savory and a little sweet, but all together delicious. I love reminding myself that this pizza is “healthy” and therefore eating 6 pieces is totally acceptable.
Sweet Potato, Feta Cheese and Collard Green Pizza:
1 sweet potato, medium-sized
2 cups collard greens, chopped
1 cup chopped onion
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbs feta cheese, crumbled
2 garlic cloves, minced or smashed and chopped
pinch of salt
1. Bake sweet potato in oven at 400 degrees for 1 hour, or until well done.
2. Heat 1 tbs. of olive oil in frying pan and saute onion until tender
3. Add collard greens and lemon juice into pan and saute until wilted, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
4. Remove sweet potato from skin and mix in a bowl with salt.
5. Spread sweet potato mash onto pizza crust and top with garlic.
6. Sprinkle feta cheese and greens on top of potato layer.
7. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for about 10-15 minutes.
8. Let cool for 5 minutes. Slice, serve and enjoy.
I’ll be posting periodically in the ‘Pizza Crust Chronicles’ as I come across delicious crusts and experiment with new recipes . I hope you’ll stay tuned and feel free to share any “must-try” crusted creations you can’t live without.
Hail to the ‘za, in every top and crusted form
love,
tricia
I’ve been a part of the Farm Fête Gala Committee for the past few months; planning, organizing and collecting auction items to raise money for the Great Lakes Children’s Museum in Traverse City. The fundraising event is held annually with a different theme to each Gala and this year, the local farm-to-table emphasis caught my eye. I was able to connect with the Museum and meet a new group of passionate individuals who support and make this incredible facility possible, all for the children of our community.
The day of the event, as everything came together, I was able to support the Museum in my own way by offering to be the Gala’s roaming photographer and capture the night, the setting, and the incredible people who made it all possible.
There were numerous silent auction packages, each carefully selected by the Gala planning committee and donated by generous members of the community. By numerous, I mean at least 5 long banquet tables piled high with anything from books and dresses for toddlers, to CSA shares, composting services and SUP paddle board rentals.
After mingling, with delicious Black Star Farms wines and hors d’oeuvres like fresh radishes stuffed with herbed cream cheese, the sold out gala of about 140 people made their way to the dinning room for dinner and live auctions. Guests were able to continue and monitor their must-have silent auction items in the other room, but as soon as dinner was served very few people chose to leave their seat.
The evening’s menu was developed by Chefs Jonathan Dayton and Stephanie Wiitala with local and seasonal produce in mind. The chefs gather greens from farmers in the area like Nic Welty, owner of 9 bean rows, whose produce storage facilities are housed right onsite at Black Star Farms. The Inn, which regularly serves an incredible morning breakfast, can also pick farm fresh eggs from the Black Star Farms’ chickens just outside in the barns.
As a gal who regularly eats with my eyes before taking my first bite I snapped a picture of the delectable fare served throughout the course of the evening, so “dig in” as you scroll thru!
Roasted beet and pear salad, candied marcona almonds, goat cheese, spring greens, verjus vinaigrette
Vegetarian entrée: Grilled potato and Autumn vegetable napolean , tomato confit, parsley oil
Coffee and red wine braised beef short ribs, fromage blanc baked polenta, wilted arugula, crisp leeks
Warm Apple Pie tart, Vanilla Bean whippecrème, Riesling caramel and spun sugar
As the courses kept coming, Executive Director, John Noonan and Board President, Ellen Fred stepped up to the podium to address the Gala attendees. Ellen began the live bidding for the night by raising funds for the +Plus Membership that I spoke of in my previous post. Bidding began with the announcement that a $3,000 match was pledged by many of the generous former board members of the museum before the Gala began that night. As I mentioned before, the +Plus Membership ranked high in importance for me that night and I, along with many others, was incredibly awestruck and encouraged when nearly $4,000 was raised immediately for the Membership Program in addition to the match of $3,000. Ultimately, over $6,900 was raised for Museum scholarships to those of our community in need.
At the end of the night, after a series of incredible Live Auction packages were auctioned off and the numerous silent auction items were given to the highest bidder, the Gala raised over $35,000 for the Great Lakes Children’s Museum!
The event was fantastic; both successful in raising funds for the Museum and in gathering passionate, generous members of the community around the table to share a delicious farm fresh meal. I spent the night savoring the flavors of the feast made by the talented staff at Black Star Farms and roaming around with my camera in hand snapping photos of the smiling faces all around me. You can check out the selection of photos from the night here, and for those who attended the event you may notice some familiar faces pictured in the upcoming issue of Bay LIFE North Magazine.
Cheese!
love,
tricia
