cookies – Growth By the Season

2013 Northern Michigan Small Farms Conference: Grayling, MI

Written by Tricia on January 28, 2013. Posted in Community, Events, Farm, Grow.

This past Saturday was the 14th Annual Northern Michigan Small Farms Conference. A gathering with the mission to build and foster a local vibrant agricultural community. The conference is an educational forum with the opportunity for sharing ideas, developing a local network, and empowering participants with the tools necessary to be successful. The day includes a series of educational sessions and speaking seminars, with a well-balanced lunch allowing for the chance to stretch your legs, recharge, or casually build relationships with 1 or more of the 800 attendees.

I was involved in the conference not as an attendee this year, but rather in the kitchen with Michael Everts of Blackbird Gardens and his team of farmers, foodies, & friends. We spent the morning baking apple crisps, muffins & scones. We layered lasagnas, chopped produce for salads and roasted squash in the oven. Blackbird Gardens’s catering company Real Food Dream Kitchen, sourced fresh local produce, breads & ciders in the heart of winter. With Saturday’s dream team, we prepped, cooked, and fed about 800 conference goers. The people I had the pleasure of working with were great. We were a “well-oiled machine” of a team, with most of us never having worked together in the past. The synergy was incredible; people helping people, “Farmers Feeding Farmers.”

The Menu:

Mike Everts and Real Food Dream Kitchen have been catering The Northern Michigan Small Farms Conference for several years now. What better way to celebrate Northern Michigan Agriculture and the people whose hard work make it available to us, than a fresh and local culinary display of the very produce we’re celebrating. This alone makes it a tribute of the heart, but to have access to this type of bounty in January, makes it a grateful tribute of ingenuity & excellence as well.

After smelling the aromas all day and working hard in and out of the kitchen to serve the 800 attendees we sat down and enjoyed the fruits of our labor as a team. Congratulating one another on a swift, problem-free and more than enjoyable afternoon of Real Food catering.

Thank you to all those who made the Northern Michigan Small Farms Conference possible as well as the food community that supports and attends it. Here in Northern Michigan, we have an access to fresh local produce that is invaluable. I love knowing, meeting, and working with the people that make it all possible.

No Farms, No Food.

love,

tricia

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies

Written by Tricia on January 22, 2013. Posted in Food, Recipes.

These cookies make me weak in the knees. Just the smell of them in the oven and I buckle. One bite and I’m reminded of a time in my life when apple cinnamon oatmeal was the breakfast of elementary school champions. Except this cookie is better. Its made with fresh apples, ground cinnamon and a little lemon juice. This cookie isn’t made to walk you through a 7 hour school day, this cookie is made for breakfast, lunch AND dinner. Its cinnfully delicious and without a doubt a must try.

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Makes about 2 dozen cookies

Preheat oven to: 350 degrees

ingredients:

1/2 cup of butter softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
1 1/4 cup oats
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
generous pinch of nutmeg
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 medium apple peeled and diced
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Peel and dice the apple, toss it in lemon juice and set aside. Beat the sugars and butter in a bowl until smooth. Add 1 egg and beat for a minute. Add vanilla extract and beat until blended.

In a separate bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, oats, spices and salt. Slowly add to the sugar and butter mix until just incorporated. Stir in your apple chunks and chopped walnuts last.

Line baking sheets with parchment paper, place in the oven at 350 and bake for 10 minutes. Enjoy!

adapted recipe from Joy the Baker.

A few people asked me recently about baking substitutes for vegan diets so I thought I’d add my favorite substitutes for this recipe here. For butter, vegan shortening is really the perfect consistency to substitute in these cookies and of course there is always margarine if you’re after the buttery flavor. As for the eggs, they could be substituted with applesauce and truthfully in this recipe theres no other substitution. Not only will it adjust the recipe to be vegan and add an additional apple flavor to your cookie body, but it also completely eliminates the added cholesterol of an egg.

Whether you are vegan or not these substitutions can be helpful if the situation arises where you are baking in your pajamas and just realized you are out of eggs. You don’t have to clean up and walk to your neighbors or drive to the grocery store, you don’t even need to put on a hat over your unwashed hair. You just grab the applesauce and keep on baking.

keep on, keepin’ on

love,

tricia

HoliDazed

Written by Tricia on January 9, 2013. Posted in Community, Friends & Family.

I’m feeling this feeling I’m sure a lot of you are feeling. I like to call it HoliDazed. Symptoms are said to consist of bloated innertube-like belly regions in addition to a sick addiction to and at the same time disgust for homemade cookies and fudge. You could probably sleep for a few days straight if given the chance and your likely wondering whether your liver could even handle another glass of red wine. Perhaps your considering at this very moment to drink a few gallons of water because your body seems to be soaking it up like a sponge. One things for sure, I am without a doubt, 100% HoliDazed. Whats the cure you ask? Feed your eyes with these delicious meals and sweets I shared in fabulous company over the past few weeks, eat a fresh and tasty salad with a refreshing glass of water and get back into a routine of movement. Whether it be stepping outside for a brisk walk, signing up for a weekly yoga class, or using the gym membership you’ve neglected for the past two weeks. Its a new year, the Holidays have come and gone and your own HoliDaze should wear off shortly.

Christmas Dinner with Friends- Butternut Squash Lasagna, Balsamic Roasted Beets with Pistachios & Pomegranate Seeds, Chocolate & Coconut Cake

Mushrooms & Homemade Meatballs in a Sweet and Sour Sauce

A Sweet Treat from Friends, Rich Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Coconut Frosting

Christmas Eve Dinner with Family- Braised Turkey, Stuffing, Sweet Potato Biscuits, Mashed Potatoes, and Cranberry Sauce

Stuffed Mushrooms with Peppers and Chorizo

Beet Greens, Pomegranate Seeds and Pistachios awaiting the Balsamic Roasted Beets

Homemade Peanut Butter Cups with Bite-sized Pretzels

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies

New Years Appetizers with Friends- Sweet Chili Shrimp

get movin’ and get cookin’

love,

tricia

Edible Holiday Gifts 2012

Written by Tricia on December 20, 2012. Posted in Community, Food, Friends & Family, Recipes.

With the holidays just around the corner I’ve put together a list of incredible holiday gifts made in the kitchen, all from some of my favorite inspiring food bloggers. If there is a friend you still need a gift for, or a father you can’t quite decide what to give, then these ideas are for you. Spend just one day in the kitchen this weekend and all your gift dilemmas will be solved.

1. Bake Cookies. These Dark Chocolate Pistachio & Sea Salt Cookies are incredible. Whether you fill up a thrifted cookie jar and gift these to grandma, or wrap them up in plastic bags and ribbon, these cookies will delight you. Joy from Joy the Baker, is hilarious, straight-forward and real, not-to-mention she bakes dreams.

2. Simple Jarred Granola. Granola is easy and customize-able for any and all. Add dried fruit, chocolate chips, coconut, anything your loved one would delight in for a healthy breakfast or snack. Sarah from My New Roots is truly a master of healthy living and eating. She can make your mouth water all the while convincing you to make healthy eating choices, its a win win.

3. Apple Cider Caramels (and/or the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook!). Deb from Smitten Kitchen just released a cookbook at the end of October that is absolutely incredible. With over 100 original recipes including these to die for Apple Cider Caramels. Whether you pair the caramels with the cookbook, which placed #2 on the New York Times bestseller list by the way, or simply share the caramels themselves, those receiving this gift will melt with joy.

4. Gingerbread Pancake Mix. Another fabulous edible gift idea is to take a recipe like these Holiday themed Gingerbread Pancakes from Ali at Gimme Some Oven, and create an easy to use “mix” out of the dry ingredients. You don’t want to include things like milk, butter, or eggs that are perishable, but gifting a loved one the bulk of the ingredients and the recipe to try on their own is like giving two gifts at once! The gift of cooking AND the gift of pancakes!

5. Homemade Vinaigrette. Salads are healthy and a great staple for mealtime, but after awhile may seem boring and bland. With this delicious homemade vinaigrette you can help your loved one enjoy eating healthy. If you include the recipe you’ll also save them the money spent on expensive dressings from the supermarket! This tried and true vinaigrette is simple to make and always adds the perfect burst of flavor to your greens.

I wish you all an incredible holiday ahead, and a homemade holiday at that. With a peak at these fabulous food bloggers and their holiday treats I hope to leave you inspired and itching for some time in the kitchen.

Blessings to you and yours.

love,

tricia

Tag: cookies

2013 Northern Michigan Small Farms Conference: Grayling, MI

HoliDazed

Edible Holiday Gifts 2012

Growth by the Season