3.31.2016

Go Local Magazine - April 2016



Go Local Magazine is a local lifestyle magazine showcasing life around the Massachusetts/Connecticut line. Its mission is to improve the community by promoting the region (which includes Stafford Springs, Somers, Enfield and Suffield, CT; and Hampden, East Longmeadow, Longmeadow and Agawam, MA - and this territory will be expanding soon!) as a destination to live, play, shop and eat, and to showcase the citizens who make it great. 

Amy wrote the article on Enfield's newest cafeFor Love and Food (on page 20). Also, you can find a 2-page spread highlighting our Together, We Eat! contest-winning recipe and story on pages 40-41. 

Thinking of purchasing a local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture)? There's a great list of farms in the area that offer shares, including our favorite Simpaug Farms

You can get a free copy of Go Local Magazine at many businesses around these towns (go here for a list) or check it out online (here).

And - don't forget to tune in Sunday around 7:15 to see Amy on WTNH ABC Channel 8 doing her first live TV cooking segment.

3.24.2016

Together, We Eat! on the Local News

Amy has been invited to showcase our award-winning Spring Onion and Ricotta Fresca Tart on our local (Connecticut) news.

Both appearances will be live cooking segments. The first will be on ABC 8 on Sunday, April 3 at 7:15 a.m. There was supposed to be one on NBC on Easter but it had to be postponed. Stay tuned for more info. 

3.16.2016

Together, We Eat - O! The Oprah Magazine

The April issue of O! The Oprah Magazine is officially out. And in it are the results of Amy's photo shoot, along with a snapshot of us with our neighbor Barb, our award-winning Together, We Eat story and the now-famous Spring Onion and Ricotta Fresca Tart. Here's the VIDEO: http://togetherweeat.com/servingupspringwinners/.You can also find the recipe there.

And here's the much-talked-about spread:






Up next? Live cooking segments on our local ABC and NBC affiliates...coming soon!

A very special thank you to everyone on the Oprah and IKEA teams for creating this amazing experience for us and for making it so memorable. And congratulations to the first prize winners whose recipes look so delicious.


3.14.2016

Tourtiere (Canadian Meat Pie) for Pi Day


Happy Pi Day, everyone! While Mr. Science Chris likes the symbolism behind 3/14 (or 3.1415....), Amy just looks forward to eating pie. And being French Canadian, she's always wanted to try Tourtiere, especially after seeing this recipe in Saveur.



We made a couple of adjustments to the Saveur recipe. For instance, since it was a weeknight, we used store-bought pie dough. We also tried a mix of ground meat - 2 parts pork to 1 part beef. We forgot to buy apple cider, so we put 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar into the cooking meat instead. And what we ended up with was a very interesting dish with lots of layers. It was definitely hearty, with all that meat and potatoes, but it also had beautifully warm spice flavors such as cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. And the aroma of this meat pie cooking? Just right for a cold, damp Monday afternoon. No wonder they eat this in Canada!


Tourtiere
Adapted from this recipe from Saveur

Ingredients:

1 refrigerated pie crust, defrosted
1 1/2 cups raw potatoes, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground pork
1/2 pound ground beef
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium onions, chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 bay leaves
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 egg, beaten

Lay the bottom pie crust in a 9-inch pie plate and set aside. Bring a large pot of water to boil, add salt, and boil the diced potatoes until they are tender. Mash and set aside. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the pork and beef and cook until no longer pink. Add the garlic, onion, and carrot, and cook, stirring often, until meat is nicely browned and vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Stir in cider vinegar, celery seed, cloves, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and bay leaves. Continue to cook and stir until liquid is evaporated. Stir in mashed potatoes, season with salt and pepper, and allow mixture to cool completely. Preheat oven to 400F. Place the filling into the pie plate, smooth the top and cover with the top crust. Fold the crust under itself and crimp together with your fingers. Brush with the beaten egg and place in the oven. Bake for 50-55 minutes, until hot and golden brown.  

3.09.2016

Grilled Pomelo "Steaks"




Do you know the pomelo? It's basically a really big grapefruit. In fact, its Latin name is citrus maxima. Love that. Chris came home with a huge pink pomelo the other day, saying he wanted to slice it and grill the slices. Pomelo "steak" and eggs!

He sprinkled the slices with demerara sugar and put them on a hot grill until they were warm and covered with pretty grill marks. Meanwhile, I cooked some eggs, bacon, toast and coffee for a deliciously big breakfast. The pomelo was sweet and juicy, with the perfect amount of char. Yummmm. Don't you just live for Sundays?

3.05.2016

NOLA BBQ Shrimp 'n Grits


Our niece, P, is heading to New Orleans for spring break this weekend and boy, are we jealous. We haven't been since 2013, and Amy can feel it in her bones. It's an ever-present longing for her. Like Louis Armstrong's song goes, "Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans?"


We met P for dinner to give her some trip tips - things to do, places to go, restaurants and bars to visit, must-eat dishes. You know the drill. And a few days later, no surprise, Amy had a yearning for Southern food. Her favorite New Orleans dish, in particular - BBQ Shrimp. 



We've written about BBQ Shrimp before (here, here, here). Amy tries not to make it too often, as it is an exceptionally rich (read: full of butter) dish. But at times like this, it's more of a need than a want. We usually gorge ourselves on shrimp and bread alone, but this time we made them over creamy cheesy grits. Oh yeah.



Note: Start the grits first, as they take slightly longer than the shrimp.

BBQ Shrimp 'n Grits
inspired by the recipe from Ralph's on the Park

BBQ Shrimp
Ingredients:

1 pound large fresh unpeeled (heads, tails, shell left on)
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
3 teaspoons Creole seasoning (such as Tony Chachere's)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried crushed rosemary
2 tablespoons hot water
1/2 lemon, seeds removed
1 stick unsalted butter, chilled

Place shrimp in a large skillet. Add Worcestershire sauce, pepper, Creole seasoning, garlic, rosemary and water. Squeeze the lemon over the shrimp to add the juice, then put what's left of the lemon into the pan. Cook over high heat, occasionally stirring/tossing, until shrimp start to turn pink (about 2 minutes). Reduce heat to medium, then add butter, one tablespoon at a time, to the pan. Continue to stir and/or toss gently while adding the butter, until all butter is incorporated into the sauce and shrimp are fully, but not overly, cooked (2-3 minutes depending on the size of the shrimp). Serve over grits with crusty bread and lots of napkins. 

Grits
Ingredients:

3/4 cup stone-ground corn meal (aka grits, aka polenta)
2 cups chicken stock
3/4 cup half-and-half
4 tablespoons cream cheese (regular or whipped)
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (or to taste)
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until they are smooth and tender (about 10 minutes). 


3.02.2016

Go Local Magazine, March Issue


Go Local Magazine is a local lifestyle magazine showcasing life around the Massachusetts/Connecticut line. Its mission is to improve the community by promoting the region (which includes Stafford Springs, Somers, Enfield and Suffield, CT; and Hampden, East Longmeadow, Longmeadow and Agawam, MA) as a destination to live, play, shop and eat, and to showcase the citizens who make it great. 

Amy wrote the article Udderly Fresh: Dairy from Smyth's Trinity Farm (Enfield) on page 11. Also, you can find our recipe for Guinness Glazed Chicken Wings (perfect for St. Patrick's Day) on page 38.You can get a free copy at many businesses around these towns (go here for a list) or check it out online (here).