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Strawberry season in NJ is winding down.  Some farmer’s at the market are already out of berries.  The berries are even looking a little ragged.  And they don’t last very long in the basket.  What to do?

I simply clean, cut, and freeze.  It is a very simple process that allows you to have strawberries all year.

I intend to use mine in the strawberry muffin with the chocolate surprise recipe (previously published).  But you can use them in pancakes, in quick breads, or simply thawed over ice cream or sponge cakes (have you tried the heart shaped sponge cakes from Springdale Farm…delicious…and you can freeze them too and have strawberry shortcakes to celebrate the first snow)!

First I spray washed and cut the strawberries.  Not too small, you can mash them or chop them smaller when you thaw them.  I added just a tiny bit of sugar.  I cleaned and cut 2 quarts and used two tablespoons of organic sugar.  Give the bowl of berries a quick stir.

Spoon the berries into freezer bags in an amount that would be useful for your recipe.  I put about 1 1/2 cups worth in each of my bags.  Then I sealed the bag and stacked them in the freezer.  From two quarts I got six bags of frozen strawberries to be enjoyed all year!

It really is a treat to eat NJ fresh/frozen strawberries with whipped cream in the middle of winter.  And so easy.

Husband and I have been married over 35 years.  And, with the addition of our children (and  now their spouses and grandchildren) we are a Family with a capital F.  Way back when times could be very tough and we couldn’t afford trips to the mall or the movies or some main event.  What we could afford was ice cream!  And that was the beginning of a wonderful tradition which continues today.

In 1998 we were interviewed and contributed to a book call “The Heart of the Family:  Searching American for New Family Traditions that Fulfill Us” by Meg Cox. (you can find it…and the updated version on Amazon). Our family tradition of a “Happiness Party” when everyone is down in the dumps was included!

The rules of the “Happiness Party” are simple.  Anyone in the family can call for one.  The time and place must be rather immediate.  The requirements are ice cream, toppings, and lots of eagerness to let go of our blues.

We’ve had a rough few months.  My father got sick and passed away.  And nothing seemed to be going right.  And then husband and I got the worst colds of our lives.  (Still fighting that one.) So husband said that he was calling for a Family Happiness Party.

This holiday weekend we are gathering to celebrate and uplift.  The menu isn’t important….what is important is the ice cream sundaes that follow.

So…whipped cream (from the can is the most fun!), jimmies (sprinkles?), wet walnuts, peanut butter (heat it in the microwave and pour), and anything else that will make you smile.  This week STRAWBERRIES! (from the Collingswood Farmer’s Market….Springdale, Buzby, Viereck, Fruitwood…some, all!) and HOMEMADE HOT FUDGE SAUCE!  Oh, yes.  Homemade.  Hot. Fudge. Sauce.

The recipe is simple.

INGREDIENTS:
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
9 ounces of chocolate chips or chocolate chunks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract.

DIRECTIONS:
In a heavy sauce pan on medium heat (do not want any of this to burn), melt two tablespoons of unsalted butter.  Add 3/4 cup of heaving whipping cream.  When the butter has melted and the cream is warm, add nine ounces of chocolate (chips or broken up).  We use a candy bar that is 85% Cacao and low in carbs.  If you like something a little less bitter look for a quality chocolate chip.  Be aware to the amount of sugar in the chocolate.  Do NOT use milk chocolate.  Stir until the chocolate is melted and the sauce is smooth.  Finally add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract.  Stir again until smooth.

Makes about 1 2/3 cups of chocolate sauce.

If you have any left you can keep it up to two weeks in a glass jar in the refrigerator.  You can eat it cold by the spoonful (it’s fudge!) or gently reheat it.  That’s IF you have any left.

A Family Happiness Party doesn’t take our problems away.  It doesn’t solve our problems.  A Family Happiness Party brings us together so we can face whatever storm is out there, together.

Ground pork is a light alternative to beef when making meatballs.  Hillacres Pride sells delicious pork at many markets including my market, Collingswood Farmers’ market.

This is a quick and easy dish that everyone loves, including my toddler grandson (he also loves his playroom at our house…the yellow room, upstairs).

This is a dish where jarred sauce is the base and pork meatballs are the star.  Combine a jar of marinara sauce and a pink vodka sauce.  Both are available from the Villa Barone stand at the market.  Put the sauce in a pot and begin a slow simmer.

Last week (and currently) spinach is available from several farmers..A.T. Buzby, Springdale Farms.  Local spinach is almost sweet…sandy, but sweet.  Pull off the leaves and let them soak in a bowl of cold water for about 30 minutes.  Then run each leaf under the tap and let drain.  When the sauce starts to simmer, drop in the spinach leaves and put a lid on the pot.  After ten minutes or so, lift the lid and stir.  The spinach will collapse into the sauce.

Next mix the meatballs.

The ingredients are: 1 pound of ground pork (Hillacres Pride), about 6 ounces ricotta cheese (Hillacres Pride…I like theirs for this purpose because it is a little drier than most), 1 Tablespoon of dried parsley, I Tablespoon of dried green onions (or one fresh one minced), a pinch of granulated roasted garlic (or a tiny pinch of fresh garlic that has been through a press), 1/3 a cup of panko (Japanese breadcrumbs…they are lighter and crunchier that regular bread crumbs), and one egg (optional).

Dump all the ingredients into a bowl and mix with your fingers.  Roll meatballs in your hands. Gently.

Toss them into the pot with the sauce and cover with the lid.  Let them simmer lightly until the meatballs are done.  About 30 to 60 minutes.

Cook your favorite pasta.  Top with sauce and meatballs.    Done!  Delicious!

 

 

 

Saturday morning was beautiful.  Sunny and cool.  Perfect for a shopping trip to the Collingswood Farmers’ Market.  It’s the second week and I was looking for more asparagus, more spinach, and MORE STRAWBERRIES!  While the strawberries from last week weren’t super sweet, they were fresh and bright.

I recently stumbled on a pile of old Family Fun magazines.  As I went through them to recycle I realized that each of the fifteen magazines had been saved for a reason.  In an issue dated February 1998 I found a recipe for strawberry muffins stuff with a chocolate kiss.  I tore out the recipe but immediately updated it in my head.  Fresh strawberries and a   dark chocolate Lindor truffle.

I’m not much of a baker.  I like to grill meats, roast vegetables, invent a sauce.  But I had strawberries.  And Sunday afternoon was languishing ahead of me.

These muffins are quick to prepare and smell delicious while baking.

INGREDIENTS:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter (at room temperature)
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
20 strawberries
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 Hershey kisses (or Lindor truffles) or your favorite chocolate candy.

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  Then in a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar.  I just used my trusty old wooden spoon.  Next mix in the eggs, one at a time, and then add milk.

Rinse the strawberries, cut off the greens, slice into a couple of pieces (not too thin).  Mash the berries slightly.  Keep some nice sized pieces and release some juice.  Stir the berries into the butter/milk mixture.

In a separate bowl, measure the flour, salt, and baking powder. Stir well.

Add the flour mixture to the berry mixture.  Stir until all of the white is gone.

Line a twelve muffin tray with paper liners.  Drop the batter from a tablespoon to fill halfway.  Add the unwrapped chocolate candy (or jam).  Spoon more batter to cover the candy and fill the muffin cup.

Bake until the muffins begin to brown.  About 20 to 25 minutes.

 

Test with a toothpick inserted near the center.  The toothpick should come out clean.

Makes 12.

At first husband complained that I was taking his truffles (or chocolate bombs, as he calls them) but the muffins smelled great and with the piano music of Erik Satie (performed by Phillipe Entremont) wafting through the house and a cup of hot tea they tasted even better .

 

 

An easy meal for any night of the week is one that goes together quickly and cooks all in one pan.  This easy chicken meal is my go to when I’m done with the week and I want a delicious meal.

Ingredients.  All from the Collingswood Farmers’ Market.

Chicken parts (I used two chicken breasts and three chicken thighs on the bone) enough to feed your crowd. Vegetables.  This week I had some leeks that needed to be used (but an onion would be fine),  some carrots that were already chopped for lunches, the last bunch of asparagus from Les Viereck with a little left from Springdale Farm, and a jar of marinated artichokes from Villa Barone

Place the chicken pieces on a baking sheet that is covered with foil.  Remember the dull side of the foil up keeps things from sticking.  Toss the vegetables cut into similarly sized pieces into a boil.  Squeeze lemon and drizzle olive oil over the vegetables and the chicken (I spray the olive oil).  Dot the chicken with Hillacres Pride unsalted butter. Spread the vegetables evenly around the chicken.  Sprinkle the whole pan, lightly, with salt.  Put into a 350 degree (F) oven and bake for 60 to 75 minutes depending on how crisp you like your chicken skin.

When the chicken is done (juices run clear, skin is crisp) place the chicken on a platter and out the roasted vegetables on another platter.  Any of your favorite vegetables will do.

My husband walked through the back door after a long week and the table was set and with a quick side salad, the meal was done.

“What are we having,” he asked as he came in.

“Baked chicken with vegetables”.

“Good!”

Some classical music on the Sonos.  Great end to a tiresome week.  And, as we sat down, the sun came out for the first time in what seems like forever.  That’s good!

Last evening’s dinner was my favorite kind of meal. Even though the market is just starting and the farmers don’t have their summer bounty, spring in NJ is a wonderful thing.

It was raining Saturday morning in Collingswood.  But as we know, the best way to show your farmer some love is to come to the market even if it rains.

Our market has a tremendous variety of vendors…lots of farmers, bakers, ice cream, Italian specialties, coffee.  At the first market of the season I was looking for asparagus and spinach and strawberries.  And I wasn’t disappointed.

Many of the farmers had asparagus.  I bought a bunch from each of them. Some very skinny, some thicker.  I keep them in water until I use them.  It keeps it very fresh if you can’t use them the day you buy them.

For the first dinner of the new market year I made chicken cutlets (from Hillacres Pride), asparagus (from Springdale, Vireck, Buzby…..), and a pink pasta sauce from Villa Barone.  My daughter and I split a loaf of Villa Barone bread and I was set.

After the chicken cutlets were thawed I pound them with the flat side of a meat mallet until they were about a 1/2 inch thick and even.  I dropped the cutlets into a bag with about 2 tablespoons of mustard and 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise.  I let the chicken marinate in the bag while I washed the asparagus and put it in a steamer.  I also started to slowly heat the pink pasta sauce.  Then I took the chicken cutlets from the bag and placed them on a foil covered sheet pan.  I sprinkled them with some parmesan cheese.  I put the sheet pan of chicken into a 350 degree F oven for about 25 minutes.  Keep an eye on them.  The chicken is done when it is firm and a little golden.  While the chicken baked I continued to steam the asparagus until it was firm but tender and boiled some ravioli.  When everything was done…about 30 minutes total.  I served the chicken and ravioli with the pink sauce and I served the asparagus on the side.  Delicious.  Nutritious.  And very easy!

My father passed away a month ago.  He was 90 years and 7 months old.  He lived a good full life and was only sick a few days when he passed peacefully.

He left us a little shocked and sad.  We take comfort that he didn’t suffer a long illness.  He didn’t have to move out of his house.  He still drove his car.  But now we have to clean out his house.  It’s packed with stuff that wasn’t his, wasn’t him.  He had started “picking” in the last several years.  The house is full of stuff that wasn’t his.  Stuff that holds no memories for us.  And, it is filled.  Filled.

I went to the farmer’s market today.  The one I always go to.  Collingswood Farmer’s Market.  Today was opening day.  I spoke to old friends…the farmers.  They asked how my winter was.  Fine, I replied.  I didn’t want to start that conversation.  Fine.

Today my husband and I went to my father’s house and emptied one large closet in his bedroom.  We took 24 large trash bags of clothes to Goodwill.  From one closet.  It took most of the day.  It was sad.  It was hard.

This morning I went to the farmer’s market.  In the rain.  And I bought the first asparagus, and spinach, and a box of strawberries.

My father passed away a month ago.  Both my parents are gone.  We’re left to clean up.  The end of a life.

This morning I went to the first farmer’s market and tonight….after a shower and some dinner…I’m going to eat strawberries and remember how Spring can feel.

I have shopped at the Collingswood Farmers’ Market for well over a decade.  I wait each year for opening day.  Opening day is very soon!  May 7.

Many of the farmers and vendors know me by name and all of them know me by sight..I’m the lady with the wagon.  When I first started shopping at the market I would carry my purchases until I ran out of arm room and strength and then it was a quick trip to the car and back to shopping.  As I’ve said before my trips to the market are my weekly trips to the store for my groceries.  I buy meat, poultry, cheese, vegetables, fruits, and breads.  Because I make many and big purchases I started using an old fashioned shopping basket on wheels.  The kind my grandmother used to use.  You know, about three feet tall, a handle to pull, two wheels.  That was great except things on the bottom would get crushed.

Quite a few years ago now I stumbled upon the solution.  Warehouse clubs in the area began selling a collapsible wagon.  I’ll say that again.  Collapsible.  Wagon.  This is a sturdy metal framed wagon with a canvas like liner.  It collapses flat so it easily fits in the back of my car.  When I arrive at the market I open it up and go shopping.  When I’m finished shopping, I put my purchases in the car, put the strap in the middle of the wagon (thus making it flat) and put that in my car as well.

This year the market is starting an initiative to stop the use of plastic bags.  Wonderful idea!  I’ve used my own bags for years.  Once I started using my own bags I noticed that the shopping and the putting away of my purchases became much easier.

I keep one bag elusively for baked goods.  Nothing gets crushed and they are all in one place when I come home from the market.  (I get to the market when it opens at 8AM so it’s important to know where my breakfast is!)  I put various baked goods from different bakers in the same bag.  DiBartolo’s rolls mingle pleasantly with Wild Flour’s zucchini bread slices. That bag goes right on the kitchen table when I come in and my husband knows there is something special for him in there.

When I get to a farmer’s table they know I have my own bag and they take it from me and fill it with my choices.  They even put the heavy and wet things on the bottom for me.  (I put a clean paper towel in the bottom of the bag to absorb water).  The bags line up nicely in my wagon.  And when I buy a watermelon or cantaloupe from Buzby’s or Fruitwood Farms I just place it in the bottom of the wagon I also have a nice square cold bag for my frozen Hillacres Pride meat purchase.

Finally I have a portable colander that my daughter gave me for my birthday.  It looks like one of those hard plastic mesh beach bags you can get anywhere.  In that I carry things like tomatoes.  Very delicate produce.

When I get home from the market the bags come into the kitchen and the items in them are easily put away.  The wagon stays flat in my car all market season and I use one bag to store all the folded bags…a bag bag.  By 10AM my stash is stored and my car is ready for the next market day.

This is a family recipe.  One of those recipes that has been handed down.  One of those recipes with a real history.  And one of those recipes that’s not in any cookbook.  We call it langoosh.  Yes, you’re saying it correctly.  Langoosh.

This recipe is so delicious and so easy that I am sharing here with all of you so that it doesn’t get lost.  It looks daunting.  It isn’t.  Try it, you, and everyone who tastes it will love it.

Some family recipes are kept secret.  While this recipe has very few exact measurements (I’m posting photos by way of directions), please make it and share it.  The dish and the recipe.

The Ingredients:

• fresh or frozen bread dough (enough for one loaf)
• 8 to 16 ounces of sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• a pinch of salt
• a cup of whole milk (may need more….look at the pictures)

The recipe:

Butter a rimmed sheet pan.  Press the bread dough into the pan.  Make sure the dough goes up the sides of the pan.  No holes in the dough, please.  In a large bowl beat two eggs. Add the grated cheese, stir.  Add the pinch of salt, stir.  Add a cup of milk, stir.  The mixture should be watery.  There should be more cheese than any other ingredient.  Spoon the cheese mixture on to the dough.  Spread it from edge to edge.  Make sure your edge is tall enough to keep the mixture in the dough.  You do NOT want the cheese mixture to spill over the edge and under the dough.  Although it sometimes happened.  It will still be delicious.  Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until the crust and cheese are slightly golden brown.  When checking for doneness, carefully lift an edge of the dough to make sure the bottom of the crust is not getting too brown.

When the langoosh is done your kitchen will smell swooningly delicious.  Place the tray on a cooling rack.  You can eat it warm or at room temperature.

Traditionally this is made on Easter and eaten cold.  After slicing a piece of langoosh horizontally, one puts ham or kielbasa inside and eats it like a sandwich. I often make it to serve with hamburger vegetable soup.

The long lonely winter of frozen vegetables and fruit raised in foreign countries is over. The farmer’s market will be open soon. And I can’t wait.

During the market season my weekly trip to that lovely space filled with local treasure and friendly farmers and vendors is my supermarket. I walk from stand to stand seeking Jersey fresh treats and looking for new foods to try.

In the first weeks of the market are lots of plants. I buy a few tomato plants, a cucumber plant or two, and a couple of pepper plants. I have little sun in my yard but I do have enough for a small garden. When I was a child we had a tiny backyard so there was no space for a vegetable garden. My father would plant tomato plants along the fence line with the rose bushes. There’s always room for a tomato plant. There are farmers who sell “patio tomatoes” that is just that, a potted tomato plant that grows on your patio (or porch). I am also making a list of fresh herbs that I will make into a kitchen herb garden located in various pots clustered out my kitchen door.

But back to the lonely winter of frozen vegetables. Actually not as bad as all that. During the market season I freeze my favorite vegetables at their peak. In November when the market ends my freezer is full of beans, corn, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli. The best thing to make with all of those vegetables is soup. Especially now when I’m trying to use up all the things I’ve saved for my winter meals.

My ninety-year-old father passed away suddenly a couple of weeks ago. And the weather has been chilly, rainy. So, since the weather was bad and I was feeling a little low I went to my freezer and pulled out the ingredients for a big pot of vegetable hamburger soup. The soup went together very quickly and when my husband walked in the door the kitchen was warm and cozy and we had, with some rolls and butter and cheese, a lovely, filling, healthy meal. It was nice to sit quietly (for the first time in a long time) and enjoy our soup and conversation (and a little Radio Swiss Jazz) as the sunset.

Vegetable Hamburger Soup Recipe

Serves 8 easily.

Ingredients

• About 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 leek, sliced (just the white part)
• 2 carrots, diced
•  1 stalk of celery, diced
• ½ to 1 pound ground beef

the following vegetables can be fresh or frozen:

• a cup of green beans
•  a cup of frozen spinach
• ½ cup cranberry beans
• ½ cup lima beans
• ½ head of sliced cabbage
• ½ to 1 cup of chopped tomatoes
• 1 cup diced zucchini
• ¼ to 1/3 cup of soaked barley
• 1 32 ounce box chicken broth
• 4 or more cups water (or more if soup seems to need more broth)

In a large soup pot, melt about 3 tablespoons of butter. Saute in the melted butter 1 sliced leek, 2 diced carrots, 1 stalk of celery diced. Then add to the pot ½ to 1 pound of grass fed ground beef. Break it up and cook until light brown.

Next add green beans, cranberry beans, lima beans, sliced cabbage, a diced tomato, diced zucchini, frozen spinach.  All of these vegetables were in my freezer. Frozen during the summer from fresh produce. None of the vegetables are cooked before being frozen.

After adding all of the vegetables and the beef pour in 32 ounces of chicken stock and four or more cups of water. Turn the burner on medium and wait for the soup to start to simmer. Then turn it lower to simmer for about four hours. While the soup is coming to a boil I soak ¼ to 1/3 cup of pearl barley for a ½ hour. Drain the barley and add it to the soup. Stir everything. That’s it!

This soup can be made in a slow cooker. Temperature low….time 6 to 8 hours.

Serve with your favorite crackers and some good sharp cheese. This soup is always just what the doctor ordered.

*All of the vegetables were purchased from farmers at the market. The meat and cheeses are purchased from Hillacres Pride.