field of dreams.

happy monday, friends! i hope you all had a yummy weekend and are as excited as i am for the longer days of spring ahead. 5:13 and the sun is still shining bright...what's not to love about that!? pretty soon it will be time for picnics and sunset walks, right...? right...?!

well, just when i thought i couldn't be more excited for summer, the roaming culinary experience known as outstanding in the field just announced their 2011 tour schedule - and once again, they are blessing vermont with what is sure to be a night unlike any other.

what do you get when you combine fresh food, local ingredients, a long simple table and a super cool vintage bus...um, pretty much the best night ever.

so friends, what do you think? august 11th, craftsbury, vermont - who's with me?!
click here for the full tour schedule.

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comfort food thursday: for mr. frederickson

the recipe choice for this comfort food thursday requires a bit of a backround, so let me fill you in a couple key insights:

1. i love soup. mr. frederickson loves soup. it gets cold in vermont. thus, hot, food in a bowl is our main source of sustainance from mid-october to mid-july.
2. i like to cook. mr. frederickson likes to eat. it is a good combo.
3. both mr. frederickson and i like to make the other person happy. i.e., there is a lot of this: "i don't know, honey, anything you want sounds good to me." and not a lot of "i don't like green beans, so please don't ever cook with them. but what i do love is that squash soup i bought the other day at price chopper..."

alright, so i guess you are probably catching on to the fact that there was a soup incident last night. and it lead to a bit of pouting on my part (sorry, honey!) but the aftermath and silver lining is that i have a new burning desire to make the best darn butternut squash & apple soup EVER. so, there price chopper, take that. you messed with the wrong chef.

so here it is folks, the recipe i am going to use in my first attempt at redemption. thanks to a very talented vermonter and food & wine contributing, jeremy silansky.

what you need:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 3/4 cup apple cider
• One 1 3/4-pound butternut squash—peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch dice (5 1/4 cups)
• 4 1/2 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 McIntosh apple, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1/3 cup coarsely shredded smoked cheddar cheese (2 ounces)
• One-inch pieces of chives or thinly sliced sage leaves, for garnish

what you do:

• In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 8 minutes. Add the apple cider and cook until syrupy, about 3 minutes. Add the butternut squash and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer until the squash is very tender, about 40 minutes.
• In a blender, puree the soup in batches. Return the soup to the saucepan and stir in the cream. Season with salt and pepper and keep warm.
• Heat a medium skillet. Add the butter and diced apple and cook over high heat until the apple is tender and golden around the edges, about 2 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
• Ladle the soup into warmed bowls; garnish with the smoked cheddar, sautéed apples and chives; serve.

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comfort food thursday {beef stew with pumpkin ale}

well folks, looks like i have food on the brain this week. and today is no exception. but can you blame me? just look at how tasty this beef stew looks! and it just so happens that i have a beverage fridge full of wolavers* pumpkin ale...lucky lucky me.

beef stew with wolaver's pumpkin ale - via feel good eats**

• 4 strips of bacon, thinly sliced
• 2 pounds chuck or stewing beef, trimmed and cut into chunks (i think venison or bison would work too!)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• flour for dredging
• 5 carrots, peeled and chopped (1-inch pieces)
• 2lb red or fingerling potatoes
• 1 bottle wolaver's pumpkin ale (or other ale or stout)
• sea salt & fresh ground pepper

what you do: set a large frying pan over medium high heat and add the bacon slices. Cook until the bacon begins to get crispy. While the bacon cooks, pat the beef dry with a paper towel and season with sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Add the onions and garlic to the pan and cook until translucent, stirring occasionally, about 3-5 minutes. Transfer the bacon, onions and garlic to the crock-pot, keeping the drippings in the pan. Dredge the beef in the flour, then shake off the excess and add the beef to the pan. Turn the beef so it is nicely browned on all sides and then transfer it to the crock-pot.

Arrange the carrots and potatoes along the exterior side of the crock-pot. Pour in the bottle of ale until it covers about 3/4 of the beef. Set on low for 6-8 hours.

Remove the potatoes to a bowl before serving and roughly mash. Transfer the mashed potatoes back to the crock-pot and stir. Taste and adjust any seasonings. Serve with toasted bread and thick slices of cheddar cheese. serves 4-6

*wolaver's is otter creek's organic sibling. their IPA reigns supreme at my house, but you can't go wrong with any of their products.

**feel good eats is a great vermont blog by a fabulous local chef & food writer. site has been dormant for awhile, but the archives are worth exploring!

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eat local, drink local...all week long.

first of all, i must begin this post with a huge apology. i have to apologize for the fact that it's already tuesday night and i am only just now telling you about vermont's very own eat local week. oh the shame i feel, i can't even tell you.

but, luckily, there are tons of great events all week and most of the good stuff is still ahead of us! i hope you can all find it in your hearts (and stomachs!) to forgive me.

wednesday, september 15

• local beer loves local cheese: beer and cheese tasting the farmhouse tap & grill - 160 bank street, burlington: 5:00 p.m. - midnight. explore the marriage between fine local beer and exquisite local cheeses.
  

thursday, september 16

• vermont’s finest made from the finest of vermont: ben & jerry’s - 36 church street, burlington: 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. come meet two ice cream gurus who will incorporate some rather creative local products that might someday find their way into a pint.
• cooking with local grains and beans: city market class at the chubby muffin - 88 oak street, burlington: 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. make a delicious meal using all-local dried beans and grains. participants will make wheat berry-apple salad, black bean & winter squash stew, whole wheat flour tortillas, and cornmeal biscotti.

friday, september 17

• making mozzarella, camembert, and farmers’ cheese: rural vermont class at east village cohousing: 180 east ave, burlington: 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. classes use milk from burlington's newest dairy - tamarack hollow farm.
• vermont uncorked dedalus wine shop - 209 battery street: 5:00 - 8:00 pm.
  if you’re eating local, why not drink local too? Stop by for a taste of 5 award-winning wines from the lincoln peak winers.

saturday, september 18

• burlington farmers’ market - city hall park: 8:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
• enjoy chocolates of vermont - lake champlain chocolates - 750 pine street and 65 church street, burlington: noon - 2:00 p.m. FREE SAMPLES.

sunday, september 19

• baking with local wheat: city market class at intervale community farm: 180 intervale road, burlington: 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.

all week long...

• local breakfast all day: magnolia bistro - 1 lawson lane, burlington: 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. $10 prix fixe breakfast.
• local lunch box: new moon café - 150 cherry st, burlington: 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
• try the "champ" pazza: three brothers pizza - 973 roosevelt highway, colchester. the "champ"is a 16 inch pie topped with vermont smoke and cure maple bacon, vermont country farm sweet italian sausage, vermont smoke and cure pepperoni, vermont maple smoked ham, vermont maple caramelized red onions, maplebrook fresh mozzarella, and cabot cheddar. (yummm...)

so much to do, so few days left. again, i am sorry!

{image via}

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