Jessica

An Afternoon Stroll in the Woods

By Jessica

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Last weekend we went to Shelving Rock Falls; a beautiful spot near Lake George. The 3.4 mile (round trip) hike, took us roughly 2.5 hours, including a long rest on the lakeside, while I took numerous pictures of the ducks, and the mountains. The trail itself could hardly be called strenuous, though finding it may have been. Not that it’s difficult to find, it’s just rather far off the beaten path. It’s the perfect hike for small children, and families, the beautiful lakeside spot makes for a perfect picnic location. I was even able to find some really beautiful stones that I can polish up and make jewelry out of. Spending time in the outdoors even if is just an afternoon fills me with so much happiness, and inspiration. I mean the world we live in is really a beautiful place. Have you stopped to take note of it lately?

D41: Single Sweet Potato Soup

By Jessica

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These fall days often make me crave something warm and comforting, especially when I am home alone. On this particular day I decided to comfort myself with one of my favorite fall dishes for lunch. This recipe is a simplified version of my favorite Sweet Potato Soup recipe that is so easy for the single person to whip up!

Simple Single Sweet Potato Soup

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cubed

1 ½ cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth)

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ cup milk or cream

Pinch salt

In a sauce pan boil potatoes and broth until tender. The liquid will begin to evaporate, so be sure to stir. Add spices and place in the blender. Blend until smooth and return to saucepan, on low heat stir in milk, adjust seasoning and serve.

Now I don’t always use a blender for this recipe. I often simply use a potato masher as shown above. Mostly because I am too lazy to do all those dishes for just me and I enjoy a little texture in the soup. This however is up to you.

Apple Picking Season

By Jessica

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Apple picking has always been a big deal to me. I make a conscience effort to go every single year. It is something I look forward to each year. I mean really what’s better than picking your own food?

Maybe it’s because I am from the “Big Apple” state but seriously the apple is an integral part of my diet. I don’t think I can go a week without having an apple or apple product. There are a million and one recipes with apples in them, and I am sure over time that I will post each and every one of them.

I STRONGLY suggest that each and every one of you goes apple picking. Don’t wait the season may be over sooner than you think! This years crazt weather has been hard on the apple crop.

Don’t Know Where to go? Try Apple Country! It has a list of places you can pick apples, or get apple products in the Big Apple State.

The great thing about this website is that it not only has places to go for apple picking, but lists of apple related events, recipes, type descriptions, and so, so much more. It’s really handy this time of year.

Not in NY? PickYourOwn.org has lists of farms all over the US, and Countries all over the world.

This website also has tons of information on canning and recipes. I’m just learning about canning and testing it out myself. This site has been a huge help.

If you have any favorite apple recipes or stories please leave a comment or send an email. I would love to hear from you!

Serving a Steaming Bowl of Consolation

By Jessica

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Chowder breathes reassurance. It steams consolation. ~Clementine Paddleford

Could this be any more true? I never really knew how much I liked seafood chowder before I met ol’ Chuckles. It’s one of his favorites, so of course I had to learn how to make it for him!

There couldn’t have been a more perfect fall afternoon for it. We had spent most of the day outside and gotten rained on here and there. We were a little chilled and tired after an eventful weekend, so tired in fact that I fell asleep in the car on the way home. I woke up when “All my Life” by The Band Perry came on the radio. Seriously I will never get enough of that song.

As I serenaded Chuck the rest of the ride home we swung into the grocery store and picked up some clams, cod, and a small loaf of fresh baked French bread. As a side I sliced, the bread and brushed it with olive oil, garlic and rosemary. Then popped it in the oven for a while (10-20 minutes depending on size) at 425 degrees. The burst of rosemary flavor blended so beautifully with the creamy deliciousness of the chowder that I jam packed with seafood.

Seafood Chowder

¼ lb bacon, cut into ¼ inch cubes

1 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 ½ cups chopped celery

1 quart fish stock

2 large potatoes, peeled & chopped

2 bay leaves

1 lb little neck clams

1 lb skinless, boneless cod fillet, cut into chucks

1 lb medium shrimp, shelled, deveined

½ cup frozen corn

1 cup heavy cream

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Salt & pepper to taste

In a large sauce pan or dutch oven cook bacon, and drain grease. Add olive oil and heat for roughly 5 minutes. Add onion and celery, cooking until soft. Add fish stock and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer, and add potatoes, cooking until they are just tender, roughly 15 minutes. Add shrimp, clams, fish and corn. Simmer for another 5 minutes. All the clams should open. Heat cream in a small sauce pan over low heat, and add to soup pot. Add final seasoning and serve hot.

Chicken Pot Pie: Like your Great-Grand-Momma made it!

By Jessica

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I am so excited to share this recipe. It is a quintessential pot pie, made the old fashioned way. I mean the real old fashioned way, with butter, flour, water, chicken, herbs, and veggies.

The night before I made this I roasted a chicken, because well it was on sale of course! I used the leftovers to make broth (post coming), saved the drippings and chicken pieces for this recipe. If you don’t have a whole roast you can also use bone in thighs, legs, and the like.

I made a large family sized one as well as an individual one for me to take in my lunch the next day. It was perfectly comforting on the cold rainy day that it was.

Great Gram’s Chicken Pot Pie

2 tbsp drippings (Butter may be substituted)

1 onion, chopped

¾ cup all-purpose Flour

3 cups chicken broth

2 large carrots, diced

3 stalks of celery, chopped

1 cup frozen peas

1 cup frozen corn

½ cup minced fresh parsley1/2 cup chicken pieces

2 pie crusts (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 350. In a large skillet heat chicken drippings, and sauté onions until they become translucent, roughly 10 minutes. Stir in flour, until well blended and simmer roughly 2 minutes. Then add broth, continuing to stir until mixture thickens. Add chicken, vegetables, parsley and salt & pepper to taste. Mix well. Move filling to individual oven safe containers, divided evenly. Cover the top with pie crust liberally, with an inch or two hanging over the edge. If you are using a pie tin or an oven safe skillet you can crimp the dough as you would a sweet pie. Add a few slits to let out steam. Sprinkle the top with sea salt, and place in the oven for 1 hour, or until the top turns golden, and the filling begins to bubble. Serve warm.

Pastry:

1 cup unsalted butter, frozen

3 cups all-purpose flour

3 tbsp sugar

1/3 cup ice water

Combine flour and sugar in a large bowl. Great butter into the bowl, stirring frequently. Stir mixture with a fork continuously while pouring in the cold water. Stop stirring when the dough begins to clump. Use your hands to lightly knead the dough until it forms a ball. Divide this into two parts, and flatten each with the use of a rolling pin.

Jessica

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