Local foods, local products and delicious recipes
Here’s just a quick little post for Tuesday. I have others coming soon. I saw this idea and thought it was really great, ingenious in fact. It is from the blog The Mother Huddle. I am not a big fan of salmon, so I might try it with another type of fish and I would think it would work just as well. Check it out and enjoy!
Brussel Sprout Slaw
Happy New Year!
Looking forward to the New Year in a big way. To say that 2012 was a challenge, would be an understatement. I have not shared before, but in July of 2012, Mr. K became unemployed. In the beginning, we thought it would be easy to find employment, but we were very mistaken. By December of 2012, he had applied to over 300 positions, engaged in some interviews and in that said month 1 offer was tendered. A position in Georgia. GEORGIA! Being a Cali girl, this was a sad/scary moment for me. But looking into the area, etc. we came to the conclusion that it would be a nice place to land. Then something else happened, almost simultaneously another job interview was presented, and ultimately an offer was made with a company in Southern California! Nothing for 4+ months, then 2 job offers in one month! Crazy. I do not know if fate, karma or what intervened for us, but it happened and we are staying in California. Yay! So, needless to say, with Mr. K’s new employment, it will be a new beginning for our family in more ways than one.
So with our new beginning ahead of us, I would share a new recipe for Brussel Sprout Slaw. It is excellent as a side dish, maybe serve it with some of your holiday leftovers. This recipe is for a lightly dressed slaw, the Young One likes the slaw a little saucier, so just make your own adjustments depending on how “saucy” you like it. Additionally, I sliced the brussel sprouts with a food processor using the thinnest blade for slicing.
Local Products – Brussel Sprouts, Raisins, Red Onion
Sliced Brussel Sprouts
Yum! Potato Chip Cookies 🙂
Christmas already?!? I don’t know about you, but it is too early for me to think about Christmas. But on the flip side, maybe it’s a good idea to plan ahead.
I am going to share a recipe with you from my Grandma A. We used to visit her during the summer at her home in Mesa, Arizona and she would make some treats for our arrival. One of my favorites was her Potato Chip Cookies. They resemble a shortbread cookie with a salty, crunchy surprise of a potato chip. I bring up Christmas, because every year for our holiday baking we make these Potato Chip Cookies and share them with friends and family. For me, 
biting into these cookies is just like sharing a memory, fun times and family.
To get the holiday started, so to speak, I am sharing the recipe with you and those from other blogs. Enjoy!
Luvin’ from the Oven! Or in this case the Ninja!
Earlier this year I attended the International Food Bloggers Conferences (IFBC) in Portland, Oregon. It was a fantastic event where bloggers from all over gather to network, learn new techniques and meet new friends. On Saturday of the conference, a luncheon and presentation was held by the Ninja Cooking System. What is a Ninja Cooking System you ask? Well, it is an appliance for the kitchen that can sear foods, bake and slow cook, all in ONE device! It is amazing! I have browned, slow cooked and now have tried to steam bake in it. So far, I have made soup, spaghetti sauce, carnitas and now cake! One of the perks of steam baking is that you can use 1/2 the fat in a recipe and it will still be extremely moist. Oh, I forgot to mention by attending the conference we all had the privilege of having one delivered to our home to try out. Sweet!
Showing the oven setting on the Ninja Cooking System
I used a recipe from Bob’s Red Mill called Magically Moist Almond Cake. The recipe called for a 9 x 13 pan, but I used the pan provided by Ninja for the Cooking System which is 7 x 9.5 inches. Per the recipe, the cake was to bake for 30 minutes. The insturction booklet said for steam baking add 1 cup of water for every 10 minutes of baking time. In this case, I added 3 cups of water for the 30 minute baking time. I checked the cake at 30 minutes and low & behold it was done!
Ready for the Ninja!
The adjustments I made to the recipe was to use 1/2 the fat, in this case butter, added a little almond flavoring and sprinkled some sliced almonds on top. I took a class on how to make butter last week, so I had some fresh buttermilk and replaced the milk called for in the recipe with that. I also swapped out the sugar for a natural, no calorie sweetener for dietary reasons.
Let me talk about the cake. It was utterly moist and remember, I used half of the amount of butter! It was a little crumbly, but I cut it while still warm. I would say to let the cake cool thoroughly before serving. A very light almond flavor was a lovely touch. I was very impressed with the way this cake turned out and will absolutely try this method again. This cake would be an enjoyable treat whether for dessert or with a cup of coffee in the morning. I think serving it with some fresh local fruit would be a tasty addition.
Local Notes: Buttermilk – Cindi’s Kitchen, Almonds & Butter – California
Equipment: Ninja Cooking System
