Batter-Splattered

a farmer's market exchange

I hopped on Siri's band wagon and joined her Second Annual Farmer's Market Exchange, and then promptly got matched up with her sister in Minneapolis.

What to send, what to send. Well, we're famous for our humongous cabbages here but there's probably some sort of lame rules and regulations, not to mention weight restrictions, against shipping a 127-pounder so here's what I sent Ingrid instead:

Everyone who visits our state buys an ulu. And if you didn't buy one, you were never really here.

I especially like the 'exotic wood handle' on this one and I think I might have to go back and get one of my own.

Also in the box was a bag of sour cream and onion chips made from locally grown potatoes. Locally roasted coffee -- this kind's charmingly called The Outhouse Blend. And a sticker advertising locally grown agriculture.

I also got her a nice-looking chopping bowl block to go along with her new ulu.

And I think there might have been a chocolate bar in there too?

Ingrid, if those chips show up as a big ball of crumbs, I'll refer you to the Chips 'n Fish recipe on page 25 of my new favorite cookbook. According to the authors, crushed potato chips make an exceptionally crunchy, golden crust for fish.  

jenny's kentucky bourbon balls

I hope Jenny will forgive me for stealing her recipe for the cookie exchange. They sounded so good I had to make some pronto and I sent a baker's dozen to my partner. What attracted me -- besides the bourbon -- and the chocolate -- was the fact that they're supposed to get better with age.

I was stressing out over which cookies to mail because I have no idea which of my favorite cookie recipes stand the test of time as far as making it thru the mail during the holidays and still being edible upon arrival. Frankly, I'm not even sure how my cookies taste two days after I bake them because the husband and I snarfle them down so quickly.

Plus, this way, if Merriam in Toronto hates them, I can't point my chocolate-stained finger at Jenny.

I had to think long and hard about how to make brown balls look good in a photo.

But as it turns out, chocolatey bourbon balls are naturally photogenic. Especially when taken where all my photos have been snapped lately because it's the only place to capture what little natural daylight we have right now -- on the front porch rail with a fresh dusting of snow.

You can roll these in cocoa powder, like I did, or you can roll them in powdered sugar. I kinda wish I'd rolled some in sugar because I think they would have turned out looking something like this:

Thanks for the recipe, Jenny!
  

Jenny's Kentucky Bourbon Balls

1 box Nilla Wafers, crushed
1 c powdered sugar
1 1/2 c chopped pecans
3 T cocoa -- I just used regular old Hershey's cocoa powder but next time I make these I'll try something fancier.
5 T Light Corn Syrup
1/3-1/2 c kentucky bourbon

Makes several dozen.  Mix all ingredients together to make a very very sticky dough.  Form into balls and roll in more powdered sugar or cocoa. Store in a container lightly covered with wax paper.  The longer these age the more mellow the flavor. Roll in more powdered sugar or cocoa if necessary before serving.

Announcing the hai-cookie exchange

{white chip chocolate cookies - recipe here}

I wasn't planning on doing the cookie exchange again this year - I thought last year's exchange would have slipped your minds by now. But I keep getting one request after another in my inbox so let's do it. If you want to exchange a dozen or so cookies with someone across the country or across the globe, send me an email with your name and address to battersplattered at hotmail dot com by Friday and I will match you up next weekend. If you'd rather save on postage and only ship within the U.S., let me know. If you're ok with shipping overseas, I'll be sure to match you up with someone in another country so you'll get supercool mail in return. It'll be just like -- well -- Christmas.

And to spice things up (get it? cookies? spiced? snort.), I think you ought to include a handwritten haiku on the topic of...  let's say... cookies, christmas, spiked eggnog, or unpleasant family members. If you're rusty on the particulars of haiku writing, just remember 5 syllables - 7 syllables - 5 syllables.

Here's my off-the-cuff haiku on the topic of jingle bells:

Jingle jingle jing

Gle jingle jingle jingle

Jingle jingle jing.

But I expect much better from you. Or hmmmmm. I don't invite unpleasant relatives to my Christmas revelries but if I did, my haiku would go something like this:

Aunt Henrietta

Is a real pain in the ass.

Shut her up with pie.

Once you get that box in the mail, send me an email letting me know what you baked and wrote and I will sum up all that beautiful baking and poetry in a post that promises to be a hoot. You can include recipes if  you'd like but not if it's Aunt Henrietta's top-secret family heirloom -- you don't wanna make that bitch mad.

steaks and pizzas

I had the biggest, fattest, juiciest, tastiest rib eye steak last night. Just thought you should know.

What you should also know is that if you're planning a party, I can point you in the direction of a fun and delicious party food idea: mini pizzas. Just have a raft of already-chopped ingredients spread out on the counter and let people go to town building their own little pizzas. Then cook them up on pizza stones in the oven. Your guests are guaranteed to be happy.

The only down-side is that it is rather time-consuming to supervise all the cooking -- putting the pizzas into the oven, making sure they come out on time, etc. But if you're like me and don't particularly care for standing around chit-chatting at parties, this is just the job for you.

Here's a list of ingredient possibilities. I had these at the ready last weekend for a pumpkin-carving party at my house and I had TONS of leftover ingredients but not to worry -- they make excellent quiches and frittatas too, not to mention quick and easy salads.

Marinara sauce

Alfredo sauce

Ranch dressing

Bbq sauce

Fresh basil

Fresh oregano

Fresh sage

Fresh thyme

Bacon -- cooked and crumbled

Shredded mozzarella

Hunk of parmesan

Shredded italian blend cheeses

Shredded mexican blend cheeses

Feta

Goat cheese

Tomatoes -- sliced & diced

Bell peppers - all collors, diced

Pepperoni

Sliced ham or Canadian bacon

Italian sausage

Mushrooms, sliced

Garlic - roast a couple of heads, also mince some & cook a little

Pineapple chunks

Green onions

Red onions, some diced, some caramelized

Yellow onion, diced & cooked a little

Zucchini, diced or sliced

Spinach

Corn

Artichoke hearts

Sundried tomatoes

Roasted red bell peppers
 
Chicken breast, cooked and diced

Kalamata olives

Sausage

Black beans

Corn & wild rice soup with sausage

 

Awhile back, I participated in a Farmer's Market Exchange hosted by Siri, and she matched me up with her childhood friend Britta (I mean, would you look at those travels?). She taught Siri how to blow a bubble when they were little -- how cute is that?

Ordinarily, I'd rather give than receive in all things gift-giving, but boy did I ever luck out with this deal. Britta lives in Minnesota and spent her summer working at a CSA farm and the box she sent me was packed with good stuff. Local honey and syrup, wild rice, just to name a few things.

I used the rice the other night, finally, along with a few lonely ears of corn sitting boredly in the refrigerator drawer. I'd already eaten quite a few of their breathren soaked in garlic butter, wrapped in foil, and roasted on the grill. 

That was (very very) good but I was in the mood for something different and discovered this recipe to use up the remaining ears as well as some of that beautiful-looking rice. It did not disappoint.

Corn and Wild Rice Soup with Sausage

Serves four

6 cups low-salt chicken broth

3/4 cups wild rice (about 7 1/2 ounces)

3 cups frozen corn kernels (thawed) or fresh corn sliced off the cob 

1 T olive oil

5 ounces fully cooked smoked sausage (such as kielbasa), cut into 1/2-inch cubes

2 carrots, peeled, diced

1 medium onion, chopped

3/4 cups half and half

Bring 2 1/2 cups broth to simmer in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add wild rice and simmer until all liquid evaporates and rice is almost tender, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, blend 2 cups corn and 3/4 cups chicken broth in processor until thick, almost smooth puree forms. Heat vegetable oil in heavy large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add sausage and sauté until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add carrots and onions and stir 3 minutes. Add remaining 3 cups chicken broth and bring soup to simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer soup 15 minutes.

Add cooked wild rice, corn puree and remaining corn to soup. Cook until wild rice is very tender and flavors blend, about 15 minutes longer. Mix in half and half. Thin soup with more chicken broth, if desired. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. (Soup can be prepared 2 days ahead. Refrigerate until cold; cover and keep refrigerated. Rewarm soup over medium-low heat before continuing.) 

farmer's market exchange

 

a roadside sign in western Washington advertising one of the local delicacies.

Well, Siri in Norway writes one of my favorite blogs, Transplanted Baker, and unfortunately it's currently down for the count. Blogger ate it! Damn you, Blogger, damn you to hell. Because she's mum at the moment, I thought I'd give a shout out to the fact that she's still collecting people to participate in her brilliant idea of a farmer's market exchange. People across the globe will exchange local stuff of the sort you'd find at your favorite farmers market. Fruits and veggies, if you think they'll ship well, non-perishables if those will do better in the hands of our postal carriers, handicrafts, jams, jellies, etc.  

 

a sign here in Alaska advertising one of our favorite local delicacies

Siri loves her a farmers market. If you do too, and if you want to share that love with a lucky recipient, just send her an email at siri at bentare dot no. Include your name, address, email, and blog if you have one. I don't think I'm forgetting any pertinent details but if I am, perhaps Siri could leave a comment.

Oh and don't worry, she's working on a new incarnation of Transplanted Baker and hopes to have it up and running as soon as she gets settled in her first house!