My Box Garden

Pumpkin Spice

For everyone that loves the warm spices of fall.....here is my favorite blend for your fall and holiday baking.

This versatile blend is flavor packed and can be used in pies, cakes, muffins, lattes, or anywhere cinnamon is called for.

  Don't be fooled by those Pumpkin spice "flavored" substitutes! 

       Way too many of these are chemical mimics!

  Start with good quality spices, fresh is best, if the stuff in your spice rack is more than two years old get rid of it and buy new!

• 4 Tablespoons Cinnamon
• 4 teaspoons ginger 
• 4 teaspoons nutmeg
• 4 teaspoons allspice
• 2 teaspoons clove
• 2 teaspoons mace
• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom 

 Mix it all up in a small bowl and store in a airtight container.

Pumpkin spice waffles

Fall is here may as well enjoy the colors and flavors of the season!

Thanks for checking in and enjoy!

Potato Chips make me happy!

Sometimes after making things at home I wonder why I ever bothered with store bought!?!?
  My recent epiphany is in the Potato Chip department.

 Simple Russet potatoes, thinly sliced on a mandoline, soaked in cold water, then well drained and dried with paper towels.

 Deep fried in canola oil until golden brown, then seasoned with a lovely smoked seasoning blend!

 Look how happy I am!
Sometimes it's the simple things in life!

Some like it HOT!

This year's peppers are exceptional and abundant.

 A little cold smoke using sweet fruit woods and the magic of preservation begins.

 Some we made into a smoked hot sauce and canned.

Others went into the dehydrator for 12 to 24 hours.

We like to pack the dried peppers in mason jars for storage.

These are red jalapenos done into chipotles 

Going to enjoy the bounty of the harvest all winter!

valentines 2014

Adventures in candy

Just a quick post on my adventure in making some handmade Marshmallows today using Alton Browns recipe. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/homemade-marshmallows-recipe/index.html
Defiantly not a simple recipe but did turn out to be easier than I thought it would be!

 I used the pulp of one Vanilla bean instead of the vanilla extract, it gave me little flecks of vanilla throughout the finished marshmallows, which I liked!

Make sure your spatula is well sprayed with a pan spray before scooping the marshmallow mixture from the mixing bowl, it made it easier to spread into the prepped pan, work fairly quickly as it didn't take long for the mixture to start to set up...I used a 9 x 13 foil pan.

After 4 hours I flipped them out onto dusted foil and used a pizza cutter to cut them into pieces dusting after each cut.

After tasting these wondrous fluffy little bites, I know that Ive been fooled for all these years by those bagged cloyingly sweet globs that are known as Marshmallows, and will most likely never buy another bag of them again.

The recipe made a nice pile of marshmallows (40 to 50 pieces) and I noticed that the next day the vanilla flavor was much more pronounced!

Only a few spots left!

Here is the link Valentine’s Dinner at the Lamoni Community Center | Lamoni IA

Valentines Dinner 2013

Valentine Menu

5 Courses

$20.00 per person

Chefs TC and Robert Johnson

will be offering this wonderful

five course Gourmet dinner at the

Lamoni Community Center on

Thursday February 14 at 6:30 p.m.

By Reservation Only call today!

641-784-6742 or 641-344-7420

Appetizer

Focaccia Antipasto

Handcrafted Focaccia bread with Charcuterie

and Artisan Cheese

Soup

Spice Roasted Peach With Creme Fresh

Salad

Classic Caesar

Main Entree choice of

Pan Seared Center Cut Pork chop

Or

Meltaway Sirloin Pot Roast

both served with

Homemade Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Vegetables

Dessert

Fresh Lemon Cheesecake with Brandy Marinated Strawberries

Larkburger = Tasty

On a recent trip through Colorado a long time friend recommended we eat at "Larkburger" a small burger spot near Coors Field in Downtown Denver.
 A very busy Downtown Denver made parking a bit of a challenge but we found a spot about 4 blocks away and walked back to the small mid-block building.
   The "feel" of the place was good right off the bat, people in the small seating area looked happy and were devouring their orders, this is always a good sign.
   We waited in a short line to order and were greeted with a smile and welcome by the counter person, she was helpful and well versed with the menu, after helping us with our choices she thanked us for choosing to eat there.
    With tray in hand we headed to a table to wait on our food, a short nine minutes later our food was at our table, we were thanked again for choosing Larkburger.

My wife had the Larkburger namesake 

and I had the Truffleburger   


 To accompany the burgers we of course had fries!
My wife had their house fries with are thin cut and seasoned simply with sea salt!


 I had the Truffle Parmesan version.



   

First off the burgers were cooked exactly the way we asked, mine a perfect mid-rare...my wife's spot on well done, the toppings were fresh and delicious including the truffle aioli on mine which was spectacular!

 The fries were just as tasty as the burgers, fresh, crispy, and perfectly seasoned, once again hitting a home run with the truffle parmesan version!

The long and short of it is if your in Boulder or Denver make sure you get into Larkburger and give them a try!

 

Vanilla Bean Mousse and Fresh Fruit

What a perfect trio of flavor in this luscious dessert abundant with Vanilla and soft spice!

The Mousse was flavored with Vanilla Beans from Uganda.....deeply Vanilla and creamy.

Fresh Peaches marinated in a reduction of Peach Schnapps and kissed with a touch of Vietnamese Cinnamon and Fresh Strawberries infused with vanilla/brandy extract are the crowning jewels on the Mousse.

As if that was not enough......all of this deliciousness is housed in a crispy tortilla bowl that is dusted with sugar and Cinnamon and brings a delightful crunch to the party!

Run for cover! Those are no ordinary shrimp!

Yahoo! News

Just Harvested another three pounds of lovely Oyster Mushrooms that were grown on used coffee grounds!
these first three pictures are from the second flush on a block that's already produced around six pounds of these tender delicious Mushrooms.

 The next three pictures are these palm size Oysters and a cluster that were harvested from the first flush.

The next several pictures are various stages of the first flush!

I have not only had fun learning about the growing of Oyster Mushrooms, but also enjoyed the whole process of seeing them grow, then..........best of all..........eating the final product!

Smart shopping

Food Fraud: 8 Hoaxes To Look Out For At The Grocery Store - The Huffington Post- via smartmoney

Remember "Magic" Cookie Bar's

Thinking back on some quick treats from years past, "Magic" cookie bars came to mind, so I put together a version of them with what I had in my pantry.

Heat oven to 350

Crust layer
1 sleeve of regular Graham Crackers [crushed]
2 Tbsp soft butter or marg.
2 Tbsp Granulated Sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp Cinnamon
large pinch ground Mace

 mix crust ingredients together and press into a 9x13 pan

Filling and Topping Layer
1 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
1 10oz. package of chocolate chips [I used 60% bittersweet]
1 cup Butterscotch chips
2 cups Coconut [the sweet shredded one]
1 cup finely chopped Pecans
1 can sweetened condensed Milk

the peanut butter I put into a freezer bag with the corner cut out and squeezed it out evenly over the crust layer.

Then evenly distributed first the chocolate and butterscotch chips, then the coconut, followed by the pecans.

drizzle the can of sweetened condensed milk over the whole thing.

bake for 14 min

cool!
cut!
enjoy!

Lemon Crumb Cheesecake with Vanilla infused brandied Strawberries

Lemon Crumb Cheesecake with Vanilla Infused Brandy Marinated Strawberries.
 From the Toasted Shortbread Cookie Crust and topping, to the smooth and creamy Lemon Cheesecake filling, then touched off with luscious Vanilla infused Brandy marinated Strawberries!