Grilled Pizza

After my swordfish success I decided to make grilled pizza.  I went with a Cooks Illustrated recipe because I like detailed directions that when followed to the letter produce delicious results without fail.  Unfortunately that also means that the recipe takes a long time and produces a dishwasher full of dishes (if the dishes are actually dishwasher safe).

This is not a weeknight recipe. I needed to bring the card table out for all of the necessary items and ingredients to grill the pizzas.

We had lots of tomatoes from Cleverly Farms and John's Mom, so I used them along with Fontina, Parmesan, and basil.

 Hot Toddy and Ivy were able to join us for dinner, which is good because the recipe makes four pizzas.  Those pizzas are supposed to feed 6-8 people....

...but we found that a pizza a person was a more appropriate size.

Grilled pizza may have ended up being more work than I expected, but I'll probably try them again. They turned out great for my second attempt at grilling. I look forward to cooking something new on the grill soon.

Winter Squash Taste Test

There aren't many choices when it comes to local produce in Iowa in the winter. The exception to that is winter squash. John and I are both fans of butternut squash. I am less of a fan of acorn squash, but with enough butter and brown sugar I find it unoffensive. Spaghetti squash is OK, but not something I would choose to make.

I knew there were more varieties of winter squash than you find in the grocery store aisles, but I knew nothing about them. I decided to take advantage of the second to last farmers' market and check out some squash. For just three dollars we were able to do an heirloom winter squash taste test.

First up - the delicata.

It has a lot of seeds, which I scraped out.

Next up -Perhaps a Red Kuri squash? I'm not sure of the name on this one. I don't remember what the nice people from Coyote Run said it was, but I don't think it was Red Kuri. I just googled winter squash and after about six pages Red Krui was the one that looked the most like this.

Regardless of the name, it was really easy to clean. I like that.

Last up - Turban Squash

This one looked the coolest, but was the most difficult to clean.

Once cleaned I put them all in a baking dish and put a bit of butter and brown sugar in each half. I decided to dress them the way my Mom does. You really can't go wrong with cooking like my Mom.

The house smelled amazing while these baked. I cooked them at 350 for about an hour. I started to check them for tenderness after 30 minutes.

In the end, I cleaned my plate and expanded my taste horizons. John didn't like any of them, so I would say if you hate acorn squash and don't love butternut squash you might want to pass on them.

The delicata was delicious. It tasted like a cross between a sweet potato and a butternut squash.....but better. I bought five at the last market and hope to find them at the winter market in a few weeks. I have one for dinner once a week.

The Red Kuri squash was also good. It tasted like a butternut squash. I would buy it again if delicata wasn't available. I like that it is a personal sized squash. I can have a squash, John can have a tuna melt, and we're both happy.

The Turban squash tasted like an acorn squash. I ate my half, but John gave up. I wouldn't buy this kind again as it would take far too much butter and brown sugar for it to be tasty enough for me to eat.

What is your favorite winter squash? How do you prepare it?

Year In Pictures:Week 6

35:365 Party Time

On Friday I neglected to take a photo of anything other than the party.

36:365 Donuts

I'm really going to miss the donuts at the market.

37:365 Garden

I finally pulled out the herbs from my front garden. I am not looking forward to buying basil until May.

38:365 This American Life Junkie

One of my favorite programs on NPR is This American Life. On Monday I went to see Sarah Vowell, one of my favorite authors and a This American Life contributor speak. A few weeks ago I went to hear David Sedaris, also one of my favorite authors and a This American Life Contributor speak. It's a good time in Des Moines to be a radio nerd.

39:365 Vote

I may not be happy with the results of the election, but I am happy that I don't have to watch political ads for a year.

40:365 Feed the Barm

I keep a sourdough starter in the refrigerator. I don't make sourdoughs very often, so when I do I need to refresh the barm so that is fresh and ready to go. It looks very gross when I pull it out of the fridge.

41:365 Drugs

On Thursday I finally went to the doctor for my neck. Coincidently, on Thursday night I discovered that muscle relaxers make me a zombie.

Goodbye Farmer's Market

Saturday was the last Downtown Farmer's Market of the year. John and I both stocked up on groceries, but we were really there to get our favorite market food for the last time.

Our first stop was the apple cider donut stand for a sugar fix. I'm usually not a big donut fan, but these have such a great flavor I had one every time I was at the market this summer.

After picking up some vegetables we stopped at the papusa stand. I had a bean and cheese papusa and John had a pork papusa. I may have to try making them this winter, as I cannot imagine going six months without one.

After we finished breakfast #2 we stopped by the Blue Gate Farm stand so I could smoosh the hand-spun yarn one more time.

At the Maytag booth I decided to bite the bullet and get the cheese wheel. I eat blue cheese on my salads (and on flat bread with honey when my sisters are around). Maytag is much cheaper at the market than the grocery store, so I decided stocking my freezer was the right thing to do.

There are two indoor winter markets (the weekend before Thanksgiving and the weekend before Christmas). I will be at both of the markets. I'm also joining the Iowa Food Coop so I'll be able to eat local while supporting small farmers year round. Both the coop and indoor markets will help, but I'm still counting down the days until the 2011 Downtown Farmer's Market season begins.

Farmer's Market Finds

This morning John & I headed to the Downtown Farmer's Market. There is a lot of local produce available at the stands now, and I was excited to stock up. I picked up a chicken, peaches, sage and tomatoes.

I got the tomatoes at an organic heirloom tomato stand. They had varieties I had never seen before, including these teeny tiny currant sized tomatoes. They explode with tomato flavor. I'll be snacking on them all day.

After we stocked up on produce (John got a yellow cucumber that I should have taken a picture of) I was drawn to some garden art. It's my second garden art purchase of the year, and I fear I am descending into gazing ball and whirligig territory.

I'm headed to Market Day later. I'm hoping to find some cute jewelry and a bag for my camera. If I find anything good I'll let you know.

Farmer's Market

Today I slept in and met Amanda at the Farmer's Market at 10. It was packed. I took a picture to remind myself why it's worth getting up early to arrive at 7.

The Return of the Downtown Farmer's Market

Today was the first day of the 2010 Farmer's Market season. I have been counting down the days for the market since January. At 7 this morning John & I were in the car headed downtown to get our Farmer's Market on.

John has been telling everyone that he was not looking forward to getting up early on a Saturday for the Farmer's Market. I don't believe him. Everyone loves the Farmer's Market - especially after a stop at Java Joe's for a cup of coffee.

There are a lot of local veggies at the market already. Onions, asparagus, spinach, and lettuce are all in. I plan to buy most of my veggies at farmer's markets this year. I picked up some asparagus and plan to sauté it in a little bit of soy sauce and olive oil for lunch tomorrow.

After picking up hot dogs, sausage, and bacon (oh, how I have missed buying directly from Cleverly Farms) we headed on to pick up some breakfast. It was at breakfast where I discovered my new farmer's market love - Gooners. Gooners are crab rangoons, but instead of crab there is another tasty treat. they have bacon and jalapeño, cherry, and my personal favorite - peanut butter. Its like fried, crunchy peanut butter frosting that is dipped in strawberry jam. I don't care how far I have to run to burn these off - I will be having them every week they are at the market.

I am so glad the market is open again. It is the highlight of my weekend May-October. We're celebrating the opening of the market by grilling hotdogs (for me), and hamburgers topped with chipotle goat cheese (for John - the goat cheese was one of his purchases).