Kitchen Jam

Pork ribs with pesto and cherry tomatoes

Although it’s not strictly canning and preserving, I’ve decided to formally participate in this winter’s Dark Days Challenge, preparing at least one meal each week that is sustainable, organic, local and ethical. Sounds simple, right? Well – yes and no.

Because Siberacuse and its immediate environs aren’t exactly a hotbed of produce after harvest turns to solstice, and in consideration of the dietary restrictions I deal with because of cancer treatment, my “local” area will range from 150-200 miles. I can stick to sustainable, and to organic. As for ethical – well, ethos is a very personal thing. I’m not sure if it’s more ethical to support a local business that imports some of its stuff from outside the 200-mile limit, or more ethical to toe the line and use only within-boundaries items that are produced ethically. After all, the local businesses are struggling, too. I’m still working that ethical part out in my head.

To be honest, I don’t know if I can be fully DDC compliant, even for one meal. But I like the idea of trying.

Tonight’s dinner was pretty close to DDC compliant (I think) – boneless country pork ribs braised in olive oil (exempt), some of Albion, NY’s Intergrow hydroponically grown tomatoes and frozen pesto I made this September from the last of the farmer’s market locally grown organic basil. Yes, the Pecorino Romano cheese in the pesto came from Italy – but it’s less than 10% of the pesto recipe, which is less than 5% of the braise. The cheese is sold at the Mediterranean Deli at CNY Regional Market Shoppes, so its use supports a local business (do I get points for that?). And since pine nuts were so expensive and then went into recall at that time, I roasted local squash seeds and used them instead.

I suppose I should get myself a badge. Meanwhile, check out Not Dabbling in Normal every week for recaps of other Dark Days Challenge meals from around the country.

Image of Jorge Ordoñez via Snooth

My friend Az, who gives amazing Tapas Tours in her adopted city of Sevilla, Spain and writes an engaging blog called Casa Az discovered this Vinquiz on the Borracha wine site. It promises to pick your wine personality, and then you can buy those bottles if you like.

No registration, no fuss, no obligation – and a fun peek at new kind(s) of wines you might like. Just click the “Vin Quiz” logo on the website and answer the “Are you 21?” question with the right answer.

My wine personality came up the Muscato Bottani, Spain, 2009, a very dry white. Guess I’ll have to hunt that one up at my next visit to the local wine shop. The description:

Read the rest of this entry »

Syracuse NY skyline - Photo by Gizzak

Over the winter, while the jammin’ season has been a little slow, I began writing a dog training column for the Syracuse edition of Examiner.com. That column’s readership has been growing, and I did a few restaurant articles to share some of my favorite affordable restaurants with out-of-town show and trial exhibitors. Those articles were so much fun that I decided to apply for the Syracuse Food Examiner column, which launched on May 15.

So (shameless plug alert) c’mon over and visit me at Syracuse Food, where I share local food news and the special food finds I discover (or re-discover) in central New York. I get paid for traffic – so click early and click often.

In mid-February, Wendy over at The Local Cook gifted me with “The Beautiful Blog” Award. I have to admit – I’m still new enough at writing online that stuff like this makes me feel pretty amazing. Yeah, I get a little Sally Field – I’m still hearing echoes of ‘you like me, you really like me’ in my head and it’s been almost two weeks. So, thank you, Wendy; I really do appreciate it!

When you’re named a Beautiful Blogger, you need to tell your readers seven interesting things they may not know about you. Then, to share the good feelings, recipients point their readers to seven other bloggers whose work they appreciate. Read the rest of this entry »

Lemon Chipotle Chicken

After coming up with Chipotle Carrot-Apple Butter for Tigress’s February CanJam, I had a few leftovers – a couple carrots, an extra lemon and of course, a whole can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. Before I pureed the rest of the chipotle peppers, I decided to do a little improv on my basic Skillet Chicken. And there was this lonely carrot that kept saying “C’mon, give me a shot!” And I had a lemon that I needed to use. Read the rest of this entry »