Carrie Fehr

Kitchen Garden Food

Category: Food

October 13, 2012

Butternut Squash Muffins

When the first brisk, cool days of autumn come calling, I head to the kitchen with thoughts of squash and spice. Butternut Squash Muffins are a great way to bring out the best of the season.

The bright orange flesh of butternut squash, with its thin rind, makes it easy to peel, plus it’s filled with fiber and nutrients that will make your hair shine and skin glow.

Butternut Squash Muffins are full of fall flavor, and have an irresistible soft moist crumb, with a sprinkling of pumpkin seeds that adds a nice crunch.  These cake-like delights are habit-forming, so be forewarned!  Click here for the recipe.

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October 12, 2012

Puffy Pancake

Photo Puffy Pancake RecipeIt’s amazing how the magic of a hot oven, can turn a few simple ingredients– flour, butter, eggs, honey, and milk– into an impressive egg puffy cloud of custard-like deliciousness, that oozes sticky gooey caramel, with so little effort.  Set sizzling hot from skillet to table, Puffy Pancake is a defining treasure in my family, where it makes Sunday morning breakfast feel like a special event.

Puffy Pancake

Ingredients:

3 eggs

2 cups milk, I use 1%

1/4 cup honey

3/4 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

3  tablespoons butter

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk eggs and milk together.

Whisk in honey, flour, salt, and vanilla until smooth.

Melt butter in a 9-inch iron skillet until it sizzles.  Pour the batter into the pan while it is hot.

Set it into the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.  Serve with fresh berries, stone fruits, or compote.

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October 6, 2012

Pear Compote with Chai Spice Cookie

This dish captures the flavors we love about fall, sweet juicy pears, notes of ginger, and honey, complimented by an aromatic chai spice cookie.  It is the perfect antidote for warming up a cold night.

Pear compote not only keeps well in the refrigerator, but it’s also a dessert that is good for your body and has a multitude of health benefits.

Top it over pancakes or oatmeal, or layer it with yogurt and granola for an afternoon energy boosting treat.

A special blend of cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, and white pepper, along with tiny flecks of crystallized ginger is what gives these soft and chewy, chai spice cookies their unique taste.  Combined with pear compote, this autumn favorite is a great way to celebrate the season.

Give it a try!  Click here for the Pear Compote recipe, and here for the Chai Spice Cookie recipe.

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September 30, 2012

Caramelized Onion Tart

Fresh sliced onions, slowly cooked, turn into a brilliant concentrated, sweet jam that is a flavor bomb you can slather over everything, or drop by the spoonful into a sauce, or layer in a flaky pastry shell with a light custard, and bake until golden delicious.

There is nothing like a warm caramelized onion tart to send you to the French countryside, and though it’s not France, it sure tastes like it.  Click here for the recipe.

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September 22, 2012

Salty Maple Oatmeal Cookies

Sweet, salty, and crunchy, these oatmeal cookies are over the top, and very addictive.  Although they contain no butter, eggs, or sugar, the flavor combination of whole oats, maple syrup, and flecks of salt, makes them melt in your mouth, delicious.  Try these for yourself, click here for the recipe.

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September 13, 2012

Honey Chamomile Cupcake

Light and fragrant, this honey chamomile cupcake gets its distinctive flavor thanks to a tea infusion that is enhanced even more with a cloud of honey whipped cream. Adorned with jewel-like edible flowers, it is — simply divine.  The taste is as refined as its natural beauty.  Enjoy this cupcake recipe as an extra special treat to yourself, or for your friends and family.  Click here for the recipe. 

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September 9, 2012

Tomato Confit

Confit sounds fancy, but don’t let the word fool you, its origin is quite humble, pronounced con-fee, it comes from the French verb confire, which means to preserve.  Confit, one of the oldest methods of preserving food before refrigeration, is a process of slow cooking fruits, vegetables, or more commonly, meat.

When summer is at the height of the tomato harvest, confit is a wonderful way to capture the taste and essence of this late season fruit before it disappears.  Tomato Confit has an intense concentrated flavor that is sweet like jam and smooth as velvet, it’s so tasty you want to slather it over anything and everything, trust me.  One of my absolute favorite ways to enjoy tomato confit, is to simply spread it on crostini and top it with some fresh chopped basil.  So good!  Click here for recipe.

Full of nutrients too, tomatoes are truly a gift of health that your body will appreciate and thank you for later.  So what’s not to love?  Why not give this easy to prepare Tomato Confit Crostini recipe a try!

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September 3, 2012

Grilled Romaine Lettuce

The first time I tasted grilled romaine lettuce was at an Indian restaurant, where it arrived on the table sizzling hot with tandoori-spiced chicken, and a refreshing yogurt sauce, as an appetizer.  So simple and satisfying, grilled romaine lettuce soon became part of my menu repertoire for healthy quick eats.  Enjoy it like a wrap or in a salad, as a side dish with Parmesan, or straight from the grill with a little lemon juice, and a pinch of salt, the possibilities are limited only by your imagination.  Click here for the recipe.

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August 30, 2012

Confetti Spaghetti

Bold colorful peppers and vine-ripened tomatoes always welcome me back to the kitchen classroom in the late summer, where I teach elementary school children how to cook real food inspired by the garden.

We kick off the season with the recipe, Confetti Spaghetti, highlighting the harvest’s bounty of bright jewel tones that look like the fireworks sky on the Fourth of July– a party on a plate that tastes like a celebration in your mouth.

And, oh so healthy too, these vibrant colored fruits and vegetables have a generous infusion of beneficial vitamins and minerals that nourish both the mind and body.

It’s no wonder that students eagerly swarm like bees to honey, to the cooking lesson. Excited fingers slice, dice, and roll fresh leaves of basil into cylinders that are thinly cut into a chiffonade.  This early hands-on nutrition lesson is not only fun and engaging for children, but will have a positive impact on the choices they make about food for many years into the future.

Confetti Spaghetti is one of the most versatile recipes you can have in your repertoire.  Feel free to choose your favorite seasonal vegetables, red, orange, even purple, and experiment with different flavors and textures or whatever is available to you.  Click here for the Confetti Spaghetti recipe.

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August 24, 2012

Zucchini Cupcake with Cream Cheese Swirl

Baking from the garden is a wonderful way to use up the generous supply of  zucchini that is so easy to grow.  With the cream cheese swirl, this cupcake is fancy enough to serve for company, or indulge in all by yourself for an afternoon treat, midnight snack, or whatever— you don’t need an excuse to enjoy it any time of the day.   Click here for the recipe.

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