Summer Harvest

Earlier this summer we started pulling a few root vegetables and a portion of the abundant cucumber crop. We're sharing a little of the harvest joy with you.

New potatoes for oven stew or colcannon, beets for apple and beet salad (with walnuts and banana), and carrots for munching.

Beet greens (the kids were not big fans), and the ubiquitous cucumber.

Cucumbers put to good use.

The girls had a great time rolling summer squash in flour. Now where are those squash, girls?

There they are.

Fry them up. Yum!

Earlier this year we found out that radishes can be grill-roasted. Toss them with a little oil, sea salt, pepper, and minced garlic to make a tasty treat. I'd post a picture but I couldn't get the camera out before they were devoured by the kids. They ate 'em like french fries.

We're working on the fall harvest. In the meantime, go pick the nearest fruit or vegetable and post its mug here.

A New Foodie is Born

Considering the method by which this baby was announced, it is fitting to welcome the birth of little Andrew with a food post. And so, we give you his first meal. He promptly turned up his nose at it, demanding only pre-warmed organic milk! That's ok - Rachel was hungry too, so she enjoyed a chicken caesar wrap, mashed potatoes, and a brownie.

Simplest Corn Pudding

There's been a dearth of posts on these blogs as of late, though I have heard legends about a heaping mound of sausages and gallons of Kool-Aid that were consumed at the McCann clan in a matter of seconds. Would that we could have seen some photos of that carnage...

Well, it's hot and it's not the time of year where I usually try out new recipes. But I just stumbled across a recipe for "Simplest Corn Pudding," and I think I may be a sucker for anything with "simplest" in the title. True to its name, this one is incredibly easy to make, absolutely delicious, and a great way to get through a huge pile of fresh sweet corn (if you find yourself facing such a problem).

I found the recipe on nytimes.com, and you can find the full write-up here. But if you want just the recipe, here it is:

Ingredients

• 8 ears of corn, husked
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Salt
• Cayenne pepper
• Half a lime.

Method

• 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• 2. Place a box grater on a medium cast-iron pan, and finely grate each ear of corn directly into the pan. Discard the cobs.
• 3. Spread the milky corn evenly across the pan, and bake until the edges and top are golden brown and the corn milk has thickened, 20 to 30 minutes.
• 4. Remove from heat, and transfer corn and any liquid to a bowl. Add butter, and season to taste with salt, cayenne pepper, and a squeeze of lime juice. Mix well.

And here are some delicious photos.

Happy Patriotic Food Day

What could be more patriotic than a stack of buttermilk pancakes topped with maple syrup and fresh berries on the 4th of July? Maybe raspberries and blueberries would have been a little more patriotic, but the blackberries look sort of blue. And I was going to top it with a burst of whipped cream but due to some young connoisseurs in our house we ran out this morning. A dash of powdered sugar would do, but... after all this monkeying around taking pictures, I just had to eat it!

I hope you're all enjoying the day off - taking every opportunity not only to celebrate our country and the many ways we are blessed, but especially God's faithfulness to us and His sovereignty even with nations and powers.

Beef Stew for You

When we were in Muskegon to visit over Christmas, Mom made an excellent beef stew. Since then we've added this to our menu and have enjoyed it each time. We had a little trouble adapting the tapioca levels since we were using flour instead of pearls (let's just say we didn't need spoons the first time). We also decided to serve it in bread bowls, which was a hit.

So thanks, Mom, for the meal and the inspiration.

Baking =

Bonding

James stays with us almost every weekend. For the most part he's all boy. He loves sports, video games, pranks, eating, more sports, more video games...in short, we have almost nothing in common. Except for that eating part. :) We both love food - eating it, talking about it, and now making it. I try to set aside time for us to make something together each time he is with us. Usually he acts a bit impatient with how long the process takes or how many steps it involves, but he's always very proud of the finished product.

Math Lessons

I always thought I wouldn't do what mom and dad (wisely) did and turn every day moments into little lessons, but today I found myself giving a mini math lesson in the middle of making a loaf of bread. Hey, what better time to prove you really do need math? :)

An Inexpensive Activity

As a super-intelligent person, I have quickly come to a new and startling revelation...kids are expensive! But a little flour, butter and eggs make for a pretty inexpensive way to spend our Saturday morning.

Delicious Bread

I hope. Waiting for it to cool.

Happy Irish Food Day

Here's hoping your St. Patrick's day has been green and pinch-free. And if you weren't able to enjoy a special meal, you can join us virtually for Colcannon and Irish Soda Bread. There's plenty to go around.

We actually eat colcannon regularly but this was Rachel's first attempt at Irish Soda Bread. It was excellent - nothing like the dry crumbly biscuit that I made on my first attempt!

For those not in the know, colcannon is made with mashed potatoes, bacon, and cabbage sautéed in said bacon drippings. Onions can also be sautéed with the cabbage but we leave them out. Mix it all together and season with salt/pepper, then pour melted butter on top. When you serve it, feel free to add more pepper (the photo is pre-pepper).