Landscaping You Can Eat...

Photos by Jenn Ballard

I've spent the past two springs enjoying the way my herb garden has not only survived the harsh Midwest winter but has started coming back with a moxie that never ceases to impress. It may be a little out of the ordinary to landscape with herbs, but I do it for a couple of reasons. Reason number one, herbs are extremely attractive once they've gotten established (see pictures for proof). Second, they're low maintenance perennials, and who doesn't love that? Lastly, my ecofriendly, practical side tells me that if I'm going to grow something, it should be something useful...old school victory garden style. Most people in my generation don't even know what an actual victory garden is. It is not just a show on PBS. A victory garden was a vegetable or herb garden planted at a private residence or public park in the US, Britain, Canada, or Germany during either of the world wars. The idea was for people to eat more of their own food and lower the demand on foods that were in short supply due to the war. It's an interesting concept to bring back in this day and age when we use tons of gas (literally) shipping out of season fruit from California to Timbuktu because people think they need fresh strawberries in January despite being in a war, an ecological disaster, and an era of rising gas prices. If more people would grow their own foods, eat seasonally (or freeze), and buy locally, we could drastically reduce our nation's need for foreign oil without drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge...Sorry Sarah P, but it's the truth.

So what does my tiny slice of hand-pickable heaven include? This year it's English thyme, lemon thyme, sage, chives, oregano, lemon balm, lavender, and sweet woodruff as well as fresh peppermint in a flowerpot nearby. Mint is strictly a container garden species to me for reasons obvious to anyone who has ever tried to grow (or control) it. Many of my more unique additions came from the local farmers' market. The farmers' market in my area is a particularly great example of what this piece of modern Americana can be: reconnecting people with their food, their communities, and their own health. For my part, the farmers' market is an important part of my efforts to buy and cook locally, organically, and relatively inexpensively. More to the point, the farmers' market is a great source for unique herbs and heirloom vegetables.

So what can I do with all of these eatable marvels? Oregano and chives are familiar to most people. Oregano can be used fresh or dried and added to sauces or meat dishes with a slightly Italian flare. Chives are great on baked potatoes, soups, or salads. I recently added some in place of onion to my Easter deviled eggs (a southern tradition not a contradiction in terms) with great results. Thyme is a little trickier or maybe just a little less thought of. Traditional thyme is good on lamb, poultry, and venison dishes. Lemon thyme is lighter and great on fish, poultry, or shellfish. Incidentally, thyme was used in Victorian bridal bouquets to represent courage, and still makes a really attractive garnish. Sage is a pretty strong herb that is best if cooked into things like soups, stews, dips, and savory baked goods. It's rumored to improve digestion. Lemon balm is a tall, beautiful herb with a fairly strong lemon smell that is supposed to deter mosquitoes. I like planting things like lemon grass and lemon balm around the porch and front door to take advantage of this. It can also be cooked into pastries or added to teas for a lemon taste. Lavender is a really attractive plant that a lot of people like to make wreaths out of. It's used in a lot of bath products like homemade soap. You can cook with it by infusing oils. Sweet woodruff is a less common herb. It's doesn't have a taste or smell until it is picked and dried. It's apparently a key ingredient in something called May wine, but honestly, I don't know what that is. I like it because it looks great in the garden. Lastly, mint is fun to have in your garden and easy to grow. You make simple teas with it that sooth a sour stomach. You make your own mint juleps of course or candy it on desserts.

I guess that's the long and short of my garden this year. As always, I'm happy to answer questions and even more exciting to get recipes and suggestions.

References:
Tolley E and Mead C, 1985. Herbs: Gardens, Decorations, and Recipes. Clarkson N Potter, Inc Publishers.

Bremness L, 1988. The Complete Book of Herbs: A Practical Guide to Growing & Using Herbs. Viking Studio Books.

Catching Up...

I hate to say it, but I've gotten behind in writing lately. To be honest, my education has been holding me hostage, but that will soon come to an end. I hope everyone out there has been doing well (and eating well) in my absence. Today's blog is going to be short and sweet. I thought I'd just share with you a couple of things that have been going on in my kitchen lately.

First, I have discovered homemade Alfredo sauce. For those of you who already do this, I'm sure you're wondering what I have been waiting for all these years. It's so simple. You start by sauteing some garlic in a pan (add mushrooms if you like those). You use a 2:1 ratio of heavy cream and whole milk. You add 1 - 2 cups of shredded Parmesan cheese depending on the amount of liquid you used. Season this with salt, pepper, and garlic to taste. Simmer the combination on low, stirring frequently until it has reduced to the desired consistency. I don't suggest pouring this on top of your pasta the way Americans tend to do. Instead pour it in with the pasta, mix thoroughly and serve as a more homogeneous mix. I promise, you'll never even look at another bottle of Alfredo sauce in the store again! Naturally, if anyone more experienced than myself has a tip for improving on this technique, please let me know. For an interesting twist, check out the Cajun pasta recipe my hubby and I whipped up the other night:

Smokin' Dave's Cafe's Fiery Cajun Shrimp Alfredo
1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
6 tablespoons Cajun Seasoning of your choice, plus more for garnish
2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
10 ounces andouille sausage, chopped
1/2 medium onion, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
5 cloves garlic, minced
3 shakes Worcestershire sauce
1 pound linguine
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon hot chili powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, sliced
1 1/2 cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Place the shrimp and 3 tablespoons of Cajun seasoning in a large resealable plastic bag and shake.  Place the bag in the refrigerator while you prepare the sauce.  Heat a deep 3-quart skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and the andouille sausage. Saute sausage for 2 minutes, stirring often. Add onions and saute for 2 minutes. Add crushed red pepper flakes and garlic and cook 1 minute. Add Worcestershire sauce.  Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling salted water according to package instructions.  To the skillet, add cream, milk, remaining Cajun Seasoning, black pepper, chili powder, and salt. Stir to a consistent color. Add butter and stir until melted. Stir in cheese until melted. Lower heat to a simmer.  Heat the remaining olive oil in another large skillet over high heat and add the shrimp. Saute shrimp for 1 to 2 minutes per side or until they just start to turn pink. Add the shrimp and cooked, drained pasta to the first skillet. Stir to combine and blend flavors, about 1 minute.

This recipe can be found at http://www.foodnetwork.com/ because it was featured on Emeril Live. The original recipe calls for Essence of Emeril as the Cajun seasoning. There's a recipe available for making this mixture, and I think you can buy it in the store. I'm a huge fan of Emeril's, but I used a different Cajun mix that I happened to have already prepared. No offense to the Big E, but it worked just fine.

Second, I discovered that I am no longer afraid of Brussels sprouts! My husband surprised me with this tasty little vegetable the other day. He bought them fresh, cut them in half vertically (long ways) and cooked them in a pan with butter and bacon. YUM! If anyone has other recipes for my newly discovered friends, pass them this way!

I guess that's all for now. As always, please share your recipes and ideas with me. Hopefully we'll get to do some travelling soon with school coming to an end, and I'll be able to post something other than recipes.

Indian Tacos

The subject of this blog is not one that I'm terribly comfortable writing about, but it was requested that I write as much as I can. I am a member of the Osage Nation of Oklahoma, and as long as I can remember, I have wanted to know more about that part of my heritage, including its traditional foods.  I was able to spend some time working on the reservation this past summer (see August 2010 "On the Osage"), and I have been teaching myself to speak Wah-Zha-Zhi I'E (literally translated to Osage Words). I have read nearly everything I can get my hands on about the tribe, but the truth is, books can't really paint a fair picture of any culture. I wish I could say that I was one of those lucky individuals raised in the "old ways," but my family moved off the reservation with my grandmother's generation. Despite my admitted ignorance, my interest, loyalty, and respect for the Nation, and Native American culture in general, could not be more sincere. Having put myself into an appropriate context, I present the following information as a person who is primarily self-taught and certainly not an expert. I was specifically asked to write about making Indian tacos. As I said, this is a recipe that I have worked out for myself, not something handed down through the generations or anything like that.  Below is what I have learned about this particular dish, but I welcome corrections and additions from anyone who knows more.

I first tried "Indian tacos" at an intertribal powwow. They're pretty standard fare for these events, though neither powwows nor Indian tacos are what you would call "authentic" to Native American culture. That's not to say they aren't tasty or fun. The word "powwow" comes from an Algonquian word for a specific religious experience. Powwows, as most people think of them, developed around the time that tribes were moved to reservations.  On reservations, tribes were often placed in close proximity to others with whom they had not historically interacted. Some of these tribes already had dance events as part of their culture. After the moves, ceremonial songs and dances were shared and, in some cases, modified by the receiving tribes. This was the case of the Osage dances known as the "In Lon Schka." These were shared with the Osage by other tribes, and continue to be important tribal events. They are not powwows. Some say modern intertribal powwows developed because the tribes were forced to dance as a public spectacle. Others say the events were intended to solidify good relations and share culture between newly introduced neighbors. In their modern form, these dances allow a tribe or multiple tribes to come together to celebrate their heritage, special events, or to honor or raise funds for worthy causes. As fun as they can be, modern powwows can also become disrespectful when they are not organized by appropriate people with genuine intentions and knowledge.

As far as the food goes, powwows often involve a feast at one point or another and a range of concessions throughout. So called "Indian tacos" are an extremely popular concession item. They consist of a piece of Indian fry bread topped with taco meat and various condiments. The recipe I have for fry bread comes from an old Osage cook book printed in 1955 by Sylvester and Alice Tinker.

"Costue (Squaw Bread)
1 pt sour milk
1 tbs shortening
1/2 tsp soda
3 heaping tsps Baking Powder
1 tsp salt

Flour enough to make dough easily handled. Knead smooth, roll out to 1/2 inch thickness. Divide in portions equal to a medium sized biscuit, cut 2 or 3 slits in this and cook in a kettle of deep fat as doughnuts. This should make a piece about the size of a saucer."

This is probably a fairly traditional version, but there are easier ones available online. I have to admit that when I make fry bread at home, I usually use a really good mix I picked up over the summer. It's the "Authentic Fry Bread Mix" from Red Corn Native Foods out of Pawhuska, OK (http://redcorn.com/).

As far as toppings go, most taco recipes include a meat (beef, bison, or venison all work well) cooked in various ways. I've seen everything from browned with chopped onion to chili. I like to use a combination of taco and chili seasonings, onion, red beans, and a tiny bit of tomato sauce for moisture. Layer this on top of the fry bread with lettuce, diced tomato, onion, black olives, and cheddar cheese or a combination there of. I've also seen avocado, salsa, and sour cream used. I hope this gets everyone started on the road to great Indian tacos.

Let me just end by saying that the best thing about making Indian tacos is having fry bread left over for dessert...all you need is a little powdered sugar!

References:
Tinker, Sylvester and Alice, 1955. Authenticated American Indian Recipes.

More turkey than you know what to do with?

In true redneck foodie fashion, I enjoyed a deep fried turkey this Christmas. It was the first time I had been there for the whole process of frying a turkey, and let me tell you...nothing smells better than that coming out of the oil! This blog, however, is not really about the fresh turkey. It's about the leftovers. That's everyone's biggest complaint about turkey, right? Too many left overs. So here are my three best suggestions for left over turkey:

Tip #1 turkey freezes. In other words, none of these recipes have to be done immediately after the holidays. In fact, you're likely to enjoy the flavors more if you freeze the bird for a while.

Recipe #1: Turkey and Dumplin's
The quick and easy version is to put carrots and onions into chicken broth and bring it to a boil (add turkey first if raw). Reduce to a simmer and, when the vegetables are getting soft, add precooked turkey, salt, and pepper to taste. When everything has combined, cut raw biscuit dough into strips and add to broth. When the dough floats and is cooked through to the middle, it's ready to serve.

Recipe #2: Turkey Salad
This is a great one for lunches. I like to cube the precooked turkey into 1 inch pieces. Add mayo until all the pieces are well coated and there is enough extra to make it spreadable. I like to add a little bit of little olive oil to make it spreadable without being overwhelmed by mayo, but it's up to you. Next, season with salt, pepper, garlic (tiny amount and optional), and rosemary to taste. The rosemary is the key here. You don't really need much else. It is important to grind the rosemary leaves so they don't keep a course texture. Of course, this makes a really simple clean taste. I kind of like that, but it's likely too plain for regular sandwich bread. This is the sort of thing you put on left over dinner rolls, crackers or really good, fresh bakery bread (slightly toasted).

Recipe #3: Turkey Pot Pie
This is the more complicated of the three recipes, but it makes a nice big meal. Peel and cube 1-2 white potatoes and chop 1/4 of a yellow onion. Put these in a shallow corningware-style dish with a few teaspoons of water and microwave for 2-4 minutes (until soft). Add precooked turkey (chopped), frozen sweet peas, frozen carrot pieces, 1 small can of mushrooms (drained), salt, pepper, and parsley flakes. Mix in 1-2 cans of cream of chicken soup, and 1/4 to 1/2 can of chicken broth as needed for moisture. Cover with a sheet of frozen, thawed pastry dough (stretch dough from rim to rim on the dish) and bake at 400 F for 30-45 minutes (until dough is lightly browned).

Gobble, Gobble!

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas....

"What kind of Christmas music do you have?" my mom asked as we prepared the Thanksgiving Day meal.

"Let me check....[reading] Bing Crosby's White Christmas...Bing and Friends Christmas with the Andrews Sisters, Louis Armstrong, and Ella Fitzgerald...Seasons Greetings from Frank Sinatra & AMP; Bing Crosby..."

Noticing a pattern yet? It's pretty obvious and probably a bit unusual for someone in my generation to be so hooked on Bing Crosby and other greats of the jazz age. But it was this conversation that got me thinking about why my taste in Christmas music is so specific, and I came to two conclusions. The first is that Christmas is such a limited time of year that I don't see the point in buying a bunch of music for it. As a result, I only buy Christmas music I really like, and why do I like Bing Crosby so much for this time year? The answer to that one is actually pretty simple: White Christmas and Holiday Inn. For those of you who don't know, both of these are classic movies starring Bing Crosby and a host of glamorous icons from Hollywood's heyday. The soundtracks are both Irving Berlin masterpieces, the costumes are classic, and the stories are clever.

Holiday Inn was filmed in 1942 and stars Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, Marjorie Reynolds, Virginia Dale, and Walter Abel. The movie opens with Crosby, Astaire, and Dale giving their last performance as a song and dance trio. Crosby and Dale are supposed to be getting married and moving to a farm, but everyone is trying to find a way to break the news to Crosby that Dale's character has changed her mind. She's decided to stay in show business (and love) with Astaire. Finally, it's Walter Abel, playing the trio's slightly ridiculous manager, who lets the news slip. Crosby moves to the farm by himself, only to discover that he's a wash in the agricultural business. He decides to turn the farm into a inn/restaurant/theatre that is only open on holidays. After an awkward meeting, he hires Marjorie Reynolds to be the leading lady of his shows. Meanwhile, Dale's fickle character has left Astaire high and dry. Astaire shows up at the inn, drunk and looking for sympathy. He wakes up hungover and caught in another love triangle, this time with Crosby and Reynolds. In the end, the romantic problems get hashed out, and all four characters manage to find happily-ever-after by the following New Year's Eve. There are some amazing dance scenes along the way, including the awesome Fourth of July tap routine pictured below. I feel that I should warn my readers that there is one very politically incorrect song and dance routine in this film. Anyone who knows me, knows that I would be mortified to be thought culturally insensitive for recommending it. Having said that, I feel confident that this particular scene was not meant to be hateful but can be chalked up to a time period when standards were very different.

While Holiday Inn is a good year-round movie, White Christmas is a purely yule tide event. Filmed in 1954, this movie stars Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, and Vera-Ellen. It begins with Crosby (a well known musical performer turned soldier) and Kaye (no name soldier with theatrical aspirations) performing a makeshift Christmas show for their fellow soldiers and retiring commander in a World War II army camp. Kaye ends up saving Crosby's life after the show and uses the leverage to become his professional partner when they return state side. After considerable success, the two end up watching a duet of sisters (Clooney and Ellen) as a professional courtesy, only to acquire matching crushes on the girls. They use an elaborate scheme (including a random bit of drag seen to the right) to get the girls out of trouble and end up following them to an inn in Vermont. They find the inn down on its luck due to unseasonably warm weather, and its insolvent proprietor is none other than their beloved, former commander. The guys move their entire Broadway-style show to the tiny inn, incorporate their new love interests, and try to drum up business. Along the way, they encounter a few romantic misunderstandings, but everything gets worked out. And the commander's spirits are boosted just in time for an iconic Christmas Eve show/blizzard.

The story sounds charming enough, but the real thrill of this movie is the dancing. Danny Kaye and Vera-Ellen break the ice with one of my favorite duets of all time. Kaye is best remembered as a funnyman, but that's only because he lived in the age of Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. He was a decently talented dancer in his own right, but you might have to watch the movie twice before you notice. That's not due to a lack of skill on his part, but who can take their eyes off of Vera-Ellen?? As the actors prepare for the big show, you'll also witness two of the greatest tap performances set to film and a very nice example of modern dance (the "Choreography Number" and the "Abraham Number"). Anyone with a background in theater will appreciate these, but I think everyone will appreciate the Christmas cheer.

So, I'll be the first to admit that my taste in Christmas movies isn't exactly National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (a favorite of my hubby) or Dirty Santa. Mine is a little old fashioned, but then again, Christmas is a good time for that sort of thing. If you haven't seen these movies for yourself (and you like musicals or classic movies in general), I recommend you give them a try.

Merry Christmas!!!