I had a delicious dessert tonight at Ray's in downtown Kent...in a jar! Warm cake with lemon cream and raspberry jam can only taste better in a mason jar with a long spoon. Fact.
I can't wait to copy this dessert! A box of small mason jars were left in our basement when we bought the house so it's even eco-chic. I'm looking forward to sharing my results with you!
The theme of today's trip to the Kent Winter Farmers Market is cheese. Seriously. Cheese and lots of it. My heart and belly are happy! Here are a few photos of my trip...
Here is the warm welcome that you will receive at the Lucky Penny Creamery...
[/caption]This sign sums up why I buy local. Less harm to the earth AND it tastes better!
The text reads:
Facts about buying Local: On average, food spends 7-14 days in transit, spending 1,300 miles from farm to table. Locally grown fruits and veggies are usually sold within 24 hours of being harvested. Local farmers offer food based on taste and freshness - not shelf life or shipping.
And then the goodies...
[/caption]The ricotta salata was from the Lucky Penny Creamery booth but I'm not sure if they made it...it was missing the LP tag. The raw milk cheddar and lemon zest cheese came from Meadow Maid. The vendor told me that Meadow Maid is from a 7th generation family farm with 100% grass-fed cows. I just read about how delicious raw milk cheddar is so it seemed like fate. Oh, and it is very delicious.
Kent Winter Farmers Market also has a book swap. I think it's a cookbook swap but there were a few non-cookbooks too. I brought two cookbooks to swap but only saw one thing that I wanted was a Wine Enthusiast's magazine with the greatest champagnes to celebrate with cover story. The only thing I love more than cheese is champagne!
This farmer's market keeps getting better with every trip. There are so many great vendors, including a woman who makes homemade laundry soap! I meant to buy some and then got distracted by the cheese...oops! sorry!
I will be dreaming about Spring all day now...Enjoy your weekend!
One of my biggest weaknesses is pop, specifically Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi. I LOVE pop. I always joke that a fountain pop can get you through anything. At my previous job, I would run down the road to Speedway and get a 32 oz fountain pop (yes, it had to be 32 ounces...not one more or less) and all would be good in the world. Bring on the angry calls and crazy issues. In fact, I regularly said "just go get a fountain pop and move on" during stressful situations.
Disposable plastic cups and containers were first on my list of bad, non-eco-chic, habits to break. Our culture consumes SO much. Packaging, containers, silverware - we have disposable everything. I am absolutely not perfect. I get take-out containers a few times a week at work (they are biodegradable!) and the occasional 32 oz fountain pop. And now that we can only recycle 1s and 2s in Kent, our yogurt containers go in the trash instead of the recycling bin.
That's where this rockstar comes in...
[/caption]The Soda Stream website probably says it best:
No lugging. No storage. No empties. Great Price.
I adore the Soda Stream and it has filled a void in my life. It has been on my wish list for at least a year...and then the incredible Paul gifted me one for Christmas. LOVE him and love the soda stream.
The thing about pop is that it's not all about the flavor for me. It's all about the bubbles. The bubbles make water taste delicious and are more satisfying to me. I can have a glass of freshly carbonated water with dinner and it doesn't feel like a punishment. It's the perfect accompaniment to any meal and just makes the day a little bit brighter. (Um...sometimes water feels like a punishment drink even though it is necessary and delicious when you are super thirsty. I also recongize that it is a priviledge to hate on water).
The Soda Stream comes with two reusable bottles and the CO2 necessary for carbonation. It has been my new best friend since Christmas and I just had to switch out my CO2 tank for a new one last week. It lasted for 3 months with regular, almost daily use. It was easy - just go to Bed, Bath, and Beyond's customer service desk and they have the refills. You can even use a coupon!
The variety of flavors for your freshly bubbled water is huge and a major perk - diet cola, orange pop, something that is supposed to be like Fresca. The only one that we have is the fake Red Bull flavoring. It definitely gives you wings! I just noticed that the website is featuring the new line of Sparking Naturals flavors that will come out sometime this spring - no artificial flavors, no artificial colors and no artificial sweeteners, and do not contain any preservatives. Very nice!
I picked up some flavored syrups in cherry and pomegranate from World Market when we first got the Soda Stream and it makes delicious Italian Sodas. When those are gone, I will probably switch to 100% juice as a flavoring just to reduce the pure sugar factor of it all.
My obsession with the Soda Stream has turned in to a great thing for the environment. I have drastically reduced the number of bottled drinks that I buy - this saves on the packaging material for bottles and all of the resources that go in to creating the product in the first place! And the Soda Stream is gaining in popularity...when I first discovered it, no one knew what it was...now I know 3 other people who own and love the Soda Stream.
The one downside is the price. It's usually between $80-$100 so it's a steep initial investment. I promise it's worth it and you can even use a coupon on it at places like Macy's, Bed Bath and Beyond, and even Kohls has gotten in on the Soda Stream love.
In conclusion, get it, love it, and drink up!
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It's time for Ten on Tuesday! I missed last week but we are back on track!
My favorite cookbooks have lots of photos, little vignettes on the recipe's creation, easy step by step directions, and substitutions for hard to find or expensive ingredients...
Without further ado...here are my favorite cookbooks (or soon to be favorite in some cases...)
1. Baked: Explorations and Baked: New Frontiers in Baking - I recently checked out Baked: Explorations from the library and I already love it simply because it has a monkey bread recipe. And it looks delicious.Can't wait to pick up New Frontiers!
2. Pioneer Woman Cooks - No explanation needed. Much love to Ree Drummond.
3. Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day/Healthy Bred in 5 Minutes a Day - I talk about these books all the time. Love it. Life changing. The end.
[/caption]And now a few that I love from afar...They are lingering on my wish list and I adore the blogs that inspired them.
4. Urban Pantry - I've heard great things about this cookbook and love its focus on "tips and recipes for a thrifty, sustainable, and seasonal kitchen."
7. Jeni's Ice Cream at Home - I swoon and squeal over this ice cream every time I'm in Columbus. And now I will be able to make it at home with my KitchenAid stand mixer ice cream attachment. I can't wait. seriously.
8. Smitten Kitchen Cookbook - Read this blog. Cook her food. You will love it. And then you will be itching for Spring 2012 when the cookbook actually comes out.
9. The Kind Diet - Alicia Silverstone (who I will always love from Clueless) wrote a vegan cookbook. And has done all sorts of other eco-chic stuff. I just picked this up from the library and can't wait to start reading it. Yes, I read cookbooks. Paul thinks it's weird. I know it is.
10. Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution - Jamie Oliver is passionate about teaching people how to eat and cook easy, delicious, healthy food all from scratch. Our reliance on processed and fast food has made us unhealthy as can be but his passion is inspiring change. A man after my own heart.
