Garden and CSA Update

My birthday present.

This year my wonderful husband built me eight raised beds for my garden. It was what I wanted for my birthday and while some people may think it is boring, I couldn't be more excited. The raised beds have made a huge difference. My garden has never looked better. Some of my garden's success has been the incredible spring we had; however, the large part of its success is the grids we put in the raised beds. These have forced me to be organized. Normally I am not an organized gardener. Left on my own, I over plant and place plants in no particular order. The grid system forces me to be organized. One plant type per square. I mostly followed that rule.  I even drew it out on grid paper and decided which plants to plant where. Such fun. The planning kept me busy and happy all winter.

My tomatoes are ahead of schedule

Today I will be planting more beets, carrots, and lima beans. Our carrots and beets look great and I don't think I could plant too many beets and carrots. I love them. Katie is crazy about lima beans and just like the peas I think they will be mostly eaten in the garden. 

My beautiful carrots- a mixture of heirloom carrots

 In addition to my gardens, we joined a CSA (community supported agriculture) this year. Kansas University Medical Center has paired up with Good Natured Family Farms to create a CSA for its students, faculty, and staff. They filled 170 slots and have additional people are on a waiting list. I am so glad to be able to participate. I love the opportunity to support local farmers and feed my family fruits and veggies picked that day. It is good for Kansas City, the environment, and my family. Our first pick up is this Tuesday. I can't wait. 

Romaine lettuce

If you have never participated in a CSA- it is a program where subscribers share the risk with the farmers. Subscribers normally prepay for their share. This allows the farmers to buy seed and equipment for growing their crops. In return, each week during the program the subscribers get a bag of food. If it is a good year then you get more of a share. If it is a bad year then your bags are less full. I have participated in good years and bad years and have never been disappointed. I have participated in CSA where it was just fruit and vegetables. The current CSA is much more than that.

Lettuce from our garden- we went ahead and picked it because we should be getting lettuce this week form the CSA

Good Natured Family Farms is comprised of more than 100 family farms in the Kansas City area.They banded together so they could offer their products in sufficient quantities to supermarkets (and our CSA).  I think it is an incredible model. So our CSA- has fruits and veggies and dairy (milk and cheese) and eggs and beef and pork and bison and turkey and honey. I am so excited I can hardly stand it.

Squash plants- one per square foot

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I was concerned about us having too much food. Of course I will can, pickle, and freeze for the winter, but I did plant a lot. I love gardening; it in incredible to have your hard work pay off with wondrous fruits and veggies. Thankfully Kansas City has a Plant a Row for the Hungry Program  How great is that? If we have an abundance of food we can help others. I don't know about you but I really like the idea of growing food to help others. Here are the fruits and veggies they prefer because they keep:

·  Beets Broccoli ·  Cabbage  Cantaloupe Carrots Cauliflower Cucumbers ·  Eggplant ·  Green beans ·  Onions ·  Parsley Peas Peppers Pole lima beans ·  Spinach Summer squash ·  Tomatoes Turnips ·  Watermelon ·  Winter squash ·  Zucchini

I have enough pepper, squash, zucchini, and cucumber plants that we should be swimming in them. I thought about designating plants for Harvesters and I still might. I also need to check with our local food pantry to see if they want fresh produce.  

More squash

I will be blogging all this summer- what I get at the CSA and from our garden and what I make with it. We will be eating a lot of food-- but don't worry the lake is warm enough so we can start swimming across it and work off our meals. 

Our first "big" harvest of the year

 We made an incredible salad from our garden- with local eggs and bacon.

Chopped salad- made with ingredients within 100 feet and 30 miles from our house- there is a difference

The bottom line- supporting local farms is good for the environment, the local economy, and your taste buds.

My Garden

Finished beds

I had some extra time this winter to research which is dangerous. I decided that the Sokol family needed to try square foot gardening. So this year for my birthday, I asked for raised beds. Steven and I built them in two days. Quite a bit of work. I was so optimistic at the beginning. You know how you are at the beginning of a project, you think this is going to be fun. By the end of the project you are hoping it will just be over. It was a lot like that.
What is square foot gardening you ask... Well, square foot gardening is a technique advocated by Mel Bartholomew. It has small raised beds, a special soil mix, and closely planted plants. The small beds are used so the soil is not walked on (and thus compacted). Grids are used sectioning the bed into squares and different plants are planted in each square (so you don't have rows of plants). The number of plants per square depends on  the type of plant. For instance one pepper or tomato plant per square but 9 plants per square for spinach.

Water!

Steven decided that he was going to include a irrigation system connected to our pump down at the lake. A flip of the switch and instant water. Maybe we will even put it on a timer.

The before picture

 Halfway through the project I wondered what I was thinking when I asked for this for my birthday. Why didn't I just ask for more kitchen stuff? I love kitchen stuff. Three fourths of the way through the project I was hoping for Monday to come soon so I could go to work and rest (like I am going to be able to move on Monday).

But I digress, back to the garden.

We made the raised beds out of untreated lumber "sealed" with boiled linseed oil. I so hope they last longer than a year. The soil was a mixture of soil, compost, peat moss, and capsulized gypsum. All and all it was a lot of work. But they look beautiful.

Mixing the dirt

Late Sunday night we finished all of the raised beds, filled them with dirt, and have the grids completed for 6 of the beds. We planted the seeds appropriate for this time of year and it was time to make dinner.  I am making an easy dinner of ham slice, potatoes, green beans, and asparagus to celebrate the season and the completed beds. I am also wondering why I am making dinner at all. But love the combination so it works.

Peach tree in bloom

What am I planting this year? With 8 raised beds and several side gardens the better question is what am I not planting. So here is the list (drum roll please): beets, peas, beans, potatoes, onions, arugula, lettuce, radicchio, radishes, turnips, parsnips, tomatoes, garlic, spinach, peppers, edamame, brussel sprouts, okra, cucumber, carrots, rhubarb, horseradish, asparagus, watermelon, pumpkin, dill, basil, oregano, chives, thyme, sorrel, cilantro, and mint.

We also have fruit trees and shrubs: blackberry, raspberry, blueberry, apple, peach, apricot (at least a year before we have fruit), and currant (at least one year away from fruit). I still want elderberries and cherries. I just can't figure out where to plant them. Oh - we also have walnut and pecan trees.

I am so looking forward to all of the wonderful stuff I am going to cook this spring and summer.

Everything is Better with Beer

Book Cover

I can't believe it but the appetizer cookbook is done. It is all about cooking with beer. It has 35 appetizers for humans and one for man's best friend. It is available on Kindle (Everything is Better with Beer) and is only $2.99-- a bargain!  It will be available in other venues soon.

Here is the list of recipes:

Beer Cheese Balls

Chipped Beef Beer Ball

Beer Ranch Cheese Dip

Hot Crab Dip

Bacon Beer Pimento Cheese

Beer Cheese Spread

Beer Con Queso Dip

Beer and Blue Cheese Dip

Blue Cheese Beer Dip II

Beer Cheese Fondue

Clam Dip in a Bread Bowl

Beer and Artichoke Dip

Onion Dip

Beer Steamed Clams

Mussels Steamed in Beer

Beer Marinated Shrimp

Sake Shrimp

Beer Roasted Garlic Shrimp

Beery Crab Cakes

Crab and Corn Fritters

Corn Fritters

Beer Batter Goodness

Mini Corn Dogs

Pigs in a Beer Blanket

Drunken Hot Dogs

Beer Meatballs

Awesome Baked Beer Chicken Wings

Beer Marinated Roasted Chicken Wings

Peanut Butter Chicken Wings

Beer Stuffed Mushrooms

Beer Marinated Mushrooms

Sake Marinated Mushrooms

Beer Marinated Olives

Spicy Beer Walnuts

Beer Edamame

Spent Grain Dog Biscuits

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

I love chocolate chip cookies

 I love chocolate chip cookie dough. I buy pasteurized eggs so I can eat lots of raw cookie dough without worrying about salmonella. I feel kind of silly worrying about eating raw dough because I ate tons of it as a kid and never got sick. But then again food poisoning is awful. So pasteurized eggs it is. Next to raw dough, I like still warm from the oven melt in your mouth cookies. I don't really care for them as much once they have cooled.
I have a simple solution. I make cookie dough and refrigerate and/or freeze the dough. That way I can have freshly baked cookies whenever I want them.  To refrigerate the dough, form into the shape of a log and wrap in plastic wrap.

A log of cookie dough

 When the urge for warm cookies strikes, preheat the oven to 350F/176C/Gas Mark 4, slice the log into cookies, place on a cookie sheet, and bake for 11-13 minutes.

Ready to bake

To freeze shape into a log and freeze. Make sure that the dough log is well wrapped because the dough will soak up any odors from the freezer. To bake the dough, thaw in the refrigerator, preheat the oven to 350F/176C/Gas Mark 4, slice the log into cookies, place on a cookie sheet, and bake for 11-13 minutes. 
This also works for shortbread, peanut butter, refrigerator, and sugar cookies. Cookies that do not freeze well are meringue type, cake like cookies, and cookies with a liquidy batter (madeleines and tuiles).
To freeze drop cookies place the dough in heaping tablespoonfuls or teaspoonfuls (depending on the recipe) on a cookie sheet and freeze. Once frozen place in a plastic bag or airtight container and freeze. Take cookies as needed out of the freezer and defrost in the refrigerator and bake according to the recipe.
To freeze rolled cookies, roll out dough (to the thickness required in the recipe), place the dough between layers of parchment paper and freeze. Once frozen place in a container or wrap well. Defrost in the refrigerator, cut out cookies, and bake according to the recipe.

Meal Madness Challenge

It is time for another Meal Madness Challenge.  I must admit I feel a little goofy being video taped. Actually, more than a little goofy. Hopefully, the video will encourage you to participate in the Meal Madness Challenge.  (I'm already trying to come up with a dish...)
Here are the rules-- there are two spins one for omnivores and one for vegans. You can pick which spins you want to use. The challenge is to make a dish with all 3 ingredients. You can use any other ingredients you want. You can also place ingredients on a bed of spinach, rice, mashed potatoes, ect... and that counts as part of the same dish. Please let me know what you create by  leaving comments here or on the Food Wonk Facebook page. Or you can e-mail me photos at afoodwonk@gmail.com. I would like to have all your dishes by Sunday night but I will keep accepting and posting dishes for a week or so.


Ok here we go........ Here is the video of the spins (obviously not scripted):

Are here are the screen shots.

The omnivore spin. Not what I usually think of together but workable

The vegan spin. I am really liking this spin.

Good luck and please let me know what you create!

Another Meal Madness Challenge

I had so much fun with the last meal challenge. I thought I decided to do it again and I want you to have the opportunity to join in the fun. This Friday, November 11 (11/11/11). I will post a video of two spins on the Food Wonk Meal Madness iPhone App. One spin will be for omnivores and the second spin for vegans. The challenge is to make a dish with all 3 ingredients. You can let me know what you made by leaving comments here or on my Facebook page (Food Wonk). Or you can e-mail me photos at afoodwonk@gmail.com. I know you are wondering what the categories will be---- (a drum roll please).... for the omnivores: meat, spice, and starch. I did a couple of sample spins and spun: chicken legs, cardamom and polenta; prime rib, onion powder, and soba noodles; chicken breast, cumin, and crackers; and chuck roast, celery salt, and quinoa. For the vegans: starch, spice, and veggie. I did a couple of sample spins and here is what I spun: aromatic rice, poppy seed, and eggplant; couscous, celery seed, and rapa; udon noodles, anise, and cauliflower; corn flakes, 5 spice powder, and cabbage; and rye, Spanish paprika, and acorn squash.  The last challenge is posted here: I Take My Own Meal Madness Challenge  

Food Wonk Now Has a Facebook Page

I just created a Facebook Page. It is available here: Food Wonk Facebook I will post pictures and let you know what I am cooking. I would love to hear from you. It also gives you a chance to post what you created with the Food Wonk Meal Madness Spinner App. I hope you like the page!

Green Tomato Pickles

Green tomatoes ready to be pickled

I have never made green tomato pickles before. I am quite excited about it. I did a lot of research before making them. I decided base my pickles recipe on the Two Sisters' Green Tomato Pickles from One Big Table. Molly O'Neill traveled the country collecting recipes. The result was a cookbook full of 600 recipes with a portrait of its creator. It is a wonderful cookbook. Great recipes and fascinating stories.

I had some okra and decided to add those as well. I used my favorite lemon peppers.The alum is added to allow the pickles to stay crisp. Pickling salt does not have any iodine or anti-caking agent. The iodine may turn the pickles dark and the anti-caking agents may turn the pickling liquid cloudy. In a pinch Kosher salt can be substituted. Kosher salt is not as dense as pickling salt so a little more Kosher salt will have to added than the recipes calls for.

Green Tomato Pickles

For the Pickles
18 Cloves of Garlic, Peeled
A Handful of Lemon Peppers, Stemmed and Cut in Half
4 Tsp of Olive Oil
4 Tsp of Pickling Spice
4 Tsp of Alum
2 Pounds (.9 kg) of Green Tomatoes, Quartered
6 Small Okra Pods

For the Brine
1.5 Quarts (1.4 L) of Water
1 Quart (.9 L) of White Vinegar
3/8 Cup (80 g) of Pickling Salt

I used one quart (.9 L) jar and two pint (.47 L) jars. I sterilized the jars and split the pickle ingredients between the jars (I put twice as much in the larger jar).
To make the brine, heat up the brine ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat so the mixture simmers for 15 minutes.

Full jars

Fill the jars with hot brine up to 1/2 inch below the rim. Run a knife down and around the edge of each jar to release the bubbles. Seal the jars and cool to room temperature. Place the jars in the refrigerator and for two weeks before eating the pickles.

Finished jars

Bringing Our Garden Inside

My all time favorite type of hot peppers

It is always a sad day when I dig up some of our outside plants and try to overwinter them. I also bring in our house plants that have enjoyed the summer outdoors. I am a little worried this year because I have several Christmas cacti and an orchid about to bloom.
This is the first year that I am going to try to keep basil and lemon peppers alive. I also brought rosemary, lemon grass, and parsley inside. I am fairly certain that they will overwinter well with the grow lights. In past winters I have kept lemon grass alive over the winter in a sunny window.
I also collected seeds for next year. I have tons of lemon pepper, basil, okra and marigold seeds. Soon I will be planning next year's garden.

Part of the plants I brought inside

I also brought our garden markers inside. I made them with our neighbor, Gail, artist extraordinaire. Gail kindly lent me the use of her art studio, materials, and most importantly, her expertise. Also she took care of all of the firing in the kiln. The result was these amazing garden markers.  They will be back in the garden in the spring. For the winter, I think I am going to put them in a vase to remind me that spring is just around the corner.

My garden markers ready for next year

The next big project is grow lights. There is not enough light in my office for the jungle of plants that are now inside. I am trying to decide between LED and florescent. If anyone out there has any brilliant ideas for great but inexpensive grow lights, I would love to hear them.

The final plant project will be to set up our hydroponics set. I found one on the clearance rack last year. I hope it works.  I think it will be a great science project for Katie. Hopefully I can tie it in with a biology lesson.

I Take My Own Meal Madness Challenge

So a few months back I announced Food Wonk's Meal Madness, an iPhone app that I cooked up (with some serious technical assistance from my husband).  Meal Madness is really more of a novelty than a tool: you press a button and it spins up three totally random ingredients.  Sometimes it's a perfect combination.  Sometimes it's lutefisk, Velveta and Nutella.  Trick or treat.

Since the app launched we've had some downloads and a few comments, but not nearly enough.  After some badgering from Steven to lead the charge, I decided to do a no-holds-barred Meal Madness throw-down (props to Bobby Flay for the term).  One spin, one meal.  One chance to gross out the nation.

To keep me honest, I had my husband and daughter oversee the selection process so I didn't "accidentally on purpose" spin again. The rules were simple (1) we had to make a dish containing all three ingredients; (2) we had to eat it; and (3) we had until dinner tonight (it's noon) to come up with our dish.

The big debate was which categories to pick. Katie wanted beverage, fruit, and cheese; Steven wanted meat, spice, beverage; and I wanted starch, veggie, and meat.  We decided that each of us got to choose a category. Katie choose cheese (not surprising she loves cheese); Steven choose spice (how boring food would be without spice?); and I choose (oh! the pressure) starch (my comfort food).


Ok, here were go.  A drum roll please... And the winners are: colby cheese, garam masala, and polenta. Hmmm... Er?  Wow... Ummmm... Really????

Oh what to do? What to make? I love polenta and colby together but with garam masala?  I love garam masala.  Garam ("hot") masala ("mixture") is  a pungent spice used in Northern Indian dishes. There are tons of different ways to make this spice combination. One of these days, I will make it from scratch. In the meantime I have the Spice Hunter's garam masala which is a mixture of cumin, black pepper, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, and cardamon.  (Yes, it would be great in an Indian apple pie.)

I am going to go out on a culinary ledge here and state that polenta is the same thing as grits (at least the grits I make). I hope that doesn't burst anyone's foodie bubble, but it's true. I don't believe in instant grits so they don't count. True grits are just polenta.

I have warm feelings for colby cheese, but then I have warm feelings for all cheese. Colby is a cow's milk cheese that is milder than cheddar. So mild in fact that it is seldom used in cooking. I now think this may be an oversight. It is a delicious moist cheese that melts well.


Before I go any farther, I must add that I whined about the ingredients on Facebook and two other foodies, I mean people, decided to take the challenge with me. I am amazed at what they made.  Tristan Barnum, who is a food goodness, took a vegan slant and switched out the Colby cheese for tofu and created a beautiful and healthy masterpiece: broiled polenta stacked with spiced creamy spinach with tiny cubes of tofu standing in for the traditional paneer cheese (and colby in the case of the challenge) on an heirloom tomato slice, served with mango chutney, garam masala, and fresh coriander leaves. Her dish and directions for recreating her masterpiece are here.

Polenta stacks

Kevin, a computer mastermind by day and foodie by night, created garam masala rubbed duck breast, pan-roasted mushrooms, creamy ziti with colby and sweet curry polenta 'breadcrumbs'.  Fantastic! It looks beautiful.

Garam masala rubbed duck breast with creamy ziti with bread crumbs

So enough about the three chosen ingredients. Now to the dish(es). I decided on polenta baked with colby cheese and garam masala.  Kinda like Indian-style cheese grits. That would go great with pork. Garam masala would go great with apples. We have apples! So, cheese garlic grits with garam masala and pork steaks cooked in apple cider with onions, apple sauce and garam masala.

My meal of garam masala grits and pork steak cooked in apple cider

One more thing or confession if you like. I like grits that have strings of cheese that stretch from your mouth to your plate. How to achieve this extra dimension in cheesiness? It is easy. Add pieces of string cheese to your grits. I am completely serious.  I discovered this my accident; well, laziness. I was making dinner and I had a small amount of cheddar cheese left but lots of string cheese (Katie was a toddler). I didn't want to drop everything and go to the store; so I just added the string cheese instead. I loved the stringy messy result. If you have issues about the stringiness of your cheese, just omit the string cheese.

Garam Masala Cheese Garlic Grits (I mean polenta)

6 Cups (1440 ml) of Water
2 Cups (360 g) of Grits
1/2 Cup (113 g) of Butter
8-9 Oz. (227 to 255 g) of Colby Cheese, Grated
3 Sticks of Mozzarella String Cheese, Cut into Small Pieces (Optional)
3 Cloves of Garlic, Minced
1 Tsp of Garam Masala
1/2 Cup (120 ml) of Milk
Salt and Pepper, to Taste

Preheat oven to 350F/176 C/ Gas Mark 4. Bring 6 cups of water to a boil and add grits. Lower heat and cook slowly until thickened about 8 to 10 minutes. Add butter and colby cheese and stir to combine.

Grits and butter

Add remaining ingredients and stir until combined.

Grits with everything else

Pour into a 2.5  quart (2.4 L) casserole dish. Bake for 35 minutes.
 

Ready for the oven

Baked

Pork Steaks

 2-3 Tbsp of Oil
1.5 Lbs (.7 kg) of Pork Steaks
1/4 to 1/2 Tsp of Garam Masala
Salt and Pepper, To Taste
1 Cup (240 ml) of Apple Cider
1/2 Cup (118 g) of Applesauce
1 Medium Onion, Thinly Sliced

Sprinkle pork steaks with garam masala, salt, and pepper.

Frying pork steaks

Heat oil in a saucepan. Fry pork steaks for 2 to 3 minutes a side. Remove the pork steaks and add onions to the pan. Saute onions until tender. Return pork steaks to the pan and add the apple cider and applesauce.

Pork and apples.

Lower heat and cover. Cook until pork reaches 145 F/62C.

The finished pork steaks

The next day, I took some of the polenta and topped it with an Italian sausage tomato sauce and mozzarella. I then placed it in the toaster oven until heated through. It was glorious. I would have topped it with more colby cheese but we ate it all.

Polenta pancake topped with sausage tomato sauce and cheese

 The bottom line: Will I play Food Wonk Meal Madness again? Yes!  The whole family had fun with it. We discussed possible dishes and each of the ingredients. I was amazed at how this "game" expanded my thoughts about food and what goes well together. Thanks to this game I have found my new favorite cheese garlic grits recipe. I will be serving this for Thanksgiving when we do our not so traditional Southern style dinner.

New Recommended Temperature for Pork

Is it done?

 In May 2011 the USDA lowered the recommended temperature that whole cuts of pork should be cooked to from 160F/71C to 145F/63C (with at least a 3 minute resting period). I have been using 145F/63C for couple of of years because it results in pork that is pink and juicy. If you cook pork to 160F/71C  (in my opinion) you end up with dry tough pork kinda like shoe leather. The USDA is still recommending that ground pork be cooked to 160 F/71C; poultry be cooked to 165F/74C; and beef to 145F/63C (with at least a 3 minute resting period). What does this mean? Pink pork is perfectly safe.

Baby back ribs- grilled to perfection

Here is the chart from the USDA website:

FRESH PORK: Safe Cooking Chart
Cook all raw pork steaks, chops, and roasts to a minimum internal temperature of 145 °F as measured with a food thermometer before removing meat from the heat source. For safety and quality, allow meat to rest for at least three minutes before carving or consuming. For reasons of personal preference, consumers may choose to cook meat to higher temperatures.

Fresh Pork: Safe Cooking Chart
Cut	Thickness or Weight	Cooking Time	Minimum Internal Temperature & Rest Time
ROASTING: Set oven at 350 °F. Roast in a shallow pan, uncovered.
Loin Roast, Bone-in or Boneless	2 to 5 pounds	20-30 minutes per pound	145° and allow to rest for at least 3 minutes
Crown Roast	4 to 6 pounds	20-30 minutes per pound
Leg, (Fresh Ham) Whole, Bone-in	12 to 16 pounds	22-26 minutes per pound
Leg, (Fresh Ham) Half, Bone-in	5 to 8 pounds	35-40 minutes per pound
Boston Butt	3 to 6 pounds	45 minutes per pound
Tenderloin (Roast at 425-450 °F)	½ to 1½ pounds	20 to 30 minutes total
Ribs (Back, Country-style or Spareribs)	2 to 4 pounds	1½ to 2 hours (or until fork tender)
BROILING 4 inches from heat or GRILLING
Loin Chops, Bone-in or Boneless	¾-inch or 1½ inches	6-8 minutes or 12-16 minutes	145° and allow to rest for at least 3 minutes
Tenderloin	½ to 1½ pounds	15 to 25 minutes
Ribs (indirect heat), all types	2 to 4 pounds	1½ to 2 hours
Ground Pork Patties (direct heat)	½ inch	8 to 10 minutes	160°
IN SKILLET ON STOVE
Loin Chops or Cutlets	¼-inch or ¾-inch	3-4 minutes or 7-8 minutes	145° and allow to rest for at least 3 minutes
Tenderloin Medallions	¼ to ½-inch	4 to 8 minutes
Ground Pork Patties	½ inch	8 to 10 minutes
BRAISING: Cover and simmer with a liquid.
Chops, Cutlets, Cubes, Medallions	¼ to 1-inch	10 to 25 minutes	145° and allow to rest for at least 3 minutes
Boston Butt, Boneless	3 to 6 pounds	2 to 2½ hours
Ribs, all types	2 to 4 pounds	1½ to 2 hours
STEWING: Cover pan; simmer, covered with liquid.
Ribs, all types	2 to 4 pounds	2 to 2½ hours, or until tender	145° and allow to rest for at least 3 minutes
Cubes	1-inch	45 to 60 minutes
NOTE: Approximate cooking times were compiled from various resources.

Ode to a Pepper

The lemon pepper

In several of my recipes, I refer to a "lemon pepper." The version I have (I believe) is the Aji Amarillo or the Aji limon. There seems to be a fair amount of confusion concerning these peppers. There are different varieties of the hot lemon pepper. Here are the different varieties I have found: Aji Limon; hot lemon pepper (Capsicum annuum); hot lemon pepper; and lemon drop. I believe that the different varieties have different levels of heat because I as searched for information the level of heat reported ranged from medium heat to a heat just shy of a habanero.

Immature peppers

No matter which variety it is, it is my favorite of all of the hot peppers. It is spicy (one will work for a pot of gumbo) with a bit of a citrus taste. I grow mine each summer and always have a bumper crop of peppers (some nurseries carry the plants and you can find seeds and plants online).

The pepper plants

At the end of the summer, I freeze and dry peppers for the winter.  Also, I grind the dried peppers into powder and sometimes I just throw a whole dried pepper into a soup. I also keep some seeds for the next year. I am blogging this now so those of you who love hot peppers can order seeds or plants for next year. I am going to dig my plants up before the first frost and try keeping them alive this winter in the house.

So many peppers

Food Wonk's Meal Madness Apple App

Screen shot of the spinner

I am so excited. At long last, Food Wonk has its own food app. It seemed like it took forever, but then when you work on it on nights and weekends, it takes awhile. It's free; it's fun so give it a try! I really hope you like it!
My brilliant husband wrote the code for the app, and I created the content. If you have any ideas for the app just let me know either on the comment page here (see the Meal Madness Tab) or via the app.
What is it? Well, it is an electronic version of a game Katie and I play. We would write different ingredients on pieces of paper and pull three out of a hat. We would either use those three ingredients in a dish or in a meal. I thought wouldn't that be a fun app and the app was born! I had a lot of fun coming up with all of the choices especially the wild card category.
I would love to know some of the choices you spun and the meals you made with them. In testing we had amazing combinations and several great ideas immediately came to mind. We also had terrifying combinations like

• Duck, cheese straws, and Szechuan pepper
• Bass, pudding, and cumin
• Turkey, lutefisk, and white pepper

That is the fun of the challenge!

To download:

FoodWonk Meal Madness Transcriptix, Inc. Category: Lifestyle Updated: Jul 13, 2011

Here is the detail on the categories and the dietary choices!

THE FOOD WONK CHALLENGE

Spice If it is in my spice cabinet, it’s fair game. Yes, I know I have a lot of spices. No, I don’t have a problem. I can stop buying spices any time I want.

Herb These are all considered culinary herbs. I have them either dried or I grow them. You can use the herb fresh, dried, or ground. You can use the leaves or the seeds. It is up to you.

Hot Stuff Spicy spicy spicy spices and peppers make up this category. I love spicy foods and if you do too, pick this category.

Fruit If I have eaten the fruit or would consider eating the fruit, I included it. Beware- I have been a part of a lot of farmer's co-oops and I have an adventurous palate.

Veggie I took some liberties here. You are just going to have to deal with it. There are fruits listed in the vegetable list. Yes, I know the difference between a fruit and a vegetable. If I use a fruit like a vegetable, then it is listed as a vegetable. I am surprised by the number of vegetables I am willing to eat. I must be superhealthly. You can be too by picking this category.

Cheese  I don't think I have met a cheese I didn't like; from stinky cheeses to mild ones. I tried to include a nice range of cheeses. It can be tricky choosing cheese as a category especially if you also have the wild card category chosen.

Meat This category includes fish, fowl, beef, and pork. I grudgingly did not include game. If you want a game category please request it in the comments and if enough people request it, I will add it. I also did not include all of the types of meat that I have eaten or will eat because of availability.

Starch I love love love starches, and I had a lot of fun creating this category. Sorry, I do not have a gluten-free exclusion (maybe in a later release if there are a lot of requests).

Beverage I wanted this category to be liquids but I was vetoed. So these are defined as beverages I would drink. I really like beer and strongly believe that the type of beer you cook with matters. So, I included specific types of beers.

Wild Card This category is not for the faint-of-heart. It is the ultimate in randomness and where I had the most fun picking out odd ingredients. It could be anything. My favorite wild card ingredient is lutefisk.

Screen shot of your options: choose your categories and dietary restrictions

Dietary Restrictions

We tried our best to be friendly to different dietary restrictions. I think I have most covered. Most religious restrictions are covered by excluding pork or picking vegan, vegetarian, or Kosher or by not choosing a category. If we missed a major restriction, just let us know. If we have something in the wrong category, just let us know. If I made a mistake I am terribly sorry-- please let me know and I will fix it.

Kosher  Allowable foods under the Orthodox Jewish dietary laws Where there is some debate, I went with the more conservative side (e.g., not just no shellfish but no swordfish too- swordfish isn’t kosher because the scales cannot be removed without tearing the skin). Picking Kosher does not prevent meat and diary from appearing together. If you get a meat and diary together, you will have to spin again.

Halal Lawful foods under Islamic dietary laws. I excluded all pork and pork products (like gelatin). I excluded alcohol (this includes extracts and soy sauce). I did not exclude cheeses (you will have to check to determine the specific enzyme used making the specific cheese) or prepared foods unless it is obvious.  My apologies in advance if I missed something. If I did, please let me know and I will fix it in the next release.

Vegetarian No meat or meat products. This does not exclude milk, egg, or milk products. I did not exclude any particular cheeses because the enzyme used in cheese making varies and there are many substitutes for animal rennet being used.

Vegan No meat, meat products, butter, milk, cheese, or eggs.

No Pork  No pork or pork products (like gelatin) but it does include all other meats and seafood.

No Beef No beef but it does include all other meats and seafood.

No Fish  No fish but it would include all other meats and seafood.

No Shellfish  No shellfish or mollusks but it would include all other meats and seafood.

No Nuts  I was conservative with this category; I excluded all nuts, seeds, and their oils.

Food Wonk: Embrace the Randomness, Take the Challenge!