3 Seasonal Treats

The season has come for treats and goodies, and though I'm not typically a chocolate person (ice cream is usually my sweet of choice), this winter I am craving dark chocolate delicacies -- and more. Here is my top 3 list this season:

Sipping Chocolate from Trader Joe's
This rich chocolate drink is amazingly better than any hot chocolate I have ever had. Most hot chocolate is too sweet and too thin. But this chocolate is deep, dark, and lightly sweet. Add it to hot whole milk, and you have the perfect winter drink.

Atkins Vanilla Caramel in Dark Chocolate
Something happens in the holiday season, and I invariably start craving caramels. I tried making them once, but I didn't pay enough attention to them and they didn't quite work out the way I had hoped. This year I found my happiness at Atkins Farms in their candy department in the form of vanilla caramels wrapped in dark chocolate. One of these satisfies a caramel/chocolate craving. Two of these brings a smile to my face.

Fresh Gingerbread with Hot Orange Sauce
This can't be purchased -- it must be made from scratch and eaten warm. Don't skimp on the spices in the gingerbread, and definitely don't skimp on the orange sauce -- smother the gingerbread with it and you won't be sorry. Delightful.

Treats for the season. Comfort foods for the darkness and cold. Enjoy!
Happy holidays!

Milk: Fresh, Local, and ... Raw

Raw milk first caught my attention when it was recommended to me in mid-May of 2009. A mother was explaining to me, in response to learning that my husband is lactose intolerant, that raw milk can often be drunk by those who are lactose intolerant -- that the pasteurization process kills important enzymes and bacteria that are actually beneficial to the processing power of the digestive system. She went on to tell me about her children and how much they love raw milk and how raw milk is the only milk they will drink.

I did a little research on the topic and then filed the information away for future reference.

That future came a few weeks ago when my husband came home from a farmer's market and started telling me about how raw milk had been recommended to him by someone else who was lactose intolerant but had no problems drinking raw milk. We did a little more research, had a bit of discussion, and decided we needed to try it.

There are a number of small dairies in Massachusetts that sell raw milk, and one of them, Flayvors of Cook Farm, happens to be right on my shopping route. So I made a visit to Cook Farms to put my name on the raw milk list (it is only available by pre-order), and I waited just under a week before picking up my first fresh gallon. We went through that gallon (just the two of us) in about 4 days -- and that was holding back; we've had to order more for subsequent weeks. I find it delicious, my husband can drink it without consequence, and it works wonderfully in recipes. (I'm looking forward to making authentic buttermilk with it one of these days.)

Raw milk is milk that has not been pasteurized -- milk that has not been heated to 160+ degrees in order to kill bacteria that can be found in the milk. The lack of heating helps it retain its natural vitamin content, enzymes, and amino acids. It is whole milk, and therefore higher in fat content (4.0% butterfat at Cook), which in my opinion just makes it taste better (I love a little cream, don't you?).

Raw milk is available at Flayvors of Cook Farm for $5/gallon or $2.75/half-gallon, day-of fresh on Mondays & Fridays.
More information about raw milk and where you can buy it in Massachusetts can be found on the NOFA (Northeast Farming Assocation) website.

Milk -- it does a body good! -- and this stuff is SO good, it does a body even better!

School Closings, Take 2

Just a repost from last year around this time:

Where to Find School Closings for Belchertown, Amherst, Hadley, Ware, Palmer, Granby, and other local areas.

The links on this post are especially useful if you don't have cable access or if you don't want to wait while the cancellations scroll on and on and on.

Enjoy the winter!

PS -- I've added bunches of new events to the calendar. See below.

Winter Cardinal

I just can't help myself. Winter comes, the feeders go out, and all of a sudden I'm obsessed with birds. It's a hereditary obsession... my grandmother was also obsessed with birds and feeders, and my mother has quite a few birdfeeders in view of the windows of her house. We've added a few of new birds to the list since my last post: blue jays, a goldfinch, and a carolina wren -- a lovely little bird with a large voice -- the first wren I've seen!

Today's winter picture: one of our male cardinals. I love when the male and female come together, which they sometimes do in the evenings. I like to think they're on a date, trying out the new cuisine at The Deck Feeder, the new hotspot in town....

All for the Birds

It must be a cold day in December -- the birds are out in full force at the feeders:

Cardinals
Sparrows
Chickadees
Juncos
Titmice
Hairy Woodpeckers
Red-bellied Woodpeckers
Downy Woodpeckers

Haven't seen the parakeet in a while, though my husband says it came by for a visit earlier this week.

And as I write this, a wintry mix has started falling from the grey sky. Time to curl up with a good book.

(Bird pictures coming later.)

Eating the Plates: Pumpkin & Apples

In honor of the great Thanksgiving holiday, I thought I would share a recipe from a book I found in my library -- a very interesting book about the food and manners of the pilgrims (citation information below). There were a number of tasty recipes included, but this one seemed particularly pleasant and appropriate for the season. I'm looking forward to trying it someday.

Whole Baked Pumpkin Stuffed with Apples
1 medium pumpkin
6 small red apples
vegetable oil
maple syrup

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil.
2. Wash and dry the pumpkin. Carve a circle around the stem and open the pumpkin. Remove the seeds and pulp (roasted seeds are awfully good!). Brush the outside of the pumpkin with vegetable oil.
3. Wash and dry the apples. Core them. Spoon a teaspoon of maple syrup into each apple, then place the apples upright inside the pumpkin. Spoon two teaspoons of maple syrup over the apples. Replace the pumpkin top.
4. Put the pumpkin on the prepared cookie sheet and put it in the oven. Bake until the pumpkin and the apples are tender (1.5-2 hours).
5. When the pumpkin is done, remove from the oven. Remove the top and take out the apples. Slice the pumpkin into 6 slices. Serve the pumpkin with a baked apple and maple syrup.

If you get around to trying this recipe, let me know -- I'd love to know how it turns out.

Penner, Lucille Recht. Eating the Plates: a Pilgrim Book of Food and Manners. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1991.

Thanksgiving Guest

I was busy preparing my homemade cranberry relish and talking to my mom on the phone while she baked cranberry bread, when I looked out my kitchen window and saw a brilliant splash of yellow and chartreuse on my clothesline -- a parakeet! And a hungry one, at that. When he figured out how to manage the birdfeeder, he sat there for 5 minutes eating and eating and eating. I hadn't the heart to tell him that Thanksgiving isn't until tomorrow. He's been back 3 times since then, and is a joy to watch. While the chickadees, titmice, and woodpeckers all flit and scurry, he sits calmly -- except while he's eating.

Do you know anyone who has lost a parakeet recently?

Restaurant Review: Baku's African Restaurant

After more than a year of going out to local restaurants and mentioning them here and there on the blog, I have finally decided that it is time to start reviewing them -- at least some of them. First up -- Baku's of Amherst.

Baku's African Restaurant is on North Pleasant Street in Amherst. A small restaurant featuring no more than five tables and seventeen chairs. We had passed it by many times on our to and from the Toy Box, frequently commenting that we should actually stop and try it -- one of these days. "One of these days" finally arrived a few weekends ago, on a warm and damp Halloween night.

Baku's features southern Nigerian cuisine, and its small menu lists appetizers and meals in variations of rice, beans, meats, and vegetables. The menu is gluten, dairy, and dessert free, representing the traditional diet of the African region. The owner and head chef is also authentically Nigerian, a great cook, and quite a character.

When we arrived at Baku's, a group from Connecticut was just finishing, leaving the restaurant all to us. We took the menus from the counter, consulted with each other on our meals, and ordered back at the counter, paying when the order was complete. Water was served, our drinks were delivered, and small salads presented to occupy us while our food was being prepared. Our meals arrived quickly: the Flavorful Lamb entree -- stewed lamb in a rich curry tomato sauce over jollof rice -- and the house special Curry Chicken. Delicious. The lamb was succulent and tender and the sauce was just as not-spicy as I had asked. The curry chicken was also good, but a touch dry. After eating ourselves full, there was still plenty to take home -- which I packaged up to take to work.

The meals at Baku's are simple but savory and range from $10.95-$13.95 for a dinner entree, with appetizers and small plates starting at $3.95. The kids menu stands at $5.95 and family meals begin at $29.95 for 3 people. Baku's also caters events and delivers through Delivery Express.

Baku's has been open since 2005 and attracts customers from all over -- and when you try their home-cooked food, you'll understand why.

Definitely recommended.