Tag: wayland winter farmers market

Bread Pudding, Sweet or Savory

Bread pudding is a wonderful way to use up stale or surplus bread. Since this household has a habit of buying too much bread when wonderful choices are in front of us, we need to make bread pudding more often than most people.

Sweet

The dish above is a sweet version made with Apple Pie bread we bought at the Wayland Winter Farmers' Market. It didn't need any additional sugar or spice in the custard mix, just a couple handfuls of raisins and a sprinkle of sugar on top to make a lovely, crunchy crust.

While you can make bread pudding from any leftover bread, we do love the batches made from specialty loaves from cinnamon swirl to more exotic offerings. And, these sweet versions can use up any fruit that might be in your larder. Apples, pears, bananas, and stone fruit all add their sweetness and nutrition to the mix.

We love adding dried fruits like raisins, apricots, or figs. You may want to layer those in the middle of the pudding or at least poke them down into the mix because they do tend to burn quicker than the custard cooks.

Savory

You can also take this cooking technique to the savory side and make a great breakfast or brunch dish or a supper that can be waiting in the refrigerator when you get home.

Specialty breads from a place like When Pigs Fly Bakery give you an easy way to go savory. Their Sicilian Green Olive & Hot Cherry Peppers bread just needs a bit of cheese and custard to make a quick meal.

Or, toss together any ingredients that you might put in a frittata. You could sauté onions, peppers, and sausage or ham then let it cool. Mix in some grated cheddar cheese, pour on the custard mix, and sprinkle the top with more cheese. Bake, and you have a wonderful, savory bread pudding.

We also make bread puddings from the sweet versions of breads from When Pigs Fly.

Recipes

Penny doesn't follow a recipe for bread puddings. She uses a ratio like the one offered by Michael Ruhlman in his wonderful book Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking. It's twice as much milk as eggs. For example, two cups of milk to 4 large eggs (about 8 oz). Adding seasoning such as: salt, sugar, vanilla, or spices depends on the ingredients.

If you prefer to follow a recipe, here are a couple that seem popular and proven.

From AllRecipes.com Bread Pudding II - this has a very good video for someone new to the technique.

Maya Angelou's Bread Pudding from Epicurious.

Both sites have dozens for variations that could use up any spare ingedients you might have on hand.

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List? Shop Amazon for all your kitchen & dining needs and support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2014 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Related articles

The Apple Lover's CookBook by Amy Traverso

The Proof is in the Bread Pudding

Chocolate Brioche Bread and Butter Pudding

February 25, 2014
Pulled Pork with Tart, Tangy Cole Slaw

Pulled pork is something we've normally enjoyed in BBQ restaurants since Penny is not about to try preparing it in our tiny urban kitchen. But, she did spot a package of pulled pork among the fresh packaged meals, mains, and sides at our local Trader Joe's, recently.

We tried it and liked it. Since the sauce is a bit sweet and mayo is outlawed in our food, Penny's solution was to balance the sweetness of the pork with a tart, tangy cole slaw.

In addition to cabbage, carrots, celery, and scallions, we added a finely shredded hakurei turnip purchased from farmer Michael Docter of Winter Moon Farm at the Wayland Winter Farmers' Market. Those are his carrots too! And, below you see him offering samples of the carrots and turnips.

The dressing was malt vinegar, salt, pepper, a bit of honey, and a handful of yellow mustard seeds. This slaw is best made the day before you need it. Letting it sit and pickle mellows out the raw vegetable flavors and allows the mustard seeds work their zingy magic. Just give it a mix a couple of times as it sits in the refrigerator.

Shredding

In case you were wondering, the shredder Penny was using is a very old, now considered vintage, Borner Thin Julienne Slicer. This syle has long since been replaced by new versions. Here's the current one – Borner Thin Julienne Slicer. (It is fun to see things you use all the time listed on ebay as vintage goods.)

This tool cuts in both directions so it makes quick work of the slaw preparation and it's easy to clean under a stong spray of water. Make sure you use a guard. It doesn't come with one but we use one from another mandoline. The guard also makes it possible to shred almost all of the carrots or turnips with only a thin scrap left behind.

Assembly

As you see in the photo, we used the bread we had on hand. Softer bread is the usual choice for a pulled pork sandwich but our kitchen staple is crusty artisan bread. This was a ciabatta from Trader Joe's. And, because of that crusty texture, we opted for open faced sandwiches. Messy, but delicious!

Pulled Pork Tips

We did heat the pork in the microwave. Penny breaks it up a bit before she cooks it and removes the occasional piece of fat. (Yes, fat is flavor, but there's plenty of intramuscular fat in this product.) She also makes an effort to get all the sauce out of the bag, squeezing it like a pastry bag.

In this review of the product from SFGate, one of the testers thought it was dry. That could be because a lot of the sauce was left behind in the bag or that the meat was not fully shredded and mixed with the sauce. It was the winner in this taste-off of six prepared pulled pork products.

Have you tried some of these fresh Trader Joe's products? What did you like or not like?

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2014 Penny & Ed Cherubino

February 18, 2014
Pulled Pork with Tart, Tangy Cole Slaw

Pulled pork is something we've normally enjoyed in BBQ restaurants since Penny is not about to try preparing it in our tiny urban kitchen. But, she did spot a package of pulled pork among the fresh packaged meals, mains, and sides at our local Trader Joe's, recently.

We tried it and liked it. Since the sauce is a bit sweet and mayo is outlawed in our food, Penny's solution was to balance the sweetness of the pork with a tart, tangy cole slaw.

In addition to cabbage, carrots, celery, and scallions, we added a finely shredded hakurei turnip purchased from farmer Michael Docter of Winter Moon Farm at the Wayland Winter Farmers' Market. Those are his carrots too! And, below you see him offering samples of the carrots and turnips.

The dressing was malt vinegar, salt, pepper, a bit of honey, and a handful of yellow mustard seeds. This slaw is best made the day before you need it. Letting it sit and pickle mellows out the raw vegetable flavors and allows the mustard seeds work their zingy magic. Just give it a mix a couple of times as it sits in the refrigerator.

Shredding

In case you were wondering, the shredder Penny was using is a very old, now considered vintage, Borner Thin Julienne Slicer. This syle has long since been replaced by new versions. Here's the current one – Borner Thin Julienne Slicer. (It is fun to see things you use all the time listed on ebay as vintage goods.)

This tool cuts in both directions so it makes quick work of the slaw preparation and it's easy to clean under a stong spray of water. Make sure you use a guard. It doesn't come with one but we use one from another mandoline. The guard also makes it possible to shred almost all of the carrots or turnips with only a thin scrap left behind.

Assembly

As you see in the photo, we used the bread we had on hand. Softer bread is the usual choice for a pulled pork sandwich but our kitchen staple is crusty artisan bread. This was a ciabatta from Trader Joe's. And, because of that crusty texture, we opted for open faced sandwiches. Messy, but delicious!

Pulled Pork Tips

We did heat the pork in the microwave. Penny breaks it up a bit before she cooks it and removes the occasional piece of fat. (Yes, fat is flavor, but there's plenty of intramuscular fat in this product.) She also makes an effort to get all the sauce out of the bag, squeezing it like a pastry bag.

In this review of the product from SFGate, one of the testers thought it was dry. That could be because a lot of the sauce was left behind in the bag or that the meat was not fully shredded and mixed with the sauce. It was the winner in this taste-off of six prepared pulled pork products.

Have you tried some of these fresh Trader Joe's products? What did you like or not like?

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2014 Penny & Ed Cherubino

February 18, 2014
Pulled Pork with Tart, Tangy Cole Slaw

Pulled pork is something we've normally enjoyed in BBQ restaurants since Penny is not about to try preparing it in our tiny urban kitchen. But, she did spot a package of pulled pork among the fresh packaged meals, mains, and sides at our local Trader Joe's, recently.

We tried it and liked it. Since the sauce is a bit sweet and mayo is outlawed in our food, Penny's solution was to balance the sweetness of the pork with a tart, tangy cole slaw.

In addition to cabbage, carrots, celery, and scallions, we added a finely shredded hakurei turnip purchased from farmer Michael Docter of Winter Moon Farm at the Wayland Winter Farmers' Market. Those are his carrots too! And, below you see him offering samples of the carrots and turnips.

The dressing was malt vinegar, salt, pepper, a bit of honey, and a handful of yellow mustard seeds. This slaw is best made the day before you need it. Letting it sit and pickle mellows out the raw vegetable flavors and allows the mustard seeds work their zingy magic. Just give it a mix a couple of times as it sits in the refrigerator.

Shredding

In case you were wondering, the shredder Penny was using is a very old, now considered vintage, Borner Thin Julienne Slicer. This syle has long since been replaced by new versions. Here's the current one – Borner Thin Julienne Slicer. (It is fun to see things you use all the time listed on ebay as vintage goods.)

This tool cuts in both directions so it makes quick work of the slaw preparation and it's easy to clean under a stong spray of water. Make sure you use a guard. It doesn't come with one but we use one from another mandoline. The guard also makes it possible to shred almost all of the carrots or turnips with only a thin scrap left behind.

Assembly

As you see in the photo, we used the bread we had on hand. Softer bread is the usual choice for a pulled pork sandwich but our kitchen staple is crusty artisan bread. This was a ciabatta from Trader Joe's. And, because of that crusty texture, we opted for open faced sandwiches. Messy, but delicious!

Pulled Pork Tips

We did heat the pork in the microwave. Penny breaks it up a bit before she cooks it and removes the occasional piece of fat. (Yes, fat is flavor, but there's plenty of intramuscular fat in this product.) She also makes an effort to get all the sauce out of the bag, squeezing it like a pastry bag.

In this review of the product from SFGate, one of the testers thought it was dry. That could be because a lot of the sauce was left behind in the bag or that the meat was not fully shredded and mixed with the sauce. It was the winner in this taste-off of six prepared pulled pork products.

Have you tried some of these fresh Trader Joe's products? What did you like or not like?

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2014 Penny & Ed Cherubino

February 18, 2014
Vesta Mobile Wood-Fired Pizza at the Wayland Winter Farmers’ Market

We could smell pizza from the moment we opened the car doors in the parking lot of the Wayland Winter Farmers' Market at Russell's Garden Center.

Signs led the way to the gloriously copper clad Vesta Mobile Wood-FIred Pizza oven and it's surrounding pizza preparation area.

Pizza was definitely going to be our choice for lunch.

This one is a market special. On the Vesta Facebook page they said, "The Beetza is Back!.. on the menu that is …featuring oven roasted Winter Moon Roots Beets from Hadley MA."

Check out the rest of the menu from last week. Our choice was the Margherita, since we think this is the best test of a pizza makers art.

Here's our lunch sliced into six pieces with fresh basil added at the last moment.

We took it back inside since the always warm and welcoming Peg Mallett from Russell's had pointed out the tables they had provided throughout the greenhouses for shoppers to enjoy all the lunch options available at this delightful farmers' market.

(In case you missed it, more about the market part of our visit here.)

Three of us shared the pizza and it scored big thumbs up all around. Penny will be following Vesta to watch for places where we might enjoy their great preparations again. They will be at the Wayland Market each Saturday through March 15th.

One more reason to take a ride to Wayland on Saturdays.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2014 Penny & Ed Cherubino

February 6, 2014
Vesta Mobile Wood-Fired Pizza at the Wayland Winter Farmers’ Market

We could smell pizza from the moment we opened the car doors in the parking lot of the Wayland Winter Farmers' Market at Russell's Garden Center.

Signs led the way to the gloriously copper clad Vesta Mobile Wood-FIred Pizza oven and it's surrounding pizza preparation area.

Pizza was definitely going to be our choice for lunch.

This one is a market special. On the Vesta Facebook page they said, "The Beetza is Back!.. on the menu that is …featuring oven roasted Winter Moon Roots Beets from Hadley MA."

Check out the rest of the menu from last week. Our choice was the Margherita, since we think this is the best test of a pizza makers art.

Here's our lunch sliced into six pieces with fresh basil added at the last moment.

We took it back inside since the always warm and welcoming Peg Mallett from Russell's had pointed out the tables they had provided throughout the greenhouses for shoppers to enjoy all the lunch options available at this delightful farmers' market.

(In case you missed it, more about the market part of our visit here.)

Three of us shared the pizza and it scored big thumbs up all around. Penny will be following Vesta to watch for places where we might enjoy their great preparations again. They will be at the Wayland Market each Saturday through March 15th.

One more reason to take a ride to Wayland on Saturdays.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2014 Penny & Ed Cherubino

February 6, 2014
Vesta Mobile Wood-Fired Pizza at the Wayland Winter Farmers’ Market

We could smell pizza from the moment we opened the car doors in the parking lot of the Wayland Winter Farmers' Market at Russell's Garden Center.

Signs led the way to the gloriously copper clad Vesta Mobile Wood-FIred Pizza oven and it's surrounding pizza preparation area.

Pizza was definitely going to be our choice for lunch.

This one is a market special. On the Vesta Facebook page they said, "The Beetza is Back!.. on the menu that is …featuring oven roasted Winter Moon Roots Beets from Hadley MA."

Check out the rest of the menu from last week. Our choice was the Margherita, since we think this is the best test of a pizza makers art.

Here's our lunch sliced into six pieces with fresh basil added at the last moment.

We took it back inside since the always warm and welcoming Peg Mallett from Russell's had pointed out the tables they had provided throughout the greenhouses for shoppers to enjoy all the lunch options available at this delightful farmers' market.

(In case you missed it, more about the market part of our visit here.)

Three of us shared the pizza and it scored big thumbs up all around. Penny will be following Vesta to watch for places where we might enjoy their great preparations again. They will be at the Wayland Market each Saturday through March 15th.

One more reason to take a ride to Wayland on Saturdays.

Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photography: © 2014 Penny & Ed Cherubino

February 6, 2014
More Winter Farmers’ Markets This Weekend & Monday Market Added in Brookline

January brings about a few more farmers' markets around the area and the Brookline Winter Farmers' Market has added a second market day on Monday, 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. with its own set of vendors.

Here's our full report with complete details on the Brookline Market.

Here is our Resource Page on Winter Farmers' Markets 2012 – 2013.

If we missed your favorite winter farmers' market in the Boston area, let us know so we can add it to our list.

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List? Shop Amazon for all your kitchen & dining needs and support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

Related articles

Brookline Winter Farmers' Market in the Arcade Building, Coolidge Corner

Top 10 Farmers Markets in the UK and around the world

Winter Farmers' Markets 2012 – 2013

A trip to the farmer's market

January 11, 2013
More Winter Farmers’ Markets This Weekend & Monday Market Added in Brookline

January brings about a few more farmers' markets around the area and the Brookline Winter Farmers' Market has added a second market day on Monday, 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. with its own set of vendors.

Here's our full report with complete details on the Brookline Market.

Here is our Resource Page on Winter Farmers' Markets 2012 – 2013.

If we missed your favorite winter farmers' market in the Boston area, let us know so we can add it to our list.

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List? Shop Amazon for all your kitchen & dining needs and support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

Related articles

Brookline Winter Farmers' Market in the Arcade Building, Coolidge Corner

Top 10 Farmers Markets in the UK and around the world

Winter Farmers' Markets 2012 – 2013

A trip to the farmer's market

January 11, 2013
More Winter Farmers’ Markets This Weekend & Monday Market Added in Brookline

January brings about a few more farmers' markets around the area and the Brookline Winter Farmers' Market has added a second market day on Monday, 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. with its own set of vendors.

Here's our full report with complete details on the Brookline Market.

Here is our Resource Page on Winter Farmers' Markets 2012 – 2013.

If we missed your favorite winter farmers' market in the Boston area, let us know so we can add it to our list.

What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List? Shop Amazon for all your kitchen & dining needs and support this site!

Details:

Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino

Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.

Related articles

Brookline Winter Farmers' Market in the Arcade Building, Coolidge Corner

Top 10 Farmers Markets in the UK and around the world

Winter Farmers' Markets 2012 – 2013

A trip to the farmer's market

January 11, 2013