Garden Fuss

The little man in the family has been asking me to make cinnamon rolls for months now. Due to his allergies we have not been able to buy commercial brand rolls. So again armed with the power of the internet I began a pastry excursion in a much needed warm kitchen. It turned out to be very blustery and wet today. Lord knows we needed the moisture but this cold stretch is irritating so soon in the year. With that said, it has been a perfect roll making day and here are the pictures of our results. I will add a recipe later, but had to show the lushness of these rolls. The smells of cinnamon and butter are still wafting through the house.

The makings of our Tomato Sauce started off with a large box of fresh Roma's we picked up from the St. Paul Farmers market . I think we have finally gotten a quick process down for removing the skins because we finished in under an hour. (minus the time for the water to actually boil) I have had a few people including my sister in-law ask how to make sauce so I thought I would outline a basic one here that can tweaked and toyed with until it tastes like you want it to.   So with that being said here is how I got organized to start making sauce. A large stock pot of boiling water A pot of ice water A clean bowl for the composting skins or to toss in trash later (I’m not judging) A paring knife to score tomatoes and then cut out their tasteless core A couple empty casserole pans or large bowls or pots to hold peeled and cored tomatoes Metal strainer or Something Similar to scoop tomatoes out of boiling water A food processor Last but most important to me,

A couple years ago we delved into the world of fermented foods. We started out by ordering cultures for greek yogurt and kefir grains for fizzy gingered water which was delicious btw. After a while since I as the one doing 99% of the work without essential equipment I threw in the towel and gave my kefir grains away. I still have yogurt cultures but need an actual yogurt machine not my crockpot which became too hot to create a good yogurt or cheese. Well not too long after this we had an opportunity to try kimchee from a local Asian Market "United Noodles". This fetted smelling concoction was too much for my nose but my daughter braved the stench to taste the cabbagey combination of veg. She quickly bought a jar and googled a recipe to try with cubed beef. A little leary I ventured to try a small bowl before I knew what was in it. Mmmmm I loved the turnips and thought what are these other yummy bits? when she told me it was Kimchi I couldn't believe it. I researched

 I have been looking forward to having squash and tomatoes from my garden ALL YEAR. Now that these tasty veggies have gotten their start it's already getting blustery out. I am praying for an Indian Summer so we can extend the summers bounty.

Our first visit to the St. Paul market was all I wanted and more. It started with a horse drawn carriage ride from the "FREE"parking lot. The brawny pair of studs carried us as if we weighed nothing at all. With just a sight whistle they new when and where to turn down the city streets avoiding both pedestrian and vehicle when they do. With such great service we couldn't help but donate to their "apple" fund. Once we arrived at the actual market stands; which we could have walked to less than a block away mind you; we got busy venturing for honey comb and peppers. However, we couldn't stop at peppers and honey. We found MN Grown eggplant, rutabaga and kholrabi, "Young Thang" goat cheese from Love Tree farmstead cheese , and "Lorz Italian"garlic from The Herb Man out of Farmington Mn all for $20 dollars which was a great price. I'm always happy to go to farmers markets; I meet so many nice people and always seem to find something new

Every few year for 11 years a local bakery Buttercream Wedding Cakes has been getting our business. The cake they made for our wedding years ago is still all people talk about when the topic of our union comes up. They not only have amazing cake, but excellent customer service. I was at a loss for decorating this years cake so I left it up to them. They came through with a beautiful clean design that tastes AMAZING! The DH is digging in with a fat wedge and I and the kids will follow suit shortly. So with that said it's my anniversary and I am getting my updates done early so the festivities can begin. Eat Local People! It's so delicious!