Tag Archives: Farmer’s Market

Beyond the Realm

July 17, 2023 By in Lightning Juice, Realm Tags: , , , , , , 2 Comments

As I mentioned in my post, Of Bread & Study, my journey toward rejuvenating my creative forces began with stepping away from the unproductivity in my life and seeking other resources of creativity until such a time as the writing muse returned. I will admit that I still have a bit of trepidation about this decision because so much writing advice has little to no room for slowing down or—clutch the pearls—stopping altogether. It’s all: write and produce word count or die!

But I did step away from my current WIP, and the release I experienced has been amazing. I decided to bake bread as a non-writing hobby, and I started with good ole Irish soda bread. This is a favorite at the Gibson Household, and the recipe can be accessed by clicking this link: Irish Soda Bread with Caraway Seeds

I also embarked on a course of study with my friend and mentor, Dr. Sharon Stern. Sharon recently retired, and unbeknownst to her, the minute she announced her retirement, I decided to vie for a small amount of her time so I could pick her brain. Monday, we spent four hours reading and discussing Rabbi Dr. Itzhak Shapira’s book, The Rivka Remnant. Mind . . . blown . . .

I’m also crafting teatails because it’s summer and nothing tastes quite as refreshing as iced tea with the ability to take the edge off. I have two in the works, so stayed tuned.

My last newfound interest this summer has been farmers markets. I have developed a passion for shopping locally. The benefit of not allowing one’s purchasing options to be funneled to one location, as well as putting money back into one’s own community, are huge. Then there is the good work of undoing all the harm done by the plandemic. People are coming out, building community, talking, touching, smiling, and living life to the fullest. I want to be part of that.

Just so you don’t worry, I am writing, which is obvious based on the fact that you’re reading this post. Funny thing is, when I stopped forcing myself to work on my current WIP, the blog post ideas started showing up. I’m curious myself to see how many of them I act upon.

As always, Realm is available at BookBaby, my publisher, as well as other online retailers. Once you’ve journeyed through the Realm and fallen in love with the characters and story, please leave a review wherever you purchased my novel, on social media, or even my blog. Thank you, Realmers!

Nice to Meat You

April 17, 2018 By in Edible Fiction, Food From The Tedescos Tags: , , , , , , 4 Comments

Joe Tedesco likes his neighbors… as long as they keep the grass mowed and don’t throw loud parties. These standards, to which Joe himself conforms, are most definitely kept by the new neighbors, and yet they still cannot win over Joe to liking them. In a last ditch effort to secure the head of the Tedesco Clan’s friendship, they invite Joe and all the men from the neighborhood over for a party.

The new neighbors are clever and know the way to Joe’s heart is through is stomach. The menu they plan is spectacular and includes the following recipe for classic Reuben sandwiches. These babies are mammoth and worth every savory, saucy bite, so don’t skimp on the corned beef.

Classic Reuben Sandwich

2 lbs. quality corned beef, thick sliced

1 pound Swiss cheese

12 slices Jewish Rye

16 oz. jar of sauerkraut

1 McIntosh apple, peeled and diced

1 – 2 T brown sugar

¾ c apple juice

Salt and Pepper to taste

Unsalted butter, softened

 

Russian Dressing

½ c mayonnaise

2 T ketchup

3 T finely diced bread and butter pickle chips ***(see below)

2 t finely diced red onion

1 clove finely minced garlic

¼ t sea salt

3 – 4 hearty dashes Tabasco sauce

Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl, cover, and chill in the refrigerator. The dressing lasts for three days stored in this fashion. I recommend making the dressing at least one day in advance to give the flavors time to meld.

 

To prepare the sauerkraut:

Empty the jar of sauerkraut into a colander and press out any remaining juice. Place the drained sauerkraut in a saucepan with the apple, brown sugar, apple juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer until the apple is tender. Turn off the heat, cover, and leave on the stove until needed for sandwich assembly.

 

Preheat the oven to 350° F. I opt for thick slices of corned beef because I find it keeps the sandwiches from sliding around on the bread.

Create a foil packet and place the corned beef inside. Place the packet on a cookie sheet with edges. Add 3 T of water to the packet and seal the meat inside. Put the baking sheet with the foil packet on it in the oven and bake for 8 – 10 minutes.

While the meat bakes, spread one side of each slice of bread with softened butter and toast the buttered side in a cast iron skillet. Transfer the toasted pieces to a baking sheet with the buttered side down. Spread the Russian dressing on the untoasted sides facing up. On six of the bread slices, layer pieces of corned beef, making sure to drain any moisture, until the meat is evenly divided. You may need to fold your corned beef slices in half to make them fit. Place a hefty portion of well-drained sauerkraut on top of the corned beef. Top off with a slice of Swiss cheese. On the remaining six slices of bread, place another piece of Swiss cheese.

Pop the sandwiches into the oven and toast for three minutes or until the Swiss cheese melts.  Remove from the oven and match up the corned beef, Swiss, and sauerkraut side with its Swiss cheese only mate. Give a gentle press to hold it all together. You may wish to cut it in half. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

***When choosing sweetened pickled vegetables, there are many choices on the market. Unfortunately, most have high fructose corn syrup in them. Try a farmer’s market that sells products with recipes closer to home-canned goods. I’ve had great success in such stores.