This is the season, now through October, to get out and find your local farmer's markets. They are in abundance if you know where to look. I am posting a link to a great site called Local Harvest where you can put in your zip code and get the results of a search for farmers markets, farms, restaurants serving local products and even farmer's co-ops. http://www.localharvest.org/ When you go to the supermarket and pick up a quart of strawberries, do you know how fresh they really are? Unless your store SAYS....LOCALLY Grown, the average food travels 1200 to 2500 miles from pasture/farm to plate. So that lettuce you bought yesterday, was most likely picked several days earlier, sat on a truck that took it from the farm, sat in the crate at the store you are buying it from until the inventory on the produce on the shelf is low, and then put out for you to pick and put in your greenbag to take home. Only then to sit in your refrigerator for a day or two or three. Even when I was cheffing at a catering hall, I always went to the local farm stand to get my produce and some specialty items. Everything was so fresh, sometimes the produce manager had to go get a crate off the truck that was just delivering it from the local farm. To me there is nothing better than fresh produce or homemade products. In addition to eating healthy fresh food, you are also giving back to the community. Shopping local keeps the mom and pop shops up and running. The quality alone is worth the money, but usually the customer service cannot be surpassed. We bought all our fresh herbs and flowers to plant at a local nursery instead of going to Lowe's or Walmart. I dont think the difference in prices was all that noticeable AND honestly, the quality of the plants were fabulous! I have already started harvesting some of my herbs and lettuce. Next year, I may even have my own garden for even more local produce! I will be visiting many local Farmer's Markets in Suffolk County this summer and looking forward to continuing to eat lighter, healthier and most definitely fresher foods. So on a saturday or sunday morning, put the kids ( or the parental units ) in the car, and take a ride to your local farmer's market. I will blog about the markets I find and post recipes and pics using the fresh and local ingredients we purchase! Happy Hunting! Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Michele's Morsels goes to market
This is the season, now through October, to get out and find your local farmer's markets. They are in abundance if you know where to look. I am posting a link to a great site called Local Harvest where you can put in your zip code and get the results of a search for farmers markets, farms, restaurants serving local products and even farmer's co-ops. http://www.localharvest.org/ When you go to the supermarket and pick up a quart of strawberries, do you know how fresh they really are? Unless your store SAYS....LOCALLY Grown, the average food travels 1200 to 2500 miles from pasture/farm to plate. So that lettuce you bought yesterday, was most likely picked several days earlier, sat on a truck that took it from the farm, sat in the crate at the store you are buying it from until the inventory on the produce on the shelf is low, and then put out for you to pick and put in your greenbag to take home. Only then to sit in your refrigerator for a day or two or three. Even when I was cheffing at a catering hall, I always went to the local farm stand to get my produce and some specialty items. Everything was so fresh, sometimes the produce manager had to go get a crate off the truck that was just delivering it from the local farm. To me there is nothing better than fresh produce or homemade products. In addition to eating healthy fresh food, you are also giving back to the community. Shopping local keeps the mom and pop shops up and running. The quality alone is worth the money, but usually the customer service cannot be surpassed. We bought all our fresh herbs and flowers to plant at a local nursery instead of going to Lowe's or Walmart. I dont think the difference in prices was all that noticeable AND honestly, the quality of the plants were fabulous! I have already started harvesting some of my herbs and lettuce. Next year, I may even have my own garden for even more local produce! I will be visiting many local Farmer's Markets in Suffolk County this summer and looking forward to continuing to eat lighter, healthier and most definitely fresher foods. So on a saturday or sunday morning, put the kids ( or the parental units ) in the car, and take a ride to your local farmer's market. I will blog about the markets I find and post recipes and pics using the fresh and local ingredients we purchase! Happy Hunting! 
Monday, May 28, 2012
Memorial Day Morsels
I know its been a long time since my last blog. So many things have been going on in my life. I pretty much post all my food pics and recipes on my Michele's Morsels Facebook page. Thats going to change. I think I need to get back to blogging and sharing it on my FB page instead of posting there. Memorial Day weekend is a weekend for Rememberance. I am remembering my love of all things food. No matter what goes on in my life, the one constant that makes me happy is cooking. Feeding people I love and making people happy with my food. New recipes, old recipes, revised recipes.....it doesnt matter. I love the planning, the prepping, the cooking, the eating and even the cleaning up. I have been recovering from a double hip replacement as most of you know. The first few weeks were difficult as I couldnt cook as I had liked. Although preparing for a few weeks of being disabled, I prepared several meals and froze them pre-op. This way, we were able to pull out some food and basically have my home cooking. Worked out well! I have been getting stronger and stronger although I am still having some major difficulties and some issues, but I am in the kitchen basically every day. I need to take lots of breaks and rests but I am there. It really is what makes me happy. This weekend could have only been better if we could have had some company. I LOVE cooking for other people, whether its a gourmet recipe or something as simple as even tonite's supper of grilled hotdogs, knishes, and baked beans are, its done with love and passion. I of course made my fabulous NY Dirty Water Dog Onions to top off the Sabrett Hotdogs. I got creative for lunch and made my signature Chicken wings on the grill....threw together some yummy vegetable Summer rolls and a homemade dipping sauce and a leftover garden salad.
Recipe for Chef Michele's NY Dirty Water Dog Onions
3 large onions sliced thin, 1 small can tomato sauce, 1/4 cup ketchup, 1 tsp mustard (spicy brown), 2 tsp worcestshire sauce, 1-3 dash hot sauce to taste ( I added 3 today ), 1 t...sp crushed red pepper, 1 tsp crushed dried oregano. Occasionally I add a tbs of brown sugar splenda blend for a little sweetness....
Cook onions in drizzle of olive oil until translucent and soft. Add remaining ingredients and stir well. Cook until sauce thickens and onions are done. Top this on a hot dog (or whatever you prefer) and "Forgettaboutit you are in NY! Enjoy!!"
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