Dubuque Winter Farmer's Market
Curried Onion Dip
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 tablespoons water
3/4 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
3/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
3 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
Preparation:
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to color, 5 to 7 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes more. Add water, curry powder, garlic powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring constantly, until the spices are very fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Transfer the onions to a large bowl and let cool for 10 minutes. Whisk in sour cream, cream cheese and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt.
Credit: eatingwell.com
Groundhogs and weather
Did you know that the groundhogs aren’t very accurate at predicting the weather? According to the StormFax Weather Almanac and records kept since 1887, Punxsutawney Phil’s weather predictions have been correct 39% of the time. The National Climatic Data Center has described the forecasts as “on average, inaccurate” and stated that “the groundhog has shown no talent for predicting the arrival of spring, especially in recent years.”
Black Walnut Cake
Get your home-grown walnuts at market and try this unique recipe!
Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
3 cups sugar
5 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped black walnuts
Preparation:
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10 inch tube pan.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, shortening, and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing just until the yellow disappears. Combine the flour, baking powder, and cinnamon; stir into the creamed mixture alternately with the milk. Stir in the vanilla and walnuts, and pour into the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until a knife or toothpick inserted into the crown comes out clean. Cool in the pan for about 15 minutes before turning out of the pan onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Credit: allrecipes.com
Black walnuts
Did you know that walnut shells are so hard that they are commonly crushed and used as industrial abrasives? The shells are bio-degradable, non-toxic, and environmentally safe. Walnut shell abrasives were originally developed for cleaning gasoline and diesel engines due to their lack of silicon and toughness. They will clean metals, alloys, and plastics without scratching or pitting the surface.
Mom’s Make-Ahead Breakfast Casserole
Ingredients:
18 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
1 can mushroom soup (regular or fat-free)
1 pound breakfast sausage
1/2 pound sliced, fresh mushrooms (if not in season, the pre-sliced packages are perfect)
1/4 cup dry cooking sherry
1/2 pound shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Preparation:
In separate pans:
* Fry and drain sausage
* Soft scramble eggs and milk in butter (make sure to soft scramble – they will finish cooking during baking. Otherwise, they get rubbery.)
* Mix soup, dry sherry, and cheese in saucepan. Heat until melted.
Layer a 9 x 13 inch glass baking pan with eggs first, then sausage, then cheese mixture. Sprinkle sliced mushrooms on top. Refrigerate one day. Bake uncovered for 50 minutes at 300 degrees. Bake additional 10 minutes at 350 degrees.
Catnip
Did you know that catnip is a perennial herb closely related to spearmint and peppermint? Cats have the amazing ability to find catnip plants, which they locate by homing in on the volatile oil that is expressed from bruised or dried plants.
Honey Glazed Carrots
Ingredients:
Salt
1 pound sliced carrots
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
Preparation:
In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add salt and then carrots and cook until tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Drain the carrots and add back to pan with butter, honey and lemon juice. Cook until a glaze coats the carrots, 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with parsley.
Winter Vegetable Pasta with White Wine and Parmesan
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 shallots, sliced
2 large carrots, diced
7-ounces butternut squash, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/3 pound young kale, stems and leaves coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 cup white wine
8 ounces linguine
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preparation:
1. Boil a large pot of water. Salt the water and add the linguine. Cook until al dente, about 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add shallot, garlic, squash, and carrots, and cook until vegetables soften, about 7 minutes. Add the thyme and season with salt and pepper. Add the kale and cook until kale wilts down, about 2 minutes.
3. Add wine and cook for another 5 minutes, allowing it to reduce.
4. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Add the cooked fettuccini, about ¼ cup of the water the pasta cooked in, and ⅔ cup of Parmesan. Stir to combine.
6. Transfer to serving plates, top with remaining Parmesan, and serve.
Credit: THE SCRUMPTIOUS PUMPKIN
Soapmaking
Did you know that the soapmaking process is called “saponification”? The process separates the fatty acid bonds in oils (vegetable or animal fats) and combines them with molecules in lye to form a salt. This salt is what we refer to as “soap.” After a perfectly balanced saponification process finishes, the soap no longer contains lye or fat. Both are “consumed” during the saponification process.
Hibiscus Cake
This recipe was provided by Head 2 Toe owner Jeani Heisz using the hibiscus tea available at her stand, and you can get the honey & eggs at market this week, too!
Ingredients:
3 tbsp hibiscus tea
1-1/2 cups boiling water
3 tbsp honey
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2-1/2 cups flour
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
6 tbsp unsalted butter (room temperature)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs (beaten light and fluffy)
3/4 cup milk (room temperature)
2 tsp vanilla
Preparation:
Grease a 9 x 13″ cake pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the tea blossoms with the boiling water, honey and lemon juice until the flowers are soft to eat. If not, boil for another 10 minutes. Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, mix the butter, oil, sugar and eggs. Mix the vanilla, milk, and soaked hibiscus blossoms and alternate adding some of this mixture and the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Bake 30-35 minutes. Cool and frost.
Frosting: Mix 8 oz room-temperature cream cheese, 1/4 cup sour cream, 1/4 cup honey and 1/2 tsp vanilla. Beat until smooth and frost the cake.
Dubuque Winter Farmer's Market 