Have A World Food Day Dinner and Fight Hunger

"Host a meal, share a recipe,

and spread the word."

Oxfam, the international relief and development organization that creates lasting solutions to poverty, hunger, and injustice, is spreading the word about World Food Day
on October 16th this year. The organization is sponsoring a World Food Day Dinner to promote the GROW Method - five principles to change the way we think, buy, prepare and eat food to create less waste.

 

All you have to do to participate is host a dinner on October 16th. Invite four to ten guests; your friends and/or family members. Set the table with Oxfam's GROW placemats and stickers. Sit, eat, and start a conversation using the GROW Discussion Guide.
And... enjoy!

Click here to receive your FREE GROW materials and recipe cards from Oxfam.

And, here are some recipes from Jamie Oliver, Lidia Bastianich, Mario Batali and other renowned chefs, to inspire your World Food Day Dinner (I'm trying the chilaquiles!).

See you at dinner on October 16th!

 

 

Homemade Dog Biscuits

Truthfully, I don't really bake much. Which makes it somewhat amusing that when I finally got out the baking sheets, I made dog biscuits. Hey, we all like homemade treats!

Looking at the ingredients list on a box of dog treats is often as scary as looking at some of the prepared stuff that passes as food these days. I generally believe that if you can't pronounce it, maybe it shouldn't be on your fork.

These dog biscuits came about because I wanted to find a comparable recipe for one of Jane the Dog's favorites, Milk-Bones. After her veterinarian announced to us that we should start brushing her teeth (um, what?) I knew that just giving her super-hard dog biscuits was not enough to keep her pearly whites sparkling. So, I experimented with a "copycat" recipe and I would say that it was a success. The biscuits weren't that difficult to make (always a plus). They didn't have exotic ingredients (except for the powdered milk, which can be a bit pricey, and the use of parchment paper which is something I had on hand since I use it for polymer clay). And, best of all, Jane loved them!

Jane the Dog

The process is simple enough. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine 1/2 cup dry powdered milk, 3/4 cup water, 1/3 cup softened butter, and 1 beaten egg. I used a hand-held beater but the mixture still comes out kind of lumpy and separated from the butter. It doesn't affect the final result.

Next, stir in 3 cups of unbleached flour (try substituting some whole wheat flour also). The dough will feel very similar to "people biscuit" dough.

You can roll out the dough, but I found that I could just pat it out on a piece of parchment paper. Pat or roll out the dough 1/2 inch thick and cut into shapes. I have a dog bone-shaped cutter that is 3-1/4 inches wide, purchased at a Michael's craft store, but you can cut the biscuits into any shape you like. I tried to stamp "JANE" into the bone with metal alphabet stamps, but the dough sort of puffed up and the writing disappeared. Yes, I actually did sample a little piece; these biscuits also taste a lot like "people biscuits" without the salt, etc.

Place parchment paper on a baking sheet and place the dog biscuits on the paper. Bake for about 50 minutes. They won't brown a lot, but they will be crunchy (not hard as a brick like Milk-Bones, but definitely crunchy).

I originally made half of this recipe just to try it, and with my 3-1/4 inch cookie cutter I was able to get seven biscuits plus a couple of extra small leftover pieces. So, this recipe should make about 14 or 15 biscuits with a cookie cutter of similar size. Store in a paper bag so biscuits will remain crunchy, and remember that these don't have preservatives so they won't last as long as manufactured dog biscuits. It might not really be a problem for you and your precious furbaby; Jane could probably eat all of them at one time. But, treats are treats because they're special - just like your sweet dog!

summer salad daze

Whoever came up with the phrase "lazy hazy days of summer" was nuts. Hazy perhaps, but lazy? Not around here!

Lonesome Road Studio is a bit of a late bloomer this year regarding summer shows and markets (nothing like waiting until the hottest part of the year to emerge from hibernation!) and will be kicking off a short summer show season with the new Downtown LaSalle Canal Market on Saturday, July 28th. In the midst of all the preparations for shows, our garden has come alive as well and we're currently up to our eyeballs in cucumbers. Lazy? No way!

Typically I make cucumber salads with a more savory-salty flavor, but this year I experimented a bit with a dressing that I used earlier for a classic spinach and strawberry salad. I discovered that this sweet and tangy dressing was also a great match for cucumber slices and we've been enjoying it in abundance.

Simply combine 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar and 1/4 cup vegetable oil. Shake in a jar or whisk briskly to dissolve the sugar completely. Then, add 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 1/4 teaspoon paprika, and 1 tablespoon poppy seeds. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

I prefer to use a light sunflower oil for this dressing. You can use olive oil but I like the lighter taste of the sunflower oil, and I hate waiting for refrigerated olive oil dressings to "unthicken." I also like to experiment with different types of balsamic vinegars and found that using a raspberry-infused white balsamic vinegar is wonderful with salads featuring fruit.

If you're in the LaSalle, Illinois area, come and visit me at the Downtown LaSalle Canal Market! I heard a rumor that The Olive Gallery will be there also - could be dangerous for me. Having a bit of a vinegar obsession, I'm hoping that they'll bring their Coconut White Balsamic Vinegar to the Market - doesn't that sound wonderful? Their Dark Chocolate Balsamic Vinegar is already on the Lonesome Road shelf - decadent, delicious and so different, and it also makes a wonderful vinaigrette for spinach and strawberry salad! So, you might just see a lot more wildly experimental salad dressing recipes here at the Lonesome Road kitchen blog... what better time than during the salad daze of summer?

Homemade Corned Beef part 2

Here's how that wonderful

homemade corned beef turned out!

Cook the corned beef after brining for at least five days and up to ten days (see previous recipe here). Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

Drain the meat and discard the brine. Place the brined brisket in a covered baking dish with water up to 3/4 of the sides of the meat. Add 4 small cloves of garlic, 1 teaspoon black peppercorns, 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds, 1/2 teaspoon whole allspice, and 1/8 teaspoon whole cloves. Cover and place in oven to cook low and slow for about three hours (it depends on the size of your brisket).

Add traditional vegetables if you wish (potatoes, cabbage, carrots, etc.). They will taste absolutely fabulous after cooking in this liquid. To serve, slice corned beef brisket against the grain and surround with vegetables. And don't forget to make enough to have reuben sandwiches also!