Great Beginnings

This is easily the most exciting part of vegetable gardening - when the first fruits of your labor begin to make their appearances. Little tomato nubbins that seem to turn into green globes overnight, the tiniest of beans and pea blossoms, pinkie-sized peppers...It's all so fascinating, and it's a beautiful moment of realization that yes, you are competent with dirt and seed and shovel. It's also a reminder that soon, you will not have to pay out the wazoo for sub-par tomatoes at the store. No, soon you will step out of your back door, pluck one still warm from the sun, and literally taste summer. Even the edibles that grow wild are peeking up at the sun. There are gobs of wild blackberries all around where we live, and Chris brought me the first ripe one two days ago. "There's...thousands...of them," he said with a huge goofy smile, "they'll all be ready in another week or two." Of course we both knew that already, but the excitement of many, many pounds of free berries is just too much to contain...(Ok, not entirely free. One must brave briars and -possibly- snakes to get at them, but they are worth the risks)

I really enjoy taking pictures of our veggies as they grow, and god bless the macro setting on a digital camera. It makes me look like a legitimate photographer sometimes. So here, I present to you, a little photo essay of what are most certainly some great beginnings:

What's going on?

I can be pretty terrible at this blogging thing sometimes, can't I ? That's no good, considering I'm trying to reach 5,000 hits by August. So, since I haven't posted in what seems like ages, you may (or may not) be asking yourselves "what the heck has she been up to?". Just life...and procrastination.

It's spring, and here at little old Ogle Acres that means being outside. Planting, watering, weeding, playing...none of which involve being anywhere near a computer. I used to do my blogging in the morning with my little (huge) cup of coffee, but now I'm doing this:

Told you I had weeding to do

Also, I've been working out a lot. And eating really healthy. I don't know if you've noticed, but this blog isn't exactly about scrambled egg whites, big salads, and standing overhead presses (no, I do not have a picture of that). So, I've been working out how to balance testing and creating the comfort food recipes you all love with the healthy lifestyle I'm trying to live. I don't want to compromise the integrity of classic southern dishes, either - so I don't want to do healthified versions of Southern classics (I just invented that word, healthified. Say it with a southern accent- it works)

So here's what I AM going to do:
1. Practice a little time management and get up earlier so I have more time to blog
2. Add Gardening and Healthy Living pages
3. Use my Sunday dinners for the really good, sinful food we all have come to expect from me.

Are you all ok with that? I hope so. I hope you can bear with me, I'm only human like the rest of you (you did read about my CookieFail, didn't you?!) I'm just a girl in a double-wide trying to write a cookbook, grow some veggies, lose 18 pounds, make some friends, and remain sane while raising a 3 year old.

Sounds like the makings of a pretty interesting blog, to me :)

The Other Red Meat: Venison

1. We live in the country
2. My husband likes to hunt


A lot of people in the South depend on the deer meat our hunters bring home to help keep grocery costs down throughout the year. Many folks think venison is too gamey tasting. I think this recipe/technique will change some minds...

I don't have a name for it. I'm so sorry - I really tried to think something up, but couldn't come up with anything other than "Venison Nuggets", or "Bambi Bites", or "Sauteed Venison Loin Cubes with Peppers and Onions". The first two are ridiculous, the third one is too long and snooty. Feel free to name this recipe for me in the comments section.

One of the best ways to help remove some of the gaminess of the meat is to soak it in watered down milk overnight, or at least a couple of hours. This helps draw out the blood and mellow the flavor. I used the backstrap for this recipe, which is kind of like a tenderloin cut. This was an improv recipe, so measurements aren't precise. You could use any meat for this. It's just a quick, non-Asian stir fry, really.

Remove any tendons and/or  silverskin from the backstrap/tenderloin (which has been soaked, if desired) and cut it into bite size cubes. Toss with a generous sprinkle of steak seasoning and lemon pepper. Let stand while you slice up the veggies

I had some button mushrooms, half of a Poblano pepper, and half of a white onion hanging out in the fridge, so that's what I used. (Poblanos have a little heat - sort of a happy medium between a bell pepper and a mild jalapeno. You can find them amongst the other peppers at any grocery store these days. We love them out here at Ogle Acres!)

Not as old as she looks...

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium high heat. lightly film the bottom with oil. When it's near the smoking point, toss in the meat and cook to medium  rare. Keep it moving around so it doesn't burn or overcook.You really want the pan screaming hot.

Remove the meat to a bowl and add the veggies, cook until tender and lightly charred.

they will pick up the crusty bits and flavor from the meat, so there's really no need to season them with anything more than a little salt.

Toss together the meat and veggies and serve with pretty much ANYTHING. Pile on top of mashed potatoes or rice, buttered egg noodles, or do what I did:

Make an epic salad with mixed greens, scallions, cucumber, blue cheese dressing and blue cheese crumbles. Blue cheese is really fantastic with red meat. That flavor combo just really brings me joy...

If you don't have venison in your freezer, feel free to use beef in this dish. Since it's cooked to medium rare you can use a cheaper cut. The flavors would also work with chicken. It's a tasty, fast, weeknight treat. 

Not Just Any Orange

The Queen of Citrus- Blood Orange

As far as I'm concerned, this is the best thing to ever happen to the world of oranges. I can only find them in stores in February and March, and was shocked to see them here in little old Walterboro!

The flavor is very sweet, floral, and almost honey-like. And the smell, oh, the smell! I would love to just rub the zest behind my ears.

When looking for them in stores, look for an orange rind with a deep red blush to it. When you cut into it the flesh should be fragrant and look, well, blood red. Hence the name.

Apparently I have sausage fingers when juicing...

The juice makes for a FANTASTIC mimosa. Use it anywhere that regular orange juice is called for  for more depth of flavor. Segmented out it's great on salads with grilled chicken.  Treat my favorite orange just as you would any other. But with more respect and adoration, of course, for she is royalty.

Fancy-Pants: Early Spring Omelette

I don't make breakfast quite often enough for you people. I don't know why, either - I tend to eat pretty fun stuff in the morning. Or a cold pork chop - you know, whatever's handy.

I love omelettes: they are quick and delicious, although not always easy. Jacques Pepin (a card-carrying master chef and friend of Julia) says he judges the skill of a chef by how he makes an omelette. Don't be scared of that though, because YOUR omelette doesn't have to be perfect. It should just be delicious! This VIDEO featuring the adorable Jaime Oliver is a quick lesson in omelette technique- he gives you a basic how-to in under 5 minutes.

I called this an "Early Spring" omelette because 1. It's the end of February, ergo: early spring here. 2. The produce involved is what's growing at my house right now. And hanging out in the fridge. Whatever - just go with it...

The spinach is growing in a pot on my porch, I planted it back in December. The cute, trendy, and possibly pretentious microgreens are merely the result of thinning out the salad greens that have sprouted up in a pot in my greenhouse. I think you can buy them, but they are stupid expensive because they are trendy and pretentious, so just leave them out if you don't have a crop to thin. They add nice flavor but aren't essential. (To be honest, I only added them at the end because my omelette was ugly, and they dressed it up.) Also, I went with sun-dried tomatoes because in February, there is no such thing as a truly fresh tomato.

On with the show!

Early Spring Omelet (for one)

2 eggs, as fresh as humanly possible (or chickenly possible?)

1 tablespoon milk

2 teaspoons sour cream

pinch of kosher salt

1 cup fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped

1 tablespoon sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (oil packed- you will need 1 tablespoon of the oil as well)

1 Tablespoon goat cheese, crumbled. (or feta, or monterey jack- whatever floats your boat)

A handful of microgreens (completely optional)

Have all your ingredients ready, because this comes together quickly!

Beat together the eggs, milk, sour cream, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
Heat a small (7-8inch) NONSTICK skillet over medium high heat, and add 1 tablespoon of the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes. Toss in the spinach and tomatoes and saute till the spinach is just wilted. Transfer to a small bowl and pour the eggs into the skillet (there should be enough residual oil in the pan to cook the eggs in).

I have such a crush on eggs...mmmm...eggy goodness...

Now here's where watching that video I linked to earlier will have come in handy, because it's a lot easier to watch and copy than to try and explain in writing. I prefer the french technique because it results in a fluffier omelette. It involves stirring the eggs and shaking the pan violently and waking up everyone in the house with all the racket you're making, until the eggs are almost set. However, you can also gently move them around as the adorable Jamie Oliver does.

When the eggs are about half-cooked (still fairly moist, definitely not scrambled), add the spinach, tomatoes, and cheese.

Slightly off center. On purpose.

Now here's the hard part- rolling this puppy up. Yesterday it went really well and came out beautifully. Today was a bit more challenging (hence the microgreens). You're going to loosen very carefully the edges with a fork, and very carefully slide a spatula under the edge opposite the handle, and very carefully (but like you mean it) do a sort of jerking motion with the pan while flipping the free edge over the filling. And that was the longest sentence in recipe-writing history.

At this point the bulk of the omelette should be on the side of the pan closest to the handle. Slide it to the opposite side, and roll it onto a plate.

Many things can go wrong here, and that's OK. You can tuck loose edges under, wipe the plate clean, and do what I did because the darn thing cracked open when it rolled on to the plate:

Nobody needs to know that this was a train wreck seconds before the picture was taken.

I took advantage of the crack in the top and turned it into a fancy slit, which says "Peekaboo! There's tasty goodness hiding in here!" Then topped it with some microgreens that say "Ho ho! Look how fancy and delicious I am!"

Now, once you have mastered the omelette, your options are limitless. Stuff these babies with ANYHTING (although I wouldn't go over 3 items inside). Fix it plain. Serve it with a salad and a glass of wine for lunch or dinner. There's something really classy and special about it, even though its such simple food.

Try it now! Anytime can be omelette time!

Brewin' a Stew

It's been a long time, friends. We've had some pretty life-changing stuff going on around the Ogle homestead, so I just haven't had time to dedicate to blogging and cooking the way I'd like to. But never fear! I think I've worked out a schedule to give this project the time it deserves, and the food that you all deserve!

A while back, on a cold and rainy day,  I thought there would be nothing better to warm us up than a hearty beef stew. Now, I employ a few techniques that I've learned over the years that make this take a little longer, but it's Beef Stew for crying out loud. Besides, I have never claimed to offer speedy recipes - only tasty ones. Also, note the word "brewin' " in the title above. Yes, my children, that means there's beer involved (mostly because I didn't have any wine...I know, shocking).

There's two main things I do differently from others here: 1) I dry off the meat before browning it, and 2) I cook it in the oven.

Why dry the beef? Because Julia- yes, that Julia - said so. When you are searing the chunks of meat, you are mostly trying to develop flavor. It won't get a rich brown crust if there's too much moisture, so dry it off with paper towels.

Have I told you what a joy it is to have a dutch oven? It doesn't have to be an expensive Le Cruset (like mine, which was a gift from a dear friend, and was apparently free- I didn't ask questions.). You can find a good one at WalMart these days. Just make sure it's enameled cast iron and you will be good to go. It is the workhorse in my kitchen. In mine I've baked macaroni, made chicken stock, braised meats, made stews and chili, even baked bread. My favorite thing about a dutch oven is that it can go from stovetop to oven to table, which means less dishes to wash. Oh, and enameled cast iron is the EASIEST thing to clean EVER.

OK! Lets brew up some stew !


Classic Beef Stew

1 1/2 lbs beef for stew (it's already cut into large chunks for you! Or you could buy a small boneless chuck roast and cut it up, which I have done before)

1/2 cup flour mixed with 1 teaspoon Lawry's, for dusting

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil, plus more as needed

1/2 can beer (drink the rest. Duh.)

1 can beef broth

1 can stewed tomatoes

3 celery stalks, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/2 inch pieces

1 Onion, quartered

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Salt & Pepper, to taste


Preheat the oven to 325.
Dry the beef thoroughly with paper towels. Toss in the flour to coat lightly. We aren't breading here, just getting a light dusting of flour to help give the meat a nice brown crust. Heat the oil (which should be just enough to coat the bottom) in a large dutch oven over medium high heat. You want the oil almost to the smoking point. Brown the meat in batches, turning once, until you get a nice crust (you may need to add a touch more oil between batches).

It's important not to crowd the pan or the meat will steam instead of brown. I usually end up doing about 5 or 6 chunks per batch. Remove the meat to a bowl as each batch finishes. What you're looking for here is a crisp, dark crust on at least 2 sides - it will help enrich the flavor of the finished product.

Once the meat is all browned and out of the pot, add the beer and bring to a simmer, scraping up all the browned bits of goodness from the bottom of the pan. Add the beef broth and tomatoes then return your attention to the meat.

If you've purchased beef for stew, chances are the meat is in pretty huge chunks. Cut it into bite size pieces as needed (around 1 inch or so). Return the meat along with any juices to the pot, along with the celery, carrots, onion, garlic, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring it all to a boil, stir, cover, and place in oven.

Cook for about 2 hours, but check it every 45 minutes - you may need to stir in a bit of water if it gets too thick. After 2 hours, the stew should be thick, the vegetables soft, and the meat meltingly tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

I know, right! It's so hearty & warming!

I like to accompany my beef stew with crispy egg noodles. It's also good over rice or smashed potatoes.

I know spring is almost here in the Lowcountry, but I have readers in colder climes that I'm sure will enjoy this while waiting for the snow to melt - I'm talking to you, Idaho.

Hope you love this as much as my husband did - and if you don't have a husband, make some of this and you will surely have one by the end of the week.

Kitchen Queries: Bad Fruit

Krystal E. in Texas shot me a text the other day and I just had to share this with you all. Once we got to the bottom of things, I knew it would be an issue that others might have.

"I seriously cannot keep fruit in my house for longer than a day without it getting moldy. I think it's the humidity, any suggestions?"

I had more questions for Krystal before being able to help her. I found out that the offending fruit was primarily berries and they were local and fresh. She was keeping them in green bags, which allegedly keep your produce fresher for longer. No problems yet, right? Well apparently the instructions for the green bags tell users to wash the produce before storing it in the green bag. Which is fine, unless you're talking about berries.

Berries are pretty delicate fruits to begin with, and you want to eat them soon after purchase. If they will be hanging around the fridge for a few days though, don't wash them until you are ready to eat them. The residual moisture will sit on them and speed up spoilage. I'm all for being efficient and pre-washing my produce when I get home, but the one thing I don't do that with is berries.

Krystal said she'd try not washing them in advance, and I haven't heard back from her so I'm assuming it worked out :)