BEST EVER Bacon and Tomato Sandwich

I just have to gush about the most AMAZING sandwich we had the other night. I can see that a bacon and tomato sandwich may not sound that exciting to most people, but if that's the case, they can't possibly have eaten a bacon and tomato sandwich at the Hesser House. This one was made on Scott's multigrain bread that was still warm and smeared with our homemade mayonnaise. We were lucky to find some thick cut maple-cooked bacon from On the Edge Farm in Woodstock, VT who sources most of our meats. I don't like to play favorites among my farmer friends, but I was quite smitten with the organic tomatoes from Long Wind Farm in Thetford, VT. They specialize in tomatoes and sell their products at the Coop Food Stores. This sandwich was perfect beside the tomato soup we are still making from the juice we canned over the summer. Only 18 days until the start of the outdoor markets. Here's to a healthy growing season!

Meal Plan: April 17-24

We trying to eat down some of our heavier stores this week because that means less to move!

Sunday:

Leftover roll-ups

Monday:

Bacon Sandwiches with Tomato Soup

Tuesday:

Broccoli, Cauliflower, White bean casserole with coleslaw on the side

Wednesday:

Sauteed Swiss Chard with Bacon over rice

Thursday:

Pizza

Friday:

Pesto with Zucchini over pasta

Saturday:

Easter Dinner (menu to be posted later)

Cranberry Rangoon Recipe

Happy Thursday! I know, this may sound gross to you, but you probably don't have a surplus of cranberries in you freezer. Or maybe you do.... I realize this is another recipe for fried food, but I don't go for sweets, we hardly ever eat out and we really don't have any other vices. Once a week we make something fun that is outside our normal whole-grain-local-vegetable-based regimen. Sue us!

I found this recipe on the Cranberry Growers Association website. Incidentally my favorite cranberry grower is Cranberry Hill Farm in Plymouth, MA. If you are down that way this fall you should pay them a visit.

Anyway, I changed the recipe substantially, so here is what I did:

Ingredients:

3/4 C Fresh Cranberries

1/4 C Mayonnaise

10 oz Cream cheese, softened

1 tsp Cholula hot pepper sauce

1 T sugar (I used evaporated cane juice)

3 Scallions, white and green parts, finely diced

1 package Square Wonton Wrappers

1 oil (canola, or peanut) for frying

Directions:

Combine Cranberries, Mayonnaise and Cholula in food processor and blend until almost smooth. Add half of that mixture to cream cheese along with sugar and scallions and mix thoroughly. Drop one tsp full of mixture in the center of each won ton wrapper and seal as desired. I make boats (see photo). Heat oil until it shimmers. Fry rangoons until golden brown. It helps to keep them in a low oven while you finish the whole batch. You should have about four dozen of them when you finish.

The original recipe recommended using the reserved cranberry/mayo mixture as a dipping sauce, but we didn't do that. We set it aside to spread on sandwiches or to make another batch Instead, we dipped them in the sweet and sour sauce we made last summer!

We LOVED these! The insides are delightfully pink and tangy. I can't wait to break them out at a day-after-Thanksgiving-leftover-extravaganza! That said, we've decided to start experimenting with a baked version with the help of this recipe from My Baking Addition.

Meal Plan: April 10-16

There were Swiss Chard, duck eggs and some end of the barrel storage onions at the Norwich Farmers Market this Saturday. We have been so fortunate to have the monthly winter markets.....and the outdoor weekly market reopens in 27 days!!!!! Not that I am excited or anything. We are looking forward to seeing all the farmer friends we made last summer and to visiting more frequently with those that kept us sustained over the winter.

Sunday:

Shrimp stir fry with broccoli, onions and rice

Monday:

Slow Cooker Baked Beans with corn bread and canned apples

Tuesday:

Pasta and marinara sauce

Wednesday:

Tomato Soup and Cheese Sandwiches

Thursday:

Chili with rice

Friday:

Eggs in a Nest with sweetened rice

Saturday:

Pizza

Homemade Tater Tots!

I turned some so-so potato salad into some really fun fried treats!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups potato salad (easy on the mayo) with chopped onions

1/2 to 3/4 cup all purpose flour

1 egg (beaten)

1 medium-sized peeled and shredded potato

1 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 cup canola oil

Puree potato salad. Mix with flour, egg, shredded potato and spices until thoroughly combined. Heat oil in a skillet until it shimmers. Drop tablespoonfuls of potato mixture into hot oil and cook until golden brown and crispy on both sides. Enjoy with homemade ketchup.

Meal Plan: April 3 -8

Sunday:
Cheeseburgers with potato cakes and coleslaw

Monday:
Crock Pot Chicken with sauteed potatoes and celeriac with broccoli and cranberry sauce

Tuesday:
Chutney chicken with corn and rice

Wednesday:
Shredded Zucchini "pasta" with chicken and tomato sauce

Thursday:
Chicken soup with rice

Friday:
Pasta with creamy pesto

Saturday:
Leftover Chicken Soup

Hummus

We are moving away from cheese and toward hummus. I love this recipe from Simply Recipes.