Sylvia's Scenario

This week is the Idaho State Dietetic Association's annual meeting and our pre-conference event was a Farm to Fork tour.  There were 50 of us who toured around the Treasure Valley visiting local farmers starting with a feed lot that raises "natural" beef.   Next was a dairy with 3,000 dairy cows, quite a production.  Then we had lunch at a local winery which was absolutely DELICIOUS!  It was all locally grown/produced foods catered by Brick 29 in Nampa, complete with wine tasting, of course.  On the road again to an organic farm which grows greens all year around in 12 green houses.  Remarkable!  Every little garden was so perfect!  We ended the day at another winery, this one was organic and more beautiful scenery!!  It was such a gorgeous day with such inspirational stories from all these remarkable farmers! Our first stop was a feed lot with 4700 head of cattle.  It really didn't stink that much and wasn't as depressing as I antic...

  We had another delicious Easter. Menu Leg of Lamb with Garlic and Rosemary Orzo with Mushrooms and Walnuts Asparagus with Browned Butter & Tarragon Whole Grain Rolls  and dessert... Fresh Strawberry Pie I made the little  chocolate birds nest  with pretzels that I previously posted.   They were easy to make and fun.  I love the different colored Peeps, they look so spring-like.  And they made for a great table decoration. Everyone loved them, so simple, yet so effective. Here's what our plates looked like after we took a helping of each delicious dish... It was just the right amount and not too filling!  Until dessert... This strawberry pie was one of the best I've made.  It was so delicious.  It was topped with plain Greek yogurt with a bit of lemon zest and sugar added, very subtle but really brought out the sweet strawberries.   Or maybe I was just craving this spri...

Here's a good recipe to counter-act all the Easter candy you've been eating all week and to fill you up in a healthy manner before the big feast tomorrow. Turkey Chili with Corn and Black Beans Serves 8 20 oz. ground turkey breast 1 medium onion, chopped 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped 2 Tbsp chili pepper 1 Tbsp cumin 1 tsp oregano 1 tsp red pepper flakes  1 can diced tomatoes with juice 1 small can tomato sauce 1 can yellow corn 2 cans black beans, rinsed 1.  Brown turkey in large skillet.   2.  After 1 minute, add onion, red bell pepper, and spices. 3.  Add canned ingredients and bring to boil. 4.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 30-45 minutes or until onions and peppers are soft. Serve with a dollop of sour cream, fresh cilantro and corn bread.

I found these on another food blog ca lled  Nutritious Eats   so I must share.   All you do is melt the chocolate, stir in the pretzel sticks, form the nests and stick on some Easter candy for decoration. Fun, decorative and delicious (who doesn’t love the salty-sweet combo of chocolate & pretzels?). These will double as decorations and dessert for us this year. Doesn’t get much easier than mixing pretzels with chocolate. Makes 10-12 nests Half pound pretzels sticks 8 ounce semi-sweet chocolate (I used baking bars and cut them in half) 4 ounce bittersweet chocolate, broken up into smaller pieces Easter candy- Peeps, Chocolate or Malted eggs (You can use Whopper eggs, the same as Nutrition Eats blog used or Jordan Almonds that I used because of the beautiful Easter color.  Also, Hershey's chocolate eggs work well, or any small jelly beans) 1. Line a large cookie sheet or two with wax paper or parchment paper coated with cooking s...

We had this dish tonight, although I only had green peppers (no red ones)  but it was still delicious.   We're still in the mood for saucy, hardy dishes in this cooler spring weather.  (It was 32 degrees last night!) Orange Sweet-and-Sour Chicken Thighs with Bell Peppers Serves 4 1-1/2 Tbsp canola oil, divided 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs 1/4 tsp salt 1 cup orange juice 1 Tbsp cornstarch 2 Tbsp rice vinegar 3 Tbsp soy sauce 2 Tbsp honey 1 cup chopped onion 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tsp fresh ginger 1 green bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch strips 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch strips 1.  Heat 1 Tbsp canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Sprinkle chicken with salt.  Add chicken to pan, and cook 3 minutes on each side or until done.  Remove chicken from pan, and cut into thin strips. 2.  While chicken cooks, combine orange juice, cornstarch, vinegar, soy sauce, and h...

I told myself this year that we weren't planting things too early because stuff always freezes so this weekend we still planted lettuce, radishes, and spinach which ought to do O.K. since they are cold weather crops.  I actually was organized enough to still have my calendar from last year and it was the exact same weekend in April that we planted the same things.  (We must have just returned from our trip to the Masters... sigh...)  So, I guess I'm on schedule with the garden.  All the potatoes and onions are planted.  We found some of our potatoes from last year's crop were sprouting so Bruce eagerly planted those this weekend, too.    I planted the lettuce, spinach and radishes in the boxes or the South Garden.  (Bruce is in the North Garden in the above photo)  I like the South Garden because I can see it all the time looking outside the kitchen window (which is usually where I am in the house).  I call it my "rear window" b...

It was almost Bar B Q weather this weekend, but not quite. After working in the garden for two days, we felt like something warm and hardy and these two recipes fit the bill. The following recipe is from Cooking Light, Jan 2005. I'm glad I saved it because its delicious. Bruce said he felt like he was eating "gorment at a fancy restaurant". It is very tasty, I admit.  Thai Fish Sauce and Lime Chicken 4 servings 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves 1/4 tsp salt 1 Tbsp canola oil 1 cup chicken broth 3 Tbsp chili sauce 2 tsp fish sauce 1/4 cup fresh lime juice 1 tsp creamy peanut butter 2 Tbsp chopped roasted peanuts lime wedges (optional) 1.  Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/2-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/4 tsp salt. 2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add chicken, cook 6 minutes on each side or until done....