Dynamite Cook-Off 2008

I happily spent Saturday September 13th in Woonsocket, RI, at the 2nd Annual Dynamite Cook-Off ! The day started out similar to last year, in that it rained in the morning, but by the time the judging was underway, the sun was shining! There were not have as many entrants as last year(almost 6o last year!), but there were some familiar faces!

Contestants busy getting ready!

Our judges ready to try some tasty dynamites!

Contestant Christine Brackett.

Christine uses sausage, hamburg and mushrooms to her dynamite mixture. To give it a kick, she adds adobo sauce for a smoky heat!

April Fagnant, one of our youngest contestants. April's mixture was dark and rich looking. Her secret? Making her Dynamites in a slow cooker overnight.

When I asked contestant Ray Chauvette, what the secret was to his Dynamite mixture, he said LOVE........

One of our returning contestants, Bruce Trudeau. Bruce's Mom used to make Dynamites every Sunday for Bruce's very large French Canadian family (13 kids!). He makes his Dynamites in her honor.

Contestant John Croteau.

Contestant Alex Sommer and his special Dynamite mixture. Alex had a secret ingredient. The judges loved his mixure, although becuase he works for the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council, he could not officially compete. Alex wanted to see if he could pull off a successful Dynamite dish despite the fact that it was Vegetarian!!! The judges and others who tasted it loved it!!! Great job Alex!

Our Third Place Winner Jill Brackett.

Jill loves tex Mex food, so spiced up her mixture with some corn and fresh peppers, spicy and sweet.

Jill with the judges.

Second Place Winner, Dianne Jarrie Russell. Diane used a slow cooker for her mixture. She learned to make Dynamites at age 13, by watching and helping her Mom in the kitchen.
Lynne Leroux and Michelle Marcotte of The Friendly Home, were our Third Place IWnners from last year. They spent several months perfecting and tweaking their recipe and came back wanting to win it all!

Here is their entry. Presentation is very important at this cookoff. Of course Dynamites go hand in hand with Narragansett Beer!

Well, the ladies had what it takes. They came in first place not only with the judges, but they also won the People's Choice Award as well!

Congratulations to all the winners what a wonderful day it was. Hope to see you there next year!

Warm your Soul

I recently found a recipe for corn chowder and vowed to make some before the summer was officially OVER! Since my sister-in-law Jen was visiting from Florida, I figured now is as good a time as any!
I purchased some end- of- season corn from Hill Orchards at the Hope St. Farmer's Market.
I also picked up some in-house baked/smoked turkey from Lee's Market in Westport, MA. I love going into that market. I always find some new locally made products & gourmet goodies there. After spending the better part of the day interviewing farmers and researching local potatoes for Farm Fresh RI. i came home and decided to cook up a storm! I must say, this chowder was fabulous!!! Jim said it was the best soup I have ever made (and i have made some great ones!!!!), even Emma thought it was fantastic!!!
Whether we like it or not the chilly weather is slowly creeping up on us here in New England (it is supposed to be 37 degrees tonight!), so find some corn, local potatoes and warm up your body and soul with this easy to make; hearty, creamy chowder. I found the recipe this summer in Wondertime Magazine.

I hope you get to make some soon! Please let me know what you think! ENJOY......

Mom, What's for Dinner????

“What is for dinner”, you might say to yourself. Believe me, as a busy mom of 2 daughters ages 11 & 3 ½ yrs, I know how hard it is to come up with varied, healthy – and let’s not forget- yummy, meals for my family night after night. To keep my oldest daughter enthused about dinner and to let her have a little control over what we have (which in turn would get her to try new things) she came up with theme nights. Monday is Mexican, Tuesday is Meat or Fish, Wednesday is Pasta, Thursday is Chicken and Friday is Pizza. This leaves the weekend to BBQ in the backyard or to go out and explore some local restaurants. Instead of being bored cooking the “same old, same old”, I am constantly excited to come up with my weekly menu, using the themes as my guide and you can be too. If you expose your children to a variety of flavors early on chances are they’ll be better eaters.

You’re in luck, it is nearing the end of summer, but the bounty is still here. An abundance of fruit and vegetables are in season now, making it easier to come up with healthy, delicious meals for you and your family. The best way to ensure your children are getting the freshest, healthiest foods is to buy right from the source and teach them where things like fruits and vegetables come from. Coming up with good weekly meals is so easy, most of the time you barely need to do any cooking! Breakfast can consist of some fresh sliced peaches topped with plain low-fat yogurt, a scoop of granola and a drizzle of honey. For Lunch, blanch some chopped veggies, add them to your favorite shaped pasta that has been cooked al-dente, and toss with a light vinaigrette for an easy pasta salad. Dinner (Mexican night for example) could be Cheesy Corn and Bean Quesadillas made with fresh corn from the cob.

Our friend Lucian LOVES corn!

While it might not be enjoyable to bring your children along with you to the grocery store, bringing them to a roadside farm stand or a farmer’s market could be a great learning tool and adventure! The colors and smells of the fruits and vegetables out right now are so vibrant and fragrant. From a deep glossy green zucchini to a crimson red cherry to inhaling the sweet perfume of a perfectly ripe peach all will appeal to your child’s senses. Using your theme nights and what is fresh in season and what looks good, at the markets as your guide, you should be able to whip up some fabulous meals that you and your family will love. There are 30 Farmer’s Markets in the Rhode Island area. Farm Fresh RI manages 7 Farmer’s Markets in the State. Their website (www.farmfreshri.org) is a great resource. You can sign up to receive weekly e-mail updates of what’s going on at the market, what’s in season and find out where the nearest market is to you with directions and maps included. The site also lists; “Pick Your Own” farms and “Roadside” farm stands. If you live outside the Rhode Island area, you can find out when and where local markets are held by contacting your State’s agriculture department (or go to: www.localharvest.org).

Mmmmm, Peaches!

Despite the beauty of the bounty, some kids might not want to eat their fruits and veggies! Get creative, put shredded vegetables in burgers, turn-pureed fruit mixed with yogurt into frozen pops or steam your Childs’ favorite veggies such as sweet carrots and serve with a cool creamy dressing for dipping. If your kids don’t like one vegetable move on to another, such as sliced tomatoes and cucumbers sprinkled with a little salt & pepper, or a medley of grilled vegetables topped with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. It doesn’t take much to make your simple summer meals great.

Having your children help you in the kitchen preparing the meals is another great way to help persuade them to try new things. Kids as young as 4 can start to take on some responsibility with guidance. My oldest daughter started helping me in the kitchen when she was 5, rolling and forming the dough for Friday night Pizza. I then let her spread the sauce all around and sprinkle on the cheese, which she of course had to sample! She used to love watching the cheese bubble in the oven. Now she can’t wait until it is finished!

FOODIE FIELD TRIP: Camping in Maine

I LOVE CAMPING!!

Jim, Zoe, Emma and I recently went camping in Southern Maine with my Sister-in-law Jen and my niece Desiree, who were up from Florida for the summer. We were very lucky to find a site considering we did not make reservations till a week before our trip! It was a bit rainy and chilly for much of the weekend, but that did not deter us from having a wonderful time together and enjoying the beautiful scenery. We were hoping to be close to Ogonquit, but our campground (located on Rt. 1) in Wells was much closer to Kennebunkport. New places to explore!

We took 95N up from Providence and made a favorite stop in York: Stonewall Kitchen! If you have never been, run, don't walk. Jonathan King and Jim Stott started their business by selling some terrific jams at the local famer's market (I remember purchasing some of their now-famous, award-winning, Roasted Garlic Onion Jam at the Hampton Beach farmer's market oh, so many years ago!). Their headquarter's now encompasses a cafe, store and a beyond fabulous cooking school where they hold classes daily! We picked up some of our favorites (wild maine blueberry) and a few new jars (you get to sample just about everything) , and then decided to take the "scenic" route 1, to our campground (instead of zipping back onto the highway).

Traffic was bumper to bumper on the Rt. 1, so by the time we got to our campsite and set up on our first night, it was dark, a bit late and drizzly. We were so very hungry (and a bit crabby) that we headed over to Wells House of Pizza (207-646-5578). A pepperoni pizza never tasted so good!
We woke up to a cool and sunny day, so we decided to check out the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge located about 5 min. from camp. Through her numerous books (most notably Silent Spring: 1962), Rachel Carson alerted the public to the link between human actions and their environmental effect. It is a beautiful preserve with trails that take you through a salt marsh. Since we were a minute from Kennebunkport, we just had to check out the Bush family summer home! We wanted to pop in to say hello to the President, but alas he and his family had just left for Bejing. Maybe next time..........
The drive along the coast thru Kennebunkport on to Cape Porpoise is gorgeous. The local fire station was having a lobster roll sale, but we opted for rolls and clam chowder from Port Lobster Company market across from The Breakwater Inn and Spa and parked ourselves on a bench overlooking the harbor where we watched the lobsterboats come in.
The lobstermen had to park here and count all of the lobsters, and then move on to let the other boats park and count.

After spending the day looking for edible plants in a salt marsh, driving along the ocean, doing some shopping in Kennebunkport :
(My favorite shop by the way is: Daytrip Society.)
We were ready for some good campfire grub!! The kids kept busy at the playground across from our site (not as wonderful as you might think!), and Jen and Jim and I popped open some terrific local beer: Geary's Summer Ale

While the rice pilaf was cooking on the camp-stove and Jim prepared the fire, I put together an easy Caprese salad made with RI basil, Maine grown tomatoes and Narragansett Creamery's fresh Mozzarella.

Jennifer had marinated some awesome steaks, so we threw those on the grill along with some corn and bread.

No camp dinner is complete without S'mores!

Here Zoe shows us how it is done!

Yummmm

The next morning Jim decided to make a hearty breakfast: coffee, hot chocolate, juice, bacon and pancakes!

Feeling full and happy, we decided to head down to York Beach and relive some happy moments from our childhood. Since we also had eager children with us and it was not a perfect beach day, we headed for the arcade!

Jim had almost as much fun as the kids! Me, I am not the biggest fan of arcades. Just don't like playing the games too much. I did enjoy Skee-ball though!

"Look into my crystal ball. Ooh, I see great things in your future!"

We were hungry after playing all of those games. Being by the seaside we had to go with the fish-n-chips. Crunchy and fresh. Really scrumptious!

You cannot visit York Beach without visiting The Goldenrod; home of the famous Goldenrod Kisses!

They have been making (my favorite taffy!!!!) their famous kisses since, 1896! My favorite flavor and their best-seller is Molasses. It is so fun to press your face against the window and watch the taffy being made!

Stretching the taffy

Pulling the taffy
Wrapping the taffy
Pick up an assorted box the next time you are in town or order online!

No trip to coastal Maine would be complete without a visit to a lighthouse and a lobster dinner.

We took Jen and Desi to see the famous Nubble Light in Cape Neddick.

This Cape Neddick Lighthouse began operating in 1879.

The forecast was calling for severe thunderstorms in the area, so we ended our camping trip a day early, but not without treating ourselves to a lobster dinner at my favorite lobster in-the-rough location: Ogunquit Lobster Pound (504 Main St, Ogunquit, ME (207) 646-2516) You pick out your lobsters as they are swimming around the tank outside, and then the guys take the steamers and lobsters and tie them up in a net and boil them in sea water for you!

The other Jen Corbin (my sweet sister-in-law) loved them so much she decided she would eat everyone's lobstah!

Woonsocket Farmer's Market TODAY!

There were massive down pours at the start of last week's Woonsocket Farmer's Market, but that didn't deter the faithful foodies on their hunt for farm fresh goodies!
What can you expect to to see today? Hopefully no rain!
Moosup River Farm: cantaloupe, red bliss potatoes, broccoli (or, as Zoe calls them. little green trees), beautiful big eggplant(with chilly weather around the corner I see Eggplant Parmesan in my future!).

last week I purchased some of White Oak Farm's 'famous" corn. It was so scrumptious! Naturally buttery sweet, I can't wait to get more this week!
They also had green beans, field grown tomatoes, blueberries, Sicilian eggplant and some lovely , tiny, lavender colored fairy tale eggplant.

Hill Orchards had vibrant green peppers, corn, squash and cucumbers. Some early short term apples are starting to appear! Pristine Apples, Wellingtons and Jersey Macs. All are on the tart side. Alan also had some lovely, little, golden Japanese Shiso Plums along with some Santa Rosa plums which are actually very hard to grow here in New England. They prefer an all around warmer climate.

Here is a great deal: the Hill Orchards stand had: 3lbs. of plums, peaches and nectarines for $5.00!!

Cooks Valley Farm had 2ND Quality Peaches for sale which are great for canning, freezing and baking. At one section of the table, you could fill a bag of 2ND quality(I saw nothing wrong with them!) peppers and squash for $2.50! Terrific for stews, quiches and freezing.

They also had their own onions, shallots, potatoes. Green, golden and purple peppers. Big heads of lettuce and kale. Big, beautiful melons as well.
I love heading to the local markets every week. I always see something new and delicious I can't wait to take home and try. Or if you are like me, leave some napkins in the car. Those juicy plums and tasty tart apples, might not make it all the way home!

As always, the Woonsocket Farmer's Market is held every Tuesday from 4pm-7pm at St. Ann's Church. For more information about this market and others please go to the Farm Fresh RI web-site: www.farmfreshri.org
****A big thank you to market manager Laura Genello for this week's market pictures!