An Austrian Feast in Texas

While I was at work one night, one of our chefs at Fino was in the kitchen and turned around to ask me if I happened to have plum jam laying around for a venison recipe he was interested in trying. As a matter of fact, I had this one lonely jar sitting in my kitchen that Jackie and I had made last summer that I had no idea what to do with- our plum mostarda. Mostarda is a traditional Italian condiment usually using mixed fruit with mustard oil or mustard seed with white wine vinegar. It is usually served with "bollito misto" or mixed boiled meats and compliments savory more than sweet. More than perfect for a venison strudel.

Lucky for me that I had that to contribute because they invited me out to their gorgeous house outside of Austin to their Austrian dinner feast. The menu included venison strudel, spaetzle with sprouts and snow peas, cabbage, my celery and artichoke salad, potato salad, collard greens, roasted pumpkin, and probably more that I can't remember as I slipped into a food coma halfway through. Needless to say, I spent my lovely Sunday underneath the stars, next to a warm outdoor fire, some chickens, new friends, and a stomach full of Austrian food.

our outdoor picnic table

our plum mostarda!

venison strudel

A little bit about me.

So I wrote my little bit piece on the Cottage Laws here in Texas and I am overwhelmed by the amount of people that have checked out my blog, responded on facebook, or even responded in the non-internet based world. I hope I can be a source on information and help in getting the word out and I hope those of you who have looked at my blog will continue to find interest in my musings, photos, and adventures in food.

I thought I could start our new relationship by sharing a little bit about me by admitting one of my biggest personal struggles. An addiction that I've been fighting for what seems like years now. I've tried giving it up and have always gone back to it- for comfort, relaxation, and relief.

Yes I'm talking about... Diet Coke.

A friend of mine posted this article recently on facebook and I just wanted to share so you too can know that it's not you. It's an addiction. Maybe this will help us all fight it and start a beautiful world of sparkling water, natural juices, and herbal tea:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/04/diet-soda-addiction-_n_830997.html?ref=fb&src=sp

To get to know a little bit more about me not having to do with my Diet Coke addiction, my adventures in Texas all started here:

Why I Write a Food Blog

The Cottage Cause.

I think I may have found a project. I was doing my thing on Saturday night waiting tables at Fino and had the lovely pleasure of serving Carol Ann and Larry from Boggy Creek Farms. Not only were they a pleasure in general- a truly kind and "Texas" couple but we got to talking about my jam-making adventures. Not only did they become my new best friends over conversation of canning methods and types of jars and lids, Carol Ann brought a cause to my attention-  Cottage Food laws and the Texas Baker's Bill. What are these laws you ask? Well, let me tell you...

What these laws pertain to is allowing low-risk food items such as baked goods, dried herbs, acids, vinegars, jams, and jellies to be made without the use of a commercial kitchen. As some of you know and some of you may not, selling jam or homemade goods is completely illegal without using a kitchen that can meet state and city Health Department requirements. This means that when you want to make a little cash or start an entrepreneurial endeavor, you need a whole lot of money to rent out a commercial space. You also need a whole lot of money to get it inspected and approved, to have the licensing to start a business in order to get that space, and not to mention all the other expenses that you need in order to just make your product. And you know what? You don't even know if your product will sell or how much, how your business is going to run, and a you only have a pretty vague estimate on your market research. Don't even think you can get YOUR kitchen approved by the state health department. It's a major renovation and upwards of thousands of dollars.

SO what this bill will do is make it LEGAL for bread, cakes, cookies, and jams (like spiced blueberry and the shortbread to go with it) to sell when it's made from your own kitchen.

Why should you support this? This bill, if passed, would allow me and many others to become small business owners without the high overhead and start-up costs. It would allow these small business owners to learn their market, food costs, clientele, and basic business model in a trial-and-error basis without the huge debt risk. In turn, it would allow a lot people to make some extra income where they need it. Then maybe these small business ideas turn into something bigger and start employing people. Hello stimulated economy.

As far as the health risk- you have just as much if not more chances of catching food-borne illness from big companies than you do someone's kitchen. Though with this you can be face-to-face with those making your food who can tell you who grew and made their ingredients. If you still don't feel comfortable, it will labeled so and you don't have to buy it.

There you have it my friends. This will not be the last you hear of this on my blog. Bills have been passed like this in many other states and I would just love for it to be passed in Texas in too. Hey NY/NJ friends, you could be next.

It is currently HB1139 and HB2084. They have both been filed and introduced and waiting on a committee hearing.

You can learn more here: http://texascottagefoodlaw.com/
and follow all current news here: http://www.facebook.com/TexasBakersBill

Phew. Anyway, if you've read this far, I think you're lovely.

Daylight Savings Shortbread.

It seems that this past Daylight Savings spring forward has really messed me up. There has been a lot of sleeping in (later than usual) and staying up late (way later than usual).When one can't sleep at 1am, here's what one does:

We use this: (http://www.supercook.com/)
to find this: (http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/shortbread-wedges)
to make this:

with grapefruit, vanilla, and powdered sugar..

and then we read this: Tequila Grows Up and Gets Real- a Huff Post article on tequila making and aging.

I guess productivity is key when you lose an hour..

Sundays.

I feel like I've long been making excuses for not writing in my blog for a little while here. I feel like there's so many posts left unwritten as I've dined for my first times at Justine's, Vino Vino, Perla's, Eastside Kings, and conquered my first attempt at risotto and succeeded. All posts seemed unfinished without pictures for some reason as I did not have a camera I saw fit. I know this is an awful excuse but with my new acquisition of an iphone- I will be taking better care to post my food milestones more often. Or even more everyday kind of things. Or Sunday kinds of things..

As the Lenten holiday is upon us, I generally don't give anything up. I spend every other week trying to give up vices of mine but I do believe in lazy Sundays especially the Sunday when I indulge in whatever it is I feel like at the moment. My first Sunday of Lent consisted of sleeping in, getting coffee at 4pm, episodes of No Reservations and West Wing, Skype chats with the 'rents, browsing bookstores, spending an hour or two with crossword puzzles and not to mention all of this:

salami and prosciutto sandwich with tomato soup

pasta and pinot

an 11pm trip to amy's for mocha ice cream

Pasta with Chicken, Gorgonzola, Pine Nuts, and Sundried Tomato from epicurious.com

• 1/ 2 cup chopped drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes (2 tablespoons oil reserved)
• 2 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (about 9 ounces total)
• 1 pound gnocchi pasta or medium shell pasta
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/2 cup canned low-salt chicken broth
• 1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese (about 2 ounces)
• 1/4 cup chopped prosciutto
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

Heat 1 tablespoon oil reserved from tomatoes in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. 

Add chicken to skillet and sauté until cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. 

Transfer chicken to plate and cool; do not clean skillet. Cut chicken into 1/2-inch pieces.

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. 

Drain pasta; transfer to large bowl.

Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 tablespoon tomato oil in same skillet over medium-high heat. 

Add garlic; sauté until tender, about 1 minute. 

Add sun-dried tomatoes, chicken, basil, broth, cheese and prosciutto to skillet and bring to boil.

Add sauce to pasta and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Top with pine nuts and serve.

Spiced Blueberry..

What better way to celebrate negative medical tests, new and reliable places to take your car, and tax refunds? Well- with some late afternoon jam of course!

Organic blueberry with cinnamon, star anise and nutmeg. I had it with milk bread yesterday and my oatmeal today and oh- a try at crostata tomorrow. Bellissima!