Can you hard boil an egg?

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I used to not be able to without overdoing it.  (go ahead, giggle, laugh, snicker.  The one who touts herself as an awesome self-taught cook couldn't boil an egg!)

OK, so I could hard boil an egg but I didn't really like them and wasn't ever really satisfied with the results of my endeavors.  Somehow, when the yolk turns totally chalky and has a bit of a green tinge to the outside of the yolk, it just seemed like I must be doing something wrong.

I was definitely overdoing it.

Chef Camp #1: Priorities

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Chef Camp #1: Priorities

Budget? Health? Low-sodium? Organic? Vegetarian? Vegan? Allergies or sensitivities? Time?

All reasons are important.  What works for you may not work for anyone else.  The best priorities are the most important ones to you and your family.

Taking some time and seriously considering the aspects of food and eating that are important to you and your family can help you define your cooking style and your kitchen.

Chef Camp: Monthly goals: December

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Happy December Folks!

While I'm sure you all are loving reading about my opinions on how to improve yourself and your kitchen, I'd bet that everyone would love to hear also about your challenges and growth.

Many of the various "boot camp" ideas also have a participation or sharing component.  It's that whole build community thing, right?

I would love to know that some of you would like to grow and stretch as well.  Make a list.  Not a long one, a short one will do.  A list of what you'd like to improve upon, learn about, try out, etc. in your kitchen this month.  Feel free to share some or all of your list here and then at the end of the month, lets report back and talk about it.  Lets work together, build some community, and hold each other accountable for what we'd like to try.

Ready?  I'll start with mine below...

1. try out some pre-made breakfast type pastries for HM in the mornings and quick breakfasts for the rest of us.
2. find one new reasonably fast breakfast idea a week.

PLEASE NOTE:

All statements made within this blog are my own experiences and opinions only.

Part of Omache Farm’s mission is to educate consumers about our products and philosophies.  Please feel free to copy and distribute any information with citation.  Use information for your life that works for you and your family and feel free to discard the rest.  What works for one family doesn’t always work for another!

Chef Camp: Introduction

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The inspiration for my newly minted Chef Camp was a letter to the editor in WSU's school newspaper, The Daily Evergreen.  Here's the link to the letter I read.

A bit about ME. 
A.K.A. Why I feel qualified to stand on this particular soapbox.

Chef Camp

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Wishing you could tame that food budget?

Wish you could expand your recipe repertoire?

Want to learn how to figure out something new without consulting every recipe book and the internet?

How about cooking fresh, delicious meals on the fly?

Introducing: Omache Farm's Chef Camp

After a recent Letter to the Editor in the Daily Evergreen (WSU's student newspaper) from a student complaining that they really don't have time or money to cook healthy food for themselves, I was inspired to create a set of blog posts to help other folks improve their kitchen sense, their food budget and their health.

Here are the topics I will be working to cover in the near future.  Any other subject suggestions are happily welcomed!  What stumps you?  What is your kitchen goal?  What do you continually struggle with when it comes to food?  Please make a comment here or send us an email!   OmacheFarm@gmail.com

Topics:
Your pantry and the food bill
How to cook from scratch
Cooking on the fly
Fast Meals
Breakfast Variety
How to try a new vegetable
Protein other than meat and eggs
Bread
Gluten Free
The Potluck with Allergies
Cooking as a family
Cookbook bookshelf
Hands-free cooking
Cooking with Pastured Meats
Farm Fresh Pastured Eggs

PLEASE NOTE:

I am not a professional nutritionist.  All statements made within this blog are my own experiences and opinions only.

Part of Omache Farm’s mission is to educate consumers about our products and philosophies.  Please feel free to copy and distribute any information with citation.  Use information for your life that works for you and your family and feel free to discard the rest.  What works for one family doesn’t always work for another!

Microwave Winter Squash Recipe

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Everyone knows that winter squash should be baked.

This is true, but what if you want something home-made and fresh for lunch?  With a little preparation at time and a microwave at school or work, you're set!  You'll also have the rest of the building or lunchroom drooling!

You'll have to tailor this recipe to suit your tastes, as always, but I have the basics to begin upon here.

Microwave Winter Squash Lunch
Makes enough for 1 person.
Time: 15 minutes preparation, 8 minutes cooking.

Ingredients:

One small winter squash, softball size or appropriate to your appetite.

Filling:
Whatever strikes your fancy.  My favorite choices are below
1. Cranberry
       2 tbsp dried cranberries
       1 tbsp honey
       1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
       cloves
2. Sausage Rice (sweet with brown sugar or savory with seasonings)
       1/4 cup of your favorite breakfast sausage, cooked.
       1/2 cup cooked rice
       seasonings (salt, pepper, sage) (optional)
       brown sugar (optional)

Instructions:
@ Home
1. Gather your filling ingredients.  You can mix them all together in a sandwich bag (cranberry) or microwave-safe container (sausage) and store it in the refrigerator.
2. give your squash's skin a scrub.  (Generally a good policy no matter who you got it from!)
@ Work
3.  With a knife, stab the squash so that steam can escape.
4.  Microwave the whole squash for about 4 minutes, turn it over, microwave for 4 more minutes.
5.  CAUTION!  HOT!  Let the squash rest for a few minutes until you can cut it open without burning your hands on the steam.
6. with a spoon, scoop out the seeds and toss (or compost!) them.
7.  if you chose the sausage filling (or something similar), reheat it while your squash is cooling.
8.  Mix and Enjoy!  if you have extra room in your container for the sausage filling, scrape the squash from it's skin into your container.  If you just had your squash and your sandwich baggie of yummies, you'll have to scrape the squash filling loose and mix with your filling in the skin.

YUM!

Please share in the comments your favorite filling for squash, baked or microwave!