December 2020 – blog.jlp.company

Peanut Butter Pumpkin Dog TrEATS

December 19, 2020
by jennifer.pryslak

Dogs deserve trEATS too. At least ours do. Most of the time. 😉 We sold these when we were slinging switchel at the Farmers Market here in VT. Soul-ed out every, single time! Pumpkin Peanut Butter. Yum! The taste testers spend a great deal of time in the kitchen … as seen here. The snoopervisors … never far from where the noshes are being made.

Therefore, that’s where the dog beds are. Sometimes. They travel. But this vibe is what goes on when cooking occurs. They’re excellent company.

So, dog biscuits. They go like this:

I bake them until they’re crispy and usually rotate them about half way through – maybe 15-20 minutes in. A total of 30-40 minutes at 350.

We try to keep it real around here. Even in the kitchen. So, peanut butter pumpkin dog trEATS. From scratch. A coveted snack among the four-legged furry souls of this house.

Blogging 101

Apple Peanut Butter TrEATS

December 19, 2020
by jennifer.pryslak

Nut butters are delightful … peanut, almond, hazelnut and more. I love them all. But this trEAT is simple … and pictured here with all natural peanut butter and a black apple. That’s a thing. Seriously. I found ’em at our local co-op. I bought two … ’cause they don’t come cheap. Firm and minimally sweet and just juicy enough. But they’re like top shelf liquor when it comes to apples. Like I said, a trEAT. But you can use any ol’ apple, really. We often do.

Pictured here, the fruit is topped with raisins and pepitas (I use whatever I have on hand). Raisins. They’re full of iron and calcium and a good source of fiber, pepitas (pumpkin seeds) are a good source of magnesium – which has been studied and proven to reduce blood sugar and be good for cardiovascular health. And protein … protein’s a plenty with these bite-sized morsels. So good for you, this little trEAT is. And no cooking to boot!

Did I mention they’re good for you? And they’re delicious. What?! Truth. That’s the key for me, really. It’s gotta taste good, or no go. These do! And they’re wicked simple. They go like this:

1 apple (any kind) | peanut butter | raisins | pepitas

An easy portable breakfast, or, if you have the time, have a seat. Make some coffee. Or maybe tea. And enjoy. Not just the trEAT, but the whole scene. You deserve it.

Blogging 101

“Not the Real” Shepherd’s Pie (but still delicious)

December 11, 2020December 13, 2020
by jennifer.pryslak

Edit: Pulled beef is preferred it seems. But ground beef is a close second. A full day of stewed meat … the way to go if you have the time.

Meat and potatoes. We like to keep it simple … and delicious ’round here. We make this delight with ground beef from our local butcher. It’s rare that meat is purchased elsewhere in this house. Our butchers are cool, and we trust them, and the food just tastes different. Better. And the topping. A household specialty … inspired by a chef I worked with along the way. Not just mashed potatoes. Mashed Idaho and sweet potato mix with cheddar cheese curds. Yup. And here you’ll see some green. We grew that oregano, and we use it in a lotta dishes. The whole thing comes together like this:

Top the whole layered deal with oregano and parm. All ingredients are cooked stove top and then oven-bound when put together. I top with some herbs and cheese just for fun. And color. I like color in our food. And did I mention we grew the oregano?! I think I did. Don’t forget the love … it matters, for sure.

Blogging 101

Fresh Squeezed Citrus Juice

December 11, 2020February 27, 2021
by jennifer.pryslak

Orange juice. A bit of grapefruit. Maybe a blood orange. And an reused glass milk bottle. There’s no recipe here. Just a whole lotta citrus and a juicer … not a fancy pricey one. You can use your hands, really. But you might miss out on some of the juices. We have this contraption that squeezes fruit. Fabulous. But equipment doesn’t make the juice. Good fruit. A bit of elbow grease. And a passion for simply delicious libations. Vitamin C … during a global pandemic … why not? And if it tastes like this, perfect!

oranges | grapefruits | tangerines | whatever kinda citrus fruits tickles your fancy

The more you use, the more you make. That’s the way I measure in my kitchen. The brightness of flavor and lightness of liquid in a juice that hasn’t been pasteurized, a delight. Citrus juice. Fresh squeezed. A joy.

Blogging 101

Chaga Coffee Infused French Toast Custard

December 11, 2020December 11, 2020
by jennifer.pryslak

So, the heart. You can’t make this stuff up. All I did was whisk up the custard for a bit of french toast and there it was – with love. I adore french toast. Simple and delicious. If I can infuse a bit of health and wellness into anything, I will. Chaga coffee. From Four Sigmatic. The instant one. Good product. Sometimes I drink it like coffee – other times, I toss it in the cooking. I use a good bread, like the whole wheat voonder bread from Earth Sky Time Community Farm. The custard goes like this:

Whisk it up. Let the bread soak it up and with olive oil or a really good butter and cook until golden brown in a pan. For overnight french toast – kinda like bread pudding – cube up your bread and pour the custard in. Let it soak it up overnight, and pop in the oven in the morning.

But whatever you do, do it with love. And look for signs. They’re everywhere. Even in the french toast batter.

Blogging 101

A Robust Red Sauce

December 9, 2020December 13, 2020
by jennifer.pryslak

I don’t have a sauce recipe that’s consistent. But when someone loves something, I want to be able to replicate it. So here it goes.

I cook the meatballs first (they deserve their own post, stay tuned) and drain some of the fat. Not all. Fat equals flavor. The other ingredients are added one at a time. So they can get to know each other. Become one. It’s about relationships, cooking is. And not just among those being served.

So, a robust red sauce. This is the one we’re adopting. Deciding to make it our own. And we’re putting it out there. Here on the blog. In case what we’ve done might work for you too. And so I can remember what I did, and maybe do it again. In the same robust fashion as it occurred the time before.

Blogging 101

What a Pear

December 8, 2020
by jennifer.pryslak

Dessert. With no sugar added. Spiced, baked pears with fresh squeezed orange juice. It’s from a category of delights I call, “half-baked.” Because yes, they’re baked. But I wouldn’t call this baking, really. I like to keep it simple, and not get crazy with the sugar. Enter, spiced baked pears. Any fruit will do, but the pears are a plenty right now. Ripe. Delicious. And begging to be devoured in all their glory. These beauties came to life like this:

ripe pears | juice of 1 or 2 oranges | cinnamon | nutmeg | ginger

Cut ’em in half. Coat ’em up. Bake ’em until you can fork ’em with no resistance. Because who wants to get back talk from their pears, really. No one I know, for sure.

Blogging 101

Growing a Tiny Garden Does Big Things

December 8, 2020December 8, 2020
by jennifer.pryslak

Daddy could grow stuff. Here, I was telling him not to bend over, let me get it, lest he take a tumble into the turnips. And he was muttering something to the effect of not telling him what to do and he’d been doing this for years and blah, blah, blah. And then he pelted me with a radish. For a 77 year old man, he had a hell of an arm. This patch of dirt belonged to the neighbors. They shared it with us. In a way that neighbors in my mind haven’t done for quite a long time. We grew things together, and became friends. So, it was more than basil and strawberries and tomatoes and cukes and stuff. And flying radishes. It was a small garden that yielded big love. That’s how it always was with Daddy. Small seeds and big dreams often yielded epic shit in the form of the just “little things.” Lather, rinse, repeat.

Blogging 101

In the Middle: A Cinnamon Bun Saga in 3…

December 8, 2020December 8, 2020
by jennifer.pryslak

Sometimes, I bake. These beauties are the homemade, from scratch rendition of those pastries that come in a cardboard can. You whack ’em against the counter and they pop right open. And if you’re me, you claim the one in the middle. Because there’s no crust. This has always been a thing with me. So when you make ’em in your later years, you put 3 in the middle. Because why not? Now there’ll be 3 without crust. Perfect. There are recipes everywhere for these babies, or you can buy them in a can. They’re a Christmas staple. And while recipes are not really my thing, baking requires a precise focus that benefits from measurements and such. Cinnamon buns. From scratch. Never the same recipe twice. Always delicious. By hand. Because sometimes, the ordinary needs and infusion of extraordinary.

Blogging 101

Taste of Home: Maple Creemees

December 8, 2020December 8, 2020
by jennifer.pryslak

He brought his own maple syrup to college. A comforter, posters, a laptop … and no winter coat. That would be shipped later, because despite your ignorance of what your mother said, it’s gonna get cold before you come home. You might want to bring your coat. Home is home is home. And it’s where you hang your hat. Or your coat, once your mother ships it to you. But the flavors of home. They’re important. Maple Syrup. Vermont. Tastes a whole lot like home, really. Always will.

Month: <span>December 2020</span>