Up North Foodies

Deceptively Delicious - Mama’s little secret

Spinach in Blueberry Oatmeal Bars? Squash in the French Toast? The new cookbook Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld (wife of comedian Jerry Seinfeld, founder of the nonprofit Baby Buggy, and mother of three) takes on the challenge of getting kids to eat their vegetables. Seinfeld's main technique is to puree a wide variety of vegetables and add them to your standard fare. An added bonus is that this technique is a great way to use up the abundance of a CSA farm pickup! Just puree and freeze!

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Bioneers Conference Starts Friday

The local food scene will get a lot of play at this week's Great Lakes Bioneers Conference, scheduled for October 19-21 at Northwestern Michigan College in Traverse City. From keynotes to workshops, the event is billed as a gathering of people inspired by getting "deep into the local."

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Root Root Root for the Parsnip!

This great "underground" veg is underrated.

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Foodie audience growing for Epicurean Classic says Trib

Check out this article in the October 3 issue of the Chicago Tribune: Foodie audience keeps growing for Traverse Epicurean Classic.

The Winemakers roundtable in TC Business News

Four area winery owners sat down with Traverse City Business News publisher Luke Haase to talk about the 2007 harvest, trends and their observations about the regional winery scene. Their conversation is captured in "The Winemakers," an interesting article in the October 2007 issue of Traverse City Business News.

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Don’t Like Swiss Chard - Try This!

The swiss chard is ripe and abundant this time of year, but getting people to eat and like it is sometimes a challenge. This Bright Lights Chard Gratin is a hit with my household. It was adapted from a recipe included in a favorite cookbook we've been using for a few years, Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating From America's Farmers' Markets by Deborah Madison.

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Spaghetti Squash

Here are a few ideas for spaghetti squash. The squash is low in calories, just 42 per cup, and is filling and nutritious. It also freezes well, so you can pack cooked squash in freezer bags for later use. Many folks add a tomato sauce to enjoy this winter squash. My mom makes a great recipe "Spaghetti Squash with Cheese." But my favorite recipe is the simplest by far! Do you have any favorite ways to prepare spaghetti squash?

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Ready to Pick Apples

66 farms from Manistee County to the Mackinac Bridge sell apples. To find a farm, visit Taste the Local Difference, which lists a directory of farms, apple recipes and more.

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Tastemakers to emphasize local

Rick Coates decides to practice what he preaches in his Tastemakers column in the October 11, 2007, issue of Northern Express. "I have asked readers to step up their support of local products and have called on restaurants and retailers to do the same," he writes. "It occurred to me that I should write what I preach and keep these columns focused on the 'local.'"

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Hunter’s reflections in Traverse

Bird hunter and local author Bob Butz writes a thoughtful piece on bird hunting and shares a recipe for glaze, or "glace," in the October issue of Traverse, Northern Michigan's Magazine.

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Rustic Tasting

Last weekend we dropped in at the Front Porch in Suttons Bay, where Marie Hanis was offering samples and signing copies of her new book cookbook, the Rustic Gourmet. We sampled both the Roasted Eggplant Tomato Spread and the Pumpkin Fudge. With more eggplant from this week's CSA pickup at Sweeter Song Farm, I thought I'd give the veggie spread a try. Yum!

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What to do with that cabbage?

When picking up my produce from Sweeter Song this week, a fellow shareholder wondered what ELSE to do with green cabbage. Thought I'd post this simple recipe that I've enjoyed for Stir-Fried Green Cabbage with Fennel Seeds, from Madhur Jaffrey's Quick and Easy Indian Cooking. Delicious!

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A Few Family Favorites

Over the years these recipes have become some of our family favorites. As the season ends I can always find the green beans, peppers, eggplant and zucchini at the local farmers' market. The recipes have come from various people and places.

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Michigan Shrimp Gumbo a la Eric Villegas

Chef Eric Villegas shared this delicious recipe at the Epicurean Classic earlier this month. Demonstrating his mantra to think globally, but buy and eat locally, Eric added Michigan shrimp, smoked whitefish and a dash of "Lake Effect" for his own Michigan take on gumbo. Hearty and packed with flavor, it'd make a great meal for a cool fall evening. What soup or stew is your favorite for fall?

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