Is it really Monday? This means my weekend is almost over and I need to prepare myself for cold fingers, back-breaking positions, and possibly some rain. Another week at the Farm is about to begin and I am happy to say that I am fueling up for the week!
But let me back this up….Today was spent raking leaves at the Emerson House, a nice 5 mile run, and then a walk around the Farm. We needed to harvest some brussels sprouts for dinner and invited Henry to come along for the walk. He even pitched in and harvested with me. Henry loves to harvest…….if only I could teach him to not eat everything he touches!
Harvesting brussels sprouts is kind of a pain. It takes a while and is totally awkward. Plus finding the perfect brussels is time-consuming. But is well worth the trouble. They are divine!
A basket full of sweet potatoes and brussels sprouts! What more could you want?
Oh yeah…..maybe a crazy dog who loves running straight through the brussels sprouts patch! Man can he do hurdles!!!!
After harvesting we continued walking around the farm. Henry and I actually began to run. There was water ahead and we wanted to get there fast!
And you know what water means……..Fetch!!!!!
After playing fetch for a while it was time to call it a day.
After such an active day it was time to come home and eat some real food. And by real food I mean meat and potatoes. And my version of meat and potatoes is as follows….
Rosemary mashed sweet potatoes with shallots, grilled chicken, and Brussels sprouts with bacon and bread crumbs.
I got my inspiration for the mashed sweet potatoes from cooking light magazine. The recipe is as follows:
2 tbs evoo
3/4 cup thinly sliced shallots
2 tbs brown sugar
2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 tbs finely chopped fresh rosemary
salt and pepper for taste
1. Sautee the shallots in oil for a about 5 minutes over low heat. Add the brown sugar and continue to cook for about 15 more minutes over low heat. Or until the shallots are browned.
2. Place a pot of water over high heat and add the diced sweet potatoes. Bring to a boil and let cook for about 8 minutes. Then drain the water and mash the potatoes. For me this was with a wooden spoon, but if you have an electric mixer that would work best.
I then seasoned my potatoes with salt, pepper, rosemary, and the shallots. Perfect!
Onto the Brussels sprouts.
maybe 1/2 pounds brussels sprouts
2 slices bacon
3 large shallots
salt and pepper
bread crumbs
I first cooked up 2 slices of bacon. Once they were fully cooked I removed them and added my shallots about 5 minutes after cooking the shallots I added my brussels. I cooked everything together for about 15 minutes over medium low heat. I then added the bacon (after I crumbled it) and some bread crumbs. And cooked for about 5 more minutes. Serve this hot!
The chicken was done by marinating it with rosemary, olive oil, salt, and pepper. I just grilled our chicken on our George Forman because our whole stove top was taken over!
And dinner is served! This meal made me think of Thanksgiving. A lot of wonderful flavors coming together. Food for the soul!
Hi Andrea. Your mashed sweet potatoes look wonderful. I have a request for you. I love asparagus, but I haven’t figured out how to cook it without making it mushey. Do you have a good recipe for making nice non-mushy asparagus? Thanks for the help. Love, your Montana aunt, Patty.
Patty,
I will think of something. Maybe I will try an asparagus recipe this weekend. I have not cooked asparagus since we moved here because we don’t grow it on the farm. But it is one of my favorites and I will try it out this weekend. Do you normally roast yours? I will experiment and get back to you! You should definitely try the mashed sweet potatoes. They were delicious!
XOXOXOXO
Hi Andrea, I have only cooked it the way my cousin told me to, which is to broil it…….I don’t know whether I cooked it too long, or what but it was mushy and I like my asparagus crunchy. We (or I should say other people) harvest asparagus off the roadsides in Montana. It is really good looking – I’ve never done it cause I’ve never been a very good cook and I certainly have never been a healthy cook. But watching what you cook has really peaked my interest in cooking healthy. We are actually on a road trip in our camper right now – down in Arizona – but when I get back, I plan on trying several of your recipes. Thanks, again….Love, Patty
Safe travels pat!
This weekend I am planning on making some asparagus. I will work on making it crunchy. I think I have an idea of how I will cook it. I will let you know how it turns out! Have fun on your road trip!