Re-Thinking Christmas Gifts

Christmas Day is 19 days from today.

This year, things are different.  My "have" and "have not" columns are flip-flopped.  In years past, I have had (some) disposable income, but I was working so much that I didn't have time to even think about gifts on more than a material level, much less go out and acquire them.
So most of my shopping was done online, depending on Fed-X and UPS to deliver.  I usually have money, but no time.
This year, my disposable income level has significantly diminished but I have time.  That actually makes me happy.
I have also been able to slow down enough to listen to people around me about what is becoming more important in a more cultural way due to the tough economy.  Lately, that voice has been telling me that I need to pay more attention to my closer neighbors; to help the economy by buying things that are produced and manufactured locally and sustainably; to respect the earth and people, and animals.

This makes sense, because in my heart I have always wanted to be  steward of the land, and a good neighbor, but in practice I have fallen short--'way short.

To that end, I have finally come to a place in my life where I can start practicing some of what I know is the right way to live, and by doing so I will help others (by buying local), be a better steward of the land (by making sure that I buy organic, seasonal, sustainable practice goods as much as possible), and help my family and friends by gifting things that are less materialistic and more appreciated (I hope) than the next, latest electronic gadget.

I also have been preaching to my own family about organic, sustainable, local, seasonal, blah, blah, blah.  We have discussions about it whenever we get together.  My family agrees with me that those practices are admirable, and ideally they would like to adopt these philosophies, but there are downsides, of course.  The biggest roadblocks my family has to this (and I am sure they are not the only ones), are the following:

1. Locally grown (and especially organic) products are from small farmers in our area, and they cost more than the grocery stores.  My family knows the reason, but at the end of the day cost is cost.
2. Sourcing the locally-grown products is more time and/or labor intensive for the consumer, and face it, if we are going to have any money with which to eat, we generally don't have time to go track it down.
3. It is more difficult to find a variety of fresh foods/vegetables all year long, and most of us don't have the time, let alone know how to preserve foods by canning/freezing, drying, etc.

So here is my Christmas gift to my family (there are 3 household represented in total, besides mine)

I will deliver a certain dollar amount of organic, local, sustainable-practice, seasonable groceries to their homes each month.  I will include recipes that I have tried myself that will vary each month according to the product selection and personal tastes (I will also try to pick products that they will like and use).  This way, we will be sure to spend some family time together each month throughout the year, they will have a useful gift that is replenished throughout the year, they don't have to take the time to source all the different aspects of the products, they get to support the local farmers and sustainable practices, and they (and I) get to support the "Buy American" movement that is the "call to arms" this holiday season.

Some of the products I can include seasonally will be:

*Seasonal vegetables of all kinds grown locally from our farmers markets and private gardens (from the barter system)
*Local honey
*Goat's milk products like milk, cheese, skin products, etc.
*Humanely raised, sustainable practice, free range, hormone and antibiotic-free, pasture finished (in some cases, organic) proteins such as beef, lamb, goat, wild and domestic pork, venison, fish and seafood, poultry, and eggs
*Seasonal Organic Fruits, (especially local citrus here and when I go to Alabama, all kinds of fruits and berries, both wild and from our local markets up there--hey, that counts as local if I live there part of the time!)
*I am sure that this list will grow as I spend the time developing a list of dependable sources of products that appeal to me and my family.

I think the only limitations will be how much I can afford, and how much time I can devote to sourcing things, but that is also dependent on how resourceful I am!

My family is a pretty adventurous bunch of eaters, like me, so I can source cuts of meats that a lot of people would leave at the processor's, odd vegetables that farmers may not be able to sell as easily in the farmer's markets, etc.  I am lucky in that way.

I know that this won't work (or be appreciated) by every family in America, but my I know my family will like this type of gift.  Will it work for yours?

The slogan this season is "Buy American--Are You In?"

I am in.

My "I Think Eddie Would Approve" Chicken Rollatini

We have a local Italian Restaurant that has been in the same location, and owned by the same Italian family for more than 20 years. Giusseppe's in Fellsmere, FL is my favorite Italian restaurant and I feel like I am being disloyal when I eat at another Italian restaurant, so I don't. Now, this is tradition at its best--the father, Giusseppe, opened this restaurant in the early 1980's, and when he retired, his son (who was a very good chef in his own right in the Washington DC area), moved to Indian River County with his entire family, and took over the business.  As much as I loved Giusseppe's cooking, Eddie's is even better!  One of my hubby's favorite dishes there is the Chicken Rollatini, and I got inspired the other day to try to replicate it myself.  I think it turned out rather well, and hubby gives it his stamp of approval.  There is only one drawback to this, and it is a big one...if I can make rollatini that Gary likes as well as Eddie's, what is the incentive to EVER go out to eat? (Did I goof up royally??)

Chicken Rollatini (or Roulade)

Special Materials:

Butcher string

Meat pounder

Large sauté pan w/min. 3” sides for pan frying

Oven dish

Ingredients:

1 lb. chicken breast, butterflied

4-6 slices whole milk Mozzarella Cheese (slices are easiest, but of course, good quality fresh

               mozzarella is best)

4-6 slices of Prosciutto

Fresh Tarragon leaves, chopped to approximately 4 tablespoons (or a pinch of dried for each breast)

Garlic Powder

Salt and Pepper

For the breading:

Salt and Pepper

Garlic Powder

All Purpose Flour

1-2 Eggs (I use duck eggs, because there is more yolk ratio for richness and you only need one, but

                      use 2 chicken eggs)

Panko Bread Crumbs

For the Gravy:

4 Tablespoons Butter

2 Tablespoons All Purpose Flour

Fresh Garlic (or powdered)

1 cup Chicken stock

1 cup White Wine

1 squeeze of fresh lemon juice

4 oz. Crimini Mushrooms, sliced

Preparation:  *note—The chicken breasts can be prepped ahead of time and refrigerated before breading because it is a bit labor-intensive to do all these steps at once.

Butterfly each half of the chicken breast, and then cut that in half, so that you have four pieces.

Pound out each piece of chicken until it is uniformly thin, but be careful that you don’t make holes.

Lay one layer of prosciutto and then one layer of mozzarella on each breast, and then roll up as tightly as possible.  Tie up with butcher string. (you may cover each piece in Saran wrap and put in the refrigerator at this point).

Preheat the cooking oil to about 280-300 degrees.  You don’t have to get the oil blazing hot, because we will be finishing off the chicken in the oven, and with chicken, the risk is burning the outside without cooking fully through.  Remember, the middle of the Rollatini should be 160-165F degrees when it comes out of the oven, but it can be around 150F coming out of the oil.

Make your breading station with three pans; one AP Flour pan, one egg wash pan, and one Panko breadcrumb pan.

Dip each breast in AP flour then egg wash, then press and roll in the Panko to get them to stick well.  Let them rest on a plate for a minute or two (this makes the Panko stick better while in the fry oil).

Preheat the oven to 400F degrees.

Place them in the oil and cook until light golden brown on all sides.  Don’t let the Panko get dark, because it will brown further in the oven.  Take the rollatini out of the oil and blot them lightly on a paper towel, then transfer them to the oven dish.

For the gravy:

Pour off the oil out of the sauté pan, but reserve the golden bits in the bottom of the pan.  Let the pan cool to warm, then add 2 Tablespoons of butter, and the fresh garlic, and let the garlic cook on medium-low heat until almost translucent and very aromatic, then turn up the heat to medium high and immediately add the mushrooms in one layer so they sear well. 

When the mushrooms are seared, turn the heat back down to medium, add the rest of the butter, and 2 Tablespoons of all purpose flour and stir until bubbly and golden.  Add the white wine and chicken stock and cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens.

Add a squeeze of lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.   Cook down until it thickens to the right consistency.  If it gets too thick, add more white wine (or chicken stock, but my preference is the wine).

Sautee the spinach (if your timing is perfect, you can use the same pan as the gravy as soon as it is finished), and plate that first as a bed for the Rollatini.

When the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 160-165F, remove from the oven, plate over the sautéed spinach, and spoon ¼ of the gravy and mushrooms over each plate. 

Sprinkle with some fresh basil or parsley and serve with Crusty Italian Bread.

Not Quite a Recipe, But...

I just got back from a trip to our northern home in Alabama.  We had a White Christmas.  It was the first white Christmas in Mentone, AL in recorded history.  That made it all the more special for us.
Pictured at the right is our house.  We have 66 acres on top of Lookout Mountain.  We love it there!
Anyhow, I know this is a cooking blog, but in the first days of this New Year, I wanted to say a few words about how I eat, rather than what I eat in this post.  I hope it will stir up a discussion about a topic I am rather passionate about.
I grew up as an Air Force brat, and lived in Europe as well as several states in this country.  In Europe, people shop much differently than we do in this country.  Refrigerators were scarce, and people went to the market daily.  Small agriculture was the way of life, and you bought your groceries from the people that grew and raised them.  You bought meat from the guy that raised it....you bought vegetables in open markets from the people that grew them.  It was the standard way of life.  We were enlisted (not officers), so by American standards, our family was poor, but the people that we came in contact with daily were the salt of the earth.  They could not have been nicer, or more welcoming, or treated us more fairly.
So I grew up appreciating food.  Nothing was foreign to omy tastebuds, and I was very adventurous.  At six years old, I would walk through the woods, and at lunchtime, someone would invite me into their home to eat the midday meal with them.  They would kill a chicken from their yard, and prepare it right there, or they would have me accompany them into the woods to look for wild asparagus, or mushrooms, or snails (free escargot!! LOL) Then we would prepare what we caught or gathered together, eat lunch, and they would siesta, and I would be on my way.  I met many wonderful people.
I tell this story to give you an understanding of how I came to understand that there are a lot more edible things than most Americans are aware of, and there is very little in this world that will actually kill you.  However, I always was taught what to gather, and what to leave (for instance, mushrooms come to mind--there are some that WILL kill you, so I never collected mushrooms unless an adult was with me to confirm that they were good 'shrooms).
I also gained respect for using the entire animal.  Almost every part of an animal is edible, and most of the parts that Americans discard (heart, kidneys, liver, feet, sweetbreads, membranes, bones, etc.) are quite delicious when properly prepared!
Which brings me to my point.
Americans are starting (through either education or necessity) to question our current "mega-producers"; I think the recent ecoli and salmonella recalls have pricked the collective nerves of our people.
People are also becoming more willing to spend the time to shop at Farmer's Markets, and local butchers, and are taking a little more interest in how their food is produced.
I am thrilled!  I have always been aware of the difference in how we produce our food in America, and have often commplained about lack of taste, or an off-taste to our meats and vegetables, but never could pinpoint it.  Food, Inc. (the movie) should be required watching for every American.  It is available through Amazon.com.  There are also some other movies which are similar in nature to this one, educating us about how our government and the big corporations "feed America and the world".  It is a balanced documentary, in my opinion, although the big corporations have called it a scare tactic.  Watch it and decide for yourself.  You don't even have to buy the DVD.....you can rent it or check it out of most libraries.
I wish people would buy exclusively from Farmer's Markets (or your next door neighbor, or plant your own garden, or buy into a co-op, or a CSA).  And find a local farmer who practices sustainability, humane raising of meats, hormone and antibiotic-free raising of proteins.  And the local small fisherman who practices sustainable fishing.  There are SO many sources out there.  You never have to want for anything. 
I found my sources online, and through networking.  I buy vegetables, eggs, cheese and some proteins (free-range chicken and turkey, some goat meat) at Farmer's Markets.  And I have found two sources of pasture-raised/finished, antibiotic and hormone-free, humanely treated beef, pork, lamb, goat, buffalo, elk, rabbit, pheasant, quail, chicken, and turkey where I can visit the farm, and make sure with my own eyes that what they promise, they deliver. 
It takes a bit of work to find these growers, and to make sure that they are really practicing what they say they are, and you will pay more (per pound) than at the grocery store.  But the payoff is tremendous.  You are eating healthier food across the board.  That food tastes better.  And it takes less to fill you up.  I know this because I live this way.  I didn't always, but I do now, so I know both ways.  I like this one better.  So does the earth.
I hope people will post their own opinions about this!  Momma T--any thoughts?
Here are some links to the places I buy my food:

http://www.southerncomforteventing.com/wrightfamilyfarms.html
This is Wright Family Farm in Rome, GA, which is about 30 minutes from my home in Mentone--

http://www.laurelcreekmeat.com/
This is Laurel Creek Meats, in Maryville, TN.  I buy from them when I am visiting my friends in Tellico Plains. They have a very established farm which offers a wide variety of animals!

http://www.pickyourown.org/gafpfm.php
This is the biggest Atlanta Farmer's Market, right off I-75 just south of Atlanta (exit 237).  I also shop at a ton of small farmer's market in AL, GA, TN and FL.  I love farmer's markets....the open-air ones, not the glorified grocery stores that are high-priced.  Just do a google search for "farmer's market <insert city>".

Also, if anyone has their own favorite spots, feel free to leave a link in the comment page!!