Cherryvale Farms is a real, if small, farm in Santa Cruz, California. We’ve been growing organic fruits and veggies on our little acre of land for about 20 years and, for a few years even housed some chickens!

This year we’ve planted one of our largest gardens to date and, weather permitting, we’ll be reaping the benefits of our hard work all summer long.

Today we’re sharing the first bounties of our Spring garden: watermelon radishes and green onions.

We love watermelon radishes because of their gorgeous hot pink color, delightful crunch and spicy taste. If you’re growing watermelon radishes in your garden this year, or come across some at your local farmer’s market, here’s a few great ways to use them:

• Watermelon Radish & Goat Cheese Salad
• Watermelon Radish Salad with Avocado Vinaigrette
• Roasted Watermelon Radishes
• Kale Salad with Quick-Pickled Watermelon Radishes
• Watermelon Radish, Beet & Mozzarella Salad

Now, we’re getting hungry!

Some of our favorite local cheeses include local Bay Area favorites like Humboldt Fog by Cypress Grove Cheese or Mt Tam from Cowgirl Creamery. Such big name cheeses (with a fan club to match) deserve a cracker worth pairing.

Enter: homemade fruit and nut crisps. Basically a homemade version of Raincoast Crisps because, let’s face it, $7+ for a box of crackers isn’t really in our weekly food budget.

I would say this is probably my favorite make-it-don’t-buy-it recipe. These crackers are a spot on intimation of the store bought version and they last for weeks in a sealed kitchen container….that is, if they don’t get gobbled up first!

Fruit & Nut Crisp Crackers

Original recipe by Dinner With Julie. Makes about 8 dozen crackers.

• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup roasted pumpkin seeds (optional)
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 1/4 cup flax seed, ground
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary

Preheat oven to 350° F.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add the buttermilk, brown sugar and honey and stir a few strokes. Add the raisins, pecans, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, flax seed and rosemary and stir just until blended.

Pour the batter into two 8”x4” loaf pans that have been sprayed with nonstick spray. Bake for about 35 minutes, until golden and springy to the touch. Remove from the pans and cool on a wire rack.

The cooler the bread, the easier it is to slice really thin. You can leave it until the next day or pop it in the freezer. Slice the loaves as thin as you can and place the slices in a single layer on an ungreased cookie sheet. (I like to slice and bake one loaf and pop the other in the freezer for another day.) Reduce the oven heat to 300° F and bake them for about 15 minutes, then flip them over and bake for another 10 minutes, until crisp and deep golden.

Cooking plays a big part of feeding my desire to try something new almost every day. And last week trying my hand at homemade Ethiopian food was the way to do it.

I found the two recipes I made to be incredibly easy to make, Doro Wett (a chicken stew) and Fossolia (a stewed green bean and carrot dish). The chicken dish came together just like any other dutch-oven chicken braise and the green bean dish was also a snap. BOth could be done in one pot each. Love that simplicity! The reciopes were somewhat time-consuming (I was cooking for at least an hour and a half) but the whole process was surprisingly fluid, and I was able to improvise any ingredients I didn’t have on hand.

The desire to make Ethiopian food began by the serendipitous finding of Injera bread at my local specialty store. If you’ve never had it, it’s delightfully sour like sourdough bread, but has the bubbly texture of a crumpet and the flatness of a crepe. It’s amazing.

If you come across Injera in your local store, or feel in the mood to whip some up yourself, I highly recommend these two Ethiopian dishes to serve alongside. And don’t forget to use the Injera as your “plate” – it soaks up all of the delicious juices of your cooking!

Doro Wett (Ethiopian Chicken Stew)

Makes 6 servings. Recipe by Marcus Samuelsson.

• 2 medium red onions, diced
• Salt
• 1/4 cup Spiced Butter (or 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom, preferably freshly ground
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 cloves
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• One 1 1/2-inch piece ginger, peeled and chopped
• 1 tablespoon Berbere or chili powder
• 2 1/2 cups chicken stock, divided
• One 4-to 5-pound chicken, cut into 10 pieces, wings reserved for another use
• 1/4 cup dry red wine
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled

Combine the onions, a pinch of salt, and half of the spiced butter in a Dutch oven or other large deep pot over low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are golden, about 15 minutes. Add the remaining butter, the cardamom, black pepper, cloves, garlic, ginger, and berbere and cook until the onions soften and take on the color of the spices, about 10 minutes.

Fossolia (Ethiopian Green Bean dish)

Serves 6. Recipe from here.

2 onions, chopped
1/3 c. canola oil
3-4 oz. tomato paste (about 1/2 of a 6 oz. can)
4 cups green beans, ends snapped off and cut or snapped into halves or thirds
3 carrots, cut into stick-shaped pieces
2-3 tomatoes, chopped
minced ginger and garlic (as much or as little as you’d like- I use about 2 tsp. each)
salt, to taste

Start by cooking the onions on medium heat for about seven minutes, or until the onions begin to turn translucent and soften. Add the oil and continue cooking for several more minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and allow several minutes for the ingredients to simmer together. Add the green beans and carrots, stir well, and cover. Continue cooking on medium heat for 10-15 minutes, then add the tomato, ginger, garlic, and salt, and simmer until all of the vegetables are tender.

We love making our favorite snacks from scratch, and today we’re all about homemade Cheez-Its. They’re amazingly delicious and contain just four ingredients.

Not only are these crackers easy to make, but the dough comes together in a snap and can be frozen until you’re ready to use it.

Impromptu after work guests? Grab some of this yummy dough from the freezer, defrost for a few minutes then roll it out, cut into haphazard little squares and, boom!, you’ve got gorgeous, delicate little squares of cheese, crunchy goodness that will impress anyone.

Homemade Cheese Crackers

Recipe by Better Homes & Gardens

• 8 ounces extra sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely shredded
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature (4 tablespoons)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons ice water

One thing my family does not have a thing for is greasy potato chips from a bag.

Too fatty. Too messy.

To fight the fat, baking is the answer. For years we’ve been cooking up our own baked potato chips in the microwave on a plate, just like these. But this method has a few problems. 1) The chips stick to the plate. 2) The plate gets too hot to easily maneuver it while doing the flipping required so the chips cook evenly. 3) You can’t fit very many chips on a plate.

And then the other day a gigantic lightbulb went off (while watching Dr. Oz, of all things!) – thread the potato chips on a skewer!

All our problems are answered with this method: 1) no sticking! 2) no flipping! 3) larger volume!

Here’s how you do it:

Microwave “Baked” Potato Chips

1. Slice desired amount of small potatoes very thinly with a knife or a mandolin. Sprinkle with salt, if desired. A potato of 2″-3″ diameter will work best.
2. Using wooden skewers, space potato slices on skewer evenly, leaving about 3/4″ between each slice and leaving about 1″ free on each end.
3. Evenly place skewers across an 8″ square glass (microwave-safe) baking dish, resting ends of skewers on the sides of the pan so the slices “float” without touching the bottom of the dish.
4. Microwave on high (regular) for 4 minutes. Rotate skewers 180 degrees. Microwave for another 4 minutes, or until desired level of browning is achieved.

Then go eat these suckers like the best crunchy stick-sicle you’ve ever tasted!

Part of my New Year’s Resolution is to live healthier and, like many of you, that means cutting out the “junk”. No processed food. Fewer salty snacks. No soda. Whole wheat flour instead of white. The list goes on.

And though I may not stick to every resolution I’ve made, there are a few that are so easy to follow, why wouldn’t I? One of the easiest ways to get healthier is to replace store-bought snacks with handmade versions. Many are simple to make and contain shockingly less sugar, salt and, of course, are free of any pseudo-artificial ingredients (like gums and stabilizers).

Today was my first foray into homemade granola bars and I swear these are so good I’m never going back to store-bought.

These granola bars are tender and soft, but with a nice little crunch around the edges. They have no processed sugar (um, awesome!) and no flour. Plus they’re packed with crunchy nuts, dried fruit and even chocolate chips.

Today I’m sharing my recipe, adapted from here. Feel free to play with the amount of fruit and nuts when you make it at home, as I’m sure I will in future iterations!

Homemade Chewy Granola Bars

Makes about 20 bars.

• 1 1/2 cups almond meal
• 1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup rice syrup (found in most health food stores)
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons blackberry jam* (or any jam, preferably homemade)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup chopped nuts (I used almonds)
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 275 F. Line a 9 x 11-inch baking pan with parchment paper, then spray lightly with oil.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir well (it’s stick, use your hands to make it easier!). Using wet fingers press the mixture into the prepared pan and bake it for 1 hour.

Allow the bars to cool thoroughly while they are still in the pan before cutting. Makes about twenty bars.

*ALTERNATIVE: Another ratio of sweeteners that you may like is 1/3 cup rice syrup and 1/3 cup maple syrup and no jam. You could also use honey instead of maple syrup. As long as you have about 2/3 cup liquid sweetener in the whole batch, your granola bars should turn our just fine.

STORAGE: Store in a sealed container for up to 5 days. For longer shelf life, place them in the fridge and I imagine they’ll be good for up to a month. You could also freeze these and defrost as needed or put individual bars in a child’s lunchbox to defrost by lunchtime.

When such a fantastic little creature can be caught right off the wharf just a short bike ride or drive from our home, it’s hard not to fall in love with this local crustacean favorite.

Last week we celebrated the holidays with a big crab feed – complete with drawn butter, garlic bread and some crispy potato wedges. It was a truly fun meal made even more enjoyable by the butcher paper table cloth and free flowing cocktails.

Even after our party devoured their lot, we were still left with a nice little mountain of crab to eat so a crab and corn chowder immediately came to mind. It’s easy to make, packs tons of flavor, and uses up all of those little bits you just can’t bear to throw away.

Check out this fantastic recipe for Crab & Corn Chowder and make sure to whip up a batch this dungeness crab season if you live in California, where they are readily available for the next month or two.

Crab & Corn Chowder

Serves 6-8. Recipe adapted from here.

• 2 pieces bacon, chopped into small pieces
• ½ large onion, chopped
• 2½ Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 4 cups fish stock (or chicken or vegetable)
• ¼ cup white wine, like Chardonnay
• ½ lb. red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into approx. ½-inch cubes
• ½ lb. corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
• ½ lb. crab meat (picked clean from whole crabs or in refrigerated plastic tubs at the fishmonger. Never buy the room-temperature canned crab, you’re sure to be disappointed)
• ¾ cup cream or milk
• Salt & pepper to taste

In a heavy-bottomed saucepot over medium-low heat, add the bacon and saute for 3-4 minutes until fat is liquefied and bacon is just starting to crisp up.

Next add the chopped onion and continue to saute for about 5 minutes, until onions are translucent but not brown.

Add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon to absorb it into the bacon fat, making a roux. Stir occasionally and cook for 3-4 minutes so the flour has had a chance to fully absorb into the bacon, onions and fat.

Slowly whisk in the stock, then the wine. Bring the whole pot to a low boil.

Add the potatoes and simmer 15 minutes or so, or until you can easily pierce the potatoes with a knife.

Once potatoes are nice and tender, add the corn. Next, slowly add the milk or cream, stirring as you go.

Finally, add the crab, let simmer lightly for 2-3 minutes to the crab can warm in the soup and season to taste with salt and pepper, serve hot.

Needless, to say October-November-December 2012 have been an exciting few months.

But I’m back. Back to work. Back in business. Back to basics. And ready for the holidays!

So today I want to explore all things eggnog. It’s that quintessentially holiday flavor most of us enjoy but once a year. And for good reason – that stuff is intense! Here’s a little roundup of my favorite eggnog recipes for your holiday celebrations!

Mini Eggnog Cheesecakes

Eggnog Gingerbread Trifle

Eggnog Macarons

We’ve re-posted her story here, but check out the original post and enter the giveaway over at SimplyStacie! (And how much do we love that adorable photo of her son chowing down on that Banana Bread! Priceless!).

My dad and I shared a passion for baking banana bread from scratch and it is one of my fondest memories of spending time with him. Now that he is gone my passion for baking it from scratch has diminished but my family still looks forward to my making tasty baked goods.

As a busy mom I appreciate that Cherryvale Farms All Natural Bread Mixes uses wholesome organic flour and sugar. There are no unpronounceable ingredients and baking up delicious breads for my family to enjoy is easier than ever.

Wiping away a few tears, I set out to make my first banana bread since my dad passed away. I made the “Everything But The….Bananas” which is a delicious banana bread mix that includes everything except the bananas, vegetable oil and water. It was so easy to make by simply mixing the ingredients together in a bowl and then baking in a greased pan at 375 degrees for 50-55 minutes.

The smell of banana bread brought my husband and children to the kitchen eager with anticipation. The finished banana bread was absolutely delicious-moist and flavorful. In fact, my family couldn’t wait to gobble it up and “gasp” stated that it was “one of my best banana breads ever”!

As if that wasn’t delicious enough…….the following week I baked the most delicious Apple Streusel Muffins from Cherryvale Farms. “Everything But the Apples” is another premade mix using organic ingredients and I just had to add my own organic apples, water and vegetable oil. The aroma of ginger, cloves, cinnamon and vanilla filled the house reminding me that we are finally celebrating the fall season. These muffins are perfect for a light breakfast, snack or dessert. It was a big hit with my family who requested that I make these again.

Cherryvale Farms is perfect for busy moms who love to bake using wholesome ingredients without cooking from scratch. You are invited to visit Cherryvale Farms to browse the entire product line and choose your favorites to purchase online! There are lots of great ideas for the holidays and even a recipe section.

Sometimes we just need to detox.

And then other times we need silky, yummy, sweet deliciousness in our bellies. I mean, Fall is upon us, right? Cooler nights just call for some comforting sweetness.

Luckily, this recipe satisfies both of those needs. Feast your eyes on my Vanilla Chia Pudding!

This will probably be the easiest pudding you ever make, and also probably the healthiest. Just a few ingredients, blended together and fridged overnight is all is takes to make this divine (and healthy!) dessert. Though you could eat it for breakfast too….not that I did. No, not me!

Vanilla Chia Pudding

Makes 2 servings. Will keep in refrigerator for up to 5 days. 

• 1 cup light coconut milk (you can also use the full fat kind)
• 1 cup soy milk (a oat or nut milk would work fine also)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice (or 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 tsp cloves, 1/2 tsp nutmeg)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 5 medjool dates, seeds removed
• 1 tablespoon raw turbinado sugar (you can omit this if you’d like a less sweet recipe)
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds

Place all ingredients, except chia seeds, in a blender. Blend until dates have reduced to tiny pieces. Remove mixture to a lidded bowl or mason jar and stir in chia seeds. Cover or seal container and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before enjoying.

It’s really that easy! And great for kids!