Southern Illinois – Page 6 – A Slice of Southern Illinois

Posted on May 18, 2018May 18, 2018 by Maracuya 87 — Leave a comment

Strawberries and Memories

Strawberry Season is upon us in Southern Illinois, and it brings many sweet memories with it. Believe it or not strawberries were probably one of the few things that we did not grow on our family’s acre and three fourths in the country. (Gooseberries-check, rhubarb-check, asparagus-check, strawberries-uh, no?) So, we piled into the family car, Pacer or Granada, depending on the year, and went to a local u-pick farm. Often, this was a farm in the Farina, Dix, Kell, or Centralia area. The one by Farina was especially fun because we would stop at Frontier Village for a restroom break and to cool off. My brother and I looked forward to getting those those huge, old-fashioned colorful lollipops.

Once home with our berries, my parents and sometimes my grandma would prep and freeze them by the pint. As a special dessert, my mom would make some wonderful strawberry shortcake.

As unique as it may sound, our kitchen walls actually were covered in strawberry wallpaper. To top it off, a local grocery store sold Strawberry Shortcake (remember her and the dessert squad?) glasses that we would collect to use and display.

Seeing melting chocolate for fruits in grocery stores triggers memories of making chocolate covered strawberries in my dorm room at the Baptist Student Center at SIU-Carbondale. We had potable water, microwaves, and mini fridges. Life was good. My co-ed music fraternity often catered events on campus, and from what I recall, there was sometimes a need for chocolate covered strawberries… I continued making these in grad school too, when I lived in Lewis Park and had an actual kitchenette.

If you have an opportunity to get out and pick your own strawberries, especially as a family, try it at least once just to have that experience. It’s also nice for kids to be able to connect in their heads the process of food growing and making its way to the table. More importantly, family memories you create will last much longer than strawberry season.

Here are some places to contact about U-pick strawberries in Southern Illinois:

ALAHAMBRA

Reinhardt’s Berry Patch, 618-633-2888

BELLEVILLE

Eckert’s Country Store & Farm,

https://www.eckerts.com/belleville-farm

BUMCOMBE

Hallsberry Farms

https://www.facebook.com/Hallsberry-Farms-607311662746573/

CARLYLE

McConauchie Manor Farm

http://mcmanor.com/

CENTRALIA

Schwartz Farms

http://www.schwartzfruitfarm.com/m/

COBDEN

Blue Berry Hill Farm

COLLINSVILLE

W.J. Donahue Sunshine Farms

DIX

Schwartz Farms

http://www.schwartzfruitfarm.com/m/

KELL

Sager Farms

https://www.facebook.com/Sager-Farms-1338423922880064/

MILLSTADT

Eckert’s Country Store & Farm

Home

MURPHYSBORO

McLaughlin Strawberry Farm

https://www.facebook.com/MclaughlinStrawberryFarm/

SIMS

Freelands Strawberries and Vegetables

https://www.facebook.com/FreelandsStrawberries/

ST. JACOB

Demange Farm

https://www.facebook.com/demangefamilyfarms/

Strackeljahn Farms

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Strackeljahn-Farms/126200920766900

WATERLOO

Stuckmeyers Plants & Produce

http://www.stuckmeyer-illinois.com/

WILLOW HILL

Rising Sun Family Farm

https://www.facebook.com/Rising-Sun-Family-Farm-663357053748679/

Posted on January 30, 2018January 30, 2018 by Maracuya 87 — Leave a comment

TOSI Challenge: Flat Iron Steak Sandwich & Fries

Individual flat iron steaks from Dierks Farms and fresh sourdough bread baked by Scratch Brewing Company, both of Ava, were among groceries I got this past Saturday at the Carbondale Community Farmer’s Market. This pair of ingredients seemed like a great starting point for a TOSI (Taste Of Southern Illinois) Challenge creation.

For the steaks, I used a quick marinade of Ponzu, grapeseed oil, salt, pepper and a few drops of red wine vinegar. Then I applied some Cactus Pete’s Ultimate Steak House Rub, made in Buckner, that I found at Arnold’s Market in Carbondale.

I grilled thick slices of the sourdough bread in a bit of butter on my George Foreman grill. I also grilled some onions and sweet mini pepper strips with a few shiitake mushrooms from Fly Away Family Farms of Makanda. Each side of bread was smeared with basil pesto. After grilling the steaks and allowing them to rest for the juices to redistribute, they were sliced against the grain. I added a slice of Swiss cheese for flavor.

The oven fries were pretty simple but tasty. I cut scrubbed Russett potatoes into thick fries and coated them with grapeseed oil, salt, pepper, and paprika before baking in a single layer at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes, turning once. For the fry dipping sauce, I mixed a bit of mayonnaise with ketchup and added some chopped fresh herbs. I used basil and parsley from my kitchen window with some dill from All Seasons Farm of Cobden. The ivrn fries were the perfect compliment to the flat iron steak sandwich.

Posted on January 26, 2018January 27, 2018 by Maracuya 87 — 1 Comment

The TOSI Challenge Meets the Carbondale Community Farmer’s Market

Last Saturday, I was finally able to spend a little time at the Carbondale Community Farmer’s Market, also affectionately referred to as the winter farmer’s market and indoor market. As many of you know, I’ve been dealing with cancer treatments and restrictions for the past few months that limit my ability to get out and do these kinds of things. Being back at a farmer’s market, even if only for a little while, was a real treat for me.

With so many great ingredients and foods from which to choose, it was the perfect place to resume the TOSI (Taste Of Southern Illinois) Challenge. Instead of eating hazardous household products or engaging in harmful behaviors, this is a more tasteful challenge (pun intended.) Quite simply, The TOSI Challenge is to create foods or meals from ingredients made or grown in Southern Illinois. Use #TOSIChallenge when sharing your creations on social media and when possible, tag or at least identify the Southern Illinois ingredients.

One of my first purchases was a ready-to-bake pizza from Tonight, Pizza Italiana.

These are made in Carbondale and can even be ordered online. I opted for the Margherita pizza. My son has requested to try the Americana version next. Its toppings include hot dog and French fries.

One of my next stops was at Mustard Seed Sowers Farm for some iced holy basil tea. They had other choices, but that was my favorite. Mustard Seed Sowers Farm also had boxes of tea available for sale.

One of the benefits of shopping at the farmers market, besides supporting your community, is that you can speak directly with someone who knows the product. For example, at Honey & Shrooms, you learn the difference between the light and dark honey.

This week, I combined some of the honey I purchased from Honey & Shrooms with shiitake mushrooms from Flyaway Family Farms in a chicken stir fry over rice. I also used some red scallions and garlic that I bought from the nice lady in between Mustard Seed Sowers and Dierks Family Farms.

Fresh dill from All Seasons Farm went into a salmon en papillote weeknight meal over thinly sliced potatoes. I also used some of the red scallions, lemon zest, olive oil, and butter.

Fortunately, my taste buds were working better last Saturday (chemo really wreaks havoc on them,) and I worked up an appetite. Southern Que was the perfect solution. I opted for the half slab of ribs with baked beans and slaw. It was wonderful.

I didn’t leave my fur babies out of the TOSI Challenge. Mario’s Mama was there with treats for dogs and even a few for cats. So, Pokey got a canine-safe iced cookie, and the kitties got tuna melt.

There were many things to see, and even a fitness class. (I was already tired from walking more than usual for now, so I did not participate…) I didn’t manage to get pictures of every vendor, but there is a nice variety.

This indoor, winter farmers market runs from 9:00 am to noon on Saturdays through March at the Carbondale High school.

Resources:

Carbondale Community Farmer’s Market, http://www.carbondalemarket.com/

Tonight, Pizza Italiana, http://www.tonightpizzaitaliana.com/

Mustard Seed Sowers Farm, https://mustardseedsowers.weebly.com/

All Seasons Farm, http://www.allseasons-farm.com/

Flyaway Family Farm, https://www.facebook.com/FlywayFamilyFarm/

Mario’s Mama, http://www.mariosmamapetbakery.com/index.html

Scratch Farm & Brewery, https://www.scratchbeer.com/

Southern Que, https://www.facebook.com/southern.que/

Honey & Shrooms, honeyandshroons@gmail.com

Posted on January 16, 2018January 28, 2018 by Maracuya 87 — Leave a comment

Stronger Together

On this Martin Luther King Day, I am reminded how one of the things I love so much about Southern Illinois is its diversity. We don’t all have to look alike, sound alike, or even prefer the same foods to be a community. We may share a common region, but not all being carbon copies of each other is a good thing. I am by no means a carpenter, but I have seen things made that have different shaped interlocking parts. Those different parts coming together make the object stronger than just straight boards and nails.

Yes, English is our primary language. However, many folks do know another language as part of their family heritage or tradition, and I love that. As someone who spent a portion of grad school as the only one in my apartment who was not from Costa Rica, it is comforting for me to hear families speaking in Spanish. (Of course, that does depend on the tone of voice and words used…)

I also love that we have been blessed with people from many backgrounds sharing their art and cuisine. For example, in Carbondale, you can have Mediterranean, Italian, Indian, and array of other food choices. Personally, I am fascinated by the choice of ingredients at Monah’s International Grocery Store and Tienda Paisano. As someone who loves to cook, I am like a kid in a toy store looking at all of the possibilities at both stores.

We are fortunate to be a region where our people are as beautifully diverse as our landscape. There are towns with a long history of heritage from other countries that share their traditions through community celebrations like Herrinfesta Italiana in Herrin and Fruehlingsfest in Maeystown. There are educational opportunities at places like the African American Museum of Southern Illinois in Carbondale and the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site.

Southern Illinois is like a beautiful, colorful quilt made of many different types of fabric woven together. Each block is beautiful on its own, but together we become even stronger as we support each other.

Posted on October 18, 2017October 18, 2017 by Maracuya 87 — Leave a comment

Dark Chocolate Carrot Cupcakes

Since this is National Chocolate Cupcake Day, I am sharing my own recipe for dark chocolate carrot cupcakes. The spices tend to add some warmth and a unique flavor and depth to them. Enjoy!

Cupcake Ingredients:

Dry Ingredients:

One bag shredded carrots, finely grated in the food processor (approx. 2 cups)

2 Cups flour

1/3 Cup dark chocolate cocoa powder

1 Teaspoon baking soda

1 Teaspoon baking powder

A pinch of garam masala (indian spice mixture)

A pinch of salt

Wet Ingredients:

2 Cups of sugar

4 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pan with paper or foil liners. Mix dry ingredients together and add the wet ingredients. Fill cupcake liners 1/2 to 1/3 full and bake approximately 17 minutes. Baking time may vary with oven and altitude. Allow to cool before frosting.

Frosting Ingredients:

1/4 Cup heavy whipping cream

5 Tablespoons sugar

1 Medium container of whipped cream cheese

Approximately 3 cups of powdered sugar

3 Tablespoons dark chocolate cocoa powder

A sprinkle of chipotle powder

A sprinkle of powdered cayenne pepper

Directions: Beat cream and sugar until peaks form. Add remaining ingredients one at a time, beat each one into the frosting. Add more powdered sugar if necessary for desired sweetness or texture. Fill parchment triangle bag with frosting and pipe in spirals beginning at center of cupcake.

Optional Garnish:

Use a vegetable peeler to create curls from chocolate candy bark/almond bark and top each frosted cupcake with chocolate curls

Posted on May 18, 2017May 18, 2017 by Maracuya 87 — Leave a comment

Oregano Pesto

A few years ago, I repurposed a very old mattress box springs into a raised herb garden. The oregano I planted has made it through a couple winters and continued to grow stronger each spring. This is good. Southern Illinois seems to have a climate that pleases oregano.

One of my favorite meal prep uses for oregano is in pesto. The other night, I had walnuts and some manchego cheese nearing their expiration. So, you guessed it. Pesto they became. I tend to switch up the cheese and nut type with whatever I have that seems like it makes sense–such as parmesan and pine nuts or even sunflower seeds. You do want to use a harder cheese, with a consistency such as parmesan, so that you don’t end up with a gooey mess.

Once made, I like to spoon my pesto into pint canning jars and top each with a little pool of olive oil at the top to help keep it from drying in the fridge or freezer. Ideally, the pesto jars should keep for a couple weeks in the fridge or a few months in the freezer. Just make sure whatever you store it in is airtight and kept at a food safe temperature as this is not a canning process. (Simply using a canning jar does not make it canned…) You can also freeze it in ice cube trays and pop the cubes into a freezer bag for storage.

Oregano pesto is handy thing to have in the fridge on standby. It adds an extra layer of flavor to soups and sandwiches and can be added to omelets or egg dishes. Pesto also stands in great as a wet rub on meat. Be creative. It is wonderful as a spread itself or mixed with other ingredients to make other variations.

This is the basic recipe:

Ingredients:
clean, fresh oregano, approximately two to three cups
cheese–such as manchego or parmesan, approximately one and a half cups grated
nuts–such as pine nuts or walnuts, about one cup
juice of one lemon
honey (or sugar), about a tblsp
kosher salt or sea salt
crushed black pepper
one clove garlic, minced
about a 1/4 cup olive oil

Directions:
1. Chop together the oregano, cheese, nuts, lemon juice, honey, salt, pepper, and garlic in the food processor.
2. Slowly drizzle in olive oil.
Add more olive oil for a thinner pesto if desired.
You may also use a traditional mortar & pestle method to combine ingredients if desired.

Posted on January 28, 2017January 28, 2017 by Maracuya 87 — Leave a comment

ASOSI Is Here!

It’s still a work in progress, but the ASOSI (A Slice of Southern Illinois) app is now available for free download (link in this post.) Links to local restaurants, sites, shops, and events are being added daily. It may take a while to load even a fraction of the wonderful things to see and taste in Southern Illinois..

You can also access this blog and the feed from the Facebook page on the app. It is for Android, Apple, and desktop fomats. If you have suggestions of locally owned Southern Illinois restaurants, shops, or family fun centers, please submit them via message on the Facebook page or in the comments section of this post.

Check out my new App I just created with Apper builder!

https://app.igenapps.com/2074965

Posted on June 8, 2016June 1, 2018 by Maracuya 87 — Leave a comment

A Bit of the Fort de Chartres Rendevous

This past weekend, I took a short road trip with my brother to see the Fort de Chartres Rendevous at the Prairie du Rocher fort. Now, bear in mind that he actually has a degree in history while I just managed to pass the course. I tend to be as intrigued with the food and shopping venue as the rest. However, he managed to keep me focused.

As he pointed out, many of us tend to forget that Illinois has french ancestors. The on site museum has displays that address the early days in the southwest part of the state. I am not sure if it has regular hours through the week or not. Most of the vendors and battle reinactment actors arrive on the first Friday in June and depart on the Sunday.