We've moved to ForkableBlog.com

Hey! We've moved to: ForkableBlog.com! All the archived posts from here have been moved and cataloged into a new, easily searchable format which makes this information much more accessible. Come check it out!

Launching Our Massive Redesign: Wednesday, September 30!

In less then 24 hours, we will be leaving this layout behind and unveiling the new face of Forkable! Our new layout will focus on being a more user friendly interface which will allow for much easier access of our archived posts. You can now browse recipes by type and ingredient, as well as search by any term with a search dialog box. Its so exciting! We're taking this digital food project to the next level!

Here's a quick peak at our new banner.



Goodbye www.forkable.blogspot.com and hello www.ForkableBlog.com!

Update Over Brunch: Website Redesign

It may appear as though I'm being a slacker on the blog since I haven't been updating as much as usual, but I assure you, I am not. As I said in my last post, we're working on a massive Forkable redesign which will hopefully take this project to the next level from a simple food blog to functional online food resource. I'm working on categorizing posts so you can browse recipes by type and cuisine as well as adding tags so recipes will be searchable by ingredient. This is a massive undertaking so be patient with me. As long as I don't get driven insane by all the html, css, .php and other web jargon my simple mind is attempting to process, we should be up and running in the next month or so.

Since I can never publish a post without a picture, here's the delicious brunch I've made myself to nosh on while I slave away on the behind the scenes action. Quesadillas and black beans with the fresh roasted salsa verde I made with organic produce from my parents house.

Canning Tomatoes: Roasted Salsa

My visit to my parents house this past weekend, produced a harvest of over 30lbs of tomatoes. I've been super busy lately (mostly working on a huge redesign of this blog which I hope to be launching in the next month!! More on this later) and I'm really short on time lately. I like salsa, but I don't have time to chop the ingredients for one batch, let alone 30 lbs worth. What to do? Don't worry I have a solution.

Check out this Instructable to see my time saving salsa recipe along with tons of canning tips. Also, check out the comments for links to tons of online resources for canning methods.


Canning Tomatoes: Roasted Salsa - More DIY How To Projects

Ok, here's my cliffnotes for you lazy bones: My shortcut to hours of chopping and slicing is to roast all the ingredients together until they are nice and soft, then blend it in a food processor. And you're done! Beside being a shortcut, the roasting also helps bring out the natural sweetness of the flavors which makes for a delicious salsa! I can get it taken care of this afternoon and and I'll can it this weekend to preserve it.

Dilly Green Beans!

Dill pickles= dilly pleasure. Crunch cruch. I love dill pickles. But pickles doesn't just mean cucumbers. Pickles can be anything that's pickled! For the first post in our canning series, check out this crowd pleasing recipe (in instructable form) for dill pickles made of green beans. These are always a crowd favorite. Don't believe me. Try them out for yourself.


Canning Dilly Green Bean Pickles - More DIY How To Projects

Canning: The Pleasure of Putting Up the Harvest

This time of year, my Dad can be found carrying overflowing baskets of produce back to the house. My Mom can be found in a steamy kitchen, lowering jars stuffed with their homegrown veggies into boiling pots of water, to thwart spoilage and preserve them for the upcoming winter. Despite the back breaking work, my Mom always talks about the pleasure she feels in putting up the harvetst to feed her family and continue the tradition of her farming heritage.


Jars of green beans to be pickled.

Growing up, as I helped my Mom with our garden's produce, she told me stories of helping her Mother put up preserves from their family farm. My memory has flavored these stories with a very romantic (if not slightly unrealistic) image of the women in my family joined in loving comradory, escaping into their temporary basement kitchens, gossiping and laughing over their work together. The reality was probably more like a bunch of tired women, spending their spare time between their day jobs, slaving over the hot, boiling pots, working late every night until their pantry was full, but what is reminiscing for but to forget the hardships and romanticize the past.


My parents canned tomato juices, regular, low acid and tomato basil.

Although canning and preserving foods for the winter is no longer a necessity for survival, it now represents an affordable year round source of organic produce, as well as a continuation of tradition. For me, even further removed without a garden of my own, perhaps it is this lack of necessity which helps me to enjoy the tradition of this process. I can delight in my voluntary trip to the farmers market or to my parents house and get a great satisfaction looking at the jars of food I've put up which will save me money while still giving me great quality of food.


Canning roasted salsa.

Since its that time of year, we're gonna get all hot and steamy in here as our posts put up a harvest of digital delight chronicling our adventures with canning! Stay tuned.

C-BLT With Chipotle Mayo

C-BLT? What's the "C" for, you ask? Representing the makers of my favorite whiskey, rock musicians and sketch "coamody" troup, eh?, its for our hockey loving neighbors to the north! It puts the Canadian in Bacon!

Before I get too far into my love of sweet, sweet Canadian bacon, I have to digress a bit to another love: vine ripened organic heirloom tomatoes!



When I say vine ripened I don't mean the stuff you buy at the store, I'm talking about grown by the sweat of your friend's brow. (sweat is always better when its off someone else's brow). When my friend, Wendy, gave me a bag full of the most delicious, sumptuous tomatoes, I knew I had to do something worthy of their ripe beautiful bounty. I can't cook these tomatoes! They're too sweet and supple. What could make the most of this sweet seasonal treat...hmmm. I got it!! BLT's!! Nom nom.



But it can't be just any BLT. It has to be a special BLT! Not just any bacon will do. No, for this, I need a special, supple bacon: thick and sweet but seasoned with a special kick! Peppercorn-encrusted Canadian Bacon, made by my local Polish Deli, is sooo delicious!



Ok, we've got the B and the T, but we still need the L. No ordinary lettuce will do obviously. I want fresh, so fresh...so fresh its actually still alive!! Hydroponic Lettuce! Yes sir, this stuff is still alive, and its up to you to go in for the kill. Rip those leaves off, and eat 'em. SO fresh, so sweet.

Finally the last ingredient. Mayo. To me this is as much an important part as the other ingredients. I don't know why they never added it in. Well I'm going to! BMLT. Oh, wait. I get it. That's gross. Ok, so I'll leave it out of the name, but not out of the sandwich. Since all the other ingredients are going for gold, we can't just use regular mayo. We're going to make chipotle mayo! Delish:



Chipotle Mayo
enough for 3-4 sandwhiches

1 chipotle pepper, (from a can: see above pic) chopped into paste
1/2 c. good mayo

1) Mix together. Easy. Done!

How was that for a recipe? You don't need a recipe for a CB-CM-LT. Fry the bacon, toast the bread, slap the mayo on the bread. Layer toppings and you're done. Lets sum this up:



This sandwhich is going to kick ass!
B: Peppercorn encrusted Canadian Bacon
L: Hydroponic Lettuce
T: Organic Vine Ripened heirloom Tomatoes
not to forget: our Chipotle mayo.



All of these round little ingredients compliment each other so nice. Time to EAT!!! NOM NOM NOM! I love BLT's!