I have moments when I just cannot think of anything that sounds good. I mean…nothing. You know when you get in the mood for something bad for you but logic rules and you think better of it? This has been happening often to me as of late. The other day we were rushed, rushed, rushed and stressed beyond belief and all I could think of was spaghettios. Yes, you heard me right, spaghettios. I LOATHE spaghettios!!! So why was I craving them!??!?!

Making good for you spaghettios is quite simple, so I was able to save me from myself. All you need is your meat of choice, some crushed tomatoes, garlic, vegetable stock and ring pasta. I had venison and some homemade sauce so I made it with what I had and it came out delicious. Just make sure that you cook your pasta right in the sauce, adding stock as the pasta cooks. It’s a bit like making risotto…just peek on it every few minutes and add the stock as the pasta absorbs the sauce…yummy.

If you’re like me you have had your share of overcooked, dried out and flavorless food. It is a right of passage, a learning experience… we eat bad food and it makes us want to try to do it better. I know so many people come here looking for inspiration and tips for feeding good food to their families. And with times as tough as they are for folks these days I wanted to share some new ways that you can feed your family well for not so much money. Many of these ideas break with my eat local, eat seasonal philosophy but the truth is…not everyone can make that comittment and my overall goal with our blog and website has also been to educate and share ideas to brings families together through growing, cooking and sharing the results.

Of all the meals that strike fear in hearts I think Eye of Round is the worst. This is a cut of meat that can go from bad to worse in record time. However, it is a flavorful and very reasonably priced cut of meat.

Eye of Round is the most tender of three cuts derived from a Primal cut from the hind quarter. The other cuts are commonly known as London Broil and Bottom Round, we will explore those in later meals. The Eye of Round I purchased came from Maines on Front Street in Binghamton, NY. It was $2.19 per pound for the approximately 5-1/2 pound cut we purchased…$12.12 total.

Now on to the prep…

First things first. Do not cut a single scrap of fat off of this cut. It needs all it can get. Forget about braising or low slow ovens too. You need to blast this cut in the oven and because I am using a convection oven to roast I am not going to give you a cooking time. I want you to get used to the feel of the meat as it cooks and also using your meat thermometer. Ovens vary so widely that it is fruitless to give you cooking times. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees

I placed my roast in t a 13 x 9 Pyrex baking  pan (my roasting pan has disappeared during the kitchen/panty remodel) and drizzled it with about 3 tablespoons of Olive oil. Next I made a blend of about 4 tablespoons fresh Rosemary, 1 tablespoon black whole peppercorns, two cloves of chopped garlic and two tablespoons of coarse Kosher Salt and 1 teaspoon sugar. I crush them using a mortar and pestle. You can use a coffee grinder too, but remember to pulse them briefly…we aren’t looking for a paste.

Now sprinkle the spice blend over your meat and rub it over all the sides to coat evenly.

If you are using a electric probe type meat thermometer (this is the type I use) insert it now so the probe end is in the center of the roast. Place the roast into the oven. You’re roast will be in the oven for approximately 15-20 minutes per pound for a rare roast. And you aren’t going to want to cook this cut much past rare.

While the roast cooked I cut up some nice red potatoes and spinkled them with the remaining spices and a drizzle of olive oil and popped them into the oven with the roast.

Remove the roast when the center reaches 130 degrees. This will give you a nicely cooked roast with a rare center and medium rare end cuts.Cover the roast with foil and let is rest for about 15-20 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the potatoes in to keep them warm. This would be a good time to make some nice peas or a quick tossed salad.

Untent your roast and cut into the first quarter of the roast. Leave as much whole as you can so it retains it juices. Slice your cut into thin slices by cutting across the grain of the meat.

Add about a 1/2 cup of red wine (I used our own Cabernet Sauvignon) to deglaze your roasting pan. Add to a saucepan to reheat and serve with your roast.

So there have dinner for four…for about a whopping $7.00!!!! Yes, you read that right…$7.00 for beef roast, potatoes and peas!!! That’s about $1.75 per person.

But what to do with the remaining 3 plus pounds? What CAN’T you do! Just put the remaining whole piece of beef in the fridge and slice it thinly for sandwiches. Roast beef at the deli is around $7.99+ per pound so you can see the savings add up quickly now can’t you? Slice some for fajitas or to add to rice and vegetables. Have steak and egg breakfast burritos for the kids. Use your imagination to see how far you can take this and please share your comments here with me. I would love to hear them!

Colleen Cheechalk
The Farm at Nanticoke Creek
www.farmatnanticokecreek.com

Another snowy, cold morning….just like it should be in late November! I’m still sick so I’ll probably stay glues to the couch for another day, planning T-day dinner and pouring over the Seeds of change and Seed Savers website.

I have a couple of holiday fundraisers to share, a portion of the proceeds from each will be going to Stable Movements, the Hippotherapy program my daughter and I volunteer with.

First are the Holiday wreaths. These are fresh wreaths, handmade here with mixed greens. They need to be pre-ordered, that way I know how much I need to gather. We use no pesticides here and our property is organically managed. The price is $25 for each wreath and you can order your wreath here, pickup begins 11/30 and can be scheduled throughout December.  I would be happy to ship your wreath as well. Additional charges for shipping apply and they will be sent USPS Priority Mail.

I will be doing the soap sale this year too…the 10th year! The soap is handcrafted of certified organic ingredients and infused with organic herbs and organic/wild crafted essential oils. Each 8 ounce bottle is made to order and is $11.95 or three for $32.95

Here are the varieties:

Plain- great for babies, puppies, kittens and other sensitive folks

Plain with Calendula & Chamomile - just like plain, but infused with Calendula & Chamomile blossoms for gentle soothing

Soothing Skin- Infused with soothing herbs and therapeutic grade, organic/wild crafted essential oils. Wonderful for itchy skinned people and adult dogs and horses. This is soap that I started with nearly 10 years ago.

Kitchen blend  – Perfect to keep near the kitchen skin for hand washing. Infused with Ginger, Rosemary and Lemon essential oils to remove odors and sanitize the hands.

Cold Season – When used in a warm shower, this blend helps ease stuffy noses and soothe achy muscles.

Soap is made to order and discounts are available for larger purchases.  I can ship soap as a gift, please email with your info.  To order, pop me over an email with the following:

The type(s) you want
the quantity
your name and a valid email
If you are planning to ship this as a gift, please include the city and zip so I can calculate your postage.

I will send you a paypal invoice to your email address you provide. You do not need a paypal account, and you can pay securely using your credit card or bank account.

On the art/design front…

I’ll be loading some card templates for photographers and crafty folks later today. I’ll also be loading some of my favorite black and white photoshop actions.

The Duck Diary…

Our adorable Cayuga Ducks only gave us one egg today, but they have had such a productive week! They continue to become more affectionate each day. I have one who is pretty close to be considered for therapy work, we’ll see. Puddles still might be in the running but he is so enjoying his job as keeper of his ladies that I think I’ll just let him enjoy himself and be a greeter here at the farm for the kids.

A recipe to share…

Magwrit1 who is friend and also a regular on the Pressconnects.com website, shared her recipe for Penne Rigate with Tuna Sauce.

If I could only tell you how many memories Suga al Tonno brings back. I was just learning how to cook while living in Rochester and a friend shared his families recipe with me. Being a young, starving girl on her own for the first time anything that could be made with budget friendly ingredients was a plus! But it was unexpectedly delicious that I fast became one of my very favorites. I will probably make this for Ally and I tomorrow. Todd and Tuna do not get a long!

Suga al Tonno

1 12 oz can of plum tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
1 4 oz can Italian tuna in Olive oil, drained
2 T Olive Oil
1 Anchovy fillet, soaked and finely chopped or 1/8 t Anchovy paste (I use the paste these days)
salt and pepper to taste

Add the garlic and tomatoes with a pinch of salt and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook until reduced a bit, about 10 minutes. Mash the Tomatoes and continue to cook until it reduces a bit more.

At this point you are supposed to remove the garlic, however my family prefers a smoother sauce so I leave the garlic and use a stick blender to bring it all together.

Stir the drained tuna into the sauce, add the olive oil and the anchovy. Serve immediately over hot pasta.

Enjoy!