DECEMBER 31, 2015

The New Header
"Tomatoes and oregano make it Italian; wine and tarragon make it French.
Sour cream makes it Russian; lemon and cinnamon make it Greek.
Soy sauce makes it Chinese; garlic makes it good." -- Alice May Brock
  Happy New Year, Colorado Springs!
 
New year, fresh ideas   
Enjoy these recipes, cooking tips and creative ideas
We like to ask random shoppers at Ranch Foods Direct to share a bit about their shopping habits, best go-to recipes, and most helpful recent kitchen discoveries. Thanks to all of you who have agreed to contribute! We are pleased to share these customer profiles with you.

Meet Raminta and Michael Fitzpatrick of Canon City

HOW LONG HAVE YOU SHOPPED RFD? Since 2012, when we moved to Colorado

FAVORITE ITEMS? The Wagyu beef. "We love the fat in it," Raminta says. "Our daughter Elyte was eating the steak before she even had teeth!"

SHOPPING FOR: Cross rib roasts, ground liverwurst, coffee, spaghetti squash, challah bread

FAVORITE SOURCES FOR NEW RECIPES: Pinterest, Weston A. Price Foundation and the Nourishing Traditions cookbook by Sally Fallon (here's one of Sally's recipes, below left)

DESCRIBE YOUR COOKING STYLE: "We just had baby Michael a month ago, so I'm doing easy things like scrambled eggs and burgers," Raminta says. "You can't go wrong with the burgers! My husband likes to crumble up a little bit of the ground beef and mix it with some grains and some corn. We eat a lot of kefir grains and fermented foods."

RECENT STANDOUT RECIPE: A red beet salad

FAVORITE KITCHEN APPLIANCE: The "instant pot." "Plug it in and you can cook an entire chicken in 40 to 45 minutes," Raminta says. "You can use it as a crockpot or as a pressure cooker. It cooks fast and it doesn't heat up the house." (CLICK HERE for more info)

WHY DO YOU SHOP RFD? "It's easy for us to spend money on good food because investing in our health is the best thing we can do for our family," Raminta says. Adds Michael: "We're happy to have a partner in the community that shares our values."
 
BAKED ONIONS  
from Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions cookbook

4 large onions, peeled � 1 c. chicken broth � 3 T. butter � 1 T. honey � 1 tsp. grated lemon rind
1/4 tsp. paprika � sea salt � 1/2 c. finely chopped pecans

Trim ends and cut onions in half along the equator. Place cut side up in a buttered glass baking dish. Mix stock, butter, honey, lemon and paprika and heat gently until flavors blend. Season to taste. Pour over onions. Bake, covered, for 50 minutes at 350 degrees, til just tender. Remove cover, sprinkle with pecans, brown 10 minutes more.

DID YOU KNOW?... Root vegetables like beets, squash and onions store well and help extend the availability of locally grown food throughout the winter. According to the Nourishing Traditions cookbook, the onion - a subset of the lily family - is universally valued for its medicinal properties, which include improvement of kidney function and antibacterial qualities. Onions also appear to enhance the blood, by lowering elevated blood sugar, improving circulation and potentially boosting blood oxygen levels.
 
   
 
Meet Leah Izenson
She's an aspiring pastry chef and baking assistant at the Sourdough Boulangerie (You can find their organic artisan breads at Ranch Foods Direct.)

WHERE DO YOU GO TO FIND NEW RECIPES? I really like baking blogs, because they take you step-by-step through the preparation process. Some of my favorites are: SmittenKitchen.com: She's super funny, but also very thorough. We're very much on the same page in how we approach things; SprinkleBakes.com: I look to her for items that are perfectly decorated; GBakes.com: Gesine does a lot homemade candy. She's a first generation American and her mom is German, so she has a lot of traditional recipes. She also has my dream life -- she lives on a farm in Vermont where she keeps her own chickens. I'm originally from Vermont so maybe that's another reason I like her!

RECENT SLAM DUNK RECIPE: French silk pie. "I made it during the holidays and it was the first pie to disappear. It's essentially a combination of chocolate mousse and whipped cream." CLICK HERE to get the recipe for the Smitten Kitchen's Chocolate Pudding Pie.
 

A new holiday pastry, available now
 at Ranch Foods Direct....
... The Sourdough Boulangerie introduces Rosca de Reyes, or king's cake, the Spanish and Latin American pastry traditionally eaten to celebrate the feast of Epiphany. This yeasty holiday bread is shaped like a wreath and stuffed with dried fruits and nuts.

Pick up one for $6.25 each.

Happy New Year and thanks for supporting Ranch Foods Direct in 2015!