Wow a New Post!

Wow I am not good at all at regularly posting on my blog. Good thing I am the boss so I won't punish myself this time. I wish there was tons of exciting news to post but alas there is not much going on.
I have been enjoying being a stay at home dad now that my wife has gone back to work. I am still doing the North Union Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings and trying to finalize my business plan. I did a couple of catering jobs last week that were a lot of fun, and as far as I can tell my clients were pleased with my services.
I know I have said this before, but I will try to post more regularly. At the very least, I will attempt to post some new recipes very soon.

Matt

Maggie at the Market

Wow, I cannot believe that it has been eighteen days since I last posted on my blog. Despite my intentions of posting regularly, fatherhood and trying to get my new company off to a solid start have pretty much gobbled up any free time that I had.

This past Saturday I had the pleasure of having my wife and daughter with me at the North Union Farmer's Market. Thanks to everyone who stopped by to say hello and a special thanks to those who purchased(the baby needs diapers:)) some of our local/organic bakery. As a proud dad I enjoyed showing Margarete off to all the wonderful customers and fellow vendors.

With the new time constrictions, I have started to come up with some quick, easy and delicious meals made with the fantastic products I am getting from the market. Here is a quick pasta dish I made the other night.

Spaghetti with Italian Sausage, Oyster Mushrooms and Arugula

serves 4

1 pound dry spaghetti

1 pound Italian sausage, from Sirna's Farm & Market

1 cup Arugula, from(sorry, I can't remember their names, but they sell all kinds of wonderful tasting lettuces)

8 oz oyster mushrooms from Killbuck Vally

1 ½ cups bottled, organic pasta sauce. (I used organic Prego,)

1 Tablespoon olive oil

salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper flakes to taste.

1. Cook the penne until al dente, about 8 minutes and drain.

2. While the pasta is cooking, heat a large skillet with the olive oil, add the sausage and brown on all sides. Add the mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes, add the pasta sauce and cover skillet with a lid and cook until the sausage is done, about 10 minutes.

3. Add pasta and arugula to the skillet, season with salt, black pepper and rep pepper flakes.

4. Serve and enjoy.

New Employee

I am pleased to introduce our new employee, Margarete Katherine. She was born on May 7th at 00:15. My wife and I are beaming with joy and we are anxiously waiting to bring her home. We will not be attending the North Union Farmer's Market this week, but will be back on the 19th. Please come and see us then.

Good Breakfast Food

I am on a farmers market kick and yesterday I made a terrific breakfast using ingredients I bought on Saturday at the North Union Farmer's Market. It was a pork sausage, oyster mushroom, asparagus and cheddar frittata (Italian omelet). Here is the recipe so that you can make and enjoy it. I made it in a cast iron skillet(my favorite piece of cooking equipment). You can make it in an regular skillet, but if your skillet has a plastic handle do not put it under the broiler, just flip the frittata to finish the top. It really is an easy recipe, so give it a try.

Makes 4 servings

Preheat your oven's broiler on the low setting and position the oven rack so it is on the second shelf bracket from the top.

Eggs ( Apple Tree Acres) 4

Oyster Mushrooms (Killbuk Valley) 2 ounces chopped

Whole Pork Sausage (Apple Tree Acres) 4 ounces cut into small pieces

Asparagus (Weaver) 1.5 ounces chopped

Cheddar Cheese (Ohio Farmer's Direct) 3 ounces shredded

Whole Milk(Ohio Organic Family Farms) 1.5 fluid ounces

Olive Oil 1 tablespoon

Salt 1/2 teaspoon

Black Pepper 1/4 teaspoon

1. Over medium-low heat, heat a 12 inch cast iron skillet and add the olive oil.
2. Cook the sausage until almost cooked through (about five minutes).
   
3. While sausage is cooking, mix the eggs with the milk, salt and black pepper.
4. Add the mushrooms and asparagus to the skillet and cook until the mushrooms are cooked through.
5. Add the egg mixture and cook until the egg mixture sets on the bottom.
6. Add the cheese and place the skillet under the broiler. Cook until the eggs have fully set and the cheese has browned.
7. Cut into four wedges and enjoy.

Note: If you don't own a good kitchen scale, I recomend buying one. It makes measuring so much easier and makes food prep go much faster.

Rainy Day

Yesterday was the second week of the North Union Farmer's Market, and boy it was a wet one. At the start of the day I was a bit concerned that due to the weather, no one would show up. I was wrong. It was fantastic to see that folks on the west side really support local agriculture by coming out in the rain to purchase the freshest food available in Cleveland. Thanks to everyone who stopped by my stand to purchase my organic and local bakery. It was exciting to have customers come back from the previous week because they really enjoyed what they got.

On a personal note, I really love participating in the market. It is just fun to meet and talk to all the vendors and shoppers. It truly is an eclectic mix of friendly people. I am looking forward to next week; hopefully the weather will be a bit nicer!

Opening Day (at the market)

Yesterday was the opening day of the North Union Farmer's Market at Crocker Park. This was my first attempt at selling my food in a retail setting since staring my company in February. The funny thing was that as I was driving to the market I felt like I was heading off to my first day at a new job. I had the nervous excitement, apprehension and fear that I thought would not happen now that I was my own boss. Like a new job, those feelings quickly went away as I began to focus on the task at hand. My father came along to help out and I must thank him because his efforts really helped things run smoothly.

The market was a ton of fun, the weather was fantastic and it was great talking to all the people who attended. I cannot wait until next week; hopefully the weather will be just as nice. Thanks to all the people who stopped by my stand. I encourage everyone to come to the market and support the local farmers, chefs, bakers and artists who are there.

Chef Matt