Old Man Stout Cake. Really.

look at this cake! just look at it! well, don't just look at it. look at it, please, while imagining that i have incredible amazing fantabulous genius mad photography skills. because this is really one of the yummiest, most unique, and phenomenally wonderful pieces of cake that has ever existed. i am serious. i am so serious that i posted two pictures. i ate two pieces as well! (well not really, but my piece was pretty big.)

and there's an interesting (subjective) story to the cake. i came home after a particularly long and emotionally trying day at work, excited to go and meet with these wonderful women about the art for our logo/label (a magical encounter, indeed! - more on that next week) and while i am sitting down, having a moment, shana walks in carrying a container with, you guessed it, cake! "save it for later, after we get back, to celebrate," she says. so we go, meet and talk and dream and visualize verbalizations and eat thin mints. ideas get shared and we love them all. shana and i come home excited, renewed, and joyously tired. we sit down to cake. john made this cake. synchronicitously, we looked up and it was midnight. my birth-day and we are eating cake! pretty random, but not really. jenn and john gave shana the cake, and now it has become a birth-day cake. celebrate good times, come on! really. {shana wanted me to take this out. i refused.}

and the back story (there's always a back story). a main ingredient of this cake is Old Man Stout, a home brewed partial mash oatmeal stout brewed by john and i for his birth-day. we initiated him into the sacred rites of fermentation and introduced him to my personal fermentation god, affectionately called, 'The Yeastie Beastie'. john took to brewing quite well. he also took my keg and CO2 tank to his house; leaving me with a keg and no pressure. oh well. he did make cake! Here is the Old Man himself:

Here is the recipe:

Gingerbread layer cake with candied pistachios (from The Bon Appetit Cookbook)

For the cake:
1 cup dark beer 1 cup molasses (I used the darkest I had)
1 ½ teaspoon baking soda 2 cups all porpoise flour
2 Tbsp ground ginger (yes, 2 tablespoons!) 1 ½ tsp baking powder
¾ tsp ground cinnamon ¼ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp ground nutmeg 1/8 tsp ground cardamom
3 large eggs ½ cup white sugar
½ cup dark brown sugar 1 Tbsp minced ginger
¾ cup vegetable oil (you MUST use this much to make the cake as moist as possible!)

For the cream cheese frosting:
1 8-ounce pack of cream cheese, room temperature
1 stick butter, room temperature
¾ Tbsp finely grated orange peel, but I think you could use more
2 cups powdered sugar

For the Candied Pistachios:
(I didn’t make this, but it is in the recipe)
1 cup finely chopped pistachios
1 Tbsp light corn syrup 2 Tbsp sugar

For cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour three 8-inch diameter cake pans. Bring stout and molasses to boil in heavy saucepan over high heat. Remove from heat; stir in baking soda. Let stand 1 hour to cool completely.

Whisk flour and next 6 ingredients in large bowl to blend. Whisk eggs and both sugars in bowl to blend. Whisk in oil, then stout mixture. Gradually whisk stout-egg mixture into flour mixture. Stir in fresh ginger.

Divide batter equally among prepared pans. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool cakes in pans 15 minutes. Invert cakes onto racks and cool completely.

For candied pistachios: Preheat oven to 325. Line large rimmed baking sheet with foil. Mix pistachios and corn syrup in medium bowl. Add sugar and toss to coat. Working quickly so sugar doesn’t melt, spread pistachios on prepared baking sheet. Bake until pistachios are pale golden, about 8 minutes. Cool completely.

For cream cheese frosting: Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese, butter, and orange peel in large bowl until fluffy. Gradually beat in powdered sugar. (Lee, your post is coming.This is a subliminal message.)Chill frosting 30 minutes.Place 1 cake layer, rounded side up, on platter. Spread frosting over top of cake. Top with second cake layer, rounded side up, and spread frosting. Top with third cake layer, flat side up. Spread sides and top of cake with remaining frosting. Sprinkle top with candied pistachios.

A Fermentation Prayer:
!Hear us, Yeastie Beastie, oh, mystical yet understandable, rotter of creation, breather of the bubbling fire liquids, and bring us to boil. Infect our controlled rots with pleasant and ever so sensual, mundanely furious and particularly astute spirits. Cake from home brew. thanks ever so much!

Granola and Yogurt

I make granola (Jason). I love granola (Jason and Shana). I eat granola every single morning for breakfast (Shana). I make a lot of granola (Jason). {can you see where this is going?} Making granola is super easy and really quite good for you, especially the way that I make it (Jason). I still love to eat a lot of granola every single morning, with the yogurt that Jason makes (Shana). I am liking to make granola less and less (Jason). I want more and more granola and yogurt (Shana). I like to have really really perfect oatmeal in the morning - recipe to follow (Jason). But, then, where is my beloved granola (Shana)? {you get the picture!}

Well, I (Jason) came home to witness this:

That's my honey! That's my wife! And that, my friends, is granola! I didn't take a picture, but there was also raw milk yogurt being made behind us on the counter (process for that to follow as well). And, truth and beauty and food fans, the granola is AMAZING! So, as witnessed by you all, right here, right now, I, jason s frishman, do hereby declare Shana M Witkin to be the grand goddess of granola!! It's so freaking good, i tell you. (Right Becky?)

The recipe that she used is taken directly from a wonderful cookbook called, "Made from Scratch: Daily Bread Bakery and Cafe, Richmond, Vermont" by Betsy Bott. This is the cafe that Shana loved dearly and misses incredibly, since it went out of business. But its cookbook and granola live on in our house! The recipe:

11 cups rolled oats 3 3/4 cups wheat flakes (optional)
2 1/4 cups cashews 1 1/2 cups wheat bran
1 1/2 cups coconut (optional) 1 cup oil, safflower or sunflower
1 cup maple syrup 1/3 cup barley malt
1 teaspoon vanilla

preheat oven to 350 degrees. stir together oats, wheat flakes, cashews, bran and coconut in a large bowl. Stir in oil, syrup, barley malt and vanilla in a separate bowl or measuring cup. add liquids to dry and stir just to moisten. you don't want to break up the oats too much or you will have a powdery end product. generously oil baking pans and spread cereal about 1 inch deep. use as many pans as you need, depending upon their size. bake 10 minutes. remove from oven and mix cereal. try to get all of the corners and to get the bottom stirred around. return to the oven and bake for another 10 minutes. stir again. return and check after 5 minutes. take out when all is light brown and feels just slightly damp to the touch. cool completely, stirring every once in a while. store in tightly lidded container. if you don't go through it quickly, a portion may be frozen.

(Jason's note: i have officially passed the granola making duty on to shana and this batch is Perfect. But, as some of you know, i can never just shut up and be quiet about something. So, i just want to add some thoughts about making the granola a bit healthier - not better, healthier:
Add almonds and/or walnuts. Add lots of dried fruit. add ground flax seed. add a little bit of soy flour. add wheat germ. that's about it, like i said, this is really perfect granola!)

granola is NOT just for hippies. got it?

Meatloaf! (Sort of, but just as comforting) Believe It!

One of the products that we will be carrying here at FolkFoods is the

VEGGIE CRUMBLE!

What is that? Well, we are looking for a better slogan or way of describing it than:
"Well, it's kind of got the texture of ground beef, but it isn't really, it is so yummy, and really healthy for you - solid protein and lots of vitamin B. It can be used for, like, well, anything that you'd use ground meat for, like tacos, chili, pasta sauce, pizzas. Y'know, stuff like that!"

You can see the problem. That won't fit onto a label. And it kind of doesn't make our mouths water. And we made the stuff up. And we love it. Y'get the picture.

So, it's time for this blog to get a little interactive. Post your ideas for a good slogan / short description as a comment at the bottom of this post. C'mon, you can do it. Serious or funny, give it a try, who knows, maybe we'll use your slogan on the label and when we make a few bucks, we'll send you a few free samples. Or our forever gratitude. We'll see... give it a shot.

Now for the title of this post: MEATLOAF!!
Well, I (Jason) like meatloaf. I have fond memories of growing up eating meatloaf slathered in ketchup with tater tots and, most likely, broccoli. It's good. It's nurturing. Shana, on the other hand, does not have fond memories of meatloaf. I don't know exactly, it's got something to do with Star Trek... That, and the fact that she doesn't eat meat, means that we don't have meatloaf in our house. Ever. Well, I've changed all of that! I cannot wait to get home and have a big slice of Veggie Crumble meatloaf. (I may even stop by the co-op for some tater tots!)

I had a Veggie Crumble meatloaf sandwich for lunch already. I closed my office door, heated up the sandwich in the toaster-oven, put on some good music, and relived some great old memories. What a treat!!

I'll post the Veggie Crumble Meatloaf recipe as soon as we are officially selling the stuff. Stay tuned!

AND, I've been told that a blog entry just isn't as, well, good, without a picture. Judy, any tips on photographing food would certainly be welcomed! BUT, the truth is, even the most gorgeous meatloaf isn't all that attractive. Let's be honest. So, I tried taking a bunch of meatloaf pictures, and spent a ridiculous amount of time arranging things on a plate, exchanging plates, getting the brown of the tater tots 'just right', making the 'perfect' dollop of ketchup, trying different garnishes, etc. (not to mention the lighting, background, eesh.) I still like meatloaf (or CrumbleLoaf, i guess), but it just isn't photogenic.

SO.... to keep our readers happy, I will post a picture that is completely unrelated to CrumbleLoaf. And, simultaneously, I will hope to engage the readers with even more interactivity. What, dear readers, is this:

(post your answers in the comments section, I'll post who gets closest, and why you should care in about a week!)

Kefir and Raw Real Milk

Good afternoon everyone!

I woke this morning to discover that my Kefir grains were still alive and kickin' (or fermentin', rather!) Which is good, because i have missed my morning real raw milk kefir smoothie. I swear, that thing is the best morning tonic around!

So, Kefir? For more information than you'd ever want to know about Kefir, go here! In short, though, it is a wild and amazing live culture ferment that we've been making since the summer. I say 'we', but really, it's me, and everyone else sort of thinks that it is interesting and cool, but have yet to embrace it as warmly as they could (should?)... For now, I will just say, that it is sort of like yogurt, but not. And quite healthy. (Did I mention that it is phenomenal in a morning smoothie?) Oh yeah, the smoothie:

I use this hand blender because it makes a perfect single serving and works great (and not too expensive. Easy to clean and lots of other uses, too! (Yes, it is a product promotion, but, believe me, there are no benefits for this promotion. It is a really good basic blender - see future posts for other uses...)

• - Take about 1/2 cup of Kefir (you can use yogurt or even milk/soymilk, but Kefir is best)
• - Add a tablespoon fresh ground flax seeds
• - about a 1/4 cup of frozen blueberries (other fruit too, but my this is my recipe)
• - based on your mood, add a half a banana or even a small piece of dark chocolate!
• - Blend till smooth. That's it. Easy, Fast, Nutritious!

Today, as I prepared to take this picture, I decided to throw in some of the raspberries that we have in the freezer. Picked and frozen fresh right from our backyard!! We have a lot of those still in the freezer, so be on the lookout for some cool ideas for using frozen raspberries. (After drinking the smoothie, I've decided that next time, I am going to add some dark chocolate.) Let's see, where was I?


Real. Raw. Milk. yes, that is what I said. Milk, straight from the Cow. (Actually, straight from the bulk tank, but darn near close enough.) I love the stuff. So do many of our friends. We actually have created a real raw milk share here in our neighborhood, where someone drives about 45 minutes once every week or so to pick up everybody's milk, straight from the farm. Yes, milk comes from a farm, not a plastic jug in the grocery store. Even cooler - milk comes from cows. Real milk, then, comes from real cows. Not the hormone filled, genetically modified, slop-fed, cow-like creations that are used in the mainstream milk industry. (Can you guess how I feel about this industry?)

And, as logic would have it, Real Raw milk comes from real cows, pasture fed, that has not been pasteurized or homogenized. Yes, it is good for you. Yes, it is safe. Yes, it tastes so much better. And, yes, there are all sorts of social-political histories as to why you may or may not know or believe me. But it is true. Check this site out just for starters. I am sure that I will rant on about this at a later date and this is already too long of an entry!

Before i finish though, Let me list some of the things that our friends have done with Real Raw Milk: The Best Tasting Chai Ice Cream in the world, Smooth as Butter Raw Butter, Raw Buttermilk Biscuits (the biscuits were baked!), Kefir (of Course), the Creamiest WholeMilk Yogurt in Existence, Fresh Ricotta Cheese (and all of the yummy Italian and dessert dishes that go along with that!), An aged Cheddar cheese (no adjectives here, it is still aging, so we don't know how it came out), and the best cup of morning coffee ever (thanks to skimming the cream off the top!) It is an amazing thing, I tell you!

(Oh yeah, one last thought: those of you who are lactose intolerant, well get over it. Everyone that I've spoken to, my own experience included, has had no troubles with Real Raw Milk! The reason is that before milk is destroyed by pasteurizing and homogenizing, it contains tons of enzymes that aid in digestion and nutrient absorption (including Lactase, imagine that!)

The Real Raw Milk is the larger jar on the left (notice the separated cream). The Kefir is on the right. It is ready and I shook the jar so you can see that it is thicker than milk, but not quite as thick as yogurt.

Another FolkFoods Evening!

Here's the deal:

Wait for a huge snowstorm.
Make a wonderful, amazing, fantastic, stupendous IGLOO with all of your neighbors.
Spend all day cooking and building, building and cooking.
Eat Pizza. Eat Chocolate. Play with Children. Laugh with Adults. Meet new friends.
Smile at your sore back. Go inside and dry off. Spend time with friends and Lukas, the wonderBaby!
Pour some homebrews. Play some music. Sing along. Play games. Laugh and try to design the FolkFoods Label. Put your hair up. Take your clothes off and jump into the hot tub. Watch some YouTube videos about Chad Vader. Laugh. Laugh. Laugh!

THEN...!
Defrost some hearty barley, mushroom, FolkFoods Veggie Crumble soup.
make Cornbread (recipe below!)
pour more Homebrews!
Eat your fill. Drink what you like. (instead of Homebrew, drink homemade Kahlua, if you like - recipe to follow! It's great with Vanilla Ice Cream or raw real milk! Or... HomeMade Hibiscus Tea, thanks, Jenn **stay tuned to find out how to make really healthy fizzy drinks from this stuff!**)
Eat Soup, add some FolkFoods MasterSauce for spice, rave about how wonderful soup is on a cold day and appreciate the cold day's warmth with friends.
Play Othello. make Brownies. Eat Brownies in the IGLOO. Jump Around. and Smile at the moon! Oh yeah, light candles for dinner, bring them to the IGLOO and kiss your people. on the head. Shake, rattle and roll....

From experience, this is a recipe for a wonderful evening.

Cornbread Recipe (adapted from Didi Emmon's Vegetarian Planet) (Here's her newest gig!)
(preheat oven to 400 degrees and put some cast iron pots into it!)
2 cups Cornmeal
1 whole wheat flour
1 t salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups whole real raw milk
1 cup homemade yogurt
lots of honey (2 tbsp)
3 eggs (or 4, if you are feeling giddy enough)
some canola oil (about 4 tbsp)
mix everything together
fill the cast iron pots about halfway. (take them out of the oven first!)
then put in FolkFoods Veggie Crumble (sauted with red onion, taco seasoning and dark beer)
then add grated cheese (whatever cheese you like - we used garlic cheddar)
then fill the rest of the cast iron with the rest of the batter
bake at 400 degrees until browned on top and a toothpick comes out clean!

Sleep Well and Sweet Dreams!

FolkFoods 'Official' Business Meeting

Where should we have our business meeting?

Where can we sit and talk and eat (of course)?

Shana and I planned a big meeting, to discuss where we were going with this whole business thing. With a messy kitchen and a beautiful snowy day, we decided to find a local business to support.Several small coffee shops later, we hadn't found the right place. (We were being quite particular - and enjoying walking around Burlington!)

Shana smiled, and suggested Viva Espresso, a small, new coffee shop that I affectionately call, "The Baby Coffee Place". Yes, this is a family-baby friendly cafe that supports local businesses and families alike! Walking into Viva Espresso felt comforting. We met Megan, one of the owners, and ordered our drinks and eats. Then, of course, we wound up talking to her at the counter for about 15 minutes! She was quite interested in our business and mentioned that she was hoping to start offering breakfast sandwiches soon and would be open to the idea of using our breakfast patties!!! That's pretty cool, actually. Also, we were all sorts of inspired about the art for our product labels while admiring the local artist exhibits. (But more on that in a later post...)

So, we got to work. We read through a small food business manual. We made A LOT of lists. We made a time line for those lists. What are some of the things that we have to do?

- Get the product recipes ready for scale up.
- Register the LLC. (Learn more about what the heck that means!)
- Schedule training time at the Vermont Food Venture Center.
- Talk to friends about spreading the word (that would be fun).
- Get ideas and figure out how to work our website - find someone to help us!
- Finish applying to farmer's markets.
- Create more lists and schedules!
- Learn about business and marketing plans.

Overwhelming, perhaps, but also exciting. We are getting closer to making this vision a reality. The interesting thing is that as we get closer, the vision becomes even more detailed, extensive and enlarged. I do look forward to writing more about how the entire FolkFoods business relates to our visions of working as food activists, community developers, individual, family and community therapists, and teachers! But all in good time. Patience is something that I am learning to embrace more and more.

Thank you Viva Espresso. Thank you Megan. We got a lot accomplished today. Energized. We'll be back!

Traditional Foods - Farmer's Markets - Business Craziness - Here We Come!

Hello Everyone!

Well, It seems that it's taken longer than expected to get this whole thing off the ground. (Isn't that always (sometimes) the way?) We were hoping to send out an email with a lot of hullabaloo and fanfare with this announcement. Instead, however, it will be a calmer, more reflective note.

[Some of you already know various details of this message, so please excuse the repetition, and (per some of your requests) this will be a shorter message than some of the previous ones.]

We are starting a small artisan foods business here in Burlington, VT. The official launch date has been delayed, for some busines-y reasons, that we are still not so sure about (any of our business-y friends out there, feel free to contact us to answer some of our questions re: LLC, trademarking etc.)

But, the details so far:
Our company is called FolkFoods. You will be able to find us at http://www.folkfoods.com/; we have the domain name, now we are looking for a web designer to help us get started. You will also soon be able to read our rambling blog (so there is less rambling on these emails) at http://www.folkfoods.blogspot.com/, NOT to be confused with http://www.folkfood.blogspot.com/, which is a cool blog highlighting the Localvore movement in New Hampshire (If you don't know what the Localvore movement is, ask or look it up. It will be sort of important to our business as well.) We have about 4 products that we are dilligently testing and getting ready and are planning to start selling this spring at several farmer's markets around Vermont. Additionally, we will be (hopefully) distributing to local restaraunts, bed & breakfasts, and co-ops/healthstores etc. From there, we shall see!

We are still working on label design (a lot more work to go on that), which will help in designing the website and creating a FolkFoods theme or brand. We are most certainly open to ideas at this point. We would very much like to stay with the ideas of folkfoods and get as much input from our 'folk' as possible. We believe in the promise of creative endeavors that arise within the context of community and connection. As such, longer visions for this company include social action, community building, workshops and more!

Well, this is already longer than hoped (but, realistically, shorter than expected!) This news is really exciting for us, and we welcome any questions, feedback, ideas, comments, etc. If you know someone that we have left out of this message, or someone that would be interested, definately let us know and forward it along. Thanks for reading...!!
- Jason and Shana!