Can you believe its already the last week in March? Where does the time go? We are counting the days until all of this snow melts and spring arrives at our farm again. Don't get me wrong, this cozy snow is beautiful, but we prefer pretty purple flowers a little bit more. Enjoy this weeks round of Insta Friday!
As you know, we started an instagram account over at the Lavender Apple this year. (Search for us on instagram at the.lavender.apple) We hosted a giveaway here yesterday and were so pleased to see all of the entries even though we are a relatively new account. We really do appreciate all of our loyal customers who support local family owned businesses. We really wouldn't be here today without all of your wonderful support. Our contest winner was Cara Dee Cecil of Cara Dee Photography. Congratulations!
After our winner was drawn, I looked at her account and wow, she knocked my socks off! She is a photographer, and her wedding photography especially wowed me. Here are a few photos she has shared on Pinterest. You can find her here and here.
Having hosted a few weddings of our own on our lavender farm, we understand how beautiful but tough it can be to throw a wedding together in such a rustic setting. Props to Cara for doing such a wonderful job! Please contact us to select your prize!
After our winner was drawn, I looked at her account and wow, she knocked my socks off! She is a photographer, and her wedding photography especially wowed me. Here are a few photos she has shared on Pinterest. You can find her here and here.
I love making dishes with ingredients that aren't your every day foods. Barley is an inexpensive and relatively easy ingredient to find, yet vastly under utilized in the kitchen. Barley is a wonderfully versatile grain with a rich nutlike flavor and an appealing pasta-like consistency. Tonight my husband made us a rich stew with delicious beef and barley, wonderful compliments to one another.
Ingredients:
1.5 lbs stew beef
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 celery stalks, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
4 carrots, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
3 bay leaves
2 springs thyme
1 cup instant pearled barley
10 cups beef broth
Salt and Pepper
Heat your oil in a large le creuset pot. Pat your beef dry and add it to the pot. Season with salt and pepper and cook and stir occasionally until brown on all sides. Remove your meat from the pot and then add your onions, garlic, celery, and carrots. Cook until soft and golden, about 8-10 minutes. Add your meat back to the pot. Add your thyme and bay leaves, and broth. Season again with about a teaspoon of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer for 1 hour. Add your barley and cook for another 20-25 minutes until both your barley and meat are tender. Add more salt and pepper if needed.
This should give you about 4 servings. Its a relatively easy dish with a deep homey flavor. Its a great way to "beef" up your typical stew with a delicious and unexpected ingredient. I hope you enjoy it!
Ingredients:
1.5 lbs stew beef
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 celery stalks, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
4 carrots, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
3 bay leaves
2 springs thyme
1 cup instant pearled barley
10 cups beef broth
Salt and Pepper
Heat your oil in a large le creuset pot. Pat your beef dry and add it to the pot. Season with salt and pepper and cook and stir occasionally until brown on all sides. Remove your meat from the pot and then add your onions, garlic, celery, and carrots. Cook until soft and golden, about 8-10 minutes. Add your meat back to the pot. Add your thyme and bay leaves, and broth. Season again with about a teaspoon of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer for 1 hour. Add your barley and cook for another 20-25 minutes until both your barley and meat are tender. Add more salt and pepper if needed.
This should give you about 4 servings. Its a relatively easy dish with a deep homey flavor. Its a great way to "beef" up your typical stew with a delicious and unexpected ingredient. I hope you enjoy it!
Here is another delicious salad that comes directly from Peggy's recipe book. I love citrus salads. There is something about the sweet dressing that meets the savory crunch in this salad that will just make your taste buds sing.
Salad Ingredients:
1 large head red leaf lettuce
1 red onion thinly sliced
2 oranges peeled and thinly sliced
1 small jicama peeled and cut into julienne slices
4 oz sliced almonds
3 tbs. sugar
Dressing Ingredients:
1/2 tsp grated orange peel
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
2 tbs red wine vinegar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tbs sugar
1 tbs dry italian seasoning mix
Place your first 4 ingredients in a salad bowl, chill. In a skillet, sprinkle sugar over almonds. Cook over medium heat until almonds are coated and sugar is dissolved. Let cool. Mix dressing ingredients in a jar, chill. Pour over salad dressing. Sprinkle with almonds. Toss and serve. Serves 6-8.
Please don't look too closely at my photos of this. I took the picutres before I added the red onion and almonds to the salad. They not only add delicious flavor and crunch, but that add lots of color too, making this salad very beautiful. The flavor profile on this is wonderful. Even non salad lovers will enjoy this salad. You can even make it a main dish by adding cooked chicken or topping it with crunchy chinese noodles.
Bon Apetite!
Salad Ingredients:
1 large head red leaf lettuce
1 red onion thinly sliced
2 oranges peeled and thinly sliced
1 small jicama peeled and cut into julienne slices
4 oz sliced almonds
3 tbs. sugar
Dressing Ingredients:
1/2 tsp grated orange peel
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
2 tbs red wine vinegar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tbs sugar
1 tbs dry italian seasoning mix
Place your first 4 ingredients in a salad bowl, chill. In a skillet, sprinkle sugar over almonds. Cook over medium heat until almonds are coated and sugar is dissolved. Let cool. Mix dressing ingredients in a jar, chill. Pour over salad dressing. Sprinkle with almonds. Toss and serve. Serves 6-8.
Please don't look too closely at my photos of this. I took the picutres before I added the red onion and almonds to the salad. They not only add delicious flavor and crunch, but that add lots of color too, making this salad very beautiful. The flavor profile on this is wonderful. Even non salad lovers will enjoy this salad. You can even make it a main dish by adding cooked chicken or topping it with crunchy chinese noodles.
Bon Apetite!