Barley and Kale Salad

By Kathryn Washburn Breighner

We had unexpected dinner guests and I needed to come up with a salad idea using what I had in the kitchen. This 3 ingredient salad has become a favorite in our house--so good and so easy.

In 2 cups water, cook 1 cup pearl barley, simmer 40-45 minutes until barley is tender but still firm.  Cool to room temperature.

In a serving bowl, add 4 cups chopped kale, the cooled barley and 3/4 cup Pond Hill Farms Spicy Peanut Sauce--or any store or home made peanut sauce. Pond Hill Peanut Sauce is fabulous.  In a hurry, I have served this warm and it is very tasty.  But it can also be served chilled. The salad will hold for several days...assuming it lasts that long.

Fresh Pumpkins Part II

By Kathryn Washburn Breighner

The Thanksgiving pumpkin pies in our house have to include ones made from fresh pumpkins. No canned pumpkin allowed! While there are differing opinions as to the comparison tasting of fresh and canned pumpkin, canned is out in our house. Baking the pumpkins---easy!

One trick I've learned with baking any squash is to put them on a foil lined baking sheet. The squash juices are sugary and leave a mess to clean. The pumpkins are baked whole (so the flesh doesn't dry out) in a 350 degree F oven for 40-45 minutes until a knife can be inserted and easily removed.

Then the pumpkins are cut open to let the flesh cool.  The seeds can be scooped out or in my case, the entire pumpkin--flesh, seeds, and skin--are dropped into a Victorio strainer. The pumpkin puree comes out one end and the seeds and skin come out the other.  Two small pie pumpkins--pie pumpkins only---no carving pumpkins!--typically generate 6 cups of pumpkin puree, enough for three pies. Pumpkin cannot be safely canned so if the pie making is a few weeks out, the puree can be frozen. One of the favorite pies in our house: Pumpkin Pecan Pie

Easy as pumpkin pie!

Meyer Lemon Sorbet

By Kathryn Washburn Breighner

Thanks to an abundance of Meyer lemons this year on my mother-in-law's tree, I've have made many batches of Meyer lemon sorbet including filling her freezer with several batches. I have a Cuisinart frozen ice cream maker that gets a lot of use during the summer fruit season and this winter, it's seen action making Meyer lemon sorbet. We'll be eating this fabulous sorbet for months and enjoying it every time.

This is a simple recipe that uses just 3 ingredients: lemon juice, sugar, and water. No Meyer lemons? Use regular lemons but increase the sugar to 2 cups--Meyer lemons are sweet because they are a cross between oranges and lemons.

First make a simple syrup:

2 c water

1 1/2 sugar

Simmer until the sugar dissolves, about five minutes, then cool completely. 

To the cooled syrup add:
2 c fresh Meyer lemon juice

I add 2 T grated lemon peel, too but the peel is optional. 

Chill the liquid for at least 8 hours. Pour into an ice cream maker and churn until a thick slush. Enjoy!