The Kitchen Table meets Turnip Greens

Looking for inspiration for our inagural class at The Kitchen Table we had several important priorities to meet. Our goal is to celebrate the art of cooking while learning new skills or new ways of preparing familiar foods. Keeping our selections seasonal and fresh actually makes the above priorities easier to reach.

The friends who will gather at The Kitchen Table tomorrow will work with one of the lowliest yet most nutrious foods in season now, turnip greens. Turnip greens like thier cousins, mustard greens and kale are nutrient dense and are an extremely healthy food to add to your diet. They are an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C, phosphate, iron, calcium and folate.

To really celebrate the goodness of turnip greens we wanted to provide the class with the freshest possible produce. We went to Tracy Hansen's wonderful farm and picked our greens. Though Tracy can not advertise her produce as organic (too many governmental hoops to jump) she does not spray or use harmful artifical fertilizer in her garden. The greens in Tracy's garden are lovely. She has four different varieties all grown from heirloom seeds. If the only winter greens you have eaten have come from a large plastic bag in the produce section of WalMart or a restaurant offering you are going to wonder what you have been eating and calling it 'greens'. Freshly picked winter greens are amazingly good. Tracy sells her greens at the Bean's Creek Farmer's Market held every Thursday afternoon from 3-6pm) and  believe me they are worth the trip.

We prefer to  prepare  turnip greens simply in order to fully appreciate their taste. After the greens are washed we saute them for just a couple of minutes in a small amount of extra virgin olive oil until they are wilted down. The color is fantastic and the taste is wonderful. The greens are tender with a slight bite. Yummy.
The class will also work with plums, broccali and quinoa.


*Please call for information about upcoming weekly classes at The Kitchen Table. Tomorrow night's class is filled  but we will be cooking next week as well. Call early to make a reservation (728-5043). We would love to have you at our Kitchen Table.

The Kitchen Table is a culinary experience that celebrates  seasonal foods. We meet each Thursday evening from 7-9pm at the Munn house. Class space is limited to 5 students. The cost for class is $10. We are happy to arrange a special occasion class for you and your friends.

Good Night Kitchen

Protect us, Lord, as we awake; watch over us as we sleep, that awake, we keep watch with Christ, and asleep, rest in his peace.

The Kitchen Table Where Life's Lessons Begin

Doorstep Bakery is so happy to announce the start of a new venture, The Kitchen Table.  Over the past few months we have received many requests from customers who are interested in learning to bake bread.In our desire to help those who are interested  in learning  our methods for baking sourdough breads we are offering culinary classes. Though we will focus on delicious breads we hope to teach other recipes as well. Of course our recipes will feature seasonal and local produce. We will incorporate organic foods when available locally and feature those food producers who are striving to bring the very best food products to the consumer. We will use simple techniques  that can be easily mastered in your own kitchen without the use of fancy, expensive gadgets or tools.

The Kitchen Table will be meeting at the Noah Community Center near Manchester each Thursday evening from 7pm-9pm, beginning October27th. We are immensely grateful for the generous use of this fine old building and feel very privileged to be situated within its walls teaching the art we love. 

It is our hope that The Kitchen Table will be a place of fellowship and discovery inspiring those who share  their time with us to recreate the recipes for their own families.

The Kitchen Table embodies the belief that cooking for our family and friends should be a worthy effort that feeds the body as well as the soul.

For more information or to register for a class please call Rita or Megan at 931-728-5043

Please visit our blog to view upcoming classes and details about

The Kitchen Table

October 27th at The Kitchen Table

Bread Making Primer

Here are some pictures of our Kitchen Table.  We would love to see pictures of your kitchen table, please send them to us.

  

The Kitchen Table where life's lessons begin.

It Is Good To Be Here

After a long car trip (actually we were only on the road a little better than two hours but with babies and children any car trip seems like forever) we arrived at Grandma and Poppa's house. The children were eager to escape the confines of the car and get to the serious  business of visiting with beloved great grandparents. With great delight Grandma and Poppa were surrounded by two generations of grandchildren and three of their 6 children. We were all there in each stage of life from breastfeeding to elderly. Beautiful. Is this a foretaste of Heaven? Yes most certainly and we praise the good Jesus for allowing such a wonderful gift.

It is amazing to me the immediate connection that small children have to the elderly. Poppa was busy keeping count of the children and listening to chatter from every corner of the room. At one point Elizabeth, age 6, gave Poppa a detailed explanation of how one becomes 'electrified'. :-) She of course was relating the latest information she had gathered from a recent program on the dangers of staying out of doors during a thunderstorm. Poppa listened with intent, as though he had no idea that such dangers were present in the world. 

Little people were fascinated with all things elderly from the wheelchair to the cane. Poppa was patient with each one of them and insisted that they were never in the way or underfoot. 

Grandma was an inspiration as she displayed an energetic and purposefulness in making certain everyone was fed and cared for. She has always been the first one to arrive to her daughter's homes when births or crisis happen. I have often said that she can 'work me into the ground'. 

In the end we ate pizza and all enjoyed the fancy fixin's that Grandma added to the pizza meal. 

The car ride home was very, very quiet. All were asleep except the driver. Thank you Megan.

The month of October is the time when the Catholic church takes the time to draw attention to the overwhelming gift of Life by celebrating conception to natural death. I can say that we did our part and feel completely grateful and equally overwhelmed by the Lord's great mercy and goodness.

 

Gone to see the Old Folks

For the remainder of the week, Doorstep Bakery is visiting grandparents and great grandparents. Margaret the oldest of the Doorstep Bakery daughters is coming our way and bringing her 3 children and then the vans are traveling in caravan to Bowling Green, Kentucky to spend time with the old folks. It will be a wonderful time and I am certain that there will be occasions for baking as the backdrop to lots of visiting and spending time together in one place. We will see you on Monday.

Alphabets and Pumpkins

Alphabears by Kathleen Hague and illustrated by Michael Hague is one of the sweetest little books.  I have loved it for years.  When Megan was little she had the book memorized.  How amazing and precocious she seemed when visitors to our house would see a 3 year old with a book perched on her lap reading out loud.  It wasn't until they might notice that she had the book upside down or that she wasn't turning pages to match the words that her secret discovered.  Just the same I was mighty impressed that such a tiny thing could memorize an entire book.

'A is for Amanda a good teddy bear, she carries sweet apples everywhere.'  Naturally raw apple cake is the best pairing for Alphabears.  Don't forget the hot chocolate.

Mousekin's Golden House by Edna Miller is a must read for fall.  The story of Mousekin scurrying to find shelter for the winter is a classic and one that all children will enjoy.  When Laura was little she told me that one day when she grew up she was going to have a white footed mouse for a pet.  I think of this wonderful book every October when the huge golden pumpkins are piled up waiting to be sold.  I have even thrown our left over Jack O Lanterns in the woods across the street just in case Mousekin needs a golden house.  Pumpkin Pie is yummy and the perfect compliment to this seasonal book.  A dollop of whip cream and some hot chai will make for a fantastic tea time.

Please share with us your special children's books and the foods that you think go well with the book.  It is so much fun learning what each of you like.  Children's books that our children have enjoyed create wonderful memories, don't you think?

Good Night Kitchen