Tag Archives: Recipe

Pizza Crust

Posted on by under pork, Recipes

pizza

Pizza. I once heard it is the perfect pregnancy food. All the food groups can be added and it’s hard to despise the taste. For us, it satisfies every child too. A favorite pastime for us is to ask ultimate questions like, “If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?” 99% of the time, we settle on pizza. The toppings are so versatile and now, with cauliflower crust, almond flour crust, coconut flour crust or even zucchini crust (yes, I’ve made this), the crust can be versatile too.

Hopefully, with the recipe I have for you today, you have some tomatoes you’ve preserved from last year’s harvest, because you’ll want to make tomato sauce and pick up some mozzarella. As for extra toppings, think Italian sausage or brats. My boys love these thin sliced and placed on top.

We currently have a sale on for some tasty, local meat too. Check out our recent email newsletter: Click here! Or browse what we currently have available: Click here!

Today I want to share our favorite crust. We’ve been using this for years. You can substitute some or all of the flour for freshly ground or whole wheat too and it still works great. Add some extra olive oil to a bar pan with raised sides and it makes great deep dish. Roll it thin and it also makes an excellent thin crust. I’ve even used this for calzones.

Best part? Mix it up and, after getting all the toppings ready, it’s ready to be put in the oven just twenty minutes later. If you don’t have a favorite pizza crust, give it a try. I think you’ll like this one!

Favorite Pizza Crust

  • Servings: 4-6
  • Difficulty: medium
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Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups flour, additional if needed
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon yeast
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 1 teaspoon or more olive oil, to seal finished dough
  1. In a bowl, combine the flour, salt, sugar and yeast.
  2. Add the water and knead for about ten-fifteen minutes or eight minutes in a mixer. Use the stretch test to see if the dough is ready to rest. Simply stretch the dough and if it can become thin without breaking, it has been kneaded enough.
  3. Pour a bit of olive oil over the dough, sealing it, cover and let rise for 20 minutes.
  4. Preheat oven to 450 Fahrenheit.
  5. After the dough has risen, knead it a bit and place it on a pizza pan. Roll it as thin or as thick as you like.
  6. Add all the seasonings, toppings, and cheese you prefer.
  7. Bake for 11 – 15 minutes at 450 Fahrenheit.

Enjoy!

Broiled Goat Chops

Posted on by under goat, Keeping the Home, Recipes

goatchops.jpg

For me I prefer my old go-to recipes. It is hard for me to try new recipes because of the time it often takes to implement something foreign to me. The new recipe I tried yesterday? Unbeatable. It took about twenty minutes, minus the marinading time, to get dinner on and that included all the sides (“Cream Corn Like No Other” and garlic cheese bread broiled with the chops).  I think the meat took ten minutes at most in the oven. Added bonus, the kids loved the meal. Another bonus, I’m finally not hungry. I’ve been so hungry the last few days and just can’t get enough to eat. Goat meat protein always fixes that craving need for me.

We’ve been getting a lot of interest in our goat meat from people who have never tried it. After explaining its qualities in a recent post, they want to take advantage of this healthy meat. After trying a great recipe for goat chops, I am highly recommending that you try it! We found an Indian blogger’s recipe entitled, “Broiled Goat Chops“.

The spice blend she recommends is just right. However, if you have picky kids, you may want to leave out the cayenne pepper. The other issue is that most American cooks do not have amchur (dried mango) powder in their spice cabinet. Luckily we have some we were given from an Indian friend a few years back. You can easily find it on amazon or at the Indian grocery if you live in the city.  Though you could leave amchur (amchoor) out, it does give it a tangy sweetness that really does add to the dish. Also, we used olive oil in place of avocado oil. This recipe was so perfect, I plan to try her recipe for Slow Cooker Goat Curry with one of our roasts very soon.

So now you know what to do with Goat Ribs and Goat Chops. We still have plenty of goat chops, shanks, shoulder roast and leg roast. Give us a call or email, we’d love to hear from you. Unfortunately, we have sold out of ribs and ground goat.

Happy eating! We’ll try to keep the recipes coming.

Valentine Eggs

Posted on by under Farm, Recipes

Eggs! Our chickens are producing so many right now and we have very few customers. Our boys take good care of Chubb, Goldie, Floppy, Featherfoot, Nightshade, Featherina, Grouchy, Lanky, Bossy and all the rest that look too similar to name. We give our boys non-gmo and soy-free feed for their chickens and, in return, we receive all the eggs we would like.

img_1436The Nix boys would like to offer a dozen eggs for $3.50 to anyone interested. They range in size from large to jumbo. Most of the yolks are dark yellow, providing a high omega 3 ratio for a quality egg. The chickens are kept warm and run throughout our large high tunnel all winter and play among the grass and bugs the rest of the year.

Since we have dozens of eggs in our fridge, I found a fun recipe and an idea for our Valentine’s day celebration. Hope you have fun trying them out for yourselves!

First, my little guy and I made a delicious andimg_1614 flour-less (great for those who are gluten-free) chocolate cherry cake. I am not in the habit of creating baking recipes, but this woman sure knows her stuff:
Flourless Chocolate Cherry Cake
We sure enjoyed mixing this up together.

Second, I had fun making a simple, but surprisingly tasty lunch item for my men (little and big).img_16191 Basically, all you need is a hot dog or sausage cut almost to the end in two , a toothpick to cinch it together, and an egg for the center. Place the heart-shaped hot dog in a heated pan, drop an egg in each heart, cover and cook until they are done to your liking. It went well with an english muffin. Also, a little ketchup on the side is great for those of us who can’t eat a hot dog without it.

Happy Valentine’s Day and Happy Eating!

Delicious Pastured Pork

Posted on by under Farm, pork, Recipes

I can’t tell you how much I have appreciated having a freezer full of meat. It’s like having a convenience store right next door. It reduces stress about what to feed my family and it reduces the amount of trips I take to the grocery store. Time saving – yes!

Having a whole hog wrapped and ready has also increased the health factor in our meals. We have been able to choose how our meat is processed and what ingredients go into our food. It has also led to a few fun new recipes.

Yesterday we tried roasting a slab of side pork and boy was it delicious! side pork
Crispy, meaty, satisfying. Bacon, I’m never coming back. And now we have leftovers that I’m excited to try in an Asian stir fry tomorrow night. I’m not a big fan of cooking, but when I can produce results like this, it gets me excited!

The meat of pastured pigs is a different product than the conventional raised meat you would find in the grocery store. Here’s a little health information I found comparing wild boars (completely pasture raised) and conventionally raised animals (in a large barn with cement floors).

“Because pigs are monogastric animals (single stomach), they have the ability to convert vegetable and plant 18 carbon fatty acids (ALA) to the 20 and 22 carbon fatty acids (EPA and DHA) which reduce inflammation, reduce cardiovascular disease and promote good health for us all when we eat pork. Free ranging pork contains higher concentrations of these beneficial fatty acids than are found in their feed lot produced counterparts.”1

We continue to provide a non-GMO and soy free diet for our hogs as well as hay throughout the winter. They run and enjoy themselves by producing all sorts of havoc on our farm. Trust me, they’ve found lots of good forage as they’ve roamed past their boundaries this winter. Which leads me to make sure they don’t outgrow their welcome around here…

We still have a few half and whole hogs available for our spring butcher dates (March and April). $3 per pound hanging weight. Give us a call and we’ll tell you more: 218..927..1425.

You’ll definitely have to try this recipe with your next order!

Roasted Side Pork

  • Servings: 10-15
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

2-3 pound side pork
For Rub:
1 Tablespoon cracked peppercorns
1 Tablespoon salt (we use Real Salt brand)
1 Tablespoon granulated garlic
1 Tablespoon Chinese five spice powder, or spice of your choiceMix together rub ingredients. Rub generously and completely around the side pork slab. At this point, I recommend placing in the fridge for up to a day to let the seasoning do it’s work.
Once your slab has rested for a time (1 hour to 1 day), place the meat onto a “cooling rack” or other slotted roasting pan on top of a large baking sheet with the fattiest side up. Make sure there are raised sides on the baking sheet so the liquid fat does not drip into the oven. Roast at 325° F for 90 minutes or until the internal temperature is 145° F.  Cool slightly, slice and serve.

1 Cordain, Loren. http://thepaleodiet.com/bacon-anything-left-to-discuss/ June 16, 2014

We’ve Got Goat Meat!

Posted on by under Farm, goat, Pastured pride, Recipes

Last week nearly two hundred pounds of goat meat arrived in our freezer. We were able to get it USDA inspected at a newer local facility in Sturgeon Lake, MN that we really enjoy. Of course we took out a package right away and Mathew cooked up a rack of goat ribs. It was savory and satisfying!

img_1501We found our recipe at mymidlifekitchen.com. With only five ingredients, it was simple,  quick to prepare and warmed the house nicely since it cooked for three hours. Perfect for a winter day in Minnesota!

Ingredients

Check out mymidlifekitchen.com for the full recipe and how to prepare it.

Goat meat is a great source of lean protein, B-12 vitamin and iron. It is also quite versatile if you enjoy a variety of tastes and flavors. According to a Universiy of California blog post, “What is the world’s most popular meat?” goat meat is actually the most commonly consumed meat in the world, with 63% of the world’s population eating it. This article also has a nutritional comparison of various meats, see below. We look forward to trying Indonesian, South American, French, Asian, Middle Eastern and African recipes. Each has their own special spices to add. Please share your favorite recipes with us so we can share them with the world!

Nutrient composition of goat and other types of meat1, 2
Nutrient Goat Chicken Beef Pork Lamb
Calories 122 162 179 180 175
Fat (g) 2.6 6.3 7.9 8.2 8.1
Saturated Fat (g) 0.79 1.7 3.0 2.9 2.9
Protein (g) 23 25 25 25 24
Cholesterol (mg) 63.8 76.0 73.1 73.1 78.2
1 Per 3 oz. of cooked meat
2 USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 14 (2001)

Harper, John M. “What is the world’s most popular meat?” http://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=3679. November 3, 2010.

Give us a call or send us an email to order some today. We’d love to deliver some Goat Chops, Goat Shoulder Roast, Goat Leg Roast, neck or ground meat. direct to you. Our current price is $10.00 per pound.

Maple mustard chicken

Posted on by under Recipes

It has come to my attention that some of you may not know how to use a whole chicken. Once you have learned how to use a whole chicken, I can rest knowing that you have been liberated from having to use those frozen “chicken breasts” you find in the store. Seriously, after eating real pasture-raised, additive-free, pure-and-yummy chicken, eating those frozen beasts is like eating a hotdog that has sat in the fridge for a year. On second thought, I think it’s worse.

So here’s my attempt at your liberation: Maple Mustard Chicken. It is an easy recipe that you have to try this year. Truthfully, you don’t even have to like mustard to enjoy this dish. If you know kids, you know they are often hard to please, even so, my kids ate it up. In this picture, I made a double recipe.

MapleMustardChickenFirst, you will need at least one good knife. Next, a pan – 8×8 or 9×13 works depending on how much you will be making. An oven is helpful for this recipe. I have tried it on the grill and it is not as good. I have not tried it in the crock pot, though it would likely work if you do not overcook it. A meat thermometer is essential for tasty chicken. If you don’t have one, look for one at the thrift store. Here goes:

Maple Mustard Chicken

  • Servings: 3-6
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

1/4 cup Pure Maple Syrup
1/4 cup Dijon Mustard
1/4 cup Honey Mustard
1 Tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar
Cut up the whole chicken, or two if making for a family of five. Click for wikihow. I recommend saving the breast for a different recipe. This recipe works best with the thighs, legs, and wings. Place chicken in your baking dish (8×8 for 1.5 pounds, 9×13 for more).
Preheat oven to 450F.
Mix together pure maple syrup, mustard and red wine vinegar. Pour over the chicken. Place in preheated oven.
Once the internal temperature of the meat is above 155F in the thickest part, we call it good around here. If you are using store bought instead of our pastured chicken, a temperature above 165F is ideal. This takes about 40 minutes.
Serve and enjoy.

Once you make it, be sure and let me know what you think.

I first came across this recipe here and have adapted it according to our tastes.

Hearty baked apples

Posted on by under Maple Syrup, Recipes

P1070494It was 4 degrees when I woke up this morning. Needless to say, I’ve been trying to heat up the house with some baked goods. We have an abundance of apples for some reason. No worries because we all seem to love them. I thought it would be fun to try some baked to see if the kids like them.

I haven’t made them more than a few times and can’t remember the last time I ate one. What a surprise when my tummy felt warm and satisfied. Have you ever gotten that hearty, healthy, satisfied feeling from food? Mmm. These were good.

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