The Taco Wagon of My Dreams

Written on January 14th, 2010 by Sebastian. Filed under Blog, Comfort Food, Current Cuisine, Farmers Market, New Mexican, Portfolio, Recipes

Santa Fe Taco Wagon For Sale Santa Fe, New Mexico sebastian 2009

Cajeta de Calabaza ~ Mom’s Childhood Pumpkin Sweets

We only had store bought candy on Sundays after Mass. There were a lot of sweets around, just not ones labeled and wrapped. 1 medium pumpkin, cut small 1 pint water 2 TBL powdered lime 1 cup water 2 c. sugar 1 tsp cinnamon or crushed peppermint stick Soak pumpkin overnight in water with powdered lime. In the morning, make syrup of 2 c. of sugar and 1 ...

Rainbow Swiss Chard ~ Farmer’s Market Seasonal Star

Written on November 14th, 2009 by Sebastian. Filed under Blog, Cheap Eats, Community Connections, Farmers Market, New Mexican, Quick and Healthy, Recipes, Very Veggie

Back in NM again! And a trip to my favorite Farmer's Market. Who knew there was a southwest verson of Swiss Chard? If you've never had the joy of the multi-color green, the best way to try is raw and mixed with something sweet and chewy. This recipe from Blue Lotus Living puts together everything you need, and, best of all, ...

Strawberry Eclairs ~ Summer Tastes Thanksgiving Style

Written on November 11th, 2009 by Sebastian. Filed under Baked Goods, Blog, Community Connections, Farmers Market, Oregon, Recipes, Retro Recipes, Special Sweets, Thanksgiving

Down at the corner of Hanley and Rte. 238 is a small strawberry field. Originally destined to be plowed under and lost, restoring the field has become a project of one of the Thai families that have moved to Southern Oregon. The resurected fields still produce some of the best berries, outside of my own, and due to a late ...

Orange Buttercream Cake with Cranberry Sauce

Written on November 10th, 2009 by Sebastian. Filed under Baked Goods, Blog, Farmers Market, Holidays, Lunch Counter, Oregon, Recipes, Sauces and Chutneys, Special Sweets, Thanksgiving

The cranberry sauce served with last week's Orange Buttercream cake was pefectly in season. Oregon cranberry growers have started showing up  with their bags of berries at the windy, chilly Farmers' Markets.  Brave the elements and pick up some coastal cranberries for your Thanksgiving feast.

Farmers’ Market Biscotti ~ The Real Deal

Written on November 6th, 2009 by Sebastian. Filed under Baked Goods, Blog, Chocolate, Farmers Market, Recipes, Special Sweets

I read this recipe for traditional Almond Biscotti with awe. It's the real deal and, after reading the whole thing, I've decided to head to the Grants Pass Farmers Market tomorrow where I can luckily buy my Biscotti.

Grand Marnier Cranberry Sauce

Written on November 6th, 2009 by Sebastian. Filed under Baked Goods, Blog, Farmers Market, Holidays, Oregon, Recipes, Sauces and Chutneys, Thanksgiving

This sauce has followed me throughout my career. It’s a Northwest thing that resonates with taste buds everywhere I’ve worked. It was created to serve with homemade dark chocolate ice cream at the Redstone Inn in Redstone, Colorado. l’ve also served it with citrus marinated grill sea bass  when I was the executive chef at the Camlin Hotel in Seattle and ...

Butternut Squash Spice Cake

Written on November 5th, 2009 by Sebastian. Filed under Baked Goods, Blog, Breakfast, Farmers Market, Recipes, Special Sweets, Very Veggie

¾ c. vegetable oil 2 c. Brown sugar 4 eggs 2 c fresh cooked butternut squash puree 2 c. flour 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda dash salt 2 TBL cinnamon 1 tsp ginger 1 tsp nutmeg ½ tsp ground cloves Combine eggs, oil and sugar. Add remaining ingredients and beat well. Turn into a oiled 9 x 13 “ baking dish. Bake 350 degree for 30 to 35 minutes. 8 servings

Bok Choy and Red Cabbage Almond Salad

Written on November 5th, 2009 by Sebastian. Filed under Asian Inspired, Blog, Easy, Farmers Market, Organic, Quick and Healthy, Recipes, Small Plates, Very Veggie

1 ½ c. sliced almonds 2 # small sliced organic bok choy 1 small head red organic cabbage sliced thin 1 julienned green bell pepper 1 julienned red bell pepper ½  c. apple cider organic vinegar ½ c. grapeseed oil ½ c. tamari, wheat-free organic ½ c. organic brown sugar Toast almonds in oven about 6 minutes. Cool. Prep veggies. Add to cool almonds. Combine vinegar, oil tamari and brown sugar. ...

Oregon’s Organic Turkeys and Other Slow Foods Specialties

Written on November 4th, 2009 by Sebastian. Filed under Blog, Comfort Food, Community Connections, Farmers Market, Oregon, Organic, Recipes, Sustainable, Trends

Two years ago I cooked at the Ashland Co-op during Thanksgiving. Every space in the every walk-in refrigerator was stacked with hundreds and hundreds of  Diestel Turkeys.We brined them all before roasting. That meant that in addition to the great wall of poultry, there were 5 gallon buckets full of submerged turkeys in every available space. If you don't feel ...