Mushroomy Noodles and Gravy

We made this quick weeknight dinner on Thursday. The original idea was pasta with a mushroom cream sauce, but it ended up more like biscuits and gravy with noodles instead of biscuits. Not that I'm complaining - it was delicious!

I started my new farm job this week! I'm working at JenEhr Family Farm in Sun Prairie. Once we start harvesting, I'll be in charge of the pack shed - that means mostly post harvest stuff: washing and boxing produce for the farm's wholesale accounts, farmer's market, and CSA shares. There's not a whole lot that's ready for harvest this early in the season, so I've been working with the crew (all female!) in the hoop houses where there are quite a few little plants in need of water, weeding, and thinning. My first week was exhausting (my body has to get used to such a physically active job,) but oh so fun! It feels really good to have a job that gets me outside and working with my hands!

These mushrooms were my first free-bee from the farm. They use compost from a Vermont mushroom farm in all the hoop houses, and every once in a while mushrooms sprout up. Before I got there, no one at JenEhr had dared to eat them. Although they were pretty sure these were the same white mushrooms that the mushroom farm grows, they were a little reticent to try them. Unidentified mushrooms are not something to take lightly - eat the wrong one and you could die! I was pretty sure that these two beauties were overgrown white button mushrooms. I took them home and did a quick Internet search to make sure that there's no poisonous mushrooms that look similar. There weren't. They're a little darker brown than white mushrooms you get in the store since they were grown in a hoop house with lots of light, and usually white mushrooms are grown in the dark to prevent them from getting brown. They're also a lot bigger than a normal white mushroom, but that's just because they were allowed to grow and weren't harvested when they were little.

Once I cut them up, I knew for sure they were perfectly edible. They looked, smelled, and tasted just like white mushrooms should.

I browned some local grass fed ground beef and added the mushrooms. Once they were cooked, I started to think about the sauce. I was imagining some sort of cream sauce, but I didn't want to take the time or effort to make a traditional white sauce, so I improvised. I added some milk to the beef and mushrooms, then some grated Parmesan cheese. It seemed pretty thin, so I mixed up some flour and a little milk in a separate container (to get the lumps out of the flour) and added it to the pan to thicken.

A little salt and rosemary and it was good to go! It made a wonderful thick, creamy, cheesy gravy like sauce. Rich and delicious!

We ate it over top this beautiful organic spinach linguine.

Ta-da! A wonderfully easy midweek meal. This was one of those days that I felt way too tired to cook, and I was very tempted to order out. I resisted and cooked something up, and as always, it was totally worth it - Much tastier than any take-out!

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Mushroomy Noodles and Gravy

1 lb Ground Beef, preferably grass fed
2 very large white mushrooms, or Portabellas would work too
2-3 cups whole milk
4-6 oz shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup or less flour
Salt
Rosemary powder
Spinach linguine, or other noodles

Brown the beef in a cast iron skillet. When it is nicely cooked, add chopped mushrooms and continue cooking till mushrooms are tender. Add enough milk to make it saucy, and as much cheese as you want. Mix flour with a little more milk in a separate bowl until the flour is smooth and not lumpy. Add flour mixture to the skillet and cook over low heat until sauce is thickened. Season with salt and rosemary. Serve over noodles.

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Early April Garden Update

The seedlings in our cold frame are finally starting to break ground! It's been almost two weeks since I planted, so I was getting a little nervous. This is a little spinach baby. I really can't wait to eat fresh spinach from the backyard!

This Red Russian Kale is also coming up really well. It's about the best for germination so far. The Chard and arugula are also starting to germinate, but not quite as well as the kale and spinach.


The spring bulbs in the front yard are coming up like gang busters! These crocuses are at their peak.

These are grape hyacinths that will start blooming in a day or so. These are one of my favorite spring flowers - I was really happy to see that we have quite a few coming up in the front yard!

Inside, things aren't going quite as well. I had to pull out the lettuce and herb seedlings I planted a few weeks back - they were just not getting enough light and were getting way too leggy. I reseeded them and I've decided to break down and buy a fluorescent light for them instead of relying on light from the window.

I was getting a bit frustrated by the lack of germination of the squash, basil, and melon seeds I planted, so I put my seed warming mat under the flats and lo and behold, the seeds germinated withing a few days. This is one of the squash plants poking it's head up out of the dirt. These will also go under lights tomorrow.
These pea plants are going off! They grow at least a few inches every day - reminding me of Jack and the beanstalk. I'm thinking of pinching them off so they don't get too tall too quickly. I'll also start bringing them outside during the day to harden them off for cool weather. We'll have peas before we know it!
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March Snowstorm

It's hard to believe we were out in the garden with bare feet last weekend. The last few days have been pretty chilly and we got a good 3 or 4 inches of wet clumpy snow last night....everyone seemed to be in disbelief - isn't winter supposed to be over? That's March for you: full of surprises!

Despite the snow, there's no doubt that spring is on the way. It's been sunny all day today and most of the snow is already melted. The bulbs that are coming up in the front yard don't seem to mind it a bit. I love crocus. The one in the pic above was blooming in the snow today - so pretty, small, and seemingly fragile, yet tough enough to withstand almost any March snow.....

The robins have recently returned from their winter hiatus to parts south. There were a pair of them hopping around in the snow yesterday, looking frustrated and angry at the white stuff falling out of the sky.

The cold frame weathered the snow pretty well. The section at the far end gave in a little, but popped right back once the snow melted. Nothing in the cold frame has germinated yet, but I haven't given up hope - it was only a week ago that I planted. A little bit of warm weather sure would help....

The lettuce seeds I planted last weekend have germinated really well! They seem a big leggy already - the window they're in front of gets sun, but maybe not enough....hopefully it will get warm enough to move them out to the cold frame soon. Either that or I may have to look into buying a light and putting them in the basement.

The peas I planted last weekend have also started to peek up out of the soil. I took this picture this morning, and already they're bigger than they were! The basil, parsley, dill, winter squash, and melons still haven't germinated. Hopefully sometime in the coming week......

This is one of the herbs I planted a few weeks back. I didn't label them, so I'm not sure what it is, but I'm thinking maybe it's catnip? Once again, they seem pretty leggy, like they haven't gotten enough light, but they're in our sunniest window, so I'll just leave them there for now and see what happens. The other herbs have all germinated - thyme, rosemary, oregano, catnip, and sage. I should have started them in better dirt, but they seem to be doing OK.

Gulliver isn't too happy to share his sunny window with the herb seedlings, but he still has most of the prime real estate. I considered kicking him off entirely so that I could put the veggie starts there, but I didn't have the heart to - I'm pretty soft on him I guess!
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The $7 Cold Frame & Other Gardening Adventures

It really pays to have a brother who's an engineering grad student! Dave constructed this functional, exceptionally affordable cold frame in our backyard garden plot this weekend. The weather was beautiful, sunny and warm, and it was literally impossible for me to avoid the temptation to get outside, dig in the dirt and plant some seeds. Hopefully I didn't jump the gun too much - it may feel like spring, but it's only March - it could still get really cold....

I turned the soil on Saturday afternoon. A few years back, our landlord put down a cloth weed barrier covered by about 8 inches of compost. The cloth has started to disintegrate, and digging it out was no small task. I managed to get most of it.

There are few good sized silver maples in our back yard which are really good for summer shade, but not so nice for growing veggies under - it's way too shady. I'm attempting lettuce and a few other greens - hopefully things that will be OK with some shade. It's nice and sunny now since the leaves haven't come out yet.

On Sunday Dave and I both went out and got to work.

This organic chicken manure based fertilizer was recommended by the guy at Paradigm Gardens, a local garden supply store. With a name like "Chickety Doo Doo" it's hard to see how you could go wrong! Plus it's local, manufactured in Racine, WI. We mixed a little into the soil before Dave got going on the cold frame.

These posts also came from Paradigm Gardens - they were the only thing we had to pay for. Total cost? $7.00. They were straight when we got them - 6ft long, made out of hollow steel. Dave successfully bent them all to about the same shape. A few kinked and almost broke, but were easily repaired with a little bit of duck tape.

He moved a little dirt off to the side (to bury the plastic later), and stuck the poles into the ground. They went far enough in that they weren't wobbly at all.

We had this plastic in our basement, I think the landlord left it here.....He cut it to size and attached it to the ends with zip ties. The genius of this is that they slide really easily, so one whole side of the cold frame can come up for ventilation....you'll see how that works in a minute....

The plastic on one side got buried using the dirt that had been scraped to the side. We weighted the other side and the ends down with some rocks.

Then it was planting time! You can see here how the whole side comes up. This will be very handy on warm sunny days when the plants inside get too hot. If less drastic ventilation is needed, just the ends can come up. On cold days, the whole thing can be sealed, snug and tight.

I direct seeded spinach, arugula, chard, and red Russian kale in the cold frame. This may have been stupid. I'm not at all sure that the ground will be warm enough for germination, but I decided to give it a shot anyway. I didn't even use half of any of the seeds, so I'll have more to do another planting if necessary. These are all from one of my favorite seed companies, Seed Savers Exchange.

While Dave worked on the cold frame construction I started some other seeds. These will live indoors for a month or so, and we'll move them out to the cold frame in mid to late April. Most of them will go in our community garden plot, which is about a half mile away. It gets lot of sun, and I plan to take full advantage of it!

I used these 16 compartment flats with non-compartmented flats underneath to minimize the mess inside.

I had quite a hodge podge of things I wanted to plant: Winter Luxury pumpkin seeds I saved from what Jacque and Amy Nuekom grew last year, Black Futsu squash seeds I'd saved, Marina di Chioggia squash, Charentais melons, a few free basil seeds I got at Jung's garden supply in Madison, snap pea seeds leftover from last year, plus dill, parsley, and a lettuce mix from Seed Savers. The basil will go in our front window box, the parsley and lettuce should be OK in the back garden, and the dill, squashes, and melons are for the community garden plot. I kinda feel like I'm getting overly ambitious, but it's really hard not to on such a beautifully springy March day! I have lots of seeds leftover, so if I need to replant, I can.


I set the finished flats inside in front of a south facing window in our living room. I'm always amazed at the many uses for apple boxes! I can't wait to watch the seeds come up!
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Really Good Lasagna

Lasagna is one of my all time favorite dishes to make (and eat.) Perhaps that's because it's so easy but still impressive and tasty - just layer together almost any delicious ingredients with lots of sauce and cheese and you really can't go wrong!

I made a really good batch last night. I was having a friend over for dinner, and hoping to have the whole thing in the oven by the time he arrived. At the last minuted I realized I didn't have lasagna noodles (oops!). I called my friend and asked him to pick some up on his way over. In the meantime, I prepared the layers....

Sauce. I used tomato paste (two small cans in all) mixed about 50/50 with water, and seasoned with salt, garlic powder, and white wine vinegar. I've really begun to enjoy using this concentrated tomato paste - it's a very versatile ingredient. I'll have to try making my own from local tomatoes this summer.....

I had a bunch of mushrooms in the fridge that were just about to go bad, so despite the fact that my guest doesn't like mushrooms, I sliced them up and sauteed them in olive oil. (how can someone not like mushrooms? I don't understand it, but one must respect the tastes of one's guests.) I figured I could make half with mushrooms, half without.

Here's the beef! Local and organic, cooked with an onion, and liberally seasoned with dried oregano, thyme, rosemary, garlic powder, and salt. These pictures are a little backward. I used the same pan for the mushrooms and the beef. Out of respect for my guest I cooked the mushrooms after the beef (so he wouldn't get any mushroom residue in his meat.)

I didn't have any ricotta, but I did have some sour cream that needed to be used, so I mixed it with a little cream cheese, Romano, water, oregano, garlic powder, and salt. It made a wonderful white sauce.

And of course it wouldn't be lasagna without lots of mozzarella cheese!

I was lucky to find some of this local spinach from Snug Haven Farm at the Regent Street Co-op. It's really good, thick, and hearty. I was glad to have something green to add to the lasagna - I've been craving green vegetables, and they're all too rare this time of year. I rinsed it in hot water to wilt it a little bit.

As soon as my guest arrived with the noodles, I cooked them up and I was finally ready for the fun part!

Step one was to grease the bottom of the pan with a little olive oil, layering on some noodles, and a little more than half of the ground beef.

A nice layer of spinach came next....

....some red sauce.....

....cheese.....

....more noodles.....

....then the rest of the beef on one side, and my mushrooms on the other. I was secretly glad to have them all to myself - I love mushrooms!

Next came the white sauce....It was a trick, but I managed to spread it pretty evenly.

Now the final layer of noodles.....

....the rest of the red sauce....

....and finally the rest of the mozzarella and some Romano cheese. It went in the oven for about 30 or 45 minutes.

It could have browned on the top a little better, but other than that it was perfect. Bubbling hot and smelling amazing!


It's hard to get a good picture of a piece of lasagna - it tends to fall apart. No matter, it was completely delicious! I made a lot of it too - I'll have leftovers all week!! How I love leftovers!

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Really Good Lasagna

This recipe has the beef and mushrooms mixed throughout the whole thing. If you have a mushroom-phobe in your midst, you can always divide it like I did.

2 small cans tomato paste
A little white wine vinegar
1 cup sour cream
3-4 tablespoons cream cheese
1 small yellow onion
1 pound ground beef
1/2 lb button mushrooms
3-4 oz spinach leaves, washed
1/2 lb mozzarella cheese, grated
3/4 cup Romano cheese, grated
1 package lasagna noodles
Garlic powder
Dried oregano
Dried thyme
Dried rosemary
Salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

First, prep all the ingredients: Cook noodles. In a bowl, mix tomato paste about 50/50 with water and season with white wine vinegar, salt, and garlic powder. In a small saucepan, mix sour cream, cream cheese, and 1/4 cups Romano cheese with about a half cup of water and season with oregano, garlic powder, and salt. Heat the white sauce gnetly and stir until cream cheese is melted and it has a nice thick saucy texture. Slice the onion and saute in olive oil. When onion has begun to cook, add ground beef and cook until browned. Season with herbs and salt. Set beef aside. Slice mushrooms. In the same pan with the beef juices, saute mushrooms until nicely cooked.

Now, layer the ingredients. Grease the bottom of a large baking dish with olive oil and place a layer of noodles on top. Layer on about half the ground beef, followed by half the mushrooms, half the spinach, half the tomato sauce, and a little more than half the mozzarella. Follow this with another layer of noodles, the rest of the beef, mushrooms, spinach, and then all the white sauce, and another layer of noodles. Top it all off with the rest of the tomato sauce, mozzarella, and the remaining 1/2 cup of Romano. Bake for about 45 minutes, until the lasagna is bubbling hot. Turn the oven to 425 for the last 10 minutes to brown the top. (I obviously didn't do a good job of this.)

Let the lasagna stand for at least 5 minutes before you cut it.

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