I’m sitting in the kitchen and listening to the monotonous buzz of the seemingly ancient dishwasher, which is only about four paces to my left. The noise is almost deafening, and I think I would have rather washed them by hand… But alas, I am housesitting. So the luxury of even having a dishwasher was something I couldn’t pass up. 

Today I bring you something simple, to ease my way back into the blogosphere. Baked Chicken with Tarragon and Himalayan Pink Salt, and a side of delicious asparagus. Shall we get started?

Ingredients:

• 1 chicken breast, tenderized to oblivion
• a bushel of asparagus 
• himalayan pink salt
• tarragon
• butter
• white vinegar or lemon
• garlic
• vidalia onion

Since the asparagus usually takes the longest, start there. Melt some butter in a skillet that you have a cover for, add a clove or two of pressed and chopped garlic, and about half of a vidalia onion cut thinly. Caramelize that for about 5 or so minutes, and add the asparagus and cover. Keep the heat on medium, and stir occasionally. If they seem to start drying out, add a half a cup of water so they get nice and tender, cook till the water evaporates. Dash in a little white vinegar while your at it, not too much!

While all of that is happening, take your chicken, clean it to your liking… And start kicking the shit out of it. As you can see in the photos, you need to be able to wrap it around your asparagus like a little cozy blanket. On the side that will be face up, toss on some himalayan pink salt, a little tarragon, and some lemon juice. 

Depending on how you like your asparagus, you can leave it a little on the crunchier side if you’d like. But I prefer mine super tender. Pour the asparagus in an oven safe dish, wrap the chicken around it, cut a few cubes of butter on top, and bake at 375F for at least 30 minutes. I turned the broiler on for the last 5 to make it a little more golden brown on top. 

And there you have it! A nice quick meal, easy, and simple. Any questions or concerns, let me know! It’s good to be back updating, I’ve missed you guys! I’m going to be revamping the site soon, so check back in the next week or so to see the new layout :D

Later Foodies!

P.s. I am in LOVE with Himalayan Pink Salt now… SO FRIGGIN’ GOOD!!!

If you’re interested in smelling something sweet and earthy, without any of the nasty chemicals or synthetics burning up your nose and clogging your lungs… Try our 100% natural and organic beeswax candles. Made with only the most essential oils to cleanse and marinate the air you breathe, keeping you safe - healthy - and soot free.

Stop on by to our Etsy location, Here.

We also have a wonderful array of natural and organic soaps, safe for even the most sensitive of babies bottoms. 

Any reblogs and likes would be greatly appreciated, we’re really trying to get our business off the ground and it’s thanks to wonderful people like you that we can get our products out there to share with the world!

Thanks again, 
Justin & Daisy of Moss & Fern

(Source: zombienomnomnom)

So this isn’t a cooking related post obviously, but it’s still something I am incredibly interested in. These are two of the terrariums my aunt and I made today. I have to say, it was one of the most fun and satisfying projects I have taken on in awhile. A completely enclosed ecosystem of plants that eventually become so self sufficient you only have to water it every couple of months, and perhaps prune some of the succulents that grow inside.

We took a drive to a couple of different stores and finally found these two large beautiful glass jars with lids… You’d be surprised how hard it is to come across these at the price range we were looking for. There were three, and we got two… We should have got all three, but this was just a test run! If they thrive, and if they sell at an upcoming craft festival, you can better believe we’re going into business. 

I think my favorite part about today was venturing into the woods behind my aunts house. With shovel, trowel, and buckets in hand we squished and stomped through the soggy soaking grass. It was lightly misting, and the leaves were beautiful. We searched for moss, small ferns, and a couple of tiny maple saplings. All the while being watched by two curious deer in the distance, wondering why the hell these bipeds were in their jungle.

Some dirt from an old potted plant that was going to die from the frost anyways, and rocks granted leave from her patio and presto! A few moments later, these gorgeous monuments of fascination were born on her dining table. 

If I may ask you all for a favor, how much do you think we could sell them for? These terrariums are pretty large, probably the size of a small lamp if that gives any perspective. Keeping in mind we live in upstate new york, where oddities of this nature don’t really exist… But if priced too high, will be overlooked and passed on by.

Thanks for your help guys! And hopefully I won’t be lazy and there will be a recipe or two to come in the future.

Sincerely yours,
Justin Francis Kane
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I think one of the best things I love about being back home and out of the city are the seasons. Fall in particular has eluded me for the past 5 years of being sequestered in a tiny manhattan or brooklyn shoe box. I’m home now, and the leaves are changing before my eyes. They fall off their limbs and scatter the ground as if saying, we’re doing this just for you… Just to welcome you home. 

Another birthday has come and gone, I’m now 23. A ripe young adult, but closer and closer to no longer looking as young as I feel. I embrace it with whole heartedness, though I hope the time won’t pass too quickly. 

Now being October, it’s prime apple and pumpkin picking season for us upstate new yorkers. Revamped an old apple pie recipe to make it a little more tantalizing and insatiable, so you’ll find it below. Along with some lovely family photos of my Aunt Daisy, Cousin Hannah, and her daughter Lavinia while we went to the orchard. 

Ingredients for Crispy Apple Pie

• 8 - 12 apples (1/2 granny smith, 1/2 macintosh)
• 1 stick of butter
• 1.5 cups of sugar
• 3 tbls cinnamon
• 2 tbls clove
• 1 tsp vanilla
• .5 tbls nutmeg (or not, if you prefer)
• juice of one lemon
• pinch of salt

First you’re gonna slice up your apples into separate bowls, depending on what apples you use and how many different kinds! Granny smith apples are harder then macintosh, so they need to be precooked otherwise you’re gonna have some mushy and some hard. I hate my apple pie when you can still crunch the apples, I would just eat a damn apple if I wanted that! Also, stay away from mealy apples like Golden Delicious. They make great snacks, but aren’t suited for pie making. You want the harder, firm apples!

Oh and DON’T peel your apples for this recipe! You really don’t need to, and the skin gives extra flavor and nutrients. They’re going to be simmered in a pot or skillet before hand anyways, so you won’t even notice they’re there. 

Cut the macintosh first and squeeze your lemon over them so they don’t brown, they need to set aside for a bit. Now cut your Granny smith, make sure you slice them as thin as you can! 

Melt your butter in a skillet, then add the granny smith apples and all the dry ingredients. Simmer these for about 15 minutes on medium to low heat. Test them, they should be pretty soft but not completely! After they’re almost there, add the macintosh apples and cook for another 5 minutes or so. Test the different slices, they should come out to about the same chew if you sliced them all evenly. 

It’s really important to make sure that everything is sliced close to exactly the same uniformity. Otherwise you’re going to get inconsistencies within your filling. Nobody likes inconsistencies! 

While your apples are cooking, make the “Perfect Pastry Dough” I’ve given out three times already I think? Haha, copy and paste time! I doubled this batch because we’re gonna make a lattice work pie crust and you need a little extra to make it beauteous. 

The  Perfect Pastry Dough

• 3 cups flour
• 10 tblsp of sugar
• 1 cup of butter
• 2 eggs
• 2 dashes of vanilla
• dash of cinnamon and clove
• pinch of salt

Mix everything by hand, adding more flour if necessary. Cut the dough in half, and use one half for the bottom of the pie. Sprinkle it with a little extra sugar and bake at 350F for 10 minutes. Take it out and don’t burn yourself, now you’re gonna fill it in with your apple filling. Did I tell you to taste the filling? DO IT, you might like it a little sweeter than I do. Or you might want more cinnamon, just throw it damn down up in there! I eyeball most of my cooking, so I suggest you do it too. 

Roll out the rest of the dough, using flour on all of your surfaces so it doesn’t stick -and slice it with a butter knife into perpendicular lines. Start on one edge of the pie, followed by the edge to the left or right of it. As if you were making a 90 degree angle or a “V,” now just continue going from one side to the other continuing the “V” pattern. As long as you start with the edges, you’ll get a uniform lattice work, but if you start just somewhere in the middle… You’re going to have some going over and under and it might look awkward. I learned it the hard way, so you’re lucky I’m helping you out! ;} Use some extra dough along the edges for the crust and use a fork to press down and give it some flare. 

Make an egg yolk wash and brush the top of your pie, then sprinkle with extra sugar. You could even use brown sugar if you like… I’m not a huge fan of that molasses type of sweetness though.

AN IMPORTANT TRICK!!! Wrap your crust with aluminum foil for the first half hour of baking, otherwise it will burn. Take it off and continue to bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until everything is beautiful and golden brown. Your oven should be set to 350 F. Depending on the thickness of your apples, you may need to bake it longer. One of the three pies I made was definitely not cooked enough after we had the first slice. If this happens, cover it completely in aluminum foil and bake it for another half hour or so. The aluminum will ensure that your pie doesn’t dry out and it will also soften the apples even more. Who says you can’t twice bake a pie? Haha.

All in all, a good update to this recipe. I have a beautiful Halloween Pumpkin Tart coming your way very soon! Sorry for not being so active, but now that the cooler weather is approaching I know I’ll be cooking and baking a lot more :D Any suggestions? Feel free to comment or send me a message! Thanks a lot food lovers!

Justin Francis Kane
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