Bison Meatballs with Swiss Chard

Ginger Beer/Ale

Bacon Wrapped Dates & Crepes, Onion Foraging

Ashley has been talking about bacon wrapped dates forever; We love and have made them at home before. The first time we were introduced to this toothsome treasure was at the very cute and amazingly delicious little bistro, Lill's. I have said (and I will say again) that dates are reminiscent of the smell of those little round smoke bombs, those things we all have set-off on the Fourth of July as children—in the most appetizing way, of course.

So, we woke up this "morning" (daylight savings time) with the intent to make these succulent morsels. Ashley also had made the suggestion of using some of the blackberries that we had in the freezer, and I—being the experimenter that I am (for better or for worse)—was all for trying something new.

Bacon Wrapped Dates

• Dates (we used a case of Medjool dates)
• Bacon (one piece of bacon makes 2 dates)
• Soft Cheese (optional)
• Toothpicks

Preheat the oven to 375˚.

Cut the pits out of the dates with a paring knife. I have read to be weary of "extra protein" in your dates but have not yet come across any bugs (this is not really a problem, just a sign of a good organic product). Now that you have a nice little repository you can fill it with Blue Cheese, Ricotta or whatever else you think might be good with it. You could also just skip this if want.

Next cut your bacon in half, wrap it around the dates and secure with a toothpick. Place dates on a cookie and sheet and put them in the oven. They will cook for about 35 min or until the bacon has reached the desired crispiness. Don't forget to flip them after 20 min.

Crêpes

• 1 c Flour
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 2 Eggs
• 1 1/2 c Milk
• 1 tbsp Oil

Sift flour and salt into a bowl; beat in the eggs, milk and oil. Chill for an hour. The mixture should be the consistency of heavy cream, so add a little more milk if necessary.

Melt a little butter in a skillet, and pour in a little batter. Tip to coat the bottom of the pan. When it is brown on the bottom, remove from heat and put on plate, brown side down. Repeat the process adding more butter as necessary.

JAM!

• 1 c Blackberries
• 2/3 c Sugar

Combine berries and sugar in a saucepan. Crush the berries to release the juices. Bring mixture slowly to a boil, stirring occasionally. Boil it rapidly until it is perfectly thick. There are a few ways to test doneness. If you have a food thermometer it should be at 220˚. If you don't, you can either use the "freezer" or "sheet" test.

Just chill the jelly. When it is nice and thick, spoon some into the crêpes, roll it up and serve. Sift some powdered sugar on top if you want.

After breakfast the family decided to go to the dog park for some energy syphoning. We had been promising both the ladies a trip for the better part of a week. With the spring rain that had been hanging around all weekend, we knew we were getting into a mess before we went.

Molly loves the dog park; She is always the leader of the fast-paced procession of frenzied mongrels. She never stops running until her feet or legs are bleeding and she can't stand anymore; You always know when it's time to go home when she falls over, chest heaving and slobber covered (gross and weird, no?). This time however, because of the rain, she found a nice mud pool to fall-over and relax in—awesome.

One benefit of this dreary weather was the bunches of wild onions growing around the outside of the park. Not very mature, but if we left them behind to grow anymore the city would just mow 'em down. We take what we can get, right?

Howdy World

This blog is something we've wanted to do for a really long time. Sean and I have been passionate about food since we moved in together in 2005. Tasty food is always something we're interested, but moreover "responsible" food is something we strive for. Living in the Midwest, we've been able to play an active consumer role in our farmer's markets, connecting with the people who grow our delicious food. Furthermore, we're looking for a house or community garden in the city to start growing our own; As amateur homesteaders, we think there's great value, taste, and pride in harvesting your efforts. We are constantly trying to learn more about our food, to create a relationship with the delicious stuff that goes in our bellies.

A Borrowed Bower will serve as documentation of recipes (both successes and failures—you know how it is sometimes), as well as a place for us to talk about our new life together (engaged to be wed, September 2010). Please come by often, or subscribe to our RSS feed. This is going to be great!