Did you stop by the Colorado Farm and Art Market last summer?  One rainy Wednesday, my tent collapsed and I would have been drenched if it hadn’t been for the friendly generosity of Maun Ferris, who runs Maun’s Rib & Roll.  I knew she worked out of the Kitchen, but had never met her before!  Despite that, she shared her tent with me and we had a rollicking good time, sharing business stories and food.

I’ll tell you a secret about that day.  I usually try to avoid eating flour, but I devoured every egg roll and dumpling Maun offered.  I swear I meant to save some for my housemate.  Everything was just so fresh and seasoned to perfection ... I couldn’t resist!

I learned a bit about Maun and it’s no wonder her food is so irresistible.  She learned to cook from her entire family as a girl in Laos.  Her grandfather was the village healer and she inherited his expertise with herbs and spices.  Her entire family knew how to cook and passed on very high standards for freshness and quality in Asian food.  The family left Laos when she was 11 years old and her life carried her here and there as her cooking skills developed.  She describes her products as traditional Indochinese cuisine; with Laotian, Vietnamese, Japanese, Thai and Chinese dishes on the menu.

Her family left Laos to escape the communists and the family eventually made their way to America.  Today, she lives in the Springs with her husband and children.  She started Maun’s Rib & Roll to make the most of her love of cooking and I love how she brings us the benefit of her worldly experiences and the legacy of her family wisdom with every bite.  

Come taste for yourself!  You can buy her egg rolls and dumplings at the Market.  She plans new services, including delivery of dinners for four on the north end of town and pickup in the downtown area, beginning December 30, 2011.  Visit her website to learn more!

(The picture below shows a Vietnamese dish called Ban Xeo.  I actually got to eat this beautiful crepe.  I am a very lucky person.)

Written by Bonnie Simon, Community Writing Services, LLC

The Gotta Love It! Market held its first Holiday Tasting Party on Monday night.  Our hosts, Market owners Debbie and Jerry Downing, put together a lovely party.  They partnered with Pine Needle Gifts next door, setting up the food in both markets so that guests could eat, chat and shop all at once!

Our gracious hosts encouraged us to try each other’s products.  I started with a glass of wine from Sovereignty Wines and an illuminating discussion with its owner, Ivars Spons.  Since a good glass of wine paves the way for good conversation, I stopped to chat with Monse of Monse’s Taste of El Salvador.  She makes a refreshing El Salvadoran salad out of cabbage and peppers.  Watch for an interview with Monse on this blog!  

Right next to Monse’s table, I discovered the Island Style B.B.Q. company.  They offered several meats, and companionably suggested I top it with Monse’s salad.  David and Sandy’s smoked pork has a moist, savory flavor and I could have eaten a lot more of it.  David told me he just bought a special grill for smoking meat.  I look forward to finding them at a farmers market with that grill!

Across the room, I found Maun of Maun’s Rib ‘N’ Roll.  Maun specializes in traditional foods from the countries of Indochina.  Her commitment to using fresh ingredients gives the food an authentic feel, as if you were sitting down to dinner in Vietnam or Laos.  She   was serving a curry with chunks of meat and vegetables with sticky rice that reminded me of steamed coconut rice.  The texture of the rice complemented the curry sauce, making it truly part of the dish.

My last stop at Pine Needle Gifts was Troy’s Healthy Delights.  Troy makes popular pies and crisps.  I got a nice picture of the remains of one of his apple pies, but sadly, no pie.

I thought I was full after all that and went back to my table. Roxanne Hayes, of Bone of Contentment, and I shared the “Animal Table”.  Dogs and (live) chickens weren’t admitted, but she gave dog-owning guests samples of her handmade dog treats while I raffled off a Chickens in the Kitchen gift certificate.  I managed to refrain from eating Roxanne’s samples, even though I had been in the Kitchen while she was cooking them once and found the aroma of the baking biscuits difficult to resist.

The three hours went by quickly and before long the party was nearly over!  Roe, of Beyond Pesto, asked me to watch her table while she went next door.  Lucky for me!  Ignoring her display of crackers, I snuck a some of her spinach-artichoke pesto right onto my plate while she was gone.  Soon, Deirdre and Doug, of Grandma Frutosa’s Salsa Company, had the same idea, leaving me to taste their salsas in the same fashion.  I almost got caught because the red one has something of a kick.  I’m sure I was pink and sweating when they got back, but they graciously did not say anything.

I tried vigorously, but did not manage to taste everything.  Mama Tina made her wonderful cheese balls, but I missed those.  I did manage to grab one of her bacon wrapped dates.  Let me tell you, dates were made to be wrapped with bacon.  I also missed Front Range Granola’s offerings nor did I have a chance to eat a Pocket sandwich.  I did finally get to taste one of Creative Wedding Cakes of Colorado Springs creations, a chocolate cake with chocolate cream inside and white frosting outside.  Sadly, I missed Sugar Rush Bakery’s cookies and Tinta De Toro’s baklava.  If only I had started with dessert! 


Written by Bonnie Simon, Community Writing Services, LLC

Ever been to Nebraska?

The Homestead Act attracted European settlers to this Great Plains state in the 1860s.  German immigrants brought their language, their culture and their food.  What luck that this included the meat and vegetable filled pocket sandwiches known as runzas!

The proprietors of the Gotta Love It! Market know a good sandwich when they see one and have brought this tradition with them to Colorado Springs.  You don’t want to miss their line of Pockets!  

Made with Debbie’s signature bread dough and filled with an assortment of meats, vegetables and cheeses, they make a great breakfast or lunch.  You can eat one on the run or take a few home for breakfast tomorrow morning.  Either way, they are hot and soft and fill the kitchen with the savory-sweet scent of freshly baked bread.

I can vouch for the delight contained in each sandwich.  Unable to resist the smell of them baking in the oven, I claimed one a few weeks ago.  It’s a lot of food, but I ate the whole thing at once.  The still-hot sandwich had the perfect combination of ground beef, spices and vegetables, with american cheese smoothing out every bite.
 
I always encourage readers to stop in at the Market, because they carry such a wonderful assortment of locally made products, but Pocket Stops are found all over town.  Enjoy one at locally owned shops such as Jives or Ski Barista, without ever crossing the state line! 

Menu

Breakfast
The Scramble - Eggs, potato, cheese
Country Breakfast - Eggs, potato, cheese, sausage, country gravy
Popeye - Spinach, egg, cheese, potato
Western - Ham, bell pepper, onion, cheese, potato

Lunch/Dinner
Runza - Ground beef, cabbage, onion, garlic, spices, american cheese
Veggie - Boca Burger, cabbage, onion, garlic, spices, american cheese
Philly - Roast Beef, bell peppers, onion, spices, swiss cheese
Italian - Spicy Italian sausage, bell peppers, onion, mushrooms, marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese
Cheeseburger - Seasoned ground beef, american cheese and a pickle spear
Mushroom & Swiss Burger - Seasoned ground beef, onions, sauteed mushrooms, swiss cheese

Chickens in the Kitchen hosted a Vegetable Chips class last night with Grant Family Farms.  Baked vegetable chips are a great way to get your veggies and use your locally grown produce!  We made beet chips, potato chips and kale chips with produce donated by the farm.

The Gotta Love It! kitchen has a big convection oven and the group enjoyed experimenting with different seasonings, spices and amounts of oil.  A convection oven does a beautiful job of cooking kale chips, but the potato chips cooked so fast, it was a challenge to keep up with them!

Try this kale chip recipe in your own oven at home!


Ingredients:

• Kale, washed well and torn into pieces
• Extra virgin olive oil or canola oil
• Salt
• Seasoning of your choice
  

Directions:

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Coat the kale with oil and spread in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Bake for 12 - 15 minutes, or until the edges start to turn brown.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle with salt and seasonings.  Try garlic powder, toasted sesame seeds or cayenne.

Watch the Happenings page for more classes from Chickens in the Kitchen, Everyday Gourmet and Tinta de Toro at the Market in 2012!

Written by Bonnie Simon, Community Writing Services, LLC