A little bit of this and that and a Goat Cheese surprise

Most Fridays after work I go visit two farms that I buy my vegetables and meat from. One is Spring Dell Farm which sells about anything you could want. The other Spring Brook Farm also has vegetables and meat but the store is filled with antiques and adorable stuff which usually distracts me way too much. I like the diary items at Spring Brook. I also belong to this farm. Next year I am going with Spring Dell. Anyhow, on this Friday I got some just picked vegetables and I couldn't resist baby onions for the grill. I also scored a Tri-Tip which isn't easy to find in these parts. They know I am from California when I ask for it.



This was our dinner on Saturday night. Nothing fancy on the Tri-Tip. Just the Santa Maria type stuff.



Ms. Dog was not getting her hopes up that we would share.



The next morning we were on a BBQ mission. We were smoking a turkey breast for lunches, a pork butt for pulled pork for Matt, Margie, and Sam; and bacon. We were all out of bacon. This bacon had been soaked in Jim Beam for 3 days and then cured. It was ready for the smoker.



I started some homemade hamburger buns for the pulled pork.



I started making an appetizer because it needed to sit in the refrig. I chose this one because it is a favorite and also because I figured it was good for the Goaterie Month that I have been taking part in. This is a recipe that a friend posted on rec.food.cooking (which for you youngins was a newsgroup on Usenet. This was before the Internets). Susan Hattie Steinsapir wrote this recipe. Susan could always make me laugh with her sharp tongue and her sense of humor. Susan passed away in 1996. It was a great loss to the universe. This always goes over big at parties and I can't tell you how many times I have made it.



There is nothing tricky about it. I even used store bought pesto this time around (I shouldn't have because I didn't end up liking it but oh well)



Hattie's Goat Cheese Torta with Pesto and Sun-dried Tomatoes is my secret weapon for when I don't know what else to do.



Meantime hamburger buns were done.



Bacon came out of the smoker and smelled amazing.



Torta was served after we swam for a few hours.

We waited and waited for the pork to be done for our pulled pork sandwiches. It took longer than expected. It also did not come out as "fall apart" as I would have liked. It still tasted great though (I love you Dr. Food and you did a good job. You can't help it if the meat doesn't fall apart. You did everything right. I am not dissing your pork. Oops, that doesn't sound good.)



Finally it was done! Matts expressive hands in the shot once again (look at the finesse. Only professional hand modelers can do this so do not try it in your own home)

Ok, so once again I didn't get shots of the finished pulled pork sandwich. Oh well. I don't get paid for this you know.



She never judges me...

Hattie's Goat Cheese Torta with Pesto and Sun-dried Tomatoes
Susan Hattie Steinsapir

6 oz goat cheese
4 oz cream cheese
Garlic, peeled, smushed, and chopped (I usually put in lots and more, at least 8 cloves. It's up to you.)
1/2 cup pesto (at least)
1/2 cup chopped up fine oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, including 1 - 2 tsp of the marinade
Decorate with fresh herbs, such as branches of thyme, oregano, rosemary, parsley, and sliced baguettes.
Mix goat cheese and cream cheese, add the garlic. Check the taste. Add salt and black pepper if you want.

Line a small glass bowl (about 2 - 3 cups) with plastic wrap. Put about 1/3 of the goat cheese mix into the bowl. Top this with the pesto. Put another 1/3 of the goat cheese mix on top of this. Put the sundried tomatoes on this. Top with the rest of the cheese. Put plastic wrap over the top of this. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, and up to four days.

To serve, invert bowl on a serving dish. Carefully remove the plastic wrap. Serve with baguettes.