No matter the season — be it winter, spring, summer or fall — my favorite cooking method is braising. In the warmer months, we braise meats for hours outdoors in our smoker or on the wood fire. And in the winter, our kitchen stove and oven warms the house with rich aromas of beef or pork slowly melting and rendering itself tender.

This particular recipe transforms an otherwise useless chuck roast into a sublime dinner. And although it favors an Italian flavor profile, we often mix the leftovers with smoked chipotle, ground coffee and cocoa powder the following evening, without much of a fight from the meat, for quesadillas or fajitas.

Balsamic Tomato-Braised Chuck Roast

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 3 hours
Allergy info: soy-free, gluten-free, wheat-free

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 (3 to 4-lb.) chuck roast
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
8 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
2 medium yellow onions, peeled and sliced
3 bay leaves
2 large rosemary sprigs
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 (28-oz.) can San Marzano tomatoes

Directions:
Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. In a Dutch oven heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Pat roast dry with paper towels and season all sides with salt and pepper. Place roast in the Dutch oven; sear all sides. Remove roast, set aside.

Add remaining oil, onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes. Add bay, rosemary, tomatoes and vinegar, season with salt and pepper to taste; bring to boiling. Return roast to pan, cover. Place pan in oven; cook 3 to 4 hours.

Remove pan from oven and remove roast from pan; set roast aside on a warm platter. Skim and discard fat from pan sauce. Remove and discard bay leaves and rosemary stems; add salt and pepper to taste. Pour sauce over roast, serve with creamy polenta and crispy chard.

For locavores in Florida, the holiday food season keeps on giving well into the New Year, providing a sneak peak of spring with first-of-the-season strawberries hitting farmers markets in mid-January.

Our growing season is short but sweet, weather-dependent and unpredictable, sometimes ending as early as March or extending as late as May. And that’s when our strawberry-growing friends in California enter the picture, extending our season well into September.

The Monterey Bay area of California is an atmospheric marvel. Jagged coastal mountains collide with the Pacific Ocean producing a climate-related dream for cool-weather crops like strawberries. The consistently cool and foggy nights work to intensify the berries’ natural sugars, and the warm, sunny days encourage them to grow plump and juicy.

Speaking with growers, like Tom Jones from Providence Farms, their first priority is feeding the soil. Whether conventional or organic, the soil is treated in much the same way, being well-fed with organic compounds to grow healthy plants. Healthy plants need less disease and pest management, which was evident in the near perfect leaves and berries on the organic plants being harvested every three days.

Berries are hand-picked before the early morning fog burns off, which means less stress for the plants, packed as they are picked, and then immediately transported to various nearby distributors. Once delivered, they’re shipped in less than 24 hours to markets across the country. In California, the strawberries often hit the markets that same day, with no more than a two-day travel time for other states.

Ask any farmer their favorite way to enjoy the strawberries they grow and they’ll tell you the same thing: straight off the vine. We like ours lightly sweetened and served with cream, like in our Strawberries and Cream Ice Pops.

Strawberries and Cream Ice Pops

Serves 10

Ingredients:

• 1 pound fresh or frozen California strawberries, rinsed and hulled
• 3 tablespoons water
• 3 tablespoons plus 3/4 cup organic sugar, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 pint organic heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Cut strawberries into quarters. In a medium saucepan heat strawberries, water, 3 tablespoons of the sugar and salt over medium heat. Bring to boiling, reduce to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally until berries are soft, about 12 minutes. Remove pan from heat; using a hand-held blender, puree strawberry mixture in pan until smooth. Return pan to heat and continue to simmer over medium-low heat until reduced by half, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and refrigerate 1 hour.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl add cream. Using a hand mixer whip cream on medium-low speed until it begins to thicken, about 2 minutes. Add remaining sugar and continue to whip on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about 2 to 3 minutes more. Add vanilla and whip until combined; set aside.
3. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the strawberry mixture into small shot glasses, paper cups or ice pop molds, followed by 2 tablespoons of whipped cream. Continue to alternate layers of strawberry and cream until the mold is full. Using a straw or skewer, stir the strawberry and cream mixture to create a swirling pattern. Insert a wooden ice pop stick or plastic spoon into the mold and place in the freezer. Freeze 3 to 4 hours or until set.
4. To remove the ice pops from the molds, run warm water on the outside of the molds and gently pull the ice pop stick to remove. Serve cold.

A special thank you goes out to the gals at the California Strawberry Commission for the amazing farm tours and their gracious hospitality!

There were just seven luscious, organic Florida peaches left in my favorite white ceramic bowl. I could have easily devoured every one of them, as-is. I could have grilled them until caramelized and then poured warm cream over the top with lavender, toasted pecans and a light drizzle of maple syrup.

But I wanted a crumble. I also wanted a cobbler, and I didn’t have enough peaches to make both.

A trip to the store would have been no match for the roadside peaches I picked up at the border, floral and perfectly ripe, plucked from the tree that morning.

I settled on cobbler, and as I was plopping the biscuit dough onto the sugared peaches, I noticed quite a lot of unused real estate. There were large gaps between biscuit dough plops, creating pathways of unpaved cobblestone peach roads.

I wanted to pave those roads with something — fruit, more biscuit dough, something. As I mulled over the options, I nibbled the leftover bits of butter, sugar and flour used to coat the peach slices. I think you know what’s coming next…

I mixed up a quick crumble topping, sprinkled the exposed peaches with the sugary nubs of butter and flour, popped the dish into the oven and waited patiently.

Fluffy, buttery biscuits, saturated with intense peach nectar, generously made room for the crispy, sweet crumbles clinging to the warm fruit; definitely worth the drive, and worthy of the beautiful fruit.

Peach Cobbler Crumble

For the peaches:
7 ripe organic peaches, 1/2″ slices
1/2 cup organic sugar
1 vanilla bean pod, split, seeds scraped
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small cubes
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon peach brandy (optional)

For the crumble:
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons organic cane sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
4 tablespoons butter, diced

For the biscuit dough:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, diced
2 eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream

Prepare the peaches:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large bowl, add sliced peaches, sugar, vanilla bean seeds, butter, flour, salt, pepper, lemon and brandy. Gently toss to coat.

Make the crumble:
In a small bowl, add sugar, butter, flour and salt. Using your fingers, work the butter into the other ingredients to form small clumps, ranging in sizes from a dime to a nickel. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Make the biscuit dough:
Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles a course meal with pea-sized pieces of fat. In a separate bowl, lightly whisk the eggs and heavy cream. Add to the flour and mix until just blended. The dough should be sticky, but not wet.

Assemble and bake:
Pour the fruit and accumulated juices into a large shallow baking dish. Divide the biscuit dough into 5 equal pieces and plop onto the fruit, equally spaced. Sprinkle the crumble mixture between the biscuits, over the exposed fruit.

Bake for 35 minutes, or until the biscuits are golden brown and the fruit is just starting to bubble. Remove from oven and cool on the stove top for 30 minutes before serving.

If you haven’t heard, May 19th is Food Revolution Day across the nation, and the beautiful Julia Montgomery-Stewart of LivePretty.com took charge of organizing the Central Florida Day beyond our wildest dreams.

Join us, along with Slow Food Orlando, Winter Park Urban Farm and Edible Orlando Magazine for a FREE day of cooking, farming and celebrating local, honest, clean food:

JAMIE OLIVER FOUNDATION LAUNCHES INAUGURAL FOOD REVOLUTION DAY

Celebrate Food Revolution Day Orlando with Free Family Urban Farm Tours

Winter Park Harvest Festival, Edible Orlando magazine, Slow Food Orlando and Livepretty.com Combine Efforts in First-Ever Day to Stand Up for Real Food

WHAT:

The Jamie Oliver Foundation is launching its first-ever Food Revolution Day, a global day of action to inspire, educate, and empower people everywhere to stand up for real food. Thousands of people worldwide will participate in events to raise awareness on preventing diet-related diseases, and to arm people with the knowledge and tools to make healthier food choices.

Here in Orlando, the Winter Park Harvest Festival, Edible Orlando, Slow Food Orlando and Livepretty.com have combined efforts for Food Revolution Day Orlando featuring Family Urban Farm Tours where attendees can:

· Learn about how the Urban Farm was developed and thrives, and tips and tricks you can use in your own garden.

· Enjoy a seasonal collard greens cooking demonstration and cook-off featuring top regional foodies and chefs – Dawn Viola, Elisa Scarpa and Sarah Cahill.

· Bring the family to enjoy children’s art & planting activities, and family entertainment provided by Florida Hospital’s Healthy 100 and Mission: FIT Possible programs.

· Enter a food-lovers raffle featuring prizes from Loews Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Orlando, Whole Foods Market Winter Park, the Audubon Park Community Market, Ethos Vegan Kitchen and The Spice & Tea Exchange to support Florida schools through The Jamie Oliver Foundation food education box project.

WHEN:

Saturday, May 19, 2012,

Tours start at 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and 12 p.m.

WHERE:

Winter Park Urban Farm

1650 Pine Ave.

Winter Park, FL 32789

Park and play in nearby Phelps Park. Street parking is also available on the north side of Pine and Elm.

COST:

Free

Raffle tickets available for $3 each the day of the event.

RSVP:

Space is limited, so please register to attend online at livepretty.com/foodrevorlando

WHY:

The majority of the world’s population is more likely to die from obesity than from hunger. In fact, in America, more people die from diet-related diseases every year than drugs, alcohol and war combined. Food Revolution Day aims to empower people to make healthier food choices that lead to healthier lives. One hundred percent of Food Revolution Day net funds raised will go to support food education projects for both children and adults through the Jamie Oliver Foundation in the U.S., UK and Australia.

WHO:

For more information about Food Revolution Day, visit foodrevolutionday.com.

Food Revolution Day Orlando is hosted by:

The Winter Park Harvest Festival, a project of A Local Folkus, is a day long event focused on connecting the grass-roots with the deep-roots of our local food-shed by celebrating our local farmers, gardeners, entrepreneurs and non-profits. Visit winterparkharvestfestival.com for more information.

Edible Orlando is a quarterly magazine that celebrates the foods, farmers and chefs of Central Florida and its beaches. Visit edibleorlando.com for more information.

Slow Food Orlando is a chapter of Slow Food USA, a non-profit educational organization dedicated to supporting and celebrating the food traditions of North America through programs and activities dedicated to Taste Education, Defending Biodiversity and Building Food Communities. Visit slowfoodusa.org for more information.

LivePretty.com is an Orlando-based lifestyle blog dedicated to family, food, and entertaining, with a special focus on sharing both the extraordinary and everyday moments of our lives.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Julia Montgomery Stewart

407-310-4694

julia@livepretty.com

I was invited by Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution team to host a #FoodRevParty on Twitter Tuesday evening.

This week’s #FoodRevParty addressed a big topic: how do afford organic foods. Let’s face it. Local is good, but local and organic is better; much better. So while most of the nation has heeded the call for local farmer’s markets, consumers are still faced with a lack of organic food at those markets, leaving them with conventional options grown with pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. Organic food from grocery stores, depending on your area, can often be double the price of conventional.

We tackled, in 140 characters or less, how to afford organics and integrate them into your daily life without breaking the bank.

Every person who participated, every person who lurked, is considered a Food Revolutionist. Thank you all for taking steps to change our local and national food systems for the better. I started by defining what organic means to me:

@dawnviola we’re talking about organic food. First would like to define: To me, organic is good/clean/fair, not necessarily certified. #foodrevparty

@dawnviola: good/clean/fair food = yummy, fresh, local, pesticide-free, priced right for farmers and consumers. #foodrevparty

Below are more highlights from our #FoodRevParty – as soon as we started talking about food, everyone got chatty:

Twitter Party: January 31, 2012, 7 pm EST/ 4 pm PST
Theme: Organic Food: how, why, where, and what to do with it once you get it home.

Party Questions and Some of the Best Tweets:
#FoodRevParty Q1: What r ur fav resources for organics? (online, farmers markets, etc.)

@Ciocia i shop at roadside stands, farmers’ markets, look online for CSAs and have delivery service where i order onlie. #foodrevparty

@dawnviola Top three questions to ask at the farmer’s market: where was it grown, who grew it, is it pesticide-free? #foodrevparty

@dawnviola Another great question to ask at farmers markets or CSA, road stand: what kind of fertilizer was used? #foodrevparty

#FoodRevParty Q2: What is your No. 1 tip for anyone looking to switch from conventional to organic?

TheOrganicTrail Start small. Pick one or two items and source them locally. Once you taste local/organic it is hard to go back. #foodrevparty

@dawnviola replace at least 1 processed/packaged food each week with organic produce, meats, dairy. #foodrevparty

@dawnviola Key to affording organics: replace all packed foods, a little at a time. It’s so easy to make crackers, cookies at home! #foodrevparty

@Ciocia Look at Dirty Dozen/Clean 15: Replace Dirty Dozen foods first. They are grown most contaminated methods: #foodrevparty

#FoodRevParty Q3: What is your fav recipe using organic produce?

@dawnviola Average produce travels 1500 miles or more to get to your plate. Crazy, but true. Buying local offers best nutrition + flavor #foodrevparty

@JaimeMorlin During the winter, it is butternut squash ravioli with brown butter sage sauce

@TheOrganicTrail Just made Sweet Potato”Fries” for my girls from our local organic farmer. The taste was amazing. #foodrevparty

@dawnviola If you haven’t had a chance, there are fantastic recipes on Jamie Oliver’s Food Rev site, too: ow.ly/8Nntw #foodrevparty

@dawnviola There is also a non-GMO guide here to go along w/ Dirty Dozen/Clean lists to help you w/ food choices: ow.ly/8NnuQ #foodrevparty

@Lunchalicious Butternut squash soup! Yum!

@dawnviola Mine = grilled swordfish with heirloom toms: ow.ly/8NnzM #foodrevparty

@dawnviola Check out @delorganic site, too — she has a wonderful book on organic foods + great tips and recipes on her site. #foodrevparty

@lanaprekprogram Caprese salad- tomatoes/basil/moz chz. Throw in some fresh crusty bread & I am a happy girl. #foodrevparty

#FoodRevParty Q4: How did you get your family on the organic path?

@dawnviola: Check out @crunchacolor’s article on Jamie’s web site this week: ow.ly/8NnY7 #foodrevparty

@lanaprekprogram Ha! They eat what I buy. :) I do the shopping so they have no choice but to get onboard. :)

@JaimeMorlin We started on our organic path by planting our own garden #FoodRevParty

@Ciocia Made senior mom watch #FoodInc. She also watches Jamie by choice.

@TheOrganicTrail Just started swapping out foods. Made our switch at the beginning of summer when produce was freshest. #foodrevparty

@houseofannie we take the kids to the farmer’s market and explain the difference between conv. and organic as we graze #foodrevparty

#FoodRevParty Q5: How do you deal w/ ur kids’ schools when it comes to organic/fresh food?

@crunchacolor I feel so lucky. Onsite organic garden. Use when we can on the school lunch menu. 100% organic. #foodrevparty

@dawnviola I became really involved with @SlowFoodOrlando as a way to change our local food system, including school lunches #foodrevparty

@JaimeMorlin Definitely :) RT @houseofannie: @dawnviola #foodrevparty Q5 We prepare our kids’ lunches at home.

@SeptemberAcres a constant struggle here. Very sad. I pack daughters lunch. #FoodRevPARTY

@TheOrganicTrail I make lunch most days, but we pick 1 day a week for her to buy. Important to learn how to navigate buying own food. #foodrevparty

@dawnviola Have you seen the episode where Jamie makes the sundaes w/the school kids – one of my favorite visuals #naturalflavors #foodrevparty

@sternmanrule A mom at my kids’ school started several gardens. In summer, parents harvest all the food & donate it to the local food bank.

@dawnviola Each of us can make a difference. Instead of a fundraiser at a local fast food joint, encourage school to sell seeds and soil. #foodrevparty

@dawnviola Instead of bake sales, do a community market at school, invite farmers, to your child’s school to sell, do revenue share #foodrevparty

And with that, we wrapped up a very productive discussion, inviting everyone to join the #FoodRevParty next Tuesday with @crunchacolor as host. We also reminded everyone to pop over to the Food Revolution web site and sign the petition:http://www.jamieoliver.com/us/foundation/jamies-food-revolution/sign-petition

The Superbowl will be here soon, and although we’re not into sports {shamefully, we don’t even know who is playing}, we’re totally into good food and friends. To celebrate, we’ve pulled together our favorite appetizers and game-day recipes; it’s going be a tasty day!

p.s. who is playing?

Appetizers:

Polenta Cakes with Mushroom Ragu {Featured in the Flexitarian Cookbook}

Baba Ghanoush with Curry and Yogurt

Oven Fries with Beer Cheese

Artichoke Poppers {featured on Cooking with Emeril}

Fried Ricotta

Flat French Fries

Deviled Crab-Filled Eggs

Must-haves for Game Day:

Pizza

Italian Meatballs {make them mini for appetizers}

Sloppy Joes

Quinoa Burgers {make them mini and turn them into sliders}

Chicken Chili with Sweet Corn Griddle Cakes

Tarragon Chicken Burgers

Roasted Corn Chowder

Tomatillo Chicken Tacos {Featured on Cooking Channel}

Want something sweet? Check out our dessert recipes!

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It’s always a blast doing segments on The Daily Buzz with Mitch and Andy! This month we celebrated National Pie Day on the air:

We (yours truly, Jaden and Scott from Steamy Kitchen, Diane and Todd from White on Rice, and Julie from The Little Kitchen are thrilled to be organizing another event to bring everyone together for a weekend of learning, sharing and inspiration. This year’s Food Blog Forum Orlando is graciously hosted by Walt Disney World, with our one-day seminar at Epcot Center.

A full day of presentations and intimate round table sessions are planned, with a stellar lineup of speakers. And everyone can expect a red carpet treatment from Disney like none they’ve experienced. Seats are limited, so head on over to the application page and send your info ASAP as we expect the event to quickly sell out.

Hope to see you there!
-Dawn

Our new home is situation smack dab in the middle of organic orange groves, literally in every direction. Some groves are privately owned. Some have long been abandoned, displaying tangled, untamed branches with plump winter fruit, shamefully never picked. But our favorite, the u-pick citrus groves just a mile down the road, are thankfully at our disposal whenever the trees are bearing fruit. Right now, they’re at their peak.

We piled into the car for the 2-minute drive and were greeted by miles of beautiful tangerines and kumquats. We of course had to taste-test before filling our bags, with kumquats being our favorite treat of the day.

Plucked right from the trees, we popped them into our mouths whole, skin and all — sweet with a tart finish, perfect for pickling or candied fruit. And that’s just what we did.

Candied Kumquats

Makes approximately 1 cup
Allergy info: soy-free, dairy-free, wheat and gluten-free

Ingredients:
20 organic kumquats, washed and cut into quarters, lengthwise
3/4 cup organic sugar
1 tablespoon local raw honey
3/4 cup water
1 cinnamon stick
pinch of sea salt

Directions:
In a medium saucepan combine kumquats, sugar, honey, water, cinnamon stick and salt over medium heat. Bring to boiling, reduce to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, 25 minutes.

Strain kumquats; set aside. Reserve sugar syrup; discard cinnamon stick. Return sugar syrup to saucepan. Bring to boiling over medium heat. Cook until reduced by half. Return kumquats to pan; stir to combine. Transfer kumquats and syrup to a glass or ceramic container. Cover and refrigerate up to 7 days.

Serve with sharp cheese and salami, smear on a baguette, or devour all by themselves.

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