Category: community

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Wrap Up

I haven’t blogged lately due to other forces in my life.  But here is a summary of all that has been going on:

  1. Successfully wrapped up a Kickstarter campaign and exceeded the goal by 7%.  The campaign was to generate funds to get a portable wood-fired oven.  The oven has been ordered through Woodland Stoves and Fireplaces and should arrive in the next week or so.  We will be documenting the camp set up including installing the oven in August.
  2. Because the Kickstarter campaign was so successful, I have begun distributing the prizes.  Last night the $5 and $10 pledges were prepared and will be mailed tonight.  This weekend, I will be preparing the $20, $25, and $50 pledge rewards.   I’ve also ordered the hardcover books for the high rewards. 
  3. My house smells so good from all of the spice making I have been doing.  The majority of it was for the Kickstart campaign, but I’ve also been testing new recipes.  Spices blends are not developed in minutes, but in hours.  The last batch of 10 garam masala and 8 curry took my two and a half hours.
  4. This next week, I will be a guest lecturer at the Medieval Minnesota Camp.  There, I will be teaching the history of spices, spice blends, and medicinal uses of spices over the years.  Each lecture is an hour long. 
  5. I have a big event on July 21, but I cannot announce it until after the event.  Once done, I plan on posting photo and information. 
  6. Gearing up for the new season of the Minnesota Renaissance Festival in Shakopee, MN.  This will be my 29th year our there and my 13th year as Alice the Cook.  We have a lot of fun recipes to demonstrate.  Also as a note, I will be briefly changing characters (and costumes) for another show out there – Human Combat Chess.  I have been cast as the black side lead and you can see me perform as someone other than Alice (if you wish). 
  7. In October, I will be teaching Community Education classes for Saint Paul Public Schools.  I will be teaching on October 9 – History of Spices, November 1 – Exploring Spice Blends, and November 15 – Gifts from the Kitchen.  Once the registration information is available, I will post it here. 

As you can see, I’ve been rather busy.  Once the Kickstarter awards go out, I will be able to focus more on this website.  I know for a fact that most of you visit for the recipes.

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New audiences

Alice the Cook here:

I am planning out my 2012 education season and I am looking for new opportunities.  I currently perform at the Siouxland Renaissance Festivals in Sioux Falls, SD and the Minnesota Renaissance Festival in Shakopee, MN.  In past years, I have also performed in Wisconsin and Iowa, and have provided various lectures to college and high schools as well a history enthusiasts.

If you know an organization that would like to hiring me to come out do perform shows or education, please let me know.  You can send me a message by contacting me or my web designer through this site.

Thank you!

Alice the Cook

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Strong Recommendation – A Local Craftsman

I wanted to provide a great recommendation to my readers.  Caufield Clay Works, http://www.caufieldclay.com/, located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, provides some beautiful ceramics.  They have also been kind enough to donate several ceramic dishes and plates to Alice the Cook’s kitchen.

As a note, all of the food photographed on this website is shot on Caufield Clay Works plates.  If you are looking for some beautiful stoneware, or other items, please consider visiting his online studio at http://www.caufieldclay.com/.

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Keeping it Local

When cooking at home or at a show, I pride myself in using local ingredients when ever possible.  Locavore, is a movement best described as people who are interested in eating food that is locally produced through family gardens, farmer’s markets, CSAs, etc. 

I’ve previously written about Farm Girl at Large, a farm owned by a friend of

Lamb from Funky Little Farm

mine, but today I wanted to let you know of another local food provider – Funky Little Farm.  I’ve had the pleasure of acquiring beef, lamb, chicken and duck eggs, fresh herbs, and a chicken or two from this farm located in Winthrop, Minnesota.  The owner, Barb Everson describes her farm, “Most of the work on this farm is done  by hand and by one person.  We own very little machinery.  We raise heritage breeds of poultry and sheep and lean heavily toward heirloom vegetables, antique fruits and herbs, and a wide variety of soay sheep, chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, and guinea fowl.”

What makes Funky Little Farm unique from other farms is the fact that the own, Barb, used to be a cook historian (like me).  She understands that by using quality ingredients can provide a higher quality product.  I like utilizing local ingredients from Funky Little Farm and Farm Girl at Large as I know they take great care with their animals; they know how they lived, what they ate, and were treated well. 

As a meat eater/omnivore, I feel a little better knowing that the animals I eat were not penned up and enjoyed a life in the sunshine, eating sweetgrass, and doing what animals do.

Some of my readers are vegetarian, vegan, while others are not, but I ask you do you buy your groceries from a large supermarket which requires more fuel from the trucks that deliver the stock from out of state and, in some cases, out of the country, or do you buy your ingredients locally, reduce your carbon footprint, and help the economy in your community?

The products I get from these local, independent farms, have a higher quality than those I find at a local supermarket.  The vegetables and fruits are fresher and the ingredients as a whole are tastier.  If you haven’t already, check out Funky Little Farm at http://www.localharvest.org/funky-little-farm-M21667 of Farm Girl at Large – http://www.farmgirlatlarge.com and taste the difference.