Get Cooking!

Now that you’ve rounded up the freshest produce you can find, turn it into something delicious!

SPICY THAI SALAD WITH BLOOD ORANGES › SERVES 4-6

Dressing:

¼ cup grapeseed oil (or any flavorless oil)

¼ cup lime juice

Zest of one lime

4 tbsp Colman’s Prepared Mustard

4 tbsp rice vinegar

3 tbsp soy sauce

3 tbsp sugar

3 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp water

1 fresh Thai chili, finely sliced (or to taste)

Salad:

1 head romaine lettuce, chopped into bitesize pieces

1 bunch fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

½ cup chopped mint

½ cup chopped Thai basil

3 scallions finely chopped

3 carrots, cut into thin matchsticks

1 red bell pepper, cut into thin matchsticks

2 Persian or English cucumbers, cut into thin matchsticks

2 blood oranges

Whisk all dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. When adding the Thai chili, start with a small amount if you are not familiar and add more depending on how spicy you want the dressing. They are extremely spicy, especially the rib and the seeds. The dressing will get spicier with time, so make the dressing in advance. You can modify the taste if needed. (Note: Be careful not to touch your eyes after handling the chopped chili.) › Using a sharp knife, peel citrus peel and all the white pith so you can only see the flesh. Working over a small bowl, cut in between each membrane to cut out each citrus section. Squeeze remaining membrane. Pour orange juice into the dressing, and reserve the blood orange segments. (If blood oranges are out of season, you can try any other orange or even sliced strawberries.) › Toss all salad ingredients in a serving platter, and drizzle with the dressing just before serving. Sprinkle with additional herbs and a fresh squeeze of lime juice. Dressing will keep in refrigerator for up to a week.

Amenities

• 800-sq-ft kitchen

• 10-burner gas range

• 2 gas ovens (one oven designated gluten free only)

• 3-door-reach-in refrigerator

• 3-compartment sink

• 5- and 20-quart mixer

• 20- and 60-quart stock pot

• Cooling rack

• Spacious Countertops

• Storage and rental space

• Grease/waste disposal

OVEN-MADE FRENCH FRIES

4 1⁄2 cups organic potatoes

½ cup GAEA Kalamata Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Coarse salt

Fresh pepper

1 tsp smoked paprika

Preheat the oven to 450°F. › Scrub potatoes clean, and cut them into slices approximately 1/2-inch thick. Place slices in a bowl filled with water, and leave them for approximately 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes, season with salt and pepper and place on a baking sheet. Top them o with GAEA Kalamata Extra Virgin Olive Oil. › Roast in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Season with paprika. Reduce the temperature to 400°F, and bake for 10 more minutes or until they get a nice golden color. Serve immediately.

Green Tomato Stew

2 very large green tomatoes, chopped

1 1⁄2 cups coconut milk

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp mustard seeds

15 curry leaves

2 green chilies (such as Serrano), slit down middle

1 heaping tsp coriander powder

1⁄2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp olive oil (such as Gaea)

Heat oil in saucepan. Add cumin and mustard seeds; when they sputter, add curry leaves and green chilies. Sauté for a few seconds, and then add green tomatoes. › Add coriander powder, turmeric, sugar and stir together. › Add a few tablespoons of water, and when mixture boils, put a lid on saucepan and cook over medium-high heat about five minutes or until tomatoes are soft and pulpy. › Add half the coconut milk, and bring to a boil. › Add salt to taste, and let the tomatoes cook another minute or two. › Add remaining coconut milk, stir and heat until warmed through, but not boiling. › Remove from heat, and serve.

NATURAL FOODS GALA AT CRONE’S CRADLE CONSERVE (APRIL 16)

Crone’s Cradle Conserve hosts a Natural Foods Gala and Sustainability Festival in spring and fall. You’re just in time for the spring event, which takes place Saturday, April 16, from 10am to 3pm. Guest chefs and farmer chefs create a tempting variety of dishes featuring all fresh, organic ingredients. Admission is just $1 per person, and sample tickets are $2 each, which allows you to enjoy a sample size serving (about 3 ounces) of the various dishes.

OVEN-BAKED SWEET PLANTAINS

ripe plantains (when skin is yellow with black spots, they’re perfect!)

Preheat oven to 450°F. › Coat a nonstick cookie sheet with cooking spray. › Cut ends off plantains, and peel. Cut each plantain on the diagonal into half-inch slices. Arrange in single layer on cookie sheet, and coat tops with cooking Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, turning occasionally, until plantains are golden brown and very tender.

Recipe courtesy Crones’ Cradle Conserve.

CRONE’S

Cradle Conserve

6411 NE 217 Place, Citra (352) 595-3377 cronescradleconserve.org

When I was 9 years old, my mother decided it was time to haul out the etiquette book in an effort to teach my brother and me what we didn’t know about manners and proper behavior. I found it fascinating. My brother, not so much. But what can one expect from a 6-year-old boy who’d rather be out playing in the dirt than learning how to write thank you notes and where to place the dessert fork?

We spent many summer lunch hours at our Formica-topped kitchen table as Mom perused the book and coached us on how to handle various situations we hadn’t yet encountered in our tender elementary school years. Some of those early lessons stuck. My brother is one of the only men I know who actually sends handwritten thank you notes, and I don’t own a single dessert fork, but I know where they should go in a formal table setting.

Etiquette For Today

When it comes to etiquette, some things remain timeless (a gracious “thank you” never goes out of style), while other advice is now considered out of date (only the guy can initiate a date and pays for everything). The writers of etiquette books in the 1950s could never have imagined a world where people would

CELL PHONES: BLESSING OR CURSE?

› Create and respect phone-free zones (the dinner table, the bedroom, etc.).

› Spare us the obnoxious super loud ring tone. Those questionable lyrics may make your buddies laugh, but it’s certain to make your boss look at you in a whole new light.

› When talking on your phone in public, use personal phones in a movie theater or stop a face-to-face conversation to respond to a text. maintain a minimum distance of 10 feet from others. Chatting when you’re urinating in a public restroom or waiting in a crowded line is a no-go.

Alas, such egregious actions are commonplace today. We rounded up etiquette tips from the experts to cover a host of situations. Read on to brush up on modern manners. And I promise, no mention of dessert forks!

You’d like to think cell phone etiquette should be a no-brainer. Unfortunately, that’s hardly the case. Sticking to these basic guidelines is good manners any way you look at it.

› Lower your voice to a discreet level.

› Avoid overly personal topics (or arguments) when others may overhear.

PLACES WHERE TAKING A CALL ON YOUR CELL PHONE IS OFF-LIMITS:

› If you’re having a face-to-face conversation with someone, don’t text or take a call.

› Put your phone on silent before entering a movie theater, church, restaurant or other public place.

› Don’t text and drive. As proven over and over, this simple action can be deadly.

If the call is so crucial it can’t wait, exit as quietly and quickly as possible and take the call once you are outside and away from others. But do consider how it looks to walk out of your daughter’s ballet recital to answer your phone.

› Funerals/funeral home visitations

› Church

› Live performance events

› Movie theater

› Library

› Dinner party (your own or when you’re a guest)

› Public restroom stall

› Fast food restaurant line

› Doctor/dentist office

› Checkout line at any store (This is the ultimate rudeness: not even acknowledging the store employee who’s waiting on you because you’re blabbing away on your phone.)