Hey there, little Indiana!  Today is my *second* guest poster ever!  Say “howdy” to Granola Mom Jodi McKenna and her super simple, healthy, and eye-appealing meals!

I must admit that I was taken off guard. I discovered that I actually liked turnips last week.

34 years have gone by and I have never ever tasted a turnip. It was and remains a white vegetable . . . and for some reason that just seemed wrong to me. I imagined that they would taste like dirt or worse . . . lima beans. I know – this is incredibly immature of me. But at least I am honest.

Our family is branching out, and certainly not a stranger to weird foods. Just when I thought there was little else for us to try! If you ever visit me for a cup of Chai, you’ll find yourself walking into a continual kitchen science experiment. There is no telling what kind of mold, yeast, or bacteria I am growing . . . all in the name of health.

I have Farm Fresh to blame for my most recent culinary endeavor in the Granola Mom kitchen. I was convicted to keep these odd white vegetables in my online shopping cart because they were grown LOCALLY. And I am all about that, especially after reading Barbara Kingsolver’s book—Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.

So go to the Farmer’s Market, gather your ingredients, and try this turnip dish out on your family. If you have kids, find some way for them to HELP you cook this side dish. When they have the opportunity to take part in their food preparation, it makes a big difference in what you can get them to eat!

(To prepare your turnip, wash the leaves and white bulbs. Trim off excess roots. Separate the leaves from the turnip.)

Ingredients

12 or more baby white turnips, scrubbed, greens trimmed and washed
salt and freshly milled pepper
2 to 4 tablespoons butter (Minerva Dairy is my favorite!)
Several thyme sprigs

Directions

1 . Bring 3 quarts water to a boil for the greens. Add 1 ½ teaspoons salt, the greens, and simmer until tender (about 8-10 minutes).

2. While this is occurring, set a steaming basket over salted water for the turnips. Steam the turnips until they are tender-firm (about 10-12 minutes).

3. Drain the greens, press out excess moisture with the back of a spoon, toss them with half the butter, and season with salt and pepper.  Arrange them on a plate.

4. Toss the turnips with the remaining butter, a few pinches of salt, a grind of pepper, and the thyme.

5. Pile the turnips on the greens and serve them together.  (Serves 4— however, I will admit that we had leftovers and we are a family of 5!).

A special thanks goes to Farm Fresh for graciously allowing me to share their recipe with you. And if you would like to try some unusual food in your kitchen, head on over to Granola Mom 4 God!

little Indiana again. Just had to say that while I haven’t “officially” tried a turnip yet…there is one in the fridge (that I bought from my favorite vendor at my local farmer’s market) that is just begging to be turned into this easy peasy salad!

Related posts:

1. Guest Post: Lime Cream Cookies
2. Peanut Butter Cookies: Soft and Chewy Recipe
3. Homemade Oreo Cookies: Who Needs That Packaged Stuff Anyway?

Today is another special day in little Indiana!  It’s my very first guest blogger!  After browsing through nummy recipes on Hoosier Homemade, I just had to beg, plead, whine until she relented to have her share.

St. Patrick’s Day is coming up. Do you make special “green” food to celebrate? I usually do a few fun treats for my family, this year I also decorated our Mantle.

Today, I’m sharing these little Lime Cream Cookies with you, they would be a sweet treat for St. Patrick’s Day or as a Springtime celebration.

Ingredients for Cookies:
1/2 cup Butter, softened (real butter, not margarine)
1/4 cup Sugar
1 Egg Yolk
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 1/4 cup Flour
1/4 teaspoon Salt

Ingredients for Filling:
1/3 cup Sugar
2 Tablespoons Lime Juice
1 Tablespoon Lime Peel, freshly grated
2 Egg Yolks
1 drop Green Food Coloring, if desired
Powered Sugar, for dusting

Directions for Cookies:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Combine butter, sugar, egg yolk and vanilla in large bowl, beat until well mixed. Add flour and salt, beat well.

Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Place on greased or parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Make indentation in center of each cookie with thumb or back of spoon.

Bake for 12 – 15 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove from cookie sheets and let cool.

Directions for Filling:
Combine all ingredients except food coloring in saucepan, mix well. Cook over medium-low heat stirring constantly until mixture turns glossy and thickens, about 6-9 minutes. Do Not Boil. Remove from heat, stir in food coloring, cool slightly, fill each cookie with about 1/4 teaspoon warm filling (I put a little extra on mine) Dust with powdered sugar.

These little cookies were just melt in your mouth — I couldn’t stop eating them. If you bake at all, you must bake these, the dough was really easy to work with.

You know how when you mix dough and you can just feel how good it is? This is that kind of dough. I also like that there are not many ingredients. I found the recipe from Land O’ Lakes.

.Liz is a SAHM of 3 teenage boys and happily married for 20+ years and lives in LaPorte, Indiana (about 15 minutes from Lake Michigan). Liz shares her love for baking, cooking and decorating on Hoosier Homemade – and hosting Cupcake Tuesday blog carnival with lots of cupcake creations.

Photos are the property of Hoosier Homemade and cannot be used without permission.

Related posts:

1. Caramel Cream Sandwich Cookies
2. Homemade Oreo Cookies: Who Needs That Packaged Stuff Anyway?
3. Recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies: The Best Ever!