Leap Year "Ladies' Law"

This morning I'm looking for something fun to share with you about "Leap Year".

Yes, I know this is a blog for Harter House Supermarket and should be about food, but when I found this bit of information, I really wanted to share it with you.

I know several young maidens who may want to take advantage of this time-honored tradition!


Ladies’ Law in Leap Year
by Taraya




Postcard from 1908, depicting a sneaky female catching herself a man in leap year









Are you a young maiden just wishing your man would finally pop the question? Has the handsome lad down the street caught your fancy, but seems completely oblivious to your pining affections? Not a problem, ladies! Today is leap day, which makes 2012 your lucky year.

American culture was, and still is, a stew of different traditions carried over from the homelands of dozens of cultures. One of these fabulous traditions, stemming from the British Isles, was that of the “ladies’ law” of leap year. This newspaper from February 1888 explains the rules of this female-favoring year:



















It's "ladies' law" in leap year! An 1888 newspaper gives the scoop.

Not only may a woman propose to a man in a leap year, but there’s a bonus for her if he refuses. The same article goes on to explain that any man who turns down a woman seeking marriage in a leap year must compensate her with a new silk dress. Provided, of course, that she show off a little of her scarlet petticoat, just to be sure her intentions are clear.



















A man's penalty for refusing the offer from a gentle lady

Traditionally, the material compensation for a refused proposal varied. In thirteenth-century Scotland, supposedly, the required recompense was anything from £1, to a kiss, to the previously mentioned silk gown. In Denmark, the uncooperative man must present twelve pairs of gloves. And in Finland, the disappointed lady must be given enough fabrics to make a skirt. The risk of receiveing proposals all year long was too great for some men, with such weighty fines demanded of them if they refused. So, in many cultures, the “ladies’ law” was restricted to only one twenty-four hour period: leap day.

As it finishes off, the nineteenth-century column offers one last bit of encouragement:








Take your chance while you can

…And don’t forget to wear your red petticoat!

Visiting Busiek State Park

Busiek State Park is located off Highway 65, at mile marker 27.2, between Springfield and Branson, Mo. Busiek is a state Forest and wildlife area.

We decided to hike the trails on a beautiful sunny, and relatively warm, winter day. This was not my first time to Busiek, but I had never hiked the trails before. There are maps provided at the start of the trails. The maps are extremely helpful and we got better at reading the map as we followed the trails.

We started our hike this day on the east side of highway 65. We followed the RED Trail along the creek past campsites. (Camping is allowed by permit only through the Southwest Regional Office at 417-895-6880)






The hiking trails were easy to follow. Markers or paint on trees continually marked the trail we were traveling.


Crossing the creek might have been a challenge keeping my feet dry, but the water today is not too high and I can easily walk across on rocks or tree limbs that have been placed across the creek. Of course my husband has water-proof boots and treks through the water easily holding my hand for balance as I cross on the rocks.

After we crossed the creek, the terrain got more challenging. We are headed uphill now. It is beautiful and quiet. This is SO MUCH more enjoyable than walking on a treadmill.





















When we get to the top of the hill, finally, we are amazed to find a family cemetary just outside the Busiek Park boundary area. We've hiked about 30-45 minutes, I think, to get to this point.


What a beautiful day!
Now we get to head back down the hill.




















The trail meanders across the top of the bluff And we come to a fork in the road. We aren't ready to head back yet so we take the YELLOW/RED trail to see where it leads us.



















There are other people out today. Up ahead I see two people on horseback. I love riding horses and I'm thinking now that I need to call my friend Kim Turner and ask her to please bring her horses and let's ride these trails by horseback. Oh, how ideal that would be!

We visit a bit with the two ladies on horseback and then notice that they had stopped to look through another very old cemetary. Do you find old cemetaries interesting? I find myself imaging the life they lived right here on this land a hundred years ago. James L. Dye, son of James and Mary, born 1917 and died March 6, 1920. Mary L. Dye was born 1877 And Died Feb. 27. 1920. Two-year old James died little more than a week after his mother passed. Gladys Dye born 1912, died 1913 and Glen Dye, born 1914 and died 1916, both children of Henry and Nora Dye.




























We continue walking a ways and decide it's time to take a break now. We've brought along some cheese and crackers that we purchased at Harter House Supermarket in Springfield, before we headed to Busiek and also a bottle of Colver Mead that we purchased yesterday at 7C's Winery in Walnut Grove. What is Mead wine? Simply, it is wine made from honey. Clover Mead is a sweet white wine made from Clover Honey. Clover Honey is made from bee hives in Clover Fields.





















Now we're ready to finish our hike. We're headed back down the hill. We have studied our map and we know right where we are. We are back down to the creek now. I have to cross the creek again, but I manage to cross again still keeping my feet dry.



Last thing today, before we head home, I want to see the firing range where target shooting is permitted everyday except Monday. It's been a lovely day. We've been here about 3 hours in all and I can't wait to come back and hike the trails here on the west side of Highway 65.




















Time to relax and enjoy the end to our wonderful day. We're having lamb chops with Jalapeno jelly and Irony Pinot Noir from Harter House.

Kehe Summer Selling Food Show Revisited

What did we see as we walked the aisles of the Kehe Summer Selling Show in Dallas, Jan 23-24, 2012?

Too many items to share, that's for sure, but here are a few favorites of mine.




I have mentioned these items at Harter House World Flavors because I know that they are here. Harter House on S. Eastgate has almost identical items and possibly even more. Come in and see all the unique items we have at both locations. Just yesterday we added new lines of products from Chile, Portugal and Spain.




AVAILABLE NOW AT HARTER HOUSE WORLD FLAVORS
TALENTI GELATO
100% Natural
OV Kosher Certified
Gluton Free with the exception of Caramel Cookie Crunch Gelato
Extra fine pure cane sugar, NO high fructose corn syrup
30% to 100% less fat than ice cream
fresh pasturized milk free of growth hormones
Only the finest ingredients




AVAILABLE NOW AT HARTER HOUSE WORLD FLAVORS
COCONUT BLISS
Made with Coconut Milk and free of Dairy Soy and Gluton.
Certified Organic, 100% Vegan, and low glycemic.
As rich and creamy as a super premium Ice Cream
Coconut Bliss is a satisfying and healthy choice when you want something delicious for dessert.
There is a lot of information on the web about the health benefits of coconut. www.coconutresearchcenter.org



MANITOBA HARVEST Hemp Hearts
This is definitely on my list of new items to bring in!
Change the way you live, one sprinkle at a time!These tiny Hemp Hearts™ pack a powerful punch of protein, omegas and fiber. Not only are Hemp Hearts easy to incorporate into any meal, they taste delicious too! Did you know Dr. Oz even refers to Hemp Hearts as ‘Brain Food’?
Hemp hearts are a raw, vegan-friendly, whole food that contains no additives or preservatives!



AVAILABLE NOW AT HARTER HOUSE WORLD FLAVORS
DOMO RISOTO - 4 varieties
Chicken with Merkin is Chilean short grain rice with chicken, vegetables and chicken broth, seasoned with Merken, the native spice of the Mapuches in Chile.
Four Cheeses a mixture of exquisite romano, cheddar, provolone and parmesan cheese, richly seasoned with oregano,red peppers and fine herbs.




AVAILABLE NOW AT HARTER HOUSE WORLD FLAVORS
KIKKOMAN Panko Bread Crumbs, Hoisin Sauce, Kara-Age, Tempura Dipping Sauce, Soy Sauce, Ponzu Sauce, to name a few.










We saw many certified Gluton Free items and we carry many of these products.









MACKAY'S DUNDEE ORANGE MARMALADE
In 1797 the first jar of marmalade was produced in Dundee. We are the last remaining producer of this iconic British product, in the Dundee area.We source all strawberries, raspberries and blackcurrants for our preserves from the local berry fields of central Scotland. Together with our marmalades and curds, they are made the authentic way, in copper pans.


Because we are in Missouri, we cannot purchase alcoholic beverages to retail, but that did not stop us from sampling some "Cheap Red Wine."







AVAILABLE AT HARTER HOUSE WORLD FLAVORS NOW!
ZEVIA Cola has notes of citrus and spice, the perfect combination for a cola and a rare find in natural soda. When you find out that this stevia cola has zero calories, no sugar and nothing artificial, you may even find yourself reaching for a second can. Whether you have special diet needs, health concerns, or are just looking for a low carb drink that is all natural, this stevia cola delivers all the things you like about traditional cola, without any of the traditional things you don’t.

White Bean Chicken Chili

One of the Vendors at the Kehe Summer Selling Show in Dallas, was The Spice Hunter Spices. This is a line of spices that we currently carry at both Harter House Supermarkets in Springfield, MO.
















The Spice Hunter has several Salt Free Blends
Blends take the guesswork out of seasoning. The Spice Hunter offers over 35 salt-free varieties of different herb and spice blends for the creative cook. All of their products, including the salt-free blends, are all natural and contain no MSG or preservatives. With the growing concern over fat and sodium, these blends are the easiest way to add flavor to low fat, low flavor foods without adding extra fat, calories or salt. Combining quality with convenience, The Spice Hunter also features delicious serving suggestions on every blend jar and offers no-fail recipes for every seasoning in the recipe section on their website; spicehunter,com.


On their website, read about Spice Antioxidants. While you hear a lot about the antioxidants found in dark chocolate and red wine, spices like ground cloves, oregano leaves, ginger, cinnamon, turmeric and yellow mustard seed are the real antioxidant all stars


– delivering a higher concentration of antioxidants per 100g than dark chocolate, wine, even blueberries and whole grain cereal.

Antioxidant Spices
Ground Cloves
Oregano Leaves
Ground Ginger
Ground Cinnamon
Ground Turmeric
Ground Yellow Mustard Seed
Sweet Paprika
Basil Leaves
Curry Seasoning
Parsley Flakes
Ground Black Pepper
Chili Powder





Often times vendor representatives have promotional products to give away to the buyers. The Spice Hunter reps gave us a very nice calendar along with spice samples. Below I share with you the January recipe on the Spice Hunter calendar.


White Bean Chicken Chili





















Ingredients:
2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken
1/3 cup flour
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 small red bell pepper, diced
1 large onion, diced
2 large mild green chilies, diced
2 (15oz) cans white beans, undrained
2 cups chicken broth
2 ½ tsp. The Spice Hunter Turkish Cumin
1 Tbsp. The Spice Hunter Mediterranean Oregano
1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. The Spice Hunter California Granulated Garlic
1 Tbsp. The Spice Hunter California Parsley Leaves
½ tsp. The Spice Hunter Crushed Red Pepper
1 tsp. The Spice Hunter New Mexico Chile Pepper
½ tsp. sugar

Preparation:
Cut chicken into bite-size pieces and coat with flour. Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat and then add coated chicken, along with bell pepper, onion and green chilies. Cook until chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, broth, seasonings and sugar to stockpot, bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Remove lid and continue simmering until thickened as desired.

The Kehe Summer Selling Show 2012

At Harter House and Harter House World Flavors we have a Distributing Company for Specialty products that we love doing business with. Kehe Food Distributers represents originally over 800 companies, but then recently acquired or merged with Tree of Life, another distributor representing over 600 additional companies, dedicated to the success of natural food retailers.

Needless to say, when Kehe puts on a food show, they represent a LOT of small businesses with products produced by a small family business, all the way to companies representing products of Argentina. My mother and I are especially drawn to all the new healthy products that we've found.

So now, I've just returned from Dallas and, as usual, Kehe put on a wonderful show of products.







Representing Harter House this year at The Kehe Summer Selling Show 2012, was my mother, Barbara Bettlach, store owner, my sister, Kathy Richards, another store owner, Jessie Legan, a manager at our Eastgate location, and me, Michele Kauffman.















Tuesday morning, after Breakfast, which was provided by Kehe, the Show Room opened at 9:00 am and we walked the huge area with booths numbered up to 1500, until 4:00 pm without taking any breaks.

We were joined by our Kehe Sales Rep, Ed Kitterman, who stayed with us the entire day and had previously purchased great food show buys on products we already carry. At Harter House World Flavors, located at 1500 E. Republic Road, the entire area, excluding our wine and spirits, is all products from Kehe Foods. And our store at 1625 S. Eastgate has as many or more Kehe products.

One Customer asked me to look for Wine Jelly, which I love also, and within two weeks now we will have ALMA SOL WINE*JELLY of CHILE. YUM!



A new and unique way to accompany meat, fish, seafood, cheeses, poultry, biscuits, sauces, vegetables, breads, etc.










What was interesting to me was how often I would say, "Ed, look at this", and he would answer, "We already have that". So my next few blogs will feature some newer items that we already have that you may not have ever noticed. Then as the new items arrive, I will tell you everything wonderful about them.

New Year Noodle Soup

I am a Foodie, that’s all there is to it.

I LOVE food!
I love to find new recipes and I love sharing what I find with you.
Hopefully, once in a while, what I post sounds good to you also!

This New Year Noodle Soup recipe caught my attention, and I'm thrilled it did. At its core it is a bean and noodle soup featuring thin egg noodles swimming in a fragrant broth spiced with turmeric, cumin, chiles, and black pepper. You use a medley of lentils, chickpeas, and Cannellini beans, making the soup hearty and filling without being heavy. You add spinach, dill, and cilantro. You add lime juice for a bit of sour at the end. And then you've got a number of toppings to add when you serve the soup - chopped walnuts, caramelized onions, and sour cream. It's a long ingredient list, but worth it. I think I'm going to double up on the next pot. It was delicious reheated for days, even with the noodles in there. You’ll find everything you need at Harter House and Harter House World Flavors.


















New Year Noodle Soup
If you don't have beans that have already been cooked you can use canned ones. Or you can soak them overnight, and add them after the broth comes to a boil. Cook for 15 minutes, then stir in the split peas/lentils. This way the beans/lentils should be done cooking around the same time. And, on the noodle front, you can actually use more/less noodles.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 long red chili OR green serrano, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 1/2 cups vegetable stock/broth
3.5 oz. yellow or green split peas or brown lentils
1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas, rinsed if using canned
2 cups cooked cannellini beans
fine grain sea salt
1 1/2 Cups thin egg noodles, fresh or dried
3 1/2 oz. fresh spinach leaves, finely shredded
1/2 cup finely shredded cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
juice of one lime

Toppings:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 large onion, thinly sliced
½ Cup sour cream or creme fraiche
2 ounces of toasted, chopped walnuts

Directions
Heat the oil in a large, thick-bottomed soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and the chile and cook until they soften, a few minutes. Add the spices and cook for another thirty seconds, just long enough for them to toast a bit, then stir in the stock. Bring to a boil and add the split peas/lentils to the pot. Cook until they are just tender, about 25 minutes. Stir in the cooked chickpeas and Cannellini beans. Once the beans have heated throughout, season with salt to taste.
In the meantime, you can prepare the toppings. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large frying pan over medium heat along with a couple big pinches of salt. Cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until golden and caramelized, 8 - 10+ minutes. Set aside.

Just before you're ready to eat, add the noodles to the simmering soup and cook until al dente. Stir in the spinach, and cilantro and dill. Add a big squeeze of lime to the pot or serve wedges along with each bowl of soup. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking.

Serve right away, each bowl topped with a big spoonful of caramelized onions, some creme fraiche (or Sour Cream), and a sprinkling of walnuts.
Serves about 4.


My hope is that each of you has a happy, healthy, and peaceful new year. I'd also like to add a heartfelt thank you for your ongoing insight and encouragement. ~ Michele

A Rustic Lentil Soup with Kale

I'm still thinking Healthy today!!!!

Here's the recipe for winter vegetables.
Get out the crusty bread or make your own biscuits to go with it because it's pure comfort food for a rainy winter day.

All greens are good with lentils, and I especially like to add them to a soup that's going to be a meal. That way you get all your good foods together in one bowl.

A Rustic Lentil Soup with Kale

1 cups brown lentils, rinsed and soaked if possible
1 to 1 1/2 cups shiitaki mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
2 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, finely diced
1 carrot, grated or finely diced (use one of Nash's big carrots, if you're lucky enough to have them in your kitchen)
1 potato, diced (no need to peel)
4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 bay leaf
6 cups water or vegetable stock
2 cups kale, middle rib removed, finely chopped Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Chopped parsley
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Red wine vinegar or apple cider to taste
Croutons for garnish


If you haven't already soaked the lentils, soak them while you prepare the rest of the soup.


Heat a skillet over medium heat and dry fry the mushrooms until they become soft--5 to 7 minutes. Roughly chop and set aside.


Heat a soup pot over medium head and add the oil, onion, and carrot. Stir and cook until onion softens, add drained and rinsed lentils, mushrooms, potato, garlic, tomato paste, prepared mustard, dry red wine and bay leaf. Stir to combine, then add water or stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook until lentils are soft.


Add kale and salt and pepper to taste and continue to cook until kale softns--5 to 10 minutes. Add about a teaspoon of salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with parsley and add a dash of vinegar to each serving. Garnish with croutons, if desired.