Dark Days: first roundup

While about half of the 130 bloggers participating in the Dark Days Food Challenge are being highlighted over at Not Dabbling today, I'm going to share some highlights of my groups progress here on my blog.I am so impressed with what everyone has been up to, and you can bet I'll be marking these as recipes to try in the future!

Our newest author over at NDIN, DeeDee, has been lucky enough to acquire some lovely cast iron skillets that belonged to her grandmother. For some of her first meals in those pans, she cooked up some burgers made from locally raised pork, with local amish cheese, and pickles made from her own harvest. Served up with yummy fried potatoes and locally baked buns, her meal sounds like a complete success!

Fellow western Michiganders The Local Cook and her husband are toughing it out in this cold northern weather and grilling up some tasty looking pork chops they received in their Western Michigan Co-op box. Served with some roasted potatoes and brussel sprouts, this meal looks like some of my favorite meals growing up.

Over at Dog Hill Kitchen, they're keeping it simple with some leftover turkey and pumpkin chili and a gorgeous roast chicken with root veggies. Rutabagas, beets, turnips, and celeriac are complimenting the chicken. And who would have thought to add pumpkin to chili?! I love that our chef is using turkey "schmaltz" - or drippings/rendered fat - as flavoring for her meals. Yum.

20-Something Allergies and Counting ... Wow. I thought I had difficult choices to make with a non-processed lifestyle, but this lovely gal is mixing up local with a GAPS-based diet. Relying on naught but our Michigan farmers, our host is brewing up an easy chicken and onion salad.

Our own Emily from Tanglewood Farms is brewing up a fantastic sounding pear and rosehip pie. DESSERT?! Yes, please! I know Emily has been working on locating not only local sugar, but also locally grown wheat for the sweet shop she's gearing up to open. Now, if I can only get my daughter together to drive west 2 hours and nom some of that pie she's perfecting.

Mother's Kitchen has cooked up an amazing looking, and amusingly named "El Juice", otherwise known as French Dip. Made with some very neighborly ingredients (seriously, delivered to her door by her neighbors!) this meal looks just like the thing I pined for all those years I spent in Tennessee.

Kirsten, from Small Wonder Farm is also doing double duty when she cooks locally. Not only does she omit a lot of outsourced ingredients, but she also cooks gluten, soy, dairy, legume, corn, and fish free! She began the challenge off with a maple meatloaf, some tasty sounding squash, and the last of her own tomatoes. I love that a lot of the products came right from her own farm!

And as for myself ... I'm sharing the beef stew I whipped up last week. Our dairy farm happens to sell their own beef, pork, and chiken. And so with stew meat and soup bones in hand, some simple leftovers of cool weather veggies I've had stashed in the basement has turned into a super rich stew. I may just have a recipe up my sleeve to post later this week.

With our roundup complete for the week done here, I leave you this ADORABLE picture of Emily:

Next week be sure to stop by Not Dabbling in Normal for our official roundup. If you are in my group but didn't make it in this week's post, be sure to email your recap link from your blog to me by Wednesday at the latest.