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Come See Us at the Spokane Public Market!

Friday, December 16, 2011 @ 06:12 PM
posted by Karen Jean Matsko Hood

We are now located on the second floor in Booth 17 at the Spokane Public Market, 24 West 2nd Ave. in Spokane, Washington. Phone: 509-624-5800

Mountain Valley View Farm has a number of things for sale this wonderful holiday season Enjoy yummy treats this holiday season. They make wonderful gifts for the food lovers in your family! We are featuring our especially moist zucchini bread and our wonderfully tangy mustard in a variety of flavors—Tangy Mustard with Garlic, Cranberry Mustard, Sweet Whole-Grain Mustard with Beer.

Free Samples at the Spokane Public Market this week are:

Zucchini Bread
Classic Granola
Tangy Mustard with Garlic
Old-Fashioned Apple Butter

Come try us out before they are all gone!

Other products you will find at the Mountain Valley View Farm booth include gift baskets, cookbooks, homemade potpourri, cookbooks, and more.

HOLIDAY COOKBOOK SPOTLIGHT!


Christmas Delights Cookbook
A Collect
ion of Christmas Recipes

For this very merry time of year, author Karen Jean Matsko Hood presents a unique cookbook that is full of tasty and satisfying recipes designed around the themes, colors, and traditions of Christmas.  Inside are page after page of mouth-watering recipes that, when prepared, will certainly be a hit with both family and guests alike during this special season.  Written for the novice and the experienced cook alike, Christmas Delights Cookbook, Volume I is a valuable addition to your kitchen library, and it makes the perfect gift for the chef on your giving list.

As a poet, I found it enjoyable to color this cookbook with poetry so that readers could savor the metaphorical richness of Christmas as well as the literal flavors of the holiday recipes.  Do enjoy your reading about Christmas, but most importantly, have fun with those you care about while you are cooking.  Inside you will find Christmas-themed recipes, Christmas history, facts and folklore, and poetry by the author.

Christmas Delights, Vol. I – Paperback, $19.95


Rhubarb Delights Cookbook
A Collection of Rhubarb Recipes

Rhubarb is an all-time favorite vegetable that once was used for medicinal purposes, but has always tasted delicious in Mom’s homemade pie.  In this cookbook, you’ll find more than just pie recipes to spark your imagination in cooking with rhubarb.

Living in the heart of Washington brings great appreciation for the rhubarb season.  Washington State has the ideal climate for growing fresh rhubarb, and is the leading rhubarb producer in the United States, boasting 824 acres of farm land dedicated exclusively to growing rhubarb.

Most people wonder whether rhubarb is a vegetable or a fruit.  Rhubarb is often mistaken to be a fruit, but it is actually a close relative of garden sorrel and is a member of the vegetable family.  Rhubarb has a unique taste that makes it a favorite in many pies and desserts.

Rhubarb has an interesting history of facts and folklore.  Some of this folklore is included in this book.  As a poet, I found it enjoyable to color this cookbook with poetry so that readers could savor the metaphorical richness of rhubarb as well as its literal flavor.  Also included in this Rhubarb Delights Cookbook are some articles on history, cultivation, and botanical information, along with some interesting trivia and tidbits.

The cookbook is organized in convenient alphabetical sections to assist you in finding recipes related to the type of cooking you need: appetizers and dips; beverages; breads and rolls; breakfasts; cakes; candies; cookies; desserts; dressings, sauces, and condiments; jams, jellies, and syrups; main dishes; pies; preserving; salads; side dishes; soups; and wines and spirits.

Rhubarb Delights Cookbook

Bindings


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Mountain Valley View Farm, Inc.
Your Source for Northwest Farm Fresh Foods Shipped Worldwide
4301 South Chapman Road
Greenacres, Washington 99016-8732 USA
Phone (509) 928-1800 | Fax (509) 922-9949
Email: sales@mountainvalleyviewfarm.com

Website: www.mountainvalleyviewfarm.com
Online Store: www.mountainvalleyviewfarmstore.com
Blog with us at www.mountainvalleyviewfarmblog.com

Mountain Valley View Farm Hours:

Monday – Saturday
8:00 a.m. – Noon;  1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. (Pacific Time)
Closed Noon – 1:00 p.m.

Other farm hours by advance appointment only.
Please call (509) 928-1800 to schedule an appointment.

Getaway Studio Dining Room
& Bed and Breakfast
Phone (509) 928-8900

Directions to Mountain Valley View Farm, Inc.

From I-90 East or West

Take the Sullivan Exit (291B) – South for about 3 miles
Turn left on Saltese (east), and continue for .5 mile
Turn right on South Chapman Road (south), and proceed .9 mile
The farm will be on the left-hand side of the road – 4301 South Chapman Road

Halloween Delights Delivers No Tricks, Plenty of Treats

Thursday, September 22, 2011 @ 12:09 PM
posted by Sibella

It’s that time of year again! The weather is turning crisp and cool, leaves are changing to vibrant autumn colors, and the holidays are just around the corner. First up is Halloween, a favorite for the child in each of us, a magical and spooky night filled with delicious goodies, fun costumes, and frights galore. To help make the most of the holiday, pick up a copy of Halloween Delights by Karen Jean Matsko Hood. More than just a cookbook, Halloween Delights is a treasure trove of creative ideas to make your fright night celebration one to remember! The book is also packed with extras, like information on how to grow your own pumpkins, interesting facts about the history, folklore, and symbolism of Halloween, and a helpful glossary of cooking and baking terms.

I’ve been impressed with each entry in Hood’s Cookbook Delights series that I have seen so far, but this one honestly blew me away. From the clever to the creepy to the downright ghastly, each recipe is a masterpiece of ingenuity that will delight, scare, and gross out your Halloween guests in the best way possible. The variety of recipes is staggering, enabling you to choose just how ghoulish you want your party to be. The Halloween Haunted Forest Platter, for example, is a really creative way of dressing up the ordinary vegetable platter that will entice even kids into nibbling on healthy treats, and it’s a really cute idea. (Imagine a forest of broccoli trees haunted by egg ghosts and other creepy, edible creatures.) If you’d rather horrify your guests, there are recipes like the Boogers and Slugs Halloween Cake and Chocolate Slime, foods that may sound or even look disgusting, but are guaranteed to be delicious. The Bleeding Human Heart, a heart-shaped gelatin that oozes thick grenadine blood when cut into portions, is one of my favorites–there’s no doubt it’ll make an impression!

Halloween Delights is so full of fun and creative ideas that my kids literally could not stop poring over it. They had a blast helping me try out some of the recipes in the kitchen and have been begging to try out more ever since. We made Witch’s Hat Chocolate Cupcakes, Creepy Crawly Spider Cookies, and Jack-O-Lantern Cheeseburger Pie. All of the recipes were easy to follow and turned out fabulous, not just in taste but in visual impact as well, which is at least half the fun with a holiday like this. I was also pleased to find a number of recipes that are designed for feeding large crowds, which will make planning a party all the easier. This is the ultimate Halloween cookbook, crammed with enough ideas to see my family through all the spooky parties we will ever throw. Now the only problem is picking which recipes to use–and how to prevent my kids from wanting to celebrate Halloween all year long!

Halloween Delights Cookbook – Paperback ©2008

A Bountiful Harvest: Apple Delights Cookbook

Friday, September 16, 2011 @ 12:09 PM
posted by Sibella

I have to admit the apple is one of my all-time favorite fruits, but I’m not very adventurous or inventive in the kitchen, so I rarely eat them unless they are raw or baked into a pie or cobbler. Apple Delights by Karen Jean Matsko Hood has changed that for me, and I couldn’t be more delighted.

The latest in Whispering Pine Press International‘s popular Cookbook Delights series, Apple Delights arrives just in time for the beginning of autumn harvest and baked cool weather treats. Like all of Hood’s cookbooks, it is packed with over 200 mouth-watering recipes that cover every conceivable type of food, from main dishes to soups and salads–and of course, desserts and everything in between. There is also valuable information about the history and folklore of the fruit, as well as a selection of Hood’s internationally published poetry. I especially appreciated the section on different types of apple, since there are so many varieties that it can sometimes be overwhelming when trying to select the right kind for a certain recipe.

My family tried out the Chicken Apple Curry with a side of Apple Dumplings and Apple Tart Cookies for dessert. As always with Hood’s recipes, the directions were clear and easy to follow and the results were fantastic. The curry was very tender, more of a Thai red curry than the traditional yellow curry I expected, with hearty flavors from the tomato and cilantro, and a bright, pleasantly tart and sweet note from the apples. The Apple Dumplings were absolutely delightful, deliciously sweet and juicy, and my kids thought they were a blast. The Apple Tart Cookies were chock full of many different flavors that complemented each other in unexpected ways–I’ve had chocolate with coconut, I’ve had apples with raisins, but never have I had all of them together before. It’s a recipe you have to try to believe–an absolute knockout. And of course, with Apple Delights there’s so much more to look forward to, recipes for traditional goodies like homemade cider, caramel apples, and old fashioned applesauce that I can’t wait to try out, and intriguing new ideas like Apple Cheddar Cookies and Apple and Potato Chowder. No doubt about it: Karen Jean Matsko Hood has penned another winning cookbook that will revolutionize the way you see this humble fruit.

Right now, Apple Delights is on sale for only $9.95! Buy it today!

Apple Delights Cookbook – Comb Bound ©2004

Peach Delights Offers a Burst of Summer Flavor

Tuesday, September 13, 2011 @ 08:09 AM
posted by Sibella

Peach Delights by Karen Jean Matsko Hood is the latest addition to the perennially popular Cookbook Delights series published by Whispering Pine Press International. Like all of the books in this series, Peach Delights is packed with valuable information that goes far above and beyond mere recipes: interesting facts about the history and nutrition of the peach, gardening tips for growing your own, and detailed information for canning and preserving this delicious fruit. There is even a selection of delightful poems by Karen Hood, who has had her work published in numerous international literary journals. Recipes are laid out in a consistent manner and the instructions are clear, simple to understand and follow even for kitchen novices. The glossary of terms and measurement conversion chart in the back make it even easier for inexperienced chefs to succeed in the exciting world of cooking. With all this and more than 230 recipes at your fingertips, Peach Delights is a treasure trove of culinary inspiration and knowledge.

I tried out a several of the recipes from Peach Delights and was absolutely thrilled with the results. I have to admit that the peach is not my favorite fruit, and usually I only eat it in a good cobbler. This cookbook has entirely changed my opinion about peaches–maybe I still won’t like to eat them plain, but now there’s a whole world of possibility for using this fruit to jazz up my cooking! The Cranberry Peach Meatballs were simply incredible–I honestly don’t know that I could say enough things about them. What an innovative recipe, full of ingredients I would have never imagined putting into a meatball, and the result is so flavorful it knocked everyone in my family for a loop. If you need a simple but very impressive appetizer for a pot luck or family gathering, this is it.

We also made the Chicken and Peach Curry, another flavor combination that I wouldn’t have thought of on my own. It was a big hit even with the kids, who don’t generally care for curry. One thing’s for sure: since the Cookbook Delights series has come into my life, my kids are no longer such picky eaters and are much more open to trying out new foods! We finished up our meal with Peach Cobbler, of course, and I can honestly say that that was one of the best cobblers I have ever had. It was very simple to make, with a sweet flaky crust and flavorful, succulent peach filling.

Peach Delights Cookbook – Paperback ©2010




Whispering Pine Press celebrates GetLit!

Tuesday, April 12, 2011 @ 08:04 AM
posted by Sibella

This week is the 13th annual Get Lit! literary festival sponsored by Eastern Washington University. Events run from April 13-17, and include poetry slams, book readings, panel discussions, writing contests, and workshops. For a full calendar of this year’s events, click here. Over 40 nationally acclaimed and local authors will be in Spokane for Get Lit!; past guests have included such luminaries as Kurt Vonnegut, Salman Rushdie, and David Sedaris. Prominent authors for GetLit! 2011 are Tim O’Brien, Sena Jeter Naslund, Maude Barlow, Sam Kean, Matthew Dickman, Louise Borden, Michael Harmon, Suzanne Morgan Williams, and Ani DiFranco. For a full list of authors attending this year’s festival, click here.

The Big Read is an event created by the National Endowment for the Arts with the goal of restoring reading to the center of a community’s culture by “[drawing] communities together around a single book through a month long series of related literary events.” For Spokane County’s third Big Read event, the book chosen is The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien, a collection of stories about soldiers who served in the Vietnam War. The Things They Carried was a finalist for both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Critics Award. The Big Read will culminate on April 16 at the Bing Crosby Theater, when Tim O’Brien and veteran/poet Brian Turner will discuss their experiences in war and their resulting creative works. This event is also part of GetLit!.

To celebrate GetLit!, Whispering Pine Press is offering a 10% discount on all books from April 13-17. Please visit our website to see our list of children’s and adult fiction, cookbooks, poetry collections, and more. If you have any difficulty getting the 10% discount on our website, feel free to call us at (509) 928-8700.

In honor of GetLit!, we are also giving away one free copy of Frost of Spring Green, Karen Hood’s widely-acclaimed first poetry collection. Click here to read a review of the book, then leave a comment on this post to be entered into the giveaway. Don’t forget to include your e-mail address so that we can contact you if you win! Entries will be accepted through April 23 to give everyone time to participate.

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