Eat Food Truck food and Support Housing Transitions, 9/24

Housing Transitions is having a delicious sounding fundraiser.  Stop by the 200 block of South Allen St. in State College on Sunday, September 24 from 12 – 3 pm and check out the Food Truck Rally in the Valley.

There’ll be yummy grub from some of the food trucks of the Centre Region.  So far Nomad Kitchen, Street Meat, El Gringo Taco Truck, and World’s Fare Catering are on the food truck line-up.

There will also live music performed by Pure Cane Sugar.

A portion of the proceeds from food sales will go to benefit the work of Housing Transitions.  You can visit their Facebook page for more information about what they do and how you can help.

Remember, walking around food is good food.

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Kuchen is pronounced “yum”

Do you find yourself with an over-abundance of blackberries or Fall raspberries?  Is your pantry full of jam, but your freezer is still full of strawberries from earlier in the Spring?  We’ll here is a quick dessert that is like a giant sugar cookie covered with lightly sweetened fruit.  It’s called kuchen (pronounced koo-kin) and it is tasty with coffee or tea.

You’ll need:

1 stick butter

2/3 c. sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. almond extract

1 1/4 c. flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

2 c. fruit

1 Tbsp sugar to mix with fruit

1/4 tsp. cinnamon to mix with fruit

Cream butter and sugar.  Add egg, vanilla, and almond extract.  Mix to incorporate.  Add flour and salt.  Mix to incorporate.  Chill dough for 30 min in the fridge.  If the fruit is strawberries, cut them in halves or slice them thickly.  Mix fruit with sugar and cinnamon.  Press the dough into a tart pan lined with parchment paper.  Pour the fruit over top.  Bake at 350oF for 40 min.

 

It’s really good with tart fruits.  I don’t know how it would be with sweeter things.

Walking around food.

Here’s a recipe for some tasty beef hand-pies that are a snap to make and are just as good cold as hot.

Crust

2 cups unbleached flour

1 tsp salt

2 tsp sugar

1/4 c. cold water

1/2 whole beaten egg

1 1/2 tsp vinegar

3/4 c plus 2 Tbsp vegetable shortening, chilled

Mix flour, sugar, and salt.  Cut shortening into the flour mixture until it has the consistency of very small peas.  Mix egg, water, and vinegar.  Stir the egg mixture into the flour/shortening mixture with a fork until it starts to form a ball.  Using your hands, mix the dough until it has a uniform consistency with little flecks of shortening.  Make a 6 inch disk, wrap it in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator.

Filling

2 Tbsp. butter

1 c. chopped onion

1 c. diced carrots

1 lb. ground beef

1 Tbsp.  flour

2 Tbsp.  Worchestershire sauce

1/4 c. water

1/2 tsp. salt

Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat.  Saute onions and carrots until the onions are translucent (~ 3 min).  Add beef and brown for 3 min.  Mix flour, water, and Worchestershire sauce in a bowl.  Add this to the beef mixture and cook to thicken the sauce.

Assembly

Cut pie crust dough into 5 pieces.  Roll out each piece until it is approximately 6 inches x 8 inches.  Put 1/5th of the filling onto one half of the dough.  Fold the other half over the top of the filling.  Pinch the edges of the dough together, fold the edge of the pinched edge back over on itself about 3/4 inch the whole way around and pinch it down again.  Repeat for the other 4 pieces of dough and using the rest of the filling.  Poke several holes in the top of each pie with a fork.

Baking

Heat oven to 425oF.  Place meat pies on a baking sheet.  Bake for 10 min.  Reduce the temperature to 375oF and bake for an additional 25 min.  The pies should be golden brown when done.  If they start to get too dark, you can cover them with foil.

 

 

 

 

Feel Goodery Foods- New Local Food Business

Have you heard of these guys?  No?  Then you’re missing out.  Feel Goodery Foods is a new local food business that sells freshly prepared meals based on seasonal ingredients.  A little bit of assembly on your part, heat it up, and eat it up, yum (that’s northwestern PA speak for bon appetit!).  Melanie Rosenberger and Laura Zaino , the proprietors, are coming up with some very tasty offerings including: soups, flatbreads, barbecue, and more.  You can order on-line and then pick-up at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Port Matilda, PA (directions).  For more information about this cool new business or to see the latest menu, visit their website or check them out on Facebook.

Penn State Student Farm Harvest Festival (Sept. 7th)

The Penn State Student Farm is hosting a harvest festival on Thursday Sept. 7th from 5:30 – 7:30 pm at the Student Farm (near the intersection of Fox Hollow and Big Hollow Rds).  Food, music, and tours.  Check it out.  For more information, visit their event page. Please RSVP with the Student Farm if you plan on attending.

(Editorial note:  If you think Penn State should support more activities and initiatives around local food and community resilience, then vote with your feet and go to the harvest festival.)

Crickfest is tomorrow (Sept. 3)

The 15th Annual CrickFest sponsored by Penns Valley Conservation Association takes place tomorrow, September 3rd, from 11 am – 6 pm.  This event takes place at Coburn Park in Coburn, PA (click here for directions).  There will be local food, live music, educational workshops, and lots of family-friendly activities.  For more information, visit the PVCA website or check it out on Facebook.  Don’t miss this opportunity to build and race zucchini boats or learn how to eat stinging nettles.

Water and Farmland Protection Update

TOLL BROTHERS IDENTIFIES ALTERNATIVE SITES

NVWC Press Release

Nittany Valley Water Coalition (NVWC) held a follow-up meeting with Charles Elliott of Toll Brothers developers on Wednesday, August 16 to discuss Toll Brothers’ recent review of alternative State College sites for student housing.

On August 2, NVWC presented Toll Brothers with detailed information about PSU lands suitable for building closer to campus.

NVWC has been leading a community effort to pressure Penn State, the current landowner, and Toll Brothers to relocate a planned development on Whitehall Road to a site that does not risk local water safety. The current 44 acre site is located uphill from the Thomas-Harter wells.

Elliott and his team have now ranked several PSU properties with respect to zoning and infrastructure and identified several as viable alternatives if township officials and PSU officials will facilitate a “land swap” and any needed approvals. The top ranked site is located on West College Avenue in front of the Blue Course golf property. Elliott stated that while further corporate economic and structural viability assessments are needed, the alternative site was attractive for its proximity to campus and downtown amenities.

Concerned citizens have occupied the Whitehall Road site continuously for 75 days and will continue community efforts to stop the Whitehall development.

Incoming PSU students and their families will be informed of the issue with a water and flyer distribution on Saturday, August 19.

Meanwhile, a citizen appeal is pending in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

For additional information, contact Terry Melton, terrymelton321@gmail.com, 814-883-8154, or visit nittanyvalleywatercoalition.org

KEY MEETING AT WATER AUTHORITY – 4 p.m. TODAY

From Save State College’s Water Supply

Come ask the SCBWA board today – Thursday, August 17, 4 p.m. at 1201 East Branch Road – why they said in their July 31 public statement that the Tolls have a no blasting policy for their development plan.

That is incorrect.

There IS BLASTING permitted in the development plan for our watershed.

Why would the board issue a public statement with such a massive oversight?

The Water Authority missed this but the citizens did not.

Blasting is THE MAJOR THREAT during construction phase.

We can’t get sloppy now.

While seeming quite promising for a land swap, the negotiations may still fall through.

Come to the water authority board meeting. Let them know we’re watching even when they aren’t.

AUGUST 19 – PSU MOVE-IN DAY ACTION

From NVWC Organizer David Hughes

This weekend on Saturday August 19, between 10:45 a.m. and 2 p.m. we will be handing out water and information for parents and new students/current students.

We had a great day August 16 and made significant progress with Toll Brothers.

But we really need to keep the pressure on PSU and this weekend is a great opportunity to share information.

Please do join if you can and let me know if you will so we can organize. We will have some students join from the Young Dems.

To volunteer – contact David Hughes at davidpeterhughes@gmail.com