Homemade Ghee

Ghee is a type of clarified butter.  You boil the butter until the milk solids turn brown and sink to the bottom of the pan. Then you run it through a strainer and cheesecloth to remove the milk solids.  Ghee is a great replacement for butter when frying foods or putting on your vegetables instead of butter.  It doesn't need to be refrigerated but if you put it in the refrigerator it will keep for a year.  We use it fast enough that I keep it in the cabinet so it is not so hard to scoop out.

I'm not going to do a price comparison on making your own ghee for a few reasons.  The first jar of ghee that was given as a gift to me is organic and from grass fed cows.  You can use grass-fed butter to make your ghee but it is hard to find around here.  So because I used standard butter there is no comparison in price between my ghee, that took 4 sticks to fill my ghee jar, and the organic ghee.  Next time I might use Kerrygold butter from grass-fed cows.  I saw it at the Woods in Warrensburg and also the Costco.  But I wanted to know if I could do the recipe before I used some more expensive butter.  I'm also not as strict as some people about eating grass-fed only beef so my opinion wasn't too strong on grass-fed butter.    

One note: for some reason my butter had a froth on the top the whole time.  I don't know why. So the first batch with 2 sticks cooked for quite a while before I wondered what I was supposed to be seeing.  It had stopped bubbling completely.  I took a spoon and moved the foam aside and sure enough there was very brown milk solids on the bottom.  My second batch I kept checking by moving the foam and didn't cook as long.  I used low heat, set at a 3, and it was perfect.

I got the instructions from Nom Nom Paleo:  Food for Humans. It's in her book which I have.  It's also here on her website.   

Check it out, try some ghee.

Mayo and Dairy Free Ranch

So I'm doing a Whole 30 to reset my brain and eating habits before going back to a Keto/Paleo diet.  Basically I eat meat and veggies.  No dairy, legumes, alcohol, added sugar of any kind- including artificial, and no grains.  We are working our way through our split half of beef. If you would like your own split half then contact me because I have one left.  It will be a while before we process another beef for sale and prices are going to raise so you want this one that I have.  

I made mayo just like this recipe for 2 Minute Mayonnaise I used olive oil since that is better, and approved on a Whole 30.  

Then when I was done I made a double batch of dairy free Ranch.  The recipe came from the book Well Fed: Paleo Recipes for People Who Love to Eat. 

Dairy Free Ranch

1/4 cup Olive Oil Mayo

1/2 garlic clove, minced (about half a teaspoon)

1/8 tsp paprika

2 Tbsp fresh parsley leaves, minced (about 1 Tablespoon)

2 tsp dried chives

1/2 tsp lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

Now that I'm looking at the recipe I think I used double the amount of parsley needed because I measured out the two tablespoons after mincing it.  Oh well, it was still good. 

I minced up a bunch of parsley and then I put it in 2 tablespoons full into an ice cube tray. Then I added just enough water to each one to be at the top and for an ice cube. Now I have fresh parsley for future uses and didn't waist a bunch.  

Grand Opening Will Be the Week Beginning March 3

Because of the weather I have decided to close until March. I was going to loose meat without being able to sell it and the water in my water lines were freezing and breaking. I think this is the best idea. When we relaunch in March I will have a new logo on my trailer with my new name, a new website, business cards, and newspaper ads.  Until then I'll keep you posted and I will let you know when I have some pictures.

Happy New Year!

I am very thankful to family. My cousin William lets me park my trailer at his house just outside of town. He helped me Saturday with a busted water line. I guess that day my tanks froze it busted a line near the pump because Friday when I turned my electricity on for the first time since the freeze, water started spewing out.  We got that taken care of and I am ready to go out for the new year starting January 2.  This is my schedule:

Monday: Cup From Above parking lot
Wednesday: 16th street in front of The Hair Salon and Spa of Sedalia
Thursday: Waterloo Road
Friday: Parking lot at 7th and Ohio

Please visit the businesses that let me park near them on Facebook or in person. Wednesday is Waxy Wednesday at the Hair Salon and Spa. I visit them every other Wednesday to get my eyebrows waxed for just $5.  

I hope to serve you at one of these great locations.

The Weather Outside is Frightful

Well it's been a while since I've parked in downtown. Many things have happened: dead truck battery, frozen water tanks, freezing rain. It is almost the new year and there are a few things that will be happening. I've added more locations to the route. I plan to be weekly at the same spot and now have 4 spots by partnering with other local businesses.

I have changed the name of the food trailer to strEATs Mobile Deli. A new logo and website are in the works. Then I will have the design changed on the trailer.  Please visit and like the new Facebook page.  The farm will still be there to offer you home grown beef that is raised on pasture while eating a little corn.  The reason for the change is because I made a change in my meat selection. I now get quality meats from a restaurant supplier instead of a local butcher.  I will still use local produce when seasonally available and use local beef in my chili.

I bought a professional coffee maker. I love the tea at two local restaurants and so I asked who their supplier and brand was. It was the same for both so I contacted this supplier to get my own tea, coffee, and hot chocolate.  These drinks will be $2 a glass. You can upgrade the can of soda or bottle of water in your meal to one of these drinks for $.75.  I might add hot tea flavors, I'm taste testing a few brands. Hot cups are 16 ounces and cold cups are 24 ounces.  

Here at the beginning of the year some fairs and festivals have been posted online so I am signing up. If you know of an event I should attend please don't hesitate to contact me, I might not know about that one.

Have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!      

Opening Day Went Well

Well opening day was Friday and it went well.  I served 11 meals while in downtown Sedalia.  I plan to be there each Friday.  I plan to see about going to manufacturing places during the rest of the week.  I had a line at one point and lost a customer because of it. I think that to go to the manufacturers I will have to hire help to run register and take orders while I prepare sandwiches.

I am very grateful to all who came out on opening day.  Thank you.

Snail Creek Farm Mobile Deli Will Be Opening Soon

Wow, it has been two months.  I am not a good blogger.  Many things have happened in these two months in regards to opening my own restaurant.

After the building fell through in Leeton I looked at buildings in Sedalia.  There was one really nice one in downtown with space to make apartments upstairs.  It didn't have a kitchen and would have to be remodeled a little to add that.  The price just got too high when calculating the building, renovation, kitchen equipment, and employees I would need to open a restaurant in the middle of downtown. So I started looking to other options and that's when Jeremy and I thought food truck! 

I actually decided to go with a trailer so if my engine breaks it's not attached to my kitchen.  We found a great trailer on Craigslist that was only 1 year old.  Dad and I drove 4 hours to southern Missouri to get it.

We will be opening November 8 from 11-3 in the parking lot at 7th and Ohio in Sedalia.  We've been issued our city license and the county health inspector comes tomorrow.

Our bread is being made by a Mennonite family in Centerview that has a professional kitchen.  The meat and cheese are coming from Alewel's in Warrensburg.  I will get the lettuce, tomato, onion, and green pepper from local farmers when in season.

I will be selling my sandwiches as a meal.  They will come with a bag of kettle chips and a drink.  I still have to find the supplier of the kettle chips so tomorrow I'm going to Restaurant Depot to check there.  I've also contacted Frito Lay since I now own a business (oh my goodness, I own a business!), I can find who my distributor would be.  The drink will be a canned soda or bottled water.  Maybe later I will have tea and lemonade.  My counter space is very limited so two big containers would take up a lot of space.  

All my meals will cost the same.  I'm not going to make a distinction between sandwich type.  I'm definitely doing a Reuben and everyone wants a Philly Cheese Steak.  I don't think they realize how difficult it is going to be to eat that thing with my bread type.  I don't have deli rolls but nice, soft, Mennonite sandwich bread.  Maybe if I make the meat onions and peppers on my grill then squish the sandwich together in my panini press like a Reuben.  I'll use provolone cheese and we'll call it a "sort-of like a Philly Cheese Steak"

The meats I ordered are smoked ham, smoked turkey, corned beef, and bacon.  I was trying to keep it simple but so many people want a Philly Cheese Steak that I think I need to order regular roast beef and green peppers too.  I bought a deli slicer so I can slice my own meat and cheese. I think it's nicer that way.

I did to make my own sauces such as Thousand Island.  I had a lead on homemade mustard but she doesn't use an inspected kitchen so I can't use her product (which tastes delicious).  I am also too scared of food poisoning or death to make my own mayonnaise so maybe I'll forgo the homemade sauces.      

Another thing I'm going to look into this week is how much it will cost to remove the vinyl that is on the trailer and put my own logo up.  I'm debating and thinking I won't remove the words from the top of the trailer because all those things could be done.

My trailer came with a lot of stuff.  I have all the equipment and syrups to make snow cones in 24 flavors.  I have both open and sealed boxes of cups, boxes for sandwiches, sandwich paper, forks, etc.

One thing I found out is that I will not be able to work out of downtown Warrensburg.  It is against the zoning regulations to have a food truck on a street.  There are some talks before City Council to hopefully loosen these regulations in the future.  I hope it passes, that would be nice.  

Well that was a really long post.  I hope you didn't get tired and stop reading.  I have been accused of saying too much and writing emails too long but that was when I had a job: Now I own my job.