The garden is still maturing, but even so, we have had some pretty amazing meals from it. The salad bar is still producing faster than we can eat. I now have a couple of lettuce trees in addition to some more normal lettuces. Jerry is crazy about the dark leaf peppery one. I am not as fond of it so I am making sure that it is torn into small pieces before going into the salad. *FYI...if you don't have a salad spinner, I highly recommend you get one. They are the best way to get the water off of your freshly washed lettuce.
The cherry tomatoes are maturing daily and we have a new crop to harvest each time we go outside it seems. Yesterday I broiled them three different ways so we could get an idea of how to prepare them instead of always having them in salad. This is pretty important as Jordan and Jacob don't care for tomatoes in their salad. I did three varieties yesterday. All started with a drizzle of olive oil. One batch then received fresh basil, salt, and pepper. The second batch received fresh basil, balsamic vinegar, and Parmesan cheese. The last batch was feta cheese. Our favorite was the balsamic vinegar one. I couldn't believe how sweet the tomatoes were! The feta cheese was tasty, but the texture was weird. The cheese was hard after being under the broiler. The basil only batch was fresh and lovely, but there was just something about the balsamic vinegar batch!!!
This is our first really big attempt at a garden. We have had tomatoes and peppers before, but this go around we have some eggplant and that has been an experience. We purchased these plants at J and P here in Mechanicsville. They have been incredibly healthy and are absolutely covered with eggplants. There are bees buzzing around them as the plants continue to blossom, promising more eggplants in the future. We have only eaten three of the eggplants, but they are tasty! We used a couple in a veggie scramble with onions, pepper, and the last time with some okra. I also grilled one of the eggplant with herbs and olive oil. I must say, the grilled eggplant was wonderful, but I blew it when I didn't use fresh herbs.
Jillian loves sun dried tomatoes and with the bumper crop of Roma tomatoes ripening in the garden, I Googled how to make them this way. I think we have a handle on it, but there are several options ranging from using a dehydrator (we don't have) to actually using the sun, a hot car, or the over (all of which I do have). I think the oven is my first choice as I can control the temp and the bugs that way. Will let you know all about it when we get started.
Monday, July 4, 2011
July 4, 2011
The garden is still maturing, but even so, we have had some pretty amazing meals from it. The salad bar is still producing faster than we can eat. I now have a couple of lettuce trees in addition to some more normal lettuces. Jerry is crazy about the dark leaf peppery one. I am not as fond of it so I am making sure that it is torn into small pieces before going into the salad. *FYI...if you don't have a salad spinner, I highly recommend you get one. They are the best way to get the water off of your freshly washed lettuce.
The cherry tomatoes are maturing daily and we have a new crop to harvest each time we go outside it seems. Yesterday I broiled them three different ways so we could get an idea of how to prepare them instead of always having them in salad. This is pretty important as Jordan and Jacob don't care for tomatoes in their salad. I did three varieties yesterday. All started with a drizzle of olive oil. One batch then received fresh basil, salt, and pepper. The second batch received fresh basil, balsamic vinegar, and Parmesan cheese. The last batch was feta cheese. Our favorite was the balsamic vinegar one. I couldn't believe how sweet the tomatoes were! The feta cheese was tasty, but the texture was weird. The cheese was hard after being under the broiler. The basil only batch was fresh and lovely, but there was just something about the balsamic vinegar batch!!!
This is our first really big attempt at a garden. We have had tomatoes and peppers before, but this go around we have some eggplant and that has been an experience. We purchased these plants at J and P here in Mechanicsville. They have been incredibly healthy and are absolutely covered with eggplants. There are bees buzzing around them as the plants continue to blossom, promising more eggplants in the future. We have only eaten three of the eggplants, but they are tasty! We used a couple in a veggie scramble with onions, pepper, and the last time with some okra. I also grilled one of the eggplant with herbs and olive oil. I must say, the grilled eggplant was wonderful, but I blew it when I didn't use fresh herbs.
Jillian loves sun dried tomatoes and with the bumper crop of Roma tomatoes ripening in the garden, I Googled how to make them this way. I think we have a handle on it, but there are several options ranging from using a dehydrator (we don't have) to actually using the sun, a hot car, or the over (all of which I do have). I think the oven is my first choice as I can control the temp and the bugs that way. Will let you know all about it when we get started.
The cherry tomatoes are maturing daily and we have a new crop to harvest each time we go outside it seems. Yesterday I broiled them three different ways so we could get an idea of how to prepare them instead of always having them in salad. This is pretty important as Jordan and Jacob don't care for tomatoes in their salad. I did three varieties yesterday. All started with a drizzle of olive oil. One batch then received fresh basil, salt, and pepper. The second batch received fresh basil, balsamic vinegar, and Parmesan cheese. The last batch was feta cheese. Our favorite was the balsamic vinegar one. I couldn't believe how sweet the tomatoes were! The feta cheese was tasty, but the texture was weird. The cheese was hard after being under the broiler. The basil only batch was fresh and lovely, but there was just something about the balsamic vinegar batch!!!
This is our first really big attempt at a garden. We have had tomatoes and peppers before, but this go around we have some eggplant and that has been an experience. We purchased these plants at J and P here in Mechanicsville. They have been incredibly healthy and are absolutely covered with eggplants. There are bees buzzing around them as the plants continue to blossom, promising more eggplants in the future. We have only eaten three of the eggplants, but they are tasty! We used a couple in a veggie scramble with onions, pepper, and the last time with some okra. I also grilled one of the eggplant with herbs and olive oil. I must say, the grilled eggplant was wonderful, but I blew it when I didn't use fresh herbs.
Jillian loves sun dried tomatoes and with the bumper crop of Roma tomatoes ripening in the garden, I Googled how to make them this way. I think we have a handle on it, but there are several options ranging from using a dehydrator (we don't have) to actually using the sun, a hot car, or the over (all of which I do have). I think the oven is my first choice as I can control the temp and the bugs that way. Will let you know all about it when we get started.
July 4, 2011
The garden is still maturing, but even so, we have had some pretty amazing meals from it. The salad bar is still producing faster than we can eat. I now have a couple of lettuce trees in addition to some more normal lettuces. Jerry is crazy about the dark leaf peppery one. I am not as fond of it so I am making sure that it is torn into small pieces before going into the salad. *FYI...if you don't have a salad spinner, I highly recommend you get one. They are the best way to get the water off of your freshly washed lettuce.
The cherry tomatoes are maturing daily and we have a new crop to harvest each time we go outside it seems. Yesterday I broiled them three different ways so we could get an idea of how to prepare them instead of always having them in salad. This is pretty important as Jordan and Jacob don't care for tomatoes in their salad. I did three varieties yesterday. All started with a drizzle of olive oil. One batch then received fresh basil, salt, and pepper. The second batch received fresh basil, balsamic vinegar, and Parmesan cheese. The last batch was feta cheese. Our favorite was the balsamic vinegar one. I couldn't believe how sweet the tomatoes were! The feta cheese was tasty, but the texture was weird. The cheese was hard after being under the broiler. The basil only batch was fresh and lovely, but there was just something about the balsamic vinegar batch!!!
This is our first really big attempt at a garden. We have had tomatoes and peppers before, but this go around we have some eggplant and that has been an experience. We purchased these plants at J and P here in Mechanicsville. They have been incredibly healthy and are absolutely covered with eggplants. There are bees buzzing around them as the plants continue to blossom, promising more eggplants in the future. We have only eaten three of the eggplants, but they are tasty! We used a couple in a veggie scramble with onions, pepper, and the last time with some okra. I also grilled one of the eggplant with herbs and olive oil. I must say, the grilled eggplant was wonderful, but I blew it when I didn't use fresh herbs.
Jillian loves sun dried tomatoes and with the bumper crop of Roma tomatoes ripening in the garden, I Googled how to make them this way. I think we have a handle on it, but there are several options ranging from using a dehydrator (we don't have) to actually using the sun, a hot car, or the over (all of which I do have). I think the oven is my first choice as I can control the temp and the bugs that way. Will let you know all about it when we get started.
The cherry tomatoes are maturing daily and we have a new crop to harvest each time we go outside it seems. Yesterday I broiled them three different ways so we could get an idea of how to prepare them instead of always having them in salad. This is pretty important as Jordan and Jacob don't care for tomatoes in their salad. I did three varieties yesterday. All started with a drizzle of olive oil. One batch then received fresh basil, salt, and pepper. The second batch received fresh basil, balsamic vinegar, and Parmesan cheese. The last batch was feta cheese. Our favorite was the balsamic vinegar one. I couldn't believe how sweet the tomatoes were! The feta cheese was tasty, but the texture was weird. The cheese was hard after being under the broiler. The basil only batch was fresh and lovely, but there was just something about the balsamic vinegar batch!!!
This is our first really big attempt at a garden. We have had tomatoes and peppers before, but this go around we have some eggplant and that has been an experience. We purchased these plants at J and P here in Mechanicsville. They have been incredibly healthy and are absolutely covered with eggplants. There are bees buzzing around them as the plants continue to blossom, promising more eggplants in the future. We have only eaten three of the eggplants, but they are tasty! We used a couple in a veggie scramble with onions, pepper, and the last time with some okra. I also grilled one of the eggplant with herbs and olive oil. I must say, the grilled eggplant was wonderful, but I blew it when I didn't use fresh herbs.
Jillian loves sun dried tomatoes and with the bumper crop of Roma tomatoes ripening in the garden, I Googled how to make them this way. I think we have a handle on it, but there are several options ranging from using a dehydrator (we don't have) to actually using the sun, a hot car, or the over (all of which I do have). I think the oven is my first choice as I can control the temp and the bugs that way. Will let you know all about it when we get started.
July 4, 2011
The garden is still maturing, but even so, we have had some pretty amazing meals from it. The salad bar is still producing faster than we can eat. I now have a couple of lettuce trees in addition to some more normal lettuces. Jerry is crazy about the dark leaf peppery one. I am not as fond of it so I am making sure that it is torn into small pieces before going into the salad. *FYI...if you don't have a salad spinner, I highly recommend you get one. They are the best way to get the water off of your freshly washed lettuce.
The cherry tomatoes are maturing daily and we have a new crop to harvest each time we go outside it seems. Yesterday I broiled them three different ways so we could get an idea of how to prepare them instead of always having them in salad. This is pretty important as Jordan and Jacob don't care for tomatoes in their salad. I did three varieties yesterday. All started with a drizzle of olive oil. One batch then received fresh basil, salt, and pepper. The second batch received fresh basil, balsamic vinegar, and Parmesan cheese. The last batch was feta cheese. Our favorite was the balsamic vinegar one. I couldn't believe how sweet the tomatoes were! The feta cheese was tasty, but the texture was weird. The cheese was hard after being under the broiler. The basil only batch was fresh and lovely, but there was just something about the balsamic vinegar batch!!!
This is our first really big attempt at a garden. We have had tomatoes and peppers before, but this go around we have some eggplant and that has been an experience. We purchased these plants at J and P here in Mechanicsville. They have been incredibly healthy and are absolutely covered with eggplants. There are bees buzzing around them as the plants continue to blossom, promising more eggplants in the future. We have only eaten three of the eggplants, but they are tasty! We used a couple in a veggie scramble with onions, pepper, and the last time with some okra. I also grilled one of the eggplant with herbs and olive oil. I must say, the grilled eggplant was wonderful, but I blew it when I didn't use fresh herbs.
Jillian loves sun dried tomatoes and with the bumper crop of Roma tomatoes ripening in the garden, I Googled how to make them this way. I think we have a handle on it, but there are several options ranging from using a dehydrator (we don't have) to actually using the sun, a hot car, or the over (all of which I do have). I think the oven is my first choice as I can control the temp and the bugs that way. Will let you know all about it when we get started.
The cherry tomatoes are maturing daily and we have a new crop to harvest each time we go outside it seems. Yesterday I broiled them three different ways so we could get an idea of how to prepare them instead of always having them in salad. This is pretty important as Jordan and Jacob don't care for tomatoes in their salad. I did three varieties yesterday. All started with a drizzle of olive oil. One batch then received fresh basil, salt, and pepper. The second batch received fresh basil, balsamic vinegar, and Parmesan cheese. The last batch was feta cheese. Our favorite was the balsamic vinegar one. I couldn't believe how sweet the tomatoes were! The feta cheese was tasty, but the texture was weird. The cheese was hard after being under the broiler. The basil only batch was fresh and lovely, but there was just something about the balsamic vinegar batch!!!
This is our first really big attempt at a garden. We have had tomatoes and peppers before, but this go around we have some eggplant and that has been an experience. We purchased these plants at J and P here in Mechanicsville. They have been incredibly healthy and are absolutely covered with eggplants. There are bees buzzing around them as the plants continue to blossom, promising more eggplants in the future. We have only eaten three of the eggplants, but they are tasty! We used a couple in a veggie scramble with onions, pepper, and the last time with some okra. I also grilled one of the eggplant with herbs and olive oil. I must say, the grilled eggplant was wonderful, but I blew it when I didn't use fresh herbs.
Jillian loves sun dried tomatoes and with the bumper crop of Roma tomatoes ripening in the garden, I Googled how to make them this way. I think we have a handle on it, but there are several options ranging from using a dehydrator (we don't have) to actually using the sun, a hot car, or the over (all of which I do have). I think the oven is my first choice as I can control the temp and the bugs that way. Will let you know all about it when we get started.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Summer 2011
It has been a while...
Jerry and I have been working like crazy on our garden (no photos yet). We have visions of summer meals dancing in our heads and we think that we will be canning and freezing as well so that we can eat "fresh" during the winter.
Last week, I made a cherry pie with the help of Jillian and Caitlin. The cherries were pretty small, but they were from our tree and that means they tasted like heaven to us. I didn't use a recipe for the pie, so I can't share however, the basic premise is that fresh fruit pie should taste like the fruit. I added a little sugar (the cherries are tart) and a little bit of butter and cooked them for about 7 - 10 minutes. The pie crust was homemade and we made a lattice top crust sprinkled with sugar instead of a solid upper crust. It was beautiful and tasty. The best part may have been that Jerry appreciated it so much. He is a fool for a pie and cherry is his favorite. I typically hate anything cherry, but fresh cherries do not in any shape or form taste like cherry soda, canned cherry pie filling, cherry jello, cherry chapstick, cherry limeades, and so on....
Jerry and I have been working like crazy on our garden (no photos yet). We have visions of summer meals dancing in our heads and we think that we will be canning and freezing as well so that we can eat "fresh" during the winter.
Last week, I made a cherry pie with the help of Jillian and Caitlin. The cherries were pretty small, but they were from our tree and that means they tasted like heaven to us. I didn't use a recipe for the pie, so I can't share however, the basic premise is that fresh fruit pie should taste like the fruit. I added a little sugar (the cherries are tart) and a little bit of butter and cooked them for about 7 - 10 minutes. The pie crust was homemade and we made a lattice top crust sprinkled with sugar instead of a solid upper crust. It was beautiful and tasty. The best part may have been that Jerry appreciated it so much. He is a fool for a pie and cherry is his favorite. I typically hate anything cherry, but fresh cherries do not in any shape or form taste like cherry soda, canned cherry pie filling, cherry jello, cherry chapstick, cherry limeades, and so on....
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Cauliflower pasta sauce
I was reading an article online the other day about a couple who were going vegetarian. Never fear, dear friends, that this will ever happen at our house. I will readily admit that we don't have to have meat every meal, but we would never give up a good steak or burger either.
This particular couple were gradually going vegetarian. HUH? What that meant was that they don't eat meat at home, but will eat meat at a restaurant or at a friend's house. Reasonable. I would also take that to mean that if they had a mean craving, they would also eat it at home, but they didn't say that because that would have changed the article from "becoming gradual vegetarians" to "we don't eat meat at every meal" and that just isn't as compelling.
The article did mention making a pasta sauce out of cauliflower and I was intrigued. Jerry and I made a cauliflower soup and, while we loved the flavor, we weren't crazy about the texture. I wondered if the pasta would help hide the grittiness of the cauliflower and there is only one way to find that out.
I didn't have a recipe, so if you want to make this, don't look for it in the list or in the cookbooks. I took a cauliflower and cut in into large chunks. I placed these into salted water along with a head of garlic cloves that had been peeled. I boiled these until the cauliflower was tender. I added a half stick of unsalted butter and mashed the beegeebies out of it with a potato masher (I am not a huge fan of the food mill). I added some sirachi sauce to taste and poured it over pasta. Top it with freshly grated cheese. It LOOKED like mac and cheese, but was a little spicy and healthier. LOVED IT!!!
This particular couple were gradually going vegetarian. HUH? What that meant was that they don't eat meat at home, but will eat meat at a restaurant or at a friend's house. Reasonable. I would also take that to mean that if they had a mean craving, they would also eat it at home, but they didn't say that because that would have changed the article from "becoming gradual vegetarians" to "we don't eat meat at every meal" and that just isn't as compelling.
The article did mention making a pasta sauce out of cauliflower and I was intrigued. Jerry and I made a cauliflower soup and, while we loved the flavor, we weren't crazy about the texture. I wondered if the pasta would help hide the grittiness of the cauliflower and there is only one way to find that out.
I didn't have a recipe, so if you want to make this, don't look for it in the list or in the cookbooks. I took a cauliflower and cut in into large chunks. I placed these into salted water along with a head of garlic cloves that had been peeled. I boiled these until the cauliflower was tender. I added a half stick of unsalted butter and mashed the beegeebies out of it with a potato masher (I am not a huge fan of the food mill). I added some sirachi sauce to taste and poured it over pasta. Top it with freshly grated cheese. It LOOKED like mac and cheese, but was a little spicy and healthier. LOVED IT!!!
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Wild Wednesday
March 10th - I took the cookbook to school with me. I thought I might be able to sneak a quick peek at it and grab the ingredients on the way home. That plan, at least, worked out well.
I decided on Crawfish and Pasta with Stir-Fried Vegetables. Jerry had purchased some frozen crawfish tails at Kroger and so I was feeling pretty confident about getting this dish made. Unfortunately, there were no frozen crawfish tails, but the recipe forgivingly said I could use shrimp. Shrimp...check. On to the produce aisle.
This recipe was so healthy, I thought I would shame myself serving it to my butter-loving family. I cheated, and cheated, and cheated. Everything except for the shrimp, pasta and mushrooms had to be julienne-cut. I purchased a ton of it already prepared for me. Shredded cabbage, julienne carrots were all I could buy pre-done. I then did the zucchini and celery myself. I skinned the tomatoes, seeded them and diced them. I coarsely chopped the onions and carefully quartered the mushrooms. The veg prep seemed to take forever, mainly because I had already spent what seemed like forever on my feet already.
The meal turned out great (LOVE it when you can slip turnips in undetected!!!). It was a strange mixture of Cajun flavor and Asian texture. It was pretty darn great heated up the next day at work too.
I decided on Crawfish and Pasta with Stir-Fried Vegetables. Jerry had purchased some frozen crawfish tails at Kroger and so I was feeling pretty confident about getting this dish made. Unfortunately, there were no frozen crawfish tails, but the recipe forgivingly said I could use shrimp. Shrimp...check. On to the produce aisle.
This recipe was so healthy, I thought I would shame myself serving it to my butter-loving family. I cheated, and cheated, and cheated. Everything except for the shrimp, pasta and mushrooms had to be julienne-cut. I purchased a ton of it already prepared for me. Shredded cabbage, julienne carrots were all I could buy pre-done. I then did the zucchini and celery myself. I skinned the tomatoes, seeded them and diced them. I coarsely chopped the onions and carefully quartered the mushrooms. The veg prep seemed to take forever, mainly because I had already spent what seemed like forever on my feet already.
The meal turned out great (LOVE it when you can slip turnips in undetected!!!). It was a strange mixture of Cajun flavor and Asian texture. It was pretty darn great heated up the next day at work too.
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