The big 13!

Sigh. Im not ready to talk about the fact that my little girl has just turned 13.


So lets start with a little peek at the garden. Ill steal S's shoes. He will never know.


These are my zucchini plants. They are huge.


This is me looking up while sitting under my plants. Thats just how huge they are. And you all know that Im really tall.


And look. See how big the leaves are?


Cantaloupe.


Pumpkin.


Watermelon.


Heres my harvest from this afternoon.

Okay. Back into the house. I have dinner to make. K requested sweet corn ravioli for her birthday dinner. And its a darn good thing that I love her as much as I do. This is one meal that takes forever to make. Its quite labor intensive. But, hey. You only turn 13 once.

My veggies are all diced up and ready to go. (red pepper, onion, and corn)


A couple of cheeses.(ricotta and cream cheese)


Fresh basil from the garden.


Now you combine all the veggies(but only half the basil) and saute them in a pan that has been heating up with butter in it.


Next you add some cream(1/4 c) to the pan and let it cook down a bit.


Then you add both of the cheeses and some salt and pepper. Mix till its all incorporated.


Here, you should see me actually filling the ravioli. BUT, well, my pal couldnt make it(damn geography) to help me stuff and seal...so you missed this step in the photo line up. But what you do is take a won ton wrapper, put about 1 1/2 tsp of the filling in the center, rub some beaten egg yolk on the edges of the wrapper, top it with another wrapper, and then use a round cookie cutter to cut it out and help seal the edges.

Then this will be what they look like prior to cooking. I have some flour on the bottom of the pan to keep them from sticking.


Then pop a few of them at a time in a pot of boiling water till they begin to float.(about 2 min or so)


Then they will look like this.


In the meantime you will be melting butter( a few tablespoons) in a pan along with the rest of your basil. Once that browns a little, you will add some cream to the pan(1 1/4c) and a little salt and pepper. This will begin to cook down and thicken as you are boiling the rest of your ravioli.


Get out a dish to place all the ravioli on. I heart sunflowers.



I prefer to do mine in layers so they dont all stick together. So, a little sauce on the bottom then ravioli, then sauce...then ravioli...you get the idea.


Then youre all set to go to the table!


Wait. You cant forget the sweet tea.


After all that good food its present time.


Clearly, shes trying to get us to understand exactly what it is shes talking about.


Lovely note cards.


And a pretty poster. J is very excited.


Peace.


Then we had cake.

And when G was all done with his cake he had just a little spot of hungry left. So, he asked for a green bean.

Happy Birthday, K. Mama loves ya.

Summer Harvest

Things have really begun to take off around here. We are overflowing with cucumbers and tomatoes. Here is what I harvested from my garden today.



I am loving all the tomatoes...however, I am not loving the fact that I am gonna have to pull out that strainer again. I think she and I may have a little heart to heart before we begin this time.

These I harvested from somewhere else. So, not my trees, but we still got to pick them! They will be made into applesauce and maybe apple butter. And the donuts you see are to die for. Notice how there were already a few missing? Snackin in the van...totally had to bust out the package before we got home. Yum!


Finally, last, but not least. 10 # of blueberries. And I didnt even have to wrangle any snakes to get them! My ma brought them home for me on her way back from a trip to Michigan.



Can you tell that I took 3 1/2 cups outta there? Yeah, me neither.



But heres what I made. Delicious blueberry bars.

Tasty afterschool snack

Or really a whenever you're hungry snack. I saw this in a magazine or something quite some time ago when I was at the library. Of course, I dont have the actual magazine to refer to, but here is the general idea. Or my version, anyway.

Fruit salsa and cinnamon chips

6 flour tortillas
butter
cinnamon
sugar

Variety of fruits, diced
apple jelly
brown sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lay tortillas on a baking sheet. Spread very thin layer of butter on each tortilla. Then sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. I have my cinnamon and sugar already mixed together in a shaker because the kids use it often. So, it works out nicely for this recipe. Place baking sheet in preheated oven for 5 minutes. Take out and let cool.

While tortillas are baking, mix together the apple jelly and the brown sugar and pour into a saucepan. Heat until the jelly and brown sugar melt. Then take off heat. I used about 1/4 C apple jelly and 1 T brown sugar.

The jelly step does not take very long, but you can go ahead and get your fruit ready. Use any assortment that you like. I happened to use a banana, 3 kiwis, and 1 gala apple. I diced it all up and tossed it into a bowl.

Then you pour the jelly mixture over the fruit and mix it together till the fruit is nicely coated.

Once your tortillas are cool enuf to handle then break them up into chip sized pieces.

Spoon some fruit onto a tortilla chip and enjoy! The kids loved it! They were surprised at how filling it actually was. It isnt a total health snack, but the kids were throwing down on all the fruit...even without the tortilla chips. So, in my book, its a winner!

Black Bean chili

So, one of my closest friends got me a subscription to this really great newsletter. It comes every other month and is loaded with great food tips, articles, and sometimes, recipes. I have received 2 so far and I am in love. In fact, one of the reasons she may have gotten it for me was that it was always missing from her house. I would be at her house next door to my own at the time and I would see it laying there and yes, just helped myself. Took it home, read it, and then brought it back. I always brought it back. Just there were times that she would notice it was gone before I had the chance to read it fully and then she had to come asking for it. At least she knew where it was, right?!

The Jan/Feb issue has a few recipes in it. The other night I made the Black Bean Chili. It was super good. One of those recipes that has the kids asking for more and we dont have any leftovers. That kind. Yes, they do happen.

Black Bean Chili

2T extra virgin olive oil
2 red bell peppers, chopped
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 t chili powder
1 14.5 oz can no salt added diced tomatoes
1 15.5 ox can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 C corn kernels, fresh or frozen
1/2 t salt
1/2 C fat free sour cream
1/2 C cilantro sprigs, chopped
1 clove garlic
1 lime, cut into wedges
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 avocado, peeled and cut into cubes

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute the peppers until they start to brown on the edges, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and continue to saute for another 5 min. Stir in the minced garlic and the chili powder. Add the tomatoes and black beans. Simmer for 10 min. Stir in the corn and season with up to 1/2 t salt.

Puree the sour cream, cilantro, and garlic clove with a squeeze of one lime wedge in a blender or food processor until smooth. Use as a garnish, along with the remaining lime wedges, the scallions, and the avocado.

Serves 4

From the Nutrition Action Newsletter

So, my tomatoes were not no salt. They were actually petite diced that had sweet onions in them. Organic.

Organic black beans.

Frozen sweet corn was some we had stored in the freezer from this past season.

Regular sour cream

I had to use the food processor for the sour cream mixture because my blender is packed. I felt it was not as smooth as it could have been. The cilantro leaves were still pretty much the same size I had chopped them. I think the blender may have made it more smooth and silky like. The taste, however, I dont think would have changed. It is amazing.

The sour cream mixture was so good that the next night we went to a friends house for dinner and I made up some more using the rest of my cilantro and we used it as a dip for our natural corn chips. It got rave reviews!

Try it out. I hope you like it. Next up is a recipe called Spicy Red Lentils with Spinach. It comes from the same issue of the newsletter. I will post that one soon.

to puff or not to puff

I came across this great blog. I am not even sure anymore how I found it, but I really like it.

I found this recipe on there and thought that it sounded really good. Keep in mind that I have never made a tart before. In a pan or a free standing one. I am always up for new things, especially when they have to do with food. So, at my weekly grocery trip I gathered the ingredients that I didn't already have and headed for home.

Later that night as I am gathering my ingredients, I am beginning to realize that the dough I got is not really looking like it is gonna do a whole lot of puffing. Huh. I keep going, getting everything out. You notice how the first part of the recipe says to roll out the dough to like 1/8"...my dough is not looking like it is gonna be up for a whole lotta rolling. Huh. So, I say to myself(actually out loud, I do that sometimes) This phyllo dough must not be the same as puff pastry dough. Hence the word PUFF. The little tarts on the front look kinda tarty. I mean, I am making a tart.

Well, I am already into it now, so I must make do. I have already packed my tart pan, so this puppy is gonna be a free stander. I kinda overlap the phyllo sheets and then put all the ingredients in the middle. Then I sorta bring the edges in on themselves and put some egg wash on them to help them stay put as well as to make them brown better.

The verdict? Okay. I would, of course, use puff pastry next time. But also, I would not add the lemon zest. It was way to tangy for us. Or I just had an over ripe lemon. I would use more slices of squash because that is where the sweetness comes in. Although, I am thinking by her descriptive that my tart is much larger than the one she made, so maybe when using the puff pastry it ends up being smaller? Oh, and the recipe says to slice the squash into thin slices...good luck with that. Do you know how hard it is to slice an uncooked squash, much less slice it thinly? Not so much. And the onions, yeah...many more of them, too!



So, in the end...it was tasty, but I have some wiggle room on this one. I will switch up some things next time and see how it goes. Make sure you try it. And let me know how it turns out for you!

I have found a new summer dish to die for

Okay. So, I bought this new cookbook.

Can I just say that every recipe I have tried thus far has been really, really good.

You have got to try this dish. I am telling you, you will love it.


Tomato Pesto Tarts by Andrea Chesman

Serves 4-6

2 lbs tomatoes, cored and sliced 1/4 in thick

1 t salt

2 unbaked 9 in or 10 in homemade or store bought pastry rounds

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1/2 C freshly grated Parmesan

1/2 C pesto

1/2 C grated mozzarella

1. Cover a large work surface with a double layer of paper towels. Arrange the tomatoes in a single layer on the towels. Sprinkle evenly with the salt. Let stand for 30 min.

2. Preheat oven to 375. Line a large baking sheet with foil.

3. Place the pastry round on the baking sheet.

4. Brush the pastry with the beaten egg, leaving a 2 in. border around the edges. Sprinkle 1/4 C of the Parmesan over each pastry. Spread 1/4 C of the pesto over the Parmesan on each pastry.

5. Place a double layer of paper towels over the tomatoes and press firmly to dry. Arrange the tomatoes on top of the pesto in overlapping circles. Sprinkle the mozzarella over the tomatoes. Fold the dough up to partially cover the filling and crimp to finish the edges.

6. Bake for 25-35 min, or until golden.

7. Let stand for 5 min. Cut into wedges and serve warm.




The only changes that I made aside from halving it and only making one tart was that I used Asiago cheese instead of Parmesan.

It was so good. I mean double dog dare you good. You have got to try it and let me know what you think. I bet you could even make it more like a pizza and replace the pastry dough for a pizza dough and still use all the same toppings....oh my, oh my.

One Local Summer

Liz over yonder came up with this great idea to have One Local Summer. Which really ends up to be many summers because I think this is not the first summer that she has been the hostess with the mostess!

The idea: Eat at least one completely local meal each week. Use locally produced items to fix your dinner. Don't worry about the spices and small stuff, but the main things like meat, dairy, grains, and so on. Then post about it so everyone can share their thoughts and ideas. And maybe, just maybe it will help people understand the importance of eating locally. Even if it is just one person who learns....it's a start.

Here is my dinner.


Roasted chicken with a pesto rub.
Chicken---free range, organic---50 miles
Basil---organic---Blue Moon Farm---10 miles
Pine nuts---not local
Asiago cheese---not local
Olive oil---not local
Roasted carrots with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Carrots---farmer's market----Carbondale, Il--- 180 miles
Salt and pepper---not local
Olive oil---not local
Golden Kohlrabi patties(not so golden really, but you get the idea!)
Kohlrabi---organic---Blue Moon Farm---10 miles
Green onions---organic---Blue Moon Farm---10 miles
Whole Wheat flour---not local
Egg---free range, pastured, organic---Moore's Farm---60 miles
Butter---hormone free---Oberweis Dairy---180 miles
Pepper---not local
Milk
Milk---hormone free---Oberweis Dairy---180 miles

The chicken we got at our farmers market. The carrots came from a little further because we were at grandma and grandpa's house at the time. So, that was about 3 hrs from home. Much further than I would normally do, but it was where we were. The kohlrabi also came from our farmers market(along with the onions in the patties).


We utilize a dairy that is not as local as I would like it to be, but as good as I am going to get in order to have hormone free milk and butter and such.


Cheats would be salt and pepper, asiago cheese in the pesto, and olive oil.


Golden Kohlrabi Patties

4-6 medium sized kohlrabi
1 egg, beaten
3 T whole wheat flour
1/4 C butter
1 small onion, finely chopped(I used green onions since that is what I got at the market)
1/8 t ground pepper

Trim kohlrabi of stems, peel and then shred. Place in a medium sized sauce pan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, lower heat and then simmer for 10 min. Drain and cool. Mix kohlrabi, egg, and flour in a large bowl.

Melt butter in a large skillet, add onions, and saute until translucent. Add kohlrabi mixture, sprinkle with pepper, and cook on medium heat until bottom is golden brown and crusty. Divide into quarters and turn each quarter over with a spatula and brown on other side. Serve hot.

Serves 4 Rodale's Basic Natural Foods Cookbook

Swiss Chard Gratin

This was pretty much the first time I have cooked with swiss chard. Last year in our CSA we got some and I looked at it and said...um, no thanks! My how I have grown in just one season!

I can't get enuf of the fresh produce this season...and apparently neither can the rabbits. We have been battling them constantly this year in our garden.


I got the recipe from Andrea Chesman's Garden Fresh Vegetable Cookbook.

Swiss Chard Gratin Serves 6
2 lbs. (12-16 stems with leaves) chard, stems sliced and leaves cut into 1 in. ribbons
4 T butter
1 onion, halved and sliced
1/4 C unbleached all purpose flour
2 C milk
1 C Gruyere, grated
salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 C dried bread crumbs

I cut my recipe in half since I only had half the amt of swiss chard.

Bring a large stockpot of salted water to a boil. Add the chard stems and cook for 2 min. Add the leaves and continue to cook for another min. Drain well.


Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a 11/2 qt. casserole or 9x13 with butter.

Melt the butter over medium heat in a medium saucepan. Add the onion and saute till soft, about 3 min. Whisk in the flour to form a paste. Whisk in the milk and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and stir in the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold in the chard.

Transfer the chard mixture to the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the bread crumbs on top. (I put some xtra shredded cheese on top of the bread crumbs. Also, I did not have Gruyere cheesed handy, so I used cheddar in its place)


Bake for 25-35 min, until sauce is bubbling and the top is browned. Serve hot.



From what I understand, swiss chard is in the beet family. So this dish does have a very distinct, beet like flavor. Don't let that scare you off, Gnightgirl. It is very tasty.

Fruit leathers

Recently, my son's school teacher sold me a food dehydrator. I have had it for several weeks, but life kept getting in the way of me trying it out.


This past weekend, I made the time and busted out some fruit leathers. Apple with a hint of cinnamon was the flavor of the day. It was super easy. All you have to do is puree the fruit of your choice. I believe it was 2 cups of pureed fruit. Once you get the pureed fruit spread out on the little plastic tray then you set it into the dehydrator (that has been preheating) and let it stay in there for the amount of time directed. Mine took about 7 hours to dry out. The leathers peel right off the trays as long as you do it while it is still warm. Then all I did was cut it into strips (appx 2 in wide) using the pizza cutter and rolled them up. I placed them in an airtight container and stuck them in the pantry. The kids love them. They are just the right size for snacks and for lunch boxes. Best of all you know exactly what is in them. And it is not high fructose corn syrup. Fresh fruit...that's it.


If you don't have access to a dehydrator, don't worry. You can also do it this way. Try it out...let me know how it goes for ya.

Yogurt, yogurt, bo bogurt, bananafana, fo fogurt...

I have been wanting to do this for some time. although I never actually made it past the, "I want to do that" stage. Sure, I had entertained the idea of purchasing a maker, but I just knew there had to be a more cost efficient way to do it. Also, I just knew there had to be a way to do it where I didn't have to buy another small appliance.

So, my curiosity and excitement were at their peak when I came across this. Just what I had been looking for.

This weekend we put the technique to the test and our taste buds rejoiced at the wonderful yumminess. It was so easy and didn't take much time at all. The supplies are very easy to find, in fact, I had them all here at home. It makes your basic. plain variety leaving you endless ways to change it up. We happen to like vanilla. So, when it was all said and done, we added 1 teaspoon of vanilla and 1/4C of sugar and it was really great. It was more tangy than what we have experienced with store bought yogurt, but I think it is because we added way less sugar. I just store it right in the glass jar in the fridge. And when I get to about half way thru the jar then I will make another batch.

You should try it. Let me know what you think.

Soft pretzel recipe

I got this recipe from one of my good friends. I have made some of my own changes that I will add as well.

1 1/4 C very warm water
1 T plus 1/4 t yeast
3 3/4 C all purpose flour (I use 2 C white and 1 3/4 C whole wheat.)
3/4 C plus 2 T powdered sugar
1 1/2 t salt
2 t veg. oil (I used 6 t flax seed meal)
1/4 C melted butter
kosher salt

Bath: 4 C warm water and 1/2 C baking soda

Cinnamon sugar topping: 1/2 C sugar and 2 t cinnamon

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Mix flour, sugar, and salt. Add oil to yeast and water...blend into dry ingredients. Knead 5 minutes until smooth. Let rise for 45 min. in warm place. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Divide dough into 8 equal portions. Roll out to 3 feet long. Shape pretzels. Dip in baking soda bath. Blot on paper towel to remove excess water. Place on greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt, if desired. Bake 4-5 min. then rotate baking sheet and bake another 4-5 minutes. Cool 2 min. Brush with melted butter and then dip in cinnamon sugar mixture.

Note: Substituting with the flax seed meal can cause the product to brown faster. With my oven I ended up baking for 4 min, rotate , then 4 more minutes. Also, the flax seed meal can be a substitution for oil, butter, or margarine in your future recipes. It does have to be used in a 3 to 1 ratio tho. So, in the above recipe you can see that I used 6 t flax seed meal instead of the 2 t oil.

I also do not shape into pretzels because that serving is too large for my kids. I just rolled the dough into the snakes and then cut it into little sticks The serving size is smaller and they are easier to manage for the kids.

This last time I made them I actually froze some of the chunks of dough. The idea being that I can just pull out a couple pieces when we want to make them. I will let you know how that goes!

Happy eating!

Update: The frozen chunks of dough thawed out really nicely. It took about 3 hrs for them to thaw to a nice pliable state. For each chunk I seem to be getting appx. 10 pretzel stick.

Polenta

Otherwise known as corn grits. I recommend that everyone give them a try.

They are a big hit in the house and are even better when you eat them with a touch of butter and some honey. The general directions call for 3 c water to 1 c grits. I use 2 c water and 1 cup organic chicken broth. Gives it a little more flavor.

If you were to ask my 11 month old, he would say they are even better when I rub them all through my hair and in my ears...