Harvest Time! (and cooking some of the harvest!)

We planted a fall garden in between the heat of the summer and our usual winter plantings (lettuce!!).  The veggies that are recommended for that time in our zone were pretty limited so we only planted cucumbers and green beans.  That was ok, though, since it gave us the room for several plants of each.  

We wanted multiple cucumber plants so there would be plenty of chances for the flowers to be pollinated. James showed the boys how to pollinate by hand but after a while there were so many flowers that there were plenty of bees and butterflies and we were able to just let them go along.  We have already picked nine big, delicious cucumbers!

We put bush beans in other half of our space.  Those we planted from seed and James added some bamboo poles that he got free on a visit Boggy Creek Farms & Farmers Market.  Something about the bamboo tied up with twine looks really appealing!  The beans are producing like crazy too.  This (below) is about a third of what we've harvested so far.  The boys didn't like them at first because the surface is a little fuzzy/sticky.  It feels a little velcro-ish straight off the vine.  We thought that would just boil away but it didn't - instead you need to kind of scrub them and then they turn smooth, more like what you buy.

I tried cooking the green beans two ways.  James wanted his boiled and I wanted mine roasted (this is about par for the course around here!).  For the boiled, we just cut them into short lengths and cooked until tender.  The did have a delicate flavor that was more green-bean-y than the store-bought.  Mine were even better (so I say, anyway!).  I blanched them and then put them under the broiler with olive oil, salt and Adams Reserve Kicked Up Chicken seasoning (bottle looks like this).  Roasty and soooo delicious!

(And in case you are wondering how to please the kids, Zack liked the boiled and Sammy liked the roasted!)

 

Roasted "Baby Cabbages!" or Brussel Sprouts

I have been looking forward to roasting these Brussels sprouts for days and we've just been too busy to do it - which is silly because it was really fast!  I cut each sprout in half, tossed them with garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper and roasted them in a 450 degree oven until they were crispy and caramelized. 

I told the boys they were "baby cabbages" and they thought they were adorable.  Maybe they will grow up associating Brussels sprouts with YUM instead of yuck. 

One word of caution: you can see that I sliced my garlic - bad idea.  It got too done - not burned but over-browned.  I had to pull it out halfway through cooking and toss it (head in the oven, frying off my eyelashes...).  I should have done what I usually do, which is to crush each clove with the flat of a knife and toss them in whole. 

Give it a try, and Happy Roasting!

TCBY, here we come!

Finally it's Wednesday. The day known in my brain as Waffle Cone Wednesday.

There is a TCBY shop across the street from our church. I managed to attend church there for fifteen years (oh wow. I'm old.) without ever setting foot in TCBY. I'm not a sweet-tooth person - I want dessert if it's being served, but I don't crave sweets (I'm too busy craving chips and salsa. Or chips and guacamole. Or chips and queso. Or chips). I think James had taken the kids over there once but I didn't go with them. But then a few weeks ago we walked over for their Wednesday special: the 99-cent waffle cone.

And now I'm obsessed.

It might be because I quit drinking diet sodas (which means all sodas, since I only drank diet) or maybe the yogurt is just that good. Or maybe it's the cone itself. It's a kid-sized waffle cone filled with an adult-sized portion of any of their soft serve flavors, which change by the day. I have been wracking my brain trying to remember if I've ever actually eaten a waffle cone before now. I may not have - it's usually an upcharge and it's messier than a cup and all that.  Either way, I'm really keen on the waffle cone now.  My kids are happy with my current obsession with the waffle cone as well.  Since I'm waiting all week for the special (which is a good way to avoid just splurging on frozen yogurt every day of the week), I can't very well pass up the waffle cone just because it's getting to be past bedtime, can I?

Now I just have to make it until 7:30. The time known in brain as Waffle Cone time.

I thought I was being soooo clever...

All the local grocery stores quit carrying the Ramen I like, isn't that terrible?? I'm a little bit of a Ramen junkie - I like to have it (dressed up a little!) for lunches. A little while back I found I couldn't get the Lime Chili Shrimp anymore so I started buying the Lime Shrimp. Now it's gone too and all they have is Chicken, bah.

So, I bought a whole case on Amazon! Isn't that a super idea?   I have this free two-day shipping deal right now through Amazon Mom (which is available free for anyone who is a parent/grandparent/caretaker - check it out!) so I thought, why not? And it's been great.  EXCEPT, I forgot how SPICY this kind is!  It's much much spicier than Lime Shrimp.  And lucky me, I have a whole case :)

School Valentines

Aren't these cute?  My friend Cheryl designed them and we made them at a little workshop.  It was fun to makes something homemade but I didn't really see myself making 34 valentines (for both Zack and Sammy's classes combined) without some assistance, so this worked out perfectly.  The kids each got a covered lolipop (heart shaped, of course) and the teachers got a matchbox with four Dove chocolates.

Where to eat in Roswell, NM

If you find yourself in Roswell, heading for the slopes in Ruidoso or searching for signs of aliens or whatever, be sure to eat at Tia Juana's Mexican Grille and Cantina (it's on the Main Street). Whoo, was it good! If you like it HOT, go for the red chile stacked enchiladas with an egg, over medium. Delicioso!

What, you weren't planning to be in Roswell anytime soon?  You're missing out!

Bountiful

I know this time of year you'd expect to see a different harvest, but bounty is still bounty even when it comes in the form of jalapenos.

We had one pepper plant and it's some kind of "faux" jalepeno- it has no heat whatsoever. I mean literally, my spice-averse children can eat them raw with the seeds. I picked 33 on Saturday and left another dozen on the plant. What to do with that many jalapenos?? I made a jalapeno relish that I like. It's a different flavor, but addictive. And without any heat, easy to eat in mass quantities.

If you have mild peppers like I do, cut way down on the oil and salt. Without the heat it just doesn't need as much. In my case, I just kept adding peppers and lemon zest until I'd tripled those ingredients. If you have extra spicy pepper, deseed and devein them before you mince them - it will make a big difference.

Jalapeno Relish

6 minced jalapenos (by hand or in a food processor)
1/2 c olive oil
julienned zest of 1 lemon
2 t kosher salt

Combine. Let stand at room temperature 6 hrs. Refrigerate up to 2 weeks.

Cranberry Walnut Spaghetti Squash

I really like spaghetti squash but boy, is that a lot of the same vegetable!  I always buy the smallest one I can but by the time we've eaten it the kids and James are tired of spaghetti squash and really don't want it again for a while.  Either that or part of it goes to waste.  This time I did it a little differently.  I cooked the first half and served it with just salt, pepper and butter as a side dish.  I wrapped the second half really well in plastic wrap and waited about a week.  Then I made this recipe, which I altered from one I found in a Better Homes and Gardens Thanksgiving menu.  I really like that it has a nice fall flavor that reminds me of Thanksgiving food but works very easily for a weeknight meal.

Cranberry Walnut Spaghetti Squash
1/2 a Spaghetti Squash
1/4 c orange juice
1/4 + (a heaping quarter) cup craisins
2 T chopped walnuts
2 T fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 T brown sugar
salt
fresh black pepper

1. Cook Spaghetti Squash: With squash cut in half lengthwise, scoop out and discard seeds and stringy pulp.  Place cut side down in a flat dish with apx. 1/4 cup water.  Cover loosely and microwave apx. 9 minutes (will vary by microwave) until the flesh is soft but not mushy.

2. Scoop out the spaghetti-like pieces with a fork - pierce into the flesh with the tines of the fork on one side and you'll find the pieces will just peel out in long strings.  Discard the empty shell.

3. Bring the OJ to a boil then take off the heat and add the craisins.  Let them plump for about 10 minutes.

4.  In a skillet toast the walnuts in the butter for two to three minutes, until fragrant.  Add walnuts, parsley, brown sugar, salt and pepper to OJ mixture.  Toss everything with the warm squash and serve. 

YUM!

Roasted Winter Squash

Here is a super easy way to a great veggie side dish.  The winter squashes tend to be hard and really sweet - more like a sweet potato in flavor than a zucchini.  This is a Red Kuri squash but the method is the same for Butternut, Acorn (peel more of it because the peelings are just too tough) and all the odd winter squashes you see in the store.  And even though I'd never heard of Red Kuri, it didn't matter because this method is so versatile.

The only downside is that you need to start a little in advance of dinner - you can't walk in the kitchen at 5 and be done by 5:30!  But, once it's in the oven there is nothing left to do and you can focus on the rest of the meal.

*1. Peel as much of the squash as you want.  I like it about half peeled.  My sister leaves all the peeling on or you could take it all off (the peeling, that is). 
*2. Cut a sliver of the bottom end off so it will be stable on your cutting board and cut it in half.  Scoop out the seeds and such with a spoon.
3. Chop it into bite-sized pieces.  Toss with olive oil and coarse salt and pepper.  Add some rosemary if you like. 
4. Bake in a single layer at 425 for 25-45 minutes (it just depends on how big you cut the pieces and how much crispy caramelized edges you like). 

*If it's too hard to peel or cut, prick the skin all over  with a fork and microwave it for 3 minutes, then when it cool enough, peel and cut it as directed.

So sweet and tasty! 

Roasted Potatoes

Don't these roasted potatoes look tasty? I bet they would have been really good. But, Sammy got sick right as I took them out of the oven, so by the time we ate them they were cold.  Chilly doesn't really do potatoes justice.  James had recently seen roasted potatoes somewhere (a steaming plate being taken to someone else's table?) and wished he was having some.  He asked if I could make us some this week.  I was disappointed to serve them "as is", but I didn't really know a great way of reheating them either.  And I was tired by that point.  

I also had trouble with the garlic cloves.  They were supposed to roast, in their skins, tossed in with the potatoes.  But, they smelled like they were burning.  I kept checking them to see what was up and finally just picked them out and threw them away, letting the potatoes finish roasting without them. 

Do you have a tried and true roasted potato method?  I'd love to hear it!

Chicken Alfredo Pizza with Basil and Roasted Tomatoes

This pizza was so easy.  I used leftover Alfredo sauce, leftover chicken, basil from the garden and some grape tomatoes I had left from another recipe.  It is really tasty and goes together quickly.  I go through stages when I make my own sauce, but this isn't one of them.  I go through other stages when I think I'm going to start making my own crust, but this was a refrigerated crust.  It turned out delicious.

To roast the tomatoes, toss them with olive oil, salt and pepper and put them in the oven at 400 for 10 minutes or until they've all burst.  You can use a roasting pan or a cast iron skillet.  Bursting them in the oven ensures they'll be cooked to a sweet caramelized state by the time the pizza is done and prevents you from having an unappetizing puddle of tomato liquid on your pizza.

Spread alfredo sauce on the crust, top with cheese, cooked chicken and fresh basil leaves.  Add the tomatoes straight from the roasting pan using tongs (discard the liquid) and cook at 450 for 9-11 minutes or as directed for your crust. 

Garnish with Parmesan and freshly ground pepper.  Yum!

Vegan Mini Wellingtons

Now, before you ask yes, yes of course I prepare my personal luncheon in this fashion on a daily basis. I also have no piles of laundry or undusted shelves. I certainly did not have to go put on shoes this morning because there were so many crumbs on my kitchen floor that it was hurting my feet. No, no.

Ok, so the lunch is staged. The dinner photo of the finished wellington looked weird - it didn't do the recipe justice. I'm not sure how cookbooks make ground up brown stuff look appealing because my casual photo didn't look good. I hated to gross you out. So I had to put this together and now I have a lovely lunch plate to eat.

But back to the recipe.  I had these for lunch at a girlfriend's house and they were so delicious I wanted to try them myself.  She made them out of a favorite new cookbook of her family's, Vegan Lunchbox.  She warned me that it was a little extra prep, and it was, but not too much - doable for a weeknight with a little extra time.  Plus, I had Zack help me and even though he lost interest before I was wrapping them up, he still thought the final product was very cool.  

Even though we aren't vegan, I like to have some vegetarian meals and this was a great one.    I liked the flavor and texture.  It's really easiest to just pick them up and eat them rather than using the knife and fork, so don't feel bad about digging in!

Find the recipe for Vegan Mini Wellingtons here and be sure to add the mushrooms listed in the variation - even if you aren't an enthusiastic mushroom person like me, they work into the mix without being heavily mushroom-y and add a lot of richness.  If you aren't going to add them, though, the sauteed garlic alone would be a good addition.

I served them with a honey mustard that I made from brown Dijon mustard, honey and some ranch dressing (not vegan, but that's not a problem for us). 

Oh, and in case you need grocery store tips like I do, the Puff Pastry was in the frozen dessert pastries section at my store, not the frozen breads.  And the oat bran was in the bulk section (and very inexpensive) but I think if you couldn't find it you could substitute something else pretty easily. 

Red Pepper Bruchetta-like Yummy Things

I'm not sure what this recipe should be called.  It should not be called "Pepper Surprises" as it is titled in the cookbook, The Occasional Vegetarian.  Nobody wants to eat something with "Surprise" in the title.  But the result was delicious - kind of like a bruchetta on roasted pepper without the acidity.  Here is how I made it (reduced for a family dinner, slightly modified, instructions simplified), though I also really recommend the book.

The kids liked the filling but I think they need to warm up to the red pepper.  They usually eat it either cooked through (as it is in a casserole) or raw with dip.   Still, I loved it.  Some pine nuts would be a great addition to the filling.

Red Pepper Roasties?  would that be a good title?

1 red pepper
2 oz mozzerella cheese, shredded
1 oz feta cheese, crumbled,
1 T sun-dried tomatoes with oil
1 T of basil leaves

Quarter the pepper longwise, then slice it horizontally in thirds (12 pieces).  Rub some of the oil from the tomatoes on the skin and roast it on a foil-lined sheet at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.  The edges will be a little charred.

Chop the tomatoes and basil and mix with the cheeses.  Pepper to taste.  Put a dallop in each red pepper "boat" and cook at 425 degrees for 5 more minutes or until melty.  Serve hot or room temperature.

 

Gardening on the Kitchen Counter: Sprouts in a Glass Jar

We were at the garden shop this weekend and I saw a display of sprout seeds and sprouting trays. I love sprouts - alfalfa but also the spicy blends. I had a vague recollection that you didn't really need special equipment so I got a pack of seeds and came home and googled - there are lots of sources but they all say about the same thing: just grow them in a jar on the counter!   It was supposed to be extremely easy, and so it was.

My tablespoon of seeds turned into three cups of sprouts after they were fluffed.  They are nice and crisp and tasty.  I started with alfalfa but plan to see if my grocery store has the seeds in bulk so I can do radish or rocket - YUM.  There wasn't much to it and it was fun to see them change and grow so quickly.  The kids liked it too.  No delayed gratification - this is my kind of gardening!

Here is the method:

Use a glass jar, about a quart size, a piece of cheesecloth or nylon stocking (like pantyhose), and a rubber band or jar ring.  Keep the jar on the countertop (it shouldn't be warmer than about 80 degrees though).  It doesn't need light while soaking or growing.

1. Add about 1 T sprouts to the jar.  Put the cheesecloth or nylon stocking on top and secure it down with rubber band or jar ring.  You'll be adding and pouring water out through the cloth so that the seeds stay in the jar.
2. Add about half a jar of cool tapwater and soak overnight. 
3. The next day, pour off the water (through the cloth) and add new water to rinse.  Pour off the rinsewater to leave the seeds damp but no puddles in the jar.  Roll the jar around the spread out the seeds over the surface of the glass and leave the jar on it's side.
4. Continue to rinse and spread out the seeds daily (or twice a day), leaving the cloth on the whole time.  You'll see the sprouts growing.  
5. By day four or so, the sprouts will be grown and ready.  Put them in the sun for 15 minutes to green them up and activate the phytochemicals.  
6. Enjoy!  You can store them in the fridge and continue eating for several days.

The purpose of rinsing is to keep them damp but prevent any bacteria from growing in the water.  You shouldn't smell a funky smell - if you do, rinse more or keep it somewhere cooler.

Pearled Barley

I have some pearled barley in my pantry that I've wanted to use before it gets old, but I've had a hard time finding recipes I like with it. This time, however, I made two barley salads in a row that were quite good.  This one had kidney beans, fresh garden tomatoes, green bell pepper, and tiny cubes of cheddar cheese.  The dressing was a little lemon juice, garlic, dijon mustard and olive oil.  I served it over lettuce as our main dish with some stripped of grilled chicken as more of an accent. 

I think the barley makes a better salad base than addition to a soup - we're going to keep eating it like this!

Today's Lunch

A hot dog? Seriously. I've really been wanting one. This is a nice quality turkey dog, in case you are wondering, but it still counts for the summer hot dog fix.  I had to gourmet-it-up a bit.  Guacamole, romaine, mozzarella, cucumber, sprouts, tomato and mayonnaise: YUM! 

Why am I showing it to you?  It just seemed so pretty!  For a hot dog anyway.

More Veggies

As I mentioned, I am constantly trying to make sure we have good, tasty vegetables for our family dinners. Before James, I would often make a salad as the vegetable. As in: Casserole + Salad = Dinner. That's ok, especially if the main dish has vegetables in it, right? But it wasn't really quite enough items for James. I really like a big salad as part of most meals, so I still have a salad (I eat 3/4 of it and the rest of the family splits the other 1/4). But I try to have another vegetable too.

These carrots are a go-to veggie around here. The original recipe from Ina Garten is roasted in the oven, which is super for the winter. But here in the southern part of the country, it's already too hot to have the oven on right at the hottest part of the day. So, I cook them in the skillet. To get them really tender, I have to put the lid on and let them steam for a while (or pre-cook them in the microwave), then I make sure to take the lid off and turn the flame up so i get those sweet singed edges.

I think the cutting method - turning the carrot a quarter turn and slicing on the diagonal - is an important part of the preparation because it creates nice sharp corners that caramelize so well. This can be plain, tossed with dill or parsley, or cooked with ginger or garlic. It's a great, versatile, quick and tasty. And oh yeah, easy. Easy is good.

Roasted Cauliflower

I'm always looking for more vegetable preparations that we all love. I kept remembered a party I'd gone to a few years ago at which I couldn't believe how tasty their roasted cauliflower was. As someone who has a terrible intolerance of broccoli, I'm wary of it's close relatives, but this was not skunky at all (which is how broccoli smells to me). I was truly incredulous that I was really eating cauliflower. I recently thought back to it and wanted to try it for my family. I don't think this matches the sweetness I remember from that party, but it was certainly good enough to become one of our standards.

There are a lot of recipes for this but they are pretty similar - toss the florets from a head of cauliflower with minced garlic, lemon juice, salt, pepper and olive oil. Roast in a single layer at 400 for 25-30 minutes. Sprinkle generously with fresh Parmesan cheese and serve.

James said he was turned off by the dark color. Zack kept asking if each piece was burned. I was a little surprised at their reaction because I serve most vegetables with little caramelized edges, but it was new for cauliflower. They all enjoyed the taste, however, so hopefully it'll be more appetizing in appearance to them next time, when they are sure it will taste good!

Eating Adventures

This "fun food" had a 50% chance of turning out fun.

I told Zack I had something cool to try for dinner. He asked, with his nose wrinkled up, "It isn't kale chips, is it?" Ok, I guess I haven't won the child over to kale chips (but I promise, they are delicious). I knew there was a pretty good liklihood that he would be weirded out by the artichoke, too. But, you loose some... and you win some! Zack loved the artichoke!

It could have been the dipping butter that did it (we each had our own little ramekin), but he thought it was great fun. He started with just a leaf but then went for a whole artichoke, exclaiming in surprise, "I looove this food! Can I eat the whole thing?" He even used a table knife to scrape off the choke himself and eat the heart.

They are pretty easy to prepare - you just cut off the stem and the top third, snip any sharp ends of the leaves and steam until the leaves will pull off easily and the flesh is tender. I just steam them in the microwave by standing them in a shallow dish with some water and covering. It takes several minutes of cooking. There is just a bit of edible flesh at the base of each leaf (increasing as you move from the outer leaves inward) so you dip and then scrape it off with your teeth. It sounds like it would scrape against your teeth and set them on edge, but it doesn't (well, we don't think so anyway). When you run out of leaves and just see a thistle-like center, cut off the spiny-looking part and eat the rest. Melted butter with a squeeze of lemon juice makes a tasty dip.

I thought it would be a fun and festive appetizer, but we ate our main mean and then relaxed at the table and visited and ate our artichokes. Even Sammy had a bit and enjoyed it. I have assured Zack that I'll try to have these again before they are out of season.

A Good Visit

We had a great time last week with my mom visiting. It was too much fun being together to worry about petty items like paying bills or cleaning house, so now I have some catching up to do. But, we also did some cooking (read: my mom did some cooking) for my freezer and it will be so great to be able to pull out a casserole or a burrito. And of course Zack was super excited to see the island covered in cookies again.

We also did some awesome work on some of those sewing projects that I can never seem to get finished on my own. I'll work on getting some of those photographed to show this week!