A great many things

Hello there! Today's post is brought to you by summery goodness! There are some new garden pictures, more pickles and jalapeno jelly! 

First off, my adorable baby watermelons! Not only are they very cute, they're also yellow inside! Or at least they're supposed to be, they're still a few weeks away from harvest.



Here's a picture of the garden taken two or so weeks ago: yellow squash, tomatoes, lots of jalapenos, banana peppers, okra, and watermelon.

Sweet (but not too sweet) Refrigerator Pickles

6ish cups of cucumbers (speared, sliced, however you like them!)

1 cup vinegar

1.5 cups sugar

.5 cup water

1 cup sliced onions

1 cup sliced bell pepper

1 tbs salt

1 tsp mustard seed

1 tsp celery seed

1 tsp dill

Combine vinegar, sugar, water and spices in a pan and bring to a boil.  Boil long enough for sugar to dissolve.  Pour mixture over cucumbers, onions and bell peppers in sterilized canning jars. Keep in the fridge and enjoy! Note- some recipes use much more sugar than this, if you like your pickles extra sugary you may want to adjust the sugar content.  

Jalapeno Jelly (from the Ball Blue Book of Canning)

12 oz jalapenos (about 12 jalapenos, depending on size)

6 cups sugar

2 cups apple cider vinegar 

1 box Ball liquid pectin (two packets come in each box, you need both)

Green food coloring (if desired) 

Stem and seed the jalapenos, wearing gloves (trust me, you want to use gloves).  Process until finely chopped in food processor.  Add 1 cup vinegar to help blend.  At this point you can strain the mixture with cheese cloth for a clear jelly, or not.  I did not strain mine.  Bring the remaining vinegar and sugar to a boil, add pepper vinegar mixture and food coloring (if desired).  Stir frequently.  Boil approximately 10 minutes.  Sugar should be fully dissolved.  Add two pouches liquid pectin.  STIR STIR STIR.  Keep at a hard boil for one minute .  Note, I boiled mine for slightly longer about two minutes because it hadn't quite jelled enough.  Ladle the mixture into sterilized jars and seal in a hot water bath.  See my earlier posts on pickled peppers if you want more info on how to properly seal your jars.  The jelly is especially good on crackers with cream cheese, yum!    

It must be summer!

Summer has arrived with it's gardeny goodness! We picked tons of blackberries this year, which Joe requested be converted into a cobbler. Here's a quick and easy cobbler recipe you can use with any type of berry. I've also included a recipe for pickled peppers. If you don't want to bother with a hot water bath, just store the jars in your refrigerator and treat them like regular pickles. They should be good and tasty after two weeks.

Blackberry Cobbler Yum!
2 1/2 cups blackberries
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup melted butter

Combine berries and sugar and let them hang out for 15 or so minutes. Meanwhile, heat over to 375 and combine remaining ingredients. Try not to over-sir the batter. Pour batter into greased 8x8 inch pan and spoon berry mixture over. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until golden brown.



Pickled Pepper Mix (makes 1 pint)
2 cups vinegar
1 cup water
1/8 tsp alum (per 1/2 pint jar)
1/2 tsp salt (per 1/2 pint jar)
pinch of dill and mustard seed
Sliced peppers or whole jalapeno or banana peppers*

Sterilize your jars and lids. Bring vinegar and water to a boil, meanwhile fill jars with peppers, salt, alum and seasoning. Pour boiling vinegar mixture over peppers to 1/4 inch from the mouth. Seal jars in a boiling water bath for 7-10 minutes. Make sure lids are properly sealed. If a lid doesn't seal, simply keep the jar in the fridge.
*Note- If using whole peppers, be sure to slit them in several places

Curry Rice Yum Yums!

Hi there,
Wow, long time no post! Here is tonight's dinner: curry rice and ginger lime cabbage salad. We used to eat this curry at least weekly in Japan. And, now, thanks to the new Asian grocery store that has opened by our house, we can have it all the time!

Japanese-style curry

1 pound beef/pork/chicken/shrimp
2 baked potatoes, chopped
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 portion curry roux (this time we used "Golden Curry" brand)
6 cups water

Stir fry veggies and meat, season with salt and pepper. Once mostly tender add the roux and 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until nice and thick. Serve over short grain rice and garnish with Japanese style pickles if you like.



Start with this....


And end with this!

Stay tuned next week for Dewberry Cobbler and pics of the new summer garden.

Down home dinner

Hi there!
Here's what we had for dinner tonight: breaded tilapia, black eyed pea salad, collards and herb bread. Here are the recipes so you too can have this for dinner!

For starters I thought I'd share a quick cost saving tip: make your own breadcrumbs. Bake bread that's getting a little old at 400 degrees for just a few minutes. Grind the toast in your food processor with whatever herbs you like. This time I made Italian breadcrumbs by including parsley, basil and oregano. Saves you from having to buy breadcrumbs and saves you from throwing away old bread!



Now with your handy breadcrumbs you can make this recipe for crunchy baked tilapia!

Crunchy Baked Tilapia
Baste the fillets with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Dredge the fish in your tasty homemade breadcrumbs and bake in a greased pan at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until firm and flaky.

Black Eyed Pea Salad
Combine 1 tsp sugar and 1/4 cup rice vinegar (alter to taste, more sugar if you don't like it too tart). Finely chop one tomato and 1/2 onion and combine with one drained can of black eyed peas. Combine with vinegar dressing and season with salt/pepper, 1 tsp cilantro, 1 tsp parsley. Let marinate for at least an hour.

Herb Bread
3ish cups flour
1 packet dry active yeast
2 tsp salt
2 tbs sugar
1 egg
1 cup milk
2 tbs shortening
herbs of your choice
Combine 1 packet dry active yeast with 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour and 2 tsp salt in a large bowl. In a small saucepan warm: 1 cup milk, 2 tbs sugar and 2 tbs shortening. Heat until just warm (115ish degrees). Pour the heated mixture into the large bowl. Add 1 egg. Add 2 tsp celery seed, 2 tsp basil, 2 tsp sage (or the herbs of your choice). Beat on medium for three minutes. Add additional 1 1/2 to 2 cups flour, just enough to make a moderately soft dough. Knead on floured surface until smooth, about five minutes. Place in greased bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place about 1 1/2 hours. Punch down dough and place in greased loaf pan or large pie pan. Recover and let rise until about double in size. Bake at 350 degrees for 1/2 hour.

See my previous entry if you want instructions on collards. Hope you enjoy!

The Unpublished Year in Review

Hi there!
In honor of the passage of 2008 I'm posting an assortment of things that never quite made it on to this blog last year. Also, I'm resolving to get back on the posting wagon, so check back frequently for updates. Here ya go!


Chickpea Dip with Crostini
1 can chickpeas
2 TBS roasted garlic (add more or less, depending on how much you love garlic)
Juice from 1/2 lemon
Olive oil
1 loaf french bread
Salt and peppers

Combine the first four ingredients in a blender until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with parsley. For the crostini, simply slice the bread, coat with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake a 350 degrees until crunchy.


Quick Collard Greens
Collards (or any type of green)
Sliced smokey bacon
Chicken broth
1 onion, chopped
Salt and pepper

Fry your bacon in a pan large enough to accommodate your collards. Add the onion while the bacon is crisping. Make sure your greens are washed and sliced. Once the onions are tender, add the greens and enough chicken broth to nearly cover them. Put on a lid and let them simmer until tender.


Campfire Chili
1 (or 2) can chili beans
1 can red beans
1 can corn
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 onion, chopped
Ground beef/turkey/or nothing at all
Cumin
Cayenne pepper
Chili pepper
Onion powder
Salt and pepper

Brown meat and onions, add rest of ingredients. Season to taste. Let it hang out over hot coals, not open flame. Yum!


Okonomiyaki
Cabbage, chopped finely
Onion, chopped
Flour
Milk
Eggs
Toppings (Shrimp, bacon, fried eggs, green onions, just about anything)
Okonomiyaki sauce (I know this isn't authentic but I use a mixture of: Worcestershire sauce, mayo, ketchup, and a dash of soy sauce)

First of all, let me apologize for the lack of measurements, I made these many months ago and I always wing the batter. Just think of it like making pancakes, the batter should be nearly the same consistency. Anywho, make your batter (eggs, milk, flour) and combine it with the cabbage and onion. Throw your toppings onto a hot, greased griddle and allow to cook briefly. Next, ladle your cabbage/dough mixture onto your toppings. Let it cook on medium for a few minutes, flip and cook some more. Serve the oknomiyaki sauce or mayonnaise or both, and a sprinkling of chives. A Joe favorite, he likes his with a fried egg on top.


And last, I leave you with a current look at the garden. We've got savoy cabbage, broccoli, carrots, celery, collard greens and snow peas. The broccoli is coming in nicely and the cabbage is getting close. Yum!


Happy New Year, folks!

Halloweenies!

Hey there!
Gosh, I sure have been gone for a long time! Sorry about that! For my triumphant return to blogging please enjoy my Halloween party. Here are an assortment of crafts, food and costumes. Hope you enjoy!


Joe and I were "Fall" and "Winter". Joe put together his costume very quickly and easily (PJs, fake snow, blue face paint, blue and white hair, a Christmas mug and a pipe). Isn't he handsome! Trick or treaters thought he was a little scary...


My costume began with a plain white dress purchased from Goodwill. First, I dyed the dress in tea overnight, to give it a nice aged look. Then, I hot glued fall leaves to the dress. The head piece is made of floral wire, lots of hot glue, fall leaves, small pine cones and gold ribbon.


The wings were made from two wire coat hangers, floral wire, hot glue and lots of leaves. Just shape the hangers to look like wings, wrap your floral wire across the wings so your have something to glue your leaves to. Glue, glue, glue until you run out of leaves. I wired the hangers together and attached two pieces of gold ribbon used to tie them on. You could use this basic formula to make all sorts of wings (flower petals, feathers, ivy, etc.).


I used a bat template from Martha Stewart and taped them inside this lampshade. Very cute and very easy.


I also got this idea from Martha Stewart (because I love her). Take plain tortillas and use Halloween cookie cutters to make fun chip shapes! Brush with oil, sprinkle with salt, garlic powder and cumin (or whatever you want) and bake at 350 degrees until lightly brown. Be careful, these go from done to overdone very quickly. I've made these for Halloween two years in a row and they're always a hit.


Okay this is my last Martha Stewart rip off. These are delicious puff pastry pumpkins. Take a piece of thawed puff pastry and cover in dijon mustard and parmesan cheese. Take a second sheet of puff pastry and lay it on top of the first. Use a rolling pin to mold the sheets together. Use a cookie cutter to make pumpkins, score lightly with a pearing knife and bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. Oh, one more thing. Brush the pumpkins with a mixture of melted butter and paprika before you bake, it gives them a nice color. Keep an eye on them, they also can become overdone very quickly.


Ginger spice cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and orange sprinkles. It's nice to have a dessert that's not too sweet after a night of candy bingeing.

I hope you enjoy these ideas!

(Imitation) Crabby Patties

Hi there and happy three day weekend!
I made these dudes last night and they were delish! I have to admit these were an experiment so I wasn't particularly precise with the measurements. So here's my best guess, just play around and I'm sure they'll come out delicious!

Imitation Crab Cakes
1 package imitation crab, finely flaked or chopped
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 eggs
3ish TBS mayo (you might need more, just eyeball it)
5-6 saltine crackers, crumbled
2ish TBS course ground mustard
1 TSP dry mustard
1 TSP garlic seasoning
1 1/2ish cups italian bread crumbs

Run your crab, onions and bell pepper through a food processor until finely chopped. Combine rest of ingredients except for your bread crumbs. Once everything is good and mixed up, shape the mixture into patties. This made about ten large cakes. If your cakes are a little liquidy just add some of the bread crumbs to firm things up. Dredge the patties in the bread crumbs and fry in vegetable oil until nice and brown on both sides. If you're making several batches you can keep them warm in your oven on low. Oh, and when I got them out of the oil, I gave them a dusting of old bay and sea salt. Hope you enjoy!