Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Grandchildren visit...cooking lessons and it's My Gardener Guy's Birthday!!! Oh and let me not forget he says we can REMODEL the KITCHEN!!!

Well to my readers, friends and family don't think I have forgotten about my blogging or cooking or gardening. A few weeks ago My Gardner Guy approved of the idea of remodeling our kitchen. With 9 kids, spouses and grandcritters our existing kitchen is bulging at the seams. Along with the cooking and dining quarters being a bit tight (a lot of bit) the kitchen we have has 25 years on it and it's showing it's wear.... I have met with contractor after contractor, cabinet guys; I have bids all over the board. I made my decision who I am using and we will start the work on the kitchen July 19th. Let me say I am so very excited that I can't hardly sleep. I feel like a kid excited about getting to go to Disney Land.

Currently my oldest daughter is up for a visit...good news she is expecting baby number 4. My youngest daughter was also here a few days and she is expecting baby number 2...it is pure joy to have them. The grandcritters and I have been cooking. Avery Mae is wanting to learn to cook and prepare meals (as not all meals need to be cooked) so this week has and is being spent doing kids stuff. Today the girls wanted to have a party, so we did some kids simple party food. We made peanut butter appetizers like Hawaiian ants on a log.

Ingredients:

•Celery Stick
•Peanut Butter
•Raisins

Preparation:
A very simple snack idea! Fill the center of the celery stick with peanut butter. Place a few raisins on top to be your ants. This is a healthy food snack for anytime.
If you do not like raisins, try tiny chocolate chips! We decided to put coconut on the top and we called it Hawaiian ants on the log.

Yummy snack that looks like ants sitting on a log.
This little cutie was very interested in the kid snacks...



My cooking buddies this week are Avery Mae and Madelyn Grace...what have we made so far? Pancakes, french toast, flour tortillas, cinnamon and sugar flour tortilla chips, peanut butter snacks and banana bread....there will be more!!!



Today is My Gardner Guys Birthday...I have been thinking that he needs a new pair of Garden shoes, these ones are worn out. Don't you think? Happy Birthday Dear!!!

Friday, June 17, 2011

Thoughts of Thankfulness clutter my mind today...Thank you to my Gardner Guy, my Father and all the other Father's out there...


I was suppose to go walking today...I have a walking buddy every Wednesday. This Wednesday I scheduled a breakfast for the children in my Sunday primary class; putting off walking until Friday. Sometimes either myself or my walking buddy forget. It's an easy thing to do, we get up and start in with the day to day things, make beds, start laundry, plan out the to do's and what's going to be for dinner clutters our mind. This kind of thinking by passes anything we as woman, wives, and mothers might have planned for ourselves to do like walking with a buddy. I didn't forget this time my buddy did. My thoughts were on My Gardner Guy...

By 8:15 I knew my friend had forgotten about our walking, I was up and dressed doing a few things while waiting. For a moment I thought about climbing back in bed... it wouldn't hurt anything. I could still get to the day to day cleaning, My Gardner Guys white shirts washed and ironed, plan dinner, water the garden, the list can go on and on as there is always another thing that can be done in our daily life's. Then the thought came again, I use the word again because I have had these same feelings before... every morning My Gardner Guy gets up early, really early...even if the thought entered in his mind about going back to bed he can not and would not; so much depends upon him being committed, diligent, faithful, hardworking, loyal, day after day. I am thankful for him, I am thankful to my Father, and thankful to all the other Fathers and Men out there sacrificing for others....taking care of their wives, their children, their families....They are so much like our Heavenly Father who allowed himself to be sacrificed so that we could be forgiven and hopefully most of of us will want and strive to live a worthy life in thankfulness and gratitude of all he has done in our behaves.

I made this very moist and sweet cake...My Gardner Guy loved it....he really loved it!!!

Rhubarb Cake with topping




Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. rhubarb, cut very fine
1/2 c. sugar
Mix well and set aside.

2 C flour
1 1/2 C sugar
1 C buttermilk
1/2 teas. salt
1/2 C vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp allspice
1 tsp vanilla

Mix well, then stir in the above
rhubarb mixture.
Pour into a greased 9"x13" pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for
40-45 mins.


Topping:

6 T. butter
1/4 C. milk
1 C. finely chopped nuts
2/3 C. brown sugar
1 C. coconut

Combine & boil for 3 mins. Spread
over the cake while cake is still
warm.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Today's Spinach picking makes for a tasty Fusilli Pasta with fresh spinach & ricotta cheese...

Today's To Do.....Spinach, Spinach and Spinach



Today's picking gave me four huge bags of more spinach to use!!!



Fusilli with fresh spinach & ricotta cheese...
This makes for a quick dinner especially when my Gardner Guy has a busy evening!!!




Ingredients:

1 lb of young trimmed, washed and dried well Spinach
2 tbsp of olive oil
4 green onions, chopped
1 cup of ricotta cheese
1 cup of half and half (or light cream)
1/2 to 1 tsp of nutmeg
1 tbsp of butter
1 lb of fusilli or cork screw pasta
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano- Reggiano cheese

Directions:

Using a large pot bring water to boil; add about 1 tsp of salt then stir in the fusilli pasta, stirring occasionally until al dente, about 10-12 minutes.

Stacking spinach leaves on top of one another Julienne cut the spinach. You should have about 8 packed cups of shredded spinach.

In a large sauce pan heat olive oil on medium heat add green onions cook until they are soft about 5 minutes. Add spinach, salt and pepper, cover and let spinach steam. This will wilt the spinach, stir often it will take about 5 minutes.

In a mixing bowl stir together ricotta, half and half, and nutmeg until mixture is smooth. Add the ricotta mixture, and butter to the spinach mixture. This is a good time to see if more salt and pepper is needed. Simmer on low for about 5 minutes.

Drain your Pasta well, reserve 3/4 cup of the pasta cooking water. Return the pasta to its pot and add the spinach mixture and enough of the reserved pasta water to help the sauce lightly coat the pasta. Toss thoroughly and stir in the Parmigian-Reggiano cheese. Serve warm this makes about 6 servings...


Garden Tips for Spinach...

Spinach is one of those vegetables you plant early as it is a cooler weather crop.
When picking your spinach pick leaves when they are about 2 1/2 to 3 inches long.
The smaller the leaf the sweeter the taste.
Watch for signs of bolting.
Just before plants begin to flower (starting to go to seed) they send up a large staggly stem. This tells you that the plant is finished growing and that the leaves will now turn bitter.



If you pluck the stem while it is young you may extend the life of the plant a little longer. Spinach plant just beginning to bolt, notice the small stem beginning to form...



Happy Gardening and Cooking....
Georgie

Sunday, June 12, 2011

A peaceful day, spinach, naps, My Gardner Guy is better than Popeye....

"When Popeye was fed up with this treatment in life or exhausted, he would eat spinach, which would instantly restore and amplify his strength to an even greater level. In the comic strips, spinach is presented as a panacea, infusing Popeye not only with his extraordinary strength, but also making him invulnerable to all sorts of threats (including bullets, a basilisk's petrifying gaze, or aliens' weapons) and even capable of feats like flight or extraordinarily fast swimming (usually with the aid of his pipe as a propeller)." Well thanks to Popeye I ate my spinach when I was younger, but like most children cooked spinach from the can or cooked in strong vinegar just did not appeal to me but, to be strong like Popeye I ate my greens.

Facts from Wikipedia tells us...The popularity of Popeye helped boost sales of the leafy vegetable. Spinach consumption increased 33 percent in the United States between 1931 and 1936 as Popeye gained popularity, saving the spinach industry in the 1930s. Using Popeye as a role model for healthier eating may work; a 2010 study revealed that children increased their vegetable consumption after watching Popeye cartoons. The spinach-growing community of Crystal City, Texas, erected a statue of the character in recognition of Popeye's positive effects on the spinach industry. There is another Popeye statue in Segar's hometown, Chester, Illinois, and a third in Alma, Arkansas, which claims to be "The Spinach Capital of the World," and is home to Allen Canning, which markets Popeye-branded canned spinach. In addition to Allen Canning's Popeye spinach, Popeye Fresh Foods markets bagged, fresh spinach with Popeye characters on the package.

Thank you Popeye...And thank you Fresh and Bagged Spinach, you've come a long way Popeye!!!
Georgie


Cream of Spinach... yum yum...



Ingredients:

20 ounces of fresh spinach (or 16 ounces frozen chopped spinach)
3 tablespoons butter
1 small onion diced very fine
3-4 cloves of garlic diced very fine
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1/4 cup flour
3 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules (or 3 cubes)
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup of heavy cream
1 1/2 cup of milk (may use can milk)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper, to taste
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg, to taste
1/4 cup of shredded Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

Preparation:

In a large sauce pan saute onions and garlic, until tender and transparent in color.

Add olive oil and stir in spinach, it will reduce in size quickly, cook until tender.

Stir in flour, salt and pepper until smooth.

Whisk in hot milk, water and bouillon.

Cook until beginning to thicken, add cheese, season with nutmeg to taste.


Get ready to enjoy a delicious creamy spinach treat!!!
Serves 3-4


Wilted Spinach Salad with Bacon & Balsamic Vinaigrette



This makes a nice meal served over a grilled chicken breast...a few pieces of garlic bread with pesto makes it a hit!!! My Gardener Guy likes it...

Ingredients:

6 cups (5-ounces) fresh spinach leaves, washed, dried, and chilled
2 slices bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup minced red onion
1/4 teaspoon coarse or sea salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly-ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon good-quality aged balsamic vinegar
1 hard boiled egg
feta cheese

Preparation:

Remove stems from spinach and tear into bite-sized pieces; place spinach in a large bowl.

In a small frying pan over medium heat, fry bacon approximately 5 minutes or until crisp; transfer with slotted spoon to paper towel-lined plate, leaving fat in pan.

Return frying pan to medium heat; add oil, onion, salt, pepper, and sugar. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is slightly softened. Add balsamic vinegar; blend well.

Pour warm dressing over spinach and toss gently to wilt (when properly wilted, the leaf edges soften slightly, but the spinach retains some crunch). Sprinkle bacon over spinach, I also garnish this salad with feta cheese and a hard boiled egg chopped up, serve immediately.
Makes 3-4 servings.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

A treat for My Gardener Guy!!! Sweet Orange Rhubarb Marmalade and Barbecue Sauce...



I have a list of recipes and ideas that I want to dig into. The trouble is I am almost through the big container of Rhubarb...So far I have added Barbecue Sauce, and Orange Rhubarb Marmalade to the additional 21 half pints of Rhubarb sauce being stored on my kitchen table. ( Silly me I like to look at them and pat myself on the back; way to go girl!!!) I am please with the turn out of both items. I attempted a rhubarb salad dressing that I would not feed to anyone! I was so excited to find a salad dressing to use on my freshly picked salad greens and spinach. So I was really disappointed about the recipe results...Please note I will never post a recipe unless I have tried it, liked, loved, and can not live without it!!!

I am very pleased with this Barbecue sauce. It seems weird that rhubarb is the base but many sauces have prunes, dates, raisins and fruits in them. Beings rhubarb is often used as a fruit in recipes it pairs really well as a barbecue sauce. I like this sauce so much that from now on I will not need to buy any from the store. This is a keeper...great way to use up my rhubarb. I am kind of excited to use it in My Gardner's Guy's Cincinnati Chili.
Georgie

Rhubarb Barbecue Sauce
1 cup water
1 onion chopped
1 mashed clove of garlic
1 1/2 cups chopped rhubarb
1 tsp. oil
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup ketchup
2 tbsp. corn syrup
2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
3 tbsp. Worcestershire
2 tsp. hot sauce or
I have used jalapeno or Habanero jelly
2 tbsp. vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
Bring the rhubarb and water to boiling. Lower the heat and let simmer until rhubarb is tender.
Let cool and process rhubarb mixture until smooth.
In the original saucepan, saute the onion and garlic in the oil. Add in the rest of the ingredients, and finally the rhubarb puree. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to let simmer uncovered until you have the desired thickness you like.
This is a small batch, doubling or tripling the batch allows you to can a few bottles for later use. Process finished product in a water bath...pints 20 minutes, quarts 25. This sauce will be wonderful for basting your grilled meats from the barbecue.

Rhubarb Orange Marmalade

6 cups chopped fresh or frozen rhubarb
6 cups sugar
2 medium oranges

Directions
Combine rhubarb and sugar in a large heavy saucepan. Grind oranges, including the peels, in a food processor; add to rhubarb mixture. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring often until marmalade sheets from a spoon, about 1 hour or more this takes time to thicken.
Pour into hot jars, leaving 1/4-in. head space. Adjust caps. Process in a boiling-water bath for 10 minutes.

I like this gourmet marmalade on a bagel with cream cheese or even toast. I think next Sunday I will serve it with some bagels.
My Gardner Guy is going to love this sweet treat!!!

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

My Gardner Guy's Rhubarb Sauce



My Gardener Guy's Rhubarb Sauce, I made 21 half pints today...
This sauce warmed up is a delicious topping for vanilla ice cream and My Gardener Guy loves it paired with a bowl of cold applesauce.


I spent most of the morning making plans on what rhubarb things I wanted to make. First I had to go through the freezer to see what I had left from last season's crop. Even though I make rhubarb sauce and a dozen or more rhubarb pies I still in up with quite a few stalks of rhubarb to share with others and freeze for later use in case I find another recipe to try. I prefer today to use up last seasons supply first. It will be perfect for my rhubarb sauce. Before this season is over I will get another bumper crop of rhubarb to use.

Some tips on Storing Rhubarb
Fresh stalks or chopped pieces can be stored whole in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks in sealed plastic bags. When you're ready to use refrigerated stalks, stand them in a container of cold water first to refresh them. Trim off the ends before chopping. Some cooks remove the stringy fibers, while others may choose to let the cooking do the softening. Rhubarb freezes well. Remove the leaves and wash the stalks. Cut the stalks into 1-inch pieces, put them in a heavy-duty plastic bag and store it in your freezer for up to 9 months. Blanching, followed by a brief ice-water bath, may preserve the color of the stalks. I have skipped this last step of blanching the color is still good.
Georgie

Rhubarb Sauce
2 1/2 quarts of chopped rhubarb
1 1/2 cups chopped raisins
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp salt

Combine rhubarb, raisins, onions, sugar and vinegar in a large sauce pot. Cook until thick, about 25-30 minutes. As the mixture thickens, stir frequently to prevent sticking. Add spices: cook 5 more minutes. Pour hot into canning jars leaving 1/4 inch head space. Adjust lids and process 15 minutes in boiling water bath. Yeilds 4 pints...

Monday, June 6, 2011

Rhubard (the Pie Plant)


My Gardner Guy has left Rhubarb on my kitchen table...



This is what the stalks look like before cutting off the leaves...

See how big the rhubarb plant is this year!!!



For year's my husbands parents gardened; as they got older failing health took Margaret my Gardner Guy's mother; then the lot was turned over to us. Both of us came from families that had gardens so it's not a surprise that we have developed a huge interest as well as an inquisitive curiosity for all the things we can grow. Before us Margaret grew rhubarb. I am not sure how old this plant is but it blooms back every year, it gets bigger every year. I stock my freezer with strawberry rhubarb pies; enough to last through the Holidays. I believe we went through 12 pies last year. Margaret may not be with us, but each time we partake of this vegetable that is more used like a fruit I think of her. Thank you Margaret!!!

Did You Know?
Rhubarb, a relative of buckwheat, grows wild in China and Tibet, where it's been used to make medicines for centuries. It first appeared in North America in the late 1700s, introduced by a Maine gardener who obtained seed or rootstock from Europe. Within a mere 25 years, it was so popular with customers that it had become a regular offering at produce markets. Supermarkets generally sell only the deep-red stems, but gardeners grow hybrids with green or pink stalks as well. Although it's botanically a vegetable, rhubarb is used in recipes the way you would a fruit. In fact, its nickname is "pie plant."

I will make pies again this year, this week in fact, as well a my rhubarb sauce. This sauce is so delicious warmed up and served as a topping over vanilla ice cream. I also use it in my canned applesauce. I do not add any additional sugar to my applesauce as it usually does not need it. We have a winesap apple tree and they themselves are pretty sweet. When you pair the two, a little rhubarb sauce with my applesauce I call it My Gardner Guys gourmet apple delite. It is as good as apple pie and I make a super apple pie.
Georgie

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
1 1/3 cup of sugar
2 TBS butter
2 cups of strawberries
2 1/2 cups of rhubarb
1/3 cup of flour

Heat oven 425
Mix sugar and flour, stir in rhubarb and strawberries. Stir until the sugars become slightly wet and clings to the fruit. Turn into a pastry lined pie plate, dot wit butter, apply top crust, flute or seal the edges... Cover the top of the pie with a sheet of foil, this protects the edges from becoming to brown while baking. Bake for 30 minutes, un-cover and bake for 10 more minutes.

Pie Crust
2 cups of flour
1 tsp of salt
1 cup of shortening
1/4 cup of water

Important to follow these steps...
Measure 1 2/3 cups of flour, add 1 tsp of salt. Mix flour and salt and then cut in using pastry cutter 1 cup of shortening until the mixture is in small crumbs. In a small bowl mix the other 1/3 cup of flour with 1/4 cup of water until well blended and is paste like. Mix the paste into the shortening/flour mixture until it forms into a loose ball. Divide in half and roll out. This recipe is perfect for a 9 inch pie.

This pie freezes well (do not thaw before baking)...when you want to bake it add 30 minutes to the original baking time. If you are using glass pie pans put pie in oven while the oven preheats and add 35 minutes to the original baking time. Never put a cold frozen pie dish in a hot oven!!!

Sunday, June 5, 2011

What I love about gardening?

First what is not to love about gardening!!! I have a great Gardner Guy who is a huge support to me. Fresh product aids in the development and creation of the finest foods. Sunday dinners can be fast and simple or big with taste, Both can be served up from a stocked pantry from last years bounty as well as this years fresh product as it ripens for the used of those enjoying the fruits of their labor.

Friday Brooke Graduated from High School...we are happy for her and today I wanted to end the week with a delicious Sunday Dinner...

The Menu
Grilled Chicken Breast marinaded in herbs, garlic, lemon juice, topped with carmelized sweet onions with red and green pepper garden relish.
Red Potatoes roasted with garlic and fresh rosemary that my Gardner Guy just picked today.
Corn on the cobb with a pesto buttery sauce added while roasting on the grill. I have the best basil pesto; I made many batches of this gourmet treat last season. I am so looking forward to my new crop of basil this year.
Fresh spinach and garden greens salad paired with sweet strawberries and feta cheese, and a raspberry vingerett dressing.
Fresh baked rolls to be served with my apricot and concord grape jams made last season. That's why I like gardening, preserving foods to enjoy everyday even when they are not in season.
Beverage, chilled apple pear juice and yes I make my own juices...
Does it sound good? Do you want to join us?
Georgie

The gardening season has began and I've got the Julia cooking bug itch!!!


Lettuce, lilac, spinach...

This was our first picking from our 2011 Garden last week. It has been cold, rainy, it's June and we still have snow in the foothills. Today it warmed up, finally we can see things starting to peek and pop up through the garden soil.
My Gardner Guy brought in a huge bunch of spinach and rhubard. I got the spinach all washed and put away. Monday I will tackle the large bowl of rhubarb, did I say large? This week recipe testing with spinach and rhubarb. I have a yummy gourmet rhubarb sauce to make!!! Dessert Strawberry Rhubarb Pie....a family favorite!!! Pictures and recipes to be posted; come visit my kitchen often. I promise to deliver some real tasty treats, good food that all will enjoy...Georgie

Loving mashed potatoes the Irish Way!!!

You can use kale instead of cabbage, but I personally prefer the softer and sweeter taste of cabbage. Colcannon is traditionally topped with...