Not Quite Drunken Beans

For Sunday Company Dinner we decided it was taco night. Now for some people that may mean hard shells, ground meat, cheese, and trimmings. Not so here. Ours was more of an authentic Mexican taco night. I was using my recipe for Pork Carnitas for the filling, as well as my recipe for Corn Crepes instead of purchasing taco shells. I also made a delicious homemade Salsa Verde which I will share tomorrow. Today, though, I want to talk about the beans. I was looking through my Rick Bayless cookbook- Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen looking for a side dish to accompany the tacos. I stopped when I got to the bean section, enamored instantly with a recipe for Frijoles Barrachos- or drunken pinto beans. We are not big bean people, but I want to be- there are few things more economical than a pot of beans, so I thought this would be a great recipe to try out.

I did make a few adjustments and changes for my tastes. The initial recipe called for simmering the beans with some pork shoulder. I knew that in order for these beans to be good, top notch pork needed to be used, and a trip to the butcher just wasn't an option, so instead at the grocery store I looked around for an alternative. I found it in the form of Mexican Chorizo. This is a crumbly soft sausage that is packed with vibrant Mexican flavors, and I knew it would do the job nicely. My second change to the recipe was with the tequila. I really thought about it, but then decided against it for two reasons. One being that I LOVE tequila, and I really don't need a bottle around here to tempt me into getting all liquored up. The second reason I decided against the tequila was because it IS an unusual flavor, and I figured that if our guests didn't like tequila, they wouldn't like the beans. So I just simply left it out and renamed my beans Sober Barrachos. (Which, yes, I realize is actually an oxymoron saying sober drunk or somethign like that. But I like the way barrachos sounds rolling off the tongue.)

Seriously, these are some fantastic beans! I will not hide my surprise at the fact that I couldn't keep my spoon out of the pot- they are incredible. In fact, yesterday for lunch all I had was a bowl of leftover beans with a dollop of sour cream and some salsa verde. Well worth the time to make- we could become bean people after all. Especially when this huge pot of beans cost about $3 to make, so this also qualifies today's recipe as a budget-friendly idea. Served up with a bit of corn bread or some tortillas, these beans are a meal all by themselves.

Sober Barrachos
Adapted from Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen

16 ounces dry pinto beans
8 ounces Mexican chorizo,crumbled
8 slices thick bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large white onion, cut into 1/4 inch dice
2 jalapenos, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
fresh ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro

Rinse the beans thoroughly and scoop into a dutch oven. Add about 8 cups of water (covering the beans by 1/2 inch), removing any beans that float. Ad the crumbled chorizo and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and very gently simmer, partially covered, until the beans are thoroughly tender, about 2 hours. You'll need to gently stir the beans regularly and add water as necessary to keep the liquid 1/2 inch above the level of the beans.

In a medium skillet, fry the bacon, stirring regularly, until crisp, about 10 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove the bacon, leaving behind the drippings. Add the onions and chilies to the bacon grease and fry until deep golden brown, about 10 minutes. Scrape the onion mixture into the beans, then taste and season it all with salt and pepper. Continue simmering, stirring occasionally, for 20 to 30 minutes to blend the flavors.

If the beans seem quite soup, boil over medium high heat, stirring frequently, until the consistency of a nice brothy soup.

Just before serving, stir in the cilantro and serve in warm bowls topped with the crumbled bacon.

Makes about 8 cups of beans- serves 8 people as a main dish, about 12 as a side dish.

Banana Bundt Cake from Dorie

With all the produce going in and out of the kitchen, this past week we discovered that the fruit flies had decided to make their home here. Not many, but where there are few, many usually are not far behind. This meant that a bunch of nicely browned bananas needed to be used right away- waiting would only increase the quantity of flies in the house, and I really wanted to get them managed before the got out of hand. Right away my thoughts turn to banana bread, but as I am out of walnuts, and did not want to make a trip to the store, banana bread was out. (It just is not the same without the walnuts.) So I turned to baking genius Dorie Greenspan and I was not disappointed.

Her Classic Banana Bundt Cake is just as easy to put together as banana bread, only it makes an impressive looking cake to serve company. The batter came together very quickly, it was pretty basic, flour, butter, sugar, eggs, leavening and bananas. I used yogurt instead of the sour cream and before I knew it the cake was filled with a wonderful baking banana aroma. Since I baked the cake on Saturday for Sunday Dinner, I took the generous advice Dorie gave and wrapped my cake with plastic wrap overnight. I decided at the last minute to glaze the cake. I took powdered sugar, cocoa, and a drizzle of brewed coffee, mixed them together until combined and drizzled away. I was a little disappointed that the coffee did not come through very well, but then later Abigail told me she thought the glaze tasted funny- that it started out tasting like coffee then chocolate. Huh. Guess the mocha worked.

The cake was delicious! It did taste similar to banana bread, but the texture was definitely lighter. It was so moist and really, it just was an excellent cake. The mocha glaze really is not necessary, but it did jazz it up a bit, and I like the chocolate-mocha flavor in combination with the bananas. I can recommend the Classic Banana Bundt Cake from Dorie Greenspan wholeheartedly. It is a delicious cake, and definitely company worthy.

Classic Banana Bundt Cake

from Baking: From My Home To Yours by Dorie Greenspan

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, preferably at room temperature
About 4 very ripe bananas, mashed (you should have 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups)
1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350ºF. Generously butter a 9 to 10 inch bundt pan. (If you've got a silicon pan, there's no need to butter it.) Don't place the pan on a baking sheet- you want the oven's heat to circulate through the Bundt's inner tube.

Whisk the flour, baking soda and salt together.

Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugar and beat at medium speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla, then add the eggs one at a time, beating for about 1 minute after each egg goes in. reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the bananas. Finally, mix in half the dry ingredients (don't be disturbed when the batter curdles), all the sour cream and then the rest of the flour mixture. Scrape the batter into the pan, rap the pan on the counter to de-bubble the batter and smooth the top.

Bake for 65 to 75 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted deep into the center of the cake comes out clean. Check the cake after 30 minutes- if it is browning too quickly, cover it loosely with a foil tent. Transfer the cake to a rack and cool for 10 minutes before unmolding onto the rack to cool to room temperature.

If you've got the time, wrap the cooled cake in plastic and allow it to sit on the counter overnight before serving- it's even better the next day.

New Poll This Week!

I'm contemplating my current method of posting about recipes here on Tummy Treasure and posting the actual recipe in the Recipe Trove. I like it because it keeps all of my recipes together in one place, but I'm wondering if I should put the recipes here on Tummy Treasure too. Do you have an opinion one way or the other? Let me know in the new poll and comment here if you have a comment about it.

Fun New Lunch Things

Yesterday while school shopping, we wandered down the lunchbox aisle in search of a thermos for Abigail. I have to say, lunchboxes have come a long way in just a few years. If we didn't have the laptop lunchbox already, it would have been hard to choose from. But we did find a few things that will make lunch much better for Abigail this year.

The first being this Princess Thermos. It's the perfect size to hold soup for her for lunch. I am also thinking that things like spaghetti and beans and mac and cheese may work in this as well (and sloppy joe filling-her favorite!). The only thing I haven't figured out yet is how to pack it- it doesn't actually fit in her laptop lunchbag, so I'm not sure what I'll do yet for that. Hopefully it seals well, because what I can see is it lying on it's side in the bottom of her backpack until lunchtime.

The second thing we found was these really cool little ice packs made by Munchkin. They are fairly small, yet seem completely sturdy. Unlike the flimsy standard ice packs we used last year, these look like they will last a very long time without developing a leak. We won't be able to use these all the time, as they are a little wider than what we actually needed, but when we do use them, I'm sure they will keep her lunch nice and cold for as long as I need it to.

And actually, as I am typing this out, I think I solved my problem with where to put the thermos. Obviously with a thermos full of soup or chili Abigail won't be needing a laptop full of additional lunch. So I think I will be picking up an insulated lunch bag that that thermos fits in, and then I can tuck in a small sandwich or a piece of fruit to go with her thermos of food. I think it will be exciting to Abigail to have more than one lunchbox option. And maybe, just maybe, I can keep the lunchline at bay this year.

Oh, and for anyone wondering, I picked up these things at Target yesterday- and they had plenty of options for both boys and girls. Zander wants to know when he gets a lunchbox and a Spiderman thermos.

It's almost that time again...

I'm trying really hard to get into that frame of mind. Man, I tell you, we have been enjoying summer. Lazy mornings, rolling out of bed when we feel like it, sitting around in our jammies until 9 or 10 in the morning, and really doing whatever we want. Sadly, in just over a week, the easiness of life is over in favor of better education. Zander sure is going to miss his sister, and keeps asking when he can go to school too. Maybe if I make sure he has his own new school supplies he'll be happy at home with me for another two years.

Anyway, yesterday I asked Abigail what she would like for lunches this year, and she surprised me by saying "Fun stuff!" And when I inquired further into what that meant, she said "you know, things like pancakes, tomato soup, tacos, pizza. Things like that." And she wasn't talking about school lunch. I think she may be finally embracing being the daughter of a foodie. I'm thrilled that she wants to take hot food! So I'm on the prowl now for a good pint-sized hot lunch thermos. I can't wait to start playing around and filling up her Laptop Lunchbox with fun lunch after fun lunch. I figure I've got about a month or so before she begins staring wistfully at the chicken nuggets and mini corn dogs...

The Pears Are Gone!

Yesterday as I chased a fruit fly away from my ginormous bowl of pears, I realized he'd be back with his friends if I didn't do anything with these pears. I initially had been thinking of quick breads or muffins, but as I looked through recipe after recipe, they really didn't use any quantity of pears. One or two at a time just wasn't going to cut it in using up these pears. So my first decision was to make a pear sauce. The thought to me of eating pear sauce just doesn't sound good to me- and I adore pears! But then I thought of all the times I use applesauce in place of half the fat in a quick bread and it occurred to me that I could easily use a pear puree instead. So I got the pears cooking, went on a hunt for jars, and a short while later I had eight little half-pints of pear sauce.

And I still had pears.

So I made some pie crust and got that in the fridge chilling. And while I waited to make my pear pies, I decided that any that were left after that were going to be divided into eating pears and then one more batch of pear sauce. At least the pears would be used up. Then later on I changed my mind and decided that pear chutney would be more fun, so that was the plan after the pies. I cut and rolled dough for three pies and then got to work on the pears. When I had filled my mixing bowl with pears slices and spices I was surprised to find it only filled two of my shells. I actually finished off the pears and had to use two granny smith apples from the fridge to finish filling the third shell. I was under the impression that I had more pears in the garage, but of course, I didn't. So I did manage to use up the pears, although now I'm a little sad I never got to make my pear chutney. These pies are also going to serve the purpose of being test pies for freezing whole pies. I've always wanted to try doing so and seeing how they fared- so two pies are in the freezer freezing solid before they'll be Foodsaved and deep-frozen. Should be interesting.

But by far, my favorite thing to do with pears came two days ago when I made an Autumn Pear Pudding Cake for my birthday cake. Oh my gosh, that was fantastic! The cake part was slightly spicy and had some depth to it, and the pears literally melted into this delightful sweet sauce. The pear pudding needed no whipped cream or ice cream, it was perfect just as it is. So the recipe for Autumn Pear Pudding Cake is indeed a keeper.

Birthday Chowder

Yesterday I had planned Indian food for my birthday dinner. On Monday though it was cool enough to bake, so I had baked up a pair of loaves of bread, and there was one sitting on the counter yesterday when I woke. It seemed a shame to not utilize that bread at it's freshest, and since it was cool and grey out, I decided I was in the mood for soup. I've been meaning to attempt a chowder of sorts for an upcoming feature in the paper, and I decided that yesterday was the day.

So I went through the fridge, freezer and pantry to see what I could come up with. I found an onion, garlic, wild rice, potatoes, and dried herbs in the pantry. Then I found bacon and plenty of chicken stock in the freezer, and then some 2 year old white cheddar, mushrooms, and milk in the fridge. I was set to make myself a Wild Rice and Cheddar Chowder. It ended up taking a bit of tweaking, adding a little more of this, a trip out to the fresh rosemary plant, and then the final addition of some leftover chicken before it was perfect. Abigail took the first bite- "mmm, this soup is really good Mommy!" so then Zander dipped his spoon in-"mmm, look Mommy, I caught some bacon on my spoon- yummy!" Andy and I looked at each other. Let's face it, my kids just don't go ga-ga for soup. Especially one that is loaded with mushrooms and wild rice. So then Andy dug in and kind of looked at me, "this is really good." I kinda shrugged it off and said it was a little more complicated than I had wanted. And his reply was that he didn't care if I literally slaved all day over the stove- I needed to write this one down and make it again.

Lol. It was very good. I was a little surprised that it went over so well. Abigail did eventually discover the mushrooms and then proceeded to pick them out of the soup, but then went back and ate plenty more- despite the fact that the soup was packed with mushroom flavor. I did manage to streamline the recipe as I wrote it down, so it really isn't as complicated if you do the steps in order. Sorry, no picture today. It didn't really occur to me to take one, and this soup isn't particularly photogenic without some treatment with a garnish or fancy plating. And yesterday just wasn't about being fancy. But the Wild Rice and Cheddar Chowder was truly delicious.

Today I need to tackle the mountain of pears in my kitchen- I have no idea what will become of them, I'm off to hunt in a few minutes for some pear muffins or quick breads or something that I can freeze. But tomorrow I'll have a decadent new way to eat pears to share...pudding cake anyone?

And before you take off- be sure to swing my Kids Cuisine this morning to check out my review of what is hands down, the best cookbook for children I have ever seen. Abigail will be cooking out of it soon- so check it out.

A Few of My Favorite Things

Yesterday I had a wonderful surprise show up on my doorstep. A package arrived for me from Pittsburgh, and I knew right away it would hold some fantastic treasure. April from Cookworm drew my name for this summer's Blogging By Mail, organized by Stephanie from Dispensing Happiness. This round was titled "A Few of My Favorite Things" and was really fun to do. I know I had a difficult time stopping when it came to filling up my package to send to Lydia at The Perfect Pantry. The package from April was no disappointment, I tell you. Full of things that are new to me, and are now new favorites of mine as well.Where to begin? Well, as I read the letter and unpacked the box, I just couldn't help myself. I had been having a cup of coffee already, and I couldn't wait. I opened up the package of Orange Nutmeg Almond Biscotti and dunked away. The flavor in these is spectacular! They are from a Pittsburgh company, Enrico's, and so, so good. It's a good thing it's a big bag, because I want to figure out how to make some myself. Next to the biscotti is something I've always wanted to try, Horchata. Horchata is a Latin American drink (I think) made from rice milk and cinnamon, and in my mind I always envisioned it tasting like a big frothy mug of decadent rice pudding. I was so impatient waiting for it to chill in the fridge, but I was not disappointed. Oh my gosh, it tasted exactly like I knew it would, delicious and creamy and oh my, just good! I love it, and it will now be a pantry staple.

Next we have a bottle of Tulip Poplar Honey from Maple Valley Farms in Pennsylvania. The honey is very dark and very rich in flavor. It almost tastes like a blend of dark maple syrup and honey- I'm sure from the poplar. I know it will be perfect for making honey butter for some muffins or biscuits. There is also a bottle of Torani Peach syrup, which is a flavor I've never tried and I can't wait to do so! April suggests mixing it with soda water and a touch of cream for a peach cream soda, and that sounds amazing! I just need to pick up the soda and we'll be in business. Next to the syrup is a box of Burt's Bees Wild Lettuce Complexion soap that I can't wait to try out. I love that it's all-natural, and again, it's something I've been meaning to try sometime, but just haven't. Being newly 30 I think it's time to start taking care of my skin a little better, and this may just be the ticket. :-)

Below that in the picture is some of the most amazing chocolate I have ever tasted. Truly. Direct from Belgium, a bar of Dolfin's Anis Vert Chocolate. It is a dark chocolate with green aniseed in it. And I know it sounds strange, but my goodness, does it work! I broke off a tiny corner, a little hesitant, but wow! The flavors marry perfectly! This bar of chocolate will certainly be savored, and it also gives me yet another idea for my truffles this Christmas...

You would think that would be the end of the package- but there's still more! What you don't see in the picture because Zander was running around with it is a handmade cookie stamp with a Celtic Knot on it. I always look at cookie stamps and wonder how well they actually work. I get to find out now- and with a beautiful design. The Celtic Knot is beautiful. Last Christmas I made an effort to make a cookie platter with all the cookies of our blended families heritage on it, and the Irish cookie was my least favorite. I can just see the shortbreads now with a pretty design stamped into the top.

And last, but certainly not least, are a few selections of tea from a tea shop April enjoys spending time in. In tropical and floral flavors, I cannot wait to try them. With the weather taking a slight turn towards fall, a mug of tea may be the perfect thing this very afternoon. And with a touch of that poplar honey, I should be in heaven.

All in all, a wonderful package. It was so thoughtful, and I get a sense that April and I have very similar tastes- after all, it was a box of her favorite things, and now they're my new favorites. I've enjoyed "meeting" her virtually, and I will definitely be keeping an eye on her blog. Thanks again April! And thanks again to Stephanie for organizing Blogging By Mail- another round that was tons of fun.

Happy Birthday Little Beauty!

How is it that I am the mother of a seven year old?! Where did all that time go? It's been a wonderful seven years, and I'm looking forward to the next seven. Happy Birthday sweet princess!

A Doozy of a Day

My parents have a pear tree in their backyard that produces tons of pears every year. Despite the lack of rain and the fact that there is virtually no trunk left on this antique tree, it still goes nuts. They let us know yesterday that today was the day that they were going to pick all the pears off the tree-before the wasps come in this year. And did we want any? Did we want to can some pears? This got me thinking, and a short while later I learned that I could can pears in my boiling water canner with the aid of some simple syrup. You bet! Free pears to put up- I was in.

So we went over this morning to share the duties of picking the pears, and with all of us working, it went very quickly. Not knowing how many pears it was going to take to do a few batches, we brought home quite a few pears...
Andy promised to help peel and cut the pears today, so we both let the kids loose doing whatever they wanted and settled in for an afternoon of canning. A short handful of pears in, we were both looking at the mountains of pears we'd brought home- now realizing how much work it was going to be to peel and core and cut every single one. Oy! But we forged ahead. We had the pears, we had the jars and the simple syrup. And in the end, we ended up with 34 quarts of canned pears.We actually ran out of jars, or we probably could have gotten another 7 or 8 quarts made. As it is, the remaining pears will be delicious eating out of hand and will make their way into a few crisps, pies, or salads. Overall, a very productive day for us. Tomorrow we begin birthday week! Abigail's birthday is on Monday, but we'll be celebrating both tomorrow and Monday, since Monday means work for Andy. Then Tuesday is my birthday, and I can't wait to show off my birthday present. I'm going to be turning the big 3-0, and since I've heard the thirties are better than the twenties, I'm looking forward to it.

BTW- another milestone! This is my 700th post!!!

My First Recipe!

This week in the local paper my first recipe came out! I have to admit, while I was excited about it, I though, eh, it's just a recipe. But then I actually saw the recipe in print. A recipe that I developed. That was pretty cool to see. The folks at the paper also did a great job putting the recipe in its own little section so that it's clippable and anyone who wants it can get at it easily.

For my first recipe I created a recipe that I called Spicy Mediterranean Pasta Salad. I started with a trip to the farmer's market, and let the produce there inspire my salad. The day I put the recipe on paper was a great day at the market, I found fresh spinach, cucumbers, new red onions, and gorgeous cherry tomatoes. While assembling the salad, I also added a few convenience items- bottled banana peppers, kalamata olives, and then some leftovers- shredded chicken and feta cheese. The beauty of this salad is that you can change it up to whatever you want it to be. Don't like cucumbers? Try thinly sliced kohlrabi. No cherry tomatoes? How about some beautiful red bell pepper instead. Found some new carrots? Throw them in. This salad is limited only by imagination.

For the dressing I made a spicy vinaigrette with crushed red pepper flake. The pepper could certainly be reduced if needed, and truly, in a pinch, a bottle of spicy Italian dressing could fill in for the homemade vinaigrette. It really is an excellent salad. We ate quite a bit of it while I was developing the recipe, and we never got sick of it. I have the recipe for Spicy Mediterranean Pasta Salad in the Recipe Trove. If you are interested in seeing it in print, you can click here to check it out in the Seymour Times Press. Scroll down a tiny bit and you'll find it.

Totally My Daughter!

Well, no food post today. Dinner last night was complements of the grocery store deli. But I did want to talk a little about my little treasure. :-) Last night before ballet class, I asked Abigail if she would like to go do some shoe shopping before class. School is coming up, and we've been slowly adding new clothing here and there. Shoes was the one thing we hadn't touched yet, so I thought we'd stop and take advantage of BOGO.

LOL! I adore shoes myself, but since having kids and being responsible (ahem) my shoe purchasing has been limited to practicality. But my almost-seven-year-old was like a kid in a candy store! She pointed to shoe after shoe, and she'd try a pair on and walk the catwalk, trying them out, and skewing her legs just so so that I could get a good look. She even amused the sales girl helping us. So we picked out a few pairs of shoes, and then another, and then we had an odd number so we needed another pair to fully take advantage of the buy one/get one, so somehow a pair of boots made it onto my daughters feet. Seriously, the people in the store with us stopped to admire this little girl in her walking boots. We had to get them. And then a pair of sandals, which, once again gave us an odd number which was rescued by the appearance of a Hello Kitty backpack.

And of course, we couldn't stop with just the boots. A mental walk-through of Abigail's wardrobe had me thinking that we should pick up a couple of skirts for her to wear with the boots. So then we had to make another stop. As I started to follow her into the changing room she turns around and looks at me and says very matter-of-factly, "I don't need your help, Mommy." A few minutes later she came back out with two skirts that fit nicely, ("but this one might need a belt to look right."). So to close today, here's a photo of my little lady who turns seven on Monday.

Mmmm....Corn Muffins

Last night Abigail had Nutcracker practice so it was an unexpected crock-pot night this week in addition to tonight's regular one. It didn't take me long to check out the freezer and decide to pull out some previously BBQ'd country style ribs. We all love these ribs, and the reheat wonderfully in the crock-pot. They went into the crock from frozen and I cooked them for 2 hours on high before leaving and turning them down to low. But we needed to have more than ribs for dinner. And with my kitchen still in a shambles because yes, the ants are still going, I wanted something quick and easy.

A quick trip through the kitchen found enough fruit to toss together for a fruit salad, dressed with some raspberry yogurt it would be a perfect counterpoint to the smoky richness of the pork ribs. But what else...? Well, nothing screams BBQ to me like corn bread. Specifically, corn muffins. Now apparently I am not a true Southerner, because I prefer my corn bread with sugar in it, but I do gauge how much sugar by what I'm serving it with. For BBQ, it's the lesser amount. For something like chili, I use a little more sugar. Either way, I love corn muffins. I prefer my cornbread in a single serve muffin shape only because the bread, by nature, is a little crumbly, and it drives me batty that I can't cut cornbread into neat slices (or cubes as the case may be). And the best part of making corn muffins for dinner? There's always a few leftover for a decadent breakfast, smothered with some butter and homemade preserves.Erika's Corn Muffins

And finally, to find out what Abigail's been up to in the kitchen lately, be sure and check out this morning's article over at Kid's Cuisine. I think I have a budding chef on my hands.

A New Penzey's Find

Penzey's has a new spice blend out called Tuscan Sunset. It's a salt-free Italian style seasoning. The ingredients on the back are basil, oregano, Aleppo pepper, garlic, thyme, fennel, black peppers and anise. I picked it up the last time I was at Penzey's, and I have to say, it is excellent for adding just a touch of flavor to something. The Aleppo pepper gives it just a touch of heat, and overall, I really like the flavor combination. In last night's case, I used it on a fillet of salmon that Andy grilled. We added some grey salt, and then finished it off tableside with a squeeze of lemon, it was very good and well worth repeating.

And would you believe the ants are still at it! They took a break late yesterday, but I woke up this morning to find them still swarming the terro. The do seem to be stopping there and not going into the pantry, but as long as they're around, the pantry contents are all over my kitchen and in the basement. It makes it pretty difficult to navigate and cook something. On the plus side though, as I was bleaching the pantry again yesterday, I decided that it was finally time to give the shelves a coat of paint. Something I've been meaning to do since we moved in two years ago! It will be much easier to clean the shelves now and it also will be easy to spot critters earlier. I'm also in need of a Tupperware sale, as I think I need to have sealable homes for more pantry staples. I sure hope those ants finish up soon!

Miscellaneous...

Last night's dinner was a rousing success- it was quick, simple, and most everyone loved it. One of Andy's favorite meals is sausage and peppers- Italian sausage served on a roll with onions, peppers, and marinara. He keeps asking for it, and keeps suggesting that we make it for our Sunday Company Dinner. I keep putting it off, because it really is best if everything is cooked on the grill- and sausage and peppers for company takes a bit of grill space. Or so I thought.

I got the idea from a Taste of Home annual and just ran with it. I had Andy grill the sausage, I cut up peppers and onions, and then he grilled the veggies. In the meantime, I dumped a large container of marinara into a crockpot along with 3 or 4 tomatoes that needed to be used, and a handful of fresh parsley. Then the peppers were cut into chunks and tossed with the vegetables in the marinara. The whole thing simmered away for a few hours, combining flavors and getting even more delicious. And it worked perfectly. I loved that when I scooped the mixture onto a roll I had nuggets of sausage blended with vegetables instead of one long link of sausage. This way, a bite incorporated a little bit of everything. We also had some penne on hand for those who didn't want a sandwich, and that worked just as well as there was plenty of sauce to sauce the pasta. A dual-purpose dinner with very little effort involved. There was plenty leftover as well, so after it cooled, it went into the freezer for a quick dance-night dinner later on. In addition, sausage and peppers is relatively inexpensive to make. Considering that I made enough for two meals, if I break down the price it comes out to about a dollar a person. Not bad.

One reason we needed a quick to put together dinner yesterday was actually because our house was in need of a good cleaning before company came. But imagine this, will you. We arrive home from church, and I set out to make lunch right away for the kids- mentally planning my afternoon of housework and food prep. I pull out the jar of peanut butter, open it up, reach in with my knife, and find the peanut butter full of ants. Tiny, microscopic ants. The PB went straight into the garbage and I grabbed the other peanut butter. Open the lid. Ants. So a closer peek into the pantry revealed a nightmare- an infestation of the tiniest ants I'd ever seen. I grabbed at the last jar of peanut butter- knowing full well what I'd find, but hoping that the gourmet dark chocolate raspberry peanut butter had been spared. But it had not.

I had to recruit my husband. We found ants in unopened cracker packages, open packages of nuts and in the can of shortening. Shortening! I was worried...I had a lot of open packages of baking goods, flours and chocolate chips, pasta, things like that. Oddly enough, the ants stayed away from the sweet stuff- even avoiding the two jars of marshmallow fluff. Much of the pantry had to be emptied and scrubbed. A lot went into the garbage. The surviving goods were moved down into the kitchen annex until we can be sure the ants are gone. We put down some terro, and they did finally find it, so I'm glad for that. But after putting that down yesterday afternoon, they are STILL swarming the stuff this morning. So this is what my pantry looks like this morning, and how it will stay until the swarming buggers are gone.

Sharing Some Link-Love

A friend of mine recently shared this blog with me. Her exact words were "you have to check this blog out. Have to." So I finally did, and she was completely right. The Pioneer Woman Cooks is a website dedicated to delicious at-home fare. Pioneer Woman takes it a step further though and goes step by step through the process to make something delicious. And I mean step by step. It's really a perfect tutorial for someone who doesn't cook so much (or doesn't cook so well). With full color photographs detailing every step of a recipe, her recipes are practically foolproof.

I have just begun exploring this blog, but I definitely wanted to share it with my readers. Want to make cinnamon rolls? Or, I should say, seven pans of cinnamon rolls? Pioneer Woman's directions and pictures sure give me the confidence to tackle that myself. Right now she's got a delectable looking blackberry cobbler up on the main page. If only I had some blackberries!

Anyway, check it out. The Pioneer Woman Cooks. And oh boy, does she ever!

I *Heart* This Marinade

Recently I was in the mood for teriyaki. It's something I order out, but seldom make because I've never found a marinade I liked. Whether homemade or store-bought, I found them all cloying or too heavily flavored. So I found myself standing in front of the marinade section at the store and there was quite the selection of Teriyaki sauces. How to pick one? I started with the ingredients. Any one that contained high fructose corn syrup was automatically eliminated. That didn't leave much. This particular marinade caught my eye because of the plethora of sesame seeds. Sesame in teriyaki? No corn syrup? It was worth a try.

In a word, delicious. I love this marinade. I first tried it on chicken tenders, and I loved how it subtly invaded the chicken and filled it with flavor. Last night we tried it on swordfish and shrimp. (It was splurge night last night) The results there were even better than the chicken. This marinade was light enough that it didn't overwhelm the flavor of the shrimp or the swordfish at all. It complemented them very nicely. While I could probably try to make my own teriyaki marinade, with this one at my disposal in a bottle, why would I search for anything else. Kona Coast has many, many other marinades, and I intend to make my way through many of them.

That's A Wrap!

Wow. It's been a very long day. I have a whole new admiration for television personalities and production crews. What a lot of work! I started by arriving at the park when I was told to, and then I was told that they were running a little behind. We were all introduced to the host, Mark DeCarlo, and he truly is as he seems on TV. He's a lot of fun and a genuinely nice guy. It was kind of fun, as we were being introduced to him I was introduced as the blogger, while everyone else just got their names. And I was in good company- area chefs, cooks, and restaurateurs comprised my fellow burger cooks. And radio personalities. We had some outrageous radio personalities there who were a hoot! (Mad Dog and Merril anyone?)

It took such a long time to move from take to take and shot to shot. And I think I can safely say that I was no where near as witty or entertaining as the radio guys... however, Mr. DeCarlo did enjoy my burger, so at least that was a little something. To be completely honest, I will be surprised if I see myself on Taste of America. They spent an entire day filming here in town, and I am sure there is a lot that will end up on the cutting room floor. I'm okay with that. While exhausting, the experience was really fun, and I had the added benefit of having a friend unexpectedly join me for the event. It was really nice to have someone to visit with during down time. And there was plenty of down time.

All in all, I'd do it again. I think I would just like to be better informed next time. We had so much extra time that had I known that, I would have taken things like my slaw unprepared so I could do it on-site. I actually have no idea how the whole thing wrapped up either, because I had to duck out. Abigail had ballet practice tonight, and my parents were on their way out of town so I needed to retrieve my kids. I waited until the last possible second... and just a few minutes later we're dashing out of town, already late for ballet. Anyone who knows me also knows that I am not a speeder in my car. Ever since having children I am cautious and try to maintain the speed limit. And wouldn't you know (you've guessed what's coming, haven't you?) the one day that I am using excessive speed only because we are quite late, would be the day that I get pulled over. Seriously! What are the odds! So I did only get a warning, but then we were even more late, and then I was even more careful about not going too fast. Anyway, Abigail did make it to ballet, although 20 minutes late.

So it's been a long day, and I don't promise much exciting tomorrow. Why is it that I take one day off from things like dishes and laundry, and now I've got a certified disaster area on my hands? I'll be sure and let everyone know when this episode of Taste of America will air. In the meantime, check it out on The Travel Channel- the host is a ton of fun to watch.

Where's Erika?

Lol.

Well, I think I can safely share my adventure tomorrow. I can't decide if it's a big deal or not, and I guess I won't know until the final editing hits the TV screen and I see if for myself if it was a big deal or not. Tomorrow I have an unusual opportunity to do some cooking for an audience. Taste of America, seen on The Travel Channel, is coming to my town to discuss all things Hamburger. And since I am the reigning burger-topping champion (only cause I haven't been contested since winning) I will be doing some cooking for the show.

So what am I cooking? Well, it's really more topping than anything. I'll be provided a hamburger patty, and I need to top it for a national audience. When I was first asked to do this, I immediately began thinking about doing a burger that highlights local products. So that's what I'll be doing. My Wisconsin Tribute Burger is going to feature some local cheese, local bacon, and a kicking slaw using local produce and ingredients. I will share the full recipe when I can.

In the meantime, wish me luck! I keep changing my mind about what I want to wear, and then when I finally settled on something I got a phone call from the producer telling me the colors I shouldn't wear and...well, back to the drawing board for that one. And while it's not exactly hot, temperature wise, it's extremely sticky out, so I'll need to figure out how to tame my mane with all this humidity. Sigh. The price of stardom. Lol. Hopefully it will be fun and the end result will be entertaining. I thought my experience on the Food Network left a little to be desired and I thought everything that came out of my mouth sounded lame, so I hope I can do better this time. The shooting is Wednesday afternoon, so I'll try posting later that evening to share the experience.

P.S. Is it weird to be geeked up about the idea of simply appearing on the same network as Anthony Bourdain?

A Zucchini Round-Up

Do you have an over-abundant zucchini plant right now? Mine isn't exactly over-abundant, but it is keeping me nicely supplied in fresh green Summer squash. So I thought that today I would simply point out several of the zucchini recipes in my Recipe Trove for those who need something new to do with zucchini.

First, I have the Salatet Kousa from the other day. Moroccan zucchini...it's truly wonderful and I'm thinking about it for dinner tonight again.

Ah! Zucchini Fritters! How could I forget these- with a simple marinara sauce, these are delightful!

This Chocolate Chip Zucchini Sheet Cake made an appearance just this weekend. The caramel frosting takes it completely over the top. We love this one.

The Phul Gobhi would be perfect with a lot of zucchini- and anything else you find at the farmer's market, for that matter.

Oh, I haven't made these yet this year! These Vegetable Enchiladas are packed with flavor. The Cooked Tomatillo Sauce can be swapped out for your favorite Salsa Verde as well. I suspect these would also be a way to use up frozen shredded zucchini.

And anyone who's been reading my blog for awhile knows of my sincere love for all things quick bread. Here's my recipe for straight up Mom's Zucchini Bread and my Chocolate Zucchini Bread.

This White Bean Salad with Zucchini and Parmesan exceeded my expectations when I first made it.

This Cabbage Patch Stew, shared by a thoughtful reader would be excellent with the addition of zucchini.

And finally, with a bit of extra time on your hands, this Cornmeal Crusted Roasted Zucchini Tart is an impressive dish to make for company. Or where the tart is time intensive, this Zucchini Gratin is extremely simple and bakes away while you tend to your guests.

It's Festival Weekend!

I doubt we'll be cooking much this weekend. :-)

Street Food!

And I'm not talking about greasy deep-fried fair food either. Yesterday I was going to do a couple of things with zucchini and then tell you about them today. The day ran away from me quicker than I expected, but there was one saving grace. The mail truck brought me a piece of treasure.

Street Food by Tom Kime is a true gift to fans of travel. We religiously watch Anthony Bourdain tour the globe, singing the praises of street food, and this book gives us at home the opportunity to recreate some of what we've seen. This book is broken down into five different regions around the world. India and Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, Southern Europe, and The Middle East and North Africa. Most of the recipes also have a detailed picture, and the travel essays throughout give you a good idea that this food is as authentic as it can get. There are also menu suggestions and a recipe navigator to help you find something specific. Overall, it's a very well put-together cookbook. None of the recipes seem overly complicated- they are street food after all.

As I was digesting this book I found a recipe for Salatet Kousa, or zucchini salad. A quick scan showed that I had everything I needed at home, except for the parsley, and that was easily remedied while we were out running around. Traditionally served as part of a mezze or as a side for grilled meat or fish, salatet kousa hails from Morocco, and I had to make it. It went quickly. I started with some smaller zucchini fresh from the garden which I cut into small sticks. These were fried in oil on the stove top until golden brown. While the zucchini fried, I combined the dressing ingredients. In no time at all, I had all the zucchini in a bowl and tossed it with the dressing. Then we had to wait. Andy wouldn't be home for a good hour, so I was patient and let the salad blend. Just before serving, a handful of parsley was thrown in.

I opted to make up some basmati rice and serve this up with that. In a word, it was fantastic. The flavor was bright and vibrant, and not really spicy, but full of intense flavor. The acid in the lemon cut through the smokiness of the chili powder and cumin, and the paprika added a depth and sweetness. The parsley would have certainly been missed had I not used it, that added a freshness to the zucchini that just worked perfectly. I can certainly see this dish being part of a mezze with all different flavors and textures, but we honestly enjoyed it by itself. It made a perfect light dinner for Andy and I last night. We had it accompanied by fresh garden vegetables, so it was a completely vegetarian dinner- actually, vegan now that I think about it. The only thing I have with this recipe is the oil- I think 1/4 cup was a bit much for the whole thing, and I think the next time I will just eyeball it to reduce the fat a little bit, but overall, excellent and definitely a repeater.

Salatet Kousa (Zucchini Salad)

Revisiting A Favorite

I haven't made this recipe in a long time. For a while it was Andy's favorite, and we made it quite a bit, so I got a little sick of it. It's a recipe for Thai BBQ Beef that I got from a recipe card. You know, those recipe collections that you get a few recipes every few weeks, and over the course of time you end up paying several hundred dollars for a collection? Yeah... I actually collected quite a few of them before cancelling. What I really liked about the recipe cards after a while was that each and every recipe came with a tempting picture. When Abigail was old enough to understand, I would sit her down with the recipe cards and she would look through them, looking for things that she thought she'd like Mommy to cook. This particular set was geared towards healthy cooking, and I really never made a bad recipe from the cards. They've since made their way to my sister, but I do still have this recipe.

The Thai BBQ beef starts with a fairly basic BBQ sauce, but with the addition of peanut butter and soy sauce. The beef cooks slowly in the sauce until tender, and really ends up rich and delicious. I always liked to serve it up with noodles tossed with garlic and ginger, and an orange dipping sauce. Since I'm making this tonight for dinner, I'm not entirely sure what I'll make with it tonight. The hot weather is screaming for salad, so we'll likely see what the farmstand has to offer this week- last week they had a lot of wonderful produce. The recipe for Thai Style BBQ Beef calls for beef ribs, but we've used endless cuts of beef with this. Tougher pieces just need to cook longer, and one of these times I'm going to try short ribs in the crock pot with this sauce.

Tomorrow, a zucchini collection. :-)

Come out of lurkdom!

Okay Tummy Treasure fans, it's time to come out of lurkdom and tell me how you top your burgers. What is your favorite way to top your hamburger? Simple ketchup and mustard? Caramelized onions? Or do you prefer a more upscale treatment? Next week I have an unusual opportunity and I need the best... not the best burger, but the best burger toppers. I have something in mind already, but I'm curious as to what other people think of when they think of topping a burger.

Let me know! How would you top your ultimate burger?

A Garden Oddity

It's been a while since I've done a garden update. Every day I feel like I learn something new. Yesterday I learned that I need to read my seed packets BEFORE I choose that packet of seeds. I had been picking cucumbers yesterday and as I did so I glanced down and noticed that my tiny cantaloupes were oranging up a bit. So I bent down to look one over and as I touched one it popped right off the vine. Shoot. I was annoyed with myself for disturbing one of the melons, but then I looked closer, and I smelled. The melon had a yellow-orange cast to it, and by golly, the stem end smelled like a cantaloupe. I was baffled. I mean, it's literally the size of a baseball. Surely if there were melons this size I would have seen them somewhere.

So I took my tiny melon into the house and took a picture of it next to a small 8 oz. coffee mug. See? It really is a tiny melon!

I had no choice but to slice it open, so I did. I cut it in half and it sure smelled good- the flesh was orange, the seeds scooped out very easily, and then I had the tiniest little cantaloupe at my disposal. I sliced it up into tiny wedges for the kids to snack on. In no time they'd inhaled the tiny melon. I thought it on the bland side, so I'm going to do my best to let the other melons get even riper on the vine. But baseball sized melons? I pulled out my seed packets and found the melons. Reading the back, sure enough. "Each vine bears sweet, juicy 4 1/2 inch melons". Great. While the are cute little melons, they are kinda useless. One melon is hardly enough for one person, let alone a family of four. So my lesson has been learned- read the seed packets carefully and look for hidden surprises.

Other than that...the garden has been a learning point this year. My broccoli are finally beginning to head up, and so far I've put up nearly 7 quarts of pickles. I should be able to pickle another quart today. My tomatoes are coming back a little, thanks to a few doses of Miracle Gro to try and salvage what I can. The lesson learned there is that tomatoes do much better in the ground. The tomatoes I am getting are very small from my patio bushes. I think next year I'll save the pots for herbs and peppers and figure out where to put the tomatoes in the garden.

I've pulled the last of the carrots, and I think I've decided that since I'm limited by my tiny garden space that I'm going to just spend the time living here learning about each vegetable and how to grow it best. Already on my list for next year's garden is chard, tomatillo, and fennel bulb. The zucchini are still doing okay, they'd probably like more space though. I've planted new rows of beets and radishes, and also some turnips and butternut squash for some fall crops. We've also been enjoying the dill plants a lot. Not just for the dill and adding a little to everything, but also for the gorgeous swallowtail butterfly caterpillars it attracts. Every day the kids check on the caterpillar progress, and any day I think they'll be making some cocoons- they're getting really big! And then there's those cabbage moths... Everyday I swipe dozens of eggs off my broccoli and Brussels sprouts (which are starting to form sprouts too). I get really annoyed with the moths, but then I see 4 or 5 of them playing around the cucumbers and they are busy pollinating those, so I can't decide whether to love or hate the cabbage moths.

With that, I think it's time for my daily inspection.

Anyone Can Cook!

Last Friday was an event for our family. We decided it was time to take our kids to their first ever big screen movie experience. Going to see a movie is just something that we've not been interested while our children were young. While they do on occasion sit through a movie at home, more often than not, Zander ends up playing while watching, and Abigail often does too. We just weren't sure they'd sit through an entire movie and not disturb other movie patrons. But we did think it was time and that Zander would be okay, so we took them to see Ratatouille.

Both kids loved it. There were a few times where Zander got a little frightened, but he recovered quickly, and both kids spent much of the movie giggling. Andy and I also enjoyed it a lot, but I have to say, it took me a while to get over the rats. I knew this movie was about rats, but I didn't expect them to be so realistic. (Of course they were- this is Pixar here.) I really dislike rats and rodents, and the group rat scenes took a bit to get over, but overall it was a very fun movie.

And while it was a fun movie, I loved the message that was put across over and over, and that is that anyone can cook. That's where I've been trying to go with this blog, and why I posted the poll last week, to see if I was going in the right direction. While every once in a while I do talk about a recipe that is a little daunting, I try really hard to keep Tummy Treasure user friendly. Meaning that anyone who can read and follow directions can cook my food. Another reason I posted that poll last week is that I really think there is a niche missing in food-blog-land for budget cooking. There are a few who do it on occasion, but it seems that budget cooking and good food rarely intersect. Why?

So while I am going to continue with Tummy Treasure as it is, you will see more often some attempts at combining budget friendly cooking with fresh seasonal cooking. I have found more than one site devoted to budget cooking, but so often cooking on a budget leads to not-so-healthy choices. One of my goals is to create an entire month's menu plan that combines budget cooking with fresh and healthy cooking. Hopefully I'll get going on that as soon as I find my motivation.

In the meantime, Andy's out of town this week, it's going to be in the nineties temperature wise, and I have no idea what the week has in store. Hopefully I'll have something to blog about. :-)

Missing Post

Sorry All. I had to delete the post from the other day about Pesto and all the comments. I had the worst spam I've ever seen and for some reason Blogger would not let me delete it this morning. I apologize if anyone saw it and was offended by it. It was awful and hurtful.

Anyone still interested in the Pesto recipe can find it right here.

Now I need to go figure out how to turn back on comment deletion.

A New Convenience Product

We have become huge fans of tostadas in our house. They make an excellent way to use up leftovers, and are also extremely quick to put together. I couldn't tell you what it really is that makes the difference to the kids when it comes to a tostada versus a taco, but I tell you, they eat the tostadas with relish- they love them. My only issue with them is the shells. We like them on corn tortillas best, and crisping corn tortillas can be done one of two ways. First, they can be fried in oil for the best flavor, but not exactly healthy. Second they can be baked in the oven, but there they go from soft to burnt in no time, so you really have to keep an eye on them. The whole "making of the tortillas" makes tostadas more time consuming and especially messy if you deep fry them.

Well last week when in the Hispanic section of the grocery store I spied my savior. The product that makes tostada night a weekly occurrence. And that is pre-made tostada shells. They are ready to go out of the package- crispy with corn flavor, and no partially hydrogenated fats so no trans fat. I could very well be the last person to discover these, but dinner went on the table last night in the amount of time it took to cook up some ears of corn- so less than 10 minutes. I had shredded BBQ chicken to use as the meat, shredded cheese, and the usual suspects of topping. Accompanied by sweet corn picked fresh that morning and sliced garden-fresh tomatoes. It could not have been better. These pre-made corn tostadas are the greatest thing since, well, sliced bread. A new pantry staple for us to be certain and at $2 for 10 servings- that's at least two meals for us, it's a reasonably priced pantry staple as well.

Everyday Pasta

I returned to my cookbook challenge this week and didn't even realize it. Everyday Pasta by Giada De Laurentiis is a book I picked up simply because. I enjoy both of Giada's other cookbooks and assumed this would be no exception. My kids love pasta, so a book devoted to pasta just couldn't be bad. The other night I was flipping through it looking for nothing in particular, and then I found dinner for the kids. You can read more about that here at Kids Cuisine.

The recipe for Little Stars with Butter and Parmesan means that I can add this cookbook to a completion on the Cookbook Challenge. The cookbook challenge has been sorely ignored by me lately. The biggest reason for that is because it is summer, and summer means salads and grill food- simple fare that doesn't require a recipe. With a great start this year, I'm only at 17 of my cookbooks used. That's better than none, but I'm afraid I have a long way to go yet.

A Poll For My Readers

I have a poll off to the right here. I'm mostly just curious if there's something specific my blog-readers would like to see more of here. Please pick the one that appeals to you most, and feel free to leave a comment here if you want to provide some commentary as to why you chose what you chose. I'm looking forward to seeing what you think.

Zucchini, Zucchini

I really do enjoy zucchini. I keep waiting for my zucchini plants to start going crazy, but so far I have been able to keep up. I've even let a few fruits go and get large for shredding for zucchini bread. And while I could eat zucchini sauteed, roasted, or grilled any day of the week, yesterday I was looking for something different for my daily zucchini. I had in mind a sort of pie or tart, so I went looking for a recipe. All my usual suspects let me down. The few I did find were more like a quiche or frittata- and I did not want eggs. I did not want custard . Then I found a recipe on the FoodTv website from Ellie Krieger for a Cornmeal-Crusted Roasted Ratatouille Tart that sounded good. It was promising, and I thought I could use her tart shell as my base and sort of play with the ingredients a bit, as I didn't have the eggplant or quantity of cheese called for.

I had no idea what I was getting myself into. This was not a quick and easy recipe. I wouldn't say it was difficult, but it was time consuming and there were a lot of steps. Now that I've made it once, it will be easier a second time, but boy, I was very glad it turned out for all the work that went into it!

I started with the tart shell. I don't have a tart pan, so I just used a springform pan that I lined with foil. The crust came together quickly enough, and used both cornmeal and whole wheat pastry flour. This baked for a little while to set and then I attacked the vegetables. Not having the eggplant I planned on using double the zucchini, and then I thought of a lone piece of kielbasa in the fridge and I thought Andy might appreciate this more if it had meat in it. I roasted the zucchini and the tomatoes and assembled all the rest of the ingredients- the cheeses, basil, and at the last minute I decided to add some chopped artichoke hearts to the top. I also sauteed my onions and decided to saute the kielbasa with the onions- that worked very well.

When the roasted veggies were cool enough to handle, I began layering, and I have to admit, I wondered two things- one, I wondered if the crust would hold up, and two, I wondered if Andy would like this. This really could have gone either way. I popped the tart in the oven, made the kids their alternative dinner (because there was no way they were touching a zucchini tart) and simply waited for it to bake. It certainly smelled good while cooking, and I was looking forward to diving in and giving it a try. I served up his piece, and Andy just kind of looked at me like "uh, okay, I'll try it." One bite later though, he was impressed. Overall this was very good. I really liked the crust- it had the flavor of a cornbread from the cornmeal, and had the sandy texture of a shortbread. It also held up very well to the fillings. The fillings all melded together nicely, and I was very surprised that one slice, accompanied by a scoop of potato salad, made a very satisfying dinner.

My version of Cornmeal Crusted Roasted Zucchini Tart is very good, and I daresay, company worthy. Just make sure you have the time to devote to it, and you won't be disappointed.

A Perfect Day for a BBQ

Yesterday was the perfect summer day to have friends over. It wasn't hot, and it wasn't cold. There was a fantastic breeze that kept it from getting too sticky, and Andy wanted to grill some ribs and chicken. It couldn't have worked better. To accompany his BBQ chicken and ribs, how could I make anything other than potato salad, and how could we not slice up a perfectly ripe watermelon.

For the potato salad I opted to go with Emeril's Favorite Potato Salad, which I have made recently. I thought it would have the perfect balance of flavor with the BBQ, and I could leave out the eggs for our egg-sensitive friends without the potato salad suffering. Of course, after I had the potato salad combined, I was reminded that Emeril is a genius, because the potato salad is simple, yet amazing. My changes this time were to leave out the eggs, but add some chopped red bell pepper for color, and a tiny handful of fresh dill from the garden. Make this one a few hours in advance, because it really is spectacular after it's had time to combine.

Then there was the zucchini. One of our friends was bringing a broccoli and cauliflower salad (which was awesome, btw) but I also wanted to use some of the zucchini from the garden. Andy suggested dessert, but I lacked a few ingredients and really didn't want to run to the store. So in an effort to help me out, he spent a little while searching online for a recipe for me to do something different with the zucchini that used hands-on ingredients. The closest he came was a Summer Squash Casserole from Paula Deen. I looked at it, studied it, and came up with my own, lighter version that turned out very well. It was exactly what I wanted- onions and zucchini sweated on the stove top, and then cheese is added along with a crunchy topping, and the whole thing baked in the oven. It was slightly sweet from the onions, and the zucchini really shone. I'm afraid I missed taking a photo of it, but the recipe for my Zucchini Gratin is in the Recipe Trove for anyone interested.

The get together was perfect. The weather cooperated, the kids had a great time, and way too much food was had by all. Another friend brought a chocolate cherry cake that was the perfect way to finish the evening, and I must hunt her down to get the recipe, because I've never seen my kids so taken by a cake. They always eat a little, then leave the rest on the plate. In this case, although they both filled up on ribs, chicken, and watermelon, they were licking their plates of crumbs!

Oatmeal Scotchies

My first experience with oatmeal scotchies was as a young teenager. I had a friend who was 2 years younger than I, and we started hanging out Sunday afternoons for quite a while. We would go to her house after church every week and bake cookies and ride her horses. We were silly girls. Every week we'd make a different kind of cookie, and one of our trademarks was that we would bake a giant cookie to give to one of the boys that we hung out with regularly. Usually the crush of the week got the giant cookie. Like I said, we were silly girls.

In retrospect, her parents must have loved that we were hanging out all the time, because the kitchen was always stocked with all the ingredients that we could have possibly wanted for cookies. They never complained about the ingredients being combined and then given away to boy after boy. I had never had Oatmeal Scotchies until we made them together one afternoon. One taste of that dough and I was hooked. I loved butterscotch chips, and had only ever had them in a Tollhouse-like cookie, and that just wasn't very tasty. But butterscotch and oatmeal are made for each other. The oatmeal gives the cookies some texture and flavor that tempers the sweetness of butterscotch. A hint of cinnamon in the dough adds the perfect nuance to every bite of cookie.

I have adapted the cookie recipe over the years. I became discouraged time after time again as the cookies would spread too much and I'd end up with lacey, fragile cookies that didn't travel very well. So I took Nestle's original recipe and reduced the butter to keep them from spreading so much. A also reduced the oatmeal a bit, and added a handful of chopped pecans, because butterscotch and pecans are perfect for each other.

I still think about my friend every once in a while- and always when I make these cookies. I can't even remember the last time we talked, but I always think of her as I whip up a batch of Oatmeal Scotchies for my family. And I always wonder if her kids enjoy Oatmeal Scotchies as much as mine do.

More on Being Green

Recently I decided to look into what else we could do as a family to continue greening up our lives and being more eco-friendly. We've been doing what we can as far as recycling and conserving energy goes. In fact, we've only turned on the A/C four days this year so far. And while we lay in bed at night feeling the cool breeze blowing through the house we're serenaded by the chorus of central air units outside. I truly cannot imagine what some of those energy bills are like. Ours just keep getting lower and lower as we remember to do simple things like turn off the lights more often or hang the laundry instead of using the dryer.

Did you know that you can tell your energy company how to spend your dollars that you pay to them? This is our latest attempt to think green. I recently went onto our power company's website and told them that we want to receive 25% of our energy from renewable sources. You can do this in increments all the way up to 100%. It does make the energy cost a little more, but as an example, our energy bill this month came out to $120 for the last month. By telling them that I want 25% of our energy from renewable sources our bill went up to $122. That's not a huge difference, and I don't feel quite as bad about having to run the dryer on a rainy day. According to the website, requesting a 100% change in our energy would result in about a $12 difference in our bill. That's still not a horrible thought- but since we're in saving mode right now, I felt at least 25% was better than none.

If you're interested in finding out how your energy dollars are being spent, contact your local energy company. It's my understanding that most companies are offering similar programs, and if they don't you can let them know that you want them to in the future. It can't hurt, and you'll be doing your part to go green.

My Kind of Bouquet

Some people get excited about flowers.

Some people get excited about more exotic bouquets, like fruit or cookies.

For myself, nothing fills me with delight like that of the herbal variety. And when a friend stops by with a delightful handful of homegrown Italian Flat Leaf Parsley, I can't help but feel the love.

Now what to do with it...

G is for Green Bean

The Cooking Light Bulletin Board is my favorite place to gather recipes. I've been on the board for so long that I know who's tastes match mine and I can always count on someone there having an answer to a question. This recipe is one that I've been making for awhile, but I don't think I've ever shared it. It's simple. Green beans sauteed in garlic butter-how could that be bad? This week I took it a step further and added some garden fresh carrots and zucchini and made it Garlicky Veggies, and it was just as good. Because it's quick and delicious, it's perfect for a weeknight. And should you have any leftovers, they are fantastic folded into an omelet the next day. Frozen green beans do work well for this, but since garden fresh beans are available right now, do try to get your hands on some. Jewel's Garlicky Green Beans are worthy of their superstar status on the CLBB.
In other news, yesterday on one of my other blogs the template I was using punked out on me, so I needed to find a replacement. Of course, after I did one blog and tweaked it and got it looking just the way I wanted, I had to do the rest of them. I still like the way this one looks, so I won't be changing it yet...but I have thought about it! So take a peak at my other blogs if you haven't done so in a while- I think they turned out really well. (And please let me know if you catch a problem I've missed!)

Playing with Zucchini

When we got back from our camping vacation a week ago, I found a monster zucchini in the garden. It had been sitting on the conter all week, and I finally decided it needed to be dealt with. I cut it into wedges and shredded it up and ended up with about 8 cups of shredded zucchini. First up, I made a batch of Zucchini Bread. Then I portioned off two freezer bags with 2 cups zucchini each for future batches of bread. I gazed at the remaining zucchini and thought about what I would do with it. I thought about a few more loaves of bread, and pancakes, or maybe I could just see if the shredded zucchini disappears in mac and cheese or something. Or fritters. Ah- I was onto something.

A few months back when we had our Indian Feast with friends, one of our friends bought Pakoras at an Indian restaurant and brought them along. Sort of a veggie fritter- they were amazing when dunked into raita and chutney. Shortly after that I went out and bought some chickpea flour, since that's what was used in the pakoras. And then I never got around to making them, simply because I couldn't find a recipe. I determined my remaining zucchini was going to give me pakoras.

I began with the chickpea flour- also called besan or gram flour. I added some curry powder, granulated onion, salt, pepper, and baking soda, and then added water until it was of pancake batter consistency. The shredded zucchini were added, and then one grated carrot as well for color. I heated up some oil and made a sort of pancake in the oil. The result was close to what I was looking for. In retrospect, I should have added some garam masala to the flour as well. But other than that, they made a fun addition to lunch, and I'm looking forward to trying them again sometime. They may have been better dropped into a deep fat fryer instead of shallow frying- but I'm not sure I want to find that one out. And I'm sorry to say that I didn't use a recipe, so I don't have one to share. But matched up with some coriander chutney, these pakoras were pretty close to the authentic deal we had many months ago.

Welcome To The Family!

A big welcome to my new nephew, Isaac Christopher. Happy Birthday sweet boy! And congratulations Mom and Dad-enjoy!

A Garden Update

I don't really have much to post about today, so I thought I'd share a garden update. I've really been learning a lot about gardening. I have decided that I need to keep a garden notebook so that I remember things for future reference. For example:

Many of my tomatoes have blossom end rot. This is a result of the soil not being properly amended for them. That's really sad, as my plants are full of tomatoes, but so far every semi-ripe tomato I have pulled has been rotting from one end. Yesterday I discovered that even my little pear tomatoes are beginning to show signs. For next year I need to look into some organic fertilizing options as well as continue with my composting- no doubt that will help a lot. Some of my zucchini have also had this problem, so I think all of my beds will need some TLC in the off-season.

I've also discovered bugs. Specifically, the Cabbage Moth and it's little offspring. It wasn't until they obliterated Abigail's cabbage plant that I decided to find out what was eating it. Turns out those little white moths- the cabbage moth, lay eggs on members of the brassica family. Most specifically the cabbage, but also broccoli, brussels sprouts, and cauliflower. I don't have cauliflower, but I have the rest! Every day this week I've been heading out to the garden and spending time plucking those little green worms from my brassica's. Every single one gets shredded into my garbage disposal, and hopefully I'm getting ahead of them. I've also been using a mixture of vanilla and water to spray my plants- the thought behind that is that the vanilla scent will disguise the plants from the moths...we'll see if that works.

I've also learned that a trellis for cucumbers works very well- except that when it's up against a wall, I have a hard time getting behind the trellis to pick the cucumbers. But I have been managing, and three quarts of pickles now hide in my kitchen annex. Today I may have enough to do another jar. But overall, I've been thrilled with the garden. The green beans are keeping my daughter well supplied in snack food, and the zucchini is producing just enough to be able to keep up with it. We're all excited about the melon patch- at last count we had about 10 different melon babies, and we can't wait to be able to try the first one. I've also discovered that peppers do very well in pots. My banana peppers and jalapenos are producing very nicely...I just wish I had the tomatoes to turn them all into salsa.

Anyway, that's about it for today. I have to head out and pluck my daily worms. I would love any gardening tips that anyone has for me! I'm definitely learning as I go, and I'm discovering that organic gardening is definitely tougher than gardening with Miracle Gro. The end results so far have certainly been worth it. Today I'm also going to do some zucchini experimenting, so stay tuned!