Pickled Banana Peppers

We have reached the end of our garden's growing season.  Over the last couple months we have enjoyed the fruits (mostly vegetables) of our labor.  Similar to the abundance of cucumbers we harvested, we had a huge number of banana peppers (60+) that ripened within the last month.  We made several batches of this recipe, sometimes tripling and quadrupling the recipe because of the number of peppers we had on hand.  We gave some of the jars away to friends and neighbors and most have said they liked them so much they would be willing to buy a jar from us.  So now we've been asking ourselves...what does one charge for homemade goods like this?  Here's your chance to get our "secret" recipe before you have to buy them. :-)  This recipe is for sweet, rather than spicy peppers.  However, you can make them more spicy by increasing the amount (or type) of spicy pepper you use. 

Sweet Pickled Banana Peppers (2 day process)

2 1/2 cups seeded, sliced banana peppers (about 7 peppers)
1 medium green bell pepper, julienned
1 spicy pepper (we used chili and cowhorn peppers)
1 small onion, sliced
1/4 cup canning salt
12-15 ice cubes
2 cups sugar
1 cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon mustard seed
1/2 teaspoon celery seed

In a large bowl, combine the peppers, onion and salt; top with ice.  Let stand for 2 hours.  Rinse and drain well.

In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, vinegar, mustard seed and celery seed.  Bring to a boil; cook and stir just until sugar is dissolved.  Pour over pepper mixture; cool.  Cover tightly and refridgerate for at least 24 hours.  Store in the refridgerator for up to 3 months.

Yield: 1 quart

Succotash Success!

This recipe comes from the August 2011 edition of PARENTS Magazine.  I named it "Succotash Success" because my 4-year old loved it...she ate it right out of the skillet (like every good Mom, I blew on it to cool it off before she put it in her mouth). :-)  My only complaint is how little it made.  I chose to serve it over pasta to stretch the meal.  I will double the recipe the next time I make it.

Edamame and Sweet Corn Succotash
2 tsp olive oil
3 green onions, sliced, white and green parts separated
1 cup corn kernels (2 ears corn)
1 cup shelled frozen edamame (or fresh soybeans, cooked and shelled)
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper (I used a green one, because my red ones weren't ripe yet)
2 tsp finely chopped fresh oregano
Ground pepper, to taste
1/2 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
1/2 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp unsalted butter

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add white part of green onion and cook until fragrant and starting to brown slightly, about 1 minute.  Stir in corn, edamame, bell pepper, oregano, and ground pepper.  Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are crisp-tender, 4-5 minutes.

Stir together broth and cornstarch; add to corn mixture along with remaining green onions.  Cook and stir until thickened, bubbly, and liquid almost evaporates, about 1 minute.  Remove from heat and mix in the butter until melted.

Enjoy!

We served ours over a mix of penne and rotini pasta.  Yum!

Nacho Bake & Fresh Salsa

This Nacho Bake recipe was inspired by a recipe found in the August/September 2011 edition of Taste of Home  magazine.  The original recipe calls for canned ingredients and a jar of pimento-stuffed olives.  I chose to use fresh vegetables from my garden and omit the olives from the recipe.  I also substituted ground chicken for the ground beef in the recipe.  The resulting meal was delicious.  I will definitely be making it again.

Nacho Cheese (Beef) Bake
2 cups uncooked egg noodles
1 lb ground beef (I used 1/2 lb ground chicken)
2 cups Tomatoes, diced
1 can (10.75 oz) condensed nacho cheese soup, undiluted
1/2 cup chili peppers, chopped
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I used pepper jack)
2 cups crushed tortilla chips
Optional condiments: shredded lettuce, sour cream and/or salsa (recipe below)

Cook noodles according to package directions; drain.  Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, cook beef (chicken) over medium heat until no longer pink; drain.  Stir in tomatoes, soup and chilies.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.  Stir in noodles.

Transfer to a greased 11" x 7" baking dish.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until heated through.  Top with tortilla chips.  Serve with your choice of condiments.

We enjoyed ours with some homemade salsa:

Fresh Salsa

• 1 1/2 cups tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 1 cup corn kernels (Cut from a cooked corn cob or frozen)
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 spicy pepper, seeded and minced (I have used cowhorn pepper and chili pepper from my garden, but you can use a jalapeno pepper)
• 2 Tbsp lime juice
• Salt and pepper to taste

Stir together first 7 ingredients.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Veggie Scrambles

Disclaimer: This was originally a Frittata recipe.  However, I am not good at making frittata's on the stove (I prefer baking them), so this ended up being a veggie scramble.  Here is the original recipe:

Calico Pepper Frittata
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1 spicy pepper, seeded and chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
(my addition) 1 medium tomato, seeded & chopped
(my addition) 3 okras, sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
5 eggs
1 1/4 cup egg substitute
1 Tbsp grated Romano cheese (I substituted monterrey jack)
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

In a large nonstick skillet, saute veggies and garlic in oil until crisp-tender.  In large bowl, whisk eggs & egg substitute.  Pour into the skillet.  Sprinkle with cheese, salt & pepper.

As the eggs set, lift edges, letting uncooked portion flow underneath (or in my case, just scramble the whole thing as it cooks).  Cook until eggs are completely set, about 8-10 minutes.  Cut into wedges (or serve as you would scrambled eggs).

This is a picture of another veggie scramble I made.  I simply stirred some eggs together with some of our garden vegetables and cooked it like I would scrambled eggs.  I served it with bacon and some leftover Italian bread I had from the Panzanella recipe. 

The frittata recipe is from Birds & Bloom Grow It Cook It (A to Z veggie guide plus 350+ tips for your BEST garden ever!!).  You have probably noticed by now that I love this magazine.  Every recipe I have made from it has been delicious (even when I have to adjust for my lack in cooking skills). 

Panzanella

I was the only one in my family that liked this dish.  If I make it again, I will have to adjust the ingredient measurements to make one serving.

Panzanella (serves 8)

2 cups bread (I used a loaf of Italian bread), cut into 1 inch cubes
1 cup olive oil
1/2 lb bacon
1 large shallot, chopped
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
3 lbs tomatoes, cored, seeded and chopped
2 avocados, peeled and chopped
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Arrange the bread cubes on a baking sheet.  Drizzle 2 Tbsp olive oil over the bread.  Bake 10-15 minutes, until dry.

Meanwhile, cook the bacon until crisp.  Your choice: 1. skillet on stove top, 2. baking sheet in oven for 15 minutes, or 3. between napkins on a plate for 5 minutes in the microwave.  I chose the microwave method.

Combine the shallot with the vinegar in a small bowl and set aside to marinate while you prepare the rest of the salad.

Combine the tomatoes, avocados, and cucumber in a large bowl.  Crumble the bacon into the bowl.  Add the bread cubes and toss to combine.  Add remaining olive oil (about 2/3 cup) to the vinegar and shallot mixture and whisk to emulsify.  Pour over the salad, using as much dressing as you like (Save leftovers for a future salad).  Season with salt and pepper, if desired.  Gently toss all the ingredients to coat.

I served this as a side to baked chicken.

This recipe came from The Cleaner Plate Club: Raising Healthy Eaters One Meal at a Time.  This was the third recipe we tried from the cookbook and the third one that we were not overjoyed about eating.  I am planning to try a couple more because I am hopeful that we'll find one we like.  I am completely on board with the "Real Foods" philosophy that the book supports, but have been disappointed by the recipes I have tried.

Fried Okra

This was our first attempt at cooking okra from our garden.  I am not a big okra fan unless it's pickled (I like most everything pickled), but this was a good recipe that we will try again.

Fried Okra

1 1/2 cups sliced okra
3 Tbsp buttermilk
2 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp cornmeal
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp pepper
Oil for frying (we used canola)

Pat okra dry with paper towels.  Place buttermilk in a shallow bowl.  In another shallow bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, salt, garlic powder and pepper.  Dip okra in buttermilk, then roll in cornmeal mixture.

Heat 1 inch of oil in a pan.  Fry okra, a few pieces at a time (1-3 minutes each side) until golden brown.  Drain on a paper towel.

We served it with some homemade pepper jelly, but it would be good dipped in sweet & sour sauce, too.

This recipe was taken from Birds & Bloom Grow It Cook It (A to Z veggie guide plus 350+ tips for your BEST garden ever!!)

Zucchini Fritters

We were visiting my husband's mother last weekend and she made these delicious fritters with zucchini from her garden.  I can't wait to try it myself!

Zucchini Fritters

1 lb (or 1 medium) zucchini squash, grated
1 tsp salt
3 Tbsp herbs (she used dill & oregano)
1/2 hot pepper, finely chopped
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup cheese
1 egg
canola oil, for frying

Spread the grated zucchini on a dish towel and put salt on top.  Let it sit for about 15 minutes and squeeze all the moisture out of it.  It will fall off the towel when it is dry enough.  Put the grated zucchini in a bowl.  Squeeze the onion and hot pepper in the same way.

Mix the zucchini, onion, hot pepper, herbs, bread crumbs, cheese and egg in the bowl.  Form into small patties and place on a plate.  Refrigerate for an hour.

Heat 1/4" canola oil in frying pan.  Cook fritters until golden on both sides.  Remove from pan and drain on paper towel. 

Optional:  Top each fritter with a little pepper jelly or sweet & sour sauce

Roasted Ratatouille

This roasted dish is definitely prettier than the other Ratatouille recipe, but we did not like it as much as the stove-top version.  My husband liked the red pepper flakes in this one, though.

Roasted Ratatouille

1 lb eggplant, diced and cut into 1/2" pieces
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 1/2 lbs tomatoes, quartered
1/2 lb zucchini, diced into 1/2" cubes
1/2 lb yellow squash, diced into 1/2" cubes
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp sugar
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes or hot sauce (optional)
Salt and pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Sprinkle the eggplant with salt and set aside in a colander to drain for at least 30 minutes.  Rinse, drain, and pat dry.

3. Meanwhile, heat the oil over medium heat in a large skillet.  Saute the onion and garlic about 5 minutes (do not brown).  Add the bell pepper and continue to saute for another 5 minutes. 

4. Add the tomatoes and smash a bit with a spoon.  Stir in the diced eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, vinegar, sugar, and red pepper flakes, if desired.  Transfer the mixture to a baking pan and bake, uncovered, for 30-40 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking time, until the vegetables are browned just a bit on the edges.  Season with salt and pepper.

This recipe is from "The Cleaner Plate Club" cookbook: The Cleaner Plate Club: Raising Healthy Eaters One Meal at a Time.  I am encouraged by the concept of the book...cooking whole foods that the whole family can enjoy.  This was my second attempt at making a meal from the cookbook (first was a moderately good cucumber salad recipe), and I am hopeful that we will enjoy more of the recipes.

Egg & Veggie Scramble

This is another great way to use up vegetables and give your breakfast a healthy boost.

For each scramble:

2 eggs
2-3 Tbsp chopped veggies (I like tomatoes, bell peppers, & onions in mine)
1-2 Tbsp shredded cheese

Whisk the eggs, veggies & cheese in a small bowl.  Pour into greased pan and cook on medium heat until eggs are almost set.  Stir until eggs are to desired consistency.  Enjoy with your favorite breakfast sides...we like turkey bacon, cinnamon rolls, and fruit salad (below).

At Season's Peak:
Right now our local grocer has Golden-dew melon and Ranier cherries advertised as being at the peak flavor for the season.  I cut up the melon, halved and pitted the cherries, and combined them in a bowl along with some sliced strawberries and red grapes.  Yum!

Chicken & Vegetable Stir-fry

This is one of my go-to recipes when I need to use up vegetables.  It is super simple and very quick to make.  You can use whatever vegetables that you like in your stir-fry.  The stir-fry I made for the picture included green beans, bell peppers, onions, and celery.

Sesame Chicken & Vegetable Stir-fry (2-3 servings)

6-9 oz cooked chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
1 lb vegetables of your choice, cut into bite-size pieces
2 Tbsp canola oil
2 Tbsp low-sodium teriyaki sauce
2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
3/4 tsp sesame seeds
2 tsp sesame oil
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp onion powder
Dash pepper
2-3 servings of cooked rice

I usually prepare the rice and allow it to cook while I am chopping the vegetables and cooking the stir-fry.

Preheat oil in a 12" saute pan or wok.  Saute the chicken and vegetables for 5 minutes.  Add the remaining ingredients and cook 1-2 more minutes.

The recipe can be doubled or tripled (or as much as your saute pan or wok will allow).

Serve over rice.

Squash Casserole

Squash Casserole

3 cups cooked squash
3 Tbsp butter
3 eggs
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 1/2 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 cup grated cheese
12 oz can evaporated milk
3 cups cracker crumbs

Mash cooked squash.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well.  Pour into greased baking dish and bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes.

Caprese Salad

I love, love, love this dish!  It is so quick and easy to make and it tastes delicious when the ingredients are fresh from my garden.  The amount of ingredients I use are never exact measurements, so the recipe below is a general guideline.  Feel free to change to suit your tastes.

Caprese Salad

·         1 large tomato, sliced

·         2 oz fresh mozzarella

·         Fresh basil leaves (one for each of the tomato slices

·         1 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar

Place the tomato slices on a serving platter.  Slice the mozzarella and place on tomato slices.  Top each slice with a basil leaf.  Drizzle with vinegar & oil.  Enjoy!

If you don’t have fresh mozzarella on hand or you want a dairy-free option, this recipe is a delicious alternative:

Faux-prese Salad

·         1 large tomato

·         ¼ cup sweet onions

·         1 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar

·         1 Tbsp olive oil

·         Fresh basil leaves 

·         Salt and pepper

Slice tomato and arrange on serving dish.  Chop the onions and arrange over tomato.  Drizzle oil and vinegar over the tomato and onions. Top with basil leaves.  Add salt & pepper to taste

Stuffed Gypsy Peppers, Take two!

After our first stuffed gypsy pepper recipe didn't turn out how we hoped, we created a recipe that we like.  We started with the ingredients for a chicken & celery pot sticker recipe and used that mix for our pepper filling. 

Stuffed Peppers

1/2 lb ground chicken
3 1/2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 tsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1/2 tsp dried basil
5 medium peppers (we used 3 gypsy peppers and 2 green bell peppers)
3/4 cup diced celery
1/4 cup shredded pepper jack cheese

Brown chicken with soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar and basil. 

Meanwhile, remove seeds from peppers (We cut a slit in the side, but you could also remove the top).  Cook peppers on a heated grill until skin browns and bubbles up, turning after a couple minutes to get all sides.  Remove peppers from grill, let cool slightly and peel off the outer skin of peppers. 

Mix celery and cheese into the chicken mixture.  Place peppers on individual aluminum foil pieces.  Stuff peppers with chicken mix.  Roll up in foil and heat on grill 3-5 minutes until heated through.

Makes 2 1/2 servings.


Our inspiration came from a Gourmet recipe on Epicurious.com.  Here is the link in case you want to view the original recipe:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chicken-and-Celery-Pot-Stickers-358116

Stuffed Zucchini with Avgolemono (Lemon Egg) Sauce

As promised, I slayed the giant zucchini to create this:

Stuffed Zucchini with Avgolemono (Lemon Egg) Sauce

6-8 servings

2 lbs zucchini

3 Tbsp butter

1 large onion, chopped

1 lb lean ground beef

½ cup rice

1/3 cup parsley, chopped

2 tsp salt (may reduce)

Pepper to taste

Sauce:

2 eggs

1 Tbsp water

3 lemons, juice of (about 1/3 cup)

1 cup chicken broth

1.       Wash zucchini, trim ends, cut in half, scoop out centers.  Chop pulp.

2.       In large saucepan, heat butter, sauté onions, add meat and cook until brown, add rice, zucchini pulp, parsley, salt and pepper.  Stir well and simmer for 10 minutes.

3.       Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spoon mixture into zucchini shells.  Place in greased baking dish.  Cover and bake for 45 minutes. 

4.       Meanwhile, make the avgolemono sauce:

Beat eggs and water.  Slowly add lemon juice and broth, mixing the whole time.  Warm sauce over low heat.

5.       Uncover  stuffed zucchini and bake 5 minutes.  Top with avgolemono sauce.

If you happen to make this recipe with a giant zucchini, you can cut it into individual servings. 

This recipe was made from The Key to Greek Cooking cookbook, which we bought from the Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Atlanta, GA.  The above link will take you to Amazon, but I think only used copies are available at this time.

Cucumber Salsa

Here's another one from the Grow It, Cook It magazine.

Cucumber Salsa (Yields 2 1/2 cups)

2 cups cucumber: peeled, seeded & finely chopped
1/2 cup tomato, finely chopped & seeded
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
1 spicy pepper, seeded & chopped
4 1/2 tsp minced fresh cilantro
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp lime juice
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp seasoned salt
Tortilla chips

In a medium bowl, combine the first 7 ingredients.  In another bowl, combine the sour cream, lemon juice, lime juice, cumin and seasoned salt.  Pour over cucumber mixture and toss gently to coat.  Serve with chips.

Ratatouille

Ratatouille is not a pretty dish.  What it lacks in beauty, though, it more than makes up for in taste...especially when you use fresh local produce.  Here is a pic of the vegetable ingredients:

Look at all those vibrant colors.  Just like in painting, if you mix all those colors you get brown.  Cooked up it looks like this:

And it is delicious!

I serve it over rice, so the first thing I do is make enough rice servings for my family.  By the time the rice is done, so is the Ratatouille.

Ratatouille (6 servings)

1 medium eggplant (1 - 1 1/2 lbs)

2 small zucchini (1/2 lb)

1 medium green pepper, chopped (1 cup)

1 medium onion, finely chopped (1/2 cup)

2 medium tomatoes, cut into fourths

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Wash eggplant and peel (if desired).  Cut in half inch cubes.  Boil 5-8 minutes or until tender.

Wash zucchini.  Remove stem and blossom ends but do not peel.  Cut in half inch cubes.  Boil 3-6 minutes.

Cook eggplant, zucchini and remaining ingredients in 12" skillet over medium heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until zucchini is tender.

Serve over rice.

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup and Zucchini bake

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

4 tomatoes
4 cups tomato juice
14 fresh basil leaves
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup butter
salt and pepper to taste

Peel and seed tomatoes:
Cut out the cores and score a cross in the base of each tomato.  Immerse the tomatoes in a pan of boiling water for 8-15 seconds.  Transfer to a bowl of cold water with a slotted spoon.  The skin should peel off easily...lift the edge of the skin with a knife, if needed.  Seed the tomatoes by halving them and squeezing the seeds out.  I prefer to rinse them out in my kitchen sink.

For the soup:
Place tomatoes and juice in a stock pot over medium heat.  Simmer for 30 minutes.  Let cool before transferring to a blender or food processor.  Puree the tomato mixture along with the basil leaves.  Return the puree to the stock pot.  Place the pot over medium heat, and stir in the heavy cream and butter.  Season with salt and pepper.  Heat, stirring until the butter is melted.  Do not boil.


Zucchini Bake

3 cups zucchini, unpeeled and sliced
1 cup biscuit mix
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
dash garlic powder
2 Tbsp fresh parsely, chopped
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, lightly beaten

Preheast oven to 350 degrees.  Combine all ingredients in a large bowl; mix well.  Pour mixture into a greased 13 x 9-inch baking dish.  Bake for 30 minutes until lightly browned.

My confession:  I was not a big fan of this zucchini bake at first (I think because of the parmesan cheese).  However, I do like to eat tomato soup balanced with some carbohydrates (grilled cheese sandwich or crackers).  Since one of the ingredients in this casserole is biscuit mix, I decided to try dipping the casserole into my soup and eating it that way (weird, I know).  It was delicious!

Attack of the Giant Zucchini

Can you believe the size of this zucchini?!

I cannot take credit for this monster zucchini (although I do take some credit for the little monster holding it).  One of my husband's co-workers has a farm that she only visits once a week.  This was harvested on one of those weekend visits.  I'm told it wasn't the only one of it's kind...she brought in a whole tub of them to the office.  Stay tuned later this week for the stuffed zucchini recipe that will slay this giant.

Zucchini Casserole

This recipe for Mexican Zucchini Casserole comes from the Birds & Blooms Grow It Cook It magazine.  The original recipe yields 2 servings, so I doubled it for our family. 

Mexican Zucchini Casserole

2 eggs
2 Tbsp canola oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cups shredded zucchini
2 Tbsp chopped, seeded spicy pepper (I used a cowhorn pepper)*see note below
2 Tbsp finely chopped onion
2/3 cup biscuit/baking mix
4 Tbsp shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In medium bowl, beat the egg, oil, salt and pepper.  Add the zucchini, spicy pepper and onion; stir to coat.  Stir in biscuit mix and cheese.

Pour into a baking dish coated with cooking spray.  Bake for 18-20 minutes.  Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

*Note: 
Don't make the same rookie mistake I did...be sure to wear gloves when cutting the spicy peppers.  I was told by my husband that the cowhorn pepper was milder than the chili pepper from our garden.  I took that to mean it wasn't hot, so I did not wear gloves when I prepared it.  Even though I had washed my hands several times, I still had a difficult time getting my contacts out of my eyes that night.  Lesson learned!

This turned out to be my favorite zucchini casserole recipe.

Still trying, still learning, still looking...

We are growing a vegetable in our garden that I've never eaten before...gypsy peppers.  Because of that, we have been searching for recipes that include them as a main ingredient.  We found a recipe for stuffed peppers that we thought we would try.  It is originally from the cookbook, Amor y Tacos by Deborah Schneider.  However, we modified the ingredients a bit to match or personal preferences.

  Toritos

8 small pointed peppers (we used gypsy peppers, chili peppers and green peppers)
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
1 tablespoon minced chives
10 medium raw shrimp, peeled and deveined, then chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Salsa (follows)

Wash the peppers, then dry them, but leave the stems attached. If you're using very hot pepper, used gloves as you cut a slit down one side and pull out the seeds, use a spoon if you need to. Try not to break the peppers or crack off the stems.

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat and add the garlic and chives. Saute until fragrant, but not quite browned. Add the shrimp, season with the salt, and cook until the shrimp is pink and no longer translucent. Remove this mixture from the heat and let cool as you prepare the salsa.

For the salsa

1 cup pineapple, diced (original recipe uses mango)
1 small tomato, cored and diced
2 tablespoon diced onion
1/2 teaspoon minced chile pepper (remember to wear your gloves!)
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

Combine all the ingredients and taste for seasoning. It will be very hot, but may need more salt or lime juice. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Returning to the pepper mixture, mix the cheese into the now cooled shrimp mixture. The cheese and shrimp mixture should stick together. Use a small spoon to fill each pepper generously with the stuffing. The recipe can be made ahead and refrigerated to this point, although you'll want to make the salsa just before serving.

Heat a large oven-safe pan over medium-high and lay a sheet of foil over the top. Set the peppers on the foil and roast them until they begin to brown in places and start to soften.

Transfer the pan to the preheated oven and bake for 5 to 7 minutes until the cheese is hot and bubbling. To serve, spoon some of the salsa over the top.

Here's what our end-product looked like:

The chili pepper is on the top left, the gypsy pepper on the top right and the green pepper on the bottom. 

Now for the reason I named this post "Still trying, still learning, still looking...": 

We were not completely satisfied with the end-result.  I didn't like the gypsy peppers.  I liked the shrimp mix and thought it tasted best with the green pepper.  My husband liked the peppers, but wasn't crazy about the shrimp mix.  He suggested we try ground pork, beef or chicken next time. 

The search continues for a good gypsy pepper recipe.

Slightly home-grown Pizza

Okay, so I admit it...I don't always cook from scratch (or entirely from my garden).  Sometimes I just want pre-packaged frozen convenience.  After a long work-week, it's nice to have a simple meal of pizza on Friday nights.  Here's what I do to make it a little healthier and include some of those garden veggies.  I start with a frozen cheese pizza and I top it with tomatoes, basil, green pepper, onions, and canned banana peppers (look for recipe on future blog).

I bake the pizza according to the directions on the box.

Simple & delicious!

Cucumbers! Cucumbers! Cucumbers!

We have been overly blessed with cucumbers in our garden.  By our calculations, we have harvested over 100 cucumbers from our garden since April and we continue to harvest 3-4 more every day.  Therefore, I have tried a lot of recipes for cucumbers.  These are my top three:

Asian Cucumber Salad

·         6 Tbsp sugar

·         4 Tbsp vinegar

·         ¼ tsp salt

·         2 Tbsp water

·         2-3 cucumbers, peeled & sliced

·         ¼ cup chopped onion

Bring first 4 ingredients to a boil, cool.  Add cucumber and onion.  Chill until ready to serve.

Cucumber Sandwich Spread

·         8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened

·         1 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely chopped

·         ½ cup minced chives (can substitute green onions)

·         ¼ cup fresh dill

·         2 Tbsp mayonnaise

·         ½ tsp ground pepper

Stir together all ingredients.  Chill until ready to serve.  Serve on your favorite bread or crackers.  I have also made tea sandwiches by trimming the crusts from bread and cutting the sandwich in half diagonally.

Tzatziki Sauce (Greek Cucumber Sauce)

·         2 cups plain Greek Yogurt (can substitute sour cream)

·         1 cup cucumber, peeled and diced

·         1 clove garlic, minced

·         1 Tbsp olive oil

·         1 Tbsp lemon juice

·         1 tsp garlic salt

·         1 Tbsp chopped chives

Combine all ingredients.  Chill until ready to serve.  Serve with pita bread cut into triangles.

Blueberry Picking!

We are fortunate enough to live near a farm where you can pick-your-own blueberries.  We went this past weekend and brought home 2 ½ pounds of blueberries.  Of course, we enjoy eating the berries “plain” (fresh or frozen).  I like to use them as a yogurt parfait topping along with granola.  Below are two recipes that we enjoy, as well.

Make-Ahead Blueberry French Toast (Serves 8)

·         1 loaf French Bread

·         6 eggs

·         3 cups milk

·         2 tsp vanilla extract

·         1 cup brown sugar

·         2 cups blueberries

·         1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

·         Maple syrup

The day before, cut bread into 1-inch slices.  Lightly oil a 9x13 baking dish.  Place bread slices in baking dish.  In a mixing bowl, slightly beat the eggs before mixing in milk and vanilla extract.   Pour egg mixture over bread, cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Sprinkle brown sugar over bread and top with blueberries and nuts.  Bake for 45-50 minutes.

Blueberry Muffins

·         ½ cup sugar

·         ¼ cup butter

·         ½ cup milk

·         1 egg

·         1 ½ cups flour

·         1 ½ tsp baking powder

·         ½ tsp salt

·         1 cup blueberries

·         2 Tbsp flour

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Use electric mixer to cream sugar and butter together.  Add egg and milk.  Sift dry flour, baking powder and salt together and combine with sugar/butter mixture.  Dredge blueberries in 2 Tbsp of flour (to prevent them from sinking to the bottom of muffins during baking), and fold into the mixture.  Pour mixture into greased muffin pan.  Bake 30 minutes.

Fresh Salsa - Quick & easy

• 1 1/2 cups tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 1 cup corn kernels (Cut from a cooked corn cob or frozen)
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 spicy pepper, seeded and minced (I have used cowhorn pepper and chili pepper from my garden, but you can use a jalapeno pepper)
• 2 Tbsp lime juice
• Salt and pepper to taste

Stir together first 7 ingredients.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cover and chill until ready to serve.

You can simply serve with tortilla chips for an appetizer/snack or you can incorporate it into a mexican meal.

We chose to make beef & bean burritos and topped them with this salsa.

You may notice there are more green veggies...my husband decided to add diced cucumbers to his burrito.

My Story

A few years ago, our family decided we wanted to start eating better...to get away from the Standard American Diet (SAD) and start eating more fresh produce.  We started buying organic produce from a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program in our area.  Because of the increase in produce consumption in our household (some of which I had never eaten before), I was forced to try new recipes.  As I tried new recipes, I rated them and kept a folder of the ones I really liked.  That folder is overflowing and coming apart at the seams now.  That's where this blog comes in...I want to create a digital record of my favorite recipes and share them with others.  I hope I can be a resource for others who want to eat more fruits and vegetables, particularly those items that are in-season.  My posts will include recipes and pictures of what I have made.  I hope to inspire blog readers to try my favorite recipes (and hopefully share their own). 

This year, my husband and I decided to start our own organic garden.  Our gardening adventure began in April this year when we created two 4' X 8' raised beds in our back yard (pictured below).  Our soil was not fit to use (too many weeds), so we bought enough 2.5 cubic ft bags of potting soil to fill the beds.  We planted seeds of zucchini, yellow squash, bush beans, and cucumber.  We also transplanted four bell pepper plants, two tomato plants (determinate cherries and indeterminate Big Beefs), a cowhorn pepper, an eggplant, and cucumber.  In between the plants, we scattered onion and herb plants (basil, chives, oregano, and mint).  We also started other herbs from seeds (thyme, basil, cilantro, & parsley). 

Our first garden beds:

It didn't take long for things to really grow.These pictures we taken after three weeks:

A month later we had our first harvest:

Then the cooking began.  :-)

Note:  If you are interested in finding a CSA in your area, the following website is a good resource:
localharvest.org