We’ve been enjoying a mad mango-black-bean salsa this summer. There are lots of recipes out there for this, but if you’ve never tried it before – check it out. Everytime we put it out at a party, it’s the first thing gone.

Mango is the secret ingredient in my salsa. Oh, and pineapple. And fresh cilantro.

On the what-the-hell-do-I-do-with-all-this-zuchinni question, the zuchinni can be substituted for bananas in just about any banana recipe. Seriously. So can pumpkins.

any banana BREAD recipe. Dammit. I would not advise substituting zuchinni in say, banana pudding.

You can use zucchini to make relish. I used to help my Mom can when I was young, and as a tribute, I keep some of the last batch in my pantry. There included is a pint jar of her zucchini relish. I’m sorry I don’t have her recipe, however here’s one from Cooks.com

ZUCCHINI RELISH

12 cups coarsely ground zucchini, unpeeled
5 medium onions
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
5 tablespoons salt
3 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups cider vinegar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon mustard seed
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 tablespoons celery seeds

Coarsely grind the onions and peppers. Stir in zucchini and salt. Cover and allow to sit for 3 hours. Drain and rinse well.

Combine the remaining ingredients to make a syrup, boiling until sugar dissolves and mixture has thickened. Add to vegetables and cook for 20 minutes.

Ladle into hot canning jars, adjust seals. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

I’m at my folks in Ohio – they are farmers – so it is time for sweetcorn, bibb lettuce and perch. Oh, and elderberry pie.

(Christy – did you get the picture last week from scout? – I didn’t have your email…)

Fitz! Christy! Lamont and Webb!

Oh, and my 83 year old mother canned beets – which I now need to figure out how to get home on the airplane.

No, I am not whining – ok, well, just a little.

TRex!

The “dog days of summer” here in southwest CT are, frankly, quite blissful. And I’ve got pics to prove it. Come pay a visit to Lamont Country. No Georgia peaches, but plenty of buzz in the barbecue…

The jar in the photo looks exactly like the ones my wife produced last week: Peach jam from fruit harvested from our friend’s peach tree here in northern Illinois. The deer had pretty much already gotten the ones within reach from the ground, but we got the rest. Nothing like fresh peach jam on a crispy English muffin, I always say. Unless it’s raspberry or cherry jam. Or apple butter. Actually, I guess, it seems I’m not picky. Sort of like my dad, who used to say he only liked two kinds of pie: Hot and cold.

And the tomatoes are really coming on now. Romas for canning and some sort of big slicers my son grew from seed this spring. He passed them out to all his friends and us family members and I admit I was skeptical. But we’ve gotten two so far from which you only needed a single slice for an entire BLT. My wife says her compost is the secret for the size, and she may be right.

Ah fall. Ah jams and jellies. Ahhh pie…

cleter at 3:

really?

zucchini pudding?

lb at 5 — Yes, I did. Thanks so much! Am planning on using it next week.

How is everyone this morning? It’s a bit cloudy here today — am wondering if we are going to get some much-needed rain. (Our poor lawn is getting crunchy.) My volunteer cucumber plant (it sprag up from an unsprouted seed from last year…lol) has a cucumber ready for harvesting this morning. Woo hoo! I’ve got fresh coffee and am going to dig out some of my fave recipes to share this morning. :)

DrSinker — haven’t tried a mango black bean salsa. Will have to find a recipe for that, though, it sounds delish! Anyone have a favorite recipe for that they’d be willing to share?

No recipes from me, but a great new book is Michael Pollan’s THE OMNIVORE’S DILEMMA. VERY well written and quite interesting–in the “I couldn’t put it down” category

Firecrackers: spicy pickled carrot slivers! Rice vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper, onion, garlic, and lots of sliced unveined chili peppers in the brine. (Measurements?! Chinese cooks don’t do measurements…!) Heat it all up and jar it in the back of the fridge for a solid month.

Peace and spices.

A favorite meal of mine I like to call ”possep”.

Potatoes
Onions
Sausage
Squash
Eggs
Peppers.

Just boil a couple of potatoes and fry up a couple of links of Italian hot sausage. Dice both after cooking.

Cut up the onions and pepper and squash. Throw them all in a big frying pan with butter and saute until they are all nice and soft. Scramble some eggs and throw them in and scramble until eggs are cooked. Serve on hoagie rolls.

fitz fix

libby is denied some papers

http://www.rawstory.com/showar…..3US00.html

Mmmm — Kai at 16 — those sound quite yummy! My granny used to make something similar, but with carrots, cauliflower and cucumber slices.

lina@11
Bread–subsitute it in banana bread. Although, who knows..zuchinni pudding may be astonishingly delicious. My slopping typing may have stumbled on some delicious taste treat. But I doubt it.

PS: On my #17, I use yellow squash.

ccmask
I’ve made that, but without the yellow squash. That sounds interesting.

Goodness, don’t get me started… A few of my favorites.

Tomato salad with basil, red onions, and balsamic vinegar.

Quick fresh tomato sauce. Cut up about 2 cups tomatoes (squeezing out the watery bits). Saute 1/2 cup chopped onions onions in olive oil, add tomatoes, bit of garlic, parsley and basil. Cook covered about 7 minutes; uncovered about 7 minutes. Serve over pasta.

Cold spicy tomato, corn, and black bean soup. Blend 2 lbs tomatoes, 1 onion, 1 serrano or jalapeno, and 1/4 cup cilantro. Salt to taste. Stir in 1 cup drained and rinsed black beans and 1 cup fresh cooked corn kernels. Refrigerate until cold.

And here’s a zucchini recipe that some might call a pudding….

Combine 3 cups thinly sliced zucchini, 1 cup biscuit mix, 1/2 cup chopped onion, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 4 eggs, lightly beaten. Season to taste with your choice of oregano, basil, parsley, garlic, salt, and/or pepper. Pour into a greased 13 x 9 inch baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Cut into squares and serve as an appetizer or side dish.

me to me at 15 — looking at that issue right now for the next post. :) Thanks for the heads up, though.

Well, lb0313’s folks’ elderberry pie, Kai’s firecrackers, and cc frittata sammitch sure have ME interested from the git!

Now, Christy, if you don’t fork over those lemon garlic chicken and caprese salad recipes Jane bragged on toot sweet, you risk mutiny grumpiness from the galle[r]y.

I’m doing fine Christy, thanks for asking. It looks a little cloudy here in south Jersey also, we could use the rain.

I discovered the front door that the local chipmunk has been using to his/her home under my front porch. It must think it’s living in a villa. Clever thing, since he/she out smarted me, I won’t cover it up.

Escarole and Beans

3 large, fresh tomatoes, cut up
1 bunch of escarole
2 cloves garlic
1 can of your favorite beans
Olive oil

Place a small amount of olive oil in a sauce pan, saute the garlic for a few minutes, add the tomatoes and simmer for about 1o minute.

Meanwhile, wash the escalore and tear into small pieces, add to simmering tomatoes, and cook for another 10 minutes with a lid on the pot.

Drain the beans, and add to the pot. Simmer for few minutes.

Traditionally white beans are used, however I’ve use all types and it’s fine.

You can eat this cold also.

We have so many tomatos that we are drying them and making sauce.
Yum this morning we had fresh raspberries, melon and figs from the garden. We got figs last night and had to steal them from the bees. Millions of bees. Is it global warming?

Fig jam

6 cups of underripe figs
two slices of lemon
three cups of sugar
Cook together slowly until it mixture clumps on a plate. several hours
Process for 5 minutes in a hot water bath.

We love fig jam!!

If you’re like me, then your tomato plants are near epic proportions and you have tomatos coming out your ears: Salsa time! Everyone’s is different, but tomatos, onions, garlic, and a little jalapeno or chilie pepper…. Man it’s delicious.

Fruit? Smoothies all around! Strawberries, cherries, strawberries, ice, and a little orange juice and you’re good to go. Add a banana to the mix for thickness.

And for the party people, spike a watermelon. Cut a hole/plug in one side, take a few scoops of water melon out, let it drain a few minutes, then poor in the vodka! Replace the plug and let it chill in the fridge for a few hours. Yeah buddy.

Christy – cool! Glad you got it.

I can’t cook, but I can report that one can wrap beet jars in bubble wrap, box and promise to put in checked luggage – and you will give your Mom great peace of mind…

Hi, Christy, Hi all!!

I have a cucumber overload. Dozens of ‘em. I’ve given them to neighbors and to colleagues at work. In fact, I suggested to my five-year-old that we set up a lemonade and cucumber stand. “Maybe later, Dad.” was the reply.

So, HELP!!!

I once had a fabulous Thai “cucumber boat” but I can’t find the recipe. Any good cucumber recipes that people could share?

Meanwhile, my basil is coming in like gangbusters and I could open a farm stand with the tomatoes. Lemon grass is growing slowly and cabbage, after a tough summer, is starting to take off….

Another all time favorite is drying out red cubanelle peppers and then frying them.

My grandmother use to string them up with and let them dry in her basement. A lot would rot from the inside out however.

I use my oven instead. I bought a Bosch stove with a dehydrating feature so I could do racks full of these.

Any type of dehydrating device will do.

You have to use the red ones, and slice them in half, remove the seed, place and dry them for about 12 hours, and store them in ziplocks. It could tale longer depending on the pepper and the device. The key is make sure the pepper is dried out.

To prepare them, use a small amout of oil in a frying pan, heat the oil, flash fry the peppers for about 15 seconds, remove to a paper towel to drain and sprinkle some salt. They are like pepper chips.

Lotus — here’s the chicken recipe:

Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic
2 1/2 c. chopped onion
1 tsp. dried tarragon
6 parsley sprigs (I use Italian parsley — I think it has more flavor.)
4 celery stalks, each cut into 3 pieces
1 whole lemon
1 whole chicken (or 8 skinned chicken thighs and 8 skinned chicken drumsticks, if you want to cut fat a bit and still get the flavor in your chicken)
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
About 40 cloves unpeeled garlic
French bread

Preheat oven to 375 F. Roll lemon on counter a bit to soften, and then prick holes all over it with a fork. Stuff into cleaned cavity of chicken (remove giblets, neck, etc., and rinse out thoroughly with cold water). Combine onions, tarragon, parsley and celery in baking pan. Place chicken on veggies, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Nestle garlic cloves around chicken (I tend to use a lot of garlic with this, as it bakes it mellows and it’s fantastic to spread on bread. I used four whole heads of garlic in baking the chicken the other night — but I did two chickens at one time.) Bake at 375 F for an hour and a half, or until juice runs clear when thigh is pierced with a fork (if cooking chicken pieces, bake at 375 F for 1 1/2 hours; if doing two whole chickens at once, bake at 325 F for 2 1/2 hours). Serve with lots of french bread.

NOTE: For some extra flavor, pour 1/2 cup per chicken of dry vermouth over the top prior to sprinkling with salt and pepper. I baste with pan juices every 20 minutes after the first 45 minutes of baking. Comes out very tender.

As I was driving to ‘do doors’ yesterday, Wisconsin Public Radio had a show on discussing Community Supported Agriculture. For those that live in cities and cannot grow a garden, or those that support organics, this is a great idea. You can go here to find a CSA near you, or research CSAs in general. I see they also have a link for making your own biodiesel or growing greener if you already garden.

It’s hard to beat fresh, ripe mangoes, but if they’re out of season or a little firm (and you’re whipping up some good Indian food), try this:

Aam Chutney

makes one cup

2 medium, slightly unripe mangoes, peeled, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1-1/2 tsp minced fresh mint
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
Pinch of ground coriander seed
Pinch of ground cumin
Pinch of chili powder or paprika
Pinch of grated nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves
Pinch of black pepper

Spices can be ground in a mortar and pestle or clean coffee grinder. Combine ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.

CHICKEN ADOBO

1 md Chicken, cut up
Giblets from chicken
6 Garlic cloves — crushed
1/2 ts Whole peppercorns OR
1/4 ts -Black pepper
1 sm Bay leaf
1/4 c Cider vinegar OR
-Lemon juice
3 tb Soy sauce
1/4 ts MSG (optional)
1/2 c Water, about
Salt
3 c Hot cooked rice

Combine chicken and giblets, garlic, peppercorns, bay leaf, vinegar, soy sauce and MSG in saucepan. Marinate at least 10 minutes. Add water, cover and cook over medium heat about 40 minutes, or until chicken is tender. Remove liver and a little of liquid and puree in blender container. Return to pan. Heat to serving temperature, adjusting salt to taste. If desired, brown cooked chicken pieces in about 3 tablespoons oil, then return to pan and simmer, covered, about 10 minutes. Serve with hot rice.

Herman Kahn (late, conservative futurist)said, in an era of 40 cent/pound tomoatoes, that his home grown tomatoes cost him $4.00/pound – and were worth every penny. As with cooking, when it’s a chore, canning’s not worth it, but when it’s a joy, it’s one of those best-things-in-life.

Wait till the peanut is big enough to join in and help out. Then you’ll give her the same memories.

Unfortunately we fdl’ers will never grow up. “Christy, can we have another helping of Plamegate, please?”

hmmm, nothing says summer to me more than cukes and tomatoes collected from the garden, with perhaps a bit of mozzarella sliced on the side.

or cold grilled salmon with a bit of dill.

unless it’s gazpacho.

or chili made with a light touch of the not-so-secret ingredient: beer.

man i’m hungry.

by the way, christy, your post reminded me of the line in nashville when howard k. smith cites the presidnetial candidate’s stump speech — “Does Christmas smell like oranges to you?” — and ends his commentary with “and Christmas always HAS smelled like oranges to me.”

Pickled Jalapenos

4 cups (1 L) whole jalapeno chiles
1 cup (250 ml) kosher or pickling salt dissolved in
4 cups (1 L) cold water
2 cups (500 ml) distilled vinegar
1 tsp (5 ml) sugar
1 tsp (5 ml) salt
2-3 onions, sliced
2-4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 bay (laurel) leaf, crumbled
Olive oil

Combine the jalapenos and salt solution in a clean container and let stand at room temperature for 3 days. Drain the chiles and slit each, scooping out and discarding the seeds if desired. Combine the vinegar, sugar, salt, onions, garlic, and bay leaf in a non-reactive pot and bring to a boil over moderate heat. Add the chiles and simmer covered for 5 minutes. Transfer the chiles to sterile glass jars and pour the vinegar mixture over them to fill the jars about three-quarters full.

Fill the jars with olive oil and seal immediately. Turn the jars at least once a day to mix the oil with the chiles. Store refrigerated for up to 3 months. Makes about 2 quarts (2 L).

Since we have tomatoes coming out our ears here,I’ve been making a marinated fresh veggie salad that my husband says he could eat everyday for evah.

There’s no measurements on this one.

Take tomatoes,summer squash,cucumbers,vidalia onions(not a whole one,just slice off a big piece),any color of bell peppers,black olives,you can even add a little corn to it if you like.Chop everything but the onions,peppers and olives into bite size pieces.Cut the other veggies more finely and add those.A little chopped garlic is good if you have that too.

For a marinade I use Ken’s brand Greek Dressing.Chop the veggies roughly.Marinate the veggies in the dressing for a few hours in the fridge.Add some crumbled feta cheese.Mix well.Serve on a bed of lettuce with croutons on top.It tastes like summer.

Christy,if canning is too time consuming for you,have you ever frozen fresh veggies?All you have to do is dip the veggies(cut up things like squash or peppers first) into boiling water for a minute or so,make sure the water drains off,and then double bag them in ziploc bags(this helps prevent freezer burn,the double bagging).You can wash and reuse the bags too.

Fruit milkshakes are good,if you use a good vanilla ice cream for the base of the milkshake.Crush a few ice cubes in the blender before adding milk,ice cream and fruit.

And shortcake,oooh yummy.Peach,strawberry,raspberry,blueberry,withlots of whipped cream.

Oh, this all sounds so deLISH!

Y’all thought there was only sweet, sour, bitter and salty, huh?
Well, Here’s a very interesting link about the 5th flavor — something the Japanese have known about for ages, and that is present (though un-named) in all cultures.

The Japanese call it UMAMI which roughly translates as “deliciousness!” though “savory” might be more exact. Great site to study ….

Ok, back to painting my study ….

Simple, but easy and worth repeating:

BASIC SAUTEED GARLIC-LEMON GREEN ANYTHING

Trim your green beens, or chop your chard, or slice your spinach.

A little olive oil in the frying pan (cast iron for extra nutrients!) Two cloves mashed garlic, for about a minute.

Add your greens, sautee over medium heat a couple of minutes till soft. In the case of green beans, splash in maybe 1/4 cup water, and cap the pan, let them steam a few more minutes. Leafy greens will produce their own liquid, but cap them, too.

When the water’s almost gone, squeeze a lemon over the whole thing, add salt and plenty of fresh black pepper, serve hot.

Okay, here’s what many a Southern cook does with yellow squash:

MAMA BROOK’S SQUASH CASSEROLE

1 lb. yellow squash, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
1 medium to large onion, chopped
half of a green (bell) pepper, seeded and chopped fine (optional)
2 eggs
1/8 lb (half a sleeve) saltine crackers, crushed
1/4 cup (half a stick) butter (or equivalent bacon drippings)
salt & freshly-ground black pepper to taste

Turn on oven to 350F. Place casserole with butter or bacon drippings on burner over oven vent (when butter or drippings melt, spread liberally over bottom and sides of casserole). Take casserole off burner, break eggs into it, beat eggs with a fork, set aside.

In large saucepan, cover squash and onions with water, bring to boil, and let cook until soft (10-12 minutes). Drain thoroughly and add to casserole. Add bell pepper (if using), S&P, and about 2/3 of the crushed saltines. Mash thoroughly with a potato-masher or pastry blender, until mixture is uniform “goop.” Cover surface with remaining saltine crumbs and bake until puffed and nicely browned (30-40 minutes). Serves 4-5.

My grandmother told me that whenever you rinse out the inside of a chicken, throw in a tablespoon of salt when rinsing. I don’t know why, but I do it every time.

Watermelon Salad

I don’t measure, so you are on your own with this:

cubed watermelon
thinly sliced red onions (esp good with fresh ones!)
cubed feta
sliced red pepper
slivers of fresh basil
some garlic (to taste!)
jalepeno pepper
olive oil
salt to taste
tablespoon of balsamic vinegar

A similar salad can be made with good fresh sweet cantalope and small fresh mozerella balls.

ccmask @ 43

My grandmother told me that whenever you rinse out the inside of a chicken, throw in a tablespoon of salt when rinsing. I don’t know why, but I do it every time.

You mean as you’re rinsing it, cc, or after? Is this question dumb? (Thought so.)

When I was a child we had a couple of fig trees. It was a race each fruit-bearing morning to beat the birds and squirrels to the fruit. My mom would cook them down for hours to make the most delicious fig preserves. On a cold winter morning, breakfast always involved hot biscuits with butter…and fig preserves.

When my sister and her husband bought their house, my mother came over with a fig tree shoot. They dug the hole, and my mother dropped in five kernels of corn (to feed the roots, she said). The tree thrived and has produced figs since its second year and I got several jars of preserves from my sister this year. The tree is now close to 44 years old.

Morning. A whole buncha sleepin’ goin’ on over here in my own bed after ‘record breaking’ production.

A cool presentation for carrot sticks.

soak in salt water until limber

tie in knots

soak in cool fresh water to firm

enjoy looks of astonishment

BROILED RED ONION WITH FETA

Coarsely chop red onion into bite-size pieces (i.e. bigger than normal diced). Spread on baking pan or cookie sheet and broil until just starting to crisp. Sprinkle with bite size pieces of feta cheese and continue broiling until they are just starting to brown or crisp. Serve at once as a side dish. Easy and delicious.

Lotus–wrt your butter spread liberally…Is there any other way!

I learned to cook in the 1950s and 60s — ‘basil’ is a new spice used everywhere these days, especially fresh basil. It used not to be quite so popular — I’m expecting Breyers Basil Ice Cream anyday now . . .

Well, no wonder Jane was raving about that chix, CHS — thanks!

When we were newly-weds, we lived in a tiny cottage behind our landlord’s house. Landlords were retired farmer couple. Sweet people! He loaned us his tiller and a plot of land, and she (retired home-ec teacher) shared her best recipes. Helped us stretch those pennies, and learn a lot as we worked our way thru grad. school. Mrs. U. had a wonderful recipe we still use, 40 yrs later(!) It makes a terrific hamburg topper. Or if you add a bit of horseradish, you’ve got seafood sauce. Add mayo, and you’ve got Thousand Island Salad Dressing. You can follow directions as given, or adapt easily to whatever you’ve got available in the garden or local farmer’s market.

Erma Underwood’s Chili Sauce

12 large tomatoes, peeled & chopped (works better with equivalent amt. of Italian plum tomatoes, which are less watery)
3 medium onions, chopped
3 green peppers, chopped
2 Tbsp canning salt
2 cups cider vinegar
1 Tbsp dry mustard
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 cup sugar

Use coarse grinder for vegetables.
Combine all ingredients in large kettle. [Stirring all the dry spices together with the sugar before adding to the vegetables helps in mixing evenly.]
Cook over low heat until of proper consistency, stirring frequently to keep from sticking [You can also help guard against sticking by 1st rinsing the kettle with a little water before adding the veggies. “Proper consistency” is up to you - we aim for something slightly less thick than catsup (approx. 1 1/2 to 2 hrs)].
Pour boiling-hot mixture into hot, sterilized jars, filling to top. Wipe rim & threads of jar perfectly clean, and seal immediately with sterilized lids. Set aside in a non-drafty place to cool.
Yield: 4 – 6 half-pint jars.

This one is a particular favorite of ours.

BLUEBERRY POUND CAKE
2 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. light butter
1/2 c. (4 oz.) reduced fat cream cheese (neufchatel), softened
3 lg. eggs
1 lg. egg white
3 c. all-purpose flour, divided
2 c. fresh (or frozen) blueberries
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 (8 oz.) carton lemon low-fat yogurt
2 tsp. vanilla (use pure vanilla extract if possible)
Cooking spray
1/2 c. powdered sugar
4 tsp. fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 F. Cream together sugar, butter and cream cheese at medium speed until well blended (app. 5 minutes). Add eggs and egg white, 1 at a time, beating well after each is added. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cup; level with knife. Spoon out 2 Tbsp. flour into small bowl and toss with blueberries (this keeps them from sinking in the cake) until they are coated well. Combine remaining flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with yogurt, beginning and ending with flour. Fold in blueberry mixture and vanilla. Pour into 10-inch tube pan or bundt pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 F for one hour, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in cake pan 10 minutes on wire rack, and remove from pan. Lightly spoon powdered sugar into dry measuring cup and level with a knife. Combine with lemon juice in bowl and drizzle over warm cake. Cut cake with serrated knife. Makes 16 slices.

ccmask @ 49

Lotus–wrt your butter spread liberally…Is there any other way!

Nope.

Parmesan Zucchini

Wash, cut off ends and split in half length-wise. Blanch in boiling water until about 1/3 cooked on the crisp scale/to taste [I like mine really crisp!].

Remove from water, place on a cookie sheet, brush w/fruity olive oil, sprinkle with parmesan and place under the broiler ’til cheese just begins to brown.

Serve!

*ilson46201 @ 50

I learned to cook in the 1950s and 60s — ‘basil’ is a new spice used everywhere these days, especially fresh basil. It used not to be quite so popular — I’m expecting Breyers Basil Ice Cream anyday now . . .

Have you had Jalepeno-Vanilla Ice cream yet? Yummm. Esp good with fried bananas…. ;-)

Rectangle Watermelons?

No problem. When the small melon begins to form, simply place into the square hole of a cinder block. When melon fills hole and becomes snug, break cinder block with a hammer.

But … but … OFG, how would a slice of rectangle watermelon SMILE at you?

Good Morning Firechefs,

imm – your cukes

a blast from my past – for certain travel assignments, we were advised to eat only what we could peel – this always helped wash down whatever variant of ratatouille we’d concocted

cucumber
2 oz vodka
1 oz simple syrup
juice of 1/2 a lemon

using 1/2 the cuke, muddle (smash, pestle, etc) all four over crushed ice, strain and pour into martini glasses

garnish with spears made from remaining cuke -
Voila ! you’re transported back to the campfire just outside Tsavo

you can go all Martha on it, by floating just a kiss of Midori on top

lotus: when you are rinsing the chicken. Kills something she said. Then you rinse the salt out. I think I told everyone once but I’ll tell it again. One day when my son was about 2 years old, I had moved a chair for him to stand on next to the sink to help cook dinner. After rinsing the chicken out with the salt and water, I drained it and laid it in the bottom of a baking pan and brushed it with a butter and garlic mixture. I guess when I walked over to turn the oven on, my son slipped his GI Joe into the carcass. Unknowingly, the soldier baked for 60 minutes on 375 degrees. What a freakin surprise when, once out of the oven, I noticed a little leg hanging out of the chicken’s butt….

That was my son’s first meal. We now call it GI Joe Chicken and possibly you will too!

lotus @ 56

But … but … OFG, how would a slice of rectangle watermelon SMILE at you?

They don’t smile so good, but they sure are easy to stack, and they never roll away…

I donate all my rhubarb to watertiger for her pies.

And we do some nice things with zucchini–cut it into slices lengthwise and drizzle it with olive oil and a little balsamic, grill it with mushrooms and garlic; steam it, scoop out some of the guts, and fill it with ricotta and spinach and bake it; and yes, bread.

But tomatoes are this week’s issue. More than we can eat, but not enoug for the PITA of canning. What to do, what to do.

FRESH FRUIT COMPOTE

Great on pancakes or french toast.

In a glass measuring cup or microwave-safe dish put coarsely chopped fresh peaches, or blue-black-or-razz berries. Add less than enough water to cover (the fruit will cook down) and maybe 1/4 the volume of fruit in sugar (e.g. 1/2 cup sugar to 2 cups fruit).

Microwave for however many minutes (1-5?) it takes to turn everything into a sweet, bubbling, gloppy mess, thicker than syrup, thinner than jam.

It’s not my intention to be a Buzz Kill but there are two conventional produce items you should always avoid.

Peaches and Strawberries

Both characteristically absorb pesticides like a sponge.

Don’t think that because they are local that they have not been doused in chemicals. Some of these pesticides are estrogenic disrupters.

Someone once said that if you have a good woman you have the best thing in the world.

I think that’s also true of a really delicious tomato.

Hmm, maybe that explains the latter having become a slang term for woman.

Anyway I have thrown myself into fresh produce so much this summer that I’m really gonna miss it when the leaves are turning. For me raw and simple is best, or lightly steamed. I could not live without basil, sweet rice vinegar, or sesame oil.

Lima beans and pasta (the non-linear types) go together great.

Speaking of lima beans, I miss you dad and the brunswick stew.

I’m pretty useless in the kitchen, but some of these ideas that don’t require the application of heat, I’ll give a try; thanks.

Emergency contraception outrage in upstate NY – NY Civil Liberties Union to the rescue. (Just watch the ad to get into Salon.)

The pharmacists apparently had no religious or moral objections to E.C. the first time around; it was that second time that proved the women’s behavior was “irresponsible” as Andrea Barcomb, a CVS supervisor, put it to the AP. (Actually, it seems to us that taking preventive measures as soon as possible to avoid unwanted pregnancy is the very definition of responsibility.) As Elisabeth Benjamin, director of NYCLU’s Reproductive Rights program, told the AP, “these refusals seem to just be based solely on moralistic assumptions of women’s sexuality.”

We grow our own strawberries, though we lost about 25% of our patch this sumer to a nesting duck.

You lucky stiffs with your fig bushes (I could have ‘em if I chopped down some of my shade … pero no)!

Now I don’t suppose this’ll dissuade bees, but hanging a few CDs on there sure holds off da boids . . .

Does anybody have a good recipe for either pickled peppers, or roasted peppers? I had some that was part of an antipasto and they were almost like candy they were so sweet. Not sure if they were pickled, roasted, soaked in olive oil. So whatdya got?

A couple of years ago I was deeply involved in ENRON repo work. Twenty hour days shuttling massive cargo off the Houston docks to storage. And at the same time, installing a cogeneration power plant in Marshall Texas. I happened to drive through Pittsburgh, TX and bought a case of fresh peaches from a roadside vendor.

Those peaches saved my life. Living off of food getting sunburned under heat lamps in convenient stores, The peaches were manna from heaven. They exploded with juice with every bite. I try to make my way down there now every May.

NYMARY,

your tomatoes
kind of a pain in the butt recipe, but impresses the heck outta guests. If you try it and can afford it, use the very best cheeses you can get your hands on

http://www.foodnetwork.com/foo…..10,00.html

and oh yes *ilson, be sure to garnish with some basil leaves

What a freakin surprise when, once out of the oven, I noticed a little leg hanging out of the chicken’s butt….

That was my son’s first meal. We now call it GI Joe Chicken and possibly you will too!

Do ya buy a new GIJoe for every chix, cc, or is the old one just inured to the ignominy of standing in for Dante’s friars by now?

Here’s a beautiful summer recipe for lovers/growers of figs:

Grilled Figs with Walnuts and Proscuitto

Fresh figs, sliced in half lengthwise
Proscuitto, cut into strips
Walnut halves

Place a walnut half on the cut side of a fig. Wrap in proscuitto. Grill over highish heat for a minute or two on each side. Enter the kingdom of heaven.

cbl @ 70

That looks amazing, and actually pretty cheap, given that we have shallots in the garden as well. My father, who comes up to putter regularly, says he’s never seen such a year for all forms of onion. No idea why, but they’re beautiful this year.

A reminder for everyone: Dr. Victoria Wulsin — running against Mean Jean Schmidt in OH-2 — will be today’s guest for Blue America. Please stop in and say hello, as she will be chatting in the comments. :)

I am not much of a cook but am doing the Sonoma diet this summer. I have found that some fruits are spectacular when frozen. The suggestion was to chill in the refridgerator first for 45 minutes then put in the freezer. My favorite is grapes. I chill them then take them off the vine and rinse then put on a tray and freeze. Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries work too. They are great with nonfat plain yogurt.

immanentize @ 30

Hi, Christy, Hi all!!

I have a cucumber overload. Dozens of ‘em. I’ve given them to neighbors and to colleagues at work. In fact, I suggested to my five-year-old that we set up a lemonade and cucumber stand. “Maybe later, Dad.” was the reply.

So, HELP!!!

I once had a fabulous Thai “cucumber boat” but I can’t find the recipe. Any good cucumber recipes that people could share?

Meanwhile, my basil is coming in like gangbusters and I could open a farm stand with the tomatoes. Lemon grass is growing slowly and cabbage, after a tough summer, is starting to take off….

Darnit. I need a recipe to keep off the woodchucks. The deer are easy to keep away with fences, but the woodchucks are positively diabolical. They usually hate mint, and this year they actually tore into my catnip, along with the mallows and everything non-poisonous re: foxglove.

Okay, imm, here’s Marge Rawlings’ Cross Creek Cookery answer to your dilemma (though prolly NOT your cardiologist’s):

CHEF HUSTON’S CREAM OF CUCUMBER SOUP

1 large or 2 medium cucumbers
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 quart whole milk, hot
Salt

Wash and grate, without peeling, cucumbers on coarse side of grater. Saute in butter until golden brown, add flour, salt to taste, and whole hot milk, blending until smooth. Strain if preferred. One-half tablespoon grated onion may be sauteed with the cucumber, but this interferes with the subtle flavor. Top with one teaspoon whipped cream to each serving. Serves six to eight.

Off topic. This will give everyone some idea of the cool toys I get to play with.

Medaka,
here’s one for you -

1 fresh basil leaf, chopped
6 fresh mint leaves
2 lemon twists
2 orange wedges
1/4 English cucumber, seeded and diced, very cold
1 1/2 ounces orange flavored liqueur (recommended: Cointreau)
Ice cubes
250 ml bottle sparkling sake

Put the basil, mint, lemon, orange, cucumber, and orange liqueur in a cocktail shaker. Gently mash them just a little. Add the ice, cover, and shake vigorously, or stir, until combined and chilled, about 30 seconds. (In general, the drink is ready when the shaker mists up.) Pour into a chilled Collins glass and top with the sparkling sake. My girlfriend’s recipe – she uses the cutest little chopsticks in each glass to pick at the orange and cucumber. . .

HI all…

Drive by to lotus:

just took another Zogby online.
(posted on the 15th, wonder if I got in…)
had Bush JAR – heehee…
pres prefs for ‘08
local Gov. prefs…

Thanks for the link a bit back.

Bon Appetit to all firepups.

Christy, my summer vacation was bracketed by trumpeter swans — yours and others.

As we headed toward the Yellowstone area on a Sunday morning in July, I stopped at a campground that advertised wireless Internet, picked up the signal, and saw your picture of trumpeter swans at Yellowstone. (Sent a message from that connection at the time.) (Had intermittent wireless “encounters” in various motel parking lots along the way, struggling to keep up with FDL in a quick snack, while gorging ourselves on the natural world the rest of the time.)

A few days ago, as we left the Tetons I got some pictures of new life — a young trumpeter swan gliding along with Mom and Dad — at the National Moose Range in Jackson Hole.

Also peered into an osprey nest and got a picture of osprey young and their Mom through someone’s spotting scope (Yellowstone), canoed under a bald eagle (Snake River, Tetons), and had several photographic close encounters with mammals (bison, bear, coyote, moose, elk, chipmunks).

If you like, I’ll send along a little essay about all that, with web-size pictures, in case any is of interest.

Oh, and did I mention the full moon SETTING above the Tetons, just as the sun was RISING and turning them red? Magical.

Hey, Kludger — I t’ink I did that one too.

Come back when you kin set a spell!

Good morning all of you fantastic chefs. It’s such a pleasure to see all your favorite things. Wilson, Basil Ice Cream is terrific. Especially with fresh pineapple that’s been caramelized on the stove with a bit of pink peppercorn.
There are so many great pastry recipes, so little time. One of my favorite things in life is making pastry for others. Here’s a simple summer treat. I ordinarily make a light caramel syrup for the bottom of the ramekin, which I realize may be too fussy for many. So I would simply suggest a butter/brown sugar mix, probably equal parts.

Peach Cornmeal Upside Down Cakes
These are really beautiful as individuals.
I think this recipe makes about 8 ramekins.

4 ripe peaches, blanched and peeled, cut in half
3/4 C light brown sugar
3/4 C butter

Melt butter over low heat and whisk in brown sugar. Dissolve and remove from heat. Pour equally into each ramekin, then place peach half cut side down.

1 C AP flour
2/3 C cornmeal
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
8 oz butter @ room temp
1 C sugar
4 eggs
1 yolk

Whisk dry ingredients together.
Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add eggs one at a time.
Add dries.
Pour into prepared ramekins and bake @ 350 until tester comes out clean. Start checking at about 20 minutes.

Turn these out while still warm. They are really beautiful.
You can also use nectarines, apricots or other similarly juicy stone fruit. I’ll have to find my portfolio for a pic.

oh…and OFG…a sorta brethren’s of yours’ heartwrenching tale is the R.Reilly column back of the latest (I think) Sports Illustrated.

Take a peek. Have hanky handy, though.
—
only few min left on library access.

see y’all later.

When I had my New York theme restaurant, I served Sabrett hot dogs and homemade Italian Sausages, with peppers and onions. Thank goodness that part of my life is over. Now, just looking at an onion makes me break out in a sweat and call out for my mother. I used to chop and cook 80 pounds of onions every week for 13 years. Add 45 pounds a week of chili, 20 pounds of Cajun Potato Salad, Soup of the day and all the rest of it well, you can see where I’m going. Nightmare. But the magic was in the onions. Oh, lord, those damn onions. Everyone used to ask me what the secret ingredient was but I never told them. I told them it was crack because they kept coming back…
If you have a cropload of onions, I highly recommend this recipe. If you are not into canning, get yourself two packs of them large disposable tupperware. When onions are done, fill up the tupperwares and freeze it. SIDE NOTE: When cooling off the tupperware filled with onions, keep stirring each once until the heat comes out. Then get them in the freezer.

Spicy Red Cooked Onions

About 30 pounds of onions
1-#10 can of Tomatoe Puree

Peel and cut up onions. In a very large and tall pot, add about an inch of oil and heat on medium. Add onions to the pot. As the onions cook, the level of onions will go down and as it does, keep adding more to the pot. Keep stirring and stirring every once in a while, never covering the pot. Once they have all been added to the pot, just keep on stirring until they are hot and soft and look like the consistency is good for eating. Next, open up that #10 and add to the pot while stirring and stirring. Next, add a tablespoon of Oregano, Parsley, Onion powder, Black Pepper, Salt, Sugar, Red Pepper and Cayenne pepper. Stir that big ole pot real good. Once you have added and stirred all the condiments up good, lower the pot to med low and let it cook for about 3 hours.

These onions are great for hot dogs, Italian Sausage sandwiches, or a big ladle on a bowl of rice. Wash it all down with a Chocolate Egg Cream or a Saspirilla. Enjoy!

my two favorite recipes for this time of year

ingredients

garden hose
shaker of salt
bottle of balsamic
paring knife
my butt

#1
place the butt on the ground in the garden with shaker and hose

hose off nearest ripe tomatoe, slice open, gently salt, eat

#2

place butt on ground near ripe cantaloupe, slice open, sprinkle with balsalmic, eat

Wow

Hanging out here and reading recipes is certainly pleasant torture.

On the political front, I can report from the reddest of the red part of Ohio that my ‘Make Levees not War’ T-shirt, for the first time ellicits universally positive reactions. The best of which was ‘Please tell me they are doing better on the levees than the war…’

Not sure what that will mean where it counts, but this is the first time in 35 years I haven’t been treated like a commie-liberal nut.

lb0313 @ 86

I can report from the reddest of the red part of Ohio…

Toledo?

45 miles west in the country – but yeah, you got it

op99 @ 66

I’m pretty useless in the kitchen, but some of these ideas that don’t require the application of heat, I’ll give a try; thanks.

Hi, op99! Since I’m also pretty useless in the kitchen (I’ll tell the story of the Great Chocolate Sauce Disaster some day), I’ll also just say mmmm! to all the recipes.

As Elisabeth Benjamin, director of NYCLU’s Reproductive Rights program, told the AP, “these refusals seem to just be based solely on moralistic assumptions of women’s sexuality.”

And as we all know, the ones who claim to have moral or religious objections are based solely on moralistic assumptions of women’s sexuality, too. But it’s interesting to have such a clear-cut case.

Lotus @71 said: Do ya buy a new GIJoe for every chix, cc, or is the old one just inured to the ignominy of standing in for Dante’s friars by now?

ROFLMAO: I meant the Garlic Chicken, silly! We never added another Joey. But, them babies don’t burn at 375. He’s still fighting in his dreams in the bottom of the hope chest somewhere…

interesting vegetable story

I was at a clients house and they had tomatoes growing that were going baa so they gave me some

I know my father would freak becuase my mom used to grow them when she was still with us and her tomatoes were in every dinner.

so they also gave me some of their tomatoes, some cucumbers, and some basil

I was so excited I called my dad to tell him!

well, the next day he calls me up at work like he just got into a car accident!;

I CAN’T FIND THE BAGELS!!

hehe

Prof @ 82

Oh, and did I mention the full moon SETTING above the Tetons, just as the sun was RISING and turning them red? Magical.

Oooh! Pictures would be great!

OFG 78:

somebody’s got to do it. it might as well be you.

Oh, to be in the company of people who love figs! What a treat. One of the best treats I’ve done is to make a saucey compote with figs, honey, lavender and red wine and then pour over coffee ice cream. Sounds weird but it’s great.

kewl toys, ofg78! reminds me of lionel O-gauge trains i had as a kid….

Here’s my stab. I live in far Northern California, right near the coast. This is an organic farming center. The Arcata Farmer’s Market is now replete with beautiful heirloom tomatos, beautiful purple, green, orange and yellow peppers, mounds of fresh garlic and huge yellow onions.

I’ve got me a 30 quart stainless steel stock pot and a large aluminum canning autoclave.

So what I do is make up a giant batch of spaghetti sauce — 30 quarts worth, all in wide mouth pint jars.

I get a flat and a half of Brandywine tomatos, ten or so giant peppers of all colors, nine or ten large heads of garlic, eight or nine very large onions from the farmers market. Then I buy ten or so jars of capers, nine pints of pitted kalamata olives and all the spices — cayenne pepper, black pepper, oregano and thyme.

Blanch and peel the tomatos and throw them whole into the giant stock pot. In a separate large (very large) La Creusete dutch oven, brown the onions and about half of the garlic, chopped. Add the spices to this so they emulsify in a pint or so of virgin olive oil.

Meanwhile, fir up the barby, and roast the peppers, removing the skin and letting them sit in a stainless steel bowl. The juices that emerge are yummy and should be added. When they’ve cooled enough chop them up into large pieces — 2 inches square.

Peal the remaining cloves of garlic and put them on a cookie sheet whole. Roast them in the oven.

Mix the browned onions, capers, olives, the peppers, spices and garlic cloves into the tomatos, which have been stewing over low heat. Keep cooking this mixture for a couple of hours, stirring as needed.

Then, stay up all night canning this sauce in the autoclave. It takes about 45 minutes at 15 pounds of pressure for each load (13 pints).

What you wind up with is 60 pints of dynamite spaghetti sauce that just keeps getting better as it sits on the shelf in your pantry.

This is a modified putanesca sauce (sans the anchovies, which make canning very much more time consuming).

When I come home tired on a rainy cold winter night, I just make a salad, reach for a jar or two of my sauce, heat the pasta and, presto — instant dinner made mostly from locally grown, organic ingredients.

If I’m feeling ambitious I’ll stop at the co-op and pick up a couple of hot Italian sausages, saute them, drain off the grease, then add the spaghetti sauce to that.

cbl @ 77

Medaka,
here’s one for you -

1 fresh basil leaf, chopped
6 fresh mint leaves
2 lemon twists
2 orange wedges
1/4 English cucumber, seeded and diced, very cold
1 1/2 ounces orange flavored liqueur (recommended: Cointreau)
Ice cubes
250 ml bottle sparkling sake

Put the basil, mint, lemon, orange, cucumber, and orange liqueur in a cocktail shaker. Gently mash them just a little. Add the ice, cover, and shake vigorously, or stir, until combined and chilled, about 30 seconds. (In general, the drink is ready when the shaker mists up.) Pour into a chilled Collins glass and top with the sparkling sake. My girlfriend’s recipe – she uses the cutest little chopsticks in each glass to pick at the orange and cucumber. . .

cbl, thanks, that sounds just SCRUMPTIOUS!

It reminds me of Pim’s (with apples and cucumbers and mint, of course), which I haven’t had in ages… one of the ultimate summer afternoon drinks ….

Redshift @ 89

And as we all know, the ones who claim to have moral or religious objections are based solely on moralistic assumptions of women’s sexuality, too. But it’s interesting to have such a clear-cut case.

There were 3 pharmacies named in the suit. In one of them, the dick pharmacist initially would fill the EC prescription, but would not log the refills. After protracted wrangling with Planned Parenthood, whose physician prescribed, CVS finally did log the refills. IANAL, but I don’t know how far they’ll get with that 1/3 of it.

PROF!! Good to hear from you.

cbl – cucumber vodka, even this time of morning, sounds so nice.

op99 – did they also sell condoms in packs of one, no seconds?

All my figs are Newtons.

Seems to me we always had a peach tree – peaches, warm from the tree! Peach cobblers, sliced peaches on cereal or on ice cream. My mother would freeze them (dry-pack, not syrup-pack).
Berries also got frozen, the years we had berry vines (’thornless’ Loganberries, for the curious). Grape juice got canned, but it can also be frozen in ice-cube trays, and handed to kids as a treat.
We also grew beans (’Kentucky Wonder’, usually, either bush or pole), zucchini, tomatoes, and leaf lettuce. One year the leaf lettuce planted in April didn’t come up until November. For a while we had apricots, too: sunwarmed and ripe, we had to eat them over the sink because of the dripping juice.
Supermarket fruit is so dull next to home-growed. No flavor and hard as rocks.

Prof @ 81

Also peered into an osprey nest and got a picture of osprey young and their Mom through someone’s spotting scope (Yellowstone), canoed under a bald eagle (Snake River, Tetons), and had several photographic close encounters with mammals (bison, bear, coyote, moose, elk, chipmunks).
-snip-
Oh, and did I mention the full moon SETTING above the Tetons, just as the sun was RISING and turning them red? Magical.

Prof, I did your exact same vacation a few years back, only in September when the traffic thinned out, and I about OD’ed on the breathtaking beauty of it all. I look forward to your pics.

meta @ 92

Oh, to be in the company of people who love figs! What a treat. One of the best treats I’ve done is to make a saucey compote with figs, honey, lavender and red wine and then pour over coffee ice cream. Sounds weird but it’s great.

Ooh, meta! FIGS! They’re ripe and plentiful here now, my partner always makes jam. Has anyone out there ever frozen them, or am I dreaming? I’d love to have them in the winter, with the spring raspberries I freeze.

I never knew this until, like, last week but: did you know that figs are not preceded by flowers? That they ARE the flowers? Kind of beautiful, that …

Mary @ 100

op99 – did they also sell condoms in packs of one, no seconds?

Haha, you SO know that’s a big fat NO. Sexual morality only applies to the wimmen, dontcha know.

Dear Christy: Another way to put some August taste delight into your February is to make big batches of pesto in your food processot, omitting the cheese. That way it freezes just perfectly for defrosting and using on pasta in midwinter.

Funny you should be remembering this morning. A friend sent a little quiz, the result of which was that yes, I am, indeed, older than dirt. But the point of it was that you got points for each of several items you could remember. And then I couldn’t stop remembering.

I remembered living without electricity or indoor plumbing. I remembered the wash house where my mom boiled clothes in an elliptical, copper vat on a wood burning stove. I remembered the smell of the two small pots that were used for only some of the clothes; one had starch, the other, blueing. I loved the smell of both. I remembered her emptying chamber pots in the morning, trimming kerosene lamp wicks and washing glass shades. I remembered her ironing with two flat irons, also heated on the wood burning stove.

I remembered going out to the fields with lunch for my dad in the summer. I remembered the long tables set up outside to feed all the neighbors who came to help at harvest time. We went to their house in turn.

I remembered how old my mom looked. I know now that she was only in her thirties, but the back breaking work had aged her twenty years more. I remember how rough and calloused her hands were.

No, I’m not ninety. We left the farm the year I was five. That was in 1950. But the luxury of electricity and running water and indoor plumbing couldn’t give her back her youth.

Walking through the grocery store with my brother the other day when he lit up a cigarette. Soon, an assistant manager showed up and told him he could not smoke in the store. Outraged, my brother loudly exclaimed that he buys his cigarettes there, therefore should be allowed to smoke.

The assistant manager pointed out they also sell condoms.

My brother smiled and put out his cigarette.

We make a casserole with zucchini that’s just yum.

I don’t measure this anymore, so it’s all kind of “if it looks right” and “really love this, so I’ll add more” – if you know what I mean…

Zucchini – sliced fairly thin
Tomatoes – peeled and sliced
Onion – Vidalia if possible, diced fairly fine
Garlic – a couple cloves, chopped fine
Bacon – 6-8 slices – you’ll want this crisp, not chewy, so the more fat the better
Cheese – grated – up to you what kind. Mild cheddar is good, so is a good parmesan.

Pre cook the zucchini and set aside

Fry the bacon until crisp, and pour off all but about 2 tbsp of the drippings.

Add the onion and garlic to the drippings and saute until the onions are translucent.

Remove from pan, and drain on paper towels.

Crush bacon.

Now, get out a casserole dish – size will depend on how much of everything you’ve cooked and chopped.

Grease (or spray with cooking spray) the dish, and start making layers, as follows:

zucchini
onion/garlic mixture
crushed bacon
tomato slices
cheese

Repeat until you’ve used everything up, and top with cheese.

Stick in the oven, uncovered, at 350 degrees until cheese melts and it’s bubbly at the edges.

Let it sit, cause it will be very hot.

If you have any leftover, you can add some cut-up, leftover chicken, and even leftover corn.

May have to make some tonight!!

DNC meeting live on C-SPAN right now.

Op99 – I did think, in my insane knowitall lefty liberal persona, that I might be able to predict the answer to that question. *g*

OK – I have clicked through parts of the Ben&Jerry’s ad, and Karma rewards even the unpure of heart (with parking tickets).

B&J not only have Organic Strawberry Ice Cream (and after this thread, I’m hoping that means pesticide, estrowhatever free) but they have recipes. Not just any recipes, but one that combines two of my favorite things — CHunky Monkey (YUM) and Bread Pudding (YUM).

So while the best war story I can come up with for this would be something like — I had to push “enter” really hard bc my laptop seems to have crumbs under the keyboard — here’s Chunky Monkey Bread Pudding. I so hope I can give it a try later.

Mike’s Chunky Monkey Bread PuddingCut up five cups of stale French bread into 1″ cubes
5 cups of bread cubes
3 eggs, slightly beaten
2 pints of melted B&J Chunky Monkey
1 1/2 teaspoon of sugar
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1 ripe banana sliced
1/2 cup small dark chocolate chips
1tsp. vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Butter 9 X 13 inch cake pan
Layer bread cubes in cake pan evenly
Spread bananas and chocolate chips evenly over bread cubes
Stir eggs, salt, sugar and vanilla into melted ice cream
Pour ice cream mixture over bread crumbs
Place pan in center of 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until bread pudding is set. Bread pudding is done when pudding is set and pudding still appears moist on top. Do not cook until dry.
Serve warm or at room temperature.

More destinies for imm’s cukes:

SOUR CREAM CUCUMBERS

For best flavor, chill these cucumbers at least 1 hour before serving. And for added interest, add a little fresh or dried dill.

2 large cucumbers, peeled and sliced
1 large onion, sliced into rings
3/4 cup light or nonfat sour cream
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
salt and pepper to taste

In a bowl, combine the cucmbers and onion. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over cucumbers, mix well. Chill. 6-8 servings.

-From The Complete Guide to Country Cooking

[FROSTED] CUCUMBER SOUP

2 medium cucmbers, peeled and sliced
3 cups canned chicken stock, divided
2 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
4 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup whipping cream or half-and-half
1 tablespoon chopped chives
Sour cream
Grated lemon rind

Cook cucumbers until tender in 1 cup chicken stock with salt and pepper added. Drain off most of liquid and puree cucumbers in blender with flour dissolved in 1/2 chicken stock. Combine cucumber mixture with remaining chicken stock. Cook over medium heat until boiling, stirring constantly. Boil 2 minutes. Chill. Immediately before serving add cream and chives. Serve ice cold garnished with 1 tablespoon sour cream and a sprinkling of lemon rind. Variation: Make a quick FROSTED CUCUMBER SOUP by pureeing in a blender 2 cucmbers, peeled and chopped, 1 envelope leek soup mix, 1/4 cup milk, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 3/4 cup sour cream and a few drops green food coloring. Chill soup until icy cold. Serve with a spoonful of sour cream and a sprinkling of chopped chives or mint over each. Serves 4-6.

– From Southern Sideboards

MASTVA KHIAR
(Iranian cuke-&-yogurt salad)

4 servings

1 large or 2 small cucmbers, peeled and grated
1 medium sliced onion, finely chopped
1 cup yogurt
1/2 cup white Sultana raisins, soaked overnight in water
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons freshly chopped mint or 1/2 teaspoon dried mint
1 tablespoon freshly chopped basil or 1/2 teaspoon dried basil

Place the cucmber and onion in a bowl. Add the yogurt, raisins, salt and pepper and mix well. Sprinkle with mint and basil and serve chilled.

– From Eastern Mediterranean Cooking

Some trolls are trying to slam TRex back in the Late Nite: Pride post.

I laid into them pretty hard but thought y’all might want a crack at what’s left!

And good night all. It’s 5am and Waikiki and a North Shore Beach/Bachelor party wore me out. I Put a picture up of Waikiki Skyline on my blog to commemorate what my be my last Hawaii shindig for years!

Soon-to-be-Congressman Charlie Brown… Here I come! (40 days and counting)

Barbara Butler @ 104

Funny you should be remembering this morning. A friend sent a little quiz, the result of which was that yes, I am, indeed, older than dirt. But the point of it was that you got points for each of several items you could remember. And then I couldn’t stop remembering…

Barbara, omg, that was just beautiful. Even though I just talked to her a few days ago, I now absolutely have to call my mom tomorrow. Thanks for reminding me why!

JMG @ 106

Dear Christy: Another way to put some August taste delight into your February is to make big batches of pesto in your food processot, omitting the cheese. That way it freezes just perfectly for defrosting and using on pasta in midwinter.

Freezing the pesto sauce in ice cube trays allows itty-bitty portions, good for those of us with small families!

Thanks all for the ideas — the soup looks like something I might have had before — that is a great idea, thanks, lotus.

As for vodka, cbl, do I have to add the cukes?

Mary, I arrived too late last night to help with the explainin’ about the tie thingy, but I did find this nice Brit generic image

lotus – those sour cream cucumbers have been a staple in our family since I was a little kid…we also used to just marinate the slices with onion and a good vinegar, too.

Damn – my mouth is actually watering…

Lotus, that MASTVA KHIAR sounds GREAT!

Thanks!

Medaka: Ooh, meta! FIGS! They’re ripe and plentiful here now, my partner always makes jam. Has anyone out there ever frozen them, or am I dreaming? I’d love to have them in the winter, with the spring raspberries I freeze.

It’s possible to freeze figs, but I would not recommend it. Freezing causes the cell walls to rupture, creating a mushy texture. It also greatly discolors them unless you give them an acidic bath. I’m resigned to enjoying the freshest fruit possible in season. Anticipation becomes part of the allure!
Figs and raspberries are one of the best marriages ever created. I try to make fresh galettes to mark the season. Glad to hear you get both where you live.

NYMary @ 62

But tomatoes are this week’s issue. More than we can eat, but not enoug for the PITA of canning. What to do, what to do.

Salsa? Seems like it keeps forever in the fridge.

Imman – sometimes a cucumber is just a cucumber; sometimes a tie is just– ugly. *g*

Teddy: For the Red onion recipe above, I used to also freeze them in cubes. My chili too. Believe it or not, I used to get 25 cents a cube in my restaurant. And they gladly bought it. I figured if I had to do the work and they were willing to splurge, then everyone was happy. It was great for them too for individual toppings.

I’m wondering about combining cbl’s concept with lotus’ Mastva Khiar — surely soaking the raisens and heck, maybe even the cukes, in a little vodka would be worth a try?

When I lived in Texas, we had the most beautiful fig tree in our back yard — celeste.

I have a great fig dish from my Basque friend, Rafael:

15 or 20 figs (cut in half)
6-8 links of Good Chorizo cut in half the long way then cut into 2 inch lengths (or use your favorite sausage or keilbasa — I like garlic sausage)
3 T butter
1/2 cup dry sherry (or other bolstered wine like vermouth)

Saute the chorizo in the butter for a few minutes. Add the figs and part of the sherry, let it cook down and then add the rest. Saute until there is just a glaze left from the mixture. Serve with thin potato slices….

I think I see a peach tree down there. America from a fresh perspectve:

http://3riversart.com/photos

The site is under construction. More photos and features added this week.

PS: On my menuboard, I had 25 cents a cube or a dozen for $3.50. I swear, very rarely did anyone realize that it should have been $3.00

This morning’s LA Times contains yet another op-ed by the dreadful Dr. Yoo, this one whimpering about the death of John Poindexter’s Total Inforamation Awareness program.

Information is power, and total information yields unstoppable power. The question is, who scares us most, some guy hiding in a cave in Pakistan or a president who has built a vast network of federal prisons and who insists that he has the right to torture prisoners and hold them indefinitely without charges and now seeks:
– access to total information
– control of every state’s national guard
– nullifying amendments to the War Crimes Act.

Christy Hardin Smith @
19

Mmmm — Kai at 16 — those sound quite yummy! My granny used to make something similar, but with carrots, cauliflower and cucumber slices.

Actually I think cauliflower would be perfect in that same brine (maybe throw in a thyme branch and a fresh bay leaf too). I’m gonna make me a batch this weekend: FDL firecrackers. Perfect with a cold dry sake or maybe a Riesling…

I’m saving this post as I scan through the recipes… I’m too tired to post a couple of delicious tropical and Asian canning recipes but I promise to add them on the next food thread. My my mango-tangarine chutney and spicy pickled plum and radish recipes are definitely keepers!

As to your final question Christy about what’s on our minds…

I broke a small story last night about a new GOP online fundraising device I came across while doing a search and put together a post, with screen shot. I’m not sure if its illegal… And if it’s not, then we on the left sure as hell need to look at this method for ourselves.

With the growing power of the Netroots and Blogosphere fundraising capabilities, we should be dominating this type of network fundraising.

Please have a look at it and if you could, let me know whether or not this type of “B2B” political fundraising is illegal. I’d sure appreciate it. That request extends for all lawyers and politicos “in the know” as well.

Here’s the link: GOP = B2B – WTF?

And now… Aloha and Good Night (for real)

Nate,

Thanks for telling me we have freepers in the house. I know, Valley Girl has warned me, but I can’t hardly resist a good donnybrook.

Well, I may by now be wo’ out with cukes (though as to MASTVA KHIAR, you took the words right outta my mouf, imm!) — but not so much that I can’t

STAND UP AND DEMAND MY RIGHT PRIVILEGE TO MARY’S TELLING OF [drumroll & trumpets, pleeze]

THE LEGEND OF THE YELLOW TIE

Not all fresh, but I was in Maine last weekend–I had blueberry muffins, blueberry pancakes, blueberry soda, and blueberry beer. For the last, I asked the server to honestly evaluate it, and she said it was actually good. Suspicious, I tried it, and it actually was. So if you’re in Bar Harbor, ask around for the blueberry ale.

I passed on bluberry pound cake, blueberry bread, and a hundred other blueberry items. On the ground in Maine, it seemed blueberries were much more the local item than lobsters!

ijm loving my vegetable garden (ah, the illusion of sustainability), but the thing is, i’m deadly afraid to try canning (any recipe that mentions botulism as a possibility if my kitchen methodology is imperfect is NOT for me!).

i’ve been frying green tomatoes (the sundry types are just beginning to ripen, a few a day, and those are making it into salads, gazpacho & BLTs) and have a nifty new tomato press ready to create sauces when, suddenly, there are bushels ready.

BUT… gazpacho is a perfect solution for tomatoes & cuckes (there’s a batch chilling for today’s lunch) and i’ve been grating and freezing zucchini in 2 cup batches for wintertime fritters & zucchini breads.

a suggestion — if you need to convince some fundie friend/relative of the truth of evolution, simply pull out a zip-loc freezer bag as definitive evidence.

emptywheel’s take on Yoo’s piece in the LATimes:“Yoo Misleads You”

Nate:

are you going to work for C. Brown in No. Calif.?

Growing up in Arizona, we had fresh melons and peaches the size of softballs growing in our yard. Then being spoiled living in Oregon with all the various fruits and U-pick farms, one was just down the road from our place. I found it easier to buy flats of produce from the U-pick and devote my time to the canning. All the fresh produce is one of the things I miss from Oregon.

My donation receipt today is for Christy – from my years of living in Greece.

Tzanki
1 medium cucumber grated put into a colander draining the liquid
1/2 pint non-fat yogurt cheese – to make yogurt cheese put the yogurt in cheese cloth and drain for 24hrs until it is thick(in the frig)
1/2 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic crushed & minced

Combine all ingredients and chill at least an hour. It is used as a spread for bread & pita. What I normally do if Trader Joes does not have the Greek Yogurt cheese, grate the cuc and set up both the yogurt & cuc in the frig to drain over night. Mix ingredients the next morning and it is ready for dinner.

ccmask @ 128

PS: On my menuboard, I had 25 cents a cube or a dozen for $3.50. I swear, very rarely did anyone realize that it should have been $3.00

That’s the hallmark of a successful entrepreneur — make customers think they’re getting a bargain!

Mmmm . . .peaches.

We used to have neighbors with a peach tree when I was growing up, and that was always the true sign of summer.

Just came across a new peach recipe, for a salad and not a dessert, which is truly easy.

Take sliced fresh peaches, sliced FRESH mozzarella cheese (not the processed stuff), and chopped fresh basil. Pile them up in alternating layers (peaches, cheese, basil; peaches, cheese, basil; . . .) making as high a stack as you like. Season the stack with some sea salt, then drizzle it with basalmic vinegar and olive oil.

Eat, wash up, and repeat.

me to me @
18

fitz fix

libby is denied some papers –

Thanks for the linky – just as delicious as all this mouth watering fruits and veggie discussion.

http://www.rawstory.com/showar…..3US00.html

Lina:

I am indeed. He just doesn’t know it yet. :)

I’m pulling up stakes and heading back to the mainland on Oct 1st and dropping off my stuff at my brothers in Roseville.

I started doing some research on where and which candidate to head out for and help from there, when lo and behold my research turns up Lt. Col Browns’ fight unseat that unholy Abramoff whore, John Doolittle.

As a funny quirk of fate, my brother actually lives on the same block in Roseville that Mr. Brown does and has been over to his house.

What makes it even more delicious is that for the past two years, my greatest political accomplishment has been converting my right-wing beloved big brother (also a fellow Veteran) into a Pissed-Off Progressive. :) What a feat that…

Oilfieldguy @ 132

Nate,

Thanks for telling me we have freepers in the house. I know, Valley Girl has warned me, but I can’t hardly resist a good donnybrook.

I want a way to preserve trollsign in amber — most times, when I finally hear about them, they’re swept away, leaving only the responses. No one quotes them, so only the sweetly-reasoned, oh-so-patient, but oft-outraged counter-arguments remain — our dear regulars with trollchow in hand, trying to coax them to sanity.

Best I not see the original posts, though. Goddess knows my past trips to f-ville have only churned my tummy, and not in a good way, like this thread!

Every time Yoo writes something, he makes them look like that much bigger idiots. Despite his Harvard slot, I have to say that Goldsmith’s (and Posners) detainee piece in WaPo had all the considered thought of a Gibbon pondering where to scratch.

********8
Lotus, the sad thing is that there is no real legend to the yellow tie – its just like asking how a blonde with freckles learns sun screen isn’t a bad idea. *g* That’s not to say that some days I didn’t get burned worse than others, but none of them amount to a great story. I can fib if you want?

OFG… No worries if you’d like to delete my smackdowns of the trolls as well as their original posts.

Writing them was highly cathartic, even if it’s not preserved for the world to share in!

A good day to wind down a night of bachelor partying with old shipmates and fellow veterans. Most as pissed about things as I am.

All in all it’s been a great night but the sun is peaking over the gorgeous Hawaii skyline and I am thoroughly “pickled” :)

Christy’s offering a new thread for those in need of a Fitz fix.

From Cordon Bluegrass (the Junior League of Louisville, Kentucky cookbook):

Chilled Blueberry Soup

1 cup blueberries
1 slice of lemon (peeled)
1 cinnamon stick
2 cups water
2 tablespoons sugar
pinch salt
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup heavy cream
frozen orange juice concentrate to taste

In saucepan, combine blueberries, lemon, cinnamon, and water. Bring to boil and simmer 10 minutes. Add sugar and salt. Combne cornstarch with a little water and add to mixture. Bring to boil again and simmer 1 minute.

Remove cinnamon; puree mixture in blender until smooth. Add cream. Taste: if stronger flavor is desired, add frozen orange juice, one teaspoon as a time, until desired flavor is achieved. Cool and chill well. Serves 4-6.

Just got here and am already hopelessly behind hehe.

I always wanted to try my own canning, but for a bachelor with limited kitchen skills, it was also so daunting…I was afraid I’d do it wrong and end up poisoning myself hehe.

These are simple to make and amazingly good!

Melon Skewers with Orange-Lime Marinade

1/3 cup granulated sugar
juice of two large oranges (1 cup)
juice of one-two limes (about 1/2 cup or to taste)
2 pounds of assorted cut-up melons (I used cantalope and watermelon
red seedless grapes
8 inch wooden skewers

1. In a small saucepan, bring 1/2 cup of water and the sugar to a boil and stir until sugar dissolves – about 1 minute.
2. Remove the syrup from the heat and let cool.
3. Add the orange juice to the cooled syrup. Stir in 1/4 cup of the lime juice and add more to your own taste. (I love lime so I put it all in!)
4. Thread the skewers with the cut up pieces of melon and end with a red seedless grape or two
(keeps the melon from sliding off the skewer)
5. Pack the skewers in a flat, tupperware container and pour the marinade over them. Cover and keep chilled until ready to serve.

Kurt at 145 — If you decide to try canning, do yourself a huge favor and pick up a copy of the Ball Blue Book. It’s the bible of canning, for both procedures and recipes that will not poison you if you follow the instructions — it’s easy once you get the hang of it, but it’s the prep work that takes up a lot of the time in canning.

Barbara Butler @ 104 –

What a lifespan we’re having, no?

I, oblivious child, loved washday in my Mama Brook’s back yard (before the washeteria arrived in town five miles away). The great big black iron pots she built fires under (one with clear water, one with bluing), the barely-electric tub washer, the hand-crank rollers we ran the clothes and (handsewn croker-sack) sheets through to squeeze out most of the water, the lugging everything over to the clothelines to pin ‘em on to dry — all that was just fun, far as I knew. And how beautiful when some fuchsia-pinky crape-myrtle blossoms wafted down to float on the bluing water . . .

Now here I sit with my laundry in a machine that washes, bleaches, and softens according to its own mind, so that all I have to do is load and unload it while I’m focused on carrying-on trading recipes and stories with pals around the whole dang planet.

It amazed me enough that Mama Brook went from horse-drawn to moon-landing — and here, history’s screaming by even faster for us.

Who’d a-thunk it?

Good Luck Nate!

(tough to leave HI, but at least you’ll be near Lake Tahoe if you need an aquatic fix.)

TeddySanFran,

I thought you would enjoy this comment I made:

My brother, who served in the Marines has very stong feelings about gays in the military. He pointed out that if he was pinned down behind a rock under heavy fire with another Marine, the only thing he cares about is how good a shot his fellow Marine is. Flame all you want, good buddy, performance under fire is what really matters.

Best person for the job, right? Isn’t that codespeak for the elimination of affirmative action? Unless, of course, you are a black homo birkenstock wearing tree hugging wacko. No way can you do any job very good. Crud, now I’ve went and polluted CHS cheery pull up a chair post. Not to self: Do not piss off the ReddHedd

BTW, my mom is a red head, my sister is a red head, and my Marine brother is a red head.

This roasted vegetable dish is simple, great warm or cold as a left over. You can use any of the vegetables that are ripe and available so if you cannot find something, just substitute something else.

Roasted Vegetable Medley
2 cups Brussels sprouts
2 cups fresh green beans cut into 2 in pieces
2 cups cauliflower florets
2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs such as basil, cilantro, italian parsley, rosemary & oregano. You can use dry but fresh is best.
2 cloves garlic chopped
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Table spoons water
Salt & Pepper (use the sea salt & pepper grinders from Costco)
3 peppers, one red, yellow & green, cut into strips.

I have used zucchini(green & yellow), baby eggplants (Asian market), okra, broccoli – different mix of veggies. I put the firmer in first and then add the softer ones (mushrooms) in the second half of the cooking.

In my big turkey roasting pan, put in all the veggies except the peppers, herbs and drizzle the oil & water over the veggies.

Bake covered at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Then add the peppers (other soft veggies), mix and cook another 20 minutes uncovered or until the veggies are crisp-tender. Carrots are the only veggie that seems to take longer than the rest.

Serve hot with grated asiago cheese or slivered almonds.

ah oh…katymine @ 154 is in the moderation doghouse again!
Must be all those veggie names… is some veggie hater the moderator today?

A variation on the cucumber-yogurt or -sour cream salad: try lime yoghurt, dill and some anise hyssop leaves (flower/herb that smells like root beer and does wonders in iced tea).

woops, posted this in the epu’d troll-petting thread
————————–

Sounds like a pretty HOO-RAY ruling all around …
WOOT! Thanks, Christy for de-mystifying it for us non-esqs …

And, as my fancy paint (with bamboo charcoal to absorb some of that nasty envrironmental ick) starts to dry,
I bid ye Firedoggies goodnight (clap clap) goodnight (clap clap) …

————————-
okay, now: aircon futon, hoooray!

Leslie Turek @
23

And here’s a zucchini recipe that some might call a pudding….

Combine 3 cups thinly sliced zucchini, 1 cup biscuit mix, 1/2 cup chopped onion, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 4 eggs, lightly beaten. Season to taste with your choice of oregano, basil, parsley, garlic, salt, and/or pepper. Pour into a greased 13 x 9 inch baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Cut into squares and serve as an appetizer or side dish.

Thank you Leslie, that one is getting made at my house tonight! mmmmmmm

ccmask-what would I do for a smaller batch of your onion sauce? I love Sabrett hotdogs, Nathan’s too, bu I can’t get Sabretts inthe Midwest. GRRRR!

Christy,
In my hippie years we canned like crazy. But now it is much easier to freeze. Tomatoes, corn, etc do great. Just blanche and freeze. I’ve also sun dried tomatoes. Slice very, very thin and put between screens in the sun. Delicious.

As I write this, I look out the window at my 1/4 acre vegetable garden. Summer is wonderful.

Christy, you seem to long for something that’s right at your fingertips…a garden. If you really want it, you can find the time. You don’t have to have one as big as ours. But having one connects you to things you will never find anywhere else. I’m convinced there’s practically nothing better in life than having a garden. Go for it.

Christy, I’ll second that: it doesn’t have to be back-breakingly large: a couple of tomato plants, 2 or 3 peppers, some lettuce, maybe a zucchini. You’ll still get the taste of summer that way, you know?

eloi at 158 — I have had a garden in past years. This year, however, my joint issues have made keeping up with my perennials difficult, let alone getting anything else planted. Once we get whatever this is into some sort of managed state, I will contemplate how to best get some veggies in the ground for next year. But for this year, I’m afraid, it isn’t workable. That’s the longing that you are picking up, I think — and hopefully by next year, it won’t be as much of an issue.

I am disabled, so I don’t cook anymore, and am forced to rely on others’ for my repast. Lately, the local ‘New York’ deli (the owner and employees ARE actually from NY, so it is delightful!) makes a delicious gazpacho, and I’ve been eating it daily. It is spicy, crunchy, and bursting with such incredible flavor…a real treat. I also love to freeze sweet red grapes!

My Dad used to make ‘chow-chow’ every summer. I haven’t seen any around here, but could probably find some up in the mountains. Chow-chow went on EVERYTHING when I was growing up, and it actually made green beans palatable (for a kid who wouldn’t eat anything green). Sigh. I helped, but cannot remember what went in it except for onions (my job, of course)and peppers. Thanks for bringing back such fond memories!

This is one of my favorite dishes, we have it for b’fast every morning along with Tai Oro and either fried or boiled fish…

Poisson Cru, or E’ia Ota
(Tahitian lime-marinated tuna)
Yield: 4-6 servings

INGREDIENTS PREP AMOUNT
Ahi tuna cut into 1/2″ cubes 1 1/2 lbs
Lime juice 1/2 cup
Coconut milk 1/4 cup
Cucumber peeled, seeded, cut into 1/2″ cubes 1/2 each
Tomato seeds removed, diced 1 each
Scallions chopped 3-4 each
Kosher or sea salt big pinch
Fresh ground pepper pinch

METHOD
Basic Steps: Chop → Mix → Marinate
Mix all ingredients together well. Let marinate 10-20 minutes. Adjust seasoning. Drain of excess liquid. Garnish with some freshly chopped scallions and serve.
VARIATIONS
Use other fish – halibut, snapper, swordfish – if you like.
Other possible additions: cubed red peppers, grated carrots, diced red onion, minced garlic.
Sometimes a pinch of sugar is added to take the edge off the acidity.

NOTES
This famous Tahitian dish is similar to Latino seviche or Hawaiian poke. It differs primarily in the addition of coconut milk which serves to soften its flavor. Also, poisson cru only marinates for a brief time so the lime juice doesn’t have time to “cook” the inside of the fish.
Called oka i’a in Samoa.
Make sure to use very fresh, high quality fish for this dish.

My Dad also made cucumber ’salad’, but all he did was cut up a vidalia onion, then peel and slice a couple of cukes, then added a little sugar and some vinegar and pepper, and would let it marinate overnight…but sometimes NOT! He couldn’t wait. He would eat it straight out of the bowl, and then also slather it all over EVERYTHING else!!!

Golly, chharriett, I’m so sorry to hear about your situation — but also glad to know that you’ve still got access to some great flavors.

My favorite thing about these Saturday morning threads is that, whether I ever actually get to make or taste the goodies folks write about, my imagination takes me right to all the flavors, textures, colors, temperatures and even sounds of every dish as it shows up virtually — and absolutely for free, with no labor or clean-up involved ever!

Whatta deal, no?

Real Greek Summer Salad

Cucumber cut into chunks
Tomatoes cut into wedges
Slices of onion
Green peppers cut into chunks
Feta cheese crumbles
Greek olives(pitted)
Dressing – Olive oil & lemon
Add chopped fresh herbs…. NO lettuce please

Ken Jackson CPO USN Ret. @ 159

This is one of my favorite dishes, we have it for b’fast every morning along with Tai Oro and either fried or boiled fish…

Poisson Cru, or E’ia Ota….

Ken Jackson, that sounds just SUPERB! And with the coconut milk, unlike any raw(-ish) fish I’ve ever had. Can’t wait to try it!

See Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma
on the natural, local food movement.

Christy Hardin Smith @ 149

Kurt at 145 — If you decide to try canning, do yourself a huge favor and pick up a copy of the Ball Blue Book. It’s the bible of canning, for both procedures and recipes that will not poison you if you follow the instructions — it’s easy once you get the hang of it, but it’s the prep work that takes up a lot of the time in canning.

Thanks Christy. I’ve been living in a city apartment for a few years, with no balcony and light suitable to only growing cast iron plants and the like hehe. So if I do any canning here, it will have to be stuff from the local farmers market unfortunately.

When I was in college I rented a house with some friends, and we actually had a yard with some previously planted figs, bananas, and a few tomato plants. What used to be a vegetable garden was almost completely overgown, and hadn’t been tended for years. It would have been perfect for canning if we had ever found the time to resurrect the poor old thing.

Hey kaleidescope, we are in the same neighborhood. Nice to see you here at the lake.

In coastal northern California, it is hucklberry season, and there are two main types: Black hucklberries and red hucklberries. The red ones grow on top of old redwood stumps that are about ten feet high and sometimes 15 or even 20 feet across. My sister brought us a bucket of red huckleberries and you can make pies just like red cherry pies; use the same recipe, but the taste is superior.

The black (or sometimes frosty blue) huckleberries are almost always ready around Labor Day, but this year they are a little early, and my sister will bring us some next week.

Both are heavenly with a rich Tillamook vanilla ice cream. (most of you probably don’t get Tillamook ice cream, so you don’t know what you are missing) I bet Jane knows about it though.

I make musical instruments, and while I read FDL, I am listening to an online radio station that the folks in the CBG community just put up. All cigar box guitars all the time. (I know, it’s a wierd hobby)

http://www.live365.com/stations/tha_goat

WV peaches out peach GA peaches any day!

Why’s it turn out that, every time, just before I submit this, Mary leaves? Does she have x-ray vision too?

lotus @ 132

Well, I may by now be wo’ out with cukes (though as to MASTVA KHIAR, you took the words right outta my mouf, imm!) — but not so much that I can’t

STAND UP AND DEMAND MY RIGHT PRIVILEGE TO MARY’S TELLING OF [drumroll & trumpets, pleeze]

THE LEGEND OF THE YELLOW TIE

Awright, looks like we’re gonna hafta organize a full-out demonstration to get this done here, kids — march and posters and band and all. I volunteer to help in the concession stand. Whaddya you wanna do?

Ooop — wrong thread — sowwy.

I made pizzas on the grill the other night. Fantastic, even though I didn’t have any flour to keep the dough from sticking to everything. I used store bought refrigerated dough, flattened it out, drizzled some extra virgin olive oil on top, took some of our copious plum tomatoes and crushed them in my hands on top of the dough. Some shredded mozzarella, and some torn up basil leaves. I ended up starting the pizzas on cookie sheets, because of the sticking to everything without flour thing, and when they were halfway cooked, I slid them directly onto the grill. On my grill, it takes about 20 minutes, probably less on most other grills. Ambrosia!

Lotus…thanks for the sentiment. I appreciate it! I do not know what I would do without my beloved FDL community. I am rather socially isolated, and this site provides me with an umlimited amount of comfort for a variety of reasons. I ‘heart’ the FDL folks!!!

It is past cherry season, but here are a couple of cherry recipes to keep the year round (from Pepin’s Art of Cooking)

Cherries in Moutain Brew
About 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 lb. sweet cherries with stems
1/2 c boiled and cooled water
1 c grain alcohol (~ 190 proof)
7 Tb sugar

Trim the cherry stems to about 1/2 inch and wash and the cherries. Make sure the cherries are dry before putting them in a 1 quart mason jar.
Mix together the boiled and cooled water, the grain alcohol and the sugar until the sugar dissolves.
Pour mix over cherries and cover tightly. Set in cool and dark place for 4 to 5 weeks.

Please note that one cherry preserved this way is like a shot of liquor. So don’t eat and drive.

Cherries in Vinegar
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 lb sweet cherries with stems
4 Tb sugar
1 c distilled white vinegar (4 – 5 percent acid strength)
1/2 c water (I boil and cool this as well)
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Trim the cherry stems to 1/2 inch and wash the cherries. Make sure the cherries are dry before placing them in a 1 quart mason jar.
Mix the sugar, the vinegar, the water and the pepper together until the sugar dissolves.
Pour the mix over the cherries and cover tightly. Place jar in cool dark place for 4 to 5 weeks.

sofistic @
173

Both are heavenly with a rich Tillamook vanilla ice cream. (most of you probably don’t get Tillamook ice cream, so you don’t know what you are missing) I bet Jane knows about it though.

That’s why I bought an ice cream maker.

Philadelphia-style Coffe Ice Cream
3 1/2 c heavy cream
3/4 c sugar
1 c whole coffe beans

Heat cream in heavy sauce pan until small bubbles form. DON’T BOIL.
Remove from heat and sugar. Stir until sugar dissolves.
Add coffe beans and let cool to room temp. Then refrigerate over night.

The next day, strain out the coffe beans and then process in ice cream maker as usual.

-157 on the anise hyssop leaves – not only are those leaves edible, but the purple flower clusters are, too. Try one, and you’ll see why bees love them so – they are sweeter than just about anything, rich anise flavor. Great in a salad (very country french, that) or with, say, ice cream. And they grow like weeds anywhere.

On the cuke salads – try this Austro-Hungarian variation I’ve been eating since I could walk:
peel cuke and slice thinly (use the side of the box grater), macerate in the fridge a few hours with good salt, then drain well. Add sour cream (or 1/2 sour cream, 1/2 milk and a little lemon juice), about 2 cloves finely chopped garlic per cuke, optional quartered and finely sliced onion (about a golfball-sized one per cuke), black pepper, optional celery seed, mix well. Should be a creamy sauce on the cukes. Then, top with a lot of good paprika (you can hardly use too much). Let sit in fridge a couple hours.

An onion salad from a Russian-Kazakh acquaintance: take a large onion, peel, slice finely into thin (1/8 – 1/4 inch thick) rings and separate. Toss with vinegar. Dust liberally with cayenne and a little salt. Eat with anything grilled, wash down with beer or cold vodka.

A simplified takeoff on a dacquoise (but very elegant): Make plum sauce* from the plums, and cook down to apple butter consistency. *Finely chopped plums, sugar, a little cinnamon and nutmeg, a dash water. Take small ramekins, line with plastic wrap. Force a glob of vanilla ice cream into the ramekin, then a glob of cold plum sauce, and surround that with more vanilla ice cream (so the plum sauce is totally enrobed in ice cream). Twirl the plastic closed and return ramekin to freezer. To serve, remove the plastic-wrapped confection from the ramekin and unwrap onto a plate. If you have a round wafer-type cookies, one of those will make a nice base for the confection. Add a couple mint leaves. Serve.

This will work with other fruit-ice cream flavor combinations (see, e.g., mashed banana-chocolate, cherry-chocolate, strawberry-chocolate, raspberry/blackberry-vanilla, etc.) but the important thing is to make the fruit sauce quite thick. I’m partial to plums and vanilla, though.

Make plum or apricot dumplings (the boiled kind), then freeze them in individual sandwich bags (So they don’t stick). Come January, you’ll find these reheat fabulously in the microwave and make one of the most kick-ass winter breakfasts (with some buttered cinnamon breadcrumbs and milk/cream) you may ever have.

What we’ve put up so far:

pesto – lemon, italian, thai and persian anise varieties
jam – a batch 0f raspberry-blackberry-strawberry-rhubarb jam
rhubarb – just frozen by itself
green beans – pickled and canned
sockeye salmon – frozen, frozen smoked and canned smoked
halibut – frozen
kim chee

What we still have to preserve:

raspberry jam
canned beets
more canned beans
canned smoked silver salmon
spaghetti sauce
sauerkraut

What we will put in the root cellar:
potatoes (yukon gold, iditared and klondike)
carrots
cabbage
beets

Ooooh, Ed*ard — do come over to my house with that bounty. What a wonderful pantry you must have! :) I’m envious.

We usually have tons of apricots, so I wind up drying them, I love to use them in this recipe, so Mary…I’ll see your bread puddin’ recipe and raise you another one:

COCONUT BREAD PUDDING WITH DRIED APRICOTS
From the Rainforest Cafe in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
1 1-pound loaf firm white bread, crusts trimmed, bread cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1/3 cup dried apricots, thinly sliced (about 2 ounces)
2 1/2 cups canned cream of coconut (such as Coco Lpez)
2 cups milk (do not use low-fat or nonfat)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
6 large eggs

Powdered sugar
Whipped cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F. Arrange half of bread cubes in 13×9×2-inch glass baking dish. Sprinkle with half of coconut and all of apricots. Arrange remaining bread over. Top with remaining coconut. Combine cream of coconut, milk, 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla in heavy large saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves and mixture is just warm. Remove from heat. Whisk eggs in large bowl to blend. Whisk in warm milk mixture. Pour mixture over bread in baking dish. Using back of spoon, push bread gently into milk mixture. Let stand 15 minutes.
Bake until pudding is set and golden brown, about 50 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool slightly.

Sift powdered sugar over bread pudding. Serve warm, topped with whipped cream, if desired.

Serves 10-12 and is great for pot lucks!

(we’ve used bananas in place of the apricots and that’s yummy too!)

TwistedMartii@160: Yikes! Never did it in a small portion but I’ll give it a shot for a felow Sabreteteer:

Now, the #10 can is the big restaurant size can but for this you may want to have a couple of 1 lb. cans on hand and a couple of smaller cans and use them as needed. I recommend Hunts only for this recipe, BTW. And, as far as the dogs, for the hellofit you may want to check

http://www.sabrett.com/brokers.cfm for a listing of brokers and possible home-delivery.

And, of course, Costco’s, Sam’s or Restaurant Depot may carry them. I get them in Fort Lauderdale at Restaurant Depot. It costs nothing to join if you have a restaurant. But what you do is tell them that you are just bought a restaurant and they will give you a one-day pass to shop. Just be sure to get the original Sabrett’s–you want the #10 Natural Skin Casings.

Anyway….
Chop 8 large onions and add oil to large pot on medium heat. Add your chopped onions (bite-size type pieces). Once it is all sizzly hot and boiled down and the onions are sort of see-through looking, add in one can of Hunt’s puree and stir it up good. I’m betting at least 2 of the big cans. The sauce will thin out as it cooks. Once the sauce is temperature hot like the onions, you will want turn turn it down a little so as not to burn the bottom. A good heavy pot is best. SIDE NOTE: I’m sure you may need more so remember to have several smaller cans to eliminate waste.

Start adding only 1/2 teaspoon of all the ingredients I posted above in the larger recipe but wait until it has been simmering for at least an hour before tasting and then modifying the seasoning to your desire. Drink a couple of twissted martini’s and let that pot simmer for several hours. The longer the better. You can freeze it and it will last for quite awhile. I made some for a friend of mine and she refrigerated it for a couple of weeks and it was still great but I never did that myself. But let me tell you, if you cook a good hot dog (even though it is not Sabrett) on the grill, top it with cheese, chili, and then these onions on top, it is almost as good as Lieberman losing! Almost. Check out the link and don’t be afraid of asking a food distributor in your area to order it for you. Good Luck!

I love the Saturday morning posts here. Grew up with peach and apple trees in our yard. Spent too many summers with my skinny little girl arms dipped in cool water peeling the blanched peaches for canning, while mom and grandma boiled jars, filled jars, processed jars. Whew, I’d forgotten that hot steamy kitchen with nothing but a fan to cool us down. How did we do it? I’ll never bottle another, but I must agree, not much can compare to a tree-ripened peach, fresh off the tree.

Another way to not kill yourself when doing canning is to stick to things that have enoughacid in them to prevent the really deadly stuff.

What I do at this time of year, when I start being overtaken by the spirits of my rural grandmothers, is to make really small batches of things that are really special and that I can’t buy. I just keep them in the fridge, and don’t even really worry about sterilizing, sealing, or hot-water-processing jars. I eat ‘em up before they have time to spoil.

Also freezer jams are easy, quick, and really delicious you don’t even have to cook the fruit, so the jam comes out really fresh tasting.

One of my co-workers made basil jelly a couple of weeks ago. The first batch didn’t jell (like his plum jam with plum brandy in it), but he changed pectin brands and the second one did. The basil jelly will get used on chicken or something similar, although it’s probably a bit sweet.

Christy, I second the recommendation of the “Blue Book”. It also covers freezing, and the newer versions have recipes to use the stuff you’ve put up. I buy it (every time they put out a new edition!) at my local hardware-garden store (it’s OSH, and they have lots of canning equipment, as well as stuff for ’seal-a-meals’).

Easy, easy, EASY (and TASTY!) cabbage salad:

One head of cabbage
One bottle Thai peanut sauce
One bottle vinegar (cider preferred)
One sharp knife (or decent grater)

Chop up or shred cabbage head, watching carefully for nasty things like cabbage worms (just throw away the contaminated part if you find any).

Put shredded cabbage in bowl. Dump in Thai peanut sauce, mixed with vinegar to extend it, to taste: about a teaspoon of this mixture per cup of shredded cabbage is about right.

There. The easiest salad/slaw in the Universe, and the Thai sauce gives it that chichi/swank/tasty vibe. You can fancy it up with some ground peanuts, but really there’s no need: What you have will get you kudos at the next potluck you bring it to.

from Greg Brown

Canned Goods

Let those December winds bellow ‘n’ blow
I’m as warm as a July tomato.

Peaches on the shelf
Potatoes in the bin
Supper’s ready,
everybody come on in
Taste a little of the summer,
Taste a little of the summer,
You can taste a little of the summer
my grandma’s put it all in jars.
Well, there’s a root cellar,
fruit cellar down below
Watch you head now, and down you go
And there’s [repeat chorus]

Maybe you’re weary an’ you don’t give a damn
I bet you never tasted her blackberry jam.

Ah, she’s got magic in her – you know what I mean
She puts the sun and rain in with her green beans.
What with the snow and the economy and ev’ry’thing, I think I’ll jus’ stay down here and eat until spring.

When I go to see my grandma
I gain a lot of weight
With her dear hands
she gives me plate after plate.
She cans the pickles, sweet and dill
She cans the songs of the whippoorwill
And the morning dew and the evening moon
‘N’ I really got to go see her pretty soon
‘Cause these canned goods I buy at the store Ain’t got the summer in them anymore.
You bet, grandma, as sure as you’re born
I’ll take some more potatoes and a thunderstorm.
Peaches on the shelf
Potatoes in the bin
Supper’s ready, everybody come on in,
now Taste a little of the summer,
Taste a little of the summer,
Taste a little of the summer,
My grandma put it all in jars.
Let those December winds bellow and blow,
I’m as warm as a July tomato.

In 1949 when I was six, my August job was to pick the blackberries. Not easy for a six year old cconsidering all the thorns, to say nothing of the huge blacksnake hiding in the canes.

But I stuck with it and I would bring them in and my grandmother and I would rinse them and then put them in a huge pot that must have been two or three gallons, add water, and then fire up the stove.

Later we would transfer all the liquid to another pot and strain the residue of the berries and seeds thru cheesecloth. We actually had to wring out the cheesecloth, Grandma on one end, me on the other and let the liquid drain into pot #2.

Grandma made jelly out of the liquid in pot #2 and then she made jam out of the leftover seeds and berry residue.

The jam was my favorite. I can taste it today in my mind on warm toast or muffin on a cold fallmorning.

My grandma made pickles. Sweet pickles, dill pickles, bread & butter pickles, she made them all.But two kinds of pickles she made for me. Watermelon pickles and pickled beets. Well, that’s what she told me, and I would never believe she’d tell an untruth. My mom didn’t make those kinds, so Grandma brought jars and jars of them for us to put in the cellar. And, oh, how I loved them. I never learned to can or pickle, so I’m relegated to the grocery store. And believe me, they’re not the same thing, at all.

Oh, I forgot. Every Christmas, my grandma and my Aunt Mable made candy. But that’s for another Saturday.

Sorry about the joints, Christy. It never occurred to me that something like that would stop you. Sorry.

Haven’t read all the posts, but yes, you should can and blanch and freeze. Why — Your Peanut needs to know how to do it, and far better for her to learn by watching and “helping” you than have to research it someday in a University Library Home Ec. shelf.

You don’t need to do it survival style — which is how I learned it all as a kid during WWII — but you can do it speciality style. Make and can your own chili and salsa — do peach preserves rather than just peaches. But the skills and tastes Peanut learns now will be with her for years. Take advantage, transfer the knowledge.

sofistic 173: I have one of those redwood stumps (only ten feet in diameter) in my front yard and it has a giant red huckleberry bush growing out of it. I was out there this afternoon with my 6 year old nephew scarfing them down, along with the interloping Himalyan blackberrys and the surprisingly subtle salal berries. Yes, it’s life in Westhaven during the fog season.

On the red huckleberries, I treat them more like currants than cherries. They’re awsome in pancakes and in a shortcake.

I made some Turkish zucchini fritters tonight and I must say, this recipe made zucchini interesting again.

My neighbor Ethel still makes her own elderberry jam at 85. Many families put up some black caps, as the local wild black rasberrys are called in these parts. Last summer I thought I’d try some currant jelly. I can inform you that it takes many, many currants to make one jar full of jelly.
Some Macintosh apple trees I planted 7 years ago began to bear well last fall. The fruit has firm flesh, and a taste that makes supermarket macs taste like cardboard in comparison. I ran off some pure Mac cider, which is ambrosial, and then decided to harden a few gallons. (By gluing siphon tubes in gallon milk containers you can do small lots.)
Startling stuff!
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