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….