Roasting Peppers
I love the flavor of roasted peppers. They add a nice smoky flavor to many dishes from salads to soups. I made this one to use in a Greek salad. If you haven’t roasted peppers before I encourage you to try it. Since I have a gas stove I just place the pepper right on a burner and turn the burner on medium. Turn the pepper, using tongs, until the pepper it charred on all sides. I know- it doesn’t look appetizing, but trust me the flavor will be terrific. After the pepper is all blackened take it off the heat and roll in up in paper towels or place in a paper bag to steam. The steam will help to loosen the skin. Once the pepper is cool enough to handle just rub off the charred skin and discard. Seed and chop up the pepper and toss in whatever dish you are making. You can also take the seeded pepper and toss it in a blender with some herbs, salt and a little oil. Puree for a tasty salad dressing.
If you have an electric stove, you can roast peppers under the broiler until charred, turning often or you can even roast peppers on the grill.
Eggplant “Fries”
This dish started because I had an eggplant that needed to be used. I love eggplant, but none of my usual recipes were doing it for me. I decided to turn my eggplant into fries. I wasn’t in the mood to actually fry them, so I thought I would try to bake them and see if I could get a result I liked. They came out really good. Plenty crispy.
I shared a picture of my fries and a number of people asked for the recipe. I decided to write out a more detailed version than I posted. People also asked about other ways to make them. I only baked mine, so I can’t give absolute answers, but I can give you a pretty educated guess. Yes, these would work well in an air fryer or convection oven. You’d have to use a lower temp and keep an eye on them for cooking time. Yes, they can be deep fried. I have had deep fried eggplant at restaurants. They were pretty darn good. I have also pan fried them in the past. Just add about 1/2 inch of oil to a large skillet and fry them.
So here is a more detailed recipe. I know I say medium eggplant. I hate to be vague, but that is the best I could do.
Enjoy!!
Eggplant “Fries”
1 medium eggplant
Salt
½ c. rice flour, but you could use wheat flour or cornstarch
½ c. Oil
Preheat oven to 450F. Peel the eggplant, if you like. You don’t have to. Slice and crosscut into “fry” sized pieces. They are going to shrink some in cooking, so allow for the shrinkage. Lightly salt the eggplant and let it sit for about 10 minutes. The salt will draw some of the water out of the eggplant, making it easier for the flour to stick. Place the eggplant slices in a large bowl. Add the flour and toss until coated. Drizzle the oil on a large baking sheet. Add the eggplant slices, leaving room between them. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and turn the slices over. Return to oven and bake until golden brown- don’t burn them, but pretty dark brown if you want more crunch. Mine were in the oven for about 25 minutes total. Remove to platter with paper towels on it to drain. Toss with more salt, if needed and serve.
Fresh Tomato Pasta
I really enjoy making fresh pasta. I often use vegetables and herbs in homemade pasta for added flavor. I decided to make a fresh tomato pasta today, using, well, a fresh tomato or two. You could use tomato juice in this recipe, but since I had fresh tomatoes, I just used fresh tomato. I also use tomato powder in this recipe sometimes. I make tomato powder out of the skins of the tomatoes I canned. I put them in the dehydrator and p powder them up once dried
I put a medium sized tomato in the blender and pureed it until smooth. I left the skin on and the seeds in. I didn’t have quite enough liquid, so I added a couple cherry tomatoes and blended again.
The pasta might look a little pale to you. I assure you, it was made with tomatoes. The pasta fades a little when cooked. I also used an orange tomato, so it was never going to be a bright red color. The flavor, however is quite nice. Subtle, but definitely tomato. Here is the recipe.
Fresh Tomato Pasta
2 c. flour
1 t. salt
½ -2/3 c. tomato juice- I just pureed a fresh tomato in the blender, seeds, skin and all. You might need a little more.
Fresh minced herbs, like chives, basil, parsley, rosemary, optional
Place flour and salt in bowl and stir to blend. Start adding the tomato juice, stirring to form a firm dough. Knead until smooth and cover dough, allowing to rest at least 20 minutes. I like to mix the dough in a food processor. Just mixes faster. You can also mix in a stand mixer using the dough hook.
Once dough is rested, roll out to desired thickness and cut into noodles or use as the base for ravioli. Fresh pasta cooks in just a couple of minutes. Watch carefully.
Serves 3-4.
Super Seedy Crackers
Super Seedy Crackers
I saw these crackers online and knew I wanted to try them. They are very easy to make and taste wonderful. The ingredients also make them gluten free- see note in recipe.
The ingredients are mixed together and allowed to sit long enough to hydrate. Then you just spread out the batter on baking sheets and bake. Part way through the baking, you pull them from the oven and cut them into squares.
They were very crisp and flavorful. I could see making them often. We had them with hummus. They would go well with cheeses and other traditional cracker toppers.
Super Seedy Crackers
½ c. ground flax seed
½ c. quick oats*
½ c. sunflower seeds
¼ c. pumpkin seeds
¼ c. sesame seeds
¼ c. chia seeds
1 T. pizza seasoning – recipe follows
¾ t. salt
¼ t. cayenne pepper
1¼ c. water
Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Add water and stir until combined. Let mixture sit 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. On two baking sheets, place either a silicone baking sheet or parchment paper. Divide the cracker dough in half. Spread half of the cracker dough on the baking sheet as thin as you can. I tried to keep the dough into a neat rectangle. Make sure you don’t leaves any holes in the dough. Repeat with the rest of the dough on the second baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and cut the crackers into small squares. Return to the oven, placing the sheets in reverse order of which baking racks they were on at first. Bake 25 minutes more. Remove from oven and allow the crackers to cool enough to handle. Break apart if they need to be separated. Makes about 70 crackers.
*If you want to be sure that these crackers are gluten free, be sure to use oats that are labeled as gluten free. Oats are gluten free, but are often grown near wheat fields. Cross contamination can happen during harvest. Oats labeled as gluten free are grown far away from wheat.
Ready to add the water
Right out of the oven
Pizza Seasoning
3 T. dried basil
2 T. dried oregano
1-T. red pepper flakes
1 T. dried minced onion
1-T. fennel seeds
1 t. garlic powder
Combine all ingredients and store in a cool, dark, dry place.
To use: Add 1-2 teaspoons per cup of tomato sauce to make pizza sauce. Also good sprinkled on bagels with sauce and cheese or added to any tomato or pepper dish. Also makes a great cheese ball. Add 1-2 teaspoons of the seasoning with a little diced sweet red pepper, a diced green onion and a few slices of cooked, crumbled bacon or turkey bacon with 8-oz. cream cheese.
I did tweak the original recipe, but it is close to the original. The original video came from tastythriftytimely. Nice website- check her out.
Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes
It seems when zucchini are abundant I can never find enough ways to use them all. That means I end up shredding and freezing a LOT of zucchini. It comes in handy throughout the year.
I like the recipe because the zucchini makes the cakes nice and moist. They aren’t that sweet, either. I used a simple vanilla frosting but you could just dust them with powdered sugar or perhaps use a cream cheese frosting. I have a friend who likes me to leave them plain. She prefers them un-frosted. Frosted or not these are a simple and tasty recipe that can make a dessert even the zucchini haters should love.
Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes
½ c. butter
½ c. oil
1 ¼ c. sugar
2 eggs
½ c. buttermilk
1 t. vanilla
2 ½ c. flour
1/3 c. cocoa
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
2 c. shredded zucchini
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 30 muffin pans with paper liners and set aside. In mixing bowl combine butter, oil, sugar and eggs and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in milk and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients and add to egg mixture- beating until smooth. Stir in zucchini. Scoop batter into cupcake paper lined pans, filling about 2/3 full. You will get about 30, I sometimes get more. Bake 15-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool and frost. Makes 30-36.
I used the Classic Vanilla Frosting recipe below, but doubled the recipe.
Classic Vanilla Frosting
3/4 cup butter
6 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/3 cup milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons milk
Beat butter in a large bowl until fluffy. Gradually add 3 cups of the sifted confectioners’ sugar, beating well. Slowly beat in the vanilla, salt, and 1/3 cup of the milk. Gradually beat in the 3 remaining cups of confectioner’s sugar. Beat in additional milk (1 to 2 tablespoons) if needed, to make frosting of spreading consistency. If desired tint the frosting with 6 to 8 drops of food coloring.
Pizza Zucchini
I started making this dish out of necessity. I was fresh out of college and never seemed to have much money. I did have a big garden, though. It was August and the garden was full of zucchini, tomatoes and peppers. I had to find a tasty way to combine them. Pizza Zucchini was born.
The name is a little misleading. It isn’t really a pizza at all. Rather, it is a saute of several veggies, seasoned with pizza seasoning. I top it off with cheese, and often serve it over pasta or rice or stuffed in a pita bread. Last night, I served it on a whole wheat tortilla, so it did sort of have a pizza feel to it.
Not much work, but this dish packs a lot of flavor. You can use other veggies, depending on what you have around. So if you have a few extra zucchini laying around, this is a fun and tasty way to enjoy them. You might even get your family to eat more veggies.
“Pizza” Zucchini
1 T. oil
½ c. chopped onion
1 sweet pepper, seeded and chopped
1 c. sliced mushrooms, optional
3-4 c. sliced zucchini or other summer squash, trimmed and sliced
3 c. diced fresh tomatoes, or use canned or 1 c. tomato sauce
1-2 t. pizza seasoning, or to taste*
8 oz. Mozzarella cheese
Sauté onion in oil until tender add pepper and mushrooms and sauté 2 minutes more. Add squash and cook until tender. Add tomatoes or sauce, seasonings and salt, if desired. Heat through, turn down heat and add cheese. Cover and allow to cook on low until cheese melts. Serve as is, over rice or pasta or in pita bread. Serves 3-4.
*Pizza Seasoning
3 T. dried basil
2 T. dried oregano
1-T. red pepper flakes
1 T. dried minced onion
1-T. fennel seeds
1 t. garlic powder
Combine all ingredients and store in a cool, dark, dry place.
To use: Add 1-2 teaspoons per cup of tomato sauce to make pizza sauce. Also good sprinkled on bagels with sauce and cheese or added to any tomato or pepper dish.
Blueberry Pancakes with Blueberry Syrup
For breakfast I can’t think of a better dish than blueberry pancakes with fresh made blueberry syrup. These would make a great breakfast for Mom on Mother’s Day.
I was talking to a friend yesterday about some of our favorite breakfast foods. Blueberry pancakes were at the top of both our lists.
This is why I freeze blueberries. So I can have these wonderful pancakes whenever the mood strikes.
The secret is to fluffy pancakes is not to over mix the batter. The ingredients are stirred until just combined. I used a homemade biscuit mix as the base. The recipe follows.
The baking mix is normally made with shortening, but I use coconut oil. You can use the mix in any recipe that calls for baking mixes, like Bisquick or Jiffy mix. When using coconut oil, you might want to store the mix in the fridge in hot weather. Normally I store it at room temperature, but pop it in the fridge during the summer. You could also make the baking mix with butter- store in the fridge.
The syrup is pretty simple. Just three ingredients; blueberries, sugar and a little water. Sometimes I add some vanilla or a little lemon zest. I served it warm over the pancakes.
Blueberry Pancakes
2 c. biscuit mix*, like Jiffy Mix or Bisquick
1 c. milk – I used half and half
2 eggs
1 c. fresh or frozen blueberries
Combine mix, milk and eggs until just blended. Fold in berries. Pour batter by scant 1/4 cups in lightly greased griddle or skillet over moderate heat. Turn when pancakes are dry around the edges. Cook until golden brown. Makes about 13.
* Like Bisquick or Jiffy Mix or home made- recipe follows
Biscuit Mix
8 c. flour
1 c. powdered milk
1 c. powdered buttermilk (or 1 more cup powdered milk)
1/4 c. baking powder
1 T. salt
1 1/2 c. shortening* I use coconut oil
Combine dry ingredients and cut in shortening until well mixed. Store in tightly covered container. Makes 10 cups.
* You can substitute coconut oil or butter for the shortening- but mix will have to be kept cool. Refrigerate if using butter and use withing 3 months.
Blueberry Pancakes with Blueberry Syrup
Blueberry Syrup
4 c. blueberries
1 c. water
1½ c. sugar
In saucepan heat berries and water to a boil and boil 2 minutes. Crush berries with a potato masher as they cook. Add sugar and cook for 10- 15 minutes on medium heat until mixture thickens. Process syrup with an immersion blender or in a blender until smooth. Cool, then refrigerate. Keeps a couple of weeks. Can be frozen. Makes about 3½ cups.
Fried Green Tomatoes
Tomato season is all about those firm, ripe, juicy tomatoes. For me, tomato season is also about fried green tomatoes.
Green tomatoes have a very different flavor than ripe tomatoes. It is like tomatoes and lemons had a baby. There is a distinct citrus-like tartness in green tomatoes. We fried some up in class last night. Everyone enjoyed them.
Green tomatoes are pretty hard, compared to ripe tomatoes, which makes them great for frying. They soften, but don’t fall apart when fried.
There are a number of variations on exactly how to fry your tomatoes. I do a traditional breaded method, flour, egg wash and cracker crumbs. Then I pan-fry them.
I like using cracker crumbs, but you could use bread crumbs instead. I have friends that love to use cornmeal instead.
So here is my recipe. I hope you give it a try.
Fried Green Tomatoes
1 c. flour, or 1/2 c. flour and 1/2 c. cornmeal
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper
5 green tomatoes, sliced 1/2-inch thick
1-2 c. cracker crumbs, saltines preferred
2 eggs, beaten
butter or oil for pan frying
Place flour and seasonings in small bowl. Place crumbs in second bowl and eggs in a third bowl. Dip tomato slices in eggs then in flour. Dip slice in egg again and then in crumbs. Fry slices in hot oil until golden and tender in the middle, turning to cook evenly. Drain and serve warm. Serves 4-6.
Ice Cream Cone Cupcakes
This might look like an ice cream cone, but it isn’t. It is a cupcake!! The batter is baked inside ice cream cones, then decorated to look like ice cream cones. I used from scratch recipes for both the cupcake batter and the frosting, but feel free to use what ever recipe you like. This is such a fun twist on a cupcake. Great for summer parties.
Because you use more frosting than you might normally use for more traditional cupcakes, make sure to have extra. I chose the recipe I did because it makes plenty of frosting. I did not tint my frosting, but you can, if you like.
These are fun for kids to make. You can let them decorate their own “cone”. For a kid’s party you can even have a couple of different cupcake flavors and frostings to pick from- and some assorted toppings, like cherries, tiny candies and assorted sprinkles.
Once you frost the cupcakes, they become a little top heavy. I find setting them together, letting them touch each other a little, helps to keep them from tipping over.
Sometimes, some of the batter drips over the edge of the cone when baking. Just pretend some of the “ice cream” has melted and cover drips with frosting.
Here are the recipes I used, with the directions for baking the cupcakes.
Chocolate “Ice Cream Cone” Cupcakes
4 oz. semisweet chocolate
1 cup butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
24 flat bottomed ice cream cones
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In the top of a double boiler, combine chocolate and butter. Heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture is melted and smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool to lukewarm.
Sift flour and sugar together into a large bowl. With mixer on low speed, beat in eggs one at a time. Stir in chocolate mixture and vanilla. Place 24 cones in muffin tins to hold them up and fill 2/3 full with batter. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until cupcakes puff to top of cones. Test with a toothpick. Cool and frost to look like ice cream. Decorate with sprinkles. Makes about 24.
Super Fluffy Frosting
1½ cup butter
1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1½ lbs. confectioners’ sugar –
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 T. milk
In a mixer, combine the butter, vanilla and 1 tablespoon milk. Add the sugar and salt, beat until well mixed. Add a tablespoon or two more of milk, if needed. Turn mixer to the highest speed and beat for 15 minutes.
Spare Rib “Baked” Beans
This recipe came about by accident. I was working on menu ideas for a dinner with friends. I had leftover spare ribs, but not really enough to serve on their own. I wanted to use them in something, and decided that the meat would be really good in baked beans. They already had barbecue sauce on them- and those flavors go well with beans. I didn’t have time to start with uncooked beans, so I used canned beans. Even though I think of this dish as baked beans- they were never really baked. I did the whole dish on top of the stove in about an hour. Of course, I could have moved them to the oven to cook as some point. I just didn’t this time.
They did taste great. I served them as a side dish, but they could be a meal all on their own.
Spare Rib “Baked” Beans
1 c. sliced onion
2 T. oil or butter
1 qt. tomatoes – I used home canned- you can use 1 (28 oz.) can
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
¾ c. apple cider vinegar
½ c. brown sugar
¼ c. maple syrup
2 T. molasses
3-4 c. cubed meat from cooked spare ribs
1 T. minced garlic
1 T. hot sauce, or to taste
1 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 t. ground cinnamon
1 t. ground turmeric
½ t. allspice
Salt and pepper to taste
In pot, add onions to oil or butter and cook over medium heat until tender. Add tomatoes, beans, vinegar, brown sugar, maple syrup and molasses. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture thickens. This will take about 30 minutes. Add meat with remaining ingredients and cook over medium low heat about 30 minutes longer. Stir from time to time to prevent sticking. Adjust seasonings and serve. Makes 6-8 servings.
Note: The whole mixture can also be cooked in a slow cooker, on high for 2 hours, then low until ready to serve.
