Zucchini and Cheese Tartlets

Since zucchini are so prolific there never seem to be enough recipes for them. I like this one as an appetizer. You can bake up a big batch, bake and then freeze some for whenever you need them.

Zucchini and Cheese Tartlets

1 recipe of pie crust dough, enough for 2 pies, home made or store bought

1 medium zucchini shredded, about 1 1/2 cups

1 T. flour

1 c. shredded cheese- any kind you like. I like cheddar.

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 c. minced onion

1 t. Italian seasoning

salt and pepper to taste

hot pepper sauce to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out dough to 1/8-inch thick. Use a 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter to cut out circles of dough. Place dough circles in mini muffin pans. Press them in gently being careful not to tear them. Repeat with remaining dough and re-roll scraps. You’ll end up with about 3 dozen in all. If you don’t have enough pans, keep the extra dough circles under a towel or plastic wrap so they don’t dry out until you are ready to use them. In mixing bowl combine zucchini and toss in the flour. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Adjust seasonings to your taste. Place a rounded teaspoonful of zucchini mixture into each of the tartlet shells in the prepared pans. Don’t over fill. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown on top. They will puff up while baking but flatten when cooling. Can be served hot, warm or at room temperature. Makes about 3 dozen.

Zucchini  and Cheese Tartlets

Can be frozen. To reheat take straight from the freezer and place on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven and bake for about 20 minutes, but check after 15 minutes.

Blueberry Syrup on Waffles

Blueberry syrup is one of life’s perfect joys. Sweet and full of the flavor of fresh blueberries it is the perfect topping for waffles, pancakes and French toast. It’s easy to make and while it keeps for weeks it is probably not going to last that long. 

Blueberry Syrup

4 c. blueberries

1 c. water

1 1/2 c. sugar

In saucepan heat berries and water to a boil and boil 2 minutes. Crush berries with a potato masher as they cook. Pour mixture through a fine mesh strainer and press to extract all the juices. Return to pan and add sugar. Boil 2 minutes and strain mixture again. Cool, then refrigerate. Keeps a couple of weeks. Makes about 3 1/2 cups.

fresh lavender

I love lavender. I love the color, the fragrance and the flavor. I just came in from harvesting lavender in my yard and it made me think of the ways I cook with it.  I’ve posted my recipe for lavender shortbread before and I admit to adding lavender to sweet dishes more often than savory ones. But I do love the taste with meat dishes, too. Lavender is one of the ingredients in Herbs De Provence. I thought I would make some and share my recipe with you. Try rubbing it on lamb before roasting or grilling. You can also make a marinade with Herbes de Provence and a little sherry and oil and add chicken breasts or pork chops and leave in the fridge for several hours or overnight before cooking. Really a wonderful way to make even an ordinary dish a little special.

Herbes de Provence

1 T. thyme

1 T. rosemary

1 T. savory

2 t. basil

1 t. lavender

2 bay leaves

Blend fresh or dried herbs until bay leaves are powdered. Rub this mixture on lamb, pork, beef, poultry, or fish. If using fresh herbs, make small amounts and freeze what is unused.

Roasted Chicken with Judi’s Herb/Spice Rub

With more outdoor cooking I thought I’d share a recipe for a rub I made the other day. I used it on a chicken I was roasting but the flavors would go well on pork, lamb, duck and even on veggies. I actually want to use it next on grilled eggplant and mushrooms. I hope you will try it.

Judi’s Herb/Spice Rub

Rub roasted chicken with sweet potato fries and salad

Spicy Bread and Butter Pickles

Bread and butter pickles are one of my favorites. I make several batches every year.  For a nice twist try spicing them up a little. In this recipe red pepper flakes add a nice kick to the sweet pickles. Of course, you can omit the pepper flakes for a traditional bread and butter pickle, if you prefer. 

Spicy Bread and Butter Pickles

6 quarts thinly sliced pickling cucumbers

6 medium onions, peeled and sliced thin

½ c. pickling salt

1½ quarts vinegar

4½ c. sugar

½ c. whole mustard seed

1/2 c. red pepper flakes

1 T. Pickling spice

1 T. celery seeds

Wash cucumbers and trim off ends before slicing. Place in non-reactive bowl (stainless steel, enamel, plastic) add the onions and then salt and stir. Allow cucumbers and onions to sit in the salt for 3 hours. After 3 hours drain well, but do not rinse. Meanwhile combine remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Add cucumbers and onions and return to the boil. As soon as the mixture is boiling ladle into clean, hot pints jars, leaving a good ½ -inch of headspace.  Wipe rims and screw on lids firmly. Place in simmering water bath and process at 185-degrees F for 10 minutes. Remove to counter and allow to cool naturally. Makes 12 pints.

Note: these need a couple of weeks for the flavors to develop. They can also be made with firm, small zucchini. 

Easy Dill Pickles

I got a load of pickling cucumbers today and have been making pickles. The first few batches have been Dill Pickles with Bread and Butter Pickles next. To make the dill pickles a little more fun I added 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes to about half of the jars for a spicy version. 

Easy Dill Pickles

30-40 pickling cucumbers, 5 inches long, scrubbed and ends trimmed off

¾ c. sugar

¾ c. canning or pickling salt (non-iodized)

1 quart vinegar

1 quart water

7 fresh dill heads

3 T. pickling spice

7 garlic cloves, peeled, optional

Mix together the sugar, salt, vinegar, water and pickling spices and bring to a boil. Cook 10 minutes. Place a dill head in the bottom of seven clean, hot pint jars. Add the garlic, if using. Meanwhile cut trimmed and washed cucumbers into halves or quarters lengthwise and pack upright into the jars. Trim the length, if needed to fit no higher than to the shoulder of the jar. Pour over the hot brine leaving ½ -inch of headspace. Wipe rims and screw on lids. Place in a simmering water bath and process at 185 degrees F for 10 minutes. Remove and cool. Makes 7 pints.

Canned mangoes

I had to post this just because in recent weeks I have had several reports of unsafe canning.  Not trying to be preachy here folks but you can make you or someone else sick if you don’t follow the rules. Having said that- if you do follow rules and use reliable recipes canning is safe.

The biggest misconception seems to be that as long as the jars sealed they are safe. NOT TRUE!!!! As long as you put hot food into a jar even a short processing time will likely seal the jars. That does not mean the foods inside were processed long enough to kill any possible pathogens. Some years back I had a lively conversation with one of my community gardeners because an out of date Blue Book said you canned green beans in a boiling water bath for 3 hours. She thought they had to be safe. Trouble is you can boil the beans for 3 days  the water in a boiling water bath will not go over 212 degrees F. The spores for botulism are killed at 220 degrees.

Lets talk about the 2 basic kinds of approved methods: water bath and pressure canning. A boiling water bath is for fruit products ( juices, jellies , jams etc.), pickled products and tomatoes if the have been acidified. Pressure canners are used for non-pickled vegetables, convenience foods like soup and chili, meat, poultry and fish.

A water bath canner requires jars to be completely submerged in the water and covered to a depth of 1-2 inches over the jars. The water should be boiling when you add the jars to the canner and processing timing starts when water returns to the boil. In the case of pickles processing is done when water is at a simmer. Don’t short the time and if you live at higher elevations ( over 1,000 ft.) processing times are longer. When the time is up remove the jars and allow them to cool down out of drafts.

Pressure canners differ somewhat in their directions. Some require 3-4 inches of boiling water in the canner and others require a specific amount of water. Follow the directions that came with your canner. Jars are placed in the canner with the boiling water and it is closed. Under high heat the canner must be vented for 10 minutes and then fitted with a gauge to register the internal pressure- usually 10 pounds. timing starts once the canner reaches pressure. Once it has reached pressure you can turn the heat down. Maintain enough heat to keep it at pressure but not to go over.  Once the time is up the canner is removed from the heat and allowed to cool until a vent- that will have popped up after the canner was vented- falls down naturally. This can take 30 minutes or even up to an hour. Once the vent has dropped you wait one more minute then remove the lid- opening it away from you as it will still be very steamy in the canner. Now the jars can be placed on a counter to cool. You can’t rush the process by placing the canner in cold water. You just have to wait.

The sound of the jars “plinking” will let you know they are sealed. Following the correct times and procedures will assure you that they are safe.

Remember- use reliable recipes-follow the times- ask for help if you aren’t sure. I love to can and promote it all the time. It worries me to think that someone could get ill or lose their stored foods through spoilage when all they had to do was change a few practices. Be safe people!!!

Whole Wheat Swiss Bread

I decided to post this recipe after I read a friend’s post earlier today. She was wondering how to make bread when you don’t have a large block of time to be home waiting for rising and more rising and then baking. Here is a recipe that might help her out. The dough is prepared, rested for a bit, shaped and then popped in the fridge to rise. It can be baked several hours later or even the next day. You can prep it in the evening- let it rise in the fridge overnight- and bake it in the morning. It is also a wonderful whole wheat bread with Swiss cheese melted in the dough.

Whole Wheat Swiss Bread

3 c. flour

2 ½ -3 c. whole wheat flour

2 packages active dry yeast

2 T. sugar

2 t. salt

1 c. each milk and water

4 oz. diced Swiss cheese

3 T. butter or margarine

Oil

Combine 2 cups of the flour with the yeast, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl. Heat together water and milk with cheese and butter until warm, cheese does not have to melt. Add to flour mixture and beat 3 minutes. Stir in remaining white flour and beat 2 minutes. Stir in enough whole wheat flour to make a soft dough.  Knead on floured surface until smooth and elastic. Cover with bowl and let rest 20 minutes. Divide dough in half and shape into loaves by rolling out and then rolling into a loaf and sealing seams. Place in greased 8×4 inch loaf pans and brush with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge. Chill 2 –24 hours. Remove from fridge and remove plastic wrap allowing to stand while oven preheats. Bake at 375 for 35-40 minutes. Remove from pans and brush with butter. Cool. Makes 2 loaves.