Cauliflower the Other White Vegetable

Cauliflower isn't just for boiling and serving as a side dish with butter. It's much better when cooked in low-sodium chicken broth and garlic, then drained and mashed.

It's a great low-calorie and healthy substitute for mashed white potatoes. 

We've also roasted cauliflower and recently learned that it can be served as a white rice substitute too. This was great news as we've been avoiding pasta and rice in recent weeks.

It's not that don't enjoy those foods, we do. But, carbs don't fit in with our current weight loss campaign, which is working, even if a bit slower than we would like. Here's a couple of easy (and delicious) cauliflower recipes that we've enjoyed the past couple of weeks and maybe you will enjoy them too.

Cauliflower Rice

This easy recipe is a triple header: low calorie, gluten-free, and diabetic friendly. It can be served as a side dish or as a base for other dishes, like stir fry or curry.

• 1 head cauliflower
• 1 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• Spices, herbs, or veggies of your choice
• Food processor

1. Wash, remove core and leaves, trim and coarsely chop cauliflower. Remove any brown or black spots with a paring knife. Chop cauliflower into small florets or pieces small enough to fit into your food processor.
2. Process (pulse) until cauliflower is small and has the texture of rice. Put florets into food processor in batches. Don't over process or pulverize the cauliflower until it's mushy — you want a rough chop.
3. Heat olive oil in large frying pan. Add onion and saute until soft. If adding other dice vegetables include with onion.
4. Raise heat to medium-high. Add cauliflower to frying pan. Cover and cook approx. 5-6 minutes, stirring often until the cauliflower is slightly crispy on outside, but tender on inside. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add-ins to Cauliflower Rice

Curried: add 1 TBSP turmeric or curry powder
Herbed: add 1/4 C fresh basil, parsley, green onion or other herbs of your choice
Spanish: cook cauliflower then add 8 oz. can of chopped tomatoes and hot sauce
Vegetable: add favorite diced veggies, sauteed with onions
Lemon: add lemon zest and lemon juice

Roasted Cauliflower

• 1 head of cauliflower
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled and coarsely minced
• 1 TBSP lemon juice (or half a lemon)
• Olive oil
• Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C). Lightly oil a large roasting pan or baking sheet. Cut cauliflower into florets and place in a bowl. Toss with minced garlic. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Drizzle with olive oil and toss so that florets are lightly coated with oil.
2. Spread florets in a single layer on roasting pan. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
3. Place cauliflower in hot oven, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes, or until top is lightly browned. Use a fork to test for doneness; tines should easily pierce cauliflower when done.
4. Remove cauliflower from oven and sprinkle generously with Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately. 

Rats — Crocked Summer Veggie Stew

The post title refers partly to the 2007 computer animated Pixar-Disney film, Ratatouille, which starred Remy, a Parisian rate interested in cooking. This is a fun movie for all ages. 

But it's really about Ratatouille, a vegetable stew that aside from Gazpacho (a soup made from raw veggies and served cold). And, it's one of the best ways to use an abundance of summer vegetables, your own or ones gifted by friends with overflow gardens.

Not only is this a great-tasting meal, but it's also good for you (imagine that). Over the years, I've tried various versions, most required some form of stove top cooking, but this recipe differed — veggies were cut up, seasoned and broiled before being added to the crock pot. The result was they held up better even after several hours in the crock pot. And, to give credit where due, this adapted version is from Cook's Country (Aug/Sep 2013).

Slow Cooker Ratatouille

• 2 lbs eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2-3 zucchini (about 8 oz. ea) quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, cut into 1-inch pieces
  
• 2 onions, roughly chopped
• 6 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 TBSP sugar
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp Herbs de Provence *
• 28 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1/4 C all purpose flour
• Salt & pepper
• 1/4 C grated Parmesan cheese (or a blend of grated Italian cheeses)
• 1/4 C chopped fresh basil

* If you don't have Herbs de Provence, substitute 1 tsp each dried rosemary and dried thyme. I had to search for this seasoning, but it was worth the effort.

1. Adjust oven rack 4 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. If your oven has different broiler heat settings, set it to medium (which varies if you have an electric vs. gas oven). Line backing sheet(s) or a large broiler pan bottom with foil (easier cleanup). In a large bowl, combine all the veggies also olive oil, sugar, garlic, Herbs de Provence. Toss until mixed and combined.
2. Divide vegetables evenly between prepared sheets (or single large sheet) and spread into a single layer (mine overlapped a bit). Broil until vegetables begin to brown, about 10 minutes or faster if your broiler has only 1 heat setting, which is very hot). While vegetables are broiling, turn a couple of times to evenly cook. When done, transfer to crock pot and add drained tomatoes.
3. Stir flour, 2-1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper into slow cooker. Cover and cook until vegetables are tender (about 4 hours on LOW). Stir in balsamic vinegar, cheese, and basil. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Yield: about 8 cups.

No need to serve with a side salad as this dish is loaded with veggies. However, some crusty bread makes a perfect accompaniment. Leftovers are delicious too, hot or cold.

Sweeter Than You Think - Vidalia Onions

There was a sale on these sweet onions at our local market, and taking advantage of this great deal meant buying a bag.
Sure, we’ve tried them before but usually only buying 1 or 2 at a time.
Now, we had a 5 lb. bag which meant discovering new ways to enjoy them. (See recipe below).

But, first I wanted to learn more about WHAT makes these onions so special — and usually pricier than “regular” onions. And (as usual) wanted to share this knowledge.

NOW, I know that the Vidalia® Onion is Georgia's Official State Vegetable as ruled by the state legislature in 1990 AND is grown exclusively in a 20-county region in Georgia in a production area defined by state law and by the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR).

Moses Coleman is credited with “discovering” the sweet Vidalia Onion variety, which were first grown near Vidalia, Georgia in 1931. Coleman found that his onion crop was sweet, not hot and managed to get $3.50/50-pound bag (a big price then). Other GA farmers,unable to get a fair price for produce through the depression years, thought Coleman had found a gold mine. Soon, their farms were also producing the sweet, mild onion.

In the 1940's, the State of Georgia built a Farmer's Market in Vidalia. A small town at the juncture of some of South Georgia's most widely traveled highways. The market had a thriving tourist business; word spread as tourists gave the onions their now-famous name. 

Soon Vidalia Onions were on shelves in local Piggly Wiggly and A & P grocery stores. Through the 1950s and 60s, production grew slow, but steady and was at 600 acres by the mid-1970s. A push was made for Vidalia Onions to be distributed nationwide. Onion festivals became an annual event in Vidalia and nearby Glennville, GA and production grew 10X over the next decade.

Georgia's state legislature passed the “Vidalia Onion Act of 1986” which authorized a trademark for “Vidalia Onions” and defined a 20-county production area. The crop is planted annually September through February with 70,000 plants produced on each acre. Onions are available from late April through mid-November.

In 1990, controlled atmosphere (CA) technology used in the apple industry was adapted for Vidalia Onions. Now, 20,000,000 pounds can be put in CA storage for up to six months, extending the sale of Vidalia onions through the fall and holiday season.
AND, we enjoyed them in this recipe. It was easy and delicious served with chicken (first night) and  then with fish (second night).

Vidalia Onion Casserole

• 3 or 4 Vidalia onions, peeled, sliced thin and ringed
• 1/4 to 1/2 C butter
• 1/4 C sour cream
• 1 package Ritz crackers, crushed
• 1 C Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese, grated

In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté onions in butter until tender. Remove from the heat and stir in sour cream.

Spoon half into a greased 1-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Top with remaining onion mixture and crackers.
Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

ENJOY !

Sweet Potato Salad #1

We try to avoid eating too many “white” foods, like breads, potatoes, rice. But, potato salad is a go-along with BBQ anything. Good thing we not only like sweet potatoes, but had some at the F&P. I’d heard/read about using them in a potato salad and it seemed like a perfect salad to have with BBQ chicken when friends came over for Sunday dinner.

It’s called SP Salad  #1 since this was a first attempt with variations from a couple of recipes. The recipe I planned to use called for safflower or grape seed oil (instead of mayo) and none was in our pantry, but will be soon. So expect a future version of F&P sweet potato salad. HINT: After you zest the orange, cut it and squeeze the juice to use as well.

Sweet Potato Salad #1

• 2 lbs. sweet potatoes, cubed
• 1 red pepper, seeded & chopped (green OK)
• 4 thinly sliced scallions
• 1/3 C mayonnaise
• 2 TBSP rice wine vinegar
• 3 TBSP fresh orange juice
• 1 tsp finely grated orange zest
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• salt & pepper to taste

Boil sweet potatoes in salted water over medium heat. Cook until tender (10-14 min.) depending on the cube size. Drain and cool. Transfer to a large bowl; add onions and pepper.

Whisk together the mayo, OJ, spices — hold the orange zest and paprika — carefully fold into potatoes. sprinkle orange zest and smoked paprika on top. Refrigerate until serving.

As with most salads, this one was better the second day with leftover BBQ chicken.

Carrot Bread

It’s true, we have a lot of carrots in the Frog & PenguINN garden. While they are not the prettiest veggies, they are still usable  and great for trying out new recipes. Last week I tried my first-ever carrot soup recipe which received rave reviews from Grenville, the resident F&P taste-tester.
Today I tried a couple new (to me) carrot recipes: muffins, which did not rate so highly and bread which Grenville declared “a keeper.”
As with MOST recipes,there are many carrot bread variations both in cookbooks we own and online. I confess to borrowing from other sources when  “experimenting" with a new recipe – this one was no exception.
A couple of variations I did not try include adding applesauce or orange juice. Feel free to experiment with your own variations.
Carrot Bread

• 3/4 C white sugar (see Note)
• 1/4 C packed brown sugar
• 3/4 C vegetable oil
• 1-1/2 C flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 C grated raw carrots
• 1/2 C chopped pecans or walnuts
• 3/4 C golden raisins (optional)

Note: You can use 1 cup of white sugar and eliminate the brown sugar. The optional raisins were not included, but will be next time.

1. Preheat oven to 350°F; grease and flour a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the sugars and vegetable oil.
3. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt and add to egg mixture.
4. Beat the eggs and vanilla; gradually add to the flour mixture.
5. Add carrots, pecans, and vanilla until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake 1 hour or until the bread tests done – dry when a cake tester is inserted. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn onto wire rack to cool completely.
The recipe was doubled to make 2 breads – did I mention we have LOTS of carrots?
Here’s some of the carrot muffins made using Splenda®  instead of sugar and also some orange juice. Maybe that was part of the problem; these were much heavier than the bread. Good, but a bit too moist.
NO Splenda® or orange juice were used in the bread recipe.

Colorfully Good Carrot Soup

Returning from our nearly month-long  NH road trip home means getting back to cooking – at home. We did a fair amount of that during our NH road trip at the extended stay residence. But, the cooking facilities there were limited to an electric cooktop and microwave – no oven. On the plus side, we had a full-size refrigerator. We went grocery shopping and nearly always cooked breakfast and most dinner meals. Lunch was usually our daily meal out while on our road trips around the state.
When we left, we figured that whatever was left in the veggie garden would be unusable when we returned home, so we gave veggies away before leaving. WOW were we surprised when checking the garden last week to find peppers and eggplants, and carrots too!
Despite a disappointing – almost nonexistent – carrot harvest last year, Grenville planted them again this year, but he wasn't expecting great success. Boy was he WRONG, cause we were pleased to find a lot of carrots. While these are not  the prettiest looking carrots, we plan to use them in as many recipes as possible.
This weekend, some of the carrots were peeled, cut up and used for in a new soup recipe – carrot soup.  It was fairly easy process using my favorite kitchen tools – a food processor and an immersion blender. While I used canned, low-sodium chicken broth, a homemade stock, if available, would add more depth of flavor. After checking MANY recipes, I found one which added something very different – orange juice.
Carrot Soup
This recipe is both vegetarian and vegan and also low fat since it doesn’t use cream or other dairy products.

• 4 tbsp butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 leeks, sliced
• 2 stalks celery, sliced
• 3-4 C sliced carrots
• 1-1/2 tbsp ground coriander
• 4-6 C chicken or vegetable broth (homemade stock is best)
• 1-1/2 C orange juice
• salt & pepper
• parsley or cilantro

1. Sauté leeks, onions and celery in butter until soft.
2. Add carrots and broth and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 30-40 minutes or until carrots have softened.
3. Add ground coriander and orange juice and stir to mix in.
4. Working in small batches, use a blender or immersion blender to puree until smooth. You can also leave the soup a bit chunky.
5. If necessary, thin the soup with a little more broth or orange juice (your taste preference).
6. Season with salt and pepper and add some parsley or cilantro before serving.

There’s nothing better to make the kitchen smell wonderful on a chilly and rainy fall day than a pot of homemade soup on our nearly new stove.

But the best part is when it’s done and ready to be served for dinner. We enjoyed ours with fresh-baked biscuits.

Homemade Tomato Sauce

There’s been an overflow of tomatoes in the Frog & PenguINN garden this year, so making fresh tomato sauce has been a regular kitchen project the past couple of weeks.

There are many  recipes on how to make a great tomato sauce. My mother used to do  home canning and I learned from helping her. Then, a couple of years ago, Grenville and I canned some jars and learned that: (1) it’s very time-intensive and (2) LOTS of tomatoes are needed to make a significant number of jars. Our result was 12 jars after many hours of work. This year, I’ve been making fresh tomato sauce, however, this time we’re freezing it.

Here’s the method I’ve been using.
Boil a pot of water. While it’s heating, score the bottom of each tomato with an “X.” When the water boils, carefully drop the tomatoes into the water until the skin loosens – usually less than 30 seconds.

Remove tomatoes from water and cool. Repeat until all tomatoes have been put in the pot. Once cooled, peel away the skins and de-seed the tomatoes by pressing them in your hands. Place a thin mesh strainer over a bowl to captures the juices. These are later added to the pot when the tomatoes are cooking.

Cover the bottom of a large pot with olive oil. Finely dice up several garlic gloves, onion, pepper, fresh basil and oregano (if available; use dried if not) and a couple of carrots (something  read about that adds sweetness to the sauce.

Sauté until veggies are softened. Not only will the veggies be very colorful, but the kitchen will smell just like an Italian restaurant. After the veggies and herbs have cooked awhile and softened, add tomatoes and simmer for a couple of hours until the tomatoes have broken down. I usually add a 1/2 can of tomato paste and the reserved tomato juice during this cooking process.
After simmering for a couple of hours, cool the tomatoes, then use an immersion blender to make into a smooth sauce – or leave chunky – if you prefer.

What if I don’t have any fresh tomatoes?”

When that happens to us in the winter months, I open 2 – 3  cans of crushed tomatoes, add onions, garlic and herbs and cook as above. Usually, I don’t need to puree this mix.

It’s better than opening a jar of sauce.

Eggplant Quiche

Along with the explosion of butternut squash, we’re also having a  booming eggplant crop this year. This was quite a surprise as the last couple of years, were dismal. Finding new ways to use this dark purple orb is leading to some great new recipe finds. This eggplant quiche was made for the first time on Friday and shared at dinner with friends, Marty and Bob – who we can call and invite to dinner with the explanation that we are trying something new. They gave this dinner a  thumbs up rating.

Eggplant Quiche

• 1 small eggplant (about 1 pound)
• 2-4 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, chopped and drained (about 1 ½ pounds)
• ½ cup chopped onion
• 1-2 small green peppers, chopped
• ½ C fresh basil, chopped (if available)
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ¼ cup pitted black olives, sliced (optional)
• Salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano – fresh, if available
• 4 eggs
• 1 ½ cups heavy cream OR half & half
• 1 unbaked pastry shell
• ½ C freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 C shredded mozarella

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
 
Peel eggplant and cut into small pieces. Sprinkle with salt and let stand 20 minutes – cover with paper towels and weight down (large cans of crushed tomatoes work well).
Squeeze moisture from eggplant. Sauté the eggplant in a small amount of olive oil adding a little more oil, as needed Add salt, pepper and garlic salt to taste. 

Put eggplant mixture in colander and drain well (2-3 minutes).
Heat skillet and sauté the peppers and onions in the oil slowly until soft; add basil, garlic and tomatoes and sauté together for a few minutes.
Add the olives (if using), salt, pepper and oregano. Cook 2 more minutes. Remove from heat.
Beat eggs and cream in a bowl until mixed. Sprinkle some of the cheeses on the bottom of the pie shell. Spread the eggplant  mixture next. Add more of the cheeses.
Pour the egg mixture over the eggplant and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese. Bake for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 300 degrees and bake for 30 minutes more, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve in wedges, hot or cold.
(To seed tomatoes, halve the tomatoes horizontally, hold each tomato half over a bowl and squeeze to remove seeds.)

Notes:

• Preparation time is at least 1 ½ hours
• Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crust works fine when time is short
• Substitute canned tomatoes if needed – but DRAIN well
• Reduce cream amount to 1 cup and eggs to 3, if desired
• Drain vegetables and filling as stated or you get a soggy crust
• To seed tomatoes, halve horizontally, hold each tomato half over a bowl and squeeze to remove seeds.

Mangia & Divertirs !

Butternut Squash Bread

 Good News from the Frog & PenguINN garden is . . . cukes and zukes are nearly done for the season. Now, Grenville is fighting off the attack of the squash bugs.  And, this week we’re harvesting butternut squash.
That means lots of new menus to use this delicious winter squash. Last year, butternut squash soup was a favorite. This year, we’re trying recipes from the Victory Garden Cookbook. This bread (baked yesterday) got rave reviews from Grenville – just ask him.
Butternut Squash Bread
In this recipe, the butternut squash is peeled, cubed, boiled and mashed. Some folks cut the squash in pieces, scoop out the seeds, boil, cool, then cut and mash. My way is to cut the squash. remove seeds, peel, cut into cubes, cover with a little water and boil gently (about 15 min.) until soft, then drained, cooled and mashed. Save the leftover mashed squash for another recipe. Grenville is making squash pancakes this week – recipe to follow later.

• 1/3 cup butter
• 1-1/3 C of sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/3 C – cooked & mashed butternut squash
• 1 ¾ C flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp nutmeg
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp ground cloves
• ½ C chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°

1. Grease and lightly flour (or butter) a 9x5-inch loaf pan.
2. Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, then squash.
3. Sift together remaining dry ingredients, reserving nuts.
4. Stir dry ingredients into squash mixture, add nuts (if using).
5. Let rest for 15 minutes. Bake for 1 hour or until skewer inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Makes 1 loaf.

F&P Note: Baking took a bit longer than 1 hour as the skewer was still wet. Check and add 10-15 more minutes, as needed.

One butternut squash was large enough to bake two loaves with doubling the  the ingredients. One to freeze and one to enjoy.
Come on over and join us!  We serve your choice – coffee, tea or milk!

Eggplant Parmesan X2

Wow, today’s recipe postings do not involve cukes or zukes. Instead, eggplant is the featured veggie of the day with not 1, but 2 versions of a popular favorite – at least at the F&P.


The first Eggplant Parmesan recipe, which is the more traditional one, breads and sautés the eggplant before baking. But ,if you prefer not to fry it, then check out the second recipe which instead double bakes the eggplant – NO frying. Both versions are delicious, but this weekend it was the fry and bake method for us. The non-fry method requires heating the oven to over 400° which is not good on HOT days. Both recipes serve 6-8 are go great with a side of pasta or crusty bread and delicious as leftovers too!
Eggplant Parmesan (fry and bake method)
This is an all-time favorite from The Victory Garden Cookbook to which I add an additional cheese , Ricotta mixed with dried parsley, oregano and basil.

• 2 lb eggplant
• Salt
• 3 eggs
• 1 ½-2 C dried seasoned bread crumbs
• ½ - ¾ C olive oil
• 1 C grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 tsp chopped fresh oregano/basil or 1 tsp dried
• ¾ lb sliced Mozzarella cheese
• F&P Optional: 1-1½ C Ricotta cheese mixed with dried herbs
• 3 C tomato sauce (home made or prepared)

1. Peel eggplant and slice about ½ inch thick pieces. Salt cover with paper towel, weigh down, and drain for 30 minute. Pat dry. Note: While eggplant is drying, preheat oven to 350°and assemble ingredients.
2. Beat eggs with 2 tbsp water or milk (my preference).
3. Dip eggplant slices first into the eggs, then into the crumbs.  Heat ¼ C of oil in large frying pan and sauté eggplant until golden brown on both sides.
4. Drain on brown paper (paper grocery bags work well). Continue cooking eggplant, use more oil as needed (and you will need more).
5. Place half eggplant slices in a 9x13 inch glass baking dish. Sprinkle with 1/3 of Parmesan cheese, half oregano or bail (or both), spoonfuls of Ricotta cheese (if using) and 1/3 of tomato sauce. Repeat layers. Top with last of Parmesan and Mozzarella cheeses.
6. Bake in preheated 350° oven until bubbly. Cool and serve with pasta or bread (our choice).

Eggplant Parmesan (bake and non-fry method)
This recipe is from the Mediterranean Flavors cookbook by Nick Stellino, a former stockbroker turned chef who has hosted several PBS cooking shows. More of his recipes can be found here online. This recipe is unique in that you don’t bread or fry the eggplant and use fresh basil leaves between the layers. But, it’s best not done on a very hot day or early in the day because it uses higher oven temps.

• 1 (1 ½ lb) eggplants, sliced ½ inch thick
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 ¼ C tomato sauce
• 20 whole basil leaves
• 1 ½ C shredded Mozzarella cheese
• 1 C freshly grated Pamigiano-Reggiano cheese
• ½ tsp black pepper

1. Early in the day, sprinkle eggplant slices with salt and lay the slices atop one another in large colander. Place a dish on top and weigh down – large can of tomatoes work well. Drain for 20 minutes. Dry eggplant slices with paper towels.
2. Preheat oven to 425°. Brush a nonstick baking sheet with olive oil and brush both sides of eggplant slices too. Lay in single layer on prepared sheet and cook for 25 minutes until lightly browned. Set aside until cool.
3. Preheat oven to 400°. Spread ¼ C of tomato sauce over bottom of 9x13 glass baking dish. Lay 1/3 of eggplant slices over tomato sauce. Spread ¼ C of tomato sauce over eggplant slices. Place 10 basil leaves over tomato cause, sprinkle with ½ C of mozzarella cheese, ¼ C of Parmgiano-Reggiano cheese and ¼ tsp of black pepper.
4. Repeat layers again, starting with eggplant. On final layer, top with remaining eggplant slices, remaining sauce and cheeses. (NOTE: Casserole can be prepared ahead of time to this point, covered and refrigerated. Increase cooking time.)
5. Bake casserole uncovered for 30-35 minutes until sides are bubbling and top is golden brown. If casserole was refrigerated before baking, cook 40-45 minutes. Let casserole rest for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Mangia bene, vivi felice  - Eat Well & Live Happy

Zucchini Bread

It’s STILL all about zukes at the Frog & PenguINN garden. And with lots of summer zukes comes recipes for Zucchini Bread .  I’ve posted two variations – chocolate chip zucchini bread and cheddar-zucchini bread – but no basic Zucchini Bread recipe. Here it is. Add nuts and/or raisins if you prefer. This recipe  is from The Victory Garden Cookbook,  which is my favorite (and only) veggie recipe book.
Zucchini Bread
In this version, draining and squeezing the zucchini makes it less moist but also less sweet. Serve with or without butter.  Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour 9x5-inch loaf pan.

• 1 lb zucchini (2 cups when drained)
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 ¾ C flour
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 3 eggs
• 1 C sugar
• ½ C vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Grated rind of 1 lemon (optional)
• 1 C chopped walnuts or pecans or golden raisins (optional)

1. Wash, trim and coarsely grate zucchini; salt, drain and  squeeze dry. You should have 2 cups of zucchini.
2. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
3. Beat eggs, sugar, and oil. Mix in lemon rind (if using), lemon juice, and vanilla. Beat in dry ingredients and stir in zucchini. Add nuts/raisins if using.
4. Pour into greased and floured 9x5-inch loaf pan.
5. Bake (350° oven) for 55-60 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely on wire rack.

Here’s a couple of before and after photos.

It's almost here,,,,I's almost here!!!!!!

Just checked UPS tracking and our Green House left Salisbury Md. (our closest almost large city) at 6:54 am FOR DELIVERY!!!!!!

So what does that mean!!!!! Get your green cloths on for the Grand Opening Party (and you thought GOP was a bad word.....) Best plant costume contest, the great F&P Vegetable Parade, and hay rides.... What a treat. Date to be announced some day.

OK OK OK gotta go out and sit by the side of the road and wait for the nice UPS lady to get here.... OH BOY!!!!!!!

Planting Mania

That is what we are in the middle of right now. So far we have planted lettuce, spinach, leeks, onions, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, peas, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant. For herbs Beatrice has planted coriander, basil, parsley in with some parsley, rosemary, and oregano that made it from last year. Needless to say we have more than a little dirt under our finger nails, sore backs and are usually heading for bed early. And that is why there have been no posts lately.... So here is a look at the crops (imagine something green growing).

We also have the first of our summer renters. The sparrows always seem to get here first but eventually the Purple Martins take over later in the month when they run out of room elsewhere.

Now all we need is the predicted rain over the weekend. Nice on and off showers that will have time to perc into the ground. This year we are trying black landscape fabric on the tomato field as a weed barrier. It should let the rain water in but just in case we have set up the drip irrigation system.

Next planting will be Tuesday and Wednesday. We will get the first plot of corn in, and all of the squash, cucumbers, and zucchini (only one!!!!!).