Gougères. Sounds French and Fancy! Well, they actually are pretty fancy and definitely French. Gougère, or cheese puffs can be a bit tricky at first. Once you get the hang of it though, you'll be very likely to enjoy success with them. Rich, yummy success! Gougères are a savory version of cream puffs or eclairs, which are also made from choux pastry. These are all very handy recipes to have on hand if you have a bunch of chickens. Lots of chickens usually mean lots of eggs and all ... Read More about Herbed Cheese Gougères
Appetizers
Quick Pickled Radishes
It does not get much more seasonal that fresh radishes. We've been enjoying a bumper crop of them this spring. A few springs ago, I shared this Sauteed Radishes with Sea Salt & Lime recipe, that we still enjoy at least a few times each spring. Cooking radishes does something really special, that we never dreamed of till we tried it, so I hope you will check that recipe out too. And I am always happy to eat freshly pulled radishes with just a bit of coarse salt, or sliced very thin and ... Read More about Quick Pickled Radishes
Lemony Dill Hummus
...with Cucumber Dippers! Hi there! I am picking my head up from the pails that contain our farmer's market produce to put this fantastic recipe together for you! Farmer's Market is a lot of fun, but I am not sure we could handle more than one market a week - getting everything looking good and ready to sell is a lot of work. There are people who do a market just about every day of the week, and they must be exhausted all the time! Or maybe they are a lot younger than we are. Yeah - that last ... Read More about Lemony Dill Hummus
Spicy Zucchini “Fries”
We have had a pretty busy summer here at Creekside. I'm not exactly sure how Larry had time to ever go to work before he retired, because it seems like every day is filled to overflowing. Our latest adventure is that we have become vendors at a local market in my hometown. The Thursday Night Farm to Fork Farmer's Market is a fun venue, with music, great food from local restaurants [often using products from the vendors], and a revolving number of other local small producers. We had thought about ... Read More about Spicy Zucchini “Fries”
Asiago Herb Spread
How was your Christmas this year? I hope it was as happy as our own, with lots of family around, fun times, and wonderful food. All of the kids and grandkids made it home to our house this year, which packs our house pretty tight, but we managed. A few more folding chairs, an air mattress or two [or 3!], and an extra trip or two to the grocery store for vital supplies like eggnog and salsa. There is nothing like a 6 month old baby to make a Christmas feel merry, and the older grands really love ... Read More about Asiago Herb Spread
Goat Cheese Spread with Tomatoes
We have just wrapped a few weeks of family visits, and it was, as always, a blast! My Mom was here for a couple weeks, and though we were sorry that my Dad didn't feel up to it, we were glad that she was able to come. It was her first time seeing her latest great grandchild, Evelyn. It has been a few years since she was able to see Mark & Anna, so they are like whole new people almost. And in addition to Mom, both the girls and their families, my sister and brother in law were also able ... Read More about Goat Cheese Spread with Tomatoes
Fresh Corn Fritters
Here in Upstate NY, this is really the best time of year for sweet corn. Nothing really compares to that first early corn that we crave so much after a long winter without it, but for the absolute best stuff, August and early September are when you find varieties that have the most flavor. Later varieties usually have ears that stay tender and sweet, even as they get huge - those are perfect for getting in the freezer for wintertime soups and side dishes. Just blanch them for a couple minutes, ... Read More about Fresh Corn Fritters
Creamy Vegan Zucchini Dill Soup
We are still on a zucchini kick around here. Nothing wrong with that as far as I can see. It's a good year for squash, with plenty of rain and nice sunny days in between. The tomatoes are wishing it were a little warmer, but squash doesn't mind that is has been cooler than normal. It makes the plants produce a little longer as well, because in warmer weather production speeds up which tends to wear the plants out more quickly. Not a problem this year. I have never understood the idea of getting ... Read More about Creamy Vegan Zucchini Dill Soup
Zucchini and Black Bean Quesadillas
I know a lot of people complain about how prolifically zucchini grows, and I might even make a joke about it every so often here on the blog, but honestly we do love it. You still might want to lock your car doors if you stop by and leave your car in our driveway for very long, though. Zucchini have minds of their own, and have been know to form little squads that somehow make their way to the back seats of the unwary visitor. And this is the time of year when people leave their dogs tied on the ... Read More about Zucchini and Black Bean Quesadillas
Southwest Chicken Kebabs
Last year, about this time, I created this recipe for a giveaway from Great American Spice Company, where I am an occasional contributor. Since the giveaway is long over, I thought the recipe deserved it's own post, so I'm republishing it today. Now, it's true that we don't use a whole lot of processed food around here - I'm a DIY sort of gal for the most part. But, I do get in a hurry sometimes, and I like to have a few tried and true "store bought" things on hand for when I run short on time. ... Read More about Southwest Chicken Kebabs
Roasted Garlic Hummus
One of Larry's favorite things to grow is garlic. Once you get the basics down, garlic is quite easy to grow. And you plant it in October for harvesting in July of the following year, so it's out of the way as a chore when there is so much else that needs doing in the springtime. Consequently, we usually end up with something like 125 gigantic heads of of garlic every year. We grow more than that, but you have to save your seed garlic heads for the next year, and we give away or sell some of ... Read More about Roasted Garlic Hummus
Spicy Tomato Cheese Crackers
You know those cheese crackers you can buy in the store? The little orange ones that have some kind of magnet in the bottom of the box, perfectly attuned to human physiology, so that you can't keep your hand out of there, but just keep going back in the box for another one? For a long time, they just had one flavor, but they keep adding more and more all the time, including spicy ones. Did they really have to make spicy ones? They seem to have an even stronger magnet in those boxes than the ... Read More about Spicy Tomato Cheese Crackers