There are a lot of advantages to having enough land to grow pretty much whatever you want to eat. We have tons of fresh veggies all spring, summer and fall, and now we're even starting to get some fresh fruit. We have room for a nice little flock of chickens who not only give us fresh eggs every day, but help keep some of the bugs and pests cleared out of the veggies. They have been running loose a few hours every day, till this weekend, when they discovered that there are some tasty little baby ... Read More about Fresh Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
Garden Fresh
Savory Chive Cream Cheese Scones
It is a quintessentially gorgeous summer day as I am writing this. Summer has definitely taken it's time getting here, and while I can't really say this weather was worth waiting for, because: "Summer, where the heck have you been?", but I am really grateful that it's here now. One of the things I am finding out day by day is what plants were lost in last winter's brutal weather. You hold out hope that a favorite plant is just late in emerging, but eventually you have to accept that a couple of ... Read More about Savory Chive Cream Cheese Scones
Brown Butter Rhubarb Cake
Rhubarb is definitely one of my favorite things in all the world, and this Brown Butter Rhubarb Cake is not the only reason. There are few things that are more rewarding to grow. Once established, it will continue to produce pretty much for the rest of your life. It is a big plant, but not unattractive, so it's not hard to find a spot for it, even in an urban setting. You have to give a couple years after first planting before picking very much, but after that, so long as you keep the flower ... Read More about Brown Butter Rhubarb Cake
Tomato Jalapeno Jam
This was inspired by Mark Bittman’s recipe in the New York Times back some time ago. We found his version a bit too sweet for us, but liked it enough that I decided to see if I could alter it sufficiently to suit our taste. It’s not like I have a shortage of tomatoes for experimenting. In order to achieve a truly jam like consistency, you can’t reduce the sugar very much, because sugar is what gives jams and jellies their texture. Without it, this will just end up as a spicy tomato sauce. So ... Read More about Tomato Jalapeno Jam
Creamy Tomato Bacon Soup
It has been one heck of a summer to be a gardener. To say the weather hasn't cooperated would be an understatement. Cold late, then no rain for weeks, then way too much rain, then cold early, bugs in Biblical sized mobs, and finally, blight on our tomatoes. We are more fortunate than a lot of people though, because we are just now seeing it, and we will get all the tomatoes we need. I have to credit our blight battling strategies for this, because some people started seeing a month ago. But, it ... Read More about Creamy Tomato Bacon Soup
Orzo Stuffed Zucchini
Orzo Stuffed Zucchini I think in a good growing year, every gardener experiences "the zucchini that ate Manhattan" syndrome. You know - you go out there and pick your squash every day, because you know, to get more nice little squashes, you have to make sure you don't have any gargantuan squashes. Letting summer squash get too big signals to the plant that it's time to make sure that the squashes they have are all that they can be - they put their energy into growing canoe hulls instead of ... Read More about Orzo Stuffed Zucchini
Crispy Zucchini Fritters
When we are having family over to eat in the summer time, Crispy Zucchini Fritters are the number one thing that they request. I've been making them for years, so it's not surprising that people wondered why I hadn't ever put the recipe on my blog. I finally got it on the old blog a couple years ago, and now I'm told I need to put on this one too, lest I keel over at an early age, and it be lost to all humankind, forever. We can't have that. Making these takes me back to the years when the girls ... Read More about Crispy Zucchini Fritters
Green Beans with Crispy Leeks
I know this is almost downright un-American, but I have to confess that I am not at all a fan of Green Bean Casserole. That's a bit of an understatement actually, but I hesitate to state my dislike in any stronger terms, lest I cause some real trouble among my friends here on the blog. Some people have such affection for this dish, that to insult it in any way, is akin to making a disparaging comments about someone's religious beliefs, or to insult their favorite politician. And, indeed, with it ... Read More about Green Beans with Crispy Leeks
Double Blueberry Ice Cream
Double Blueberry ice Cream? Isn’t just the regular kind good enough for most people? Why do you need to have double blueberries? Because I am fiendishly clever, that is why, and once you give this a try, you will be thanking me for my fiendish ways. I tried a couple of different recipes last year, and ended up not posting them, because I just wasn’t getting the flavor I was looking for. It's an insider secret to the incredibly interesting world of a food blogger that when you have to test each ... Read More about Double Blueberry Ice Cream
Grilled Romaine Salad
Grilled Romaine? I have to admit that I didn't think up grilled salads all on my own. There are many versions out there, some more complicated, and many using different ingredients. I like to keep this to the most basic elements - fresh, crisp romaine, a flavorful vinaigrette and some salty cheese. Perhaps you haven't yet run across this idea yet, in which case, you might be thinking that I have lost my mind, but rest assured - grilling lettuce is not crazy! When you begin with a nice crispy ... Read More about Grilled Romaine Salad
Strawberry Rhubarb Sherbet
Back a few years ago, my sister gave me an ice cream maker for Christmas. We were both low carbing at the time and I used it quite a bit to make some sugar free ice creams, which weren't as available then as they are now. It has been sitting in the spare room for a awhile, but this year, I seem to be inspired to use it more. This is the ice cream maker that I have: Cuisinart ICE-21 Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker. It makes a quart and half per batch, which is about how much a carton ... Read More about Strawberry Rhubarb Sherbet
Garlic Scape Pesto
Four years ago we started growing our own garlic. And by "we", I mean Larry - as is often the case with growing things you can actually eat. I grow flowers, Larry grows food. But then, I cook the food, so he is not complaining. Anyway, this Garlic Scape Pesto is a great way to use something we get a whole heck of a lot of this time of year. When you grow two hundred heads of garlic, guess how many garlic scapes you get? That is correct - you get two hundred garlic scapes. That's a lot. Scapes ... Read More about Garlic Scape Pesto