I think this is the busiest time of year for any gardener. As the summer winds down, we have to get everything put up for winter - currently that consists mostly of squishing tons of tomatoes into various jars and running the canner for hours every day. I try to mix of what I am making, so it doesn't become too tedious - today it's crushed tomatoes. But before I move over to the kitchen to get those going, I want to share my fast and easy recipe for these Jalapeno Garlic Dill Pickles. It's a ... Read More about Jalapeno Garlic Dill Pickles
Recipes
Marinated Tomato Salad
I am writing to you from the land of grandchildren today! It's a happy place, if a bit tiring exhausting at times. We are minding our granddaughter Evelyn, while her baby brother Micah gets born - fun times for all. He is a healthy, sturdy little guy, and it's instant love the first time you hold your grandkids! We would not trade this time for anything - both spending extra time with Evelyn, and getting to know Micah when he comes home later today. I have to admit it will be nice to have our ... Read More about Marinated Tomato Salad
![Homemade Raspberries Preserves [no pectin recipe] from The Creekside Cook](https://thecreeksidecook.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/featured-400x600.jpg)
Raspberry Preserves {no pectin recipe}
It has been a mighty busy summer around here. A good busy though. In addition to having a bigger garden and selling at the Farmer's Market, we found a new church that we are trying, I got into essential oils [okay, that should probably say I became instantly obsessed with essential oils!] and now, any day, we expect to be called suddenly to drive 3 hours south to watch our granddaughter while her little brother gets born! I am trying to get everything from the garden put up for winter in ... Read More about Raspberry Preserves {no pectin recipe}
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 ... Read More about Spicy Zucchini “Fries”
Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
Summer certainly took it's time finding us this year. Now that it is here, in all it's hot, steamy, Upstate New York glory, there is no better time for some Strawberry Cheesecake Ice cream. The strawberries have been really good this year - sweet, juicy and, locally at least, huge. Strawberries like things cooler, and a bit on the rainy side. Certainly better than we do. If there are no more fresh strawberries where you live, this is easily made with frozen berries. Just take care that the ... Read More about Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
3 Light Summer Salads
I know that I have been scarce here on the blog lately. Lots of you have been regular visitors though, and I am grateful and so pleased that you find good information here, even when I am so often absent. Things are getting better, day by day. I am getting a handle on some health challenges that I have been struggling with, in addition to losing Larry's sister at the beginning of the year. Instrumental in that has been my discovery of essential oils, which I will talk about more soon, but ... Read More about 3 Light Summer Salads
Stand Mixer Italian Bread
I have to be honest and tell you that I would love a do-over for this year so far. It's been a difficult one, to say the least. I'll get into some of it in posts to come probably. But - I'm looking forward now, and this recipe is a good place to begin. It's from my old blog actually, but a year-round treat that we always enjoy. The fact that it is dead easy doesn't hurt either. Making bread can seem daunting if it's not been your thing before, but the more you do it, the easier it becomes. ... Read More about Stand Mixer Italian Bread
Chicken Fajita Couscous Dinner Bowls
I don't watch a whole lot of TV, but "Chopped" on the Food Network has always been a favorite of mine. I've never had any real desire to actually be on the show, because I like to cook at a much more leisurely pace than would be needed to actually finish in the time allotted. But when Sargento® asked me if I would like to do a recipe for their Chopped at Home promotion, I thought it sounded like a lot of fun, so I happily said yes. After all, no one would be holding a timer over my head, and I ... Read More about Chicken Fajita Couscous Dinner Bowls
Upside Down Grapefruit Cake
You don't see that many recipes using grapefruits in baking. I guess they don't have quite the same pizzazz as lemons and limes, and they are not as sweet as most oranges. If you juice them, the flavor isn't really bold enough to hold up much grapefruit flavor - unless you reduce it, and then it loses a lot of it's pop because you lose the fresh uncooked flavor. The trick is to use the fruit itself. I love fresh grapefruits, and don't mind the trouble involved to section them, but Larry can't ... Read More about Upside Down Grapefruit Cake
Dried Plum Oatmeal Cookies
Okay, Okay - so they are actually just plain old humble prunes. "Prune" is not a word that brings out a positive thought for a lot of people, I realize. I figure if the package can call them "Dried Plums", then I can too, and maybe a few more people will be drawn to the idea. The truth is, though, that I have always loved prunes. Growing up next door to my grandparents, I was given to think that only old people eat prunes, because they had them every morning for breakfast. I'm not sure that we ... Read More about Dried Plum Oatmeal Cookies
Rutabaga Cheddar Mash
Poor rutabagas - so misunderstood! So ignored and under-appreciated! Not around here though. They have always been a big favorite of ours, and this is the perfect time of year to enjoy them. They are a very easy vegetable to grow, though here they don't seem to become quite as large as the ones we can buy in the store - you want to harvest them at about softball size, so that they don't become fibrous. We are out of the ones we grew last fall, because though they keep quite a long time, we have ... Read More about Rutabaga Cheddar Mash